The inspector entered the room. He didn’t spare a glance to Greer as he crossed the room to sit just in front of them across the table. It was quite dark in the room, which didn’t stop the man to wear sunglasses. Unfortunately, it made reading his expression quite difficult. The inspector took a file out of his bag and put it on the table. He took a tablet, still not looking at Greer.
« -Greer Lauzon, 25 years. Witness. Is that right ?
-Uh, yeah.
-Even if that’s not necessary, I’ll introduced myself too. Inspector Olive Leruz. I’ve been assigned to this case.
Greer nodded, silent. Olive turned his head to them.
- I’m going to ask you some questions. When you answer, do it verbally, not with a nod or something like that. Understood ?
- Ah, sure, yes, said Greer, a bit confused by the demand.
-Okay, first question. You were the only person present the evening when the victim got murdered, am I right ?
- Yeah, we were just leaving after a restaurant between friends, and Gaël proposed I could stay at his place for the night.
- So you were alone, with your friend. How can I be sure you didn’t kill him ?
Greer stayed silent for a while before answering.
- Ah, I won’t be able to prove it, but I assure you I’m not the one who killed Gaël.
- Try then, I’ll see if your justification is viable.
- I assure you it’s useless, you’ll just think I’m crazy, said Greer with a small smile.
Olive tapped a bit on his tablet.
- If only you knew eveything I heard in this room. You surely won’t surprise me, but you can still try.
- I know who killed Gaël, but you won’t find her.
- Why that ? Who killed your friend ?
-A ghost.
The inspector paused for a moment and turned his head to Greer.
-A ghost, repeated Olive.
Greer stayed silent, squirming on their chair. Olive wrote something else on his tablet.
- how would your friend even be killed by a ghost ?
- Exactly, it’s odd. Usually, ghosts don’t hurt people.
- « Usually » ? so, you already saw other ghosts ?
-Uh, yeah ?
Olive opened a tab on his talet and started reading.
- I see you’ve been diagnosed with depression. Is that all ?
- What ? no, I don’t have any hallucinations, I swear ! oh, you know, what, nevermind, I don’t care.
- No, keep going, I’d like to understand.
- …Okay. Actually, I was always able to see them, since I was a child. So it can’t be schizophrenia, am I right ?
- ...Right. You said, ghosts don’t hurt people ?
- No, they can't. They’re like NPCs, but we can’t even interact with them, explained Greer.
-NPCs ?
- Ah, Non-playable characters. They don’t get hurt, don’t hurt others, don’t have any consciousness. Do you play war videogames ?
The inspector answered, a bit confused.
-Uh, no, why ?
- Ah, shit, I had a better example, but nevermind.
-No consciousness, you said ?
Greer straightened themself on their chair, eager to elaborate on this subject.
- Well yes. We could think ghosts are the spirits of dead people, am I right ? actually no, they’re more like, an echo of their life. The soul and the spirit disappear when the person dies, and if the death is, uh, traumatizing, the ghost remains. The ghost will often play in a loop the moment of their death, but sometimes it’s also the most intense moment of their life.
- If ghosts don’t, as you say, have consciousness nor power on the physicial plain, how could a ghoost murder your friend ?
- I don’t know, muttered Greer.
-Well then, how do you really know that’s a ghost.
- Ah, I can answer to that ! Ghosts might have a human appearance, they’re easily recognizable. Well, added Greer. I personally never saw a living human being transparent and blue-ish, heh.
-… I see.
The inspector tapped for a while on his tablet, slightly frowning. Greer observed with curiosity, his legs swinging. Their legs moved a lot when they were sitting, every time they were bored, interested, or even stressed. A habit Greer didn't manage to get rid of. Greer kept staring at Olive with interest in the silence, and couldn’t stop himself from asking a question. They leaned over the table to try seeing what was on the tablet. The size of the letters was big, and Greer could clearly read that it happened to concern his interrogation. It didn’t stop them to ask Olive all the questions that filled their mind.
-What are you writing ?
- I’m taking notes said Olive with a calm tone, without turning his head to Greer, even though their voice was significantly nearer.
- Why a tablet ? it would be way more cool to take notes on a little notebook, remarked Greer.
- Because a tablet is more practical, answered the inspector, with the same even voice.
- Oh, okay, murmured Greer, a bit disappointed.
They sat down on the chair, their head on their arms, slouched on the table. Olive kept writing for a while, and turned to Greer. He slid the folder he left on the table earlier to Greer, who looked at the file with interest.
- are you comfortable with seeing pictures of the crime scene ?
- oh, you mean pictures of Gaël already…
-Yes. There’s pictures of the victim.
Greer of course already saw all of this. They were present during the murder, after all. But were they ready to see this again ? in pictures ? just thinking of it… Greer crossed their legs to stop them from moving, and nodded slowly.
- If it’s necessary to advance in the investigation, I can look. I want to help.
- You don’t have to watch every picture, Olive felt the need to add. I can just ask you questions. We generally use the photos to bring the witness to the point of the crime so they can remember it better, but I don’t really think you need this.
-oh , okay.
- Your friend died from a shotgun, but the scene is odd. For... Three reasons.
-Which means ?
- First, when someone is killed by a gun, we usually find the bullet on the body. In this case, there’s no bullet, so we can’t identify the weapon that killed your friend. Then, we found cameras. Your friend collapsed suddenly. It was as if he got shot, but when we slowed the video, there was nothing. Last strange thing is the fact that, on the video, you seem to be the only one to hear something. There’s no sound on the video, and your friend only react when he seemed to take a bullet, added Olive, frowning slightly.
- It… It helps to prove my version of the ghost, doesn’t it ?
-Well, yes, conceded Olive. That doesn’t mean I believe you, he added. This is way too crazy for me to believe it immediately.
- Well, what do you want me to do ? It’s not like I could show you a ghost. I never met someone who could see them like me.
Olive tapped on his tablet to stop the recording.
- Can’t you, for example, talk to a ghost I know to get personal informations from them, to prove your ability ?
- Heh, it’s not Ghost Whisperer, here, Monsieur Leruz, Greer said, laughing. No, seriously, I can see ghosts, but not talk with them. I already told you, they’re empty shells. Even if I could converse with them, what would I get from it ?
- Hm, true. Olive thought for a while before adding, oh, what if you describe the appearance of a ghost I could know ?
- uh, sure, so what do I do, I describe all of them ?
- all of them ? what do you mean, all of them ?
Greer obviously didn’t tell this to the inspector, but there was indeed ten ghosts wandering around him.
- Um, well, you have quite a lot of ghosts around you. They seem to be clinging to you, added Greer in a small voice.
-Quite a lot of ghosts ?? what does that even mean ?
-Ah, it’s not astonishing, quickly said Greer. You must have saw number of murders, as an inspector. So you met more dead people than usual. And ghosts often cling to people…
- so these ghosts would likely be victims of murders I took care of ?
- uh, yeah, probably.
- Describe them, quickly said Olive.
- Uh, sure. So, behind you, there’s a teenager, hum, dark hair, short, glasses. He’s in shorts and a t-shirt with a printed image on it. Uh, his eyes are light, but he had big eyebags. I think he’s sick ?
-Keep going.
- Okay, okay. Just next to you, there’s a tall woman, clear hair, probably blond ? and-
-Why probably ? interrupted Olive.
- I already told you they’re more like transparent and in blue-ish palettes. I see lights and shadows, but not the real colors.
-okay, I understand.
-Uh…
-Yes ?
-Do I keep going with the desciption ?
Olive shook his head.
- No, that’s alright. Your description of the boy, the ghost behind me is precise enough to convince.
The inspector read the notes he left on his tablet for a while.
- You said ghosts follow a cycle. What is he doing ?
-The boy ?
-yes.
Greer started observing the ghost, describing what he saw to Olive. The ghost was in a sitting position, even if floating in the air, focused on something that was only visible by him. He was distractedly eating a yogurt, and a slight disgusted wince with each mouthful of yogurt, and looked like he was raging over what as in front of him. then he dropped his spoon and gripped his stomach, his eyes widening. He suddenly stood up and-
- Okay, thanks. I know what happens next, interrupted Olive.
-Ah- Okay.
- I believe you, if it can reassure you. You don’t have any other way to know what happened besides having seen the scene.
- Uh, thanks. Can I go now ?
-I have a proposition, before you leave.
-Alirght, I’m listening.
-Help me on this case.
Greer blinked. Blinked again. Stared at Olive, flabbergasted.
-What .
- I have to say I’m sort of helpless with this case, sighed the inspector. A ghost murderer, that’s clearly some nerver-seen-before kind of shit.
-I wouldn’t say murderer, corrected Greer, more like murder weapon.
- What do you mean ?
- Ghosts don’t have any consciousness, said Greer, so how could they be murderers ? I think someone might force them to act like that.
-interesting theory.
Olive wrote something on his tablet and stood up. He gathered his stuff in his bag and turned his head to Greer. Greer was still dumbfounded by the inspector’s demand. Which was normal. What kind of inspector asks his main suspect to help him resolve a murder, just because said suspect told him the murderer was a ghost ? it was just unbelievable. Olive kept staring at Greer, bag in hand.
- Mx Lauzon, you’re coming ? asked the inspector.
- Uh, where ?
- We certainly won’t work on the murder here. Let’s just go to my desk.
- Oh, yeah, sure. But, I have a request, started Greer.
-Hm ?
- I clearly won’t stand being called Mx. Lauzon and calling you Monsieur Leruz, so please, let’s call each other by name.
-Ah, yeah, no problem, Greer.
- Yay, thanks Olive. So, where’re we going ?
-This way.
197Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEDexkD97YK
Author's Note :
I fucking love the word "flabbergasted", it's such a funny word, and I don't know why, but it fits so much with its meaning. I giggle everytime I use this word. I love english.
This scene takes place just after the murder. So, the chapter poster before actually happens after this.
