The House of Horror

Chapter 22 _ Susan's Attempt To Find The Truth

"I'm not just a journalist; I'm right here in the thick of it."

Susan parked her car in front of the tower. She stepped out confidently and headed straight for the security room, her eyes filled with determination, a blend of curiosity and professionalism.

Inside the security room, Mina sat behind his desk, reviewing some papers. Ashraf and Shadi sat chatting. As soon as Susan entered, a brief silence fell over the room.

Susan: Good morning.

Mina, with a quick smile: Good morning.

Susan: There's someone here named Malik… Could I have his apartment number?

Mina: Mr. Malik lives on the fifteenth floor, apartment number 29.

Susan: Thank you.

She turned with deliberate steps and left the security room, heading for the elevator. She pressed the button, the door opened, and she slowly ascended to the desired floor.

She stood in front of Malik's apartment, rang the doorbell, and waited. Moments passed without a response. She pressed again, this time with even greater determination, tension creeping across her face. Suddenly, she heard a door open behind her—the door to apartment 30. She turned quickly to see a man standing in the doorway, staring at her intently.

Daniel: Hello.

Susan: Hello… Excuse me, does Malik live here?

Daniel calmly: I don't know anything about them… I'm new here.

Susan paused for a moment, then an old name flashed through her mind. She looked at him intently and said:

Susan: Aren't you the son of Professor Nabil… the well-known lawyer?

Daniel smiled slightly: Yes.

A few seconds later, the elevator doors opened again, and Dr. Ziad stepped out. He glanced at Susan, then turned to Daniel, saying:

Ziad: Hello, Daniel.

Daniel: Hello, Doctor.

Dr. Ziad continued on without delay, opened the door to his apartment, number 31, went inside, and closed it. Susan watched the scene intently and cautiously for a moment before calming down and turning to Daniel:

"Thank you, Daniel," Susan said.

Then she turned to go to the elevator.

Meanwhile, Daniel entered his apartment. He walked through the living room and called for his maid:

"Please, Lavi, make me a cup of coffee."

He went into his bedroom and closed the door, while Lavi went to the kitchen.

Susan left the tower and sat in her car for a moment, her eyes fixed on the building where Mira's body had been found. She murmured in a trembling voice, as if talking to herself:

"From which floor was Mira thrown?" Susan asked.

She picked up her phone and called the detective, the district attorney. The phone rang for a long time without an answer. She sighed in frustration, then put the phone down, started the engine, and drove off.

At the same time, the district attorney was in his office. He glanced at his phone screen, saw the caller ID, and smiled wryly.

"Prosecutor: This is journalist Susan... obviously looking for information on the Mira case."

He rose from his seat and walked to the filing cabinets in the corner of his office. He peered through the folders, then pulled out one clearly labeled "Mira's Crime." He carried it to his desk, sat down, and began flipping through its pages.

Suddenly, he froze. His eyes widened as if he had just made an unexpected discovery. He hesitated for a moment, then quickly grabbed his phone and called Susan.

Susan sat behind the wheel, driving while talking on her cell phone.

"Susan: Hello?"

She heard the detective's voice on the other end.

"Detective: Hello, Susan... Mira wasn't hit by a car without license plates as you thought, and no one killed her by hand. The medical examiner says Mira was killed by a stab wound to the neck, without the use of any weapon, and was thrown from a height."

Susan laughed.

"Susan: Is it really possible to kill someone without a knife?" The detective answered sharply, as if he felt Susan had outwitted him:

Detective: That's what the medical examiner said.

Susan asked curiously:

Susan: Then why didn't he mention the weapon used if it wasn't a knife?

The detective replied in an even harsher tone:

Detective: You should ask the medical examiner that question yourself. He's the one responsible, not me.

Susan smiled and said:

Susan: Thank you. Do you have time to have me?

After a moment, the detective replied:

Detective: Yes, in thirty minutes.

Susan: Thank you.

The detective ended the call and placed the phone on his desk, muttering to himself:

Detective: Susan's right... Why didn't the doctor mention the weapon used in the crime? If it wasn't a knife, what could it have been?

Susan got out of her car in front of the prosecutor's office. She closed the car door and headed towards the entrance.

She knocked on the detective's office door, he opened it, and she went in.

Detective: Hello.

Susan sat in the chair opposite his desk and said,

Susan: Hello.

Susan: Have you thought about what I told you?

Detective: You're right.

Susan: Let me help you with this case. I have a feeling it might help you a lot.

Detective: What do you mean?

Susan: I mean that Mira was killed in one of the apartments in this tower and thrown out of a window. This is the same tower where Nasser, Noor's killer, lived. Now, only Sophia and Malik remain from that family after Noor's murder and Nasser's execution.

Detective: What does this crime have to do with that family?

Susan: I mean, it's possible that one of the perpetrators is from Nasser's family, Sophia or Malik.

Detective: Why do you think that?

Susan: Because Nasser was killed due to a sudden mental breakdown and a bad mood, without any fault on Noor's part, as far as we know. If it was a temporary mental breakdown or a brief bout of madness, one of his sons might have inherited this "virus" from him and killed Mira. The detective stood up from his desk, smiling.

"You're very intelligent. But use that intelligence in your work, Susan. Let's move when there's news; I'll call you."

Susan slowly rose from her chair, walked to the door, opened it, and glanced at the detective. He was staring into the distance. She closed the door and left.

The detective opened the paper file and took out Mira's ID card. She lived in a neighborhood far from the tower. He whispered to himself, "Why did she come here? And why did she go up to the tower if Susan's suspicions were correct?"

He went to the computer in a corner of the room, sat down holding Mira's ID card, and searched using her national ID number. Her information appeared on the screen, along with several photos of her in revealing clothing, advertising herself for s*x.

The detective left the computer, went to his desk, picked up his phone, and took screenshots. Holding the mouse in his other hand, he scrolled through the screen, took more pictures, then put the phone in his pocket, went to the door, opened it, and left. Mira's picture remained on the screen.

The journalist opened the apartment door and entered. She threw her bag onto the sofa, her face contorted with anger, and said loudly, "Susan: I'm going to accuse you in an article no one has allowed me to write, and if I do, it will expose your complicity!"