The rookie Groupchat

Celina Juarez's "Spiritual Misunderstanding"

C:Okay, guys, I've got to tell you about something super weird that happened during a case last week. And before you roll your eyes, Tim, yes, it involves spiritual stuff.

T:I didn't even say anything, Celina. But go on, I'm bracing myself.

J:I'm actually curious. You always have the most interesting stories.

A:Alright, hit us with it, Celina. What happened?

C:So, we were working that burglary case in Echo Park, right? We get a call to check out this house that's supposedly "haunted." Of course, I'm all for investigating, and Tim's already rolling his eyes.

T:It wasn't haunted. It was just an old, creaky house.

C:You say that now, but just wait. So, we get there, and the homeowner, this older lady named Mrs. Rodriguez, is convinced her house has been cursed. She's talking about strange noises, objects moving on their own, and a shadowy figure that's been following her around.

N:Oh, boy. Tim must've loved that.

T:You know me too well.

C:Anyway, Mrs. Rodriguez is seriously freaked out, and I can feel this weird energy in the house. Something's definitely off. Tim, of course, is already poking around, looking for a "logical" explanation.

L:I bet he was, like, checking the windows for drafts or something.

T:Actually, I was checking the security system. Just doing my job.

C:Sure, Tim. So, while he's doing that, I'm talking to Mrs. Rodriguez, and she's telling me about this cursed artifact her late husband brought back from a trip to Peru. She's convinced it's the source of all the bad energy in the house.

J:Okay, I'm hooked. What kind of cursed artifact are we talking about here?

C:It was this creepy little statue, about the size of a shoebox, made of dark wood. It had these eerie carvings all over it. Mrs. Rodriguez swears that ever since her husband brought it home, things have been going downhill. She said the air felt heavy, and she even had trouble sleeping.

A:So what did you do? Did you do one of your rituals or something?

C:I wanted to, but Tim wasn't having it. He's all about "evidence" and "facts," so I decided to meet him halfway. We start searching the house for any logical explanation, but here's where it gets really weird. We hear this loud bang from upstairs, like someone slammed a door. We rush up there, and there's no one. No windows open, no signs of forced entry. But the room is freezing cold, like, way colder than the rest of the house.

T:There was probably an air vent or something.

C:Right. Anyway, as we're standing there, trying to figure out what's going on, I hear this faint whisper. I swear to you, it was like someone was calling my name.

A:Did you actually hear it, Tim?

T:I didn't hear anything except the sound of my patience running out.

C:Of course you didn't. But I heard it, and so did Mrs. Rodriguez. She grabbed my arm and said, "That's him! That's the spirit!" I knew I had to do something before the poor lady had a meltdown.

L:Wait, so what did you do? Did you call in a priest or something?

C:No, I decided to cleanse the energy myself. Mrs. Rodriguez had some sage in the house, so I took it and did a quick cleansing ceremony. You should've seen Tim's face. He looked like he was about to explode.

T:I wasn't about to explode. I just didn't think burning leaves was going to solve the case.

C:Well, guess what? After the ceremony, the house felt lighter. Mrs. Rodriguez calmed down, and the weird noises stopped. Even you have to admit, Tim, the energy in the place shifted.

T:The energy "shifted" because we closed all the windows and doors properly. There was a draft, and that's what caused the slamming.

C:You can believe what you want, but Mrs. Rodriguez said she hasn't had any issues since. No more noises, no more shadows. Case closed.

N:So, what about the cursed artifact? Did you get rid of it?

C:Oh, Mrs. Rodriguez refused to part with it. She said it was a family heirloom, so I told her to keep it in a box somewhere and not mess with it. I even gave her some crystals for protection, just in case.

L:Of course you did. So, Tim, how are you dealing with all this spiritual stuff?

T:Let's just say, I'm not booking any trips to haunted houses anytime soon.

T:I'm open to facts and evidence, Celina. You can keep your sage and crystals.

A:So, the moral of the story is...?

C:The moral is, sometimes, you've got to trust your instincts. Even if those instincts tell you to burn sage in front of your grumpy, skeptical training officer.

J:I think the real moral is that Tim needs to loosen up and embrace the unknown.

T: I think that Celina is spending too much time with Bailey

L: Hold on. What does Bailey have to do with this

T: Celina rubbed off on Bailey

T: And Bailey rubbed off on Nolan

A: Alternatively, Celina rubbed off on Nolan. 

L: Oh yeah. Being his boot.

T:I'm embracing the fact that I work with people who believe in haunted statues and sage cleansing ceremonies. That's enough for me.

N:Admit it, Tim, the house did feel a little off.

T:Maybe... but I'm still not calling it haunted.

A: Baby steps Tim