After walking for some time, the detectives eventually reached the end of the long flight of staircase leading them downwards to the basement. As they descended the stairs, the sound of music gradually became louder and more evident, making them ever more certain that they hadn't taken a wrong path.
At the end of the staircase was a metal door, which was shaped like a door leading to a dungeon in the Victorian era. Fearing to raise too much awareness of their presence to the mysterious piano player, Jeffrey carefully pushed open the cumbersome metal door as the detectives tiptoed into the dungeon room.
To their utter astonishment, the basement was, in fact, not very spacious, but had many other metal doors leading into other rooms. At the far end of the dungeon was a piano, with two candles attached to the top for illumination; and at the front sat the mysterious piano player- a woman with golden hair.
Abruptly, the music has terminated as the player perceived their presence. She gradually turned around, and the detectives gasped in wonder as the dim light of the candles illuminated the face of a girl who was barely more than eighteen years old. "Who are you? What are you doing here?" Jeffrey said sternly.
"I....I....am very sorry if I have intruded on your property," the girl stammered due to her anxiety, "I....I'm Amelie Hooper. I....I didn't know this was someone else's property. My boyfriend told me that he owns this place, and...and I can practise piano here for the upcoming piano contest."
"Please excuse my questioning, but, is your boyfriend Stuart Schwarz?" Shaun inquired. Both Jeffrey and Amelie gasped.
"Yes....but....how did you know?" Amelie's eyes widened as she queried the smiling detective. Then, Shaun and Jeffrey explained their situation to the bewildered girl, explaining that Stuart's grandmother had employed them to investigate this case, expecting it to be a supernatural encounter.
"I knew that douche is behind all this," Jeffrey shouted angrily as Shaun nudged him to be quiet.
"So...do you also have a copy of the key to the front door?" Shaun quickly inquired, "How come we didn't hear anyone enter?"
"No, I don't have the key to the front door," Amelie elucidated, "I entered through a trapdoor in the garden of the villa. Stewy showed me a secret passage in the garden that leads to this place." Jeffrey made a vomiting face after hearing Amelie call Stuart 'Stewy'.
"He told me that one could only enter through that door, I didn't even know that it can be accessed through the villa! If you don't believe me, I'll show you the way!" Amelie continued as she opened another metal door different to the one from which the detectives have entered, leading up to a different flight of steps.
~To be Continued~
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