The cops showed up.
"Cops! Who called the police?" The moment Mrs. Lawrence spotted them, she slapped on a wounded, victimized expression.
"Officer, thank God you're here! You have to help us! That person in there spread rumors about my son and me online—made our lives a living hell! We just came to talk it out, and he goes and calls the police!"
The lead officer was a square-jawed, middle-aged man with a no-nonsense face.
He took one look at the burly men blocking my doorway and his eyes narrowed. "Talk it out? You brought a whole crew to 'talk it out'? This is harassment."
One of the thugs stepped forward. "Officer, that's not fair. We're just here to mediate a family dispute."
"Right, right. Family dispute," Mrs. Lawrence chimed in, nodding frantically.
The officer wasn't buying it. "Open the door. Let the homeowner out."
Hearing his voice, I finally unlocked the door.
I looked at the crowd and said evenly, "Officer, they blocked my door, wouldn't let me leave for work, and demanded $100,000 in compensation."
Mrs. Lawrence fired back instantly. "Lies! When did I ever ask for money? We're just here to reason with you! What proof do you have?"
I raised my phone and hit play.
"...Hurry up and apologize to my sister and my nephew, then pay $100,000 for emotional damages!"
"...If you don't cough up $100,000 today, you're getting your ass beat!"
The recording rang out crystal clear in the hallway.
Mrs. Lawrence and the thugs went through about five different shades of pale.
The lead officer's face hardened. "Anything else to say? Take them all in."
Mrs. Lawrence panicked. "My cousin is Leon Chavez! You can't arrest me!"
The officer let out a cold laugh. "Leon Chavez? He just got reassigned to janitorial duty. You need him for something?"
Mrs. Lawrence went slack-jawed.
Two officers hauled her up, but she kept thrashing and screaming.
Josh was terrified. He tried to bolt, but another officer pinned him with one hand.
"Officer, this has nothing to do with me—my mom made me come!"
I watched the whole circus without feeling a thing.
But then Josh suddenly snapped. He whipped toward me, howling like a rabid animal.
"This is YOUR fault! All of it, you piece of shit!"
The officers had him pinned, but he writhed like a worm, face twisted with rage, spit flying with every word.
"You RUINED me! I'm about to take my college entrance exams—getting dragged to a police station goes on my RECORD!"
His eyes were bloodshot, blazing with hatred.
"My dream of getting into a top university! You destroyed it! I curse you! I curse your whole family to die screaming! Even as a ghost, I won't let you go!"
