Samantha officially said goodbye to the small town she had lived in for years and moved to Los Angeles with Natasha.
The LAPD welcomed her reasonably well—partly because she was attractive, partly because she had high-level connections. No one was going to make things difficult for her.
Keeping Prosperity Town under control as a female sheriff had already proven Samantha's political acumen. Considering her new life and her responsibility of caring for two daughters, she decided to shift her focus toward family and ultimately chose a clerical position.
She and Natasha rented a place first, easing themselves into life in Los Angeles.
Meanwhile, the new environment reignited Charlie's ambition. He took the initiative to request assignment to the Homicide Division, wanting to handle frontline criminal cases.
Bella had no objection. Charlie wanted to be a police officer; he wanted to bring down criminals. She couldn't stop him even if she tried.
Forks would soon appoint a new sheriff. Charlie needed to complete his transition, propose, get married, say goodbye to old friends, and buy a house in Los Angeles.
Buy the house first or get married first? In the East, buying came first. In the West... honestly, it was also buying first. Who would live with you without a home?
Young people might rent, but Charlie and Samantha were old-school. They believed a family was safest in its own home—and it wasn't like they couldn't afford one.
Working in Los Angeles meant buying in Los Angeles. An LAPD badge carried real weight; through work connections alone, they came into contact with all kinds of people. After a few calls, real estate agents rushed to line up showings.
Sure, someone might try to scam a police officer—but unless the profit was enormous, almost no one was reckless enough to target the LAPD.
Charlie and Samantha were newcomers, but with help from colleagues, they quickly narrowed the options down to several promising properties.
Bella had nothing to do except wait for college to start. Natasha was handling her school transfer paperwork—occasionally disappearing for hours. Bella tactfully pretended not to notice and even covered for her a few times.
On the weekend, the four of them drove out to view houses.
Their first stop was a villa in Santa Monica. Coincidentally, the previous owner was someone Bella knew all too well—Dr. Adrian, the optics researcher she had once defeated, whose wife had later shot him.
The villa had a sleek, futuristic design and was less than five years old. After Adrian's death, his younger brother listed it for $3.9 million.
Natasha loved the design, but all four shook their heads in unison. Way out of their league. Even if they somehow bought it, the property taxes alone would crush them. With their income, maintaining a house like that was impossible.
They drove across half of Los Angeles, grabbed fast food for lunch, and continued the search in the afternoon.
Near Hancock Park, they followed an agent to the fourth property of the day.
"Whoa! This place is huge!" Natasha was the first out of the car, staring at the towering mansion—over ten meters tall, sitting on more than eight hundred square meters of land.
Bella took off her sunglasses and rubbed her face, trying to clear her thoughts. Something about the house felt... familiar.
The real estate agent—a middle-aged woman named Marcy—launched into her pitch the moment she saw them.
"This house was built in 1922 by a well-known Los Angeles surgeon, Charles Montgomery, for his wife Nora. You might think it's old, but it really isn't—come inside and take a look."
She gestured toward the interior. "Everything here is Tiffany lighting. The layout follows a Victorian style. Honestly, the atmosphere and taste are remarkable. For two detectives, this would be an excellent choice."
"Detectives?" a deep, stern male voice sounded nearby.
A serious-looking middle-aged man with sharp eyes approached.
Marcy's enthusiasm dimmed slightly, but she still introduced him. "Dr. Harmon, this is Detective Charlie Swan, his fiancée, and their two daughters. Detective, this is Dr. Harmon—the current owner. He bought this home six months ago and is now... selling it for personal reasons."
Harmon clearly wasn't thrilled about selling to police officers. He forced a polite smile, shook Charlie's hand, and led them through the rooms with a quick, perfunctory tour.
Inside, the décor was dense and extravagant—like stepping into a small European castle.
Luxurious light fixtures, detailed oil paintings, thick carpets—everything added to the mansion's oppressive charm.
"Is this painting real?" Natasha asked, pointing to a portrait of an elegant woman holding a severed head.
Natasha excelled in modern science and technology, but when it came to art and history, she was hopeless. Bella, on the other hand, lived for this kind of thing.
Bella glanced at it. "It's Thracian Girl Carrying the Head of Orpheus by the French Symbolist painter Gustave Moreau."
The doctor and agent visibly brightened—until Bella continued calmly:
"But it's probably a replica. The original is in the Musée National Gustave Moreau in Paris."
Their expressions dimmed immediately. Replicas weren't worth much.
"Doctor, may I ask why this house is so cheap?" Charlie asked.
Homes of this caliber sold for around $2 million just a few blocks away. Six months ago, this mansion had been listed at $400,000—only one-fifth of market value. Now Harmon was selling again, cutting the price by another third, down to $260,000.
At that price, even ordinary buyers would be suspicious—let alone detectives.
Harmon's wife looked like a stereotypical American housewife, but when they addressed her as "Mrs. Harmon," she showed clear discomfort.
The distance between husband and wife—the lack of interaction—stood out clearly. Bella, lingering quietly at the back, immediately sensed the deep fracture between them.
"Detective, I have to say this—we were tricked by that damned real estate agent!" Mrs. Harmon burst out angrily.
Her husband shot her a warning look, but when Samantha glanced over, he immediately turned away.
"There's something wrong with this house. Something very wrong. The previous owner died here. And before that... there may have been others. Dead people."
This house is the famous Murder House setting from American Horror Story (Season 1)