The Locked Room
Detective Sarah Thompson stood outside the locked room, her heart racing. Inside, the lifeless body of millionaire businessman John Hartley lay sprawled on the floor. The door had been locked from the inside, and the windows were sealed shut. It appeared to be an impossible crime.
As Sarah examined the scene, she noticed a peculiar detail: a single red rose lay on the victim's chest. She knew this was the calling card of the notorious assassin known as "The Phantom." But how could the killer have escaped the locked room?
Sarah interviewed the victim's wife, Emma Hartley, who seemed genuinely distraught. She claimed to have been out shopping at the time of the murder. The couple's butler, James, stated that he had been in the kitchen preparing dinner and hadn't heard a thing.
Perplexed, Sarah searched the room for clues. She discovered a small, hidden panel in the wall behind a painting. Upon closer inspection, she found that it led to a secret passageway. Sarah followed the passage and found herself in the library, where a startling sight awaited her.
There, holding a gun and a red rose, stood Emma Hartley. She confessed to the murder, revealing that she had been leading a double life as "The Phantom." Emma had used the secret passageway to escape the locked room after killing her husband.
As Sarah handcuffed Emma, she couldn't help but feel a sense of admiration for the woman's ingenuity. The case of the locked room had been solved, and "The Phantom" was finally brought to justice.
