The Locked Room Mystery
Detective Sarah Pearson arrived at the mansion, her heart racing. The wealthy businessman, Robert Hartley, had been found dead in his study, locked from the inside. The only key was in Robert's pocket, and there were no signs of forced entry.
Sarah examined the room, noting the scattered papers on the desk and the half-empty glass of whiskey. The window was slightly ajar, but it was a three-story drop to the ground below. She interviewed the family members, each with their own motives: the estranged wife, the resentful son, and the secretive daughter.
As Sarah dug deeper, she discovered that Robert had recently changed his will, cutting off his family entirely. The question remained: who had the opportunity to commit the crime?
The answer came when Sarah noticed a small, hidden door behind a bookshelf. It led to a narrow passageway, connecting Robert's study to the adjacent room - his son's bedroom. Upon confronting the son, he broke down and confessed. He had snuck into the study, argued with his father, and in a fit of rage, struck him with a paperweight. He then staged the scene to look like a locked room mystery and escaped through the hidden passage.
Sarah had solved the case, but she couldn't help but feel a twinge of sadness for the broken family left behind, torn apart by greed and secrets.
