The Locked Room Mystery
Detective Sarah Pearson arrived at the secluded mansion, summoned by a cryptic message from her old friend, millionaire businessman Alexander Blackwell. As she entered the study, she found Blackwell's lifeless body slumped over his desk, a single gunshot wound to his temple. The room was locked from the inside, and the only window was secured with iron bars.
Pearson quickly assessed the scene. Blackwell's right hand still gripped the gun, and a note lay beside him, reading, "I can't go on. Forgive me." It appeared to be a straightforward suicide, but something didn't sit right with the detective.
She noticed an unusual detail: Blackwell was left-handed. Why would he use his right hand to shoot himself? Upon closer inspection, she discovered that the gun in his hand was not the weapon that killed him. The caliber didn't match the wound.
Pearson searched the room and found a hidden safe. Inside, she discovered a second gun, the one that had killed Blackwell. She also found a series of threatening letters addressed to Blackwell, demanding money in exchange for keeping a dark secret.
The detective interviewed the mansion's staff and learned that Blackwell's estranged son, James, had visited the previous day. James had a turbulent relationship with his father and was desperate for money to pay off gambling debts.
Pearson confronted James, who confessed to the crime. He had staged the suicide using the second gun, knowing his father kept it in the safe. James had planned to frame his father's death as a suicide and inherit the family fortune. He had written the threatening letters to throw suspicion off himself.
With the mystery solved, Detective Pearson had once again proven her skills in unraveling even the most seemingly impossible cases. The Locked Room Mystery was closed, and justice would be served.
