The Locked Room Mystery
Detective Sarah Thompson arrived at the luxurious mansion of the wealthy businessman, Robert Hartley, who had been found dead in his study. The room was locked from the inside, and there were no signs of forced entry. The only people in the house at the time of the murder were Robert's wife, Elizabeth, and their butler, James.
As Sarah investigated the crime scene, she noticed a few peculiar details. The window was slightly ajar, despite being on the second floor. A half-empty glass of whiskey sat on the desk, next to a pen and a piece of paper with illegible scribbles. The safe in the corner of the room was open, and it appeared that some documents were missing.
Elizabeth seemed distraught, claiming she had been in the garden when the murder occurred. James, the butler, stated that he was in the kitchen preparing dinner. Both had alibis that checked out.
Sarah examined the body and found that Robert had been shot in the chest at close range. The weapon, a .38 caliber revolver, was found in the study, wiped clean of fingerprints.
As Sarah dug deeper, she discovered that Robert had been involved in a high-stakes business deal that had gone sour. He had recently changed his will, leaving a significant portion of his estate to his mistress, Anna.
The mystery deepened when Sarah found a button from a woman's blouse near the window. Upon questioning, Elizabeth admitted that the button belonged to her, but she claimed it must have fallen off when she was in the study earlier that day.
Sarah put the pieces together and realized that the killer had staged the crime scene. The button near the window was a deliberate placement, and the illegible scribbles on the paper were a distraction. The key to solving the case lay in the whiskey glass.
After a thorough analysis, Sarah discovered that the whiskey had been laced with a slow-acting poison. The killer had entered the room, shot Robert, and then staged the scene to look like a locked room mystery. The only person with the motive and opportunity was Elizabeth, who had discovered her husband's affair and his plan to leave her with nothing.
Elizabeth had poisoned Robert's whiskey, knowing he would retire to his study for a drink. She then shot him and arranged the scene, leaving the button as a false clue. James, the butler, had been instructed to lie about her whereabouts to provide an alibi.
With the mystery solved, Sarah confronted Elizabeth, who broke down and confessed to the murder. The case was closed, and justice was served, all thanks to Detective Sarah Thompson's keen eye for detail and relentless pursuit of the truth.
