The Locked Room Mystery
Detective Sarah Parker stood in front of the locked room, her mind racing. Inside, the body of wealthy businessman Robert Montgomery lay lifeless on the floor. The door was locked from the inside, and the windows were sealed shut. No one could have entered or exited the room.
As Sarah examined the scene, she noticed a few peculiar details. A half-empty glass of whiskey sat on the desk, next to a pen and a piece of paper with a single line scribbled on it: "I'm sorry." The victim's wife, Elizabeth, sobbed uncontrollably in the hallway, while his business partner, James, paced nervously nearby.
Sarah interviewed the witnesses, but their alibis seemed airtight. Elizabeth claimed she was in the garden when the murder occurred, and James stated he was in a meeting across town. The housekeeper, Maria, said she hadn't seen anything unusual.
Suddenly, Sarah's eyes landed on the fireplace. The ashes seemed disturbed, as if something had been burned recently. She sifted through the ashes and found a small, charred piece of paper with the words "Robert, we need to talk. -E" barely visible.
Sarah confronted Elizabeth, who broke down and confessed. She had written the note to Robert, threatening to expose his affair with her best friend if he didn't agree to a divorce. When Robert refused, Elizabeth used a spare key to enter the room, poisoned his whiskey, and staged the scene to look like a suicide. She then locked the door from the inside and escaped through the window, using a rope she had hidden in the garden.
As Elizabeth was led away in handcuffs, Sarah couldn't help but feel a sense of sadness. Another case closed, but at what cost? The secrets and lies that had torn this family apart would haunt them forever.
