The Locked Room Murder
Detective Sarah Pearson arrived at the crime scene, a luxurious penthouse suite on the top floor of the Grand Plaza Hotel. The victim, a wealthy businessman named Richard Sterling, had been found dead in his locked room. The only entrance, a solid oak door, had been bolted from the inside, and there were no signs of forced entry.
As Sarah examined the room, she noticed the window was slightly ajar, letting in a cool breeze from the night air. She peered out and saw the city skyline, but no ledge or fire escape. It seemed impossible for the killer to have entered or exited through the window.
The victim's body lay on the floor, a single gunshot wound to the head. A revolver rested in his hand, suggesting suicide. However, Sarah's instincts told her this was staged. She searched the room meticulously and found a small, crumpled piece of paper in the wastepaper basket. It read, "Meet me at the penthouse, 9 PM. We need to talk. - E."
Sarah interviewed the hotel staff and learned that the victim had a visitor that evening, a woman named Eva Sinclair, his business partner. According to the front desk clerk, Eva had arrived around 8:45 PM and left in a hurry just before 9:30 PM, around the estimated time of death.
Suspecting Eva's involvement, Sarah brought her in for questioning. Under pressure, Eva confessed to being in the room with Richard that night but claimed she left him alive. She admitted they had argued over a business deal gone wrong, and Richard had threatened to expose her embezzlement.
With Eva's confession, Sarah pieced together the truth. Eva had persuaded Richard to write a suicide note, making it look like he had taken his own life. She then shot him with his own gun, wiped her fingerprints, and placed the gun in his hand. To create the illusion of a locked room, she had cleverly used a thin, strong fishing line to bolt the door from the outside through the slight gap under the door.
Eva's greed and deception had led to Richard's demise, and now she would face the consequences of her actions. Sarah had solved yet another perplexing mystery, proving that even the most seemingly impossible crimes could be unraveled with a keen eye for detail and an unwavering determination to uncover the truth.
