The Locked Room Mystery
Detective Sarah Thompson stood in front of the locked room, her mind racing with possibilities. Inside, the lifeless body of millionaire businessman Richard Montgomery lay on the floor, a single gunshot wound to his temple. The room had no windows, and the only door was locked from the inside. No one else was found inside 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 written on it: "I'm sorry." The gun, a vintage revolver, was still clutched in Richard's hand.
Sarah interviewed the family members and staff present in the mansion. Richard's wife, Olivia, claimed she was in the garden when the shot rang out. The butler, James, said he was in the kitchen preparing dinner. The couple's adult children, Michael and Emma, both stated they were in their respective rooms.
A thorough search of the mansion revealed no signs of forced entry or any other suspicious activity. Sarah was puzzled. How could a man shoot himself in a locked room with no one else inside?
As she delved deeper into Richard's background, Sarah uncovered a web of secrets. Richard had been facing financial difficulties and had taken out a substantial life insurance policy just weeks before his death. Olivia stood to inherit a fortune.
Sarah's instincts told her there was more to this case than met the eye. She decided to take a closer look at the crime scene photos. That's when she noticed a small, almost imperceptible detail. The glass of whiskey on the desk had a lipstick stain on the rim, a shade that matched Olivia's signature color.
Confronted with this evidence, Olivia broke down and confessed. She had laced Richard's drink with a fast-acting sedative, staged the suicide scene, and locked the door behind her using a spare key she had hidden in the room. The lipstick stain was her undoing.
Sarah had solved the locked room mystery, revealing the depths of greed and deception that lay beneath the surface of a seemingly perfect family.
