The Locked Room Murder
Detective Liam Hartley arrived at the crime scene, a luxurious penthouse apartment. The victim, a wealthy businessman named Robert Carlson, lay dead on the floor of his study. The room was locked from the inside, and the only window was sealed shut.
Hartley examined the body. Carlson had been shot in the head, execution-style. The detective noticed a peculiar smell in the room, like burnt plastic. He searched the study but found no gun or any other weapon.
Carlson's wife, Olivia, and his business partner, James Wheeler, were both in the apartment when the body was discovered. They claimed to have been in the living room when they heard the gunshot. Hartley questioned them separately.
Olivia said she had no idea who would want to harm her husband. Wheeler, however, admitted that he and Carlson had been arguing lately over a lucrative business deal.
Hartley searched the apartment and found a small, empty plastic bag hidden in the trash. He also discovered that the building's security cameras had been disabled shortly before the murder.
The detective put the pieces together. He confronted Wheeler, revealing that the burnt plastic smell came from a 3D-printed gun. Wheeler had designed the weapon to avoid detection and snuck into Carlson's study while Olivia was distracted. After committing the murder, he disposed of the gun by melting it with acetone, leaving only the small plastic bag behind.
Wheeler confessed, admitting that he had killed Carlson to gain full control over their company. The case was closed, and Hartley marveled at the ingenuity of the murder weapon, a sign of the changing times in the world of crime.
