The Locked Room Mystery
Detective Liam Holloway stood outside the locked room, his brow furrowed in concentration. Inside lay the body of millionaire businessman, Victor Prescott, who had been found dead by his wife, Olivia, just an hour earlier.
The room was locked from the inside, with no signs of forced entry. The only window in the room was sealed shut, and the only other person in the house at the time of the murder was the maid, Sophie, who had been cleaning the kitchen.
As Liam examined the scene, he noticed a few peculiar details. The murder weapon, a letter opener, lay on the floor next to Victor's body. A half-empty glass of whiskey sat on the desk, along with a crumpled piece of paper.
Liam interviewed Olivia and Sophie separately. Olivia claimed she had been out shopping at the time of the murder, while Sophie insisted she hadn't left the kitchen all morning. Both women seemed genuinely shocked and distraught over Victor's death.
The detective unfolded the crumpled paper from the desk, revealing a hastily scribbled message: "I can't live with the guilt any longer. Forgive me." The handwriting matched Victor's, suggesting a suicide note.
However, upon closer inspection of the body, Liam noticed something odd: the angle of the fatal wound didn't match that of a self-inflicted injury. He also discovered a small, almost imperceptible hole in the wall behind a painting near the desk.
Liam suddenly realized what had happened. He gathered Olivia and Sophie in the living room and revealed the truth.
"This was not a suicide, but a cleverly staged murder," he began. "The killer used a long, thin rod to push the letter opener through the small hole in the wall, stabbing Victor while he sat at his desk. They then pulled the rod back out, leaving no evidence of their presence in the room."
Liam turned to face Sophie, who had gone pale. "You killed Victor, didn't you, Sophie? You knew about his affair with your sister and couldn't bear the thought of him ruining another woman's life. The 'suicide note' was just a ruse to throw us off track."
Sophie broke down in tears, confessing to the murder. Another case closed for Detective Liam Holloway, proving that even the most seemingly impossible crimes can be solved with a keen eye for detail and a sharp mind.
