The Locked Room Mystery — A Zane Faulkner Detective Case

 “Every locked door tells a story. Some scream to be heard.”

The body was found at precisely 3:15 a.m.
In a luxury high-rise apartment in West London.
Inside a room locked from the inside.
No windows open. No signs of struggle.
Just a dead man, a spilled glass of wine, and a small music box playing softly.

The Uninvited Guest

“Remind me again why we’re here?” Eli asked, clutching his coat tighter.
Zane Faulkner twirled a cocktail olive on a toothpick. “Because boredom is a dangerous thing, Eli. Like tea without biscuits — utterly pointless.”

They had been crashing a party hosted by a tech billionaire. Zane wasn’t invited, of course. But he never needed an invitation. He had charm. And several fake IDs.

Then the music stopped. Screams echoed from the 11th floor.
Security ran up. Guests whispered.
“Someone’s dead,” a woman gasped. “They said the door was locked from inside.”

Zane’s eyes lit up. “Finally, something worth staying for.”

---

The Impossible Crime

Mr. Hugo Bellamy — venture capitalist, age 52 — lay sprawled on the carpet of his study.
The room was locked from within. Only one key existed. It was still in his pocket.

The security camera outside showed no one entering for two hours.
The only window was shut — and 11 stories above ground.

“Suicide?” Eli offered weakly.

Zane leaned over the body, examining the wine glass and the small music box on the table.
“Nope. He didn’t pour the wine. And the music box is playing the wrong tune.”

Eli blinked. “Wait… what?”

Zane didn’t answer. He walked around the room, eyes dancing.
Then he grinned.

“Oh, Hugo,” he whispered, “you really thought this was foolproof, didn’t you?”

---

Zane’s Game

The police were baffled. The guests speculated.

Zane, however, had found something no one else noticed:
A faint line of moisture along the edge of a bookshelf.
A second wine glass, still wet, hidden behind a potted plant.
And a tiny piece of black thread on the doorknob.

He pulled Eli aside.

“Here’s the trick: It wasn’t locked from the inside. It only looked that way.”

“But how?!”

Zane tapped his temple. “Magnet. Thread. And a lovely little assistant who left right before the cameras turned on again.”

He turned to the inspector. “You’ll want to question the woman in the red dress. Julia Sterling. She plays the piano, doesn’t she?”

The inspector frowned. “How do you know?”

Zane pointed at the music box. “Because it was playing Chopin. Julia’s favourite. Hugo hated classical music.”

---

The Reveal

Within an hour, Julia confessed.

She and Hugo had argued over stolen startup shares. In a moment of rage, she pushed him.
Panicking, she staged the scene:

• Locked the door with a string looped around the knob

• Pulled it shut from the hallway

• Removed the thread

• Disappeared before security caught her

The magnetic latch clicked, making it appear locked from within.

Zane recounted all this to Eli as they exited the building.

Eli was pale. “Do you always enjoy solving murders this much?”

Zane winked. “Only when the wine is good, and the company is rich.”

---

Zane’s Way

Later that night, Zane poured himself a drink.

“People hide behind locked doors,” he mused. “But secrets? They seep through the cracks.”

Eli sat across from him, still shaken. “Remind me to never throw a party.”

Zane raised his glass. “Come on, where’s your sense of fun?”

The phone buzzed. Another case. Another locked room. Another mystery.

Zane smiled.

“Let’s go crack it open.”

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Your curiosity feeds the detective.