It was a quiet evening in the city. Detective Sarah Rivers sat in her small office, going through files from her last case. She had a feeling something big was about to happen. At 8:30 PM, the phone rang. It was Mr. Hathaway, a wealthy man. He told Sarah that a family heirloom, a brooch, had gone missing from his mansion. This brooch wasn’t just valuable; it was important to the family.
Sarah knew she had to hurry. She grabbed her coat and headed out into the night. The Hathaway mansion was a short drive away. By the time she arrived, her mind was full of ideas about what could have happened.
The Hathaway estate was huge, a large house that seemed to rise out of the darkness. Mr. Hathaway was waiting for her on the steps. His face was pale, and he looked worried.
“Detective Rivers, thank you for coming so quickly,” he said. His voice sounded stressed. “I don’t know who else to call.”
“Tell me everything you know,” Sarah replied. She followed him inside the grand house. The mansion was as fancy as she had imagined—marble floors, high ceilings, and walls covered with old paintings. But she wasn’t there to admire the place. She was there to solve a case. “Start from the beginning.”
Mr. Hathaway took her to the study, where the brooch was kept in a glass case. The case wasn’t broken, and the lock was fine, but the brooch was gone. It was as if it had disappeared.
“The only people who knew about the brooch were my wife, our butler, and my daughter, Emily,” Mr. Hathaway explained. “We kept it a secret. We didn’t even display it openly.”
Sarah took notes. “When did you last see the brooch?”
“This morning,” Mr. Hathaway replied. “I always check on it before I go to work.”
“So the theft happened today,” Sarah thought out loud. “I’ll need to talk to your wife, daughter, and the butler. And I’ll need to see the rest of the house.”
Mr. Hathaway agreed and called for the others. Mrs. Hathaway was the first to arrive. She was a thin woman with delicate features. She seemed nervous, her hands shaking a little as she sat down.
“I didn’t touch the brooch, Detective,” she said quickly. “I’ve always been afraid of it, honestly. It feels like a burden, all that history tied to one piece of jewelry.”
“Why do you say that?” Sarah asked, writing down her words.
“It’s just… it’s always caused tension in the family. My husband is obsessed with it, and Emily… she doesn’t care about our family traditions. She sees the brooch as a symbol of everything she wants to leave behind.”
“Did you notice anything strange today?” Sarah asked.
Mrs. Hathaway shook her head. “No, nothing.”
Sarah noticed her hesitation but moved on to the next person. The butler, Mr. Clarke, was an older man with a calm face. He didn’t show much emotion.
“Mr. Clarke, you’ve worked for the Hathaways for many years, right?” Sarah asked.
“Yes, Detective. Almost thirty years,” he replied.
“You knew about the brooch?”
“Yes, I took care of the study, but I never touched the display case,” Mr. Clarke said.
“Where were you between 8 AM and 6 PM today?” Sarah asked.
“I was here, doing my usual work. I was in and out of the study, but I never saw anyone near the case,” Mr. Clarke replied calmly.
Sarah thanked him and went to see Emily, who was sitting in the living room, staring out the window. She was in her early twenties, with dark hair and sharp eyes.
“Emily, I understand you knew about the brooch,” Sarah said, sitting across from her.
Emily shrugged. “Everyone in this house knew about it, but I didn’t care much.”
“Your father said you’ve never been interested in family traditions. Is that true?” Sarah asked.
Emily nodded, still looking out the window. “I’ve always wanted to live my own life, away from all this. The brooch is just another thing I don’t care about.”
“Did you see or hear anything strange today?” Sarah asked.
“No, nothing,” Emily replied flatly.
As Sarah left the room, she couldn’t shake the feeling that Emily was hiding something. But without more evidence, she couldn’t do much.
Sarah spent the next hour searching the house, checking every room and hallway. When she returned to the study, she noticed something—a small scratch on the floor near the display case. It was a fresh scratch, likely made by someone opening the case.
Her mind raced. Whoever took the brooch knew what they were doing. They had access to the key and knew how to get in and out without raising suspicion. But why? And where was the brooch now?
Sarah gathered everyone back in the study. She needed to see if anyone would crack under pressure.
“I’ve found new evidence,” she said. Mr. Hathaway looked hopeful, Mrs. Hathaway anxious, Mr. Clarke calm, and Emily… bored.
“The brooch wasn’t taken by a stranger,” Sarah said. “It was taken by someone in this house.”
The room went quiet. Sarah noticed a flicker of fear in Mr. Clarke’s eyes.
“Mr. Clarke, you’ve been loyal to this family, haven’t you?” Sarah asked.
“Yes, Detective,” he replied.
“But today, your loyalty was tested, wasn’t it?” Sarah pressed. “You were asked to do something wrong, but you couldn’t say no.”
Mr. Clarke’s calmness broke. “I… I didn’t want to do it. But Emily… she insisted. She said the brooch was hers by right.”
Emily’s face turned red with anger. “You weren’t supposed to say anything!”
Mr. Hathaway looked at his daughter, shocked. “Emily, what have you done?”
“It’s mine!” Emily shouted. “It was supposed to be mine, but you always used it to control me. I just wanted to take control for once!”
The truth was out—Emily had planned the theft and used the butler to help her.
The brooch was found hidden in Emily’s room, tucked away in a box. Mr. Hathaway was heartbroken, but there was also a sadness in his eyes, as if he had expected this to happen.
As Sarah left the Hathaway estate, rain began to fall. The case was solved, but it left her with a feeling of unease. Family secrets, expectations, and the desire for freedom had all collided in this tragic incident. Sarah knew she would think about this case for a long time.
As Sarah left the mansion, rain pouring down, her phone buzzed with a new case—a high-profile businessman had vanished, leaving only a cryptic note: “Find me.” The night was far from over, and a new mystery awaited. In Mystery Expert – Detective RPG, every decision could be the key to solving the case or letting the truth slip away. Are you ready to step into the shoes of a detective and uncover the city’s darkest secrets? The challenge begins now.
As Sarah left the mansion, rain pouring down, her phone buzzed with a new case—a high-profile businessman had vanished, leaving only a cryptic note: “Find me.” The night was far from over, and a new mystery awaited. In Mystery Expert – Detective RPG, every decision could be the key to solving the case or letting the truth slip away. Are you ready to step into the shoes of a detective and uncover the city’s darkest secrets? The challenge begins now.
