Monday, October 5th, 2020, Dr. Sternly Sin, a renowned cardiologist, was found dead in Room 409 of the Bridgestone Hotel.

An autopsy was immediately carried out, revealing:

- Nine consecutive stab wounds to the chest.

- A Concussion in the brain.

- Instant blood loss of over two liters.

Further investigation also detected:

- A lethal overdose of sleeping pills in his system.

- A recent diagnosis of chronic insomnia.

The toxicology report suggested that Dr. Sin likely succumbed to the overdose before the other wounds proved fatal.

The evidence found at the crime scene was limited, consisting of:

- An earring from the hotel staff who attended to the victim.

- CCTV footage showing the victim's wife, Hayley Sin, leaving Room 409 at 19:00.

- The hunting knife used to stab the victim repeatedly.

- A cassette player with a short footage of the victim's final moments.

In the footage, the victim seemed in pain as he said his final words to his family.

The investigative bureau had four suspects:

- Hayley Sin, the victim's wife, who was in the room shortly before the murder.

- Sophia Patel, the hotel staff who served the victim's last dinner, which contained sleeping pills.

- Chloe Raw, a middle-aged woman whose fingerprints were found on the hunting knife.

- Hannah Rivera, the victim's sister-in-law who was seen in the farewell footage.

All four suspects are under strict supervision and considered guilty until proven otherwise.

You will be playing the role of the Detective in this story, and your goal is to identify among the four suspects who the murderer is.

Let's begin....

....................

You step into Room 409 of the Bridgestone Hotel, the room where the crime had been committed.

A distinctive smell of old blood instantly wafted your nose, making your stomach churn in disgust. You quivered, and it wasn't just because of the smell. The chill of the air-conditioned room grazed your skin, creating goosebumps all over your skin. You rub your palms over your arms in an attempt to warm up, but failed nonetheless. It doesn't bother you.

You step forward, the floorboard creaked gently under your weight but the hum of the hotel ventilation seemed to almost dispel the sound. Almost....

You look around. Five inspectors are already at the crime scene, conducting a preliminary survey of the area. You quickly scan the room, noticing disarray and chaos.

The rugs and carpets are disturbed and moved, and shards of broken glass and cups litter the floor. Some furniture is overturned and scattered. It is very obvious the victim had struggled in his final moments.

"Detective!" A gruffy voice called out.

You raise your head and immediately noticed the tall, bulky man with reasonably handsome features beside you. "Inspector Jones, Good to see you!"

"Good to see you too, Detective. Glad you could make it."

" What have you got inspector?"

"We've got a lot kid... " The inspector chuckled. "We found fingerprints on the knife that matched that of Chloe Raw, the woman lodged a room away. Surveillance footage also caught her sneaking into the victim's room on the night of the murder" He continued.

Your brows furrowed as you wondered: Who was Chloe Raw? What was her connection to the victim? Why had she sneaked into the room that night?

You jot down on your note, scribbling a few things here and there, also making a mental note to question the young lady later "What's the timeline looking like?"

"Victim arrived at 16:00, had dinner at 18:00, and was found dead at 20:00. We're still piecing together the events between 18:00 and 20:00."

You frowned. "Get me everything on the victim's background, phone records, and financials. I want to know his secrets."

Inspector Jones nodded. "Already on it, Detective."

The inspector walked away, leaving you alone. You stood there for a moment, taking in the scene of the crime.

With a solid lead in hand, you feel confident about cracking the case. The crime scene evidence and four suspects provide a great starting point. After a moment's consideration, you decide to begin with Chloe Raw, given the compelling evidence against her.

You head to the police station, where she's being held in custody, eager to dig deeper and uncover the truth.

You enter the interrogation room. A small windowless room with plain walls and a single metal door. A video camera was adeptly concealed at the corner of the room, making it difficult for an inexperienced person to spot it.

At the center of the small space was a wooden table and three wooden chairs. You immediately spot the woman sitted in one of them.

"Chloe Raw?" You ask.

A middle-aged woman with a ridiculous amount of makeup on, glances at you. She frowns, "What do you guys want from me? I didn't murder Dr Sin"

"I never said you did." You take your sit on the chair across, giving you the leverage to stare directly at her.

The woman has an intense scowl on her face, making it obvious she wasn't willing for the interrogation. You don't let this deter you.

You pull out a recording device before glancing back at her, "Do you mind?"

She rolled her eyes. "Do I even have a say here anymore? Do whatever you want"

You smile in reassurance before clicking it on and begin asking questions.

"Can you account for your whereabouts at the time of the murder?" You ask.

"Yes. I was in my Room the whole time, I only came out when I heard the commotion" She was quick to explain.

"Then how do you explain your fingerprints being on the knife in the crime scene" You ask, raising a brow at her. She is taken aback for a second before lowering her eyes, seemingly thinking about something.

" I don't know what you're talking about. It might've been a coincidence" She tries to defend herself.

" It cannot be a coincidence, Miss Raw, not when it's a weapon used to murder someone "

You quickly write down on your notebook, noting her behavior during the questioning. Seeing you writing down, she slams her hand against the table in annoyance.

"What are you writing? Do you think I murdered Sternly!" She turns aggressive. Eyes bloodshot red, looking like she was about to pounce on someone.

Two policemen quickly held her back, preventing her from doing anything irrational. You smile, unimpressed by her performance.

" I didn't know you and Dr Sternly were on first name basis" Her eyes widened and she stares at you like you've grown two heads. She opens her mouth to speak, but you immediately interrupt her.

"Thank you for your time Miss Raw, I'll get back to you later" You stand up, grabbing your recording device and switching it off. You turn and exit the interrogation room.

The bright light from the corridor almost blinded you when you opened the door, but you quickly closed your eyes to adjust. You reopen them seconds after to find Inspector Jones beside you.

"You did very well Detective" He says.

"Thanks, Inspector Jones " You smile.

"I managed to get my hands on the call history of the victim, here are the files"

You take the files from Detective Jones and inspect it. You notice it contained all call logs, SMS and MMS messages, and voice mails in the victim's phone from the time of the murder.

You look it through and noticed one particular contact called the most within that period. The caller's ID read "Hannah"

You raise your head and smile at Inspector Jones, "Thanks Inspector, this was very helpful"

"Anything for you kid. I would've also gotten you the call recordings, but we have to obtain a court order to do that. We're still working on it" Inspector Jones smiled back.

You both shook hands before going your separate ways. You know where you're headed. You're headed to the next suspect on your list, Hannah Rivera.

Hannah Rivera the victim's sister-in-law was a full-time chef at the hotel where Dr Sternly stayed.

You set the recording device down on the elegant wooden table and raised your head to stare at the woman in front of you, Hannah.

"I will be recording this conversation, do you mind?"

She waved her hand in response, "Oh no, it's fine"

You nod before turning the device on. You feel a chill suddenly, making you shake a little bit. She seemed to have noticed as she says, "Oh dear, I turned the air-conditioning on, is it making you cold?"

"Yes, Mrs Rivera, I'd appreciate if you could please turn it off"

"Of course" She grabs the remote before increasing the temperature to a much bearable one.

"Thanks"

"Oh, you're welcome" She smiles.

You grab your notebook and pen and quickly jot down a few things you've observed so far before turning back to her, "So, what is your relationship like with the victim? I mean, did you have any conflicts or disagreements with him?"

"Of course not. We did bicker at times but I believe it's not as deep as calling it a conflict. He treated my sister very well, so I was always respectful towards him" You nod at her words before writing down on your notebook.

"So where were you at the time of the murder?" You ask.

"I was in the hotel's kitchen. That day was the 12th year anniversary of the hotel, so they were hosting a big celebration party. As one of the main chefs, I had to work extra time for the party. I worked till 12:00am that night"

"Can you provide an alibi or a witness who can vouch for your whereabouts?"

"I—" She falters for a moment. "I believe I was working alone that night as the other chefs were in other zones. No one might've seen me. But you can check the CCTV footage of that night, I'm sure it caught me C-cooking" She stutters a bit, making you eye her suspiciously. You had a feeling that Hannah Rivera was hiding something from you. But you don't say a word about it.

"Why did you call the victim multiple times before the murder?" You question, staring deep into her eyes.

She remains quiet for a moment before letting out a sigh. "It was my sister's birthday that day, he told me to help him plan a surprise party for her. I had to call him several times to discuss all we had in plan"

You think for a while, processing her words in your head. You almost don't find anything wrong with what she said. But for some reason, you believe she was not telling you the complete truth. But you refrain yourself from speaking about the topic again.

"How did you learn about the murder?"

"A friend told me. After hearing the commotion, she rushed there only to find out someone had been murdered. I was so sad when she told me it was my brother-in-law" She dabbed the tears away from her eyes with a handkerchief. Careful not to ruin her flawless appearance.

You offer a sympathetic smile, aware of the pain of losing a loved one, "He's in a better place now" You say.

"You're right detective, he must be really happy wherever he is" She laughs and settles back into the couch, appearing more at ease.

"I'm glad you understand" You start, "But we have to get back to the interrogation!" You turn serious again, prepared to restart the questioning session. She nods in agreement, tossing the handkerchief in her hand unto the table.

You take a deep breath, then ask, "How do you explain your figure being seen in the farewell footage of the victim"

She frowns, shooting you a long intense stare, "What do you mean?"

"You know very well what I mean, Mrs Rivera" You say, amused by how poorly she tries to hide her discomfort.

"I don't know what you mean Detective"

"You—" Before you could say another word, a call from outside interrupts you.

"Honey, I'm home" The voice is hoarse and rough. It was from a man. And judging from the amount of endearment he used to address her, you could tell he was her husband.

"That's my husband. I think this is your cue to leave Detective" She gives you a hard stare. You smile in response, something you've been doing a lot lately. You grab your recording device, switched it off and stood up to leave.

"It was a pleasure speaking with you, Mrs Rivera" You bow slightly as a form of greeting before walking out the door, bumping into Mr Rivera on the way. He flashes you a confused look before saying, "Hannah was with me on the night of the murder, we were on a vacation"

His sudden statement catches you off guard. You nod, momentarily speechless.

He nods back before rushing inside, shutting the door behind him.

You walk to the side walk, prepared to flag down a cab when you received a call. You look at the caller's ID, it was Inspector Jones. You immediately answer the call.

"Inspector" You say.

"Detective, we got something!"

"What?" You question.

"Sophia Stone is willing for the interrogation"

"Sophia Stone?" You asked confused.

"The hotel staff!"

Oh! You suddenly remembered. "I'm on my way" You hang up, rushing to the police station.