On a sunny morning, the CBI team received an urgent call about a murder at a luxurious villa by the seaside. The victim was William Gordon, a successful businessman in real estate. He was found dead in his office, with a half-finished glass of red wine on the table and a blank sheet of paper with a single line: "The End."
As usual, Patrick Jane arrived at the scene with a light smile and his mischievous eyes, while the CBI team, led by Teresa Lisbon, began the investigation.
Jane entered the room, his eyes scanning everything like a machine. William was slumped in his chair, his head tilted to one side. The glass of wine on the table was half full, and there were no signs of a struggle or violence. Jane stopped in front of the desk, staring at the paper with the words "The End." He leaned down and took a slight whiff of the air around the table.
“Well, there's the scent of fine wine, but he wasn’t the one who drank it,” Jane smiled. Lisbon, standing behind, frowned.
“Jane, how do you know he didn’t drink it? The wine glass is still there, and there's wine on his lips,” Lisbon said.
“Exactly, Lisbon, but if he had truly drunk the wine, it would have had an effect. Look at the way he's sitting; there’s no sign of relaxation or fatigue that comes from drinking. He was dead before that wine could be consumed, or at least he didn’t drink it himself,” Jane turned to Lisbon with a mysterious smile.
Lisbon sighed. “Alright, Patrick, so who do you think did this?”
Patrick Jane took a step back, his eyes sweeping across the entire room. “We’re not sure yet, but let’s look for clues. Sometimes the truth isn’t right in front of us, but in the small things we overlook.”
William's villa was always busy with people coming and going. That day, three notable individuals were present at the villa: Sarah, William’s wife; Daniel, his brother; and Louise, the family’s loyal housekeeper.
Patrick, along with Lisbon and the CBI team, began interrogating the suspects.
Sarah was a beautiful, cold, and discreet woman. She sat across from Jane and Lisbon, her face calm, but there was tension in her eyes.
“We had a good relationship,” Sarah said. “William may have been a difficult man to understand, but he always took care of the family.”
“So, do you have any idea what might have led to his death?” Lisbon asked, staring intently at Sarah.
Sarah shook her head. “No, I have no idea. We had dinner together last night.”
Jane suddenly leaned forward, smiling slightly. “Did you love William, Sarah?”
Sarah looked surprised, then laughed softly, trying to stay composed. “What are you suggesting, Patrick? Of course, I loved William.”
Jane said nothing, just nodded slightly. “I believe you.”
As Sarah left the interrogation room, Lisbon turned to Jane. “What do you think? Is she involved?”
“Sarah’s hiding something, but she’s not the one who killed William. She may know who did, but she’s too scared to say.”
Daniel was next. He sat down nervously, his eyes darting around the room.
“My brother and I weren’t close,” Daniel admitted. “But that doesn’t mean I’d kill him.”
“Daniel, do you know if your brother had any plans? Any problems recently?” Lisbon asked, never taking her eyes off the man in front of her.
Daniel shook his head. “I don’t know. William never shared his business with me. We were practically estranged.”
Jane remained silent, simply observing. He didn’t ask Daniel any questions, only paying close attention to how he reacted. After Daniel left, Jane turned to Lisbon.
“He’s not the killer,” Jane said. “But he might help us find out who did this.”
Louise, a middle-aged woman, entered the room with a steady gait. She had worked for the Gordon family for over 20 years and knew everyone in the villa well.
“William was a good man,” Louise said, her voice low and sad. “He didn’t deserve to die like that.”
“So, do you know who might have wanted to harm him?” Jane asked, his eyes never leaving Louise.
Louise was silent for a moment, then bowed her head. “I don’t know. But maybe something happened at his work. Recently, I noticed he was very stressed.”
Jane just nodded, not asking anything further.
After interrogating the suspects, Jane returned to William’s office and picked up the paper with the words “The End.” He examined the writing, then smiled. “Lisbon, something’s not right here.”
Lisbon stepped closer. “What is it?”
“This paper... it’s not William’s handwriting. It’s someone else’s.”
Patrick Jane continued to scrutinize the paper in William’s office, turning to Lisbon with a faint smile.
“This handwriting doesn’t belong to William,” Jane said, his eyes filled with confidence.
Lisbon frowned, leaning down to take a closer look at the paper. “Are you sure? The writing seems simple, anyone could have written it.”
Jane shook his head. “Lisbon, it’s not the handwriting that caught my attention, but the lack of character in the strokes. William was a tough, successful man; he couldn’t have written a line that weak and inconsistent. There’s a subtle difference between natural handwriting and when someone tries to imitate it.”
Gently folding the paper, Jane set it aside as if it no longer held any value. He knew the murderer had staged the scene, and the note was just a ruse.
“So, this was staged as a suicide?” Lisbon asked, sounding skeptical.
“Not exactly. I think someone wants us to believe that William gave up on everything, but they weren’t clever enough to make it flawless.”
Jane moved to the bottle of wine and the half-empty glass on the table. He picked up the glass, swirled it gently, then placed it back, turning to Lisbon with an amused expression.
“Lisbon, do you know why this bottle of wine is suspicious?”
“Maybe because it wasn’t finished?” Lisbon replied, uncertain.
Jane chuckled. “Not just that. This bottle of wine is one of William’s favorites, but something doesn’t add up. He would never drink alone at this time of day, and certainly not this much right before he died.”
Lisbon frowned. “So, who poured the wine?”
“I’m guessing it was the person who killed William. They used it to stage the scene. But the real question is: What were they trying to cover up?”
Jane and Lisbon decided to re-interrogate the suspects, believing that the key to the case lay in the small details they had inadvertently revealed. They began with Sarah, William’s wife.
Sarah returned to the interrogation room, her eyes now showing signs of anxiety. Jane sat down across from her, his eyes analyzing her every gesture.
“Sarah, did you know that William had a big deal coming up?” Jane asked, his tone gentle but sharp.
Sarah stared at Jane. “I don’t know anything about that.”
Jane nodded, as if accepting her answer. But he quickly shifted the topic. “Do you drink wine, Sarah? Last night, perhaps?”
Sarah hesitated. “I don’t usually drink... but I had a small glass last night.”
Jane nodded, as if confirming something important. “Interesting. The glass of wine on William’s desk wasn’t for him; it was for you.”
Sarah stared at Jane, stunned.
“You were in William’s office last night. Did the two of you argue?” Jane continued, his tone becoming more serious. “You saw something, and you know more than you’re admitting.”
Sarah bowed her head, her voice trembling. “I... I didn’t kill him.”
“Sarah, we’re not saying you did. But you were there, and you know what happened.”
Sarah began to cry. “I overheard William on the phone with someone. He seemed very stressed and told me not to interfere. I got scared... so I left.”
Lisbon, sitting nearby, took careful notes. Jane nodded slightly, knowing that Sarah wasn’t the killer, but she had provided a crucial clue: there was a third person involved.
Next, Jane and Lisbon called Daniel back in. He still looked nervous, but this time, Jane knew the direction he wanted to take.
“Daniel, you said you weren’t close with William. But were you at home last night?” Jane asked.
Daniel hesitated. “I... wasn’t here.”
Jane raised an eyebrow. “Really? I heard someone saw you around the villa last night.”
Daniel started to sweat, tension building on his face. “Alright, I was here. But I didn’t do anything! I just wanted to talk to him about a work issue.”
Jane nodded, knowing Daniel was getting backed into a corner. “So, what happened?”
Daniel was silent for a moment, then sighed. “I saw William and Sarah arguing. Then I walked in and tried to calm things down, but William kicked me out.”
Jane smiled slightly. “Daniel, maybe you left, but someone else came back. Someone William trusted.”
Patrick Jane left the interrogation room and returned to William’s office once more. He stood there, his eyes scanning as if searching for something. Then he stopped in front of William’s filing cabinet, opened it, and sifted through the documents. After a few minutes, Jane pulled out a folder. Inside were contracts with Louise’s signature, the loyal housekeeper.
He walked into the kitchen, where Louise was working, and confronted her. “Louise, you did it, didn’t you?”
Louise paused, her sharp eyes meeting Jane’s. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
Jane smiled softly, walking closer. “You’ve worked for this family for years. You had access to everything. You saw William’s vulnerability, his stress, and you knew you could exploit it.”
Louise remained silent, her hands trembling slightly.
“I found the contract you signed with William. He trusted you, but you forged documents and took money. When William found out, you panicked and killed him. You staged the scene to make it look like a suicide, but you weren’t careful enough,” Jane concluded.
Louise sighed, finally breaking down. “I didn’t want to kill him. I just wanted to protect myself.”
Lisbon arrested Louise, and Jane left the scene with a light heart, knowing another mystery had been solved.
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