Quick Tales

Detective Amelia Hartley was no stranger to peculiar cases, but this one had her baffled from the start. A wealthy businessman, Charles Thompson, had been found dead in his study, a single gunshot wound to his temple. The room was locked from the inside, and the only window overlooked a sheer drop onto concrete below. Yet, when Amelia arrived at the scene, she found no body, only a small pool of blood on the plush carpet.

The Thompson mansion was a grand affair, filled with antiques and priceless artworks. Charles's wife, Victoria, greeted Amelia with a tear-streaked face. "I don't understand," she sobbed. "He was here one moment, and then... gone."

Amelia examined the study meticulously. The gun lay on the floor beside the bloodstain, Charles's fingerprints all over it. A single bullet had been fired, matching the caliber of the gun. Yet, despite the overwhelming evidence, there was no body to support the theory of murder.

Amelia turned her attention to the staff. The butler, a stern man named Mr. Grayson, claimed he hadn't heard anything unusual. The maid, Maria, echoed his sentiments. However, Amelia noticed something odd about their responses - they were too rehearsed, too perfect.

She decided to dig deeper into Charles Thompson's life. He was known for his ruthless business tactics and had made many enemies over the years. One name kept cropping up: Alexander Sterling, a former business partner whom Charles had swindled out of millions.

Amelia tracked down Sterling at his luxurious penthouse. He admitted to having a grudge against Charles but denied any involvement in his disappearance. "I wouldn't waste my time on something so... common," he sneered, pouring himself a glass of expensive scotch.

Back at the mansion, Amelia discovered a hidden passage behind a bookshelf in Charles's study. It led to a small room containing an old trunk filled with documents detailing Charles's illicit activities - blackmail, bribery, even murder. One file caught her eye: it was about Alexander Sterling and his missing millions.

Suddenly, she heard footsteps approaching. She quickly hid behind the bookshelf as Mr. Grayson entered the study. He went straight to the trunk and began shredding the documents. Amelia watched him, puzzled. Why destroy evidence that already pointed towards Charles's guilt?

She confronted Grayson after he left the room. He confessed that Victoria had been aware of Charles's crimes all along and had helped him cover them up. When she found out about Sterling's missing money, she panicked and ordered Grayson to destroy any evidence linking her husband to the theft.

But what about the murder? And where was the body?

Amelia returned to Sterling's penthouse, armed with new information. She accused him of killing Charles in retaliation for stealing his money. He laughed at first, then grew serious. "You're right," he said. "I did kill him. But I didn't take the body."

He explained that after shooting Charles, he had left the room through the hidden passage. Victoria must have found her husband's body and moved it to hide the evidence. As for the bloodstain, she could have easily faked that using some of Charles's blood from a previous injury.

Amelia realized that Victoria was the key to solving this case. She returned to the mansion, determined to find out the truth. Victoria admitted everything under Amelia's persistent questioning - she had moved her husband's body to the freezer in their basement, planning to dispose of it later. But when she went back to check on it, the body was gone.

Amelia searched the basement and found a small tunnel leading outside. It ended at a cliff overlooking the sea. She noticed something glinting in the water below - a metal briefcase. Using a rope from her car, she lowered herself down to retrieve it. Inside were stacks of cash and documents detailing Charles's crimes.

Suddenly, a figure emerged from the shadows - Mr. Grayson. He had been working with Sterling all along, helping him to frame Victoria for her husband's murder. Together, they planned to take over Thompson Industries. But when Amelia showed up and started asking questions, their plan began to unravel.

Grayson lunged at Amelia, knocking her off balance. She fell backwards, hitting her head on a rock. Everything went black.

When she came to, she found herself tied up in the back of a van. Sterling was driving, Grayson beside him. They planned to kill her and make it look like an accident.

But Amelia had other ideas. She managed to free one hand and grabbed a pocket knife from her jacket. As they drove over a bumpy section of road, she sawed through the ropes binding her legs. When Sterling hit another pothole, she kicked out at him, causing him to lose control of the van.

It careened off the road and down an embankment before crashing into a tree. Amelia climbed out of the wreckage, dazed but alive. She found Grayson unconscious in the front seat and Sterling slumped over the wheel, dead.

She radioed for backup and headed back to the mansion. Victoria was waiting for her, relieved that the truth had finally come out. Together, they called the police and reported everything that had happened.

In the end, justice was served. Victoria Thompson was exonerated of all charges, and Charles's crimes were exposed for everyone to see. The case of the vanishing victim had been solved - thanks to Detective Amelia Hartley's unyielding determination and sharp instincts.