It was late at night.
In the police station's office, only the faint yellow light shone on the desk.
Vincent sat in silence for a long time.
Aurora's diary lay before him.
Daniel and Clara hadn't left yet.
All three of them read through the diary pages.
The handwriting was soft, yet full of emotion.
"Elena was beaten by him again tonight."
"I just wanted to hug her… but I couldn't."
"If this society allowed it… I would have told her long ago."
Clara sighed.
"It's truly heartbreaking."
Daniel nodded.
"But if what's written in the diary is true… then Aurora has a very clear motive."
Vincent closed the notebook.
"Motive alone isn't enough."
Daniel asked,
"What are you waiting for, Inspector?"
Vincent stood up.
He walked to the crime scene diagram.
On it was a drawing of the room where Adrian died.
Vincent pointed to the door.
"The door is locked from the inside."
Then he pointed to the window.
"The window is locked too,"
Daniel said.
"Yes, that's why it's called a locked room."
Vincent nodded.
"But what if the killer… didn't need to leave the room right then?"
Clara frowned.
"What do you mean?"
Vincent turned back.
"Adrian died around midnight."
"But the body was discovered at three in the morning."
Daniel understood.
"A three-hour window."
Vincent nodded.
"Enough time for the killer to leave… and still make the room look like no one was in."
Clara asked:
"But how?"
Vincent didn't answer.
He only said one thing.
"We'll go back to the scene."
That night.
Adrian's mansion was once again shrouded in heavy silence.
Vincent and the investigation team entered the room where the murder had occurred.
Everything was still the same.
Arthur was giving the body one last check.
Vincent began to observe every corner of the room.
His footsteps were slow.
Then he stopped in front of the bed.
His gaze fell to the floor.
A very small scratch.
Daniel bent down to look.
"Is there something wrong?"
Vincent said softly.
"The chair was dragged."
Clara looked around.
"But now the chair is back in its place."
Vincent nodded.
He walked to the window.
The window was locked tightly.
But there was a small scratch on the window frame.
Vincent gently touched it.
He turned back.
"Daniel."
"Yes?"
"Get that string."
Daniel complied.
Vincent tied one end of the string to the doorknob.
Then he pulled gently from the outside of the window.
The door moved slightly.
Clara immediately understood.
"Inspector…"
Vincent said:
"After committing the crime… the killer left the room." "Then they used a rope to pull the lock from the outside."
Daniel's eyes widened.
"So the room looks like it's locked from the inside!"
Vincent nodded.
"Right."
Clara said,
"But the killer must be very familiar with the room."
Vincent replied,
"And there must be a reason to enter Adrian's room in the middle of the night."
All three thought of a name.
Aurora.
The next morning.
Vincent went to see Aurora.
Aurora was standing in the mansion garden.
When she saw him, she didn't seem surprised.
"Inspector Vincent."
Vincent stepped forward.
"Miss Aurora."
Aurora asked,
"Have you found the killer yet?"
Vincent looked straight into her eyes.
"Yes."
Aurora raised her eyebrows slightly.
"Really?"
Vincent said slowly.
"You're very intelligent."
Aurora remained silent.
Vincent continued.
"You know how to make the room look like it's locked from the inside."
A breeze swept through the garden.
Aurora remained still.
"What is the inspector implying?"
Vincent took out the diary.
He placed it on the stone table.
Aurora saw the notebook.
For a moment…
Her eyes flickered slightly.
Very slightly.
But Vincent saw it.
Vincent said:
"You loved Elena."
Aurora didn't deny it.
She just closed her eyes slightly.
Vincent continued:
"You saw Adrian abuse her for years."
"And you couldn't take it anymore."
Aurora remained silent.
Vincent looked directly at her.
"Therefore… you killed Adrian."
A long silence enveloped the garden.
Aurora opened her eyes.
Her gaze was strangely calm.
Then she smiled softly.
"Inspector Vincent…"
She said softly.
"You are truly very intelligent."