The Pearl necklace

It was a rainy night in New York City, with the streets shining under the light of the streetlights and a constant drumming of rain on the rooftops. Detective John Smith, wearing his trademark hat and raincoat, drove his car expertly through the winding streets, following the directions he had been given. The phone call he had received minutes earlier came from a woman in distress, who claimed to be the wife of the famous jeweler, Richard Miller. In desperation, she had asked him to come to her mansion urgently, hinting that something terrible had happened.

John finally arrived at the majestic Miller mansion, where the rain was falling heavily. He got out of his car and covered himself with his raincoat before heading towards the front door. He rang the bell and waited patiently. The door opened revealing a beautiful young woman, whose blue eyes were filled with tears. Her blonde hair was tied up in an elegant bun, and her red dress stood out in the dim light.- Are you Detective Smith? -the woman asked with a trembling voice.

- Yes, it's me. Are you Mrs. Miller?

- Yes, it's me. Please come in.

John followed the woman down a long hallway until they reached the large living room. At that moment, he was petrified by the scene that was unfolding before his eyes. On the sofa lay the lifeless body of jeweler Miller, with a bullet hole in his forehead. The floor was stained with blood and a gun rested a few meters away. On a nearby table, a box was open, revealing a dazzling pearl necklace.

- What happened here? -John asked in a deep voice.

"I don't know... I don't know..." the woman repeated, sobbing. I was upstairs in my room when I heard a gunshot. I ran down, and I found this... My husband... My poor husband...

-And he didn't see anyone else?

- No... I didn't see anyone... The door was locked... I don't understand how this could have happened...

John observed the scene meticulously, with an intuition that characterized him. How was it possible that no one had entered or left the house? Who had killed the jeweler? And why had he left the gun and necklace so visible?

He approached the jeweler's body and examined it carefully. He looked at his wristwatch, which showed half past ten. That time coincided with the approximate time he had received the woman's call.

-What time does he say he heard the shot? -John asked the woman.

- At a quarter past ten... More or less... -she responded.

-And what time did he call me?

- At ten twenty... I think...

John frowned. There was something that didn't fit in that sequence of events. Why had it taken him so long to call him? What had he been doing during those five minutes?

John stood up from the couch and walked to the table where the pearl necklace lay. He took it carefully and examined it carefully. It was a masterpiece, the pearls were large and round, shining with a pearly hue. John counted the pearls: there were twenty.

-This is the pearl necklace that her husband had made for the Duchess of Windsor? -John asked the woman.

"Yes... Yes... He was very proud of her work... It was her masterpiece..." she said.

And do you know how much this necklace is worth? -John asked.

No... I don't know... I guess a lot...

A lot, yes. About two million dollars, I hear. It's a considerable sum, don't you think?

The woman looked down nervously, as if she was afraid that John's question would lead her somewhere uncomfortable.

Yes... Yes... I guess so...

John's expression became more serious as he continued to examine the pearl necklace. There was something in the woman's attitude that disturbed him deeply. Why didn't she know the value of the necklace? Was she really not interested in her husband's job? Or perhaps there was something else behind that apparent indifference.

Suddenly, an idea began to form in John's mind. But before moving forward, he wanted to get more information.

Mrs. Miller, could you tell me when was the last time she saw her husband alive? -John asked.

The woman, her eyes filling with tears, responded: "It was this afternoon, before he retired to his studio to work on the necklace. He had been working on that project for weeks."

John nodded in understanding. He had a clearer idea of the timeline now.

And after that, what did you do?

I went up to my room to rest a little before dinner. She was exhausted after a long day of social engagements.

And how did you hear the shot?

The woman seemed to hesitate for a moment before answering, "I heard a loud noise that startled me. I ran downstairs to see what happened and found my husband... like this."

John noticed the hesitation in her answers and knew she had to delve even deeper into the investigation. There was something that didn't add up to this whole story.

"Let me ask one last question, Mrs. Miller," John said seriously. Do you know where the copy of the key to your house door is?

The woman stood still for a moment before responding with a nervous look, "I have no idea what she's talking about."

John was determined to solve this mystery, but he knew that he needed more information before reaching a conclusion.