A Deal to Die For
February 21, 2025
Detective Olivia Carter stepped into the lavish penthouse, the scent of expensive cologne still lingering in the air. On the marble floor lay Jacob Vance, a real estate mogul with a reputation for making ruthless deals. A gunshot wound to the chest. His Rolex still on his wrist. His wallet untouched. Not a robbery—this was personal.
She turned to Officer Delgado. “Who found him?”
“His business partner, Eric Langston. Says he came by for a late meeting, found the door open, and walked in to see this.” Delgado gestured to the body. “Time of death’s around 11 p.m.”
Olivia nodded. “Security footage?”
Delgado sighed. “Cameras in the hallway were down for maintenance. Convenient.”
She frowned. “What about the murder weapon?”
“Nothing at the scene.”
Olivia glanced around. A whiskey glass sat on the coffee table. Beside it, a second glass—empty, but with smudged lipstick on the rim.
She turned to Delgado. “Jacob wasn’t drinking alone.”
Eric Langston sat in the interrogation room, his hands folded neatly on the table. He looked tired but calm.
“I had a meeting scheduled with Jacob,” he said. “We were renegotiating a contract. I got here around 11:15, found him dead, and called 911.”
Olivia raised an eyebrow. “Renegotiating? Sounds tense.”
Eric exhaled. “Jacob was pulling out of a major deal last minute. It would’ve cost me millions. But killing him? That’s insane.”
Olivia studied him. “Who else had reason to be here last night?”
Eric hesitated. “His fiancée, Lauren Tate. They had dinner plans.”
Olivia’s eyes flicked to Delgado, then back to Eric. “Where was she when you arrived?”
“She wasn’t here.”
Lauren Tate was beautiful, poised, and visibly shaken when Olivia met her at her condo. “I—Jacob and I argued last night,” she admitted. “He canceled dinner last minute, said he had to work. I was furious, so I came over. I got there around ten.”
Olivia leaned forward. “And?”
“He was alive,” Lauren insisted. “I had a drink, we talked… then I left.”
Delgado asked, “What did you argue about?”
Lauren hesitated. “He told me he was ending our engagement. Said he had… doubts.” Her voice cracked. “I left before he was killed.”
Olivia frowned. “Why not mention this earlier?”
“I was scared! I know how it looks.”
Back at the station, forensics called with a break. “The whiskey glass had cyanide in it. Jacob was poisoned before he was shot.”
Olivia sat back, connecting the dots. The killer wanted it to look like a crime of passion, but poisoning was methodical. Thought out.
She picked up the phone. “Bring Lauren back in.”
An hour later, Lauren sat across from Olivia, her façade cracking.
“You poisoned him,” Olivia said calmly. “But when he didn’t die fast enough, you panicked. So you shot him to finish the job.”
Tears welled in Lauren’s eyes. “He was leaving me… after everything I gave up for him.”
Olivia sighed. Another case closed.