The Pumpkin Head Murder

“It’s not me!”

The words tore out of my throat, almost a scream.

“I don’t know anything! That remote isn’t mine!”

Daniel looked at me coldly. “We’ve looked into your background.”

He pulled a sheet from the folder and slid it across the table.

“You work at NewDream Tech as their senior programmer. Three months ago, there was an internal promotion for project lead. You and Ethan Ward were the top candidates.

“In the end, William Zoo chose Ethan. And Ethan died in the escape room last night.”

I stared at the paper, my fingers trembling uncontrollably.

“That’s just work! I… I was upset, sure, but I wouldn’t kill anyone!”

“Wouldn’t you?”

Daniel pushed another photo toward me.

It was a screenshot of my computer—my chat history with a friend.

“Why promote that kiss-up Ethan? William’s blind!”

“Just wait. One day, I’ll make them both pay.”

My mind went blank.

It was just venting; something I said out of anger to a friend.

“We also looked into your financial situation.”

Daniel didn’t give me a second to breathe, one piece of “evidence” after another laid out in front of me.

“Twenty thousand in credit card debt. Four thousand from online loans. Last week, you mortgaged the house your parents left you, took out one hundred thousand, and put it all into a speculative gaming assets investment.

“And that investment collapsed the day before yesterday.

“Overnight, you lost everything and ended up buried in debt.”

I opened my mouth, but no words came out.

Yes, I needed money.

But that didn’t mean I killed anyone.

“We have reason to believe you planned this murder to secure the ten-thousand-dollar reward and to take revenge on your boss and colleagues.

“You know how these escape rooms work. You led them into the trap, then hid yourself in a safe compartment and controlled everything from there.

“And that so-called pumpkin-headed figure was something you made up—a killer you invented to cover your tracks.”

“No…” I shook my head desperately. “There really was someone in the pumpkin head… there really was…”

“Where’s your proof?”

Daniel’s gaze bore into me. “Other than your own statement, who can confirm that?”

Just as I found myself with nothing left to say, the interrogation room door suddenly swung open.

A young officer hurried in and whispered something in Daniel’s ear.

His expression changed.

He stood up and strode out.

A few minutes later, he returned, his face now strangely unreadable.

He stared at me, as if seeing me for the first time.

“Sophie Sullivan, do you know someone named… Chuck Lee?” he asked slowly.

Chuck Lee?

I shook my head.

“No. Who is that?”

“He was the actor originally assigned to play the NPC in that escape room,” Daniel said flatly. “The one who was supposed to wear the pumpkin head.”

A flicker of hope sparked inside me.

“He woke up? He can prove it!”

“When we found him, he was dead.”

Daniel cut me off.

“In his own home. Murdered.

“Time of death was around four yesterday afternoon. Before your company even left for the escape room.

“The weapon was an axe.

“And on the doorknob of his apartment, we recovered a fingerprint.”

Daniel lifted a fingerprint comparison report. The red markings made my eyes ache.

“After analysis, that fingerprint… belongs to you.”