The Traitor Connolly

In a luxurious residence in London dwelled the Connolly family, a family whose great wealth mainly stemmed from the accomplishments of their eldest son, Wayland Connolly.

Wayland was an excellent detective, so proficient at solving cases that he found the culprits within a single day, every time.

One morning, Wayland was abruptly awakened by his sister Elynn, her eyes filled with tears, completely panicked.

"Wayland! Wayland!" she cried, so tearful that it was difficult to understand her.

"Hey… Elynn, what's the matter?" Wayland responded, looking concerned.

"It's… It's father! He's… He's…"

Wayland instantly understood, pushing his sister aside to hurry to the living room, where, before his eyes, lay the lifeless body of his father.

Devastated, he took a moment to scream in despair before trying to catch his breath. The sound of his cry had drawn the rest of the family to him, all discovering the death of their loved one.

With the entire family in shock, Wayland decided to take charge and exclaimed:

"It's clear that the culprit is among us." He paused, letting out a sigh filled with rage, and continued, "You will all sit down and answer my questions."

The mother, deeply devastated, revolted at her son's accusation.

"Wayland! How dare you say such a thing? How can you know that the culprit is among us?"

"How do I know?" He nervously chuckled. "Mother, it's obvious. And just that remark makes you suspicious, so you should let me do what I do best without too much interference."

The entire family took their seats, and Wayland began his interrogation.

"Let's start by reconstructing the scene. Last night, before I went to bed, there were five of us in the living room. Elynn, Daniel, Mom, Dad, and me. I was the first to leave the room, now I want to know who left last."

"It was me." said the mother.

"So father was already in your room?"

"No, no, we argued, he slept here."

"What a coincidence, we find him dead after your argument."

The mother's anxiety was palpable. Daniel, Wayland's brother, suddenly stood up.

"I have a better question." he said.

"How?" Wayland gritted his teeth. "Do you think you can do my job better than me? We're not playing a game."

"Exactly, you're leading as if you're innocent by default. You're a suspect too!" Daniel retorted defiantly.

"A classic move from the guilty…" muttered Wayland.

"What?"

"I said, it's a classic move from the guilty to try so hard to divert attention onto someone else. I'll ask you to sit back down."

Daniel sighed and complied, unable to overcome his brother's authority. He placed his phone on the table. Sitting back, he murmured: "Diverting attention onto someone else… That's exactly what he's doing…" Wayland coughed loudly before resuming his investigation:

"Mom, why did you and Dad argue?"

"It was… His phone. A message from another woman."

Upon hearing these words, Elynn and Daniel gasped in surprise.

"He would never do such a thing!" exclaimed Elynn.

"It's a setup!" added Daniel.

"SILENCE!" Wayland exclaimed, annoyed.

A noise emanated from Daniel's phone. Wayland gave him a cold look and signaled him to silence his device. Daniel picked it up, muttering: "Yeah… Say nothing and listen."

"What are you up to, Daniel?" Wayland sent, looking threatening.

"Nothing at all."

"You know what? This message that caused this argument, maybe you sent it. Put down that phone and don't touch it again."

"Alright."

Daniel placed the phone back on the table, looking confident.

Wayland walked over to the body, specifically to the coat that was draped over the couch. He searched the largest pocket to retrieve the father's phone.

"I'm going to call this number." said Wayland, sounding confident.

He found the contact, paused for a second, and made the call. And that's when a ringtone echoed in the room.

"Where's that coming from?" asked Daniel.

Wayland turned his head slowly and coldly toward his sister…

"It's coming from her. The ringtone is coming from Elynn." said Wayland, his gaze filled with hatred.

Elynn began to panic, the entire family now staring at her.

"Wait, no! It's not my phone! Someone put it there! I swear!" stammered Elynn.

"Oh yeah, and who?" retorted Wayland.

"It's… it's… It's you, Wayland! I'm sure it's you!"

"Absurd."

"I know! You have the largest share in dad's will!"

"But of course, it's me who brings in the most money here!"

The mother, struck by a realization, spoke up.

"No. He had recently received several million pounds. We didn't tell you because we didn't want you to become too dependent on us."

"So what? We didn't know." replied Wayland.

"But… You do have access to your father's account."

"Indeed. But I hadn't checked! Let's focus on the real culprit, Elynn!" Wayland retorted.

Elynn muttered to herself. And after a few seconds, she exclaimed:

"I've figured it out!"

"You too?" asked Daniel.

"What are you talking about?" sent Wayland, confused.

"When I woke you up, and you bumped into me to rush to the living room, that's when you placed the phone on me."

"Don't try to pin it on me!" Wayland shouted.

"Moreover, if you weren't aware that dad was sleeping there, why did you rush to the living room instead of the bedroom?"

"Seriously! Don't you realize the smell of a corpse?"

"And does dad's phone smell too? You immediately knew which pocket to search, and you checked the coat first."

"Just a stroke of luck!" Wayland tried to conclude his sentence, but his mother interrupted.

"That's enough…" With teary eyes, she sighed before continuing, "Wayland… I no longer consider you a member of this family. You will go to your place, behind bars."

Wayland, furious, began to scream:

"Me? Behind bars? And not that bastard of a father who keeps all the money for himself, even after living in the shadow of his own son? Huh? He deserved it, actually. I am the only hope of this family, and you are nothing without me! It's a shame, since nothing stops me from killing all of you in the end!"

"Yes, one thing does stop you." Daniel added, "Earlier, I placed my phone on the table, but I had initiated a phone call with your colleague, Ryan Hill, who has been listening to us the whole time."

Wayland frowned, a silence dominating the room as disgusted looks were all directed at the family's traitor, in the midst of everyone.

He was already searching for an excuse, a way out of this situation, breathing slowly.

But it was futile, because at that moment, someone knocked on the door.