Best Mystery Short Stories for You to Read 

3. Hush

 Your home office is finally open after being renovated. Excited, you step in inside and notice a present waiting for you on your desk. Thinking it's from one of your friends, you open it only for it to explode in your hands, covering everything (you included) in colorful paint. 

 You call the police, and soon Colonel Hammerstrike comes to investigate the scene. Together, you decide to deduce who the culprit might be. Only packages from your close friends are delivered directly to your house. Mail from others is carefully inspected by Colonel Hammerstrike's people. So, the only person who could have sent you this box is someone close to you. Unfortunately, you didn't check the tag, and now it's damaged.

 Amber, a local private investigator and a friend of yours, volunteers to help you. With the help of her handy tools, you examine the tag and find Nicholas's name on it. 

 When questioned, Nicholas struggles to explain himself and simply admits that he sent the package. Colonel Hammerstrike punishes him for his stunt with a few days of community service. Everybody is confused as to why Nicholas would do something like this, and they seem wary of him. Pete, his son, doesn't believe his dad did it of his own volition. He asks you to investigate the case further, certain that you will find an explanation for his actions. 

 You check Nicholas's office and find a contract for his most recent order. Because of some mishaps, he now owes a customer a huge order for an unreasonably small price. Amber notices that the client's initials seem familiar but can't remember why. 

 You decide to ask around about how Nicholas is doing and find out money has been really tight for him recently. He even took on debt so he could put food on his family's table. Then you notice a strange card among his things that says, "Wreak havoc in S.'s house." 

 You assume that Nicholas was blackmailed, but Amber isn't so sure. The message on the card is typed, so the two of you check with the city's printing office. One of the workers remembers that a man with a prominent mustache bought a set of metal letters recently. 

 You visit Zeppelini, who refuses to answer your questions. But when you show him the card, he cries out, "Hush! Hush!" and rushes out of the room. You are confused by his reaction, but Amber suspects that "Hush!" was actually an answer to your questions. 

 After checking at the home library, you learn that "Hush" is a game. In each round of this game, players draw a card from the deck and complete tasks to move forward. These tasks are similar to dares and include things that are brazen and shameful. Whoever reaches the last round wins, and if you didn't complete a task or you told anyone else about the game, you are out. Usually these games have a monetary prize. 

 When you tell Nicholas you learned about the Hush game, he admits that he is taking part in it and apologizes for sending you the box. He is in a tight spot right now and needs the money, so he was even willing to participate in something shady like this game. The previous tasks were fairly ordinary and didn't harm anyone, but as the rounds come to a close, they are becoming more and more daring. 

 You and Amber discuss Nicholas's situation and decide to host a small party to cheer him up. Colonel Hammerstrike arrives late and shares that one of his family heirlooms was stolen last night. Before you can even discuss it further, Zeppelini comes barging in and asks you to save him from the enraged Noodle Cook. 

 It turns out Zeppelini was the one behind the Hush game. He just wanted to host a fun game and promised a monetary reward to every participant. But as people continued to complete the rounds, he got anxious because he didn't actually plan on giving out money. So, he decided to assign Nicholas and the Noodle Cook tasks that were, in his opinion, "impossible." But the Noodle Cook found out about this and got angry. He was really hoping to win because he is also in a tight spot with money right now. He also admitted he was the one who stole Hammerstrike's heirloom as part of the game. 

 While you are hearing all this information, Amber suddenly remembers that she was recently investigating the case of a swindler and that Nicholas and the Noodle Cook's orders seem like they came from him. You learn that this swindler is currently in custody, so Nicholas and the Noodle Cook don't have to complete his orders. And with this good news, the Noodle Cook and Zeppelini promise to join Nicholas and help him with his community service. 

 2. Jeweler's Secret

 Amy says she found a lost dog and wants to return her to her owner. The dog is wearing a velvet collar with a tag that has an address and the name Ariadne on it. You and Amy go to the address and find yourselves at the Jewelry Store.

 You arrive just as a presentation of the late jeweler's last collection starts. During the presentation, you learn that he was a very talented and eccentric person: he was terribly fond of sweets, only appeared in photos and portraits with his pet cockatoo, and pushed his numerous dogs around in prams. However, his friends, including Lady Byron, speak warmly of him. She shares that Ariadne was his favorite and, according to him, even saved his life once. Finally, the time comes to unveil the jeweler's final masterpiece, the Darkwood Star, which, according to his orders, was to be shown only at the presentation. But when Helen takes the velvet cover off the large glass case, it is empty!

 The colonel begins his investigation by searching the jeweler's shop, but finds no evidence of forced entry or robbery. The search is further complicated by the fact that no one knows what this Star looks like. The jeweler kept the production process a secret, and all you are able to find out is that it took a lot of gold, two large black diamonds, and a huge ruby in the shape of a heart to create it. Later, the colonel interrogates everyone who participated in the preparations, but they all have an ironclad alibi. However, Antoine recalls that he saw strange people in dark robes and hoods enter the shop's basement yesterday. When you examine the basement, you notice that the room is smaller than it should be. After a search, you discover that if you stroke the statue of a dog in the corner, you can open a passage to a hidden room.

 But this chamber of secrets raises more questions than answers. Its walls are decorated with portraits of dogs in lush human robes, the same dark robes are found in the closet, and on a podium is a thick book, called the Codex Sirius, written in an unknown language. Suddenly, Ariadne runs into the room. Amy comes chasing after her and notices that one of the portraits on the wall looks like Ariadne, but with a precious collar around her neck. Could that be the Darkwood Star? You examine the velvet collar and find a rough seam on it. After ripping it open, you find a silver collar underneath with the inscription "Ariadne will show you the way" and three symbols.

 Meanwhile, Helen has a problem: a man who says he's the son of the jeweler has showed up at the shop. He has brought a copy of his father's will with him, and according to it, his father's estate, including the Jewelry Store, goes to him. He shares many tearful stories about his difficult childhood. Some of the townspeople have already become sympathetic to him, but some express doubts, like Lady Byron. She had never heard of the jeweler having children, and besides, the original will was missing . . . And Ariadne barked at him.

 You investigate the identity of the heir while Helen distracts him with a tour of the shop. You find out that this man is, in fact, the jeweler's former apprentice, to whom he really had planned to leave an inheritance. However, a couple of years ago, they had a dispute, and the jeweler kicked him out. It turns out the apprentice lured the jeweler deep into the forest and planned to leave him there. If it were not for his faithful Ariadne, the old man would not have been able to find his way back. You send for the colonel, but then you hear a commotion in the basement. You run down there and see a group of people in dark robes fighting with the "heir." The colonel comes to the rescue and demands an explanation for what happened. The people in robes take off their hoods, and one of them is Lady Byron! She reveals that this was the headquarters of a secret order of dog lovers that has been operating in Darkwood for centuries, and the jeweler was their last leader. When they came to their next meeting, they saw that an impostor had tried to open the safe. The lock has the same symbols as the ones on Ariadne's collar. You enter the combination from the collar, and the safe opens! Inside you find a copy of the real will, according to which half the jeweler's fortune goes to his beloved dog, and half is donated to an animal shelter. You also find a solid gold statuette of Ariadne with black diamond eyes and a ruby on the chest—the real Darkwood Star.

 1. Dangerous Games

 You arrive at the opening of a Pool Hall and meet a stranger. She introduces herself as Amber Lewis, a private detective, and tells you the opening will have to be postponed as someone has made a mess in one of the rooms of the Pool Hall.

 Amber reveals that her husband was the owner of the Pool Hall, which he built with a friend of his, but now she has taken charge of it. The Pool Hall had been closed since the death of her husband, and when she finally decided to reopen it, someone made a complete mess inside. Colonel Hammerstrike already examined the scene, but found no signs of forced entry or any evidence. You decide to help Amber clean up. 

 Amber places the bust of a famous pool player with a beautiful gypsum necklace back in its rightful place and reminisces about how her husband admired it. Suddenly, a portrait of her husband falls off the wall. You notice that the man in the portrait looks like a ghost and spot a message: "Amber, give me back what belongs to me!" Chuckling, Amber remarks that perhaps even the colonel and the great Seeker are willing to believe ridiculous tall tales, but not her. Intuition tells her that whoever made the mess may somehow be connected to the death of her husband. As a detective, she intends to continue searching for the culprits on her own and refuses help.

 You ask the townspeople about Amber and what they know about her. It turns out that almost the entire city knows about her husband's mysterious death, and everyone has their own version of events. In a whisper, the Flower Girl says she heard that Amber married a wealthy businessman for convenience and then got rid of him, so his vengeful spirit is to blame for the troubles at the Pool Hall. Adrian Bloom is sure it was sincere love and a real tragedy. The Woodsman says he wouldn't be surprised if Amber and her husband were both swindlers as the pair were notorious opportunists. Even Colonel Hammerstrike admits he does not rule out the possibility that Amber herself staged the mess for the sake of insurance payments. It is hard to decide who to believe. Helen stands up for the woman and offers to contact the Fortune Teller. Perhaps she can contact the spirit of the deceased and find out what he wants. The Fortune Teller says Amber's husband lifted the veil of what should not have been and now Amber is paying for it. However, she is unable to find out anything else.

 You meet Amber again. Her investigation has reached a dead end: her husband had too many spiteful, corrupt, and greedy enemies who were irritated by his honesty. However, most of them are already in jail or out of the city. You share what the Fortune Teller said with Amber, who grudgingly admits that her husband was really into spiritualism, but she herself never really believed in it. With his friend (who was also a psychic), he organized a secret club that met in the Pool Hall and held séances. You are surprised to learn that Antoine was also a member of the club. You ask him about what the club did. Antoine says that, shortly before his death, Amber's husband quarreled with the psychic for unknown reasons, and then the club completely broke up. Amber suggests talking to the psychic—perhaps he knows what is going on.

 Along with Amber and Antoine, you meet with the psychic at the Pool Hall, and he offers to hold a séance. During the séance, strange things happen: a knock is heard from under the floor, objects move on their own, and finally, from the afterlife, the voice of Amber's husband asks her where the jewelry is. The woman seems to be surprised and worried. To make sure it is really her husband, she asks him a question in Morse code. However, after receiving an answer, she immediately realizes the psychic is a fraud! It was a test because her husband did not know Morse code!

 The crook disorients you with some kind of exploding solution and hides in the closet. It turns out that behind the closet is a passage to a secret room. You stay with Amber to track down the psychic while Antoine runs to get the colonel. You go down to the secret room and discover that the psychic was using the Pool Hall as a cover for his criminal activities: smuggling stolen jewelry inside fake billiard balls and reselling it. In addition, all the otherworldly phenomena during the séances were simple tricks (including the ghostly portrait of Amber's husband). Amber's husband learned these secrets and hid the last batch of jewelry. Her husband did not want to betray his friend and asked him to change his mind and do the right thing, but the criminal's thirst for profit turned out to be stronger than friendship. When Amber peeks in a huge safe, the criminal jumps out. A fight breaks out. Just then, the colonel arrives, but before he can apprehend the criminal, the man pushes Amber into the safe, and the door slams shut. The perpetrator refuses to cooperate and give you the code. Guessing the code would take too long, and the supply of oxygen inside is limited.

 The Blacksmith crafts a device that breaks the combination lock. Now freed, Amber has only one question: was the psychic involved in her husband's death? The colonel cannot give an unequivocal answer: the psychic denies his guilt and cannot report anything new about the case. However, Amber does not intend to give up. Sooner or later, she will unravel this mystery.

You can learn more about Amber and her husband in Seekers Notes! Download and play Seekers Notes now: https://seekersnotes.onelink.me/E3IM/4bc92434  

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