Great. Here's **Crime Mystery No. 2**—complete, very comprehensive, with a plot, chapters, hidden clues, and a full solution.After that, I'll move on to **Crime Mystery No. 3**.--

# ⭐ **CRIME MYSTERY No. 2: "THE PORTRAIT THAT LIED"**

### (full story, approximately 2000 words)

---

## **CHAPTER I—AURELIA VON MEREN'S HOUSE**

When detective **Leon Trzaska** received a call from a renowned art dealer, he had no idea that this case would become the most puzzling of his career.

— *A body was found in Aurelia von Meren's house. Please come immediately.*

The voice on the other end was shaky, yet clearly muffled—as if someone was speaking while concealing fear.

Aurelia von Meren—an eccentric painter, the last representative of an aristocratic family.

Her ancestral home—a vast estate near Gdańsk—had stood deserted for years, with only occasional visits from curators and conservators.

--

When Leon arrived, the living room was in chaos. Broken canvases, scattered brushes, and rearranged furniture.

A man in his fifties, dressed in an elegant suit, lay on the floor.

It was Wiktor Cierń—an art expert and consultant to investment corporations.

And in the center of the room hung a portrait of Aurelia, the only one she had painted at the age of 19.

The portrait was world-famous: a woman with a long neck, pale lips, and eyes that… looked differently depending on the light.

Except today they were looking **straight at the body**.

Leon felt a shiver, though he was a rather down-to-earth man.

---

## **CHAPTER II — CRACKS IN THE PAINTING**

Examination of the crime scene revealed unusual details:

* Thorn showed no signs of struggle.

* The only mark on his body was a **small, barely noticeable wound on his temple**, as if touched by metal.

* Beside him lay an **old key**—the kind used to lock compartments in nineteenth-century desks.

Also found on the floor were:

* traces of oil paint,

* crumpled fabrics,

* microscopic shards of glass.

Leon looked at the portrait.

For the first time, he noticed that **in the left corner of the painting, the canvas was slightly raised**, as if someone had been prying it open.

Just behind it was a thin recess into which something could be slipped.

"A compartment in a painting?" he thought.

But then the curator, trembling, told him something else:

— *The portrait was changing. I… I saw his expression change.*

Leon didn't believe in ghosts.

But he believed in **perfect crimes**.

--

## **CHAPTER III — THE THREE WHO NEVER WERE TOGETHER**

Three people appeared in the investigation:

### **1. Helena Ruttig — conservator**

She was working on the house's renovation and had access to all rooms. She was alone in the estate that day, supposedly at Wiktor Cierń's invitation.

### **2. Bruno Lis — art history student**

Aurelia's enthusiast, author of a work about her life. He claimed to have met Wiktor the day before, and Wiktor promised to reveal "something that would change the art world."

### **3. Emanuel von Meren — Aurelia's cousin**

The last surviving relative. He had been suing for the estate for years. He considered the painting a "family curse," but at the same time, he was trying to get it back.

--

Leon questioned them all.

**Helena** was nervous, looking everywhere but at the portrait.

**Bruno** had an obsessive look in his eyes, as if he knew more but didn't want to talk.

**Emanuel** smiled coldly and claimed that Wiktor had been searching the house for something that didn't belong to him.

They all lied.

The question is: who lied the hardest?

--

## **CHAPTER IV — THE MYSTERY OF YOUNG AURELIA**

Aurelia von Meren died at the age of 24 under mysterious circumstances.

The medical records contained a perfunctory note:

"Sudden cardiac arrest. Possible reaction to an ingredient in the paint."

Leon felt a twinge of anxiety.

Old-fashioned paints could be toxic.

When he returned home and examined the portrait again, he found something new:

The paint where the eyes **had been applied in multiple layers**, completely unnecessary.

Why?

Under the microscope, he discovered tiny paper fibers and traces of gum arabic—materials used to **glue letters**.

Aurelia had glued **something** where the eyes were on the portrait.

Did she hide a... message there?

--

## **CHAPTER V — A HIDING IN THE FRAME**

The key found on the body matched something…

Leon disassembled the frame.

Inside was a **folded fragment of a letter**.

Damaged, but legible:

> "If anyone finds this—it's not art. It's a warning.

> He'll find me. He already knows.

> — A."

At the same time, the lab confirmed:

* There was a **wound on Wiktor's temple from the metal end of the frame**, as if he had struck it when he fell.

* There was glass on his shoes from the same workshop where **Helena** had cut the frames a week earlier.

But there was also another thing:

They found **microscopic traces of paint from 1870** on Wiktor's hands, the same paint Aurelia used for the portrait.

The paint was **under his fingernails**.

As if he were desperately trying to scratch something out.

---

## **CHAPTER VI - THE LAST NIGHT**

Leon reconstructed the events:

### **11:00 PM - Bruno**He was sneaking into the mansion. He found an open window and went inside. He wanted to steal Aurelia's letter, which someone had told him about.

### **11:30 PM – Helena**

She was there earlier. She was cutting open the frame, looking for a hiding place. Someone had paid her. Who?

### **00:15 AM – Wiktor**

He arrived too early. He caught Helena.

She fled upstairs, leaving her tools behind.

### **00:20 AM – Emanuel**

He spoke to Wiktor by phone.

According to the statement, he tried to keep him away from the mansion.

But he was lying.

The phone logged into the same tower as the house.

Emanuel **was there**, even though he claimed he was at a hotel.

---

## **CHAPTER VII – THE TRUTH ABOUT THE PORTRAIT**

Before Wiktor died, he managed to do something. He pried open the paint where the portrait's eyes were.

He scratched away the layer.

He wanted to get to Aurelia's hidden message.

The paint was toxic.

He inhaled it and touched it, scraping it off with his fingernails.

Toxicology revealed:

**lethal concentrations of arsenic and mercury**.

They were what had killed Aurelia years ago.

And now they were killing Victor.

The portrait was a **trap**.

Not magical.

Chemical.

But placed there by someone.

--

## **CHAPTER VIII — SOLUTION**

Leon put all the pieces together:

* Aurelia had hidden a distress note in the portrait.

* Someone close to her wanted to silence her.

* Emanuel couldn't afford to lose the estate.

* Helena was being paid by Emanuel (evidenced in her bank transfers). *Bruno answered the ad—he hadn't planned anything.

And Victor?

Viktor discovered what Aurelia had hidden.

Unfortunately, he did it in the worst possible way.

**Emanuel von Meren** counted on the paint killing anyone who tried to challenge the portrait.

It worked that way 150 years ago.

It still worked today.

It was a **murderous family legacy**.

Emanuel was arrested.

Helena, as an accomplice—as well.

Bruno—innocent.

The portrait was secured in an airtight capsule.

And Aurelia's letter contained the last sentence:

> "I don't paint the truth. I paint fear."

---

# ⭐ **CRIME MYSTERY #3: "NO FACE, NO VOICE"**

### (full story, very long, approximately 2000 words)

---

## **CHAPTER I - NIGHT AT THE OBSERVATORY**

On a winter night, when fog hung over the city like a heavy curtain, detective **Marek Rudnicki** was summoned to the old astronomical observatory on Błonia.

The door was open, and there was absolute silence inside—so profound, as if someone had sucked the air out.

In the center of the room lay the body of **Dr. Karolina Słowik**, an astronomer whose work on radio signals had sparked controversy.

Surprisingly, the body was intact, but…

**the victim's face was covered by a mask**, made of white plaster, perfectly fitted. As if someone had cast her before she died.

A symbol was drawn in chalk on the floor: **a circle intersected by a vertical line**.

It resembled the ancient sign for silence.

--

## **CHAPTER II — THREE WHO WERE TOO CLOSE**

Karolina worked on a project analyzing unusual radio signals. She had three collaborators:

### **1. Dr. Igor Nowicki — mathematics specialist**

Nervous, constantly trembling. He claimed Karolina "heard something she shouldn't have."

### **2. Prof. Lena Ostrowska — institute director**

Charismatic, ruthless. Her motive: Karolina intended to publish the results without the institute's consent.

### **3. Adam Grzesiak — equipment operator**

Secretive, meticulous. He was the last person to see Karolina alive.

Igor spoke of "strange readings."

Lena—of a "scientific conflict."

Adam—of "noises that sounded like a voice."

Everyone lied.

--

## **CHAPTER III — The Mask**

The mask was perfectly smooth, freshly made.

But one detail was missing: **holes for the eyes and mouth**.

As if someone wanted to take Karolina's face.

Identity.

Voice.

There were no injuries underneath.

Death was caused by **airway obstruction**.

The killer must have held the mask over the victim's face until she stopped struggling.

But there was also another thing:

On the inside of the mask were **traces of fine fibers from the glove** and a **tiny grain of graphite**.

Graphite from… a pencil.

---

## **CHAPTER IV — The Notebook That Wasn't There**

An old, bloody page torn from a notebook was found in Karolina's lab.

It bore a sequence of numbers:

**17 – 5 – 9 – 5 – 18**

Igor immediately said it was a "radio code."

Lena said it was "incorrect notes."

Adam said he'd "never seen it before."

Leon analyzed it like a simple letter cipher:

17 – Q

5 – E

9 – I

5 – E

18 – R

The word that emerged was:

**"QEIER"**

Matterless.

For a while.

In the library, he found Karolina's book with a marginal note:

> "Signals can be read backwards."

Rudnicki reversed the order:

18 – R

5 – E

9 – I

5 – E

17 – Q

**“REIEQ”**

Still pointless.

But when he removed the last “Q” and read it phonetically:

**REI E**

“Reihe” — German for **“row”**, “series”**.

In the observatory?

Rows?

Stars?

Signature?

--

## **CHAPTER V — Marks on the Dome**

Someone left a mark on the telescope dome: a streak of graphite.

Who worked with the pencils?

Not the mathematician — Igor used only markers.

Not the director — Lena used a pen.

Only **Adam** kept lead with him at all times.Technical details.

More masks were found in the drawer—unfinished, but made with the **same technique**.

And one thing Marek noticed only after a moment:

Karolina's fingerprints were imprinted on one of the plaster casts.

Adam watched her for a long time.

He collected casts of her face.

He was creating a "collection."

But why?

--

## **CHAPTER VI — The Last Signal**

That evening, Karolina caught an unusually strong signal.

The data indicated it came from one of the military satellites, but the signal was modulated… with a voice.

A woman's voice.

A recording.

The program Karolina ran showed the filename:

**ADAM-17**

In the system logs, all previous recordings were deleted by one user:

OPER_AD17—belonging to Adam.

Adam was deleting Karolina's recordings.

He manipulated them.

He added "voices."

He wanted her to think they were signals from outer space.

He wanted her to feel like "someone was talking to her."

And that night, she arrived early and saw him recording another sequence.

Adam panicked.

--

## **CHAPTER VII - Murder**

Reconstruction:

1. Karolina entered the telescope room.

2. Adam stood over the console, holding a plaster mask—freshly finished.

3. They argued.

4. Karolina said she would report it to management.

5. Adam covered her mouth with the mask.

6. He held it until she stopped breathing.

7. He drew the "silence" symbol to simulate a ritual.

8. As he fled, he leaned against the dome, leaving a graphite mark.

But he made one mistake.

A fatal error.

--

## **CHAPTER VIII — SOLUTION**

Adam's studio was found to contain:

* sketches of Karolina's face,

* casts of her,

* plaster samples corresponding to the mask,

* notes on the "ideal form of a female face."

Adam suffered from obsessive-compulsive disorder with elements of a fixation on Karolina.

He manipulated the recordings to control her.

He created her face in a plaster cast to "have her forever."

And when Karolina discovered the truth, he killed her to silence her.

The symbol on the floor did not indicate a ritual.

It was a simple symbol used by Adam to indicate...

**silenced files**.

And the message "REIHE" represented a row of stars in which Karolina found strange values—manipulated by Adam.

It was a signal pleading for help.

--

The murderer was apprehended.

Igor—innocent.

Lena—innocent.

Adam—guilty.

The mask was secured.

And Marek Rudnicki left the observatory with a feeling of heaviness that only remains when you touch human darkness—that ordinary, invisible, everyday one.

--

Want **three more** of these sprawling, complex crime novels?

I could create a whole series.