Locked In

I stood in front of a very nondescript building in a part of the city I had never been to before. There weren't many people around, the streets almost eerily quiet. 

So, why was I here? I was on a date—well, a second date—with Margot, who I had asked out two weeks ago. She had accepted, and we had a nice evening out at a great restaurant. It was such a good time, in fact, that we agreed on a second date. This time, she wanted to choose where we would go. And now, here I was, standing in front of this obscure building, wondering if this was the beginning of an elaborate prank.

"I'm going to get kidnapped," I muttered to myself as I walked around, peering into the building's darkened windows.

 Just then, a taxi pulled up, and the door swung open to reveal Margot who stepped out.

She was wearing a tight-fitting black, long-sleeved top that perfectly complemented her slim figure. Her blue skinny jeans hugged her legs, paired with black ankle boots that clicked softly against the pavement as she walked toward me. A black quilted handbag with a chain strap hung over her shoulder, her blonde hair tied back in a neat ponytail. She had a bright, infectious smile that lit up her face as she approached.

"Hey!" she greeted me warmly, stepping up to meet me.

"And here I thought you brought me here to get kidnapped," I said, raising an eyebrow.

Margot chuckled. "Kidnapped? Please. If I wanted to kidnap you, I'd have just invited you to my apartment," she teased, giving me a light nudge on the arm.

I laughed. "So... what exactly are we doing here?" I asked, glancing around at the empty street, trying to make sense of the location.

"Oh, it's going to be so much fun!" Margot said, her eyes sparkling with excitement. "I went to one of these things when I visited Japan, and when I heard there was one here in the city, I had to bring you."

"What is it?" I asked, intrigued but still clueless.

"Come on!" she said, taking my hand and pulling me toward the entrance. Her enthusiasm was contagious.

Inside, the building was surprisingly sleek. Margot led me to a reception area, where she started chatting with the receptionist, mentioning she had called the day before to book us a spot. While they talked, I glanced around and finally noticed the large board behind the desk.

It read: Escape Room.

"Oh, an escape room," I said, piecing it together.

Margot turned back to me, her eyes bright with excitement. "So, you've heard of it?"

"Yeah, I've heard about them," I said, memories of a previous disaster flooding back. I'd gone to one with some work friends when they first became mainstream in my previous life, but that experience hadn't ended well—I'd taken it way too seriously, and it was more stressful than fun.

Margot didn't seem to notice my hesitation. "Oh, good!" she said in her slight Australian accent. "Then you know how fun it's going to be!" She practically bounced on her feet as the receptionist handed us a form to sign and directed us to the entrance of the room.

"Yeah… fun," I muttered under my breath as we were led inside. Hopefully, this time will be better.

As we stepped inside, a young attendant greeted us with a bright smile, holding a clipboard.

"Hi, welcome! Before we get started, I'll go over the rules," she said, leading us into a small briefing area near the entrance.

I glanced over at Margot, who was practically buzzing with excitement. The attendant continued, "You'll have 60 minutes to solve the mystery and escape. The objective is simple: solve the murder mystery, identify the culprit, and unlock the door. There are hidden clues and puzzles throughout the room, and you'll need to work together to piece everything together."

She glanced between us. "Remember, you can't force anything open—if a door or drawer is locked, it means there's a clue to help you open it. Also, please don't break anything, and no phones or external tools can be used."

"Got it," we said together.

With the formalities out of the way, the attendant led us deeper into the building. We turned a corner and entered the room. The atmosphere was like a 1950s movie—the kind of gritty, hard-boiled detective setting you'd expect.

The room itself was styled as a private detective's office from the early 1950s. The walls were wood-paneled, though the wallpaper—once luxurious—was now peeling and faded with age. A flickering desk lamp sat on an old oak desk in the center of the room, casting long, moody shadows over the scattered papers and files.

The desk was cluttered with evidence—photos of a crime scene, police reports, and a black rotary phone. In the corner of the room, there was a small table with a coffee pot and half-drunk mugs. A coat rack held an old trench coat and fedora, completing the look of a detective's office. But mixed into the office were more sinister elements: a chalk outline of a body on the floor and red string crisscrossing on a corkboard, tying together photos of various suspects and locations.

"Your time starts as soon as I close the door behind me," the attendant said, backing out of the room. She gave us one last smile before pulling the door shut with a soft click.

Margot turned to me, her eyes glinting with excitement. "Ready to catch a killer?"

I smirked. "Let's hope I'm better at this than I was the last time."

She raised an eyebrow, intrigued. "Last time?"

I waved her off. "Uh... I misspoke."

Margot narrowed her eyes at me but turned toward the desk. She was buzzing with energy as she immediately started rifling through the detective's desk, her fingers carefully but quickly flipping through papers and files scattered around. I, on the other hand, stood back for a moment, taking in the entire scene, scanning the room for anything that might stand out or break the illusion of a simple detective's office.

The center of the room was the detective's desk—an old, cluttered wooden beast, with drawers slightly ajar, filing cabinets at its side, and an old typewriter sitting atop it. The evidence board on the wall opposite was filled with newspaper clippings, mugshots of suspects, crime scene photos, and a map of the city, all connected by the tell-tale red string that screamed 'classic detective work.'

An old rotary phone sat ominously on the desk. The way it gleamed in the dim light made it feel important, but at the moment, it was silent.

Just as I began stepping closer to the desk, my eyes shifted to the portraits on the wall. Something about them seemed off—like one of them could hide a secret. There's got to be a safe or something behind one of these, I thought.

Before I could investigate further, the sharp ring of the rotary phone pierced the room, making both me and Margot jump slightly. Margot's hand flew up to her chest as she spun around to face the phone.

"Jesus!" she exclaimed, laughing at herself. "That scared the hell out of me."

"Are you just going to stand there?" Margot asked playfully as she tried, unsuccessfully, to open one of the desk drawers. The drawer didn't budge, and I could already tell she needed a key or something else.

"No, I'm just taking it all in," I replied, walking toward the desk. "I think you need something for that."

I scanned the desk quickly, noting the clutter but also how deliberate some of it seemed. The phone had stopped ringing, and the sound of the ticking clock grew louder in my ears.

Margot shot me a look. "So, detective, where do we start?"

"You tell me, detective. I'm new to this," I said, looking at her.

"Well, it looks like we have to solve the murder of a mob boss," she said, studying the newspaper clippings on the evidence board, each article outlining the violent crime underworld in this fictional 1950s city.

Margot, completely in her element, turned to the desk and pointed at the locked drawer. "This one's locked. Bet there's something important in there."

"Good place to start," I agreed, crouching down for a closer look. "We'll need to find the combination to open it."

Standing up, I moved toward the typewriter that sat in the middle of the detective's desk. A half-finished letter was still in the machine, its ribbon faded and the words slightly smudged. I read the first few lines aloud, "'The key to the case lies in the numbers...'" I trailed off, scanning the room for any obvious clues. "Looks like it's pointing us to something else."

Margot leaned over my shoulder, her head resting on it as she peered at the typewriter. "What's next? There are a few words here—'key' and 'numbers.' Maybe it's a code?"

"Could be," I said, turning my face toward her, our faces only inches apart. "Let's check the bookshelves. Sometimes they hide codes in books or behind paintings."

"Good idea," she said, heading toward the bookshelf while I moved back to the evidence board. The red string connecting the various photos, mugshots, and maps caught my eye. There were five suspects, each with a brief note pinned underneath their photos.

"Look at this," I called out. "The board might help us narrow down the suspects."

Margot joined me, her eyes scanning the board, excitement growing. "One of the suspects is circled. Do you think that's a clue?"

"Maybe," I replied. "But we still need to figure out why they're all connected."

Margot, clearly too excited, reached out to touch the string connecting the photos. As soon as she did, the whole thing collapsed. The red string fell in a tangled mess, and photos scattered across the floor. She looked at me with wide eyes, her face flushing red.

"Was that supposed to happen?" she asked, trying to hide her embarrassment.

"Maybe," I said slowly, stifling a laugh.

Suddenly, the piercing ring of the old rotary phone made both of us jump again.

"Ugh, that phone!" Margot exclaimed, her hand on her chest. I walked over to pick it up while she leaned in close, placing her ear next to mine.

On the other end, a deep, noir-style voice growled, "The key to the case is in the numbers of..."

"Ooh, ooh," Margot said excitedly. "Didn't the typewriter say something about numbers?"

"Yeah," I responded, thinking out loud. "But what numbers?"

Margot turned her attention back to the desk, rifling through the papers until she found something. "Here's a letter with an address on it. Maybe that's the clue?"

I looked over her shoulder and spotted a series of numbers on the letter that could easily be a combination. I carefully entered them into the combination lock on the drawer. With a satisfying click, the drawer slid open.

"Got it!" I said triumphantly. Inside was a list of suspects and their alibis, neatly typed out. I handed the list to Margot.

"Looks like we're getting closer," she said, scanning the alibis with interest.

We moved to the filing cabinet next, rummaging through the drawers. They were packed with yellowed papers, but amidst the chaos, we found a map of the city with various locations marked in red ink. One of the circled locations seemed to match the address on the letter we had just uncovered.

"What is this supposed to be?" Margot asked, holding the map up to the light.

I leaned in a little closer, inspecting the map with her. "A map, Miss Robbie," I said, dropping my voice into a deep, exaggerated 1950s detective tone. "Though with a dame like you around, I don't mind being a little lost."

Margot smirked, glancing at me with amusement. "Smooth, detective."

I leaned back with a shrug, still in character. "Who said a wisecrack now and then ain't part of the job?" I shot back and was rewarded with a soft laugh.

She shook her head, still smiling. "Alright, gumshoe, let's focus."

"Fine, fine," I said, throwing my hands up in surrender. "Let's see where this map leads us."

As we followed the clues, our banter continued. Every now and then, Margot would make an offhand comment, and I'd respond with a flirtatious quip, earning a laugh from her each time. I could tell she was enjoying herself, and honestly, I was too.

At one point, we stumbled upon an old, dusty safe hidden behind a bookshelf. It had a combination lock, and Margot was the one to figure out the numbers, using a date we found hidden on a newspaper article. The safe popped open, revealing a blood-stained glove—another clue in the mystery.

"Nice work, Detective," I said, impressed.

"Thanks," she replied, winking. "But don't think I didn't see you checking me out while I opened that safe."

"Hey, I can multitask," I said with a grin.

She laughed again, rolling her eyes. "Come on, let's keep going. We're on a roll."

We were not, and we hit a wall soon after, finding ourselves sitting on the ground, completely given up with only ten minutes remaining.

We had gathered all the alibis, connected most of the dots, but something was missing. The pieces weren't quite fitting together.

"I feel like we're missing something obvious," Margot said, tapping her foot as she stared at the evidence board we had pieced back together.

"Oh," Margot said suddenly, a look of realization crossing her face.

I raised an eyebrow. "What? Did you figure it out?"

She laughed lightly. "No, no—I almost forgot to tell you! My agent found me a new role," she said, excitement creeping into her voice. "It's a big production, like, really big. I've got an audition coming up soon."

I looked at her, intrigued. "Oh? That's great! Which studio?"

"Weinstein," she said with a smile.

My expression immediately twisted into one of horror. "Wait… Weinstein? You mean Harvey Weinstein? That Weinstein Company?"

"Yeah, that's the one," she replied, her smile starting to fade as she noticed my reaction.

I leaned forward, my tone serious. "Margot, I need to be honest with you—don't do it. There are… a lot of rumors surrounding Weinstein. Bad ones."

Her smile faltered, and concern flickered in her eyes. "What kind of rumors?"

I sighed, not wanting to scare her but knowing I had to be direct. "It's an open secret in the industry. He's known to ask for… certain favors from actresses. You know what I'm talking about."

Her face turned from confusion to disgust in an instant. "Wait, you mean…?"

"Yeah," I nodded. "Exactly that."

She stayed silent for a minute. Her face looked like she was trying to remember something.

Margot's voice dropped to a whisper, her face pale. "So, when Gwyneth Paltrow won the Oscar… you're saying she…?"

I hesitated, not wanting to tarnish someone's reputation but also knowing part of the truth. "There's a good chance she might have."

Margot recoiled, her face a mixture of shock and revulsion. "Oh my God, that's disgusting."

Her expression then shifted to one of panic. "But… What if I don't go? My agent was really pushing me to take this. What if I get blacklisted or something? What if I lose out on roles because…"

I could see her spiraling into worst-case scenarios, her voice rising with each one. "What if no one hires me because I didn't work with him?"

"Hey, hey, hey," I said, gently cutting her off and placing my hand on hers. "It's going to be fine. You're sitting here on a date with a guy who has some influence in Hollywood, remember?" I gave her a reassuring smile. "I can help you. If you need a new agent, I know people. Good people. And trust me, I won't let anyone blacklist you."

Her wide eyes filled with uncertainty, but as she looked at me, she began to relax. Slowly, she took a deep breath and calmed down. "You'd really help me with that?"

"Of course," I said without hesitation. "We'll find you better roles, better projects, and if you want, a better agent. Just don't put yourself in that position, okay?"

Margot smiled softly, her eyes glistening with gratitude as she squeezed my hand. "Thank you, Daniel. Really. I didn't know who else to talk to about this."

Without warning, she pulled me into a hug, her arms wrapping around me tightly. I hugged her back, feeling her relief as she exhaled against my shoulder. As we stood there for a moment, I happened to glance over her shoulder—and that's when I noticed something. A small drawer in the detective's desk was slightly ajar, just barely visible out of the corner of my eye.

Pulling back from the hug, I gently nodded toward the desk. "I found something."

Margot turned around, following my gaze. "Oh my God," she whispered, her eyes lighting up with excitement again.

We walked over to the desk, and I gently pulled the drawer open, revealing a small, rolled-up scroll tucked inside.

"What is it?" Margot asked, leaning in closer.

"A scroll," I said, unfurling it. The paper was covered in strange runes and accompanied by a series of numbers and symbols. It looked ancient, like something out of a lost treasure map.

"Okay, this has to be some sort of complex code," I said, furrowing my brow. Grabbing a nearby piece of parchment, I began scribbling notes, referencing different parts of the room. "It could be an anagram, or maybe we need to cross-reference the runes with this map over here..."

Margot, amused by my overthinking, leaned over to take a closer look at the numbers. "Daniel… I think that's just a date written backwards."

I paused mid-scribble, blinking in disbelief. "What?" I checked the scroll again, and sure enough,she was right.

"No way. It can't be that easy..." I said, feeling slightly embarrassed.

Margot grinned at me, clearly enjoying the moment. "Sometimes it's just that easy."

I groaned playfully, crumpling up the parchment I'd been scribbling on. "Great, now I feel like an idiot."

Margot laughed and nudged me with her elbow. "Don't worry, detective. You're still brilliant."

We continued following the trail of clues, feeling the pressure of the clock ticking away. Each new clue brought us closer, but it wasn't long before we hit another challenge—a locked safe with a complex-looking dial combination.

I stood there, staring at it, and after a few moments of deliberation, I entered the correct combination based on the clues we had gathered. The safe door creaked open, revealing an envelope inside.

Margot eagerly grabbed it, opening it to reveal the mob boss's will and a handwritten letter pointing to the true culprit.

"Looks like we've cracked it," I said with a grin, glancing up at the clock. "And with a minute to spare."

Margot, excited, quickly picked up the rotary phone and dialed the number written on its side. The voice on the other end asked, "Who is the killer?"

Margot confidently gave the answer, her voice steady and sure. The room seemed to hold its breath for a split second before we heard the satisfying click of the door unlocking. With that, the door to the escape room swung open, signaling our victory.

"We did it!" Margot squealed, her face lighting up with pure joy. Without hesitation, she ran over to me, throwing her arms around my neck in a tight embrace. Her excitement was contagious, and I couldn't help but laugh as I hugged her back just as tightly.

As we let go of the hug, our faces were still close, barely inches apart. The playful laughter faded into a softer, more intimate moment. Her bright eyes locked onto mine. Neither of us said a word; we didn't need to. Slowly, almost instinctively, we leaned in closer, and our lips met in a soft, lingering kiss.

When we finally pulled away, both of us were a little breathless, a shared smile playing on our lips. She brushed a loose strand of hair from her face, still holding me close.

I chuckled softly, feeling a warmth spread through my chest. "You should plan all of our future dates," I teased.

Margot tilted her head, her smile growing even wider, and her eyes glinted with a playful gleam. "I will—if they all end like this," she whispered.

.

.

Will be focusing on making the DCU for the next few chapters.

Read upto Chapter 117:

p.a.t.r.eon.com/Illusiveone (check the chapter summary i have it there as well)