Apartment 4B

File #CHI-2024-1015 · Chicago, IL

A tenant found dead behind a chained door. The chain was set from the inside.

Difficulty: EASY · Play time: 15–25 MIN · 1–2 players, in the browser.

The suspects

• Marcus Tran, 31 — Building Superintendent. Motive: Victim threatened to report his master-key abuse
• Laila Owens, 28 — Ex-Girlfriend. Motive: Custody / shared lease dispute
• Hector Mendez, 46 — Neighbor (Apt 4A). Motive: Long-running noise complaint feud

The evidence

• EXHIBIT A: Chained Door — Inside chain set — but the chain bracket shows recent re-screwing, off-center.
• EXHIBIT B: Building Master Key — Super's master key — only key that fits the new lock cylinder installed Oct 12.
• WITNESS 1: Neighbor 4C Statement — 'I heard the super yelling at him last week — said he'd been into his apartment without permission.'
• EXHIBIT C: Prints on Re-screw — Bracket screws — fresh prints, Marcus Tran. Position implies he installed the chain himself.
• EXHIBIT D: Studio Sign-in — Laila Owens — signed into yoga class 7:00 PM, out 8:30 PM.
• EXHIBIT E: Restaurant Receipt — Hector Mendez paid 7:40 PM at Avila's — card transaction confirmed.

Apartment 4B is built to teach the genre's oldest trick: a locked room isn't a mystery, it's a promise that the real solution is stranger than "someone got in." If the chain was set from the inside, the question was never how the killer left — it's whether they ever needed a key at all. A tight, fast case, good for a first run together.

One of you reads the crime scene. The other reads the people. Play Apartment 4B free — or browse all cases.