Daniel Cross (The Business Partner)

Motive: Victor’s recent decision to pull out of a business deal left Daniel in a precarious financial situation. He stands to lose everything unless something drastic changes.

Clue: The broken pocket watch was a gift from Daniel, symbolizing their business partnership.

• Detective:
• "Mr. Cross, your business relationship with Mr. Langston was no secret. Can you explain what happened to the deal you were working on?"
• Daniel Cross:
• (Sighing heavily) "Victor backed out at the last minute. He didn’t believe in my vision anymore… said it was too risky. But we were so close to sealing the deal. It would have saved both of us."
• Detective:
• "His pocket watch, the one found broken at the scene, was a gift from you, wasn’t it?"
• Daniel Cross:
• "Yes, it was a symbol of our partnership. Victor cherished that watch, so I was surprised to hear it was broken. I haven’t been in his study in days."
• Detective:
• "Were you at the Langston estate last night around 10 PM?"
• Daniel Cross:
• "I was at the office, going over some last-minute revisions. Ask anyone there, they'll confirm it. I didn’t see Victor at all that night."

Is Daniel bitter enough to have acted on his frustrations with Victor?

Could the broken watch be more than a symbol of a broken partnership?

Does his alibi hold up when cross-referenced?