Platform(s): PC, I played it on Windows XP around 2009-2014, but it could be older.
Genre: First-person point and click puzzle game with an inventory. Not a hidden object game.
Estimated year of release: no idea
Graphics/art style: still screens you click through, looked realistic (maybe pre-rendered, I'm not sure they were photos). Everything inside was bright, a lot of white.
Notable characters: The main character was a woman and I remember a female voice talking during the game, like to herself. I barely remember seeing any other characters.
Notable gameplay mechanics: You pick stuff up into an inventory bar and use it on things or combine items. You moved up through the building with elevators, a bit like floor by floor.
Other details: this was a long time ago so some of it might be mixed up. I think there was a phone call at the start and then she went to the building (hotel? office? tower?). At some point an alarm went off, the music got tense and metal bars dropped over the doors. I think I needed wire cutters for that. Later I remember unscrewing a vent to get onto the roof. Early on there was something with vases or gems too. It didn't feel like a horror game.
I already checked these and they're not it: Master Thief: Skyscraper Sting, 3 Days: Zoo Mystery, Rhianna Ford & the Da Vinci Letter, Nancy Drew (Treasure in the Royal Tower, The Final Scene, Stay Tuned for Danger), Carol Reed games, The Fall Trilogy Ch. 2, Dark Fall: The Journal, Drawn: The Painted Tower, Traitors Gate.
Thanks for any ideas!