Rain lashed the library windowpane relentlessly. Thunder rattled the old house on its foundation. Professor Elmwood, slumped in his armchair, was undeniably dead. A single playing card, the Queen of Spades, rested upon his lifeless chest. His monocle lay shattered on the floor, reflecting the storm's fury. A book had fallen from his grasp, its pages ruffled by an unseen hand. The air was thick with the scent of pipe tobacco and something else, something more sinister. Fear prickled at the edges of Inspector Davies' mind. This was no ordinary night in the sleepy village of Oakhaven.