Rain lashed against the library windows, blurring the lights of the city as they reflected the storm's fury. Detective Inspector Harding, a man perpetually clad in a rumpled trench coat, glared at the downpour from his perch on a wobbly chair. His thick eyebrows furrowed in thought as he stared at the muddy scene through a haze of cigarette smoke. The victim, Lord Ashworth, lay slumped over a stack of dusty books, a crimson stain blossoming on the Persian rug.