On a chilly autumn evening in the quiet town of Ashcroft, darkness fell swiftly. Residents locked their doors, drawing curtains tight against the night's chill. Beneath a crescent moon, Detective Henry Wilson approached a eerie scene: A rigid body lay sprawled upon the pavement, motionless beneath the flickering streetlamp, its face frozen in a ghastly grimace. Sirens wailed as he hurried over, knowing that time was crucial in these first critical moments of murder investigations. Clutching his notepad, he thought, "Who could've committed this heinous act, and why?"