The morning light crept through the lace curtains, bathing the study in a pale glow. Detective Eliza Novak stood motionless, her dark eyes fixed upon the scene before her. The body lay crumpled on the plush Persian rug, a jagged wound marring its temple. She crouched down for a closer look. "Another victim of the Butcher," Novak muttered grimly to her partner, Liam Reeves. The grisly moniker was all too fitting - the corpse had been brutally slain, its blood splattered across the mahogany walls and Chippendale desk. The coppery stench assaulted their nostrils. Reeves furrowed his brow, flipping through a leatherbound ledger he had retrieved from the shelves. "This appears to be a guest register. The deceased was one of the weekend partygoers here at Blackwell Manor. According to this, they arrived only yesterday evening." Novak surveyed the room - an antique grandfather clock, ornate oil paintings, a silver tea service. "Some welcome they got," she remarked dryly. "We'll need to interview all the other guests. Someone must have seen or heard something." She rose to her feet, a sudden thought striking her. "Reeves - there's no sign of a weapon anywhere. I don't think this was a simple break-in gone wrong. This was a cold-blooded execution...and I get the feeling it may not be the last one." The detective strode purposefully toward the door, Reeves trailing behind. As she reached for the brass knob, a floorboard creaked behind her. She spun around to see a ghostly figure materialize out of the shadows. The specter's hollow eyes bore into hers. "You cannot stop what has already begun," it intoned ominously. "More shall die, and the manor will run red with innocent blood..." With a flick of her wrist, Novak drew her revolver. "Show yourself, you fiend! Step out and face justice for your foul deed!" She aimed the pistol at the translucent apparition, finger poised on the trigger. The specter let out a rattling laugh. "You foolish mortal! You dare threaten me?" It floated closer, skeletal hand extended. "I am no mere murderer. I am the vengeful shade of those who have been wronged - the damned spirits of Blackwell Manor itself. And I will not rest until the guilty are punished and my blood debt paid in full..." Novak's