Detective Sarah Chen stared at the blood-soaked carpet, wondering how many similar scenes she had witnessed in her career. The victim's hand clutched a crumpled note, its message obscured by dark stains that spread across the delicate paper. Through the broken window, rain peppered the crime scene, washing away evidence that might have helped solve this perplexing case. A single gold cufflink glinted under the forensic lights, its twin conspicuously absent from the wealthy businessman's pressed French shirt. The housekeeper who discovered the body sat trembling in the kitchen, her perfectly manicured nails tapping nervously against her teacup.