The autumn wind rattled through empty branches as Detective Sarah Chen approached the old Victorian house on Maple Street. Crimson droplets formed a trail across pristine marble floors, leading deeper into the mansion's dark and forbidding interior. A grandfather clock struck midnight, its haunting chimes echoing through the halls as Sarah discovered the first vital clue. Upon the mahogany desk, arranged with unnatural precision, lay twelve black roses and a handwritten note sealed with wax. Sarah's partner, Detective Marcus Walsh, photographed the crime scene while uniformed officers secured the perimeter of the property. The victim's body, positioned like a twisted artwork in the library, told a story of calculated malice and methodical execution.