The old mansion creaked and settled in the darkness as thunder rolled ominously across the brooding night sky. Detective Sarah Morgan pulled her coat tight against the chill, her footsteps echoing on the rain-slicked cobblestone path. Yellow police tape fluttered in the wind like macabre party decorations around the grand entrance of Ravenscroft Manor. Inside, the victim lay sprawled across an antique Persian rug, one hand reaching toward something only he could see. Blood had pooled beneath the body, seeping into the intricate patterns of the expensive textile like dark artistic intention. The victim's face remained frozen in an expression of surprise, as if death had arrived completely unexpected that evening. "Time of death approximately nine thirty," muttered the medical examiner, looking up from the cooling corpse with practiced detachment. Sarah noticed a crumpled note clutched in the victim's other hand, partially hidden beneath the weight of his body. The room held five suspects, each with secrets darker than the storm outside, each avoiding contact with the others.