Moonlight spilled through fractured windows onto the marble foyer floor. An ominous silence enveloped the grand estate just moments ago. A single chandelier flickered, casting sinister shadows along dusty corridors. Footsteps echoed faintly, betraying someone’s hurried approach toward the library. Detective Hawthorne paused at threshold, inhaling stale musk and dread. Blood spatter marred the Persian rug in grotesque, crimson patterns. A lifeless hand protruded from beneath the antique oak desk. Silver dagger lay abandoned, its hilt stained with red liquid. Distant thunder rumbled, threatening to unleash secrets buried within night. Hawthorne’s eyes narrowed, determined to unmask this murderous, shadowed stranger.