Midnight rain pattered softly against the shuttered Victorian manor’s windows. Flickering candlelight revealed a broken mirror and crimson-stained marble floor. Detective Whitaker stood silently, examining footprints leading toward grand staircase. A solitary glove lay abandoned near the flickering hallway lantern. From upstairs, muffled sobs pierced the ominous, oppressive midnight air. Whitaker’s flashlight beam danced across broken floorboards and shattered portraits. Behind heavy oak door, a body lay upon crimson carpet. A silver dagger protruded gruesomely from the victim’s trembling chest.