The mansion stood eerily silent. Detective Sarah Chen arrived promptly. Rain pelted the gothic windows. She knocked on heavy doors. No one answered her calls. The door creaked open slowly. Sarah stepped into dark hallways. Expensive paintings lined cold walls. A grandfather clock chimed midnight. Strange shadows danced across floors. "Hello?" she called out loudly. Only silence answered her back. Sarah climbed the marble staircase. Her footsteps echoed through emptiness. A scream had originated here. The victim lay upstairs somewhere. Sarah's flashlight cut through darkness. She followed the bloody trail. It led to the library. Books scattered across hardwood floors. There lay Mr. Blackwood's body. His eyes stared at nothing. A letter opener protruded forth. Blood pooled beneath his head. The killer had vanished completely.