The grandfather clock chimed midnight in the empty mansion hallway. Detective Sarah Chen stepped carefully around the fresh blood puddle. Lord Pemberton's body lay twisted beneath the crystal chandelier fragments. His wife stood frozen, clutching a broken wine glass tightly. The storm outside rattled windows while thunder masked approaching sirens. Mrs. Pemberton's silk dress bore suspicious dark stains near hem. She claimed to have discovered him only moments before now. Yet the blood pattern suggested the murder occurred hours earlier. Detective Chen noticed muddy footprints leading toward the library door. Tonight's dinner party had ended with one guest permanently gone.