The old lighthouse stood dark against the stormy November sky. Detective Sarah Chen arrived at midnight with her partner Marcus. Yellow police tape surrounded the weathered building's heavy oak door. Inside, millionaire philanthropist Richard Beaumont lay dead on cold stone. His body was discovered by the lighthouse keeper at sunset. Blood pooled beneath him in a perfect crimson circle pattern. No signs of struggle marked the ancient walls or floor. The victim's gold pocket watch had stopped at precisely eight. Sarah noticed something glinting near the spiral staircase's bottom step. A single pearl earring caught the beam of her flashlight. The keeper claimed he'd been visiting his sick mother today. But his nervous hands trembled as he gave his statement. Rain began falling harder, washing away any outside evidence quickly. Sarah pulled on latex gloves and approached the corpse carefully. This murder felt different from anything she had investigated before.