The grandfather clock struck midnight in the Victorian manor house. Detective Sarah Mills arrived through the heavy oak front door. Lord Ashworth lay dead beside his mahogany desk, quite still. A letter opener protruded from between his shoulder blades deeply. Blood had pooled beneath him on the Persian rug slowly. The study windows were locked from inside, she noticed immediately. His wife stood trembling near the fireplace, her face pale. "I found him twenty minutes ago," Lady Ashworth whispered softly. The detective scanned the room for clues with practiced eyes. A half empty whiskey glass sat on the desk untouched. Papers were scattered across the floor in complete random disarray. The safe behind the oil painting stood wide open, empty. Mills knelt beside the body and checked for vital signs. Lord Ashworth had been dead for approximately two hours now. She noticed fresh mud on the carpet near the window. Yet the windows remained locked with no signs of forcing. The butler appeared at the doorway looking remarkably calm somehow. "Shall I telephone the police station?" he asked Mills politely. She nodded while studying the peculiar scene before her carefully. This was no ordinary burglary gone wrong, Mills thought darkly.