The clock struck midnight sharply. Detective Sarah Hayes entered slowly. Rain dripped from her coat. The mansion's door stood open. Inside, wealthy Victor Blackwood lay. His body was completely still. Blood pooled on marble floors. A champagne glass lay shattered. Guests huddled together, faces pale. Nobody had heard a scream. The butler wrung his hands. "He was just alive earlier." Sarah knelt beside the corpse. A single rose petal rested. It lay on his chest. She picked it up carefully. The red felt almost black. "When did you find him?" The maid began to cry. "Ten minutes ago, I think." Sarah examined the wound closely. A thin blade, she noted. This was no random killing. Someone here wanted him dead.