The rain fell heavily on the old Victorian mansion as Detective Sarah Chen stepped out of her car slowly. She pulled her coat tighter and walked toward the house where a body had been discovered just hours ago. The front door stood open like a dark mouth waiting to swallow anyone who dared to enter its depths. Inside the foyer a uniformed officer greeted her with a grim nod and pointed toward the grand winding staircase. The victim was a wealthy art collector named Richard Blackwood who had many enemies and very few genuine trusted friends. His body lay crumpled at the bottom of the stairs with his eyes frozen open in an expression of pure terror. Sarah knelt beside him and noticed the strange marking on his palm that looked like it was drawn in black ink. This was no accident she muttered to herself as she studied the scene with her sharp and experienced investigative eyes. Someone in this house wanted Richard Blackwood dead and she would not rest until she discovered the dark hidden truth.