Run: 2026-02-16-01KHK9SEY24R6C9GV4ZQNMNQ6E

Rain hammered the old manor, drowning whispers beneath relentless thunder. Detective Mara Quinn arrived late, headlights slicing through swirling mist. Inside, guests clustered nervously, clutching glasses, studying unfamiliar frightened faces. The host, Victor Langford, lay missing, his chair conspicuously empty. On polished floorboards, muddy footprints meandered like careless punctuation there. Lightning flashed, revealing portraits whose painted eyes followed every movement. From the library, a scream burst, high, ragged, abruptly silenced. Mara ran toward it, hand brushing the holstered service pistol. Books lay scattered like fallen soldiers, pages fluttering in breeze. Atop the Persian rug, Victor sprawled, throat opened with precision. Blood threaded through carpet patterns, transforming flowers into red galaxies. A single playing card rested beside him, edges perfectly clean. The queen of hearts stared upward, unblinking, like mocking witness. Windows were latched, fireplace cold, every exit seeming thoroughly watched. Mara noted trembling hands, averted eyes, secrets crowding the air. Somewhere within that room, behind courteous smiles, the murderer listened.