Run: 2026-02-16-01KHKAYHE0GQRMZT00KTPHP2A6

The clock in the hall struck midnight as rain hissed against the window and candles trembled in cold neglect there. A violin case lay open on the carpet, its velvet lining stained, secrets fluttering like moths within whispered corridors tonight. From the library stairs, a breath of smoke curled upward, and a body lay draped beneath a painter's lantern dimly. The detective, hooded by night and coffee, moved closer, noting torn pages, an overturned chair, and a single crimson feather. In the moonlit hall, whispers stitched themselves into the wallpaper, accusing shadows of keeping a secret no one uttered there. Outside, thunder rattled the gutted panes, and the city clock chimed twice, as if warning everyone to withhold answers tonight. The corpse wore a smile that did not belong to mourning, as if the kiss of truth numbed every witness. A rainsoaked stair led down to the kitchen, where the butler reported nothing, except the kettle singing a lonesome requiem. On the desk, a letter lay unopened, addressed to someone unnamed, the ink smeared like a map of hidden grievances. The detective drew a breath, determined to trace tremor of fear through rooms, apologies, and doors that refused to close. Somewhere, a violin string twitched, and the manor exhaled, inviting the reader to follow the first footsteps of suspicion tonight.