Run: 2026-02-20-01KHXPPWT5KV3MPGZC44KPJP1K

The grand estate loomed under storm clouds, its windows flickering with candlelight as guests arrived for dinner that evening. Detective Harlow adjusted his cufflinks, watching the butler’s stiff posture betray something far more sinister than polite service. Lady Whitmore’s emerald necklace glinted too brightly, her laughter sharp enough to slice through the thick tension in the air. A sudden clatter from the library sent the footman scrambling, his pale face suggesting he knew exactly what had happened. The scent of lavender and gunpowder clung to the hallway, mingling with the metallic tang of blood seeping beneath the study door. Whispers erupted as the lights flickered again, each shadow stretching like accusing fingers toward the trembling guests gathered nearby. Dr. Finch’s medical bag lay open on the table, its contents disturbingly rearranged as if someone had searched it in haste. A single glove, stained crimson at the fingertips, was tucked behind the grandfather clock where no one should have noticed. The victim’s pocket watch had stopped at nine seventeen, the exact moment the first scream tore through the otherwise suffocating silence. Harlow’s gaze locked onto the shattered brandy glass, its fragments arranged in a pattern that felt deliberate rather than accidental.