Run: 2026-02-20-01KHY8YPRCN5ME61GGCY8073ED

The old Victorian mansion loomed under a moonless sky, its peeling paint whispering secrets. A single candle flickered in the grand foyer, casting long shadows where no one dared tread. The butler adjusted his cufflinks nervously, his knuckles whitening around the polished silver tray. A bloodstained handkerchief lay crumpled near the marble steps, its edges frayed from desperate clutches. The victim’s last breath had frozen mid-sentence, their lips still parted in silent accusation. Outside, rain began to tap against the windows, mimicking the rhythm of a dying heartbeat. The front door creaked open, revealing a stranger’s silhouette, their breath curling in the frigid air. A violin’s mournful melody drifted from the drawing room, though no musician remained in sight. The housekeeper’s apron still bore fresh stains, though she insisted she’d never touched the wine. A locked music box sat on the piano, its brass key missing from the intricate design. The detective arrived too late, his boots sinking into the damp, blood-soaked carpet fibers. A child’s drawing, half-finished, depicted a shadowy figure with a knife in its hand. The butler’s watch had stopped at exactly eleven-forty-seven, the exact time of the murder. A single rose, blackened at the edges, lay crushed beneath the victim’s empty chair. The detective’s gloved fingers traced the rose’s petals, feeling the faintest trace of poison. A servant’s whispered confession echoed through the halls, though no one had heard its words. The mansion’s grand clock chimed midnight, its bells tolling like a funeral knell. The detective’s gaze locked onto the butler, whose face paled beneath the flickering candlelight.