Run: 2026-02-20-01KHY9JT8PPJEHW9PVW6EZC8W6

The rain hammered against the old mansion’s leaded windows as Inspector Harlow adjusted his damp coat. A single candle flickered in the grand foyer, casting long shadows over the abandoned silver teapot. Footsteps echoed through the empty halls, though no one else remained inside the decaying estate. The butler’s bloodstained gloves lay crumpled near the threshold, as if hastily discarded in panic. A whisper of perfume lingered in the air, sweet and cloying, like a ghost of the past night’s guests. The locked study door stood ajar, its brass handle still warm to the touch despite the chill. A half-empty glass of brandy sat on the desk, its contents swirled with something darker than liquor. The victim’s journal lay open, the final entry scrawled in frantic, trembling handwriting. *"Someone is here,"* the words seemed to scream, though no one dared speak them aloud. The grandfather clock ticked ominously, each second stretching like a noose around the inspector’s neck. A portrait of the late owner watched silently, his painted eyes following Harlow’s every suspicious movement. The scent of gunpowder hung thick, mingling with the must of forgotten years and betrayal. A single playing card—ace of spades—was tucked beneath the journal, its edges singed black. The inspector’s gloved fingers trembled as he lifted it, the weight of the crime pressing down. Outside, the wind howled like a mournful dirge for the life just snuffed out inside. The mansion’s secrets whispered through the cracks, daring him to uncover the truth before time ran out.