Run: 2026-02-20-01KHYADYHNERJPSCP0040ZJW3C

The rain lashed against the windowpanes as Inspector Harlow sipped his cold, bitter coffee by the fire’s dying glow. Outside, the old clock tower struck midnight with a hollow, ominous chime that echoed through the empty streets. A single envelope lay on the desk, its wax seal broken, revealing a name scrawled in trembling, unfamiliar script. The victim’s last words were whispered into the wind, carried away by the howling gale that rattled the shutters fiercely. Bloodstained gloves were found beneath the porch, their leather cracked with age and something darker, something recent. Detective Mara Voss adjusted her coat, her breath fogging in the frigid air as she stepped into the crime scene’s eerie silence. The victim’s study smelled of lavender and gunpowder, a strange contradiction that made her stomach twist uncomfortably. A half-empty glass of brandy sat on the desk, its amber liquid swirling like a slow, deliberate confession. Footprints in the mud led to the garden, where roses had been trampled underfoot, their petals crushed beyond recognition. The butler’s alibi was shaky at best, his hands trembling as he clutched a silver pocket watch stopped at three minutes past eleven. A child’s laughter drifted from the distance, too bright and cheerful for the somber weight pressing down on the room. The murder weapon was missing, vanished like smoke, leaving only the faintest scent of metal and regret lingering in the air. Inspector Harlow’s eyes narrowed as he noticed the victim’s diary lay open, its final page stained with something red and sticky. The words *"I know what you did"* were underlined in frantic, looping script, the ink still wet with sorrow. Outside, a crow cawed once, then fell silent, as if waiting for the next piece of this puzzle to fall into place. Detective Voss exhaled sharply, her fingers brushing the cold, smooth surface of the victim’s desk, now slick with something unspoken. The house creaked around them, its walls holding secrets older than the blood that had just been spilled within its halls. A distant church bell tolled, its mournful note cutting through the night like a blade through silk, sharp and final. The two detectives exchanged a glance, both knowing this case would unravel more than just a murder—it would expose truths buried deep.