Run: 2026-09-03-01M1KBP6NC3RPWJ3K8MBW37R15

The clock in the study struck eleven, but the rain hammered louder against the frosted panes of the old manor. A single candle flickered on the mahogany desk, casting long shadows that danced like silent phantoms across the cold walls. Lord Ashworth lay sprawled upon the Persian rug, his sightless eyes staring up at the ornate ceiling's dark silent recesses. Inspector Hardwick paused at the threshold, his wet overcoat dripping small puddles onto the polished wooden floor of the study. A silver letter opener lay near the body, its blade stained with a crimson that ever told no clear lies. From the hallway, a sharp gasp escaped the lips of the butler, his face turning ghostly white in utter shock. Hardwick knelt down beside the fallen lord, examining the wound with practiced steady hands and a very slow deep frown. The butler stammered that he had found him just moments ago, locked entirely inside this very room's cold silent confines.