Run: 2026-09-03-01M1KZND366787PFV43ZRF0V27

The old grandfather clock in the hallway of Ravenwood Manor chimed midnight as rain lashed the darkened leaded windows relentlessly. A single candle flickered on the mahogany table beside the empty leather armchair in the study at the hall's end. Lord Edwin Ashworth lay facedown on the Persian rug beside the cold hearth, a silver letter opener in his back. A brimming glass of amber whiskey sat untouched on the desk beside a scattered deck of cards near the window. Detective Inspector Clara Hayes knelt beside the body, her sharp eyes absorbing every meticulous detail of the scene with precision. The heavy oak door stood slightly ajar, and a draught stirred the curtains like restless ghosts in the gloomy room. Somewhere beyond the thunder, a dog howled, and the storm seemed to hold its breath in mournful anticipation of death. Clara rose slowly, her gloved hands resting lightly on the pockets of her long black coat, her mind already working. The murdered lord's trembling housekeeper stood in the doorway, her pale face blotched with tears and terror at the scene. She twisted a linen handkerchief between her fingers and whispered she had found him exactly like this only moments ago.