Run: 2026-09-24-01M39VJ93MW6DT28XQ5Z2MSB6M

The rain lashed against the ancient windows of Blackwood Manor. Inside, silence reigned, broken only by the clock's steady ticking. Detective Sarah Chen stepped through the heavy oak front door. She had been summoned by a frantic midnight telephone call. The butler, a pale man, trembled in the dim hallway. He pointed a shaking finger toward the locked library doors. Sarah pushed them open, her heart pounding with cold dread. Lord Blackwood lay sprawled across his massive mahogany writing desk. A silver letter opener protruded from his expensive silk cravat. His lifeless eyes stared blankly at the ornate ceiling above. On the floor, shattered glass glittered like scattered frozen tears. Sarah noticed something strange about the room's heavy velvet curtains. They were drawn shut, yet dust covered the iron rod. Someone had closed them long before this terrible night began. The murderer had been here, waiting patiently in the dark. Sarah knelt beside the body, examining the victim's clenched hand. Tightly clutched within his palm was a torn paper scrap. Only two words were visible there: "Beware the old garden." Outside, lightning flashed, illuminating the twisted hedges beyond the glass. Sarah smiled grimly, knowing her hunt had finally truly begun.