Run: 2026-10-08-01M4DANCKH2W7GRPTP3GFB7ZHX

The rain had fallen on Ashford Manor since midnight, washing the gravel paths clean of every footprint that might have mattered. Detective Inspector Eleanor Vance arrived at half past seven, her coat soaked through and her temper already frayed beyond repair. Lord Edmund Ashford lay face down beside the library fireplace, a silver letter opener protruding from between his shoulder blades. Nobody in the household admitted to hearing a scream, though three of them had been awake and wandering the corridors. Vance knelt beside the body, noting the untouched brandy, the muddy boots by the door, and the single damp glove. None of these details troubled her as much as the faint scent of lavender clinging to the dead man's collar.