Run: 2026-10-09-01M4FZVM4BPRTJP1XAPXPNJDEP

The rain fell hard on Ashford Manor tonight. Detective Harold Quinn stepped carefully through the muddy garden. A single lantern flickered beside the open study window. Inside, the body of Lady Eleanor Vance lay motionless. Her silver pearl necklace had vanished from her throat completely. Quinn knelt beside her, noting the faint scent of bitter almonds. Two teacups sat untouched upon the mahogany side table nearby. One cup still held a thin ribbon of amber liquid. The butler, Thomas Greaves, hovered anxiously in the doorway behind him. "She never drinks alone," Greaves whispered, twisting his trembling hands together. Quinn studied the window latch, which showed fresh scratches around its edge. Someone had entered through this window, or someone wanted it to appear so. He rose slowly, his knees cracking in the damp, cold silence. Outside, thunder rolled across the hills like distant cannon fire. Quinn turned to Greaves and asked, "Who else was in this house tonight?"