Run: 2026-10-20-01M5C69B8J2YF0ZB00HGDDDX6E

The rain tapped softly against the tall, dark library windows. Inside, Detective Mara Voss studied the body by the chair. A brass lamp cast long shadows across the oak floor. His silk tie was loosened, and his glasses lay shattered. Mara knelt beside him and gently checked for a pulse. There was none, but the room smelled of bitter almonds. She rose and noticed a fresh scratch on his wrist. The library door was locked from inside, which seemed impossible. A storm raged outside, trapping everyone in the old mansion. Mara looked at the silent guests gathered in the hallway. Each face wore fear; each alibi sounded far too rehearsed. Then the clock struck midnight, and the chandelier flickered once. Mara whispered, “Nobody leaves until I know who killed him.”