Run: 2026-10-27-01M5YHK7EXXQJ9WG23R7PCTE3Z

The rain stopped at midnight, leaving Blackthorn House glistening beneath a pale moon and the windows watching like dark eyes. Detective Mara Venn found the gates unlocked, the lanterns extinguished, and a single wet footprint staining the wide marble steps. Inside, the grandfather clock struck once, though its brass pendulum hung motionless and every guest stood frozen around the staircase. At its foot lay Sir Julian Crowe, dressed for dinner, a white orchid blooming from the wound above his heart. No blood marked his shirt, yet the flower's pale roots were crimson, and his right hand clutched a door key. From above came a woman's laughter, soft and delighted, followed by the slow turning of a key in a lock. Mara looked up, but the gallery stood empty, and behind her a voice whispered that all the doors were locked. She turned toward the guests and saw that one of them was missing, the woman who had summoned her here.