The case

chap 33

### **The Deathly Castle**

#### **Prologue: The Invitation**

It was a night filled with an eerie stillness as the fog crept over the hills, cloaking the landscape in a blanket of gray. High on a cliff overlooking the ocean stood Blackwood Castle, its silhouette dark and imposing against the moonlit sky. The castle had been abandoned for years, a place of mystery and whispered legends, but tonight, its grand hall was lit once more.

A group of select guests, each receiving an invitation under mysterious circumstances, were gathered in the opulent yet foreboding surroundings of the castle. None of them knew why they had been summoned or who had called them here. But the letter promised answers to questions they had long sought and hinted at secrets that could change their lives forever.

Among the guests were Detective Thanh and his partner, Mai, who had received the invitation while working on a particularly puzzling case. Despite their instincts telling them to stay away, the allure of unraveling a new mystery was too strong to resist.

As they entered the castle, a cold draft greeted them, carrying with it the scent of decay and something else—something darker, more sinister. The grand hall was dimly lit by flickering chandeliers, casting long, eerie shadows on the stone walls. A large table was set in the center, adorned with silverware and crystal goblets, as though a grand feast were about to begin.

But as the guests took their seats, the doors behind them slammed shut with a resounding echo, sealing them inside.

#### **Chapter 1: The Gathering**

The guests, all strangers to each other, exchanged wary glances as they settled into their seats. There was an air of unease, a sense that they were being watched, even though no one else was visible in the room.

Detective Thanh and Mai scanned the room, taking note of the other guests. There was an elderly man with a cane, his eyes sharp and calculating; a young woman dressed in a vintage gown, her expression one of nervous anticipation; a middle-aged couple who seemed out of place, their clothes too modern for the ancient setting; and a man in his forties with an air of authority, likely a businessman of some kind.

Before anyone could speak, the chandeliers flickered, and the room was plunged into darkness. A moment later, a single candle on the table flared to life, revealing a figure dressed in black standing at the head of the table. His face was hidden by a mask, but his voice was cold and commanding.

"Welcome to Blackwood Castle," the figure intoned. "You have all been brought here for a reason, though it may not yet be clear to you. Each of you carries a secret, a truth you have buried deep within. Tonight, those secrets will come to light, and only one of you will leave this castle alive."

The guests gasped, and the tension in the room rose to a palpable level. Mai's hand instinctively went to her side, where she usually kept her gun, but she had been forced to leave it behind upon entering the castle.

"What is this?" the businessman demanded, rising from his seat. "Is this some kind of sick joke?"

The masked figure remained unmoved. "This is no joke. It is a game, and the rules are simple: survive the night, and you may leave. Fail, and your secret will be the death of you."

With that, the figure vanished into the shadows, leaving the guests to confront their fear and mistrust.

#### **Chapter 2: The First Death**

Panic set in almost immediately as the guests began to question their situation. Some demanded to be let out, while others attempted to find a way to escape. Thanh and Mai, however, remained calm, trying to piece together the puzzle they had been thrown into.

"We need to figure out what connects all of us," Thanh said quietly to Mai. "There must be a reason we were all brought here."

As they spoke, a blood-curdling scream echoed through the hall. The guests turned to see the elderly man collapse onto the floor, clutching his chest. His eyes were wide with terror, and his face had turned a ghastly shade of white.

Mai rushed to his side, checking for a pulse, but it was too late. The man was dead. There were no visible wounds, no sign of foul play—only the look of sheer horror frozen on his face.

"Poison," Mai murmured, examining the man's glass. It was empty, but a faint residue clung to the inside. "Someone must have slipped it into his drink."

"But who?" Thanh asked, looking around at the remaining guests, who were now eyeing each other with suspicion.

The young woman in the vintage gown began to cry, her hands trembling as she clutched her glass. "I don't want to die," she whispered, her voice breaking. "Please, I just want to go home."

The businessman slammed his fist on the table. "This is madness! We need to stick together and find a way out."

But as the night wore on, it became clear that trust was in short supply. Each guest harbored a secret, and with the first death, the realization dawned on them that their secrets were the key to their survival—or their demise.

#### **Chapter 3: The Secrets Unveiled**

As the hours passed, the remaining guests grew more desperate. They began to reveal their secrets, hoping that by doing so, they could find a connection and put an end to the deadly game.

The young woman confessed to a crime of passion, having killed her lover in a fit of jealousy. The middle-aged couple admitted to being involved in a financial scam that ruined the lives of countless people. The businessman, it turned out, had ordered a hit on a competitor to protect his empire.

Each confession was met with horror and disgust, but none of the secrets seemed to explain why they had been brought to the castle.

Finally, it was Thanh and Mai's turn. Thanh revealed that they had been investigating a series of unsolved murders, all connected by a single name: Blackwood. The castle, once owned by a wealthy family, had been the site of a massacre decades ago. The family had been murdered in cold blood, their killer never caught.

"We thought the case was closed," Thanh said, his voice steady. "But now I see we were wrong. The killer is still out there, and they've brought us here to finish what they started."

Mai nodded in agreement. "But why us? We weren't involved in the original case."

"Maybe we got too close to the truth," Thanh replied. "Or maybe it's something else entirely."

#### **Chapter 4: The Final Confrontation**

As the clock struck midnight, the masked figure reappeared, standing at the head of the table once more. The guests, now reduced to a handful, looked at him with a mix of fear and defiance.

"The time has come," the figure announced. "You have revealed your secrets, but only one of you can leave this place alive."

The figure pointed to the businessman. "You, who have taken life for profit, will pay the ultimate price."

Before anyone could react, the figure produced a knife and lunged at the businessman, stabbing him in the heart. The man collapsed to the floor, his blood pooling around him as the remaining guests screamed in terror.

Thanh and Mai sprang into action, but the figure was too quick. With a swift motion, the masked figure grabbed the young woman and held the knife to her throat.

"Why are you doing this?" Mai demanded, trying to keep her voice calm.

The figure's mask slipped slightly, revealing a glimpse of a twisted smile. "Because I am the last of the Blackwood line," the figure hissed. "And I will have my revenge on those who wronged my family."

With that, the figure slashed the young woman's throat, letting her lifeless body fall to the ground.

In a desperate move, Thanh tackled the figure, struggling to disarm them. The two fought fiercely, the knife flashing in the dim light. Mai joined the fray, and together they managed to overpower the figure, pulling the mask off in the process.

The figure was revealed to be the butler who had once served the Blackwood family, a man driven mad by the massacre that had wiped out his employers. He had spent years planning his revenge, luring those he believed were responsible to the castle to exact his twisted form of justice.

#### **Epilogue: The Castle’s Silence**

With the butler subdued and the authorities called, the nightmare at Blackwood Castle finally came to an end. But the horrors of the night left deep scars on Thanh and Mai, who had witnessed the depths of human madness and the lengths to which a person would go for vengeance.

As they left the castle, the sun began to rise, casting a pale light over the ancient walls. Blackwood Castle stood silent once more, a place of death and darkness, but also a place where the truth had finally been revealed.