The Maple Court

The cold open

Rain slicks the downtown asphalt outside the exclusive Metropolitan Racquet Club, where the echoes of midnight matches have long since faded. Inside private Court One, beneath the glare of overhead halogens, Arthur Pendelton lies sprawled across the polished maple floor in a widening pool of crimson. A single lethal stab wound from an antique silver-plated court awl pierces his chest, pinning a crumpled demand note to his monogrammed athletic jacket.

The victim

Arthur Pendelton, 57, private investment banker

The lineup

• Kenneth Lowen
• Claudia Berglund
• Tariq Mansour
• Genevieve Dupuis