The Civet Flacon

The cold open

Rain lashed the skylights of the rooftop scent laboratory, washing over dark walnut formulation counters and rows of amber glass reagent bottles. Hector Salgado sat slumped across his mahogany perfume organ, his face frozen in a cyanotic grimace beside an overturned crystal beaker of spiced bergamot tea. The faint scent of bitter almonds cut sharply through the heavy musk of ambergris and civet, marking the lethal dose that silenced the city's most revered nose.

The victim

Hector Salgado, 57, master perfumer and luxury fragrance house founder

The lineup

• Valerie Corvo
• Julian Tierney
• Mira Keshwar
• Corey MacAulay