The Gilded Weft

The cold open

Rain slicks the cobblestones outside the discreet three-story townhouse housing Chenevix & Cie Tapestries, its arched mahogany doors locked tight against the midnight chill. Inside the second-floor gallery, surrounded by centuries-old Flemish wool and French silk hangings, Aubrey Chenevix sits slumped against a heavy oak restoration frame, a braided silk warping cord drawn taut and knotted deep into the flesh of his neck.

The victim

Aubrey Chenevix, 55, master antique tapestry dealer and private textile salon proprietor

The lineup

• Victor Braithwaite
• Sabine Dujardin
• Desmond Kincaid
• Yvette Sorel