What Lies Beneath the Snow

While thick fog covers the castle high up on the Alpine ridge, fresh rumors are spreading down in the mountain village. Local tradesmen were hired to install iron bars and a huge pool, and the village biology teacher blames the fish die-off on illegal wastewater from the castle. A luxury prison? A torture chamber? A drug lab? All three at once? The lord of the castle, Sergio Catsworth, calls himself King Catsworth and feels in no way obliged to answer the villagers’ prying questions. He much prefers to talk about his good deeds: He sponsors the local soccer club and the alphorn museum, and now—as the crowning glory of his generosity—he is hosting an exclusive charity gala. On the night of the gala, as the hand-picked guests arrive, the villagers peek out from behind their curtains. Nobody wanted to hear their warnings about the approaching blizzard. The snow starts to fall and seems as if it will never stop—and then an emergency call comes in from the castle: Doris Haversham, Sergio’s partner, is reported dead. But the local police aren’t the only ones heading up to the snowbound castle. All six gala guests call in their own backup for the investigation ahead: Investigative journalist Francesca Bartoli alerts her colleagues. King Sergio Catsworth rallies the League of Sovereign Noble Houses. A hip-hop crew rushes to the aid of gangsta rapper Terror-T, and soon after, bespectacled hackers come shuffling across the floor: the team of crypto billionaire Mara1337. Sela Oakley, Mara’s bodyguard, calls in her former colleagues from the secret service. Last but not least, with an earsplitting roar, Mike’s biker crew pulls in—the notorious motorcycle gang Smell of Gasoline. Each of these support teams settles in at the castle and swears not to leave until the case is solved and the innocence of their own protégé has been proven.