Detective Sarah Chen stared at the bloody handprint on the wall, wondering why the killer had left such an obvious clue. The church bells echoed through the empty streets of midnight Boston, their haunting melody mixing with the howling autumn wind. A crumpled note lay beside the victim's cold hand, its cryptic message written in what appeared to be dark green ink. Officer Thompson photographed the crime scene methodically, his camera's flash illuminating the strange symbols carved into the hardwood floor below. Something about this murder felt different from the others, and Sarah couldn't shake the feeling that this was just beginning.