The body lay sprawled across marble steps in dim light. Detective Sarah Chen crossed under yellow tape at midnight sharp. Rain pattered against broken windows high above the murder scene. Blood had pooled and dried into dark patterns below. The victim's hand still clutched a crumpled note with force. Flashbulbs illuminated the corpse as forensics documented each detail now. Sarah pulled latex gloves over her fingers with practiced care. Something about this killing felt different from all the others. A golden watch on the victim's wrist had stopped ticking. Time of death frozen at exactly three hours ago today.