The rain fell hard on the cobblestone streets below. A single streetlamp flickered weakly in the cold night air. Detective Clara Voss adjusted her damp overcoat with a sigh. Her breath formed ghostly clouds as she stepped into the alleyway. A shadow moved near the dumpster, too quick to be real. Clara’s fingers tightened around the flashlight, her pulse quickening slightly. The beam caught something glinting—a knife, its blade still wet. Beside it lay a body, eyes wide with frozen terror. Blood pooled beneath the victim, dark as the surrounding darkness. Clara knelt carefully, her mind already piecing together the scene.