The rain fell hard on the cobblestone streets below. A single streetlamp flickered weakly in the cold night air. Detective Clara Voss adjusted her gloves with practiced precision. Her breath formed ghostly clouds as she exhaled into the darkness. The crime scene tape fluttered like a warning in the wind. A body lay sprawled near the alley’s damp entrance. Blood pooled beneath the victim’s outstretched, pale fingers. Clara knelt carefully, her sharp eyes scanning every detail. The victim’s face was frozen in a silent, terrified scream. A silver locket glinted faintly near the lifeless hand. Footsteps echoed suddenly from the shadows behind her. Clara turned slowly, her hand resting on her holster. A figure stood motionless, cloaked in the alley’s deep gloom. The stranger’s voice cut through the silence like a blade. “You shouldn’t be here,” they whispered, low and cold.