Run: 2026-02-16-01KHK9JHT6AFM6HTQGDDFFWNWT

Rain needled the sleeping town. Streetlights hummed like patient witnesses. Somewhere, a clock refused silence. Detective Mara Bell arrived early. The call had sounded routine. Routine never stayed routine long. Blue tape fluttered like ribbon. Neighbors watched through twitching curtains. The bungalow door hung ajar. Wet footprints marred the threshold. Inside, the air tasted coppery. A metronome ticked, relentless, solitary. Music sheets carpeted the piano. On middle C, blood pooled. The body faced the wall. Eyes open, mouth rehearsing disbelief. A violin string cinched wrist. Another bridled the swollen throat. No forced entry, no struggle. Rain drowned any departing prints. Mara noted the mantel clock. Its hands pointed accusingly backward. On the sill, one tulip. It bowed like guilty testimony. A note waited beneath saucer. Blue ink bled three words. Play me, then please run. She heard distant laughter fracture. The clock skipped a beat. Somewhere nearby, a violin tuned. Rain kept time with dread. Mara whispered to the metronome. Tell me who conducts this. It answered with perfect tempo. Outside, sirens braided the rain. Inside, silence tightened its bow.