Run: 2026-02-16-01KHK9S6FQ1DXS84VSWQM5B6RQ

Fog wrapped the harbor like a secret; lamplight trembled against water reflecting a silhouette that would not move later tonight. Detective Mara Cole tasted iron memory as she stepped from taxi; shoes sinking quietly through puddles of rumor and doubt. The victim's door hung open like a promise broken, its hallway breathing secrets between wallpaper and cold birdlight and dust. A coat lay abandoned on the stair, buttons undone like questions; a single glove pointed toward the study and silence. Neighbors murmured on sidewalks, their voices thin as moth wings; someone had heard an argument about money and betrayal tonight. Mara clicked her pen like a metronome, cataloguing alibis, noting stains, listening to lies fold into the house's bones quietly. A child watched from behind lace curtains, thumb in mouth, eyes too old for bedtime; she mouthed name: 'Mr. Hale.'