Run: 2026-02-17-01KHMMPSAAE8MT56CGJHM93XR7

Quinn got the call at 3:17 a.m. By 3:42, she stood at the mouth of the abandoned Camden Town station, watching rain cascade down the rusted iron gates like tears on an old woman's face. A small army of uniformed officers huddled under the awning, their reflective stripes catching the pulse of blue lights. "Body's downstairs, ma'am," said the young constable assigned to meet her. His face was too fresh for this hour, too unmarked by the job. "Forensics are already down there." Quinn nodded, tucking her warrant card back into her coat pocket. "Any ID on the victim?" "No wallet, no phone. Male, mid-thirties. That's all we know so far." She followed him through the cordoned entrance. The Metropolitan Police had sealed off the area with impressive efficiency, though few Londoners would be wandering Camden at this hour anyway. The deeper they descended, the more Quinn's instincts prickled. She'd investigated murders in plenty of derelict places—abandoned warehouses, condemned flats, forgotten service alleys—but something about this station felt different. The constable's torch beam bounced along walls covered in graffiti that seemed to shimmer and shift when not directly illuminated. "Who found the body?" she asked, her footfalls echoing on the concrete steps. "Anonymous tip to dispatch. Called from a payphone if you can believe it." Quinn raised an eyebrow. "A payphone? In 2023?" "That's what I said." The constable shrugged. "Recording's been sent to tech already." They reached the bottom of the stairs. The platform was alive with activity—crime scene technicians in white suits, photographers documenting everything, officers securing the perimeter. But Quinn barely registered them. Her attention fixed immediately on the body sprawled near the edge of the platform, and the person kneeling beside it. "Evie?" The name escaped her lips before she could catch it. Eva Kowalski looked up, her green eyes magnified behind those round glasses. Recognition flickered across her freckled face, followed quickly by something else—alarm? "Detective Quinn," Eva said, rising to her feet. Her curly red hair was pulled back in a messy ponytail, a few strands escaping to frame her face. "I didn't expect to see you here." Quinn approached slowly, taking in the incongruity of Eva's presence. "I could say the same. Last I checked, the British Museum doesn't dispatch research assistants to crime scenes." "I was called in as a consultant." Eva's hand moved instinctively to tuck a strand of hair behind her left ear. "For the artifacts." "Artifacts?" Eva gestured to several evidence markers surrounding small objects near the body—a brass item that resembled a compass, what looked like carved bone tokens, and something that might have been a small vial. The forensic lead, Dr. Amari, looked up from her work. "Glad you're here, Detective. We've got an unusual one." Quinn crouched next to the body, pulling on latex gloves with practiced ease. The victim lay face up, eyes open in that vacant stare death always left behind. No obvious cause of death—no blood, no visible trauma. Just a man in expensive clothes who looked like he'd laid down for a nap on a filthy platform and never woke up. "TOD?" Quinn asked. "Between midnight and two, preliminarily," said Dr. Amari. "No obvious cause of death. No wallet or identification as you've probably heard. But..." She pointed to the man's right hand. "He was clutching this when he died. Had to pry his fingers open." Quinn examined the small brass compass in its evidence bag. Its face was etched with intricate patterns she didn't recognize, and the patina of verdigris suggested age, though the object itself looked well-maintained. "Any idea what these markings mean?" she asked, directing the question to the room but looking at Eva. Eva adjusted her glasses. "They're protective sigils. Common in certain... antiquarian circles." "And you recognized them immediately because...?" "It's my job to know these things, Detective." Eva's voice was steady, but Quinn caught the nervous adjustment of her satchel strap. "I specialize in obscure historical artifacts at the museum." Quinn turned the evidence bag, studying the compass. The needle wasn't pointing north—it was aimed directly at the dark tunnel leading away from the platform. "Dr. Amari, what about the other items?" "The tokens are carved from human bone, preliminary assessment. The vial contains residue of an unidentified substance—sent samples to the lab." Quinn stood, looking around the platform with fresh eyes. Something wasn't adding up. The placement of the body, the abandoned station, these strange artifacts. Her gaze returned to Eva, who was now examining the wall of the platform with unusual intensity. "Ms. Kowalski, why would the museum send you specifically for this consultation? At four in the morning?" Eva didn't turn around. "I was already awake. I'm on the police department's list of historical consultants, and these artifacts fall within my specialty." "Which is?" "Underground London history." Eva finally faced her. "Detective, have you noticed something unusual about this platform?" Quinn narrowed her eyes. "Besides the dead body with occult objects?" "The platform length." Eva gestured with both hands. "It's too long for a standard Tube station of this era. And look at the wall fixtures—they're not original Camden Town designs." Quinn followed Eva's indication. She'd investigated a case in an abandoned Tube station before, and Eva was right—the proportions were off. The platform stretched farther into darkness than it should have. "That's because this isn't Camden Town station," Quinn said slowly, pieces clicking into place. "It's a station that was never on the public maps." Eva looked impressed. "Ghost stations exist throughout London, but this one..." She hesitated. "This one has other unique features." Quinn checked her watch—the worn leather band a gift from her former partner, DS Morris, before his disappearance. Three years she'd been chasing shadows, following unexplained cases that conventional investigation couldn't solve. "Dr. Amari," Quinn called. "I need your team to check for residue along that wall there." She pointed to a section of tiling that seemed newer than the rest. "And I need ground-penetrating radar behind it." "Behind it?" Dr. Amari frowned. "You think there's a hidden room?" "I think there's more to this station than what we're seeing." Quinn turned to Eva. "And I think you know exactly what that is." Eva's hand went to her satchel, clutching it protectively. "Detective Quinn, this may be related to something bigger than a single murder." "I'm counting on it." Quinn moved closer, lowering her voice. "Three years ago, my partner vanished investigating a case with similarities to this one. Unexplained death, unusual artifacts, hidden locations." Eva's eyes widened slightly. "I didn't know." "Nobody does. Officially, he's listed as killed in the line of duty, body never recovered." Quinn's gaze hardened. "But I know he found something—something that got him taken. And I've been looking ever since." The forensic team had moved to examine the wall Quinn indicated. One of them called out, "Detective? There's some kind of... door mechanism here." Quinn kept her eyes on Eva. "Last chance to tell me what you know before we open whatever's behind that wall." Eva glanced around, then whispered, "It's called the Veil Market. It moves locations every full moon. Camden is just its current home." "And what exactly is sold at this market?" "Things you wouldn't believe." Eva pulled a bone token identical to the ones found with the victim from her satchel. "Things that people like me study, and people like him—" she nodded toward the body, "—trade in." Quinn's jaw tightened. "You've been there before." "Many times." Eva's eyes met Quinn's unflinchingly. "It was just a research interest at first, but now... I think something dangerous is happening. The balance is shifting." "Balance?" "Between worlds." Eva held up the compass from her bag—a twin to the one found with the corpse. "These point to the tears between them." The forensic technician called again, "We've found a mechanism, ma'am. Looks like it needs some kind of key." Quinn looked at the bone token in Eva's hand, then at the similar ones in evidence bags. She made a decision. "Everyone clear the platform except for Ms. Kowalski and Dr. Amari's core team," she ordered. "And get me a tactical unit on standby." As the platform cleared, Quinn turned to Eva. "I think you know how to open that door. And I think whatever's behind it might finally explain what happened to my partner." Eva nodded slowly. "It might. But Detective—" She gripped Quinn's arm with surprising strength. "Once we open this door, there's no going back to not knowing." Quinn thought of Morris, of three years searching for answers. She checked her watch one more time, a habit formed from the weight of a promise. "I never wanted to not know," she said. "Show me."