Run: 2026-02-17-01KHMPD0N0SD70CG19FN8T7GBM

Detective Harlow Quinn stepped down from the rusty Tube station staircase, her worn leather watch glinting in the faint light that filtered through the grimy platform windows. The air was heavy with the scent of damp earth and decay. Beneath Camden, the abandoned station had been transformed into a makeshift crime scene. Quinn's sharp jaw clenched as she approached the assault team cordoning off the area. "What've we got, Gibbs?" Quinn asked, her military precision evident in her stride, as she flashed her badge at the young officer securing the perimeter. Officer Gibbs nodded, his eyes darting to the scene behind him. " Victim's ID is pending, but the uniforms found her near the old ticket booths. Looks like a mugging gone wrong, except... well, you'll see, ma'am." Quinn's gaze swept the platform, taking in the scattered, makeshift stalls – remnants of the Veil Market, which was rumored to operate out of this location last night. Her eyes narrowed. The market's itinerant nature and penchant for secrecy made it a law enforcement nightmare. She had been tracking its movements for months, searching for a connection to the unexplained circumstances surrounding her partner's death three years ago. As she ducked under the cordon, a figure in a crumpled suit turned from examining the victim. "Quinn, glad you're here. This one's got me stumped," said Dr. Henry Lee, the department's chief forensic pathologist, his normally affable face furrowed. Quinn's eyes adjusted to the brighter light of the crime scene lamps, illuminating the victim – a young woman, early twenties, with curly red hair and round glasses perched on her forehead. A worn leather satchel lay nearby, its contents spilling out: dog-eared books, a notebook, and a small, brass compass with a face etched in protective sigils. "Eva Kowalski," Quinn murmured, recognizing the victim from her research on the occult circles in London. "Research assistant at the British Museum's restricted archives." Dr. Lee nodded. "That's what her ID says. Now, here's where it gets weird – no signs of forced entry or struggle, but the victim's got lacerations on her palms and soles, consistent with... well, I've never seen anything quite like it." Quinn's attention was drawn to the satchel's contents. She carefully plucked out the brass compass, its casing bearing a patina of verdigris. "A Veil Compass. These are crafted by Shade artisans, supposedly attuned to supernatural energy." Dr. Lee raised an eyebrow. "Supernatural? Quinn, I think we're looking at a very human perpetrator. Maybe our victim stumbled into something she shouldn't have, given her... interests." He gestured to the scattered books. Quinn's gaze lingered on the compass before she placed it in a evidence bag. "I'd like to see the security footage, Gibbs. All cameras, including any from nearby businesses." As Gibbs nodded and hurried off, Quinn began a meticulous survey of the platform. Her eyes scanned the walls, the ticket booths, and the stalls, searching for discrepancies. That was when she noticed it – a tiny, almost imperceptible symbol etched into the wall near the victim's head, partially obscured by a discarded market stall banner. It looked like a crude, inverted crescent moon. "Lee, come take a look at this," Quinn said, her voice low, her sharp jaw set in a determined line. Dr. Lee ambled over, peering at the symbol. "Means nothing to me. Maybe a gang tag?" Quinn's gaze never left the symbol. "I've seen this before – in the cold case files from three years ago. The ones surrounding DS Morris's... accident." The silence between them was palpable. Dr. Lee's expression turned thoughtful. "You think there's a connection between this victim and your partner's case?" Quinn's eyes locked onto the symbol, her mind racing. "I think we're looking at more than just a mugging or a robbery gone wrong. Eva Kowalski was researching something, and I aim to find out what. Get me everything you can on her background, Lee. I want to know what she was working on, who she was seeing... and what this symbol really means." As Quinn straightened, her watch glinting in the light, Dr. Lee nodded. "On it, Quinn. But be careful – if this does tie back to your partner's case... we don't know what we're dealing with." Quinn's sharp jaw clenched, her brown eyes burning with a mix of determination and a hint of the unknown. "I've been careful for three years, Lee. It's time to unsettle the status quo." Her gaze swept the platform once more, the symbol seared into her memory, a new lead in a case that had haunted her for far too long.