Run: 2026-02-17-01KHMPH3HDVA1SXR6CFMGTEPTX

Detective Harlow Quinn stepped off the last rung of the rickety ladder and onto the dusty platform, her eyes adjusting to the dim light of the abandoned Tube station. The air was thick with the scent of decay and neglect, the silence oppressive. This wasn't the usual crime scene – no sirens, no curious onlookers, no brightly colored tape to cordon off the area. Just a lone police officer, huddled over a body, and the faint hum of the city above. "Morning, Quinn," the officer, Constable Taylor, said, not looking up. "Got a weird one for you." Quinn's gaze swept the platform, taking in the graffiti-scrawled walls, the shattered remains of a ticket booth, and the makeshift stalls, their wooden frames weathered to a soft gray. The Veil Market, an underground bazaar notorious for peddling enchanted goods and contraband, had left its mark on this place. She spotted a faint symbol etched into the wall, a sigil used by some of the Market's more... unsavory vendors. "What's the story, Taylor?" Quinn asked, her voice crisp, as she approached the body. Taylor, a lanky man in his mid-twenties, finally looked up, his eyes squinting. "Victim's a young woman, mid-twenties. No ID on her, but she's got a... thing on her wrist." He gestured to the body. Quinn's eyes followed the gesture. The woman's wrist was bound with a length of black cord, the surface etched with intricate, pulsing symbols. Quinn's gut twisted. This was no ordinary murder. She knelt beside the body, her fingers brushing against the cord. It felt warm to the touch, almost... alive. "Anything else unusual?" Quinn asked, her mind racing. Taylor hesitated. "Well, there's no blood. I mean, none at all. And the wounds... they're not exactly wounds. More like... tears." Quinn's gaze snapped to the body, her eyes tracing the jagged edges of the victim's clothing. The tears were small, scattered across the torso, but they seemed to... shift, as if they were being pulled apart from the inside. "What's the official verdict?" Quinn asked, her voice neutral. Taylor shrugged. "We're thinking maybe a ritual gone wrong. The Market's been known to attract some... unsavory characters." Quinn's eyes narrowed. This didn't feel like a ritual gone wrong. It felt... calculated. She pulled out her notebook and began to sketch the symbol on the wall, her mind working overtime. What was the connection between the sigil and the victim? And what about the cord on the wrist? The pulsing symbols seemed to be some sort of... warning? As she worked, Quinn's thoughts drifted back to her partner, DS Morris, and the case that had ended in tragedy three years ago. The one that had left her with more questions than answers. She pushed the memories aside, focusing on the task at hand. "Taylor, I need you to get forensics down here ASAP. And I want to review the security footage from the surrounding areas." Taylor nodded, already pulling out his phone. "On it, Quinn." Quinn stood, her eyes roving the platform once more. Something didn't add up. The symbol, the cord, the tears in the victim's clothing... it all seemed too deliberate, too staged. She felt like she was missing a crucial piece of the puzzle. As she turned to leave, her gaze caught on a small, brass compass lying on the ground, near the victim's hand. The face was etched with protective sigils, the needle pointing toward the nearest supernatural rift or portal – a Veil Compass. Quinn's heart quickened. This changed everything. "Taylor, I need you to bag this compass and get it to the lab. I want to know who made it and what it's doing here." Taylor's eyes widened as he carefully picked up the compass. "You think this is connected to the murder?" Quinn's eyes never left the compass. "I know it is." The sound of footsteps echoed through the tunnel, growing louder. Quinn's gaze snapped toward the entrance, her hand instinctively going to her watch. A figure emerged from the shadows, curly red hair bouncing with each step. Eva Kowalski, the occult researcher, and a friend of... questionable acquaintance. "Eva, what brings you down here?" Quinn asked, her tone neutral. Eva's green eyes sparkled as she took in the scene. "I could ask you the same thing, Detective. I heard rumors of a... disturbance at the Market. I didn't expect to find a body." Quinn raised an eyebrow. "You're not exactly cleared to be down here, Eva." Eva's smile was wry. "I'm not exactly cleared for a lot of things, Detective. But I might be able to help you with this case. I recognize the symbol on the wall – it's a Shade sigil. They're an... elusive group, even among the Market's usual clientele." Quinn's gaze never wavered. "And what do you know about the cord on the victim's wrist?" Eva's expression turned somber. "I've seen something similar before. It's a binding, a way to... contain something. But I've never seen it used on a person before." Quinn's mind was racing. Contain something? What did that even mean? She tucked the information away, her eyes never leaving Eva's face. "Thanks for the insight, Eva. But I think it's time for you to leave. This is a crime scene." Eva nodded, her eyes flicking to the compass in Taylor's hand. "Be careful with that, Detective. The Veil Compass is a powerful tool. And in the wrong hands... well, let's just say it could get very ugly, very quickly." As Eva turned to leave, Quinn's gaze followed her, her mind working overtime. She had a feeling that this case was about to get a lot more complicated – and a lot more deadly.