Run: 2026-02-20-01KHXPM97JPD0S8MG6P89S4FNP

The rain drummed against the cobblestones as Detective Harlan adjusted his coat, his breath fogging in the cold. The alleyway reeked of damp and decay, the flickering streetlamp casting long, jagged shadows on the slick pavement. A figure lay sprawled near the dumpster, limbs twisted at unnatural angles, the victim’s face frozen in a silent scream. Harlan knelt, his gloved fingers brushing the stiff collar of the victim’s soaked trench coat, searching for clues. The victim’s pocket held a crumpled note, its ink smudged but legible: *"Meet me at midnight—all will be revealed."* A single, bloodstained playing card—the ace of spades—lay clutched in the victim’s stiffened fingers, its edges torn. Harlan’s radio crackled to life, the dispatcher’s voice tense: "We’ve got another body downtown, same MO as last week." The detective’s jaw tightened as he stood, his mind racing through the possibilities, each one darker than the last. Somewhere in the city, a killer watched, waiting, knowing the game had only just begun.