Run: 2026-02-20-01KHY9MD2ED0DXNS8B9W64R0TQ

The rain drummed against the old Victorian’s peeling paint as dawn broke over Hollow Creek. A single rose, blackened at the edges, lay crushed beneath the victim’s stiffened fingers. Detective Mara Voss adjusted her trench coat, her breath fogging the cold autumn morning air. The butler’s rigid posture suggested he’d seen something far worse than this morning’s tea spill. A half-empty brandy glass sat upside down, its amber liquid long since evaporated into the air. The housekeeper’s knitted gloves lay abandoned near the fireplace, their yarn still warm to the touch. A child’s laughter echoed from upstairs, though no one else seemed to hear it. The victim’s pocket watch had stopped at exactly three-fifteen, its hands frozen in time. Mara’s boots crunched over frost-kissed leaves as she stepped closer to the body. The scent of lavender and gunpowder clung to the air, a strange, conflicting combination. A single playing card—ace of spades—slid from the victim’s cold, limp hand. The doorbell chimed sharply, startling Mara from her grim examination of the scene. A stranger in a long black coat stood on the porch, his face obscured by a wide-brimmed hat. His voice was calm, almost amused, as he asked if she’d found what she came for. Mara’s fingers twitched toward her revolver, her instincts screaming at her to be wary. The stranger’s gloved hand extended toward the body, though she’d never seen him before. A gust of wind sent the black rose skittering across the marble floor. Mara’s pulse quickened as she realized the game had only just begun.