Run: 2026-09-03-01M1KBSR2QZRYW0CKX8QG5KGVR

The body lay near stairs. Rain streaked the bay window. Detective Mara Vale stepped inside. Her flashlight cut through darkness. A single candle still burned. Wax dripped onto the floorboards. She knelt beside the corpse. The dead man wore gloves. His shirt collar was torn. A note lay beneath him. She lifted it with tweezers. The ink had bled slightly. "Meet me at midnight alone." No signature marked the page. A door creaked upstairs softly. Mara froze and looked up. The candle flame suddenly flickered. Someone remained inside the house. She reached for her revolver. The light went out silently.