Run: 2026-09-23-01M36P56X2119CQYMTGWRPSJK1

At midnight, the old observatory's clock stopped, though every other clock in Bellweather continued ticking beneath the storm's relentless rain. Inspector Vale found the astronomer face-down beside the telescope, one hand clenched around a brass key warm from someone's pocket. No window stood open, no footprints crossed the dust, and the locked door remained bolted from the inside all evening. Then Vale noticed the dead man's watch was running backward, its cracked glass reflecting someone standing behind her in silence. She turned, but the observatory held only rainlight, scattered star charts, and a second brass key lying beneath her boot. Outside, the clock began striking thirteen, and Vale understood the astronomer had not been the room's only dead occupant tonight.