Chapter 1: The Crime Scene

Detective Kara Moreno stepped out of her car into the sharp chill of the October night, her breath clouding the air in front of her. The towering luxury high-rise in front of her was wrappe police tape, its grand façade glowir faintly under the streetlights. Wealt and privilege had always cloaked th building, but tonight, murder had stripped it bare.

"Detective," Officer Reed called as: approached the entrance. His unifc was damp from the light drizzle fall over the city, and his face was pale under the harsh glow of the lobby lights.

"What have we got?" Kara asked, already slipping on a pair of gloves.

"You'll want to see this one for yourself," Reed the door open 1 I grimly, holding the door open for her.

Inside, the building hummed with quiet luxury. The polished marble floors, the glittering chandeliers, and the faint scent of fresh lilies seemed grotesquely out of place now. Officers moved through the space, speaking in hushed tones. At the far end of the lobby, an elevator stood open, the gold trim reflecting the flashing lights of the patrol cars outs

"Penthouse. It's Lau," Reed said as Kara stepped into the elevator. "We've got the footage queued up downstairs if you want it later."

"Later," Kara said, her focus already shifting to the task ahead.

The elevator ride felt eternal, the faint hum of machinery her only company.

Kara had investigated more murders than she cared to count, but the unease in Reed's voice stuck with her. She mentally braced herself as the elevator doors slid open.

The penthouse was a vision of chaos. In stark contrast to the pristine condition of the rest of the building, the once-elegant living room was a shattered reflection of its former self. Furniture was overturned, glass crunched underfoot, and blood-so much blood-pooled in a dark crimson stain across the white rug.

In the center of the destruction lay Victor Caldwell, the building's owner and one of the city's wealthiest men. He was sprawled on his back, his eyes wide with terror, his mouth frozen mid-scream. His chest was a gory mess, the heart ripped cleanly from his body.

"Jesus Christ," Kara muttered under her breath.

Dr. Louise Chang, the medical examiner, was crouched beside the body. She glanced up as Kara approached, her face unreadable.

"Welcome to the party," she said dryly.

"What are we looking at?" Kara asked, crouching beside her.

"A statement," Chang replied. "Whoever did this wasn't just killing him-they were sending a message." She gestured to Caldwell's chest. "The heart was removed with surgical precision. No jagged cuts, no hesitation marks. Whoever did this knew what they were doing."

Kara's eyes scanned the room, taking in the details. Blood spatter reached as far as the walls, but there was something strange about it-patterns that seemed deliberate, almost ritualistic.

"Do you see those symbols?" Kara asked, pointing to the blood markings.

"Yeah," Chang said, her voice low. "I've got no idea what they mean. But they're deliberate."

Kara stood and stepped back to take in the full scope of the scene. On the far wall, above the ornate fireplace, a phrase was scrawled in blood:

"He watches through the veil."

Kara felt a chill run down her spine. The letters were jagged and uneven, as though written in haste-or desperation.

"What do we know about Caldwell?"

Kara asked, turning to Officer Reed, who had just entered the room.

"He was a real estate tycoon. Filthy rich, plenty of enemies," Reed said, glancing uneasily at the body. "Neighbors say he kept to himself, but he threw big parties once in a while. No one heard anything last night."

"Security footage?"

"We've got it," Reed said. "But it's... weird."

"Weird how?" Kara pressed.

Reed hesitated, then pulled out his notepad. "Footage shows Caldwell alone in the apartment all night. No one came in, no one left. But about twenty minutes before we think he died, he started pacing the room. He was talking to someone."

Kara frowned. "Talking to who?"

"That's the thing," Reed said, his voice dropping to a near whisper. "There's no one else there."

The room was silent except for the faint hum of the building's heating system. Kara felt the weight of the scene pressing down on her.

"Anything else?" she asked.

Reed nodded and pointed toward the corner of the room. Kara followed his gaze to a shattered mirror. Amid the glass shards, a faint trail of ash led toward the open balcony doors.

"Lab's still running tests," Reed said. "But we don't know where the ash came from or how it got here."

Kara walked toward the balcony, stepping over broken glass. The city skyline stretched out before her, glittering in the rain. It was a long way down-too far for anyone to escape without being seen.

As she turned back to the room, her eyes fell once more on the phrase above the fireplace.

"He watches through the veil."

Her stomach twisted with a sense of unease she couldn't shake. This wasn't just a murder. It was something else, something darker.

And whatever it was, it wasn't over.