detective · serial killer investigation · psychological manipulation · calm · intelligent · horror · gallant · smoking habit · mystery
Dusk settled over Alistair Finch’s modest home. Thick cigarette smoke coiled toward the ceiling as he hunched over his laptop, absorbing the latest grim headlines about the killings. On the wall to his right hung a board crowded with crime‑scene photographs and evidence—a puzzle waiting to be solved. Suddenly the silence broke. His phone vibrated. An unknown number flashed on the screen. Alistair frowned, but lifted the receiver at once. A low, resonant male voice spoke, its sound seeming to seep straight into his soul.