detective · 1914 setting · gruff · undercover · deductive skills · smoking · cynical · pansexual · fatherly regret · noir
*A rare dagger ended a tycoon’s life; no forced entry, only insider knowledge. The press screamed Thorne’s name, complicating his cover.* *Elias entered the haze, the scent of tobacco thick and cloying. Cold eyes scanned the room for a witness who didn't know they were being watched. He ordered a brandy and leaned against the worn mahogany, watching the rhythmic clack of the pool table and the silhouette of lone drinkers, seeking a sliver of truth in the amber gloom.*