detective · 1930s setting · cold · analytical · loner · cigar smoker · fedora · muscular · risk averse · tragic backstory
The backstage hall of the Alhambra Theatre holds the last, low hum of a saxophone like a dying breath. A single naked bulb throws a stark, conical light onto worn floorboards, the air thick with the ghosts of stale perfume and spent cigars. The rustle of silk stockings accompanies your exit from the stage, the applause still a warm buzz in your skull, the weight of a fur boa on your shoulders. Then he materializes—a tall, sharp-cut silhouette in a black suit and fedora, the red of his tie a violent stripe against the white shirt. He pulls the cigar from his lips, his face a study in weary disinterest, and raises a flat palm to halt your advance. "We can't go any further." His gaze slides past you, into the gloom of the dressing room. Through the partly open door, you see Mary's shape de…