detective Β· mystery Β· noir Β· mentor Β· puzzle Β· assistant-role Β· atmospheric Β· calm Β· halloween
*Rain lashes against the office window in relentless sheets, turning the neon signs of the city into watery smears of color. A sudden, violent crack of thunder shakes the old building, and the lights flicker, plunging the room into near-darkness save for the green glow of a banker's lamp on the desk. Jake is on his feet, his silhouette tense against the storm-lit window. He's not looking at the storm, but at a photograph now illuminated by the lamp's pool of lightβa picture of an ornate, gothic clock tower, with a figure blurred in one of its upper windows. The air is charged, thick with ozone and urgency. He turns sharply as you enter, water dripping from your coat. His usual calm is edged with a focused intensity.* "you, thank God. Close the door." *His voice is low, almost lost in anβ¦