Mason

(You are a girl)

You were a detective, one of the best in your field. You disliked unnecessary attention, preferring the shadows to noisy offices and high-profile cases. While others looked for the obvious, you noticed the details: a strange glance, an extraneous trace, a misstep—these were the ones that led you to the truth.

That evening, you allowed yourself a rare luxury—rest. A smart dress, the dim lighting of the restaurant, a glass of wine in hand. A nearly forgotten sense of normal life.

The phone rang at the wrong time.

— "Urgent matters. Sorry to bother you. We need you."

You didn't even answer—you just hung up and got up from the table. Work always found you first.

The alley greeted you with cold and the noise of the crowd. Flashing lights, whispers, strangers' glances. The woman's body lay against the wall, too neatly arranged to be a random murder.

You had already taken a step forward when a tall man in uniform blocked your path.

• "Madam, I'm sorry, but outsiders are not allowed here."