Chapter 1:The First OmenDetective Elias Vance pulled his coat tighter against the biting wind as he stepped under the flickering glow of a streetlamp. The crime scene was set like a stage—caution tape stretched across the alleyway, casting eerie shadows against the rain-slicked pavement. The body lay motionless, the crimson stain spreading across the victim's chest like ink on parchment.Sergeant Harper stood by, his face pale under the dull glow of the city lights. "It's the third one this month," he muttered. "Same pattern."Vance crouched beside the body, his keen eyes scanning the scene. The victim—a young woman, late twenties—was