Case File Entry #7: The Reveal
The café was too quiet. Steam hissed once from the wand, then cut off like someone had strangled it. Even the walls seemed to hold their breath. That’s when he walked in.
Case File Entry #6: Suspect Profile
Jessica held out longer than the others. Leather jacket, whiskey breath, glare sharp enough to cut through foam. She swore she was immune. Then she took the PSL like it was a dare.
Case File Entry #5: Exhibit B - The Fog Spreads
The city didn’t sleep. It just shifted. By morning, porches dripped with cobwebs no one remembered hanging. Pumpkins sprouted overnight like mushrooms, wide-eyed and grinning. Streetlamps glowed amber even though the bulbs were white. Radios whispered “cozy vibes” on every frequency.
Case File Entry #4: Detectives Assemble
I don’t usually call in favors. But after the latte line on 3rd Avenue started chanting like monks on a sugar high, I knew this was bigger than my notebook. So I dialed a number I swore I’d never use.
Case File Entry #1: The Tip Off
The café smelled like cinnamon and impending doom. Nutmeg on the surface, something darker underneath—the kind of smell that clings to a trench coat long after the rain’s stopped. I ducked in for a bitter black, just trying to dry out, but the air told me different. Too sweet. Too eager.