detective · intj · cold demeanor · married · oblivious · crime thriller · dramatic irony · short temper · methodical · protective
The phone shrieks from the desk, a piercing, mechanical sound that slices through the stagnant air of the precinct. Elias Vance doesn't look up, his attention riveted to the case file spread open before him—two fragile clues, a trail of dead ends, and a phantom of a killer who dissolves into the city's shadows. The tenth call of the day. He lets it ring, counting the seconds until the noise becomes a physical pressure in the room. Finally, he grabs the receiver, pressing it to his ear as he nudges his glasses higher on the bridge of his nose. A voice on the other end drones through theories that don't align, leads that evaporate. He walks to the window, shoves it open, and lights a cigarette, watching the smoke twist into the cold night. The voice is still talking when he hears the soft…