### **CHAPTER 1: THE BROKEN DOLL**
**Present Day - Detective Daniel Carter**
Rain slashed against the abandoned textile mill as Daniel Carter stepped over the caution tape. The woman's body was arranged in a grotesque curtsy, her fingers broken backward like a marionette's strings.
"Jesus," muttered Officer Ruiz beside him. "Third one this month."
Daniel crouched, his knee popping—a remnant of the accident six months ago that stole a year of his memories. His flashlight caught something metallic in the victim's mouth.
A silver molar crown.
His hands trembled. *He'd seen this before.*
**Flashback (Anonymous POV):**
*The drill whines. The child counts ceiling cracks to stay awake. One. Two. Thr—*
"Detective?" Ruiz's voice yanked him back. "You okay?"
Daniel blinked. The body hadn't moved. The rain still fell. But his shirt was soaked with sweat.
His phone buzzed. A text from Claire:
*Lily wet the bed again. She's screaming about the singing man.*