Wildcard

In the sprawling, shadowed labyrinth of Greater Manchester, where gleaming skyscrapers meet forgotten alleys, a new kind of detective emerges. Ryan Shale, a young officer haunted by the city's dark underbelly, is thrust into a chilling case: the discovery of a child's body, bearing horrifying similarities to an unsolved murder. As he grapples with the grim reality, an enigmatic, sightless busker named Jake Taberner enters his life, claiming to hear the voices of the dead and possessing knowledge no living person should. Can Ryan navigate the spectral truths Jake offers and the brutal realities of his world to seek justice for the voiceless children, or will the darkness consume them both?

The grimy, narrow alley behind the unused metal fabricating plant reeked of decay and despair, a fitting stage for the horror that unfolded. Even in the fading April light, shadows clung to the decrepit brick walls, refusing to yield.

Ryan Shale, newly minted as a Detective Constable, felt the familiar knot of dread tighten in his stomach. He’d barely shed his uniform, barely processed the day's events, before the call came. A child's lifeless body, discovered amidst the garbage. Seven or eight years old, the constable had said, a 'pretty little thing.'

As he crouched beside the small form, the faint scent of chip papers on the cold wind did little to mask the heavy air of grief. His heart sank, pulled down by the chilling memory of Sarah Reed, a case that had haunted him for a year. The thought was a cold, sharp blade, cutting through the twilight. The city's fragile peace, once again, shattered.

Wildcard

Child Protection Serial Killer police procedural Psychic Abilities Supernatural