The Burned Registry

The smoke hadn't even cleared from the forty-third floor when investigator Mara Vance stepped off the elevator. The smell of wet char, copper, and burned paper fills the air, and the registry that once held the city's most dangerous secrets is nothing but ash. Called in before the official report is written, Mara has a narrow window to uncover what really happened. Her only allies are Dorian Hsu, a quiet forensic analyst hiding his own connection to the fire; Aldis Fenn, a relentless journalist who smells a cover-up; and Imogen Drey, a fire marshal whose loyalties are harder to read than her burn patterns. Each clue she pulls from the wreckage points toward a conspiracy stretching from Deputy Director Cassian Roe down through the ranks, and someone is watching her every move. Sera Locke warns her to stop digging. Pavel Renner offers help that comes with strings. Dr. Yael Quinn knows something about the accelerant that she isn't saying. Casimir Vale stands at the center of it all, smiling like a man who has already won. As the official narrative solidifies and the evidence goes cold, Mara faces an impossible choice: walk away with her career intact, or chase the truth into a fire that may consume everything, including her.