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                             **Introduction**

                         **Midnight Gothic**

At fifteen, Ethan Cross dreamed of becoming a musician. With a bass guitar nearly as tall as he was, he spent countless hours lost in the deep, resonant tones that filled his room with the promise of a future on stage. Music was his refuge, a world where he could express himself freely and dream of fame.

But fate had other plans. The night his father was murdered changed everything.

Riverton was a city of shadows, where secrets lingered in alleyways and whispers carried on the wind. It was here that Ethan's father, a respected accountant, met his untimely end. The case was never solved, the killer slipping through the cracks of the justice system like a ghost. The loss was a wound that never healed, a haunting reminder of the man who had been his hero.

Ethan's world shifted that night. The music that once filled his life with purpose now seemed hollow, each note a reminder of what had been taken from him. In the silence that followed, a new resolve took root. He set aside his dreams of music, driven by a singular purpose: to find his father's killer and bring him to justice.

As he grew older, Ethan channeled his grief and determination into a new path. He joined the Riverton Police Department, facing skepticism from those who remembered him as the boy with the bass guitar. But his resolve was unwavering, fueled by the memory of his father and the knowledge that the murderer was still out there, somewhere in Riverton.

Now, as Detective Ethan Cross, he navigates the city's underbelly with a keen eye and relentless drive. Each case he solves brings him closer to the truth, a step nearer to unraveling the mystery that had shattered his world. The shadows of Riverton hold many secrets, but none more personal than the one he seeks to uncover.

The rhythm of his life has changed, but the melody remains—a haunting tune of justice and redemption. In the quiet moments, when the city sleeps and the darkness settles in, he can almost hear his father's voice, urging him onward.

Ethan knows the murderer is out there, lurking in the shadows of Riverton. And he won't rest until the case is closed, and his father's spirit can finally find peace.

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