The Kindling: Flickers in the Hearth

San Bernardino County, 1979. A young woman named Dawn vanished without a trace from the fog-drenched town of Running Springs. Her boyfriend, a greaser named Mikey Westrum, hasn’t been the same since—plagued by dreams of something in the chimney. Something wooden. Something watching. You’re a private investigator with a tape recorder, a working lighter, and a talent for spotting cracks in stories. Locals say it’s just the cold playing tricks. But the fire at the A-frame cabin hasn’t gone out in weeks. Interview suspects. Chase leads. Beware the shadows.