The Concert Damper

The cold open

Rain slicks the skylights of the third-floor piano restoration salon, where thirty disassembled grand pianos stand like silent black monoliths under warm brass halogens. Slumped inside the belly of a vintage Hamburg Steinway is Garrett Falk, his throat deeply furrowed by braided steel treble wire. Midnight has struck, and the city below hums in oblivion.

The victim

Garrett Falk, 52, master piano technician and private concert salon owner

The lineup

• Thaddeus Wren
• Mona Kessler
• Nadav Levy
• Clara Mendoza