Gutless in Brora, scalp heading back to Dumfries and Hearts lost somewhere along the road between the two, the capital club's season is playing out like some kind of drawn-out medieval torture.
Robbie Neilson 's side fell to a second consecutive defeat, this time to opposition from the other end of the country, as Queen of the South took their first win over the Jambos since 1963.
A Connor Shields double gave Allan Johnston 's side an early lead, but Mihai Popescu's header and a second half strike from Armand Gnanduillet drew the hosts level.
It didn't last long though as Andy Irving scored a horror own goal to pile the pressure on Neilson.
Following a mortifying Scottish Cup exit at the hands of Brora Rangers, a group of home fans had gathered outside before kick-off to protest about the running of the club.
Neilson, for once probably grateful for an empty Tynecastle, made three changes from the Highland humiliation as his side looked to go 19 clear at the top of the Championship.
Mihai Popescu, Andy Halliday and Liam Boyce came in to the starting XI, while Stephen Dobbie returned for the visitors.
Queens piled on the misery after just two minutes as they took the lead thanks to a shocking piece of play.
Popescu tried to play out from the back but gave it straight to Dobbie.
The veteran striker had the simplest of tasks to play in Connor Shields for a confident finish through the legs of Ross Stewart.
It took until the 17th minute for Hearts to have any kind of effort on goal, Halliday's volley parried away by Rohan Ferguson.
It was no kind of response to that early setback, and the Doonhamers made a timid, insipid Hearts pay for it.
A ball over the top found Shields, who spotted Stewart off his line. The striker curled a brilliant shot over the Jambos goalkeeper to double his side's lead.
Never mind the fact there were no fans in stands, at that point you half expected the cardboard cut-outs to start booing.
Neilson's men still looked devoid of ideas but found a way back into it on a set piece. Halliday sent in a corner from the right and Popescu made some atonement for his earlier error as he headed home, though Ferguson may feel he could have done better.
Dobbie looked to repeat his strike partner's chip by dinking one over Stewart, but the goalkeeper back-pedalled to save on the line.
Neilson changed the shape at the break, moving Popescu into the middle of defence as he switched to a 3-4-3 approach.
If the manager had given his side a rocket at half-time it wasn't immediately obvious, with Hearts continuing to look blunt and ponderous.
They were desperately in need of a spark and Jamie Walker was sent on to provide one, replacing Gary Mackay-Steven just after the hour mark.
But it was fellow sub Euan Henderson who provided the ball that got the hosts level.
It wasn't the cleanest cross you'll see but it found Gnanduillet who swept home to put Hearts back on terms.
That seemed to belatedly galvanise the league leaders, but Rhys Breen could have put Queens back ahead when he got his head on a long ball forward.
Hearts were determined to be the masters of their own downfall though and the winner summed up their afternoon.
Andy Irving was under no pressure as he looked to deal with a Shields cross from the left, and indeed probably could have left it.
Instead he stabbed at it awkwardly with his left foot and succeeded only in finding the bottom corner of his own goal.
Gnanduillet thought he had a second late on but the ball had already gone out for a goal kick and Hearts slumped to defeat and made it just two wins in eight.
Ann Budge isn't known for an itchy trigger finger, but with the pressure ramping up on the board as well as Neilson she may well feel forced to act.
3 talking points
Keep watching the skies
"No style, no bottle, Neilson out". Those were the words on the banner that famously trailed behind a light aircraft in the manager's first spell.
If that seemed rather hysterical, with Hearts sitting third in the Premiership, it's hard to argue with those first four words now.
It's not that the defeat that will be so hard to take for the Gorgie faithful but the timid, bloodless manner in which it came.
Hearts offered almost nothing in the way of attacking threat, their first goal coming from a set piece, and even into the second half their play was plodding at best.
They'll be promoted, which was the minimum aim at the start of the season, but it's hard to see Neilson's vision going forward.
Can't keep Shields down
The focus will inevitably fall on the Hearts malaise but Connor Shields put in a superb display here as he hit his 10th and 11th goals of the season.
The first was an ice-cool finish through the legs of Stewart, before the striker showed superb technique to loft the ball over the Hearts goalkeeper for his second.
The 23-year-old is out of contract in the summer, and may well have caught the eye of some top flight clubs.
Injuries no excuse
Yes they were without Craig Gordon and Steven Naismith but Hearts have an embarrassment of riches for this level - spot the operative word.
Andy Halliday made over 150 appearances for Rangers, Gary Mackay-Steven is a Scotland international, Mihai Popescu impressed at St Mirren in the top flight and Liam Boyce is a proven goalscorer.
With that kind of talent in the squad, the fact Hearts will win the league is really no mitigation for results like the last two and performances over the season.
Naismith might have provided some bite, Gordon may not have been caught out for the second, but the players on the park should have delivered far more.
Fingers will be pointed at Neilson, but those on the pitch should be looking at themselves too.
