Detective Shane hated waiting.
Unfortunately, investigations required a lot of it.
She sat inside an unmarked vehicle parked half a block from Griffin's apartment building, sipping coffee while staring through binoculars.
Beside her, Finn was busy reviewing notes.
"You know this is technically stalking."
"It's surveillance."
"Sounds like stalking with paperwork."
"It is not."
"It absolutely is."
Shane ignored her.
Finn smiled.
The familiar banter helped ease the tension that had been building for days.
Because things were changing.
Slowly.
Subtly.
But definitely changing.
And everyone could feel it.
…
Meanwhile, Liz sat across from Evelyn inside a quiet restaurant.
This had become their routine.
Small conversations.
Careful questions.
Tiny pieces of information exchanged over coffee and lunch.
Neither woman directly mentioned Griffin anymore.
It was safer that way.
Instead, Liz simply guided conversations where she wanted them to go.
Today was no different.
"He was always protective?" Liz asked casually.
Evelyn looked thoughtful.
"No."
"No?"
"He wasn't protective at first."
Liz immediately became interested.
"What was he like?"
Evelyn stared into her coffee.
"Quiet."
"That's it?"
"Very quiet."
She hesitated.
"People thought he was shy."
"And he wasn't?"
"No."
A small smile appeared on Evelyn's face.
"He wasn't shy at all."
The smile disappeared just as quickly.
"He simply wasn't interested in other people."
Liz remained silent.
Waiting.
Evelyn continued.
"Until he became interested."
A chill ran through Liz.
"Vinny?"
Evelyn slowly nodded.
"Not immediately."
"What do you mean?"
Evelyn looked uncomfortable.
"As far as I know, Griffin noticed him years ago."
Years.
Liz felt her stomach tighten.
Years.
That matched some of the concerns Shane had been raising.
This wasn't something recent.
This wasn't a crush that got out of hand.
This was older.
Much older.
Potentially dangerous.
"How many years?"
Evelyn shook her head.
"I don't know."
But the expression on her face suggested she did.
Or at least suspected.
…
At the same time, Vinny sat in Griffin's living room scrolling through his phone.
The apartment was quiet.
Peaceful.
Normal.
Or at least it appeared normal.
Griffin was cooking.
Music played softly from a speaker in the kitchen.
Everything should have felt comforting.
Instead, Vinny felt restless.
His thumb paused over an old photograph.
University.
Years ago.
A group picture.
Friends.
Classmates.
Memories.
His gaze lingered on Lamar.
Then moved away.
Then froze.
There.
In the background.
A familiar face.
His heart skipped.
Griffin.
Young.
Several years younger.
Standing near a building.
Looking directly toward the camera.
Or rather…
Toward him.
Vinny zoomed in.
The image quality was poor.
Yet something about it bothered him.
A lot.
Before he could think further, Griffin appeared beside him.
"When was that taken?"
Vinny nearly jumped.
"You scared me."
"Sorry."
His tone suggested he wasn't sorry at all.
Griffin's gaze settled on the photograph.
For a split second something flashed through his eyes.
Recognition.
Then it vanished.
"Oh."
His voice sounded surprisingly calm.
"University."
"You remember it?"
"A little."
Vinny studied him.
Something felt strange.
Again.
That same feeling.
The crack beneath the surface.
The tiny voice telling him something wasn't adding up.
Griffin gently took the phone from his hand.
Then smiled.
The tension disappeared immediately.
Like it had never existed.
"You think too much."
There it was again.
That phrase.
Vinny noticed how often Griffin used it lately.
Every time Vinny questioned something.
Every time he got curious.
Every time he seemed close to realizing something.
You think too much.
The realization made him uneasy.
…
Elsewhere, West sat alone inside a dark apartment.
Multiple screens glowed around him.
His attention remained fixed on a single file.
The university photographs.
Dozens of them.
Hundreds.
Thousands.
Years worth of images.
He clicked through them slowly.
Analyzing.
Comparing.
Studying.
Then he found another one.
His eyes widened.
Interesting.
Very interesting.
Griffin appeared again.
Different day.
Different location.
Same pattern.
Watching.
Always watching.
West leaned back.
For the first time in days, he laughed.
Not because it was funny.
Because it was useful.
Extremely useful.
He reached for his phone.
Then paused.
No.
Not yet.
The timing wasn't right.
Soon.
Very soon.
But not yet.
…
Back in the surveillance vehicle, Shane received a message.
Her phone buzzed once.
Then again.
Finn glanced over.
"What is it?"
Shane's expression slowly changed.
Curiosity.
Surprise.
Concern.
Then excitement.
The dangerous kind.
The kind that meant she had discovered something important.
She turned the screen toward Finn.
A photograph filled the display.
An old university photograph.
Finn stared.
Then looked again.
"No way."
"That's what I said."
The image showed Vinny.
Several classmates.
And Griffin.
Watching from the background.
Years before they supposedly met.
Years.
Neither woman spoke.
Finally Finn broke the silence.
"That can't be a coincidence."
"No."
Shane's voice was quiet.
Careful.
Focused.
"No, it definitely can't."
For the first time since the investigation began, Shane felt like she was finally standing near the truth.
And the truth looked a lot darker than she expected.
…
That evening, Griffin sat beside Vinny on the sofa.
One arm around his shoulders.
The television played in front of them.
Neither was paying attention.
Vinny kept thinking about the photograph.
The feeling refused to leave.
Griffin noticed.
Of course he noticed.
He always noticed.
"What are you thinking about?"
Vinny hesitated.
Then decided to ask.
"Do you believe in fate?"
Griffin smiled.
A slow smile.
Almost affectionate.
Almost dangerous.
"More than anyone."
His fingers gently brushed through Vinny's hair.
His gaze softened.
But only slightly.
"Some people are destined to find each other."
The way he said it made Vinny shiver.
Because it didn't sound like a belief.
It sounded like certainty.
And somewhere across the city, Shane stared at the same photograph.
Studying the same face.
As a single thought settled into her mind.
Maybe Griffin had not found Vinny by chance.
Maybe he had been finding him for years.