Part 1 — Arrival
Grayhaven Police Department never truly slept.
Even in the early hours of morning, the building breathed—fluorescent lights humming faintly overhead, distant phones ringing, the quiet murmur of officers carrying the weight of other people's worst days.
Rain traced slow lines down the tall windows of the Major Crimes Unit.
At the far end of the room, Detective Sergeant Isaiah Sparks sat alone at his desk.
The glow of his monitor reflected in his dark eyes.
Everyone else had gone home.
He hadn't.
On his screen was a file that shouldn't have been accessible.
HARLEY HARTWELL
Age: 27
Former FBI Investigator
Place of Birth: Grayhaven, Oregon
Status: Transferred to Grayhaven Police Department
Isaiah stared at the name.
At the photograph.
Blonde hair. Blue eyes. Calm expression.
But her eyes...
They weren't calm.
They were focused.
Haunted.
Dangerous.
Isaiah leaned back slightly.
"...So you came back," he murmured.
Suddenly—
The screen flickered.
The file vanished.
Deleted.
Isaiah stared at the empty screen.
Expression unreadable.
Then slowly, he closed the laptop.
Outside, thunder rolled faintly over Grayhaven.
____________________
Morning came quietly.
The Major Crimes Unit buzzed with its usual rhythm.
Detective Brian Keller leaned lazily in his chair, spinning a pen between his fingers.
Across from him, Lucas Reyes worked through paperwork with stubborn focus.
Alex Chen stood beside the coffee machine, staring into the empty pot like it had personally betrayed him.
"It's empty again," Alex muttered.
Brian didn't look up.
"Have you tried believing in it harder?"
Lucas sighed. "Just make more."
The door opened.
Captain Black entered first.
And behind him—
She walked in.
Harley Hartwell.
She didn't hesitate.
Didn't fidget.
Didn't try to impress anyone.
She simply walked in like she had already measured the room and found nothing in it capable of surprising her.
Captain Black cleared his throat.
"Listen up."
The room quieted.
"This is Detective Harley Hartwell. Effective immediately, she's assigned to Major Crimes."
Brian straightened, recovering first.
He stood and extended his hand.
"Brian Keller."
She shook it.
Firm.
Controlled.
"Harley Hartwell."
Lucas followed.
"Lucas Reyes."
She nodded once.
Alex approached last, curiosity barely hidden.
"Alex Chen. Secretary. Occasional genius."
Harley's lips twitched faintly.
"...Occasional?"
Brian smirked.
Alex pointed. "I'm pacing myself."
Harley almost smiled.
Almost.
Then—
She felt it.
Someone watching her.
She looked.
Detective Sergeant Isaiah Sparks sat at his desk near the window.
Still.
Silent.
Observing.
Their eyes met.
Just for a second.
Something unspoken passed between them.
Then Isaiah looked back at his screen.
Like nothing had happened.
____________________
Part 2 — The Impossible
An hour later, Harley sat reviewing old case files.
She noticed everything.
Who talked too much.
Who stayed quiet.
Who watched.
Who pretended not to.
Alex appeared beside her desk.
"So," he said casually. "You're from Grayhaven?"
"Yes."
Brian leaned over.
"What made you come back?"
Harley paused.
"...Work."
Brian smiled faintly.
"Just work?"
She met his eyes calmly.
"Yes."
From across the room, Isaiah listened.
He knew better.
The intercom crackled.
"Captain Black. Major Crimes. Evidence Control. Immediately."
Captain Black frowned.
Isaiah stood first.
Harley followed without hesitation.
Brian grabbed his jacket.
Lucas followed.
Alex whispered, "Well, this can't be good."
____________________
Evidence Control Room
Grayhaven Police Department
The atmosphere was wrong.
Officers stood stiffly near the entrance.
No one spoke.
Captain Black stood beside an open evidence locker.
His expression pale.
Isaiah stepped forward.
"What happened?"
Captain Black stepped aside.
And revealed the body.
A man.
Mid-forties.
Slumped inside the locker.
Dead.
Brian froze.
"...That locker was sealed last night."
Lucas frowned. "Who is he?"
Captain Black answered.
"Roberto Salgado."
Harley stepped forward.
Careful.
Precise.
Her eyes moved over everything.
His posture.
His hands.
His clothes.
Isaiah watched her.
Watching how she moved.
Like she had done this countless times before.
He spoke quietly.
"What do you see?"
She crouched beside the body.
Silent.
Thinking.
Then—
"He didn't die here."
Brian blinked.
"What?"
She pointed.
"To his shoes."
Clean.
Too clean.
"No dust," she said. "He didn't walk in."
Lucas crossed his arms.
"Then he was carried."
Harley nodded.
"Yes."
Alex spoke softly.
"But the locker was sealed..."
Harley looked at the door.
"No internal latch."
Silence.
"He was placed here."
____________________
Part 3 — The Message
The room had been sealed.
No one entered.
No one left.
Alex pulled up camera footage.
Evidence Control.
Last night.
Empty.
All night.
Brian frowned.
"That's impossible."
Harley spoke calmly.
"The footage was altered."
Silence.
Lucas looked uneasy.
"You're saying someone inside did this?"
Harley didn't answer.
She crouched near the locker.
Her eyes narrowed.
A faint scratch near the base.
Isaiah stepped closer.
"You found something."
She ran her finger across it.
"This locker was opened earlier."
Lucas frowned.
"But the cameras—"
"Were edited."
Brian exhaled slowly.
Isaiah understood immediately.
Inside job.
He turned to Alex.
"Access logs."
Alex typed.
Then froze.
"...There's one entry."
Silence.
"...At 2:14 AM."
Brian asked quietly.
"Who?"
Alex swallowed.
"...Detective Marcus Hale."
Lucas blinked.
"Hale's on leave."
Captain Black spoke firmly.
"Bring him in."
____________________
Later that night
Harley sat alone in her apartment.
Rain tapped softly against the window.
Her phone buzzed.
Unknown number.
She answered.
Silence.
Then—
"You came back."
Her voice remained steady.
"Yes."
The voice replied calmly.
"Good."
The line went dead.
____________________
Across the city—
Isaiah sat in his car.
Harley's FBI file rested on the passenger seat.
He stared at it.
"...What did you come home to finish?"
He already feared the answer.