Rhea

"The cases are from my hometown..." Quinn said to the team in disbelief.It sat at the back of her mind even as the team dispersed, even as Mark started issuing instructions and Aisha returned to her lab, even as Damian tried, unsuccessfully, to act like everything was normal.

It wasn’t, nothing about this was normal anymore.

Quinn stepped out into the hallway, the noise of the office fading slightly as she pulled her phone out, staring at the contact list for a moment longer than necessary before scrolling down.

She hadn’t called in years. Her thumb hovered for half a second, then she pressed dial.

Rhea picked up on the third ring.

“Well,” her voice came through, light but sharp in a way Quinn remembered too well, “this is unexpected. Should I be worried or offended?”

Quinn leaned against the wall, closing her eyes briefly. “Still dramatic, I see.”

“Only when people disappear for years and suddenly call me like nothing happened,” Rhea replied. “So which one is it? Crisis or guilt?”

“Neither,” Quinn said, though even to her own ears, it didn’t sound convincing.

Rhea spoke softly on the other end. “Then it’s definitely both.”

A pause stretched between them, not entirely uncomfortable, but not easy either.

“I need information,” Quinn said finally.

Rhea’s tone shifted, losing the teasing edge. “That’s not how you usually start conversations with me.”

Quinn exhaled slowly, her gaze drifting back toward the office doors. “Do you remember the Blackwood case from back home?”

“Yeah,” Rhea said, quieter now. “I do.”

Quinn’s grip on the phone tightened slightly.

“What do you remember about it?”

Rhea didn’t answer immediately this time, and that hesitation told Quinn everything she needed to know.

“Why are you asking about that?” she said instead.

“Because it’s not over.”

“You’re joking...” Rhea said.

“No.”

A soft exhale came through the line. “Then we shouldn’t be having this conversation over the phone.”

Quinn straightened slightly. “Where are you?”

“Same city,” Rhea replied. “Unlike you, I didn’t run off and disappear.”

“That’s not what happened.”

“Sure,” Rhea said lightly, though there was something sharper underneath it. “Meet me. I’ll send you the address.”

The call ended before Quinn could respond.

When she stepped back inside, Damian was the first to notice.

“You look like you just made a decision you’re going to regret,” he said, watching her carefully.

Quinn grabbed her jacket. “We’re going out.”

He blinked. “We?”

“Yes, we.”

“That’s… new,” he muttered, already moving to follow her. “Where are we going?”

“I’ll explain on the way.”

“That’s usually not reassuring.”

The drive was quieter than before, but not empty.

Damian kept glancing at her like he was trying to figure out how much to ask without getting shut down... He failed.

“So,” he started, shifting slightly in his seat, “you know that town.”

Quinn didn’t look at him. “I grew up there.”

“That explains the reaction.”

“It doesn’t explain why you didn’t mention you recognized it,” she shot back.

He hesitated. “I wasn’t sure,” he said. “And then I was.”

“That’s not an answer.”

“It’s the only one you’re getting right now.”

Quinn didn’t push further.

But she didn’t miss it either.

They pulled up outside a quiet café tucked between two older buildings, the kind of place that didn’t stand out unless you already knew it was there. Warm lights glowed through the windows, soft and inviting in a way that didn’t match the tension sitting in Quinn’s chest.

“She picked this place?” Damian asked.

“Yes.”

“She has good taste.”

Rhea was already inside, she hadn’t changed much... Still sharp, still composed, still carrying herself like she knew more than she said. Her eyes lifted the moment Quinn walked in, taking her in with a familiarity that felt both grounding and unsettling.

“Well,” she said, standing slowly. “You look exactly the same.”

Quinn stopped a few feet away. “You don’t.”

Rhea smiled slightly. “I’ll take that as a compliment.”

Her gaze shifted to Damian. “And you brought company.”

Damian straightened slightly. “Damian. I’m-”

“Complicated,” Rhea cut in lightly. “I can already tell.”

Quinn ignored that. “We don’t have time.”

Rhea’s expression shifted, the humor fading. “Then you already know,” she said.

Quinn held her gaze. “I know the victims are connected to our town.” Rhea nodded once. “And?” Quinn pressed.

Rhea hesitated, just for a second, before stepping closer, lowering her voice slightly. “They weren’t just connected by location,” she said.

Quinn felt something tighten in her chest. “What do you mean?” Rhea’s eyes flicked between her and Damian before settling back on Quinn.

“They all went to the same school, our school.”

The air shifted, and just like that, the case stopped being distant. It became personal.

Quinn didn’t respond immediately, but something in her expression shifted, like a memory trying to surface and failing halfway. “There was… something,” she said slowly, more to herself than anyone else. “Senior year. Or just before it.”

“That’s what I was hoping you’d remember.”