A pause. The manager hesitated. Then slowly lowered his phone.
Minutes later, a small group had gathered near the monitor. Chauncy stood off to the side, barely breathing. The footage played. There he was. Outside. Asking. Waiting. Then—a woman handing him something. Another man doing the same. Clear. Undeniable.
The tension broke. The manager exhaled. “Alright… looks like I got that wrong.”
But Chauncy barely heard him. Because the man who stepped in had already turned to him.
