  We report the emergence of zero-energy states in the trivial phase of a short
nanowire junction with strong spin-orbit coupling and magnetic field, formed by
strong coupling between the nanowire and two superconductors. The zero-energy
states appear in the junction when the superconductors induce a large energy
shift in the nanowire, such that the junction naturally forms a quantum dot, a
process that is highly tunable by the superconductor width. Most importantly,
we demonstrate that the zero-energy states produce a $\pi$-shift in the
phase-biased supercurrent, which can be used as a simple tool for their
unambiguous detection, ruling out any Majorana-like interpretation.
