𝒔𝒖𝒎𝒎𝒆𝒓 & 𝒔𝒂𝒍𝒕 ⇁𝒔.𝒓𝒆𝒊𝒅

two: nancy drew

Sabrina Woods

Although everything around me was spinning, I unlocked the car door and put my small girl into her car seat. My baby twirled a strand of  red hair around her tiny finger as she innocently smiled up at me. I tried to smile back at her as best as I could, but my  heart was pounding so hard against my chest, I was trying to catch my breath before I passed out.

Once I finished buckling Hallie into her seat, I quickly closed the door and got into the drivers seat.  My fingers curled around the top of the steering wheel and leaned my forehead against my arms, trying to catch my breath.

in, out. in, out. it's okay, you're okay.

I felt a fresh wave of tears fall down my cheeks and sat up, angrily wiping them away. I never liked to cry, let alone in front of anyone, and I couldn't seem to rid the pink that touched my cheeks from embarrassment as I thought back to everyone in the BAU office staring at me. I reached into my purse and grabbed my inhaler and took two puffs. My breathing began to regulate and I hoped I had stifled my oncoming panic attack.

they have to believe you. they will.

"Hopefully before I'm dead," I muttered quietly to myself. With a heavy sigh, I turned the key into the ignition and  peered up into the rearview mirror. My eyes landed on Hallie's bright blue ones in the reflection of the car seat mirror, making me smile. I nodded once and put the car in drive, checking my surroundings.

"We're gonna be okay, Hallie," I whispered to her. "We will."

* ੈ✩‧₊˚

Once I pulled into the driveway of my home, I leaned back in my seat, my hands rubbing at both eyes until I was seeing stars. I was exhausted. I hadn't slept in almost thirty-four hours, and felt I might not ever.

After receiving the letters, I couldn't keep my eyes closed. I tried to tell the police over and over again years ago about the letters, and they still didn't believe me. Not even sixteen years later, when they've started up again.

"You're not listening," I groaned, following detective Lahey down the police stations hallway, my head down as I shuffled through the old letters. "Something isn't right about these." 

It felt like I had been walking and talking for miles, trying to show him the dates and signatures on the letters.

The detective abruptly stopped, making me bump right into his chest.

A harsh sigh escaped his lips as he grabbed the letters out of my hands. "Sabrina, Ray Barlow is in jail. He must've been writing to your sister before the murder-why is that so hard to believe?" He asked, still holding the papers.

"I-"

"It's not. It's not hard to believe that Barlow might have been stalking Sam, and followed her home for spring break that week to your parents house. It just doesn't make any sense for you to worry about this kind of thing. You're eighteen, you just graduated high school, why don't you focus on doing what your parents would've wanted, hm? " his eyes never left mine as he folded the letters in half and set them  on the front desk counter. "Why don't you stop trying to play Nancy Drew and let your family rest in peace." He gave me a brief nod and turned back around towards the center of the station.

Tears welled up in my eyes as I snatched the letters from the desk. I quickly walked out of the station and tried to think about what to do next.

Maybe Lahey was right- what if Barlow had been stalking Sam and she just didn't say anything to us? To me?  Why did Sam keep the letters in her dorm room months after receiving them?  Why did I have to be the one to find them while packing up her stuff?