DOUBLE JEOPARDY
By: desert_vixen
Author's Notes: Okay, for anyone who was wondering when there was actually going to be a fic with a mystery in it – this is it. It's a little darker than the others, and goes back to an event that I think a lot of us have tried a spin on – What happened to Nancy's mother? All canon tells us is that she died – like the queen in Disney's Sleeping Beauty, she doesn't even get a name in the books. So, this is my take on it.
Chronological Note: The previous story, "Meet Me In Chicago", takes place in the middle of June, roughly. This one is set in the beginning of August. The general time frame for the stories is three years after the SuperMysteries, making the characters of legal drinking age.
I'd like to thank my fabulous beta Amy for keeping me from making silly mistakes in the story, and for helping me keep the plot from getting too crazy.
Also, disclaimer: I don't own any of the established ND/HB characters. And I'm in the Army, so suing wouldn't really be worth the money anyway…
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PROLOGUE
He had not wanted to believe his own eyes. He had fought the urge to crumple the envelope and its contents, or shove it in the shredder and pretend he had never seen it. Instead, they lay on his desk, the letter, the newspaper clipping, and the photo.
The letter had been bad enough, with its reminder that he had failed at what should have been his highest priority, and the threat that it could happen again, just as easily.
The news clipping seemed almost an afterthought, and he wasn't sure why it had been included, unless it was to let him know they'd been keeping an eye on him – which, on the face of things, was completely absurd. He had almost missed it, and would have if Anna Martin had not called and teased him about it. The social section had run a story about the gala to benefit the River Heights hospital, and illustrated it with pictures – including one of him and Helena. There didn't seem to be anything in the article itself, or in the picture that indicated a serious relationship, and Helena was far from being the first woman he'd escorted to a fancy-dress event.
The photo was what disturbed him most. It clearly showed Helena standing on her apartment balcony in a tank top and pajama pants, coffee cup in hand as she looked around her, unaware that someone was watching her.
He had ignored the threat the first time, Carson Drew remembered with a jolt of pain. Rather, he hadn't taken it seriously enough. There had been no photo then, just a letter and a news clipping, showing him and Cecily together at some function. There had been letters that followed, but they all had a copy of that same news clipping.
His wife had paid for his mistake with her life. The police had worked with Carson to provide some protection, but it had not been enough – not even with Fenton Hardy's help. They had still managed to get to her. The police hadn't been able to keep her safe. The people she had trusted to keep her safe had failed.
Now they were back.
Carson took a large manila envelope from his desk drawer, sliding the offensive materials into it, and went to his office safe. When they were safely locked away, he let his secretary know to hold all calls.
He had a few calls to he needed to make himself.
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