Groans emanated from her throat, upon hearing the phone ring on her bedside table, Erin reached out to apprehend the irksome device without ascertaining the caller's identity. 'Hello?' Erin greeted with a yawn upon answering the phone, casting a glance at the clock which indicated the early hour of four thirty in the morning.
'You sound fatigued, Detective,' commented an unfamiliar voice on the other end. Alerted by the mysterious caller, Erin, now fully awake, inquired, 'Who is this?' as she sat upright in bed, swiftly surveying her surroundings.
The voice chuckled softly in her ear before stating, 'You will discover soon enough, detective.' Interrupting, Erin pressed, 'How did you discern my profession?' Rising from the bed to pace her room, she sought answers.
'It is not challenging to infer when observing your activities in town. We will cross paths soon, beautiful,' the voice remarked, terminating the call before Erin could retort to the unwelcome compliment.
Erin blinked as the call ended abruptly, and she hesitantly moved the phone away from her ear. She felt a sense of unease as she tried to identify the unknown number that had just called her. Feeling anxious, she paced around the bedroom, clutching her phone to her chest.
'Who could that have been?' she wondered aloud, her thoughts drifting to Justin. She briefly wished she had asked him to stay, but she didn't want to burden him with her concerns, especially if it was just a prank call.
Taking a moment to compose herself, Erin reasoned, 'It must have been a prank call.' Glancing at the clock, she realized it was nearly five in the morning and she needed to prepare for work, which was only hours away. With a sigh, she made her way to the bathroom to freshen up.
However, her tension spiked as her phone rang again. Slowly checking the caller ID and seeing that it was Voight, she felt a wave of relief and answered the call after a brief pause. 'Hello,' Erin greeted, hoping her voice conveyed calmness, not wanting Voight to be concerned about her well-being.
Voight inquired, 'Are you alright, Erin?' Erin replied, 'I am fine, Hank. I just woke up.' Erin provided an excuse that Voight thankfully believed. Voight then asked her to head to the district promptly.
Erin, rubbing her eyes, inquired, 'Is there a case?' She began selecting an outfit since she wouldn't have time to shower. Voight confirmed, 'Yes, everyone is already gathering at the district to discuss it.'
Erin agreed, 'Okay, I will be there shortly,' before hanging up the phone to start getting dressed. She placed her phone on the bed, then dressed in a blue V-neck shirt and black skinny jeans, completing her outfit with boots. After taking a deep breath, she got up from the bed and proceeded to the bathroom to quickly brush her hair and teeth, then put her hair up in a high ponytail.
Erin arrived at the district and exchanged greetings with Platt before proceeding to the bullpen; however, the older woman called her over, saying, 'Hey Lindsay, I have something for you.'
Intrigued, Erin approached and inquired, 'Who is it from?' as she arrived at the front desk. Platt replied, 'Whoever dropped it off didn't say; all he said was to give it to you,' as she handed Erin a yellow envelope. Erin accepted it and expressed gratitude to Platt while requesting confidentiality.
Platt, giving her a concerned look, agreed to keep it between them temporarily. Erin then thanked her and proceeded to the bullpen after discreetly concealing the envelope under her coat to keep it hidden from the others.
Upon reaching the bullpen, Jay greeted Erin with a smile, 'Good morning, Erin,' and she responded, 'Morning,' before heading to the break room to prepare a cup of coffee, realizing she had forgotten to do so before leaving her apartment.
Erin overheard Jay trailing behind her into the break room, inquiring, 'Do you have any information on this case?' as he poured himself a cup of coffee. The brunette casually shrugged her shoulders as she poured coffee into her favorite cup, making sure to add plenty of sugar and creamer to help keep herself alert.
'No, Voight hasn't briefed me on it,' she responded. Stirring her coffee, Erin took a big sip of the steaming beverage, meeting her partner's quizzical expression. 'What?' she asked, her voice slightly muffled by the cup.
'Do you really think that much sugar is necessary?' he inquired, raising an eyebrow. After exchanging glances with Jay, Erin rolled her hazel eyes before departing the break room.
'It's early, alright? I need the boost,' she retorted, taking a seat at her desk upon returning and placing her cup down. When Jay turned his attention to Antonio, Erin discreetly retrieved an envelope from beneath her coat and slipped it into her drawer for later examination.
Erin closed the drawer quietly and checked her phone for messages, assuming Justin was still asleep and might not text her. However, she thought Voight might have already woken Justin up, so she anticipated receiving a text from him.
As she scrolled through her messages, she smiled when she received a text from Justin saying 'morning gorgeous.' Blushing at the text, Erin responded with 'Morning, how'd you sleep?' Putting down her phone, she caught Jay looking at her with a curious grin from his desk and asked her why she was smiling.
Erin playfully stuck her tongue out at Jay and mentioned it was just Shay contacting her, not revealing that it was Justin. When Jay inquired further, Erin casually replied that Shay just wanted to chat. Focusing back on her phone, Erin read Justin's response, 'I slept good now that we talked about the kiss, what about you?'
Erin deliberated on the phone call before Voight call and considered informing Justin, but ultimately decided against it and sent a text stating ' I slept good.' Upon sending the text, she glanced up to see Voight emerging from his office carrying a file. Placing her phone down to better focus on the case, she silenced her phone.
'We have a case, and this is our top priority at the moment,' Voight began, as he displayed photographs on the board. Observing the board, Erin couldn't help but gasp at the images. 'This is Julie Gray, a 23-year-old show horse trainer, and her younger sister Soifon Gray, aged 16,' Voight stated as he noted their names and ages.
'Julie was discovered deceased in her barn last night around 7 pm while tending to the horses,' Voight explained, indicating a picture of a fair-haired brunette with striking blue eyes and a radiant smile. 'Meanwhile, Soifon is currently missing,' Voight added.
Erin observed an outraged expression in Antonio's eyes as he gazed at the picture. 'Did they provide any information about the incident?' Antonio inquired as he examined the images. 'No, but we will be heading to the crime scene to gather clues and locate the missing girl,' Voight responded, addressing his team. 'Let's depart now and interview any potential witnesses,' Voight suggested.
As Erin rose from her seat, the team exited the bullpen. Voight approached Erin and instructed her, 'I would like you to remain here until we return.'
'What?' Erin questioned, puzzled, as she glanced at the sergeant. 'Stay here, research information on the victims, and identify possible suspects.' Voight elaborated.
'Additionally, I need you to keep an eye on Justin until this case is resolved.' After receiving a nod of understanding from Erin, Voight patted her on the shoulder and departed the bullpen. 'Okay,' Erin acknowledged.
Erin observed as Voight departed the bullpen, followed by Jay who smiled as he passed her, then left as well. The brunette then settled back in her seat.
Alone now, Erin decided to open her desk drawer. It seemed like a wise choice to remain behind, providing her with ample time to investigate the contents of the envelope. Upon hearing her phone buzz, she reached for it and discovered an incoming call from an unknown number. Answering the call, she hesitantly inquired, 'Hello?' only to be startled by the man's voice.
'Hey gorgeous, did you receive what I sent?' the man teasingly asked, prompting Erin to reply with a snarky, 'Who are you, and what did you send-' before being interrupted by his laughter. 'My my, someone's got a temper,' the man remarked, appearing unperturbed by Erin's demeanor.
He then suggested, 'If you're curious about the envelope's contents, why not open it and find out?' Erin took a moment to compose herself before following his advice and uncovering several photographs and a letter from within the envelope. Perplexed, she questioned, 'What is this?'
Once Erin turned over the pictures, she nearly dropped them and was then asked by the man, 'Do you like what you have?' Erin, upon closer inspection, noticed her own face in the first picture, smiling at Antonio at Molly's. As she flipped to the last picture, she flinched at the sight of herself changing in Molly's bathroom after someone spilled beer on her shirt and Shay offered her an extra one to wear.
Just as Erin was about to inquire about the pictures, the man interjected, instructing her to read the letter he had handed her. Erin set the pictures down and unfolded the paper, as he remarked, 'I made sure to make it as neat as possible.' Before she could respond, he hung up after calling her 'Bye gorgeous.' Erin took a deep breath and let her phone fall into her lap, attempting to steady her hands as she opened the letter in order to read it.
"Erin, I hope you are enjoying your time with your friend. You looked stunning in that black dress the other night when I saw you with your partner." Erin forced herself to continue reading the letter, despite her initial urge to discard it.
Upon finishing the letter, she hesitated and expressed, "When the appropriate moment arises, we will have the opportunity to meet and converse in person." She struggled to maintain composure by blinking repeatedly to combat dizziness.
"Please maintain confidentiality regarding our communications and the contents of this letter." The mention of sending another package to her apartment as the next step left Erin feeling breathless as she repeatedly reviewed the letter before nervously tucking it into her coat pocket. Seated uneasily, Erin's widened eyes and trembling body demonstrated her shock, while sweat trickled down her neck as she pondered the reasons behind the sender's intentions, causing her to be oblivious to approaching footsteps to her desk. Startled by Justin's voice calling her name, Erin flinched and nearly jumped out of her seat.
Justin had just arrived at the district where Erin and his father worked, and he wanted to inquire if Erin would be interested in going for breakfast due to the early hour. Despite attempting to message her, he received no response, which seemed unusual. Justin was concerned that he might be unintentionally causing tension in their relationship, but he trusted Erin to communicate with him if there were any issues.
He requested Platt to allow him entry, and she did not object, as Voight had informed her of his intention to meet with Erin. Upon reaching the bullpen, Justin noticed Erin sitting with a frightened expression in her hazel eyes, visibly shaking. This sight troubled him, wondering what had caused the brunette to be in such a distressed state.
"Erin?" he called out to her, approaching her desk. He involuntarily took a step back as he watched Erin almost leap from her chair in fear. "Are you okay?" he asked with concern, observing her taking a deep breath. Erin nodded, shaking her head as she regained her composure. "I'm…fine," she answered, meeting her boyfriend's gaze.
Justin gazed at her with concern and asked, 'Are you certain? You seem very shaken.' He said as he assisted her from her seat and embraced Erin, who leaned into him for comfort. Erin reassured him, 'I'm fine, just preoccupied with a case involving two young girls.'
Justin suggested, 'Would you like to grab a bite to eat? I can take you home and we can pick up breakfast from a small takeout place.' As he rubbed her back, he added, 'It might help take your mind off things.' Although Justin found it difficult to believe Erin's explanation, as he had known her for a long time and could easily read her.
Erin agreed, 'Yes, I'll inform Voight that I felt unwell and went home, and that you're assisting me.' Justin nodded and helped her into her coat, whispering, 'Let's go then.' The pair headed out of the bullpen and towards Erin's car, as Justin had taken a taxi.