𝐜𝒉𝛘𝙨𝒆. 𝛈𝝰𝛈𝐜𝛄 𝟃𝗿𝒆𝞈

ii. personal business

florence stood between nancy drew and george as the police sheriff asked their alibis.

"im florence stone." she spoke as the detective pulled her to the side. mcginnis.

"why are you so far from home, ms. stone?" he flipped open his notepad and she pointed at where drew stood.

"looking for the girl detective. from the moment i got here, ive been at her side." florence explained and nancy had the same albi.

she was at florence's side the whole night but the sheriff still decided to bring them in. something about how they could've worked together.

"we just met, we weren't discussing murder." nancy spoke, which was technically a lie. they weren't discussing committing a murder.

"especially not of a woman i don't even know." florence said as she left the claw. nancy offered her a ride seeing she took a cab here.

"he just wants to scare us. back to you." nancy starts the car, the engine revving. "you're not dead."

"i know."

"you said you were dead."

"no but i will be dead soon." florence pulled an envelope from the pocket of her winter coat.

"read it to me,"

florence opened the envelope, pulled out the paper. pink written on with black ink.

"uhm," she mumbles to herself, "i can't read this." she stares at the words as nancy's car pulls up to the station. "what do you mean?"

"i can't read cursive." she hands the paper to nancy. she reads the note, she goes pale before she can speak someone knocks on her window.

the sheriff.

the two girls get out of the car, meeting everyone else inside the station.

"who wrote this?" nancy whispers, there was tension building up inside her.

"i don't even know what it says. my brother read it and told me to leave." florence sat down next to nancy.

"can you two stop whispering?" george hushes them as the sheriff talks to one of the deputies and the group of teens wait for him.

"why did you come find me?" nancy ignored her friend, "because my mom knew your mum and she used to say you liked being a girl detective."

"who's your mum?"

"miranda stone."

"she went to school with my mom." florence could practically see the light bulb above nancy's head. "so that's the only reason you came to find me?"

"i had nowhere else to go." florence spoke, resting back in her chair when the sheriff walked back to them.

"what a bunch. town screw up." he looks at george and florence covers her mouth with her hand. odd thing to say about a teenage girl.

"ex convict." at the boy across from florence.

"a city girl." at the other waitress, bess.

"a girl who's way too far from home." looks at florence.

"and you, nancy drew." he turned to the girl next to florence.

"why'd you see her name like that?" the ex convict asks.

"because nancy used to make my job very hard." mcginnis looks at the redhead who just shrugs in response.

"you mean she used to do your job for you." george scoffed.

"now that we've been here for thirty minutes, can we go?" florence checked her watch.

"you and nancy can go. nancy's dad is here to get you." florence frowned. "texted him." nancy whispers to her and she shrugs.

"im gonna talk to my dad while you wait for me-" before nancy can finish her sentence, her dad catches a glimpse of florence.

"miranda." he starts and she shakes her head, looking between nancy and her dad who didn't seem to share any resemblance.

"im her daughter, florence." she corrects.

"oh," something like disappointment flashes in his eyes, just for a moment. "where is she? i haven't heard from her since kate's funeral."

"she went to italy for her job." florence gave him a half hearted smile.

"wait, your mom was at my mom's funeral." nancy seemed to put the pieces together and florence could visibly see it.

"im sorry for your loss." florence spoke softly, suddenly fidgeting with her rings.

"wait- aren't you supposed to be at cambridge? she told me you got in." mr. drew looked at florence, confused by why she was in the united states and why she was in the police station in horshoe bay.

"im taking a gap year, mum approved of it." florence lied about the last part, her gap year was the bane of miranda's existence.

"that doesn't sound like her." mr. drew said and nancy nodded.

"ok. that's enough bonding, lets go florence." nancy linked their arms. "wait- what are you two up to?"

"dad, she's my client. it's personal business."