||{Barba's Student}|| COMPLETED

A Good Team

Barba's eyes widened as he read the letters aloud, "'I'm going to find you and rip that damn tongue out of your mouth and put it on my mantle, and mangle your body to leave it for those dead friends of yours to scavenge off some of your bitchy complexion.'"
I walked around, pacing as he read the rest to himself.
"(Y/N), why didn't you say anything?"
"I don't really know. I guess I didn't want to start up any big mess."
"I'm calling Liv."
I kept quiet.
"Ok... bye." He hung up the phone and walked over to me, "We're gonna send these to get them tracked to a return address, or follow a route and interview the post office truck driver for his route when this was sent."
I sat down, groaning loudly and holding my head in my hands.
"What?" Barba got serious.
"I told you I didn't want this to be a big thing. It's just some stupid joke that some big talking guys are trying to pull or whatever."
He looked outside. Then Rollins came up.
"I hope I wasn't interrupting anything counselors, but we've got a pathway to the precinct secured for you both."
"What?"
Barba interrupted, "You're going with me to the precinct so we can get your statement."
"Okay, let's get going then."
Rollins walked downstairs with us, as we met Fin at the bottom of the first flight of stairs.
"Everything looking good up there, Rollins?"
"Everything's clear Fin. Hey, help me walk these two out, yeah?"
"Sure no problem. Let's get you two out of here." Finn walked in front as the detectives led Barba and I to a car.
We walked out to a crowd of cops and SWAT team officers.
"Wow." That was all I could say.
We got into the van and drove to the precinct.
"We've got a place for you to stay here. Just until we catch these guys." Barba seemed pissed at the situation. I thought he was pissed at me for a minute actually.
"Hey Barba?"
"Hmm?" He turned around to look at me as I walked behind him.
"Why was the SWAT team there?"
"When a member of the precinct is threatened, we have to be prepared for snipers and everything, after what happened to Rollins."
"What happened? If you don't mind me asking."
He sighed, but continued to explain, "We were covering a case about a year or two ago, and a sniper shot her in the shoulder from an abandoned building as she was leaving the courthouse to get into a van."
"I'm so sorry, I'm glad she's okay."
He nodded and continued to walk to the interrogation room.
"This is bullet proof glass, so we'll be safe in here if anyone followed us here." He knocked on the glass to prove it's strength and signify its material.
"Okay..." I sighed and set my coat on a hanger on the chair and sat down. Barba sat on the table.
"Um...."
"What?" He looked confused.
"There's a chair over there, isn't there?"
I pointed to a chair right across the table from where I was sitting. Barba turned to look, then turned back and shrugged.
"Sometimes I like to sit on tables, it's not uncommon for me actually." He chuckled.
"Did you smile?"
"What, am I not supposed to?"
I chuckled, "I didn't mean it like that! I just haven't seen you smile throughout this whole mess. Actually, I don't think I've seen you smile at all."
"Yeah, don't get too used to it."
"Don't worry I won't."
•
"So when did these letters start arriving?"
     I shrugged, "Right when this case started, but they weren't as bad."
     "What do you mean, 'weren't as bad'?"
     "At first they just said they'd make sure I lost my job, or make sure the case was shut down..." I went cold.
     "(Y/N)?"
     "Make sure the case shut down... they sent that the day before she died..."
     Barba's eyes widened.
     I continued, "If we can prove that, that could be intent to murder, and we could charge them for manslaughter."
     "Then we could put the intent as hiding some sort of evidence. That on top of the threatening charges could be a good amount of years for whoever sent those."
     "If we can prove that they killed Penny, that is."
     "You've got a point. Now that's our case, is finding who sent those letters, and proving that they either orchestrated Penny's murder, or performed it themselves."
     I smiled at Barba, and he smiled back.
     "We make a good team." He chuckled.