I'm back. Special thanks to Charlotte for updating for me last weekend. I really appreciate you so much. Also to Eva without whom this story wouldn't be possible. I've had it on the back burner, one chapter written for well over a year. It was her encouragement that lit the fuse. And again to Kate for all of her kind words and the fabulous cover. Enjoy chapter 4.
Previously:
"Liz, hi. This is Elena. You'll never guess who I'm with?"
Elena:
"I'm with Dr. Salvatore, Liz. Can you believe it? You and I both know he was set up. This is my chance to make a name for myself and your newspaper.. Just think, Liz, if we can prove his innocence, look at all the notoriety and acclaim that will come to the newspaper."
"Calm down. You're breaking the law Elena. I can't help you with this. I will not risk going to prison. Maybe I can pull a few strings under the radar but if the police come calling, I know nothing, Elena," she cautions.
"I understand Liz, but I just wanted to touch base with you. I'll only contact you if I have no other options, okay?" I ask her with a bit of apprehension.
"I've got to go, my food order is ready. Bye Liz."
Quietly I step into the motel room. After setting the food down, I turn my eyes to Damon. As much as I hate to wake him, he does need some nourishment to help him heal.
Inching my way over to his bed, I gently nudge him, "Damon? Wake up. Food's here."
He startles awake, lurching upright. I watch him grimace as a pained look colors his features.
Damon:
"Oh hi, Elena. I'm sorry, it seems I'm always sleeping." Shaking my head, I lift my legs over the side of the bed to sit up.
"You said you brought some food?"
She smiles at me tightly before handing me some carryout. Having eaten nothing but prison food for the last couple of months, the Big Mac and fries is pretty darn tasty. My eyes lock with hers for a moment before she digs into her food too.
"It's good. Thank you. We're probably going to need some cash soon. I have money but if I take anything out of my account, the cops will be on us in a heartbeat. What about you? Do you have money?"
"I have enough to last us a few days. Let's not worry about that right now. Do you feel up to telling me about Katherine and that night?" she asks tensely.
Sighing heavily, I drop my head into my hands.
"Talk about jumping from the frying pan into the fire," I utter when I raise my eyes to hers.
"Katherine and I met when I was in med school. It was practically love at first sight for both of us unless she lied to me," I start out, chuckling a little bit.
"She was gorgeous, a lot like you in that respect. She had her Master's in business administration. We got married after I started my residency. Our son, Evan arrived eighteen months after the wedding. He wasn't planned. I guess you could say he was a happy accident." I smile when my thoughts drift to my little boy.
"Damon?" she asks.
"Sorry, I was lost in my thoughts for a moment there. Our life was almost idyllic for awhile. My practice was thriving. She was more than happy to be a stay at home mom. Then our world was ripped apart. I had a medical conference in New York. Katherine came along so we could have a romantic weekend to ourselves. We had a babysitter we trusted and Evan loved her. There is a park near our home that has a wonderful playground. He loved it there. She let him play for awhile. They were on their way to this ice cream shack that's located in the southwest part of the park. At least that what the police thought. Evan loved strawberry ice cream." A smile graces my face as I remember my son.
"Anyway as they were walking to get their ice cream, they were just in the wrong place at the wrong time. A driver lost control of his car and slammed into them as he was trying to evade the police. Evan died instantly. Rachel died a few hours later from a massive head injury." I turn away for a moment to try to compose myself. A few traitorous tears still manage to escape my eyes. Wiping them away, I turn to Elena.
"I'm sorry, talking about him always makes me tear up. I miss him so much. I loved that little boy more than life itself, you know? The day he died was the worst day of my life," I tell her, my voice hitching.
The paramedics arrived moments later but there was nothing they could do. Had he survived, he would've had profound brain damage. I literally fell apart after he died. I couldn't function aside from work. I withdrew into myself, the guilt I carry for leaving him at home still rests heavily on my shoulders. Katherine blamed herself for coming with me. That seminal moment was the catalyst that started the unraveling of our marriage.
"We both retreated into ourselves. I let my work consume me. When I had someone's chest cracked open, the patient depending on me to save their life, I didn't have to think about my son." I sigh, wiping away a few more tears.
"Parents shouldn't have to bury their children, you know?" I whisper, while running my hand through my hair.
"We weren't intimate anymore. We became roommates instead of husband and wife. We had lived like that for a long time.
Several months ago, she told me she wanted a divorce because we didn't have a marriage anymore. I couldn't disagree. The distance was just too much to overcome. It's wasn't contentious in the least. She pulled me into a hug after confessing her desire for a divorce, telling me that I could always come to her for anything. Although I wasn't in love with her anymore, I still loved her as a person, as my friend. I never laid a hand on her nor would I have," I mutter, my eyes locking with Elena's.
"I going to assume you've probably read the police reports from the night of her murder? We need to find the one armed man. He's the one that killed her." I say, pleading with Elena to believe me.
"The police told me she was pregnant. Although we did have sex a couple times after she requested a divorce, we hadn't been intimate for several months. That baby wasn't mine. I had no idea she was seeing someone else. As far as I knew, she hadn't even talked to a divorce lawyer yet."
Dropping my head into my hands, I take a few breaths.
"Do you have any of that Advil left, Elena? Suddenly I don't feel so good."
"Sure," she says then grabs her bag to hand me the bottle of medication.
"Thank you. Is there anything else you want or need to know, Elena?"
"Why would this one armed man want to kill Katherine? Was he acting on his own or did someone hire him? We're going to have to find a way to identify him. Maybe we can hack into prosthetic company computer system or the prosthetic labs at Cook County Hospital and Chicago Memorial. We'll need to get our hands on some ID if we're to have any chance of snooping around those hospitals," she says candidly.
"Since medicine is your area of expertise, maybe you could do the prosthetic research while I see about getting us some ID's."
Nodding, I turn to her, " Yeah, I think that's a really good idea."
"Let's turn on TV for a little and see if there's any news about you." She says, picking up the remote and switching it on.
After she goes through a few channels, she stops for a moment when we hear my name. A Marshall Ric Saltzman is holding a press conference discussing the fact that they've haven't found my body. And that I will be presumed missing and alive till they have evidence to the contrary.
"Of course, they'd send Wyatt Earp after me." I utter, running my hand through my hair in frustration.
With exhaustion and pain weighing heavily on me, I raise my eyes to her, "I'm all in, do you mind if I sleep now?"
"No, of course not, Damon. Your body needs to rest and recuperate," she says then stands up to turn the lights down.
"I think I'll go to bed too. My mind is swimming with everything you've told me. Goodnight, Damon."
Marshal Saltzman, U.S. Marshal's Office:
Having talked to the Detectives that worked his case for the Chicago police department, we start interviewing some of Dr. Salvatore's friends and acquaintances to see if we can learn anything aside from what's in the police reports.
"We have Dr. Stefan Lang. He's a vascular surgeon. I understand from some of my interviews with his colleagues, that Dr. Lang had an eye for Mrs. Salvatore. No one would confirm or deny there was something between the two of them though," Bonnie mentions, her eyes glued to the file.
"Ric, there's also a Dr. Caroline Forbes. She's a pathologist, works in the lab. Word is she and Salvatore are close friends but nothing more," Matt informs the group.
"What do we know about Mrs. Salvatore's private life? Her husband denied being intimate with her in the months before her death. She was pregnant at the time of the murder. Let's see if we can find out who her lover was. Dr. Salvatore was tried and convicted. Our first priority is to find him. If during the course of this investigation, we find something to exonerate him, so be it. But right now, we have to find him. Do I make myself clear?"
Eyeing my team, I toss the file onto the table, "Hop to it!"
Damon:
We holed up in that little motel for three days before spending another day on the road making our way back toward Chicago.
Talk about walking into the lion's den! We'll never find Katherine's killer though without walking into the belly of the beast as it were. Elena found us a little dive on the outskirts of the city to lay low in. Knowing we need to find some cash, I called my attorney which got me nowhere. I should've known he wouldn't help. All he did was tell me to turn myself in. I set out to see if I could get some cash for us. It's a beautiful day. More likely than not, my buddy Stefan will be at his country club spending the day on the links. Hopefully he'll give me a few dollars.
As luck would have it, I see him jump into his car and pull away. When he pulls up at the stop sign, I run over and knock on his window. His eyes widen when he looks up at me.
Rolling down the window, he's clearly stunned. "Oh dear Lord, Damon?"
"How are you doing, Stefan?"
"You're alive?"
"Yeah I am. And I need your help."
" Anything."
"I need some money. Whatever you have on you," I ask, looking around, hoping I'm not drawing attention to us.
Reaching into his pocket, he hands me a wad of cash.
"Tell me where you're staying. I'll get you some more cash. Some clothes, just tell me," he says with concern.
"Thanks, Stefan. I'll call you." I look around again only to see a police car turn onto the road.
"I've got to get out of here."
"Wait, Damon. I know why you came back. It's to look for 'him' isn't it? If I can help, call me. Call me," Stefan says holding eye contact with me for a few seconds.
I look up and see the traffic light turn to green.
"Thanks, Stefan."
"Here, take my coat," he says, shoving it through the car window.
Suddenly a cop's siren demands our attention. It slows down and pulls up next to Stefan. My eyes widen in fear when he steps out of his squad car.
Hope you're enjoying how the story is unfolding. Let me know what you think. Hit those review and follow buttons. Thank you for all of your follows, favorites and especially those of you who taken that extra moment to leave me a review. Tune in next chapter to see if the cop means business...