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~Chapter Twelve~


The lights go down
And the clouds are building outside.
You close the door and turn the key,
But there's no place to hide.

~Better than Ezra, The Killer Inside~


As I predicted, the interior of the Parker's home is as peculiar as the outside. Not in a zany or colorful way, but a in a strange one. It makes me uncomfortable—it has all the normal fixtures of a home where teenagers live—sneakers strewn in a haphazard pile by the door, a coat slung over the banister, cups without coasters sitting out on wooden tables, summer reading assignments scattered in various places.

But… it doesn't really feel like multiple people reside here. On the wall leading to the family room, there is a huge (seriously—it's freaking gigantic) display of what I assume are family portraits. A couple in their late thirties with a set of dark-haired twins (that can't be any older than eight) and two babies that look to be only a few months old. The next image shows a recent snapshot of Kai, and a long-haired girl that must be his sister. Then, beside it, there is an identical photo of a pair of blonde-haired preteens.

"Siblings…" Kai explains when he catches me staring at the wall. "They're such a pain in the ass… am I right?"

"I wouldn't know—I'm an only child." I don't look away from my focal point, don't meet Kai's eyes.

"Lucky you," he says in that odd joking-yet-serious tone he greeted me with. "It's a nightmare."

"It is?"

He rolls his eyes dramatically—a run-of-the-mill reaction for an eighteen-year-old who has two sisters and a considerably younger brother. "It's a fucking nightmare… you can't get a single second of peace and quiet. It makes me want to rip their tongues out."

That comment brings me back to reality. "Excuse me?"

"Chill out, Bonnie—it was a joke! Don't you have a sense of humor?" Kai laughs so hard that I don't know if he is able to stop.

Also, that kind of response is something that I've come to expect… just not from a young man I met moments ago. And not at all as dark—because even Damon Salvatore has his limits… well, I helped him establish them, but even he cared more than this before I got to know him.

"I'm sorry but considering I'm here to talk about a murder case, maybe the morbid jokes should be kept to a minimum."

"Of course! Where are my manners? I apologize for my misguided attempt at lightening the mood… it's just been so awful since Anna passed away. I've been trying to make things less macabre—it's a terrible coping tactic. My bad."

"I understand," but of course I don't, I simply need him to cooperate.

And the quicker I can do that, the faster I can get out of this place.

It's giving off some seriously creepy vibes.

"Please, Bonnie, follow me. We can talk in here."

He leads me into the main room. It's silent in an eerie manner. It's weird—everything looks as if it hasn't been disturbed but the various items lying on the floor and coffee table tell a much different story.

The couch is a brilliant white color—the exact opposite of a sensible décor choice when you have kids. And it has the appearance of never being sat upon. But another jacket lies across the arm—a pink hoodie with the name of some teen soap opera written on the back. A lacrosse stick is propped against the large bay window, and a sweatshirt with the name Kol stitched on it is hanging from it.

It reminds me of the many photographs of a staged crime scene, however, there isn't any evidence that suggests something bad happened here… it's just on of those so-called Bennett hunches, I guess.

Kai offers me a seat on one of the pristine couch cushions. I almost don't want to sit down for fear I might destroy it somehow. I do, though. Gingerly, brushing invisible pieces of lint from my skirt.

"Don't be shy, Bonnie. I'm happy that you want me to talk about this… Jeremy's one of my best friends. There's no way he would've killed Anna. He loved her."

I really don't like how my first name rolls off his tongue so easily. I have to fight the urge to correct him. You can call me, Miss Bennett, I want to say, but then I'd run the risk of Kai not being as comfortable talking to me—people tend to clam up when met with formality.

So, I bite my tongue. Literally, so hard that the taste of copper fills my mouth. "… I agree. Can you tell me what you remember about that night… about Jeremy's behavior?"

"Yeah—would you like me to get you something to drink?"

"No!" I say reflexively, and then, in a calmer tone, "I'm fine—I'm not thirsty. But thank you for the offer.

Kai just smiles back at me.

Then, he sits down next to me, angling his body in my direction. We aren't that close to one another—in fact, there's probably enough room for four people to fit comfortably, but I want to shrink back anyway.

"So…"

"You want to know about Jeremy and Anna."

I nod. "Maybe tell me about their relationship first, then you can talk about everything that happened after."

"After she was killed?"

"Yes—that way, I'll have a linear timeline."

"Right. Linear storytelling makes the most sense."

"This isn't a story—it isn't made up. Anna really died; Jeremy is accused of perpetrating it… it isn't something to take lightly." I deadpan.

Kai looks at me, expression serious. "I know—it's awful. I don't need a reminder. Anna was my friend, too."

"I'm sorry for your loss." But I wonder how much of his claim is based upon truth. From everything I've gathered, Kai has only been mentioned in relation to Jeremy. I've yet to encounter a person that said anything about Kai and Anna being close friends.

But… maybe there are some parallels I should consider.

"Thank you—that's very kind of you."

"You're welcome."

"So… you want to know about when Jer and Anna started dating…"

I nod once more, taking my notebook and pen from my bag.

"It started at the end of their freshman year…"

Jeremy was a lovesick puppy—he constantly followed Anna Zhu around. He'd wait by her locker in-between classes, eat lunch with her every day, and walk her home when school let out. It was clear to everyone who spent their days at Mystic Falls High—teachers, students, office personnel, and overbearing parents who loved to volunteer—that the younger Gilbert had it bad for the student body president.

And she acted like she felt the same.

She'd post pictures of them online, bring him freshly baked cookies on a weekly basis, and kiss him on the cheek when they parted ways, leaving a bubblegum pink smudge on his face in the process.

They were the perfect pair—much like his older sister and her high school boyfriend, who were still experiencing newlywed bliss, as Jeremy so often put it when he was asked about his family. At this point, he said with a groan, it was fucking annoying.

And no one doubted him—the fervor in his words made the truth obvious.

He was fed up with Elena and her picture-perfect life.

Anna told her closest friend, Marla, that Jeremy was second-best when it came to his standing with his mother and father. Elena was the golden child. Jeremy… well, he was just a child in their eyes. A screw-up, an immature teenager who cared more about getting laid and doing drugs behind the school to amount to much of anything.

That's what he told his girlfriend, at least. And with Elena's name still being thrown the hallways long after she had graduated, there was no reason to question that either.

So, Anna showered him with even more affection, always putting little notes in his bookbag when he wasn't looking, giving him charms from her expensive, silver bracelet, which he would attach to his lanyard and wear around his neck…

It was fucking cute.

And everyone was beginning to think that they'd be like Matt and Elena—dating for the majority of their high school careers before marrying in a lavish ceremony that her best friend—an esteemed prosecutor, one of the only people from Mystic Falls to attend an Ivy League college—came home to attend (which ended up being a longer trip than Jeremy thought it would be.

The thing about teenage boys, though, at least the ones Jeremy hung around with, were sex crazed. It was all they talked about, and Jeremy couldn't escape the ridicule that they dished out whenever the topic of his virginity came up.

Which was often—and it was that way far before he began dating Anna. The kind of guys Jer chose to spend time with were the ones everyone warned you about before you watched an after school special. His other friends—the ones he had in middle school—didn't get it.

They knew Jeremy Gilbert since he was seven years old—he didn't start seeking the approval of the popular crowd until midway through his freshman year, after he recovered from a nasty accident that landed him in the hospital.

He changed, then.

But everyone ended up attributing it to the lingering effects he said he felt—chronic pain was a bitch.

And his peers seemed to get it.

Well… they did up until the present.

Current circumstances made people second-guess it all, but that was par for the course.

He and Anna were fine, though. No one saw the little cracks that formed below the surface. Cracks that had very little to do with Anna or his feelings for her, but his even darker outlook on life.

He began drinking more, openly bragged about his sex life (something he kept under wraps until then, even with the teasing), and acted belligerently to his parents and teachers.

Still, nobody predicted his life would take a turn like this.

Now… the residents of Mystic Falls thought back and wondered… slowly, but surely, condemning the teen for his every action and reaction.

They were just waiting on the trial to tell them they were right… that Jeremy did kill Anna… and justice would be served.

The fact that the wrong person could be convicted of first-degree murder didn't matter.

The lines of right, iffy, and wrong blurred until it was one giant mess. Things only became more confusing when his representation showed up. Was he guilty? Or falsely accused? Guilty of being a douchebag or a psychopath?

Was he both?

Only time would tell, but rest assured, every person who lived in this tiny Virginia town was keeping abreast of the news. They would find out the verdict along with the attendees, lawyers, judge, courtroom personnel, and family members.

And then… then it would be over and the whole town could go back to acting like nothing bad or violent ever happened.

Because ignorance is bliss.

That was one thing everyone agreed upon.

I sit back and look at my notes. I scribbled so many things—mostly exclamation points and asterisks—that I will have to re-write them later this evening.

But the facts and discrepancies of this horrible tragedy are beginning to take shape and that fuels my hope. Some things I knew already, some information was brand-new, but I can use it all.

The case I'm building against the prosecution may pack more of a punch than I first guessed it would. Maybe… maybe I gained some ground today. Damon chastised me for working on what is usually everyone's day off, but I accomplished so much today… in, I glance at the wall clock hanging just above Kai's head, two hours.

Suck it, Salvatore, I think smugly. This visit is far from the useless waste of time he told me it would be. I can't wait to brag about it.

I force the giddy, arrogant thoughts to the back of my mind and meet Kai's dark eyes. I can't quite figure out what he personally thinks. Other than that, one remark he made about Jer being innocent, he is a hard person to read. Useful, yet difficult.

The unsettling feeling creeps up on me again, this time with more prevalence. I will probably find myself back here, seeking more valuable information, but I feel my flight or fight instincts are kicking in. I attribute most of my reaction to having to do with wading through the complicated emotions that come with the territory of life and death.

And not the distant, faraway look in Kai's eyes.

"Thank you, Kai. You were really helpful."

He smiles at me again. "Any time, Bonnie. I'll tell you anything you need to know."

"I'm glad I can count on you," I answer robotically, packing my things up and checking my phone.

One new message from: My Favorite Jerk

I try to suppress the happiness I experience from reading that notification. I really need to stop getting carried away whenever Damon comes to mind, whether it's from my own line of thought or something he says and/or does.

It's a distraction.

"Well, I really should be going…"

"Right…" he grabs a scrap of paper siticking out of the pocket of the pink hoodie. He jots something down and passes it to me. "In case you have any other questions…"

"Right, well… thank you." I fold it in half, fully intending on throwing it away as soon as I make it far enough away that Kai won't see me do it. "Have a good night!"

"Let me walk you to the door."

I move as quickly as I can manage to the foyer, always staying at least to steps ahead of him, just out of his reach.

I practically lunge for the door, grabbing the handle and pulling it open.

"Bye!" I call, not bothering to look back. I put the paper he gave me in my bag—I can feel him watching me from the doorway—and rush over to my car, locking the door and driving to another street entirely to answer Damon's message.

It's only three words:

Movie date tonight?

Yes, I type back, how's eight sound?

Great, he fires back a moment later. Bring the booze. I've got the snacks.

You mean it this time?

Yes.

Fine. What movie are we watching?

You know the answer already.

The Bodyguard.

Duh.

I knew you loved it!

Yeah… I've got a thing for Kevin Costner.

Can't you just outright admit you like something you pretended to hate for years?

That would make things too easy…

Can't have that, can we?

Of course not.