With Luka and Ric in tow, Damon trots down the stairs to the main club area. With singular purpose, he waves and skirts through the sparse crowd till he approaches the exit. As soon as Kol lets them out with an insolent twinkle in his eye, Damon heads straight for his car. After they jump inside, Damon puts the key in the ignition. Feeling eyes drilling into him, Damon turns, noticing Ric's subtle grin.
"What?" he gives a bark.
"Nothing," Ric smirks.
"Bull shit!"
"That went well," he laughs, irking Damon further. "I thought you were going to have Luka do the questioning?"
Damon looks at him for a moment then rolls his eyes and starts the car, his posture visibly relaxing as he drives. When Ric finds his electric bill stuck between the passenger seat and the center counsel, he makes a quick detour so he can drop it off.
Once they're back in the office, Damon goes straight to his computer. His fingers skirt across the keyboard before he pauses to look at Luka. "Find everything we have on Vicky Donovan, she's used to work at the Jungle, one of their more well known hostesses. If I'm not mistaken, she was featured in a couple of television ads for the place. I want to know everything there is to know about her. Just by looking at this," he motions to his monitor, "the girl had a record, let's see what it says."
Luka nods and hurries to the basement, where the voluminous archives are placed. The department is in the process of scanning records to their computer system but in case of a power outage or EMP attack, the commissioner wants to keep the paper ones on sight for now. Damon gets up to start the coffeemaker.
While it's brewing, he looks out the window at the mountains that frame the horizon. With their glistening white caps, like something out of a Currier and Ives painting, the mountain range lays like slumbering giants beneath thick blankets of white. Sheer rock faces strike down from their snowy peaks while the bases are softened by acres of pine trees. When they're less swamped at work, he's going to have to ask his dad about taking a hike, maybe spend a weekend camping? Nature is where he decompresses when the stress of his job weighs heavily, like now.
After filling two coffee cups to the brim, he sits down across from Ric, handing one to him.
"Now, why don't you tell me what you're thinking?"
Ric takes a moment to sort out his thoughts, then slowly nods. "Their clique, it hasn't changed much... if at all. They're still a tight knit group, it's almost unreal you know? If there are inner squabbles amongst them, they brush it aside so they can present a united front against anything or anyone that may pose a threat."
Damon can't disagree, what they witnessed was an unbreakable wall of very powerful people... people that they would do well to think twice about before crossing their paths. "I'm not quite sure what their agenda is, their behavior is mysterious and suspect really... yet it might be completely innocent too. Although I must say, "innocent" is the last word that comes to my mind when I think of that cast of characters. But that doesn't necessarily mean they're involved in the murder... or that it even equates to guilt."
"But you think they are?" it's more a statement than question.
Damon shakes his head. "I can't seem to shake the feeling that this was personal. I know the most logical theory would be that his shady deals and wronged business partners caught up with him. Jeremy ran around with some pretty tough character. Doesn't it seem like that to you too...? I mean, the fact that his body was found at a house that was once part of the Gilbert conglomerate, Jeremy lived there for awhile. His disappearance was reported by a girl from the club instead of his sister? I always thought that was kind of hinky. On top of that, Miss Gilbert's reaction, or lack there of I should say, has always been odd. Everything seems to indicate that this is all interrelated. I'm just not sure which of them is actually the kingpin of their strange alliance."
"I know what you mean. She's surrounded by some really peculiar, almost dark characters. The lawyer, Mikaelson, clearly has pull, she trusts him, listens to him. Kai's head is so big I'm surprised he can fit through a door. I can't for the life of me understand that guy's ego."
Ric pauses to take a sip of coffee before continuing, "And then there's Enzo... he presents himself as a loyal cohort but he doesn't hesitate to speak his mind if there's something he wants to say. The younger Mikaelson, Kol... I personally wouldn't write him off either. Maybe he's her lover? We don't know what kind of guy turns her on. Being her boy toy would certainly afford him a degree of self-assurance. On the other hand he handles his temper well, he's not just a pretty face."
Damon rolls his eyes. "What? Why are we discussing Miss Gilbert's love life?"
Ric gives him a grin. "I don't know, maybe because you asked about who's in charge? It may be important who entertains her in b..."
Damon has no idea what led Ric in this direction of their conversation. "Can you stop please? We're talking about murder here."
"What... You don't want to consider that her love life may have had something to do with it?" he adds, raising an eyebrow, knowing that he scored a point.
Damon's stunned by his innuendo.
Is he implying that somehow it's important to him who Elena Gilbert might be sleeping with...?"
Before he can ask, Luka's back carrying a large box, all of it related to the Vicky Donovan case.
"All of that evidence is related to a simple overdose?" Ric wonders, taking the box from Luka. "I think you have some homework to do," he pats the boy's shoulder and gets up. "Now gentlemen, what should we have for lunch?"
"Lunch?" Elijah asks, tipping his head just slightly.
"Of course."
Elena's been staring into nothingness since the detectives left, a frisson of dread slowly creeps its way into her being. Touching the glass, she takes a deep breath and turns around to face him.
Elijah finishes dealing with some important business that she needed to have taken care of. While she was deep in thought, he kept busy. As they have many, many times, they share her office in the comfortable silence.
He knows her well enough to sense her uneasiness and tries to reassure her. "Elena, trust me, everything is going to be alright. They can sniff around all they want but there's nothing for them to find. They'll probably try to scare you too but you have to know that I won't let anything happen to you. Let me deal with them, okay? Don't let them rile you up. And most importantly, don't talk to them without me being present. You know that I'm only a phone call away, right?"
"Yes, thank you, Elijah," she squeezes his hand. "Where do you want to go?"
"What sounds good to you, my dear? I'm okay with whatever you choose."
"Surprise me," she gives him a smile that is finally genuine. "Not here though. Somewhere quiet."
"You bet," Elijah teases and quickly makes some arrangement over the phone before he follows her outside.
"Enzo? We're going out for lunch, you can call me if necessary, I'll probably be back around 4 pm."
Enzo nods without raising his head in their direction, deeply immersed in his own business.
They wave at Kol on the way out and then Elijah leads her to his car. Elena breathes a sigh of relief when she can feel the light touch of a warm summer breeze, she couldn't breathe inside the club since the detectives told her about...
A gentle hand takes her under her elbow and leads her inside.
She looks at the marquee, Peg's Ham n Eggs. "I don't think I've ever been here."
"It's quiet, the food is out of this world."
Elena nods, giving him a smile. He doesn't add anything and Elena thinks she's lucky to have people who understand and don't try to change her. Once inside, Elijah steps aside and lets her slide in the booth first. The place is set up almost like an old fashioned diner. The décor is down to earth, blue upholstery on the booth chairs, scenic pictures on the walls and there's a long counter top with tall chairs for customers, much like one would find at a 1950's soda fountain.
"Now spill, Elena... I'm not here to judge, you know I would never do that. Or if you'd rather not right now, it's fine too."
"I know," she smiles gratefully. "It's nothing in particular. And it's not bad. I just... Do you think I'm supposed to do what I'm doing, I mean running a nightclub?"
"Why the self doubt?"
"I don't know, maybe because he's back," she adds, taking a long pull from her coffee cup.
"Elena, look at the success you've achieved. It's a multimillion dollar business. You're a strong and powerful woman but you're also kind and care about your employees. But if you ever feel like you're missing out on something, you want to try something new, don't hesitate to go for it. Follow your instincts, they've been pretty damn on the mark so far."
"Thank you Elijah."
"You're welcome, just remember that we're all here to help you, so don't worry alright?" he repeats, winking at her which earns him a smile.
"I'll try not to but there's one thing I can say with certainty, I'm not about to let that sneaky cop ruin what it's taken me years to build."
Arms deep in the Vicky Donovan files, Damon meticulously goes over each and every report. Since they've been at this most of the day, Damon sets down the file and rubs his eyes. Although his belly is roiling from too much caffeine already, he stands up, stretches and then pours himself another cup. He stares at it for several minutes before dropping it in the waste basket. Instead he walks out of the room to find a couple bottles of water.
Upon his return, he hands one to Luka. He nods and then drops his eyes to the pages again. "So, Elena and Jeremy are half siblings through her mother. But he does... or I guess did carry the family name?" Luka looks at Damon over the mountain of documents, pictures, tapes and reports. They've been going through the original case for past three days while evidence related to Jeremy's case is being processed. Ric absence is felt, he's currently working on the other case. Damon encourages Luka to ask anything that comes to mind.
It's not just for your benefit, Luka. You're looking through this stuff with a fresh set of eyes, you may spot something that I and perhaps both Ric and I somehow missed. I've been through Jeremy's file more times than I can count... maybe you'll pick up on something that I inadvertently overlooked. Contrary to popular belief, I am not infallible," he adds, raising a teasing eyebrow.
But seriously, Luka, maybe you'll point out something that escaped me," he explained all this to his young protégé the day after he retrieved Vicky Donovan's files for their perusal. Although there's nothing concrete, it practically screams a connection to the Gilbert murder. All the same people from his case are mentioned in both sets of files. Wh
When she disappeared while on duty one afternoon, St. John scoured the casino till he found her cold and dead in one of the employee lounges. Damon has to wonder why her body was already in a state of rigor mortis before she was located. The Jungle has hundreds of employees, their lounge has to be a busy place at any hour of the day and yet...
Not to be overlooked is also the fact that Elena's low life lawyer rushed over to the place, somehow managed to arrive at the same time as the police. His brother Kol stayed inside the room with the remains, his explanation being that he was guarding it till the cops took over. In his rather smug demeanor, he said he was trying to prevent any evidence from being tampered with. But what if Kol himself tampered with it?
If it looks and smells like bullshit, it is bullshit. Despite all their hard work, they never found anything to prove a conspiracy. As for Parker's role in all of it, he took Miss Gilbert home almost immediately which was either irresponsible or an attempt to provide cover... It's her business, why did she leave so abruptly? As it turned out, not one of them was able to give their investigators even a shred of credible evidence or useful information. It seemed then as it seems now, much too coincidental.
"Yes," Damon answers without looking at him. "From what I know, Jeremy's biological father was never in the picture. Grayson Gilbert adopted him at an early age. We have no idea when he learned that Gray wasn't his real father. It must have come as a shock when his younger sister was bequeathed everything after their parents' death."
"Sir?"
Damon gives him a look.
"Damon?" Luka corrects himself and they both chuckle.
"Every parcel of Gilbert property and most of the money went to Elena. Jeremy got a monthly stipend and a house which he soon sold. Instead he moved into the house next to the club, the very same one where his remains were found. I know for a fact that the siblings stayed in contact with each other. He often went to the club, occasionally causing trouble, so much so that he was kicked out, even had the police called a few times. There were several reports in his file," he gestures his hand.
"It's just a hunch but I can't help but wonder if maybe Vicky and Jeremy had a thing. When those incidents at the club took place, there was really no crime committed, just disturbing the peace so there was no reason to dig any deeper but I can't shake the feeling that somehow Jeremy and Elena's relationship might be crucial to get to the root of it..."
Luka seems to be in thoughts for a moment. "You think... it was her?"
Damon considers his answer. "There's more than one person in her circle that might be loyal enough to do it for her?" he suggests eventually. He can't imagine how a petite little woman like Elena could manhandle her older, muscular brother and then dispose of his body. Having read through the police reports, he's certain that the siblings relationship was contentious at best. He can't shake the feeling that it likely played a role in Jeremy's fatal downfall.
"Who gets Jeremy's stipend now? Did he have any kids or would it revert back to Elena since she's his only relative, at least that we're aware of?"
"That, Luka, is a very good question," he appreciates Luka's diligence. "We'll have to ask Miss Gilbert about that."
Turning away from her computer, Elena starts to rub her temples when she feels the beginnings of a headache coming on. Whether it's a sinus headache or she's catching a cold, she doesn't know?
Blowing out a breath of warm air, she drops her head on the desktop for a few minutes. That doesn't help either so she sits up and pinches the bridge of her nose softly, hoping that something will help. When all else fails, she rolls her eyes and calls for her trusted and always reliable assistant slash friend. Usually he has some concoction that will take care of the problem.
"Enzo?"
Bonnie peeps into her office. "Did you need something?" she gives Elena a smile.
"Oh, Bonnie, hi, where is Enzo?"
"He'll be back soon enough, is there anything I can do?"
"I have a headache. Do you know...?"
"Of course," Bonnie disappears in Enzo's office.
Elena closes her eyes for a moment but snaps them open when Bonnie returns in no time carrying a fresh bottle of cold water and aspirin.
"Why don't you keep a bottle in your desk drawer or in you bag? You always have headaches."
"That's not quite true. But yes, I probably get them more than the average joe... this job carries a lot of stress and responsibility. People depend on me. And to answer your question, it's not something I think about everyday. I always hope that I can manage without medication but sometimes it's just not possible. But I will take your advice and pick up a bottle next time I go to the drugstore."
Bonnie rolls her eyes, trying to keep the smile off of her face. "As if you needed another excuse to call Enzo to your side."
Elena chuckles, smiling back at her but it doesn't reach her eyes. "Kai says it's a karma."
"Really? Oh, Elena, I don't believe that. If such a thing as karma does exist, Kai would be the first one punished by it," Bonnie retorts cheerfully.
Elena laughs, this time genuinely. "I suppose you're right. Will you hit the lights on your way out, I'm going to lay down on the couch until the Aspirin starts to work. But don't hesitate to interrupt if something comes up, okay?"
"Of course, Elena. We've know each other for a few years now, I know when and when not to bother you. Now get some rest," Bonnie gives her short nod and leaves the room, closing the office door behind her.
Having successfully navigated his way inside the club without anyone significant noticing, Damon congratulates himself. He keeps to the darker corners and loses himself amongst a crowd of people, even going so far as to pull a sultry redhead onto the dance floor when he happens to notice Enzo lurking around, his eyes peeled on the alert for anything and everything that may occur.
Truth to be told Damon can't believe his luck that he didn't attract anyone's attention. Elena's head of security is lurking around here somewhere, he knows that with absolute certainty.
Luckily for him, Kol must be tied up with something, Damon doesn't recognize the guy at the door. He mingles with other guests, nonchalantly looking around for his rookie. He supposes or at least hopes that Luka was similarly successful. He would have an easier time of it because none of the Jungle's employees, Kol and Enzo specifically don't know him from Adam.
If Damon wanted to cause trouble for the club, for her, there are several small things he could point at. The girl swaying her hips at the bar is a little too obvious. He's almost sure that if he played with the bartender a bit, he might get a little something of the illegal variety in return... But if he were to stir up trouble, it would make it that much more difficult to prove any connection to the club... No, he's after a much bigger fish... Jeremy's killer.
Where the hell is Luka? He needs him to watch his back while he tries to sneak into Elena's office.
In the main bar area, he catches a glimpse of Parker. In doing his research, Damon knows that his job is to manage the gambling areas. Although it seems to be a representative role, maybe one to keep him out of Elena's hair, he's sure Kai keeps everyone in that room on his radar. He slowly backs off before Kai notices him and...
"Luka! Where have you been?" he hisses.
"Sorry chief, I found a back way to the office that isn't fortified with security."
"Great work," Damon appreciates his young protege. Since he knows their time will be very limited, he gestures for Luka to quickly lead the way. It's time for them to get better acquainted with the queen bee herself, Elena Gilbert...
Eva and I want to thank you all so very much. I know I say it repeatedly but it's the truth, you're all the best of the DE fandom. I will repeat that this story is very slow burn, I suspect it'll be around 40 chapters by the time we finish writing it.
Thank you Eva. I love you dearly.
Chapter title: 'Human Zoo' by Bret Michaels.
Many dear friends have DE stories in progress: They're all very talented writers. Florencia7: A Thousand Miles & a Hundred Years. It's about when Damon imagined Elena in s8 while under Sybil's control, his mind takes him to S1 Elena. Justinia Korax: The Things She Felt When He Was Gone' is a BRILLIANT rewrite of S3. Salvatoreboys4ever: Captive of Her Beauty. Mariah April May: The Devil's Obsession and Marry Me Instead. VitsAsh: Stumbling Upon. Starlight So: All Through the Night. Short on words: Scars Beneath the Surface and A Wonderful Lie. TheLittle MissVixen: Come What May and What Might Have Been: Amazing Aisha: Marriage Built on Lies and Changing Fate. Foreverfirstloves just posted a new story: All is Fair. These wonderful ladies are among many others who are keeping the DE legend alive and prospering.
Have a safe and wonderful weekend and thank you all again.