Who Shot the Bitch Troll?
Chapter 2
Clark
The more that I learn about Elena Lincoln's personal life, the less I want to know. No sooner than I had gotten back to my desk in the station, than I got a call from the CSI unit still gong through her house.
"Clark," says the lead investigator. "You gotta get back here to see what we found in the basement. This broad was one twisted bitch. You are not going to believe this."
"Oh fucking hell, was is it?" I answer. "Is it really worth the drive back?"
"I think so, just because there is no way that you are going to believe it when I tell you. She's got this whole medieval torture set up down there," he replies. "I've never seen anything like it. No wonder that kid Isaac is so fucked up."
"What?!" I yell.
"One of my people was suspicious when she went through her clothing and found all of this black leather gear," he explains. "I mean, the lady doesn't own a single article of clothing that's not black. But between the clothes and the basement, it is pretty obvious that Mrs. Elena Lincoln was some kind of Dominatrix."
"Huh?" I say, stunned. I mean I know what he's talking about, but this crime just keeps getting more and more fucked up.
"It's my guess that little Isaac was her submissive," he says. "I mean, he was wearing a dog collar, wasn't he?"
"Yeah," I say slowly.
"Between that and the couple of slips where he called her 'mistress,'" he continues. "That is the only thing that makes sense. Especially since there's not a whole hell of a lot here that makes sense any other kind of sense. I mean, we finally got into the safe and it was loaded with cash and jewelry. Our guys are still going through it. This was definitely not a robbery. Maybe she pissed another one of these loony perverts off so much that he bumped her off."
I rub my eyes. I can't believe what I am hearing. This means that Mrs. Lincoln was living a double life. Considering how much shit she had going on in her first life, I don't even want to think about a second. Especially since her second life appears to have been in the whole shady BDSM culture. Just when I thought that I was going to be able to avoid any more contact with that moron Isaac, it turns out that he may be the key to the whole fucking thing.
"Fuck!" is all I can say to the CSI guy. "Keep looking around, there's got to be something else."
I slam down the phone and put my head in hands. I've seen weird before, but this definitely tops the list.
Now one of the forensic auditors is standing in front of my desk.
"Clark," he says. "I have some information for you on the Lincoln case."
"Of course you do," I reply, wondering what the next bucket of shit is coming my way. "Give it to me straight."
"Up until about five months ago or so, Christian Grey was a silent partner in the Esclava beauty salon chain. He gave her the start up money six years ago, after her divorce. When he sold out back in June, he basically gifted the whole thing to her. He left her sitting pretty after he pulled out, but she did go through a few rough times."
"Explain," I say curtly.
"Well, shortly after he pulled out, the clientele took a dip," he says. "Now our people have talked to some of the employees and apparently at that time Grey's mother and sister began to bad mouth the salons. She lost a good chunk of her customers, but apparently the place is the best in the city. Other ladies, not in the Greys' social circle have filled in the gap. Things have picked up since, but she did go through a bad stretch."
"Well, it sounds like the employees could have been gossiping," I reply. "People do that, you know. How do we know that their word is legit?"
"We don't," he answers bluntly. "But where there's smoke there's fire. Now we've been through all the business records that we picked up at the salons and we got everything related to the partnership from Grey's office. Everything is perfectly in order."
"You didn't have any issues with Grey?" I ask. "Getting the records? That guy is a real prick."
"Nope," he says. "But Grey's got nothing to hide. No one ever saw Mrs. Lincoln at Grey House, but then his second-in-command, some butch broad named Ros, told us that many of his smaller partners don't ever come by. A lot of the small deals like this one are handled by the accountants and lawyers, or herself. She's a character. She referred to herself as Grey's shit filter."
"Did you talk to Grey?" I ask. Shit filter, what will they think of next.
"There wasn't any need to," he shrugs. "We were in there to run down any information that we could find on the partnership. We got what we needed and left."
"Thanks," I mumble to him and he leaves. It sounds like things went down pretty damn smoothly at Grey House. Maybe just a little too smoothly.
I stare at the stuff on my desk and pull out a yellow legal pad. I decide to try and get a picture of what we have. In the middle, I write the name "Elena Lincoln." Then, around her name, I write "Isaac Burns/BDSM," "Linc/ex-husband," "Christian Grey/ex-partner," "Grey's mother and sister/ex-friends," and finally "beauty salons." This lady had a complicated life. The business end may be squeaky clean, but the BDSM angle is definitely a possibility.
I'm still waiting to hear about the autopsy. I would like to know what kind of gun was used and whether or not they can tell if she knew the shooter. One thing has become crystal clear, however. The motive was personal.
And since you can't get any more personal than an ex-spouse, that's where I'm going to start. Initial investigations have shown that Mr. Lincoln was in town the night of the murder. The statement that Isaac gave that he beat the shit out of his ex-wife when he found her cheating on him was accurate. But there are a couple of strange things about that.
The first is that there is no mention of who the man was that she was cheating with. Isaac claims that he doesn't know and since it seems that he doesn't know much, except what Mrs. Lincoln has told him, I gather that he is telling the truth. The second, is that despite her extensive injuries, injuries so bad that they required hospitalization, Mrs. Lincoln never pressed charges.
She also let her husband divorce her with a very small settlement, compared to what she could have gotten. There was no pre-nup in place and this guy was one of the biggest timber companies in the Northwest. That is until a recent hostile take over that bankrupted him. However, there is no clear record who was behind that. Although, whoever it was made a tidy profit.
My first stop tomorrow will be to interview Mr. Lincoln with regards to this case, although I can see no motive as of now. If he wanted her dead, he could have done it long ago. With any luck, he might shed some light on his ex-wife's secret life. At any rate, it's better than trying to deal with the Greys. I look back at my chart. Yeah, that's what I'll do. Lincoln doesn't seem to be related to any of the other lines of inquiry, but who knows what a good old-fashioned interview may turn. And I do like to take a personal approach in these things.
Grace
It's been two days since the news of Elena's murder, but the revelations on this morning's news are utterly outrageous. If I hadn't seen the pictures of her basement for myself, I would not have believed it. And it turns out that this "boyfriend" Isaac was actually a submissive, complete with dog collar!
The story is beyond sordid. Who would ever have thought that the cool and elegant Elena Lincoln was secretly leading the life of a Dominatrix? I mean she was always a very powerful personality, but a sexual pervert? I am still in the state of shock.
Since Carrick had a stern word with her, Mia has tempered her response to the murder. I can hear her pounding down the stairs and prepare myself for the onslaught. No doubt, she has just heard the recent news about Elena for herself. As she enters the room, I give her a sharp look, so she stops and takes a deep breath before she speaks.
"Have you heard the latest news about Elena?" she asks. Carrick has forbidden her from calling her the "Bitch Troll" anymore.
"Yes, I have," I reply.
"Pretty sick stuff, huh?" she says.
"Obviously," I comment. "It's amazing how little you can know about someone."
"Mom," she says, hesitantly. "Do you think that she and Christian . . ."
She can't finish her question. Naturally, I have the same question myself, but short of asking Christian point blank, I know that he won't say anything.
"I'm afraid that we won't know that unless Christian decides to tell us," I answer honestly. "And I think that the chances of that happening are very small. Christian is a very private person and he knows that it would upset us."
Mia doesn't like this response. She is a very curious person by nature and it goes without saying that she has always been a nosy little sister. But it's time for her to grow up. If she begins digging around in areas of his life where Christian doesn't want her, he is going to get very mad at her.
"Mom," she says. "Isn't there anything that we can do, you know, to help?"
I shake my head.
"It's better if we just stay out of it," I reply. "Unless we are brought into it."
"Why would we be brought into it?" she asks.
"Mia, you and I did a very good job of convincing about one third of her client base to stop patronizing her salons," I answer. "And we have cut all social ties. I have actively worked to eliminate her from many guest lists of various charity functions. Your father thinks that at some point, the police will come around looking to ask us questions."
Mia's eyes grow wide.
"Nobody would think that I could have killed her?" she asks. "Could they?"
"Mia, anyone who knows you even superficially, would ever think that you are capable of carrying out such a complex crime," I reply. However, whoever did kill her no doubt had a personal grudge. Your father wants you to be sure to call him if the police approach you for an interview. You have every right to talk to them with a lawyer present."
"Why would I need a lawyer?"
"Mia," I say patiently. "You have a very impulsive tongue and have a tendency ramble on without giving any thought to what you are saying. The purpose of a lawyer would be to rein you in."
"But won't that make the police think that I am guilty?" she asks.
"People have lawyers present when the police question them all the time," I answer. "Your father is a lawyer. I am sure that any investigator will be expecting you to have a lawyer present."
"Oh," she says thoughtfully. "Are you going to have a lawyer present if they want to talk to you?"
"Of course, I will," I respond. "I have nothing to hide, but a lawyer will know whether I am being asked a question that might give them a lead in another direction."
"Okay," she says. "I'll do things Dad's way. I know that I say stupid things sometimes, especially when I lose my temper. I'm going shopping."
"Well that's a quick change of topic," I smile.
"Yeah," she agrees. "But I need to relieve a little stress and nothing does that as well as spending a little money. Do you want to come?"
"I have to go to work," I say.
"You know," she says. "Every time that I want to do something people keep telling,e that they have to work."
"Maybe you should get a job," I suggest.
"I'm starting school in January," she says, as she makes a face.
"Ana worked and went to school at the same time for four years," I remind her gently.
"Yeah, but Ana was . . ."
I give her a meaningful look and she stops.
"I would recommend that you not compete that thought, dear," I say.
Looking at me, she has the good sense to look guilty. I can see that we really have pampered and spoiled her to the point where she no longer has much of a concept about how most of the rest of the world lives. Going to a state university should certainly give her a reality check.
Christian
There could not be anything worse for Elena's reputation than being outed as a Dominatrix by the police investigation. However, it's not Elena's reputation that has me concerned at the moment. Ana, who was so happy about the baby moving just a few days ago, is now terrified by the fact that we have a similar playroom in the house. The minute that the news came out about Elena, I called her, Taylor, and Gail into my study.
Of course it was Taylor who first heard the news. We were able to tell Ana and Gail very calmly, but, being the two highly intelligent women that they are, they immediately figured things out. Ana turned white as a sheet, and Gail put her arm around her comfortingly.
"What if the police come here to investigate?" Ana asked in a voice barely above a whisper.
"There's no reason for the police to come here," replied Taylor with his usual authority. "At the moment, even if they tried to connect Mr. Grey to the crime, there would be no point in them doing any kind of a search. We have the CCTV footage of Mr. Grey in the great room at the very time that they believe that the murder took place. He has an iron clad alibi, not that he even knows how to shoot a gun."
"But I do," she said softly. "After all, I shot Jack."
"Mrs. Grey, please," continued Taylor. "This appears to be a perfectly executed crime, committed by a pro. And while we don't have you on camera, you were definitely inside the apartment. You had been sick from work for several days. All things considered, you could not be a suspect."
"So there's no chance that the police will want to search here?" she asked bluntly.
Taylor and I exchange a glance.
"In this particular situation," he replied. "But since we have seen the damage that has been done by Mrs. Lincoln's lifestyle, private though it may be, coming to light, you may have to consider the wisdom of keeping such a room on the premises."
I look at Taylor.
"But the playroom is nowhere near as extreme as what Elena has, had in her dungeon," I said. "She was capable of performing some very intensely painful punishments. What we have left isn't really like that."
I finish rather weakly when I see that he, Gail, and Ana are staring at me as if I am crazy.
"Mr. Grey," Taylor finally said. "To someone in the BDSM community, I suppose that what you have up there is pretty tame. But to those who know nothing about it, it would make for some very salacious headlines. Who knows what else it might dredge up?"
"Or who it might dredge up?" added Gail, suddenly finding her voice. "I don't wish to deal with any more 'Leilas' coming out of the woodwork. And it isn't just your reputation. Think of Mrs. Grey."
I realized that Ana was now staring at the floor, cheeks pink with embarrassment. And then I know what we have to do.
"Taylor, can we discreetly dismantle the playroom?" I ask.
"I don't see why not," he said. "After all, you will be moving shortly after the holidays. A lot of the more obvious things can be crated up and disposed of. Of you repaint the room and fit out the bed with new bed linens, it would be a quick start. I'm guessing that you're not too handy with a paint brush."
"I am," said Ana.
"I don't want you and the baby exposed to any paint fumes," I retorted, angry that she is even thinking of doing it herself. I created this mess. I should be the one to clean it up.
"Oh, Christian," she replied. "Not if we use latex paint. With a little creativity, I am sure that Gail and I can disguise the . . . true function of the room. Are you sure that you're not just a little sorry to be giving up the room?"
I think about it for a minute. I certainly have no use for the room such as it was when I brought "the fifteen" in under contract. However, Ana and I have shared good times and bad in there. Recently, we have even had a lot of fun. However, Taylor is right that even though what we do in private should remain that way. The possibility that the invasive and intrusive press interfering in our lives is once again placing a limitation on our freedom.
"I'm not sure that I am sorry about giving up the room," I finally admit. "I am more sorry because it places another limitation on our lives. You know, we essentially live in a fishbowl. This whole Elena mess has only served as another reminder. I have a good mind to go looking for her killer myself just to get the vultures off our backs."
"Mr. Grey," said Taylor seriously. "I do not recommend that course of action. If the police know that you have some special interest in the case, it will only create more interest on their part. It is just better to stay out of the way and let them do their job. Remember, all that they presently know is that she was a former business partner. Let's not give the many reason to think that she was anything more."
Now it's my turn to blush. There is no reason to excavate that whole mess again. Of course, he's right. Taylor is always right. That's why I hired him in the first place. I dismiss him and Gail and turn my attention to Ana, who is starting to look worried.
"Christian," she begins. "What if they . . ."
"Hush," I say softly. "They aren't tearing our lives apart. They're tearing Elena's life apart."
"But what if Clark traces her lifestyle back to you?" she asks anxiously.
"I don't think that he will be able to do that," I reply. "But even if he does, we'll figure something out. Now stop thinking about that and let's get starting thinking about Christmas. You know, I've never really enjoyed Christmas before."
My technique for calming her fears has become distraction. If I get her thinking along other lines, it will put this mess out of her head, at least for a while.
"Do you have bad memories of, you know?" she asks tentatively.
"No, not really," I answer. "The first Christmas that I have any memory of was my first Christmas with Mother and Dad. It was the first time that I had ever seen a Christmas tree in a house. Before that they were only in stores. It was the first time that I ever had a stocking and the first time that I ever got gifts from Santa. And I remember Mother playing carols on the piano. And I remember . . . "
Here I stop. This is the part that I find uncomfortable to think about. But Ana is sitting there with her blue eyes glowing as she listens to my story, all thoughts of Elena and the playroom now forgotten.
"What else do you remember?" she asks softly.
"I remember thinking about how Santa only brings toys to good little boys," I swallow hard. "I was thinking that Mother and Dad, and certainly not Santa, knew what s bad little boy I was. You see, I had never gotten anything from Santa before. So that must have been the reason."
"But didn't you figure it out later?" she asks. "After all, there is no such thing as Santa Claus and birth your mother never did buy you any presents."
"She was too busy spending all of her money on drugs," I reply bitterly. "She barely fed and clothed me. But . . ."
"But what?"
"I had two cars that I used to play with," I say. "I remember them. But I don't think that they came from Santa. I don't think that I would have forgotten that, do you?"
As usual, Ana's eyes look deeply sorrowful as they always do when I talk about that time before I was adopted. But I know that even though it makes her sad, she wants to hear it. And I have found that each time I share a little bit of that story, the burden that it weighs on my soul becomes a little lighter.
"So what do you want for Christmas?" I ask to lighten the mood.
"I can't think of anything," she replies with a smile. "I already have the best Christmas gift in the world, you. What do you want?"
"Nothing. I have the two best gifts already," I say happily. "You and you."
I place my hand on her belly when I say the second you and I swear that she is simply radiant with joy. It seems like a very long time ago when I stormed out of the house because she was pregnant. Now I wouldn't have it any other way.
Kate
I still don't know what to think about the latest revelation in the "who shot Elena Lincoln?" murder mystery. I mean, I had heard from Ana that she was a pretty fucked up bitch who had introduced Christian to the whole BDSM scene when he was only fifteen. She told me about how their affair had broken up her marriage. And she had told me about how they were BFFs when Christian had no other friends. But who ever thought that all that shit would hit GMA?
What used to be a sordid, little local drama has morphed into one of the biggest news stories out there. I am not surprised that the police allowed all that scandalous information out. I talked to my Dad earlier and he said that they are probably hoping that other people from the scene in Seattle will come forward with any tips that they might have.
Since the disagreement that I had with Elliot the other night, my Dad has told me to back off. He reminded me that I shouldn't let my over-zealous nature break up my engagement to the man I love. He's got his own people working on the story and apparently, the police have come up dry. They have interviewed her ex-husband, but haven't gotten much out of him that's worthwhile. He's no longer a suspect, since he was drowning his sorrows in a bottle of Jack at a bar full of witnesses at the time of the murder. And nobody thinks that he had the money to hire the hit.
I can't tell Dad, but I find it very interesting that this creep has not mentioned that it was Christian who essentially broke up the marriage. No doubt they asked him what the deal was and why he beat her up so bad. Of course, it sounds like they had a pretty shitty marriage to begin with. Christian told Ana that she was a bored trophy wife and he wouldn't let her work. It was all about his macho image of himself.
Of course, when he found out the his wife was doing the young thoroughbred that Christian must have been at age twenty-one, it must have been a huge shock. The only thing that kept Christian's name out of the divorce proceedings was probably the guy's pride. That might be why he's holding out on the cops now. He still doesn't want to be compared with one of the hottest men in Seattle.
The rest of the Greys have been totally shocked by the outing of Elena's lifestyle. I know that they are all dying to know if, once upon a time, Christian wasn't her sub. Of course, I would never tell them. Even I wouldn't have the heart to crush Grace's view of her innocent young son.
It was bad enough when she thought that he was just sexually abused. But this was physical abuse as well, and from what Ana tells me, it was some pretty heavy shit. From all the crap they found in her dungeon, I would say that her tastes had not changed much.
Ana told me that they have gone through her business records and have uncovered hat fact that Christian was her silent partner for years. Ana assured me that the business dealings of Esclava and Christian's role in the financing were all completely above board. The business was extremely well run and very profitable. It gave her very comfortable income and lifestyle, as well as helping Christian to increase his own wealth.
Christian was also smart enough to let Ros handle all the details. Elena had created the business plan and she fine-tuned it. The lawyers and accountants did the rest. Elena was a very sharp businesswoman. She knew how to spot the best talent in business and bring them in. The customers couldn't stay away.
In some ways, it was a contradiction. This woman, who was so skilled in delivering pain and agony to her subs, was an expert in providing luxurious treatment to the clientele who frequented her salons. I wonder what will happen to the salons now that she is gone.
The police have permitted them to stay open. Before she went on vacation, she had set up her managers running the places efficiently. Closing them would not only have inconvenienced the customers, it would have been very bad for all of the stylists, beauticians, etc. Very often, women will give their favorite stylists a Christmas bonus. Considering the demographic of the clientele, it could have been a huge financial loss for these men and women.
One very interesting thing that Dad has dug up is that no one has been able to produce any kind of a will for Elena. Now that doesn't mean that there isn't one locked up in some safe deposit box that they haven't discovered yet. But apparently her lawyers, who should know such things, had no idea whether or not one even exists. The mystery only deepens.
Price
I am very glad that the infamous Mrs. Lincoln was not in town while we were there. The stories about her dungeon, her collared submissive, and her BDSM lifestyle in general have been plastered all over the national news. The girls are interested because she was from Seattle, but then they were just fascinated by the unfortunately, explicit details of that perverted lifestyle that the news outlets just can't stop dishing up.
They initially wanted to know if Christian knew her, to which Melissa answered that Seattle was a large city and the chances of him knowing her were quite slim. Of course, I know better. I am glad that I never shared any of my suspicions about her being the anonymous benefactor with my wife. The only other person who knows, a far as I know, is Carrick.
While I am not sorry to see the old she-devil dead, this is a potentially problematic situation for my son. I know that he had business dealings with her in the past and that as the police tear her life apart, everything is going to come to light. Fortunately, I know that she was a social friend of the family, in fact, his mother's former best friend. Therefore, his willingness to help her start her salon business after her divorce should seem like a favor to an old family friend.
It is a pity that the ex-husband has such a rock solid alibi. He would have been a convenient target for the cops. I'm still surprised that he hasn't tried to draw Christian into the story by acknowledging that it was his affair with Elena that broke up the marriage. There is something definitely wrong with that and I suspect that we have not heard the last of Mr. Lincoln.
I have been a little disappointed because I have not heard a word from my son since we said goodbye on Sunday afternoon. My last words to him were that I loved him, but I would not be in contact again. I would leave it to him to initiate any further relations between us.
He thanked me for that and said that he honestly didn't know what to think of it all. But I take comfort in the fact that he does not regret meeting me. He said that getting a clearer picture of who he is and where he comes from has been very beneficial for him. He is beginning to let go of some of the anger and hate that has poisoned him throughout his life. He made no promises and I didn't ask for any.
Melissa keeps telling me that I have to give him time to sort through all of these new feelings and emotions. As much as we might want contact of some kind during the holiday season, we need to remember that it is his first Christmas with his new wife and no doubt that will be his focus. Melissa has pegged her hopes on Anastasia eventually being able to reunite us in a more permanent way. Neither of us can ever remember meeting a young person so sweet and loving and giving.
Now that this situation has arisen with Elena, I am sure that it is also taking some of his attention. I hope that it does not spoil Christian and Ana's first Christmas together. After everything that they have been though in the past few months, they deserve a joyful holiday.