Chapter 7

Disclaimer: I don't own the Vampire Diaries. I'm just borrowing.

Note: Previously, in "Hunter's Moon," Damon, Elena, and Elijah encounter yet another victim in the Silas case.

Thank you for the reviews! I know this update is late, but inspiration has been lacking lately. However, I haven't abandoned this story. No spoilers, just follow along.

Office of Dr. Anna Char – Several Hours Later...

Damon and Elena walked into Anna's office, Elijah following them. This latest victim of Silas' had them baffled and they needed to know her identity, as well as the reason he had chosen her. Even though there didn't necessarily have to be a reason, it couldn't hurt to know if there was. Anna looked up from the body as the trio entered, seeing the anxious look on all their faces.

"Your victim's name is Giselle Carson, and she was definitely a ballet dancer, as Agent Mikaelson stated at the scene."

Elena nodded. At least they knew who she was, even if telling the parents was going to be hell. "You said that Silas killed her using a blunt object. That contradicts what Katherine told us." She saw Anna look at her curiously. "Long story, and I'm in no mood to get into it. Back to the victim, aside from the method he used, did he..."

"Rape her? No, he didn't, even though I did check her genitals to be sure," said Anna. "Silas likes to make his victims suffer, but somehow, I think rape is something he considers beneath him, for lack of a better term."

"Doesn't make her attack any less brutal," said Damon. "He tricked her into thinking he was a friend of hers, possibly a lover, or even a family member." He sighed and then looked at Elijah. "So, FBI Guy, what do you think is our best course of action?"

"We could see if she's part of a pattern," said Elijah. "Maybe she's linked to the other murders."

"Silas targets young victims, and Giselle fits his M.O.," said Elena. "She's in her early twenties, I'd say twenty-two or twenty-three at the most, and she lives alone, which would make her an easy target. Serial killers often go after victims that live alone, even though cases of the roommates getting killed in an attempt to not leave any witnesses are common." She sighed. "Still, I can't help but get the feeling that Silas is doing this to get our attention."

"Me too," said Damon. "He's a nasty bastard, this Silas." He looked at the victim. "It makes me sick knowing that Giselle Carson had to die just for the purpose of taunting us."

Elena nodded. She also looked at the victim, cringing at the Y-shaped incision on her chest. It reminded her of the victims that Damon left behind when he was working for Klaus, even if he had been forced into it under the threat of death. This brought another thought to her mind: What if Silas wasn't committing these crimes alone? What if he had an accomplice that was helping him? It was unlikely, but it was a legitimate thought.

Damon noticed that Elena was quiet. "Penny for your thoughts, babe?"

His question brought her out of her reverie. "Oh, uh, I was just thinking about something. I know this is probably going to sound far fetched, but what if Silas isn't acting alone here? What if he has someone working for him and he's taking all the credit for it?"

"You think he has an accomplice?"

"I don't know," said Elena. "I mean, I could be wrong, but it's a theory."

"Actually, Detective Gilbert, it's not a bad theory," said Elijah. "We could be looking at two people committing the Silas murders."

Anna listened to this and then chimed in with her own thoughts. "I think I may have something that help with your theory." She presented them with a piece of hair that she had found on the victim. "I found this before you arrived. It's a hair that was on Giselle's body. While no one knows exactly what Silas looks like, perhaps this piece of black hair will tell us about the accomplice."

"How did this hair get on our victim?" Elena was quite puzzled by the new piece of evidence that they were being presented with. For all she knew, this hair could belong to just about any man (or woman) in the state, or the country, or even the world.

"It's possible that it landed on her body post mortem, as the accomplice's calling card," said Anna. "Or it could be Silas' hair, which might give us a clue to his true identity."

"Maybe, but we'll have to take it to the forensics lab and have them look at it," said Damon. "While we're at it, we'll do a check through CODIS, and see if it matches anyone. We find the person this piece of hair belongs to, we'll find Silas' accomplice."

Later...

Elena looked at the evidence bag while she, Damon, and Elijah walked to the cars upon exiting the ME's office. She hadn't really expected this new piece of evidence to turn up, especially not at this stage in the case. However, she wondered if Katherine knew about any of this, being as how she was supposed to be helping.

"You're wondering if Katerina would be able to tell us about the possible accomplice, aren't you?"

Elijah's question brought her out of her reverie. "It wouldn't hurt to ask her, as much as I don't enjoy the trip to the prison."

"I suppose," said Elijah. "Now, I didn't get an answer to what I had suggested at the restaurant before we got the call."

"Yes, you did," said Damon. "I told you that you weren't welcome in our house. If you're worried about getting a place to crash while you're having your apartment fumigated, I'm sure you can afford a hotel, what with all the money you make doing what you do."

Elena shook her head as she watched Damon get into the car and then looked at Elijah. "I'm sorry, Elijah."

"Don't make excuses for him, Elena," said Elijah. "Damon has every right to act this way around me. I may not have been involved in what happened to him, I am guilty by association. He doesn't trust me, and I don't blame him. If I were him, I probably wouldn't trust me either."

"Even so, he doesn't have to treat you like this," said Elena. "True, your family is a bigger slime of humanity than perhaps the Nazis as far as Damon is concerned, but you have more honor than that. You're part of the FBI because, as you said when we met at the prison, you want to save lives instead of destroying them."

"I appreciate that," said Elijah. "But, I think you should still keep your guard up, especially around me."

Elena was about to answer him when he got in his car and drove off. His last words to her were a bit unsettling. Was he trying to warn her or just giving her advice? Either way, she felt an uneasy feeling coursing through her.

Note: Chapter 7 is ready to go! Stay tuned!

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