Spellbound

Thank you all for reading and reviewing. I hope that you all enjoy the story. And I promise, we will hear from Bill Compton soon enough. We just have a little more that needs to be discussed and discovered.

When Tyrese answered the door, he stared at the vampires and he knew immediately why they were there. He'd warned Copley not to get involved with the vampires but he wouldn't listen to him. Tyrese didn't know what he was talking about and he needed to stay in his place. That's what Copley said to him. He needed to learn his place. He's nothing more than the help and the help doesn't make business decisions. Copley said that to him as well. He then said that Tyrese needed to keep his mouth out of the boss' business. He needed to know his place. He said that he'd made the mistake of letting Tyrese believe that he was something more than the help when he'd ask his opinion on certain things. Copley said that he'd never make that mistake again. He's the help. Copley's the boss. He told Tyrese that he needed to tend to his business. So that's what he did. He said nothing else; even when a man called to ask for a meeting with the boss tonight. Tyrese knew what it was about and still he said nothing; though it was eating him to his very core to say, 'I told you so'.

Tyrese inhaled as he smiled at the boss' guests. "Mr. Northman," Tyrese said. "I had a feeling that whomever called was calling for you. They sounded so secretive." He then glanced at Eric and smiled. "Mr. Carmichael is expecting you. Please, come in and follow me. The boss awaits you."

Eric, Clancy, and Chow followed Tyrese through the foyer and down the long and elaborately decorated hallway. Statues of marble lined the walls. Pictures of different time periods decorated the hallway. Eric couldn't help but notice that the decorations that decorated Copley's hallway were vastly different than the hallways of his and Sookie's Shreveport home. Their walls were decorated with the pictures of Sookie's family. There were pictures of their wedding. There were pictures of them at summits surrounded by their colleagues. Along the mantle of their fireplace, there were pictures of her cousins, friends, and grandparents. He knew that pretty soon, there would be pictures of their other supernatural friends decorating any empty space available to her. He chuckled as he thought of the thousands of pictures of their child that would soon be scattered throughout their home.

"Have you heard anything about the missing girls?" Tyrese asked as he led the vampires down the hallway. "I truly hope that you find them alive. Their families have to be worried sick. I know from personal experience that Mr. Carmichael is worried about Miss. Amelia. He is always talking about how much he misses her."

He knows, Eric thought.

"She means a lot to him," Tyrese replied as they continued the long walk. "She's all that he has left in his life."

Eric said nothing.

"He'd never do anything to intentionally hurt her," Tyrese said as they stopped in front of a huge door. "He really does love her."

Eric finally decided to acknowledge Tyrese's presence. "Open the door," he ordered.

Tyrese bowed to Eric and did as he was told. He stepped back as Eric walked into the room.

"Clancy, Chow," Eric said. "Stand guard. I need to speak with Mr. Carmichael alone."

"Yes sir," the vampires replied in unison.

"Mr. Carmichael," Tyrese announced. "Mr. Northman is here for his meeting."

Tyrese never got a response from his boss. Chow reached behind him and closed the door as Tyrese stared at the closing office door.

Copley stood up from his chair and smiled at Eric. He walked from around his desk and greeted Eric by offering him his hand. Eric looked at the offending hand and then back at Copley. He politely put his hands in his pockets. Copley looked insulted but continued smiling as he offered his guest a seat. "Please, sit down," he said. "You can sit on the couch if you like. It may be a little more comfortable."

Eric declined. He took the seat in front of Copley's desk. He watched Copley as he smiled and walked back to his seat. Eric had never hated a man as much as he hated Copley Carmichael. He was nothing more than a phony. He's a liar and a fraud. The man that was sitting before him had not only stood in front of television cameras and professed his undying love for his daughter but he'd lied on the entire vampire race of New Orleans. Copley had told the world that the blood suckers had taken his beloved Amelia away from him. He'd threatened the vampire race with his many political connections and the entire time, he's one of the main reasons that those girls are now dead.

"So, Mr. Northman," Copley began. "Where's that lovely wife of yours? Will she be joining us this evening?"

Eric didn't bother to answer Copley's questions. He needn't concern himself with Sookie. He only needed to concern himself with what was about to happen. So he stared daggers at his gracious host.

After realizing that Eric wasn't going to answer questions about Sookie, Copley rested his elbows on his desk and leaned forward as he stared at Eric. "What can I do for you this evening? Are you in need of my services? I will make whatever phone calls I have to make so that my daughter can be found. So that those other girls can be found. I'll do anything that I can do in order to help with this investigation." His self-deprecating smile was as phony as the words that fell out of his twisted mouth.

Before he could reach for his phone, Eric stopped him. "It's not that, Mr. Carmichael. I just have a few questions for you. I believe that we may have made a break in the case." He then tried to seem as if he didn't want to bother his host. "I understand that you are an important man and you have lots of important things to do. Now, if you are too busy, Mr. Carmichael, we can return at a later date."

Eric could see that Copley almost sent him away but he stopped himself. "No, no," he said. "Mr. Northman, please, stay seated." A somber look suddenly appeared on Copley's face. "This is important. My Amelia and those girls are important. I'll do anything that has to be done. I want my daughter back with me. She's all that I have left in this world. Her mother died when Amelia was just a girl." He looked down at his interlaced fingers as he continued. "For so long, it's only been me and Amelia. I'd give anything and everything that I have in order to get her back. So, Mr. Northman, whatever you need, I will give you." His eyes were brimming with tears.

Eric smiled and said, "Thank you, Mr. Carmichael." What he really wanted to say was, 'Fuck you, you lying piece of shit'.

"There's no need to thank me, Mr. Northman," Copley said as he puffed up his chest. "As I said before, I will do what I can."

The smile that was on his face slowly faded into nothing. "I'm glad to hear you say that; how much Amelia means to you. I'm sure that the other missing girls have families that miss them just as much as you miss Amelia. Mr. Carmichael," Eric began. "I know for a fact from what we have learned that those girls are sorely missed by their families as well. Family means everything to many of us, Mr. Carmichael."

With a lift of his hand, he cut Eric off. "Please, call me Copley," he said.

"I'd rather call you Mr. Carmichael. We need to keep this on a professional level," Eric replied. "We are not friends. I am here on a professional capacity. You do understand that?" Eric asked. "I would hate for anyone to get the wrong idea about our relationship."

"I do," Copley said. "I do understand." He then leaned back in his chair and interlaced his fingers underneath his chin. "Forgive me for my earlier interruption. Please, go on with what you were saying."

"Thank you for allowing me to speak," Eric replied bitingly. "As I was saying, I'm sure that the other missing girls; Elizabeth, Connie, Cecile, Bridget, and Tara, have families that miss them. Don't you agree?" Eric asked.

"I'm sure that they do. I've wanted to get in contact with the families but I've had not the time but I'm sure that …," Copley began.

Eric then pulled a folder from the inside of his jacket. From the folder, he removed six pictures. He lined each picture along Copley's desk and each picture was of a special day in each girl's life. Elizabeth was smiling in a picture that she'd taken with her son at his 4th birthday party. Connie was skiing with some friends. It was her first and last vacation. Cecile was posing in a picture with her dad. He'd put bunny ears up behind her head as he kissed her cheek. She was laughing. The last picture was of Tara and her brother, Benedict. They were in Paris. He'd gone to visit her while she was working on one of her many stories. The last picture was of Amelia when she was a baby. Her mother was holding her. Unfortunately, there was no picture of Bridget.

A pain hit Copley's heart as he stared at the pictures; especially the one of Amelia and her mother. He wanted to hold it but he kept his hands at his side. He then cleared his throat. "I'm sure that their families are missing them. I hope that the girls are found and that they'll get to be with their loved ones soon." He cleared his throat again as he stood up. "Now, if you need nothing else, I have a lot of work that needs to be done."

"I need something else," Eric said.

Copley swallowed and tried to smile but he failed miserably. "Anything," he mumbled. "You just ask me and whatever you need, you'll get it. I give you my word."

"I don't know about that, Mr. Carmichael," Eric said as he shook his head no. "That's what you say now but I believe you to be lying to me. I don't think that you know what it means to be honest. It's a quality that seems to lacking in you. I've met you twice, not including tonight, and I can see that you are dishonest to your very core. You will do whatever is necessary to get what you want; regardless of who gets hurt in the process. I don't believe that you'll willingly tell me the truth about anything."

Copley tried to look offended. "I must say, Mr. Northman, you have caught me off guard. I don't know where this is coming from but I guarantee you that I would never lie to you. I have no reason …"

This time Eric lifted his hand as he shook his head. "Enough, Copley. Listen, I could glamor you to get the information that I want but I won't do it. I'm going to do this without any tricks. I'm going to give you the benefit of the doubt. Now, this is what's going to happen. You are going to tell me what happened and why you've done what you've done."

Copley began shaking his head. "I don't know what you mean. If I knew what you were talking about, I'd tell you. I swear on all that I love that I'd tell you."

"And you love no one so your pledge means nothing," Eric replied.

"How dare you?" Copley said angrily.

"Mr. Carmichael," Eric began. "Since you don't know me, you wouldn't know that I have a built-in bullshit detector. It's very accurate and it's never failed me and right now, while I'm speaking with you, it's going crazy because you're trying to bullshit me." He then shook his head as he leaned forward in his seat. "You can't bullshit me, Mr. Carmichael." A knowing smile appeared on Eric's face.

Copley quickly stood up from his desk. He pulled his suit jacket tightly at the lapels as he tried his best to look offended by Eric's comments. "I don't know what you're talking about and I'm beyond insulted by your insinuations." He gave Eric a curt head not to emphasize just how insulted he was. "Now, if you wouldn't mind, I'd appreciate it if you'd leave." He was about to press a button on that was on his desk to his right but Eric stopped him.

"Press that button and I'll rip your fingers from your fucking hand," Eric promised.

Copley quickly removed his hand and placed it on the desk. He stared bug eyed at Eric. Again, he cleared his throat and tried to look intimidating as he stared at the vampire as but it didn't work. "I'm only doing as you ask because you're helping the police search for my daughter but don't you think for a second, Mr. Northman, that you scare me."

"Sit down," Eric said calmly.

Copley was about to say something but he saw that Eric was in no mood for his banter so he did as he was told. He sat down and rested his elbows on his desk as he leaned forward and smiled. "So, what do you believe me to be bullshitting you about, Mr. Northman? I'm sure that you are going to enlighten me with your new found information."

Eric stared at the arrogant bastard with contempt in his eyes and on his face. He'd never hated a human as much as he hates Copley Carmichael. He doesn't believe that Copley used his daughter. He believes that the man does love Amelia. Copley was just ignorant in the way of the vampire. He didn't realize it or he didn't believe that his daughter would be used against him but as far as Eric was concerned, ignorance doesn't excuse Copley's behavior. He's part of the reason that those other girls are dead and Amelia is missing.

Inhaling unnecessarily, Eric said, "A couple of hours ago, my wife and I learned of what you've done. We know what you're involved in. What we don't know is why. Why would you risk everything for just a little more money? Is the blood so important that you'd end lives in order to pad your pockets just a little bit more?" he asked as he used his thumb and forefinger as emphasis.

Copley shook his head and opened his mouth to speak but he closed it quickly when Eric glared at him angrily.

With his fangs drawn and his eyes filled with fury, Eric growled. "Don't lie to me, Copley. If you do, things won't fare well for you."

Copley got up from his desk and walked to his bar and poured himself a glass of scotch. He downed it and instantly poured himself another glass and then another. Before pouring the fourth glass, Copley grabbed the bottle of scotch as well as his glass and walked back to his desk. When he looked up at Eric, Copley's smug look was gone. His air of arrogance had faded away into nothing. His posture was no longer tall and proud. He didn't look like the man from earlier. He looked defeated and lost. He closed his eyes and sighed and he appeared to be a hundred pounds lighter. "I didn't mean for any of this to happen. I only wanted to help people. I didn't know that they those girls were going to die."

Eric only stared.

"I am the one that helped to fund Felecia's blood research. When she told me of what she'd discovered and what she'd done for that Were, Jake Purefoy, I was more than intrigued with what she'd done with the blood from the donors." He was finding it hard to contain his excitement. "She'd taken the samples of blood and duplicated it and it worked. She cured a Were of his affliction with her synthetic blood that she'd made. She was a fucking genius," he said as he slammed his hands on his desk.

"This woman had the ability to save humans and supernaturals alike. What I didn't understand about her was that she was willing to do this for the public for free." He shook his head to show his disbelief. "Can you believe that? She wanted to do it for free. She could've been rich beyond her wildest dreams and she didn't want the money. It was something that I couldn't comprehend. She didn't want the money."

Eric couldn't help but notice that Copley sounded disgusted by that bit of information. He couldn't believe that someone would be willing to do something for someone without expecting anything in return.

"She could've been a fucking billionaire with her discovery. I told her that together we could own this fucking world. I even offered her $20,000,000.00 plus a percentage of all sales. Do you know what she did?" he asked.

"She turned you down," Eric answered.

"She turned me down," Copley repeated. "She said that everyone deserves quality medical care and treatment and that they shouldn't have to be wealthy in order to receive it." He leaned back in his chair and crossed his arms over his chest and shook his head. "I didn't agree with anything that she said so I had to do whatever I had to so that I could get my hands on those original blood samples."

Eric nodded as he spoke. "So, you did what you had to do. Tell me, Mr. Copley. What did you do to get those samples?"

Copley nodded. "First I had to look through her files; which she left out in the open for anyone to read. How irresponsible is that? She was smart and stupid. I would've tucked all of that information away. No one would've ever known what I had discovered until I was ready for them to know. Anyway, as I read over her files, I noticed that one of her test subjects was a business associate of mine."

"André," Eric whispered.

"Good ol' André," Copley said. "He couldn't wait to jump at the chance to be in on this business venture. I had devised an entire business plan and André loved it." He smiled as he shook his head. "He was so fucking excited about this new venture. You should've seen his face. I'd never seen a vampire look so happy."

Eric frowned. Something didn't make sense to him. "André didn't need for you to help him put this miracle blood on the market. He could've done it on his own. André has never been one to willingly share power or money with anyone; especially not a human. Why you? What makes you so special?"

Copley chuckled as he poured himself another glass of scotch. "Dear fellow," he began. "There's obviously something that you don't know about our mutual associate." He downed the glass of scotch as quickly as he did the other four. He began chuckle at nothing.

Eric could see that the alcohol was beginning to have an effect on Copley. Soon, it would be easy to make him see the error of his ways. His guilt would get the better of him and not soon enough.

"André's broke," Copley said as he laughed loudly and poured and downed another drink. "Broke, broke, broke," he repeated. "He needed me." He shook his head. "Yep, that dead motherfucker needed me! And hey," he said as he threw his arms out by his side. "I fucking helped him and he fucking betrays me! He wanted more interest than what he'd fucking paid and he thought that I was going to give it to him? No! Not me! I put all of the funding in this venture and he wanted more," he shook his head. "Well, guess what? He wasn't going to fuck me over. I wasn't going to let that happen! Not me!" Copley yelled as he poked himself in the chest. "Not me!"

Copley then slammed his fist down on the desk. "I don't give that piece of shit what he wants and he betrays me! I am Copley Fucking Carmichael! No one backdoors me! No one!" He soon threw his glass at the office door. Glass and scotch shattered and splattered in every direction. "He fucking betrayed me!" Copley screamed out in anger and aggravation.

Eric remained seated; enjoying the fall and disgrace of Copley Carmichael.

Copley dropped to his knees and began to cry. "After all that I've done for him, he betrays me and takes my daughter away from me."

Just as quickly as he stopped crying, he began to laugh. "But I fixed that dead motherfucker. I went to the police and to the media. Those stupid bastards had no leads until I'd contacted them. I am the one that sent the cops and the newspapers the stories and pictures of the missing girls. I am the one that told them that the girls used to hang at The Coffin. I am the one that told them that the girls were friends and had common interests. I am the one that steered the cops and the media to the vampire community." He dropped his head as he continued to laugh. "I fixed him. I've fixed all of you."

He stood up and stared Eric in the eyes and smiled. "I put the focus where it belongs. He took my Amelia and I'm going to take away his very existence. When I'm done with him; when I'm done with all of you, each of you dead bastards will forever remember my name. Your entire race will pay for André's betrayal. Each of you bloodsuckers will rue the day you ever crossed the path of Copley Carmichael."

I got you, you fucking leech, Copley thought.

And he believed that. He expected Eric to show some time of remorse and grief for what has happened to him and his daughter. He wanted Eric to fall to his knees and beg for his forgiveness but he didn't get that.

Eric remained seated, with his legs crossed, and a smile on his face. Then the unexpected happened. Eric began to laugh. As a matter of fact, he began laughing so hard that he had to grab a tissue from Copley's desk and dab at his eyes. Eric was laughing and shaking his head.

Needless to say, Copley was confused. "I tell you that life as you know it is over and you laugh?"

Eric continued to laugh as he pointed at Copley and shook his head.

"Fuck you, vampire," Copley replied. "You won't be laughing when your fucking wife …"

He never finished his sentence. Eric had Copley by his throat and his back was pressed firmly against the wall. "I will rip your fucking throat out, Copley. Make one threat or comment about my wife and you will die tonight at my hands and make no mistake, Mr. Carmichael. I keep my promises."

Copley grabbed Eric's wrist as he tried to lessen the grip that Eric had on his neck. He wanted to answer the vampire but he couldn't. He couldn't speak. Hell, he could hardly breathe.

Eric removed his hand from Copley's neck and watched the man as he slid down the wall. He stared down at Copley and decided that he needed to do what he came there to do. "Your plans for us will never come to pass. We've found the bodies of the girls; the ones that you kidnapped and tortured because of their blood type; the ones that you murdered; the ones that you stole away from their families. You," Eric growled.

"Don't blame others for what has been done to Amelia. Your actions are the reason that Amelia was taken," Eric said. "Your greed and your selfish ways are the reason your daughter is missing." He then leaned down and whispered in Copley's ear. "Your plan has failed you. The world, your daughter, everyone will know what you've done and why you've done it. So the demise that you've planned for us is the same demise that awaits you."

Copley looked at Eric with a sneer on his face. "You can't destroy me. You rat me out, you rat your master out. Plus, who's going to believe you? You're a fucking vampire … a bloodsucker. Those girls were fed from on a daily basis. They will surely see the fang marks when they inspect the bodies for bites." He snorted. "You have nothing on me. Who's going to believe you?"

"The world," Eric answered as he stood tall. "For you to be a man of many means and many viable and valuable contacts, you have very little common sense. Clancy," he called.

Clancy entered the room carrying a box … a red box. "Everything is here," he said when he handed the box to his elder. "The mistress said that there's more at the compound. She and Thalia are going through them as we speak. The informant is still with them."

Copley slowly stood up from the floor.

"Thank you, Clancy," Eric said as he took the box. He then placed it on the desk and placed his hand on top of it. Looking at Copley, he said, "I'll bet you're wondering what's in here."

The blood drained from Copley's face. He recognized that box. He'd seen that box many times. He'd touched that box many times. As he stared at the box, he let his body fall against the wall as he talked. "How'd you get that?"

Eric ignored the question. "As I said before, the world will believe me. They will know what type of man you are. You will lose everything that you've worked so hard to achieve; your political connections, your vast wealth. You will have not a single friend in this world. You will lose everything," Eric growled.

Copley frantically began shaking his head. "Not my Amelia," he said. "I'll never lose my Amelia. She'll understand that I had nothing to do with André taking her. She'll know that I would never do that to her. My Amelia will forever love and trust me. I will always be her hero," he said.

Eric removed the lid from the box and from it, he retrieved several CDs. Each of them was labeled with names, dates, and times. He held the discs up for Copley to see and said, "She will see you for the monster that you are. She will see that you used her and her friends to further pad your bank account. She will see how you participated in the kidnapping and torturing of her friends. She will see how you manipulated her. She will never love or trust you again." He then leaned on the desk and said, "You, Copley Carmichael, are done."

Copley began to anxiously shake his head. "You can't bluff me, Mr. Northman. You'll never use that shit against me. What about André? You'd never put your people in such a negative light. The media will tear André apart. And you vampires? You and everyone like you will return to hiding in the shadows." He then took a step away from the wall and looked Eric in his eyes. "You won't say shit."

Eric knew that Copley was right but he didn't need to know that. He cocked his head to the side and stared at Copley with an amused look in his face. "Do you think that I don't know why I was called here, Copley? To New Orleans? You know just as well as I do why I was called here, don't you?"

Copley swallowed his tongue.

"I'm supposed to be the scapegoat," Eric said calmly. "Do you think that I care about what happens to André? Fuck André," he hissed.

Copley's body once again sagged against the wall as the vampire's words echoed in his mind. He was done. He will be seen as the monster and the coward that he is. And he's lost his daughter forever. He began to sob uncontrollably.

Eric placed the discs back into the box. "I could glamor you into doing what's right but I won't do that. That should be up to you."

As he took each of the pictures of the now dead girls from Copley's desk, Eric made sure that his enemy could see the once smiling faces of each of his victims. "You've taken and destroyed for far too long, Mr. Carmichael. Don't you think that it's about time that you give something in return?" He then put the pictures of the girls back into the folder and placed them on top of the box. He looked at Copley and said, "Goodnight, Mr. Carmichael."

As Eric began to walk from the room with the box tucked protectively under his arm, Copley yelled out, "She loves me! My Amelia loves me! My Amelia will always love me! You're wrong, Mr. Northman! You're wrong!"

Eric closed the door behind him as he, Clancy and Chow proceeded to leave. "Are the cameras and the residents taken care of? Everything that Copley and I talked about, it was recorded?"

"Yes," Clancy answered as he took the box from Eric. "We were never here. Everyone that has seen us has been glamored. It's as if we were never here. The recordings are safe." He patted his jacket pocket to show that he'd done as he was told.

When they walked outside, Sal was waiting by the car. "Everything go as planned?" he asked.

"Without a hitch," Eric answered. "Sookie, is she okay?"

Sal nodded. "When I left her with Thalia and Sophie Ann, she was fine … or so she said. She has received some devastating news. Claudine has returned back to Faery … never to return to this realm."

Eric dropped his head.

"I told her that you wanted to come to her when you felt her pain," Sal said as he chuckled. "She almost became upset when I said that. You should've seen her face. She said that what we have to do much more important than her hurt feelings. She said that Claudine returning home was the least of her worries. She told me to tell you that she is fine and that she'd wait up for you."

Eric laughed. "I would be surprised if she'd said something entirely different."

"She's a strong one," Sal stated.

"Yes, she is," Eric stated proudly.

As Eric and Sal got into the backseat of the car while Clancy and Chow got in the front, Sal said to Eric, "Godric called. The meeting to overthrow André will take place Friday night."

"Three nights from now," Eric said. "He knows nothing?"

"Nothing," Sal said as Clancy began driving away from the Carmichael Mansion. "The bastard is so fucking arrogant that he believes that he has that seat already warming under his cold, dead ass."

Eric laughed. "I guess we'd better get a move on. We have a lot to do," he said.