A couple of days after
Jenna's house

"He says that the drugs are not his. That this friend of his was bullied into having to place it in his bag." Jenna said.

"And the blood test proves that he didn't take any" Elena concluded.

"I'm still going to be firm with the grounding thing. I'm taking his phone. And the computer is only for his homework." Jenna said.

"I'm with you. Sorry that I can't be of much help." Elena sighed.

"You don't need to be a parent. Just a sister. Anyway - how are things - I guess this new case is full on - FBI being involved"

"Yeah - it's a complicated one." Elena said and pulled her phone out as a message alert came through.

"You go - catch up later. Dinner tomorrow?"

Elena nodded and apologized for having to leave so abruptly.

"Just catch whoever has done that to that girl" Jenna said.

"Will do." Elena waved her aunt a bye and exited.

As she got out, Elijah was already there.

"What's the rush?" Elena asked as she slipped in the car.

"Aurora de Martel is reported missing." Elijah said.

"Aurora de Martel? The rich sociliate?" Elena said twitching her lips puzzled, "how is this patched to us?"

"Aurora de Martel supported the coven - the Sisters." Elijah replied.

"Right. You know her?"

"My sister does." Elijah replied. "She was heavily interested in the occult."

"You think someone wants to silence her?" Elena questioned.

"She must know something, that's for sure." Elijah nodded a little.

"Ok. Let's see what we got" Elena said as they arrived at the De Martel Mansion.

And there, evident clues of struggle were still very much present.

"She fought" Elena said as she took a look at the broken pieces of a broken vase and other small pieces of furniture.

"We found this in the kitchen." a police officer pointed out to the ring that was placed on a small leaf plate.

"Emerald ring" Elijah muttered as he took the evidence bag from the crime scene medical officer."There's an inscription"

"No rich girl would leave her ring in the kitchen." Elena remarked.

"She knew her attacker." Elijah said.

"She left the ring there on purpose. The inscription must mean something." Elena said.

Elijah twisted his lips curiously. Elena was right. The inscription was a code.

He also knew that it was a riddle of some kind. The codes as riddles needed a master to handle them. They cannot be interpreted by one who is an amateur of the craft. Some saw what they did as magic, yet in truth it was part of the magic.

Like Bonnie said, magic was partnered to the positive universe, a tool of nature. And she was the ultimate detective in the supernatural world.

"When you are outmatched, outgunned - cunning is all you have." Elijah suddenly said.

Elena breathed in a sigh. The case started to look like a gordian knot that kept getting more entangled.

"Let's pick up her boyfriend" Elijah then said.

"Let's" Elena uttered as she followed Elijah out of the house.

*
Elsewhere

Rebekah tried to occupy herself with the task of revising the photograph she was going to put on her blog, but her mind wondered off yet again to the discussion she had with her off and on boyfriend, Mason Lockwood.

Flashback

"It's time you did your own thing. Elijah has moved on. Living his life. Distanced himself from all that was toxic sourrounding Klaus. You should do it, too. You were not to blame for what your father did to him." Mason said.

"We pledged that we would stand by one another. Always and Forever - no matter what." Rebekah exhaled deeply.

"I understand that. But this 'no matter what' is not right when you have a narcissistic sociopath as a half-brother. Bex - you must stop feeling guilty. He killed Elijah's girlfriend. He killed Tyler's mom. Just bebacuse he defied him." Mason pointed out.

Rebekah now exhaled deeply. She knew that he was right, but her heart burnt nevertheless.

"Hey, you" Kol said as he got in the room from the garden.

"Kol! What are doing here?" the blinde vampire jumped hugging her brother warmly.

"Elijah sent me a message. The baby naming tradition is important. Also. Hope needs her family." the Original vampire said.

"Oh, it's so good to see you. Now I know that things will be good." Rebekah liked at her brother, who had a somewhat ragged look about him.

"I don't want to burst your bubble, but I won't be sticking around for long. This place - just brings all bad memories up." Kol said referring to his wife Davina and her death.

"I know." Rebekah said in a very low voice.

"I hear that Elijah still plays detective with the NOPD."

"He is a detective. It's real. Working on another big murder case." Rebekah said.

"And his partner is a Petrova doppelgänger?

"Yes. Her name is Elena."

"If anyone told me that this would happened I would've told them that maybe in some weird alternative world." Kol remarked.

"We are living it." Rebekah said. "Everything's changed."

"Yeah - maybe it's for the better." Kol glanced at the photo of Rebekah and him when she visited him in Italy last summer.

"Maybe." Rebekah shut the computer down and took her phone. "Let's go and grab something to eat and go see Hope and Ani"

"Elijah replied. He said to meet at Rousseau's later tonight." Kol said having seen the message from his brother.

"Fingers-crossed." Rebekah said.

"Why'd you say that?" Kol widened his eyes puzzled.

"Because there's always something that comes inbetween." Rebekah replied.

And it was true. Elijah sent a short message to Rebekah a few hours later having telling them not to wait for him.

"Is it her?" Elena said as they pulled Aurora de Martel's body from the Bayou waters.

"It is." Elijah confirmed.

"She was silenced." Elena concluded.

Elijah was quiet, inhaling inwardly, thinking of the inscription in the ring, "Là, mon cœur t'appartiendra pour toujours, mon Ange des condamnés."

"Come on - let's get out of here" Elena urged her partner. His silence was telling and she knew that Aurora de Martel's murder had affected him.

"This is one is close to home? she said as they got into the car.

"I met her a few times. I found her to be silly, foolish person. Rebekah tried to deter her from "our" world. The compulsion didn't work as her brother had fed her vervain since she was a child." Elijah said.

"They knew about the vampires?"

"He is one." Elijah said.

"You don't suppose he had something to do with her murder?"

"I doubt it. But we got to look into him. And her boyfriend" Elijah said.

"Talking about the boyfriend, the FBI got him." Elena said as she saw the message from Jackson.

"I guess, Agent Salvatore will interview him first" Elijah said as he finally started the car.

"We need to talk to him, too."

"I'll talk to Camille and make sure we get to interview him, too. Do you want to go for a drink?"

"Nah. Can you drive me home."

"Sure." Elijah muttered.

Elena put the radio on as they drove in silence to the French Quarter.

Isn't it lovely, all alone?
Heart made of glass, my mind of stone
Tear me to pieces, skin to bone

Hello, welcome home

Walkin' out of time
Lookin' for a better place (lookin' for a better place)
Something's on my mind (mind)
Always in my head space

For an unexplained reason they both felt despair set in. It was like they were in a path of losing struggle. It was about hoping fir nothing, expecting nothing, demand nothing. Only one thing could erase this feeling, this mood. Resilience.

"I know this is the most inappropriate moment to tell you this - there have been worse days than this one - and - I probably could have chosen another time but I just have to say that you make my days - every day - every unpleasant situation bearable. I would have quit everything if I didn't have you by my side."

_to be continued