Joe Hardy hates this plan (ihateyourplan) wrote in valarlogs, @ 2017-05-11 19:13:00 |
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Entry tags: | !complete, joe hardy, stefan salvatore |
Who: The Lost Boys (Joe Hardy and Stefan Salvatore)
What: Celebratory drinks are interrupted by a murder
When: Tonight
Where: Local bar
Rating/Warnings Medium to high for NPC death and blood
Status: Complete!
Taking over Rainbow Motors with Stefan had been a big decision. However, it just made sense. The garage was in good hands while Dean spend time with his new family, and Joe and Stefan felt more comfortable being able to do what needed to be done to keep business running smoothly without having to bother Dean over every little detail.
Joe never thought he’d have his own business again. Not since closing down his office in New York. It was really exciting to be in business for himself again. He knew it was going to be a lot of hard work and a lot of long hours, but he was fully prepared for that. Plus, he trusted Stefan as his new business partner. The two of them had been through some interesting stuff since Joe had started working for the garage and had become fast and good friends.
That evening, he and Stefan were celebrating finalizing the paperwork at their favorite bar to haunt after work hours. They’d ordered a couple of shots and toasted their new venture.
Stefan… well, he was an interesting story. He didn’t really need to do anything anymore. He could get by making little to no money, could kind of do whatever he wanted to now that he was a vampire. But this felt pretty good. Stefan thought Joe was a great guy with a good head on his shoulders, and going into business together seemed like the next, logical step. Besides, Dean could rest assured that the garage was in good hands, too, and could focus on his landscaping business and his young family. Win-win.
Stefan lifted the shot glass to clink against Joe’s, then downed the shot in a large gulp. It burned a little, but liquor didn’t hit him the same way it hit humans. Not anymore, anyway. He gave Joe a smirk. “So, Boss, I need to take Friday off.” He teased.
“Nice try,” Joe smirked, the alcohol turning it a little lopsided. After another fresh round of Orange County crazy, this time fresh after just moving back, This was exactly what he needed. Joe raised his hand and signaled for another round of shots. “Make’em doubles,” he told the waitress with a charming smile, “and can we have a pitcher of beer too? My buddy and I are celebrating tonight.”
The waitress smiled easily back at the two of them. “That’s nice,” she said. “What are you celebrating?”
“A new business venture.” Stefan had eyes, of course, he could see how beautiful the waitress was. He didn’t have any interest, though, as he was a happily taken man. Though, he wondered if the smile on her face and the glint in her eye when she looked at Joe were one of the reasons his friend had suggested this place. After all, Joe could enjoy whatever woman he chose. It was neither here nor there, though, as she congratulated the two of them, promised to bring the drinks out straight away, and headed away with a smile on her face.
Stefan glanced back over at Joe with his eyebrows raised.
The bar was a few minutes away from Rainbow Motors and Joe had come here several times after work to have a drink and unwind. The fact that the waitresses were pretty was an added bonus and he was known to flirt with them openly when he was there on his own.
He smirked back at Stefan’s raised brow. “Whaaat?” he asked, feigning innocence. “They really like me here,” he winked. But Joe hadn’t come here to flirt. He and Stefan were there to celebrate their new venture.
“It’s gonna be a lot easier running the business now that my brother and I have moved back into the county,” he said before finishing off the beer that remained in his glass.
Stefan gave a little laugh at the Whaaat. He shook his head, lifting the glass. “Ah to be young and single.” Forgetting, momentarily, that Joe was technically older than he was, Stefan sipped from his glass and lowered it again. The grin slipped just a little from his lips at Joe’s next comment. It made sense. But it meant other things, too. The OC seemed to keep pulling people back.
“I think that makes sense. We’ll both be making more, so long as our business plans work out. I think it’s a good idea.” Stefan paused for a moment. “Are you sure it was the best idea? Considering the Dreams?”
Joe studied his drink as he thought about how to respond. “No,” he said as he picked up his glass. “I’m not all that keen about starting to Dream again. But it’s not like they ever really stopped when Frank and I left. I’ve been getting repeats regularly. Which aren’t as bad the second time around. What really got me was the bleed overs. Once we left the county we didn’t get those anymore. It’s been nice, but somehow it feels kind of wrong. I wish I could explain it.” He shook his head and drained his glass. “Besides, it’s not like we’re both not involved in what goes on here. We have friends here and work…” Joe shrugged. “It just made sense to move back.”
As Joe was talking, the man at the table behind Stefan had taken a phone call. The man was a regular at the bar. Joe had seen him several times, usually sitting alone and nursing the same glass of beer while Joe easily put away a couple of bottles. There was nothing unusual about the man and Joe had never given him a second thought before. However, this was the first time he’d ever gotten a phone call, and whatever was being said to him didn’t seem to please him.
“I think I know what you mean. I feel drawn to Orange County in a way I can’t explain.” Even if Stefan could leave, he wouldn’t. He wouldn’t want to. And it wasn’t about his family or friends, though they were a part of it. It wasn’t about his job or his history, either. He couldn’t put it into words. So he thought he understood where Joe was coming from.
“Let me know if there’s any way I can help,” he added, turning to glance at the man who had taken a phone call. There were some angry words said by the man with the cell phone, and some loud ones coming through the other side of the call, too. Then the man threw some crumpled bills on the counter and got off his stool to storm out of the bar.
Stefan turned his attention back to the cute waitress who was bringing out their next round, but she only had eyes for Joe.
Joe heard what Stefan had said, and he appreciated it. Stefan was the first and (probably the best) friend he had in Orange County. The guy had been in his Dreams and had seen Joe at his worst and most vulnerable. No one, not even Frank, had seen Joe cry. Not since he’d been a little kid. And Stefan had let him. He hadn’t tried to sooth him, or placate him with nice sounding words. He just stayed and let Joe get it out. For that Joe would always be grateful.
He smiled at the vampire across from him and nodded. “Thanks, I will probably need it at some point.”
Joe was polite, even a little flirtatious with the waitress when she came back over, but his attention was really on the man who had gotten up from his seat. Whatever the conversation had been about, it had clearly riled him. He looked agitated, maybe even a little spooked. Joe felt an all too familiar twinge of curiosity, the Hardy Curse as he had started calling it. Once the waitress had gone to tend to her other tables, Joe turned his eyes back to Stefan. “What do you think that was about?” He asked.
The waitress looked a little put out that Joe didn’t give her more of his attention. She wandered off in a huff, but Stefan didn’t care. He followed Joe’s attention to the door where the man had disappeared. He turned back to Joe. “I have no idea.” Then he paused, listening hard. How far could his vampire ears hear? Not far enough. Though, he thought he heard raised voices outside.
It was none of his business and Joe knew it was none of his business, but his curiosity was getting the better of him. He studied Stefan’s face carefully, looking for any indication that Stefan could still hear the man. It looked as though Stefan could hear something. “Do you hear anything?” Joe asked eagerly.
“They sound angry. Two voices.” Stefan frowned a bit, then stood from the table. “I can’t really hear from here. Too much interference.” When the waitress came back over to check on them, Stefan pulled some cash out of his pocket. “This should pay for the drinks,” he said, then slipped it into her hand. He wanted to check the alleyway between the buildings. Something strange was going on.
The waitress looked utterly bewildered by Stefan’s abrupt departure and turned her eyes towards Joe as if seeking some kind of explanation, or at least some assurance that something horrible hadn’t happened to make them want to leave.
Joe patted her arm gently and handed her a couple of five dollar bills as a tip. “Sorry,” he gave her a sheepish, but apologetic look. “My partner just remembered something we forgot at the shop. Excellent beer as always. I’ll see you tomorrow.” Once the waitress seemed to be placated, Joe hurried out of the bar after Stefan. Something strange definitely was going on and Joe’s curiosity demanded satisfaction.
He met up with Stefan on the sidewalk by the alley. He was quiet a moment to see if, out here, he could hear what Stefan was. Aside from the normal traffic on the street, Joe heard nothing. It was almost eerily calm out there. “Hey,” he nudged Stefan gently. “Do you still hear him?”
Stefan was convinced that Joe was going to go home with that waitress tomorrow. And he was proud of his friend for spreading his seed--the wild oats?--but that was neither here nor there. Now Stefan and Joe were investigating something strange. Which was a bit more Joe’s thing than Stefan’s, but whatever. He was a White Knight in his own right.
“Hey,” Stefan said, having paused on the sidewalk. He was listening hard to every sound he could. The voices and music from the bar, the footsteps nearby, some radio coming out of a car in the lot, and ragged breathing. “I think he’s down there, but I’m not--” He paused as a thump and a yelp came from the dark end of the alley.
Joe probably would go home with the waitress tomorrow night. He’d gotten her number once before, written down on a tab receipt along with a suggestive message that went far beyond simple flirting. Joe was only too willing to comply. Since moving to California, it was rare that he slept in an empty bed.
Now, though, any thoughts about the waitress were the furthest things from his mind. He didn’t need any enhanced hearing to hear that yelp come from the alley. Instantly, all of his senses were on high alert and instinctively, his hand reached back for a revolver he no longer carried. He swore under his breath, cursing himself for getting rid of the gun before he’d moved out of New York.
That didn’t stop him from moving forward, though. He cautiously stepped into the alley, straining his eyes to see in the darkness. At the other end, where the bar had a side door access to the alley, there was a single bulb lamp bathing the door and stoop in pale yellow light. Joe saw the silhouette of someone bent down over a shapeless form on the ground. Were his eyes playing tricks or was that a body?
No, that was definitely a body. Stefan was right there beside Joe, seeing with his vampire eyes. There was no fear in Stefan. Few things in this world could actually do him in, and some random mugger on the street(? Or man with a grudge against another?) wouldn’t know what those things were. So no gun or knife would stop him from protecting the innocent-until-proven-guilty.
Stefan moved forward a little faster, though not supernaturally, and raised his voice. “Hey!” That’s when it hit him. The smell. There was a lot of blood in the alley. A lot of blood. Human blood. Stefan stopped in his tracks.
At the sound of Stefan’s voice bouncing off the alley’s walls, the figure hunched over the body jerked to his feet. Joe caught a movement as if Whoeveritwas had shot a look in their direction before taking off towards the other end of the alley.
“Hey!” Joe shouted taking off after him. “Stop!” He only got so far as the form on the ground before he stopped. A look down and he immediately recognized the man from the bar, the one who had taken the phone call. And he looked rough. A swollen eye already blackening. Blood coated his lips and dripping down both cheeks. Joe’s eyes widened as he saw the growing pool of dark crimson blood flowing out from under him and the holes that appeared to have been ripped into the man’s chest.
The man was sputtering, trying to suck in a breath. He’s still alive?! Joe fell to his knees by the man’s side and pressed a hand to the wounds. “Hey, can you hear me?” Joe asked. “Stefan!” He looked up to where Stefan was still standing in the alley. “Call 911!” But Stefan didn’t move, he just stood there, staring. Joe stared back. What the hell is he doing? Then the former detective remembered, perhaps a bit later than he should have: Vampire. Joe couldn’t even begin to think what the sight and smell of all this blood was doing to his friend. Unfortunately, they didn’t have time for Stefan to battle with himself. “Stefan!”
One look at Stefan’s face was enough. The veins around his eyes protruded red as his eyes filled with a blood-like color. This was why he couldn’t let himself drink even from blood bags. It was intoxicating, it brought out the worst in him. Stefan was struggling to maintain control, keeping his eyes fixed on the alley’s opposite wall. He breathed in and out slowly, trying to feel as human as possible. Though he heard Joe calling his name, he still couldn’t move.
A hand clamping around his wrist drew Joe’s attention back to the poor man he was kneeling beside. The man’s eyes were open, wide and full of fear and panic. He was still trying to speak, trembling lips parting and gasping. “You’re gonna be alright,” Joe tried to assure him. “We’re gonna get you help, so just hang on, ok?” With his other hand he reached to get his cell phone out of his back pocket.
He had just brought the device out when the hand around his wrist tightened so hard it made Joe wince. The man’s other hand reached up and grasped him by the shirt, pulling him down closer as if the poor man was desperate to say something. “What is it?” Joe asked. “Do you know who did this to you?”
The man was whispering something, but Joe couldn’t understand the words, again spoken in the same language he used in the bar. “I don’t understand.” Joe shook his head, “Just hang on, alright? My buddy’s gonna call an ambulance.” He looked up towards Stefan again. Stefa-!”
Before Joe could even finish the shout, the man’s hand had lashed out and grasped him by the back of the neck and yanked him down so that their faces were inches apart. Joe could smell the beer mixing with the sickly sweet smell of blood coating everything around them. He couldn’t think, he couldn’t breathe. All he could do was hear the one name the man said before he slipped away: “Iliana.”
The hand gripping the back of Joe’s neck relaxed and fell away away, leaving thick bloody streaks behind.
Stefan was slowly regaining control. His face calmed, his eyes went white again. The veins disappeared from his cheeks. He was breathing hard now, but finally turned to move closer, drawing out his phone. “What happened?” He asked. The words were echoing around in his brain, though with the fog of the hunger it’d been hard to focus. “What did he say?”
Joe was also finding it hard to focus, though for somewhat different reasons than his Vampire friend. Where Stefan was panting hard, Joe was hardly breathing at all. He’d seen dead bodies before, that wasn’t anything new for him in either life. But he’d never actually seen anyone die before. Not like this. Not on the ground in a smelly dank alley. He’d been present when Iola had taken her last breaths, but that had been so different. She had been in a hospital bed hooked up to a breathing machine. It had been Joe to agree to take her off once it was clear she was never waking up again. Then it was one breath in followed by a long slow one out and then nothing. It had twisted Joe inside, but it had been calm. Peaceful. This...this had been violent and confusing. Joe wondered if this was what it had really been like for Iola after she’d fought off her attacker. If she had been left lying in an alley to bleed out. Alone.
Joe squeezed his eyes shut and struggled to get a grip. Stefan had seemingly come to his senses at this point and had joined him by the body. When Joe opened his eyes again, the detective that had laid dormant within the skin of the mechanic was in full control.
“He’s dead,” Joe stated. He looked up at Stefan standing over him. Jesus Christ, his buddy looked shaken down to his very core. Joe narrowed his eyes and got to his feet. Blood glistened on his neck down towards where his collarbone separated his shoulders from his torso. His shirt and the knees of his jeans were stained dark.
Once he was upright, Joe grasped Stefan’s hand holding his cellphone, bringing it up to the vampire’s face. “I need you to call 911,” he said in hopes the order would shake Stefan more out of this fog he seemed to be battling through. “Call 911 and make sure no one comes down here until the cops show up. This is a crime scene and nothing, nothing can be touched. Got it?”
Stefan nodded. Thankfully, the alleyway really only had one entrance. There was no reason for anyone to be on the other end. Stefan was more than happy to take his leave of the body and the blood, and go to the mouth of the alley to call 911. After giving a brief explanation to the operator, he gave his name and telephone number.
The woman on the other end said she was sending people. She said they should stay and talk to the police when they got here. She also gave him the advice not to touch anything. She asked if Stefan wanted her to stay on the phone until the police got there, but he said he had to make sure no one else came into the alleyway, and it’d be hard with the phone against his ear. She agreed, and they hung up.
Stefan compelled two people who came out of the bar and turned to head down the alley. He convinced them to use a park a couple blocks away for their late night tryst instead of the dirty alley.
Then he turned back to look at Joe once more.
Joe remained where he stood. He couldn’t risk touching anything and running the risk of contaminating the crime scene any further. But that didn’t mean he couldn’t look. He looked for anything that stood out and demanded his attention. The man had been shot, but Joe did not see any spent shell casings on the ground. This told him right away that the perpetrator knew enough to police his (or her) brass. A gun was also not a weapon of convenience, like the bottles Joe saw in the trash, or the metal bar leaning up against the building. So the killer had come with their weapon.
So had Joe and Stefan interrupted a mugging in process? Joe wasn’t so sure. There didn’t look as though there had been any kind of struggle in the alley, however, it was such a mess back here, it was really hard to tell. Without being able to really process the scene it was too early to come to any conclusions. Joe’s eyes moved back to the body and his brows furrowed. What was the man even doing in the alley? Joe thought about the phone call the man had taken in the bar. He wished he had been able to understand what was being said. Had the killer called the man, had that call been a way to lure him here and to his death? For what purpose? And finally, who was Iliana?
Joe shook his head. There weren’t enough pieces of the puzzle laid out yet for there to be a complete picture. The sounds of sirens screaming towards them made Joe look up again. He saw Stefan at the mouth of the alley watching him and he was reminded that this wasn’t his case. This wasn’t his problem. However, he could still feel the man’s grip around his wrist and the hand to the back of his neck.
With a deep breath, Joe moved to join Stefan at the top of the alley to meet the police.
Stefan turned to look at Joe as the other man came to join him in the alley. He could smell the man coming a mile away, considering how much crimson now stained his hands, shirt and neck. It was one of those things where Stefan was going to have to hold his breath. Not hard to do, but something he’d have to keep in mind. He didn’t want to lose control again, show off his vamp face to his friend. The flashing lights continued but the sirens stopped as the emergency vehicles stopped and the personnel came out. Stefan brought up a hand to clap on Joe’s shoulder. “You all right?” He asked quietly.
Joe reached the mouth of the alley just as the ambulance and squad car arrived. Already people had started gathering on the sidewalk, rubbernecking to see what the commotion was about. This was not the first crime scene Joe had ever been to, but it was the first one he’d ever been a witness for. He felt as though he were moving in slow motion, all the flashing lights and sounds around him dulled until he stepped up to Stefan’s side. He felt the hand on his shoulder. His eyes slid to the side to look at Stefan. It was too early to say if he was alright or not. The bigger question was if Stefan was alright.
“They’re going to want to question us,” Joe said in a low tone. “Take our statements, maybe even want to take us to headquarters. You up for that?”
Stefan had to breathe in to speak, and when he did the smell came back twice as strong. He swallowed before he spoke, giving himself a moment to maintain control. “I think so.” Stefan replied. He wished he had an emergency supply to tide him over. If he was a normal vampire like Caroline or Lexi or Damon, he could figure out something else. Damon would likely just compel someone to offer up some blood. But Stefan couldn’t do that. He couldn’t stop. He’d end up ripping some innocent person’s head off in a fury, and then reassembling the corpse while racked with guilt. No, he’d have to go without sustenance for a while. At least, until after the cops were finished with them. He’d gone for longer than a few hours before. He could do it again.
“You have any idea what might have happened back there?” Stefan was thankful that the mouth of the alley was upwind from the bloody mess at the far end. That made things a little easier to control, but there was still the smell all over Joe. He held his breath again while he turned his attention to his friend and business partner.
Joe shook his head. “Not yet,” he said in that same low tone. “Could have been a robbery, but…” Joe wasn’t so sure. It still seemed to him as though the victim had been lured out into the alley. But why? It must have had something to do with the name Illiana, but who was she?
The blood on his neck was starting to dry and itch, but Joe didn’t dare scratch it off. It was evidence and until he got the OK from the cops, he was stuck with it. As the cops started making their way over towards him and Stefan, Joe remembered all too quickly that he was just a mechanic. Even if he did have any idea about what had happened, he couldn’t do anything about it.
“I’m Officer Robart,” the policeman identified himself. “The two of you found the body?”
“Good evening, officer.” Stefan said, trying to sound as normal as possible. He even started to breathe again, though he had to take it awfully slow, so he could control his sense of smell. He reached forward to shake the officer’s hand. “Yes, we did.”
Arrangements were made for the pair to give physical evidence on the scene to the Crime Scene crew (Joe’s shirt, scrapings from the dried blood on his neck and hands) and then the pair would be given a ride down to the station to be interviewed and questioned. They were assured it was standard procedure. Stefan was cautious as, fifteen minutes later, he and Joe were escorted to the station.