"You know I heard sunlight isn't the best cure for hangovers." Jonah says standing over her shoulders. Elaine turns to look at him. "I'm sorry who are you?" She asks. Jonah chuckles, "Wow the whiskey got you bad huh?" He muttered under his breath.
Elaine looked on eyebrows scrunched, confused. The salty air flowing through the beach. "Anyways I'm Jonah, the guy you spoke to last night before you blacked out." Jonah reintroduced himself.
Elaine blinked, trying to focus on his face. "Jonah?… righhhttt." she mumbled, her hand going to her throbbing temple. The sun was relentless, and the remnants of last night's revelry were pounding in her head. "Yeah… you… you mentioned something about being an architect?"
Jonah nodded, relieved that she remembered at least that much. "That's right. And you're… an editor, right?" He settled down on the edge of her beach chair, trying to appear relaxed. The turquoise water lapped gently against the shore, a stark contrast to the turmoil brewing inside him. Elaine nodded slowly, wincing again. "Yeah… editor. For a few different publications." She took a deep breath, trying to clear her head.
"So… what brings you here? Besides the obvious… beautiful scenery?" Jonah chuckled again, trying to keep the conversation light. "Just enjoying the… unexpected vacation," he said, subtly emphasizing the word "unexpected." He watched her closely, searching for any flicker of recognition, any sign that she remembered their conversation from the night before.
Elaine frowned slightly. "Unexpected?"
"Yeah," Jonah said, leaning closer, his voice dropping to a conspiratorial whisper. "Things… things have been a little crazy lately. With Elliot, you know and with him you can never tell what happens next. He is the adventurous type especially when he's running away from his problems. "
He paused, letting the name hang in the air. He could see a flash of interest in her eyes. Her eyebrows lifted in curiosity. "Elliot," Elaine repeated, her voice a little sharper now. "Yeah… I remember now. You were… you were saying some interesting things about him last night." Jonah's heart pounded in his chest. She remembers .
He had to tread carefully. "Interesting things?" he asked, feigning innocence. "Like what?" Elaine hesitated, her gaze drifting towards the ocean. "Like… how you're not exactly… thrilled with him," she said, her voice low.
"Something about… daddy issues and alphabetically organized spices?"
Jonah winced inwardly. *Okay, so she remembers *everything*. Great.* He forced a laugh. "Yeah, well… everyone has their quirks, right?" He tried to steer the conversation away from Elliot's spice rack. "So… you mentioned you're an editor.
That must be… interesting. Lots of juicy stories?" Elaine's eyes lit up, the hangover momentarily forgotten. "Oh, you have no idea," she said, her voice regaining its usual energy. "I hear all sorts of things. Celebrity scandals, political intrigue… you name it."
"Anything… particularly juicy lately?" Jonah asked, trying to sound casual. He could feel Elliot's gaze on him from across the beach. He knew Elliot was watching, waiting for a signal.
Elaine leaned closer, her voice dropping to a conspiratorial whisper. "Well… there's this one story… it's huge. It could… it could blow everything wide open." Jonah's pulse quickened. "And… what's it about?" he asked, his voice barely a whisper. Elaine hesitated, her gaze darting around the beach. "I can't say," she said finally. "Confidentiality, you know."
Jonah nodded, trying to hide his disappointment. He had been so close. "Of course," he said. "But… just between us… a hint? We could be of help to each other you know?" Elaine giggled, a throaty sound that grated on Jonah's nerves. "Okay… okay… just one," she said, her eyes twinkling. "V…"
Jonah frowned. V? What did that mean? He thought back to their conversation from the night before. She had mentioned something about an informant. "So," he said, trying to keep the conversation going. "You get all this juicy information from… an informant?"
Elaine nodded. "That's right. I have my sources." "And… this informant… they're reliable?" Jonah asked. Elaine shrugged. "Usually. They haven't steered me wrong yet." "So," Jonah said, leaning closer, his voice low and persuasive. "This… big story… the one that could blow everything wide open… is it about… the Sinclairs?" Elaine's eyes widened slightly. She took a long sip of her drink, her gaze fixed on Jonah's face.
"Look," she said, her voice a little shaky now. "I really can't talk about this. I've already said too much." Jonah was disappointed. He had pushed too hard. He could see the suspicion in her eyes. He had to back off, before he blew the whole operation. "Okay," he said, standing up. "I understand. I didn't mean to pry." He gave her a disarming smile. "Enjoy the rest of your vacation."
"Hold on!" Elaine called out. Jonah turned back to look at her. "Here's my card if you ever want to talk about, you-know-who." She said looking in the direction of Elliot. Jonah nodded, "Thank you I really appreciate it. I'll be back when Elliot becomes fussy about spending on me." Jonah said with a smirk. He turned and walked away, his mind racing. He had gotten some information, but not enough.
He needed to know more about this "V" and about Elaine's informant. He glanced back at Elaine. She was watching him, her expression unreadable. He had a feeling that this was far from over. He rejoined Elliot, who was waiting anxiously. "Well?" Elliot asked, his voice tight. "She remembers everything," Jonah said. "And she hinted at another big story… something about a 'V.'" Elliot frowned.
"V? What does that mean?" "I don't know," Jonah said. "But I have a feeling it's important." He looked at Elliot, his eyes filled with worry. "I think… I think we need to be careful. She says something bigger is coming. A bigger scoop."
"What does that mean?" Elliot asked.
Jonah shrugged. "I don't know. But Elaine was nervous. Like she was afraid of something… or someone."
"Did she say anything else?" Elliot pressed.
"Just that it was a huge story, something that could blow everything wide open," Jonah replied. "And that she was meeting her informant next Wednesday."
"Next Wednesday," Elliot repeated, his mind racing. That gave them a timeline. They had to figure out who this 'V' was and what this story was before it broke. "We need to tell Clara," Jonah said.
"She's the one with the connections. Maybe she can help us figure this out."
Elliot nodded. "Good idea. Let's head back to the suite. We can call her from there."