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vanessagaloreRewind to the beginning: Chapter 1
Rewind to the last update: Chapter 6
Rewind to the last chapter: Chapter 10
*****************************************************
VERONICA MARS
10:00PM TFX ch: 92 60min 2008 TV-MA
True Lies
Mac sees some old friends in Vegas; Keith
tries to protect Veronica.
Mac: Tina Majorino. Logan: Jason Dohring.
Dick: Ryan Hansen. Carrie: Amber Heard.
Arnold Schwarzenegger: Himself.
*****************************************************
CHAPTER ELEVEN: "TRUE LIES"
Mac is never really going to get used to the whole concept of a Wonderbra. Mashing your boobs together for cleavage, what man thought of that? It always takes her a while to feel comfortable in this outfit. Veronica helped her pick it out: a cream-colored pant suit, nipped at the waist, with flowing pants and a red camisole with a deeply plunging, soft-draping neckline. And the topper? A blonde wig, shoulder-length hair. Mac drew the line at high heels; they compromised on sandals with a small heel that matched the suit exactly.
When Mac first started going to Vegas, it only took two weekends before she saw that the security guards had noticed her winning ways. When they whispered in the ear of her blackjack dealer, she cashed out quickly and left before there was a problem. Her fellow math majors had warned her that the casinos were constantly on the lookout for card-counters and cheaters; in fact one of her classmates was banned from the Sands. She discussed the problem with Veronica and they came up with five distinct outfits and wigs, IDs to match, and a plan. Veronica did a little research and decided Mac would be safer if she changed blackjack tables every 30 minutes and moved to a different casino at least twice a day. In addition, Mac made sure to lose a hand once in a while if she was winning too much.
It always amazes her: this persona, "Gail Simone", seems to take over Mac's body. She finds herself walking sexily, and flirting with the dealers. Saying things she would never say as Mac. Even, *gasp*, wearing makeup.
She's been at this table for about twenty minutes, when a man, dressed to the nines, sits down to her right. "I assume this seat is available?" He catches her eye, and she gasps. It's Logan, in a beautiful Armani tux. He looks at her again, "I know you, don't I? Wait...Mac?"
Flirtatiously, as 'Gail', she replies, "Logan, how could you forget, it's Gail? How are you?" She leans over, kisses his cheek, and whispers in his ear, "Play along, willya?"
Logan smiles, "Of course, Gail, it's been quite a while. And may I say, I've never seen you look more...voluptuous?" His eyes drop to her breasts, then he continues, laughing, "Perhaps it's your...outfit?"
Mac thinks that Logan is enjoying this just a little too much. She replies, "You don't look so bad yourself. Mad bling, dawg," she teases. After the next hand, she stands up and says, "Logan, let's get a drink."
Logan stands and offers his arm. Mac takes it; as 'Gail', she somehow knows she's supposed to do things like that with a gentleman; as Mac, she'd probably roll her eyes and call him a tool. They walk over to the bar. As they approach, Mac sees other familiar faces: Dick, John Enbom, and Dick's frat brother, Chip Diller. Great, she thinks. She snarks, "What happens in Neptune, just doesn't stay in Neptune."
"Huh?" Dick says. "Who's this...holy crap, Mac, you're blonde."
"Very astute observation, Dick," Mac says.
Logan says, "All right. What's going on? Veronica didn't send you to spy on us, did she?"
Mac raises her eyebrows. "I really don't think she keeps tabs on you, Logan. I'm just here having a little fun."
"And the getup?"
"I just thought I needed a makeover."
"No...something's up. Spill."
"Alright, listen up." She lowers her voice. "I've been coming here to earn tuition money. The whole math and comp sci major thing actually teaches you a lot about card playing, you know? The casinos get upset if you win too much, so I'm keeping a low profile."
"You're a card shark?" Dick says in disbelief. "Sweet!! And...I'm totally into the whole blonde thing."
Mac rolls her eyes.
"Hey, Carrie," Logan says. A stunning, slender blonde slips her arm around Logan's back. Her dress is gold, shimmering, and clings to her like a second skin. Logan says lasciviously, "I like blondes too."
"Especially Dick," Mac says. Three other good-looking girls join them and they are introduced to Mac as Helena, Rachel and Claire. "What are you guys doing here in Vegas and why are you all so dressed up?"
Enbom says, "You know Dick's mom married Schwarzenegger's business manager? Well, FOA is throwing a fund-raising reception for Rudy Giuliani tonight and to impress her husband's boss Dick's mom bought a whole table and gave us the tickets. My dad let us fly in on the corporate jet."
"What's FOA?" Mac asks.
"Friends of Ahnold," Logan says. "I think they're going to try to burn the constitution before 2012 so he can run for guvernator-in-chief."
Chip says, "Chief Executive-girlie-man."
"Hasta la vista, baby." Dick chimes in, laughing.
Logan says, "Mac, do you want to join us? We can probably get you into the reception. Although I have to warn you, it's probably going to be deadly dull."
"With that kind of advertisement, I think I'll pass. The night is young and I have cards to count."
Dick said, "Come on, Mac, at least stop by so I can grope you on the dance floor."
Helena swats him. Mac promises to stop by and see the celebs sometime during the evening, and they say goodbye.
Mac watches them leave, noting how incredible Logan looks in his tux and how attentive he is to Carrie. She thinks, Veronica is crazy. And then she thinks, Dick wants to grope me?
----------
"Mr. Mars, it's Eli."
"Eli, how goes it? Have you seen anybody around Veronica?"
"No. I'm guessing this has something to do with whoever framed her."
Keith says, "I don't know anything. I just have a bad feeling. Be careful she doesn't spot you."
"I know," Weevil says. "I have my maintenance crew helping me. There's usually something that needs repairing everywhere on campus. It's harder when she goes off campus, I can't leave if I'm on a shift."
"I know, Eli, but at least she's safe when she's there. Keep watching and let me know if you spot anyone."
"Will do, Mr. Mars."
----------
Veronica enters Mars Investigations. She calls out "Dad? you here?" Satisfied that she's alone, she turns on the outer office computer and pulls up a keystroke capture program. She runs the program and manages to retrieve the passwords Mike used for the FBI databases. Well, %89!~jquc&#, you are a sneaky bastard, she thinks. She quickly searches for "Lianne Mars" and "Clarence Wiedman". She takes a second to peruse the information on her mother and finds her mother was arrested and convicted in a Texas border town a year ago for drug possession. Thinking for a second, she runs the other names on her suspect lists, Jake and Celeste Kane, the Mannings, Liam Fitzpatrick and Gory Sorokin. FBI Agent--Best...Boyfriend...Ever!! Suddenly, she hears a car pull up, and, suspecting it's her father, she quickly uploads the files to her online .mac account for later access and quits the database.
Keith walks in, "Hi honey, I didn't expect to see you her."
Veronica says, "Hi dad. I can't find some of my notes for my statistical modeling project and I wondered if they were on the hard drive here, but no luck. I'm going to have to start over from scratch."
"Well, do you have time for dinner and a video with your dad? I'm thinking pizza and 'Planet of the Apes'."
"'Take your stinking paws off me, you damned dirty ape!' A true cinema classic. Can we get black olives on the pizza?"
"On half, Veronica, and I want anchovies on my half."
Later that evening at the apartment, they polish off the pizza in no time. As the movie ends on the iconic Statue of Liberty image, the Mars father and daughter chant exultantly along with Charlton Heston, "'You blew it up! Damn you! Damn you all to hell!'" They turn to a local channel to watch some more mindless entertainment. Veronica, yawning, snuggles up to her father and dozes off.
Logan is caressing her arms. He pulls her close, breathes in the smell of her as if he's intoxicated; he begins to kiss her shoulder, and then deliberately bites her neck, hard. Veronica shivers, aroused; she strokes his back, reaching for his ass and pulling him in closer. Brushing his fingers insistently against the side of her breast, he kisses her neck, her chin, her lips. She tastes blood; he pulls back and she looks at his face. Lustful, eyes full of desire--and covered in blood. Veronica moans and her dad shakes her, "Wake up, Veronica, you're having a bad dream." For a moment she's disoriented, then she remembers her dream and thinks, Logan, a vampire? That's ridiculous.
----------
In Vegas, Mac is pleased with her winnings. Not excessive enough to draw attention, but she has done well. She decides she will drop in on the party for a little while before she heads to her economy hotel room on the outskirts of town.
When she enters the ballroom, she sees wall-to-wall celebrities, and she is definitely underdressed. Arnold Schwarzenegger, behind a lectern, is finishing up a speech. “There is another way you can tell you’re a Republican. You have faith in free enterprise, faith in the resourcefulness of the American people, and faith in the U.S. economy. To those critics who are so pessimistic about our economy, I say: ‘Don’t be economic girlie men!'(2)” The crowd applauds vigorously, and the band begins to play loud disco music.
Mac sees Karl Rove in the crowd and shivers unconsciously; there's Tom Selleck and Dean Cain (god, how could he be a Republican?); Bruce Willis, ohmigod. She spots Logan and waves. He comes over and says, "I'm glad you came by. The speeches were interminable."
"Somebody's been studying their word-a-day calendar, I see," she teases.
"I'm not just eye candy, you know." They walk over to the table.
Seeing Mac, Dick says, "How much did you win tonight?"
She evades the question, saying, "About like usual."
"Do you think you could teach me how to do it?"
"I suppose anything's possible," she snarks. Enbom laughs and punches Dick in the shoulder.
Dick glares at Enbom, and stands up. "C'mon Mac, I want that dance."
Mac grabs his extended hand and they head for the dance floor. "Helena seems to be very tolerant of you," Mac says.
"What do you mean?"
"I probably would have slapped you silly by now."
"Aw, Mac, you know I can't help being an idiot. It's like, genemic."
"You mean genetic, right?"
"Yeah, that's what I said. You really do look gorgeous, Mac." He slides his hand down her back, aiming for her ass, but she grabs it just in time and replaces it at her waist.
"Dick, is that Jake and Celeste Kane over there?"
"Yep, they're here. They're back together again. You know they split up for a while; Mr. Kane moved back to Neptune alone and bought that creepster house. I heard it was like a freak show in there, all dark and spooky."
"Do you know why they split up?" Mac asked.
"I heard they were arguing a lot over the whole Duncan thing, I think Mrs. Kane wanted to sue Veronica, but Mr. Kane told her it would only make things worse. Mr. Kane has been trying to get amnesty for Duncan, he told me tonight that his lawyers are finally making some progress."
"And of course there's also Lilly."
"Yeah...." Dick gives her an unhappy look. "Are you sure you're not here snooping for Ronnie?"
"No, I'm just--curious," Mac says. She sees the Kanes again; Celeste is furious about something, Jake grabs her arm and it looks like he's trying to calm her down. Jake smiles and waves at an acquaintance, then turns back to Celeste and quietly tells her something. They leave the ballroom.
"Thanks for the dance, Dick," Mac says as they rejoin the group at the table. Mac is reluctant to admit it, but she enjoys hanging with the '09ers for the rest of the evening. Maybe blondes do have more fun, she thinks wistfully.
----------
Later that evening, Logan gets out of bed, trying not to disturb Carrie. He quietly opens the balcony door and sits down, looking out at the glaring Vegas night scene. She is beautiful, and sexy, and smart, and for some reason it's just not working for him. She's patient; she knows all about his moods, allowing him to stare out at the ocean in peace, and she never puts pressure on him. For some reason, he always calls her Carrie; he doesn't have a pet name for her, he can't seem to think of one.
She opens the balcony door and joins him. "Logan, is everything okay?"
"It was just a little bit too much like a high school reunion tonight," he mumbles.
"High school wasn't fun for you, Logan?"
"Not exactly."
"Come back to bed, let me take your mind off whatever's bothering you." She is pretty sure who's on his mind, but she is wise enough to know that she's better off not mentioning it.
"In a minute."
She returns to bed and Logan continues to sit on the balcony, alone.
_____________________________________________________
2: Actual quote: 2004 Republican National Convention, August 31, 2004
*****************************************************
VERONICA MARS
10:00PM TFX ch: 92 60min 2008 TV-MA
The Usual Suspects
There's a new candidate for sheriff; Leo
updates Keith on the investigation; Mac tells
Veronica what happened in Vegas.
Veronica: Kristin Bell. Leo: Max Greenfield.
Keith: Enrico Colantoni Mac: Tina Majorino.
Wallace: Percy Daggs III. Celeste Kane:
Lisa Thornhill. Mike: Michael Trucco.
*****************************************************
CHAPTER TWELVE: "THE USUAL SUSPECTS"
Wallace exits Java the Hut carrying two cups of coffee for him and Keith. He sees a deputy writing a parking ticket for his car and hustles over, shouting, "Hey, hey, I'm here, I'll move the car. Please, stop!"
The deputy smirks and says, "Well, Mr. Fennel, you know you're supposed to park six inches from the curb. I measured six point five inches, and I'm really, really sorry, but you know that once I start writing the ticket, I have to complete it." He signs with a flourish, rips the ticket out of his book and hands it to Wallace. "Have a truly excellent day, Mr. Fennel."
Wallace thinks, Damn, that's the fourth parking ticket in two months. He drives to Mars Investigations.
"Keith, can I ask you something? I've gotten four parking tickets in two months. I mean, I never got a single ticket before that, and now I can't catch a break. Do I have a target painted on my car?"
Keith frowns. "You're kidding. I've had five tickets myself, and not for particularly legitimate parking offenses. Cliff got a couple dismissed due to sloppy ticket writing, but I paid three just to get rid of them. I think Mars Investigations has been targeted for harassment by our lovable Sheriff Vinnie. Give me the ticket, Wallace; if I can't get it dismissed, I want to take care of it. In the future, you need to be extremely careful of your parking; try to park on the side streets where your car is less visible."
Wallace says, "Will do, Mr. Mars, I really appreciate it. You know my moms, she had a fit about the other three."
Keith goes in his office and shuts the door. Wallace shrugs and sits down in the outer office and pulls out a file folder from his book bag. He had an idea last night about Wiedman's murder and he wants to work on it for a while before showing it to Keith. He has made a list of the fictional characters from Keith's novel, and he is trying to match them up to real-life '09ers and actual cases from Keith's files. I know it's a long shot, Keith was adamant that no characters were based on real people, but hey, they always say "write what you know" and I bet he couldn't help but throw a little reality in. He begins the arduous task of searching for key words in Keith's files that match his list of characters.
----------
Keith picks up the phone. "Hi Inga, can I speak to the Deputy Chief please?...Leo, it's Keith Mars."
"Hey, Keith. I can't tell you how glad I am that Veronica's indictment was dismissed. Have things gotten back to normal for you and her yet?"
"Well, you know Veronica." Keith says. "I'm not really sure what normal is for that girl. Lianne's murder and Veronica's arrest were pretty hard for both of us....Leo, off the record, I wanted to ask you if someone in the Sheriff's office is targeting Mars Investigations for parking violations. I've had five myself and my assistant had his fourth ticket today."
Leo is quiet for a minute. "Keith, I'm in an awkward situation here....I'm not happy about it, and I haven't participated myself. Let's just say that bonuses have been offered for certain quotas that Sheriff Van Lowe has stated are 'in the best interest of the department'."
"That's what I suspected. I've told my assistant to be more cautious and to follow the laws meticulously, and I plan on doing the same."
"It's not just you and Wallace, sir."
"Who else? Veronica?"
"Yes, she's had six, and her friend Mac has had two. Veronica protested all eight, and got seven of them dismissed."
"That's my girl," Keith chuckles.
"I wish I could be more help, but I'm sorry to tell you that there are some in the department that think that Veronica got away with murder, and they are supporting Sheriff Van Lowe one hundred percent. Personally, I'm quite convinced that if Veronica had killed Clarence Wiedman there would not have been one speck of evidence, she's way too smart to leave forensics behind."
"That's not a very comforting sentiment," Keith says, getting a little angry.
"Keith, you know I like Veronica, and I don't think she could have committed a cold-blooded murder. I'm just saying she could never in a million lifetimes be a careless murderer, and I can't understand how anyone in the department could have believed that evidence for one second."
"Okay, point taken. Are there are any new leads in the case?"
"No, and I'm getting discouraged about the lack of direction from the top. I promise you I'm doing my best, but you know our Vinnie: he's great at press conferences, and sucking up to the mayor, but analyzing the evidence and actually investigating--not his forte."
"I appreciate you trying. There will always be a cloud over Veronica if there is no conviction," Keith says quietly.
After a moment, Leo continues. "Keith, I'm glad you called today. I wanted to speak to you about another matter. I'm interested in running for sheriff in the next election, but I wanted to see if you were going to run before I make my final decision."
"Leo, the sheriff's department, at least in Neptune, is definitely not in my future. I would like to be the first to offer my support. Of course, that's if you would even want my endorsement, considering the way this town feels about me." Keith says.
Leo replies, "Keith, you have more friends than you know, and a lot of admirers. Let me think about that endorsement; you might be right about that not being my best move. But I would be interested in every bit of advice you could give me." They agree to meet later in the week to discuss strategy, with Keith smiling at the prospect of a new gun in town.
Keith wonders about the department's seeming lack of interest in the case. Pressure from above? Professional incompetence? He decides to investigate the eyewitness, who claimed to have seen Wiedman execute Lianne and then flee town.
----------
Veronica shuts off her alarm, stretches and looks over to Mac's bed.
"Hey, Veronica," Mac says sleepily, eyes half-closed.
"Did you have fun in Vegas? And the most important part, how much money did you make?"
"About $1650, after I paid for the hotel room. But you're not going to believe who I ran into," Mac replies.
"Tell me during breakfast, I don't want to be late for class," Veronica says, heading out to the showers.
At breakfast, Mac notices that people are staring. "What the hell's going on? Did I forget and wear my pajamas again?"
Veronica snorts. "That was classic. No, it's not you, it's me. Apparently, I am the demon spawn who got away with murder. Not only that, someone dug up the old video of me and Piz and sent it around again, so I'm also a slutty murderer. Actually, I kind of like everyone being afraid of me. It's been like this ever since I came back."
"But that's totally unfair, the charges were dropped."
"Yes, but there are no other suspects, according to Sheriff Van Lowe. The Sunday paper led with the story of how all the other viable suspects had been cleared. Of course, no one was named, because I'm betting dear Vinnie hasn't actually investigated at all, and is hoping to refile charges at a later date. He actually gave a quote that 'Ms. Mars has quite a fanciful imagination and could easily have created a double jeopardy scenario to assure her acquittal.' Then he followed up with 'Rest assured, the Neptune Sheriff's department is working overtime to identify the true killer.'"
"Leaving the impresssion that it's you," Mac worries.
"That is correct, and that is why, believe it or not, college actually is worse than high school. I would have bet big money that nothing could surpass the joy that was Neptune High," Veronica says sarcastically.
Mac laughs, "And I would have taken that action! Listen, I gotta tell you what happened in Vegas." She tells Veronica about the FOA party and seeing Logan, Dick, Enbom, and Chip and their dates. She selectively omits telling Veronica about Logan's gorgeous date and how incredible Logan looked. Since she has decided that Dick wasn't actually hitting on her, she just tells Veronica that Dick was his usual lecherous self.
"But that's not what I wanted to tell you about. Jake and Celeste Kane were at the party together," Mac says excitedly. "And they were fighting. Well, not like my parents fight, but in that clenched-jaw way that WASPs have an argument."
Veronica thinks a minute. "Jake and Celeste are back together? I heard that they separated. Jake moved back here and Celeste moved to Palm Springs."
"No," Mac shakes her head, "Dick said they are definitely together again and living in Neptune. He said they have about a million lawyers working to get amnesty for Duncan, and that Celeste wanted to sue you. I'm not sure what she thought her cause of action was, aiding and abetting her criminal son? It sounds like she's not quite sane."
"No, I don't think Celeste has been completely sane for quite a while. Lilly's death sent her over the edge. She was quite convinced that Duncan killed his sister, and I think she blamed me for somehow precipitating it."
"What about your mother? Did Celeste blame her too?" Mac says.
FLASHBACK: Veronica and Duncan with their animatronic baby from Health Class at the Kane residence. Celeste Kane says to Duncan, bitchily, "I told your father something like this would happen. This is exactly why we should have taken you up to Napa." Veronica gasps theatrically, and says, "Not in front of the baby!" When Veronica implies that Celeste dumped her own baby at the senior prom, Celeste bitterly snipes, "When I look at your face, all I see is your drunk slut of a mother."
"Yes, Celeste blamed my mother..." Veronica starts. After a pause, she continues, "Yes...in fact, she blamed my mother for the problems in her marriage, and she blamed my dad for implicating Jake in Lilly's murder investigation. She definitely has it in for the Mars family. And I have to say, I'm quite surprised to learn that she has been in town the whole time while all this has been going on." Looking questioningly at Mac, Veronica continues, "I wonder if Celeste has had any large withdrawals from her bank account. What do you think, Queen Leeterati?"
Mac is silent for a moment and then says, "Veronica, that's really a big deal. You know what kind of encryption those accounts have, and that kind of hacking is federal hacking, you know what I mean?"
"I know. Let me think about this. Don't do anything that would get you in trouble." Veronica is thinking how convenient it is that her boyfriend is in the FBI. "I think I know another way to get Celeste's banking information."
----------
"No!...no way, Veronica. I can't. And by the way, I know you used my username and password to access the federal secure records database last week. When I tried to login, it said, 'Username already logged in'. You're the only one outside the FBI who's seen me type my username and password." Mike says, testily.
"Nice password, by the way," she says airily. They are speaking by cell phone as Veronica walks to class.
Mike grits his teeth and says, "Veronica, don't you get it? You're not really out of the woods here. You need to stick to the straight and narrow from here on in, your dick of a sheriff is looking to refile charges against you, based on what I read in the Sunday paper."
"When did my man become 'the man'? Where's your sense of adventure? And besides, if you think there's any solution to this other than me clearing my own name, you are more retarded than Vinnie."
"Really nice, Veronica." Mike hangs up.
Veronica thinks, Our first fight. And no make-up sex in sight. I'm going to have to think of another way to investigate Celeste.
*****************************************************
VERONICA MARS
10:00PM TFX ch: 92 60min 2008 TV-MA
Sea of Love
Veronica and Mac start a new business enter-
prise; Mike blows off Veronica; Logan and
Carrie are getting closer.
Veronica: Kristin Bell. Mac: Tina Majorino.
Mike: Michael Trucco. Logan: Jason Dohring.
Carrie: Amanda Heard.
*****************************************************
CHAPTER THIRTEEN: "SEA OF LOVE"
VERONICA
I should be studying. I really do have a project due in two days. But I can't help reading over the information I found on my mom in the FBI database.
A year ago my mom was arrested for drug possession in El Paso, Texas. A border town. I didn't know my mom did drugs; I knew she had a drinking problem and a serious truth problem, but the drugs are new. The information doesn't go into the details, just states that Lianne Mars served thirty days and paid a $10,000 fine. Now that's interesting. Where did my mom get $10,000?
I know she didn't get it from Dad; if we had that kind of money laying around, I wouldn't have had to give up my Stanford dreams. I balance my Dad's checkbook every month; there were no mysterious withdrawals from the Mars account.
Mom only has one friend in El Paso--a college friend, Rick Walters. I can try to contact him. And I've ordered the court transcripts from my mom's trial at "Court Records Online". I know she didn't have million-dollar legal representation, I'm betting there's a lot of information to be gained from the transcript. I still don't know where my mom was recently, but her trial seems like a good place to start.
----------
Mac opens the dorm room door, and says, "Veronica, did you know someone wrote on our door?" There is a girl with Mac who looks a little nervous, and keeps glancing back and forth from the door to Veronica. "This is Heather, she wants to hire you to investigate her boyfriend."
Veronica jumps off the bed and goes to look at the door. Scrawled on the white board is "THE PORNO BABE IS A KILLER". She grabs the eraser. Mac says, "Don't bother, they used permanent marker. We'll have to get a new memo board."
Veronica takes the board off the door and throws it in the trash. "It just keeps getting better, doesn't it? Hi, Heather, I'm Veronica, I'm harmless, I swear." She puts her hand out to shake Heather's; after a moment, Heather takes it, then looks around for a place to sit.
Heather chooses the desk chair, and begins hesitantly. "I'm a sophomore. When I was a freshman, I used to go to the frat parties, but it wasn't for me. I'm not good at small talk and I'm not a big drinker. Every guy I met was a pig. That guy Dick Casablancas was chasing me for two weeks."
"We know Dick," Veronica says. "Probably a good idea to avoid him."
"So one night a few months ago, I found a dating website online and thought I would try it. It's called 'TrueHeart.com' and it specializes in finding matches for college students. I filled out a personality profile and they sent me a few matches right away. I corresponded with them a while, and finally I went on a few dates with one of my matches."
Veronica asks, "So how can I help you?"
Heather continues, "Ryan wants to go away together next weekend. I'm assuming that means..."
"You'll be taking it to the next level, I got it. Why do you think you need to investigate him?" Veronica says.
Heather's shoulders slump. "I don't know! He's totally great. I've never had so much fun with a guy before. I just--I just want to make sure...."
Mac says, "Veronica, you can check this guy out for Heather, right?"
"Of course, I can do a background check like this in my sleep."
Heather says, "I can pay you whatever it costs."
Veronica thinks a second, and says, "I think $200 should cover it. I'll run a full check on him tonight and let you know the results in the morning. Write down everything you know about this guy." She hands Heather a sheet of paper.
Heather writes down a name, a cell phone number, and an email address. Veronica raises her eyebrows. "That's it? How about his school, his major, his hobbies, anything you got? And how I can get in touch with you if I need more information." Heather nods, and adds to her list. She finishes by writing down her name and cell phone number. She pulls out her checkbook and writes Veronica a check.
Veronica takes it, and says, "I'll call you tomorrow. Don't worry, Heather, he's probably a great guy." Veronica thinks, Not a chance in hell.
After Heather leaves, Mac turns to Veronica. "You know, I had a great idea. Sort of like my old purity test."
"Continue, Yoda," Veronica smirks.
"Well, what if there was a way to certify your potential matches before you wasted time getting to know a jerk? For instance, you agree to provide your information, your real name, address, and your social security number, to a third party. This third party verifies the information matches, runs a criminal background check, checks to see if there are any bankruptcies or outstanding judgments, and, most importantly, confirms marital status."
Veronica adds, "You'd have to check for cohabitation as well."
Mac continues,"The third party would then certify to any potential matches, without revealing any actual information, that you satisfy minimum dating requirements. Of course, you could still be a jerk."
Veronica laughs. "Yeah, I'm not sure that there's a jerk database to check. I'm assuming that this third party you speak of will be you and me, correct?"
Mac smiles. "I'm thinking, you will be Rockford. I'll be managing the website and handling the credit card transactions."
"I'm in. I have a rather large debt to pay off to my ex-boyfriend, you know."
Mac is surprised, but just nods her head.
----------
Veronica hits speed-dial 3 on her cell. When Mike answers, she smiles and pulls up a file on her laptop.
"Hi, baby. Whatcha doin'?" she says in a throaty voice.
"Hey Veronica, I'm sorry about the other night. I know you're just frustrated at the sheriff's lack of progress, and I really do wish I could help," Mike says, apologetically.
"I know you do. But I don't want to talk about that. You know I haven't seen you for more than a week and I'm just so...lonely without you."
Mike, a little confused, says, "I miss you too, Veronica."
Veronica continues, reading off her laptop. "All I can think about is how it feels when you touch me, you know, when you caress my breasts, it just makes me...quiver inside." She rolls her eyes.
"Veronica?"
"And then, you move your hand down a little further, and I just want your hand on my bare flesh, stroking me, finding my secret spot."
"Okay, who the hell is this and what did you do with Veronica? Veronica, are you READING this?"
"Damn, I tried so hard this time, I even read a few NC-17 stories on livejournal. You said I sucked at phone sex," Veronica groans. "This long distance thing is never going to work. I've got to see you, soon. I think I could get enough work done here to make a little road trip to San Fran if you're not working this weekend."
Mike replies, "Oh, Veronica, this weekend I have a big operation going on. There will be meetings and debriefings all weekend."
"I can handle the debriefing if you'd like."
Mike laughs, "Now that's more your style, Veronica. You know it's your witty banter that attracted me."
"And also I'm cute, right?"
"Especially when you reload my gun."
"Ooh, baby, tell me some more about your gun," she says huskily. They laugh. Mike says he's got to go, and they agree to talk soon. Veronica smiles, thinking about makeup sex.
----------
Later that evening, Veronica finishes the background check on Heather's potential boy-toy. Of course, Ryan turned out to be married, with two liens on his house and a lousy credit report. It's always the bad boys that turn us on the most. Speaking of bad boys....
Veronica pulls out some stationery, an envelope and her checkbook. She writes a check, then writes a quick note.
Dear Logan,
Here is your first check as promised. I know $100 is just a drop in the bucket, but I wanted you to know that I haven't forgotten my promise to you. I hope you will accept this check, so that we can be friends again someday.
V
----------
The noise from the party at his beach house is getting to Logan, and, deciding to clear his head for a minute, he walks out onto the deck. He sees Carrie making a phone call.
"It should only be a couple more weeks....Yes, I'm sure....It won't be a problem, everything's going well--" She turns around and sees Logan. "I've gotta go, bye." She hangs up and smiles at him. "Wanna take a walk?"
He puts his arm around her and they descend the stairs to the sand. Arm in arm, they walk down the beach. "You throw a hell of a party, Logan Echolls....I think Dick might need a nurse soon."
"Well, there are plenty of girls up to the task. Not that I'm being nosy or anything, what was up with that phone call? Is everything okay?"
Carrie smiles at him. "Oh, no big deal, just something I'm finishing up. Are you okay? You seemed a little quiet tonight."
"I just have a few things on my mind. I had a difficult session with Dr. Friedman this morning," Logan says.
"Maybe if you talked about it? Do you talk about your ex a lot? I can't believe she got into trouble again, and had to get your help."
Logan looks at her for a minute. "Veronica and I have a lot of history. I couldn't let her sit in prison. She's basically a good person who does stupid things without thinking of the consequences. I don't believe she's a murderer, and it was within my power to help her, so--" he shrugs.
"But you said that she always ends up pushing you away when you help her. It seems like that must be very hurtful," Carrie says somberly.
"Carrie, I don't really want to talk about her when I'm here with you on a beautiful night." He turns her to him and brushes his lips across her cheek. His hand strokes her hair and he pulls her closer to him. He thinks, This feels good. I am not addicted to adrenaline and pain. Nuzzling her neck, he says huskily, "Come on, let's go back and throw everyone out. I want to do really filthy things to you."
Carrie giggles, "Only if I get a turn, too." She grabs his hand and they make their way back up the beach.
*****************************************************
VERONICA MARS
10:00PM TFX ch: 92 60min 2008 TV-MA
Pulp Fiction
Veronica discovers Eli's second job; Keith
shows Veronica the letters.
Veronica: Kristin Bell. Weevil: Francis
Capra. Keith: Enrico Colantoni.
*****************************************************
CHAPTER FOURTEEN: "PULP FICTION"
Veronica leaves the campus library. Okay, statistics project--complete. It took a long time in the library tonight, but it was worth it. Maybe if I work straight through the weekend and get ahead, I can make a trip to see Mike next weekend. A girl needs a little distraction now and then.
I can ignore the whispers but this is ridiculous. All evening long, three guys were fake-sneezing, saying "Psycho-killer" and laughing. I put on my headphones and cranked the tunes on my iPhone, but it bothers me. As soon as I completed my research, I got the hell out of there. At least it's a nice night for a walk.
Suddenly, she stops. She hears one footstep behind her. She starts walking again.
I'm not imagining it. There's someone behind me. She reaches in her purse for her taser, and thinks about the campus layout. There's a doorway just ahead in the shadows that will be perfect.
She speeds up, and ducks into the doorway. A dark figure hurries past, and she runs up to him, taser in hand. She jams the taser in his back and yells, "Stop! Why are you following me?"
"Hold up, girlie, it's me," Weevil says, sheepishly.
"Weevil?" She drops her taser to her side and Weevil turns to her.
"Yeah. I was working near the library and it's pretty late, so when I saw you walking alone, I thought I better tag along. People are saying unbelievable things about you lately," Weevil says lamely.
Veronica stares at him, tilting her head. "I don't believe you. Now that I think of it, I've seen you all over the place the last week. And your buddies in maintenance seem to always be working wherever I am. Quite a coincidence, if you ask me." She stabs him in the chest with her finger on each word: "What the hell is going on?"
Weevil holds up his hands. "Okay, you don't have to hurt me, chica. And what have I told you about that head tilt thing?" He grabs her arm and pulls her to a bench. "Keith hired me to watch over you on campus, just to keep an eye out. He especially said to let him know if I saw anybody else following you. I got my guys to help, because, damn!, girl, you're all over the place."
Veronica, pissed, looks at Weevil. "Dad hired you? What the fuck?"
Weevil leans on his elbows, looks down at the ground, and then back at Veronica. "Sometimes you haven't been very careful in the past, and I don't blame him for worrying. I'm worried too. You act like you're some sort of immortal superhero, and the truth is that there are people who really hate your perky face. Someone capped your mother, Veronica; this isn't a joke."
"I know, and I'm being careful."
"No...you're not." Weevil stares at her seriously. "I'm not going to stop watching out for you. You can put your little taser away and I'll walk you back to the dorm."
"All right, but Weevil...you owe me. You should have told me what was up."
"You just would have poked me with your cute little finger," Weevil replies sarcastically. They start walking to Veronica's dorm.
Veronica thinks, I guess at least I know some people care about me. "Actually, Weevil, I think I need to talk to my dad. Can you walk me to my car?" They change direction, heading for the student parking lot, where Weevil makes sure she locks her doors before she drives off.
----------
Keith is speaking on the phone when she walks into Mars Investigations. "Don't worry about it, Eli, she was bound to see you eventually...ah, she's here now, I'll talk to you later."
Veronica plops down into the chair. "You heard?"
"Well, you wouldn't be my daughter and my best investigator if you couldn't spot a tail. Nice work getting the drop on Eli." He smiles at her, trying to make her laugh.
"Do you want to tell me why you hired him? I think there's something you're not telling me, Dad."
Keith sighs and taps his chin, stalling. "Okay...I just didn't want you to freak out." He pulls out the file with the threatening letters and slides it across the desk to Veronica.
Frowning, she reads the letters aloud as she shuffles through them. "Repent, the time of Reckoning is upon you...Whosoever shall lay with the sinner shall be struck by the hand of god's messenger...The Mother shall bear the burdens of the Father...The sins of the Father shall be visited upon the lamb...Judge not; for only the lord can forgive a sin." She looks up at Keith.
Keith says, "After the book was published, I was mailed a copy of it that had been hacked to pieces. Disturbing...but I thought it was just a prankster, and I threw it out and didn't think much of it. Then I got the first letter. At first the letters came about two months apart, but number four--'the sins of the Father'--came about two weeks ago, and the last came just after your indictment was dismissed."
"So someone's getting more and more upset? Did you report it to our esteemed Sheriff Van Lowe?"
"Yes, but, no surprise, he didn't take it seriously."
"Dad, are you thinking that someone is punishing you for something you wrote in the book?"
Keith says adamantly, "I am sure that I made up every single character in that book. This family has had enough problems without someone screaming 'libel'."
Veronica thinks about a journal filled with the phrase "The path to God is paved with righteousness" written over and over.
FLASHBACK: Veronica and Duncan, in the Mannings' house, investigate Meg's accusations of child abuse and are caught by Stewart Manning. Veronica tries to explain to Sheriff Lamb, "We were trying to help Grace!...They've been abusing her. They had her locked in the closet!" Stewart Manning nastily retorts, "Shut your evil little mouth....Nobody believes a word you say, you filthy, lying whore!"
Veronica considers whether to tell her dad about the Mannings. He has never found out what I was up to that night; now Sheriff Lamb is dead and Duncan is gone, and there's no longer any way for him to find out about it.
Keith asks, "Honey, I didn't write any Bible-thumping characters in the novel, you know that, you read it. What could I have written that would have set them off?"
"Dad, everyone in your book was amoral and scheming. Someone here in Neptune could have thought you were mocking them," Veronica says, thoughtfully.
"Veronica, I have to leave now, I have a cheating husband to follow tonight, but we are going to talk about this again tomorrow. I want you to take this seriously, and I don't want you investigating this on your own," Keith stresses.
Veronica watches, shocked, as Keith opens his desk, removes his gun in a holster, and puts on the shoulder holster. "Dad, since when do you wear a gun for the money shot?"
"Since you got arrested. We're going to talk tomorrow." Keith leaves, grabbing his camera bag.
Veronica sits there, stunned, thinking about Stewart and Rose Manning, and her dad wearing his gun.
----------
Keith, parked at the Camelot Motel, thinks about the letters and his daughter.
Sometimes it seems as though I've spent my whole life looking for evidence that a good marriage is hard to find. Another day, another money shot. Well, it pays the bills, puts food on the table, and covers Veronica's college tuition. He pours some more coffee from his thermos, and begins to sip it.
College tuition...she should be going to Stanford right now, and I wouldn't have to worry about any of this. If Lianne hadn't...well, it's no use thinking about that anymore. Of course, if I could have figured out a way to keep the money from Kendall's painting, maybe we could have swung a transfer to Stanford. I've never told Veronica about what happened to Kendall and Cormac Fitzpatrick, and I intend to keep it that way. I just couldn't explain it to her. I disappointed her by showing up late for our New York trip, and by never telling her why. I don't think I could bear the look in her eyes if I told her that my actions and inactions probably cost Kendall her life. Even if Veronica did hate Kendall--she never did explain that.
"Repent"..."Sins of the father"...there has to be a religious connection. Is it possible that Cormac's brother, Father Patrick Fitzpatrick, could be targeting me for revenge? It's hard to believe that Father Patrick is as holy as he seems, when you look at the sins of his brothers. Liam has proven he has it in for me, by backing Vinnie in the sheriff's race. Maybe they decided that ruining my career isn't enough, and only an eye for an eye, a daughter for a brother, will do.
FLASHBACK: During Keith's tenure as interim sheriff, Liam, brought in for questioning in a series of robberies, mocks Keith. "You speaking ill of the dead, Keith? Wow, 'cause, uh, from what I understand, this crime wave doesn't let up, you won't be in charge long either." He picks up a picture from Keith's desk and looks at the photo of Veronica. "'Course, maybe these robberies will stop if I, uh, find out what happened to Kendall Casablancas and my money.
Keith grabs the picture back, putting it out of Liam's reach. He says, "Kendall's dead, and I suspect your brother buried her in a shallow grave in the desert. As for the money, it was never yours."
Keith sips again at his coffee, and fiddles with the radio.
Could they possibly still be trying to find Kendall's money? It's an awfully convoluted way to go about it, but Liam's been known to run a long con. Perhaps the letters are just an attempt to rattle me, and have nothing to do with Wiedman's murders. Every time I think about the Fitzpatricks I get a headache.
Keith thinks a minute, and dials a number. "Colm, it's Keith Mars....I know I'm not sheriff anymore, can you stop laughing for a minute? I have a proposal for you, and I'm willing to pay....Vinnie being sheriff has probably cut into your confidential informant's salary a bit....All right, here's what I'm looking for. Can you find out for me if the Fitzpatricks have it in for me and my daughter?...Enough to set her up for murder?...Get back to me, I'll make it worth your while. Oh and Colm, can you talk to Father Patrick as well, I'm wondering if he's reverting to his bad boy roots?" He shuts the phone, but his worries haven't been eased a bit.
Veronica can apply for a concealed weapon permit since she is a licensed investigator. I've always argued against it in the past, because I'd rather she stayed away from trouble, but I don't see that we have a choice. I know her dickhead boyfriend takes her to the shooting range. Veronica and I are going to have to have a talk. There's the birds and bees talk, then the pregnancy and condoms talk, and, in our family only, the loaded firearms talk. Maybe it will finally make her wake up, and stop taking chances.
Why the hell don't we just leave Neptune? I could be a cop again, Veronica can start over, we could have a nice life.
----------
Veronica, working at her laptop, checks her email. She clicks on a new message from Court Records Online and opens the attachments. She starts to read, then, impatiently, she skips to the end. She learns that her mother had been sentenced to six months in prison, but her public defender had negotiated a deal to reduce that to time served, a $10,000 fine and a mandatory 60-day stay in drug rehab. Shocked, Veronica reads that the fine was paid by Jake Kane.
Was my mother still involved with Jake Kane last year? Was Celeste jealous? She thinks some more about what Mac told her. When exactly did the Kanes get back together? Was my mother getting in the way of a reconciliation?
*****************************************************
VERONICA MARS
10:00PM TFX ch: 92 60min 2008 TV-MA
Witness
Veronica gets a new weapon; Leo shares infor-
mation about the shooting witness.
Veronica: Kristin Bell. Leo: Max Greenfield.
Keith: Enrico Colantoni.
*****************************************************
CHAPTER FIFTEEN: "WITNESS"
Veronica walks into Mars Investigations. Keith, yawning, says, "How's it going, honey?"
"Long night, Dad?"
"They certainly took full advantage of that fact that my client was out of town overnight. But all I care about is that they got a little careless when they said goodbye." He taps some photos on the desk, smiling. "Now, Veronica, I had quite a bit of time to think last night."
"Dad, I don't want Weevil following me anymore. I swear to you that I'm being careful."
"Veronica, you are never careful. I've already discussed this with Eli, he's not going to actually follow you any more, but he and his crew are going to continue to keep an eye on you while you are on campus."
"Dad--"
"Veronica, this is not negotiable. I believe someone targeted you. You've seen the letters; I let you see them because I wanted you to get scared, and be more cautious." He opens a drawer in the desk. "When you passed the P.I. exam and got your license, we talked about a gun. At that time, I thought it was safer for you not to carry one. But now you've have two summers of training at the FBI." He pulls out a Glock 19 pistol.
"Dad, a Glock 19! 9 millimeter semi-automatic, magazine capacity 15 rounds, slightly smaller than the Glock 17, making it perfect for a handbag; used by the FBI, the DEA and the NYPD. Oh, Dad, that's great," Veronica says happily.
"It's not great!! I'm scared, and I wish you were. We still have to take care of the Handgun Safety Certificate and I'd like to check you out on the firing range myself, make sure those FBI instructors knew what they were doing" and see what that asshole Mike taught you, he adds to himself. He hands the gun to Veronica. "Let's see the safe handling demonstration."
Quoting from the manual she has memorized, Veronica performs the necessary steps to load and unload the gun. "One, push the magazine release. Two, remove the magazine. Three, insert the cartridges into the magazine. Four, insert the magazine firmly into the pistol. Five, pull the slide to the rear and release it. Six, move the safety to “ON”. Now to unload: keep the gun pointed in the safest possible direction and keep your finger off the trigger. One, push the magazine release. Two, remove the magazine. Three, pull the slide to the rear and lock it back which should eject any cartridge in the chamber. The action is now open. Four, visually check the chamber to ensure it is empty. (3)"
"You memorized the manual?"
"Yep." Veronica doesn't tell her dad about the eyes-closed practice she did with Mike.
Keith asks, "And what is the most common mistake made when unloading a gun?"
"Daa-ad..." she rolls her eyes. Still quoting, she continues. "Do not assume a semiautomatic pistol is unloaded just because the magazine is removed from the handgun. Do not allow the slide to go forward unless you have: one, checked again to be sure the chamber is empty, and two, checked again to be sure the magazine has been removed. If you pull the slide back ejecting the cartridge, check the chamber, let the slide go forward, and then remove the magazine. You have a loaded, dangerous firearm when a cartridge is in the chamber even though you have removed the magazine. It is common and sometimes fatal to make this error. (3)"
Keith chuckles. "That's my girl. You still haven't gotten over that 95 score on that exam, have you?"
"Listen, Mister 97, I'm betting that there was some hinky business with the scoring on your exam."
"Hinky? I'll have you know my test was completely on the up-and-up."
Veronica smiles, "How's tomorrow morning to go to the firing range?"
"You got it, honey. Take the gun now anyways, I don't want anything happening to you in the meantime," Keith adds, more seriously.
Veronica carefully puts the gun in her purse.
"Knock, knock?" Chief Deputy Leo pokes his head around the corner.
Keith stands up. "Leo, come on in. What's up?"
Leo glances at Veronica, "Hey Veronica." He hesitates, looking at Keith, but Keith nods, and Leo sits down and begins to speak. "Uh, Veronica, did Keith tell you about the parking ticket, uh, problem?"
"You mean the department targeting me for selective parking enforcement? I'm aware," Veronica says sarcastically.
Keith says, "It's not just you, Veronica, it's also me, Wallace and your friend Mac."
Leo continues, "I've had a word with a few of the guys. I've quietly told most of them that I intend to run for sheriff, and I've hinted that this particular ticket quota might not look good on their records if Vinnie is not reelected. Even Vinnie's diehard supporters know that he's screwed up on a few high-profile cases, yours included. Even your enemies are pissed at Vinnie that he hasn't been able to get the indictment to stick on Veronica."
Veronica sucks in her breath. "Wait a second...You're running for sheriff?...There are people in the department who want me to be indicted?"
Leo clears his throat. "Yes, Veronica, I'm running. And a lot of people in the sheriff's department and the district attorney's office think you're a spoiled brat whose dad covered up for her, the same way Keith supposedly tried to cover up your boyfriend Duncan's murder of Lilly Kane by throwing suspicion on Jake Kane."
Veronica is shocked. This is much worse than I thought, I HAVE to find the real killer or I really will be indicted again.
"Anyways," Leo continues, looking sympathetically at Veronica, "Even the worst holdouts agreed that a selective ticketing program might look bad for the prosecution if you were re-indicted. Vinnie was bitching about the quotas the other day, but it's not like he goes out to write tickets himself, so I think you can relax a little."
Relax? Veronica thinks sarcastically.
"Keith, I also wanted to update you and get your input on the investigation of Wiedman's murder. I don't care what Vinnie says, I'm going to keep looking into it. If I can find the real murderer, it could win the election for me," Leo says determinedly. "Anyways, I interviewed the eyewitness again yesterday. Frank Pastorelli. He actually says he knows you."
Keith thinks a second, but draws a blank. Veronica walks over to the file cabinets and pulls a folder from the "P"s. "Dad, he hired you to check whether his wife was cheating on him."
Leo says, "He wasn't too happy with your services. Apparently, this was during your reelection campaign. Pastorelli said you found the evidence but didn't get back to him; in the meantime his wife took the kids and left, filing for divorce. He said he lost custody of the kids because you screwed up."
Keith remembers. "We were so backed up, the files were a mess. I didn't get a chance to call him for a week."
Leo continues, "I don't think it ultimately mattered, Pastorelli said something about the loser judge cutting his balls off because he hit his wife."
"Nice guy," Veronica comments.
"Pastorelli said he was buying beer in a bodega over on South St. He noticed the Lincoln town car because it was so much nicer than any other car around. Said the driver was a well-dressed black man. Pastorelli was probably already hitting the beer; he says he was hanging out in the bodega, just waiting to see if any of his buddies were around. Then he saw Lianne; he said she was completely drunk, "blotto" was the word he used. She came into the bodega and bought a six; when she went out, the black man got out of the car, and went up to her. Then the two of them got in the car. Pastorelli said he thought it was funny at the time because the man walked her over to the driver's side door, opened it; she got it and scooted over and then he got in. Pastorelli said he assumed the passenger door was broken; he said he laughed, thinking about rich people's problems with their fancy cars."
"And then she was found a couple blocks away on Beach Rd., with a bullet hole in her left temple," Keith says, looking at Veronica to see if she's alright hearing this.
"And the forensics showed that she had been pushed out of a car after she was shot," Leo says. "Pastorelli was picked up a couple weeks later on a assault complaint, and he told his story to try to get the charge reduced."
"Successfully, as I recall," Veronica says drily.
"Pastorelli said it was possible Wiedman was holding a gun to her side; he said he didn't think about it at the time, but he recognized Lianne's photo in the paper, and made the connection. He was able to give a good description of the driver. It wasn't released to the press, but we were also able to get a partial fingerprint off Lianne's body, and one of the possible matches from the AIFIS fingerprint database was Wiedman's old military records, and Pastorelli was able to i.d. Wiedman from the photo."
Veronica says, "The prosecution held back that little tidbit at my indictment."
Leo says, "That's not a surprise, they didn't need that information with the forensic evidence that they had on you, and you know that the prosecution never reveals anything they don't need to. Wiedman's fingerprint didn't matter; all the prosecution had to show was that you had a reasonable belief that he had killed your mother, and there was plenty of news coverage about the resulting manhunt. When Vinnie couldn't locate Wiedman right away, he thought the easiest way to find him was to release the information to the press with a reward for information."
Keith says disgustedly, "Never mind that that method puts innocent people at risk if Wiedman panics."
Leo shrugs. "Vinnie is lazy. Even though Pastorelli is not your friend, I tend to think that his witness testimony is reliable; I can't see him knowing enough about your family's connections with the Kanes to make a story like this up. So that means that Wiedman really did kill Lianne. Is there a connection there that I don't know about?"
Keith tells Leo about the photos Wiedman sent to Lianne four years earlier, featuring Veronica's face with a target. Leo looks confused, then Keith continues, saying that Wiedman was threatening Lianne not to reveal that Jake Kane was possibly Veronica's real father. Veronica adds, "But it really didn't make sense, because my mother was Jake's alibi for Lilly's murder as well; they might have needed her testimony."
Keith says, "Wiedman was involved somehow in the coverup of Lilly's murder; I was never sure exactly what he did, possibly lowered the temperature of body to confuse the timeline, possibly helped to clean the forensic evidence off Duncan and staged the crime scene to direct attention away from Duncan. We probably won't ever know now, the Kanes certainly aren't talking."
Leo, still confused, says, "I thought one of Duncan's hairs was found on the murder weapon."
Veronica says, angrily, "That bastard Aaron manipulated the evidence, I'm sure of it. It wouldn't be that hard to get a hair sample from Duncan. That jury was crazy, thinking that Duncan would go to the trouble of stealing Aaron's Oscar statuette in order to frame him, and that Duncan could kill his own sister."
Trying to calm her, Keith says, "Veronica, it doesn't do any good to get upset about all this old history...."
"Dad, I know that this is related somehow to something in the past. You said yourself that it feels personal."
The three are silent.
Veronica, still upset, stands up. "Dad, I have to get to class. Thanks for, you know, the little present you gave me. I'll see you tomorrow."
"Be careful, honey." After she leaves, Keith tells Leo, "I think you need to find out if the Kanes had a reason to silence Lianne. It could be something about Lilly's murder, or Jake's affair with Lianne, but it's definitely not anything to do with Veronica's paternity. Veronica is definitely my kid..."
Leo smiles.
"...And the Kanes know that we know. There is no secret to find out about her paternity. Stick to looking into Lilly's murder, Duncan's disappearance, and Jake and Lianne; if something is going on with the Kanes, that's what it would be."
As Leo leaves, Keith thinks, I can trust him to look into this while I take a look at the Fitzpatricks. Leo's the best deputy I ever worked with, and he can get in to talk to the Kanes and I can't.
_______________________________________________
3: http://ag.ca.gov/firearms/forms/pdf/hscsg.pdf
*****************************************************
VERONICA MARS
10:00PM TFX ch: 92 60min 2008 TV-MA
Secrets and Lies
Logan gets his charity off the ground; Wallace
and Veronica get a new case; Veronica finds
out some bad news about Mike.
Logan: Jason Dohring. Cliff: Daran Norris.
Veronica: Kristin Bell. Mac: Tina Majorino.
Wallace: Percy Daggs III. Clemmons: Duane
Daniels. Weevil: Francis Capra.
*****************************************************
CHAPTER SIXTEEN: "SECRETS AND LIES"
Logan shuts the door to Cliff's office and sits down.
"Right on time, Mr. Echolls. I have all your paperwork right here." Cliff hands Logan a thick file folder, which Logan begins to thumb through. "I have to say, this is a lot easier than defending you."
"It's a little bit easier for me too," Logan smiles.
"Are you sure about the anonymous donor clause? I've set up the holding corporation as you asked, but why wouldn't you want the world to know you're funding a charity. The battered wives shelter is a fantastic idea, and I'd think you could use the good publicity after everything that's happened."
Logan grimaces. "I think you're wrong about that. There's no such thing as good publicity. I'm trying to break free from the family name, in fact I've considered changing my name. I'm working hard at film school and the Echolls name may open some doors for me, but I'll never be taken seriously at whatever I do. Look at Kate Hudson and Angelina Jolie. The world may know about their famous parents, but I think they have more credibility by keeping that connection less obvious."
"I'm not sure Kate Hudson is credible," Cliff snorts. "You saw 'You, Me and Dupree' right?"
"Okay, bad example. It doesn't matter, I'm not going to have this charity associated with Aaron. I know it's in my mother's memory, and that's all that counts," Logan says firmly.
Cliff shrugs. "You're the client. So, the property you scouted with Keith has been purchased and I've set up the foundation, which will be accepting donations and electing a board to run the day-to-day operations. Your seed money guarantees that 'The Bridge' will be solvent for at least one year, and I'm betting that there will no problem with fundraising in the future....All right, sign everywhere I've put the little 'sign here' post-its and we can move ahead. I've already spoken with the mayor; he'll be holding a press conference later this week announcing the foundation and cutting the ribbon at a groundbreaking ceremony. You know, politicians, they eat this stuff up, he'll have Neptune believing it was all his idea. Logan, please, only you can prevent that douchebag from getting the credit."
Logan shakes his head. "Absolutely not." He finishes signing the last contract, and pushes the folder back across the desk to Cliff.
"It's your call. I'll shoot you off an email advising you of the time of the press conference; I hope you'll at least watch the coverage of your largesse on the small screen."
"Sounds good. Thanks for everything." Logan holds out his hand, and they shake.
Logan leaves the office and drives over to Hearst. He usually avoids the campus, but he's in a great mood, and feels like hanging out with Dick awhile before heading back to L.A.
He drives onto Fraternity Row, a little lost in thought about his mother, when he is surprised by a knock on the window.
"Nice car," Weevil grins. He admires Logan's new SUV. "You know what they say BMW stands for, right? Big...Morning...Weiner." Weevil laughs.
"It's big all day, thanks very much. How's life on the straight and narrow going?" he answers, sardonically.
"Not so straight, but that's between you and me. Hey, have you talked to your girl Veronica lately?" Weevil asks.
"My girl? You are sadly out of date."
"Didn't you put up her bail? Two million for old times sake, I don't think so," Eli retorts.
Logan shrugs.
"Actually, I'm worried about her. Keith hired me to follow her and make sure she's okay, but she spotted me, and now Keith told me and my crew just to keep an eye out and not follow her anymore," Weevil continues. "Maybe if you talked to her...she doesn't seem to think she'll ever get hurt, and if Keith's worried, I'm worried."
"Little Miss Superhero, right?" Logan muses. "Would you still be willing to follow her around if I agreed to foot the bill?"
Weevil thinks, damn, the boy has it bad, even after all this time.
Seeing Weevil's pitying look, Logan continues, lamely, "I just think it'd be cheaper in the long run than having to pay for her legal defense."
Weevil laughs. "Logan, she caught me. She'll cut off my balls and feed 'em to me if she catches me again. When she spotted me, she whipped out that taser and scared the shit out of me. And if she finds out that you paid me, she'll go ballistic. I'll never understand what the hell is wrong with you two, can't you just hold her down and fuck her silly until she behaves?"
"If only that had worked, my life would be so much simpler," Logan grins. "Okay, you're right, it's a bad idea, just...please keep an eye on her."
----------
Veronica has tried to call her mother's friend in El Paso, Rick Walters, at least ten times, and this morning she finally reaches him. "Mr. Walters, my name is Veronica Mars. I think you used to be friends with my mother, Lianne Reynolds."
"Veronica...I'm glad you called. I've been worried about your mother since the last time I saw her, she was a mess," Walters says.
"Well, Mr. Walters, I'm sorry to be the one to tell you, but my mother was shot and killed about five weeks ago," Veronica says hesitantly.
"Oh god! I should have insisted that she get help. She was completely stoned, and talking like a crazy person. She tried to borrow some money from me, said she was going to be alright in a few days, but just needed a couple hundred to tide her over," Walters explains. "I think she had a drug deal going on; she got a phone call while she was with me. She walked away, but I heard her saying something like, 'I'll have it on Wednesday, stop pressuring me. It's not easy to get it through border control, I have to be careful.'"
"You're right about the drug deal, she was arrested in El Paso and convicted on three counts of possession of Oxycontin, which is a Class B felony in your state. She called your old friend, Jake Kane, for help and he got her sentence reduced to a $10,000 fine and time served, about thirty days. She then had to enter a drug rehab program, which I'm betting Jake paid for also."
"This is all news to me. My wife was furious when Lianne showed up at our house. We have three kids, and Lianne was bad news; Debbie told me she had to go, and I have to say that I didn't argue. I'm sorry, Veronica, I should have done more."
Veronica sighs. "It's not your fault, she had been in rehab at least twice by then. It sounds like she was doing a lot more than drinking by the time you saw her."
"Definitely, she was in very bad shape. Veronica...do they know who shot your mother?"
Veronica says, "Yes, but they don't why, and her killer was killed himself not long after. They've accused me of being involved, and I'm attempting to find out more about the last year of Lianne's life to try to clear my own name."
Walters replies in shocked voice, "They can't think that you had anything to do with your mother's death! She thought the world of you. When I asked about you, she said that your were her greatest pride and her greatest regret."
Veronica is silent, thinking about Lianne's regrets.
Walters continues. "Veronica, I only saw her for a few minutes. We were really not that close. Have you talked to Adrianna and Patty?"
"Not yet. I hoped that you knew more about her arrest since it happened in El Paso."
"No, I didn't know about it at all. Veronica, I feel like I let Lianne down. Can I help you in any other way? I'd like to make up for sending Lianne away."
"Mr. Walters, if you think of anything else, or anyone who Lianne might have confided in, please let me know."
"Certainly," Walters replies. "Veronica, I'll contact you if I think of anything."
----------
At Mars Investigations, Wallace settles in for his afternoon shift manning the front office. Keith is locked in his office with a client, so Wallace busies himself by looking up a few cases in the office computer and adding some notes to his list. He's more certain than ever that the nasty anonymous letters are related to Keith's novel, 'Neptune Undercover', and he's worried that they have something to do with Lianne's and Wiedman's murders. Wallace organizes his thoughts to show to Keith.
"Neptune Undercover"____Keyword(s)______________________Real life________
Max Evans . . . . . . . . . . . . . . domestic abuse/pre-nup. . . . . . . . . . . . . .Daniel Etheridge
Michael Guerin . . . . . . . . . . .adultery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Kevin Bray
Maria de Luca . . . . . . . . . . . shoplifting/credit card theft. . . . . . . . . . . . Cathy Belben
Alex Whitman. . . . . . . . . . . . solicitation/male prostitute. . . . . . . . . . . . Richard Rosenthal
Tess Harding. . . . . . . . . . . . adultery/juvenile record-solicitation. . . . .DeeDee Bradley
Kyle Valenti. . . . . . . . . . . . . .paternity test. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Jonathan Moskin
Jesse Ramirez. . . . . . . . . . . personal injury fraud/PCH gang. . . . . . . Nick Gomez
Wallace thinks to himself, that's a pretty good list of possibilities. The intercom buzzes and Wallace picks up the phone. "Hey Keith."
"Wallace, come on in, there's someone here who wants to see you about a case," Keith replies.
See me?...About a case? Wallace pumps his fist, Yes!!, and walks into Keith's office. His jaw drops. "Principal Clemmons?" he says, weakly.
"Mr. Fennel, it's nice to see you've made something of yourself. I've followed your basketball career as well," Clemmons says, attempting, but not achieving, a hearty cheerfulness.
Keith says, "Sit down, Wallace. Mr. Clemmons has a proposal that involves you and Veronica."
Mr. Clemmons explains. "We have a problem at Neptune High. Someone has been manipulating grades. Not just changing records in the school computer system, but they are also providing copies of exams to whole classes, ruining science experiments, erasing attendance records online, generally wreaking havoc. At this point, the class rank is so muddled we have no idea who belongs on the dean's list. At first, we thought it was a few isolated incidents, but as more and more things happened, the vice principal and I have decided that this is an organized effort."
"To do what? What reason would someone have to create chaos?" Wallace says, doubtfully.
Keith says, "Mr. Clemmons believes it's worth looking into, to see if it can be stopped. He's had three computer security firms work on the school system, improving firewalls and general security, but whoever's behind this seems to be able to defeat any upgrades."
Mr. Clemmons continues, "Of course, my first thought was that somehow Veronica Mars was involved, but I realized that was ridiculous." He attempts a laugh. "Then I thought, why not get Veronica Mars involved, she's the only one I know that could think like these villains."
Wallace starts, "So you want me and Veronica to..."
Mr. Clemmons says, "I want you to go undercover at Neptune High to figure out what's going on. As transfer students."
Wallace looks at Keith, who raises his eyebrows, signaling 'Why not'. Wallace thinks, well, I've been asking for more responsibility. "Okay, I'm in...as long as Veronica is willing. We all know she's the brains and I'm the sidekick."
After Mr. Clemmons finishes making financial arrangements with Keith and leaves, Wallace says, "Keith, I want to show you what I've been working on." He hands over the list that correlates the fictional characters to Keith's actual clients.
Keith studies the list. "Wallace, this is fantastic, you've put a lot of work into this. But I'm telling you, these are very tenuous connections."
"I don't know, there's gotta be somethin' to those letters."
Keith nods in agreement. "I'll look up these cases and see if I can find anything out. I don't want you to go off on your own talking to these people, it might be dangerous."
"Don't worry, Keith, I'm not Veronica," Wallace replies. "In the meantime, can I run a full background check on each one?"
"Sounds like a plan, Wallace."
----------
In their dorm room, Mac is showing Veronica a mockup of their website. "I'm thinking 'TruthInDating.com' or maybe 'Verity.com'."
"I don't know, we can come up with a better name. Let's try it out, I want to see if it works," Veronica says. "I'm going to put in Mike's information to do a test."
"You know his social security number?" Mac says, surprised.
"It's easy enough to get," Veronica says. She opens a new browser window, accessing the PryingEyez database, and typing in a few fields, she obtains the number.
"Now that's really scary," Mac says.
Veronica clicks back to their new website. She types in the social security number and hits enter. The website flashes '***PROCESSING***' with a progress bar showing time remaining.
After a few seconds, the results are displayed on-screen.
Veronica reads, "Credit check-no bankruptcies, no liens, no outstanding judgments. Criminal record check-no criminal proceedings, no convictions, no outstanding warrants. Marital status---"
Veronica and Mac are stunned. At the same time, they look at each other and say, "Married?"
Mac says, "Wait, Veronica, did you know this?"
Veronica, white as a ghost, switches windows and goes back to the PryingEyez database. She types in some more information, and reads aloud, "'Separation agreement filed, Oct. 2007.' But there's no divorce record, he's technically still married."
"So he's separated?"
Veronica inputs the name of Mike's wife. She says, grimly, "No, he's married. His wife's legal residence is the same address as Mike's. They must have gotten back together."
Mac hugs Veronica, "I'm sorry...I'm sorry. There must be an explanation. Maybe the information is out of date. You should call him."
Veronica says, "No, I think it's accurate....that's why I only have his cell phone number. And that's why he didn't want me to come visit him."
*****************************************************
VERONICA MARS
10:00PM TFX ch: 92 60min 2008 TV-MA
Mask
Veronica and Keith go to a shooting range;
Veronica follows the mysterious stranger;
Veronica reaches out to Logan.
Veronica: Kristin Bell. Keith: Enrico Colantoni.
Logan: Jason Dohring. Blond Stranger: Chris
Carmack.
*****************************************************
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN: "MASK"
At the El Cajon Gun Exchange and Firing Range, the man behind the counter says, "Hey Veronica, long time no see!"
Veronica flushes as Keith looks at her questioningly. Veronica says, "Mike and I may have come here a few times."
Behind the counter, the man laughs. "At least five times, by my count. Where's Mike today?"
"He won't be joining us," Veronica answers. Not today, not ever again, she thinks. "Billy, this is my dad. We need to get a Handgun Safety Certificate. I'm prepared
to do the safe handling demonstration."
Billy says, "I see. Does that mean you'll be purchasing a handgun today?"
Keith says, "No, I'll be transferring ownership of one of mine."
"You're a P.I. as well, right? I couldn't believe it when Veronica showed me her license," Billy says admiringly. "But you can be proud of her, she can really shoot."
Will this day ever end? Veronica thinks.
"I really wasn't aware that Veronica had continued to practice her marksmanship after she returned home from her FBI internship," Keith says. "But I'm not surprised that she shoots well. It's in her genes." He beams at Veronica, enjoying her embarrassment.
"Dad, please...have pity."
They take care of the paperwork and shoot rounds until Keith is sure that Veronica is comfortable with the weapon. He hugs her, saying, "Veronica, don't make me regret this. A handgun is as serious as it gets, and you are my only daughter, I can't replace you. If you're in trouble, you call 911, and then me, and then, only if you have to, you draw your weapon and remember your training. And we are going to be practicing together, every week."
----------
Jake Kane says, "Deputy D'Amato, what can we do for you?" He sits on the couch with Celeste, holding her hand.
Leo clears his throat. "I'm sorry to bring this up again. I know you spoke to Sheriff Van Lowe a while ago, but I'm just clearing up some loose ends in the Wiedman murder case."
Celeste says, "It was such a shock; we were never close but he had worked for the family for years."
"When was the last time you spoke to Mr. Wiedman?" Leo asks.
"Well, you know that we terminated his employment six months ago," Jake says.
"Why was Mr. Wiedman terminated, if you don't mind my asking?"
"The primary reason was the break-in at our house. I'm sure you're aware that Keith Mars' daughter stole a computer hard drive."
Leo says, "Yes, that was quite prominently discussed before the last sheriff election. But you didn't pursue charges against her."
Celeste says quickly, "The girl is very misguided, she believes that we blame her in some way for our daughter's death. It's really quite sad, and we hoped that the publicity in this incident would force her to seek professional help."
Leo snorts internally. Professional help, I don't think so.
Jake continues, "Still, Mr. Wiedman failed to protect our security, and we began to believe that he was not the right person for the job, and eventually, we felt we had to let him go."
Leo asks, "You say, 'our security'. I was under the impression that you and Mrs. Kane were separated at the time of that incident."
Celeste replies, "Yes, but my husband and I maintained an amicable relationship, and he consulted me on this decision."
Leo thinks, Good recovery. He says, "Did you have any contact with Lianne Mars recently?"
Jake can't help it, he looks at Celeste for a moment. "Deputy D'Amato, that's quite a sore topic for us."
Leo shrugs. "It can't be helped, Mrs. Mars' life seems to be involved with Mr. Weidman's, and we need to ask these questions. I've recently been made aware that Mr. Weidman sent threatening photos to Lianne Mars after your daughter's death."
Celeste says, heatedly, "I suppose Keith Mars told you that? Sending those photos was Mr. Weidman's idea, and he sent them without consulting my husband or me. It was completely ridiculous; as much as I hate to talk about it, Lianne was my husband's alibi for my daughter's murder and we couldn't afford to alienate the bitch."
Leo raises his eyebrows. Temper, temper! "But of course, it came out later that the original timeline for your daughter's murder was incorrect, and Lianne actually couldn't alibi your husband."
Jake and Celeste are silent. Finally Jake says, "You've done quite a bit of research, Deputy."
Leo presses on. "When is the last time you had any contact with Lianne Mars, Mr. Kane?"
Jake rubs his forehead and says, "Lianne was arrested for drug possession with intent to distribute in Texas about a year ago. She called me for help. I agreed to help if she would agree to never contact me again. Celeste and I had begun to talk about a reconciliation, and I was determined to make it work. We are trying to negotiate an amnesty for our son, Duncan, and that's our priority. I flew down to El Paso, and found an excellent attorney for Lianne. He was able to get her conviction reduced to possession and negotiated a lesser sentence, a fine, time served and mandatory commitment to rehab. I paid her fine, found her a well-regarded rehab program, paid for it, and asked Lianne to never contact anyone in my family again. She almost destroyed my marriage and I hoped to never hear her name again."
"And did you ever hear from her again?" Leo asks.
"Never," Jake says vehemently. Leo looks at Celeste, who shakes her head no.
Leo continues, "It's been suggested that you hired Mr. Wiedman to kill Lianne, and then you covered it up by killing him. That Lianne was threatening you in some way, perhaps blackmailing you."
Jake stands up, furious. "Mr. D'Amato, I'd like you to leave. If you have any actual evidence, I suggest you contact my attorney, and we can continue this discussion at that time."
Leo thinks, Bulls-eye.
----------
Keith and Veronica return to Mars Investigations. Wallace, waiting impatiently for them, jumps up and says, "It's about time. What took you so long?"
Veronica rolls her eyes. "Daddy-daughter time."
Keith laughs. "Don't listen to her. I could hardly tear her away, she loves shooting." He goes in his office and shuts the door.
"You know you can't bring that gun with you when we go undercover, right?" Wallace reminds her.
"I was planning on leaving it in my glove compartment. Okay, are you ready to go shopping?" Veronica answers.
Wallace and Veronica hit the mall. They think it's a remote chance that someone will recognize them at Neptune High, but since it's Clemmons' dime, they decide they might as well do it in disguise. Because of the computer hacking, they decide that geek is the way to go. Wallace gets a new short hair cut and they pick out a couple button-down shirts at Sears and nerd glasses at Lenscrafters. For Veronica, they decide that she should go brunette, and she gets her hair dyed at The Upper Cut. Veronica decides to keep her costume simple, to avoid attracting attention; she has plenty of sweatpants and slogan-printed T-shirts that will fit right in.
----------
After Veronica drops off Wallace, she decides to take advantage of her new look, and takes a detour to Pemberton Estates, where the Kanes live.
Just before she reaches the security booth, she sees two cars stopped, with their occupants conversing through the driver's side windows. One driver is Celeste Kane, the other is a young blond man who Veronica doesn't know. She realizes that she has seen him before, in the parking lot of her apartment, when she and Mac went to the Outer Limits Motel. Celeste and the young man finish their discussion. Driving off, he doesn't look happy at all; Celeste guns her car, and speeds into Pemberton Estates, barely waving at the security guard.
Veronica decides to follow up on this opportunity; she quickly turns into a side street, pulls a K-turn and, staying well back, she follows the blond man.
They proceed downtown; Veronica is able to keep one or two cars between her and the stranger but as they approach a more congested area, the car in front of her suddenly turns, and in the heavier traffic she has no choice but to fall in directly behind the blond man.
She sees him looking in his rearview mirror. "Shit!" she says. She pulls out her cell, dialing her father. No answer. She tries Weevil.
"Yo?"
"Weevil, where are you?"
"I'm on campus, where do you think? Some of us work for a living."
Veronica snarks, "It's about time. Seriously, Weevil, I'm following this guy and I think he spotted me. Can you drive over to Center St.? I want you to try to pick him up and see where he goes. He's got something to do with the Kanes."
"I thought you were supposed to be leaving the investigating to your dad."
"Weevil, can you help me or not?"
"All right, all right, you don't have to use your mistress of evil voice. I'll call you back when I'm close by." He hangs up.
Veronica drums her fingers on the steering wheel, then she fumbles in the glove compartment for a piece of paper and pencil. She writes down the license plate; she's pretty sure it's a rental car, but maybe they can trace it anyway.
Just before the light changes, the blond man hits the gas, changing to the left lane before she can react. He pulls into a parking garage while she screams in frustration, unable to change lanes amid the other honking cars. She pulls off to the right, and, as soon as possible, does a u-turn and follows into the garage even though she knows it's hopeless. As she turns the corner, she sees that there's an exit onto the next street. She pulls up to the guard at the exit booth. "Did a Ford Mustang Sedan just leave here?"
"Yeah, the guy was nuts, he threw the ticket and a twenty-dollar bill at me. It's only seven dollars for the first half hour," the guard says.
"Which way did he go?"
"What's it to you?" the guard leers at her.
"That's my husband, he just cleaned out our joint banking account," she makes up quickly.
"Too bad, you're cute. He turned right, and then he turned left onto Maple St.," the guard says. "Forget about him, I'll take care of you, baby."
"Thanks anyways." She pulls out into traffic, knowing it's hopeless. She turns onto Maple St., sees that the freeway entrance is right there and decides to pursue this lead some other way. She calls Weevil back. "Forget it, he's gone."
"You know, I can't just jump every time you need me. Goddamnit, Veronica, you're outta control."
"I know, I know. Weevil, I appreciate it." She hangs up, thinking, This is turning into a really long day.
Veronica heads back to campus. She doesn't think she can face the stares and insults in the hostile Hearst Food Court, so she picks up a burger to eat in her room.
----------
Logan sees the caller id on his phone and frowns. He flips it open and says "Hello?" but there's no one there. He shrugs and puts the phone down, turns on the tv and flops onto the couch.
About a minute later, the phone rings again. Quickly turning off the tv, he grabs the phone again, saying, "Hello, Veronica."
There is silence, but she doesn't hang up this time. Finally, she says, "Hello, Logan."
Logan says quietly, "You didn't get arrested again, did you? That putz Vinnie is just asking for a lawsuit..."
"No, Logan, no...everything's fine."
He thinks, it doesn't sound fine.
"Logan, I'm just calling to make sure you got my check. And I wanted to make sure that you knew that I'm going to be sending more money as soon as I can," Veronica says, the last part coming out in a rush.
"Veronica, I'm not worried. I'm glad I could help when you needed it."
"I wasn't very nice to you...I don't--I don't know why I was such a bitch."
Logan knows, something happened with Mike. He doesn't say anything and lets her continue.
She pauses, then, obviously changing the topic. "How's school going? Dick told me last year that you were at the film school. Are you studying acting?"
"I've taken some acting classes, but this year I'm taking classes in writing and directing, and I think I like it a lot better."
"That's great. I bet you're really good at it too."
"Veronica, are you sure everything's okay?"
"It's been hard at school, people are gossiping about me and saying that I got away with murder. You remember what that feels like. I just felt like calling and...I--I just wanted to talk to someone who doesn't think I'm a killer."
Logan rubs his forehead. He remembers how it feels, but he doesn't how to help.
Veronica continues, "It's not a big deal, I just--I meant it when I said I hoped we could be friends again someday."
"I hope so too," Logan echoes. "Veronica, I'll give you a call the next time I'm in Neptune and we'll get a cup of coffee, okay? And don't worry so much about the money. I know you'll pay me back."
"Okay...bye, Logan." They disconnect, and Logan tries to decide if he's glad she called.
Veronica thinks, You're an idiot, Veronica. Why did you call him?
*****************************************************
VERONICA MARS
10:00PM TFX ch: 92 60min 2008 TV-MA
Never Been Kissed
Veronica and Wallace undercover at Neptune
High; Veronica spies on the Kanes; Logan and
Dick make plans.
Veronica: Kristin Bell. Wallace: Percy Daggs III.
Logan: Jason Dohring. Dick: Ryan Hansen.
*****************************************************
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN: "NEVER BEEN KISSED"
"It's ginktage," Veronica says.
"What the hell is ginktage?" Wallace says.
"Vintage geek, I can't believe you've never heard of that."
Wallace rolls his eyes. "Okay, ginktage. I still think the shirt is stupid." He looks at her t-shirt, which reads 'WIINAGE'.
"It's perfect, it screams 'nerd alert', and besides, I love the subtle reference to 'weenie'," Veronica explains.
"It's pretty subtle," Wallace replies. "In fact, it's so subtle that no one will talk to you the first day. I, on the other hand, look pitifully intelligent. If there's a computer hacker at Neptune High, they'll recognize my kindred spirit immediately. It's so sad when the padawan apprentice surpasses the jedi mistress."
"Yes, Urkel," Veronica snarks. She's a little worried they've overdone the costumes. They have a 7:30 a.m. appointment in Clemmons' office. She yawns, thinking wistfully of her 9:00 a.m. first class at Hearst. "I can't believe we used to get up this early every day."
"I still do. Some of us participate in sports. Maybe if you found an outlet, you wouldn't get in so much trouble," Wallace snipes.
They enter the familiar Neptune High hallway. Spirit posters decorate the walls. Lockers are clanging, kids are screaming. "I can't believe how loud it is," Veronica remarks. She smiles, as they pass the girls' bathroom, saying, "My old office."
They enter Clemmons' office. Wallace says to the aide on duty, "Hi, I'm Marcos Seiga, I'm a new transfer student."
Veronica chimes in, "I'm Tricia Brock, I'm supposed to report to the principal's office." Hearing her nasal inflection, Wallace nudges her with his elbow. Veronica continues, "I need to see the nurse too, I have a prescription for my sinuses."
When the office aide turns away, Wallace whispers, "You're not even taking this seriously!"
She whispers back, "It gives me an excuse to come to the office every day, idiot."
The aide turns back, and says, "Go on in, the principal said he can give you the official Pirate Welcome together."
"The principal said 'Pirate Welcome'?" Veronica asks.
"No, but you know, he's a real douche. Enjoy Neptune High." The aide laughs and turns back to the attendance sheets.
They walk into Clemmons' office. "You might consider upgrading the training program for your office aides," Veronica says as she drops into a chair.
"What?...I never did know what you were talking about. Okay, do you have any other questions?" Clemmons says, slightly confused.
"Just one," Veronica answers. She grabs his stapler, and checking the bottom, finds that Clemmons still keeps his passwords taped to it. "Well, I think we know how the hackers got into the system. I thought I told you to quit doing this." She waves the stapler in Clemmons' face.
Clemmons' face reddens and he grabs the stapler from her. "Well, unless you told someone about it, there shouldn't have been a problem."
Veronica and Wallace look at each other. "How about you at least put your new passwords in your wallet, if you can't memorize them?" Wallace finally says. "Seriously, all the office aides knew about the stapler when I worked here."
"In fact, why don't you make up a fake password, and put it on the stapler. Then have your tech guy set up a trace for the IP address of anyone who logs in with it," Veronica adds.
"I'm not completely clueless, you know. Our computer consultant told us that only school computers were used to access the secure grading files, so it could have been any student," Clemmons says defensively.
"Or any teacher or employee," Wallace adds.
"Don't waste your time looking at teachers," Clemmons sputters.
"All right, all right. Why don't you have Mr. Snarktastic at the desk out there give us a school tour?" Veronica says.
"What...oh, the aide. All right." He punches the intercom button and says, "Jason, get in here...Jason Elen, this is Marcos Seiga and Tricia Brock. They're new transfer students. Can you show them around the school, please. Enjoy your first day, kids."
As Jason leads them out of the office, Veronica catches Clemmons hefting the stapler, thoughtfully.
----------
At lunch, Wallace shouts out to Veronica. "Hey new girl, do you want to get a table?"
Veronica smiles and nods her head at their old table, which sits empty in the middle of the outdoor courtyard. They sit. A emo-looking girl with black hair and several obvious piercings comes up and says, "Listen, I know you guys are new, so you don't know. But you don't want to sit there."
"What?" Wallace says.
"It's like, a shrine. A few years ago there was a girl at this school. She's famous, not just here at the school. Veronica something. Anyways, this chick, she nailed this dude for offing his underage girlfriend, and then later, she figured out who crashed a school bus with a whole bunch of kids onboard. There was something about helping another student flee from the feds with his love child. And she like had all these love affairs, no one could keep track who she was sleeping with. Look..." She points at the table, where someone has scratched 'Free Veronica Mars'. "That was her name, Veronica Mars, and this was her table."
"Really...that's pretty interesting," Wallace says. "What about her friends, she must have had somebody that helped her, or at least somebody to confide in?"
"No, I don't think so. She was a real loner."
"A loner, huh?" Wallace says sarcastically.
Veronica says quickly, "I bet she had a secret team working to help her."
"Maybe..." the girl says. "Just don't sit there, people will be pissed." She walks away.
Wallace and Veronica find another table. "Okay, this blows. You're famous, and my contributions have been totally forgotten," Wallace gripes. "What about me taking out Lucky? If there's going to be a legend at Neptune High, that should be it. I mean, it actually happened on the school grounds, with witnesses."
"I'm sure that there's an urban legend about the great Wallace too," Veronica laughs. "Okay, have you found out anything?"
Wallace leans in. "There's a website, 'AmokTime.com'. Everybody seems to log on to it all the time. The webmaster posts all sorts of crazy shit, things like exams the night before the test; sometimes he asks for a volunteer to make a bomb threat at a specific time or suggests that someone substitute one chemical for another in a science class experiment. Apparently, there was a call for a boycott of the student election and the voting for the king and queen at the homecoming dance. I heard that today he suggested that people should take down the spirit posters. One of the cheerleaders was crying in my English class."
"Yeah, I saw kids taking them down, and I wondered what was up," Veronica says. "It's like he's advocating the complete breakdown of school society. No rules, no student government..."
"No grades, because all the tests have been tainted. And no fun either, I heard some of the jocks talking that the guy has suggested throwing games too. A bunch of kids have quit their teams, it's really sad."
"It's anarchy. People were refusing to participate in French class. They just sat there for the entire period; I thought Madame Rousseau was going to "pleurer". I'll give Mac a call to see if she can get the IP information on the 'AmokTime' website. In the meantime, I put a camera in the teachers' lounge to see if I can figure out how the tests are being leaked," Veronica continues. "I have a fake doctor's appointment this afternoon, because I have a class at Hearst I absolutely can't skip. By tomorrow, I'm hoping to have some information to take to Clemmons."
"Yeah, let's wrap this up pronto, high school is giving me the creeps the second time around..." Wallace sees her expression. "Okay, it gave me the creeps the first time around too. I still shiver when I walk past the flagpole."
They agree to meet up in the morning.
----------
VERONICA
I didn't tell Wallace the whole truth. I did have a class I couldn't skip, but now I'm determined to get into the Kane mansion. It would be a shame to waste this disguise.
In case the blond man told the Kanes about my car, I've switched cars with my dad. I told him that I was worried about the starter and he said, sure, no problem, and offered to drop it off at the mechanic for me. Just another little lie to add to all the big ones I've told him.
I make it past the guard booth no problem. I've decided that daylight hours are safest; no one suspects anything during the day. And my last nighttime visit was a disaster. Armed with a multitude of cleaning products and a housekeeper's uniform, I tell the security guard that I'm a substitute for the regular cleaning lady at the Kanes' next door neighbor, Mr. DVR, Walt Harvey. By the way, thanks again, Walt, for taking such pretty pictures of me in my blue sweater.
I park my car in between the Kanes' and the Harveys' property. I've decided the frontal assault is best, and carrying my bucket, I approach the Kanes. I ring the bell at the outer gate, and wait for a reply.
"Yes?" comes the disembodied voice.
In my thickest Russian accent, I say, "I am Ludmilla. I am taking for regular maid of next house, Meester Harvey. They are no home, and I no find supplies for doing of the laundry. Can you help? I am sorry to bother."
A few seconds later, I am startled when the gate flies open. A uniformed security guard smirks at me and says, "Ms. Mars. It's so nice to see your cute little face in person. You see, I've been looking at your photo every day for almost a year and a half. I don't think the brown hair suits you, though. I'm sorry to say that I've had a few fantasies about you. You do wear a thong, right?"
I try to backpedal. "I no understand, who is Mars? I try the other side, is okay."
The security guard puts two fingers in his mouth and whistles loudly. Two Dobermans run up, panting. "Sit!! Well, Veronica, I'd like to introduce you to Hans and Fritz. Mr. Kane thought they'd be a good addition to the security team. You should know that all the guards here have your face memorized. We've been told it's cause for automatic dismissal if you get onto the property. And there's a bonus if we catch you trying. I'm really happy to meet you today, because that's an extra grand in my paycheck this week. Lick your lips and smile pretty for the camera, darling. I'll keep a few stills for my collection." He laughs as I walk away, my face completely flaming.
The Kanes really do hate me.
----------
"Hey Dick," Logan says, speaking in his cellphone.
"Whassup, dude? I don't understand why you didn't stick around the other day. We got totally crunked that night. You don't have to worry about running into Veronica, she never shows at Pi Sig parties, says we're a bunch of pigs."
"You ARE a bunch of pigs."
"Proud of it."
"Are you up for a little road trip to TJ this weekend?" Logan asks.
"Wait, you haven't been interested in TJ in forever. Somethin's up."
"I've left five messages for Carrie and she hasn't called me back. She's blowing me off. I just want to get out of town for the weekend," Logan says.
"Dude, what'd you do? That chick was totally into you."
Logan is truly confused. "I don't think I did anything. I think she just flaked. I'm not going to call her again; after five messages, you're just a stalker."
"Whatever, dude, we'll hook you up with some skanky TJ bagina. Sweet! It's been like, forever. I didn't want to say anything, but Carrie was seriously cramping your style. Come down to Neptune Beach on Friday afternoon, we'll do a little hardcore shredding. The Delta Tau fuckwits are going to have a major kegger that night, it's gonna be a total pussyfest. Then we'll head down to TJ the next day," Dick says, stoked that his old wingman is back in action.
"I knew I could count on you, Dick. I'll see you Friday around 2:00."
*****************************************************
VERONICA MARS
10:00PM TFX ch: 92 60min 2008 TV-MA
Look Who's Talking
Mac and Dick meet and make plans; Wallace
and Veronica wrap up the Neptune High case;
at the kegger, Logan and Veronica really talk.
Veronica: Kristin Bell. Leo: Max Greenfield.
Keith: Enrico Colantoni Mac: Tina Majorino.
Wallace: Percy Daggs III. Vinnie Van Lowe:
Ken Marino. Celeste Kane: Lisa Thornhill.
*****************************************************
CHAPTER NINETEEN: "LOOK WHO'S TALKING"
Mac is hurrying to class. Shit! I can't be late again. The professor is a total jerk.
All of sudden, Dick Casablancas grabs her and prevents her from leaving.
"Let go, Dick, I'm already late for class."
"Come on, blow it off, I bet you know more than the professor does anyways," Dick smiles at her. "I wanted to ask you something."
"All right, but hurry it up," Mac says impatiently.
"I was wondering if you and Veronica were maybe going to go to the Delta Tau kegger on Friday," Dick says.
Mac raises her eyebrows. "What--are you going to ask me to go steady?" She laughs at him. "Veronica and I don't go to a lot of frat parties, you know."
"It's just, well..."
"Spit it out, Dick."
Dick says, "Logan and I are going. It's over between him and Carrie. I'm sorta worried about him."
Mac thinks, Dick Casablancas, matchmaker. Then she thinks about Veronica finding out that Mike is married. "I can't promise, but I'll see if I can get her over there. She could use a little fun. What's in it for me?"
"Well, baby, I'm always up for a little action with the Mackinator," he wiggles his eyebrows at her, and she laughs at his stupid joke. "Seriously, Mac, I had a great time in Vegas. I'm not a total doofus, you know."
"You just play one on TV, right? I gotta get to class, all right? We'll try to make it," Mac promises. She is surprised to realize that she's looking forward to Friday.
----------
VERONICA
Something's been nagging at me since Wallace mentioned Lucky. I haven't thought about it for a long time, but I remember now that the Mannings bailed out Lucky. What's the connection? I know that Lucky went to the same church as the Mannings and they tried to set him up with Meg, but paying his bail still seems awfully generous, especially for such a rigid person like Stewart Manning.
----------
Veronica hurries out of her dorm, rushing to meet Wallace at Neptune High by 7:00 a.m. She finds a ticket on her car, looks around and sees Sheriff Vinnie Van Lowe leaning on a lamppost.
"Well, is it awfully early, or awfully late? All I know is I don't expect to see our esteemed sheriff up and about at this hour," Veronica smirks.
"You're pretty full of yourself, considering you just got a parking ticket," Vinnie replies.
"I'm not too worried; you haven't been at the sheriff business long. I'm betting I can find a reason to get it dismissed. After all, I got seven of the eight tickets you already wrote dismissed." She smiles, tilting her head.
"Nope, I don't think so. The district attorney had a little seminar on proper ticket-writing down at the station just the other day. It seems he was a little concerned about the number of tickets that were being dismissed, so we've tightened up procedure a bit."
Veronica says, "It's about time you got your shit together."
"Such a pretty mouth, and such foul language. You have a nice day, Veronica. I'm looking forward to the day when I arrest you again for Wiedman's murder. Really, I understand why you'd shoot the guy; I'd want to kill the guy that murdered my mommy," Vinnie turns and walks away whistling.
Veronica, furious, grabs the ticket off her windshield, jumps in the car, and takes off, tires squealing. Vinnie salutes her as she drives past.
----------
"Whoa, too much coffee this morning, Mars?" Wallace says as she walks up to him agitatedly outside Neptune High.
"No, I got another parking ticket, this time delivered personally by our lovable sheriff, who made a point of taunting me," Veronica replies, gritting her teeth.
"Try to focus, V. I want to solve this case and get the frak out of here."
The Battlestar Galactica reference has its intended effect; she smiles, wanly, and they walk toward the school.
Veronica says, "Mac looked into the IP address of the AmokTime website; she said it's routed through a Russian webserver and she can't find out where it originates. Whoever set it up is really good; Mac was impressed."
"Well, we knew that; Clemmons had some serious geek talent working on the school's computer system, and they weren't able to keep it secure," Wallace says.
"Let's hope that we get something from the camera in the teacher's lounge. There was a new exam posted this morning on the website."
With Wallace acting as lookout, Veronica retrieves the camera, and they retreat to the library to look at the footage. They see the American History teacher, Mr. Jordan, photocopying his exam, at time stamp 4:35 p.m. At 7:18 p.m., they see a student enter the lounge, looking around. The student punches a code into the copy machine, and it prints a copy of the exam.
Wallace looks puzzled. "What did we just see?"
"I think somebody reprogrammed the xerox machine so that it always stores a copy of the last job run. They enter a code, and the machine gives them a copy of everything that was xeroxed," Veronica says slowly. "It's actually genius, I wish I had thought of it." She slows the footage down, finds a shot that shows the face of the perpetrator and enlarges it onscreen. "Do you know who this is?"
"No, but I bet Clemmons does." They pack up the laptop and head for Clemmons' office.
Jason is on office aide duty again. "Yo, slackers, second day, and you're at the principal's office?"
Veronica says, "Can you tell him we need to see him?"
Jason calls in to Clemmons; hearing Clemmons' response, Jason shrugs "okay" and motions them to go ahead.
They tell Clemmons about the website that has been creating anarchy at the school; then they show Clemmons the footage from the teachers' lounge, and he recognizes the student, who is paged to the office.
"Mr. Smith, I'd like to introduce you to Veronica Mars and Wallace Fennel. Veronica, Wallace, this is Russell Smith. Russell, do you know why we asked you to come in?" Mr. Clemmons says unctuously.
When he hears the name 'Veronica Mars', Russell turns white as a ghost. Veronica thinks, There really is a legend of Veronica Mars. She looks over at Wallace and they bump knuckles, unobtrusively.
"Russell, I have to tell you I'm impressed," Veronica begins. She turns the laptop screen to face Russell and runs the footage for him. "I was just telling Wallace that your idea to reprogram the school photocopy machine was genius. And my computer consultant tells me your website skills are equally impressive."
"Do you want to tell us why you're trying to create anarchy at Neptune High?" Principal Clemmons says, angrily.
"It's an experiment," Russell answers. "It's my project for the Siemens Westinghouse Science Award. For the first year, they're offering an award in the social sciences, and I designed a project to research the psychological effects of a complete breakdown in the social structure."
Wallace and Veronica glance at each other, surprised.
"You're telling me this is for the Westinghouse scholarship program? You have to have a faculty advisor for that," Clemmons says.
"Yeah, Mrs. Armand is my advisor."
Veronica muffles a laugh. Mrs. Armand, the Latin teacher, is at least eighty, and should have retired twenty years ago. She wouldn't know a webpage if it bit her on the ass.
Clemmons clears his throat. "Mrs. Armand is clearly not an appropriate advisor for a project like this. We're going to have to get the police involved, breaking into the school's secure webserver is certainly a felony." He reaches for the phone.
"Wait!" Russell says. "I can put it all back, everything I changed was archived offsite and everyone can get their grades back. I always planned to do that, after I observed for a while."
"It might be easier than trying to reconstruct it," Veronica points out. "Surely you can find community service projects for our diabolical genius. He can start by improving the security on the school's server."
"Your parents will have to be informed, you'll have to shut down the website immediately, and you'll also pay all the expenses we've incurred, including our investigators' fees. And the scholarship program is out of the question. I'll discuss the idea of restitution with the vice-principal. In the meantime, I'll have your parents pick you up, Mr. Smith. You're suspended, indefinitely. Wait outside, please." Clemmons says, severely. Russell leaves, dejectedly.
"He does seem like the kind of evil mastermind you would want on your side, not working against you," Veronica comments.
"Sort of like a former student we know, right?" Clemmons says, sarcastically. "Thanks for your help, Wallace, Veronica; it seemed just like old times." He shows them out of the office.
Wallace says, "Let's get the hell outta here."
----------
At the kegger, Logan and Dick notice Mac walking in with a brunette girl. "That's Veronica, they're up to something as usual," Logan says.
"Come on, let's say hi." Dick pulls Logan over to the girls.
"Nice hair," Logan teases.
"It's actually the only reason I was able to get her to come out," Mac says. "Says she doesn't get as many people gossiping about her since they don't recognize her as a brunette."
"I'm right here you know," Veronica snaps. "I can speak for myself. Yes, life sucks a little bit less right now with brown hair."
"I'm glad you guys came," Dick says. "Hold on, I'll get us some beers." Mac goes with him.
"So you get to pretend to be a different girl tonight," Logan says. "That must be nice."
"I don't know about nice. It makes me think that I should try to start over."
"Okay...Hello there, stranger. It's nice to meet you, my name's Logan."
"Hello, I'm Veronica, I'm perfectly normal and quite a catch."
"Normal," Logan snorts.
Mac and Dick return with four beers. Seeing that Logan and Veronica are getting along, Dick motions with his head that he and Mac should go over to the dance floor, and they leave Logan and Veronica to their conversation.
"Yes, I'm perfectly normal," Veronica says.
Logan says, "I think that hair dye affected your brain, Veronica."
She starts to giggle. "You know, I'm glad Mac talked me into coming. I needed to just relax."
"You know the two of them cooked up this plot to get us talking," Logan says. "Dick wanted me to have fun tonight too."
"Maybe I've been wrong about him."
"No, you're not wrong, Dick can be a dick, but he's been a good friend to me too. His life hasn't always been easy the last couple years, you know. He went through some real shit when his dad went to prison. And he's never really gotten over Cassidy either. He won't talk about it much, but I know he feels guilty about the way he treated Beaver. And the truth is that I'm the one who should really feel guilty. It's my fault that Cassidy went over the edge."
"Logan, no," she says, "there wasn't any way you could have prevented him--"
"No," he insists, "I should have been able to talk him out of it, but I was just so mad and scared and...angry and relieved that you were okay that I couldn't think what to say to stop him from jumping."
He pauses. "Even after all that, Dick has always been there for me; he's the only one that I can really count on to drop everything if I need him."
Veronica blushes, embarrassed.
Logan says, "Hey...that wasn't a dig. It's just...the truth, okay? He's my friend. He's all I have left."
After a minute, he gestures toward Dick and Mac dancing and continues. "They're cute together. You should have seen them dancing in Las Vegas. Dick talked for a week about her blonde wig."
"She didn't really tell me much about that weekend."
"We all just hung out, it was fun. Almost like the old days, before Lilly...."
"Yeah, before Lilly," she echoes. Looking over at Dick and Mac, she says, "I guess opposites attract, huh?"
"Huh?...oh you mean Dick and Mac."
"Who did you think I meant?" she asks curiously.
He doesn't answer. Veronica wonders if he's referring to them. Then she thinks about Mike. Why DIDN'T I ever check him out? I wouldn't have given Logan the free pass.
As if he's reading her thoughts, Logan says, "What happened to the FBI guy?"
Veronica jumps a little, and looks over at him. "It just didn't work out."
Logan says, "Good...Did you ever figure out why he wouldn't give you an alibi? I always thought the weed excuse was really weak."
She is pissed, but tries to hold back. "First of all, how did you hear about that? Second, let's just not talk about it."
"If it didn't work out, why can't you talk about it? He was being a jerk." Logan is getting angry.
"Listen, asshat, you didn't BUY me when you bailed me out. I don't have to answer to you."
"Well, well, Ms. Hypocrite. So I had to explain a rebound fling with Madison to you but you get a free pass when your life's on the line?"
When she hears him say 'free pass', she knows he's reading her mind. "It's completely different, and I can't believe you won't let it go," Veronica says bitterly.
Logan says, "One...two...three...four...five..."
"Why the hell are you counting?"
"I'm trying to count to ten, so I don't call you a bi--" He stops himself, shaking with the effort. Breathing heavily, he glares at her, furious.
Veronica stares back, shocked. She looks around, sees a bench and walks over. Dropping heavily onto the bench, she sits with her head down and her arms across her chest, holding herself. Slowly, Logan follows. He stands in front of her, putting his hands in his pockets, not knowing what to do or say; finally he mumbles, "I'm sorry....I don't think you're a bitch." He tentatively sits down, with just a little distance between them.
She says, "I didn't know he was...married. How did you know?"
Logan replies, "The attorneys told me that's probably why he didn't give you an alibi."
"But I know it was my idea...to keep him out of it."
"Yeah, but he didn't overrule you, and he should have."
They are silent. Logan continues, quietly, "Veronica, I know I'm not allowed to worry about you, but I do."
She says, despondently, "Logan, someone hates me enough to frame me for murder. They plotted this, they spent time thinking how to hurt me."
After a minute, Veronica adds quietly, "You're allowed to worry about me." She unfolds her arms and reaches for Logan's hand.
Logan takes her hand, cautiously, and strokes it with the pad of his thumb. He tries to lighten her mood a little. "It's a big job, I might need assistants."
Smiling just a bit, she motions with her head toward the keg, where Mac and Dick are standing, looking over to Veronica and Logan with concerned expressions. "They're over there."
"Let's get over there before they send in reinforcements," Logan says.
They stand up and Logan releases her hand. She grabs his hand again and they walk over to Mac and Dick.
*****************************************************
VERONICA MARS
10:00PM TFX ch: 92 60min 2008 TV-MA
What Lies Beneath
Veronica stakes out Pemberton Estates and
has an idea; Logan's charity is announced; Mac
has lunch with her bio-mom; Keith works the
case with Leo's help.
Veronica: Kristin Bell. Mac: Tina Majorino.
Ellen Sinclair: Bridget Hoffman. Leo: Max
Greenfield. Keith: Enrico Colantoni.
*****************************************************
CHAPTER TWENTY: "WHAT LIES BENEATH"
Early Monday morning, Veronica parks her car just outside the guard house to Pemberton Estates. At a loss for how to proceed against the Kanes when the security detail is so vigilant, she has decided to just stake out the property, and see if she has any brilliant ideas.
For several hours, she snaps photos with her telephoto lens camera; she documents Masters-of-the-Universe types heading for bond-trading jobs and board meetings; she sees nannies arrive, and shortly thereafter trophy wives leave for tennis lessons and spa appointments.
At 8:45 a.m., she sees something that makes her sit up. A truck with the name 'GreeneScapes' is waved through the guard booth without a second look. Under 'GreeneScapes', she reads the slogan: 'Landscaping and Property Beautification'. In the rear are gardening supplies and tools; in the truck cab she sees several young Mexican men and one familiar face.
Billy Greene, PCHer.
She thinks for a few minutes. She heads back to campus and goes to her morning classes. At 11:30 a.m., she quietly exits the back of the lecture hall, gets her car and heads downtown, parking a short distance away from the Sheriff's department. She watches the department building through her telephoto lens until she sees Inga, Keith's old secretary, and now Vinnie's, leaving the building for lunch.
She grabs her cellphone, and, imitating Inga's thick Teutonic accent, dials the Building and Zoning Department phone number that she has preprogrammed into her iPhone. "Ja, Betsy, eet's Inga...Can you do me beeg favor, Veennie ees upset with me, I should haf called first theeng. I need blueprints for the Kane house, een Pemberton, ees verrry important, he needs right a-vay. My new asseestant, she hass the brown hair, glasses, ja? She vill pick up, in about feefteen meenutes....Ach, du lieber, you don't know vat an ass he ees." Veronica, hangs up, chuckling.
After fifteen minutes, Veronica puts on a pair of mousy-looking glasses, ties her hair into a ponytail, and goes into an adjacent building. She introduces herself as Inga's new assistant, and picks up the blueprints, thankful she hasn't had a chance to change back her hair color yet. Maybe I should stay brunette.
She hits speed-dial eight on her phone, and Weevil answers, "Yo, Veronica, are you tailing someone again? Cuz, I gotta tell ya, I am not interested in being your personal Vic Mackey."
"I'm thinking more Ponch from CHiPs. I had an idea how you can make it up to me for taking Dad's job as my booty-guard without letting me know," Veronica says slyly.
"Booty-guard? I don't think you got any the whole time I was watching you," he snorts.
"Don't remind me...Weevil, are you still friends with Billy Greene?"
Weevil replies, "I'm not sure we're friends, but we're okay. What crackhead scheme are you thinking of now?"
"I'd like you to work for one day with the Greene family's landscaping service and plant a bug in Jake Kane's home office."
"Oh, because all the brown men look alike, and we're so good at yard work."
"No, because I trust you," Veronica says.
"Bull, Veronica."
"Okay, it's true, you fit the profile of a typical employee. Can you talk to Billy and see if he can put you on the job for a day? I'll make it worth your while. Five hundred dollars to see how much worse your job could be." Veronica is glad that the 'YourCheatingHeart.com' website has started to show a significant profit for her and Mac.
"Pretty important to you?" Weevil asks.
"Yes...and I've been doing some additional research to help you. It should be in and out, low risk," she says hopefully.
"All right, chica, I'm in," Weevil agrees, reluctantly.
----------
Mac walks into the coffee shop. Once a month, every month since she turned eighteen, she has met her biological mother for lunch at this coffee shop. At first, it was very strained and difficult, but now they have settled into a pattern of telling each other about their lives: just normal stuff, that you'd want to tell your mother or daughter. Mac doesn't ever ask Mrs. Sinclair if she regrets not switching the two daughters, and her bio-mom never brings it up either. They're just happy to have this short time together once a month.
After they are seated and have ordered, Mac says, "Ellen, is everything okay?" She sees that Mrs. Sinclair has dark circles under her eyes.
Ellen stirs her coffee and sighs. "I'm so worried about Lauren, I think she's anorexic."
"Anorexic?" Mac asks. She thinks, Bio-sis is about the last person in the world to care about being fat.
"I know, it doesn't make sense, but she's stopped eating, and I think she's not sleeping well at night. She also doesn't seem interested in any of the computer sites that she used to obsess about."
Mac suggests, "She's a teenager, a freshman in high school, maybe she has a crush on a new guy. Or maybe a boyfriend that you don't know about dumped her."
"I don't think that's it, Cindy. This is not just your average teenager crisis; I should know, I went through everything with Madison," Ellen Sinclair says, wryly.
Mac smiles at her bio-mom, she has a pretty good idea of the trouble that Madison got into in high school. "Would it be okay if I talked to her? You've told me that she's not close to Madison, maybe she needs a big-sister type to talk to. We just need an excuse to get together." Mac and Mrs. Sinclair agreed at the very beginning of their relationship that Lauren didn't need to know that Madison wasn't her real sister, and that Mac was.
"Maybe you could help me with a computer problem, and then offer to give her a ride to school, or something," Mrs. Sinclair suggests.
They arrange to meet at the Sinclairs' the next day after school, when Mac can offer to give Lauren a ride to the library.
----------
Logan, who's been crashing at Dick's frat house since Saturday, turns on the television.
On-screen, the mayor of Neptune appears on a podium for a ribbon-cutting ceremony. On the dais sit local dignitaries and prominent residents, including Sheriff Van Lowe, Cliff McCormack and Jake Kane. There's a large banner behind them, reading, 'The Bridge - A Safe Haven for the Victims of Domestic Abuse'. The mayor begins to speak, in a pompous voice. "I am very pleased to announce a very generous donation to the town of Neptune to create a shelter for battered spouses and their children. The anonymous donor has purchased a building and has completely funded the first year's operations. A board of trustees has been formed, with myself as president, and we will be seeking donations from corporate entities to assure that this noble project will continue into the future."
Dick says, "What a tool that guy is....Since when are you interested in the local news?"
Logan shuts the television off. "I'm not, I was just bored."
----------
At Mars Investigations, Keith watches the news conference while catching up on paperwork. Logan's generosity surprised him at first, but as he helped Logan anonymously purchase the property for the shelter, he realized that Logan was taking steps to get beyond the abuse he suffered at his father's hands, and to move into the next stage of his life. He's proud of Logan, and this emotion surprises him. He's not sure why Logan has insisted that Keith keep his donation a secret from his daughter, but he's agreed to comply with Logan's request.
The phone rings; turning off the television he answers it. "Colm, I'm glad to hear from you...What have you been able to learn for me? Are the Fitzpatricks gunning for me and my daughter?...Never mind why I thought they would be, are you sure that no one's interested?...What about Father Patrick?...Well, I guess this is good news; if you stop by later, I have the cash I promised you." He hangs up, pensive.
He picks up the phone again and dials Deputy Leo. Leo tells him about his interview with the Kanes and about Lianne's arrest and conviction in El Paso, and her involuntary commitment to a rehab facility just outside of Tucson.
"Leo, I've been working on some other leads." Keith explains about the threatening letters. "There's nothing too promising as yet, and I'm not even sure there's a connection. I think it's a long shot but my assistant seems to think it's a possibility. So I need to know exactly what kind of timeframe the crime scene people came up with for Wiedman's murder; at Veronica's indictment, they mentioned 7:00 p.m. on Saturday evening as the presumed time of death. How certain is that timing?"
Leo answers, "Best guess is 7:00. But they said anytime from 5:00 to 9:00 was a possibility, because Wiedman was found in an air-conditioned hotel room, and it can affect body temperature. Keith, you need to be careful. Those letters you mentioned? Somebody really hates you."
They hang up, and Keith thinks about Lianne being convicted for drug possession. He's glad and sorrowful all at once that she didn't contact him for help when she needed it. Keith wonders if there's any information from the trial that might be useful, and turning to the computer, he pulls up 'Court Records Online', the website that Mars Investigations always uses for legal records. He puts in a request for Lianne's trial transcript, and pulls out his wallet to input his credit card number to pay for it. When he turns back to the screen, he's surprised to see a pop-up window saying, "This order was already processed. Do you wish to download the file again?" He clicks on 'yes', thinking, dammit, Veronica has already been looking into this.
He dials Veronica's cell, and leaves her a message. "Hi, honey, hope you're doing okay. You know part of our deal with me pulling Eli off guard duty is that you check in with me more often. I need to talk with you about something else as well; call me as soon as you get this message. Love ya." He hangs up, trying to remain calm about his daughter's latest lie by omission.
Chapter 21