FIC: YLD2 (95-102/151) (NC-17)
Feb. 1st, 2008 12:10 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
vanessagalorePreviously on The Year of Living Dangerously Part II [Spoilers for chapters 1-94] (for those of you who didn't take notes)
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VERONICA MARS
10:00PM SHO ch: 340 60min 2009 TV-MA
Jumping to Conclusions
Leo tries to rationalize his vendetta;
Mac posits a new suspect; Keith reacts.
Veronica: Kristen Bell. Logan: Jason Dohring.
Leo: Max Greenfield. Keith: Enrico Colantoni.
Mac: Tina Majorino. Wallace: Percy Daggs III.
Alan: Ned Vaughan.
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CHAPTER NINETY-FIVE: "JUMPING TO CONCLUSIONS"
Tues. 3/17/09 morning: D'Amato Residence, Neptune, CA
Leo wakes up well before his alarm is set to ring; he starts to mull over what he's begun to call in his mind 'The Echolls Case'. He lies in bed, staring at the ceiling, getting more and more agitated about Logan Echolls. Fucking Logan Echolls, he amends, and fucking Aaron Echolls...I wish I never heard of either of them.
He gives up on falling back asleep; he knows that he's becoming completely irrational about the case, but still he feels that something is being covered up. Like father, like son? he wonders, remembering Aaron Echolls' masterful machinations behind the scenes that resulted in an acquittal...and his own disgrace. He gets up and puts on some sweats and drives to the beach. He runs along the shore for five miles, trying to regain some sense of perspective. I can't afford to be wrong again. The phrase 'Neptune Sheriff' is becoming the punch line to a hundred jokes about incompetence and corruption.
Back in his apartment, he showers and dresses for the day. Aware that he will be coordinating security for the Mackenzie funeral with the FBI, he selects his newest uniform, fresh from the dry cleaners. Over coffee and cereal, he opens the file on Aaron Echolls' stalker case from four years ago. The 'le trancheur' who stabbed Echolls appeared to have been just one of several hundred women who were obsessed with the man. Keith Mars helpfully contributed his research to the police files, and Leo notes that Echolls Senior appeared to have been cheating on his wife with numerous women. I wonder if Logan inherited his father's philandering tendencies, he thinks. Hard to imagine Veronica putting up with that...although I think Veronica would be more likely to castrate Echolls than kill one of his girlfriends.
He sighs, convinced that this stalker idea is a wild goose chase. He makes note of several women against whom the elder Echolls got orders of protection; one of the deputies can follow up with them to make sure that they haven't become interested in the son. Although Logan Echolls has certainly had his share of celebrity notoriety in the past few years, it was nothing like the relentless attention paid to his father, and Leo doubts that a stalker would somehow be motivated to track down and kill an old girlfriend to demonstrate her affection for him. Veronica would be a far more likely target anyway...Greenblatt was just grasping at straws, trying to divert attention from his role in providing an alibi for Logan.
What the hell does she see in him anyways? he suddenly thinks bitterly.
FLASHBACK: Veronica finds him at the sheriff's department. She says, "I need to talk to you," and Leo immediately goes on high alert, knowing that nothing good ever follows that intro. She continues, "I can't date you anymore....Trust me, you don't want to date me. I'm a train wreck. Seriously. The-the first guy I ever loved just dropped off the face of the earth, probably because of something I said, and the last guy I dated turned out to be a drug dealer, and I just made out with my dead best friend's boyfriend, who, incidentally, I hate. So. Train wreck," she concludes, pointing at herself.
Leo remembers thinking, 'My dead best friend's boyfriend,' in other words, that asshole Logan Echolls, drunk off his ass, not even wearing any pants, whatafuckingloser, and then he also recalls that, of course, she immediately followed up with a request for a favor. In Veronica's world, you get to do whatever you want, and then ask your friendly law enforcement contact to break the rules and skirt the law to get what you need...and your dad always looks the other way. But if someone else does something wrong, it's the letter of the law, and you're out on your ass without a job.
Again, for the thousandth time since she spit them in his face, he recollects her angry words: 'I'm pretty sure I'm not capable of setting a murderer free.' Ms.-High-and-Mighty, judging me...judging ME! She has no idea what kind of pressure I was under...and what happened when I didn't get the payoff Aaron promised me. Logan's money was just a temporary reprieve before....
He drops his head into his hands. Don't think about it...don't think about it. You're not thinking straight.
Resolutely, he tamps down his anger. I am not going to fuck up this investigation. I'm NOT going to be Neptune's latest joke of a sheriff. I'm going to investigate this wherever it takes me and back up my theories with evidence.
Leo picks up the phone and asks to speak to one of the deputies at the sheriff's department. The deputy reports that the security footage from the Neptune Grand never shows Kendall together with Duncan Kane. In fact, the deputy noticed that the only security cameras that caught her image were located in the lobby; apparently, Ms. Casablancas took pains to avoid being recorded. Leo cradles the phone and thinks about the lengths she went to to conceal herself. He takes out before and after pictures from his file and compares her features. Her nose and cheekbones appear to have been slightly altered; her lips are somewhat fuller and the chin could have been changed as well. None of the alterations are extensive, but the overall effect completely disguises her appearance. Why was it so important that she change the way she looked?
He realizes that Duncan Kane has also completely changed his appearance. The Kane software heir's image has been featured so prominently in the tabloids over the last month that Leo has forgotten that he, too, used to look quite different.
I'm more confused than ever, he thinks. What the hell was going on here...two people with extensive plastic surgery, both suddenly coming back to town, both staying at the Neptune Grand. One with a lot to lose, and the other one ends up dead.
A lot to lose....Leo thinks about Duncan's desperate decision three years earlier to flee the country with his baby daughter. He opens the file on the Manning babynapping and rereads the FBI reports on the investigation. The report concludes, 'Although there is no concrete evidence of her involvement, we suspect that Veronica Mars assisted Duncan Kane in his flight from the country and misled the authorities during the investigation. We recommend that the case against Ms. Mars remain open pending any additional information in the case.'
He finds his notes from his interview of Madison Sinclair. Madison said, 'Kendall finally wore Duncan down and nailed him. Veronica walked in on her in Duncan's bedroom; Logan witnessed the whole thing and told Dick....The next day, Veronica and Duncan had a very public fight at school, and they broke it off. If you ask me, the only thing that was surprising was that Duncan had stayed with Veronica for as long as he did. Everyone thought that he was going to get back together with his old girlfriend Meg anyways, since she was pregnant with Duncan's child.'
And after the public breakup, Duncan fled the country with his baby daughter. They used Kendall to make everyone think that Veronica and Duncan had broken up–to protect Veronica when Duncan took off. Classic Veronica Mars maneuver; the only question is whether Logan was in on it.
Leo drums his fingers on the table, deep in thought. No statute of limitations on aiding and abetting kidnapping...Duncan's not the only one with a lot to lose if Veronica, and maybe Echolls too, helped with the kidnapping. I wonder what Kendall knew about the babynapping. Did they only use her as a patsy, a distraction to make everyone think that Veronica and Duncan had split up, or was Kendall actually involved somehow? Or did she remember something that would tie Veronica to the kidnapping?
Did Kendall come back to town to blackmail Veronica and threaten Duncan just as he was trying to win permanent custody of his daughter?
Leo has another thought. Logan's cash withdrawal in January...the payoff for Ms. Casablancas? Fifty grand–not much of a payoff, unless it was just the down payment. And...the timing's a little off, unless Kendall had already been in touch with them. He makes a note to request Logan's phone records from back in January.
The phone rings again. One of the deputies says, "Sheriff, we got word from Homeland Security that Logan Echolls flew from Boston to San Diego last night. I checked the flight manifest, and Keith and Veronica Mars were on the flight as well. I checked with the Manchester Center authorities, and they said that Echolls is free on a $50,000 bond on the assault and battery charge. I thought you'd want to know right away; you seemed pretty eager to talk to the guy."
"Yeah...thanks. I appreciate the heads-up." Leo hangs up. He puts in a call to Logan's permanent address in Los Angeles; there is no answer. He tries Keith Mars' home phone, and a message announces that the voicemail box is full and to try to call later.
He decides to head over to the Mars' apartment later to see if Logan is staying there; right now he needs to head to the department to run a scheduled briefing on security details for the Mackenzie funeral. And then maybe...maybe I'll try to talk to Tina at the Neptune Grand again. I need to see what she knew about Logan and Kendall and question her about Duncan and Kendall. He thinks about Tina's vague answers to his questions. Oswaldo Cortez had said, 'Tina told us that she wanted the employees to keep their mouths shut about the guests. Tina's a real starfucker; she's always hoping one of these Hollywood types will take her away from all this.' I'll bet Tina didn't tell me everything that was going on at the Grand. You'd think it was the fucking Camelot No-tell Motel. Let's see if I can get a little more information out of her before I talk to Echolls and Veronica.
Tues. 3/17/09 morning: Hotel, San Diego, CA
Mac opens the door of her room to Alan. "Are you ready to get going?" he asks.
She hesitates; she couldn't sleep for the entire night worrying about the funeral. When Alan told her that he believed there was a personal motive for the bombing attempt, she immediately thought of Gory Sorokin and the vendetta he swore against Logan and Veronica. Would he really kill my entire family to get to them? Finally, after tossing and turning for the entire night, she decided that she had to at least mention Gory's name. I just have to make sure not to mention the hard drive or what Keith did to protect Veronica. I have to tell Alan.
"I have something to tell you," she says, sitting down on the bed. "Two years ago, there was a Hearst student who was rumored to be connected, and...well, he did something to Veronica. When her boyfriend, Logan Echolls, found out about it, he beat up this student, Gorya Sorokin. And Gorya swore that he would pay them back. He told Logan, 'Whoever you are, you're gonna die.' He seemed kind of...insane, actually."
"Two years ago?" Alan asks. "Why would he wait until now? And why go after your family?"
"I don't know. It doesn't make sense. I just thought I should tell you."
"Why did you wait until now to tell me?...Mac? I'd like an answer," Alan presses.
"I can't say. It's probably just a coincidence."
Alan looks at her. "Veronica did something illegal, didn't she?"
Mac stares back, refusing to answer.
Alan sighs. "What's the name again?" Mac hands him a sheet of notepaper with the name on it. Alan pulls out his Blackberry and makes a phone call. "Can you run a name for me?...Yeah, it might be relevant to the funeral today. Gorya Sorokin. The only information I have is that he was a student at Hearst College." Alan waits. "Really. Paroled on February 6 of this year?...On a weapons charge....Can you get in touch with his parole officer?...Thanks." He terminates and looks at Mac.
Mac says, "February 6? Alan, the package bomb was postmarked February 7."
"Will you tell me the whole story now?"
"You don't need to know the whole story," she replies obstinately. "All you need to know is that he wants to kill Veronica and Logan...and I guess me too." Maybe he figured out that I helped Veronica.
"Dammit, Mac." Alan makes another phone call. "Sheffield here. I have some information about a possible suspect in the Mackenzie bombing." He quickly summarizes what little Mac had told him and the information he had just learned about Sorokin. "No...Two years ago, according to Ms. Mackenzie...I really think we should–...But sir, I think–....Yes, sir." He punches the end button and looks at Mac.
"Are you going to cancel the funeral? It's too dangerous," Mac says anxiously.
"I can't. My supervisor is more worried about an FBI mole. He doesn't think this guy Sorokin sounds like a credible suspect. He doesn't have a record of any bombings or violent felonies, just the one weapons charge. Before that, he has a completely clean record. And why would he wait two years to go after your friends and do it in such a roundabout way? They agreed to put out an APB on Sorokin and see if they can track him down just in case. And I'm supposed to coordinate some additional security for the funeral."
"You've got to tell her not to go to the funeral!" Mac gasps. "It's not safe, if this guy Gory is gunning for her!"
"There's going to be a lot of eyes on her," Alan says. "I'm sorry, Mac. I wish you had mentioned this before. But you know if this guy actually is targeting your friend, this might be our best opportunity to catch him. I'll make sure all the agents get a copy of his mug shot." He catches Mac looking at him and adds, "And Mac? Keep your hands off my Blackberry."
Tues. 3/17/09 morning: Sunset Cliffs Apartment / Mars Investigations, Neptune, CA
Keith wakes up, expecting to find Logan on the couch. He tiptoes into the kitchen to avoid waking him only to realize that Logan is not in the living room, and Veronica's bedroom door is shut tightly. His stomach tightens in distress as he pictures Logan relentlessly trying to seduce his little girl in the middle of the night. He opens her door silently and curses internally when he sees them snuggled together on her bed. Goddammit, Logan. You know she's fragile right now!
His every instinct is telling him to haul Logan out of there and toss him out on the sidewalk; he is only able to stop himself by reminding himself that Veronica needs to avoid stress as much as possible, and with the funeral this afternoon she'll have enough to deal with. Keith settles for perversely slamming a cupboard door shut. He grumbles under his breath as he makes his breakfast and coffee. He makes a few phone calls and decides to go into Mars Investigations, before his bad temper gets the best of him and he does something to Logan that he might regret later.
When Keith arrives at the office, Wallace is already hard at work. "Hey, Keith. Do you want to start with your messages?" He hands Keith a stack of message slips. "Coffee?" Keith nods, and Wallace gets a cup of coffee and puts it on Keith's desk. "How's Veronica this morning?" Wallace asks.
"She was still asleep when I left," Keith says shortly, trying not to display his anger.
"She'll be okay," Wallace says, misjudging Keith's demeanor as concern. As he leaves the inner office, he nods questioningly at the door. Keith motions for him to close it.
Keith frowns at the stack of messages. He closes his eyes, procrastinating for a moment. When he woke up to find Logan sleeping in Veronica's room against his wishes, he was completely furious, not just at Logan's disobedience but at his actual deception the night before. With a little distance from the operation, he has begun to berate himself for allowing Logan to be involved. Despite Logan's best efforts, he still seems to sometimes lack good judgment: running away after Hannah's death, assaulting Klein, and now this. Keith knows that the responsibility for Logan's involvement in the investigation rests solely upon his own shoulders, and he wonders how he could have taken such a chance with an amateur when his daughter's life was at stake. At the same time, he admits that Logan did help and pushed to end the operation when it did. Keith decides that there's plenty of blame to go around; why the hell did I let it go on for so long? I should have....
Dammit, how could I have not known that Veronica was raped? He pounds on the desk in frustration. I was obsessed with Lilly Kane, when I should have been obsessed with my own daughter. I saw that she was upset, why didn't I...why didn't I....
Keith rubs his forehead and shuffles through the papers on his desk, trying to think about something else, anything else, to blot out the pictures of his daughter being unknowingly fed drugs by her boyfriend, then Cassidy holding her down and pushing himself between her legs...and then Keith pictures himself, supposedly the doting father, ignoring the signs that she was hurting and throwing himself into an investigation to clear his own reputation. He opens the desk drawer, looking for a pen, and suddenly slams the drawer shut with a bang. If Logan hurt her by pushing her to have sex with him last night...I don't care what Veronica says. He'll have to go...if I don't kill him first.
Wallace taps on the door.
"Come in," Keith says quietly. He picks up the top sheet of paper on his desk and pretends to read it.
"Everything okay in here? Thought I heard something...." Wallace asks.
"I just, uh, dropped something," Keith replies lamely.
"Okay." Wallace looks at Keith, wondering what's going on. "There was another message from Duncan Kane on the machine. He's called almost every day while you've been gone."
Grateful for something else to think about, Keith asks, "He's calling about the custody case?"
"I talked to him a few days ago. I don't think it's just that. He seemed pretty nervous about something. He really wants to talk to Veronica."
Kendall, Keith thinks. "I'll call him right now." He thumbs through the message slips and finds Duncan's number. The call goes directly to voicemail, and Keith leaves a message, asking Duncan to stop by the apartment that evening.
Wallace says, "Do you want to go over the cases I handled while you were away?"
They spend almost an hour going through several insurance fraud investigations, background checks, and asset searches that Wallace took care of in Keith's absence. Keith makes a few notes and suggestions. The work improves Keith's mood, tempering his anger at Logan, but he still resolves to have a long talk with him concerning his daughter's well-being.
When they reach the bottom of the pile, Wallace says, "Can I show you something?"
"Of course."
Wallace puts a large piece of paper labeled 'Fitzpatrick Crime Family' on Keith's desk.
"What's this?"
Wallace sighs. "Candice wanted me to drop the investigation into her brother's death. She thinks it's too dangerous."
"She sounds pretty smart, Wallace. You should listen to her."
Wallace says, "But you know, Weevil and I went up to Chino and talked to the guy who used to be in charge of PCHers before Gustavio Toombs. Emilio Vargas."
"Yeah, I remember Emilio. A tough kid."
"Emilio told us what he had heard about Shawn. Apparently, Shawn had a connection for this new drug, Meth-X. But the supplier only wanted to deal in large quantities, and Shawn couldn't handle that. He didn't have the money or the distribution for that kind of a deal."
"So he got the Fitzpatricks to help," Keith suggests.
"Exactly. And I guess it was a match made in heaven for awhile. But then Emilio said that Ciaran tried to cut out Shawn and go directly to the source. And Shawn was trying to go around the Fitzpatricks, so...."
"Ciaran took out Shawn."
"Yeah. But that's not the most important thing that Emilio told us. We had already figured that they probably killed Shawn over the drugs. Emilio said that the Fitzpatricks have a cop in their pocket."
"A dirty cop?" Keith asks sharply. Vinnie said that Liam had a contact in the FBI.
"Yeah, Emilio was positive that the Fitzpatricks have a connection in law enforcement."
"It did seem suspicious when Liam's racketeering charges were dropped. It was a pretty solid case," Keith comments.
"I didn't want to just drop it, but...I promised Candice to be careful. So I've been doing research...the files on Ciaran and Padraig and Gustavio Toombs that you got from Inga, newspaper articles. I've been looking in the county courthouse files too, just collecting names that seem to be associated with the Fitzpatricks."
Keith studies Wallace's chart carefully. "Most of these people are known criminals."
"Right. I tried to show family connections, too. Maybe we'll see someone who shouldn't be connected to the Fitzpatricks."
"It's good work, Wallace." Keith thinks a minute. "You know, there might be a few more names I can add to this for you." He pulls the phone toward him and dials the sheriff's department. "Inga, it's Keith Mars....Yes, it was quite a big case. Veronica did a great job....I'll tell her you said hello. Inga, I'm being audited....2002 and 2003. I need to get copies of some of my files from that period. Yes, the Mulvaney
investigation and...Kevin Bray. Oh, and maybe McLaughlin too....Yeah, those crazy Fitzpatricks kept us busy, right?...I'll have my assistant come by to pick them up. Wallace Fennel....I'll talk to you soon, Inga." He hangs up and looks at Wallace. "I'm glad you were careful while I was gone. I promised I'd help with Shawn's case, and I will. Just let me tie up a few loose ends on the Briar Hill case."
The phone rings, and Wallace picks it up. "Mars Investigations?...Yes, let me check." He puts the call on hold and tells Keith, "It's Ms. Denenberg."
Keith nods grimly. He takes the receiver and connects the call. "Ms. Denenberg...Stephanie...Yes, I can come by this afternoon." He looks at his watch. "Can we say...1:00?...Okay, I'll see you then." He hangs up. "Wallace, let's get going on some of these new cases."
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VERONICA MARS
10:00PM SHO ch: 340 60min 2009 TV-MA
Losing Your Perspective
Logan talks with his shrink.
Logan: Jason Dohring. Dr. Friedman: Lorraine Bracco.
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CHAPTER NINETY-SIX: "LOSING YOUR PERSPECTIVE"
Tues. 3/17/09 morning: Sunset Cliffs Apartment, Neptune, CA
Logan wakes up to the sound of cupboard doors banging in the kitchen. He hears Backup bark quietly, and Keith says, "It's okay, boy." Logan listens to Keith making breakfast and getting ready for his day, with an occasional muttered aside to the dog. Keith makes several brief phone calls; Veronica's name is mentioned several times. He hears the jangle of keys; the front door opens and closes.
Logan looks over at Veronica, who is sound asleep. He wants to caress her and hold her more than anything, but he is plagued by doubts that he should have somehow controlled the situation better last night. He can't help but think, it was too soon, it was TOO SOON, how could I....I should have convinced her to wait. He tries to reassure himself by recalling their conversation; like a drowning man with a lifeline, he holds desperately onto her words. 'I want to feel okay with you again....It feels strange to let you take care of me, but...I like it.' Suddenly, he is appalled to realize that he is slightly aroused, and he quickly gets out of bed and throws on his jeans.
Logan goes to the kitchen where he finds a note on the counter.
After downing a cup of coffee and a slice of toast, he takes the phone into Keith's bedroom and shuts the door to avoid waking her up. He dials his therapist in Los Angeles. Keeping his voice low, he says, "It's Logan Echolls."
Dr. Friedman replies, "Logan...I was wondering why I hadn't heard from you, but then I saw something in the paper today. You went with Veronica on that undercover operation, didn't you."
"Yes."
"It sounds like it was very successful, based on the arrests I read about in the paper. And the story about Assemblyman Frazzino...it's just appalling," Dr. Friedman comments.
When Logan doesn't reply, she asks, "Logan?"
"I'm here. I've wanted to talk to you so many times, and now...I don't know how to start."
"Start at the beginning," Friedman suggests.
"They got me a job at the school as a guard. I started before Veronica got there. I had to help make sure that the girls behaved." He summarizes for Friedman what happened during the beginning of the operation: Veronica fighting back at her strip search and being sentenced to Observation Placement almost immediately, and his having to help take her down in group therapy when she fell asleep.
"Oh, Logan. You had to hold her down?" Dr. Friedman asks.
Logan grips the phone. "That's nothing. It got worse. We...we needed to document the use of restraints. So Veronica started to really push. They assigned her to write an essay, and Veronica just wrote 'fuck you,' over and over again. When they confronted her about the essay, Veronica pretended to try and escape."
"Pretended?"
Logan sighs. "She was trying to get sentenced to restraints, so she acted like she was escaping. She got one of the card keys so she could unlock the door and run, but she got to the door too quickly; she had to fumble with the key until I got there, and then she struggled against me. I had to...." He stumbles over the words. "I had to hurt her to stop her. And...I was so angry with her, for pushing them. And...this is going to sound crazy, I was furious at her for not behaving. I knew she had to, but it was like I was actually a guard and she was actually a student."
Friedman is silent, processing what Logan is telling her.
"I hurt her more than I had to," he adds, almost in a whisper. "I was thinking, 'Why are you making me do this to you? Why do you make me hurt you? This is for your own good.' She was resisting, doing her job, and I couldn't do my job. I couldn't not hurt her. How could I do that? I mean, she was incredible, she seemed to know exactly how to force them to abuse her."
"Logan–" Dr. Friedman tries to interrupt.
He rushes in, ignoring her. "And I needed to get along with the other employees in order to do the job, so I wouldn't get fired and not be there to protect her. What was crazy was that the other guys...it-it seemed like they were really making sense. They were all ex-drunks just like me, and they were funny, they were...I know they weren't good guys, but it seemed like...I don't know. I can't explain it. I'm just a fucking asshole, I let them get to me." Logan's voice is rising with his anxiety.
"Logan, listen to me. I need you to slow down. Take a breath. Count to ten for me."
"That's not even everything," he replies morosely before he does as she suggested. One...two... three...four...five...six...seven...eight...nine...ten. He takes a deep breath. "So we put Veronica in restraints. She had to be taken to the bathroom every six hours, and...they decided I was ready to help with something like that. And she...she was so fucking brave. She wasn't scared, she was baiting me and the other guy, she called me a fucking nazi. And he grabbed her around the neck and then...." Almost inaudibly, he continues, "We humiliated her by making her go to the bathroom in a bucket in front of us. I can't even describe it. It was...it was even worse than it sounds. They were trying to break her, and I was helping."
"Is that when the operation ended?" Dr. Friedman asks.
"No!! You're not understanding. She wouldn't give up. Even after that, she wouldn't stop."
"My god...Logan...."
He laughs bitterly. "And it's all on tape. Veronica was wearing a wire. I'm sure they'll play that scene at the trial. ...I kept begging Veronica's dad to stop the operation, but they wouldn't listen to me. Veronica kept insisting on continuing."
"Were you still...identifying with the other guards after this incident with the bucket?" Dr. Friedman asks cautiously.
"I don't know," Logan replies truthfully. He thinks for a moment before continuing, remembering. "I think I was just so glad because Connie, I mean Veronica, stopped resisting, stopped fighting back for a little while. I just wanted to forget about it."
"Connie is the name Veronica was using?" Friedman probes.
"Yes." He exhales loudly. "The next day I was...I was just trying to hold on, I was telling jokes with the other guys, I was just trying to do the job. I knew I was supposed to be there to protect her, but I was getting so...confused. The guys were teasing me about her, needling me that she was my girlfriend, and I had to be rougher with her, so they wouldn't know. I was losing track of who I was, what I was supposed to be doing; I kept catching myself almost screwing up. But then...." he stops, his voice trailing off.
"What?"
"I met with Veronica's dad and the other guys monitoring the operation. They were considering pulling me out, because they could tell that I was fucking up. I had to convince them to let me stay, I wasn't going to leave her there without me."
"You begged them to let you stay on as a guard," Friedman repeats.
"Yeah. I...I had to get it together, I had to hold it together, for her. If she wouldn't quit, I had to stay. One of my old professors, Dr. Kinny, was helping with the monitoring. And...and he helped. He kind of talked me down, got me to see that...." He takes a deep breath, and says it aloud. "He tried to convince me that I'm not an abuser like my father."
"You've been working hard for a long time now to be a better person than your father, Logan."
"I didn't feel like a better person while we were there. ...That night, after I convinced them to let me stay at the school, I had a dream, well, a nightmare I guess. It was Veronica and Hannah, begging me to help them, to keep going and protect them. I don't know why, but when I woke up, I didn't feel so confused. I was able to focus a little better, keep track of who I was and why I was there."
"Why didn't they want to stop the operation?" Friedman asks. "It sounds like you had enough evidence at this point."
"That's what I thought. I guess they were arguing about it. They were worried about Veronica, but they also knew how hard it would be to convict Klein and shut down the school. And Veronica was so determined. We had code words worked out, and she kept saying them over and over again, to show them that she was okay. I tried again–when I got her alone for a second, I tried to get her to quit. But she refused. I was so angry at her: couldn't she see how dangerous it was, how sick they were?...I was, I don't know, I thought I was going insane, and I had to keep telling myself that it wasn't real, and it was going to be over soon. And I had to keep going, I had to stay to protect her. Then it got worse. They started singling her out, really targeting her in group therapy." He sighs. "Veronica was using...she was using stuff from us."
"Us?" Friedman echoes.
"She was using stories about Lilly when they were trying to get her to admit to her bad behavior. I couldn't help it; I got so mad at her. I don't like anyone knowing about that, that I feel...guilty about Lilly. I realized later, she was desperate, she was using those stories to try to get them to back off a little. Dr. Friedman, I'm so ashamed; it was so hard for Veronica there, and I let her see that I was upset with her for talking about Lilly. I could tell, she knew I was mad. How could I do that? They were on her, night and day, fussing at her to admit things, and I was such a fucking asshole...I got pissed because she told them something from our past when she was just trying to do her job."
"You reacted. You're human," Friedman replies.
"You don't know how bad it was for her. All I had to do was be there to protect her, and I couldn't even do that. I made it harder for her. What the hell is wrong with me?" Logan begins to cry. He wipes tears off his cheek and grips the phone tightly.
"Logan, listen to me. You did the best you could. This was an impossible situation."
"Everyone's going to see how I let her down. She's going to see. She wants to watch all the video tapes."
"What?"
"She doesn't remember the last day. That sick fucker Peter Klein was confronting her about her rape."
"What do you mean she doesn't remember?" Dr. Friedman says worriedly.
He exhales loudly. "She was sick, with a high fever, and they had hurt her shoulder. And he was torturing her with attack therapy. I was outside, I couldn't hear what he was saying. We had finally decided to stop the operation, but I had to wait for backup before I could go in to get her. I was outside the room, imagining what was going on, thinking about what horrible things they were doing to her, and then...." He pauses, then continues, "When we finally went in, they had written 'SLUT' on her forehead, and she was completely out of it. She didn't recognize me; she thought I was there to hurt her, and she tried to get away from me." Logan tries again to wipe away the tears on his face. "Dr. Friedman, I'm afraid if she remembers...."
"What?"
"...She's unbelievable. She says she's not mad at me," he explains. "Why isn't she mad at me? Veronica is trying so hard, she's...trying to get past this, trying to keep us together. Last night, she insisted...she wanted to sleep together. She's so fucking strong. I'm not strong like her. I really wanted to take it slowly with her, give her a chance to get...I don't know, strong again. But last night, she was...she was crying, she thought I was pushing her away because I wasn't attracted to her any more. She begged me, she...I let her...Dr. Friedman, we had sex last night, and we shouldn't have, it was too soon. I shouldn't have...dammit! I just love her so much, and when she started crying, I couldn't not hold her in my arms and...."
Dr. Friedman stays silent for a moment, then asks, "What was it like? How did Veronica react when you made love?"
"It started off great, just kissing and touching, and then....she said something. It was an accident, she said something she had said when we humiliated her with the bucket."
"What did she say?" Friedman says curiously.
"She said, 'I'll behave.'" He sighs. "We stopped, and I didn't want to do anything else. But she insisted, she took my hand and...well, slowly, we– we got past it. She was so fucking strong. She was determined to make love, to not let them take it away from us."
Cautiously, Friedman probes, "And what happened...once you got past this...faux pas?"
"It was incredible...she let me take care of her, admitted she needed me, all the things I always wanted from her that were so hard for her. It's never been like that for us. To tell you the truth, I'm scared to death that I screwed up again. I mean, I want to hope that it's going to be okay for us, but...." Logan pauses. "I'm so afraid."
"What scares you the most, Logan?"
In a whisper, he says hesitantly, "I think she remembered something about her rape during the group therapy, but now she can't remember what happened that whole last day of the operation."
"It's possible. The new trauma might have unlocked deeply buried memories for her, and it might be too hard for her to examine those memories–"
He interrupts. "I know she blames me for her rape. And she should. I got the drugs that were used on her," Logan explains.
"But you didn't–"
"It doesn't matter. She knows, I'm responsible. And...I know if she remembers her rape, she's going to...." He swallows, unable to continue. "She's not going to be able to get past that. No one's that strong."
Dr. Friedman exhales softly. After a few moments, she says quietly, "Logan...I saw on the news that Veronica was released from the hospital. It sounds like she's being taken care of."
"Of course they're taking care of her. She had a kidney infection and a dislocated shoulder."
"And it sounds like they are taking care of her emotional health too. But...who's taking care of you?"
"What?"
"Logan, I hear you blaming yourself. You were an amateur in an extremely tough situation. Who's taking care of you?"
"I don't deserve–"
"Logan! You're not listening to me," Dr. Friedman says sharply. "You've been through a trauma here, too."
"No, that's crazy, Veronica's the one we have to worry about. I'm all right."
"You don't sound all right to me."
"No, I'm fine," he protests. He starts to become agitated again. "I just need your help, I want to help Veronica through this. I'm worried about doing the right thing for her. I keep screwing up, and I don't understand why she still...loves me. It's not just the undercover operation...there's this woman that I had an affair with a few years ago...." Logan struggles to find the words to explain. "Her name was Kendall. She was back in town, making trouble again, and while we were in Vermont, somebody killed her. And...it's all coming out, the affair that I had with her, and the sheriff is going around asking questions about me and Kendall. I can't believe this is happening, on top of everything else. And Veronica is–" he breaks off.
"Veronica is what?" Friedman presses.
"She just said we would figure it out, somehow. I thought she would be...I don't know, her old judgmental self, telling me that I fucked up again. And this woman, Kendall...she really caused a lot of pain for us. I don't know how Veronica is not more upset about it."
"You said that Veronica is really trying. And, Logan, you said yourself, she admitted to you how much she needs you. You've become pretty close to Veronica's father. Can you talk with him about how you're feeling? I'm very concerned that no one is recognizing how difficult this experience was for you."
"Veronica's dad is pretty pissed at me right now. He specifically asked me not to...not to share Veronica's bed last night."
"Of course, he's worried about his daughter. He knows about the rape then?"
"He does now. I told him about the GHB, that I brought it to the party." Logan scoffs. "It's a mess. I'm surprised he didn't kill me himself when he found out."
"You said it was Veronica's idea to sleep together last night. You didn't press her, did you?"
"No! Of course not. She was crying; she wanted me to hold her. She said it was upsetting her that we were acting like she was weak and needed protecting. I tried to get her to go slowly, but...." Logan mumbles, "She was insistent. She keeps saying that it hurts her worse when we treat her like she's broken."
"From my short time with Veronica, I'm not surprised that she would feel that way. She needs to feel strong and in control, and she's been through an experience that took all that away from her. Still..." Friedman sighs. "The fact that she was raped, and now they used it against her...I'm very worried about both of you."
"She wants you to help us watch the videos so she can remember what happened that last day. She's unbelievable. She's so fucking determined."
"She's trying to get healthy, trying to get back to the Veronica she used to be any way she can," Friedman comments. "She's a very strong woman, Logan. She's going to be okay. You're going to be okay. You'll get through this, I'm sure of it. ...Logan, I'm sorry. I have a patient coming in. But you can call me anytime. You still have my home number too?"
"Yeah. Thanks," he says.
"I'm glad you called. Please, call me if you need me. Let's talk in a day or so, okay? Remember to really listen to Veronica when she talks. She'll tell you what she needs from you. And I'd like you to think about telling her what you need from her."
Logan disconnects. He takes a deep breath and massages his neck, stretching it to try to relieve some of his tension. The intense knot in his stomach gradually releases, and he realizes that the knot has been there, nagging and persistent, ever since the end of the operation. Logan admits to himself that he has tried to avoid examining his own behavior during the operation by focusing on taking care of her. He feels a curious mixture of relief, guilt, and sorrow after finally talking about what happened, and the therapist's concern for him does reassure him more than he would have thought possible. But despite Friedman's comments, he knows he can't possibly talk to Keith about these feelings. If I ever needed a father to talk to, it's now, he muses bitterly. He thinks about Veronica's strength and vows to hold onto the hope that somehow they will be okay.
•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
VERONICA MARS
10:00PM SHO ch: 340 60min 2009 TV-MA
Tightening the Noose
Logan and Veronica work on their story;
Leo digs into the goings-on at the Neptune
Grand; Leo picks up Veronica and Logan
for questioning.
Veronica: Kristen Bell. Logan: Jason Dohring.
Leo: Max Greenfield. Tina: Anna Campbell.
•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
CHAPTER NINETY-SEVEN: "TIGHTENING THE NOOSE"
Tues. 3/17/09 late morning: Sunset Cliffs Apartment, Neptune, CA
Veronica wakes up. She cautiously opens her eyes. I feel pretty good, she thinks to her surprise. I'm home, she remembers, and then she smiles, recalling the night before. She sits up and cautiously gets out of bed, favoring her shoulder; even her injury seems to be bothering her a little bit less after a good night's sleep in her own comfortable bed.
She walks out to the kitchen. Logan is sitting at the counter with several days' worth of newspaper spread around him.
"Hey," he says. "How are you feeling today?"
"Hey," she replies, suddenly shy. "I feel good. It's great to be home." Backup wakes up on the couch and joins them in the kitchen, hopeful for dropped food and some attention. Veronica bends down and begins to play with his ear; as she scratches his head, he whines happily.
"Want some breakfast? Eggs, pancakes..." he suggests.
"Did you eat?"
"A little bit, maybe an hour ago," he answers. "I've been catching up on the news."
She nods. "Where's Dad?"
"He left a note," Logan says, pushing it to her.
"'Went to the office....Logan, I need to speak to you,'" she reads. Puzzled, she asks, "What's that about?"
He looks at her for a moment before answering. "Well, if I had to guess, I'd say he's mad about me sleeping with you last night...your dad was slamming the cupboards pretty hard this morning when he made his breakfast. I'm surprised he didn't wake you up," Logan says.
"No, I slept like a log. It's, uh...the first time since the operation started that I haven't had any bad dreams," she concludes quietly. She sees him looking at her with concern. Don’t tell him, don’t let him see....
He suddenly grasps, I didn't realize...of course she's been having nightmares. "I'm glad you slept."
"He's mad about you sleeping with me?" she presses, trying hard to keep her voice logical and unemotional.
"We had a discussion last night about the sleeping arrangements. We both agreed it would be better for me to sleep on the couch."
"So you and Dad discussed where you were going to sleep without consulting me?" she blurts out angrily. 'You're a damaged person, Connie. You can't function in society.' Damn it to hell! "You were discussing my...mental fitness, my..." She exhales in frustration. "Do I get a vote? Last night, I thought you were...I thought you didn't want..." she swallows.
"Veronica. Come on. We're worried about you. We've talked about this, about letting the people who love you take care of you."
"I really want you guys to include me in these decisions, okay?" she says, fuming.
"Veronica, it was hard enough for your dad to say what he did. He probably doesn't even like to think about us having sex, and you know he's been pretty cool with us. He just wants you to be all right, like I do. And I'm not surprised he was mad when he woke up and realized I was plowing his beloved daughter the night before." A note of self-disgust creeps into his voice. I shouldn't have given in to her...goddamn, I'm such a fucking asshole.
Veronica squints at him and tries to read his mood, detecting something a little off in his comment. This is so fucking hard. Stop it, Veronica. That's Logan...focus. Plowing...he's feeling guilty about last night. She tries to calm down...they don't think you're damaged, Veronica. Logan loves you, he's worried about you. "Plowing?" she repeats aloud.
Logan attempts to deflect. "Okay...caressing your alabaster thighs and worshipping your quivering mound of Venus," he amends lightly. "...m'lady." He remembers what Friedman had said, 'I'd like you to think about telling her what you need from her,' but he rejects it out of hand as completely too intimidating.
Her anger about Logan and her dad being overprotective evaporates. Veronica shakes with the effort of repressing her laughter. "Mound of Venus...oh my god. Don't forget about your throbbing shaft," she finally adds, between giggles.
He pulls her to him and lifts her to sit on his lap. She rests her head on his shoulder and closes her eyes, and he puts his arms around her. Logan thinks, Now I'm completely screwed. I gave in to her; if I try to go slow again, she'll think I'm rejecting her. She'll never understand that I'm just scared of hurting her. How the hell am I going to do this without making things worse? Logan asks aloud, "You're really feeling okay today?"
"Better than okay." She opens her eyes and looks at his worried face. "It wasn't too soon," she protests. "I needed to feel loved last night. I'll talk to Dad."
"Oh, I want to be a fly on the wall for that conversation. And Veronica, you probably should do it sooner rather than later. I think he might have plans to hurt me," he comments. Logan swallows and screws up his courage. "He loves you, Veronica; he's trying to help you and protect you. And so am I. I love you so much, Veronica. Just...try to remember, I'm scared, and I don't know how to do this. I need you too...more than you know." Does that count as telling her what you need?
He idly strokes her hair for a while before he says, "Veronica, I have to talk to you about Kendall."
"Now what?" she mutters. I wish it could just be like this all the time, she suddenly thinks, closing her eyes and leaning against him. Fuck Kendall.
"Sacks told your dad last night that they found a partial fingerprint in Kendall's room, and it looks like a pretty close match to your fingerprints. It was in one of the drawers...maybe when you were searching for videotaping equipment that night. Sacks said that Leo's going to try to surprise you with that. You need to be prepared."
"I don't understand what Leo's trying to accomplish. We clearly have an alibi for the time when she was murdered."
"He's trying to make our lives miserable," Logan replies. Nervously, he continues, "Veronica, I'm...I'm so sorry about Kendall, about getting involved with her in the first place. You know, when you came by that morning, after Alterna-Prom, I....Veronica, I wish I could erase that from our lives. I wish I could rewind to the night before. I would have stopped drinking and locked myself in my room and waited to see if you changed your mind."
"Changed my mind?"
"When you left, when you didn't want to...."
Veronica says, "It wasn't that I didn't want to, I just needed to think about it. You're not the only one who was drinking that night."
"You? You were drinking?"
"I had a couple glasses of champagne. For me, that's like...wasted. And...you scared me. I mean, I knew; I knew you didn't hate me anymore."
"Veronica, I never hated you," Logan objects.
"Umm, I don't think that's true. But you know, you can't really hate someone unless you love them."
"So what you're saying is you really hated me," he says.
She nods. "Yes, I suppose so. And I also loved you, and that was scary."
Logan says, "I don't remember what happened that night. I guess I blacked out." He sighs. "You know that that happened to me pretty often in the old days when I was drinking. I don't remember calling Kendall, but then again I don't remember much of anything after you left. She might have just shown up; she did that a few times. And I think I was too fucked up that night to send her away. I'm so sorry, Veronica. I wanted to spend the rest of my life making that up to you. I hate that she's still making trouble for us."
"She can only make trouble for us if we let her."
"I hope you're right," he replies.
Veronica nods at the papers spread out on the counter. "Anything interesting in the papers?"
"Not much about Kendall. Leo's keeping a tight lid on the investigation."
"Because if we're his best suspects, he doesn't really have anything at all."
Logan nods. "Exactly."
Impulsively, Veronica blurts, "Why the hell isn't he looking into her connection with the Fitzpatricks?"
He meet her eyes; they don't need to answer the question. The purpose of Leo's vendetta is all too obvious. Logan changes the topic. "How about that breakfast now?"
"Scrambled eggs, maybe?"
"Coming right up."
He moves to put her down, and she says, "Just hold me for another minute, okay?"
"Okay," he agrees. He hugs her just a little bit tighter, wishing they could just forget about Kendall and Briar Hill and everything.
"Logan...." she says quietly.
"What?"
"What are we going to tell Leo about Kendall?" she asks.
"As little as possible," he replies.
"No, Logan. We need to be careful. You know he's going to try to question us. Let's figure out what we're going to say to him," she says persuasively.
"Dick said he has video of us in the Neptune Grand elevator. So we can't deny being there."
"That's not a crime. We rented a room for the night," Veronica says thoughtfully.
"We don't volunteer going to Duncan's room. That was the only time I saw her," Logan adds.
"I only saw her one other time, after Duncan's press conference. She was waiting for him at the hotel. And I didn't know who she was at the time."
"You can tell Leo that," Logan suggests.
She nods. "And we were in Briar Hill when she was murdered."
"So we're agreed? We don't mention that Duncan was having an affair with her. And we also don't say that she broke into Mars Investigations."
Veronica says quickly, "Of course not. The next day, after we talked to her, Dad erased the video of her in the office. He said there was no way he would open up that can of worms by pressing charges against her in the break-in."
"What about...what about the fingerprint they found in the drawer in Kendall's room?" Logan asks nervously. "How do we explain that?"
"I don't know. You said that Sacks said it was only a partial?" she queries.
"How long do fingerprints last?" he asks suddenly.
"Up to forty years."
"I love that you know that off the top of your head, Veronica." He thinks for a moment. "Why not just say you've been all over that hotel over the years? I lived there in two different rooms, and you were over all the time. You've been involved in a lot of investigations over the years; maybe there was a legitimate reason you looked in a drawer."
"At Alterna-Prom, a lot of kids rented rooms for the night," she suggests. "Maybe that was one of the rooms." She stays silent, thinking. Finally, she sighs. "I think it's best if I just say I don't know how my fingerprint got there, but I've been in the hotel hundreds of times over the years. It's not enough evidence to arrest me, especially if it's true that it's not a good print."
"I hope you're right. You realize...we're assuming Duncan didn't tell Leo he was having an affair with Kendall," Logan states.
"He can't. He might lose custody; he wouldn't take the chance."
"What if Leo found evidence that they were together? Duncan would have to admit it."
Veronica exhales. "I think he would have arrested Duncan if that was true. No matter what, we can't talk about confronting Kendall. We committed about twenty crimes that night–" Suddenly, she stops short.
"What?" Logan asks worriedly.
Veronica gets up and goes to her bedroom. She rummages in her desk and finds the bug detector. She turns it on and begins to sweep the apartment.
"Here...give it here. I've watched you do it enough times," Logan suggests. She hands it to him and takes a seat on the couch as he wanders all over the apartment. Finally, he plops down beside her on the couch and shakes his head.
"I'm getting paranoid," she says quietly.
"Except that he really is out to get us," Logan remarks.
"We just have to say we didn't know it was Kendall. That's it. There's no choice, Logan. Even if Duncan admits he had an affair with her, he's not going to tell Leo about that night. There's no reason for him to tell; it wouldn't exonerate him from a murder charge. I hope to hell he has an alibi for Kendall's murder."
Tues. 3/17/09 late morning: Neptune Grand Hotel, Neptune, CA
"Thank you for seeing me again, Tina," Leo says, taking a seat across the desk from the Neptune Grand manager. He notes that she looks a little nervous. "I have a few followup questions."
"Of course, Sheriff."
"Why didn't you tell me that Duncan Kane was staying at the hotel prior to his surrender to the authorities?" Leo asks.
"Duncan Kane? I thought you were investigating Ms. Casablancas. Why would I volunteer information about an unrelated guest?" Tina says in surprise.
"I'm just wondering why his name was not listed on the register that you provided for me. You certainly knew that Daniel Gillman was actually Duncan Kane after the publicity when he surrendered himself."
"I gave you a complete list of everyone who was staying at the hotel during Ms. Casablancas' stay, with the names that they used when they registered. It's not my job to investigate whether someone is registered under an assumed name," Tina says defensively.
"Right. But it might have saved me a little time, and I think you've made a point of protecting your guests' privacy over cooperating with me."
"Of course I'm protecting the guests' privacy! People stay at the Neptune Grand because we have a good reputation for keeping the paparazzi out. As I mentioned to you before, we often have clientele recuperating from plastic surgery here who are purposely avoiding the press."
Leo stares at her without speaking.
Tina grows increasingly more nervous. "There's nothing to tell anyways. Mr. Kane kept to himself."
"Yes, that appears to be true. Do you know if Mr. Kane had any contact with Ms. Casablancas during his stay here?"
"I'm sure that I wouldn't know. I don't stick my nose in my guests' business, and the employees are cautioned to do the same."
Leo sighs. "Can you at least tell me if their rooms were near each other?"
Tina flushes, and Leo thinks, Bingo. Tina says, "They were across the hall from each other on the third floor: Mr. Kane was in the Triton Suite, and Ms. Casablancas had the Naiad Suite."
Taking advantage of Tina's nervousness, Leo presses, "And what about Logan Echolls and his guest?"
"What?" Tina replies, rattled by the abrupt switch.
"Your security footage shows Mr. Echolls and Veronica Mars in the elevator together, during the period when both Mr. Kane and Ms. Casablancas were registered guests. But neither Echolls nor Mars shows up on the register."
Tina sighs. "Mr. Echolls was a longtime resident several years ago. He paid cash for one night's stay. I don't remember the name he used."
Helpfully, Leo says, "It was Saturday, February 28."
Tina clicks a few keys on her computer. "Hmm...I think he registered under 'Charles Windsor.'"
"But you say he used to be a longtime resident, and you clearly knew who he was. And at the time he was here in Neptune, he was supposedly in Europe. Of course he wouldn't want to use his real name to register."
Tina says impulsively, "I'm quite certain Mr. Echolls only had a romantic evening in mind. Perhaps he was just seeking a little privacy."
"I suppose that's possible. I hope for your sake he wasn't taking advantage of your good nature to hide his presence here. I wonder what the corporate owners of the Neptune Grand would think of you knowingly allowing guests to register under false names."
Tina sputters, "You're being completely ridiculous. What difference does it make if Logan Echolls stayed for a night at the hotel?"
"Surely you're aware that Mr. Echolls had an intimate relationship with Ms. Casablancas three years ago? They were meeting here at the hotel," Leo asks.
"Logan and Ms. Casablancas? I had no idea," Tina replies, shocked. "You can't think Logan Echolls had something to do with this."
"I see. Getting back to Mr. Kane..." Leo says thoughtfully. "You said he kept to himself. Do you keep records from room service?"
"Not the specific orders, but if the food is charged to the room, the total amounts will be listed on the bill," Tina answers.
"Let's see the room service charges for Mr. Kane and Ms. Casablancas. Can you make a printout?" Leo asks.
Tina reluctantly prints out several pages of charges, and Leo places the two bills side by side on her desk. Starting on February 8, Kendall's room service bills drop off dramatically, while Duncan's almost double in size. The trend continues until March 1, when Kendall's tab resumes its previous size.
"Looks like Mr. Kane and Ms. Casablancas might have been dining together. Until March 1...the day after Echolls and Ms. Mars were here. So maybe something happened during their visit," Leo muses aloud.
"I wouldn't know," Tina replies. "This could all be a coincidence."
"No, I don't think so. When Veronica Mars is involved, there's not much chance of something happening by accident. Tina, this is starting to look like a conspiracy of some type. Mr. Kane meets Ms. Casablancas and begins to spend a great deal with her until Mr. Echolls and Ms. Mars get involved. Perhaps they inform Mr. Kane that she is really Kendall, not Katerina Beversdorf. Then Mr. Kane stops spending time with Ms. Casablancas, and, for whatever reason, Ms. Casablancas is murdered about ten days later. I suggest you start cooperating with this investigation, immediately." Leo looks at the room service bills again. "It looks like somebody with the initials J.R. signed off on Mr. Kane's deliveries most of the time. Who would that be?"
Tina clicks a few keys, frowning at her computer. "Jeffrey Ratner. He's coming on shift at four o'clock."
Leo checks his watch, thinking about everything he has to do today. "I'll need his phone number, please. If you think of anything else, I'd like you to call me right away. I don't want to have to ask for your cooperation again."
Tues. 3/17/09 early afternoon: Sunset Cliffs Apartment/Sheriff's Department, Neptune, CA
Logan is lounging on the bed watching Veronica as she looks through her closet. She pulls out two selections and hangs them on the door, frowning. "What's the matter, sugarpuss?" he asks.
"The dress I want to wear is at school."
He props himself up on his elbows and points. "What's wrong with that one?"
"It's a little big on me normally." She looks down at her body, far thinner than normal. "It'll be a tent..."
"Right. What about the other one?"
"I'm trying to figure out if it will work with the sling."
"Let's try it." He gets off the bed and helps her remove the sling. She carefully pulls her t-shirt over her head with his assistance and steps out of her jeans. He stares at her, resisting the impulse to caress her and strip her out of her underwear.
"What?" she asks, using the mirror to look at him standing behind her.
"Nothing."
"No, what?"
"Just...it goes against my nature, to help you put clothes on," he finally mumbles.
She leans back against him. "We've got time."
"Don't tempt me, woman. You're supposed to be taking it easy." He takes the dress off the hanger and holds it for her to step into.
She steps into the dress, and he pulls it up and zips it for her. She looks in the mirror and suddenly says, "Crap."
"Now what?"
"I have to shave my legs," she replies. "I don't suppose...."
"A man's work is never done," he says with an exaggerated sigh.
"No, it's ridiculous." She leans forward into the closet again. "I'll just wear pants. These are probably small enough," she says, pulling a pair from the back of the closet. "Can you unzip me?"
"Yes, ma'am. My pleasure, bobcat." He helps her take off the dress, replacing it on a hanger. She steadies herself by holding onto him as he pulls up the slacks and helps her to fasten them. She regards herself in the mirror, frowning, as he looks on.
He says thoughtfully, "I think I remember these, Veronica. Freshman year, right? Pretty memorable embroidery on the back pocket, and I think they fit perfectly." Logan gives in to his impulses and runs his hand over her ass.
She turns a little and pretends to bat his hand away. "Freshman year? You weren't supposed to be looking at my ass. You were going out with the hottest girl in school."
"No, I wasn't." He grabs her hand and gently pulls her to him. He kisses the top of her head, watching her eyes in the mirror. "I've been in love with you for so long, Veronica." She relaxes into him, pressing herself into him as he draws little circles with his thumb on her waist.
With a regretful sigh, she says, "C'mon, let me pick a shirt." He releases her reluctantly, and Veronica selects a dark-colored turtleneck that will fit under the sling. He assists her carefully; she winces as he eases the right sleeve up her arm and cautiously helps the top over her head. "Maybe I can dress it up with a scarf," she muses. He straps the sling on her arm again, and she looks at her reflection. She sighs and says, "It'll have to do. It does cover up the stupid tattoos." She fusses with her red curls, frowning. "I hate this hair."
"You'd look beautiful in a paper bag with a clown wig," he tells her.
They hear loud voices arguing in the parking lot. Logan walks over to the window and looks out. "It's Leo, discussing something with one of the deputies."
Veronica joins him, "That's Carl. He always liked my dad. He must have taken over watching out for the paps from Sacks last night." They watch as Leo turns away in disgust. Carl gets in the police cruiser and leaves the parking lot.
The doorbell rings, and Logan's eyes meet Veronica's. "I'll let him in," Logan says.
Veronica follows him more slowly into the living room. Logan opens the door, saying, "Sheriff."
"Mr. Echolls. Veronica," Leo replies. He stares at Veronica, taking note of the sling, her hair, the dark circles under her eyes, and her thinness. He looks around the room, frowning when he sees the wheelchair from yesterday's journeys.
"How can we help you, Leo?" Veronica asks.
"Don't you guys answer your phone? I've called several times this morning," he replies.
Logan says, "The phone ringer's turned off. There have been paparazzi bothering us, and Veronica needed to get her sleep last night. She was injured...I don't know if you know about that."
"I did hear about your adventure in Vermont. Pretty good detective work, sounds like. I also heard about an arrest for assault and battery," Leo comments. "I have to tell you, I was surprised to find one of my off-duty deputies sitting in your parking lot when I got here."
"Dad still has some friends on the force. I guess he didn't want to have to run a gauntlet of reporters when we got back late last night, so he asked for some help from his old friends. How can we help you, Leo?" she repeats.
"Well, I'm glad to find you both here. I'd like to speak with you down at the station about Kendall Casablancas." He nods at the newspapers spread out on the counter. "I see you've been catching up with the current events, so I'm sure you're aware that she was murdered."
"Is it really necessary to do this today, Sheriff?" Logan tries to keep his voice polite and respectful. "Veronica was released from the hospital yesterday. We've come back to town just to attend the Mackenzie funeral, and I was hoping Veronica could just rest today."
Leo checks his watch. "The funeral's not until 4:00. We've got plenty of time, assuming you can clear up some of my questions about Ms. Casablancas."
"Are you making this an official request?" Veronica asks. "We'd be happy to come by first thing tomorrow morning. I am feeling pretty tired today."
"This shouldn't take long," Leo replies. "I'd really like to speak with you today. It's already been almost a week since Ms. Casablancas was killed."
Veronica stares at him. "Of course we're happy to cooperate in any investigation," she says finally.
Logan says, "Give me a second to get changed." He glances at Veronica, mouthing, 'Cliff', and heads into her bedroom.
He goes into her bedroom and shut the door. He grabs her cellphone, still in its charger on her bureau. He notes the display, '112 missed calls', and thumbs through the menus, looking for an entry for Cliff McCormack. He dials and speaks in a low voice when Cliff answers. "Cliff, it's Logan Echolls...are you busy?"
"Mr. Echolls, one of my favorite clients. You always had such...ahem, colorful arrests. And...to be fair, you always paid your bills on time."
"Yeah, good times. I hope I still get the frequent flyer discount," he replies. "Did Keith talk to you?"
"I've been in depositions all morning. What's going on?"
"Sheriff D'Amato is taking Veronica and me in to the station for questioning in the Kendall Casablancas murder."
"You've been arrested?"
"Not yet," Logan says drily. "And we're sort of hoping to prevent that. Can you meet us at the sheriff's department? The sheriff has apparently been trying to build a case against us, and we'd feel a lot better with some legal representation."
"What is with you kids today? I wish you'd leave the murdering to the grownups. I'll meet you there in twenty minutes."
Logan disconnects; he gets dressed quickly, putting the phone in his pocket. He walks back out into the living room. "Do you think your dad would mind if I borrowed a tie?"
"Of course not, go ahead."
Logan ducks into Keith's bedroom and emerges a minute later, tying a red and blue striped tie. He walks over to Veronica and puts his arm around her. "Ready?"
"I need my cell," she remembers suddenly as she grabs her purse.
"I got it," he says, meeting her glance. She nods.
"Let's go," Leo announces. He escorts them to the parking lot.
Logan motions that Veronica should take the front seat, and he gets into the back of the cruiser. "I'm having the weirdest deja vu right now. Except it really should be Lamb in the front seat and my arms should be cuffed uncomfortably behind my back."
"Logan," Veronica says warningly.
Leo retorts, "Lately I've regretted that I didn't take you in when you showed up drunk at that eighties dance. It might have saved some heartbreak for all of us if you'd been sent to a rehab that night."
"Wow. And I thought you didn't remember the night we met," Logan says sarcastically. "I wrote in my journal that night: the cutest deputy in Neptune showed up at the dance. And then he broke my heart when he acted like I didn't exist." He clasps his hands together and leans his cheek against his hands.
"Logan, you do have the right to remain silent," Veronica says firmly. "Could you possibly exercise that right?"
Logan can't resist one last parting shot. "Of course, I can think of fifty thousand reasons why the sheriff should have a soft spot in his heart for me."
"Logan!" Veronica hisses, turning around in the seat to glare at him. She sucks in her breath loudly when she accidentally twists her shoulder. Under her breath, she mutters, "Fuck...fuck!" She leans forward with her eyes closed, waiting for the pain to subside.
"Veronica, are you all right?" Logan says quickly. "Sheriff, please stop. Please."
Leo glances at Veronica and slows the cruiser. "You really are hurt."
"Yes," she replies briefly, breathing through the pain. "They're going to have to do surgery on my shoulder to repair it."
Leo's face betrays him with a momentary expression of guilt and regret before he resumes his serious demeanor. He pretends to concentrate on his driving and again ignores his inner voice that keeps repeating, 'don't do this.'
"Sheriff. I'm sorry I was screwing around," Logan says contritely. "Please, can we possibly wait on this? Veronica just got out of the hospital. She's supposed to be resting. You can talk to me today, just take Veronica back to the apartment."
Leo glances back at him.
Before Leo can respond, Veronica interjects, "No, it's all right, let's get this over with. Just...Logan, do you think you could possibly refrain for once?" she says warningly.
"I'm sorry," he says sincerely. Logan manages to keep quiet for the rest of trip to the sheriff's department. When Leo lets him out of the back seat, he goes to Veronica and solicitously escorts her into the building, where Cliff is waiting.
"Sheriff," Cliff says, standing up to greet them.
"Counselor," Leo replies. He waits, expecting Cliff to leave; he finally realizes Cliff is there for Logan and Veronica. He half-turns to Logan and says, "You called him from the bedroom. You realize you don't need an attorney; I'm just asking you a few questions. I have to say, it makes me wonder why you're so nervous that you need an attorney."
Cliff replies for them. "Sheriff, my clients are just exercising their right to representation. They asked me to help them to clear this up as quickly as possible."
Leo frowns and leads them to his office. Veronica whispers to Logan, "Try to keep your wit under control, will you?"
"Sorry," he mumbles.
Leo motions to a seat outside his office door. "Who's going first?" At their expression, he explains, "Oh, you didn't think I was going to question you together, did you? No, I think it's better this way. I'm more likely to hear the truth."
"Go ahead," Logan says to Veronica. "Maybe if this doesn't take too long, one of the deputies can take you back to the apartment for a nap before the funeral." He kisses her on the top of her head. "Tell the truth, honey."
She snorts. "I'm made of truth, remember?" Veronica grabs his hand and squeezes it before walking into Leo's office, followed closely by the sheriff and Cliff.
He smiles, remembering the last outgoing message he put on his cell phone. 'When my love swears that she is made of truth, I do believe her though I know she lies, That she might think me some untutor'd youth, Unlearned in the world's false subtleties....Therefore I lie with her, and she with me, And in our faults by lies we flatter'd be.' William Shakespeare. Logan pulls out Veronica's cell and accesses the call menu. One hundred and twelve missed calls. Most of the calls say 'Private Caller' or 'Out of Area', and Logan assumes that they are calls from reporters. He notes that Casablancas Jr, R. called five times. Duncan, whose cell phone is apparently under the name 'Daniel', called twenty-four times. What the hell is Duncan calling her about? Logan really does want Duncan to get custody, but he can't help his flash of jealousy when he thinks of Veronica working with him. He hits '2' on the phone, and the display reads "Calling...Dad Cell".
"Veronica?" Keith says.
"No, it's Logan," he replies. Keith is silent in response. He's furious with me, Logan thinks despondently. He says, "We're at the Sheriff's Department. Leo is questioning Veronica now. I'm next."
"I'll get Cliff–"
"I called him. He's in there with Veronica," Logan interrupts.
"Good," Keith replies succinctly.
I'm sorry...I'm sorry I fucked your daughter last night, Logan thinks morosely. He waits to see if Keith is going to bring it up. When there is only silence on the line, Logan adds, "Umm, about uh...your note, I want to talk to you too. I understand why you're upset."
There is no response. Keith's silence is more scary than a lecture, Logan thinks.
Finally, Keith says, "We'll talk about it later. Thanks for letting me know what's going on. Be careful." He terminates the call.
•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
VERONICA MARS
10:00PM SHO ch: 340 60min 2009 TV-MA
Made of Truth
Leo questions Veronica and Logan; Keith
reports to Ms. Denenberg; Mac worries
about Veronica's safety to no avail.
Veronica: Kristen Bell. Logan: Jason Dohring.
Leo: Max Greenfield. Keith: Enrico Colantoni.
Cliff: Daran Norris. Mac: Tina Majorino.
Stephanie Denenberg: Stacy Edwards.
Alan: Ned Vaughan. Sacks: Brandon Hillock.
•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
CHAPTER NINETY-EIGHT: "MADE OF TRUTH"
Tues. 3/17/09 afternoon: Sheriff's Office, Neptune Sheriff's Department, Neptune, CA
Leo comments, "I don't know what's more sickening, when you and Echolls are lovey-dovey or when you're fighting," Leo comments.
"We've had a complicated relationship. It's hard when your boyfriend's father murders your best friend," Veronica explains drily.
"It's interesting you say that, 'complicated relationship'. I've been looking into your history a bit." He pushes a sheet of paper across the desk to her. "See if I got it right."
Veronica, more curious than she is willing to admit, picks up the paper and begins to read. Cliff looks over her shoulder, reading along.
"Was Kendall the reason you broke it off with Echolls?" he replies.
"No! We broke it off because...because...." she hesitates. Because he was acting crazy. Because he was trying to start a class war in Neptune. Because he scared me with how much he loved me. She concludes, "We broke it off because we weren't getting along. He was going through a lot at the time. He had been accused of murder, you remember."
"Oh, let me add that in there," Leo says, taking the paper back. He scribbles a few words and pushes the paper back to her.
She glares at him when she sees what he has written. Veronica resolves to read the rest of the summary before reacting again.
Suddenly, it's all just too much, and she struggles not to burst into tears. This is too hard...it's too much, I can't...I never should have helped Duncan, what was I thinking? I was so stupid...why didn't I see that Meg was lying to us? Instead I used Logan, used Dad, used Kendall...never thought about what might happen. Leo is staring at her, wondering at her silence, and she fights to hold it together. 'You're going to have to do better. Connie needs to work a little harder on her honesty.'
Cliff asks, "Vee? You okay?" He turns to Leo. "Sheriff, maybe we need to take a little break."
Veronica finds her voice and says, "I'm just tired. We just got back last night, you know." She hands Leo's notes back to him. "How puritanical of you, to spend all this time snooping into our love lives."
"The four of you have quite a history."
"Is there a question here?" Cliff acts. "This is all very interesting, but high school romances usually aren't a motive for murder."
Leo says, "Did you know that Kendall Casablancas was back in town?"
"No," Veronica replies.
"Were you aware that she had resumed her affair with Duncan Kane?" Leo presses.
Resumed. Fuck. At the time, that ruse seemed like a good idea. She takes a breath to speak.
Cliff interrupts before she can answer. "Ms. Mars just said she didn't know that Ms. Casablancas was back in town. How could she be aware who Ms. Casablancas was sleeping with?"
"Do you know why Ms. Casablancas disappeared in 2006?" Leo asks, changing tacks.
"Wasn't she involved with that Phoenix Land Trust with Cassidy?" Veronica asks. There, that was completely honest. I can do this. "Maybe it was something to do with that. You say she 'disappeared' and make it sound suspicious. Maybe Kendall just left town and started looking for a new sugar-daddy."
"Right." Leo thinks a minute. "You're saying you've had no contact with Ms. Casablancas since she came back to Neptune?"
"I met her in the hallway of the Neptune Grand. I didn't know it was Kendall. She introduced herself as Katya," Veronica answers. There's no point hiding this. He knows Duncan was involved with her. Shit. Carefully, Veronica continues. "I was with Duncan that day. I don't believe he knew it was Kendall, either."
Leo pounces. "So Duncan was having an affair with Ms. Casablancas?"
"I don't believe that's what my client said. She said she met a woman named Katya in the hallway, and that her friend Duncan was not aware the woman was really Kendall Casablancas. I believe Ms. Mars was very clear in her statement," Cliff parses. "Shouldn't you be asking Mr. Kane that question?"
"Oh, I have. And he's been very evasive, and it makes me wonder why," Leo replies. "It must be very painful for you that this woman slept with two of the men you've loved."
"Is there a question on the table?" Cliff asks.
"Did you harbor resentment against Ms. Casablancas?" Leo asks.
"It was none of my business who Logan slept with when we were broken up. And when I thought Duncan had cheated on me with Kendall, I wasn't mad at her, I was mad at him," Veronica explains.
"Wait, when you thought Duncan cheated on you?" Leo asks suspiciously.
Judgmental...resentful...critical. She imagines Leo running a finger down her moral inventory, checking off all the qualities that apply. She takes a deep breath and tries to explain. "I don't think he did cheat on me. Kendall might have tried to seduce him, but Duncan's a good person, and he wouldn't have done that to me. At the time of our breakup, he was focused on his baby, and I was...I was being a little girl, a petty bitch to tell you the truth. I was jealous that he still had ties to Meg Manning, the mother of his child, and I was looking for an excuse to get mad at him and break it off."
Cliff frowns at her.
She notices his look and continues, "Yeah, I was being immature. I was eighteen! I couldn't handle that my boyfriend had gotten another girl pregnant."
"Of course, it's good that you broke it off with him before he ran with the baby."
"What are you insinuating?" Veronica asks, her voice quavering.
"The FBI files indicates that they were suspicious that you helped Duncan flee the country with his baby. Odd behavior for an ex-girlfriend who supposedly was jealous about the pregnancy."
Cliff clears his throat. "I really wish you'd make up your mind, Sheriff. Is my client being questioned about Ms. Casablancas' murder or a three-year-old kidnapping charge?"
"Just wondering if there's a connection. Maybe Kendall witnessed something in the kidnapping case and decided to blackmail Ms. Mars. And of course there's no statute of limitations on aiding and abetting kidnapping."
"And Kendall waited until now to come forward, after completely altering her appearance for an unknown reason?" Cliff says sarcastically.
Leo leans forward. "I know something's going on here, Veronica. Don't let Logan Echolls and Duncan Kane ruin your life. I'd like to help you."
'You're still not able to be honest with yourself, Connie. Why won't you let us help you?' She tries to ignore the persistent, nagging voice and focuses on Leo's face, twisted with the attempt to conceal his hatred of her. "Oh, I doubt that," she replies, as evenly as she can. She tries to appeal to his sense of logic. "Leo, you know that I was on an undercover operation when Kendall was murdered. I was wearing a wire. I was being observed by the FBI. You can't think I had anything to do with Kendall's murder."
Leo stares at her, trying to gauge her honesty. "We found a fingerprint in Ms. Casablancas' room that is consistent with your fingerprints, Veronica. Care to explain how that got there?"
Cliff interrupts. "Consistent with? How many points of comparison are we talking?"
Reluctantly, Leo says, "Three."
"Don't answer, Veronica. Sheriff, you know that evidence would probably be thrown out as inadmissible."
"Except as rebuttal evidence," Leo notes. "Ms. Mars is saying she had no contact with Ms. Casablancas other than a chance meeting in the hallway at the Neptune Grand, yet her fingerprint was found in Ms. Casablancas' hotel room. In a drawer, by the way. Why were you looking in Kendall's drawers, Veronica?"
"This interview is over, Sheriff. You're not trying to get information from my client, you're trying to sandbag her. And you are making accusations based on flimsy and circumstantial evidence, when clearly my client has an unbreakable alibi for the time of Ms. Casablancas' murder. I'm advising my client not to talk to you any further," Cliff says, rising from his chair.
"I might only have circumstantial evidence now, but I'm sure I'll be finding more evidence as I continue to look into this. And as for that unbreakable alibi? I'm thinking conspiracy. Mr. Kane doesn't have an alibi for the night in question, you know."
Oh shit, she thinks. Duncan! She opens her mouth to speak, but Cliff puts a restraining hand on her arm.
Leo continues, "We're not done here, Veronica. It's okay though, I'd like to see what Echolls has to say for himself."
"After this performance, I'm going to advise Mr. Echolls to stick to his name, rank, and serial number," Cliff comments.
"Veronica, why don't you tell Mr. Echolls to come in here? Unless he's got something to hide," Leo says.
Veronica stands up and exits the room shakily. Logan stands up; seeing her upset demeanor, he immediately hugs her. "Are you okay?"
"Damn him," she whispers. "Be careful." She realizes Leo has followed her to the hallway and puts on a light tone. "Have fun in there, sweetie. Play nice with the sheriff."
Logan looks at her with concern and asks, "Sheriff, can one of the deputies run Veronica home? She needs her rest."
Leo replies, "It's a busy day for us here with the security for the funeral later. It might be a while. You can call a cab if you want."
Veronica frowns. Security? "You're providing security for the Mackenzie funeral?"
"Of course. The FBI is presuming it was a mafia hit. We're coordinating security with them," he replies brusquely. "Let's go, Echolls."
Veronica thinks, The Russian mob was trying to take out Mac in the bombing. But she was already in witness protection. Didn't the mob already know that? I know the Russian mafia sometimes kills the whole family for retribution...but...retribution for what? It was Rick Picket who was investigating the flirt-bot program. She thinks back. Wallace had told her, 'I did some checking, and the day before the bombing, the FBI arrested fifteen Russian guys in Florida on multiple charges of identity theft, racketeering, conspiracy, and fraud. There wasn't a lot of details, but it sounded like computer crime, and I'll bet Mac had something to do with the arrests.'
We know Mac is friggin' brilliant, and we're assuming she helped the FBI investigate, but how would the Russian mafia figure out that she was responsible for those arrests? It's not like the FBI would tell the mafia who investigated, especially if a civilian was helping them. Her head begins to hurt again just thinking about it. I'm getting so confused. Why would the mafia bomb the Mackenzies? Why can't I figure this out?
"Leo...I mean, Sheriff?" she asks.
"What?" he replies in an irritated voice.
"Something's not right about this funeral. The whole bombing doesn't make sense. Why did the Russian mob go after Mac's family?"
"How the hell do I know? I'm not in charge of the investigation into the Mackenzie bombing," Leo says. "Let's go, Echolls." He motions that Logan should go into his office.
Tues. 3/17/09 afternoon: Denenberg Residence, Neptune, CA
Ms. Denenberg opens the door before Keith can ring the bell. "Mr. Mars, thank you for coming."
"Keith, please," he replies.
"Come in," she says, escorting him into the office.
He observes that she looks tired and upset. When they enter the living room, he sees the television tuned to CNN with the sound muted, and he realizes that she's been watching the news reports about the school since the story broke. He picks up a remote controller on the coffee table and turns off the television. Keith sits down on the couch. "Ms. Denenberg, how are you doing?"
"Stephanie. It's Stephanie," she mutters.
"Stephanie. This must be very difficult for you."
"They don't say much on the reports. They keep listing the charges against Peter Klein, aggravated assault and battery, child abuse, failure to report abuse to the authorities...." her voice trails off. "I keep picturing–"
He nods, "You need to know what it was like. Your imagination is running wild."
"Were they physically hurting Hannah? Is your daughter okay? I'm sorry, I should have asked right away. Is Veronica okay?"
"Stephanie, Veronica will be fine."
Ms. Denenberg looks stricken. "Will be fine? She's not fine now? Oh god. I never should have done this."
Keith sighs. "Please don't say that. I believe we did a lot of good with this investigation." He summarizes the operation for her. He stresses at several points that Veronica had to push back against the school in order to gather evidence quickly. He explains that they did not want to have Veronica undercover indefinitely, and they needed to force the issue. Keith calmly details Veronica's injuries; he minimizes the psychological confusion she manifested when the operation ended, reminding himself that he will need to brief her again at a later date, before the trial and Veronica's testimony. Ms. Denenberg begins to calm down, hearing the facts of the operation recited in an unexcited narrative.
"Stephanie, we found out that one of the teachers at the school helped Hannah to escape. We located that teacher and spoke to her. Apparently, after her experience with your daughter, she decided to devote her life to helping the students at these schools. Several months after Hannah escaped, this teacher received a postcard from her that indicates that your daughter was happy and doing well."
"Doing well? I thought she was working as a...prostitute, taking drugs and...." Ms. Denenberg replies, confused.
"That might not be true." Keith takes out the postcard. He has protected it in a plastic bag; he shows it to Hannah's mother, who examines it closely.
Ms. Denenberg reads aloud, "'Thank you for everything. I am safe and happy because of you.'" She turns the over and looks at the picture of a meadow on the front. "'Safe and happy,'" she repeats. "It does look like Hannah's writing."
"The teacher explained that Hannah said that she used to imagine herself running through a meadow, completely free and happy, whenever she was being attacked in group therapy or punished for something at the school."
Ms. Denenberg begins to cry. "Why would they punish her?"
"Hannah insisted that she wasn't doing drugs, and they were trying to make her admit that she did. Stephanie...." Keith begins.
"What? Tell me."
"Your daughter was very brave. At one point, she used silverware to cut herself, hoping that a doctor would take her seriously and contact you," Keith says.
Horrified, Stephanie replies, "They said she was cutting...I assumed it was, you know, what you read about, teenagers and razor blades. The school said it was evidence she was disturbed."
"I don't think Hannah was disturbed at all, and based on what I saw there, I don't believe she was using drugs either. The school has a vested interest in declaring each student to be an incorrigible drug addict; they diagnose all the students as addicts and keep them there for treatment until they are eighteen or sometimes even longer."
"I don't understand. How did she end up in Los Angeles on the...on the streets, if she was in," Stephanie consults the postcard, "Rio Linda, happy and safe."
"I don't know. With your permission, I'd like to go up to Rio Linda and see if I can find anyone who remembers Hannah. Obviously, she was living under an assumed name, but there would have been limited options for a minor to earn a living."
"Of course. Of course!! I want to come with you," she says impulsively. "Please."
"Stephanie, I don't think that's a good idea. Let me find out what I can first." Gently, he adds, "I don't want someone's revelations to hurt you more than you've already been hurt. Let me handle this, and I promise, I'll tell you what I find out. I promise I won't keep secrets from you."
He looks at her sympathetically, and she nods that she understands. "You're right, Keith. I...I couldn't handle much more...." She stand up and begins to wander around the room. She touches various items, occasionally lifting them and examining them closely. Keith watches, uncertain what to say. Finally she says, "I...I keep thinking that she didn't think she could call me for help. She didn't trust her mother not to send her back to the school after she escaped...her own mother. She thought I wanted her to be in a place where she was being tortured and abused. I don't think I can forgive myself for that."
"Stephanie, you know that you are a victim of the school as well."
"I don't feel like a victim. I sent my daughter away...I let that man...I paid that man to abuse her." She drops onto the couch and begins to sob, her head in her hands. Keith moves to her; he pats her on the back, and she stiffens in response. Stephanie weeps in earnest, her shoulders shaking compulsively. He pulls into a hug, and she cries desperately against his shoulder as he rubs her back. The sobs finally begin to lessen, and she pulls away. "I'm sorry...I'm sorry, Keith. I can't sleep, I can't eat. I don't know what to do."
"Stephanie, I feel certain that, given time, you and Hannah would have reunited and she would have realized that you were only trying to do what was best. I'm sure she knew that you loved her."
"I did love her. I didn't know...I didn't know."
Keith says gently, "It's not easy to be a parent. I know that firsthand. We try our best, and we make mistakes. I found out recently that I made a terrible mistake with my daughter five years ago. I feel like I'll never forgive myself for not seeing what she was going through. It's not easy to be a parent," he repeats. "You have to try to forgive yourself; you were a victim of the school as well."
She nods, staring into space.
Keith hesitates. He knows that she needs to know what might be coming. "Stephanie, there's another matter we need to discuss." He sighs. "In these situations, the schools usually offer a substantial cash settlement in return for an agreement to drop the charges and not to discuss the terms of the settlement or the allegations. Have they approached you with an offer?"
"No, and I wouldn't accept it."
"You're sure? I'm quite sure they will be offering a very large sum for your silence and cooperation."
"Bastards," she spits. "No way in hell. I don't want a penny from them. It would be blood money."
"It might be years of litigation, Stephanie. Epstein may not tell you this, but you need to know what's going to happen. You are going to have to relive what happened to your daughter over and over again, in the press, in the courtroom, on TV talk shows...it's not going to be easy. Are you prepared to go all the way with this? I'll support you, whatever you decide. A large financial settlement would hurt the school. It might even force them to close."
"No," she says firmly. "I want them to go to jail, especially that Peter Klein. CNN ran an old interview with him. I vomited up my lunch, hearing him talk about dedicating his life to helping young people."
"That's not all. Parents of students at the schools who don't want the schools to shut down may begin to harass you or threaten you. I'm not telling you what to do; I'm just telling what it's going to be like. And the school will probably sue you, Stephanie. You signed a nondisclosure agreement when you enrolled Hannah that prevents you from revealing the copyrighted treatment methods used by the school."
"But it was false advertising, and it wasn't even treatment, it was...I don't know, it was insanity is what it was."
"Yes, those are defenses that you can use when they sue. And I will testify on your behalf, and we can use the videotape evidence collected by the FBI, which is not bound by the nondisclosure agreement."
"Would they...would they sue you too?" she asks, horrified.
He nods. "I'm expecting it."
"Keith, you will allow me to pay for your defense. This is unconscionable. The other parents in the class-action lawsuit will help as well, I'll make certain of it. I've been in touch with them, and we won't allow you to suffer because of this."
"Thank you, I appreciate that." Keith glances at his watch. "I need to get going. I'll take a trip up to Rio Linda as soon as possible, and I'll let you know what I find." He stands up, and she follows him to the door.
At the front door, Ms. Denenberg says, "Keith, please tell your daughter thank you for me. I'd like to...I'd like to meet her, when she's feeling okay, to thank her in person. And...Mr. Echolls was helping as well, wasn't he? I saw his name on the news...I was so horrible to him when he was dating Hannah."
"Logan did not always use good judgment in the past; I was so angry that I threw him against a wall once myself. I know he regrets what happened to Hannah and blames himself. He volunteered to help because he was worried about Veronica's safety, and I know he also wanted to try to redeem himself by helping with the investigation."
"Please...tell him thank you as well." She closes the front door behind him; he catches a final glimpse of her haunted face, and he thinks again that he is incredibly grateful that Veronica is okay.
Tues. 3/17/09 afternoon: Sheriff's Department, Neptune, CA
When Logan and Leo enter Leo's office, Cliff whispers quietly to Logan, "It's pretty much a fishing expedition here. I think your best bet is to keep your mouth shut."
"So, Mr. Echolls," Leo begins. "Tell me about your relationship with Kendall Casablancas."
"That's pretty sick, don't you think? What do you want to know...positions, duration, did I make her scream? The answer is 'yes, I did,'" Logan replies flippantly. Cliff glances at Logan; he realizes that Logan is trying to disguise his nervousness with sarcasm.
"Are we talking recently, or three years ago?" Leo asks.
"Let's see, the last time I made her scream, that would be...let's see, May, three years ago, which would be 2006. Do you need to know the details? I believe she started on top, but it might not have ended that way," Logan explains. "And of course, there was some kinky role-playing. I was the dirty cop, and she was the hooker with a heart of gold trying to get off. I think she did get off, several times if I recall correctly." Pretending to think, he counts off 'one, two, three' with his fingers and smirks at Leo. More seriously, he continues, "Lookit...the woman was a tramp. We had a sexual relationship and that's it. I never cared about her, and I'm pretty sure she never cared about me."
"What about recently? Did you have any contact with her in the last few months?"
"No, I did not. And I would remember bodacious tatas like hers." Cupping his hands in front of him, he smiles in appreciation.
"Were you aware she changed her appearance?" Leo pulls out a photo from the file in front of him and places it in front of Logan.
Logan studies the photo. "Upgrade, I'd say. Although...a little too classy looking for her personality."
"Were you aware that she changed her appearance?" Leo stresses in exasperation.
"No, Kendall did not consult me on her plastic surgery." He pushes the photo back to Leo. "I guess she's still hot, if you're not picky about fidelity."
"Did you know that she had started an affair with Duncan Kane?" Leo asks.
"An affair?" Logan looks at Cliff, who shakes his head slightly. "You think she had an affair with Duncan?"
"It looks like they were sharing room service together for a few weeks. Their rooms were directly across the hall from each other."
"Oh, well, if they were eating together, they must have been having sex. You must have gone to the same crime-fighting school Lamb went to. Did McGruff the Crime Dog teach you guys to jump to conclusions?" Logan asks sarcastically. "I'll need sperm, or I'm just not going to believe that Duncan was doing Kendall. He's a little backward in the sack, you know."
"I'll tell him you said that," Leo replies.
"I roomed with the guy remember? I should know," Logan adds.
"Yeah, wasn't he doing your girlfriend at the time? Couldn't have been too backward," Leo comments.
Cliff puts a restraining hand on Logan's arm. "Cool it, Logan. You don't have to answer these questions." Logan grimaces in response. Cliff continues, "Sheriff, these kind of comments are not productive."
Leo shuffles some papers on the desk. "According to Homeland Security, you haven't crossed a border in the last six months. So you were never actually in Madeira, is that correct?"
"That's correct."
"Where were you when you were supposedly out of the country?"
"South Padre Island, Texas."
"And why were you there?"
"I needed to get away for awhile. My ex-girlfriend was murdered, and the paparazzi were hounding me," Logan replies.
"Oh right, that was the previous girlfriend that got murdered," Leo remarks. "I see that you withdrew $50,000 in cash on January 27. What was that for?"
"You were looking at my bank records?" Logan turns to Cliff. "Can he do that?"
"If he had a subpoena," Cliff replies. Logan looks at Leo, who nods, eyebrows raised, to indicate that, yes, he had a subpoena.
Logan swallows. "Last time I checked, U.S. citizens are still allowed to withdraw cash from a bank account."
"Is there some reason you don't want to tell me why you needed cash?"
"I was hiding from Veronica. I wasn't ready to talk to her, and I knew she'd be able to trace me through my credit cards. So I used cash for a while. I have about half of it left. It's at the Mars apartment if you want to check."
"Logan," Cliff warns, "You don't have to explain this."
"I didn't do anything wrong. I left town for a while. I used cash, cash that belonged to me."
"Why did you hire someone to take your place?" Leo presses. "Were you trying to create an alibi for yourself?"
All of a sudden, Logan's anger surfaces. In a loud voice, he spells it out. "Are you listening to me? The paparazzi were on me night and day...saying that I was just like my father, accusing me of...statutory rape and murder. Yeah, I hired a guy to pretend to be me, and I laid low for a while. If you'd grown up with the paparazzi like I did...they hounded my mother to an early death. Can you wrap your tiny brain around that, Sheriff?"
Leo stares back at Logan, processing his statements. "What do you think the paparazzi would do with the information that you used to be involved with Kendall Casablancas?"
The question is like a sucker punch to Logan's gut. "You wouldn't," he says without thinking.
"I bet Veronica doesn't like thinking about you and Kendall either," Leo adds.
Cliff puts his hand back on Logan's arm, trying to contain his seething anger. "Sheriff, I think you're just trying to provoke my client. Do you have any more actual questions?"
"Yes." He picks up a remote and plays the video of Logan and Veronica in the Neptune Grand elevator. He freezes the video on a frame of the two of them kissing. "Why did you use an assumed name when you checked into the Neptune Grand with Veronica? Of course, this was during the period when you were supposedly in Europe, and I'm guessing you didn't want to blow your alibi," Leo says.
"Well, if you know, why are you asking?" Logan retorts. "Yes, I was avoiding the paparazzi by using a fake name. Sue me."
"Why were you and Veronica at the hotel anyways?"
"We were looking for a little privacy. We've been staying with her dad," Logan responds.
"Oh, and you didn't want Keith Mars to hear you making his daughter scream in ecstasy," Leo says sarcastically.
"Sheriff, that's uncalled for," Cliff protests before Logan can answer.
"Are you sure you weren't at the hotel to speak to Ms. Casablancas? Perhaps you were coming to a financial arrangement with her, asking Kendall to keep her silence about Veronica's involvement in the Manning babynapping? That could explain your cash withdrawal."
"The Manning baby?" Logan repeats incredulously. As if Kendall would keep her mouth shut for fifty grand...fuck, the kidnapping...that's what he thinks this is about? Logan thinks for a moment, then says, "I promise you, Sheriff, Kendall was not blackmailing Veronica about anything."
Leo continues, "Perhaps she wasn't amenable to the amount you offered her, and you had to ensure her silence another way."
"You do know that I have what they call an ironclad alibi? I was in Vermont, assisting on Veronica's investigation," Logan answers.
"Yeah, I know, observed by the FBI, yadda, yadda. But your old buddy, Duncan Kane, doesn't have an alibi. And it's my understanding that he might lose custody of his daughter if his relationship with Kendall Casablancas becomes public knowledge."
"Let me get this straight. You think Duncan had an affair with Kendall, and then she threatened to go public with the affair. Oh, and by the way, she also decided to blackmail Duncan and my girlfriend for supposedly conspiring in a kidnapping three years ago. You are grasping at straws, Sheriff."
"Maybe Duncan wasn't aware that it was Kendall at first...maybe she used the affair to get close to him, and then she started blackmailing him. He could lose custody, and Veronica could go to prison. Duncan called you and your girlfriend for help, and just like three years before, you helped him get out of a mess. Except this time just fleeing the country wasn't going to do it."
Fuck. He's actually gotten a lot of it right. Sardonically, he mocks, "You really missed your calling, Sheriff...I can hook you up with my screenwriting professor, and you can turn this fiction into the next big blockbuster movie. I'm thinking maybe we could get Rob Morrow to play you. I see a best screenplay Oscar in your future, Sheriff. Too bad you don't have any evidence to support your crackhead theories."
Cliff clears his throat. "I think we're done here. Sheriff, I'm concerned that this investigation is not being conducted in an impartial manner. If my clients are questioned so abusively again, I'll be filing a formal complaint with the district attorney. People are already wondering why you indicted Keith Mars for arson on such flimsy evidence; you might not survive a judicial inquiry into your bias at this point."
"Go right ahead, Counselor." Leo laughs mirthlessly. "I'm thinking about asking the district attorney to reopen the investigation into that DVR that Keith Mars supposedly erased two years ago. There were a questions at the time as to why Keith's buddies in the district attorney's office declined to prosecute. The DA's up for reelection; he might not want a lot of publicity about that."
Cliff ushers Logan out into the waiting area, where Veronica is anxious to see him. In a low voice, Cliff says, "What the hell is going on? I've never seen D'Amato act like this. What did you guys do to him? He's being completely irrational and jumping to conclusions without evidence."
Veronica shakes her head regretfully without saying a word.
Cliff sighs. "I suppose I don't want to know."
"Exactly," Veronica replies. "I think it's worse than jumping to conclusions. I think he's trying to make the evidence fit his theories." She rubs her forehead in fatigue. "Can you give us a ride home, Cliff?"
Cliff looks at his watch. "No can do, Veronica. I'm already late for an ex parte meeting with Judge Bloom...on the golf course. I have to let him beat the pants off me once a week like clockwork. 'Nice swing, your honor...spectacular putt for the birdie, Judge Bloom,'" he concludes wryly, swinging a make-believe driver.
"Thanks for coming, Cliffy," Veronica says.
"Of course. Anything for you, kid. Say 'hi' to your dad. And uh...do not talk to the Sheriff without me there, okay?"
"I wouldn't dream of it," she replies as he walks out the door. Veronica turns to Logan. "Do you have my cell phone?" Logan gives it to her; she calls her dad, but he doesn't pick up. Veronica sighs and shakes her head. They walk over to the counter, and Logan asks Deputy Sacks for a ride home.
The deputy replies, "Sure. Give me a few minutes; we're really busy today with the security for the funeral. I have to find someone who's available."
Veronica leans on the counter. The funeral...got to figure this out. Think, Veronica. What's the point of being irredeemably manipulative and suspicious if you can't use it to help your friends? she thinks sardonically. "So you're coordinating security with the FBI, right?"
"Uh, Veronica," Sacks replies, looking around, "I'm really not supposed to talk about it."
"Oh, you know me, I'm just curious. And it's my friend's family, you know," she explains.
Sacks leans in closer and whispers, "There are about fifty federal agents stationed in and around the church. And everyone in the department is on duty. No exceptions."
"Any leads?" Veronica queries. She whispers conspiratorially, "It's Russian mafia, right?"
"They're not saying anything, Veronica. The word is just to keep an eye out for anything suspicious." The phone rings, and Sacks picks it up. "Neptune Sheriff's Department." His eyes light on Veronica, then he looks away. "Yes, go ahead." Sacks writes on the pad in front of him; Veronica taps her fingers on the counter, smiling. When Sacks looks down to write, she quickly reads the words upside down and looks back up, feigning disinterest. Sacks punches a couple buttons on the phone and says, "Sheriff. It's the FBI, Agent Sheffield, for you on line 1." Sacks cradles the phone. "Have a seat, Veronica, Logan. We'll take you home in a few minutes." He walks back to the radio dispatch room.
Logan and Veronica walk over to the waiting area and sit down. Veronica's face is thoughtful; Logan turns to her and asks, "What's up? I know that look on your face. That's your basic cat-that-ate-the-canary expression."
"I really don't know. I think something is going on with the funeral," she muses. She whispers, "That call, it was a federal BOLO for a gray Camry, rental, California license KSW 9297. Detained this morning on a 22350 VC. Possible 646.9, possible 245."
At Logan's questioning glance, Veronica continues in a low voice, "The FBI is asking them to watch for a rental car with that license plate. The car was stopped this morning for speeding." She thinks for minute. "Those last two codes are stalking and assault with deadly intent."
Logan turns to Veronica and says firmly, "That's it, we're not going to the funeral. Assault with deadly intent? I don't want you anywhere near that."
"No! You heard him, there are fifty federal agents and the entire department is going to be there. And we don't even know that it's connected to the funeral. This BOLO could be for any case. If it really was dangerous, they would cancel the service."
He scoffs. "The Feds are all crazy like you. They'll run headfirst into a danger for the chance of catching some bad guy."
She thinks, No! I don't do that. I'm not like that. I don't do that. "I'm not doing that...I know I don't know everything, Logan. I'm trying to change. I don't want to keep making the same mistakes over and over again." 'You aren't as smart as you think you are, Connie. You aren't smart at all. Your actions that got you here prove it, and the sooner you accept that, the sooner you'll start to improve your life.' I'm not making the same mistakes I always made. I'm trying. Am I convincing him, or me?
Veronica says as persuasively as she can, "I'm not running headfirst into danger. The entire sheriff's department is going to be there, Logan." She adds wistfully, "I just have this feeling...I need to be there. You know it's the last chance we'll have to see Mac ever again."
Logan sighs. "You're going to the funeral no matter what I say, aren't you."
She nods. Veronica says, "Let me call my dad again." Her dad finally answers and agrees to pick them up in a few minutes. Logan puts his arm around her; as she leans against him, he wishes that this day would finally be over.
Tues. 3/17/09 afternoon: Apartment, Neptune, CA
Alan escorts Mac into a room filled with agents. One entire wall is lined with video screens. Alan directs Mac to a chair near one of the larger screens. He explains, "We've got video coverage of the entire church and surrounding area. I'd like you to concentrate on watching people as they move toward the metal detector we've set up outside the entrance to the church."
Frak! This is serious shit, Mac thinks. She takes a seat and looks around. Several agents are working with computer screens. She leans back a little, trying to surreptitiously see the data a nearby agent is working on. The agent notices and frowns at her, angling the screen a little to prevent her from observing. "I'm the target, you know," she comments. "And I'm not exactly a computer noob." The agent ignores her and continues to work in silence. She sighs and watches the video screen in front of her. There isn't much activity as yet. It's apparent that many agents are stationed near the metal detector; occasionally, an agent will accost someone and ask to see identification. She watches as someone sets off the metal detector; an agent has the person empty their pockets and then frisks the offender thoroughly before allowing them to try again. The person passes through successfully and collects their belongings.
Mac hears Alan's voice across the room, and she tries to block out the chatter in the room to focus. "Sheffield...Really?...Outside San Diego...Okay, put out an alert on the plate...No, nothing yet...Right. I'll call the Sheriff's Department." She watches as Alan makes a phone call; he keeps his voice low, and she is unable to distinguish the words. He terminates the call and comes to sit down beside her.
"What's going on?" Mac asks.
"That guy Sorokin was stopped on a routine traffic violation this morning outside San Diego. He has a rental car, and we've put an alert on the plates."
"That's great," Mac comments hopefully.
"If it means anything." He sighs. "I've gotten to know you, and I think you have good instincts. So I'm paying attention to you. But my supervisor...he thinks it's nuts. And I'm having a hell of a time convincing him to use any resources on this guy."
"Thanks for listening to me," Mac replies. "Maybe you'll catch him."
"He hasn't done anything. We wouldn't be able to hold him," Alan says.
"You said he was on parole. If he has a gun, or explosives...." Mac suggests. "Wouldn't that be a violation of his parole?"
"That doesn't do anything for your long-term safety," Alan explains. "If he is targeting you."
"And my friend. Will you please let me call her and warn her?"
"I can't, Mac. I've asked the Sheriff's Department to keep an eye out for her. I just talked to the sheriff personally, and he assured me that Veronica's safety, along with everyone at the funeral, will be his highest priority."
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VERONICA MARS
10:00PM SHO ch: 340 60min 2009 TV-MA
In the Crosshairs
The Mackenzie funeral.
Veronica: Kristen Bell. Logan: Jason Dohring.
Leo: Max Greenfield. Keith: Enrico Colantoni.
Dick: Ryan Hansen. Carrie: Amber Heard.
Mac: Tina Majorino. Duncan 2.0: Chris Carmack.
Alan: Ned Vaughan. Norman Phipps: Matt Czuchry.
•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
CHAPTER NINETY-NINE: "IN THE CROSSHAIRS"
Tues. 3/17/09 afternoon: St. John's Church, Neptune, CA
KEITH
Keith glances in the rearview mirror at his daughter and her boyfriend sitting in the back seat of the car. He taps impatiently on the steering wheel and looks at the line of cars in front of him. The traffic leading to the parking lot of St. John's Church is a mess; all cars are being directed to one entrance where ID's are checked and two police officers are watching each vehicle closely. Street parking has been blocked off to attempt to force all funeral attendees to use the parking lot behind the church. Random cars are asked to pull over to be inspected; the resulting delay has backed up traffic for several blocks.
"I didn't know the Mackenzies had so many friends," Veronica mutters.
"People are probably curious," Keith remarks. He thinks that she looks exhausted; when he walked into the sheriff's department, she was asleep on Logan's shoulder. Logan had looked at him, obviously wanting to say something to reduce the tension between them; Keith had just shaken his head, not ready to discuss it yet. But Keith couldn't miss the way Veronica was clinging to Logan; to Keith's eyes, she was leaning on him for more than physical support. Keith had asked in a low voice how the questioning went. Veronica replied briefly, "Later, okay? Let's just get through the funeral." Keith had noted that several of the deputies were staring at them as they exited the building, and he had reflected that if Leo truly was pursuing a vendetta against his family, it couldn't possibly be worse timing.
As they approach the checkpoint, Keith recognizes one of his old deputies, Jim, as one of the two officers checking each car. Jim is carefully checking every license plate, and Keith wonders what's going on. Another deputy unknown to Keith walks up to their car and begins to scan underneath the chassis using a mirror mounted on a long pole. Keith opens his window, and Jim walks over to speak to them. "Hey, Jim, how's it going? A lot of security for this, huh?"
"Yeah, like you wouldn't believe," Jim replies. "Feds all over the place."
"I see that. Do you need to see our ID's?"
"No, that's okay." Jim peers in the car. "Hey, Veronica."
"Hey, Jim," she says quietly.
Jim points toward the parking lot. "Just follow the line of cars. Someone will assign you to a space."
"Thanks, Jim."
As they wait to enter the parking lot, Keith watches the entrance of the church. People are lining up, waiting to go through a metal detector. Keith's old cop instincts are piqued by the heavy security. He carefully scans the crowd, looking for suspicious activity. People are milling around; standing in groups of three or four people. He sees Mac's old roommate, Parker Lee, with a boy that he doesn't recognize. Eli Navarro, looking somewhat uncomfortable in a dress shirt, is talking with Wallace on the sidewalk. Keith realizes that the beautiful woman with Wallace must be his girlfriend Candice. He looks back at Veronica again, thinking she's almost Candice's age; she's not my little girl any more, she's a woman. Veronica catches his eye and smiles at him.
They finally park the car and walk back toward the church. Veronica holds Logan's hand tightly; both of them are still very subdued after the questioning. Keith tries unsuccessfully to think of something comforting to say. She pulls out a tissue from her purse and wipes a tear from her eye. Keith leans over and kisses the top of her head. "It's okay, honey." She tries to smile back at him.
Federal agents are everywhere: Keith counts at least twenty agents who have made no effort to conceal their identity or purpose. He spies perhaps twenty more who are trying to blend in with the crowd; he thinks to himself that, even if you can't spot a holster, you can always tell a fed by their sensible shoes that are suitable for running down a suspect.
A limo pulls up to the steps in front of the church, and federal agents clear a path. Mac gets out of the limo, accompanied by four agents who press closely against her. Several people try to approach Mac but are immediately rebuffed by the agents. Mac is hustled through the metal detector, which immediately sounds an alarm due to the agents' weapons. She is escorted into the church, and the metal detector is reset.
"Keith Mars!! Mr. Mars!!"
Keith turns and grimaces when he recognizes Carrie Murray. "Carrie." The reporter, her blonde hair tied back in a ponytail, is accompanied by a young man. Carrie hurries to catch up with them.
"Oh, no," Veronica says. "Dad...."
"Veronica, it's all right," he reassures her. "Let me handle it."
"Mr. Mars, good to see you again. Logan. Veronica...." Carrie extends her hand toward Veronica, and Veronica reluctantly offers her left hand to shake. "Veronica, you were incredible at the school. I'm really looking forward to our interview." She turns to the young man beside her. "You remember my brother, of course," Carrie says lightly.
"Norman Phipps," Logan says tensely. "I can't say it's good to see you again." Veronica puts her arm around him, trying to somehow comfort him.
"Look, man, I was just doing my job–" Norman replies.
"Your job?" Logan shakes his head. "Fuck!" He stares at Norman in disgust.
Keith quickly intercedes, fearing an explosion. He pulls Carrie and Norman aside. "Carrie, I'm surprised to see you here."
Carrie continues persuasively, "Well, we said 'all access'. I'm hoping to speak to Veronica about the funeral, get her reactions."
Keith laughs without humor. "It's not 'all access' for the rest of Veronica's life. There's no more access, Carrie."
"I still haven't gotten my exclusive interview," she protests.
Norman adds, "It's my understanding that you brokered an agreement with my sister in exchange for her cooperation."
"I know. I haven't forgotten. Veronica is still exhausted from the operation. I promise you, when she's up to it, we'll be in touch, and we'll set up the interview."
Carrie smiles. "I'm looking forward to it. Would you consider giving me an interview as well?"
"Absolutely not," Keith says firmly.
MAC
Mac is watching the video screen. She is naming people to the agent sitting beside her, eliminating any one known to her.
"That's my old roommate, Parker, and her new boyfriend. Well, fiancé, I guess. That's Eli Navarro, Wallace Fennel, Candice Pauling....that's a guy from my game theory class, I don't remember his name."
She sees Keith Mars on the edge of the video screen talking to two people, a blonde woman and a dark blond man with their backs to the videocamera. "That's Keith Mars. Is that Veronica?" she asks, pointing. "No, she's too tall. Who's Keith talking to?"
The agent says, pointing, "You can see better on this screen."
Mac leans over. "Holy fucking crap. That's Carrie Murray, she's a reporter. And I think...I think that might be her brother Norman Phipps. Why is Keith talking to them? Wait...that's Veronica and Logan there, on the other side of Keith Mars. God, I almost didn't recognize her."
"What?" Alan asks. He walks over to join her in looking at the video screen.
"Veronica was just undercover, remember? She must have dyed her hair red. And...Logan's hair is different too," Mac adds.
Alan points at the screen. "Who's this guy?"
"That, believe it or not, is Dick," Mac says, suppressing a smile.
"The guy from the emails?" Alan says.
"Yes. Wow. He doesn't wear a suit very often...he looks nice. And...I think he got a haircut."
VERONICA AND LOGAN
"I can't fucking believe Carrie and her brother showed up," Logan comments bitterly in a low voice.
Veronica says quietly, "Logan. Forget about them. I'll do the interview my dad promised. It won't be that bad. She'll be out of our life forever....Oh my god."
"What?" he asks anxiously.
"Dude," Dick says from behind.
Logan turns around. He looks at Dick, who's wearing his best suit, with his hair neatly styled; even his shoes appear to have been polished. "Whoa. What happened to you?"
"Come on, man," Dick pleads. "Do I look okay?"
"I'm sure Mac will appreciate it when she sees you, Dick," Veronica says, taking pity. "It's good to see you."
Dick looks over his shoulder then back at Veronica. "You're talking to me?"
"Dick?" Veronica crooks her finger at him, and he nervously leans toward her. She whispers, "Thanks for giving us the heads up on Sheriff D'Amato. And if a certain video from the Neptune Grand elevator shows up in your inbox, you're going to delete it, right?"
"The elevator video? No peen, and not even a nip slip...not much chance that video's going viral. Completely safe for work, if you ask me."
"Delete, Dick," she replies firmly.
"You're right, absolutely. Cross my heart. Uh, Veronica?" Dick points behind her.
Veronica turns and sees a cruiser marked 'Sheriff' pulling up to the curb. Leo exits his car and strides toward her.
Dick says, "I'm getting in line; I'll save a place for you guys. If the sheriff asks, she told me she was nineteen." He heads for the line at the security checkpoint.
"Sheriff," Veronica says, with obvious distaste. "More questions?"
"Actually, the FBI just called and asked me to personally take charge of your safety today. What are the odds?" Leo asks.
Veronica narrows her eyes, assessing. "My safety?"
"Yeah, it's hard to imagine someone wanting to hurt you, right? When you're so gosh-darned nice?" Leo says sarcastically.
Veronica ignores him and looks at Logan. He returns her gaze, puzzled. Both of them are paralyzed by the thought that the FBI is concerned about Veronica's safety.
Leo's radio crackles, "Sheriff, come in."
Leo thumbs the radio. "This is the sheriff."
"It's Lou. We got that car you're looking for, parked on Fifth Street near Radford. There's no one in the vehicle."
Leo barks, "Dispatch. This is the sheriff. Unit Seven has located the vehicle on Fifth and Radford. Start a building-to-building search."
They hear the dispatcher say, "Unit Two, proceed to Fifth and Main. Unit Nine, proceed to Radford and Sixth Street. Unit Eleven, proceed to Sixth and Main. All units, suspect is considered armed and dangerous."
Veronica says, "Fifth Street? That's a few blocks from here." She looks around.
Suddenly, they hear several shots. Leo says, "Get down, now!" He pushes them toward the ground and draws his gun. The rumble of the crowd's conversations dies away; a woman begins to scream loudly, and people begin running. In the chaos, no one knows where to go to get away from the gunshots, and Veronica and Logan quickly lose sight of Keith, who was just a few feet away from them moments ago. Leo says tersely, "Stay down. I need to check out the situation."
Ignoring him, Veronica scans the crowd for her dad; she sees him kneeling on the ground twenty feet away behind a stone bench. "Dad!" She tries to wrestle free from Leo's grasp; Logan grabs her as well, and together they try to push her toward Leo's cruiser. Veronica screams, "Dad! Logan, let me go!" She struggles against Logan's grip.
Leo yells, "Get in the car, Veronica, and get down!" With Logan's help, he manages to get her in the car as she fights against them. Leo locks them inside the car, his eyes meeting Logan's worried gaze momentarily. The sheriff assesses the situation quickly and sprints over to Keith, still kneeling on the ground and apparently performing CPR on a gunshot victim. Leo calls for an ambulance, describing the injuries and asking for additional officers for crowd control at his location.
Veronica ignores her injured shoulder and pushes herself to the car window, trying to see what's going on. She curses at Logan, berating him for preventing her from running to her father; he tries to comfort her, saying, "It's all right, it's all right," repeatedly, hoping that he's not lying. The crowd has scattered; people have taken cover anywhere they could behind cars, trees, and the stone benches around the church perimeter. Agents and police officers are shouting orders; people are crying, and the woman continues to scream repeatedly. The sound of approaching sirens can be heard in the distance. Gradually, the crowd dissipates as the authorities get the scene under control, and Veronica sees Norman Phipps lying in a pool of blood on the sidewalk.
MAC
When the agents hear gunshots over the radio frequency, the situation room is silent for a split-second before pandemonium breaks loose. Mac is watching as Norman Phipps falls over, hitting Keith Mars and pushing him to the ground. Carrie keels over a moment later. Agents are yelling in confusion, their voices combining into a chaotic uproar. "Shots fired!" "Three people are down, no, four!" "Is that a gun?" "Who the hell is that?" "What's happening?"
Mac is pushed aside; she watches in terror, trying to see what exactly has happened. She stares at the screen desperately, looking for her friends in the swarms of agitated persons on the scene. Finally she spots Keith Mars on one of the video feeds, his jacket bloodied, dragging Carrie Murray twenty feet behind a stone bench for its meager cover; almost out of view of the camera, Keith begins performing CPR on Carrie. Norman Phipps is laying unattended on the sidewalk, blood pooling around his body. Mac looks around wildly; the other video screens show agents and officers with guns drawn, trying to control the panicky crowd as well as locate the source of the shots fired.
"Where's Veronica? Logan?" she asks Alan, who shakes his head. "Dick was right there a moment ago too, can you see him?"
Pointing at the image of Keith performing CPR, Alan replies urgently, "You said that woman was a reporter?"
"Yes, Carrie Murray, and I think that's her brother Norman Phipps on the sidewalk. Carrie's been harassing Veronica...they're both tabloid reporters. Her brother...it's complicated. He pretended to be Logan's brother to get a story."
"What?"
"I told you, it's complicated."
Alan's phone rings, and he quickly stabs at the 'send' key. "Sheffield here...What?...You got him?...Two reporters, according to Ms. Mackenzie." He glances at Mac.
Mac says quickly, "Carolyn Murray and Norman Phipps."
Alan repeats, "Carolyn Murray and Norman Phipps...I don't know either...Okay, patch me through...Sheriff D'Amato, do you have a update on Veronica Mars and Logan Echolls?...Okay...Just the two victims then. Yes, that's we heard too." To Mac, he says, "They're all right." He returns to the phone. "It was definitely Gorya Sorokin?...No, I don't know the full story." He looks at Mac again.
Mac flushes.
"Yes, I would like to be present for the interrogation. Thank you, Sheriff." Alan ends the call and sighs deeply. "It's a good thing you told me about that guy, Mac. Because we had located his car, they were able to catch Sorokin leaving a high-rise apartment building on Fifth Street. Apparently he used a sniper rifle from one of the terraces on the building. They're not sure how he gained access to the apartment. The man, the one you called Norman Phipps, is dead. The woman, Carrie Murray, is on her way to the hospital; they're not sure if she's going to make it. One of the bullets must have passed through Phipps and grazed Mr. Mars. He has a minor flesh wound, and he's also being treated."
"Mr. Mars is going to be okay, though, right?" Mac interrupts.
Alan nods. "Yes, Keith Mars is going to be fine. Stay put, Mac, okay?" He moves off and begins discussing something with another agent.
Mac thinks, It was Gory...it was Gory!! He must have been trying to get Veronica and Logan and...he made the same mistake I did and thought Carrie and Norman were them. Two years...Gory waited two years to get back at Veronica and Logan. And the only reason he missed them is because Veronica dyed her hair. Guiltily, Mac remembers wishing that Carrie would just go away and leave them alone. They had all been appalled at Norman Phipps' heartless deception as well; still, Mac wishes she had been able to convince Alan to stop the funeral before anyone got hurt. Mac finds a chair in the corner of the room and sits down. She huddles in the corner, shaking slightly; she begins to cry silently, unnoticed by the busy federal agents.
Tues. 3/17/09 evening: Sunset Cliffs Apartment, Neptune, CA
Keith knocks gently on the door to Veronica's bedroom and enters. She is dozing but wakes up immediately. "You're here," she says quietly.
"Yep. I'm here," he says, sitting down on the bed with her. He kisses her on the forehead, and she struggles to sit up; he arranges the pillows for her so she can lean back. Keith notes that she's still fully dressed; he suspects that Logan had quickly bundled her into bed when they returned home, only taking time to remove her shoes.
"They wouldn't let me come to the hospital. Are you all right? Dad, they wouldn't let me come, they said it wasn't safe," she babbles.
Keith nods. "It's just a big Band-Aid, Veronica. I'm fine." He smooths the hair from her brow.
"Carrie?"
"She's going to make it."
She nods. "Has anyone talked to Mac? I'm wondering if that was really her at the funeral. I bet it was all a set-up."
"I don't know about that, Veronica. But the lead agent said Mac was fine. And Veronica, Mac's family is alive. They weren't home when the house was bombed. They've been hiding in witness protection."
"Mac's family is alive?" she repeats, the tears beginning again.
"Yeah, honey, they're fine. They're all fine."
Veronica wipes his eyes and asks, "Is the agent still out front?"
"Yeah. I think they're going to have some more questions for you, honey."
"I thought the agent said Gory was so upset that he missed us that he confessed everything," she protests quietly. Veronica sees Logan hovering by the doorway, watching and listening.
"Not everything. Veronica, you need to tell me the whole story," Keith presses gently. "You're going to have to make a statement, and I need to know what was going on so I can help you."
Veronica thinks for a moment, still reluctant to explain. From the doorway, Logan says quietly, "Veronica, you have to tell him."
Finally she begins. "It was freshman year, when I was going out with Piz. Piz and Wallace were rooming together, remember? Gory bugged their room. He was tapping Wallace for the Castle, the Hearst secret society. And Piz and I were...fooling around, and the camera caught us," she admits hesitantly. At his expression, she rushes to say, "We didn't...it was just, you know..." she sighs, "I don't know, you'd say 'heavy petting'. But there was some...skin."
He looks at her sympathetically.
"Don't look at me like that!" she protests. "I'm going to cry if you don't stop that."
"I'm stopping right now," he promises. "I'm not looking at you, Veronica."
"It looked worse than it was...it looked like I was...everyone assumed I was...." Veronica explains, her voice shaky. "And Gory sent to the video to everyone. I was the slut who made a porno with her boyfriend."
"How did you find out that Gory did it?"
She looks at him, unable to answer. "Dad, don't make me...it was the hard drive."
"Jake Kane?" he says slowly. "That's what...that's why you were...."
"It was so stupid," she says in a sudden rush. "Everyone had already seen the video, there was no point, and you lost the election because of it."
"Jake Kane was involved with this guy Gory who was connected?" Keith asks, confused.
"The Castle, the Hearst secret society, kept an insurance policy on all their initiates so they would maintain a code of silence. They had videos of each of them confessing their darkest secret, and Jake was...collecting the confessions on a hard drive. It had seventy years of secrets on it, insurance that everyone in the Castle would always keep their mouth shut. Gory's confession was...he told a story about his dad and his Uncle Lev disposing of a dead body." She shudders, remembering the matter-of-fact storytelling about a power saw and several garbage bags being dumped into a lake.
"The Sorokin crime family is known to be responsible for at least twenty murders...that we know of," Keith explains.
Veronica looks at him, puzzled. "How do you know that?"
"I ran into Gory up in Lompoc, when I was visiting Vinnie. He seemed very interested in me, and I had him checked out. I assumed when I got his record that he was somehow connected to the Sukarenkos. I never dreamed he was interested in you, Veronica." Keith sighs deeply. "Soon after that, the arson investigation began, and the Briar Hill operation.... My contact said he would ask around, and I never followed up. Veronica, it was incredibly foolish to take that hard drive."
"I didn't know there was evidence of a mob hit," she protests. "I didn't even know for sure what was going on until we decrypted the hard drive." At Keith's expression, she nods. "We...Mac and I."
"You got Mac involved in this? Veronica...what were you thinking?"
I wasn't thinking, like always. I used Mac...damn it. "I didn't know it was the mafia, Dad. And then...." she glances at Logan, hovering in the doorway and listening. "Logan got involved too. Gory was mocking me in the cafeteria at Hearst, and Logan heard him brag that he was behind the video." Keith exhales loudly, suddenly certain what she's going to reveal. She glances at Logan. "I tried to stop him, but Logan wouldn't listen. He beat Gory up, and Gory swore that he'd kill Logan one day."
"Why did he wait two years? Mob guys aren't known for their patience, Veronica."
In a small voice, she explains. "I made a copy of the hard drive before I returned it to Jake Kane. I put a disc with the video of Gory's confession in a safety deposit box, and I let him know if anything ever happened to me or Logan, the confession would be sent to the feds. And...it seemed to work. He left me alone, and it looked like he was leaving Logan alone."
Keith turns to Logan. "Did you know...?"
"No, I had nothing to do with it," Logan swears. "I figured the guy was going to kill me one day when I least expected it. It's one of the reasons I moved to L.A. I had a bodyguard for a while, but it seemed like it was finally over, so I started living my life again. I didn't find out what Veronica had done until last fall when we got back together."
Veronica is pondering the timing of Gory's actions. "Get my laptop, will you?"
Logan retrieves her laptop from the desk and brings it to the bed. Veronica opens the PryingEyez website in her browser and runs a search on 'Lev Sorokin'. A story from the Newark Star-Ledger is the first result. Veronica angles the screen so they can see. "Sorokin's father and uncle were convicted of several counts of murder and conspiracy last fall and are serving multiple consecutive life sentences."
"If they've already been convicted..." Keith realizes.
"There's no reason to keep Gory's confession secret any more," Veronica concludes. "I never thought of...I never considered what would happen if that murder became public knowledge." She peers at the screen. "But that was months ago."
Keith explains, "Gory was convicted on a weapons charge in early December. He tried to buy an illegally modified firearm from an undercover ATF agent in Los Angeles. He probably intended to try to get you and Logan at that time; you were in the press every day after the Harmony shooting, and it wouldn't have been hard to find you. The weapons charge was Gory's first conviction; he only served sixty days before he was paroled. I bet we'll find out that the Sorokins were connected to the flirt-bot that Mac and Rick Picket were investigating. Sorokin took advantage of the situation to obscure his real purpose and planted the bombs, hoping to get Mac and Veronica. He might have even realized that Veronica would have needed help to decrypt that hard drive, and it's pretty easy to find out that Veronica's roommate is a computer expert."
"I don't think that's it," Logan interjects. "I think he was trying to get me to come out of hiding. I was AWOL when the bombing happened. Veronica, I bet he thought if he managed to kill you, or if you were hurt, I'd show up. And I would have. But he missed you; you realized it was a bomb and got out of there safely."
"After the first bombing didn't work, why didn't he just wait, and try to kill us some other time?" Veronica wonders.
Keith says thoughtfully, "He must have been desperate to try to get you and Logan to show yourselves and came up with the idea of blowing up Mac's house. I guess he thought for sure you'd come to support your friend in such a difficult time–"
"And he was right," Veronica comments. "I insisted that we come home."
"But it was a mistake to bomb the Mackenzie house. All it did was ensure that Mac would be placed in witness protection and that security would be ridiculously high at the funeral. He must have wanted to try to kill Mac too, but he miscalculated the amount of security there would be, and he had to settle for shooting at you and Logan," Keith theorizes. "You know, Gory might have been trying to locate Logan for quite a while, but first Logan was in Texas, and then he was with us in Vermont. Logan was only here in Neptune for a few days."
"And we were lying low the whole time. Wait...the bug at Logan's beach house," Veronica gasps. "The one we thought was planted by the paparazzi...and the tracking device on my car."
"Veronica! Why didn't you tell me about this?" Keith scolds, his voice harsher than he intends.
He turns away, trying not to let her see how incredibly scared he is, but she immediately mistakes it for anger and recrimination. She flinches, her whole body tense with emotion. Veronica imagines Peter Klein leaning towards her, his face smug and powerful, telling her, 'You just do whatever the fuck you what, whenever you want, and you expect everyone to just tolerate it. Your dad's given up on stopping you. He's locked you up here, hoping that maybe, just maybe, there might be something worth saving after all.' No, FUCK you...FUCK you, DAMN you to hell. I'm not a fucking user! I didn't know...I didn't know. And Dad was keeping secrets...how was I supposed to know? DAMN IT, I'm not a fucking user.
Defensively, she protests, "You were so busy with the operation and...you had enough to worry about. You haven't been yourself since Leo arrested you for the arson." Veronica says emphatically, "And I know...I know that the arson has something to do with Vinnie's defense. I know that Vinnie blackmailed you into helping him; he threatened to testify that I helped Duncan run with baby Lilly, didn't he? And Weevil told me about the body you dug up at St. Mary's. Do you want to tell me about that?"
"Veronica, I'm your father. You don't need to know everything I'm doing!" Keith says, testily. He turns back and sees her chastened expression; he quickly amends himself, "I don't want you to know what I was doing, Veronica. It's for your own protection. Damn it. I don't want you to know! Can you understand that?"
They stare at each other for a long moment.
Finally, Logan breaks the silence. "Can we agree that the feds don't need to know about the hard drive? I'll bet Gory doesn't know the whole story about it, and Jake Kane isn't going to say anything about it at this point. Let's just say that I beat up Gory for insulting Veronica, and he swore that he'd kill us one day."
Veronica nods shakily. "If it comes out about the hard drive, it doesn't matter anyways."
"Right, the evidence is gone," Keith agrees.
"And you've already suffered the consequences for my actions," Veronica adds bitterly, clearly berating herself. "Your career was ruined, because I had to get my revenge on Gory. This was all because I couldn't just laugh off a sex video. Norman Phipps is dead and Carrie got shot because I just had to get revenge." She laughs ruefully. "It's the internet age after all. It's ridiculous to get upset because you're a little overexposed."
"Veronica..." Keith protests, realizing too late just how agitated she is. "This is not your fault."
Logan adds, "I'm the one who beat him up. You told me not to, and I didn't listen to you. Gory's responsible for this, Veronica. You can't beat yourself up about this."
Veronica still looks upset. She takes a breath to argue again but is prevented by the doorbell ringing.
Keith goes to the living room and answers the door to a federal agent stationed outside the apartment and Duncan Kane. "Duncan," Keith says. "I forgot you were coming over tonight in all the excitement."
"So you know this guy?" the agent asks.
"Yes, of course, we were expecting him. Come in, Duncan."
Duncan says, "I'm sorry, I should have called. It's just...the custody hearing is only a few days away. I thought I'd take a chance it would be all right."
"It's okay, Duncan. We were just talking in Veronica's bedroom. She's lying down...she's a little tired after all the excitement today."
"But she's okay?" Duncan asks worriedly.
"We're all okay," Keith reassures him. He leads Duncan toward Veronica's room.
"It's not just the custody hearing," Duncan says suddenly. "It's about Kendall. Sheriff D'Amato is asking a lot of questions."
Keith nods. "We know."
They enter Veronica's bedroom, and Duncan walks to the side of her bed. "Veronica, it's good to see you. I've been following the news reports about the investigation at the school. It sounds like you did a great job."
"I had a lot of help," she explains vaguely, obviously still caught up in the emotional discussion with her dad. "How's Lilly? How are you? I know there's a big hearing on Friday. You need me to testify right?"
Duncan sits down. "Yeah, I'll need you to testify. We think Mrs. Manning is going to try to get me to admit I broke into their house three years ago."
Veronica nods. "Duncan, I'm sorry it's been so hard for you and Lilly."
"But that's not why I'm here. Kendall was murdered while you were gone–" he begins.
"We know. Sheriff D'Amato already dragged us in for questioning," she interrupts, trying to focus and acknowledging to herself just how much trouble Leo's vendetta is causing. "He thinks it's some vast conspiracy, that we planned this together to cover up our involvement in the kidnapping."
Duncan looks shocked. "D'Amato thinks we killed Kendall because of the kidnapping?"
"Somebody, I think Madison, told him about our breakup fight, when everybody heard me accuse you of sleeping with Kendall. Leo thinks either Kendall was in on our plan or somehow found out about it, and she was here trying to blackmail me," Veronica explains. "Duncan...it's possible Leo's trying to get back at me and Logan for something...." Her voice dies away. "There's...there's more to this than just the evidence. He's furious at me," she concludes bleakly.
Keith, until now unaware of what had transpired at the sheriff's department, is visibly upset at the news. "Duncan, you didn't have anything to do with Kendall's murder, did you?"
"Of course not!" Duncan swears. "Veronica, while you were gone...I saw Kendall meeting with somebody in the park. They were arguing; the man was furious with her. I didn't know who it was until I saw him on the news recently."
"On the news?" Veronica asks, confused.
"I took a picture of them with my cell phone. I don't know why I thought to do that. Then when Kendall was murdered a few days later, I was worried that someone had seen us together at the hotel, and I panicked. I erased the picture from my phone. I didn't want any evidence that I knew her. But, Veronica...I sent the picture to your email when I first took it. Now I think that picture might be the only thing that will make the sheriff stop investigating us."
Veronica slides the laptop back onto her lap. "Which account?"
"Your old AOL account," Duncan replies.
Veronica frowns. "I don't use that one much any more. It's always full of penis enlargement ads and Nigerian investment schemes." She launches the AOL program.
"You've got mail," the computer voice intones.
Duncan leans over and points. "There it is."
Veronica clicks on the email. When the picture finishes loading, she gasps. "What's Kendall doing talking to Tom Griffith?"
••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
VERONICA MARS
10:00PM SHO ch: 340 60min 2009 TV-MA
Most Crime Is Personal, Not These Weird Conspiracies
They compare notes on Dr. Griffith.
Veronica: Kristen Bell. Logan: Jason Dohring.
Keith: Enrico Colantoni. Duncan 2.0: Chris Carmack.
••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
CHAPTER ONE HUNDRED: "MOST CRIME IS PERSONAL, NOT THESE WEIRD CONSPIRACIES"
Tues. 3/17/09 evening: Sunset Cliffs Apartment, Neptune, CA
Veronica clicks on the email from Duncan's phone. When the picture finishes loading, she gasps. "What's Kendall doing talking to Tom Griffith?"
Logan reacts almost violently; he lunges toward the bed and swivels the laptop around to see the picture. "Fucking Tom Griffith was talking to Kendall?"
Duncan nods. "Not just talking, arguing. You're sure it's him?"
"Yes, definitely," Veronica replies. "You didn't recognize him?"
Logan says quietly, "That all happened after Duncan left. Even after Hannah's murder, most of the photos in the paper were shots of Hannah, not her father. Griffith's been in the news again lately because of the Briar Hill investigation."
"I saw him on CNN the other night, disputing the charges against Peter Klein," Duncan says. "Did you know that he knew Kendall?"
Veronica says distantly, "We knew that they both had a connection to the Fitzpatricks. Logan, in my desk, second drawer, find the DVD labeled 'Justin Timberlake videos'."
Logan looks at her questioningly before retrieving the disc for her. She slips the disc into the DVD drive of the laptop and a large photo of Justin Timberlake loads on the screen. She clicks on the graphic, and a username/password dialog box appears. Veronica types a long string of characters into each field, and a window opens with several hundred folders.
"Case files from spring 2006," she explains briefly. At Keith's quizzical look, she adds, "What? You thought I had a collection of Justin Timberlake videos?"
Keith shakes his head and sighs. "Veronica, what am I going to do with you?"
"It's just a few cases I worked on my own. Mostly things like background checks on parents for fellow students." She clicks on a folder labeled 'Echolls Witness Investigation' and opens a subfolder marked 'Thomas Griffith, M.D.'
"I don't understand," Duncan says.
"It was around the time when you and I were trying to find which of Meg's baby-sitting clients were the ones she was worrying about. Of course that was really the Mannings," Veronica explains. "The anonymous witness who supposedly saw Logan killing Felix on the bridge came forward, do you remember? A Dr. Thomas Griffith."
"I knew it wasn't the real witness, and I asked Veronica to check him out," Logan adds.
Duncan nods that he remembers. He explains, "Right, I...I'm sorry, I'm a little fuzzy about that. I was worrying about Meg and...."
"It's all right. Veronica followed Dr. Griffith and saw him go into Liberty Cigars. Keith told her that place was a front for dealing drugs," Logan relates.
"I remember that. Veronica, I really wish you wouldn't take these chances." Keith sighs. "I guess it's not worth discussing at this point."
Veronica tries not to look at her dad. She explains, trying to keep her voice matter-of-fact, "We found a connection between Griffith and Danny Boyd, one of the Fitzpatrick flunkies. Apparently, Dr. Griffith was sanctioned for repairing what looked like a knife wound. You're supposed to report wounds like that to the police."
"And Liam Fitzpatrick wasn't too happy about us looking into that," Logan recalls. Veronica glares at him, and Logan says firmly, "Veronica, your dad needs to know everything. We need his help." He turns to Keith and says, "Veronica followed Danny Boyd into the River Stix, and Liam and a couple of his stooges were there. Liam was about to mess up Veronica's face to scare her off, but I got worried when Veronica didn't come back out, and I went in the bar. I pulled a gun on him and got him to back off, and we got the hell out of there."
Keith's face looks nauseous. "Veronica, goddammit." His hands grip into tight fists, and he stands up and tries to walk off some excess energy.
"Logan, stop being an ass. He's completely exaggerating, Dad," Veronica tries to explain futilely. "Danny Boyd said that Griffith is 'like a friend of the family.'"
Keith says intensely, "You didn't think to talk to me about this before I sent you undercover at the school? That the Fitzpatricks were involved with the father of the girl we were investigating?"
"Dad! I'm sorry," Veronica protests. "It didn't have anything to do with the school–"
"You think it didn't have anything to do with the school! What if there's a connection between the Fitzpatricks and the school? Did you think of that?" Keith yells. "Veronica, don't you think I needed this information?" He looks at her, unable to continue and unwilling to say something he won't be able to take back.
"Dad," Veronica says, her voice faltering. "I'm so sorry—"
"Veronica, I put myself on the line for you! Do you understand what I risked to try to keep Vinnie quiet?" he says, attempting to control his voice without success. "All I care about is your safety, your future; I would do it again, but Veronica!...the Fitzpatricks, fuck." The entire room is shocked into silence when Keith swears, uncharacteristically and emphatically. Keith massages his forehead, obviously distraught by the new information.
"Why are you so convinced that the Fitzpatricks are involved in this?" Veronica finally asks in a whisper.
"Because Vinnie told me they 'own' someone, either a cop or a federal agent, someone who could have had access to the serial killer files. Knowing that there's proof that the murdered girl's father was connected to the Fitzpatricks makes me think they're involved. And Wallace got confirmation of a mole from the old leader of the PCHers," Keith answers tensely.
"Wallace got confirmation?" she queries. "What are you talking about?"
"He's been looking into Shawn's death while we were away. Weevil's been helping him. The rumor is that someone in law enforcement was involved with Shawn's murder, too."
"You think Griffith is involved in his own daughter's death? The guy's a fucking cokehead, but his own daughter?" Logan asks incredulously.
"Cokehead?" Keith responds, whirling around to face Logan. "What are you talking about?"
"Griffith was supposedly a very successful plastic surgeon, but Hannah told me that her parents were always fighting about money before they got divorced. Weevil asked around for me and found out that Griffith had tried to buy some coke from one of the PCHers. When Griffith first tried to break us up, I told Hannah to look around, hoping she'd find some drugs or something around the house. She told me she found some coke in her dad's bathroom," Logan explains.
Duncan shakes his head. "I'm completely lost. This doesn't make any sense. You were going out with the daughter of the guy who was testifying against you?"
Veronica comments softly, "Logan started dating Griffith's daughter to try to compel Griffith to withdraw his testimony about what happened the night Felix was killed." Logan looks away, unable to meet her eyes. "Hannah was...innocent and naïve. She was just a freshman, and...Logan played up his bad boy reputation, showing her father that he had something to lose if Griffith testified against him."
"Veronica told me about your blackmail scheme, Logan," Keith says, rubbing his forehead. "And when Ms. Denenberg first came to me, she told me that Logan had tried to convince Hannah that her ex-husband was involved with the Fitzpatricks. But Ms. Denenberg didn't believe it, at the time or now. And I guess I thought it was just part of Logan's plan to blackmail Griffith."
At the word 'blackmail', Logan flinches visibly. "You know that I was desperate," he says defensively. "I didn't know what to do. I knew Griffith wasn't the witness, but there wasn't any way to prove it. Getting in trouble is about the only thing I'm good at. And Veronica didn't want to help me."
"Logan!" she protests.
"It doesn't matter anymore," he replies hollowly. Logan turns away, obviously upset by the conversation. He sits down, his head drooping and his body slumped in distress.
"Veronica, I want to know everything there is to know about Griffith and the Fitzpatricks," Keith demands.
"There's not much to know. I saw him in Liberty Cigars, and we know he was disciplined by an ethics committee for stitching up Danny Boyd's knife wound. I swear, Dad, that's all I know," Veronica demurs, still avoiding looking at her dad.
"And Kendall?" Duncan asks.
"Kendall's had a relationship with the Fitzpatricks for years, from long before she married Richard Casablancas. She took a rap for Cormac Fitzpatrick in 1999," Keith says.
"Back when she was still Priscilla Banks," Veronica muses.
"Wait...Kendall was with me when Dr. Griffith agreed to recant his testimony," Logan says suddenly.
"What?" Veronica asks.
FLASHBACK: Logan opens the door of the suite to Dr. Griffith. Kendall has gone to freshen up in the bathroom.
Dr. Griffith says bitterly, "All right, Logan, you win. I'm serious. This stops now." He walks past Logan into the room.
Logan, surprised, finally finds his voice and replies, "Sure, come on in." He checks the hallway before shutting the door; he turns around to follow Griffith, who stares at him angrily. Griffith is about to speak when Kendall reenters the room.
Smarmily, Kendall comments, "I see you have company....I'll let myself out, but, um..." She kisses two of her fingers and places them on Logan's lips. She adds, "Think about my offer."
Involuntarily, Logan grins in response. Kendall sashays to the door, making sure that both men are appreciating her figure. Logan turns back to Griffith, unable to stop himself from leering.
Griffith says angrily, "Mark my words, some day that smirk is gonna get wiped off your face."
Laughing, Logan retorts, "Oh, please. Let the lying cokehead plastic surgeon lecture me on karma."
"It certainly caught up with me. It ends now," Griffith replies. "I'll make my testimony go away."
"What about the Fitzpatricks?" Logan asks sarcastically.
"Let me worry about them. You just stay the hell away from my daughter," Griffith orders.
Logan stares at him, deciding whether to believe him.
Griffith reiterates, "I assume we have a deal?"
Finally, Logan nods in response and immediately regrets it. His face betrays his realization of just how low he has stooped to save himself.<
"That confirms that Griffith was involved with the Fitzpatricks. I wish I had known about this before. And this means that Kendall knew you met with Dr. Griffith about his testimony," Keith wonders aloud.
"Well, at the time I didn't think she knew who he was," Logan says thoughtfully. "But...he was certainly shocked to see her."
"Shocked because you were sleeping with another woman besides his little girl or shocked because he knew who she was?" Veronica asks. Logan shoots her a glance of distress. She continues relentlessly, "Maybe even shocked because she might have overheard him and would rat him out to the Fitzpatricks?"
"Maybe," Logan admits with a pained look on his face.
"What exactly did Kendall hear?" Keith presses.
Logan thinks a moment. "I think all she could have heard was, 'All right, you win. This stops now.' Then Kendall made her entrance, showed off her ass, and left the room."
"And maybe listened from the hallway," Veronica comments shrewdly.
"I wouldn't put it past her," Keith agrees. "So Kendall finds out that Dr. Griffith made a deal with Logan. She threatens to tell the Fitzpatricks."
"We know she never told them, because Griffith is still alive," Logan comments wryly.
"Unless they killed Hannah for payback," Keith muses.
"Three years later? No, no way. The Fitzpatricks aren't known for their patience," Veronica contradicts.
"You guys are missing the obvious," Duncan interrupts.
"What are you talking about?" Veronica says, turning to him.
"Plastic surgery, Veronica. Kendall had a lot of plastic surgery done. Griffith is a plastic surgeon," Duncan says logically.
The realization dawns on Keith, Logan, and Veronica simultaneously. Veronica says slowly, "When Kendall needed plastic surgery to disappear, she remembered someone who had a very good reason to help her out. Someone who had a big secret to keep from the Fitzpatricks."
For several minutes, they are silent, stunned by this new insight and its implications.
Finally, Logan says, "So we give Leo the picture and tell him everything we know about Kendall and Griffith. Let him figure it out."
Keith and Duncan start shaking their heads. Keith says, "With this vendetta Leo's on...it's not going to be enough. He's going to ask why Duncan thought to take a picture of someone he just saw in the hallway at the Neptune Grand. He'll keep nosing around and find evidence that Duncan was involved with Kendall, and Duncan very well might lose his custody case."
"So what's the alternative? We let Leo arrest us for conspiracy and hope the evidence isn't stong enough to convict us?" Logan replies bitterly.
"I won't let you and Veronica be arrested," Duncan says strongly. "If necessary, I'll come forward and tell what I saw. Maybe it won't matter. My attorneys have been working hard to find evidence against Mrs. Manning, and with Lizzie's testimony, maybe it'll be enough."
Keith says, "I'm not just worried about the three of you being arrested in connection with Kendall's murder. I'm worried about Veronica and the kidnapping charges. I don't want anyone looking too closely at her involvement. Duncan, with your immunity agreement for kidnapping, you could now be compelled to testify against Veronica. At the very least, innuendo about the kidnapping could mean Veronica's career with the FBI is completely over. Although I have to say, at this point, I'd rather you give up on that career path anyways." Veronica trades a worried glance with Duncan. Keith stands up abruptly. "I want to think about this. I'm taking Backup out for a walk." The others watch wordlessly as he strides out of the room, whistling for the dog to come.
Veronica finally breaks the silence. "Logan, what did Leo ask you today?"
He sighs in response. "He asked me to confirm that I had a sexual relationship with Kendall in the past and asked if I'd had any contact with her recently. He wanted to know if I knew she had changed her appearance. Then he wanted to know why I left town back in January."
"Why you left town?" Veronica echoes.
"He insinuated that I was setting up an alibi," Logan explains.
"But that's ridiculous. You and I..." She glances at Duncan. "Logan and I met with Leo in his office the day before my dad's hearing."
"It looks bad, because I withdrew a lot of cash and hired someone to take my place. Not the actions of an innocent man, Veronica."
Veronica swallows compulsively. "I guess...."
Logan adds, "Leo threatened to tell the paparazzi that I used to be involved with Kendall."
"Oh, Logan," she says, rattled by this new facet of Leo's vendetta. Veronica tries to cover up her own distress and reassures him. "Logan, it doesn't matter. Who cares if you slept with her a long time ago?"
"Veronica, he's actually figured out a lot. Leo has realized that you could have used Kendall to make your breakup with Duncan look real," Logan relates.
"And he has my fingerprint from Kendall's room. If I try to deny that I talked to Kendall recently, he can use the print to cast doubt on my statement." She turns to Duncan. "You don't have an alibi for the night of Kendall's murder?"
"I was home alone," Duncan replies. "I didn't even make any phone calls." He laughs without humor. "There's no one to call. I don't have friends any more."
"Duncan, of course we're your friends," Veronica answers. "We have to trust each other; that's the only way we're going to get through this."
••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
VERONICA MARS
10:00PM SHO ch: 340 60min 2009 TV-MA
Countergambit
Keith comes up with a plan.
Veronica: Kristen Bell. Logan: Jason Dohring.
Keith: Enrico Colantoni. Duncan 2.0: Chris
Carmack. Backup: Lefty.
••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
CHAPTER ONE HUNDRED ONE: "COUNTERGAMBIT"
Tues. 3/17/09 evening: Beach near Sunset Cliffs Apartment, Neptune, CA
On the beach near the Sunset Cliffs apartments, Keith lets Backup off the leash and finds a stick to throw. The dog is ecstatic after his time in the kennel and barks madly, pursuing the stick as it flies down the shoreline. Backup retrieves the stick and races back to Keith, shaking his head and pretending to be reluctant to give up the stick. Despite his foul mood, Keith laughs at the dog's antics. He gets the stick away from the dog and throws it again, to the dog's delight.
I've got to get this right. Somehow I have to protect my daughter and her friends. Goddamn it, Leo. Keith stares out at the ocean, realizing that all of them are victims of their own mistakes along with terrible bad luck. The pressure feels incredibly intense: today his daughter and her boyfriend escaped assassination only because of their altered appearance. And like Veronica's rape five years ago, Keith reflects that he was almost completely out of the loop on a mobster's plot against his daughter. What else did I miss? How else did I let her down? Why didn't I see these things? I knew she was in trouble, and I took care of the evidence for her. But...I yelled at her! Why didn't I find out what was really going on? The Russian mob...some kid putting a sex video of my daughter on the internet...why didn't I see how she was hurting, how she was taking chances with her life? I should have insisted she tell me what was going on....
What is it about our relationship that she always hides things from me? I always thought...I always felt we had a wonderful relationship–that we shared everything.
Suddenly, Keith thinks he hears something...or someone. He turns in place, listening carefully. The dog is romping at the end of the surf, oblivious to Keith's nervousness. Keith calls loudly, "Backup, come!" and Backup whirls around and hurries to his side in alert mode. He and the dog stand together, ostensibly alone on the beach, but Keith cannot shake the uncertain feeling that grips him. He says in a low voice, "Backup, find and bark!" and the dog responds as he was trained. Backup launches himself across the sand, patrolling at high speed and searching for anything unusual. He quickly sniffs a pile of driftwood and the remains of a beach bonfire, then moves on, examining a garbage can and circling a padlocked lifeguard shack as Keith watches and listens tensely, debating whether to draw his gun. After ten minutes of intense searching without results, the dog returns to Keith, who praises the dog lavishly and gives the release command, "OK." Backup stays close to his owner, sensing Keith's uncertain mood. The dog puts his nose to the ground, exploring all the delightfully noxious odors in the sand.
Keith calms his pounding heart and tries to reassure himself that it's just another false alarm after an incredibly stressful day. While waiting for a doctor to treat his flesh wound in the emergency room, Leo had approached and explained that the shooter appeared to have been aiming for Veronica and Logan. He remembers thinking that no amount of law enforcement training would allow you to take that kind of news calmly. Just the recollection of Leo's nonchalant recital of Sorokin's arrest and questioning causes Keith's heart to speed up to dangerous levels of anxiety. Keith wasn't sure, but he thought it was possible that there was the tiniest crack in Leo's unsympathetic facade as he related the details of Sorokin's evil plan to murder Veronica and Logan. Keith had thanked the sheriff profusely for his quick actions that had secured Veronica and Logan in his squad car and possibly saved their lives. Leo had mumbled, "Just doing my job" and turned away, but not before Keith had detected a look of...what was that, embarrassment?...no, probably just exhaustion and stress.
Their meeting today in the hospital emergency room was their first encounter since the dismissal of the arson charges against Keith, and he is appalled at the change in Leo. Even during the tumult of his arrest and questioning, Leo had treated Keith well, as a colleague rather than a scumbag. The interrogations he had conducted were polite, even when Keith refused to say a word in response to the questions. Keith knew that the sheriff had also argued against the enhancement that was added to his charges, but the prosecutor had insisted due to the use of accelerants. Now, the sheriff's animosity at the Mars family is only too apparent. Keith remembers that Leo had tried to take his dismissal after the sex tape scandal professionally and had appeared grateful and penitent when Keith had rehired him a year later. Was it just an act? Was Leo really as bitter and vengeful under the surface then as he is openly now?
He sighs loudly and seeks out a driftwood log in order to sit down. Keith stares at the ocean, with the waves roughly lapping at the shore line and the dark, unfathomable water beyond seeming to mirror his uncertainty and tension. Putting this afternoon's awful events out of his head, he tries to focus on the new information about Kendall and to create some possible scenario that might save his daughter and her friends from Leo's vendetta.
For the millionth time, Keith wishes desperately that Veronica and Duncan had come to him for help when they were concerned about Meg's baby. There were so many better options that fleeing the country; why didn't they trust me to help them? He ruefully admits that he's not being honest with himself; truth be told, he would have simply advised them to let the grownups and the courts sort it out, and Veronica knew him well enough to have surmised that. Keith knows that, to some degree, Duncan's actions were honorable and selfless, but the ramifications to his daughter's future seem overwhelming and insurmountable.
And Logan...Keith remembers that Logan was completely out of control at the time of his affair with Kendall. Unparented and practically unloved, Logan was acting out and flailing desperately. He needed a dad, but all I saw was the hurt Logan was causing Veronica. I HAD to put my daughter's well-being ahead of his. He thinks about how easy it would have been for an experienced master manipulator like Kendall to have seduced Logan in the boy's fragile state. It would have been simple for the older woman to twist Logan's brain and keep him off-balance in order for Liam to set Logan up to be the patsy...except Logan had outsmarted Liam, turning the sexual power play upside down by pursuing Griffith's daughter.
Griffith...how much of this is his fault? What the hell was really going on here? Goddamn Fitzpatricks. He stands up and walks toward the shoreline, the adrenaline surging through him just thinking about his old nemeses.
When I think of the chances I took to get Vinnie out from under the Fitzpatricks...I'd do it again to protect Veronica's future, but, goddamn!, I hate those meth-head lunatics. Keith tries to retrace his steps over the last two months to see where he could have possibly changed his actions to prevent the current situation with Leo. If I hadn't helped Vinnie, then Vinnie would have told what he knew about Veronica to make a deal for himself. But I shouldn't have let Veronica blackmail Leo; I should have just taken the rap. Keith knows that even a relatively short prison term might very well have been a death sentence for him, serving his time with all the vengeful criminals he had incarcerated as sheriff. Maybe I should have fled the country. Maybe Vinnie would have helped ME. Keith chokes on a bitter laugh, thinking of his PI rival and his specialty of playing both sides against each other for maximum profit. Vinnie probably would have sold my whereabouts to Liam for a tidy sum.
He shakes off the bitter reflections and tries to focus on the problem. I have to get Leo to look at Griffith and the Fitzpatricks for Kendall's murder. Maybe if...maybe if I get enough evidence that he can't ignore it.... He sighs loudly, thinking about all the times he had tried to put away the Fitzpatricks. Now, his lack of success makes sense, with the added information that the Fitzpatricks have a connection in law enforcement ready to assist them whenever necessary.
He begins to formulate a plan. I don't know what else to do. We can't all just run away, and we can't wait around for Leo to file charges based on rumor and innuendo–especially innuendo that will ruin Veronica's future and probably ruin Duncan's chances for custody. Keith tries to think of anyone who might owe him a favor from the old days; he comes up with several names, fellow law enforcement officers and several attorneys who he had dealt with in the past. And...Weevil and Wallace. They've been nosing around the Fitzpatricks. I want to pick their brains, too. Keith walks up and down the beach, trying to anticipate every detail and every possible problem in advance.
Tues. 3/17/09 evening: Sunset Cliffs Apartment, Neptune, CA
When Keith returns, he finds the three old friends sitting in the kitchen sharing a frozen pizza they had discovered in the back of the freezer.
"You know what they say, when the going gets tough, the tough start eating," Veronica remarks with her mouth full of food. Backup immediately goes to her and begs for a treat; she obliges with a bit of pepperoni from her slice. Veronica can't help noticing that her dad looks beaten and exhausted; he seems to have aged ten years overnight. Keith smiles in response to her quip, but she sees that the smile does not reach his eyes; she feels incredibly guilty for her role in causing all these problems.
Keith grabs the last slice and begins to eat. "I'm glad you're keeping your strength up." He looks at them seriously, commanding their full attention. "I'm been doing a lot of thinking. Here's what we're going to do. Duncan, you are going to concentrate on your custody case. I assume you have good security at your new house?"
Duncan nods.
"I'd like you to also consider hiring a security guard for the next few days," Keith suggests.
"Dad, what are you planning?" Veronica says nervously.
"I'm being cautious. Veronica, you and I have made too many mistakes. That ends right now. We tell each other everything, and we protect ourselves," he says strongly.
"You two are not the only ones who made mistakes," Logan interjects.
"No, we're not. You're not going to make any more mistakes, either. You're going to be protected as well. You've told us everything, Logan? Everything you know about Hannah and her father and about your relationship with Kendall? There wasn't any pillow talk with Kendall, speculations about Veronica helping Duncan leave the country?" Keith asks.
"No! Nothing. I never talked to Kendall about Veronica," Logan swears. "You have to understand, conversation was the last thing I had in mind when I was with her. I did say...I suggested she should go after Duncan because after all he had a lot more money than I did at that point. Of course, now...."
"Hey!!" Duncan interrupts. "Are we comparing portfolios?"
"Whip it out, dude. My investments would trounce your investments," Logan replies.
Ignoring Logan's comment, Keith says to Duncan, "What happened after Logan suggested Kendall should pursue you?"
Duncan answers, "She was waiting for me in my bedroom naked. I got rid of her, and I laughed about it with Veronica the next day. Kendall didn't give up, though. She tried to sell me one of Big D's cars and practically gave me a lap dance in the process."
"You're sure that there's no way that Kendall knew anything about the kidnapping?" Keith inquires.
"Duncan and I were very careful when we talked about it," Veronica swears. "We didn't want Logan to know either. He was...part of the plan. He had to be in the dark for it to work. Dad, when we questioned Kendall, she didn't say anything about the kidnapping, remember? She definitely would have thrown that in our faces if she knew anything about it."
Keith rubs his forehead and sighs. "You're right. Speaking of that...session...I want to compare our thoughts and make a list of everything Kendall told us that night."
"Wait, you said you want Duncan to concentrate on his custody case. What are we going to be doing?" Veronica asks curiously.
"We're going to try to find out more about Dr. Griffith. Now that we know there's a possible connection between Hannah's father and Kendall through the Fitzpatricks, if we can find proof of it...."
"Proof of what?" Logan asks.
"I don't know," Keith admits. "But if there's concrete evidence of something to do with Kendall, maybe we can get Leo to back off and focus his investigation on the Fitzpatricks."
"What are we going to do about my custody hearing on Friday?" Duncan asks. "Mrs. Manning has subpoenaed Veronica. You know that she's going to try to force Veronica to testify about breaking into the Manning house."
"I'm going to try make Veronica's testimony unnecessary," Keith says reluctantly.
"What? What are you planning?" Veronica asks anxiously.
"If we can come up with proof that Griffith and the Fitzpatricks are connected to Kendall's murder, I'm going to ask Leo to get Duncan immunity on that old breaking and entering charge in return for solid information on Kendall's murder. If Duncan has immunity on that felony, Mrs. Manning can't use it against him in the custody case. Duncan can testify about what you and he witnessed that night at the Manning house. It will substantiate the blackmail evidence that Lamb collected against the Mannings, and Mrs. Manning will be forced to drop her suit. Once Duncan obtains custody, he can testify about his relationship with Kendall and what he witnessed in the park."
"What makes you think Leo cares about the truth at this point?" Veronica asks despondently. "He hates us."
"He was humiliated when he had to drop the arson case against me. I think I can convince him that he can salvage his reputation with a big bust against the Fitzpatricks. I was never able to put them away. If he can get a solid conviction against them, he'll never have to worry about being reelected again. And...I think I can make him see that this vendetta is going to blow up in his face. He doesn't want to make an enemy out of me," Keith says intensely.
He pauses, then adds, "And if we're successful, we're going to take a trip up to Rio Linda and see if we can find out how Hannah Griffith went from living up there, happy and safe, to murdered in Los Angeles."
"Rio Linda?" Veronica asks.
"It's a suburb outside of Sacramento," Keith explains. "Your last day at the school, Epstein and I interviewed the teacher who helped Hannah escape from Briar Hill. She had gotten a postcard that she was pretty sure was from Hannah, postmarked Rio Linda." He gets his briefcase and locates the postcard, still protected by a plastic bag. He hands it to Veronica, who looks at it, frowning. Logan looks over her shoulder, curious.
Veronica muses, "Postmarked August 5, 2006. 'Thank you for everything. I am safe and happy because of you.'" She turns it over and looks at the beautiful meadow pictured on the front. "Logan, when did Hannah make contact with you that summer?"
"July, I think. It was a little while after our trip to Catalina."
Veronica nods. "You said the FBI were looking at your cellphone records to determine where that call originated."
"They didn't share that information with me."
"It's not in the file that Mike gave me. From three years ago, they probably would need a court order to access those cellphone records. You didn't save your itemized bills from then, did you?" Veronica asks.
Logan shakes his head 'no'.
"It would be helpful to know where Hannah was at that point," she adds. "What else did the teacher say, Dad?"
Keith says, "The teacher, Michelle Weisz, told us that she quickly became convinced that Hannah didn't deserve to be at the school. Hannah didn't appear to have a drug problem or psychological issues, and the more she protested, the worse the school treated her. Ms. Weisz was a new employee and was suspicious of Klein's methods. She helped Hannah get off the grounds of the school by hiding her in the trunk of her car and misdirecting the search parties looking for Hannah. Ms. Weisz dropped Hannah off at the bus station in Montpelier and later tried to get another student out of Briar Hill unsuccessfully. She quit not long after, and since then she's devoted her life to rescuing students from the tough-love schools."
"Dad...did you ask the teacher if she thought Hannah could have been blackmailing Peter Klein?" Veronica asks.
"Yes, honey. We asked her if Hannah could have witnessed anything like a payoff. What she said gibes with what we witnessed while you were there: the students are far too controlled to accidentally see something like that. And you know that the typical student experience at Briar Hill is not...."
"You can't blackmail someone if the world believes that their methods are successful," Veronica finishes his thought. With a slight quaver in her voice, she continues, "That's why we had to document everything so thoroughly."
Logan finds her hand under the counter and squeezes it. She looks at him. "That's why I had to keep going, I couldn't let him do his sick therapy on any other girls. I had to. I couldn't let you guys stop the operation," she adds tremulously.
Upon hearing her voice break, Duncan regards her in shock. "Veronica! Are you all right?"
She shakes her head, unwilling to respond. Finally she manages, "I'm all right. Stop looking at me like that. It was hard, okay? I'm still...." She looks around at the worried faces. "I would do it again," she swears. "Even if we only helped one girl to avoid that...I would still do it again." Veronica tries to pull herself together. "Dad, why Rio Linda?"
Keith shrugs. "At first, I thought the proximity to Sacramento meant something–that maybe she was trying to find Maria's family to...I don't know, to expose Maria's abuse, perhaps." Veronica looks puzzled, and Keith explains, "Maria had been at the school about nine months when Hannah arrived. The teacher told us that at the time Maria was insisting that her father had beaten and abused her, and then covered it up by sending her to the school. She would be sentenced to Observation Placement repeatedly for supposedly lying, but she stuck to her story for a long time."
"I suppose eventually she gave up and told them what they wanted to hear," Veronica says softly. "Nine months of no one believing her and being punished for telling the truth."
Keith nods. "So Hannah heard all of Maria's stories. Hannah knew that she was telling the truth about not being a drug user; maybe she suspected that Maria's stories were true as well."
Logan says thoughtfully, "Wasn't the school concealing Maria's true identity? How would Hannah have known that Maria's name was really Frazzino and Maria was from Sacramento?"
Veronica comments, "That's true...it's not like the girls can have a heart-to-heart talk there. It's always about working your program and admitting your flaws, and you're constantly supervised. It's the perfect place to hide a victim. But what if after Hannah escaped, she saw a photo of Maria, in some publicity about the Assemblyman, and recognized Maria? Logan, do you think Hannah would have wanted to...I don't know, investigate something like that?"
"I don't think so, but...we don't know how her experience at the school changed her," Logan says, thinking aloud. "Maybe she wanted to expose the cruelty of the school, and Maria seemed like the perfect opportunity. Or she wanted to punish her parents by showing them and the world the kind of place the school was."
"Dad..." Veronica begins hesitantly. "Are you thinking that there's a connection between Hannah's murder and Kendall?"
Keith says, "I don't know. But if Hannah truly was the victim of a copycat murder, I would say the only two possibilities for a motive would be her knowledge of something from her time of the school–"
"Or something about her dad and the Fitzpatricks," Veronica finishes. "And the timing...."
Keith nods. "Hannah was killed shortly before Kendall showed up in Neptune. Maybe it's a coincidence. But with the possible connection between Hannah's father and Kendall through the Fitzpatricks...." he shrugs. "And you can't forget that it still looks likely that someone in law enforcement is involved, someone that provided the actual details to make it look like one of the serial murders."
She nods thoughtfully. "I still don't understand why Rio Linda. Did you tell Ms. Denenberg that's where Hannah was?"
"Yes. She didn't have an explanation as to why Hannah ended up there," Keith replies.
"What about Hannah's friends?" Logan asks.
"I'm sure the FBI questioned them. And Ms. Denenberg had employed a private detective when Hannah first escaped from the school. I'm certain the PI would have talked to Hannah's friends here in Neptune," Keith says.
Logan scoffs. "Veronica, do you remember Hannah's friends from the funeral?"
She nods.
Logan continues, "They said, Hannah 'never did anything wrong, and she was punished as if she was a criminal.' They looked at Dr. Griffith as if they hated him."
"They would have protected Hannah's secrets, if Hannah had asked for their help," Veronica agrees. "Did you get to know any of those girls when you were seeing her?"
"Barely," Logan says, shaking his head.
"Dad, I think it's worth a shot. Maybe they would talk to me and Logan if we tell them about what we did at Briar Hill," Veronica proposes.
"All right. But I want to make it clear that we are going to share every bit of information we get, from now on. Is that understood?" Keith says sternly.
Veronica and Logan both nod in response.
Keith continues, "And we're not taking any chances. If we're right, they've killed twice, and they won't hesitate to kill again. Any ideas you have, you're going to run them by me first. We're going to watch our backs and err on the side of caution at all times. No going off your own, Veronica. You either, Logan...Duncan. Agreed?"
"You really think we're in serious danger from the Fitzpatricks or some rogue FBI agent?" Duncan asks incredulously.
"I hope I'm wrong. But I don't want to worry about you in case we stir up a hornet's nest," Keith responds evasively.
Tues. 3/17/09 evening: Sunset Cliffs Apartment, Neptune, CA
They spend the next two hours trying to remember everything Kendall said when they confronted her at the Neptune Grand. Between the three of them, they have managed to recreate everything that was said that night. Veronica prints out several copies of the notes she has been taking on her laptop, and they look over the document.
"It was mostly about money. She had a stupid arrangement with Liam that practically guaranteed that he would try to kill her one day," Veronica comments.
"You think Liam killed her?" Duncan asks. When Veronica nods, he says, "So why was she arguing with Griffith in the park?"
"She was probably trying to blackmail him again," Logan theorizes.
"About what? Do you think Liam would still be angry about Griffith recanting on his testimony?" Veronica says. "It seems a long time to be mad about it. It never came out that the PCHers were working with the Fitzpatricks, even when Weevil was arrested."
Duncan interjects, "Have you guys seen any of Griffith's interviews? The guy is completely crazy. He's still insisting that Briar Hill was the best place for his daughter."
Veronica sighs. "I know. It makes me so mad. But Duncan, a lot of the parents refuse to believe the truth about what their children go through at the tough-love schools. There's a lot of psychological reasons why they want to believe they did the right thing for their children."
"I don't believe it," Logan retorts. "I can't believe that guy has any good in him."
Keith points to number four on their list, Kendall's involvement with framing Duncan for the murder of Lilly Kane. "I have another idea. If what I'm planning with Leo doesn't work, I think we should say that Kendall was trying to get Logan to pay Aaron's debt to her and was threatening to expose the scheme to the tabloids."
"That's crazy. Everyone knows I hate my dad and wouldn't pay a cent to cover up what he did," Logan protests.
Keith shakes his head. "No, everyone doesn't know that, Logan. You're obviously not eager for more paparazzi attention, especially about Lilly and your dad. The thing is, if we force that issue–Kendall's helping to frame Duncan for Aaron–Leo's involvement with the sex tapes could resurface. He won't be willing to take that chance, and he'll have to drop the investigation."
Logan, fuming, replies, "I don't want anyone to think that I would pay money to cover up what that bastard did."
"Logan...it's just in case. And it would be a bluff. We'd be taking a big chance that Leo would call our bluff. We're only going to do that if we have no other option," Keith says reassuringly.
Veronica suddenly realizes that Keith is much more worried than he's letting on. "Dad...do you think...are you really worried that Leo might be able to get enough evidence to arrest us?"
"No, honey, of course not," Keith lies. "Everything's going to be fine."
••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
VERONICA MARS
10:00PM SHO ch: 340 60min 2009 TV-MA
Coping Mechanism
Keith and Veronica come to an agreement.
Veronica: Kristen Bell. Logan: Jason Dohring.
Keith: Enrico Colantoni.
••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
CHAPTER ONE HUNDRED TWO: "COPING MECHANISM"
Tues. 3/17/09 evening: Sunset Cliffs Apartment, Neptune, CA
Duncan leaves after Keith makes a phone call arranging for a security guard to meet Duncan at his house. Veronica asks Logan to get her laptop, and she begins to google information on the town of Rio Linda. "Hmm. Population ten thousand...median home value $305,000...cost of living 8% higher than the U.S. average...close to average per capita educational spending and average employment level...slightly lower income than the U.S. average. Wait a second...violent crime and property crime are twice the U.S. average."
Logan comments, "Makes sense the crime would be high, if the cost of living is 8% higher and the income is lower than average."
She surfs to another website. "Okay, here's a comment somebody left calling Rio Linda a 'cow town'." She shakes her head and closes her eyes in fatigue. "Why Rio Linda?"
Keith replies, "Veronica, I think you should get to bed. You're exhausted. We'll work on this in the morning." He glances at Logan, who looks away, embarrassed.
Veronica notices the exchange and says, "Dad, can you help me get ready for bed?" She slides off the barstool and moves toward the bedroom with her dad close behind. After they enter her room, she says, "Shut the door, okay?" and sits down the bed. Keith complies and walks toward the bed, intending to help her remove the sling, but she shakes her head, 'no', and motions that he should sit down next to her. "Dad...."
"What's up, honey?" he asks.
"You know that I'm twenty-one years old now, right?" she says gently. "I'm...Dad, I'm a woman and..." Veronica closes her eyes, trying to find the words. "I'm in love with him. I need him."
"Veronica–"
"Let me finish. I know you think he pushed me to be together last night. It's not true. I pressured him. I begged him to sleep with me; he didn't want to because he was worried about me too."
"What? Veronica, what are you talking about?" Keith replies, confused. "I don't understand. You've been through a terrible experience, and–"
"Yes, it was terrible. I know you think...I know you think you saw what it was like at the school...but you can't know. Logan knows, he was there, he was affected too. He knows what it's like to not know your own mind anymore. And I trust him...I always had trouble with trusting him before, but...knowing that he was willing to do that for me, to put his own sanity in jeopardy to protect me...."
"Veronica, please, I'm just so worried about you. I'm concerned that...I'm...." He sighs and closes his eyes. "Veronica, I'm feeling very guilty that I didn't take care of you properly when you were...assaulted, that you didn't feel like you could talk to me about it. I don't want to do the wrong thing again. I'm concerned about you, that's all."
"I know I should have told you about the rape a long time ago," she says hesitantly. "It's just...what do you say, do you just sit down at dinner and say, 'By the way, Dad, someone raped me a few months ago because I was stupid and drank a drink that I didn't watch being poured?'" Her words begin to rush out uncontrollably. "I couldn't tell you–I was embarrassed that I let that happen to me. Not being able to remember everything from that night somehow made it worse; I was imagining the worst. Everyone at school was laughing about me, and I didn't know what I did that night to make them say those things. And I knew, I knew you would go crazy, you'd interrogate every male at Neptune High and.... I knew everyone would be talking about it and it would never end and...." She breathes in deeply, shuddering.
Keith regards her silently, waiting.
"I couldn't tell you," she finally says. "Even when I found out more about it...especially when I thought it was...well, it looked like Duncan and I had both been drugged, and for a long time I thought we had just ended up together in a bedroom and...." She stares blankly at the wall. "I told myself over and over again, it wasn't really rape, neither of us were sober enough to consent or to protest, it was just...chemicals and hormones mixing together." Veronica looks at her dad and says softly, "I think part of me wanted to get back together with Duncan again because that really made it 'not-rape'. It was just...a really bad first time, and going out with Duncan again was like...a do-over. I was fixing it."
"Veronica, I'm just regretting that you didn't have a mother to talk to. That was my fault, I drove your mother away with my obsession. And I wasn't paying attention to you. I should have seen...I've been trying to remember...that was when you cut your hair, you started dressing differently–harder, tougher. You threw yourself into your schoolwork and cases at the office. I didn't even ask, I just assumed it was boy trouble or a delayed reaction to Lilly's murder or the breakup with Duncan."
"That was part of it, Dad; you weren't wrong," she agrees.
"I should have seen that you were hurting," he protests. "I should have tried harder to find your mother. You needed your family, not an ex-sheriff with an obsession."
"Daddy," she says quietly, leaning against him. "You're always there for me. I know that."
"And then this sex video," he says compulsively. "Why didn't you tell me about that?"
"Dad...come on. Look how you're reacting to Logan sleeping in my bed. You would have gone berserk."
"The Russian mafia, Veronica," he says flatly. "How could you take such a chance?"
"It was my problem, and I wanted to try to fix it myself," she says, almost under her breath. "Besides, you lost your job for me. I felt so guilty. You had a chance to go back to being the sheriff, and I blew it for you."
They remain silent, each of them lost in their thoughts. Finally, Keith says, "I know you're a woman. I know you're in love with him, and he's not the same boy who was...who made so many mistakes in the past. I still think it's too soon for you. I'm afraid...because you said you couldn't remember that last day. I'm worried that...sex...will trigger some bad memory for you. Can't you see how dangerous it is? You're still just a few days out of that experience. You're still traumatized."
"I'm going to remember everything eventually, Dad," she vows. Veronica says emphatically, "I don't want to not know anymore!" She tries to calm herself. "I can't stand feeling weak and victimized. I want to be strong Veronica again. I want to know what happened to me and understand it."
Keith thinks, What if there's no way to understand it?
Veronica continues, "Logan loves me without condition, without restraint. He's unable to not love me. That used to terrify me, that he could love me so strongly. I couldn't understand how he could be that way, because I'm not like that. And I knew love doesn't last, or I thought I knew that. I used to say 'I'm never getting married.' It seemed like we were spending our lives proving that true love doesn't exist, and here was this boy who was telling me that he would love me forever, no matter what. It made me want to push him away, to test him. I looked for flaws and found them to prove to myself that I shouldn't love him back, that I was right...that true love doesn't exist. But...you said it yourself, 'a good person is one who is there for you when you need them the most.' He's there for me now. When he holds me, it should make me feel weaker–that I need this man to hold me and protect me–but it doesn't. It makes me feel safe and strong again. Knowing that he loves me makes me strong again."
Veronica's words assail him with additional guilt. While she was trying to deal with her mother leaving, I had her spying on cheating spouses, showing her over and over again that love is fragile and breakable–that your lover always leaves. I never thought about what that would do to a teenager just learning about love. And then on top of that, she had to cope with her...assault. I should have known something was wrong! What the hell was I thinking? No wonder she's holding onto him, trying to pretend that she's okay. I know Logan loves her and would never hurt her on purpose, but if she starts remembering what that fuck Klein did to her.... He tries to reassure her, "He'll still love you in a few weeks when you're stronger, Veronica. Please...I really want you to–"
"Dad, when I'm asleep in his arms, I don't have nightmares. I can shut my eyes, and I don't have to worry about seeing Peter Klein's face in my dreams or imagining Gory aiming a rifle at me," Veronica responds decisively. "I'm not backing down on this, Dad."
"My house, my rules. Sometimes you don't know what's best for you, Veronica," Keith says firmly. "I'm putting my foot down."
"Dad, you're not listening to me. I need him to feel safe." A sudden thought strikes her, and she adds, "And he needs me. ...Dad, we're both struggling. You have to find a way to be okay with this, or we'll find a hotel room."
"Veronica!" he says, shocked. "With everything that's going on, this is not the time–"
"You're right. It's not the time. I want to be able to keep my eye on you too and not worry about the crazy Fitzpatricks sneaking up on you. But I don't know how I can express it to you better than I have already. I can't help how I feel, Dad. I need him right now, more than I can tell you." She pushes herself off the bed. "We'll check into the Camelot for tonight and find something better tomorrow." Veronica walks to the closet and retrieves an overnight bag from the floor.
"Veronica, stop."
She walks to the bureau and awkwardly begins to pack some clothes into the bag.
"Veronica, please stop and talk to me," Keith begs.
She stops, her back still toward him. "Dad, you can't make my rape go away, and neither can I," she says softly. "You can't turn me back into your little girl again. It's part of who I am now."
They stay frozen in a tableau of uncertainty and regret for a long minute before Keith breaks the silence. "All right. But if he hurts you...Veronica, I will never forgive him."
"Dad, it's okay to tell him how you feel–that you're worried about me. Just remember that I love him, and it was my decision to sleep with him last night," she comments gently. "He understands how you feel, Dad. He feels the same way. He wishes he could erase the bad things that have happened and the stupid things he's done, and he's worried about screwing up again. You said it yourself: we all made mistakes. But I don't think it's ever a mistake to love somebody."
He stands up from the bed and goes to her, kissing the top of her head. Keith takes the overnight bag out of her hands and places it on the floor. "You'll always be my little girl. ...Who's your daddy?"
"You are," she responds, turning to him and smiling through tears.
He wipes the tears from her cheek with his thumb and kisses her forehead. "It's not easy to be your father, Veronica."
"Ah, come on, you're doing a great job," Veronica replies lightly. "You make it look easy. I turned out okay, don't you think?"
"You turned out great."
She leans into him, hugging him tightly with her good arm as he strokes her back. "I love you, Dad."
"I love you, Veronica."
Tues. 3/17/09 late: Sunset Cliffs Apartment, Neptune, CA
Keith leaves Veronica's bedroom, shutting the door behind him. She hears the murmurs of a brief conversation in the living room, and Logan comes in the bedroom, his face flaming red. He sits down on the bed, completely unable to speak, and Veronica joins him. He mutters, "You are so spoiled."
"What?"
"You have your dad wrapped around your little finger, Veronica. I can't believe you...what did you say to him?"
She replies, "We talked about me being a grown-up and making my own decisions."
"Veronica, I don't ever want to have to talk about having sex with you with your dad again," he says morosely.
"What exactly did he say?" she persists.
"'If I find out you hurt her by pressuring her to have sex, I'll track you down and kill you like the dog you are.'"
"He did not say that," she protests.
"Okay, he said, 'If you hurt her, I'll never forgive you.'"
"Okay. Nothing wrong with that. You're not allowed to hurt me," she says smugly. He glances at her, still upset at the thought of his discussion with Keith. Veronica adds, "I told him I need you, that you make me feel stronger."
She leans against him, and he puts his arm around her. Logan says, "You don't need me to be strong, Veronica. There's not a woman in the world who's stronger than you."
"Come on, help me get undressed," she says, changing the subject.
As he releases the straps on her sling and eases it off her shoulder, he comments, "You know, I think you might be milking this injury a little bit, Veronica. Undress me, dress me, wash my back, shave my legs. Humph," he says, pretending to be aggrieved at her presumption. "'Please' and 'thank you' would be nice."
"Please take off my clothes...baby," she replies teasingly.
He helps to ease her shirt over her head and admonishes her, "You know there's no way we're having sex tonight. I think the look on your dad's face killed any chance of me having an erection for about a week."
She whispers, "Well, then you'll just have to satisfy me some other way, if Little Logan is feeling self-conscious with my dad listening." Veronica suddenly yawns, the long day finally taking its toll on her.
"Okay, if you're going to name my penis, do you think you could come up something a little more virile than Little Logan?" he mutters.
"I'm too tired to come up with anything else." She closes her eyes in fatigue. With one finger, he pushes gently on her chest and eases her backward onto the bed. Logan pulls her slacks off and finishes undressing her. She mumbles, "I'm just going to close my eyes for a minute."
He finds the pajamas she wore the night before and brings them to her. She wakes up enough to help him get her pj's on and the sling secured around her shoulder. Veronica slides under the covers, already dozing as he gets ready for bed himself. Logan gets into bed, his front to her back, carefully cuddling against her. He strokes her hair, pushing the loose curled strands behind her ears, and she sighs in contentment. He says, "I keep thinking...if you didn't have this red hair, if I hadn't changed the way I look...."
"I know," she whispers. "Please...don't say it. Hold me tighter. Please."
He presses himself closer and puts his arm around her waist; he kisses her neck and breathes in her scent, grateful despite his embarrassment that she had talked her father into allowing them to be together. Logan says quietly, "I need you too...I need you to help me feel strong too."
She sighs in response before drifting off to sleep. I wish...I wish it could always be like this.
Chapter One Hundred Three
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VERONICA MARS
10:00PM SHO ch: 340 60min 2009 TV-MA
Jumping to Conclusions
Leo tries to rationalize his vendetta;
Mac posits a new suspect; Keith reacts.
Veronica: Kristen Bell. Logan: Jason Dohring.
Leo: Max Greenfield. Keith: Enrico Colantoni.
Mac: Tina Majorino. Wallace: Percy Daggs III.
Alan: Ned Vaughan.
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CHAPTER NINETY-FIVE: "JUMPING TO CONCLUSIONS"
Tues. 3/17/09 morning: D'Amato Residence, Neptune, CA
Leo wakes up well before his alarm is set to ring; he starts to mull over what he's begun to call in his mind 'The Echolls Case'. He lies in bed, staring at the ceiling, getting more and more agitated about Logan Echolls. Fucking Logan Echolls, he amends, and fucking Aaron Echolls...I wish I never heard of either of them.
He gives up on falling back asleep; he knows that he's becoming completely irrational about the case, but still he feels that something is being covered up. Like father, like son? he wonders, remembering Aaron Echolls' masterful machinations behind the scenes that resulted in an acquittal...and his own disgrace. He gets up and puts on some sweats and drives to the beach. He runs along the shore for five miles, trying to regain some sense of perspective. I can't afford to be wrong again. The phrase 'Neptune Sheriff' is becoming the punch line to a hundred jokes about incompetence and corruption.
Back in his apartment, he showers and dresses for the day. Aware that he will be coordinating security for the Mackenzie funeral with the FBI, he selects his newest uniform, fresh from the dry cleaners. Over coffee and cereal, he opens the file on Aaron Echolls' stalker case from four years ago. The 'le trancheur' who stabbed Echolls appeared to have been just one of several hundred women who were obsessed with the man. Keith Mars helpfully contributed his research to the police files, and Leo notes that Echolls Senior appeared to have been cheating on his wife with numerous women. I wonder if Logan inherited his father's philandering tendencies, he thinks. Hard to imagine Veronica putting up with that...although I think Veronica would be more likely to castrate Echolls than kill one of his girlfriends.
He sighs, convinced that this stalker idea is a wild goose chase. He makes note of several women against whom the elder Echolls got orders of protection; one of the deputies can follow up with them to make sure that they haven't become interested in the son. Although Logan Echolls has certainly had his share of celebrity notoriety in the past few years, it was nothing like the relentless attention paid to his father, and Leo doubts that a stalker would somehow be motivated to track down and kill an old girlfriend to demonstrate her affection for him. Veronica would be a far more likely target anyway...Greenblatt was just grasping at straws, trying to divert attention from his role in providing an alibi for Logan.
What the hell does she see in him anyways? he suddenly thinks bitterly.
FLASHBACK: Veronica finds him at the sheriff's department. She says, "I need to talk to you," and Leo immediately goes on high alert, knowing that nothing good ever follows that intro. She continues, "I can't date you anymore....Trust me, you don't want to date me. I'm a train wreck. Seriously. The-the first guy I ever loved just dropped off the face of the earth, probably because of something I said, and the last guy I dated turned out to be a drug dealer, and I just made out with my dead best friend's boyfriend, who, incidentally, I hate. So. Train wreck," she concludes, pointing at herself.
Leo remembers thinking, 'My dead best friend's boyfriend,' in other words, that asshole Logan Echolls, drunk off his ass, not even wearing any pants, whatafuckingloser, and then he also recalls that, of course, she immediately followed up with a request for a favor. In Veronica's world, you get to do whatever you want, and then ask your friendly law enforcement contact to break the rules and skirt the law to get what you need...and your dad always looks the other way. But if someone else does something wrong, it's the letter of the law, and you're out on your ass without a job.
Again, for the thousandth time since she spit them in his face, he recollects her angry words: 'I'm pretty sure I'm not capable of setting a murderer free.' Ms.-High-and-Mighty, judging me...judging ME! She has no idea what kind of pressure I was under...and what happened when I didn't get the payoff Aaron promised me. Logan's money was just a temporary reprieve before....
He drops his head into his hands. Don't think about it...don't think about it. You're not thinking straight.
Resolutely, he tamps down his anger. I am not going to fuck up this investigation. I'm NOT going to be Neptune's latest joke of a sheriff. I'm going to investigate this wherever it takes me and back up my theories with evidence.
Leo picks up the phone and asks to speak to one of the deputies at the sheriff's department. The deputy reports that the security footage from the Neptune Grand never shows Kendall together with Duncan Kane. In fact, the deputy noticed that the only security cameras that caught her image were located in the lobby; apparently, Ms. Casablancas took pains to avoid being recorded. Leo cradles the phone and thinks about the lengths she went to to conceal herself. He takes out before and after pictures from his file and compares her features. Her nose and cheekbones appear to have been slightly altered; her lips are somewhat fuller and the chin could have been changed as well. None of the alterations are extensive, but the overall effect completely disguises her appearance. Why was it so important that she change the way she looked?
He realizes that Duncan Kane has also completely changed his appearance. The Kane software heir's image has been featured so prominently in the tabloids over the last month that Leo has forgotten that he, too, used to look quite different.
I'm more confused than ever, he thinks. What the hell was going on here...two people with extensive plastic surgery, both suddenly coming back to town, both staying at the Neptune Grand. One with a lot to lose, and the other one ends up dead.
A lot to lose....Leo thinks about Duncan's desperate decision three years earlier to flee the country with his baby daughter. He opens the file on the Manning babynapping and rereads the FBI reports on the investigation. The report concludes, 'Although there is no concrete evidence of her involvement, we suspect that Veronica Mars assisted Duncan Kane in his flight from the country and misled the authorities during the investigation. We recommend that the case against Ms. Mars remain open pending any additional information in the case.'
He finds his notes from his interview of Madison Sinclair. Madison said, 'Kendall finally wore Duncan down and nailed him. Veronica walked in on her in Duncan's bedroom; Logan witnessed the whole thing and told Dick....The next day, Veronica and Duncan had a very public fight at school, and they broke it off. If you ask me, the only thing that was surprising was that Duncan had stayed with Veronica for as long as he did. Everyone thought that he was going to get back together with his old girlfriend Meg anyways, since she was pregnant with Duncan's child.'
And after the public breakup, Duncan fled the country with his baby daughter. They used Kendall to make everyone think that Veronica and Duncan had broken up–to protect Veronica when Duncan took off. Classic Veronica Mars maneuver; the only question is whether Logan was in on it.
Leo drums his fingers on the table, deep in thought. No statute of limitations on aiding and abetting kidnapping...Duncan's not the only one with a lot to lose if Veronica, and maybe Echolls too, helped with the kidnapping. I wonder what Kendall knew about the babynapping. Did they only use her as a patsy, a distraction to make everyone think that Veronica and Duncan had split up, or was Kendall actually involved somehow? Or did she remember something that would tie Veronica to the kidnapping?
Did Kendall come back to town to blackmail Veronica and threaten Duncan just as he was trying to win permanent custody of his daughter?
Leo has another thought. Logan's cash withdrawal in January...the payoff for Ms. Casablancas? Fifty grand–not much of a payoff, unless it was just the down payment. And...the timing's a little off, unless Kendall had already been in touch with them. He makes a note to request Logan's phone records from back in January.
The phone rings again. One of the deputies says, "Sheriff, we got word from Homeland Security that Logan Echolls flew from Boston to San Diego last night. I checked the flight manifest, and Keith and Veronica Mars were on the flight as well. I checked with the Manchester Center authorities, and they said that Echolls is free on a $50,000 bond on the assault and battery charge. I thought you'd want to know right away; you seemed pretty eager to talk to the guy."
"Yeah...thanks. I appreciate the heads-up." Leo hangs up. He puts in a call to Logan's permanent address in Los Angeles; there is no answer. He tries Keith Mars' home phone, and a message announces that the voicemail box is full and to try to call later.
He decides to head over to the Mars' apartment later to see if Logan is staying there; right now he needs to head to the department to run a scheduled briefing on security details for the Mackenzie funeral. And then maybe...maybe I'll try to talk to Tina at the Neptune Grand again. I need to see what she knew about Logan and Kendall and question her about Duncan and Kendall. He thinks about Tina's vague answers to his questions. Oswaldo Cortez had said, 'Tina told us that she wanted the employees to keep their mouths shut about the guests. Tina's a real starfucker; she's always hoping one of these Hollywood types will take her away from all this.' I'll bet Tina didn't tell me everything that was going on at the Grand. You'd think it was the fucking Camelot No-tell Motel. Let's see if I can get a little more information out of her before I talk to Echolls and Veronica.
~ • ~
Tues. 3/17/09 morning: Hotel, San Diego, CA
Mac opens the door of her room to Alan. "Are you ready to get going?" he asks.
She hesitates; she couldn't sleep for the entire night worrying about the funeral. When Alan told her that he believed there was a personal motive for the bombing attempt, she immediately thought of Gory Sorokin and the vendetta he swore against Logan and Veronica. Would he really kill my entire family to get to them? Finally, after tossing and turning for the entire night, she decided that she had to at least mention Gory's name. I just have to make sure not to mention the hard drive or what Keith did to protect Veronica. I have to tell Alan.
"I have something to tell you," she says, sitting down on the bed. "Two years ago, there was a Hearst student who was rumored to be connected, and...well, he did something to Veronica. When her boyfriend, Logan Echolls, found out about it, he beat up this student, Gorya Sorokin. And Gorya swore that he would pay them back. He told Logan, 'Whoever you are, you're gonna die.' He seemed kind of...insane, actually."
"Two years ago?" Alan asks. "Why would he wait until now? And why go after your family?"
"I don't know. It doesn't make sense. I just thought I should tell you."
"Why did you wait until now to tell me?...Mac? I'd like an answer," Alan presses.
"I can't say. It's probably just a coincidence."
Alan looks at her. "Veronica did something illegal, didn't she?"
Mac stares back, refusing to answer.
Alan sighs. "What's the name again?" Mac hands him a sheet of notepaper with the name on it. Alan pulls out his Blackberry and makes a phone call. "Can you run a name for me?...Yeah, it might be relevant to the funeral today. Gorya Sorokin. The only information I have is that he was a student at Hearst College." Alan waits. "Really. Paroled on February 6 of this year?...On a weapons charge....Can you get in touch with his parole officer?...Thanks." He terminates and looks at Mac.
Mac says, "February 6? Alan, the package bomb was postmarked February 7."
"Will you tell me the whole story now?"
"You don't need to know the whole story," she replies obstinately. "All you need to know is that he wants to kill Veronica and Logan...and I guess me too." Maybe he figured out that I helped Veronica.
"Dammit, Mac." Alan makes another phone call. "Sheffield here. I have some information about a possible suspect in the Mackenzie bombing." He quickly summarizes what little Mac had told him and the information he had just learned about Sorokin. "No...Two years ago, according to Ms. Mackenzie...I really think we should–...But sir, I think–....Yes, sir." He punches the end button and looks at Mac.
"Are you going to cancel the funeral? It's too dangerous," Mac says anxiously.
"I can't. My supervisor is more worried about an FBI mole. He doesn't think this guy Sorokin sounds like a credible suspect. He doesn't have a record of any bombings or violent felonies, just the one weapons charge. Before that, he has a completely clean record. And why would he wait two years to go after your friends and do it in such a roundabout way? They agreed to put out an APB on Sorokin and see if they can track him down just in case. And I'm supposed to coordinate some additional security for the funeral."
"You've got to tell her not to go to the funeral!" Mac gasps. "It's not safe, if this guy Gory is gunning for her!"
"There's going to be a lot of eyes on her," Alan says. "I'm sorry, Mac. I wish you had mentioned this before. But you know if this guy actually is targeting your friend, this might be our best opportunity to catch him. I'll make sure all the agents get a copy of his mug shot." He catches Mac looking at him and adds, "And Mac? Keep your hands off my Blackberry."
~ • ~
Tues. 3/17/09 morning: Sunset Cliffs Apartment / Mars Investigations, Neptune, CA
Keith wakes up, expecting to find Logan on the couch. He tiptoes into the kitchen to avoid waking him only to realize that Logan is not in the living room, and Veronica's bedroom door is shut tightly. His stomach tightens in distress as he pictures Logan relentlessly trying to seduce his little girl in the middle of the night. He opens her door silently and curses internally when he sees them snuggled together on her bed. Goddammit, Logan. You know she's fragile right now!
His every instinct is telling him to haul Logan out of there and toss him out on the sidewalk; he is only able to stop himself by reminding himself that Veronica needs to avoid stress as much as possible, and with the funeral this afternoon she'll have enough to deal with. Keith settles for perversely slamming a cupboard door shut. He grumbles under his breath as he makes his breakfast and coffee. He makes a few phone calls and decides to go into Mars Investigations, before his bad temper gets the best of him and he does something to Logan that he might regret later.
When Keith arrives at the office, Wallace is already hard at work. "Hey, Keith. Do you want to start with your messages?" He hands Keith a stack of message slips. "Coffee?" Keith nods, and Wallace gets a cup of coffee and puts it on Keith's desk. "How's Veronica this morning?" Wallace asks.
"She was still asleep when I left," Keith says shortly, trying not to display his anger.
"She'll be okay," Wallace says, misjudging Keith's demeanor as concern. As he leaves the inner office, he nods questioningly at the door. Keith motions for him to close it.
Keith frowns at the stack of messages. He closes his eyes, procrastinating for a moment. When he woke up to find Logan sleeping in Veronica's room against his wishes, he was completely furious, not just at Logan's disobedience but at his actual deception the night before. With a little distance from the operation, he has begun to berate himself for allowing Logan to be involved. Despite Logan's best efforts, he still seems to sometimes lack good judgment: running away after Hannah's death, assaulting Klein, and now this. Keith knows that the responsibility for Logan's involvement in the investigation rests solely upon his own shoulders, and he wonders how he could have taken such a chance with an amateur when his daughter's life was at stake. At the same time, he admits that Logan did help and pushed to end the operation when it did. Keith decides that there's plenty of blame to go around; why the hell did I let it go on for so long? I should have....
Dammit, how could I have not known that Veronica was raped? He pounds on the desk in frustration. I was obsessed with Lilly Kane, when I should have been obsessed with my own daughter. I saw that she was upset, why didn't I...why didn't I....
Keith rubs his forehead and shuffles through the papers on his desk, trying to think about something else, anything else, to blot out the pictures of his daughter being unknowingly fed drugs by her boyfriend, then Cassidy holding her down and pushing himself between her legs...and then Keith pictures himself, supposedly the doting father, ignoring the signs that she was hurting and throwing himself into an investigation to clear his own reputation. He opens the desk drawer, looking for a pen, and suddenly slams the drawer shut with a bang. If Logan hurt her by pushing her to have sex with him last night...I don't care what Veronica says. He'll have to go...if I don't kill him first.
Wallace taps on the door.
"Come in," Keith says quietly. He picks up the top sheet of paper on his desk and pretends to read it.
"Everything okay in here? Thought I heard something...." Wallace asks.
"I just, uh, dropped something," Keith replies lamely.
"Okay." Wallace looks at Keith, wondering what's going on. "There was another message from Duncan Kane on the machine. He's called almost every day while you've been gone."
Grateful for something else to think about, Keith asks, "He's calling about the custody case?"
"I talked to him a few days ago. I don't think it's just that. He seemed pretty nervous about something. He really wants to talk to Veronica."
Kendall, Keith thinks. "I'll call him right now." He thumbs through the message slips and finds Duncan's number. The call goes directly to voicemail, and Keith leaves a message, asking Duncan to stop by the apartment that evening.
Wallace says, "Do you want to go over the cases I handled while you were away?"
They spend almost an hour going through several insurance fraud investigations, background checks, and asset searches that Wallace took care of in Keith's absence. Keith makes a few notes and suggestions. The work improves Keith's mood, tempering his anger at Logan, but he still resolves to have a long talk with him concerning his daughter's well-being.
When they reach the bottom of the pile, Wallace says, "Can I show you something?"
"Of course."
Wallace puts a large piece of paper labeled 'Fitzpatrick Crime Family' on Keith's desk.
"What's this?"
Wallace sighs. "Candice wanted me to drop the investigation into her brother's death. She thinks it's too dangerous."
"She sounds pretty smart, Wallace. You should listen to her."
Wallace says, "But you know, Weevil and I went up to Chino and talked to the guy who used to be in charge of PCHers before Gustavio Toombs. Emilio Vargas."
"Yeah, I remember Emilio. A tough kid."
"Emilio told us what he had heard about Shawn. Apparently, Shawn had a connection for this new drug, Meth-X. But the supplier only wanted to deal in large quantities, and Shawn couldn't handle that. He didn't have the money or the distribution for that kind of a deal."
"So he got the Fitzpatricks to help," Keith suggests.
"Exactly. And I guess it was a match made in heaven for awhile. But then Emilio said that Ciaran tried to cut out Shawn and go directly to the source. And Shawn was trying to go around the Fitzpatricks, so...."
"Ciaran took out Shawn."
"Yeah. But that's not the most important thing that Emilio told us. We had already figured that they probably killed Shawn over the drugs. Emilio said that the Fitzpatricks have a cop in their pocket."
"A dirty cop?" Keith asks sharply. Vinnie said that Liam had a contact in the FBI.
"Yeah, Emilio was positive that the Fitzpatricks have a connection in law enforcement."
"It did seem suspicious when Liam's racketeering charges were dropped. It was a pretty solid case," Keith comments.
"I didn't want to just drop it, but...I promised Candice to be careful. So I've been doing research...the files on Ciaran and Padraig and Gustavio Toombs that you got from Inga, newspaper articles. I've been looking in the county courthouse files too, just collecting names that seem to be associated with the Fitzpatricks."
Keith studies Wallace's chart carefully. "Most of these people are known criminals."
"Right. I tried to show family connections, too. Maybe we'll see someone who shouldn't be connected to the Fitzpatricks."
"It's good work, Wallace." Keith thinks a minute. "You know, there might be a few more names I can add to this for you." He pulls the phone toward him and dials the sheriff's department. "Inga, it's Keith Mars....Yes, it was quite a big case. Veronica did a great job....I'll tell her you said hello. Inga, I'm being audited....2002 and 2003. I need to get copies of some of my files from that period. Yes, the Mulvaney
investigation and...Kevin Bray. Oh, and maybe McLaughlin too....Yeah, those crazy Fitzpatricks kept us busy, right?...I'll have my assistant come by to pick them up. Wallace Fennel....I'll talk to you soon, Inga." He hangs up and looks at Wallace. "I'm glad you were careful while I was gone. I promised I'd help with Shawn's case, and I will. Just let me tie up a few loose ends on the Briar Hill case."
The phone rings, and Wallace picks it up. "Mars Investigations?...Yes, let me check." He puts the call on hold and tells Keith, "It's Ms. Denenberg."
Keith nods grimly. He takes the receiver and connects the call. "Ms. Denenberg...Stephanie...Yes, I can come by this afternoon." He looks at his watch. "Can we say...1:00?...Okay, I'll see you then." He hangs up. "Wallace, let's get going on some of these new cases."
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VERONICA MARS
10:00PM SHO ch: 340 60min 2009 TV-MA
Losing Your Perspective
Logan talks with his shrink.
Logan: Jason Dohring. Dr. Friedman: Lorraine Bracco.
•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
CHAPTER NINETY-SIX: "LOSING YOUR PERSPECTIVE"
Tues. 3/17/09 morning: Sunset Cliffs Apartment, Neptune, CA
Logan wakes up to the sound of cupboard doors banging in the kitchen. He hears Backup bark quietly, and Keith says, "It's okay, boy." Logan listens to Keith making breakfast and getting ready for his day, with an occasional muttered aside to the dog. Keith makes several brief phone calls; Veronica's name is mentioned several times. He hears the jangle of keys; the front door opens and closes.
Logan looks over at Veronica, who is sound asleep. He wants to caress her and hold her more than anything, but he is plagued by doubts that he should have somehow controlled the situation better last night. He can't help but think, it was too soon, it was TOO SOON, how could I....I should have convinced her to wait. He tries to reassure himself by recalling their conversation; like a drowning man with a lifeline, he holds desperately onto her words. 'I want to feel okay with you again....It feels strange to let you take care of me, but...I like it.' Suddenly, he is appalled to realize that he is slightly aroused, and he quickly gets out of bed and throws on his jeans.
Logan goes to the kitchen where he finds a note on the counter.
Went to the office. I'll pick you up at 3:30 for the funeral.It wasn't my imagination...Keith is pissed that I slept with Veronica last night. And he's right...I shouldn't have let her talk me into it. She's not as strong as she thinks she is. He quietly goes about making his own breakfast, hoping Veronica will sleep for a while longer. While the coffee brews, he walks back to her bedroom and peeks in the doorway. She is sleeping soundly, with her mouth open slightly and her body completely relaxed. Backup nudges him, wanting to go on the bed with Veronica, but Logan quietly shuts the bedroom door and shoos him back into the kitchen, rewarding him with a treat.
Veronica, this is the orthopedic surgeon Dr. Jacobson recommended. Please call him to set up an appointment as soon as possible for your shoulder.
Dr. John Aster, 555-2829
Logan, I need to speak to you.
After downing a cup of coffee and a slice of toast, he takes the phone into Keith's bedroom and shuts the door to avoid waking her up. He dials his therapist in Los Angeles. Keeping his voice low, he says, "It's Logan Echolls."
Dr. Friedman replies, "Logan...I was wondering why I hadn't heard from you, but then I saw something in the paper today. You went with Veronica on that undercover operation, didn't you."
"Yes."
"It sounds like it was very successful, based on the arrests I read about in the paper. And the story about Assemblyman Frazzino...it's just appalling," Dr. Friedman comments.
When Logan doesn't reply, she asks, "Logan?"
"I'm here. I've wanted to talk to you so many times, and now...I don't know how to start."
"Start at the beginning," Friedman suggests.
"They got me a job at the school as a guard. I started before Veronica got there. I had to help make sure that the girls behaved." He summarizes for Friedman what happened during the beginning of the operation: Veronica fighting back at her strip search and being sentenced to Observation Placement almost immediately, and his having to help take her down in group therapy when she fell asleep.
"Oh, Logan. You had to hold her down?" Dr. Friedman asks.
Logan grips the phone. "That's nothing. It got worse. We...we needed to document the use of restraints. So Veronica started to really push. They assigned her to write an essay, and Veronica just wrote 'fuck you,' over and over again. When they confronted her about the essay, Veronica pretended to try and escape."
"Pretended?"
Logan sighs. "She was trying to get sentenced to restraints, so she acted like she was escaping. She got one of the card keys so she could unlock the door and run, but she got to the door too quickly; she had to fumble with the key until I got there, and then she struggled against me. I had to...." He stumbles over the words. "I had to hurt her to stop her. And...I was so angry with her, for pushing them. And...this is going to sound crazy, I was furious at her for not behaving. I knew she had to, but it was like I was actually a guard and she was actually a student."
Friedman is silent, processing what Logan is telling her.
"I hurt her more than I had to," he adds, almost in a whisper. "I was thinking, 'Why are you making me do this to you? Why do you make me hurt you? This is for your own good.' She was resisting, doing her job, and I couldn't do my job. I couldn't not hurt her. How could I do that? I mean, she was incredible, she seemed to know exactly how to force them to abuse her."
"Logan–" Dr. Friedman tries to interrupt.
He rushes in, ignoring her. "And I needed to get along with the other employees in order to do the job, so I wouldn't get fired and not be there to protect her. What was crazy was that the other guys...it-it seemed like they were really making sense. They were all ex-drunks just like me, and they were funny, they were...I know they weren't good guys, but it seemed like...I don't know. I can't explain it. I'm just a fucking asshole, I let them get to me." Logan's voice is rising with his anxiety.
"Logan, listen to me. I need you to slow down. Take a breath. Count to ten for me."
"That's not even everything," he replies morosely before he does as she suggested. One...two... three...four...five...six...seven...eight...nine...ten. He takes a deep breath. "So we put Veronica in restraints. She had to be taken to the bathroom every six hours, and...they decided I was ready to help with something like that. And she...she was so fucking brave. She wasn't scared, she was baiting me and the other guy, she called me a fucking nazi. And he grabbed her around the neck and then...." Almost inaudibly, he continues, "We humiliated her by making her go to the bathroom in a bucket in front of us. I can't even describe it. It was...it was even worse than it sounds. They were trying to break her, and I was helping."
"Is that when the operation ended?" Dr. Friedman asks.
"No!! You're not understanding. She wouldn't give up. Even after that, she wouldn't stop."
"My god...Logan...."
He laughs bitterly. "And it's all on tape. Veronica was wearing a wire. I'm sure they'll play that scene at the trial. ...I kept begging Veronica's dad to stop the operation, but they wouldn't listen to me. Veronica kept insisting on continuing."
"Were you still...identifying with the other guards after this incident with the bucket?" Dr. Friedman asks cautiously.
"I don't know," Logan replies truthfully. He thinks for a moment before continuing, remembering. "I think I was just so glad because Connie, I mean Veronica, stopped resisting, stopped fighting back for a little while. I just wanted to forget about it."
"Connie is the name Veronica was using?" Friedman probes.
"Yes." He exhales loudly. "The next day I was...I was just trying to hold on, I was telling jokes with the other guys, I was just trying to do the job. I knew I was supposed to be there to protect her, but I was getting so...confused. The guys were teasing me about her, needling me that she was my girlfriend, and I had to be rougher with her, so they wouldn't know. I was losing track of who I was, what I was supposed to be doing; I kept catching myself almost screwing up. But then...." he stops, his voice trailing off.
"What?"
"I met with Veronica's dad and the other guys monitoring the operation. They were considering pulling me out, because they could tell that I was fucking up. I had to convince them to let me stay, I wasn't going to leave her there without me."
"You begged them to let you stay on as a guard," Friedman repeats.
"Yeah. I...I had to get it together, I had to hold it together, for her. If she wouldn't quit, I had to stay. One of my old professors, Dr. Kinny, was helping with the monitoring. And...and he helped. He kind of talked me down, got me to see that...." He takes a deep breath, and says it aloud. "He tried to convince me that I'm not an abuser like my father."
"You've been working hard for a long time now to be a better person than your father, Logan."
"I didn't feel like a better person while we were there. ...That night, after I convinced them to let me stay at the school, I had a dream, well, a nightmare I guess. It was Veronica and Hannah, begging me to help them, to keep going and protect them. I don't know why, but when I woke up, I didn't feel so confused. I was able to focus a little better, keep track of who I was and why I was there."
"Why didn't they want to stop the operation?" Friedman asks. "It sounds like you had enough evidence at this point."
"That's what I thought. I guess they were arguing about it. They were worried about Veronica, but they also knew how hard it would be to convict Klein and shut down the school. And Veronica was so determined. We had code words worked out, and she kept saying them over and over again, to show them that she was okay. I tried again–when I got her alone for a second, I tried to get her to quit. But she refused. I was so angry at her: couldn't she see how dangerous it was, how sick they were?...I was, I don't know, I thought I was going insane, and I had to keep telling myself that it wasn't real, and it was going to be over soon. And I had to keep going, I had to stay to protect her. Then it got worse. They started singling her out, really targeting her in group therapy." He sighs. "Veronica was using...she was using stuff from us."
"Us?" Friedman echoes.
"She was using stories about Lilly when they were trying to get her to admit to her bad behavior. I couldn't help it; I got so mad at her. I don't like anyone knowing about that, that I feel...guilty about Lilly. I realized later, she was desperate, she was using those stories to try to get them to back off a little. Dr. Friedman, I'm so ashamed; it was so hard for Veronica there, and I let her see that I was upset with her for talking about Lilly. I could tell, she knew I was mad. How could I do that? They were on her, night and day, fussing at her to admit things, and I was such a fucking asshole...I got pissed because she told them something from our past when she was just trying to do her job."
"You reacted. You're human," Friedman replies.
"You don't know how bad it was for her. All I had to do was be there to protect her, and I couldn't even do that. I made it harder for her. What the hell is wrong with me?" Logan begins to cry. He wipes tears off his cheek and grips the phone tightly.
"Logan, listen to me. You did the best you could. This was an impossible situation."
"Everyone's going to see how I let her down. She's going to see. She wants to watch all the video tapes."
"What?"
"She doesn't remember the last day. That sick fucker Peter Klein was confronting her about her rape."
"What do you mean she doesn't remember?" Dr. Friedman says worriedly.
He exhales loudly. "She was sick, with a high fever, and they had hurt her shoulder. And he was torturing her with attack therapy. I was outside, I couldn't hear what he was saying. We had finally decided to stop the operation, but I had to wait for backup before I could go in to get her. I was outside the room, imagining what was going on, thinking about what horrible things they were doing to her, and then...." He pauses, then continues, "When we finally went in, they had written 'SLUT' on her forehead, and she was completely out of it. She didn't recognize me; she thought I was there to hurt her, and she tried to get away from me." Logan tries again to wipe away the tears on his face. "Dr. Friedman, I'm afraid if she remembers...."
"What?"
"...She's unbelievable. She says she's not mad at me," he explains. "Why isn't she mad at me? Veronica is trying so hard, she's...trying to get past this, trying to keep us together. Last night, she insisted...she wanted to sleep together. She's so fucking strong. I'm not strong like her. I really wanted to take it slowly with her, give her a chance to get...I don't know, strong again. But last night, she was...she was crying, she thought I was pushing her away because I wasn't attracted to her any more. She begged me, she...I let her...Dr. Friedman, we had sex last night, and we shouldn't have, it was too soon. I shouldn't have...dammit! I just love her so much, and when she started crying, I couldn't not hold her in my arms and...."
Dr. Friedman stays silent for a moment, then asks, "What was it like? How did Veronica react when you made love?"
"It started off great, just kissing and touching, and then....she said something. It was an accident, she said something she had said when we humiliated her with the bucket."
"What did she say?" Friedman says curiously.
"She said, 'I'll behave.'" He sighs. "We stopped, and I didn't want to do anything else. But she insisted, she took my hand and...well, slowly, we– we got past it. She was so fucking strong. She was determined to make love, to not let them take it away from us."
Cautiously, Friedman probes, "And what happened...once you got past this...faux pas?"
"It was incredible...she let me take care of her, admitted she needed me, all the things I always wanted from her that were so hard for her. It's never been like that for us. To tell you the truth, I'm scared to death that I screwed up again. I mean, I want to hope that it's going to be okay for us, but...." Logan pauses. "I'm so afraid."
"What scares you the most, Logan?"
In a whisper, he says hesitantly, "I think she remembered something about her rape during the group therapy, but now she can't remember what happened that whole last day of the operation."
"It's possible. The new trauma might have unlocked deeply buried memories for her, and it might be too hard for her to examine those memories–"
He interrupts. "I know she blames me for her rape. And she should. I got the drugs that were used on her," Logan explains.
"But you didn't–"
"It doesn't matter. She knows, I'm responsible. And...I know if she remembers her rape, she's going to...." He swallows, unable to continue. "She's not going to be able to get past that. No one's that strong."
Dr. Friedman exhales softly. After a few moments, she says quietly, "Logan...I saw on the news that Veronica was released from the hospital. It sounds like she's being taken care of."
"Of course they're taking care of her. She had a kidney infection and a dislocated shoulder."
"And it sounds like they are taking care of her emotional health too. But...who's taking care of you?"
"What?"
"Logan, I hear you blaming yourself. You were an amateur in an extremely tough situation. Who's taking care of you?"
"I don't deserve–"
"Logan! You're not listening to me," Dr. Friedman says sharply. "You've been through a trauma here, too."
"No, that's crazy, Veronica's the one we have to worry about. I'm all right."
"You don't sound all right to me."
"No, I'm fine," he protests. He starts to become agitated again. "I just need your help, I want to help Veronica through this. I'm worried about doing the right thing for her. I keep screwing up, and I don't understand why she still...loves me. It's not just the undercover operation...there's this woman that I had an affair with a few years ago...." Logan struggles to find the words to explain. "Her name was Kendall. She was back in town, making trouble again, and while we were in Vermont, somebody killed her. And...it's all coming out, the affair that I had with her, and the sheriff is going around asking questions about me and Kendall. I can't believe this is happening, on top of everything else. And Veronica is–" he breaks off.
"Veronica is what?" Friedman presses.
"She just said we would figure it out, somehow. I thought she would be...I don't know, her old judgmental self, telling me that I fucked up again. And this woman, Kendall...she really caused a lot of pain for us. I don't know how Veronica is not more upset about it."
"You said that Veronica is really trying. And, Logan, you said yourself, she admitted to you how much she needs you. You've become pretty close to Veronica's father. Can you talk with him about how you're feeling? I'm very concerned that no one is recognizing how difficult this experience was for you."
"Veronica's dad is pretty pissed at me right now. He specifically asked me not to...not to share Veronica's bed last night."
"Of course, he's worried about his daughter. He knows about the rape then?"
"He does now. I told him about the GHB, that I brought it to the party." Logan scoffs. "It's a mess. I'm surprised he didn't kill me himself when he found out."
"You said it was Veronica's idea to sleep together last night. You didn't press her, did you?"
"No! Of course not. She was crying; she wanted me to hold her. She said it was upsetting her that we were acting like she was weak and needed protecting. I tried to get her to go slowly, but...." Logan mumbles, "She was insistent. She keeps saying that it hurts her worse when we treat her like she's broken."
"From my short time with Veronica, I'm not surprised that she would feel that way. She needs to feel strong and in control, and she's been through an experience that took all that away from her. Still..." Friedman sighs. "The fact that she was raped, and now they used it against her...I'm very worried about both of you."
"She wants you to help us watch the videos so she can remember what happened that last day. She's unbelievable. She's so fucking determined."
"She's trying to get healthy, trying to get back to the Veronica she used to be any way she can," Friedman comments. "She's a very strong woman, Logan. She's going to be okay. You're going to be okay. You'll get through this, I'm sure of it. ...Logan, I'm sorry. I have a patient coming in. But you can call me anytime. You still have my home number too?"
"Yeah. Thanks," he says.
"I'm glad you called. Please, call me if you need me. Let's talk in a day or so, okay? Remember to really listen to Veronica when she talks. She'll tell you what she needs from you. And I'd like you to think about telling her what you need from her."
Logan disconnects. He takes a deep breath and massages his neck, stretching it to try to relieve some of his tension. The intense knot in his stomach gradually releases, and he realizes that the knot has been there, nagging and persistent, ever since the end of the operation. Logan admits to himself that he has tried to avoid examining his own behavior during the operation by focusing on taking care of her. He feels a curious mixture of relief, guilt, and sorrow after finally talking about what happened, and the therapist's concern for him does reassure him more than he would have thought possible. But despite Friedman's comments, he knows he can't possibly talk to Keith about these feelings. If I ever needed a father to talk to, it's now, he muses bitterly. He thinks about Veronica's strength and vows to hold onto the hope that somehow they will be okay.
•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
VERONICA MARS
10:00PM SHO ch: 340 60min 2009 TV-MA
Tightening the Noose
Logan and Veronica work on their story;
Leo digs into the goings-on at the Neptune
Grand; Leo picks up Veronica and Logan
for questioning.
Veronica: Kristen Bell. Logan: Jason Dohring.
Leo: Max Greenfield. Tina: Anna Campbell.
•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
CHAPTER NINETY-SEVEN: "TIGHTENING THE NOOSE"
Tues. 3/17/09 late morning: Sunset Cliffs Apartment, Neptune, CA
Veronica wakes up. She cautiously opens her eyes. I feel pretty good, she thinks to her surprise. I'm home, she remembers, and then she smiles, recalling the night before. She sits up and cautiously gets out of bed, favoring her shoulder; even her injury seems to be bothering her a little bit less after a good night's sleep in her own comfortable bed.
She walks out to the kitchen. Logan is sitting at the counter with several days' worth of newspaper spread around him.
"Hey," he says. "How are you feeling today?"
"Hey," she replies, suddenly shy. "I feel good. It's great to be home." Backup wakes up on the couch and joins them in the kitchen, hopeful for dropped food and some attention. Veronica bends down and begins to play with his ear; as she scratches his head, he whines happily.
"Want some breakfast? Eggs, pancakes..." he suggests.
"Did you eat?"
"A little bit, maybe an hour ago," he answers. "I've been catching up on the news."
She nods. "Where's Dad?"
"He left a note," Logan says, pushing it to her.
"'Went to the office....Logan, I need to speak to you,'" she reads. Puzzled, she asks, "What's that about?"
He looks at her for a moment before answering. "Well, if I had to guess, I'd say he's mad about me sleeping with you last night...your dad was slamming the cupboards pretty hard this morning when he made his breakfast. I'm surprised he didn't wake you up," Logan says.
"No, I slept like a log. It's, uh...the first time since the operation started that I haven't had any bad dreams," she concludes quietly. She sees him looking at her with concern. Don’t tell him, don’t let him see....
He suddenly grasps, I didn't realize...of course she's been having nightmares. "I'm glad you slept."
"He's mad about you sleeping with me?" she presses, trying hard to keep her voice logical and unemotional.
"We had a discussion last night about the sleeping arrangements. We both agreed it would be better for me to sleep on the couch."
"So you and Dad discussed where you were going to sleep without consulting me?" she blurts out angrily. 'You're a damaged person, Connie. You can't function in society.' Damn it to hell! "You were discussing my...mental fitness, my..." She exhales in frustration. "Do I get a vote? Last night, I thought you were...I thought you didn't want..." she swallows.
"Veronica. Come on. We're worried about you. We've talked about this, about letting the people who love you take care of you."
"I really want you guys to include me in these decisions, okay?" she says, fuming.
"Veronica, it was hard enough for your dad to say what he did. He probably doesn't even like to think about us having sex, and you know he's been pretty cool with us. He just wants you to be all right, like I do. And I'm not surprised he was mad when he woke up and realized I was plowing his beloved daughter the night before." A note of self-disgust creeps into his voice. I shouldn't have given in to her...goddamn, I'm such a fucking asshole.
Veronica squints at him and tries to read his mood, detecting something a little off in his comment. This is so fucking hard. Stop it, Veronica. That's Logan...focus. Plowing...he's feeling guilty about last night. She tries to calm down...they don't think you're damaged, Veronica. Logan loves you, he's worried about you. "Plowing?" she repeats aloud.
Logan attempts to deflect. "Okay...caressing your alabaster thighs and worshipping your quivering mound of Venus," he amends lightly. "...m'lady." He remembers what Friedman had said, 'I'd like you to think about telling her what you need from her,' but he rejects it out of hand as completely too intimidating.
Her anger about Logan and her dad being overprotective evaporates. Veronica shakes with the effort of repressing her laughter. "Mound of Venus...oh my god. Don't forget about your throbbing shaft," she finally adds, between giggles.
He pulls her to him and lifts her to sit on his lap. She rests her head on his shoulder and closes her eyes, and he puts his arms around her. Logan thinks, Now I'm completely screwed. I gave in to her; if I try to go slow again, she'll think I'm rejecting her. She'll never understand that I'm just scared of hurting her. How the hell am I going to do this without making things worse? Logan asks aloud, "You're really feeling okay today?"
"Better than okay." She opens her eyes and looks at his worried face. "It wasn't too soon," she protests. "I needed to feel loved last night. I'll talk to Dad."
"Oh, I want to be a fly on the wall for that conversation. And Veronica, you probably should do it sooner rather than later. I think he might have plans to hurt me," he comments. Logan swallows and screws up his courage. "He loves you, Veronica; he's trying to help you and protect you. And so am I. I love you so much, Veronica. Just...try to remember, I'm scared, and I don't know how to do this. I need you too...more than you know." Does that count as telling her what you need?
He idly strokes her hair for a while before he says, "Veronica, I have to talk to you about Kendall."
"Now what?" she mutters. I wish it could just be like this all the time, she suddenly thinks, closing her eyes and leaning against him. Fuck Kendall.
"Sacks told your dad last night that they found a partial fingerprint in Kendall's room, and it looks like a pretty close match to your fingerprints. It was in one of the drawers...maybe when you were searching for videotaping equipment that night. Sacks said that Leo's going to try to surprise you with that. You need to be prepared."
"I don't understand what Leo's trying to accomplish. We clearly have an alibi for the time when she was murdered."
"He's trying to make our lives miserable," Logan replies. Nervously, he continues, "Veronica, I'm...I'm so sorry about Kendall, about getting involved with her in the first place. You know, when you came by that morning, after Alterna-Prom, I....Veronica, I wish I could erase that from our lives. I wish I could rewind to the night before. I would have stopped drinking and locked myself in my room and waited to see if you changed your mind."
"Changed my mind?"
"When you left, when you didn't want to...."
Veronica says, "It wasn't that I didn't want to, I just needed to think about it. You're not the only one who was drinking that night."
"You? You were drinking?"
"I had a couple glasses of champagne. For me, that's like...wasted. And...you scared me. I mean, I knew; I knew you didn't hate me anymore."
"Veronica, I never hated you," Logan objects.
"Umm, I don't think that's true. But you know, you can't really hate someone unless you love them."
"So what you're saying is you really hated me," he says.
She nods. "Yes, I suppose so. And I also loved you, and that was scary."
Logan says, "I don't remember what happened that night. I guess I blacked out." He sighs. "You know that that happened to me pretty often in the old days when I was drinking. I don't remember calling Kendall, but then again I don't remember much of anything after you left. She might have just shown up; she did that a few times. And I think I was too fucked up that night to send her away. I'm so sorry, Veronica. I wanted to spend the rest of my life making that up to you. I hate that she's still making trouble for us."
"She can only make trouble for us if we let her."
"I hope you're right," he replies.
Veronica nods at the papers spread out on the counter. "Anything interesting in the papers?"
"Not much about Kendall. Leo's keeping a tight lid on the investigation."
"Because if we're his best suspects, he doesn't really have anything at all."
Logan nods. "Exactly."
Impulsively, Veronica blurts, "Why the hell isn't he looking into her connection with the Fitzpatricks?"
He meet her eyes; they don't need to answer the question. The purpose of Leo's vendetta is all too obvious. Logan changes the topic. "How about that breakfast now?"
"Scrambled eggs, maybe?"
"Coming right up."
He moves to put her down, and she says, "Just hold me for another minute, okay?"
"Okay," he agrees. He hugs her just a little bit tighter, wishing they could just forget about Kendall and Briar Hill and everything.
"Logan...." she says quietly.
"What?"
"What are we going to tell Leo about Kendall?" she asks.
"As little as possible," he replies.
"No, Logan. We need to be careful. You know he's going to try to question us. Let's figure out what we're going to say to him," she says persuasively.
"Dick said he has video of us in the Neptune Grand elevator. So we can't deny being there."
"That's not a crime. We rented a room for the night," Veronica says thoughtfully.
"We don't volunteer going to Duncan's room. That was the only time I saw her," Logan adds.
"I only saw her one other time, after Duncan's press conference. She was waiting for him at the hotel. And I didn't know who she was at the time."
"You can tell Leo that," Logan suggests.
She nods. "And we were in Briar Hill when she was murdered."
"So we're agreed? We don't mention that Duncan was having an affair with her. And we also don't say that she broke into Mars Investigations."
Veronica says quickly, "Of course not. The next day, after we talked to her, Dad erased the video of her in the office. He said there was no way he would open up that can of worms by pressing charges against her in the break-in."
"What about...what about the fingerprint they found in the drawer in Kendall's room?" Logan asks nervously. "How do we explain that?"
"I don't know. You said that Sacks said it was only a partial?" she queries.
"How long do fingerprints last?" he asks suddenly.
"Up to forty years."
"I love that you know that off the top of your head, Veronica." He thinks for a moment. "Why not just say you've been all over that hotel over the years? I lived there in two different rooms, and you were over all the time. You've been involved in a lot of investigations over the years; maybe there was a legitimate reason you looked in a drawer."
"At Alterna-Prom, a lot of kids rented rooms for the night," she suggests. "Maybe that was one of the rooms." She stays silent, thinking. Finally, she sighs. "I think it's best if I just say I don't know how my fingerprint got there, but I've been in the hotel hundreds of times over the years. It's not enough evidence to arrest me, especially if it's true that it's not a good print."
"I hope you're right. You realize...we're assuming Duncan didn't tell Leo he was having an affair with Kendall," Logan states.
"He can't. He might lose custody; he wouldn't take the chance."
"What if Leo found evidence that they were together? Duncan would have to admit it."
Veronica exhales. "I think he would have arrested Duncan if that was true. No matter what, we can't talk about confronting Kendall. We committed about twenty crimes that night–" Suddenly, she stops short.
"What?" Logan asks worriedly.
Veronica gets up and goes to her bedroom. She rummages in her desk and finds the bug detector. She turns it on and begins to sweep the apartment.
"Here...give it here. I've watched you do it enough times," Logan suggests. She hands it to him and takes a seat on the couch as he wanders all over the apartment. Finally, he plops down beside her on the couch and shakes his head.
"I'm getting paranoid," she says quietly.
"Except that he really is out to get us," Logan remarks.
"We just have to say we didn't know it was Kendall. That's it. There's no choice, Logan. Even if Duncan admits he had an affair with her, he's not going to tell Leo about that night. There's no reason for him to tell; it wouldn't exonerate him from a murder charge. I hope to hell he has an alibi for Kendall's murder."
~ • ~
Tues. 3/17/09 late morning: Neptune Grand Hotel, Neptune, CA
"Thank you for seeing me again, Tina," Leo says, taking a seat across the desk from the Neptune Grand manager. He notes that she looks a little nervous. "I have a few followup questions."
"Of course, Sheriff."
"Why didn't you tell me that Duncan Kane was staying at the hotel prior to his surrender to the authorities?" Leo asks.
"Duncan Kane? I thought you were investigating Ms. Casablancas. Why would I volunteer information about an unrelated guest?" Tina says in surprise.
"I'm just wondering why his name was not listed on the register that you provided for me. You certainly knew that Daniel Gillman was actually Duncan Kane after the publicity when he surrendered himself."
"I gave you a complete list of everyone who was staying at the hotel during Ms. Casablancas' stay, with the names that they used when they registered. It's not my job to investigate whether someone is registered under an assumed name," Tina says defensively.
"Right. But it might have saved me a little time, and I think you've made a point of protecting your guests' privacy over cooperating with me."
"Of course I'm protecting the guests' privacy! People stay at the Neptune Grand because we have a good reputation for keeping the paparazzi out. As I mentioned to you before, we often have clientele recuperating from plastic surgery here who are purposely avoiding the press."
Leo stares at her without speaking.
Tina grows increasingly more nervous. "There's nothing to tell anyways. Mr. Kane kept to himself."
"Yes, that appears to be true. Do you know if Mr. Kane had any contact with Ms. Casablancas during his stay here?"
"I'm sure that I wouldn't know. I don't stick my nose in my guests' business, and the employees are cautioned to do the same."
Leo sighs. "Can you at least tell me if their rooms were near each other?"
Tina flushes, and Leo thinks, Bingo. Tina says, "They were across the hall from each other on the third floor: Mr. Kane was in the Triton Suite, and Ms. Casablancas had the Naiad Suite."
Taking advantage of Tina's nervousness, Leo presses, "And what about Logan Echolls and his guest?"
"What?" Tina replies, rattled by the abrupt switch.
"Your security footage shows Mr. Echolls and Veronica Mars in the elevator together, during the period when both Mr. Kane and Ms. Casablancas were registered guests. But neither Echolls nor Mars shows up on the register."
Tina sighs. "Mr. Echolls was a longtime resident several years ago. He paid cash for one night's stay. I don't remember the name he used."
Helpfully, Leo says, "It was Saturday, February 28."
Tina clicks a few keys on her computer. "Hmm...I think he registered under 'Charles Windsor.'"
"But you say he used to be a longtime resident, and you clearly knew who he was. And at the time he was here in Neptune, he was supposedly in Europe. Of course he wouldn't want to use his real name to register."
Tina says impulsively, "I'm quite certain Mr. Echolls only had a romantic evening in mind. Perhaps he was just seeking a little privacy."
"I suppose that's possible. I hope for your sake he wasn't taking advantage of your good nature to hide his presence here. I wonder what the corporate owners of the Neptune Grand would think of you knowingly allowing guests to register under false names."
Tina sputters, "You're being completely ridiculous. What difference does it make if Logan Echolls stayed for a night at the hotel?"
"Surely you're aware that Mr. Echolls had an intimate relationship with Ms. Casablancas three years ago? They were meeting here at the hotel," Leo asks.
"Logan and Ms. Casablancas? I had no idea," Tina replies, shocked. "You can't think Logan Echolls had something to do with this."
"I see. Getting back to Mr. Kane..." Leo says thoughtfully. "You said he kept to himself. Do you keep records from room service?"
"Not the specific orders, but if the food is charged to the room, the total amounts will be listed on the bill," Tina answers.
"Let's see the room service charges for Mr. Kane and Ms. Casablancas. Can you make a printout?" Leo asks.
Tina reluctantly prints out several pages of charges, and Leo places the two bills side by side on her desk. Starting on February 8, Kendall's room service bills drop off dramatically, while Duncan's almost double in size. The trend continues until March 1, when Kendall's tab resumes its previous size.
"Looks like Mr. Kane and Ms. Casablancas might have been dining together. Until March 1...the day after Echolls and Ms. Mars were here. So maybe something happened during their visit," Leo muses aloud.
"I wouldn't know," Tina replies. "This could all be a coincidence."
"No, I don't think so. When Veronica Mars is involved, there's not much chance of something happening by accident. Tina, this is starting to look like a conspiracy of some type. Mr. Kane meets Ms. Casablancas and begins to spend a great deal with her until Mr. Echolls and Ms. Mars get involved. Perhaps they inform Mr. Kane that she is really Kendall, not Katerina Beversdorf. Then Mr. Kane stops spending time with Ms. Casablancas, and, for whatever reason, Ms. Casablancas is murdered about ten days later. I suggest you start cooperating with this investigation, immediately." Leo looks at the room service bills again. "It looks like somebody with the initials J.R. signed off on Mr. Kane's deliveries most of the time. Who would that be?"
Tina clicks a few keys, frowning at her computer. "Jeffrey Ratner. He's coming on shift at four o'clock."
Leo checks his watch, thinking about everything he has to do today. "I'll need his phone number, please. If you think of anything else, I'd like you to call me right away. I don't want to have to ask for your cooperation again."
~ • ~
Tues. 3/17/09 early afternoon: Sunset Cliffs Apartment/Sheriff's Department, Neptune, CA
Logan is lounging on the bed watching Veronica as she looks through her closet. She pulls out two selections and hangs them on the door, frowning. "What's the matter, sugarpuss?" he asks.
"The dress I want to wear is at school."
He props himself up on his elbows and points. "What's wrong with that one?"
"It's a little big on me normally." She looks down at her body, far thinner than normal. "It'll be a tent..."
"Right. What about the other one?"
"I'm trying to figure out if it will work with the sling."
"Let's try it." He gets off the bed and helps her remove the sling. She carefully pulls her t-shirt over her head with his assistance and steps out of her jeans. He stares at her, resisting the impulse to caress her and strip her out of her underwear.
"What?" she asks, using the mirror to look at him standing behind her.
"Nothing."
"No, what?"
"Just...it goes against my nature, to help you put clothes on," he finally mumbles.
She leans back against him. "We've got time."
"Don't tempt me, woman. You're supposed to be taking it easy." He takes the dress off the hanger and holds it for her to step into.
She steps into the dress, and he pulls it up and zips it for her. She looks in the mirror and suddenly says, "Crap."
"Now what?"
"I have to shave my legs," she replies. "I don't suppose...."
"A man's work is never done," he says with an exaggerated sigh.
"No, it's ridiculous." She leans forward into the closet again. "I'll just wear pants. These are probably small enough," she says, pulling a pair from the back of the closet. "Can you unzip me?"
"Yes, ma'am. My pleasure, bobcat." He helps her take off the dress, replacing it on a hanger. She steadies herself by holding onto him as he pulls up the slacks and helps her to fasten them. She regards herself in the mirror, frowning, as he looks on.
He says thoughtfully, "I think I remember these, Veronica. Freshman year, right? Pretty memorable embroidery on the back pocket, and I think they fit perfectly." Logan gives in to his impulses and runs his hand over her ass.
She turns a little and pretends to bat his hand away. "Freshman year? You weren't supposed to be looking at my ass. You were going out with the hottest girl in school."
"No, I wasn't." He grabs her hand and gently pulls her to him. He kisses the top of her head, watching her eyes in the mirror. "I've been in love with you for so long, Veronica." She relaxes into him, pressing herself into him as he draws little circles with his thumb on her waist.
With a regretful sigh, she says, "C'mon, let me pick a shirt." He releases her reluctantly, and Veronica selects a dark-colored turtleneck that will fit under the sling. He assists her carefully; she winces as he eases the right sleeve up her arm and cautiously helps the top over her head. "Maybe I can dress it up with a scarf," she muses. He straps the sling on her arm again, and she looks at her reflection. She sighs and says, "It'll have to do. It does cover up the stupid tattoos." She fusses with her red curls, frowning. "I hate this hair."
"You'd look beautiful in a paper bag with a clown wig," he tells her.
They hear loud voices arguing in the parking lot. Logan walks over to the window and looks out. "It's Leo, discussing something with one of the deputies."
Veronica joins him, "That's Carl. He always liked my dad. He must have taken over watching out for the paps from Sacks last night." They watch as Leo turns away in disgust. Carl gets in the police cruiser and leaves the parking lot.
The doorbell rings, and Logan's eyes meet Veronica's. "I'll let him in," Logan says.
Veronica follows him more slowly into the living room. Logan opens the door, saying, "Sheriff."
"Mr. Echolls. Veronica," Leo replies. He stares at Veronica, taking note of the sling, her hair, the dark circles under her eyes, and her thinness. He looks around the room, frowning when he sees the wheelchair from yesterday's journeys.
"How can we help you, Leo?" Veronica asks.
"Don't you guys answer your phone? I've called several times this morning," he replies.
Logan says, "The phone ringer's turned off. There have been paparazzi bothering us, and Veronica needed to get her sleep last night. She was injured...I don't know if you know about that."
"I did hear about your adventure in Vermont. Pretty good detective work, sounds like. I also heard about an arrest for assault and battery," Leo comments. "I have to tell you, I was surprised to find one of my off-duty deputies sitting in your parking lot when I got here."
"Dad still has some friends on the force. I guess he didn't want to have to run a gauntlet of reporters when we got back late last night, so he asked for some help from his old friends. How can we help you, Leo?" she repeats.
"Well, I'm glad to find you both here. I'd like to speak with you down at the station about Kendall Casablancas." He nods at the newspapers spread out on the counter. "I see you've been catching up with the current events, so I'm sure you're aware that she was murdered."
"Is it really necessary to do this today, Sheriff?" Logan tries to keep his voice polite and respectful. "Veronica was released from the hospital yesterday. We've come back to town just to attend the Mackenzie funeral, and I was hoping Veronica could just rest today."
Leo checks his watch. "The funeral's not until 4:00. We've got plenty of time, assuming you can clear up some of my questions about Ms. Casablancas."
"Are you making this an official request?" Veronica asks. "We'd be happy to come by first thing tomorrow morning. I am feeling pretty tired today."
"This shouldn't take long," Leo replies. "I'd really like to speak with you today. It's already been almost a week since Ms. Casablancas was killed."
Veronica stares at him. "Of course we're happy to cooperate in any investigation," she says finally.
Logan says, "Give me a second to get changed." He glances at Veronica, mouthing, 'Cliff', and heads into her bedroom.
He goes into her bedroom and shut the door. He grabs her cellphone, still in its charger on her bureau. He notes the display, '112 missed calls', and thumbs through the menus, looking for an entry for Cliff McCormack. He dials and speaks in a low voice when Cliff answers. "Cliff, it's Logan Echolls...are you busy?"
"Mr. Echolls, one of my favorite clients. You always had such...ahem, colorful arrests. And...to be fair, you always paid your bills on time."
"Yeah, good times. I hope I still get the frequent flyer discount," he replies. "Did Keith talk to you?"
"I've been in depositions all morning. What's going on?"
"Sheriff D'Amato is taking Veronica and me in to the station for questioning in the Kendall Casablancas murder."
"You've been arrested?"
"Not yet," Logan says drily. "And we're sort of hoping to prevent that. Can you meet us at the sheriff's department? The sheriff has apparently been trying to build a case against us, and we'd feel a lot better with some legal representation."
"What is with you kids today? I wish you'd leave the murdering to the grownups. I'll meet you there in twenty minutes."
Logan disconnects; he gets dressed quickly, putting the phone in his pocket. He walks back out into the living room. "Do you think your dad would mind if I borrowed a tie?"
"Of course not, go ahead."
Logan ducks into Keith's bedroom and emerges a minute later, tying a red and blue striped tie. He walks over to Veronica and puts his arm around her. "Ready?"
"I need my cell," she remembers suddenly as she grabs her purse.
"I got it," he says, meeting her glance. She nods.
"Let's go," Leo announces. He escorts them to the parking lot.
Logan motions that Veronica should take the front seat, and he gets into the back of the cruiser. "I'm having the weirdest deja vu right now. Except it really should be Lamb in the front seat and my arms should be cuffed uncomfortably behind my back."
"Logan," Veronica says warningly.
Leo retorts, "Lately I've regretted that I didn't take you in when you showed up drunk at that eighties dance. It might have saved some heartbreak for all of us if you'd been sent to a rehab that night."
"Wow. And I thought you didn't remember the night we met," Logan says sarcastically. "I wrote in my journal that night: the cutest deputy in Neptune showed up at the dance. And then he broke my heart when he acted like I didn't exist." He clasps his hands together and leans his cheek against his hands.
"Logan, you do have the right to remain silent," Veronica says firmly. "Could you possibly exercise that right?"
Logan can't resist one last parting shot. "Of course, I can think of fifty thousand reasons why the sheriff should have a soft spot in his heart for me."
"Logan!" Veronica hisses, turning around in the seat to glare at him. She sucks in her breath loudly when she accidentally twists her shoulder. Under her breath, she mutters, "Fuck...fuck!" She leans forward with her eyes closed, waiting for the pain to subside.
"Veronica, are you all right?" Logan says quickly. "Sheriff, please stop. Please."
Leo glances at Veronica and slows the cruiser. "You really are hurt."
"Yes," she replies briefly, breathing through the pain. "They're going to have to do surgery on my shoulder to repair it."
Leo's face betrays him with a momentary expression of guilt and regret before he resumes his serious demeanor. He pretends to concentrate on his driving and again ignores his inner voice that keeps repeating, 'don't do this.'
"Sheriff. I'm sorry I was screwing around," Logan says contritely. "Please, can we possibly wait on this? Veronica just got out of the hospital. She's supposed to be resting. You can talk to me today, just take Veronica back to the apartment."
Leo glances back at him.
Before Leo can respond, Veronica interjects, "No, it's all right, let's get this over with. Just...Logan, do you think you could possibly refrain for once?" she says warningly.
"I'm sorry," he says sincerely. Logan manages to keep quiet for the rest of trip to the sheriff's department. When Leo lets him out of the back seat, he goes to Veronica and solicitously escorts her into the building, where Cliff is waiting.
"Sheriff," Cliff says, standing up to greet them.
"Counselor," Leo replies. He waits, expecting Cliff to leave; he finally realizes Cliff is there for Logan and Veronica. He half-turns to Logan and says, "You called him from the bedroom. You realize you don't need an attorney; I'm just asking you a few questions. I have to say, it makes me wonder why you're so nervous that you need an attorney."
Cliff replies for them. "Sheriff, my clients are just exercising their right to representation. They asked me to help them to clear this up as quickly as possible."
Leo frowns and leads them to his office. Veronica whispers to Logan, "Try to keep your wit under control, will you?"
"Sorry," he mumbles.
Leo motions to a seat outside his office door. "Who's going first?" At their expression, he explains, "Oh, you didn't think I was going to question you together, did you? No, I think it's better this way. I'm more likely to hear the truth."
"Go ahead," Logan says to Veronica. "Maybe if this doesn't take too long, one of the deputies can take you back to the apartment for a nap before the funeral." He kisses her on the top of her head. "Tell the truth, honey."
She snorts. "I'm made of truth, remember?" Veronica grabs his hand and squeezes it before walking into Leo's office, followed closely by the sheriff and Cliff.
He smiles, remembering the last outgoing message he put on his cell phone. 'When my love swears that she is made of truth, I do believe her though I know she lies, That she might think me some untutor'd youth, Unlearned in the world's false subtleties....Therefore I lie with her, and she with me, And in our faults by lies we flatter'd be.' William Shakespeare. Logan pulls out Veronica's cell and accesses the call menu. One hundred and twelve missed calls. Most of the calls say 'Private Caller' or 'Out of Area', and Logan assumes that they are calls from reporters. He notes that Casablancas Jr, R. called five times. Duncan, whose cell phone is apparently under the name 'Daniel', called twenty-four times. What the hell is Duncan calling her about? Logan really does want Duncan to get custody, but he can't help his flash of jealousy when he thinks of Veronica working with him. He hits '2' on the phone, and the display reads "Calling...Dad Cell".
"Veronica?" Keith says.
"No, it's Logan," he replies. Keith is silent in response. He's furious with me, Logan thinks despondently. He says, "We're at the Sheriff's Department. Leo is questioning Veronica now. I'm next."
"I'll get Cliff–"
"I called him. He's in there with Veronica," Logan interrupts.
"Good," Keith replies succinctly.
I'm sorry...I'm sorry I fucked your daughter last night, Logan thinks morosely. He waits to see if Keith is going to bring it up. When there is only silence on the line, Logan adds, "Umm, about uh...your note, I want to talk to you too. I understand why you're upset."
There is no response. Keith's silence is more scary than a lecture, Logan thinks.
Finally, Keith says, "We'll talk about it later. Thanks for letting me know what's going on. Be careful." He terminates the call.
•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
VERONICA MARS
10:00PM SHO ch: 340 60min 2009 TV-MA
Made of Truth
Leo questions Veronica and Logan; Keith
reports to Ms. Denenberg; Mac worries
about Veronica's safety to no avail.
Veronica: Kristen Bell. Logan: Jason Dohring.
Leo: Max Greenfield. Keith: Enrico Colantoni.
Cliff: Daran Norris. Mac: Tina Majorino.
Stephanie Denenberg: Stacy Edwards.
Alan: Ned Vaughan. Sacks: Brandon Hillock.
•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
CHAPTER NINETY-EIGHT: "MADE OF TRUTH"
Tues. 3/17/09 afternoon: Sheriff's Office, Neptune Sheriff's Department, Neptune, CA
Leo comments, "I don't know what's more sickening, when you and Echolls are lovey-dovey or when you're fighting," Leo comments.
"We've had a complicated relationship. It's hard when your boyfriend's father murders your best friend," Veronica explains drily.
"It's interesting you say that, 'complicated relationship'. I've been looking into your history a bit." He pushes a sheet of paper across the desk to her. "See if I got it right."
Veronica, more curious than she is willing to admit, picks up the paper and begins to read. Cliff looks over her shoulder, reading along.
Fall 2002-Fall 2003:Veronica looks up. How the hell does he know that? She purses her lips and starts to read again.
Duncan with Veronica, Lilly with Logan
Oct-Dec 2003:
Duncan breaks it off with Veronica; rumors of Duncan's violent fits
Lilly Kane is murdered
Keith Mars suspects Jake Kane
Keith Mars recalled in election
Abel Koontz is arrested
Veronica supports her father and is ostracized at school; Logan Echolls fans the flames of public opinion against Veronica
Spring 2004-Spring 2005:"What the hell is this? 'Kendall possible cause of breakup with Veronica?'" she asks. Cliff touches her on the shoulder, reminding her to be careful.
Keith Mars continues to investigate Lilly's murder
Spring 2005:
Logan's mother dies; Logan gets together with Veronica
Aaron Echolls is arrested for Lilly's murder
Summer 2005:
Logan and Veronica together
Veronica breaks it off with Logan; Veronica gets back together with Duncan
Kendall marries Richard Casablancas, Sr.
Fall 2005:
Logan has relationship with Kendall (Kendall possible cause of breakup with Veronica?)
"Was Kendall the reason you broke it off with Echolls?" he replies.
"No! We broke it off because...because...." she hesitates. Because he was acting crazy. Because he was trying to start a class war in Neptune. Because he scared me with how much he loved me. She concludes, "We broke it off because we weren't getting along. He was going through a lot at the time. He had been accused of murder, you remember."
"Oh, let me add that in there," Leo says, taking the paper back. He scribbles a few words and pushes the paper back to her.
She glares at him when she sees what he has written. Veronica resolves to read the rest of the summary before reacting again.
Summer 2005:Veronica realizes that someone who witnessed their public breakup has told Leo about her fight with Duncan. Dick? I can't see Dick volunteering that information to the sheriff. Veronica mentally reviews who witnessed that fight. No, not Dick...I bet it was Madison. She resolves to kill Madison, once and for all, if the bitch actually can be killed. Need to get my silver stake sharpened, if Leo doesn't arrest me. She continues reading; each sentence is unfortunately and painfully true, and her stomach twists in knots.
Logan and Veronica together; Logan charged with murder, Veronica dumps him without a second thought
Veronica breaks it off with Logan; Veronica gets back together w/ Duncan
Kendall marries Richard Casablancas, Sr.
Fall 2005:
Logan has relationship with Kendall (Kendall possible cause of breakup with Veronica?)
Logan and Duncan living together at the Neptune Grand while Duncan is dating Veronica and Logan is sleeping with Kendall
Kendall seduces Duncan
Duncan breaks it off with Veronica; Duncan runs with his baby
Spring 2006:Veronica is appalled at the specificity of Leo's notes. He has apparently worked hard to compile evidence that Duncan and Kendall had some connection. And she reflects that it looks bad that she and Logan were at the Grand right before Duncan and Kendall apparently ended their relationship. Unfortunately, Dad was right. Leo is a good investigator; if only he was actually investigating the right thing.
Cassidy Casablancas commits suicide
Fall 2006:
Kendall Casablancas disappears
Fall 2006-Fall 2008:
unknown status of relationship between Logan and Veronica
Kendall changes her appearance
Duncan, still on the run, changes his appearance
Fall 2008:
Veronica's mother murdered
Rumors of conspiracy between Logan, Veronica, and Duncan
Logan and Veronica resume relationship
Spring 2009:
Duncan comes back to Neptune; checks in to the Neptune Grand Hotel on Feb. 2, 4:38pm; uses the name 'Daniel Gillman'
Kendall comes back to Neptune; checks in to the Neptune Grand, Feb. 2, 10:22pm; uses the name 'Pamela Hollister'
Feb. 8-Feb. 28: Duncan and Kendall appear to have a relationship, based on room service records
Feb. 9: Duncan signs plea agreement in Manning kidnapping case
Feb. 28, 11:49pm: Logan and Veronica at Neptune Grand Hotel, as evidenced by security footage
Mar. 5: Duncan closes on house purchase; deed filed at County Hall of Records
Mar. 6: Duncan checks out of Neptune Grand Hotel, 10:07am
Mar. 11: Kendall murdered; approx. time of death between 9pm and 1am.
Suddenly, it's all just too much, and she struggles not to burst into tears. This is too hard...it's too much, I can't...I never should have helped Duncan, what was I thinking? I was so stupid...why didn't I see that Meg was lying to us? Instead I used Logan, used Dad, used Kendall...never thought about what might happen. Leo is staring at her, wondering at her silence, and she fights to hold it together. 'You're going to have to do better. Connie needs to work a little harder on her honesty.'
Cliff asks, "Vee? You okay?" He turns to Leo. "Sheriff, maybe we need to take a little break."
Veronica finds her voice and says, "I'm just tired. We just got back last night, you know." She hands Leo's notes back to him. "How puritanical of you, to spend all this time snooping into our love lives."
"The four of you have quite a history."
"Is there a question here?" Cliff acts. "This is all very interesting, but high school romances usually aren't a motive for murder."
Leo says, "Did you know that Kendall Casablancas was back in town?"
"No," Veronica replies.
"Were you aware that she had resumed her affair with Duncan Kane?" Leo presses.
Resumed. Fuck. At the time, that ruse seemed like a good idea. She takes a breath to speak.
Cliff interrupts before she can answer. "Ms. Mars just said she didn't know that Ms. Casablancas was back in town. How could she be aware who Ms. Casablancas was sleeping with?"
"Do you know why Ms. Casablancas disappeared in 2006?" Leo asks, changing tacks.
"Wasn't she involved with that Phoenix Land Trust with Cassidy?" Veronica asks. There, that was completely honest. I can do this. "Maybe it was something to do with that. You say she 'disappeared' and make it sound suspicious. Maybe Kendall just left town and started looking for a new sugar-daddy."
"Right." Leo thinks a minute. "You're saying you've had no contact with Ms. Casablancas since she came back to Neptune?"
"I met her in the hallway of the Neptune Grand. I didn't know it was Kendall. She introduced herself as Katya," Veronica answers. There's no point hiding this. He knows Duncan was involved with her. Shit. Carefully, Veronica continues. "I was with Duncan that day. I don't believe he knew it was Kendall, either."
Leo pounces. "So Duncan was having an affair with Ms. Casablancas?"
"I don't believe that's what my client said. She said she met a woman named Katya in the hallway, and that her friend Duncan was not aware the woman was really Kendall Casablancas. I believe Ms. Mars was very clear in her statement," Cliff parses. "Shouldn't you be asking Mr. Kane that question?"
"Oh, I have. And he's been very evasive, and it makes me wonder why," Leo replies. "It must be very painful for you that this woman slept with two of the men you've loved."
"Is there a question on the table?" Cliff asks.
"Did you harbor resentment against Ms. Casablancas?" Leo asks.
"It was none of my business who Logan slept with when we were broken up. And when I thought Duncan had cheated on me with Kendall, I wasn't mad at her, I was mad at him," Veronica explains.
"Wait, when you thought Duncan cheated on you?" Leo asks suspiciously.
Judgmental...resentful...critical. She imagines Leo running a finger down her moral inventory, checking off all the qualities that apply. She takes a deep breath and tries to explain. "I don't think he did cheat on me. Kendall might have tried to seduce him, but Duncan's a good person, and he wouldn't have done that to me. At the time of our breakup, he was focused on his baby, and I was...I was being a little girl, a petty bitch to tell you the truth. I was jealous that he still had ties to Meg Manning, the mother of his child, and I was looking for an excuse to get mad at him and break it off."
Cliff frowns at her.
She notices his look and continues, "Yeah, I was being immature. I was eighteen! I couldn't handle that my boyfriend had gotten another girl pregnant."
"Of course, it's good that you broke it off with him before he ran with the baby."
"What are you insinuating?" Veronica asks, her voice quavering.
"The FBI files indicates that they were suspicious that you helped Duncan flee the country with his baby. Odd behavior for an ex-girlfriend who supposedly was jealous about the pregnancy."
Cliff clears his throat. "I really wish you'd make up your mind, Sheriff. Is my client being questioned about Ms. Casablancas' murder or a three-year-old kidnapping charge?"
"Just wondering if there's a connection. Maybe Kendall witnessed something in the kidnapping case and decided to blackmail Ms. Mars. And of course there's no statute of limitations on aiding and abetting kidnapping."
"And Kendall waited until now to come forward, after completely altering her appearance for an unknown reason?" Cliff says sarcastically.
Leo leans forward. "I know something's going on here, Veronica. Don't let Logan Echolls and Duncan Kane ruin your life. I'd like to help you."
'You're still not able to be honest with yourself, Connie. Why won't you let us help you?' She tries to ignore the persistent, nagging voice and focuses on Leo's face, twisted with the attempt to conceal his hatred of her. "Oh, I doubt that," she replies, as evenly as she can. She tries to appeal to his sense of logic. "Leo, you know that I was on an undercover operation when Kendall was murdered. I was wearing a wire. I was being observed by the FBI. You can't think I had anything to do with Kendall's murder."
Leo stares at her, trying to gauge her honesty. "We found a fingerprint in Ms. Casablancas' room that is consistent with your fingerprints, Veronica. Care to explain how that got there?"
Cliff interrupts. "Consistent with? How many points of comparison are we talking?"
Reluctantly, Leo says, "Three."
"Don't answer, Veronica. Sheriff, you know that evidence would probably be thrown out as inadmissible."
"Except as rebuttal evidence," Leo notes. "Ms. Mars is saying she had no contact with Ms. Casablancas other than a chance meeting in the hallway at the Neptune Grand, yet her fingerprint was found in Ms. Casablancas' hotel room. In a drawer, by the way. Why were you looking in Kendall's drawers, Veronica?"
"This interview is over, Sheriff. You're not trying to get information from my client, you're trying to sandbag her. And you are making accusations based on flimsy and circumstantial evidence, when clearly my client has an unbreakable alibi for the time of Ms. Casablancas' murder. I'm advising my client not to talk to you any further," Cliff says, rising from his chair.
"I might only have circumstantial evidence now, but I'm sure I'll be finding more evidence as I continue to look into this. And as for that unbreakable alibi? I'm thinking conspiracy. Mr. Kane doesn't have an alibi for the night in question, you know."
Oh shit, she thinks. Duncan! She opens her mouth to speak, but Cliff puts a restraining hand on her arm.
Leo continues, "We're not done here, Veronica. It's okay though, I'd like to see what Echolls has to say for himself."
"After this performance, I'm going to advise Mr. Echolls to stick to his name, rank, and serial number," Cliff comments.
"Veronica, why don't you tell Mr. Echolls to come in here? Unless he's got something to hide," Leo says.
Veronica stands up and exits the room shakily. Logan stands up; seeing her upset demeanor, he immediately hugs her. "Are you okay?"
"Damn him," she whispers. "Be careful." She realizes Leo has followed her to the hallway and puts on a light tone. "Have fun in there, sweetie. Play nice with the sheriff."
Logan looks at her with concern and asks, "Sheriff, can one of the deputies run Veronica home? She needs her rest."
Leo replies, "It's a busy day for us here with the security for the funeral later. It might be a while. You can call a cab if you want."
Veronica frowns. Security? "You're providing security for the Mackenzie funeral?"
"Of course. The FBI is presuming it was a mafia hit. We're coordinating security with them," he replies brusquely. "Let's go, Echolls."
Veronica thinks, The Russian mob was trying to take out Mac in the bombing. But she was already in witness protection. Didn't the mob already know that? I know the Russian mafia sometimes kills the whole family for retribution...but...retribution for what? It was Rick Picket who was investigating the flirt-bot program. She thinks back. Wallace had told her, 'I did some checking, and the day before the bombing, the FBI arrested fifteen Russian guys in Florida on multiple charges of identity theft, racketeering, conspiracy, and fraud. There wasn't a lot of details, but it sounded like computer crime, and I'll bet Mac had something to do with the arrests.'
We know Mac is friggin' brilliant, and we're assuming she helped the FBI investigate, but how would the Russian mafia figure out that she was responsible for those arrests? It's not like the FBI would tell the mafia who investigated, especially if a civilian was helping them. Her head begins to hurt again just thinking about it. I'm getting so confused. Why would the mafia bomb the Mackenzies? Why can't I figure this out?
"Leo...I mean, Sheriff?" she asks.
"What?" he replies in an irritated voice.
"Something's not right about this funeral. The whole bombing doesn't make sense. Why did the Russian mob go after Mac's family?"
"How the hell do I know? I'm not in charge of the investigation into the Mackenzie bombing," Leo says. "Let's go, Echolls." He motions that Logan should go into his office.
~ • ~
Tues. 3/17/09 afternoon: Denenberg Residence, Neptune, CA
Ms. Denenberg opens the door before Keith can ring the bell. "Mr. Mars, thank you for coming."
"Keith, please," he replies.
"Come in," she says, escorting him into the office.
He observes that she looks tired and upset. When they enter the living room, he sees the television tuned to CNN with the sound muted, and he realizes that she's been watching the news reports about the school since the story broke. He picks up a remote controller on the coffee table and turns off the television. Keith sits down on the couch. "Ms. Denenberg, how are you doing?"
"Stephanie. It's Stephanie," she mutters.
"Stephanie. This must be very difficult for you."
"They don't say much on the reports. They keep listing the charges against Peter Klein, aggravated assault and battery, child abuse, failure to report abuse to the authorities...." her voice trails off. "I keep picturing–"
He nods, "You need to know what it was like. Your imagination is running wild."
"Were they physically hurting Hannah? Is your daughter okay? I'm sorry, I should have asked right away. Is Veronica okay?"
"Stephanie, Veronica will be fine."
Ms. Denenberg looks stricken. "Will be fine? She's not fine now? Oh god. I never should have done this."
Keith sighs. "Please don't say that. I believe we did a lot of good with this investigation." He summarizes the operation for her. He stresses at several points that Veronica had to push back against the school in order to gather evidence quickly. He explains that they did not want to have Veronica undercover indefinitely, and they needed to force the issue. Keith calmly details Veronica's injuries; he minimizes the psychological confusion she manifested when the operation ended, reminding himself that he will need to brief her again at a later date, before the trial and Veronica's testimony. Ms. Denenberg begins to calm down, hearing the facts of the operation recited in an unexcited narrative.
"Stephanie, we found out that one of the teachers at the school helped Hannah to escape. We located that teacher and spoke to her. Apparently, after her experience with your daughter, she decided to devote her life to helping the students at these schools. Several months after Hannah escaped, this teacher received a postcard from her that indicates that your daughter was happy and doing well."
"Doing well? I thought she was working as a...prostitute, taking drugs and...." Ms. Denenberg replies, confused.
"That might not be true." Keith takes out the postcard. He has protected it in a plastic bag; he shows it to Hannah's mother, who examines it closely.
Ms. Denenberg reads aloud, "'Thank you for everything. I am safe and happy because of you.'" She turns the over and looks at the picture of a meadow on the front. "'Safe and happy,'" she repeats. "It does look like Hannah's writing."
"The teacher explained that Hannah said that she used to imagine herself running through a meadow, completely free and happy, whenever she was being attacked in group therapy or punished for something at the school."
Ms. Denenberg begins to cry. "Why would they punish her?"
"Hannah insisted that she wasn't doing drugs, and they were trying to make her admit that she did. Stephanie...." Keith begins.
"What? Tell me."
"Your daughter was very brave. At one point, she used silverware to cut herself, hoping that a doctor would take her seriously and contact you," Keith says.
Horrified, Stephanie replies, "They said she was cutting...I assumed it was, you know, what you read about, teenagers and razor blades. The school said it was evidence she was disturbed."
"I don't think Hannah was disturbed at all, and based on what I saw there, I don't believe she was using drugs either. The school has a vested interest in declaring each student to be an incorrigible drug addict; they diagnose all the students as addicts and keep them there for treatment until they are eighteen or sometimes even longer."
"I don't understand. How did she end up in Los Angeles on the...on the streets, if she was in," Stephanie consults the postcard, "Rio Linda, happy and safe."
"I don't know. With your permission, I'd like to go up to Rio Linda and see if I can find anyone who remembers Hannah. Obviously, she was living under an assumed name, but there would have been limited options for a minor to earn a living."
"Of course. Of course!! I want to come with you," she says impulsively. "Please."
"Stephanie, I don't think that's a good idea. Let me find out what I can first." Gently, he adds, "I don't want someone's revelations to hurt you more than you've already been hurt. Let me handle this, and I promise, I'll tell you what I find out. I promise I won't keep secrets from you."
He looks at her sympathetically, and she nods that she understands. "You're right, Keith. I...I couldn't handle much more...." She stand up and begins to wander around the room. She touches various items, occasionally lifting them and examining them closely. Keith watches, uncertain what to say. Finally she says, "I...I keep thinking that she didn't think she could call me for help. She didn't trust her mother not to send her back to the school after she escaped...her own mother. She thought I wanted her to be in a place where she was being tortured and abused. I don't think I can forgive myself for that."
"Stephanie, you know that you are a victim of the school as well."
"I don't feel like a victim. I sent my daughter away...I let that man...I paid that man to abuse her." She drops onto the couch and begins to sob, her head in her hands. Keith moves to her; he pats her on the back, and she stiffens in response. Stephanie weeps in earnest, her shoulders shaking compulsively. He pulls into a hug, and she cries desperately against his shoulder as he rubs her back. The sobs finally begin to lessen, and she pulls away. "I'm sorry...I'm sorry, Keith. I can't sleep, I can't eat. I don't know what to do."
"Stephanie, I feel certain that, given time, you and Hannah would have reunited and she would have realized that you were only trying to do what was best. I'm sure she knew that you loved her."
"I did love her. I didn't know...I didn't know."
Keith says gently, "It's not easy to be a parent. I know that firsthand. We try our best, and we make mistakes. I found out recently that I made a terrible mistake with my daughter five years ago. I feel like I'll never forgive myself for not seeing what she was going through. It's not easy to be a parent," he repeats. "You have to try to forgive yourself; you were a victim of the school as well."
She nods, staring into space.
Keith hesitates. He knows that she needs to know what might be coming. "Stephanie, there's another matter we need to discuss." He sighs. "In these situations, the schools usually offer a substantial cash settlement in return for an agreement to drop the charges and not to discuss the terms of the settlement or the allegations. Have they approached you with an offer?"
"No, and I wouldn't accept it."
"You're sure? I'm quite sure they will be offering a very large sum for your silence and cooperation."
"Bastards," she spits. "No way in hell. I don't want a penny from them. It would be blood money."
"It might be years of litigation, Stephanie. Epstein may not tell you this, but you need to know what's going to happen. You are going to have to relive what happened to your daughter over and over again, in the press, in the courtroom, on TV talk shows...it's not going to be easy. Are you prepared to go all the way with this? I'll support you, whatever you decide. A large financial settlement would hurt the school. It might even force them to close."
"No," she says firmly. "I want them to go to jail, especially that Peter Klein. CNN ran an old interview with him. I vomited up my lunch, hearing him talk about dedicating his life to helping young people."
"That's not all. Parents of students at the schools who don't want the schools to shut down may begin to harass you or threaten you. I'm not telling you what to do; I'm just telling what it's going to be like. And the school will probably sue you, Stephanie. You signed a nondisclosure agreement when you enrolled Hannah that prevents you from revealing the copyrighted treatment methods used by the school."
"But it was false advertising, and it wasn't even treatment, it was...I don't know, it was insanity is what it was."
"Yes, those are defenses that you can use when they sue. And I will testify on your behalf, and we can use the videotape evidence collected by the FBI, which is not bound by the nondisclosure agreement."
"Would they...would they sue you too?" she asks, horrified.
He nods. "I'm expecting it."
"Keith, you will allow me to pay for your defense. This is unconscionable. The other parents in the class-action lawsuit will help as well, I'll make certain of it. I've been in touch with them, and we won't allow you to suffer because of this."
"Thank you, I appreciate that." Keith glances at his watch. "I need to get going. I'll take a trip up to Rio Linda as soon as possible, and I'll let you know what I find." He stands up, and she follows him to the door.
At the front door, Ms. Denenberg says, "Keith, please tell your daughter thank you for me. I'd like to...I'd like to meet her, when she's feeling okay, to thank her in person. And...Mr. Echolls was helping as well, wasn't he? I saw his name on the news...I was so horrible to him when he was dating Hannah."
"Logan did not always use good judgment in the past; I was so angry that I threw him against a wall once myself. I know he regrets what happened to Hannah and blames himself. He volunteered to help because he was worried about Veronica's safety, and I know he also wanted to try to redeem himself by helping with the investigation."
"Please...tell him thank you as well." She closes the front door behind him; he catches a final glimpse of her haunted face, and he thinks again that he is incredibly grateful that Veronica is okay.
~ • ~
Tues. 3/17/09 afternoon: Sheriff's Department, Neptune, CA
When Logan and Leo enter Leo's office, Cliff whispers quietly to Logan, "It's pretty much a fishing expedition here. I think your best bet is to keep your mouth shut."
"So, Mr. Echolls," Leo begins. "Tell me about your relationship with Kendall Casablancas."
"That's pretty sick, don't you think? What do you want to know...positions, duration, did I make her scream? The answer is 'yes, I did,'" Logan replies flippantly. Cliff glances at Logan; he realizes that Logan is trying to disguise his nervousness with sarcasm.
"Are we talking recently, or three years ago?" Leo asks.
"Let's see, the last time I made her scream, that would be...let's see, May, three years ago, which would be 2006. Do you need to know the details? I believe she started on top, but it might not have ended that way," Logan explains. "And of course, there was some kinky role-playing. I was the dirty cop, and she was the hooker with a heart of gold trying to get off. I think she did get off, several times if I recall correctly." Pretending to think, he counts off 'one, two, three' with his fingers and smirks at Leo. More seriously, he continues, "Lookit...the woman was a tramp. We had a sexual relationship and that's it. I never cared about her, and I'm pretty sure she never cared about me."
"What about recently? Did you have any contact with her in the last few months?"
"No, I did not. And I would remember bodacious tatas like hers." Cupping his hands in front of him, he smiles in appreciation.
"Were you aware she changed her appearance?" Leo pulls out a photo from the file in front of him and places it in front of Logan.
Logan studies the photo. "Upgrade, I'd say. Although...a little too classy looking for her personality."
"Were you aware that she changed her appearance?" Leo stresses in exasperation.
"No, Kendall did not consult me on her plastic surgery." He pushes the photo back to Leo. "I guess she's still hot, if you're not picky about fidelity."
"Did you know that she had started an affair with Duncan Kane?" Leo asks.
"An affair?" Logan looks at Cliff, who shakes his head slightly. "You think she had an affair with Duncan?"
"It looks like they were sharing room service together for a few weeks. Their rooms were directly across the hall from each other."
"Oh, well, if they were eating together, they must have been having sex. You must have gone to the same crime-fighting school Lamb went to. Did McGruff the Crime Dog teach you guys to jump to conclusions?" Logan asks sarcastically. "I'll need sperm, or I'm just not going to believe that Duncan was doing Kendall. He's a little backward in the sack, you know."
"I'll tell him you said that," Leo replies.
"I roomed with the guy remember? I should know," Logan adds.
"Yeah, wasn't he doing your girlfriend at the time? Couldn't have been too backward," Leo comments.
Cliff puts a restraining hand on Logan's arm. "Cool it, Logan. You don't have to answer these questions." Logan grimaces in response. Cliff continues, "Sheriff, these kind of comments are not productive."
Leo shuffles some papers on the desk. "According to Homeland Security, you haven't crossed a border in the last six months. So you were never actually in Madeira, is that correct?"
"That's correct."
"Where were you when you were supposedly out of the country?"
"South Padre Island, Texas."
"And why were you there?"
"I needed to get away for awhile. My ex-girlfriend was murdered, and the paparazzi were hounding me," Logan replies.
"Oh right, that was the previous girlfriend that got murdered," Leo remarks. "I see that you withdrew $50,000 in cash on January 27. What was that for?"
"You were looking at my bank records?" Logan turns to Cliff. "Can he do that?"
"If he had a subpoena," Cliff replies. Logan looks at Leo, who nods, eyebrows raised, to indicate that, yes, he had a subpoena.
Logan swallows. "Last time I checked, U.S. citizens are still allowed to withdraw cash from a bank account."
"Is there some reason you don't want to tell me why you needed cash?"
"I was hiding from Veronica. I wasn't ready to talk to her, and I knew she'd be able to trace me through my credit cards. So I used cash for a while. I have about half of it left. It's at the Mars apartment if you want to check."
"Logan," Cliff warns, "You don't have to explain this."
"I didn't do anything wrong. I left town for a while. I used cash, cash that belonged to me."
"Why did you hire someone to take your place?" Leo presses. "Were you trying to create an alibi for yourself?"
All of a sudden, Logan's anger surfaces. In a loud voice, he spells it out. "Are you listening to me? The paparazzi were on me night and day...saying that I was just like my father, accusing me of...statutory rape and murder. Yeah, I hired a guy to pretend to be me, and I laid low for a while. If you'd grown up with the paparazzi like I did...they hounded my mother to an early death. Can you wrap your tiny brain around that, Sheriff?"
Leo stares back at Logan, processing his statements. "What do you think the paparazzi would do with the information that you used to be involved with Kendall Casablancas?"
The question is like a sucker punch to Logan's gut. "You wouldn't," he says without thinking.
"I bet Veronica doesn't like thinking about you and Kendall either," Leo adds.
Cliff puts his hand back on Logan's arm, trying to contain his seething anger. "Sheriff, I think you're just trying to provoke my client. Do you have any more actual questions?"
"Yes." He picks up a remote and plays the video of Logan and Veronica in the Neptune Grand elevator. He freezes the video on a frame of the two of them kissing. "Why did you use an assumed name when you checked into the Neptune Grand with Veronica? Of course, this was during the period when you were supposedly in Europe, and I'm guessing you didn't want to blow your alibi," Leo says.
"Well, if you know, why are you asking?" Logan retorts. "Yes, I was avoiding the paparazzi by using a fake name. Sue me."
"Why were you and Veronica at the hotel anyways?"
"We were looking for a little privacy. We've been staying with her dad," Logan responds.
"Oh, and you didn't want Keith Mars to hear you making his daughter scream in ecstasy," Leo says sarcastically.
"Sheriff, that's uncalled for," Cliff protests before Logan can answer.
"Are you sure you weren't at the hotel to speak to Ms. Casablancas? Perhaps you were coming to a financial arrangement with her, asking Kendall to keep her silence about Veronica's involvement in the Manning babynapping? That could explain your cash withdrawal."
"The Manning baby?" Logan repeats incredulously. As if Kendall would keep her mouth shut for fifty grand...fuck, the kidnapping...that's what he thinks this is about? Logan thinks for a moment, then says, "I promise you, Sheriff, Kendall was not blackmailing Veronica about anything."
Leo continues, "Perhaps she wasn't amenable to the amount you offered her, and you had to ensure her silence another way."
"You do know that I have what they call an ironclad alibi? I was in Vermont, assisting on Veronica's investigation," Logan answers.
"Yeah, I know, observed by the FBI, yadda, yadda. But your old buddy, Duncan Kane, doesn't have an alibi. And it's my understanding that he might lose custody of his daughter if his relationship with Kendall Casablancas becomes public knowledge."
"Let me get this straight. You think Duncan had an affair with Kendall, and then she threatened to go public with the affair. Oh, and by the way, she also decided to blackmail Duncan and my girlfriend for supposedly conspiring in a kidnapping three years ago. You are grasping at straws, Sheriff."
"Maybe Duncan wasn't aware that it was Kendall at first...maybe she used the affair to get close to him, and then she started blackmailing him. He could lose custody, and Veronica could go to prison. Duncan called you and your girlfriend for help, and just like three years before, you helped him get out of a mess. Except this time just fleeing the country wasn't going to do it."
Fuck. He's actually gotten a lot of it right. Sardonically, he mocks, "You really missed your calling, Sheriff...I can hook you up with my screenwriting professor, and you can turn this fiction into the next big blockbuster movie. I'm thinking maybe we could get Rob Morrow to play you. I see a best screenplay Oscar in your future, Sheriff. Too bad you don't have any evidence to support your crackhead theories."
Cliff clears his throat. "I think we're done here. Sheriff, I'm concerned that this investigation is not being conducted in an impartial manner. If my clients are questioned so abusively again, I'll be filing a formal complaint with the district attorney. People are already wondering why you indicted Keith Mars for arson on such flimsy evidence; you might not survive a judicial inquiry into your bias at this point."
"Go right ahead, Counselor." Leo laughs mirthlessly. "I'm thinking about asking the district attorney to reopen the investigation into that DVR that Keith Mars supposedly erased two years ago. There were a questions at the time as to why Keith's buddies in the district attorney's office declined to prosecute. The DA's up for reelection; he might not want a lot of publicity about that."
Cliff ushers Logan out into the waiting area, where Veronica is anxious to see him. In a low voice, Cliff says, "What the hell is going on? I've never seen D'Amato act like this. What did you guys do to him? He's being completely irrational and jumping to conclusions without evidence."
Veronica shakes her head regretfully without saying a word.
Cliff sighs. "I suppose I don't want to know."
"Exactly," Veronica replies. "I think it's worse than jumping to conclusions. I think he's trying to make the evidence fit his theories." She rubs her forehead in fatigue. "Can you give us a ride home, Cliff?"
Cliff looks at his watch. "No can do, Veronica. I'm already late for an ex parte meeting with Judge Bloom...on the golf course. I have to let him beat the pants off me once a week like clockwork. 'Nice swing, your honor...spectacular putt for the birdie, Judge Bloom,'" he concludes wryly, swinging a make-believe driver.
"Thanks for coming, Cliffy," Veronica says.
"Of course. Anything for you, kid. Say 'hi' to your dad. And uh...do not talk to the Sheriff without me there, okay?"
"I wouldn't dream of it," she replies as he walks out the door. Veronica turns to Logan. "Do you have my cell phone?" Logan gives it to her; she calls her dad, but he doesn't pick up. Veronica sighs and shakes her head. They walk over to the counter, and Logan asks Deputy Sacks for a ride home.
The deputy replies, "Sure. Give me a few minutes; we're really busy today with the security for the funeral. I have to find someone who's available."
Veronica leans on the counter. The funeral...got to figure this out. Think, Veronica. What's the point of being irredeemably manipulative and suspicious if you can't use it to help your friends? she thinks sardonically. "So you're coordinating security with the FBI, right?"
"Uh, Veronica," Sacks replies, looking around, "I'm really not supposed to talk about it."
"Oh, you know me, I'm just curious. And it's my friend's family, you know," she explains.
Sacks leans in closer and whispers, "There are about fifty federal agents stationed in and around the church. And everyone in the department is on duty. No exceptions."
"Any leads?" Veronica queries. She whispers conspiratorially, "It's Russian mafia, right?"
"They're not saying anything, Veronica. The word is just to keep an eye out for anything suspicious." The phone rings, and Sacks picks it up. "Neptune Sheriff's Department." His eyes light on Veronica, then he looks away. "Yes, go ahead." Sacks writes on the pad in front of him; Veronica taps her fingers on the counter, smiling. When Sacks looks down to write, she quickly reads the words upside down and looks back up, feigning disinterest. Sacks punches a couple buttons on the phone and says, "Sheriff. It's the FBI, Agent Sheffield, for you on line 1." Sacks cradles the phone. "Have a seat, Veronica, Logan. We'll take you home in a few minutes." He walks back to the radio dispatch room.
Logan and Veronica walk over to the waiting area and sit down. Veronica's face is thoughtful; Logan turns to her and asks, "What's up? I know that look on your face. That's your basic cat-that-ate-the-canary expression."
"I really don't know. I think something is going on with the funeral," she muses. She whispers, "That call, it was a federal BOLO for a gray Camry, rental, California license KSW 9297. Detained this morning on a 22350 VC. Possible 646.9, possible 245."
At Logan's questioning glance, Veronica continues in a low voice, "The FBI is asking them to watch for a rental car with that license plate. The car was stopped this morning for speeding." She thinks for minute. "Those last two codes are stalking and assault with deadly intent."
Logan turns to Veronica and says firmly, "That's it, we're not going to the funeral. Assault with deadly intent? I don't want you anywhere near that."
"No! You heard him, there are fifty federal agents and the entire department is going to be there. And we don't even know that it's connected to the funeral. This BOLO could be for any case. If it really was dangerous, they would cancel the service."
He scoffs. "The Feds are all crazy like you. They'll run headfirst into a danger for the chance of catching some bad guy."
She thinks, No! I don't do that. I'm not like that. I don't do that. "I'm not doing that...I know I don't know everything, Logan. I'm trying to change. I don't want to keep making the same mistakes over and over again." 'You aren't as smart as you think you are, Connie. You aren't smart at all. Your actions that got you here prove it, and the sooner you accept that, the sooner you'll start to improve your life.' I'm not making the same mistakes I always made. I'm trying. Am I convincing him, or me?
Veronica says as persuasively as she can, "I'm not running headfirst into danger. The entire sheriff's department is going to be there, Logan." She adds wistfully, "I just have this feeling...I need to be there. You know it's the last chance we'll have to see Mac ever again."
Logan sighs. "You're going to the funeral no matter what I say, aren't you."
She nods. Veronica says, "Let me call my dad again." Her dad finally answers and agrees to pick them up in a few minutes. Logan puts his arm around her; as she leans against him, he wishes that this day would finally be over.
~ • ~
Tues. 3/17/09 afternoon: Apartment, Neptune, CA
Alan escorts Mac into a room filled with agents. One entire wall is lined with video screens. Alan directs Mac to a chair near one of the larger screens. He explains, "We've got video coverage of the entire church and surrounding area. I'd like you to concentrate on watching people as they move toward the metal detector we've set up outside the entrance to the church."
Frak! This is serious shit, Mac thinks. She takes a seat and looks around. Several agents are working with computer screens. She leans back a little, trying to surreptitiously see the data a nearby agent is working on. The agent notices and frowns at her, angling the screen a little to prevent her from observing. "I'm the target, you know," she comments. "And I'm not exactly a computer noob." The agent ignores her and continues to work in silence. She sighs and watches the video screen in front of her. There isn't much activity as yet. It's apparent that many agents are stationed near the metal detector; occasionally, an agent will accost someone and ask to see identification. She watches as someone sets off the metal detector; an agent has the person empty their pockets and then frisks the offender thoroughly before allowing them to try again. The person passes through successfully and collects their belongings.
Mac hears Alan's voice across the room, and she tries to block out the chatter in the room to focus. "Sheffield...Really?...Outside San Diego...Okay, put out an alert on the plate...No, nothing yet...Right. I'll call the Sheriff's Department." She watches as Alan makes a phone call; he keeps his voice low, and she is unable to distinguish the words. He terminates the call and comes to sit down beside her.
"What's going on?" Mac asks.
"That guy Sorokin was stopped on a routine traffic violation this morning outside San Diego. He has a rental car, and we've put an alert on the plates."
"That's great," Mac comments hopefully.
"If it means anything." He sighs. "I've gotten to know you, and I think you have good instincts. So I'm paying attention to you. But my supervisor...he thinks it's nuts. And I'm having a hell of a time convincing him to use any resources on this guy."
"Thanks for listening to me," Mac replies. "Maybe you'll catch him."
"He hasn't done anything. We wouldn't be able to hold him," Alan says.
"You said he was on parole. If he has a gun, or explosives...." Mac suggests. "Wouldn't that be a violation of his parole?"
"That doesn't do anything for your long-term safety," Alan explains. "If he is targeting you."
"And my friend. Will you please let me call her and warn her?"
"I can't, Mac. I've asked the Sheriff's Department to keep an eye out for her. I just talked to the sheriff personally, and he assured me that Veronica's safety, along with everyone at the funeral, will be his highest priority."
•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
VERONICA MARS
10:00PM SHO ch: 340 60min 2009 TV-MA
In the Crosshairs
The Mackenzie funeral.
Veronica: Kristen Bell. Logan: Jason Dohring.
Leo: Max Greenfield. Keith: Enrico Colantoni.
Dick: Ryan Hansen. Carrie: Amber Heard.
Mac: Tina Majorino. Duncan 2.0: Chris Carmack.
Alan: Ned Vaughan. Norman Phipps: Matt Czuchry.
•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
CHAPTER NINETY-NINE: "IN THE CROSSHAIRS"
Tues. 3/17/09 afternoon: St. John's Church, Neptune, CA
KEITH
Keith glances in the rearview mirror at his daughter and her boyfriend sitting in the back seat of the car. He taps impatiently on the steering wheel and looks at the line of cars in front of him. The traffic leading to the parking lot of St. John's Church is a mess; all cars are being directed to one entrance where ID's are checked and two police officers are watching each vehicle closely. Street parking has been blocked off to attempt to force all funeral attendees to use the parking lot behind the church. Random cars are asked to pull over to be inspected; the resulting delay has backed up traffic for several blocks.
"I didn't know the Mackenzies had so many friends," Veronica mutters.
"People are probably curious," Keith remarks. He thinks that she looks exhausted; when he walked into the sheriff's department, she was asleep on Logan's shoulder. Logan had looked at him, obviously wanting to say something to reduce the tension between them; Keith had just shaken his head, not ready to discuss it yet. But Keith couldn't miss the way Veronica was clinging to Logan; to Keith's eyes, she was leaning on him for more than physical support. Keith had asked in a low voice how the questioning went. Veronica replied briefly, "Later, okay? Let's just get through the funeral." Keith had noted that several of the deputies were staring at them as they exited the building, and he had reflected that if Leo truly was pursuing a vendetta against his family, it couldn't possibly be worse timing.
As they approach the checkpoint, Keith recognizes one of his old deputies, Jim, as one of the two officers checking each car. Jim is carefully checking every license plate, and Keith wonders what's going on. Another deputy unknown to Keith walks up to their car and begins to scan underneath the chassis using a mirror mounted on a long pole. Keith opens his window, and Jim walks over to speak to them. "Hey, Jim, how's it going? A lot of security for this, huh?"
"Yeah, like you wouldn't believe," Jim replies. "Feds all over the place."
"I see that. Do you need to see our ID's?"
"No, that's okay." Jim peers in the car. "Hey, Veronica."
"Hey, Jim," she says quietly.
Jim points toward the parking lot. "Just follow the line of cars. Someone will assign you to a space."
"Thanks, Jim."
As they wait to enter the parking lot, Keith watches the entrance of the church. People are lining up, waiting to go through a metal detector. Keith's old cop instincts are piqued by the heavy security. He carefully scans the crowd, looking for suspicious activity. People are milling around; standing in groups of three or four people. He sees Mac's old roommate, Parker Lee, with a boy that he doesn't recognize. Eli Navarro, looking somewhat uncomfortable in a dress shirt, is talking with Wallace on the sidewalk. Keith realizes that the beautiful woman with Wallace must be his girlfriend Candice. He looks back at Veronica again, thinking she's almost Candice's age; she's not my little girl any more, she's a woman. Veronica catches his eye and smiles at him.
They finally park the car and walk back toward the church. Veronica holds Logan's hand tightly; both of them are still very subdued after the questioning. Keith tries unsuccessfully to think of something comforting to say. She pulls out a tissue from her purse and wipes a tear from her eye. Keith leans over and kisses the top of her head. "It's okay, honey." She tries to smile back at him.
Federal agents are everywhere: Keith counts at least twenty agents who have made no effort to conceal their identity or purpose. He spies perhaps twenty more who are trying to blend in with the crowd; he thinks to himself that, even if you can't spot a holster, you can always tell a fed by their sensible shoes that are suitable for running down a suspect.
A limo pulls up to the steps in front of the church, and federal agents clear a path. Mac gets out of the limo, accompanied by four agents who press closely against her. Several people try to approach Mac but are immediately rebuffed by the agents. Mac is hustled through the metal detector, which immediately sounds an alarm due to the agents' weapons. She is escorted into the church, and the metal detector is reset.
"Keith Mars!! Mr. Mars!!"
Keith turns and grimaces when he recognizes Carrie Murray. "Carrie." The reporter, her blonde hair tied back in a ponytail, is accompanied by a young man. Carrie hurries to catch up with them.
"Oh, no," Veronica says. "Dad...."
"Veronica, it's all right," he reassures her. "Let me handle it."
"Mr. Mars, good to see you again. Logan. Veronica...." Carrie extends her hand toward Veronica, and Veronica reluctantly offers her left hand to shake. "Veronica, you were incredible at the school. I'm really looking forward to our interview." She turns to the young man beside her. "You remember my brother, of course," Carrie says lightly.
"Norman Phipps," Logan says tensely. "I can't say it's good to see you again." Veronica puts her arm around him, trying to somehow comfort him.
"Look, man, I was just doing my job–" Norman replies.
"Your job?" Logan shakes his head. "Fuck!" He stares at Norman in disgust.
Keith quickly intercedes, fearing an explosion. He pulls Carrie and Norman aside. "Carrie, I'm surprised to see you here."
Carrie continues persuasively, "Well, we said 'all access'. I'm hoping to speak to Veronica about the funeral, get her reactions."
Keith laughs without humor. "It's not 'all access' for the rest of Veronica's life. There's no more access, Carrie."
"I still haven't gotten my exclusive interview," she protests.
Norman adds, "It's my understanding that you brokered an agreement with my sister in exchange for her cooperation."
"I know. I haven't forgotten. Veronica is still exhausted from the operation. I promise you, when she's up to it, we'll be in touch, and we'll set up the interview."
Carrie smiles. "I'm looking forward to it. Would you consider giving me an interview as well?"
"Absolutely not," Keith says firmly.
MAC
Mac is watching the video screen. She is naming people to the agent sitting beside her, eliminating any one known to her.
"That's my old roommate, Parker, and her new boyfriend. Well, fiancé, I guess. That's Eli Navarro, Wallace Fennel, Candice Pauling....that's a guy from my game theory class, I don't remember his name."
She sees Keith Mars on the edge of the video screen talking to two people, a blonde woman and a dark blond man with their backs to the videocamera. "That's Keith Mars. Is that Veronica?" she asks, pointing. "No, she's too tall. Who's Keith talking to?"
The agent says, pointing, "You can see better on this screen."
Mac leans over. "Holy fucking crap. That's Carrie Murray, she's a reporter. And I think...I think that might be her brother Norman Phipps. Why is Keith talking to them? Wait...that's Veronica and Logan there, on the other side of Keith Mars. God, I almost didn't recognize her."
"What?" Alan asks. He walks over to join her in looking at the video screen.
"Veronica was just undercover, remember? She must have dyed her hair red. And...Logan's hair is different too," Mac adds.
Alan points at the screen. "Who's this guy?"
"That, believe it or not, is Dick," Mac says, suppressing a smile.
"The guy from the emails?" Alan says.
"Yes. Wow. He doesn't wear a suit very often...he looks nice. And...I think he got a haircut."
VERONICA AND LOGAN
"I can't fucking believe Carrie and her brother showed up," Logan comments bitterly in a low voice.
Veronica says quietly, "Logan. Forget about them. I'll do the interview my dad promised. It won't be that bad. She'll be out of our life forever....Oh my god."
"What?" he asks anxiously.
"Dude," Dick says from behind.
Logan turns around. He looks at Dick, who's wearing his best suit, with his hair neatly styled; even his shoes appear to have been polished. "Whoa. What happened to you?"
"Come on, man," Dick pleads. "Do I look okay?"
"I'm sure Mac will appreciate it when she sees you, Dick," Veronica says, taking pity. "It's good to see you."
Dick looks over his shoulder then back at Veronica. "You're talking to me?"
"Dick?" Veronica crooks her finger at him, and he nervously leans toward her. She whispers, "Thanks for giving us the heads up on Sheriff D'Amato. And if a certain video from the Neptune Grand elevator shows up in your inbox, you're going to delete it, right?"
"The elevator video? No peen, and not even a nip slip...not much chance that video's going viral. Completely safe for work, if you ask me."
"Delete, Dick," she replies firmly.
"You're right, absolutely. Cross my heart. Uh, Veronica?" Dick points behind her.
Veronica turns and sees a cruiser marked 'Sheriff' pulling up to the curb. Leo exits his car and strides toward her.
Dick says, "I'm getting in line; I'll save a place for you guys. If the sheriff asks, she told me she was nineteen." He heads for the line at the security checkpoint.
"Sheriff," Veronica says, with obvious distaste. "More questions?"
"Actually, the FBI just called and asked me to personally take charge of your safety today. What are the odds?" Leo asks.
Veronica narrows her eyes, assessing. "My safety?"
"Yeah, it's hard to imagine someone wanting to hurt you, right? When you're so gosh-darned nice?" Leo says sarcastically.
Veronica ignores him and looks at Logan. He returns her gaze, puzzled. Both of them are paralyzed by the thought that the FBI is concerned about Veronica's safety.
Leo's radio crackles, "Sheriff, come in."
Leo thumbs the radio. "This is the sheriff."
"It's Lou. We got that car you're looking for, parked on Fifth Street near Radford. There's no one in the vehicle."
Leo barks, "Dispatch. This is the sheriff. Unit Seven has located the vehicle on Fifth and Radford. Start a building-to-building search."
They hear the dispatcher say, "Unit Two, proceed to Fifth and Main. Unit Nine, proceed to Radford and Sixth Street. Unit Eleven, proceed to Sixth and Main. All units, suspect is considered armed and dangerous."
Veronica says, "Fifth Street? That's a few blocks from here." She looks around.
Suddenly, they hear several shots. Leo says, "Get down, now!" He pushes them toward the ground and draws his gun. The rumble of the crowd's conversations dies away; a woman begins to scream loudly, and people begin running. In the chaos, no one knows where to go to get away from the gunshots, and Veronica and Logan quickly lose sight of Keith, who was just a few feet away from them moments ago. Leo says tersely, "Stay down. I need to check out the situation."
Ignoring him, Veronica scans the crowd for her dad; she sees him kneeling on the ground twenty feet away behind a stone bench. "Dad!" She tries to wrestle free from Leo's grasp; Logan grabs her as well, and together they try to push her toward Leo's cruiser. Veronica screams, "Dad! Logan, let me go!" She struggles against Logan's grip.
Leo yells, "Get in the car, Veronica, and get down!" With Logan's help, he manages to get her in the car as she fights against them. Leo locks them inside the car, his eyes meeting Logan's worried gaze momentarily. The sheriff assesses the situation quickly and sprints over to Keith, still kneeling on the ground and apparently performing CPR on a gunshot victim. Leo calls for an ambulance, describing the injuries and asking for additional officers for crowd control at his location.
Veronica ignores her injured shoulder and pushes herself to the car window, trying to see what's going on. She curses at Logan, berating him for preventing her from running to her father; he tries to comfort her, saying, "It's all right, it's all right," repeatedly, hoping that he's not lying. The crowd has scattered; people have taken cover anywhere they could behind cars, trees, and the stone benches around the church perimeter. Agents and police officers are shouting orders; people are crying, and the woman continues to scream repeatedly. The sound of approaching sirens can be heard in the distance. Gradually, the crowd dissipates as the authorities get the scene under control, and Veronica sees Norman Phipps lying in a pool of blood on the sidewalk.
MAC
When the agents hear gunshots over the radio frequency, the situation room is silent for a split-second before pandemonium breaks loose. Mac is watching as Norman Phipps falls over, hitting Keith Mars and pushing him to the ground. Carrie keels over a moment later. Agents are yelling in confusion, their voices combining into a chaotic uproar. "Shots fired!" "Three people are down, no, four!" "Is that a gun?" "Who the hell is that?" "What's happening?"
Mac is pushed aside; she watches in terror, trying to see what exactly has happened. She stares at the screen desperately, looking for her friends in the swarms of agitated persons on the scene. Finally she spots Keith Mars on one of the video feeds, his jacket bloodied, dragging Carrie Murray twenty feet behind a stone bench for its meager cover; almost out of view of the camera, Keith begins performing CPR on Carrie. Norman Phipps is laying unattended on the sidewalk, blood pooling around his body. Mac looks around wildly; the other video screens show agents and officers with guns drawn, trying to control the panicky crowd as well as locate the source of the shots fired.
"Where's Veronica? Logan?" she asks Alan, who shakes his head. "Dick was right there a moment ago too, can you see him?"
Pointing at the image of Keith performing CPR, Alan replies urgently, "You said that woman was a reporter?"
"Yes, Carrie Murray, and I think that's her brother Norman Phipps on the sidewalk. Carrie's been harassing Veronica...they're both tabloid reporters. Her brother...it's complicated. He pretended to be Logan's brother to get a story."
"What?"
"I told you, it's complicated."
Alan's phone rings, and he quickly stabs at the 'send' key. "Sheffield here...What?...You got him?...Two reporters, according to Ms. Mackenzie." He glances at Mac.
Mac says quickly, "Carolyn Murray and Norman Phipps."
Alan repeats, "Carolyn Murray and Norman Phipps...I don't know either...Okay, patch me through...Sheriff D'Amato, do you have a update on Veronica Mars and Logan Echolls?...Okay...Just the two victims then. Yes, that's we heard too." To Mac, he says, "They're all right." He returns to the phone. "It was definitely Gorya Sorokin?...No, I don't know the full story." He looks at Mac again.
Mac flushes.
"Yes, I would like to be present for the interrogation. Thank you, Sheriff." Alan ends the call and sighs deeply. "It's a good thing you told me about that guy, Mac. Because we had located his car, they were able to catch Sorokin leaving a high-rise apartment building on Fifth Street. Apparently he used a sniper rifle from one of the terraces on the building. They're not sure how he gained access to the apartment. The man, the one you called Norman Phipps, is dead. The woman, Carrie Murray, is on her way to the hospital; they're not sure if she's going to make it. One of the bullets must have passed through Phipps and grazed Mr. Mars. He has a minor flesh wound, and he's also being treated."
"Mr. Mars is going to be okay, though, right?" Mac interrupts.
Alan nods. "Yes, Keith Mars is going to be fine. Stay put, Mac, okay?" He moves off and begins discussing something with another agent.
Mac thinks, It was Gory...it was Gory!! He must have been trying to get Veronica and Logan and...he made the same mistake I did and thought Carrie and Norman were them. Two years...Gory waited two years to get back at Veronica and Logan. And the only reason he missed them is because Veronica dyed her hair. Guiltily, Mac remembers wishing that Carrie would just go away and leave them alone. They had all been appalled at Norman Phipps' heartless deception as well; still, Mac wishes she had been able to convince Alan to stop the funeral before anyone got hurt. Mac finds a chair in the corner of the room and sits down. She huddles in the corner, shaking slightly; she begins to cry silently, unnoticed by the busy federal agents.
~ • ~
Tues. 3/17/09 evening: Sunset Cliffs Apartment, Neptune, CA
Keith knocks gently on the door to Veronica's bedroom and enters. She is dozing but wakes up immediately. "You're here," she says quietly.
"Yep. I'm here," he says, sitting down on the bed with her. He kisses her on the forehead, and she struggles to sit up; he arranges the pillows for her so she can lean back. Keith notes that she's still fully dressed; he suspects that Logan had quickly bundled her into bed when they returned home, only taking time to remove her shoes.
"They wouldn't let me come to the hospital. Are you all right? Dad, they wouldn't let me come, they said it wasn't safe," she babbles.
Keith nods. "It's just a big Band-Aid, Veronica. I'm fine." He smooths the hair from her brow.
"Carrie?"
"She's going to make it."
She nods. "Has anyone talked to Mac? I'm wondering if that was really her at the funeral. I bet it was all a set-up."
"I don't know about that, Veronica. But the lead agent said Mac was fine. And Veronica, Mac's family is alive. They weren't home when the house was bombed. They've been hiding in witness protection."
"Mac's family is alive?" she repeats, the tears beginning again.
"Yeah, honey, they're fine. They're all fine."
Veronica wipes his eyes and asks, "Is the agent still out front?"
"Yeah. I think they're going to have some more questions for you, honey."
"I thought the agent said Gory was so upset that he missed us that he confessed everything," she protests quietly. Veronica sees Logan hovering by the doorway, watching and listening.
"Not everything. Veronica, you need to tell me the whole story," Keith presses gently. "You're going to have to make a statement, and I need to know what was going on so I can help you."
Veronica thinks for a moment, still reluctant to explain. From the doorway, Logan says quietly, "Veronica, you have to tell him."
Finally she begins. "It was freshman year, when I was going out with Piz. Piz and Wallace were rooming together, remember? Gory bugged their room. He was tapping Wallace for the Castle, the Hearst secret society. And Piz and I were...fooling around, and the camera caught us," she admits hesitantly. At his expression, she rushes to say, "We didn't...it was just, you know..." she sighs, "I don't know, you'd say 'heavy petting'. But there was some...skin."
He looks at her sympathetically.
"Don't look at me like that!" she protests. "I'm going to cry if you don't stop that."
"I'm stopping right now," he promises. "I'm not looking at you, Veronica."
"It looked worse than it was...it looked like I was...everyone assumed I was...." Veronica explains, her voice shaky. "And Gory sent to the video to everyone. I was the slut who made a porno with her boyfriend."
"How did you find out that Gory did it?"
She looks at him, unable to answer. "Dad, don't make me...it was the hard drive."
"Jake Kane?" he says slowly. "That's what...that's why you were...."
"It was so stupid," she says in a sudden rush. "Everyone had already seen the video, there was no point, and you lost the election because of it."
"Jake Kane was involved with this guy Gory who was connected?" Keith asks, confused.
"The Castle, the Hearst secret society, kept an insurance policy on all their initiates so they would maintain a code of silence. They had videos of each of them confessing their darkest secret, and Jake was...collecting the confessions on a hard drive. It had seventy years of secrets on it, insurance that everyone in the Castle would always keep their mouth shut. Gory's confession was...he told a story about his dad and his Uncle Lev disposing of a dead body." She shudders, remembering the matter-of-fact storytelling about a power saw and several garbage bags being dumped into a lake.
"The Sorokin crime family is known to be responsible for at least twenty murders...that we know of," Keith explains.
Veronica looks at him, puzzled. "How do you know that?"
"I ran into Gory up in Lompoc, when I was visiting Vinnie. He seemed very interested in me, and I had him checked out. I assumed when I got his record that he was somehow connected to the Sukarenkos. I never dreamed he was interested in you, Veronica." Keith sighs deeply. "Soon after that, the arson investigation began, and the Briar Hill operation.... My contact said he would ask around, and I never followed up. Veronica, it was incredibly foolish to take that hard drive."
"I didn't know there was evidence of a mob hit," she protests. "I didn't even know for sure what was going on until we decrypted the hard drive." At Keith's expression, she nods. "We...Mac and I."
"You got Mac involved in this? Veronica...what were you thinking?"
I wasn't thinking, like always. I used Mac...damn it. "I didn't know it was the mafia, Dad. And then...." she glances at Logan, hovering in the doorway and listening. "Logan got involved too. Gory was mocking me in the cafeteria at Hearst, and Logan heard him brag that he was behind the video." Keith exhales loudly, suddenly certain what she's going to reveal. She glances at Logan. "I tried to stop him, but Logan wouldn't listen. He beat Gory up, and Gory swore that he'd kill Logan one day."
"Why did he wait two years? Mob guys aren't known for their patience, Veronica."
In a small voice, she explains. "I made a copy of the hard drive before I returned it to Jake Kane. I put a disc with the video of Gory's confession in a safety deposit box, and I let him know if anything ever happened to me or Logan, the confession would be sent to the feds. And...it seemed to work. He left me alone, and it looked like he was leaving Logan alone."
Keith turns to Logan. "Did you know...?"
"No, I had nothing to do with it," Logan swears. "I figured the guy was going to kill me one day when I least expected it. It's one of the reasons I moved to L.A. I had a bodyguard for a while, but it seemed like it was finally over, so I started living my life again. I didn't find out what Veronica had done until last fall when we got back together."
Veronica is pondering the timing of Gory's actions. "Get my laptop, will you?"
Logan retrieves her laptop from the desk and brings it to the bed. Veronica opens the PryingEyez website in her browser and runs a search on 'Lev Sorokin'. A story from the Newark Star-Ledger is the first result. Veronica angles the screen so they can see. "Sorokin's father and uncle were convicted of several counts of murder and conspiracy last fall and are serving multiple consecutive life sentences."
"If they've already been convicted..." Keith realizes.
"There's no reason to keep Gory's confession secret any more," Veronica concludes. "I never thought of...I never considered what would happen if that murder became public knowledge." She peers at the screen. "But that was months ago."
Keith explains, "Gory was convicted on a weapons charge in early December. He tried to buy an illegally modified firearm from an undercover ATF agent in Los Angeles. He probably intended to try to get you and Logan at that time; you were in the press every day after the Harmony shooting, and it wouldn't have been hard to find you. The weapons charge was Gory's first conviction; he only served sixty days before he was paroled. I bet we'll find out that the Sorokins were connected to the flirt-bot that Mac and Rick Picket were investigating. Sorokin took advantage of the situation to obscure his real purpose and planted the bombs, hoping to get Mac and Veronica. He might have even realized that Veronica would have needed help to decrypt that hard drive, and it's pretty easy to find out that Veronica's roommate is a computer expert."
"I don't think that's it," Logan interjects. "I think he was trying to get me to come out of hiding. I was AWOL when the bombing happened. Veronica, I bet he thought if he managed to kill you, or if you were hurt, I'd show up. And I would have. But he missed you; you realized it was a bomb and got out of there safely."
"After the first bombing didn't work, why didn't he just wait, and try to kill us some other time?" Veronica wonders.
Keith says thoughtfully, "He must have been desperate to try to get you and Logan to show yourselves and came up with the idea of blowing up Mac's house. I guess he thought for sure you'd come to support your friend in such a difficult time–"
"And he was right," Veronica comments. "I insisted that we come home."
"But it was a mistake to bomb the Mackenzie house. All it did was ensure that Mac would be placed in witness protection and that security would be ridiculously high at the funeral. He must have wanted to try to kill Mac too, but he miscalculated the amount of security there would be, and he had to settle for shooting at you and Logan," Keith theorizes. "You know, Gory might have been trying to locate Logan for quite a while, but first Logan was in Texas, and then he was with us in Vermont. Logan was only here in Neptune for a few days."
"And we were lying low the whole time. Wait...the bug at Logan's beach house," Veronica gasps. "The one we thought was planted by the paparazzi...and the tracking device on my car."
"Veronica! Why didn't you tell me about this?" Keith scolds, his voice harsher than he intends.
He turns away, trying not to let her see how incredibly scared he is, but she immediately mistakes it for anger and recrimination. She flinches, her whole body tense with emotion. Veronica imagines Peter Klein leaning towards her, his face smug and powerful, telling her, 'You just do whatever the fuck you what, whenever you want, and you expect everyone to just tolerate it. Your dad's given up on stopping you. He's locked you up here, hoping that maybe, just maybe, there might be something worth saving after all.' No, FUCK you...FUCK you, DAMN you to hell. I'm not a fucking user! I didn't know...I didn't know. And Dad was keeping secrets...how was I supposed to know? DAMN IT, I'm not a fucking user.
Defensively, she protests, "You were so busy with the operation and...you had enough to worry about. You haven't been yourself since Leo arrested you for the arson." Veronica says emphatically, "And I know...I know that the arson has something to do with Vinnie's defense. I know that Vinnie blackmailed you into helping him; he threatened to testify that I helped Duncan run with baby Lilly, didn't he? And Weevil told me about the body you dug up at St. Mary's. Do you want to tell me about that?"
"Veronica, I'm your father. You don't need to know everything I'm doing!" Keith says, testily. He turns back and sees her chastened expression; he quickly amends himself, "I don't want you to know what I was doing, Veronica. It's for your own protection. Damn it. I don't want you to know! Can you understand that?"
They stare at each other for a long moment.
Finally, Logan breaks the silence. "Can we agree that the feds don't need to know about the hard drive? I'll bet Gory doesn't know the whole story about it, and Jake Kane isn't going to say anything about it at this point. Let's just say that I beat up Gory for insulting Veronica, and he swore that he'd kill us one day."
Veronica nods shakily. "If it comes out about the hard drive, it doesn't matter anyways."
"Right, the evidence is gone," Keith agrees.
"And you've already suffered the consequences for my actions," Veronica adds bitterly, clearly berating herself. "Your career was ruined, because I had to get my revenge on Gory. This was all because I couldn't just laugh off a sex video. Norman Phipps is dead and Carrie got shot because I just had to get revenge." She laughs ruefully. "It's the internet age after all. It's ridiculous to get upset because you're a little overexposed."
"Veronica..." Keith protests, realizing too late just how agitated she is. "This is not your fault."
Logan adds, "I'm the one who beat him up. You told me not to, and I didn't listen to you. Gory's responsible for this, Veronica. You can't beat yourself up about this."
Veronica still looks upset. She takes a breath to argue again but is prevented by the doorbell ringing.
Keith goes to the living room and answers the door to a federal agent stationed outside the apartment and Duncan Kane. "Duncan," Keith says. "I forgot you were coming over tonight in all the excitement."
"So you know this guy?" the agent asks.
"Yes, of course, we were expecting him. Come in, Duncan."
Duncan says, "I'm sorry, I should have called. It's just...the custody hearing is only a few days away. I thought I'd take a chance it would be all right."
"It's okay, Duncan. We were just talking in Veronica's bedroom. She's lying down...she's a little tired after all the excitement today."
"But she's okay?" Duncan asks worriedly.
"We're all okay," Keith reassures him. He leads Duncan toward Veronica's room.
"It's not just the custody hearing," Duncan says suddenly. "It's about Kendall. Sheriff D'Amato is asking a lot of questions."
Keith nods. "We know."
They enter Veronica's bedroom, and Duncan walks to the side of her bed. "Veronica, it's good to see you. I've been following the news reports about the investigation at the school. It sounds like you did a great job."
"I had a lot of help," she explains vaguely, obviously still caught up in the emotional discussion with her dad. "How's Lilly? How are you? I know there's a big hearing on Friday. You need me to testify right?"
Duncan sits down. "Yeah, I'll need you to testify. We think Mrs. Manning is going to try to get me to admit I broke into their house three years ago."
Veronica nods. "Duncan, I'm sorry it's been so hard for you and Lilly."
"But that's not why I'm here. Kendall was murdered while you were gone–" he begins.
"We know. Sheriff D'Amato already dragged us in for questioning," she interrupts, trying to focus and acknowledging to herself just how much trouble Leo's vendetta is causing. "He thinks it's some vast conspiracy, that we planned this together to cover up our involvement in the kidnapping."
Duncan looks shocked. "D'Amato thinks we killed Kendall because of the kidnapping?"
"Somebody, I think Madison, told him about our breakup fight, when everybody heard me accuse you of sleeping with Kendall. Leo thinks either Kendall was in on our plan or somehow found out about it, and she was here trying to blackmail me," Veronica explains. "Duncan...it's possible Leo's trying to get back at me and Logan for something...." Her voice dies away. "There's...there's more to this than just the evidence. He's furious at me," she concludes bleakly.
Keith, until now unaware of what had transpired at the sheriff's department, is visibly upset at the news. "Duncan, you didn't have anything to do with Kendall's murder, did you?"
"Of course not!" Duncan swears. "Veronica, while you were gone...I saw Kendall meeting with somebody in the park. They were arguing; the man was furious with her. I didn't know who it was until I saw him on the news recently."
"On the news?" Veronica asks, confused.
"I took a picture of them with my cell phone. I don't know why I thought to do that. Then when Kendall was murdered a few days later, I was worried that someone had seen us together at the hotel, and I panicked. I erased the picture from my phone. I didn't want any evidence that I knew her. But, Veronica...I sent the picture to your email when I first took it. Now I think that picture might be the only thing that will make the sheriff stop investigating us."
Veronica slides the laptop back onto her lap. "Which account?"
"Your old AOL account," Duncan replies.
Veronica frowns. "I don't use that one much any more. It's always full of penis enlargement ads and Nigerian investment schemes." She launches the AOL program.
"You've got mail," the computer voice intones.
Duncan leans over and points. "There it is."
Veronica clicks on the email. When the picture finishes loading, she gasps. "What's Kendall doing talking to Tom Griffith?"
••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
VERONICA MARS
10:00PM SHO ch: 340 60min 2009 TV-MA
Most Crime Is Personal, Not These Weird Conspiracies
They compare notes on Dr. Griffith.
Veronica: Kristen Bell. Logan: Jason Dohring.
Keith: Enrico Colantoni. Duncan 2.0: Chris Carmack.
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CHAPTER ONE HUNDRED: "MOST CRIME IS PERSONAL, NOT THESE WEIRD CONSPIRACIES"
Tues. 3/17/09 evening: Sunset Cliffs Apartment, Neptune, CA
Veronica clicks on the email from Duncan's phone. When the picture finishes loading, she gasps. "What's Kendall doing talking to Tom Griffith?"
Logan reacts almost violently; he lunges toward the bed and swivels the laptop around to see the picture. "Fucking Tom Griffith was talking to Kendall?"
Duncan nods. "Not just talking, arguing. You're sure it's him?"
"Yes, definitely," Veronica replies. "You didn't recognize him?"
Logan says quietly, "That all happened after Duncan left. Even after Hannah's murder, most of the photos in the paper were shots of Hannah, not her father. Griffith's been in the news again lately because of the Briar Hill investigation."
"I saw him on CNN the other night, disputing the charges against Peter Klein," Duncan says. "Did you know that he knew Kendall?"
Veronica says distantly, "We knew that they both had a connection to the Fitzpatricks. Logan, in my desk, second drawer, find the DVD labeled 'Justin Timberlake videos'."
Logan looks at her questioningly before retrieving the disc for her. She slips the disc into the DVD drive of the laptop and a large photo of Justin Timberlake loads on the screen. She clicks on the graphic, and a username/password dialog box appears. Veronica types a long string of characters into each field, and a window opens with several hundred folders.
"Case files from spring 2006," she explains briefly. At Keith's quizzical look, she adds, "What? You thought I had a collection of Justin Timberlake videos?"
Keith shakes his head and sighs. "Veronica, what am I going to do with you?"
"It's just a few cases I worked on my own. Mostly things like background checks on parents for fellow students." She clicks on a folder labeled 'Echolls Witness Investigation' and opens a subfolder marked 'Thomas Griffith, M.D.'
"I don't understand," Duncan says.
"It was around the time when you and I were trying to find which of Meg's baby-sitting clients were the ones she was worrying about. Of course that was really the Mannings," Veronica explains. "The anonymous witness who supposedly saw Logan killing Felix on the bridge came forward, do you remember? A Dr. Thomas Griffith."
"I knew it wasn't the real witness, and I asked Veronica to check him out," Logan adds.
Duncan nods that he remembers. He explains, "Right, I...I'm sorry, I'm a little fuzzy about that. I was worrying about Meg and...."
"It's all right. Veronica followed Dr. Griffith and saw him go into Liberty Cigars. Keith told her that place was a front for dealing drugs," Logan relates.
"I remember that. Veronica, I really wish you wouldn't take these chances." Keith sighs. "I guess it's not worth discussing at this point."
Veronica tries not to look at her dad. She explains, trying to keep her voice matter-of-fact, "We found a connection between Griffith and Danny Boyd, one of the Fitzpatrick flunkies. Apparently, Dr. Griffith was sanctioned for repairing what looked like a knife wound. You're supposed to report wounds like that to the police."
"And Liam Fitzpatrick wasn't too happy about us looking into that," Logan recalls. Veronica glares at him, and Logan says firmly, "Veronica, your dad needs to know everything. We need his help." He turns to Keith and says, "Veronica followed Danny Boyd into the River Stix, and Liam and a couple of his stooges were there. Liam was about to mess up Veronica's face to scare her off, but I got worried when Veronica didn't come back out, and I went in the bar. I pulled a gun on him and got him to back off, and we got the hell out of there."
Keith's face looks nauseous. "Veronica, goddammit." His hands grip into tight fists, and he stands up and tries to walk off some excess energy.
"Logan, stop being an ass. He's completely exaggerating, Dad," Veronica tries to explain futilely. "Danny Boyd said that Griffith is 'like a friend of the family.'"
Keith says intensely, "You didn't think to talk to me about this before I sent you undercover at the school? That the Fitzpatricks were involved with the father of the girl we were investigating?"
"Dad! I'm sorry," Veronica protests. "It didn't have anything to do with the school–"
"You think it didn't have anything to do with the school! What if there's a connection between the Fitzpatricks and the school? Did you think of that?" Keith yells. "Veronica, don't you think I needed this information?" He looks at her, unable to continue and unwilling to say something he won't be able to take back.
"Dad," Veronica says, her voice faltering. "I'm so sorry—"
"Veronica, I put myself on the line for you! Do you understand what I risked to try to keep Vinnie quiet?" he says, attempting to control his voice without success. "All I care about is your safety, your future; I would do it again, but Veronica!...the Fitzpatricks, fuck." The entire room is shocked into silence when Keith swears, uncharacteristically and emphatically. Keith massages his forehead, obviously distraught by the new information.
"Why are you so convinced that the Fitzpatricks are involved in this?" Veronica finally asks in a whisper.
"Because Vinnie told me they 'own' someone, either a cop or a federal agent, someone who could have had access to the serial killer files. Knowing that there's proof that the murdered girl's father was connected to the Fitzpatricks makes me think they're involved. And Wallace got confirmation of a mole from the old leader of the PCHers," Keith answers tensely.
"Wallace got confirmation?" she queries. "What are you talking about?"
"He's been looking into Shawn's death while we were away. Weevil's been helping him. The rumor is that someone in law enforcement was involved with Shawn's murder, too."
"You think Griffith is involved in his own daughter's death? The guy's a fucking cokehead, but his own daughter?" Logan asks incredulously.
"Cokehead?" Keith responds, whirling around to face Logan. "What are you talking about?"
"Griffith was supposedly a very successful plastic surgeon, but Hannah told me that her parents were always fighting about money before they got divorced. Weevil asked around for me and found out that Griffith had tried to buy some coke from one of the PCHers. When Griffith first tried to break us up, I told Hannah to look around, hoping she'd find some drugs or something around the house. She told me she found some coke in her dad's bathroom," Logan explains.
Duncan shakes his head. "I'm completely lost. This doesn't make any sense. You were going out with the daughter of the guy who was testifying against you?"
Veronica comments softly, "Logan started dating Griffith's daughter to try to compel Griffith to withdraw his testimony about what happened the night Felix was killed." Logan looks away, unable to meet her eyes. "Hannah was...innocent and naïve. She was just a freshman, and...Logan played up his bad boy reputation, showing her father that he had something to lose if Griffith testified against him."
"Veronica told me about your blackmail scheme, Logan," Keith says, rubbing his forehead. "And when Ms. Denenberg first came to me, she told me that Logan had tried to convince Hannah that her ex-husband was involved with the Fitzpatricks. But Ms. Denenberg didn't believe it, at the time or now. And I guess I thought it was just part of Logan's plan to blackmail Griffith."
At the word 'blackmail', Logan flinches visibly. "You know that I was desperate," he says defensively. "I didn't know what to do. I knew Griffith wasn't the witness, but there wasn't any way to prove it. Getting in trouble is about the only thing I'm good at. And Veronica didn't want to help me."
"Logan!" she protests.
"It doesn't matter anymore," he replies hollowly. Logan turns away, obviously upset by the conversation. He sits down, his head drooping and his body slumped in distress.
"Veronica, I want to know everything there is to know about Griffith and the Fitzpatricks," Keith demands.
"There's not much to know. I saw him in Liberty Cigars, and we know he was disciplined by an ethics committee for stitching up Danny Boyd's knife wound. I swear, Dad, that's all I know," Veronica demurs, still avoiding looking at her dad.
"And Kendall?" Duncan asks.
"Kendall's had a relationship with the Fitzpatricks for years, from long before she married Richard Casablancas. She took a rap for Cormac Fitzpatrick in 1999," Keith says.
"Back when she was still Priscilla Banks," Veronica muses.
"Wait...Kendall was with me when Dr. Griffith agreed to recant his testimony," Logan says suddenly.
"What?" Veronica asks.
FLASHBACK: Logan opens the door of the suite to Dr. Griffith. Kendall has gone to freshen up in the bathroom.
Dr. Griffith says bitterly, "All right, Logan, you win. I'm serious. This stops now." He walks past Logan into the room.
Logan, surprised, finally finds his voice and replies, "Sure, come on in." He checks the hallway before shutting the door; he turns around to follow Griffith, who stares at him angrily. Griffith is about to speak when Kendall reenters the room.
Smarmily, Kendall comments, "I see you have company....I'll let myself out, but, um..." She kisses two of her fingers and places them on Logan's lips. She adds, "Think about my offer."
Involuntarily, Logan grins in response. Kendall sashays to the door, making sure that both men are appreciating her figure. Logan turns back to Griffith, unable to stop himself from leering.
Griffith says angrily, "Mark my words, some day that smirk is gonna get wiped off your face."
Laughing, Logan retorts, "Oh, please. Let the lying cokehead plastic surgeon lecture me on karma."
"It certainly caught up with me. It ends now," Griffith replies. "I'll make my testimony go away."
"What about the Fitzpatricks?" Logan asks sarcastically.
"Let me worry about them. You just stay the hell away from my daughter," Griffith orders.
Logan stares at him, deciding whether to believe him.
Griffith reiterates, "I assume we have a deal?"
Finally, Logan nods in response and immediately regrets it. His face betrays his realization of just how low he has stooped to save himself.<
"That confirms that Griffith was involved with the Fitzpatricks. I wish I had known about this before. And this means that Kendall knew you met with Dr. Griffith about his testimony," Keith wonders aloud.
"Well, at the time I didn't think she knew who he was," Logan says thoughtfully. "But...he was certainly shocked to see her."
"Shocked because you were sleeping with another woman besides his little girl or shocked because he knew who she was?" Veronica asks. Logan shoots her a glance of distress. She continues relentlessly, "Maybe even shocked because she might have overheard him and would rat him out to the Fitzpatricks?"
"Maybe," Logan admits with a pained look on his face.
"What exactly did Kendall hear?" Keith presses.
Logan thinks a moment. "I think all she could have heard was, 'All right, you win. This stops now.' Then Kendall made her entrance, showed off her ass, and left the room."
"And maybe listened from the hallway," Veronica comments shrewdly.
"I wouldn't put it past her," Keith agrees. "So Kendall finds out that Dr. Griffith made a deal with Logan. She threatens to tell the Fitzpatricks."
"We know she never told them, because Griffith is still alive," Logan comments wryly.
"Unless they killed Hannah for payback," Keith muses.
"Three years later? No, no way. The Fitzpatricks aren't known for their patience," Veronica contradicts.
"You guys are missing the obvious," Duncan interrupts.
"What are you talking about?" Veronica says, turning to him.
"Plastic surgery, Veronica. Kendall had a lot of plastic surgery done. Griffith is a plastic surgeon," Duncan says logically.
The realization dawns on Keith, Logan, and Veronica simultaneously. Veronica says slowly, "When Kendall needed plastic surgery to disappear, she remembered someone who had a very good reason to help her out. Someone who had a big secret to keep from the Fitzpatricks."
For several minutes, they are silent, stunned by this new insight and its implications.
Finally, Logan says, "So we give Leo the picture and tell him everything we know about Kendall and Griffith. Let him figure it out."
Keith and Duncan start shaking their heads. Keith says, "With this vendetta Leo's on...it's not going to be enough. He's going to ask why Duncan thought to take a picture of someone he just saw in the hallway at the Neptune Grand. He'll keep nosing around and find evidence that Duncan was involved with Kendall, and Duncan very well might lose his custody case."
"So what's the alternative? We let Leo arrest us for conspiracy and hope the evidence isn't stong enough to convict us?" Logan replies bitterly.
"I won't let you and Veronica be arrested," Duncan says strongly. "If necessary, I'll come forward and tell what I saw. Maybe it won't matter. My attorneys have been working hard to find evidence against Mrs. Manning, and with Lizzie's testimony, maybe it'll be enough."
Keith says, "I'm not just worried about the three of you being arrested in connection with Kendall's murder. I'm worried about Veronica and the kidnapping charges. I don't want anyone looking too closely at her involvement. Duncan, with your immunity agreement for kidnapping, you could now be compelled to testify against Veronica. At the very least, innuendo about the kidnapping could mean Veronica's career with the FBI is completely over. Although I have to say, at this point, I'd rather you give up on that career path anyways." Veronica trades a worried glance with Duncan. Keith stands up abruptly. "I want to think about this. I'm taking Backup out for a walk." The others watch wordlessly as he strides out of the room, whistling for the dog to come.
Veronica finally breaks the silence. "Logan, what did Leo ask you today?"
He sighs in response. "He asked me to confirm that I had a sexual relationship with Kendall in the past and asked if I'd had any contact with her recently. He wanted to know if I knew she had changed her appearance. Then he wanted to know why I left town back in January."
"Why you left town?" Veronica echoes.
"He insinuated that I was setting up an alibi," Logan explains.
"But that's ridiculous. You and I..." She glances at Duncan. "Logan and I met with Leo in his office the day before my dad's hearing."
"It looks bad, because I withdrew a lot of cash and hired someone to take my place. Not the actions of an innocent man, Veronica."
Veronica swallows compulsively. "I guess...."
Logan adds, "Leo threatened to tell the paparazzi that I used to be involved with Kendall."
"Oh, Logan," she says, rattled by this new facet of Leo's vendetta. Veronica tries to cover up her own distress and reassures him. "Logan, it doesn't matter. Who cares if you slept with her a long time ago?"
"Veronica, he's actually figured out a lot. Leo has realized that you could have used Kendall to make your breakup with Duncan look real," Logan relates.
"And he has my fingerprint from Kendall's room. If I try to deny that I talked to Kendall recently, he can use the print to cast doubt on my statement." She turns to Duncan. "You don't have an alibi for the night of Kendall's murder?"
"I was home alone," Duncan replies. "I didn't even make any phone calls." He laughs without humor. "There's no one to call. I don't have friends any more."
"Duncan, of course we're your friends," Veronica answers. "We have to trust each other; that's the only way we're going to get through this."
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VERONICA MARS
10:00PM SHO ch: 340 60min 2009 TV-MA
Countergambit
Keith comes up with a plan.
Veronica: Kristen Bell. Logan: Jason Dohring.
Keith: Enrico Colantoni. Duncan 2.0: Chris
Carmack. Backup: Lefty.
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CHAPTER ONE HUNDRED ONE: "COUNTERGAMBIT"
Tues. 3/17/09 evening: Beach near Sunset Cliffs Apartment, Neptune, CA
On the beach near the Sunset Cliffs apartments, Keith lets Backup off the leash and finds a stick to throw. The dog is ecstatic after his time in the kennel and barks madly, pursuing the stick as it flies down the shoreline. Backup retrieves the stick and races back to Keith, shaking his head and pretending to be reluctant to give up the stick. Despite his foul mood, Keith laughs at the dog's antics. He gets the stick away from the dog and throws it again, to the dog's delight.
I've got to get this right. Somehow I have to protect my daughter and her friends. Goddamn it, Leo. Keith stares out at the ocean, realizing that all of them are victims of their own mistakes along with terrible bad luck. The pressure feels incredibly intense: today his daughter and her boyfriend escaped assassination only because of their altered appearance. And like Veronica's rape five years ago, Keith reflects that he was almost completely out of the loop on a mobster's plot against his daughter. What else did I miss? How else did I let her down? Why didn't I see these things? I knew she was in trouble, and I took care of the evidence for her. But...I yelled at her! Why didn't I find out what was really going on? The Russian mob...some kid putting a sex video of my daughter on the internet...why didn't I see how she was hurting, how she was taking chances with her life? I should have insisted she tell me what was going on....
What is it about our relationship that she always hides things from me? I always thought...I always felt we had a wonderful relationship–that we shared everything.
Suddenly, Keith thinks he hears something...or someone. He turns in place, listening carefully. The dog is romping at the end of the surf, oblivious to Keith's nervousness. Keith calls loudly, "Backup, come!" and Backup whirls around and hurries to his side in alert mode. He and the dog stand together, ostensibly alone on the beach, but Keith cannot shake the uncertain feeling that grips him. He says in a low voice, "Backup, find and bark!" and the dog responds as he was trained. Backup launches himself across the sand, patrolling at high speed and searching for anything unusual. He quickly sniffs a pile of driftwood and the remains of a beach bonfire, then moves on, examining a garbage can and circling a padlocked lifeguard shack as Keith watches and listens tensely, debating whether to draw his gun. After ten minutes of intense searching without results, the dog returns to Keith, who praises the dog lavishly and gives the release command, "OK." Backup stays close to his owner, sensing Keith's uncertain mood. The dog puts his nose to the ground, exploring all the delightfully noxious odors in the sand.
Keith calms his pounding heart and tries to reassure himself that it's just another false alarm after an incredibly stressful day. While waiting for a doctor to treat his flesh wound in the emergency room, Leo had approached and explained that the shooter appeared to have been aiming for Veronica and Logan. He remembers thinking that no amount of law enforcement training would allow you to take that kind of news calmly. Just the recollection of Leo's nonchalant recital of Sorokin's arrest and questioning causes Keith's heart to speed up to dangerous levels of anxiety. Keith wasn't sure, but he thought it was possible that there was the tiniest crack in Leo's unsympathetic facade as he related the details of Sorokin's evil plan to murder Veronica and Logan. Keith had thanked the sheriff profusely for his quick actions that had secured Veronica and Logan in his squad car and possibly saved their lives. Leo had mumbled, "Just doing my job" and turned away, but not before Keith had detected a look of...what was that, embarrassment?...no, probably just exhaustion and stress.
Their meeting today in the hospital emergency room was their first encounter since the dismissal of the arson charges against Keith, and he is appalled at the change in Leo. Even during the tumult of his arrest and questioning, Leo had treated Keith well, as a colleague rather than a scumbag. The interrogations he had conducted were polite, even when Keith refused to say a word in response to the questions. Keith knew that the sheriff had also argued against the enhancement that was added to his charges, but the prosecutor had insisted due to the use of accelerants. Now, the sheriff's animosity at the Mars family is only too apparent. Keith remembers that Leo had tried to take his dismissal after the sex tape scandal professionally and had appeared grateful and penitent when Keith had rehired him a year later. Was it just an act? Was Leo really as bitter and vengeful under the surface then as he is openly now?
He sighs loudly and seeks out a driftwood log in order to sit down. Keith stares at the ocean, with the waves roughly lapping at the shore line and the dark, unfathomable water beyond seeming to mirror his uncertainty and tension. Putting this afternoon's awful events out of his head, he tries to focus on the new information about Kendall and to create some possible scenario that might save his daughter and her friends from Leo's vendetta.
For the millionth time, Keith wishes desperately that Veronica and Duncan had come to him for help when they were concerned about Meg's baby. There were so many better options that fleeing the country; why didn't they trust me to help them? He ruefully admits that he's not being honest with himself; truth be told, he would have simply advised them to let the grownups and the courts sort it out, and Veronica knew him well enough to have surmised that. Keith knows that, to some degree, Duncan's actions were honorable and selfless, but the ramifications to his daughter's future seem overwhelming and insurmountable.
And Logan...Keith remembers that Logan was completely out of control at the time of his affair with Kendall. Unparented and practically unloved, Logan was acting out and flailing desperately. He needed a dad, but all I saw was the hurt Logan was causing Veronica. I HAD to put my daughter's well-being ahead of his. He thinks about how easy it would have been for an experienced master manipulator like Kendall to have seduced Logan in the boy's fragile state. It would have been simple for the older woman to twist Logan's brain and keep him off-balance in order for Liam to set Logan up to be the patsy...except Logan had outsmarted Liam, turning the sexual power play upside down by pursuing Griffith's daughter.
Griffith...how much of this is his fault? What the hell was really going on here? Goddamn Fitzpatricks. He stands up and walks toward the shoreline, the adrenaline surging through him just thinking about his old nemeses.
When I think of the chances I took to get Vinnie out from under the Fitzpatricks...I'd do it again to protect Veronica's future, but, goddamn!, I hate those meth-head lunatics. Keith tries to retrace his steps over the last two months to see where he could have possibly changed his actions to prevent the current situation with Leo. If I hadn't helped Vinnie, then Vinnie would have told what he knew about Veronica to make a deal for himself. But I shouldn't have let Veronica blackmail Leo; I should have just taken the rap. Keith knows that even a relatively short prison term might very well have been a death sentence for him, serving his time with all the vengeful criminals he had incarcerated as sheriff. Maybe I should have fled the country. Maybe Vinnie would have helped ME. Keith chokes on a bitter laugh, thinking of his PI rival and his specialty of playing both sides against each other for maximum profit. Vinnie probably would have sold my whereabouts to Liam for a tidy sum.
He shakes off the bitter reflections and tries to focus on the problem. I have to get Leo to look at Griffith and the Fitzpatricks for Kendall's murder. Maybe if...maybe if I get enough evidence that he can't ignore it.... He sighs loudly, thinking about all the times he had tried to put away the Fitzpatricks. Now, his lack of success makes sense, with the added information that the Fitzpatricks have a connection in law enforcement ready to assist them whenever necessary.
He begins to formulate a plan. I don't know what else to do. We can't all just run away, and we can't wait around for Leo to file charges based on rumor and innuendo–especially innuendo that will ruin Veronica's future and probably ruin Duncan's chances for custody. Keith tries to think of anyone who might owe him a favor from the old days; he comes up with several names, fellow law enforcement officers and several attorneys who he had dealt with in the past. And...Weevil and Wallace. They've been nosing around the Fitzpatricks. I want to pick their brains, too. Keith walks up and down the beach, trying to anticipate every detail and every possible problem in advance.
~ • ~
Tues. 3/17/09 evening: Sunset Cliffs Apartment, Neptune, CA
When Keith returns, he finds the three old friends sitting in the kitchen sharing a frozen pizza they had discovered in the back of the freezer.
"You know what they say, when the going gets tough, the tough start eating," Veronica remarks with her mouth full of food. Backup immediately goes to her and begs for a treat; she obliges with a bit of pepperoni from her slice. Veronica can't help noticing that her dad looks beaten and exhausted; he seems to have aged ten years overnight. Keith smiles in response to her quip, but she sees that the smile does not reach his eyes; she feels incredibly guilty for her role in causing all these problems.
Keith grabs the last slice and begins to eat. "I'm glad you're keeping your strength up." He looks at them seriously, commanding their full attention. "I'm been doing a lot of thinking. Here's what we're going to do. Duncan, you are going to concentrate on your custody case. I assume you have good security at your new house?"
Duncan nods.
"I'd like you to also consider hiring a security guard for the next few days," Keith suggests.
"Dad, what are you planning?" Veronica says nervously.
"I'm being cautious. Veronica, you and I have made too many mistakes. That ends right now. We tell each other everything, and we protect ourselves," he says strongly.
"You two are not the only ones who made mistakes," Logan interjects.
"No, we're not. You're not going to make any more mistakes, either. You're going to be protected as well. You've told us everything, Logan? Everything you know about Hannah and her father and about your relationship with Kendall? There wasn't any pillow talk with Kendall, speculations about Veronica helping Duncan leave the country?" Keith asks.
"No! Nothing. I never talked to Kendall about Veronica," Logan swears. "You have to understand, conversation was the last thing I had in mind when I was with her. I did say...I suggested she should go after Duncan because after all he had a lot more money than I did at that point. Of course, now...."
"Hey!!" Duncan interrupts. "Are we comparing portfolios?"
"Whip it out, dude. My investments would trounce your investments," Logan replies.
Ignoring Logan's comment, Keith says to Duncan, "What happened after Logan suggested Kendall should pursue you?"
Duncan answers, "She was waiting for me in my bedroom naked. I got rid of her, and I laughed about it with Veronica the next day. Kendall didn't give up, though. She tried to sell me one of Big D's cars and practically gave me a lap dance in the process."
"You're sure that there's no way that Kendall knew anything about the kidnapping?" Keith inquires.
"Duncan and I were very careful when we talked about it," Veronica swears. "We didn't want Logan to know either. He was...part of the plan. He had to be in the dark for it to work. Dad, when we questioned Kendall, she didn't say anything about the kidnapping, remember? She definitely would have thrown that in our faces if she knew anything about it."
Keith rubs his forehead and sighs. "You're right. Speaking of that...session...I want to compare our thoughts and make a list of everything Kendall told us that night."
"Wait, you said you want Duncan to concentrate on his custody case. What are we going to be doing?" Veronica asks curiously.
"We're going to try to find out more about Dr. Griffith. Now that we know there's a possible connection between Hannah's father and Kendall through the Fitzpatricks, if we can find proof of it...."
"Proof of what?" Logan asks.
"I don't know," Keith admits. "But if there's concrete evidence of something to do with Kendall, maybe we can get Leo to back off and focus his investigation on the Fitzpatricks."
"What are we going to do about my custody hearing on Friday?" Duncan asks. "Mrs. Manning has subpoenaed Veronica. You know that she's going to try to force Veronica to testify about breaking into the Manning house."
"I'm going to try make Veronica's testimony unnecessary," Keith says reluctantly.
"What? What are you planning?" Veronica asks anxiously.
"If we can come up with proof that Griffith and the Fitzpatricks are connected to Kendall's murder, I'm going to ask Leo to get Duncan immunity on that old breaking and entering charge in return for solid information on Kendall's murder. If Duncan has immunity on that felony, Mrs. Manning can't use it against him in the custody case. Duncan can testify about what you and he witnessed that night at the Manning house. It will substantiate the blackmail evidence that Lamb collected against the Mannings, and Mrs. Manning will be forced to drop her suit. Once Duncan obtains custody, he can testify about his relationship with Kendall and what he witnessed in the park."
"What makes you think Leo cares about the truth at this point?" Veronica asks despondently. "He hates us."
"He was humiliated when he had to drop the arson case against me. I think I can convince him that he can salvage his reputation with a big bust against the Fitzpatricks. I was never able to put them away. If he can get a solid conviction against them, he'll never have to worry about being reelected again. And...I think I can make him see that this vendetta is going to blow up in his face. He doesn't want to make an enemy out of me," Keith says intensely.
He pauses, then adds, "And if we're successful, we're going to take a trip up to Rio Linda and see if we can find out how Hannah Griffith went from living up there, happy and safe, to murdered in Los Angeles."
"Rio Linda?" Veronica asks.
"It's a suburb outside of Sacramento," Keith explains. "Your last day at the school, Epstein and I interviewed the teacher who helped Hannah escape from Briar Hill. She had gotten a postcard that she was pretty sure was from Hannah, postmarked Rio Linda." He gets his briefcase and locates the postcard, still protected by a plastic bag. He hands it to Veronica, who looks at it, frowning. Logan looks over her shoulder, curious.
Veronica muses, "Postmarked August 5, 2006. 'Thank you for everything. I am safe and happy because of you.'" She turns it over and looks at the beautiful meadow pictured on the front. "Logan, when did Hannah make contact with you that summer?"
"July, I think. It was a little while after our trip to Catalina."
Veronica nods. "You said the FBI were looking at your cellphone records to determine where that call originated."
"They didn't share that information with me."
"It's not in the file that Mike gave me. From three years ago, they probably would need a court order to access those cellphone records. You didn't save your itemized bills from then, did you?" Veronica asks.
Logan shakes his head 'no'.
"It would be helpful to know where Hannah was at that point," she adds. "What else did the teacher say, Dad?"
Keith says, "The teacher, Michelle Weisz, told us that she quickly became convinced that Hannah didn't deserve to be at the school. Hannah didn't appear to have a drug problem or psychological issues, and the more she protested, the worse the school treated her. Ms. Weisz was a new employee and was suspicious of Klein's methods. She helped Hannah get off the grounds of the school by hiding her in the trunk of her car and misdirecting the search parties looking for Hannah. Ms. Weisz dropped Hannah off at the bus station in Montpelier and later tried to get another student out of Briar Hill unsuccessfully. She quit not long after, and since then she's devoted her life to rescuing students from the tough-love schools."
"Dad...did you ask the teacher if she thought Hannah could have been blackmailing Peter Klein?" Veronica asks.
"Yes, honey. We asked her if Hannah could have witnessed anything like a payoff. What she said gibes with what we witnessed while you were there: the students are far too controlled to accidentally see something like that. And you know that the typical student experience at Briar Hill is not...."
"You can't blackmail someone if the world believes that their methods are successful," Veronica finishes his thought. With a slight quaver in her voice, she continues, "That's why we had to document everything so thoroughly."
Logan finds her hand under the counter and squeezes it. She looks at him. "That's why I had to keep going, I couldn't let him do his sick therapy on any other girls. I had to. I couldn't let you guys stop the operation," she adds tremulously.
Upon hearing her voice break, Duncan regards her in shock. "Veronica! Are you all right?"
She shakes her head, unwilling to respond. Finally she manages, "I'm all right. Stop looking at me like that. It was hard, okay? I'm still...." She looks around at the worried faces. "I would do it again," she swears. "Even if we only helped one girl to avoid that...I would still do it again." Veronica tries to pull herself together. "Dad, why Rio Linda?"
Keith shrugs. "At first, I thought the proximity to Sacramento meant something–that maybe she was trying to find Maria's family to...I don't know, to expose Maria's abuse, perhaps." Veronica looks puzzled, and Keith explains, "Maria had been at the school about nine months when Hannah arrived. The teacher told us that at the time Maria was insisting that her father had beaten and abused her, and then covered it up by sending her to the school. She would be sentenced to Observation Placement repeatedly for supposedly lying, but she stuck to her story for a long time."
"I suppose eventually she gave up and told them what they wanted to hear," Veronica says softly. "Nine months of no one believing her and being punished for telling the truth."
Keith nods. "So Hannah heard all of Maria's stories. Hannah knew that she was telling the truth about not being a drug user; maybe she suspected that Maria's stories were true as well."
Logan says thoughtfully, "Wasn't the school concealing Maria's true identity? How would Hannah have known that Maria's name was really Frazzino and Maria was from Sacramento?"
Veronica comments, "That's true...it's not like the girls can have a heart-to-heart talk there. It's always about working your program and admitting your flaws, and you're constantly supervised. It's the perfect place to hide a victim. But what if after Hannah escaped, she saw a photo of Maria, in some publicity about the Assemblyman, and recognized Maria? Logan, do you think Hannah would have wanted to...I don't know, investigate something like that?"
"I don't think so, but...we don't know how her experience at the school changed her," Logan says, thinking aloud. "Maybe she wanted to expose the cruelty of the school, and Maria seemed like the perfect opportunity. Or she wanted to punish her parents by showing them and the world the kind of place the school was."
"Dad..." Veronica begins hesitantly. "Are you thinking that there's a connection between Hannah's murder and Kendall?"
Keith says, "I don't know. But if Hannah truly was the victim of a copycat murder, I would say the only two possibilities for a motive would be her knowledge of something from her time of the school–"
"Or something about her dad and the Fitzpatricks," Veronica finishes. "And the timing...."
Keith nods. "Hannah was killed shortly before Kendall showed up in Neptune. Maybe it's a coincidence. But with the possible connection between Hannah's father and Kendall through the Fitzpatricks...." he shrugs. "And you can't forget that it still looks likely that someone in law enforcement is involved, someone that provided the actual details to make it look like one of the serial murders."
She nods thoughtfully. "I still don't understand why Rio Linda. Did you tell Ms. Denenberg that's where Hannah was?"
"Yes. She didn't have an explanation as to why Hannah ended up there," Keith replies.
"What about Hannah's friends?" Logan asks.
"I'm sure the FBI questioned them. And Ms. Denenberg had employed a private detective when Hannah first escaped from the school. I'm certain the PI would have talked to Hannah's friends here in Neptune," Keith says.
Logan scoffs. "Veronica, do you remember Hannah's friends from the funeral?"
She nods.
Logan continues, "They said, Hannah 'never did anything wrong, and she was punished as if she was a criminal.' They looked at Dr. Griffith as if they hated him."
"They would have protected Hannah's secrets, if Hannah had asked for their help," Veronica agrees. "Did you get to know any of those girls when you were seeing her?"
"Barely," Logan says, shaking his head.
"Dad, I think it's worth a shot. Maybe they would talk to me and Logan if we tell them about what we did at Briar Hill," Veronica proposes.
"All right. But I want to make it clear that we are going to share every bit of information we get, from now on. Is that understood?" Keith says sternly.
Veronica and Logan both nod in response.
Keith continues, "And we're not taking any chances. If we're right, they've killed twice, and they won't hesitate to kill again. Any ideas you have, you're going to run them by me first. We're going to watch our backs and err on the side of caution at all times. No going off your own, Veronica. You either, Logan...Duncan. Agreed?"
"You really think we're in serious danger from the Fitzpatricks or some rogue FBI agent?" Duncan asks incredulously.
"I hope I'm wrong. But I don't want to worry about you in case we stir up a hornet's nest," Keith responds evasively.
~ • ~
Tues. 3/17/09 evening: Sunset Cliffs Apartment, Neptune, CA
They spend the next two hours trying to remember everything Kendall said when they confronted her at the Neptune Grand. Between the three of them, they have managed to recreate everything that was said that night. Veronica prints out several copies of the notes she has been taking on her laptop, and they look over the document.
1) Kendall claimed that she hooked up with Duncan by accident--she was just looking for company, and he was suitably attractive. When she realized he was Duncan Kane, she began to plot a con to take his money. As a backup, she began to videotape their sexual encounters for a possible blackmail scheme."Okay, my head doesn't hurt as much anymore trying to understand what the hell she was up to," Duncan remarks.
2) Kendall was searching Mars Investigations looking for the money from the painting, which she had heard had been resold in the private market. She said she assumed Keith had taken the painting.
3) Three and a half years ago, when Kendall mentioned to Liam Fitzpatrick that Logan was flirting with her, Liam instructed her to sleep with Logan and keep tabs on him. Liam thought Kendall could help ensure that Logan was convicted of killing Felix, thereby keeping attention away from the Fitzpatricks' drug dealing arrangements with the PCHers.
4) Kendall bragged that Aaron had promised her $200,000 for obtaining one of Duncan's hairs from the shower in the Neptune Grand. She had met with Aaron to collect her payoff the day Aaron was murdered, but he was killed before she could get paid. When she came out of the shower and found him dead, she bolted, abandoning her fee.
5) Kendall and Liam were working together to siphon funds from Richard Casablancas Sr.'s real estate scams. The total take was five million dollars, and Kendall's cut was half of that amount. Kendall never trusted Liam and expected him to screw her over. The money is deposited in a joint bank account in the Caymans; passwords from both principals are needed to access the funds, or a survivor must produce a death certificate for the other accountholder.
6) When Cassidy Casablancas killed himself, leaving the entire assets of the Phoenix Land Trust to Kendall, Kendall decided to forget about the money from Casablancas Enterprises and go on the run with Cormac Fitzpatrick. Cormac then double-crossed Kendall and shot her, leaving her for dead in the desert.
7) Kendall was back in town to try to somehow acquire Liam's password to the joint account. She had changed her appearance to hide from Liam. She claimed that she had come back to town now because Liam was in prison on the racketeering charge. With the indictment against Liam now thrown out due to evidence problems, Keith warned Kendall that she needed to leave town immediately.
"It was mostly about money. She had a stupid arrangement with Liam that practically guaranteed that he would try to kill her one day," Veronica comments.
"You think Liam killed her?" Duncan asks. When Veronica nods, he says, "So why was she arguing with Griffith in the park?"
"She was probably trying to blackmail him again," Logan theorizes.
"About what? Do you think Liam would still be angry about Griffith recanting on his testimony?" Veronica says. "It seems a long time to be mad about it. It never came out that the PCHers were working with the Fitzpatricks, even when Weevil was arrested."
Duncan interjects, "Have you guys seen any of Griffith's interviews? The guy is completely crazy. He's still insisting that Briar Hill was the best place for his daughter."
Veronica sighs. "I know. It makes me so mad. But Duncan, a lot of the parents refuse to believe the truth about what their children go through at the tough-love schools. There's a lot of psychological reasons why they want to believe they did the right thing for their children."
"I don't believe it," Logan retorts. "I can't believe that guy has any good in him."
Keith points to number four on their list, Kendall's involvement with framing Duncan for the murder of Lilly Kane. "I have another idea. If what I'm planning with Leo doesn't work, I think we should say that Kendall was trying to get Logan to pay Aaron's debt to her and was threatening to expose the scheme to the tabloids."
"That's crazy. Everyone knows I hate my dad and wouldn't pay a cent to cover up what he did," Logan protests.
Keith shakes his head. "No, everyone doesn't know that, Logan. You're obviously not eager for more paparazzi attention, especially about Lilly and your dad. The thing is, if we force that issue–Kendall's helping to frame Duncan for Aaron–Leo's involvement with the sex tapes could resurface. He won't be willing to take that chance, and he'll have to drop the investigation."
Logan, fuming, replies, "I don't want anyone to think that I would pay money to cover up what that bastard did."
"Logan...it's just in case. And it would be a bluff. We'd be taking a big chance that Leo would call our bluff. We're only going to do that if we have no other option," Keith says reassuringly.
Veronica suddenly realizes that Keith is much more worried than he's letting on. "Dad...do you think...are you really worried that Leo might be able to get enough evidence to arrest us?"
"No, honey, of course not," Keith lies. "Everything's going to be fine."
••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
VERONICA MARS
10:00PM SHO ch: 340 60min 2009 TV-MA
Coping Mechanism
Keith and Veronica come to an agreement.
Veronica: Kristen Bell. Logan: Jason Dohring.
Keith: Enrico Colantoni.
••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
CHAPTER ONE HUNDRED TWO: "COPING MECHANISM"
Tues. 3/17/09 evening: Sunset Cliffs Apartment, Neptune, CA
Duncan leaves after Keith makes a phone call arranging for a security guard to meet Duncan at his house. Veronica asks Logan to get her laptop, and she begins to google information on the town of Rio Linda. "Hmm. Population ten thousand...median home value $305,000...cost of living 8% higher than the U.S. average...close to average per capita educational spending and average employment level...slightly lower income than the U.S. average. Wait a second...violent crime and property crime are twice the U.S. average."
Logan comments, "Makes sense the crime would be high, if the cost of living is 8% higher and the income is lower than average."
She surfs to another website. "Okay, here's a comment somebody left calling Rio Linda a 'cow town'." She shakes her head and closes her eyes in fatigue. "Why Rio Linda?"
Keith replies, "Veronica, I think you should get to bed. You're exhausted. We'll work on this in the morning." He glances at Logan, who looks away, embarrassed.
Veronica notices the exchange and says, "Dad, can you help me get ready for bed?" She slides off the barstool and moves toward the bedroom with her dad close behind. After they enter her room, she says, "Shut the door, okay?" and sits down the bed. Keith complies and walks toward the bed, intending to help her remove the sling, but she shakes her head, 'no', and motions that he should sit down next to her. "Dad...."
"What's up, honey?" he asks.
"You know that I'm twenty-one years old now, right?" she says gently. "I'm...Dad, I'm a woman and..." Veronica closes her eyes, trying to find the words. "I'm in love with him. I need him."
"Veronica–"
"Let me finish. I know you think he pushed me to be together last night. It's not true. I pressured him. I begged him to sleep with me; he didn't want to because he was worried about me too."
"What? Veronica, what are you talking about?" Keith replies, confused. "I don't understand. You've been through a terrible experience, and–"
"Yes, it was terrible. I know you think...I know you think you saw what it was like at the school...but you can't know. Logan knows, he was there, he was affected too. He knows what it's like to not know your own mind anymore. And I trust him...I always had trouble with trusting him before, but...knowing that he was willing to do that for me, to put his own sanity in jeopardy to protect me...."
"Veronica, please, I'm just so worried about you. I'm concerned that...I'm...." He sighs and closes his eyes. "Veronica, I'm feeling very guilty that I didn't take care of you properly when you were...assaulted, that you didn't feel like you could talk to me about it. I don't want to do the wrong thing again. I'm concerned about you, that's all."
"I know I should have told you about the rape a long time ago," she says hesitantly. "It's just...what do you say, do you just sit down at dinner and say, 'By the way, Dad, someone raped me a few months ago because I was stupid and drank a drink that I didn't watch being poured?'" Her words begin to rush out uncontrollably. "I couldn't tell you–I was embarrassed that I let that happen to me. Not being able to remember everything from that night somehow made it worse; I was imagining the worst. Everyone at school was laughing about me, and I didn't know what I did that night to make them say those things. And I knew, I knew you would go crazy, you'd interrogate every male at Neptune High and.... I knew everyone would be talking about it and it would never end and...." She breathes in deeply, shuddering.
Keith regards her silently, waiting.
"I couldn't tell you," she finally says. "Even when I found out more about it...especially when I thought it was...well, it looked like Duncan and I had both been drugged, and for a long time I thought we had just ended up together in a bedroom and...." She stares blankly at the wall. "I told myself over and over again, it wasn't really rape, neither of us were sober enough to consent or to protest, it was just...chemicals and hormones mixing together." Veronica looks at her dad and says softly, "I think part of me wanted to get back together with Duncan again because that really made it 'not-rape'. It was just...a really bad first time, and going out with Duncan again was like...a do-over. I was fixing it."
"Veronica, I'm just regretting that you didn't have a mother to talk to. That was my fault, I drove your mother away with my obsession. And I wasn't paying attention to you. I should have seen...I've been trying to remember...that was when you cut your hair, you started dressing differently–harder, tougher. You threw yourself into your schoolwork and cases at the office. I didn't even ask, I just assumed it was boy trouble or a delayed reaction to Lilly's murder or the breakup with Duncan."
"That was part of it, Dad; you weren't wrong," she agrees.
"I should have seen that you were hurting," he protests. "I should have tried harder to find your mother. You needed your family, not an ex-sheriff with an obsession."
"Daddy," she says quietly, leaning against him. "You're always there for me. I know that."
"And then this sex video," he says compulsively. "Why didn't you tell me about that?"
"Dad...come on. Look how you're reacting to Logan sleeping in my bed. You would have gone berserk."
"The Russian mafia, Veronica," he says flatly. "How could you take such a chance?"
"It was my problem, and I wanted to try to fix it myself," she says, almost under her breath. "Besides, you lost your job for me. I felt so guilty. You had a chance to go back to being the sheriff, and I blew it for you."
They remain silent, each of them lost in their thoughts. Finally, Keith says, "I know you're a woman. I know you're in love with him, and he's not the same boy who was...who made so many mistakes in the past. I still think it's too soon for you. I'm afraid...because you said you couldn't remember that last day. I'm worried that...sex...will trigger some bad memory for you. Can't you see how dangerous it is? You're still just a few days out of that experience. You're still traumatized."
"I'm going to remember everything eventually, Dad," she vows. Veronica says emphatically, "I don't want to not know anymore!" She tries to calm herself. "I can't stand feeling weak and victimized. I want to be strong Veronica again. I want to know what happened to me and understand it."
Keith thinks, What if there's no way to understand it?
Veronica continues, "Logan loves me without condition, without restraint. He's unable to not love me. That used to terrify me, that he could love me so strongly. I couldn't understand how he could be that way, because I'm not like that. And I knew love doesn't last, or I thought I knew that. I used to say 'I'm never getting married.' It seemed like we were spending our lives proving that true love doesn't exist, and here was this boy who was telling me that he would love me forever, no matter what. It made me want to push him away, to test him. I looked for flaws and found them to prove to myself that I shouldn't love him back, that I was right...that true love doesn't exist. But...you said it yourself, 'a good person is one who is there for you when you need them the most.' He's there for me now. When he holds me, it should make me feel weaker–that I need this man to hold me and protect me–but it doesn't. It makes me feel safe and strong again. Knowing that he loves me makes me strong again."
Veronica's words assail him with additional guilt. While she was trying to deal with her mother leaving, I had her spying on cheating spouses, showing her over and over again that love is fragile and breakable–that your lover always leaves. I never thought about what that would do to a teenager just learning about love. And then on top of that, she had to cope with her...assault. I should have known something was wrong! What the hell was I thinking? No wonder she's holding onto him, trying to pretend that she's okay. I know Logan loves her and would never hurt her on purpose, but if she starts remembering what that fuck Klein did to her.... He tries to reassure her, "He'll still love you in a few weeks when you're stronger, Veronica. Please...I really want you to–"
"Dad, when I'm asleep in his arms, I don't have nightmares. I can shut my eyes, and I don't have to worry about seeing Peter Klein's face in my dreams or imagining Gory aiming a rifle at me," Veronica responds decisively. "I'm not backing down on this, Dad."
"My house, my rules. Sometimes you don't know what's best for you, Veronica," Keith says firmly. "I'm putting my foot down."
"Dad, you're not listening to me. I need him to feel safe." A sudden thought strikes her, and she adds, "And he needs me. ...Dad, we're both struggling. You have to find a way to be okay with this, or we'll find a hotel room."
"Veronica!" he says, shocked. "With everything that's going on, this is not the time–"
"You're right. It's not the time. I want to be able to keep my eye on you too and not worry about the crazy Fitzpatricks sneaking up on you. But I don't know how I can express it to you better than I have already. I can't help how I feel, Dad. I need him right now, more than I can tell you." She pushes herself off the bed. "We'll check into the Camelot for tonight and find something better tomorrow." Veronica walks to the closet and retrieves an overnight bag from the floor.
"Veronica, stop."
She walks to the bureau and awkwardly begins to pack some clothes into the bag.
"Veronica, please stop and talk to me," Keith begs.
She stops, her back still toward him. "Dad, you can't make my rape go away, and neither can I," she says softly. "You can't turn me back into your little girl again. It's part of who I am now."
They stay frozen in a tableau of uncertainty and regret for a long minute before Keith breaks the silence. "All right. But if he hurts you...Veronica, I will never forgive him."
"Dad, it's okay to tell him how you feel–that you're worried about me. Just remember that I love him, and it was my decision to sleep with him last night," she comments gently. "He understands how you feel, Dad. He feels the same way. He wishes he could erase the bad things that have happened and the stupid things he's done, and he's worried about screwing up again. You said it yourself: we all made mistakes. But I don't think it's ever a mistake to love somebody."
He stands up from the bed and goes to her, kissing the top of her head. Keith takes the overnight bag out of her hands and places it on the floor. "You'll always be my little girl. ...Who's your daddy?"
"You are," she responds, turning to him and smiling through tears.
He wipes the tears from her cheek with his thumb and kisses her forehead. "It's not easy to be your father, Veronica."
"Ah, come on, you're doing a great job," Veronica replies lightly. "You make it look easy. I turned out okay, don't you think?"
"You turned out great."
She leans into him, hugging him tightly with her good arm as he strokes her back. "I love you, Dad."
"I love you, Veronica."
~ • ~
Tues. 3/17/09 late: Sunset Cliffs Apartment, Neptune, CA
Keith leaves Veronica's bedroom, shutting the door behind him. She hears the murmurs of a brief conversation in the living room, and Logan comes in the bedroom, his face flaming red. He sits down on the bed, completely unable to speak, and Veronica joins him. He mutters, "You are so spoiled."
"What?"
"You have your dad wrapped around your little finger, Veronica. I can't believe you...what did you say to him?"
She replies, "We talked about me being a grown-up and making my own decisions."
"Veronica, I don't ever want to have to talk about having sex with you with your dad again," he says morosely.
"What exactly did he say?" she persists.
"'If I find out you hurt her by pressuring her to have sex, I'll track you down and kill you like the dog you are.'"
"He did not say that," she protests.
"Okay, he said, 'If you hurt her, I'll never forgive you.'"
"Okay. Nothing wrong with that. You're not allowed to hurt me," she says smugly. He glances at her, still upset at the thought of his discussion with Keith. Veronica adds, "I told him I need you, that you make me feel stronger."
She leans against him, and he puts his arm around her. Logan says, "You don't need me to be strong, Veronica. There's not a woman in the world who's stronger than you."
"Come on, help me get undressed," she says, changing the subject.
As he releases the straps on her sling and eases it off her shoulder, he comments, "You know, I think you might be milking this injury a little bit, Veronica. Undress me, dress me, wash my back, shave my legs. Humph," he says, pretending to be aggrieved at her presumption. "'Please' and 'thank you' would be nice."
"Please take off my clothes...baby," she replies teasingly.
He helps to ease her shirt over her head and admonishes her, "You know there's no way we're having sex tonight. I think the look on your dad's face killed any chance of me having an erection for about a week."
She whispers, "Well, then you'll just have to satisfy me some other way, if Little Logan is feeling self-conscious with my dad listening." Veronica suddenly yawns, the long day finally taking its toll on her.
"Okay, if you're going to name my penis, do you think you could come up something a little more virile than Little Logan?" he mutters.
"I'm too tired to come up with anything else." She closes her eyes in fatigue. With one finger, he pushes gently on her chest and eases her backward onto the bed. Logan pulls her slacks off and finishes undressing her. She mumbles, "I'm just going to close my eyes for a minute."
He finds the pajamas she wore the night before and brings them to her. She wakes up enough to help him get her pj's on and the sling secured around her shoulder. Veronica slides under the covers, already dozing as he gets ready for bed himself. Logan gets into bed, his front to her back, carefully cuddling against her. He strokes her hair, pushing the loose curled strands behind her ears, and she sighs in contentment. He says, "I keep thinking...if you didn't have this red hair, if I hadn't changed the way I look...."
"I know," she whispers. "Please...don't say it. Hold me tighter. Please."
He presses himself closer and puts his arm around her waist; he kisses her neck and breathes in her scent, grateful despite his embarrassment that she had talked her father into allowing them to be together. Logan says quietly, "I need you too...I need you to help me feel strong too."
She sighs in response before drifting off to sleep. I wish...I wish it could always be like this.
Chapter One Hundred Three