FIC: YLD2 (103-113/151) (NC-17)

[vanessagalore]

Previously on The Year of Living Dangerously Part II [Spoilers for chapters 1-102] (for those of you who didn't take notes)

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VERONICA MARS
10:00PM SHO ch: 340 60min 2009 TV-MA
Drunk and Disorderly
Logan dreams; St. Patrick's Day revelry.
Veronica: Kristen Bell. Logan: Jason Dohring.
Klein: Clancy Brown. Kavner: Eric Bana.
Dave: Jason Wiles. Leo: Max Greenfield.
Bray: Mark Sheppard. Sacks: Brandon Hillock.
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CHAPTER ONE HUNDRED THREE: "DRUNK AND DISORDERLY"

Tues. 3/17/09 very late: Sunset Cliffs Apartment, Neptune, CA

Logan awakens with a start; he checks the time and realizes he's late for his shift. He dresses quickly and hurries to the main building. Snow is falling heavily, and he shivers in the chilly Vermont air. Dave is waiting impatiently for him and bumps fists, saying, "'Sup." Logan nods in response, wondering where the rest of the guards are. He feels groggy and confused today after another sleepless night of worrying about the operation. As always, the silence of the school petrifies him; the absence of jostling, unruly teenagers never fails to unnerve him.

Dave says, "Come with me. We've got a tough one today."

Logan's stomach clenches and heaves; if Dave thinks it's tough....

Dave mutters something about most of the girls being on another hike. He leads Logan upstairs to a room he has never noticed. Dave unlocks and opens the door, motioning that Logan should go in.

Logan takes a deep breath and steps in. She is restrained to the chair, the heavy leather straps cutting cruelly into her limbs. Her head hangs down; her red hair is tousled and greasy. He hasn't seen her for a week; the operation has been going for three weeks, and still Keith insists that they need to continue. There's a bucket off to the side, and the room smells of urine; Logan feels nauseous, realizing that they've been humiliating her this way. Kavner is standing off to the side; he acknowledges Logan with a slight movement of his head.

Klein is seated in front of Veronica with a serious, intense express on his face. He acknowledges Logan. "Mr. Oakley, glad you could join us. We're doing some role-playing today, and I need your help. Connie's resisting; she won't give me the satisfaction of cooperating, will you, Connie?"

Veronica raises her head; there's a bruise on her cheek, and one eye is swollen partially closed. "Fuck you. If I was in California, this wouldn't be happening."

Logan's heart leaps. She said the code. Let's get the fuck out of here. He looks over at Kavner, who shakes his head warningly. Logan thinks, What the fuck? End this now, goddammit!

Klein laughs. "Connie, what the hell is your problem? You know that we love you here. You're not going to California, you're going to be here with the people who care about you until you get better. Come on now, I want you to go back to that night. I want to know everything. What happened when you got to the party?"

Fuck! Klein knows about Shelly's party. Logan panics; what else does he know?

Her head droops. "I told you. Somebody gave me a drink. I didn't feel good. I went out to the pool and laid down on one of the lounge chairs."

"You wanted somebody to find you there," Klein prompts.

"No! What are you talking about?" she protests.

"You know you went to that party looking for drugs and sex," he pushes.

"No. No! I just wanted to have some fun, I was...everyone hated me, I was hoping...." her voice trails off, breaking Logan's heart. He recalls laughing at her as she pushed her way through the crowd and telling the guy next to him to look at that stupid bitch Ronnie, who still thought she had '09er friends. Logan remembers just how much he had hated her that night, and the bile rises in his throat.

Klein continues, "Okay, Connie. What happened after you laid down by the pool?"

"Someone found me...I don't remember who...they were doing...body shots on me." Her voice is almost inaudible, and she refuses to look at him.

He thinks, She absolutely knows who found her passed out by the pool that night. She remembers who called over all the usual suspects to have some fun at her expense. He remembers deliberately ignoring that nagging inner voice that was protesting, 'She's your friend...why aren't you helping her? You know she wouldn't be doing that if she wasn't wasted. That's Veronica lying there, sweet, innocent Veronica who played 'I Never' with you.'

Klein is staring at Veronica, impatient for her to continue. She says, pleading, "Please...I don't remember anything after that." Logan thinks, I don't want her to remember. Please, god, let her forget this.

Klein snorts. "Come on, Connie, you've got to get your thinking right." He leans into her face and screams, "You wanted to get high! You wanted those boys to take advantage of you! In fact, you went off and had sex with one of them, didn't you?"

"No!...No!" she says again. "I just wanted...I just wanted...."

Sarcastically, Klein berates her, "You're pathetic, Connie. All this talk about a rape. You're just trying to put the responsibility for your behavior on someone else. You said you took a drink from someone; are you trying to tell me that someone drugged you on purpose?"

"It was Madi–" Veronica stops short, and the slip of her tongue scares Logan to death. "It was stupid, okay? I admit it. I was stupid. But I didn't take drugs on purpose. And I don't remember what happened after that. You can yell at me all night, and I still won't remember." She looks up at Logan and says, "California. California, goddammit." Her voice cracks on her last words.

Kavner pushes off the wall that he's been leaning on and walks over to Logan. He whispers, "Don't pay any attention to her; we changed the code words."

"So she's confused! We have to get her out now!" Logan says under his breath.

"No. You're the one who's confused. You've got to do your job; she needs you to do your job. You're putting her in danger...get it together!" Kavner walks away. Logan's head pounds: why, why....why.

During this exchange, Klein stands up; he towers over Veronica and grabs her chin viciously, causing her to wince in pain. He examines her face as one would stare at a particularly vile insect. "Time for you to get honest, Connie. Dave, untie her." Dave begins to loosen the bonds on Veronica's ankles as Klein goes to a table on the far side of the room. Logan hears a glass bottle clinking against the side of a glass as something is poured.

He knows he shouldn't say it, but he does. "What are you doing to her?"

"We're going to reenact the night she says she was raped. She needs to face the truth," Klein explains calmly. "She can't get healthy until she admits she was a user."

"Why are you so sure she wasn't raped?" Logan asks helplessly.

"Because she's a liar and a user. She uses everyone around her, and the lies...the lies just keep on coming," Klein finishes smugly. He walks over to Logan and hands him a glass filled with a brown liquid. "I want you to give her this."

The smell of the alcohol wafts from the surface of the drink, and Logan feels nauseated and lightheaded. "You're giving her alcohol? I thought she was an addict. How can you give her alcohol?"

Klein says imperiously, "You don't understand what we're doing here. This girl is about to have a breakthrough. This method works every time, in my experience." He nudges Logan. "Go over to her. I want you to say, 'How about a little hooch, baby? Are you feeling horny?'"

It feels like all the air has been sucked out of the room; Logan's vision clouds over, and he staggers a little, feeling slightly faint. How the fuck does he know that? Did she tell him that? He looks at Veronica, who stares back with frightened eyes.

Dave shoves him on the back, causing some of the alcohol to slop over the sides of the glass. "Do it, fucker."

Logan looks over where Kavner was standing; the man has disappeared. Gone to get help? Did he finally realize that she's called for help?

Dave becomes infuriated at Logan's hesitation; he grabs Logan around the neck and runs him backward until Logan hits the wall, his head slamming against the plaster with a thud. The glass is knocked out of his hand, spilling alcohol all over him. Logan is pinned against the wall with Dave's forearm against his neck. The scent of the alcohol soaking his clothes combines with the sour stench of Dave's breath. Dave says menacingly, "Are you going to do what you're told? Stupid fuck, did you think we wouldn't find out?" Logan hears her sobbing loudly as Dave hauls back and punches him in the stomach. Doubled over, Logan tries to get away from Dave.

Klein says, "That's enough. Get him over here." Dave grabs Logan by his shirt and hauls him over to Klein; Logan stumbles and falls to the floor in front of the headmaster. "Get up, Oakley." Dave pulls his leg back to kick Logan, but Logan scuttles away and stands up to face the headmaster. Klein walks over to Veronica and grasps her hair; he pulls, hard, and Veronica gasps loudly. Looking directly at Logan, Klein says, "Get the glass and fill it up again."

"Let go of her!" Logan cries, but Klein pulls even harder on her hair, jerking her head back, and Veronica screams. Panting, Logan hurries to retrieve the glass and fills it again from the bottle. He thinks wildly of options: he decides to throw the alcohol in Klein's face and punch Dave, then grab Veronica and run.

Dave taps on Logan's shoulder firmly and says quietly. "Don't even think about it, tough guy. We'll hurt her even worse."

"Please don't hurt her! What do you want me to do?" Logan asks, trying like hell to keep calm while the world goes insane.

"Give her the drink and say it," Klein directs. He releases his grip on Veronica's hair and pushes her forward, closer to Logan.

Logan proffers the drink and says in a quiet, flat voice, "How about some hooch. Are you feeling horny." God...I'm sorry. Forgive me.

Veronica glances at Klein's contorted, evil face and takes the drink. She swallows it quickly, choking on the alcohol as it burns her throat. Coughing and sputtering, she pushes the glass back at Logan. He takes the glass and stands there, breathing heavily.

"Connie, tell him you want to have sex," Klein says.

Without looking at his face, she mutters indistinctly, "Want to have sex." She sways slightly, the alcohol hitting her hard almost immediately. Veronica passes a hand in front of her eyes and grimaces.

"Do it," Klein orders.

"What?" Logan replies in shock.

"Fuck her, or else Dave will." Klein explains, his voice rational and calm, "She has to take responsibility for having sex that night. She can't keep claiming it was rape. She needs to admit that she wanted to get high. She needs to relive that night so she can move on."

"Fuck you, I'm not doing it," Logan bursts out. "You fuck, you sick fuck...." Dave strides to his side and slaps his face with an open hand, almost knocking Logan down again. Logan tries to defend himself; he aims the empty glass at Dave's forehead, but Dave grabs his arm, twisting it and forcing him to drop the glass. Dave forces Logan's arms behind his back and holds him in place.

Klein shakes his head in distress. "You're not seeing the big picture here. We're trying to help Connie." He grabs Veronica by the shoulders and forces her down onto her knees. He takes a lipstick out of his pocket and roughly grasps Veronica's jaw. He letters 'S L U T' on her forehead as she begins to cry. Logan begins to struggle against Dave, and Klein forces Veronica's head near Logan's crotch. "Connie, just show us how you did it that night. I'm trying to help you."

"No...no..." she wails, keeping her eyes closed and resisting against Klein's strong grip.

With a sudden jerk, Logan twists out of Dave's grasp. He lurches forward and pushes Klein away from Veronica. "Run, Veronica," he pants as he tries to hold Klein down. Veronica scrambles to her feet and scurries to the door; Logan tries to punch Klein. Without warning, Dave's fist crashes into his skull, and the lights go out.

When he comes to, he is lying on the floor in a different room, completely dark except for a strip of light at the bottom of the door. Logan stands up and fumbles along the walls of the small room for a light switch; he flips it on, and the room is bathed in a soft light from recessed fixtures. I know this room. He turns, and he sees the belts hanging on the walls, framed by lavish mahogany woodwork. He knows what he's supposed to do; he touches one belt, an expensive and exotic lizard skin number with an etched design. Remembering those hard edges that opened up vicious welts on his back, he rejects it for another, slightly safer option. He opens the door and walks to the library where a man is staring out the window. Keith Mars turns around and says, "You've really fucked up this time, Logan." He puts out his hand, and Logan gives him the belt.

Veronica shakes him awake. She is sitting beside him on the bed, regarding him with a worried expression. His eyes gradually focus, and his breathing slows. She caresses his face, frowning when she encounters his sweaty brow. "Hey," she says quietly. "It's okay."

He swallows, completely unable to speak. He meets her eyes briefly before looking away.

Veronica asks, "Logan?"

He looks at her again. In the darkened bedroom, he thinks he still sees the angry red writing on her face. He closes his eyes and shakes his head, trying to clear the nightmare vision. When Logan reopens his eyes, her face is blessedly free of lettering.

"It's okay," she repeats. She carefully arranges herself back on the bed, pressing her body into his, cursing the sling and her injured shoulder that limit her from throwing her arms around him. "Do you want to tell me about it?" she whispers.

He shakes his head 'no'. He glances at the clock: 3:38am. "Let's try to get some more sleep," he replies at last.

He closes his eyes, pretending to sleep; next to him, she watches and listens, quite certain that he's still awake.

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Wed. 3/18/09 early morning: Neptune Sheriff's Department, Neptune, CA

Sheriff D'Amato enters the department; Sacks, on duty behind the counter, hands him several sheets of paper. Leo scans the papers quickly and asks, "You arrested three guys at McHale's last night? Drunk and disorderly?"

"The St. Patrick's Day celebration got a little out of hand last night," Sacks comments. "One guy, Kevin Bray, is insisting on seeing you."

"Let me see his file, Jerry," Leo requests. He opens the file and reads that Bray was arrested ten years ago for receiving stolen goods; the charges were dismissed. Keith Mars' notes indicate that he assumed Bray was a minor Fitzpatrick flunky. "Anybody get hurt at McHale's?"

Sacks shakes his head. "No...just a bar fight. A couple chairs got broken."

"Anything else?"

Sacks replies, "A message from that FBI agent, Alan Sheffield. He has a few questions and needs to speak to you. And...Lloyd Blankenship from The Dispatch called; he's looking for a quote about the shooting."

"All right. I'll talk to Bray now." Leo heads back to the holding cell. Three men, scuffed up and hungover, are lying on the cots.

One man, upon seeing the sheriff approach, pushes himself up and unsteadily walks to the bars with a pronounced limp. He rests his hands on a crossbar and says quietly, "Sheriff."

Leo flinches at the smell of booze; the guy is still half-lit. "Are you Bray?"

The man nods. "Listen...I got info that might be useful to you. Any way we can make this charge go away?"

"Info on what?" Leo says suspiciously.

"You know that broad who got killed in the park?"

"Are you talking about Kendall Casablancas?" Leo asks.

"Yeah, that's the one. That blonde chick with the ass and the tits," Bray specifies. "I saw her with someone that night."

"What were you doing there? In the park at night?" Leo queries.

"Oh, you know, this and that," Bray replies vaguely. "You interested? The ball and chain is not going to be happy with me if I have to pay another fine. She'll cut me off again."

Leo thinks for a minute. "Just tell me what you saw, and then I'll see what I can do for you."

"Unh-unh. C'mon, Sheriff, it's just a bullshit D&D."

Leo purses his lips. "You'll pay for the damage you caused last night?"

"No problem, Sheriff. We're real sorry we got so drunk last night. It's just...you know...St. Paddy's Day and all, sometimes we get a little carried away."

Leo replies, "Let me talk to McHale, see what he says. If he'll accept restitution and doesn't want to press charges...."

"We're his best customers. He'll be okay with it," Bray swears.

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VERONICA MARS
10:00PM SHO ch: 340 60min 2009 TV-MA
Knight in Shining Armor
Discussion question: who is more damaged?
Support your thesis with quotations.
Veronica: Kristen Bell. Logan: Jason Dohring.
Keith: Enrico Colantoni.
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CHAPTER ONE HUNDRED FOUR: "KNIGHT IN SHINING ARMOR"

Wed. 3/18/09 early morning: Sunset Cliffs Apartment, Neptune, CA

Keith taps lightly on Veronica's bedroom door. When he hears her say, 'Come in', he opens the door slightly, making sure to keep his eyes averted. "Veronica, Logan...I'm going out for a while."

From the bed, Veronica says, "Is that a sanitation department uniform? Doing a little dumpster diving, are we?"

"Yes. I'm going to get Dr. Griffith's garbage. Can you meet me at the office in a couple hours? We'll go through everything. Just so you know...Kavner's sitting in the parking lot keeping watch. I hired him to help for the next few days. For now, I just asked him to help keep an eye out. He said he chased a few paparazzi away already. I know you guys are tired, but you need to get up pretty soon. We've got a lot to do today. I left a note with a few things I'd like you to start researching. Wallace will be at the office soon too."

"Okay," Veronica replies. "Love you, Dad."

"Love you too, honey," he remarks, closing the door.

"Being a PI is so sexy," Logan comments dryly. "Picking through garbage, that's just great."

"Yeah, well, you can help too," Veronica retorts. "You know, pull your weight around here." She stretches, wincing a little as she moves her shoulder. She turns a little to look at him. "Are you going to tell me what you were dreaming about last night?"

"I don't remember," he lies.

"Bull." She stares at him, but he steadfastly refuses to answer. She sighs. "Logan, you know we won't get through this unless we talk to each other."

"I can't, okay?" he says finally.

"You're scaring me," she presses, but he just shakes his head. She breathes out and decides to drop it for now. Veronica says, "I think I want to take a real shower today. That's if you're willing to help me...you know, wash my hair...."

"Yeah, I know, wash your hair, scrub your back. Slave driver."

"I might be willing to let you soap up my naughty bits," she says mischievously, trying to distract him from whatever's bothering him.

"Promises, promises," he says halfheartedly. He doesn't move and stares up at the ceiling, lost in his thoughts.

Now I'm really worried, she thinks. She sits up and scoots off the bed. She contorts herself slightly to try to take the sling off herself and grimaces when her shoulder aches.

"Stop. I'll help," he protests. "Always in such a rush." Logan sits up and goes to her. Carefully, he unstraps her arm and helps her undress.

"My knight in shining armor," she comments. He frowns suddenly, and she wonders what he's thinking. "You are going to come in the shower with me, right?"

"You're going to careful, right? No attacking me or my manparts?" he replies. "I'm worried you're going to slip and hit your shoulder. And you're not allowed to get hurt, Veronica. I don't want to have to explain to your dad how you got bruised in a really awkward place, or god forbid, if you make your shoulder worse than it already is."

She huffs a laugh. "Your manparts are safe, okay? I'm going to be careful. Kiss me, will you?" He kisses her gently, and she grabs the back of his neck, making the kiss more passionate than he had intended. She hums a little, expressing her contentment. "That's to hold me over until we get out of the slippery shower," she explains. "After that, I can't guarantee the safety of your manparts."

"Come on, woman. Let's get you clean," he says, escorting her to the bathroom. She walks carefully, holding her injured arm close to her side, and waits patiently while he adjusts the water temperature. He steps in first. "Hold onto me," he instructs. Grabbing onto his arm, she follows him into the shower and stands under the stream; she braces herself carefully with her good arm on the wall and faces him. "Hmm, I could get used to a Veronica Mars who cooperates with me," he mutters.

She closes her eyes and tilts her head back slightly to wet her hair. "I don't know what you're talking about; I always do what you say. Oh, man...this feels so good. After those showers at the school, I'll never complain about the water pressure here again."

He reaches for the shampoo and squirts a small amount into his palm. Logan rubs his hands together, working up a slight lather before applying the shampoo to her hair. He kneads carefully, rubbing her scalp with his fingers, working the shampoo into her hair patiently and thoroughly. "Okay, let's rinse." He guides her head back into the water flow and works the suds through the strands of hair.

"Again, please," she murmurs, with her eyes still closed. "Why didn't we ever do this before?"

He chuckles quietly. The soap suds from her hair are traveling down her body and glistening in a very enticing way, and he is experiencing a definite physical response to the sight. "You're so beautiful," he says under his breath. He applies more shampoo to her head; he lets himself work the shampoo into her hair for far longer than necessary.

When she leans back to rinse again, she moves slightly, and his cock brushes against her leg. "Are you sure we can't misbehave...a little?" she suggests. Veronica wriggles a little and manages to rub her thigh against him. She opens her eyes and looks at him with a direct challenge.

He groans a little; the intensity of his response is slightly disorienting after the disturbed nightmare. "Stop it, Veronica. I don't want you to slip and fall, okay?" He backs off enough to break contact with her.

"All right," she agrees, pretending to be petulant. She looks down at her torso and says, "I'm pretty dirty. Do you think you could do something about that?" She glances at him with a knowing smile.

Logan doesn't quite trust himself to speak at this point. He tries to focus on his job here: it's just like being a nurse, he tells himself. She's not actually...hot and wet and slick with suds just a few inches from me. He takes a washcloth and reaches for a bottle of liquid soap.

She touches him on the arm. "No, the other one."

He puts the bottle back and takes a different one; he reads the label aloud. "With tea tree oil and colloidal oatmeal? What kind of girly stuff is this?"

She laughs. "It's non-irritating. For everywhere. You know what I mean," she stresses. Her hair is plastered to her scalp, and she looks....

He pops open the lid on the bottle and sniffs the gentle, subtle aroma of the body wash. Oh, crap. It smells like her, it's her scent...it's how she smells when she opens herself to me.... He is suddenly overwhelmed by a vision of her leaning against the wall, while he slathers the body wash on her ass, slipping his hand between her legs and massaging as she moans and thrusts back compulsively against his growing, throbbing erection...or she's riding his cock, as he holds her up against the tiles with her legs wrapped around him, and he is thrusting, and, with her head thrown back in ecstasy, she is sinking down, down on him, her breasts covered in a foamy lather that smells like...oh holy fuck. He closes his eyes and tries to dismiss the images.

She looks at him quizzically. "No, really, it's great stuff. It's my favorite. I'll let you borrow it if you're good." She smiles wickedly, and he realizes that she has absolutely no intention of being good. Veronica reaches toward him and trails her fingers down his chest, and he winces with the effort of holding himself away from her. If he just moved a millimeter, he could relieve this pressure by...he tries to think about anything but those breasts and that dampened thatch of hair leading to...fuck.

"Okay," he replies. He looks at the label, expecting it to say 'Compulsion' or 'Erotomania' but finding only the text, 'Recommended by gynecologists'. I'm so fucking horny even 'gynecologist' isn't turning me off. Trying to keep his voice steady, he asks, "What do you call this scent anyways?"

"It's 'fresh meadow right after a rainstorm'," she teases, laughing at him. "When I use it, I always have an uncontrollable desire to skip through a field of daisies wearing a flowing white dress."

He pours a little of the body wash on his hands. It's not really a traditional soap–it glides on his fingers and feels sensuous and smooth. He rubs his thumb against his fingers, appreciating the tactile slickness, and loses his focus again for a moment as he imagines rubbing his thumb against her as she gasps her pleasure.... He tries to concentrate on his breathing and to forget about the demands of his persistent erection as he applies the liquid soap to the cloth. He begins to wash her, pretending to pay extra attention to the back of her neck and the underside of her arms. His eyes keep straying to her breasts; finally he soaps her chest, attempting to be clinical and asexual with his strokes, but failing completely.

"Logan?"

"Mmm?" he answers in a strangled voice, completely consumed by his restraint and the effort to concentrate on thinking about Mrs. Hauser, which in his experience was the absolute best way to kill an erection.

"Logan, the washcloth is a little...rough. Do you think you could soap me with your hands?" She smiles and pouts a little.

"Fuck, Veronica. What are you trying to do to me?" he replies hoarsely.

"Please, Logan...." she begs, her need suddenly raw and apparent, and he can't take it any more.

Logan drops the washcloth into the tub. "I give up," he mutters. He upends the bottle and applies more body wash to his hands. Fiercely, he warns her, "You better hold on to that wall, Veronica." With his palms, he begins to massage her breasts gently, rubbing against the erect nipples and sliding around the soapy skin. He squeezes gently, rubbing the pads of his thumbs across her nipples to tease her.

"I think I might be dirty...a little lower if you don't mind," she suggests slyly.

He moves his right hand to her belly and, spreading his fingers wide, caresses her belly. "Here?"

"Mmm...that's pretty nice, but even a little lower please."

He laughs at her directness. He squeezes out a little more of the slick soap and spreads it on his cock before slipping it between her legs. He returns his hands to her breasts and thrusts gently, not wanting to off-balance her; he rubs his cock smoothly against her opening, and she moans loudly and throws her head back. "Is that what you had in mind, Veronica?" he asks huskily, and she manages to nod her approval.

The water suddenly turns cold, and Veronica says, "Oh, no...."

"Fuck!" he swears. "Don't move, okay?" He aims the showerhead, rinsing the two of them in the icy blast of the water; she yelps, protesting, and he pulls her to him, kissing her forehead to comfort her. Logan rips open the shower curtain, and steps out of the tub. He reaches behind her and shuts off the taps. He grabs a towel and throws it over his shoulder. "Come on," he growls hoarsely, extending his arm for her to hold. She steps out of the tub, shivering a little, and he gingerly picks her up into his arms, careful to hold her so as not to hurt her. She gasps a little in surprise. "I'm not hurting you, am I?" he asks quickly.

"No, no, you just shocked me," she exclaims. She grabs on to him, running her fingers through the damp hair at the nape of his neck.

He carries her back into the bedroom, setting her down cautiously on the bed. He spreads the towel and lays her down in the middle of it, with her head on the pillow. "You're all right?" he asks breathlessly, as he lays down beside her, making sure to keep his weight off her upper body.

She laughs, "Better than all right," and reaches down with her good arm to stroke his cock. "You're still a little soapy," she says mischievously.

He stretches his arm behind him to the nightstand, fumbling for a condom in the drawer. He throws several on the bed before he leans over to nuzzles her neck, kissing under her jaw and sucking gently as she continues to caress him. "Fuck, Veronica, you control me, do you realize that? I can't control myself when you touch me like that...fuck, I can't even control myself when you just talk to me." He moves to her face and kisses her mouth, probing and tasting her with his tongue. He steals a glance at her beautiful breasts, still damp and glistening with suds, and he reaches for her, toying with her nipples and making her arch underneath him.

He pulls back from kissing her to look at her flushed and relaxed face, so ready to give herself to him. She looks down at her hand around his cock, taking in the sight of his intense arousal. "I love looking at you when you're...like that," she admits when she catches him staring at her. "You're so...excited by me," she adds, a little shyly.

"Fuck, you have no idea," he says. He reaches down and takes her hand off him; he pulls her hand to his lips and brushes his mouth against the back of her fingers. He looks at her face so intensely that she trembles. Logan moves down the bed to position himself between her legs with his mouth at her pelvis. He parts her legs a little wider and brushes her hair out of the way so he can really look at her. The smells of her arousal and the subtle scent of the body wash–that he'll now forever associate with her pussy–make for an intoxicating combination. He licks her lips gently, tantalizing her with his strokes. Slowly–so slowly–he brings her to the brink, avoiding her most sensitive area in order to prolong it for her. She feels him experimenting, ever inventing, trying to surprise her with his ingenuity and responding to her cues whenever she writhes or moans her pleasure.

He pauses for a moment to look up at her, and she catches his eye as he bends to titillate her clit. She gasps at the increased sensation; he watches her losing control, bending her legs and futilely grasping at his head as he torments her. He tongues her furiously once he sees her excitement magnify; his tongue begins to tire from his efforts but he persists, determined to keep up the intensity. She begins to vocalize, her guttural moans telling him that she's close, and he reaches for a condom. He sucks on her clit, trying to keep her going as he fumbles to sheath himself. Finally, the condom is smoothed into place, and he hauls himself up to her opening, desperate to enter her.

He pulls her leg up, forcing her a little wider apart, and maneuvers his cock into position. "Yes, god yes," she breathes, as she hitches herself under him. He slides in; she is so wet and aroused, and her soft skin is pliant and willing. He spreads his arms on either side of her, keeping his weight up and off her; he knows, the condom will help him last longer, and today it's all about her...the way she makes him feel, the way she has somehow forgiven him after everything that's happened and everything that's been revealed. He tries to concentrate on right now, right this moment with her under me, but suddenly he starts seeing her as she was in the dream and as she was at Shelly's. Logan shakes his head, trying to eradicate the images, and focuses on her face, her body. Think about sex in the shower. Veronica riding me, the water cascading down upon us...almost drowning and not even caring.

His brain refuses to cooperate; he remembers seeing her stumbling off the lounge chair, heading back into the party to be mauled by '09ers. Then he imagines he is watching Beaver staring at her, plotting and scheming, and he is standing by, doing nothing, even...encouraging him, egging him on. And somehow Klein is there too, tsking at their debauchery. No! Fuck. He closes his eyes and seizes at the fantasy of her leaning against the tiles in the shower, and he is sliding in, so deep, and she is loving it. Focus. Focus. Focus! You love her, you'll never hurt her again. You will never hurt her again.

Veronica notices his hesitation and mistakes it for fatigue. She begins to move her hips, taking over the lead to encourage him. His body, his fucking traitorous body, responds to her and meshes with her movements. You love her, you're not hurting her, he tries to tell himself. He thrusts compulsively, concentrating on that look of love on her face to block out the guilt that he feels. With each stroke, he feels like he's asking for her forgiveness: I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I didn't know what I was doing that night, I didn't know Beaver would...let me make it up to you, please. She's losing herself in the sensations now, unaware of anything but the nerve endings clutching and convulsing, and oblivious to everything except what he's making her feel. I love you, don't leave me, I love you, don't leave me, he thinks on every in and out stroke. She gropes helplessly with her hand, trying to caress him even as she loses all control because of his efforts. She whispers, "Kiss me, Logan." He bends to her face and kisses her desperately as he vows, I can't ever fail her again.

He whispers, "I want to try something...tell me if I'm hurting you, promise?" He wants, somehow, to make it even better–somehow make everything better. She nods. Her eyes never leave his; he gently urges her legs up and over his shoulders. She wraps her ankles around his neck, and he turns his head to kiss her shin, all the while keeping eye contact with her. Now, in the new position, he can keep his weight off her and concentrate his efforts more precisely. He strokes deeply, and she moans, her eyes fluttering shut. He watches her face and her body as he plunges inside her, trying to fill her and consume her all at once. She tries to meet his thrusts with her own, but she is losing the ability to control herself; he feels a pulsing around him, and an answering sensation begins at the base of his cock. An intense wave of emotion consumes him; there is so much love for her, so many feelings that he can't begin to express to her. He thrusts one last time, staying deep within her as the rush begins.

Logan feels completely attached and connected to her in an impossible way; in his orgasm, it seems as though as he's lost track of where the vibrations of his body end and hers begin. Still inside her, he eases her legs down and coaxes her onto her side so he can lay down next to her; he thrusts his waning erection fully within her, wanting to keep this feeling–this connectedness–going as long as possible. Just in case...just in case it never happens again. He caresses her satiated face gently. Her eyes remain closed, with her breathing gradually slowing to normal. Logan presses the back of his hand to her chest, feeling the soft thump of her heart as it calms to its normal rhythm.

"I think I'm dirty again," she whispers, a small smile on her lips. "We did it wrong. We better take another shower."

"Huh! You are a slave driver," he whispers back. She opens her eyes and looks at him. He hesitates, and then, stroking her face gently, he says it. "Please don't ever leave me. I'll be your slave forever, Veronica."

"Logan, what–" she tries, startled by his words.

"Just promise me you won't leave me," he repeats. "I'm sorry for everything I ever screwed up."

"Logan, stop. What are you talking about? Of course I won't leave you. I promise."

He carefully grasps the condom and extricates himself from her; he disposes of it in the wastebasket and repositions himself on her other side, his front to her back. He buries his head in the back of her neck and throws a leg over her; his hand holds onto her hip as he tries to relax against her. "I'll get up in a minute," he mumbles. "I just want to hold you for a little while." He strokes her hip gently, tracing patterns with his forefinger. He draws his name with his finger, branding her as his, even if no one can see it but him, and she shivers in his arms, somehow knowing the significance of his touch without specifically comprehending the actions of his finger. He thinks, 'My knight in shining armor'...if only I could manage to be that for her...if only I'd actually been that for her when she needed me. Please...let her forgive me...please let her forget that night at Shelly's.

"Logan?" she persists. "Talk to me. What are you thinking?"

He doesn't want her to know about the nightmare; he's still trying to make sense of it himself, and he's convinced that telling her will just make everything worse. The images from the dream the night before are still vivid and raw–a projector flashing visions of pain and misery to torture him. The memories themselves are bad enough; but when they are twisted and perverted even further, he thinks that he cannot possibly bear it. Logan keeps remembering Keith in the dream, extending his hand for the belt, and he aches with confusion and guilt. He holds onto her more tightly.

In a quiet voice, Veronica begins to speak. "When I was at the school, I had a lot of time to think. You know how I am...I'm always doing something, talking to people, investigating, stirring up trouble. I never just sit around and wait for life to happen to me. Sometimes, I think I do that...so I don't have to think about how awful things are. When you left me, I didn't just lie in bed all day crying. I started looking for you, until I finally found you."

He tries to hug her a little tighter; until she finally found me, he thinks. She didn't give up on me.

She continues haltingly. "But...there...they kept locking me up alone, and I couldn't do anything. All I could do was think...think about everything I had screwed up in the past, everything I should have done differently. And you were there, I knew you were acting a part, but it kept upsetting me, reminding me of the time when we were...enemies. After a while, I started thinking you were mad at me, for insisting on going undercover, for making you go undercover too."

"Veronica, no–" he protests, completely miserable that he had, in fact, telegraphed his feelings to her during the operation.

"I know you would do anything to keep me safe, and it seemed like you were willing to sacrifice...us...to do it. I know...it sounds crazy, I can't explain it, it was so...insane there."

She takes a deep breath, exhaling tensely, and continues. "I made a promise to myself...that if I ever got out, I would make it up to you for taking you for granted, for making you go undercover and having to hurt me. I remember that. I remember making that promise to myself. I know I remember that. And then...that last day, everything got so jumbled...I couldn't understand why you guys didn't rescue me. Do you know how hard it was for me to call for help? That's not what I do, Logan! I thought...it was too late. Everyone realized that I really was a user like Klein was saying and it was too late for us, too late for me and Dad, too late–"

He tries to stroke her back, to settle her, like you would calm a skittish animal. "Veronica, it's all right; it's not too late. I don't want to lose us either. Are you kidding? It's all I care about."

She glances over her shoulder. "Why won't you tell me what's going on? I'm trying so hard to show you that I love you and trust you. I've told you over and over how much I need you–it's what you've always wanted from me, and I'm really trying." She turns back to face forward and avoid his concerned gaze. Veronica whispers intensely, "I've told Dad everything; I'm not keeping any secrets, and I'm not taking chances. You guys keep reminding me how...foolish I was...about Gory, about Duncan. I'm sorry! And I'm so sorry I took you for granted, Logan. I know now how wrong that was, and how hard it is to find someone who will love you no matter what. You've got to tell me...why are you so worried that I'm going to leave you?"

Logan thinks, Crap...she's right...she's trying so hard. He closes his eyes and haltingly tells her about the nightmare. "In the dream...Klein and Dave were making me help them confront you about Shelly's party. You kept using the code words, and Kavner was telling me that we couldn't stop the operation. I tried to fight them, but they wouldn't stop. I couldn't stop them. I had to help them.... They were trying to make me...." He can't tell her the final details of Klein attempting to force him to reenact the rape.

Veronica's body tenses. "I don't understand...why did that make you think I'm going to leave you? They're the ones who were doing that to me. You were trying to stop it."

"No! Veronica...you don't understand. It's not the dream that's upsetting me. I saw what was going on that night at Shelly's. You were my friend! You were practically passed out. And what did I do? I laughed at you; I called everyone over to do body shots off you. Shit...I was the one who suggested getting the Liquid X in the first place! Veronica, I was the one who tried to turn everyone against you; I'm the one who made all the '09ers hate you. I'm the one who let that happen, made that happen that night. I'm the one who's supposed to protect you! I'm so scared that you're going to remember everything from that night. You're going to remember me laughing at you and urging them on. I know that Shelly's party is why you've never been able to trust me...and...."

"And what?" she demands relentlessly.

"Now your dad knows too," he finishes morosely. "He's been trying too...he's been trying not to kill me for letting them...fuck, for helping them rape you that night. But...I know he thinks that I'm a total fuckup, that I should have done a better job undercover and then afterwards given you more time before we....After all, it's just the latest stupid thing I've done." His voice is filled with self-loathing.

Veronica turns around and stares at him in shock at his bitter tone.

"I'm sorry," he protests again. "I'm so sorry that I didn't do a better job of protecting you, then or now. I don't blame you or your dad for not trusting me. I wouldn't trust me."

Veronica tries to roll over to really look at him and winces at the pain from her shoulder. "Damn it!" she swears. "Will you...come on this side? I want to look at you."

He sighs gently, scared of what she's going to say, but he maneuvers his body up and over her and lies down on his side facing her. Logan closes his eyes, unable to withstand her intense expression.

"Look at me, Logan." She waits until he opens his eyes before plunging in. "It's true, I didn't trust you. Every time I tried with you, something happened. I tried to forgive you for the Liquid X and the salt lick, and then I found the videocameras and learned you had lied about your alibi. I tried to be with you that summer, and you burned down the community pool." She starts to cry, and her voice begins to shake. "You made that stupid epic speech, and I so wanted to believe you...I came to you, and Kendall was there. And then...after we broke up at Hearst, I came back to you again...begged you to take me back, and I found out you'd been with Madison. And this fall...we got back together again, things were great, then Hannah was killed, and you ran away! Every time I tried...." She begins to cry in earnest.

Logan is overwhelmed by nausea and fear; each enumerated sin stabs him in the heart. He thinks, What do you want me to do? How can I make this right? He remembers begging her for forgiveness after he fucked up with Madison, and she couldn't get past it. She just couldn't; and now...he's certain she's not going to get past this. Once she remembers everything about that night at Shelly's.... He tries desperately to think of something, anything to say. But the words fail him, and he rolls away, looking up at the ceiling...wishing...wishing....

"Don't you dare turn away! Dammit, Logan. Come back here," Veronica demands.

Nervously, he rolls back toward her and forces himself to meet her eyes.

Her chest heaves with a great, shuddering sigh as she tries to calm herself. "You can't change anything you did, and I can't change all the foolish things I did–and all the times I didn't believe in you when I should've had a little more faith and a lot more forgiveness. Logan...it's not all your fault that I can't trust you. I mean, things happened, terrible things. But...you know my mother...abandoned me and my dad."

He looks at her in surprise; Veronica never talks about her mother like that.

She stumbles on, "It's...hard for me to believe you won't do that too. Logan, I never really believed in happily ever after. But I'm trying. Dammit! I'm trying."

Veronica continues on, the words spilling out incoherently. "All I know is...we have to decide to try to go from here, together. I know that I love you, and I want to trust you. I don't know how to erase what's happened between us. I do know I want to be with you more than anything, and I want to try to learn to trust you. I know you love me too. And I'm not going to run away from you this time or blame you when things get hard. But don't you dare push me away or hold back. If you do, I can't do it. I can't do this alone!"

Logan stares at her, unable to speak.

"Say something, goddamn it!" she begs. "I'm putting it all on the line for you; are you going to be able to do that for me? You have to let me help you when you need it. I can't wonder what the hell is going on with you! We are so past that, Logan. We have to be able to do this together, or we should just give up now."

"No!" he finally manages. "I don't want to give up. Of course I don't want to give up!"

After a moment of silence, Veronica asks, "Was Dad in your dream too?"

"How the hell did you know that?" he exclaims.

"Logan, he knows you love me."

It's not enough, he thinks suddenly. I want HIM to love ME. Wait...where did that come from?

She continues, "And Dad knows that I love you. You've got to give him time. He just found out his little girl was hurt...and Logan, he feels so guilty that he didn't know. He's pretty upset about the operation too–he feels that he made a bad call sending me undercover."

"I know," he responds. "And this shit with Leo–"

"Can't you see? He wants to fix everything, Logan; he wants to make everything all right again for his baby girl. And I'm not sure that's possible. Sometimes things don't work out okay. Logan, Dad is really scared. He's trying not to show it."

"What the hell are we going to do, Veronica?" he asks.

"We're going to try to get through it together. I know I can't do it alone, and neither can you."

"How are you not completely terrified right now? With Leo breathing down our necks, threatening to reveal what you did to help Duncan?" he says compulsively.

"It's what I said...as long as I can do something, I'm okay. We are going to find out what the connection was between Griffith and Kendall, and we're going to make Leo see it. And we're going to find out who killed Hannah and why." Her voice is determined and resolved.

"Remind me never to piss you off," he says, half-joking.

"You always say that...and yet? You. still. do," she replies lightly, poking him in the chest on each word.

He grabs her finger and brings it to his lips. "I'm sorry."

She knows exactly what he's apologizing for. "You're forgiven."

•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
VERONICA MARS
10:00PM SHO ch: 340 60min 2009 TV-MA
Counterintelligence
Keith does some dumpster diving; Veronica,
Logan, and Wallace compare stories.
Veronica: Kristen Bell. Logan: Jason Dohring.
Keith: Enrico Colantoni. Dick: Ryan Hansen.
Wallace: Percy Daggs III.
•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••

CHAPTER ONE HUNDRED FIVE: "COUNTERINTELLIGENCE"

Wed. 3/18/09 early morning: Medical Offices of Dr. Thomas Griffith, Neptune, CA

Keith parks around the corner from Griffith's offices and walks back several blocks. Frank, his contact at the Neptune Department of Sanitation, promised that the garbage truck that services the medical complex would be here by 8:30 and would be watching for him. Keith hears a truck approaching, and he steps off the curb into the street. The truck slows down and stops, and Keith jumps on the rear bumper, joining a similarly dressed man with the name 'Bob' embroidered on his shirt. Bob nods a greeting, and the truck moves down the street. As the truck makes its stops, Keith helps toss garbage into the rear of the truck. The truck turns into the medical complex and heads for the rear of the building.

Keith identifies Griffith's doorway and picks up a garbage bag. He notices a locked fenced-in area next to the building; he tries to see inside, but can only see a sliver of the area through a crack in the fence. He notes the brand of padlock securing the area for future reference. He takes the garbage to the back of truck and then continues around to the passenger side, putting Griffith's garbage in the passenger seat of the truck. Keith returns to the rear of the truck and hops on the bumper as the truck moves to the next stop. As the truck rumbles on to the next building, Keith looks around for possible vantage points for surveillance and identifies an adjacent parking lot that overlooks the complex.

At the next cross street, the truck turns the corner and deposits Keith, along with Griffith's garbage, at his car. He passes several twenties to the driver and to Bob and gives them a slight wave as they drive off. He puts the garbage bag in the trunk of his car; thankfully, it appears to contain primarily office waste and not much in the way of food. Keith drives to the surveillance point he had identified. He boots up his laptop and checks to see if Griffith has a wireless internet connection; as he suspected, Griffith's Wi-Fi signal is heavily protected and not susceptible to the few hacker tricks Keith knows. Keith pours a cup of coffee from his thermos and settles in to wait and watch.

His thoughts turn to Hannah Griffith as he watches her father's place of business. When she had first arrived at the school, it must have been immediately apparent to her, as it was to him and the others on the undercover operation, that Briar Hill was an insane place. After she escaped with Michelle Weisz's help, he imagines that the girl must have been terrified, unwilling to call her parents for help and fearful that the school had sent pursuers after her. Sent away...he thinks again. How could a dad send his daughter away to a place like that? I'll never understand that. Keith tries to put himself in Hannah's place: she would have thought long and hard before asking people for help. She would have needed a place to live and a job–a job that a fifteen-year-old could do without a parent's or guardian's permission. Waitress? Baby-sitter? Store clerk?

Keith scribbles a few notes detailing ideas for investigating Hannah's time after her escape. She would have needed identification as well. The private investigators hired by Griffith and Ms. Denenberg three years ago had checked national driver's license registries with no success. Hannah would have probably changed her appearance as well; he makes a note that Veronica should use Photoshop to come up with a few possibilities before they go up to Rio Linda.

He suddenly sighs in frustration; his thoughts always come back to why? Why murder Hannah? Retribution? To ensure her silence? Did she know something about her father's arrangement with Kendall, whatever that was? Maybe Hannah is the key to understanding Kendall's murder as well. He scribbles: did Hannah know Kendall? Keith reflects that he has a lot of new questions for Ms. Denenberg.

A truck pulls up to the rear of the medical complex. With binoculars, Keith is able to read the lettering on the cab door, 'SteriDispose' and an address on the outskirts of Neptune. A man exits the truck, opens the padlocked area next to Griffith's office and removes a large red barrel on a dolly. Keith is surprised when the man picks up the container and hoists it easily into the back of truck. The man unloads another red barrel and wheels it into the secured area; he closes the gate and relocks the padlock. The truck drives off. Keith runs a quick computer check on 'SteriDispose'; according to the Neptune Department of Consumer Affairs, it is a medical waste recycler. As Keith checks its business profile, he realizes that the company is a shell corporation, and discovering the true principals of the corporation will take a bit more digging.

Keith watches for the next half an hour; there is no activity, and he decides to try to find a place where he can observe the front entrance to the complex. He drives around the block and settles on the parking garage across the street. He drives up to the mostly deserted third level and parks facing Griffith's office. Keith observes the office for about an hour; only two clients enter the building during that time.

Thoughtfully, he calls Griffith's office. When the receptionist answers, he introduces himself as a drug company representative and asks to speak to the doctor. The receptionist tells him that Dr. Griffith is very busy with patient consultations and to try back later. Keith terminates the call and watches the office for another hour, but Griffith's medical practice seems to be anything but busy. Keith makes a note of all the license plates in the parking lot. The two patients eventually exit the building, and Keith takes their photos and tags their plate numbers with a brief physical description.

~ • ~

Wed. 3/18/09 morning: Mars Investigations, Neptune, CA

Veronica is working on her laptop at her dad's desk, trying to make some headway on the research her dad had left for her while Wallace works out at the reception desk on a different topic. Logan is observing over Veronica's shoulder, asking questions as she works. Veronica's cellphone rings. She checks the caller ID display and laughs. "It's for you," she says, turning to Logan. She thumbs the send key and says, "He's right here," before handing Logan the phone.

Logan says, "Hello?" frowning at her.

"Yo. What's up with Ronnie? I thought we were friends now...she doesn't even want to say hello?" Dick says aggrievedly.

Logan laughs. "My girlfriend has accepted that you're a part of my life, Dick. That's progress, you know."

"Dude, that was completely fucked up yesterday at the funeral...the news is saying that Gory Sorokin was arrested...Carrie was hurt, and that other reporter guy was killed. What the hell happened?" Dick asks.

Logan explains briefly. "Did you hear that Mac's family is all right?"

"What?" Dick asks. "I don't understand."

"Yep, they weren't home when the bomb went off," Logan says. "And check this out: it looks like Mac's not going to have to go into witness protection either."

"Sweet!"

Logan hears the phone crash. "Dick? Dude!" Veronica looks at him questioningly.

There is a fumbling sound on the receiver, and Dick comes on to say, "Sorry...I was doing a little happy dance and dropped the phone. My bad."

Logan whispers to Veronica, "Dick's a little excited that Mac might be around again."

"Hey! Have you guys talked to her?" Dick asks excitedly. "Will you tell her...oh shit, I don't know what to tell her...tell her I'm stoked her family's okay."

"All right. Try to calm down, Dick. You're going to scare Mac acting like this."

Dick is oblivious. "Tell her...I've completely given up porn," he says impulsively.

"No one is going to believe that, least of all me," Logan replies. He explains to Veronica, 'Dick says he's given up porn,' and she rolls her eyes. From the reception area, Wallace snorts loudly. Logan speaks into the receiver, "Seriously, dude, no need to go all radical. Try to take it easy."

"Easy, sleazy," Dicks says scornfully. "I'm going to woo her."

Logan laughs. "Woo her? You've completely lost it, Dick. Get a grip."

Veronica motions that she wants the phone. She takes the handset from Logan and says, "Dick? We might need you to do some counterintelligence for us."

"What? Are you saying I'm not smart?" Dick says, slightly confused. "Ronnie, I really thought we were past that."

"No," she chuckles. "Just...we may need you to give Leo a little more information about Kendall. You might put a certain spin on things, shall we say?"

"Ronnie, I never understand what you're up to. But okay; for my bro's best ho, anything you want."

"You silver-tongued devil, it's really hard to understand why Mac totally dumped your ass," Veronica responds. Wallace smothers a laugh, exchanging a look with Logan.

"Come on, you're going to put in a good word for me with Mac, right?" Dick pleads.

"I am not getting involved with that," Veronica swears.

"But you won't make it worse for me, will you?"

Veronica sighs. "Dick, you don't actually need my help to blow it with Mac. Take my advice, think before you speak. That actually would be a good general rule for you."

Wallace chimes in, "Give it up, Veronica. Ain't gonna happen."

Dick protests, "You know my humor's my best feature, Veronica. Well...other than my hair."

"No doubt, Dick, no doubt," Veronica agrees. "We'll talk to you later, okay?" She terminates the call and looks over her shoulder at Logan. "Some things never change."

"Some people, you mean," Logan comments. "What are you planning?"

She confides, "I'm not sure yet...it's just an idea. Leo's so sure that we're in some crazy conspiracy to cover up the kidnapping; I'm thinking I want Dick to push him in another direction."

"What direction?"

"We've got to get Leo thinking about Kendall's con artist past and her connections with the Fitzpatricks. Dick might have seen something suspicious about her when they were living together. I've got those pictures of Kendall handing off a bag to someone. Maybe Dick saw her with that guy and never thought about it."

"Yeah, I'm sure he never thought about it," Logan says dryly.

Wallace overhears them and joins them in the office. "Are you thinking the bag man was working for the Fitzpatricks?"

"Had to be," Veronica muses. "Why?"

"I ran into Weevil at the funeral yesterday. He's been staking out Liam, Ciaran, and Padraig Fitzpatrick, following them around whenever he's off work. He's got pictures of everybody they've been hanging out with for the last week or so."

"You're kidding," Veronica says. "Why is Weevil staking out the Fitzpatricks?"

Wallace says, "I asked him for help with Shawn's murder, and he–"

"Weevil's been helping you?" she says in surprise.

"He took me up to Chino to talk with the old leader of the PCHers, Emilio Vargas. Emilio told us that the Fitzpatricks were helping Shawn with distributing drugs; Shawn had the connection, and the Fitzpatricks were moving the drugs for him. But then Shawn tried to double-cross the Fitzpatricks. Emilio said that there was a dirty cop pulling the strings, making sure that the Fitzpatricks never got convicted, and that was probably who took out Shawn. And Weevil told me your dad was pulling some sort of scam with the Fitzpatricks in St. Mary's cemetery, and I–"

"Wait–you found out what Dad was doing? Something in the cemetery?" Veronica says breathlessly. "Spill."

Wallace shakes his head. "Veronica...you should ask your dad. I'm not supposed to know about it."

"He won't tell me!" Veronica retorts, upset. "What do you know?"

Logan interjects, "Veronica, your dad's trying to protect you. Maybe you should leave it alone."

She shoots him an aggravated glance.

Logan shrugs. "Veronica...your dad did some very bad things to try to help you. He almost went to prison."

"I thought we were all going to be open and honest from now on," she says sarcastically. "I guess we were just talking about me, huh? Everyone else is allowed to hide things."

Logan frowns. "I know, it doesn't seem fair. I also know that you told me how worried your dad is, and maybe you should pay attention to that." He thinks, For once, Veronica, do what your dad says; everyone in the room hears his unspoken thought.

Veronica's anger deflates a little as she remembers how upset her dad was the evening before. She turns to Wallace again. "I promise not to go crazy. Just tell me what you know...what you and Weevil found out."

Wallace hesitates. He sighs and continues, "I told you about the ground-penetrating radar. We knew your dad was probably trying to find a body buried somewhere. He hired Weevil to help him dig up a grave at St. Mary's. He wouldn't let Weevil see what he was doing."

"Dad dug up a grave?" Veronica asks incredulously.

Wallace nods.

Veronica ponders this information. "What could he want in a grave? Did Weevil remember which grave Dad dug up?"

Wallace says cautiously, "I asked Weevil that. He said it was in the section where all the Fitzpatricks are buried."

"Not that guy Matt Dannon we were wondering about?"

Logan says, "Who?"

Veronica explains, "Dad was researching a guy named Matt Dannon who was a suspect in a liquor store robbery twenty-five years ago. He disappeared after the robbery."

Wallace says, "No, Weevil said it wasn't Matt Dannon."

Logan inquires, "What was that about ground-penetrating radar?"

Wallace explains, "Keith asked me how to find something that was hidden maybe ten feet underground. He said not metallic or radioactive, maybe plastic or wood. Candice has done a lot of research in hydraulics, and she suggested ground-penetrating radar. Keith got the equipment. He did the scans himself–never told me what exactly he was scanning–and I showed him how to interpret the data."

Shrewdly, Veronica asks, "Is the data still on his computer?"

"No, Veronica. You must be rubbing off on me, girl! I was pretty curious. I looked for it while you guys were gone, and Keith took everything relating to the GPR off his hard drive."

Logan says, "He probably erased all the evidence during the arson investigation."

Veronica nods thoughtfully. "All right, so you and Weevil decide to investigate the Fitzpatricks. What happened?"

"We tried to set up Liam, Ciaran, and Padraig to flush out the dirty cop; Weevil heard they were taking delivery on some stolen BMWs. We staked them out, and, when the cars were delivered, we dropped a dime on them. The sheriff arrested them."

"Ni-i-i-ice," Veronica says with admiration. "I've taught you well, young Jedi. Up high." She puts her hand up, and Wallace gives her a high-five.

"So, you know, after they were arrested, we headed over to St. Mary's. Your dad has the entire rectory and church bugged."

"No way," Veronica gasps. "Even the confessional booth?"

"Yep," Wallace nods. "That's not all. Mac wrote him a program that remotely collects all the input on his computer via Bluetooth."

"And?"

"Liam called Father Patrick from the jail. He told Patrick to call their attorney, Stephen Tramser, and 'you-know-who'. Patrick called the lawyer and then he sent an email." Wallace sees that Veronica is practically peeing her pants, wanting to know what the email said. "Damn, Vee, try to control yourself."

"Come on, what did it say?" she asks impatiently.

Wallace writes down the message and hands it to her. Logan looks over her shoulder with curiosity.

To: roastbeefman@yahoo.com
Re: LF
L arrested tonight by NSD, receiving stolen goods. Need you to intercede if possible.

"LF is Liam. NSD...Neptune Sheriff's Department, I guess. Roastbeefman?" Veronica muses.

"I have to say, I was kind of hoping it would say mfields@fbi.gov," Logan comments. Veronica frowns at him, and he gives her a sheepish glance in return. He mumbles, "Sorry. I just don't like the dude."

Veronica frowns.

Wallace prods, "What?"

"I don't know. Roast beef means something, but I can't remember what. So what happened after Father Patrick sent the email?" Veronica asks.

"We went back to the Sheriff's department. Liam and his brothers had to stay overnight. I don't think anybody helped them. Nobody unusual came to the department," Wallace replies.

"Maybe it's Leo," Logan suggests.

"Why would Patrick have to contact Leo if the Fitzpatricks were in the Neptune jail? Leo would know about it already," Veronica says logically. "It can't be Leo."

"Why does Leo think you guys are involved in Kendall's murder anyways? He's done such a great job since he was elected, and this just seems dumb," Wallace says, puzzled. "You weren't even around when she was murdered. You were undercover across the country!"

Veronica and Logan share a glance.

Wallace says worriedly, "Uh, oh. What did you guys do to piss off Leo?"

"It's not important. Leo thinks we were in a conspiracy with Duncan. We just have to make sure that Leo starts looking at other suspects and leaves us alone," Logan explains, with obvious tension in his voice.

Wallace shakes his head. "I know things have been rough for Duncan, but I really hate that he came back to Neptune. He should have stayed away."

"Wallace!" Veronica protests.

Wallace says spitefully, "No, come on...he messed up, Veronica! He kidnapped his baby and ran. And now he's fussing at you to help with his custody hearing, and it looks like he got you involved in a murder investigation. How the hell could you get back together with him senior year after what he did to you, freezing you out and not telling you that he could have been your brother? What a frickin' douche. I remember what you were like when I first came to Neptune: bitter and hurt and lashing out at everyone."

Veronica stares at him in shock.

"I know you like the guy, Veronica, but I can't forgive him for hurting you like that," Wallace concludes.

"Wow. If this is how you feel about Duncan...I can't imagine how much you hate me," Logan mutters.

"Yeah, well, you pretty much get a free pass for life for saving Veronica on the roof of the Neptune Grand," Wallace says matter-of-factly. "But I have to say, you really pissed me off when you ran away in January. Veronica needed you, man."

Logan swallows and looks uncomfortable. "You're right."

"Enough!" Veronica interrupts. "We don't have time for this. So Weevil's been following the Fitzpatricks around? He didn't happen to...say...witness Liam killing Kendall, by any chance? Or meeting with Dr. Griffith?"

"I don't know about Liam meeting with Dr. Griffith, but the night we got Liam, Ciaran, and Padraig arrested? That was the night Kendall was murdered," Wallace explains. "The Fitzpatricks were sitting in a Neptune jail cell when Kendall was being killed."

"Damn it," Veronica swears. "I suppose that would have been too easy."

"Wait...so the Fitzpatricks got arrested and called roastbeefman to help them. But no one came to help," Logan thinks aloud.

"Maybe roastbeefman was busy killing Kendall," Veronica suggests.

"So maybe Dr. Griffith didn't kill Kendall?" Logan asks.

"We know Griffith was involved with her somehow," Veronica states. "Duncan witnessed them arguing and took a picture. And we know both Griffith and Kendall had a history of dealing with the Fitzpatricks."

"This shit makes my head ache," Wallace complains.

"Tell me about it," Logan agrees morosely.

"Why did Duncan take a picture of Kendall? How did he even know it was her? She looked completely different," Wallace queries.

Veronica sighs. "He was involved with her. He didn't know it was Kendall until–well, we figured it out when we were talking to her."

"Involved? You mean, he was getting freaky with her? I get it now. He can't just say what he witnessed because he'll look like a sleazoid at his custody hearing!" Wallace shakes his head in disgust.

Veronica nods.

Wallace scowls. "The Fitzpatricks, Kendall, scumbag plastic surgeons. This sucks." He stomps out of the office and sits down at the desk in reception, muttering to himself. He starts tapping at the keyboard, a little harder than necessary.

Veronica stares into space, thinking about roastbeefman and Wallace and Weevil tailing the Fitzpatricks. She walks out to reception and sits on the edge of the desk. "Wallace? You said Weevil's been taking surveillance photos of the Fitzpatricks?"

Wallace nods. "Weevil's totally gone off the deep end, and he insists that he's gonna take the Fitzpatricks down. He's still pissed about Felix and getting sent to Chino."

"Weevil was lucky he only served an assault charge," she replies. "With the eyewitness they had, he could have gone down for murder."

Wallace shakes his head. "He's out for revenge, Veronica." He sighs. "Weevil gave me a lot of shit because I backed off on the investigation. Candice made me promise, though. She wanted me to wait until your dad came back to town."

"Let's see if Weevil can stop by later," Veronica suggests. She picks up the telephone and dials Weevil's number.

As she is talking to him in a low voice, Keith, still wearing the sanitation coveralls, enters the outer office carrying a large garbage bag. Wallace grimaces and moans, "My favorite...garbage duty."

Logan walks over and takes the bag from Keith. "I got it. Tell me what to do." Tell me how to help.

Keith looks at him quizzically before relinquishing the bag with a slight nod. "We have to sort out anything useful. Any papers need to saved. Obvious garbage we can toss. Anything you have questions about, set aside for me to look at. Anything, Logan. There's garbage bags in the kitchen area; spread everything out on one of them."

Logan busies himself following Keith's instructions. He spreads out a garbage bag and seats himself on the floor in the reception area. He starts to dig into the bag, scrutinizing each item he pulls out. He begins to separate out all the paperwork into a file, carefully smoothing each sheet as he goes.

Keith walks over to Veronica and kisses her on the head. She leans back and looks up at him. "Did you have fun playing garbageman this morning, Dad?"

"Sanitation engineer, Veronica. Don't let Frank hear you say 'garbageman'. I staked out Griffith's office for a while. He doesn't seem to have many clients."

"I'm not surprised. I made an appointment with him three years ago, and he refused to do any work on me," Veronica explains. "He said I was perfect the way I am."

"Well, that's true, but you're not going to stay in business long as a plastic surgeon if you don't believe in pursuing body perfection. Tell me about the appointment, Veronica."

FLASHBACK: Veronica waits in Dr. Griffith's office. The doctor enters and proffers his hand. "Veronica? Hi, I'm Dr. Griffith."

Veronica enthusiastically says, "I'm so grateful you were able to fit me in. I know there's a lot of work to be done, and I'd really like to get started as soon as possible."

The doctor motions for her to take a seat and asks, "What kind of work are you thinking about?"

Veronica hedges, saying, "Uh, well, you tell me."

Griffith surprises her by replying, "Well, that's not really how I work."

Veronica enumerates her flaws. "Okay, uh, well, definitely implants. Um...not, like, clown boobs, but, like a generous 'C'. Um, and then there's...." She points to her nose. "The bump, and I-I think my lips could use some work."

Dr. Griffith looks at her with concern and says, "You don't really want to have these procedures done."

Puzzled by the doctor's reluctance, Veronica protests, "If you're worried about money, my mother said I could have work done for my eighteenth birthday."

He replies decisively, "Veronica, I don't want to waste your time. Okay, there's absolutely nothing you need to change. You're a gorgeous young woman. I wouldn't perform a single procedure on you."

Keith comments, "So he's a surgeon who doesn't want to do surgery."

"Right," Veronica agrees. "He said he had to do a procedure and gave me a brochure on 'Body Dysmorphic Disorder' before he left."

"Do you think he knew who you were? Maybe he recognized you," Keith suggests.

"You mean, he somehow knew my connection to Logan?" Veronica says, puzzled. "Or that I'm a private investigator?"

"Maybe he knew who you were from the publicity about Aaron's arrest. Or the Fitzpatricks told him who you were–"

"I don't think so," Logan chimes in from the reception area. "They didn't seem to know who Veronica was at first in the River Stix, until Molly told Liam she was 'Keith Mars' daughter'."

Keith ponders. "Doesn't make sense," he concludes finally. "Show me what you've found in the databases."

•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
VERONICA MARS
10:00PM SHO ch: 340 60min 2009 TV-MA
Pressure
Bray's eyewitness account; Keith, Veronica,
and Logan talk to Ms. Denenberg.
Veronica: Kristen Bell. Logan: Jason Dohring.
Keith: Enrico Colantoni. Leo: Max Greenfield.
Stephanie Denenberg: Stacy Edwards. Dave:
Jason Wiles. Bray: Mark Sheppard. Sacks:
Brandon Hillock.
•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••

CHAPTER ONE HUNDRED SIX: "PRESSURE"

Wed. 3/18/09 early afternoon: Neptune Sheriff's Department, Neptune, CA

Sheriff D'Amato approaches the holding cell. Bray and his cellmate, finally sobering up after their debauchery, look up anxiously. Leo says, "Okay, McHale okayed dropping the charges in return for restitution. Let's hear what you have to say about Kendall Casablancas."

Bray comes to the front of the cell and leans against the bars. "Well, I saw her talking with someone the night she got killed. Someone she shouldn't have been talking to."

"Stop jerking me around, Bray. Who was she with?" Leo says with irritation.

"Logan Echolls," Bray replies smugly.

"Really," Leo comments. "What were you doing in the park again?"

"I told you, no big deal," Bray says evasively.

Leo presses, "What were you doing in the park, Bray?"

"I was collecting some money this guy owed me."

"What guy?" Leo asks.

"I don't remember his name. The guy bought something from me."

Leo sighs. This is complete bullshit. "So tell me exactly what you saw."

"Echolls was talking with the broad. When they saw me, they looked all guilty. I guess they didn't want to be seen."

"Define 'looked guilty'."

"Um...Echolls looked over his shoulder, and uh, he took her arm and walked away with her."

"Right. How do you know it was Logan Echolls?" Leo persists.

"That guy's on TV all the time! One of those rich Hollywood brats that always walks when they get arrested. Not like me...I never got a break."

"Oh, poor you," Leo says sarcastically. "You're on permanent disability from a car accident, and you spend your life drinking in bars."

"What the fuck?" Bray says indignantly. "Like I asked to be run over by that prick!"

"Just relax, Bray. So you're saying you definitely saw Logan Echolls with Kendall Casablancas the night she was murdered? How do you know it was March 11 that you saw them together?" Leo asks.

"Oh, the next day, I read about her getting offed in the papers," Bray says.

"And you didn't come forward about this because..." Leo says doubtfully.

"I make it a policy not to volunteer information," Bray explains defensively. "Just look at how you're treating me now! Acting like I'm the criminal when I'm helping you!"

"All right, all right. You're willing to testify to what you saw?"

"Of course. Are we done here?" Bray questions.

"We're definitely done." Leo unlocks the holding cell. "See the deputy for your personal belongings." Leo watches as the two men walk toward the front of the building. At one point, Bray looks over his shoulder at the sheriff, and Leo tries to figure out what exactly is going through his mind.

Leo goes to his office and shuts the door. He locates the information Deputy Sacks had obtained about Logan's recent arrest in Vermont. Leo skims the report until he finds the name he is looking for: Agent Thomas Lynley. He calls the FBI San Diego field office and asks for Agent Lynley to contact him as soon as possible. When he hangs up, he opens Bray's file again and reviews his arrest for receiving stolen property ten years earlier. The witnesses who alibied Bray are all known Fitzpatrick cronies; all swore up and down he was in the River Stix when the alleged crime took place. Leo taps the folder on the edge of his desk and thinks about Bray's revelation. McHale had agreed to restitution quickly, almost as if he had expected Leo's proposal. Leo muses that bar fights are probably par for the course in Fitzpatrick territory, and no bar owner would want to cross the Fitzpatricks.

He presses the intercom. "Sacks, can you come in here?"

A few seconds later, Sacks knocks and opens the door. "Yeah, Sheriff."

"What do you know about McHale's Bar?"

Sacks shrugs. "There's not much to know. It's a dive. It's not a college hangout; it's more like working guys bitching and moaning about their wives and drinking away their paychecks."

"Do we get a lot of calls from McHale's? I don't remember ever getting a call to go there when I was a deputy."

Sacks thinks a moment and shakes his head. "Actually, this is the first incident I can think of. McHale's a really big guy...6'4", maybe 240...works out a lot. I think he fought Golden Gloves when he was younger. If there's a problem at the bar, I bet he usually just busts heads himself and doesn't bother calling us."

"But this time he got two of his most loyal customers locked up for a bar fight," Leo suggests.

"Looks like it, Sheriff. What are you thinking?"

"I'm wondering if someone is getting impatient," Leo says cryptically.

~ • ~

Wed. 3/18/09 afternoon: Denenberg Residence, Neptune, CA

"What if she won't tell us about Griffith?" Logan worries aloud as he, Keith, and Veronica walk up to Ms. Denenberg's front door. "She must have been in love with him once. And she might tell him what we're doing." Not to mention–she must absolutely hate me.

Veronica reaches for his hand and grasps it firmly. He looks at her determined face and reminds himself, if she can be strong, I can be strong. We can do this.

Keith says shortly, "Let's just see what she says before we start to worry," reflecting that Logan has merely voiced his own concerns about the woman. He pushes the doorbell.

Stephanie Denenberg answers the door. If anything, her personal appearance has deteriorated further since Keith's last visit. He realizes that she perhaps made an effort the last time he was here that she is unable to perform on a daily basis. Keith says, "Stephanie. We're sorry to bother you like this. Something's come up, and we're hoping you'll help us. This is my daughter, Veronica, and...I believe you've met Logan Echolls."

Ms. Denenberg begins to cry. She steps forward and puts her hand up, as if to touch Veronica's face. She drops her hand listlessly. "Veronica," she whispers. "Thank you...I'm so sorry they hurt you." She reaches again toward Veronica, motioning toward the sling on Veronica's shoulder.

Veronica closes the gap between them. She puts her good arm around Ms. Denenberg's waist, hugging her and burying her head in Stephanie's chest. Ms. Denenberg cautiously puts her arms around Veronica's back to return the hug. After a few moments, Veronica pulls away and says quietly, "I'm so sorry about what happened to Hannah. You're doing the right thing by suing the school. It will save a lot of girls. It's already saved Maria Frazzino."

Ms. Denenberg looks at her with disbelief.

"They were going to send her to an even worse hell than Briar Hill, Ms. Denenberg. There was another girl there, Tara, who reminded me a lot of your daughter. And I think we shut down the school before she could be seriously hurt by Peter Klein."

Ms. Denenberg nods wordlessly, trying to process Veronica's words.

Keith clears his throat. "May we come in? It's important that we talk to you."

"Of course," Ms. Denenberg says. Distracted, she continues, "Where are my manners? What's wrong with me? Come on in."

They enter the house. Veronica notices a large stack of unopened mail on a table beside the door. Ms. Denenberg leads them to the living room. She appears slightly unkempt, her hair unwashed and her clothes stained and wrinkled. Veronica pulls Logan aside. "Go to the kitchen and make us some coffee or tea." He nods and heads for the kitchen.

Stephanie sinks onto the couch and Veronica and her dad takes seats facing her. She repeats, "I'm sorry...I don't know what's wrong with me. Before I was...I was doing better. I was concentrating on hoping that the school would be closed and those bastards would be arrested."

And now Briar Hill has closed, and it hasn't actually helped, Keith thinks. He says quietly, "It's a bit of a letdown, and it feels strange that it doesn't make you happy."

"Of course...I knew that. I knew it wouldn't make me happy," Stephanie protests dully.

"Stephanie, you did a good thing. You're doing the right thing," Keith says.

Veronica adds, "It's not just Briar Hill. People are looking at all the tough-love programs now because of the publicity about Maria Frazzino. Maybe we'll actually see some regulation in the industry now. You know, a lot of state child welfare agencies have been sending kids to these places, and that might stop now."

Ms. Denenberg nods.

"Stephanie, we need your help," Keith presses. "It's not about the school."

Her eyes slowly focus, and she looks at him questioningly.

"Something's come up about your ex-husband. Would you be willing to talk to us about him?" Keith asks.

"Tom?"

"Yes."

"I don't understand," Ms. Denenberg says in confusion.

"How much did you know about your husband's medical practice?" Keith begins.

"He was quite successful when he first started out. Tom got lucky; he had a few clients in the beginning who made it big in Hollywood, and he got a lot of referrals and publicity. He seemed to have a knack for knowing what the patient really wanted, and his skills were always very good."

"But something happened?" Keith asks.

Ms. Denenberg nods. "He started having difficulties about six years ago. He blamed it on the rising cost of malpractice insurance after litigation."

"Yes, we discovered that he had been sued, but it looks like the case was dismissed without prejudice and sealed." It had taken a call to a friendly prosecutor at the Balboa County courthouse before Keith had been able to discover any of the details of the well-hidden claim. Someone had apparently worked hard to expunge most of the details of the lawsuit from the public record.

"Adverse results are always a possibility in plastic surgery. And one of his clients unfortunately was left badly scarred, and she sued. This particular woman's case was actually very tragic. She was killed in a car accident before the case could go to trial, and she had no relatives to continue the suit," Stephanie explains. "Tom was very worried when the suit was filed. Apparently, she had a very good case, and he was certain he was going to lose his practice. He swore up and down that it wasn't his fault, that he hadn't made any errors, but the pretrial depositions were a nightmare. The woman refused to settle; she was angry and vindictive. I hate to say it, but Tom was so relieved when she died. Without her testimony, and with no living relatives to continue the suit, there was no case, and it was dismissed. Tom's attorney convinced the judge that the mere existence of the lawsuit was damaging to my husband's reputation, and the judge agreed to seal the docket."

Keith and Veronica exchange a glance. Veronica thinks, Perhaps the Fitzpatricks made a deal with the doctor and made the victim go away...permanently.

Stephanie looks at them apologetically. "At the time, I supported him. But now...I think Tom did make a mistake in that woman's surgery. He began drinking heavily and couldn't sleep at night. He started being cautious in his surgeries, and a surgeon can't be afraid to cut and still do his job. And then, even with the suit resolved, his insurance premiums quadrupled. The final blow was Tom's best anesthesiologist leaving the practice."

Keith asks, "There were also a few tax liens around that time."

"Yes, shortly after the lawsuit, my husband was audited, and the government obtained a large judgment against him."

"Do you remember what the scope of the audit was?" Keith scribbles a few notes.

Ms. Denenberg thinks for a moment before responding. "All I remember is that it was extensive. On top of the lawsuit, the pressure of the audit was devastating."

"And around that time, you separated."

Stephanie nods. "It sounds awful...I deserted him when he needed me...but Tom was unbearable. His drinking was out of control. I wanted to try to come up with a plan to save us financially, and he refused to discuss the business with me. He started staying out all night, and that was the last straw. I took Hannah and left."

"But it looks like he somehow scraped together the funds to buy you out of your community property share of the practice during the divorce proceedings," Keith comments.

"Yes. You could have knocked me over with a feather when my attorney told me that Tom had secured the funds to buy me out. Frankly, it was a relief. I was concerned about being in business with my ex-husband over the long term, especially if he was having problems," Stephanie explains.

Logan walks in to the living room with several cups of tea. He puts them on the coffee table and begins to walk back to the kitchen.

Ms. Denenberg says, "You found clean cups...."

"Yeah, I washed a few dishes and loaded the dishwasher. I was going to clean up a little."

"I'm sorry, I haven't been...."

"It's all right; I'd like to do it for you," he says before disappearing back into the kitchen.

"Maybe I misjudged him," Ms. Denenberg muses. She takes a cup and sips at the hot beverage; she holds onto the cup just a little too tightly, her white knuckles betraying her tension. Her eyes are vacant and bloodshot.

"A lot of people did, myself included," Keith replies.

Ms. Denenberg asks suddenly, "Why are you asking all these questions about my husband?"

Veronica says cautiously, "There's a possibility Dr. Griffith is involved in a murder, someone that perhaps he performed surgery on a few years ago. We have a picture of them together recently, and our witness said they were arguing." Keith pulls out a copy of Duncan's photo and lays it on the coffee table in front of Ms. Denenberg. Veronica continues, "And...it looks like both he and this woman had a connection to the Fitzpatricks."

"The Fitzpatricks? I don't believe it. Hannah was saying the same thing...it's just not possible that my husband was connected with the Irish mob," Stephanie protests. She picks up the photo and examines it closely, frowning.

"Your husband was prepared to perjure himself at Logan Echolls' murder trial," Keith explains. "Why would he do that?"

"You mean it's true? Logan really was dating my daughter to try to...I don't know...scare my husband into recanting?" Ms. Denenberg replies. "I never really believed that."

Logan reenters the living room and takes a seat. He says quietly, "It's true. The Fitzpatricks wanted me to be convicted, and they somehow convinced your husband to lie and say that he was on the bridge that night. We located the real witness, who exonerated me."

"Why would Tom do that?" Ms. Denenberg asks, still resisting the idea.

Veronica explains, "What if the Fitzpatricks helped him out by murdering the woman who was suing him? And I bet they supplied the funds to buy you out in the divorce settlement."

"That's crazy! For what purpose? Why would they do all that for my husband?"

"We think the Fitzpatricks are using your husband's practice for money laundering," Keith says. "We haven't figured out exactly how he's doing it, but we think he's taking fake patients and not performing procedures. They pay cash; he pays his vendors, who are actually fronts for the Fitzpatricks, and, voilà, the money is suddenly legit. It looks like he's paying Workman's Comp on more employees than he actually seems to have as well. So perhaps he's running some more money through payroll as well."

Veronica comments, "It's perfect. Most plastic surgery procedures aren't covered by insurance, so he doesn't have any insurance companies checking up on him."

Ms. Denenberg is silent. She stares at the photo again. She looks up and exclaims, "This is that woman, Richard Casablancas' wife. The one who had...."

"A lot of plastic surgery," Keith finishes. "We think she blackmailed your husband into performing the surgery for her. She knew about Logan's deal with your husband."

"Deal?"

Logan explains, "I promised to leave Hannah alone, and your husband said he would withdraw his testimony." He sighs. "I had every intention of keeping my end of the bargain. But Hannah...Hannah didn't want to end it. And I was weak. She was...she was probably the last person alive who believed I was a good person. It was...I cared about her, Ms. Denenberg. I'm sorry, I shouldn't have...." He sighs again, his shoulders slumping forward. "Kendall Casablancas was there when I was talking with your ex-husband."

Keith says, "Stephanie, Kendall was a con artist. She was connected to the Fitzpatricks, but they had a falling out. When she needed help to disappear and get away from them, she called your ex."

"You know this? Or you're guessing? Keith, this is all very far-fetched," she comments, upset and incredulous.

"Some of it we know. We know about Kendall's cons, and we know she was intimately involved with Cormac Fitzpatrick. And we're certain that your husband lied about his presence on the Coronado Bridge that night."

"And the money laundering?"

"It's extremely hard to prove without access to his files."

"You want me to help you get into his files," Ms. Denenberg realizes.

Keith nods. "We're going to try to access his computer system tomorrow. We have an actress who is going to portray a patient, and we're going to plant some surveillance devices."

"I don't understand...why are you doing this? Why isn't this being handled by the sheriff?"

Keith glances at Logan. Logan clears his throat and speaks. "I had a relationship with Kendall Casablancas in the past, and the sheriff thinks Veronica and I are involved in her death."

"Wasn't she...she's quite a bit...?" Ms. Denenberg wonders aloud, and Logan flushes deeply. Realization dawns on Ms. Denenberg's face.

"I wasn't a good guy," Logan says, his voice cracking a little. "Ms. Denenberg..." he swallows, trying to get up the courage to continue. Veronica takes his hand and squeezes it a little for encouragement. He glances at her momentarily before redirecting his attention to Ms. Denenberg. "I'm so sorry for everything. I wish I could take back everything I did. Your daughter was such a beautiful person; she made my life better just for knowing her. I know I can't ask for your forgiveness–because what I did was unforgiveable–but I wanted you to know how sorry I am."

Ms. Denenberg stares at him for a long minute; Logan wishes he could sink into the ground forever and disappear from that harsh gaze. Her expression suddenly changes, and Ms. Denenberg just looks incredibly sad. She asks quietly, "My ex-husband was really going to send you to prison based on a lie?"

Logan nods.

"For the goddamned Fitzpatricks?!" she continues, suddenly viciously angry.

Keith hurries to say, "He may well have been afraid for his life, or for the safety of you and Hannah."

"The safety of...." she repeats. She looks at Keith; conflicting emotions of fury and horror play across her face as she begins to comprehend her husband's actions. "Are you saying what I think you're saying?"

As gently as he can, Keith says, "We think it's possible Hannah wasn't really killed by a serial killer...that someone tried to make it look like she was, but in fact–"

"I'll kill him myself! If my husband was involved in something and caused this...I'll kill him myself," she repeats. She begins to weep, and Keith moves to sit beside her on the couch. He takes her in his arms and rocks her as she cries.

The doorbell rings. "Are you expecting someone?" Keith asks gently, and Ms. Denenberg shakes her head 'no'.

"I'll get it," Logan offers. He walks to the front door and opens it.

It's Dave, the guard from Briar Hill, and Logan is too shocked to speak. He shakes his head, momentarily considering the possibility that he might still be dreaming.

"What are you doing here, you fucking traitor?" Dave asks harshly.

Logan recovers his voice. He tries to keep his voice calm and steady. "Get out of here. I don't know what you want, but you shouldn't be here." His fingers automatically curl into tight, hard fists, and he forces them to straighten.

"I just wanted to talk to Ms. Denenberg about a few things," Dave explains. "It's my right. It's still a free country, Roger. I mean...Logan."

Keith and Veronica, having heard the angry voices, join Logan in the vestibule. Veronica gasps audibly when she recognizes Dave, and she sags against her father, who grips her in a tight hug.

"Oh, look. It's Connie McConArtist, and Daddy Dearest," Dave sneers.

Keith says in a strong voice, "You need to leave now."

"All right, all right, I'll leave; I just wanted to make sure that Ms. Denenberg knows that we're going to fight this lawsuit with everything we got. We're not going to roll over. We did nothing wrong at the school; we followed every bullshit regulation there is. We're going to countersue, and we're going to make her life a living hell."

"How are you not in prison right now?" Logan asks venomously.

"It's called bail, you douche. And I'm glad I ran into you. 'Course, the next time I run into you, it's going to be in a dark alley. There's nothing worse than a fucking turncoat." Dave spits at Logan's feet. "We don't like investigators very much. You'll get yours...when you least expect it."

It takes every ounce of Logan's strength to resist the impulse to strike Dave. His struggle plays out on his face, and he breathes heavily with the effort to control himself.

Keith draws his gun from his holster and points it at Dave. "You're leaving now. You're going to leave Ms. Denenberg and my family alone. And I'll be filing a complaint with the courts that you've tried to intimidate the plaintiff and the witnesses. I'm going to ask the judge for a restraining order against you and your colleagues, and I don't doubt that we'll get it. You might've even violated the conditions of your bail with this stupid move."

Ms. Denenberg has joined them; when she sees the gun in Keith's hand, she backs into the wall and looks completely terrified. Dave leans around the door jamb and mock-salutes her, saying, "Nice to meet you, ma'am. See you in court...unless of course you change your mind about the suit." He turns around and walks off the porch. Keith holsters his weapon and follows him to his car. Dave backs his car out of the driveway and pulls into traffic, giving Keith a little wave as he goes.

When Keith walks back in the front door, Ms. Denenberg has collapsed in hysterics in Logan's arms. Veronica appears to be more than a little upset at this turn of events. Keith rubs her shoulder comfortingly, and she turns to him and asks, "How can people be so evil?"

---------------------
A/N: I forgot to credit zaftig_darling, who looked over a legal plot point for me. I really ran with the concept, so if I got it wrong, it's my fault. Thanks!

•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
VERONICA MARS
10:00PM SHO ch: 340 60min 2009 TV-MA
The Confidence Game
Veronica obsesses; Keith takes steps to protect
Ms. Denenberg; Leo interviews Jeff Ratner.
Veronica: Kristen Bell. Logan: Jason Dohring.
Keith: Enrico Colantoni. Leo: Max Greenfield.
Stephanie Denenberg: Stacy Edwards.
Rebecca James: Paula Marshall. Jeff Ratner:
David Magidoff.
•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••

CHAPTER ONE HUNDRED SEVEN: "THE CONFIDENCE GAME"

Wed. 3/18/09 late afternoon: Denenberg Residence, Neptune, CA

Veronica watches as her dad tries to calm down Ms. Denenberg. Logan stands nearby, not knowing what to do with himself as Keith asks her if she has anyone she can stay with. Keith directs Logan to make another cup of tea for Ms. Denenberg over her protests.

That look in Dave's eyes, Veronica thinks. Contempt. Her dad looks over at her, and she attempts to smile back to reassure him. Connie McConArtist, what the hell.... She suddenly remembers: 'Shut the fuck up, you little con artist. We know all your tricks here. We've seen 'em before, and we know how to handle them....Gonna control yourself, cunt?'

Her shoulders slump as she recalls Dave's threats and what he did afterward. She pictures herself on the witness stand, testifying about what happened while everyone in the courtroom stares at her and pictures her crouched over the bucket, exposed and dirty...and Klein, sitting behind the defense table, smiling benevolently at the girl who got away and is still just a raging black hole and a callous user. She swallows, trying to get rid of that goddamn lump in her throat.

Everyone's going to see, everyone's going to know, they're going to say.... Her eyes begin to fill up with tears. No, don't you dare cry, don't let them see. Think about...think about anything else, think about tomorrow, going after that sleaze Griffith. She blinks rapidly, trying to dismiss the tears before the others notice.

Logan brings another cup of tea for Ms. Denenberg. He sits down next to Veronica and puts his arm around her.

It's like picking a scab; she knows she shouldn't ask–it can't possibly help anything. But she does it anyway; what the hell, everyone knows I can't help but stick my nose where it doesn't belong. She flinches a little, remembering Logan's frustrated accusation. She whispers, "What did he mean?"

"What?" he asks, confused.

"Connie McConArtist." She sees the pained expression on his face, but he doesn't reply. "What was he talking about?" she presses.

"Veronica, don't." He tries to stand up, but she grabs his sleeve and forces him back down.

"What was he talking about?" she repeats.

Logan sighs. He avoids looking at her and mumbles, "That was the nickname the guards used for you."

She stares at him, the feeling of panic threatening to overwhelm her. "Did you...?"

"Veronica, I had to. Please don't do this. Connie was your character. You were playing a role, and so was I," he pleads, trying to convince himself as much as her.

"'Connie McConArtist'," she mutters, looking away from him. 'You're filth, a fucking animal. You're not even worth looking at.' They're going to tell everyone, Logan's going to have to testify about....

He sees that she is lost in her thoughts. Is she remembering me hurting her when she was escaped? Maybe holding her down in group. Putting restraints on her, telling her to behave. Hurting her when I put her in restraints, holding her harder than I had to. Logan says intensely, "It's going to be all right. Please don't...please don't do this. They are evil; we have to remember that. Veronica, you know how much I love you."

She nods. She listens to his words as she tries compulsively to make them fit what she remembers. When he said it–when he said, 'we have been pretty tolerant of your wiseass remarks'–he didn't mean it. I know he didn't mean it. That was Connie. I know Logan loves me. I'm not a wiseass...except I guess I am.

"Veronica...are you okay? Maybe we should...." he suggests quietly, seeing her distress. "I don't know. We should be letting you rest. Let's tell your dad that we should hold off on–"

"No!" she protests. She tries to control the quaver in her voice. "I'm all right. We can't wait on this. I think Leo's going to file charges soon. You know what that would be like. And this is how we're going to help Duncan too. We can't take the chance that he might lose Lilly. And I don't want to have to testify at Duncan's hearing." I can't handle testifying. I can't do it. Please, don't make me.

He wants to hug her again, but he is afraid to touch her, frightened of whatever she is clearly recalling from the operation...scared to death she's going to think (remember) that he hurt her on purpose.

She feels his tentativeness and thinks, just for a second, that he is embarrassed by her, he is ashamed of her 'using' ways. Or...even worse...he pities her for her weakness. Veronica reflects that Dave has reminded Logan just how fucked up she really is. I couldn't even manage to complete the operation without breaking down, because I really was...everyone saw how I was...it doesn't matter how hard I try, they KNOW....

Veronica struggles to push the thought away. No! That's not right. Logan's not ashamed of me...he loves me. Dammit! I know he loves me. She tries to focus on the memory of their lovemaking from that morning, joined together and determined to get past this. But then Veronica thinks about how upset he was, even perhaps compulsive in his confession to her. It's all fucked up now. We're never going to figure this out. She stares straight ahead, afraid she'll break down if she looks in his eyes.

Keith is making a phone call, oblivious to their intense conversation as he concentrates on the situation at hand. "Yes, probably just for tonight....that would be great." He terminates the call and turns to Ms. Denenberg. "Okay, we're going to help you shut up the house. I found a place for you to stay for tonight, while you try to get in touch with your cousin. I think it's an excellent idea for you to get out of town for a little while. Why don't you pack a few bags, Stephanie? Enough for several weeks."

Ms. Denenberg nods. She stands up shakily and leaves the living room.

Keith tells Logan to clear out the refrigerator of anything that would spoil and to take out the garbage. Keith busies himself with unplugging appliances and checking the locks on the windows and doors. He spies a family photo album; he puts the album along with several photos on display in a box. He adds a few books and CDs, trying to select upbeat topics for her. He makes a few more calls.

Veronica watches the others working. She wants to help. It would be so much easier, if only she could be helping–if only she could be doing something. Goddamn fucking shoulder...she tenses up, and the arm hurts even worse. She holds her breath, waiting for the twinge of pain to pass. If only I could be doing something, goddammit.... But instead of helping...she's just remembering and worrying. She keeps her face blank, scared they will see how upset she is by Dave's appearance in Neptune.

Ms. Denenberg returns to the living room with two suitcases. Keith suggests gently that she might need her checkbook and an address book, as well as any cash she has on hand. She nods and gathers a few items from a desk in the adjacent room.

When Ms. Denenberg indicates that she is ready, they head to the Neptune Sheriff's Department, where they file a report on the incident. Keith is relieved that Leo is not around; he knows that he needs a lot more solid evidence before he can approach the sheriff with his theories. They take Ms. Denenberg to an apartment just outside the 90909 zip code. Kavner is already sitting in his vehicle in the parking lot; he nods to them as they walk by.

Rebecca James answers the door. "Hello, Keith."

"Rebecca, thanks for doing this," Keith replies. "You remember Hannah's mother, Ms. Denenberg?"

Rebecca nods. "Of course. Hello, Stephanie. Come on in." Keith escorts Ms. Denenberg into the apartment. Rebecca indicates the guest bedroom, and Keith leads the way, carrying Ms. Denenberg's overnight bag.

Logan and Veronica wait uncomfortably in the living room. They hear low voices from the bedroom. Keith joins them, and they sit down in silence. After a few minutes, Rebecca exits the bedroom, shutting the door behind her. She says, "She's exhausted. She admitted she hasn't slept for weeks and hasn't been eating well. And the man who showed up really frightened her. I think you were right to get her out of there."

"Let's hope we can get a temporary restraining order first thing in the morning. In the meantime, I've asked a gentleman to watch your home. His name is Ryan Kavner, and he was involved in our undercover operation and can identify anyone who might be a threat to her." Keith leads Rebecca to the window; he motions to Kavner's car. Kavner gives a small wave, which Rebecca acknowledges. Keith says, "Another man will relieve him a few hours; he'll come to your door and introduce himself so you know who he is." Rebecca suddenly looks alarmed, hearing about Keith's precautions, and Keith rushes to add, "I'm being overly cautious, Rebecca. I don't think there's any risk. We were careful not to be followed on our way here from the sheriff's department, and there's no way anyone would associate you with Ms. Denenberg."

Turning from the window, Rebecca asks curiously, "How are you doing, Veronica? When I saw the news reports that talked about a young female investigator, I put two and two together with your dad's questions about Briar Hill and assumed...."

Veronica nods. She takes a breath, determined to look strong and fucking normal as hell. Good old Veronica, never lets the bastards get her down. She feels her hands trembling, and she grips them into tight fists before anyone can notice.

Rebecca hesitates before continuing. "I'm sure it was difficult for you there. If you need someone to talk to...."

"I know," Veronica replies. "Thank you." There is just the slightest tremor in her voice; Keith, worried about tomorrow and Ms. Denenberg, misses it, but Logan catches it immediately. He also sees her turn away to avoid Rebecca's sympathetic gaze, and he knows that seeing Dave has upset her more than she has let on. He stares at her, trying to figure out what she's thinking. He catches Veronica's eye momentarily, and she looks away quickly.

"We really appreciate you sending us to Jim Epstein. His research and experience helped a lot," Keith adds. "I think the evidence we got is pretty powerful. Veronica was a real star." Despite his regrets and misgivings of late, he can't help the note of pride in his voice.

"I'm sure she was." Rebecca walks over to Logan and asks quizzically, "How are you doing, Logan?"

"You know me, rolling with the punches as always," he replies distractedly, still worrying about Veronica.

"Still concealing your true feelings with sarcasm and wit, I see," she remarks. "I've been worried about you. You've lost too many people in your life. I'm glad you have Veronica and Mr. Mars."

"Thanks, Becky, that means a lot," Logan says, trying for flippancy but not quite succeeding. At her expression, he sighs and reconsiders. "Thanks for trying to help me in high school...Ms. James."

She looks at him shrewdly. "Your hair is...different. That wasn't you in the videos from Madeira, was it."

He shakes his head 'no' and looks away from her in embarrassment.

She repeats, "I'm really glad you have Veronica and Mr. Mars in your life."

Keith says, "We'll be by in the morning. We need Ms. Denenberg to help with our investigation." He can see that Rebecca is itching to ask about their investigation, but she refrains.

"Okay. I'll try to get her to eat something and see if she can get some rest."

"Thank you, Rebecca," Keith reiterates as they move to the door. "We'll help Stephanie find a more permanent situation in the morning. Thanks for helping in the meantime."

As they leave, Logan tries to catch up to Veronica. She walks to the car, her head resolutely forward and her eyes focused on her destination. He falls in behind her, wishing he could somehow erase everything, somehow make everything okay. He thinks he sees her literally squaring her shoulders, preparing for battle. He reaches forward and manages to touch her hand, and, after a moment, she grabs on, twisting her fingers in his.

~ • ~

Wed. 3/18/09 afternoon: Neptune Grand Hotel, Neptune, CA

The manager, Tina, escorts Leo to a small conference room where Jeff Ratner is waiting to be questioned. Leo cracks the door and watches for a few minutes. Ratner is fidgeting, drumming his fingers on the table and tapping his foot. He stands up and walks around the room, with his arms folded against his chest, before he sits down again, adjusting the chair several times.

Leo enters the room and puts some paperwork down on the conference table. He decides to try a trick he saw Keith Mars use successfully during his short tenure as sheriff; Leo pretends that his phone is vibrating, and he 'takes' the call. "Sheriff D'Amato here....Yes, sir, I feel confident we're going to be able to wrap up the investigation shortly." Leo glances at Ratner and walks outside the room. Making no attempt to lower his voice, he says clearly, "Yes, there's just a few witnesses holding back information. We might need a material witness warrant. I know....Yes, sir. I'll be in touch." Leo snaps the phone shut and reenters the room. He leans against the table and watches the young man. He waits silently, hoping to exploit Ratner's obvious nervousness. Jeff takes a breath, about to say something, before changing his mind and staying quiet. He glances up and meets Leo's eyes momentarily before looking away.

Leo taps a folder with the typed notes from Sacks' previous interview. "So, Mr. Ratner, anything you want to add to your original statement?"

"No, sir," Ratner replies.

"You usually work room service deliveries on the evening shift?" Leo asks.

"Yes, for the last year or so. I was on graveyard before that...there was...." Ratner begins before faltering.

"Something about a disciplinary note in your file, right?" Leo flips a page to a copy of Ratner's employment history. "You were caught taking hotel supplies."

"It was bull–I mean, somebody set me up," Ratner protests.

"You don't think the rules apply to you," Leo states.

"No, come on."

"Tell me about Ms. Beversdorf. It looks she took all her meals in her suite until she made the acquaintance of Mr. Gillman across the hall."

"I don't know anything about that. We're supposed to respect the guests' privacy at all times."

"Yeah, I'm sure. What was she like? Good tipper? Polite?" Leo presses.

Ratner hesitates so slightly that Leo almost misses it. "She was all right. Not a great tipper. She didn't make conversation with the staff."

"And Mr. Gillman?"

"He's a nice guy. Generous and says 'thank you,'" Ratner responds.

"Did you ever see them together?"

"No, sir. Like I said, it's none of my business what the guests do or don't do. I just drop off the food and take the dishes away."

"I think you did more than that," Leo bluffs. "I heard...." he peruses the sheets in the file for a moment before looking up. "It would be better for you if you told me what you did. If you cooperate, I can try to save your job and maybe even make sure any charges go away."

"Charges?" Ratner asks, upset.

Leo stares at him, waiting.

"I didn't do anything except deliver her food," he repeats. "I'm pretty sure...you're right, Ms. Beversdorf and Mr. Gillman were eating together. A couple days after she checked in, she stopped getting room service at dinnertime, and Gillman's dinner orders were for two after that. He was careful; he never let me bring the cart in the room so I never saw her. I guess he's a gentleman. He was always nice to me, but we never talked more than 'thank you' and 'goodnight'."

"You do know that Daniel Gillman is really Duncan Kane?"

"Wait...that dude is...." Ratner shakes his head. "I remember when he ran. The FBI questioned everyone here about the kidnapping."

Leo assesses whether Ratner is being truthful. "You didn't know who Gillman was? There was a press conference and quite a bit of publicity. Surely you recognized the man you were serving dinner every evening as the man on the front page of the Neptune Register."

"I have a full-time job, and I'm going to school full-time at Hearst. I don't have time to read the papers. I don't have time to blog either," Ratner answers sarcastically.

"And the employees weren't gossiping about the residents?" Leo replies, equally sarcastically. "The sole heir to the Kane billions was having a secret affair with a beautiful and mysterious woman. I can't imagine no one was interested in discussing that."

Ratner, his face red with embarrassment, avoids looking directly at Leo.

Leo presses, "You never overheard any conversations between the two of them?"

Ratner shakes his head 'no'. Leo stares in disbelief, and finally Ratner says, "It wasn't for lack of trying. I guess they were being careful. Gillman, I mean Kane, has a daughter...I guess it's the baby he kidnapped three years ago...he really kept to himself and tried not to attract attention."

Leo sighs. He asks, "Do you know why Gillman and Ms. Beversdorf stopped eating together?"

Ratner shakes his head. "No, just all of a sudden, Mr. Gillman was ordering a single adult meal, with something from the kids' menu for his daughter, and Ms. Beversdorf was getting room service again in her own suite. Trouble in paradise, I guess."

Leo puts a picture of Logan and Veronica in front of Ratner. "Did you see either of these people with Gillman or Ms. Beversdorf?"

"Echolls? And Veronica Mars?" Ratner asks incredulously.

"You know them?" Leo inquires.

"Echolls lived here for two years. He's an asshole; he treated us like dirt. He was a shitty tipper who always made a huge mess in his room."

Leo motions to a picture of Kendall as she looked the year before she disappeared. "Did you ever see this woman with Echolls? It would have been during the first year he lived at the Grand. Three years ago."

Ratner studies the photo. "Maybe. It was a long time ago."

"One of your coworkers was quite positive that she was here with Mr. Echolls quite frequently around that time."

"I don't know anything about that. I tried to ignore Echolls as much as possible."

"And Ms. Mars?"

"She was in my intro to criminology class at Hearst two years ago. She cheated on a paper. I turned her in, but somehow she got away with it. She was brown-nosing the professor, so...you get the picture. And of course, she was sleeping with Echolls for a while...before she wised up and dumped his ass."

Leo explains, "Ms. Mars and Mr. Echolls were here in the Neptune Grand shortly before Mr. Gillman broke it off with Ms. Beversdorf. We have video footage of them from the elevator cameras."

Ratner laughs. "Veronica Mars was involved in this? Oh, this is great. She thinks she's the smartest person around."

"But you didn't see them?"

"No...believe me, I'd tell you if I'd seen either of them." Ratner smiles, sharing a joke with the sheriff.

"So then what is it you're not telling me, Ratner? I know you're not being completely truthful with me."

Ratner's smile disappears, and he stares back at the sheriff without speaking. Finally he says, "There's nothing to tell."

Leo sighs. He closes the file folder and starts to walk out of the room. He pulls out his cell phone and pretends to dial. "Sacks...we're going to need that warrant after all."

"Sheriff...." Ratner says.

"Hold on, Sacks," Leo says into the phone before pressing it into his chest, 'muffling' it. "Yes, Mr. Ratner?"

"I really need this job," Ratner pleads.

"Sacks, I'll call you back," Leo says into the phone before closing it to 'terminate' the call. He looks at Ratner. "Well?"

"It was the evening before she...disappeared. I wheeled the room service cart into the suite, and she shut the door behind me. I asked her if there was a problem, and she said," Ratner gulps nervously. "She said she did have a problem, and she wondered if she could trust me to help her." He stops, his face flaming red.

"I'm guessing she offered to do something in return for helping her," Leo surmises. "I've heard...she was rather generous with her sexual favors. Am I on the right track?"

Ratner nods and looks down to avoid Leo's gaze. "She...dropped on her knees and.... It's not like that happens every day to me. You gotta understand!"

Every day? I bet it never happens, except in your fantasies, Leo muses. "Actually, I think she had a certain fondness for younger men. What exactly did she want you to do for her?"

"I had to ask for the next night off. I pretended that I had had emergency dental surgery and couldn't drive because of the painkillers."

"And?" Leo presses.

"I picked her up at the employee's entrance, around nine o'clock. She was wearing a short dark wig, and she looked, I don't know, fatter. Maybe she had on a few extra layers of clothes. She didn't look as um...sexy...as she usually did. You know, she was beautiful, she had tremendous...." Ratner motions to his chest.

"Right. You gave her a ride somewhere?"

"I dropped her off at the courtyard at 729 Main Street downtown. She waited with me in my car until exactly 9:30. Then she got out and told me to go. I was supposed to come back at exactly 10:00 to pick her up."

729 Main, that's the courtyard at the Rose office building in the business district. There's plenty of people there in the daytime, but not much activity at that time of night. And there are no restaurants or ATMs with surveillance cameras nearby, he thinks. "And then what happened?"

"I was watching in my rearview mirror as I drove up the street. A black SUV drove up. She opened the door, looked at the driver, and got in."

"She knew the driver?" Leo asks.

"I guess."

"And at ten o'clock?"

"I drove up and waited by the curb where I had dropped her off. She wasn't there. I waited until 10:30." At Leo's angry look, Ratner flushes. "I didn't know what to do. She had my cell phone number if there was a problem. Finally, I went home."

"So you're the last person who saw her alive, apparently. Except for her murderer of course. You didn't get the license plate, did you?"

"I was too far away."

"Make and model?" Leo asks, not very optimistic.

"Yeah, maybe, if you have pictures," Ratner agrees.

"You better hope you can identify the car," Leo says.

"What about my job? You're not going to tell Tina....I'll have to drop out of school if I lose this job," Ratner begs. "The hotel is very strict about fraternizing with the guests."

"I'll try to keep you out of it, but Ratner, you're lucky I don't charge you with obstruction of justice," Leo observes. "Wait here. I'll tell Tina you need to come down to the sheriff's department to look at some pictures."

In the hallway, Leo dials Sacks for real. "Sacks. I need a court order for the traffic cameras for a ten-block radius around 729 Main St. between 9:00pm and 10:00pm on March 11. I'm bringing a witness in. He's going to need to look at all the Neptune Grand surveillance footage between, let's say, 7:00pm and 9:15pm, and...get Deputy Clark to come into the department. We need to identify a vehicle."

•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
VERONICA MARS
10:00PM SHO ch: 340 60min 2009 TV-MA
Happiness Is a Warm Gun
Keith realizes desperate times call for
desperate measures; Logan reacts badly.
Veronica: Kristen Bell. Logan: Jason Dohring.
Keith: Enrico Colantoni. Backup: Lefty.
•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••

CHAPTER ONE HUNDRED EIGHT: "HAPPINESS IS A WARM GUN"

Wed. 3/18/09 early evening: Sunset Cliffs Apartment, Neptune, CA

Back at the apartment, Keith orders Chinese food, realizing that no one is up for preparing dinner. Everyone looks exhausted and stressed after the long day–the latest in a seemingly unending string of long days. The food arrives, and they sit down to eat. No one wants to talk about what happened at Ms. Denenberg's house, or what they're planning for the next day. The phone rings, and Keith blots his mouth on a napkin and walks over to answer it.

"Yes?" He glances at Veronica and Logan and turns slightly. In a quiet voice, he says, "How did you get this number?...We'll not be intimidated by you, and I will be reporting this phone call to the judge and our local sheriff's department....Fine, I'll tell my attorney to expect your countersuit."

Veronica looks at Logan, her face betraying palpable fear. Keith hangs up the phone. He starts to dial a number and then hesitates; he hangs up, finds his cell phone, and dials again. "Ryan. It's Keith Mars. Everything okay there?...Can you just check in with them and give me a call back on this number? I'm concerned there's a breach on my home phone." He ends the call and waits.

Veronica asks nervously, "What's going on?"

"It was someone who claimed to be representing a group called Association of Therapeutic Schools Alumni and Parents. But it was obviously somebody connected with Briar Hill." He sighs loudly. "It's all right. We knew they wouldn't just roll over and take a plea. We're going to be okay. They're testing us, to see if we're serious."

Veronica nods. "We have to do this. For Hannah, for all the girls. Even for Maria."

Logan shoots her a glance.

Keith replies, "Yes, we do have to do this. I'll have our phone number changed in the morning."

Logan asks, "Why didn't you just call Ms. James?"

Veronica explains, "He's worried they have a tap on our phones. So he called Kavner instead so no one could figure out where Ms. Denenberg is."

Keith nods to confirm. "If they went to the trouble of finding our unlisted number...." He shrugs. The phone rings. "Yes?...Good. Thanks, Ryan." He ends the call. "What time are Wallace and Weevil coming over?"

"Eight o'clock," she replies.

They lapse into a long and awkward silence. Veronica toys with her food, pushing a piece of broccoli around and around on her plate. Logan watches, knowing that she's upset and wishing he could somehow help. Finally, after they've gathered up the paper plates and food cartons, Keith says, "Logan, can I speak to you in private for a minute?"

Veronica watches curiously as Keith leads him to his bedroom and shuts the door. She starts to question her dad, but Logan subtly shakes his head, and she keeps quiet. She stares at the closed door for a moment before walking over to try to hear what's going on. What the hell? Her anxiety level worsens as she unsuccessfully attempts to eavesdrop.

In the bedroom, Logan fidgets nervously, shifting his weight from one foot to the other as Keith bends down and fiddles with a small safe on the floor next to his bed. Keith turns around with a gun in his hand, and the color drains from Logan's face in shock.

Keith starts talking without noticing Logan's distress. "Okay, this is a Beretta FS 92 compact. It's a very reliable handgun. I've completely stripped it and cleaned it for you–" He looks up at Logan's pale face and stops talking.

Logan mumbles, "You're giving me a gun?"

Keith, slightly confused, replies, "With Veronica's arm in a sling, I'm worried...." His words fade away as he searches Logan's face. Keith ejects the magazine and places the gun and its ammunition on the bedside table. He sits down on the bed and indicates that Logan should join him.

"What did you think...? Logan?" he says hesitantly.

Logan looks away. The silence between them lengthens. At last, Logan says quietly, "I know you're disappointed in me. I'm sorry I didn't do a better job of protecting Veronica at the school."

"What?" Keith asks in confusion.

"I know I let you down. Mr. Mars, I'm so sorry for everything."

"Logan, I'm the one who's to blame. Neither you nor Veronica should have been there at all," he replies gently.

Logan looks away again. "Mr. Mars, I don't know how to do this."

"How to do what?"

"I don't know...this. I keep fucking up," he says morosely.

"Logan...." Keith says. "I don't understand." He sighs loudly. "You were trying to convince us to quit from day one. And you know, I can almost justify sending Veronica there...she's had experience and training. But I let her talk me into having you there too. She's always been able to–"

Logan laughs without humor. "That's for sure."

"Logan, you're not to blame for this. I'm the adult. I'm the professional. I should have known better. I might not have known everything about Veronica's...situation...but I certainly knew you had recently been depressed, and I always suspected.... I shouldn't have let you–I knew it was very bad between you and Aaron. I didn't consider the parallels of your situation at the school, how it might trigger...memories of how he abused you."

The toxic statement hangs in the air. Unconsciously, Logan rubs at the cigarette burn scar on his shoulder, until he realizes and pulls his hand away. Almost inaudibly, he says, "I just...I can't really explain to you how much it meant to me that I was...kind of your friend, maybe sort of...not a part of the family, but almost. You actually trusted me to help. I know I fucked up." He looks directly at Keith. "I'm not just talking about Briar Hill. I should have gotten Veronica away from Shelly's party that night."

"Yes, you should have," Keith says simply.

Logan nods repeatedly, his head bobbing uncontrollably as the words wash over him.

Keith says, "But I don't think you've been asking the right person for forgiveness."

Logan rushes in. With a pleading expression, he begs, "I'm so sorry, sir. You don't know how many times I've wanted to–"

"Logan. I didn't mean me. I meant you have to forgive yourself."

The room is silent except for their breathing.

Keith adds, "You did a bad thing. It probably has always been a problem for the two of you. And now it's a problem for me as well. I am going to be able to get past it eventually. I can't lie–a part of me is still furious with you right now, knowing that you helped get the drugs, and then you were there and saw what was going on and.... And I know I have to forgive you because she loves you, but that doesn't actually make it any easier for me." He glances at the gun on the nightstand. "But, Logan, I'm certainly not going to hurt you. That's what you thought when you first saw the gun, isn't it?"

Logan is unable to respond. When Keith looks in his eyes, he recognizes the utter despair of a young boy who can't understand why his father doesn't love him.

Praying that he won't regret this, Keith explains calmly, "Logan, I need you to step up and help me to protect us. You have to try to be strong right now. With Veronica's shoulder...and given the nature of the Fitzpatricks and now with Dave harassing us as well...I would feel safer if you had a weapon and knew how to use it. Have you ever fired a weapon before?"

Logan says with flat affect, "Mr. Casablancas invited me along a couple times when he took Dick and Beaver shooting."

"Good. It's not your first time then."

"He gave me an unloaded weapon to protect myself," Logan adds. "Dick Sr. said, 'given my situation....'" He shrugs.

Keith exhales. Casablancas was an idiot; I hope I'm not being even stupider. "I gotta tell you. It's not my first choice to give you a weapon. I really don't want you to use it if there's any possible alternative. I know Veronica can shoot pretty well left-handed from her training, but...."

"You're really worried about the Fitzpatricks," Logan states.

"I've made too many mistakes already," Keith admits. "If something should happen to me, and Veronica needed your help...I've got to know that you know how to fire a gun. But I'm not going to hand over this weapon to you until I'm satisfied you know what you're doing with it."

He shows Logan how to chamber rounds in the magazine and how to load the magazine into the gun. He goes over the safety locks in detail and gives Logan some tips on firing. He unloads the magazine and demonstrates how to field strip the gun so that Logan has an idea of the inner workings. Keith hands the pistol to Logan and makes him perform all the necessary steps five times over before he is satisfied that Logan can handle the weapon safely. Finally, he digs in the closet and finds an old shoulder holster. He adjusts the straps for Logan and makes him practice unholstering the weapon numerous times before he approves.

Logan takes off the holster and checks the safety on the handgun one final time. Keith hesitates, then walks to him and hugs him gently. "We'll get through this," he whispers. "Give it time." The young man holds himself stiffly, still tentative and completely unnerved despite Keith's reassuring words.

When they leave the bedroom, Veronica is pretending to flip through the newspaper at the kitchen counter. But Keith recognizes her expression of guilt and unease, and knows she was trying to listen to the upsetting exchange between him and Logan. Logan takes the gun and the holster to Veronica's bedroom; her eyes widen when she sees the weapon. She starts to stand up to go with him, but Keith stops her. "Don't."

Logan stays in Veronica's bedroom by himself; Veronica stews, wanting to go to him, wanting desperately to know what they were talking about. She becomes increasingly nervous as Keith sits at the desk and works on his notes for the plan tomorrow. Twice, she stands up, and Keith warns quietly, "No, Veronica. Leave him alone."

~ • ~

VERONICA

A gun? A gun??

No...it's not possible. Dad's not giving Logan a gun. I think I heard him say, 'If something should happen to me'...no, Daddy, you have to be all right.

What were they were saying...Logan's still not telling me everything...I need him to...I need him...Daddy....

Breathe, Veronica. You having a freakout is not going to help. You've got to hold it together!

Dad's trusting Logan to help...but why did Logan look like that...what did they say....

Breathe, Veronica. Concentrate on something you can control...worry about tomorrow...go over every detail...try to find evidence that Griffith is laundering money...Leo will see that...Leo has to see that...goddammit, why does it always have to be so fucking hard!

I'm trying so hard. I'm telling them everything, I'm being honest, I'm trying, I'm trying. Why is still so hard? Why aren't they telling me everything? They don't trust me.

I need him. Logan has to be all right, why is he so upset? I need him. I mustn't let them see...have to act like I'm okay so they let me help. Fuck!...why are they doing this? Why don't they trust me?

I've screwed everything up...there's no way that Dad's going to be able to fix it this time. I can't do this. Maybe I should just turn myself in for helping Duncan...but then, baby Lilly might go back to the Mannings. I can't do this! And...and...Dave's here...god, why is Dave here...no, Dave can't bother us. Klein wouldn't dare....

Don't let them see. Breathe, Veronica. Don't let them see you're afraid.

~ • ~

LOGAN

Logan puts the gun in the top drawer of the nightstand in her room. It seems absurd to put a weapon next to the garish foil condom wrappers, but he doesn't want to leave the pistol out either. He's afraid to discuss it with her, and he doesn't know why. He lies down on the bed and shuts his eyes. The fear that coursed through him when he saw the gun in Keith's hand is still there, and he feels an almost physical ache from the tense conversation. 'You did a bad thing....A part of me is still furious with you right now.'

He thinks about the very last time that Aaron beat him, when he had manipulated his father into donating money to the food bank. It was the worst beating he'd ever had that didn't actually require a trip to the hospital. Aaron's control that last time was more terrifying than all the times when he had let loose with a torrent of unending and unaimed blows. That time, his dad had seemed determined to inflict the maximum pain without leaving a mark for the world to see. Logan remembers thinking, This will be the last time. The next time I'll kill him. Somehow, I'll kill him.

He had gotten through the beating by fantasizing about the different ways he could kill his father. Logan had settled on putting his hands around Aaron's throat and slowly, inexorably squeezing the life out of him–he pictured himself languidly, unrepentantly choking the fucker and watching the monster realize that his life was ending because his monster son had risen up against him. And when Aaron had ordered him to stand up at the end of the beating, his dad had actually flinched when he saw the insane conviction in Logan's eyes; Aaron knew it wouldn't happen again either. Later, when he stole his dad's favorite cowboy boots for the school auction, Aaron had started to order him to pick out a belt. Logan had said merely, "I don't fucking think so," and had walked away, daring the bastard to come after him.

Logan doesn't remember the first time Aaron beat him. It was always there. It was always his state of being–his lot in life to wonder when the next time would be. He does remember the day he realized that it wasn't like this for other kids, and he recalls thinking that he must be a very bad boy indeed to make his father behave this way. Even his mother knew that he deserved what was coming to him and listened to the sessions in silence. She drank herself into a stupor and never intervened.

Logan knows this is wrong. This isn't right. It's not his fault, it was never his fault. Well.... Sometimes it was his fault, when he set out to prove his father right.

He remembers restraining her, feeling that power he had over Veronica at the school. A sick, sensuous power: power that wasn't supposed to feel good, but somehow also felt...familiar, normal, and god that was the worst. Connie was going to pay for...what was it she was paying for again? This isn't right. This isn't right. He takes a shuddering breath. What the hell is wrong with me? Something's wrong with me. I'm supposed to be worrying about her, worrying about us.

He fingers his worst scar, the cigarette burn on his shoulder, and he thinks that when Aaron had finally pulled the cigarette from his smoldering flesh, he had been–could he really have been?–excited by his young son's powerlessness and suffering. He recalls the angry conversation between the doctor and his mother, his mother protesting that Logan had fallen onto a lit cigarette, and the doctor responding that this was the last time: he would report Lynn to the police if she ever brought her son here again. A new doctor wasn't so doubtful of the beautiful and skilled actress and her tales of Logan's compulsive clumsiness. Growing pains, my ass.

He sits up on the bed, suddenly angry that he's wallowing in this ancient history, a time that he can't fix and shouldn't be obsessing about when there's a very real danger to be concerned about.

Fuck you, Aaron. Fuck you. Get the fuck out of my head.

'I don't think you've been asking the right person for forgiveness.' This is just too hard to think about, and he pushes it aside for later consideration. I need to keep my focus. Stay on task, Logan.

He thinks again about Veronica's reactions earlier that day; he realizes that what he saw was a crack in her armor. She's definitely not okay. She's acting strong, but every time something else happens, Kendall's murder, Leo's vendetta, Gory trying to shoot them, Dave showing up...each time she carefully replaces the facade of strength, but it takes more effort, and the protective shell is chipped and worn at the edges. And he keeps stumbling, letting her down with his weakness and his mistakes.

He opens the drawer again and looks at the gun. Keith is depending on me. Veronica is depending on me.

There's a quiet knock at the door; he quickly shuts the drawer. Veronica calls out, "Hey, Logan, somebody wants to see you." She cracks open the doors and whispers, "Go get 'em." Backup noses the door open and goes to Logan. He puts his paws on Logan's knees and begins licking his face.

Despite himself, he smiles slightly. The dog, at least, has always loved him unconditionally. Backup stares him in the eye and loudly barks once right in his face. Logan mutters, "I know, I gotta get over myself." Logan stands up, and the dog urges him to go out of the bedroom with a quiet whine. He walks unsteadily out to the living room. To Veronica, he comments, "That's a pretty neat trick you've taught him."

"What trick?" she says, with mock innocence. Then she smiles...but he notes that the smile doesn't quite reach her eyes, and he wonders how much she's concealing. My god, she's trying so hard...Veronica!...

"Yeah, right," he replies. I love her, he thinks fiercely. Why the hell does she put up with me? I have to find the courage to take care of her. She needs me.

•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
VERONICA MARS
10:00PM SHO ch: 340 60min 2009 TV-MA
Thinking Problem
Wallace and Weevil assist with the investigation;
they work on a plan; Veronica is surprisingly fragile.
Veronica: Kristen Bell. Logan: Jason Dohring.
Keith: Enrico Colantoni. Wallace: Percy
Daggs III. Eli: Francis Capra.
•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••

CHAPTER ONE HUNDRED NINE: "THINKING PROBLEM"

Wed. 3/18/09 evening: Sunset Cliffs Apartment, Neptune, CA

Wallace and Weevil have come over to the apartment. Wallace asks, "How did it go with Ms. Denenberg?"

Keith, nodding, replies, "She's going to help."

Weevil surprises Veronica by grabbing her in a hug. "Watch my shoulder," she breathes, and he pulls away, muttering his apologies.

"I was worried about you," he says quietly. "Wallace said...listen, I'm glad you're okay."

"I'm more than okay, I'm totally bitchin'," she replies lightly.

"Yeah, badass Mars, I know." He leans in and whispers in her ear, "Love you, Vee. You're not allowed to get hurt again, ¿comprendes?"

"I didn't know you cared so much," Veronica answers evasively.

"You're not going to get hurt again, okay? You gotta stop taking chances, Vee." Weevil presses, and her face betrays her discomfort.

Logan comes over and extends a fist for Weevil to bump. He says quietly, "How's it going, Weevil? Veronica is being careful. Ease up a little on her." He solicitously escorts her over to the couch to sit next to him.

Weevil looks at him quizzically. He remembers how worried Logan was in the fall when Veronica was trying to clear her name; something is different about her and about Logan's overtly protective attitude. Suddenly it strikes him: she's letting him protect her. What the hell?

Keith begins to speak, drawing Weevil out of his musings about Veronica. "Wallace said you've been staking out the Fitzpatricks and taking surveillance photos."

"Yeah. Since Emilio told us the Fitzpatricks had a dirty cop...." he shrugs. "I thought maybe I'd catch them meeting. So whenever I've been off shift...."

"Let's see what you got."

Weevil hands him two camera flash cards, and Keith inserts the first one into the memory card reader attached to the computer. They all gather around and watch as Keith goes through the photos. "It's mostly Liam and his brothers," Keith comments.

"Right, Ciaran and Padraig especially. Father Patrick seems to keep his distance," Weevil replies.

"Who's that guy?" Veronica asks, pointing at a man talking with Liam Fitzpatrick in one of the photos.

Keith answers, "Kevin Bray."

Veronica frowns. "'Bray', sounds familiar, why do I know that name?"

Keith replies, "I talked to him last fall when we were trying to figure who was writing the threatening letters. We were wondering if he was holding a grudge against me because I caught him cheating on his wife."

Remembering, Veronica says, "Right."

"His wife is Liam's wife's cousin, and Liam broke his kneecap for stepping out on her," Wallace comments, looking at his notes. "Couples counseling, Fitzpatrick-style."

"Logan, there's a pad of drawing paper in my room...in the back of the closet, behind the boxes," Veronica says. He nods and gets it. "Dad, let's print out these photos."

They work for several hours. At the end of that time, one entire wall of the apartment has large sheets of paper taped to it. Wallace has transferred all of his notes to the paper, and pictures have been attached underneath many of the names. Lines crisscross the sheets, indicating familial or business relationships. Copies of files from Keith's time as sheriff litter the apartment; as they discuss a name, Keith tries to recall a case and adds any pertinent information. Veronica is searching all the databases, trying to find pictures to match the names without photographs.

"Tommy Shaw?" she asks, indicating a name on the chart without a picture.

Keith says, "I arrested him for fencing jewelry, when the Fitzpatricks were doing those break-ins to influence the election."

Veronica runs a check on the Neptune Register archives and finds a photo from a news story about the break-ins and hits 'print'. "Have you seen this guy since you've been watching?" she asks Weevil.

"No," he replies, shaking his head.

She clicks on another link in her browser. "Ah. He's serving three years in Lompoc for burglary."

Wallace taps several photos on the desk. "These are the only ones we haven't identified." He spreads the photos out, and they gather around.

Veronica points at a photo of a young man. "This guy looks familiar."

Keith frowns. "Do you remember his name?"

"No. But...he looks about our age. Maybe he went to school with us." She slides off the bar stool and heads toward her bedroom.

"What do you need? Let me get it for you," Logan offers.

"I can do it," she snaps. "I'm not an invalid."

Logan looks at her in surprise. "Of course," he mutters.

Veronica goes to her bedroom; she returns a minute later with her Neptune High School yearbooks tucked under her left arm. They huddle around as she turns pages, looking for a match with Weevil's photo. Veronica sighs. "It's too bad the photo is so dark. But I'm pretty sure I don't see him in here." She appears to be lost in thought.

"Where else could you have met him?" Keith asks.

"Pan High? Gameland. The Hut. Maybe even a Hearst frat party. I don't know, Dad," she replies distantly. Apologetically, she adds, "I'm sorry, I know I should know. I should know."

"Veronica, it's okay. You'll remember." Turning to Weevil, Keith asks, "What was the kid doing?"

"Liam handed him a package, and then the kid took off," Weevil says. "I only saw him once."

Keith ponders. "Hmm. There's no way to know if it's important."

Veronica has wandered over to the wall and is examining the pictures. Suddenly she gasps. "Gerry Black. This is the guy who was meeting with Kendall, when I was following her." She goes in her bedroom and retrieves a disc with her case files from the fall of 2005. She pops the disc in the computer drive and clicks on a password-protected folder labeled 'Casablancas, R.' Veronica glances at Logan and reflects that it's a good thing she took the precaution of erasing all the photos that featured him with Kendall. She clicks through until she finds the photo of Kendall carrying a bag and meeting a man at one of the Casablancas properties. She zooms in on the man's face. "Yeah, that's the guy. This is proof that Kendall was dealing with the Fitzpatricks. We can give this photo to Leo."

Keith runs a check on the name. "Black's been arrested several times in connection with various Fitzpatrick schemes."

Veronica crops the photo and enlarges Black. She opens her email program and composes a message to Richard.Casablancas@hearstcollege.org.

Dick: Did you ever see this man with Kendall? Let us know asap. It's important. V.

Logan watches her. She's intent on her work: she's practically the old Veronica, confident in her private investigator skills. With something to concentrate on, her mood is visibly improved. He's suddenly almost glad that they have something to investigate so that she can think about something besides Dave and Briar Hill.

Weevil says, "So what's the plan here? You're trying to prove what, exactly?"

"Well, it would help if we had solid proof that Kendall was in with the Fitzpatricks, so that Leo would start investigating them instead of trying to pin her murder on us and Duncan. And maybe...." She looks to her dad, who shrugs his permission. "We think whoever the dirty cop or dirty agent is, they might have been involved in Hannah Griffith's murder."

"The girl who was killed by the Saturday Night Slasher?" Weevil asks incredulously. "Wait, Griffith, are you talking about that guy from the bridge? That was his daughter?"

"Right. We think Dr. Griffith is laundering money for the Fitzpatricks through his medical practice," Logan explains. "And Duncan got a picture of Griffith with Kendall, so maybe Griffith was involved with her murder, too."

"No way. Those friggin' Fitzpatricks are messed up in everything. So then you're going to do your usual, Vee, you're going to blackmail Griffith?" Weevil asks Veronica.

"My usual?" she repeats uncertainly.

"You know, your Veronica thing. You get the goods on someone, then you turn the tables on them. I've seen you do it a million times. Hell, half of Neptune is scared of you and everything you know about them," Weevil says, teasing.

Her lip begins to quiver. "I don't do that," she protests.

"Of course you do," he says, laughing. He stops abruptly when he sees that she's crying. Everyone turns and looks at her in the sudden silence.

She runs out of the room.

"Veronica!" Weevil calls after her.

Logan stands up quickly, knocking his chair over in his haste, and follows her to her bedroom. But by the time he gets there, she has shut and locked the door. He taps quietly on the door. "C'mon, let me in. Veronica, please." Keith joins him, saying, "Veronica, honey, open the door."

Weevil turns to Wallace and asks quietly, "What'd I say?"

"I really don't know. I know when I talked to her a couple days ago, she was talking crazy...saying she loved me, and telling me to tell you that she loved you too," Wallace replies, shaking his head. "She's been a little off since they got back."

"Vee bursting into tears is not a little off," Weevil comments.

Veronica has finally opened the door and allows her dad to come in and talk to her. Logan walks back to the living room, frowning intensely.

"What's going on?" Wallace asks anxiously. "Is she all right?"

"It's been a really rough day. One of the guys from the school...he fucking humiliated her, and she just had to take it from him so she wouldn't blow the operation. And then the guy showed up in Neptune today; they're trying to intimidate her into withdrawing her statement. He's a pretty scary dude."

"Fuck," Weevil says.

"It was bad at the school. They really did a number on her. She thinks...I think she thinks she's a bad person now. She's been trying really hard to act like everything's okay, but today she was pretty upset...." Logan shakes his head. "It's fucked up."

Weevil realizes that Logan, too, looks completely stressed and worn out. What the hell happened at that school? He glances at Wallace, who is apparently thinking exactly the same thing.

Keith emerges from her bedroom. "Let's call it a night, guys. It's been a really long day, and Veronica's exhausted."

"Sheriff, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to...damn, I'm really sorry," Weevil says sincerely.

Keith nods. "Logan, she's asking for you." As Logan goes to the bedroom, Keith adds thoughtfully, "Eli, we could use some help tomorrow. Is there any chance you could get the day off?"

"Yes, definitely. Anything you need, sheriff."

"Thanks, I appreciate that, Eli. Come to the office at eight a.m., okay?"

"You got it." Weevil starts to go, but turns back. "Tell her I'm sorry, and I love her, okay?"

"She knows, Eli. She's just really tired right now."

Nervously, he says, "I shouldn't have said that–"

"It's okay. You didn't know. We all need to get some rest tonight. It's going to be a long day tomorrow. And, uh, Eli? Call me Keith, okay? Or Mr. Mars."

"You'll always be the sheriff to me," he replies. "But I'll try...Mr. Mars."

"You need me at eight too?" Wallace asks.

"Yes, Wallace. I'm counting on you."

He watches the boys leave. They are clearly upset by Veronica's breakdown. Keith drops his head into his hands. His daughter was sobbing incoherently when she finally allowed him into her bedroom. He tried to reassure her that everyone loved her, and no one thought she was a blackmailer. Crying, she protested that everyone could see...everyone knew. He stroked her back, trying to soothe her as she sobbed. After a while, she seemed to calm a little and said she was all right. Keith had stared into her eyes, trying to determine if he really believed her. He thinks he has never felt so helpless as he's been feeling since the undercover operation blew up in his face.

Damn them and their fucking tough love, he thinks viciously. My daughter is convinced she has a black hole for a soul, and Logan is a complete wreck. No, damn me! I was so upset by those arson charges and Vinnie's bullshit that I didn't think this through. I should never have let them go undercover in that snake pit. How could I have been so stupid?

For the first time in his life, he thinks it would be so satisfying just to break something. He imagines walking to the kitchen cupboard, taking out their wine glasses, all seven of their mismatched goblets, and smashing them one by one on the tile floor. The pointless destruction would feel so damned good right now.

But with everything else on Keith's plate right now, he knows he can't afford the luxury of emotionality. He has to be tough; he has to somehow get them out of this mess.

~ • ~

Wed. 3/18/09 late evening: Sunset Cliffs Apartment, Neptune, CA

Logan enters Veronica's bedroom. She looks so tiny lying on the bed. Her legs are drawn up protectively, and she occasionally takes a deep, shuddering breath. He knows if he brushed the hair off her face, he would see the traces of her tears. I'm such an asshole; why can't I help her? Why can't I do a better job of protecting her? He lies down next to her and gently hugs her to him. "Hey, it's okay," he tries. "I'm here."

"Need you," she replies. She compulsively presses her lips to his in a mockery of desire. "Come on, kiss me," she begs.

"Veronica, stop," he protests. This is fucked up! Dammit. I don't know how to do this.

"Why don't you love me? Why do you always pull away?" she sobs. "Why can't you let me feel good?"

"Veronica, I do love you," Logan answers. He kisses her all over her face, trying to erase the evidence of her sobs. "Let me take care of you."

"Didn't you...enjoy it this morning? You seemed like you were...." She breaks down, the tears rolling unheeded down her cheeks.

"Of course I enjoyed it. Veronica, I love you, you know I would do anything for you." He's sickened by the realization that she was experiencing these feelings and hiding them so completely from him. I was thinking about me and my fears, instead of worrying about her. Dammit, why didn't I see that she was scared and hurting?

"Then stop pulling away. I'm sorry I've been such a terrible person. I'm really trying. And I'm trying so hard to show you I love you! I'm sorry, I'm sorry! Please don't pull away," she begs. Veronica tries to kiss him again, surprising him by pushing her tongue into his mouth.

He allows it, not knowing what the hell else to do. She reaches down and begins to stroke him through his pants. He thinks, Oh god, Veronica, what is she doing, oh god oh god, she thinks...I don't know how to help her. He breaks the kiss and says, "Veronica, that feels really good. I love you so much. You're not a terrible person. We know you're trying." He pauses before murmuring into her ear, "You don't have to be afraid. I'm right here. I'm not going anywhere. I love you so much."

Her hand's movements have become desperate; she makes little noises of frustration when his body doesn't cooperate the way she wants. "Why won't you...?" she sobs. She pulls her hand away and covers her eyes, moaning her distress.

"Veronica, I'm always going to be here. You're so beautiful, you're so sexy. I love you so much," he says quietly. "I love to hold you and kiss you. I'm not going anywhere. You're completely safe."

She hiccups, her sobs finally diminishing. He rubs small circles in the center of her back as he continues to tell her that he loves her over and over again. Logan whispers, "I'm right here. I love you, and I'm not going anywhere."

At last she cries herself to sleep. Keith warily pokes his head in, and Logan nods to him. She looks peaceful curled in Logan's arms, and Keith retrieves a blanket from the closet and throws it over the two of them.

~ • ~

Thurs. 3/19/09 early morning: Mars Investigations, Neptune, CA

Keith has gone over all the details of their plan repeatedly. "Any questions?" he asks. They shake their head 'no'. "All right, let's go. No improvising today. We stick with the plan."

•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
VERONICA MARS
10:00PM SHO ch: 340 60min 2009 TV-MA
The Thomas Griffith Affair
The team infiltrates Dr. Griffith's office; Veronica
puts on a brave face and helps with the investigation;
Leo pursues Ratner's lead; Mac phones home.
Veronica: Kristen Bell. Logan: Jason Dohring.
Keith: Enrico Colantoni. Leo: Max Greenfield.
Wallace: Percy Daggs III. Eli: Francis Capra.
Mac: Tina Majorino. Dr. Griffith: Rick Peters.
Stephanie Denenberg: Stacy Edwards. Karen
Fillipelli: Rashida Jones. Christina Jones: Kate
Bosworth. Receptionist #1: Elisabeth Moss.
Receptionist #2: Anna Gunn.
•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••

CHAPTER ONE HUNDRED TEN: "THE THOMAS GRIFFITH AFFAIR"

Thurs. 3/19/09 morning: Medical Offices of Dr. Thomas Griffith, Neptune, CA

Eli Navarro, wearing an AT&T uniform and carrying a small equipment bag, enters Dr. Griffith's office. "Good morning. I'm from the phone company," he says to the receptionist, pointing at his employee badge. "I need access to your phone interface. We've had a report of interference on this trunk line, and I need to check it out."

"Oh, you'll have to see our office manager, Ms. Fillipelli; it's the first door." The receptionist points.

Weevil says, "Thank you," and heads for the office manager's office. He knocks and enters when bidden to do so. He explains the problem, using all the technical jargon Keith had drilled into him. The office manager's eyes glaze over at the long-winded explanation. Weevil concludes, "So you see, if you can show me your interface, I can take care of this right away and get out of your hair."

"Of course," she says quickly. She opens her desk and finds a key ring. The manager clicks a few keys on her computer, apparently shutting down the programs that are running. She nods to herself, then tells Weevil to follow her.

Wallace, a messenger bag slung over his shoulder, enters Dr. Griffith's office. He's listening to an iPod turned very loud, and he nods his head in time to the music. The receptionist greets him. Wallace says loudly, "I have a delivery for Ms. Karen Fillipelli from the law offices of Simon and Stern." The receptionist frowns at his booming voice and taps her ear. Wallace replies, "Oops," and pulls off the headphones. In a quieter tone, he says, "Are you Ms. Fillipelli? I need a signature."

The receptionist points to an office down the hall. "The office manager, first door," she explains. Wallace nods and heads toward the office. As he gets to the office, he sees a woman walking down the hallway with Weevil.

"Yo, are you Ms. Fillipelli?"

The woman pauses and asks, "Yes, may I help you?"

"I have a delivery for you. I need a signature." Wallace holds up a fat envelope and waves it slightly.

"I'll be right with you," the woman replies.

As she escorts Weevil to the rear of the offices, Wallace quickly enters her office and checks her computer. He finds the cable on her keyboard and traces it to her CPU under the desk. The connection port is hidden, he notes happily. Wallace pulls out a keystroke capture device from his messenger bag and hooks it up between the cable and the CPU. He taps a key on the keyboard, and the computer screen exits sleep mode to display a login screen; the device is working properly and will record all the keystrokes on the office manager's computer. He places an audio bug well under the desk where it is not likely to be detected. By the time the office manager returns to the office, Wallace has turned the iPod back on and is bopping gently to the sound of Kanye West that emanates from the headphones.

"You have something for me?" the manager asks as she enters her office.

Wallace hands her the envelope, which contains a generic request for duplicate patient notes for an old malpractice suit that Keith had found on the Lexis legal database. He extends an electronic signature and tracking device along with a stylus. "Sign on number twelve," he instructs. The surplus FedEx PowerPad that Keith picked up from an electronics refurbisher has come in handy on more than one occasion. The manager hands back the stylus; Wallace points the device at a bar code at the envelope. The machine emits an audible beep, and Wallace makes a few notes on the screen before putting the device away. "Have a nice day, ma'am," he calls as he leaves.

Sitting in Veronica's Saturn a block away from the building, Veronica and Logan monitor the audio bug and listen as the office manager makes a phone call. "Okay, we're live," Veronica says.

Logan watches through binoculars and sees Weevil leaving the building. "Weevil's out. Check the phone tap."

Veronica clicks a few keys. They now hear the office manager's voice echoing from the phone tap as well as from the audio bug, and they hear the other end of the conversation, apparently Karen's sister, who is complaining about her slacker husband.

"So far, so good," Logan comments. He fidgets a little; the unfamiliar shoulder holster is digging into his back, and the weight of the gun is an unpleasant reminder of the need to be careful.

"The hard part is later," Veronica replies.

He looks over at her. This morning she had seemed a little quiet, but okay. The girl who had been completely shattered the night before has retreated again, but Logan thinks that he won't be fooled again. He'll be watching closely to make sure she's doing all right.

"All right, I'm doing it," Veronica announces. She mutes the audio on her laptop. Using her cellphone, she dials Griffith's office and asks to speak to Ms. Fillipelli. Logan had found copies of telephone message slips in the garbage the day before; one had said 'please call Virginia from LCP, question about the total amount on invoice #32678.' Veronica had called LCP and talked to Virginia, pretending to be a representative from an online medical supplies distributor but secretly recording the call to get a template for Virginia's voice. Thankfully, Virginia's characteristic nasal tones and speech patterns were easy to imitate.

As Virginia, Veronica says, "Hi, it's Virginia again, from LCP Medical Supplies....No, I just want you to check that number on 32678 again for me, it doesn't seem right."

On the other end, Ms. Fillipelli replies, "Hey Virginia. Hold on, let me log in to the database."

Veronica looks over at Logan and nods approvingly. "We got it," she mouths. She listens, then says, "Okay. It must be a problem on our end. I'll check it out and call you again if I can't figure it out. Thanks, Karen." She terminates the call, then dials her dad. "Dad, she's logged in now. You're good to go....yeah, we'll be careful. You, too." Veronica hangs up.

"You scare me when you do that. It's a little too easy for you to imitate voices," Logan comments.

"Part of the job," she replies.

Veronica taps a few keys on the laptop left-handed, checking the bug and the phone tap. She feels his eyes upon her and turns to him. "What?"

"You're getting pretty good at typing with one hand," he ad-libs quickly.

She smiles faintly.

What the hell am I supposed to say to her? he thinks. He's completely terrified to ask her how she's feeling for fear of saying the wrong thing.

"I feel a little better today," she says suddenly, reading his thoughts. "Not so scared." She avoids looking at him and pretends to be fussing with the equalization controls on the audio program.

"That's good," he offers.

"It's easier when I keep busy," she adds.

"I know. Veronica...promise you'll talk to me about how you're feeling?"

She nods. Veronica meets his eyes and says, "We're a mess, aren't we?"

He replies, "But it can only get better, right? We're going to help each other."

Veronica visibly jumps when Wallace taps on her window. She hits the button to lower the car window. "Nice job, Fennel. You give good messenger."

"You taught me well, Mars," he answers. "We lucked out; we didn't have to use the backup plan. The manager left me alone in the office while she was with Weevil."

Weevil is sitting in his car next to them and nods a greeting.

Wallace adds, "So we'll take over the monitoring now, right?"

Veronica nods. "Right. We're headed to the hospital, and then we'll meet up with Dad at the office."

Weevil gets out of his car and comes up to Veronica. He's been quiet all morning, barely saying two words other than confirming he understood what Keith needed him to do. "Hey, girlie," he says quietly.

"Good job, Weevil. The phone tap is to die for," she says.

"You know, I'm really sorry about last night. I didn't–"

"It's okay," she interrupts. "I know."

"No, it's not okay. I feel like crap, okay?"

I know exactly how you feel, Weevil. It's kind of how I feel, when I remember the way I accused you of blowing up the school bus and holding up the Benetian casino...when I jumped to conclusions the way I always do, and then turned around and asked you for a favor. I haven't been much of a friend to you. She breathes out loudly and looks down in her lap. "It's okay, Weevil. I'm...I'm working something out, you know? Sometimes it seems...." Her voice dies away.

"I love you, Vee," he says.

Damn it. I'm going to cry again if I'm not careful. She carefully holds her voice steady. "I know. Love you too, Eli."

"You haven't called me Eli in..."

"About a million years," she agrees.

"You let me know if you need anything, okay?"

"Absolutely," she concurs. "For today, your job is to protect my woobie Wallace."

"Hey!" Wallace protests.

"Don't worry. I'll keep him out of trouble," Weevil promises.

She smiles a little. It feels good to joke around a little. Maybe....

~ • ~

Thurs. 3/19/09 morning: Neptune Sheriff's Department, Neptune, CA

Leo peruses the list of Lincoln Navigators in Balboa County that he has printed out from the DMV database. After spending time with the department's resident car expert, Ratner had identified the make of the SUV he saw and was pretty sure that the vehicle was a 2003 to 2006 model because of the grille shape and high intensity headlights. When Leo eliminates the cars with colors other than black, the list is reduced to a manageable number. There's a flag on the entry for one vehicle; Leo clicks on it and learns that the car was reported stolen a few days ago, March 15, by Lawrence Crawford. While he prints out the police report on the theft, he runs a search on Crawford's name and discovers that Lawrence's son Jennings graduated from Neptune High School the same year that Logan and Veronica did.

~ • ~

Thurs. 3/19/09 late morning: Medical Offices of Dr. Thomas Griffith, Neptune, CA

Christina Robbins, the actress hired by Mars Investigations, enters Dr. Griffith's office and waits patiently at the reception desk while the receptionist handles a call. When the receptionist hangs up, Christina says, "Hi, I have a 10:30 appointment. Christina Robbins." The receptionist hands her a clipboard and a pen, and Christina takes a seat to fill out the paperwork.

A few minutes later, the intercom buzzes. The receptionist pick up the handset and listens, then directs Christina to go ahead into Dr. Griffith's office for her consultation.

Keith, dressed in what Veronica calls his Drew Carey disguise–thick glasses, a toupee, and a fat suit that adds twenty pounds to his frame–enters the office. "I have an appointment with your office manager." He consults his Blackberry. "A Ms. Fillipelli, I believe?"

"Have a seat, she'll be right with you."

A short time passes before Ms. Fillipelli appears in the reception area to escort Keith to her office. "I can't tell you what good timing you have. We've been having a great deal of trouble with the company that services our copier."

"Really," Keith comments noncommittally. Another message slip from the garbage had read, 'Neptune Technology Services called; they won't be able to fix the copier until Friday.' The note had been crumpled viciously, as if someone had been very annoyed. Keith places several brochures on her desk for various brands of copying machines. "Are you interested in replacing your current copier, or would you like to hear about our different service plans? I'm sure we can find something that will suit your needs."

Wallace and Weevil, listening to the bug, exchange a glance. Wallace, on the phone with Ms. Denenberg, says, "Go. Keith's in with the office manager." Keith had used the phrase 'suit your needs', indicating that Christina was already in with Dr. Griffith.

Ms. Denenberg enters the reception area. The receptionist greets her. "Ms. Denenberg, how can I help you?"

"You can get my asshole ex-husband out here, right now," she replies angrily.

"He's in with a patient," the receptionist protests.

"I don't care." Ms. Denenberg slaps a newspaper onto the receptionist's desk. "Did you see this article? He's unbelievable. He's giving interviews and telling lies about the school where my daughter was. It's got to stop."

"Have a seat, I'll tell him you're here."

"No! I want to see him right now!" Ms. Denenberg proceeds to throw a fit. She curses her husband violently and abuses the receptionist. Nervously, the receptionist picks up her phone and dials the office manager's extension.

"What's going on out there?" Ms. Fillipelli asks.

"Dr. Griffith's ex-wife is here, demanding to speak to him," the receptionist explains.

"I'll be right out." The office manager carefully logs out of her programs and excuses herself. "I'm sorry, I'll be right with you. There was a death in the doctor's family recently and emotions are running high."

"No problem, take your time," Keith says graciously.

As soon as Ms. Fillipelli leaves, he retrieves the keystroke logging device and plugs it into his own laptop. The first keystrokes recorded are the office manager's username and password. On her computer, Keith logs into the manager's account and slips a disc into the drive. He runs the install program for Windows Remote Desktop. When the program asks for the administrative password, he enters the text string and hits 'return'. The computer accepts the password and begins installing the program. Keith fidgets nervously, waiting for the computer to finish the install; a dialog box appears asking if the computer should run the program in background mode. Keith clicks 'Yes'. He peeks into the hallway; the argument is still going strong, and Keith runs another install, adding DiskAgent to the manager's applications. When the installation is complete, he ejects the disc, logs out, and sits back down in the chair in front of the desk.

Meanwhile, in the reception area, Ms. Fillipelli is trying to calm down Ms. Denenberg, who has only become more agitated. Dr. Griffith, alarmed by the commotion, comes out into reception. "Stephanie, what are you doing?"

Ms. Denenberg hits him in chest with the newspaper. Tearfully, she begins to berate him at the top of her lungs. "No, what are you doing? Don't you understand what that school did to Hannah? They tortured her; they locked her up in solitary confinement like a murderer and made her life hell. You need to get on board with this lawsuit and stop excusing them for they did. Unless, of course, you feel guilty about sending her there. That's it, isn't it? You're trying to ease your guilt."

They argue in loud voices, each blaming the other for Hannah's death. The receptionist and the office manager try to calm them down.

In Dr. Griffith's office, Christina Robbins looks around for a suitable location for the video recording device Keith had given her. She listens carefully to make sure that the sounds of the argument from the waiting room are continuing as she scrutinizes the office. The device has been disguised as a medical textbook; she finally places the book on a shelf where it will afford a view of most of the office. She switches the device to 'on' and waits nervously for her cellphone to vibrate. A few seconds later, the phone rings, and Wallace says, "It's good." Christina scans the room, making sure she didn't move anything out of place. To her amateur's eye, the bug sticks out like a sore thumb, but there are few options available. She sighs and sits back down, waiting anxiously for the doctor to come back in.

A short while later, Dr. Griffith reenters his office and apologizes profusely for the interruption. "Now, about this work that you want done. I have to tell you that I don't think you'll be pleased with implants. You have a beautiful figure, and you should try to find a way to be happy with your body as it is."

"But I'm an actress. I'm getting a lot of comments from casting agents that my figure needs improvement," Christina protests. "I know most women would be happy with my breasts, but in Hollywood the standards are much higher. I'm losing parts to less qualified actresses because of it."

"I'm sorry. I can't perform breast augmentation on you. I don't believe you would be happy with the results, and the procedure has substantial risks. I hope you'll give up this idea." Dr. Griffith stands up, indicating that the consultation is over. "Good luck with your career, Ms. Robbins. I feel confident that these casting agents will be able to overlook any imagined deficit and find you suitable roles without you disfiguring your body with implants."

Watching on video, Weevil says, "He's right. She doesn't need a boob job. Nice melocotones."

"Yeah, the point is that he turns away every real patient. He's just moving money around for the Fitzpatricks," Wallace replies.

"Pretty slick," Weevil admits grudgingly.

~ • ~

Thurs. 3/19/09 late morning: Balboa County General Hospital, Neptune, CA

Veronica, in her dressed-to-impress skirt and suit jacket, marches into the administrative offices of the hospital. Her hair, still the hated red color, is bound up into a tight chignon–Logan complaining all the while about the indignity of being of her hairdresser–and she sports severe glasses that add a few years to her appearance. She had argued with Logan; once again, he had tried to convince her that he could handle this, but she had put her foot down. This would require finesse and improvisation skills. Reluctantly, he helped her remove the sling on her arm; she insisted it would be too memorable, and she could handle the pain for the few minutes she needed to carry out this ruse. He waits in the car for her, worried that she will slip up and be discovered, and, in the process, somehow aggravate her injury. But he reflects that her stubborn refusal is a lot more like the old Veronica, and he tries to take comfort in that.

In the offices, Veronica asks to speak to the payroll supervisor. She hands over a business card that proclaims her to be an investigator for The Medical Board of California.

The receptionist asks suspiciously, "May I ask what this is in reference to?"

"A complaint has been filed against a physician using license number 39887. It appears that they are fraudulently using the license of a physician who works in your hospital. I just need to verify the employment history of the physician who actually has that license number. If he was working here at your hospital, he couldn't have been practicing elsewhere in the state. It should be easy to clear his name."

"My goodness. That's a new one," the receptionist responds.

"It's very disturbing," Veronica agrees. She mentally crosses her fingers, thinking, It's also total bullshit.

After a murmured conversation on the phone, the receptionist sends Veronica back to the supervisor, who prints out the physician's schedule for the past year.

Veronica leaves as quickly as possible. Back in the car, she sighs in relief when Logan helps her back into the sling. "Easy as pie," she comments. "The anesthesiologist who supposedly works at Griffith's clinic is surprisingly also working here at the hospital thirty-five hours every week."

"So that means what?" Logan asks.

"The anesthesiologist probably gets a cut for allowing his name to be used on the payroll, and the rest of the money is funneled back to the Fitzpatricks," Veronica explains. "Okay, back to the office."

He starts up the car and pulls out of the hospital parking lot. She needs this, he thinks. She looks over at him, obviously excited to be making progress in the investigation. He reaches his hand over to her across the seat, and she takes it. They are heading back to Mars Investigations when Veronica's phone rings. She pulls her hand free of Logan's and fumbles in her purse.

"Hello?"

On the other end, Mac laughs and says, "Veronica! It's so great to hear your voice."

"Mac?!"

Logan turns to her; she smiles happily at him.

"Mac, what's the haps?"

Mac replies smugly, "Oh, you know, just saving the free world from hacker domination." Veronica hears mumbled voices, then Mac comes back on the line to say, "I didn't really mean that. Apparently, I wasn't allowed to say that. [muffled]...Shut up, Alan.... Veronica, you were undercover at that school, right? I saw some news reports. I can't believe you took down the speaker of the assembly! What a sleaze."

"Yes. We've been back for a few days. Who's Alan?"

"Oh, he's my handler here. Who's 'we'?" Mac asks.

"Logan's here too. He was on the operation too...he helped make sure I was safe." Veronica glances at Logan.

"I can't wait to hear the story about how you tracked Logan down. I saw you guys at that ridiculous funeral; I was watching on closed-circuit cameras. Veronica, I was so scared when the shooting started."

"Oh Mac. We were all so upset about your family, and then when we found out they were okay...." Veronica begins to cry a little. "Mac, are they going to let you come home?"

"Yes!! That's why I'm calling. Sunday night they said. There's a few more details to wrap up."

Veronica whispers, 'Sunday night' to Logan. To Mac, she says, "That's the best news I've heard in ages."

"Oh...I gotta go, Veronica. Someone's here. It's another agent who needs to interview me. Veronica, I really don't know why you want to work with these people. Bunch of tight asses, if you ask me. [muffled]...All right, all right, stop glaring at me, I'm getting off!... Veronica, I'll call you Sunday."

Veronica ends the call and looks at Logan with a broad smile. "Sounds like she kicked ass at the FBI."

"I'm sure she did," he replies.

•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
VERONICA MARS
10:00PM SHO ch: 340 60min 2009 TV-MA
Exculpatory Evidence
Leo interviews the owner of the SUV and his
employees; the team examines the financial
evidence.
Veronica: Kristen Bell. Logan: Jason Dohring.
Leo: Max Greenfield. Keith: Enrico Colantoni.
Lawrence Crawford: Unknown Nameless Actor.
Joachim Sevilla: Steven Michael Quezada.
Sacks: Brandon Hillock.
•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••

CHAPTER ONE HUNDRED ELEVEN: "EXCULPATORY EVIDENCE"

Thurs. 3/19/09 early afternoon: Crawford Residence, Neptune, CA

Sheriff D'Amato is interviewing Lawrence Crawford about the theft of his SUV. "Mr. Crawford, we're of course working diligently on recovering your vehicle. I have just a few follow-up questions. Your report said that you came home from vacation and discovered that the car was gone?"

Larry Crawford replies, "Yes. We were in Bonaire for two weeks and came back last Sunday. We go there every year for spring break."

"So the car could have been taken anytime between..."

"Between March 1 and March 15," Crawford replies.

I wonder who knows the Crawfords go to Bonaire every year at this time. Leo looks at the police report. "It says here that nothing else was taken, is that correct? The car was in your garage when you left home."

"Yes."

"Can I take a look at your garage?" Leo asks.

"Sure. I'm glad you're working on this. My insurance company took a look yesterday, and they're claiming that this must be an inside job since there's no evidence of a break-in. I'm worried there will be a problem with the claim."

"Really," Leo comments. He follows Larry out to the garage and looks around. There are expensive tools and sports equipment organized neatly on shelves. "Nothing else is missing?" Leo asks. He wanders the garage, noting the many small valuable items that would be easy to hock. His eyes light on a set of Majesty Prestigio golf clubs in a Louis Vuitton bag; that's at least $15,000 right there. Someone could get at least five grand for those clubs without breaking a sweat.

"No, we don't think anything else was taken," Larry replies.

"You have an automatic garage-door opener?" Leo inquires, noting the mechanism on the ceiling.

"Yes, the Navigator has a universal garage-door opener."

Leo asks, "Can you open the door for me?"

Crawford hits a switch on the wall, and the garage door opens. Leo walks outside and looks around. "Can you get into the garage without an opener?" Crawford joins him outside and uses a small remote to close the garage door. He points out the lock to Leo. Leo looks at closely; there's no sign of tampering.

"Anything unusual about your car?"

"Well, there is quite an expensive sound system with a DVD player. And we also had it retrofitted with a Panther Remote Starter. It's very handy when we're at the Aspen condo in the winter," Crawford states.

Bonaire, Aspen...it's a whole different world for these people. Leo says, "So someone could have used that to start the vehicle?"

"I don't see how. I had the keys with me with the remote fob for the starter. And, you know, the house alarm wasn't set off either. The insurance agent was very suspicious about that."

"Who knows the code for your alarm?" Leo asks.

"Just the family and the household staff...the housekeeper, the cook, and the gardener."

"I'll need to speak with them, and I'd like to see if your neighbors saw anything while you were away. And if you have the details of that car stereo, the serial numbers, that might help us to locate your Lincoln." Actually, I'm quite sure that the SUV has been chopped for parts by now. But maybe that stereo can be traced.

Larry says, "Of course. I'll look up the information on the stereo in my records and drop it off at the Sheriff's Department. I appreciate your help, Sheriff."

"Oh, and one other thing. Your son Jennings went to Neptune High, correct?" Leo adds.

"Yes...why do you ask?"

"Was he friends with Veronica Mars, Logan Echolls, or Duncan Kane?" Leo asks cautiously.

"Veronica Mars!!" Crawford exclaims.

"You know her?" Leo presses.

"She accused my son of manipulating drug test results. It was a complete fabrication. The testing facility made an honest mistake," Crawford sputters.

That's interesting. Veronica was investigating Crawford's son. Leo asks, "What about Logan Echolls or Duncan Kane?"

"I think Jennings may have been friends with Duncan in junior high, but they were never close. I don't think he knew Logan Echolls at all, and I wouldn't have encouraged that friendship anyways," Crawford answers. "What does that have to do with my car?"

"Probably nothing. I'd like to speak with your son though."

"He's out of town on an overnight trip to San Francisco. I'll have him stop by the sheriff's department the moment he comes back."

"Are your employees on duty today?" Leo asks.

Crawford nods and leads Leo into the house.

Leo ponders whether Veronica could have planned a complicated theft like this, while she was apparently preparing for the most intense undercover operation of her career. The police and FBI reports from Manchester Center indicate a complicated scenario that would have required exhaustive preparation and rehearsal. He knows, too, that Keith Mars would have been massaging the plan and working every angle to ensure his daughter's safety up until the very last moment when she entered the school. And then, there's also the problem that Duncan, who doesn't seem to have Veronica's skills, would have had to carry out the theft and then the murder by himself. Duncan's usual M.O. seems to be to run away, not to commit murder. Leo shakes his head. I'm missing something. Unless Veronica somehow recruited Jennings' assistance, he doesn't see how she could have masterminded this car theft.

~ • ~

Thurs. 3/19/09 early afternoon: Mars Investigations, Neptune, CA

Keith picks up the phone. "Mars Investigations....Okay, Wallace, I got it, the office manager has gone to lunch." He quickly hangs up and logs into the office manager's computer remotely using her username and password. He copies the entire hard drive, not wanting to take the time to look at files. In twenty minutes, the contents of the office manager's document folder have been copied. He takes a few minutes to explore her internet bookmarks; he exports the entire list and saves it to his hard drive to look at later. He checks his watch; thirty-five minutes have elapsed since the office manager left for lunch. He logs onto the DiskAgent website and directs the program in the office manager's computer to erase all the Windows Remote Desktop files and therefore conceal the intrusion; the DiskAgent program itself will be unapparent to all but the most savvy user, as it is designed to invisibly protect sensitive data in case of a theft. Pretty good hacking for an old fuddy-duddy, he thinks, allowing himself a smile for the first time in days. He dials Wallace's cell. "All clear. You and Weevil keep watching the office and monitoring the bugs for the rest of the afternoon, okay? Let me know if anything unusual happens, or if any of the Fitzpatricks show up, god forbid."

Keith begins by printing out a list of all the vendors used by Griffith. The forensic accountant, Robin Olivero, has been standing by, waiting for Keith to finish. She takes over at the computer keyboard and begins examining the bookkeeping files for Griffith's medical practice. Keith watches with interest; the accountant seems to be enthralled by the financial shenanigans employed by Griffith and his office manager.

Veronica and Logan come into the office. Veronica seems excited and ready to burst. "We got the anesthesiologist's complete schedule at the hospital. There's no way he was doing anesthesia for Griffith. The whole payroll is probably completely fraudulent."

"That's my girl...she's never happier than when she catches a crook dead-to-rights," Keith replies.

"Yeah, her joy is a little unseemly," Logan remarks. "Imagine if she uncovered a terrorist plot. She might explode in ecstasy."

She frowns at him, but he sees that she's okay with the gentle teasing. "And Dad...Mac called. She's coming home on Sunday, she said."

"That's great news, honey," Keith replies.

"Did you get what you needed from the office manager's computer?"

"I think we did. Robin's working on it right now, trying to reconstruct all the income and expenses, and seeing if there's a pattern."

"How can we help, Dad?" she asks.

"I want you to check the Balboa County Records website for the incorporation documents for all the vendors. We need to prove that they're sham corporations designed to obscure the movement of funds. Robin will help you when she's finished looking at the books."

Veronica nods and takes the list of corporations that her dad hands her.

"How can I help?" Logan asks.

"As Veronica identifies the principals in the corporations, see if you can match them to any of the names on our organizational chart of the Fitzpatrick crime family."

Logan answers, "Okay, I think I can do that."

"Or you could just sit there and look pretty to keep me amused," Veronica says offhandedly, and he laughs out loud in surprise. While Veronica focuses on the computer screen, he exchanges a glance with Keith, silently acknowledging how much they are worrying about her after last night's scene and how much her light-hearted joke means to them.

~ • ~

Thurs. 3/19/09 late afternoon: Crawford Residence, Neptune, CA

Leo approaches the man trimming the bushes around the Crawford's pool. "Joachim Sevilla?"

"Yes?" he replies, turning to Leo and stopping his work. He recognizes the sheriff and adds, "Sheriff. How can I help you?"

"I'm looking into the theft of the Crawford's SUV. Were you on the premises at all while they were on vacation?"

Sevilla answers, "The Crawfords gave me the first week of March off. Last week, I worked on the new plantings behind the house." He motions to an area with new landscaping.

"Did you happen to go into the garage at all last week?"

The gardener considers the question before answering. "I think I got a tool out of the garage on Monday. Most of my equipment is in the shed." He points to a small building toward the back of the property. "But I needed a 5/32 Allen wrench to repair the motor on the string trimmer. And Mr. Crawford has a set of wrenches in the garage."

"And the vehicle was there?"

"Yes, of course. If anything was out of the ordinary, I would have noticed it immediately and contacted Mr. Crawford."

So the car was there on March 9. "You didn't notice anybody unusual around the property after that? Maybe somebody pretending to be a salesman or a utility employee?"

Sevilla thinks again. "No, Sheriff. It was very quiet while the Crawfords were away."

"It appears that whoever took the Navigator had the code for the alarm system. Have you ever told anyone the number?"

"Of course not," Sevilla replies indignantly.

"And you've never lent your keys to anyone?"

"The Crawfords trust me to have a key; I would never break that trust," the gardener states.

Leo sighs. "Thank you, Mr. Sevilla." The gardener returns to his work, and Leo gets in his cruiser and drives back to the department.

The radio in the cruiser squawks, "Come in, Sheriff."

"D'Amato here," Leo responds.

Sacks says, "The photos from the traffic cameras came in. They caught a Lincoln Navigator with the license CRW4D3 at Main and Broad Streets at 9:35. It looks like Crawford's SUV was in the area at that time."

Leo thinks for a minute. A route from the Rose Office Building, where Ratner dropped off Kendall, to Waterside Park, where her body was found, could have passed through that intersection. "Any hits on the VIN number from the SUV?"

"Nothing, Sheriff."

"All right, I'm on my way back to the department."

The interviews with the other employees, Bridget Mulvaney, the housekeeper, and Iris Huezo, the cook, had been equally unproductive. Both had sworn that they had never told the alarm code or lent their keys to anyone. The cook had traveled with the family to Bonaire; the housekeeper, like the gardener, had had the first week off and resumed her duties the second week of March. The housekeeper also did not see anyone unusual around the time of the theft.

Mr. Crawford had promised again to have his son, Jennings, contact the sheriff's department as soon as he returned from San Francisco. In the meantime, Leo decides to pursue the premium sound system from the vehicle in the local chop shops. He calls Deputy Clark on the radio and asks him to begin visiting Neptune's junkyards first thing in the morning.

•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
VERONICA MARS
10:00PM SHO ch: 340 60min 2009 TV-MA
In Case Something Happens
Logan and Veronica discuss the future;
Logan makes contact with Hannah's friend.
Veronica: Kristen Bell. Logan: Jason Dohring.
Julie Silver: Reem Mahmood.
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CHAPTER ONE HUNDRED TWELVE: "IN CASE SOMETHING HAPPENS"

Thurs. 3/19/09 early evening: Sunset Cliffs Apartment, Neptune, CA

After working hard all afternoon and devouring a pizza at Mars Investigations, Logan and Veronica head back to the apartment while Keith goes to talk to Leo at the sheriff's department. During the ride, Veronica falls silent, looking out the window. Logan finally says, "It's going to be okay. We got a lot today. Leo's going to see...."

"I know," she agrees.

"Try not to worry," he says helplessly, knowing it doesn't mean anything at all.

She nods and looks back out the window.

When they arrive back at the apartment, they wave at the security guard who took Kavner's place watching the apartment. They enter and suddenly don't know what to do with themselves. Logan takes off his jacket and the gun he’s been wearing all day. Veronica tries not to react, but he sees that it upsets her. Neither wants to talk any more about what they had discovered today; as the whole picture of Griffith's sordid enterprise emerged, all of them had been disgusted. Logan tries, "Do you want to watch some TV?"

She shakes her head.

"Why don't you try to take a nap?" he suggests. He walks over to her and smoothes her hair from her forehead. "You look tired. It's been a long day. I promise I'll wake you up when your dad gets home."

"Lie down with me," she replies, grabbing his hand and pulling him into the bedroom. She sits down heavily on the bed and kicks off her shoes. "I am tired," she admits. "I hate feeling so weak and helpless."

"You're not helpless," he protests. "Look at all you did today."

"I know."

"Come on, lie down." He urges her down to the bed and joins her, facing her. "It's going to be okay, I know it. Your dad's going to convince Leo. He seemed very confident."

They lie together, just breathing and trying to relax after so much stress and anxiety. He hitches closer to her, wishing he didn't have to worry about her shoulder; he puts his hand on her hip and strokes gently, trying to calm her.

Hesitantly, she asks, "If this works out...if we get through this...are you going to move back to LA?"

He's startled by the question. Truthfully, he hasn't considered it. There hasn't been a moment to think about anything beyond what's been happening. Where would I stay? Would I live here with Veronica's dad while she moves back into the dorms? Classes start on Monday; we haven't even thought about this. Do I follow her around from class to class, watching out for Fitzpatricks flunkies? Wait outside her classes, like a pathetic loser; bring her coffee like a trained puppy. It makes his head hurt to consider the possibilities. "I haven't even thought about it. Would you want me to stay here?"

She replies, "I wish you were going to stay in Neptune...but I also know you have a life in LA. And you're doing well there...away from me."

"I'm not doing well in LA because I'm away from you."

"I'm not sure about that. Logan, I think you needed to get away from me, away from us."

"Veronica–don't say that. It's not true."

"It might be true," she contradicts. "I'm not saying...I'm not saying I'm not glad we're together again. It's just that it was so bad, we couldn't even see how to move forward to make things better."

He caresses her cheek gently. "I missed you when we were apart. I thought about you every day."

"I missed you too." She closes her eyes. "But I didn't think about you every day. I moved on. I dated other guys and tried not to think about you. I couldn't think about you."

The words hurt. He knows she dated other men. Hell, he dated more women than he could count. But he doesn't want to hear that she didn't want to think about him; he really did think of her all the time, and the difference between their experiences while they were apart ties his stomach in a knot. "Veronica, it's okay, we don't have to talk about this." Please don't tell me this–let's just move forward.

Veronica continues; relentlessly, it seems to him. "But then...there were days when I wanted to talk to you so badly. I would be living my life like always, and then all of a sudden, it would seem unbelievable that you weren't a part of my life. There would be something I wanted to tell you or needed to ask you. And there were so many times I wanted to pick up the phone and call you."

He lets out a breath he didn't realize he was holding. "I wish you had."

She snuggles closer to him. "I was a fool. I need you in my life," she breathes into his ear.

"Need you, too, Veronica." He burrows his lips into her hair, kissing her scalp and breathing in her scent like an intoxicant.

"Tell me everything's going to be okay, tell me I'm safe, tell me you'll always be here for me." She suddenly betrays her anxiety: her words spill out unheeded and thoughtless. She's completely unconcerned with how weak she sounds at that moment, and it scares him again.

He hates to think of his warrior Veronica uncertain and frightened; his sorrow over what's happened to her and his role in it still threaten to overwhelm him. But Logan vows to summon the courage to be whatever she needs him to be. "Veronica, everything is going to be okay. You're completely safe. I'm going to protect you, no matter what. Your dad and Wallace and Mac and Weevil are here for you, too; we all love you, we're going to help you. I'll always be here for you. Veronica, I really don't want to spend a single night away from you ever again. I want to find a way to be together with you always...and still live my life. We'll figure it out, I promise." He thinks for a minute as kisses her brow and caresses her cheek. "You are strong, Veronica, you'll get through this. I know how strong you are." Logan finds her mouth and kisses her gently, lingering on her lips, tasting the silkiness and supple moistness of her flesh.

She melts under his kisses, softening and accepting his caresses. Veronica relaxes against his body, and he thinks in all their times together he's never felt her like this, so yielding and welcoming to him. He remembers how she loved his hands massaging her scalp in the shower, and he tries to replicate it for her, kneading and smoothing.

"Oh...that feels nice," she murmurs, closing her eyes in pleasure.

He bends to kiss her again and whispers, "Just nice?"

"Lovely," she amends, sighing again.

He runs a single finger down her spine, and she arches and presses herself against him. She grasps a bit of his shirt in her hand, as if trying to hold onto him even more thoroughly. "Touch me," she whispers. "That way you do."

Keeping his one hand on the small of her back, he brushes the back of his other hand subtly on her breast, so slowly that she loses her breath. "Do you know how much I adore you?" he says quietly. "I love to touch you, love you to feel you pressing against me." He throws a leg over hers and draws her into him, letting her feel his straining excitement. He reverses his hand to palm her breast more firmly, allowing the center of his palm to dawdle on her hard appetent nipples.

She moans appreciatively at the delicate, insistent friction that suffuses her with well-being and confidence. "I can forget...I can hope...when you touch me like that," Veronica tells him, the sensations wringing from her an unwilling admission of just how he is able to touch her. "How can you calm me and excite me all at once?" she asks, panting slightly and gasping as he suddenly rubs his cock against her pelvis. She exhales and shudders as he presses himself forcefully into her. "Too many clothes," she mutters incoherently. "Help me." She struggles to sit up, and he eases her into a sitting position. He hesitates on the sling; he's still worried he'll aggravate the injury somehow when he's thrusting uncontrollably into her. "Off," she urges, reading his mind. "I'll be careful."

Supporting her weight with one arm, he complies, unstrapping the sling cautiously, so gently that she doesn't feel a single twinge. He helps her to lie down again and begins to unbutton the severe blouse she had worn today to appear older and businesslike. He can't help staring at the sight of her flimsy bra peeking from beneath the material of her top; it's always been a particular fetish of his–something about the chance view of the forbidden. Logan runs a finger along the edge of the bra, allowing the silken texture of her blouse to tease his hand and wrist. He looks up and sees her watching his face, wondering at his restraint. "I love this, your bra almost hidden by your shirt, just catching a glimpse of it." He takes her hand and puts it on his crotch so she can feel how hard he is at the sight of her.

"Still too many clothes," she complains sweetly. "Am I going to have to get angry with you?" She grasps him through his pants, and he inhales sharply. "Please."

He pulls away and quickly pulls his shirt over his head. She rolls over to lie flat on the bed, watching him. Logan straddles her and reaches down to unzip the side zipper of her very professional skirt. He pulls her skirt down over her hips. "Hmm, the dreaded panty hose," he comments wryly, remembering the struggle to help her put them on that morning.

She had been too quiet after her breakdown the night before; he tried a couple jokes that fell flat as he shaved her legs for her and helped her get dressed. He managed to tear one pair of nylons before achieving success with a second. Logan had caught her brushing a tear from her eye, obviously upset to be so dependent on him for such basic needs.

"Sorry, no garter belt today," she responds. She catches his eye. She's trying, again: refusing to give up, refusing to give in to her dark thoughts.

"I'm not complaining," he says as he carefully pulls her nylons down. "But who invented these stupid things anyways?"

"The same moron that invented neckties, probably," she answers as he throws the panty hose and skirt across the room, trying but failing to hit the chair.

She reaches toward him, intending to undo his jeans, but he sits up and looks at her adoringly, with her unbuttoned blouse barely concealing her bra and panties.

"What?" she asks nervously.

"Just let me look at you for a moment," he says intensely. He strokes her calf as he gazes at her beauty. "Mmm, who shaved your legs? They're so smooth." He keeps his eyes trained on her, just loving to look at her in her state of undress.

"Come on," she says, suddenly shy at his staring. She pulls her shirt together. "You still have almost all your clothes on."

"Not for long." He quickly pulls off his socks, hopping on one foot at a time comically. He shucks off his jeans and boxers, and lays with her. "See? Now I'm more naked than you." Logan nestles his head next to her and whispers, "Tell me what you want."

"I don't know," she says hesitantly. She rolls over, lying on her side to face him.

"You're the boss," he murmurs. He kisses her gently under her jaw, tracing kisses down her neck. "Does that feel good?"

"Mm-hmm," she agrees.

He steals a look; her eyes are closed, and she seems more relaxed again. As he kisses her, he runs a finger down her chest and follows the curve of her bra on her skin. He unhooks the center clasp and brushes the lacy material aside. "Beautiful," he breathes as he scoots down on the bed to kiss her breasts.

"Why do you put up with me?" she asks quietly.

He is completely startled and raises his head to stare at her. "Veronica...I love you. I don't put up with you." He hitches back up to bring his face opposite hers; he looks her directly in the eye. "You've got to believe me. I'm not going anywhere, and everything's going to be fine."

A tear runs down her cheek, and she says, "Damn it." She tries to wipe it away, but he catches her hand and kisses it away instead before pressing his lips to her palm. "Logan, I'm...I'm sorry I'm such a mess," she mutters.

"You're the strongest woman I know," he tells her. "Let's just hold each other, okay?"

"No," she protests.

"Yes," he says. "Veronica, just let me hold you." He draws her in closer and rubs her back. She lets out a single sob, and his heart breaks. "It's okay, it's okay. We have all the time in the world, Veronica."

She pulls back. "What if we don't?"

"What?"

"What if it doesn't work, and Leo arrests us?"

"So we'll put up bail and figure out something else."

"I want...I want to....." she tries. She takes his hand and brings it to her crotch. "Touch me," she begs. "I want to...in case...in case something happens. I want to remember being with you."

"Veronica," he protests. "It's going to be okay." He strokes her gently through her panties, taking his time and allowing her to change her mind. He whispers in her ear, "Does that feel good?"

"Yesss," she breathes. "Don't stop, please don't stop."

He caresses her, feeling her anatomy through the silken material. "There's no rush," he promises. "We're only going to do what feels good. I love to feel you like this; I'll never get tired of this." True to his words, he lavishes his finger's attentions on her; he knows her, he knows what gets her going–what she loves more than anything. He remembers doing this for hours in his X-Terra, the two of them slowly exploring and getting to know each other's bodies. He exhales sharply as he feels her increasing wetness. "Oh, I love that," he murmurs in her ear.

He takes a chance and pulls the crotch of her panties aside to press her finger onto her, and she arches desperately. "God," she pants.

"You like it?" he prompts her.

"You know I do," she says breathlessly. "Take...ah!...come on, take my...." She completely loses her words, but he gets her meaning. He draws her panties down to her knees; she kicks them off.

"Impatient, aren't we," he notes, as he brings his hand back to her center.

"Jackass," she replies with a smile, kissing him.

He suddenly thrusts his finger deep within her, and she gasps and closes her eyes. "Look at me," he directs. "I'm right here, Veronica." Her eyes flutter open. "Love you," he says as he works his finger in and out. "You're so wet. I want to fuck you, Veronica. Do you want to? Are you okay?" he whispers, staring into her eyes. She nods wordlessly.

He thinks a moment. "Check this out," he says mischievously. Without losing a beat, he changes hands, continuing the stroking motion, rolling over onto his back, and fumbling behind him for the bedside drawer. She laughs softly at his antics. "No laughing!" he warns, punishing her by flicking his thumb hard against her clit, and she gasps loudly. He rummages in the drawer and finds a condom. He brings the package to his face and tears it open with his teeth.

When he places the condom on the tip of his cock, she reaches down and helps him smooth it into place. "Teamwork," she says smugly, as she strokes him firmly, guiding him to her.

He smiles; the smallest joke from her means the world to him now. "Call me jackass again, baby," he retorts gently as he nudges against her opening. "You know how it turns me on."

She murmurs, "Jackass, jackass, jack–" He pushes in suddenly and startles her. Logan pulls out slowly, almost withdrawing completely, and she holds her breath, waiting. When she thinks she can't stand it any more and is about to beg, he senses her need and seats himself fully within her again. "How do you do that? How do you know...?" she asks breathlessly as he presses his pelvis against her. He pulls her leg up over his hip and tries for another millimeter of depth. He thinks he could never get tired of this–the eternal game of finding a new way to please her.

He kisses her as he begins to fuck her. His cock slides deep within her; she cries out softly, loving it, loving him. "You're okay?" he asks breathlessly, breaking his kiss.

"God...please...more!" she says, ending with a laugh that brings a smile to his face.

"Harder, faster?" he asks, demonstrating happily.

"Yes, please," she pants. "Love you, Logan."

"God, Veronica, I love you. You feel so amazing," he replies. He reaches down and touches her clit; he keeps it slow, not wanting to rush this at all. The condom that he theoretically hates is helping him last longer than usual, he reflects, and he really doesn't mind it at all tonight. She is starting to lose herself in his strokes; he listens to her breathing, waiting for the cues that mean she is close.

She begins to moan softly, a purring sound that almost makes him lose it. He tries to focus on thumbing her, caressing her firmly, as he tries to hold on. "Ohhh," she says suddenly. "Oh. Oh...Logan...oh my god." She vibrates under him, clenching him desperately, and he thrusts harder than ever, god, love her so much; he kisses her again, trying to be connected as fully as possible as she throbs against him.

He curses her damned shoulder; more than anything, he wants to throw her on her back and heave himself into her, and then roll them over and see her writhing above him, her face contorting as he pumps up into her, her hair cascading in waterfalls over her face the way he loves. Something to look forward to, he thinks. He stops and pulls out suddenly. "Stay put," he whispers intensely before she can complain. He climbs over her and lies down again, his front to her back. He puts his arms around her waist, carefully bracing her. "Help me, Veronica," he says as he pushes his cock between her legs. She reaches down and, fumbling a little, manages to get him back inside her.

They moan together as he drives home. He thrusts carefully at first, making sure that he's not hurting her in the new position, but as she cries her enjoyment, he pounds harder, hitting her at the angle he knows she loves. He reaches around and fingers her furiously. He mutters incoherently, "I'm coming, Veronica...love you, love you, god, I'm coming." He kisses her neck as he thrusts a final time, pulsating deep within her.

When he catches his breath, he asks, "Veronica? You're okay?"

She laughs under her breath. "Better than okay." She sighs and arches back against him. "You startled me when you...." she says shyly.

"You liked it, though?" he presses. "I didn't hurt you, did I?"

"No! No, of course not," she answers. She looks back over her shoulder at him. "You're okay? You're not...you know...your nightmare."

He realizes suddenly that he didn't think about it at all while he was preoccupied with worrying about her. "No, of course I'm okay. I love you so much, Veronica." He kisses her back and neck and reflects, maybe, just maybe, we can do this. Maybe she will be able to forgive me for Shelly's party; maybe someday we won't even be able to remember why it was ever a problem for us. He holds onto her tightly. Her breathing gradually slows, and he realizes that she's half-asleep. He extricates himself from her carefully; she mumbles something unintelligible. "Veronica, you have to get up and go to the bathroom," he reminds her gently. He helps her go to the bathroom and clean up, and trundles her back to bed. He carefully pulls the comforter over her, and she yawns and sighs quietly before falling fast asleep.

He gets dressed and goes out to the living room. He gets a glass of water and sits pensively at the kitchen counter. He's still surprised to realize that he was able to put his own misery out of his mind like that. It feels like hope, or maybe it's just progress, at long last. He thinks about the dream again: how helpless he had felt when Klein was torturing her–and him–and the insanity of Kavner's refusal to end the mission. Just imagining the scene again makes him hyperventilate slightly. He reminds himself what she had said yesterday when he asked what they were going to do. 'We're going to try to get through it together. I know I can't do it alone, and neither can you....As long as I can do something, I'm okay.' He thinks, Maybe I'm not a complete fuckup after all. She keeps telling me she needs me...I remember when I would have killed to have her say that–when it seemed like she didn't need me at all. Now that she's finally admitted it...I've got to step up and be whatever she needs. The irony is that, now, he would give anything for Veronica to be strong and independent again. This damaged Veronica scares him more than he wants to admit. He stares into space for a while thinking. 'As long as I can do something, I'm okay.'

Logan spies Veronica's yearbooks stacked on the kitchen counter. We were going to try to talk to Hannah's friends–see if they would tell us anything that might help. He's embarrassed to realize that he never knew any of Hannah's friends' names: the relationship had been a complete sham until, suddenly, he had realized he actually cared for her. He takes the yearbook from their senior year and finds the photos for the freshman class. He remembers that her best friends were on the track team with her, and he turns to the page with the team photos for freshman sports. He flips back and forth to the class photos and decides that he's pretty sure the girl named Julie Silver is the one who spoke at Hannah's funeral.

He tries to recall her exact words. 'Hannah was the sweetest girl we ever knew, the best friend you could have; she was always ready to believe the best of everybody. It was hard for her when her parents got divorced; she loved them so much. But we lost Hannah twice: when her parents took her away from us and now permanently to a horrible killer. She never did anything wrong, and she was punished as if she was a criminal. We loved you, Hannah. We miss you.' He thinks guiltily, 'Ready to believe the best of everybody....' She was probably talking about me.

Veronica's laptop is still on the counter from last night when they had worked on the Fitzpatrick chart. He taps a key to bring it out of sleep and googles, "'Hannah Griffith' 'Julie Silver'". There are eighteen results. The first two are results from track meets three years ago. The third entry is an article on Hannah's murder; the reporter interviewed Julie and named her as Hannah's friend. Logan surfs to whitepages.com and looks up residential phone numbers for the name 'Silver' in Neptune, California. The person on the other end of the third number he tries tells him to hold on when he asks to speak to Julie.

A girl's voice says, "Hello?"

"Hi, Julie. This is Logan Echolls." He grips the phone tightly, waiting for her to lash out at him, to blame him for what happened.

"Logan." There is silence on the phone line.

"Julie, I was wondering if you would talk to me about Hannah. I don't know if you've seen the news reports about Briar Hill. My friend Veronica Mars and her dad were investigating the boarding school where Hannah was."

"I read the stories," Julie replies. "That was Veronica? I remember her from school. Everyone talked about how she solved the bus crash mystery."

"Is there any chance you would talk to us about Hannah? We found some information about where Hannah was after she left the school, and–"

"I'll talk to you," Julie interrupts, and Logan wonders at the urgency in her voice.

"We could come over tonight." Logan looks at the clock; he wants Veronica to sleep for a while. "Maybe in a couple hours? Would that be too late?"

"Can I come to you?" Julie asks. She lowers her voice. "I'd rather speak to you privately."

"Of course." Logan tells her the address, and they agree on a time two hours later.

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VERONICA MARS
10:00PM SHO ch: 340 60min 2009 TV-MA
Confidentiality Agreement
Keith brings the evidence to Leo; Hannah's
friend talks to Logan and Veronica.
Veronica: Kristen Bell. Logan: Jason Dohring.
Leo: Max Greenfield. Keith: Enrico Colantoni.
Duncan 2.0: Chris Carmack. Julie Silver: Reem
Mahmood. ADA: Corey Reynolds.
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CHAPTER ONE HUNDRED THIRTEEN: "CONFIDENTIALITY AGREEMENT"

Thurs. 3/19/09 early evening: Neptune Sheriff's Department, Neptune, CA

Leo shuts the door to his office and takes a seat behind his desk as Keith sits down. "Keith, I really don't want to talk to you. The last time a Mars showed up here voluntarily, I ended up with my ass in a sling."

"I know that. I'm here to make your career, Leo. I know you really took a hit when you had to drop the charges against me. And I know you're taking it out on my daughter and her boyfriend."

Leo replies strongly, "I'm following the evidence in my case. Veronica's involved, through her boyfriend and her ex-boyfriend. I know she was also involved in helping Duncan flee the country with his daughter. Covering that up is a pretty powerful motive, wouldn't you say?" He neglects to mention his doubts that Veronica somehow masterminded a complicated car theft from across the country, and that Bray's supposed eyewitness testimony wasn't completely fabricated.

From his bag, Keith removes a liquor bottle and two glasses and puts them on Leo's desk.

Leo demands, "What the hell is this?"

"A man I liked very much died without being able to enjoy this bottle of scotch." Keith turns the bottle so Leo can read the label. "Forty-year-old Glen Cracken. He was saving it; he said one of the joys of his existence was the anticipation of drinking it one day. He was murdered before he could drink it–murdered by a petty man who wanted revenge on his employer." Keith pours two drinks. "I'm thinking...I'd like to enjoy this scotch tonight, in case I can't get you to see reason. I'm also sharing this scotch with you, because once upon a time we were colleagues. You saved my life, Leo, and I'll never forget that. I'd like to believe we're still on the same side of the law. I'm not proud of everything I've done, and I'm betting you're not either."

Leo takes a glass and sips.

Taking his own glass in hand, Keith stares back at Leo. "I'm prepared to make a deal with you. If you agree to follow the evidence that I'm going to give you and investigate fully, I will give you all you need not only to find Kendall Casablancas' killer, but also to shut down the Fitzpatricks once and for all." He sips the scotch, closing his eyes at the fine taste.

"The Fitzpatricks?"

"Yes. I've come upon some very interesting information that should be very useful in a prosecution." Keith's voice changes. He is suddenly vindictive and harsh. "And I'm also promising you, that if you don't take my deal, I'm going to expose the true facts of your involvement in the Lilly Kane sex tapes, and I'm going to admit publicly that I blackmailed you into dropping the arson charges."

"What–"

"I'll take you down, and I'll go to jail willingly. I'll accept whatever punishment the court sees fit. You'll be destroyed...a prosecution against my daughter would be thrown out due to police misconduct. Everyone will see that you were pursuing a vendetta without cause."

Leo finds his voice and protests, "She'll still be under suspicion, and so will Duncan and Logan."

"I'll release my evidence anyways. I guarantee you no one will believe my daughter had anything to do with Kendall's murder when they see the photograph I have."

"So all I have to do is promise not to arrest your daughter or her friends, and you'll give me all this evidence?" Leo says sarcastically.

"Not quite. I need something else from you."

"Such as?"

"I need an immunity agreement for a witness who saw Kendall with someone she shouldn't have been with, the man we think might have been her killer. Our witness took the photograph and can testify as to what he saw."

"An immunity agreement for what?"

"He broke into a house as a juvenile. He's never been prosecuted, and the statute of limitations hasn't run out. There were no weapons involved, and nothing was stolen. He was trying to be a good samaritan, and the record should reflect that."

Duncan Kane, Leo realizes. He stares at Keith, trying to decide if Keith is truly willing to sacrifice his own freedom to save his daughter. The older man's eyes are intense and focused.

Keith adds, "There's one other thing."

Leo raises his eyebrows questioningly.

"I want to know why you hate us so much. It's not just the tapes," Keith says. "You hate my daughter and me."

It's not just the Mars family, Leo thinks. It's that prick Echolls, too. The first image that comes to Leo's mind is always Logan Echolls, sans pants, ruining the dance where he had hoped to win Veronica over. He drains the glass and holds it out for Keith to refill. Leo hits the intercom. "Deputy, hold all my calls. I don't want to be disturbed until further notice. And...get the ADA on the phone. Tell him I may need to speak to him tonight on an urgent matter."

Keith maintains his poker face, but inside he sighs with relief. This just might work. He fills up his own glass and savors the scotch while Leo thinks.

Leo suddenly says, "You'd really do this."

"Yes, I would. I would gladly sacrifice my freedom for my daughter's future. Although, I have to say, what I'd really like to do is take back everything I've done the last two months."

Leo stares at him quizzically, but Keith does not explain.

Keith adds, "You realize of course that I haven't been Mirandized. Anything I say to you is inadmissible."

"How do I know you're not wearing a wire?"

"Search me," Keith suggests. He stands up and begins to unbutton his shirt. Leo comes around the desk and thoroughly frisks him. Keith offers, "I'll strip if you want. I'm not wearing a wire."

"Your bag?" Leo motions. "It could be concealing a bug."

"Put in the hallway," Keith suggests. "There's nothing in it. The evidence isn't here, and it's not at my office or my home. I didn't want to take the chance you'd arrest me and confiscate it before you agreed to my deal. My witness is driving around with the files, waiting for my call."

"You're referring to Duncan Kane, of course."

"Yes, Duncan Kane. You're familiar with the breaking and entering incident then?"

"Former Sheriff Lamb retained some evidence of that situation in his blackmail files. I destroyed all of his files, except the tapes he had on the Mannings, which you may recall I gave to the Kanes to help Duncan's case, at Veronica's suggestion."

Keith nods. "Of course." Leo was trying to do the right thing, until we backed him into a corner and made him confront his worst mistake. Keith continues, "I don't know if you've realized...but if Duncan can testify about what he saw that night at the Manning house, he can also testify against Stewart Manning in his incest trial. If anyone deserves to be punished, it's that man." Keith observes Leo's expression of distaste and presses on. "Leo, do you think you could make this deal with me? Give up this vendetta against my daughter and her friends and try to pursue justice instead?"

Unwillingly, Leo admits, "There's been some new evidence in the case. It doesn't point to Veronica, Logan, or Duncan. But it doesn't make sense either."

"Maybe it will, with the information I have," Keith suggests.

Leo purses his lips, obviously unhappy about the situation. He finally bends down and picks up Keith's bag, depositing it in the hallway, and returns to sit behind his desk. "I'll tell you about the tapes, and why I...why I hate you...if you'll tell me why you set that fire."

"Just to confirm, you're not recording this," Keith states.

"That's correct. This is completely off the record, two men trading information, not in any official capacity."

Keith says, "Still...I'd feel more comfortable if you shared something first."

Leo plays with his glass, spinning it on its bottom edge on his desktop. "I told you about my sister."

"Tina, right?"

"Right. She had Down's Syndrome."

"Had?"

Leo ignores Keith. "Somehow Aaron Echolls found out about my family's money problems. We'd mortgaged the house twice to pay for operations that my sister needed. She was born with a defect in her heart, and there was surgery after surgery when she was little. I was living at home, trying to contribute as much as possible to keep her at this school we'd found. We had a therapist working with her after school, too. She was finally doing all right after struggling for so many years. Then my dad had a stroke and had to stop working. My mom had to take a leave of absence to take care of him."

"It sounds rough, Leo," Keith comments.

"Aaron somehow found out; probably he had investigators checking out everyone in the department, looking for the weakest link." Leo's voice is bitter and spiteful. "His attorney approached me and offered a million dollars if I could secure the tapes. Both copies," he adds.

"Of course, as your daughter figured out," Leo continues, "I wasn't worried about that idiot Lamb investigating. We all knew he couldn't solve the mystery of how to open a brown paper bag. But once you started looking into it, I knew you'd probably be able to discover exactly who had had access when the tapes disappeared. I tried to sneak the tapes back into the safes, but you already had the department locked down. I had already decided to destroy the tapes to protect myself when I got Logan's email. Logan made it clear he was going to destroy them anyways, so I took his money. By then, I was worried that I might have trouble forcing Aaron to hold up his end of the bargain, and there was a collection agency hounding us about my father's medical bills. I had a feeling Logan would watch the tapes and would be able to testify in the trial. He certainly didn't seem to have any love for his father from what I saw."

"So what'd you do with the million dollars?"

"Oh, that's the best part. Aaron didn't pay. He said he wanted the actual tapes. He didn't want them destroyed. He wanted to have them to watch, and he wouldn't pay me a dime. 'No tapes, no money,' he said, and then he laughed in my face. 'Sue me,' he said."

Both men are silent. Leo drinks again; he realizes he needs to slow down, and he replaces the glass on the desk.

Leo explains, "The fifty thousand dollars I got from Logan paid my dad's medical bills. After I was fired, I scrambled to find a job. People weren't interested in hiring a guy who got dismissed from the sheriff's department in a big scandal. I finally found a job selling insurance during the week, and I worked as a security guard on the weekends, but it wasn't enough. We had to put my sister in an institution. See, the thing is...she died a year later. We think the staff neglected to give Tina her medication, but we were never able to prove it." Leo tries unsuccessfully to keep his voice matter-of-fact.

Sympathetically, Keith says, "Leo, I wish you had come to me, I would have–"

"No, you wouldn't have. You were right to fire me, but I didn't know what else to do. Aaron's money would have been enough to take care of Tina for the rest of her life."

Keith comments, "I'm sorry, Leo. I still can't see how you could justify setting a murderer free. I know you were desperate to help your sister, but–"

Leo interrupts, "There was a lot of other evidence against Aaron. I knew you and Veronica would be strong witnesses. I never dreamed the extent Aaron was willing to go to beat that charge. You realize that in order for Aaron's Oscar statuette to have had Lilly's DNA on it that Aaron must have plotted a way to exonerate himself almost from the moment of the murder. He obviously used some of the DNA that had gotten on his clothing to make sure that he had a means of throwing suspicion on someone else if he was ever accused. ...Keith, I never would have done what I did if I thought he would go free. I know, you think I did an unforgiveable thing."

Leo fiddles with his glass again and continues speaking. "You know, Keith, just a year later, you erased a DVR to protect your daughter. Pretty much the same thing I did...well maybe not, but both of us were just trying to help our loved ones. And you just got a slap on the wrist, a reprimand from the district attorney's office."

"It meant the end of my career in law enforcement, Leo. It wasn't just a slap on the wrist."

Defensively, Leo interjects, "You know, I even tried to help Veronica with–" He breaks off suddenly and avoids looking at Keith. Even after all this time and the way she's treated him, Leo realizes he can't break his promise to Veronica to keep quiet about the sex tape that was making the rounds at Hearst.(18) "Let's just say...I knew she was in trouble, and she told me to leave it alone. I still cared about her, even though it had already been a long time since we were...friends."

Keith nods. From Leo's hesitancy, he surmises that Leo had somehow found out about the sex tape two years ago. "I think I know what you're referring to. The sex tape featuring Veronica and her boyfriend? The one that led to Gory plotting to assassinate my daughter and Logan?" Leo acknowledges that Keith is correct. "I just found out about that myself. I appreciate that you offered to help her and kept her confidence, although it probably would have been better if you had told me about it." He sighs loudly. "I wish Veronica had come to me when she found out about the tape. We would have dealt with it together, but she was too afraid to tell me about it and did a foolish thing. Maybe I could have neutralized the situation with Sorokin, but instead I was forced to destroy evidence to try to protect her, and ended my career in law enforcement in the process. I don't regret that choice; at the time, with the knowledge that I had, it was the only possible solution."

Leo stares at Keith. "So I assume you were protecting Veronica again when you set that fire."

"Not directly. Veronica hired Vinnie Van Lowe to help when Duncan fled the country. When Vinnie was arrested, he forced me to help him by threatening to testify about Veronica's involvement in the kidnapping."

Leo thinks, I knew that Veronica's role in the kidnapping was a part of this somehow.

Keith continues, "The Fitzpatricks had some evidence that implicated Vinnie in a crime from twenty-five years ago. I agreed to find and destroy it so Vinnie could make a deal and testify against the Fitzpatricks. Without the evidence that I destroyed, the Fitzpatricks had nothing to hold over Vinnie's head, and he could turn state's evidence." It's a small lie, Keith thinks; that evidence against Vinnie is in a safe place in case he's ever stupid enough to come back and cause trouble for Veronica again.

"How unusual, Vinnie working both sides against the middle," Leo comments dryly.

"Yeah, the Vinnie Special," Keith agrees. "When the charges were dropped against all the co-conspirators in the racketeering scandal, I helped Vinnie get out of town. So far, it seems like he's taken my advice and kept far away from Neptune and the Fitzpatricks."

"We're a fine couple of lawmen," Leo observes. "Breaking laws all over the place."

"Leo, do you really believe my daughter had anything to do with Kendall's murder? Or was this just revenge?"

Leo hesitates. "There were a lot of coincidences...and too many connections. Kendall's relationship with Logan and with Duncan, for instance."

"You're right, there are too many connections. But you're not looking at the right one, and I'll prove it to you. Leo, are you going to recommend the immunity deal for Duncan Kane? I truly believe he's a victim here. He was lied to and manipulated by the mother of the girl he thought was his daughter. He gave up his life to try to save her."

"This evidence you have against the Fitzpatricks, it's solid? It's not speculation or guesswork?"

"It's solid financial data. I'm handing you all the evidence on a silver platter. And the deal has to be tonight...a one time offer that expires at midnight tonight."

"All right. I'll call the ADA. Get Duncan Kane in here."

"Only when I see the signed paperwork."

"Why do you care so much about Duncan?" Leo asks curiously.

Because I don't want my daughter to have to testify tomorrow, and I know she'll force herself to do it if this deal doesn't go through. "I'm trying to do the right thing here, and it's going to help you as well," he says instead.

Leo phones the ADA and pressures him to come into the department as soon as possible.

~ • ~

Thurs. 3/19/09 evening: Sunset Cliffs Apartment, Neptune, CA

Logan opens the door of the apartment to Hannah's friend, Julie Silver. The security guard who has been posted outside asks if they are expecting her. When Logan confirms that they are, the man nods and returns to his car to resume watching.

"Come on in," Logan says to Julie. "Do you want something to eat or drink? This is Veronica."

"Hello, Veronica." Julie pauses. "Logan said you were the one undercover at Briar Hill that the news has been talking about."

"Yes," Veronica confirms. "Hannah's mother hired my dad to investigate Briar Hill for a lawsuit."

Julie asks nervously, "Logan said...you found out where Hannah was after she left the school?"

Veronica summarizes what Michelle Weisz had told them about Hannah's escape and the postcard that Michelle had received postmarked Rio Linda, California. Julie looks upset. Veronica, surprised at this reaction, asks, "Did Hannah contact you, Julie?"

"My parents will kill me," she replies.

"Please tell us," Logan says. "We won't tell your parents anything."

Julie says hesitantly, "I got a call from Hannah. She was calling on a payphone. She called my house, not my cell; she explained that the school was probably going to try to find her using all her old friends. Hannah said that during her first week at the school, they had made her write down all her friends' name and phone numbers. My parents had gotten a call from the school; the school said that based on Hannah's information, they suspected that I was using drugs as well. I guess they were trying to sell my parents on sending me there too. But my parents laughed at them and hung up. I told them that Hannah's father was crazy; he had sent Hannah to a drug rehab school to get her away from her boyfriend. My mom called Hannah's mom and said she thought the school sounded insane, but Hannah's mom said that it was the best place for Hannah to be while she worked on her problems."

"What did Hannah want from you?" Veronica asks.

"I'm only telling you this because Hannah really liked you, Logan. She said everyone had misjudged you, and you were really a good person who had the misfortune to have awful parents."

Logan flushes. "Hannah was too trusting. I wasn't a good guy."

"She told me what you did and why you did it. But she said she could tell you were just a guy in a lot of trouble who didn't know what to do. She told me about the cocaine she found in her dad's house and all the phone calls from the Fitzpatricks on his caller ID. Hannah said that all her parents' arguments made sense now. Logan, she admired you for not taking the deal the prosecutors offered you and insisting on fighting for your innocence."

Logan looks away and mutters, "She shouldn't have admired me."

"What did Hannah say when she called?" Veronica repeats.

"She asked me about my crazy Aunt Katey." Julie sighs. "Hannah knows I'm not supposed to be in touch with my aunt. She dropped out of school and did a lot of drugs when she was young. She lived in a commune for a while in the early seventies, some kind of weird yoga thing in the Bay Area. I guess it was like a cult. Eventually Aunt Katey got out of there, but she still lived like a hippie. My grandparents tried to help her and get her into a rehab, but she always just laughed in their faces. Aunt Katey got in touch with me about four years ago. Now she lives near Sacramento in Rio Linda. My parents haven't talked to her in twenty years since she refused to go into rehab the last time."

Veronica exchanges a glance with Logan. "So your Aunt Katey might be sympathetic to a girl on the run, especially a girl who escaped from a rehab facility."

"I guess," Julie agrees. "Hannah remembered the story I told her about Aunt Katey and asked me for her phone number. And she asked me to try to send her some money. I wanted to tell my parents, but she said no: the school would be calling them trying to track her down. I sold my iPod and my DS to a PCHer, and I borrowed money from all my friends. It was almost five hundred dollars, but I felt bad because I couldn't get more. I wired it to a Western Union office in St. Louis." She looks at them. "You can't tell my parents any of this. They'll be furious. My family still fights about Aunt Katey every year during the holidays; everyone blames everyone else for ruining her life."

"Is your aunt still on drugs?" Veronica asks curiously.

"I don't think so. She seemed pretty normal, just a little quirky, the times I talked to her. But she hates my mom and dad for siding with her parents when she was younger."

Veronica says to Logan, "It was pretty smart. Hannah thought of a person who would be likely to be sympathetic but would be hard for the school to find. Even Julie's parents don't know where this woman is."

Logan nods.

Veronica asks, "Have you talked to your aunt since then?"

"A couple times. When I tried to ask her about Hannah, she shushed me and said not to worry. And then, after Hannah was murdered, I tried to call, and the phone had been disconnected," Julie says with a worried expression. "I didn't know what to do. I promised Hannah not to tell anyone, even the police. And it couldn't help anything, and my parents would have killed me."

"Do you have the number?" Veronica inquires.

Julie pushes a slip of paper at her. "It's still disconnected. I wrote down the name she was using."

Veronica reads: Katey Shaffer 916-555-8296.

Julie begs, "Please don't tell anyone."

Veronica replies, "If it's at all possible, I won't say a word. But Julie, we think it's likely that Hannah wasn't killed by that serial killer, and we're trying to find out who murdered her."

Julie looks stricken. "You mean...? Does that mean...do you think my aunt is okay?"

"Try not to worry, Julie, I'm sure she's fine," Veronica answers evasively. "Thanks for telling us this. We'll let you know whatever we find out."

~ • ~

Thurs. 3/19/09 evening: Neptune Sheriff's Department, Neptune, CA

Keith tries to be patient; it takes a half-hour for the ADA to show up to the Sheriff's Department. The ADA and Leo shut themselves in Leo's office and argue for another half an hour before the ADA opens the door and tells Keith it's a done deal. One of Duncan's attorneys arrives, summoned by Keith, and the lawyers hammer out the details, which are quickly typed up by a paralegal. The ADA signs the agreement, and Duncan's attorney nods to Keith. Keith calls Duncan, who nervously walks into the station a few minutes later with several large accordion files. Duncan is escorted into Leo's office; his attorney explains the document to him, and Duncan signs on the dotted line. Duncan remarks, "I think tonight's going to be the first time in three years that I'll sleep the night through."

Leo replies, "What about this photograph?"

Keith withdraws the photograph from the first slot in the accordion file and puts it on Leo's desk.

"Who is this with Kendall?" Leo asks, puzzled.

"It's Dr. Thomas Griffith," the ADA replies.

"Griffith? The father of the girl who was...." Leo says in surprise. He turns to Duncan. "When was this picture taken?"

Duncan replies, "March 7. I was in the park, having supervised visitation with my daughter. The court appointed social worker, Mrs. Dominguez, was with me, but she wasn't paying attention to Kendall. I snapped a picture with my phone and emailed it to Veronica Mars. It's still on her computer, with a date stamp."

The ADA takes some notes, then resumes staring curiously at Duncan and Keith, obviously intrigued by their wild tale.

Keith pulls out Veronica's picture of Kendall passing off the Casablancas money to the Fitzpatrick crony, Gerry Black. "Kendall is connected to the Fitzpatricks. She took a rap for Cormac Fitzpatrick, back when she was known as Priscilla Banks. Kendall was siphoning off money from her husband's real estate deals and passing it to her buddies in the Fitzpatricks to launder. My daughter took this surveillance photo two and a half years ago, just before Richard Casablancas Sr. absconded. The picture shows Kendall passing a bag to a known Fitzpatrick confederate. Later that year, when Kendall lucked into a deal with Cassidy Casablancas that netted her eight million dollars, she decided not to share her proceeds with her Fitzpatrick partners. She laid low and waited for her old lover, Cormac Fitzpatrick, to get out of prison; but he double-crossed her and tried to kill her. She managed to get away and went underground. But she lost the eight million in the process."

Keith continues, "Dr. Griffith has been using his medical practice to launder money for the Fitzpatricks for years, probably ever since he got in debt to them for a bad cocaine habit. I'm going to show you the proof of that in one minute. Kendall went to Dr. Griffith when she needed a new face to get away from the Fitzpatricks."

"Wasn't that dangerous, if Kendall knew that Griffith was working for the Fitzpataricks too?" the ADA asks incredulously.

"We think Kendall eavesdropped on Dr. Griffith while he was making a deal with Logan Echolls. Griffith agreed to withdraw his false testimony about what had happened in the murder of Felix Toombs in return for Logan leaving his daughter alone."

Leo, the ADA, and Duncan's attorney are shocked into silence. Finally, Leo says, "Logan did what?"

"Logan threatened to deflower his daughter if Griffith didn't recant his testimony," Keith winces as he says 'deflower'.

The ADA mutters, "Now I've heard everything."

Keith says, "Kendall apparently overheard the conversation between Logan and Dr. Griffith and threatened to tell the Fitzpatricks what Griffith had done if he didn't agree to give her a new face. The Fitzpatricks had set up Logan for that murder because the PCHers were running drugs for them."

"But why Logan?" Leo asks.

"Because he was on the Coronado Bridge that night, and he was a convenient patsy. And he was a boy who had a history of run-ins with the law."

The ADA says, "I want to see this proof of Griffith's money laundering activities."

Keith goes through the files, showing Leo and the ADA the dummy corporations that act as medical suppliers and the fake patients who don't actually have surgery. He proves that the vendors all have Fitzpatricks as the principals once the shell corporations have been uncovered. The path of the money from patient to Griffith to medical supply company is clearly shown by the numbers the accountant has worked up from the bookkeeping records that afternoon. Keith pulls out the anesthesiologist's employment history at the hospital and compares it to the weekly salary he is receiving for 'working' at Griffith's medical offices.

Leo asks, "So why was Kendall back in Neptune?"

"Apparently she was trying to get some of the money she thought she was owed," Keith answers.

"And your affair with her?" Leo says, turning to Duncan.

Duncan flushes. "I think it was a coincidence."

"Or she might have been setting up her next mark," Keith rushes to explain. "Once Duncan accepted the amnesty agreement and revealed his identity, she probably realized his net worth was substantial."

Leo directs a question to Duncan. "You had nothing to do with her murder?"

"Nothing, I swear. I regret that I ever said 'hello' to her in the hotel hallway, and that's the truth," he says vehemently.

Keith asks, "Do you agree that the photo of Kendall with Griffith changes the focus of your investigation?"

"Yes, especially with all this money laundering information." Leo turns to the ADA. "Can you get a judge to authorize arrest warrants for Griffith and Liam Fitzpatrick?"

"Ciaran and Padraig, too," Keith suggests. "They're in it up to their eyeballs. ...I assume Duncan is free to go?"

"Yes, of course," Leo replies, already distracted by the mountains of work the new information will require.

Keith pulls Leo aside. "There's one other thing." He lowers his voice. "Several witnesses have implied that the Fitzpatricks have a source in law enforcement, probably an FBI agent." Keith prays that his instincts are right, and it's not Leo.

"A source?" Leo asks sharply.

"Someone who intervenes or perhaps warns them. You need to try to keep this quiet until you've arrested them."

"You know as well as me as soon as the warrants are filed, they go out to all the agencies."

Keith sighs. "I know." He takes a breath, about to add his suspicions about Hannah's murder and the possible connection to someone in law enforcement, but something makes him hold back, and he remains silent.

Leo continues, "And we're going to need help serving these warrants; I'm going to have to ask Balboa County to provide some additional officers."

Keith nods. I tried. He motions to Duncan; they leave the department, with Duncan's attorney close behind.

"I can't thank you enough, Mr. Mars," Duncan says.

"Just promise me that you'll ask my advice the next time you think about fleeing the country. I am proud of you, Duncan, for coming back and facing the charges, and trying to take responsibility for your actions," Keith replies. "I have to get home and tell Veronica and Logan the good news."

Duncan's attorney clears his throat. "I think we can safely say that the Mannings won't want to pursue the case when they hear about Duncan's immunity agreement. We'll make a motion for summary judgment at the hearing tomorrow."

"Let us know for sure when you hear, Duncan," Keith says. "We all want you to get custody of your daughter."

__________
(18) Deleted scene from 3.20. From the extras on the Season 3 DVD: Leo tells Veronica he knows about the sex tape, and Veronica insists that he not tell her dad, because it would kill him. Rob's favorite scene in that episode!! Thankfully deleted to make room for that lingering momentary look between Logan and Veronica that was supposed to represent closure for the fans. Transcription and youtube version here, if you couldn't stomach Rob's smug and self-serving commentary on disc 6, but want to see it now. [Fucking brutal, if you ask me.]

Chapter One Hundred Fourteen