FIC: YLD2 (114-121/151) (NC-17)
Feb. 1st, 2008 12:12 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
vanessagalorePreviously on The Year of Living Dangerously Part II [Spoilers for chapters 1-113] (for those of you who didn't take notes)
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VERONICA MARS
10:00PM SHO ch: 340 60min 2009 TV-MA
Due Process
Veronica, Logan, and Keith regroup and focus
their investigation; Dick visits; Leo pursues
Dr. Griffith.
Veronica: Kristen Bell. Logan: Jason Dohring.
Keith: Enrico Colantoni. Dick: Ryan Hansen.
Leo: Max Greenfield. Mrs. Griffith: Jennifer
Westfeldt. Deputy Clark: Zadran Wali.
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CHAPTER ONE HUNDRED FOURTEEN: "DUE PROCESS"
Thurs. 3/19/09 evening: Sunset Cliffs Apartment, Neptune, CA
Veronica, peering intently at the screen of her laptop, turns around at the sound of a key in the door. Keith walks in and tosses his keys on the counter beside her. "Well?" she says impatiently. Logan stands up anxiously and joins them.
Keith nods and puts his arm around her shoulders. "It worked; Leo agreed to give Duncan immunity. Leo's rounding up Griffith and the Fitzpatricks, and the district attorney will sort out the charges later. The picture was pretty compelling. At the very least, I'm sure Griffith will provide information about Kendall in exchange for a reduction in the money laundering charges."
Veronica exhales loudly in relief. "Duncan?"
"I don't think you have to worry about the custody case any more, Veronica. I'm sure the hearing will be dismissed tomorrow when Duncan's attorneys reveal that their client has immunity on the breaking and entering charges." He sits down next to his daughter, and she leans against him. His weariness overtakes him; he closes his eyes momentarily and tries not to worry that he's forgotten something.
"Good," Veronica comments. "I hope that bastard Stewart Manning goes to jail for the rest of his life."
Keith silently agrees. "What are you working on, honey?" He peers over her shoulder at the computer and sits down on a stool next to her.
Logan explains, "I got in touch with one of Hannah's friends. She admitted she helped Hannah after she ran away from the school."
Veronica quickly summarizes Julie Silver's story about her aunt in Rio Linda. "Hannah thought of somebody who would be sympathetic and ran to her."
"She must have realized pretty quickly that she needed help," Keith muses. "What have you learned about the aunt? You said her name was...."
"Katey Shaffer," Veronica finishes. "It's an alias. Née Katherine Silver. She's been under the radar since the early seventies. Kate Shaffer shows up in 1978, applying for a driver's license in Yreka; then in 1988, she changed her address to Sacramento. She let the license lapse after that. I think the social security number she was using is false, and she probably knew she'd be caught with the increased security precautions on drivers' licenses." Veronica swivels the screen to show her dad the driver's license photo from 1988. "So this picture is twenty years old. She doesn't own any real estate or have any credit cards, and she's never even registered a vehicle with the DMV. Julie said she was pretty much a hippy, still living like it was 1968."
"Born in 1955; she'd be fifty-three or fifty-four," Keith thinks aloud.
"I ran the Photoshop aging program on the photo and came up with a few possibilities. She's got to be working some kind of job off the books, a waitress maybe. The phone number that Julie had has been disconnected since," Veronica checks the screen, "Since mid-November of last year. No residential address listed on the account, just a billing address."
"November was two months before Hannah was killed," Keith muses, calculating backward. "Maybe they moved, and something happened at the new address."
"The phone number was listed under the name of K.C. Sanford. He owns several houses, apparently rentals. We can start with him and find out where Katey and Hannah were in November and maybe trace them from there."
Logan chimes in, "Maybe something happened in November, something that made them pull up stakes and move."
"Something or someone," Veronica agrees. "I ran Dr. Griffith's credit cards, Dad, to see if he's ever been in Sacramento or Rio Linda. No charges anywhere near there for the past year."
"That doesn't prove anything," Logan observes.
"Do you really think he killed his own daughter?" Veronica asks curiously.
Logan shakes his head. "No. I think it was Liam."
Keith says, "Liam was in prison in January, awaiting trial on the racketeering charges, with Vinnie and half of the Fitzpatrick family."
"Okay, one of Liam's flunkies," Logan amends. "To punish Dr. Griffith for making a deal with me."
Veronica asks, "But how did they find out about the deal?"
"Kendall told them, I guess," Logan says thoughtfully.
"I don't think so. She was scared of Liam; you remember how frightened she was when we threatened to call him," Keith interjects. "We're missing something. Something set this in motion, and I don't think we're seeing it."
"We might not ever find out," Veronica adds. "Unless Liam talks."
Keith pushes himself up off the stool. "You know, I think a celebration is in order." He goes to the refrigerator and pulls out a carton of ice cream from the freezer.
"Ice cream? No champagne?" Logan observes drily.
"We Mars have simple tastes," Veronica retorts gently.
Keith puts the carton on the counter along with three spoons. They share the ice cream in silence for a few minutes. Keith tells them Leo's story about his sister. He makes sure to omit Aaron's desire to retain the videotapes and simply states that Aaron reneged on his deal.
"Leo really loved his sister," Veronica comments quietly. "He talked about her all the time."
"Everything about that case was a tragedy," Keith agrees.
"Yeah, my dad was an expert at hurting people," Logan mutters bitterly. Veronica puts her hand on his arm to comfort him, but he continues angrily, "It was typical for him to use someone else's weakness like that. You could count on him to—"
The doorbell interrupts his comment.
Keith looks at them with raised eyebrows; Veronica shrugs that she doesn't know who it could be. He goes to the door. Dick is standing there, escorted by the security guard who has been observing the apartment from the parking lot. The guard asks, "You know this guy?"
Aggrievedly, Dick says, "Ronnie, tell this guy I'm cool."
"I don't know about 'cool', but yeah, we know Dick. It's okay," Veronica replies. The guard nods and walks away.
"I got your email." Dick walks over to Veronica and waves a printout in her face featuring the photo of Gerry Black that she had emailed to him. "I've been thinking about it; I do remember this guy. He was hanging around right after the wedding. Kendall said he was an old friend. My dad got tweaked about it, and they had a huge fight."
"You're sure it was this guy?" Veronica presses. "It's important."
"Yeah, I'm sure. Kendall was being a real bitch about it, as usual. Slamming doors and screaming matches until the middle of the night. Dad put his foot down and said he couldn't come over anymore; then he bought Kendall some diamond earrings, and they made up. Repeatedly, if you know what I mean," he concludes salaciously, pumping his pelvis in Veronica's direction.
"We get the picture; there's no need to illustrate," Veronica retorts. "His name is Gerry Black, and he's one of Liam Fitzpatrick's flunkies. I have photos of Kendall delivering a gym bag to him, probably containing cash Kendall siphoned from your dad's real estate deals."
"Kendall really was stealing from my dad?" Dick asks. "She always acted like she didn't understand anything about business."
"She was a con artist, Dick," Logan explains. "She was using your dad and me, and working with Liam."
"I always thought Kendall was attracted by your superior sack quotient, you know, bodily hotness divided by endurance," Dick muses.
"Too bad I didn't engage my brain when she flirted with me," Logan observes.
Dick snorts. "Like you had a chance. You were all emo over Ronnie, and Kendall was strutting around in a bikini...erectile discombobulation on a daily basis. Half the time when you were over, you were holding a pillow over your crotch."
Keith shakes his head, laughing quietly despite himself.
"Wow, thanks for sharing that delightful image," Veronica says sarcastically.
"Hey, we wouldn't have objected if you came over and showed off your swimsuit, Ronnie," Dick shoots back. "We don't discriminate against the smaller cup sizes."
"You know what they say, it's how you use it. In your case, I'm betting that's somewhat incompetently."
"There's nothing wrong with your ass, either. Mmm, mmm, good." Dick leans a little, scoping out Veronica's backside perched on the kitchen stool.
"Hey," Keith says, starting to get annoyed. "Watch it."
"Whoops. Sorry! Your daughter is so delightful, Mr. Mars," Dick says. "I'm sorry I objectified her. I learned in my Women's Studies class that the feminist imperative is to judge a woman by her accomplishments. And Veronica's accomplishments are legendary, to say the least."
Veronica begins, "It's okay, Dad. Dick can't help being a giant jackass, it's genet—" She stops short. It’s like you're this giant jackass piñata begging for someone to beat the candy out of you, she remembers saying angrily, letting her irritation over the sex video fly toward the nearest target. I always had to slap him down, harder than necessary. He's Logan's best friend after all.
Dick and Logan stare at her, surprised by her restraint, and Veronica looks back uncomfortably. Dick says, "You feelin' okay, Ronnie?" He reaches out the back of his hand to feel her forehead for a fever.
"Yeah, I'm fine," she says briefly, brushing his hand aside. "Dick, thanks for coming by with this information. Do you think you could stop by the sheriff's department and tell Sheriff D'Amato about this? It would help a lot."
"Of course. Is he still harassing you guys?" Dick asks.
Veronica shakes her head. "I think we're going to be okay. But every little bit helps. And Dick...I heard from Mac today. She's going to be coming back to town on Sunday."
"Yes!!" Dick begins to jump around the room, almost knocking over a lamp. "Fan-friggin-tastic!!"
Logan quickly reaches out a hand and steadies the lamp. "Dick, try to have an appropriate reaction for once in your life," he advises in amusement.
"Impossible. Inappropriate is my middle name," Dick replies, grinning happily. "You talked to her, Ronnie? What'd she say?"
Veronica replies, "She said the FBI agents were a bunch of tight asses. It sounded like they were still questioning her."
"D'you think she really outed the whole Russian mob like people have been saying?" Dick asks.
"I don't think they'd let her out of Witness Protection if she did, Dick," Logan says logically.
"Yeah, you're right," Dick says thoughtfully. "I think this calls for a party. Maybe...'The Revenge of the Nerds Rager'. Jello shots, full-contact beer pong...."
"Oh, that totally sounds like Mac," Veronica snarks without thinking. "I frequently heard her exalting the sublime aesthetic of alcohol-based entertainment at fraternity events."
"What? Oh, you're mocking me again. That's sweet, Ronnie."
Veronica flinches imperceptibly. Even when I'm trying not to be a bitch...I can't even help it anymore. Aloud, she comments lamely, "I'm sure she'll love it."
Dick shoots a glance at Logan. "Uh...okay. I'll let you know what's going on."
"Sounds good," Logan replies. He escorts Dick to the door.
Keith says quietly, "Everything okay, honey? I swear to you, Leo was convinced by the evidence we brought him. I don't think he'll be bothering you or Logan any more."
"I know," she answers. Avoiding his concerned gaze, she adds, "I'm just tired, Dad." I'm just a soulless piece of crap is all, Dad.
Keith stares at her, not believing her one bit. "Talk to me, Veronica."
She looks down uncomfortably. Logan sits back down beside her and puts his arm on her shoulder. "Don't," she says.
"Are you hurting more? I'm sorry," he replies.
"No, just...I don't know how to do this, okay?" she blurts out finally.
"Do what?" Keith asks in confusion.
"God, I can't even have a normal conversation with Logan's best friend," Veronica says bitterly. "All I do is mock the people who are supposed to be my friends. Dick came over to help."
Logan says incredulously, "You're kidding, right? That was Dick, who made your life completely miserable in high school. You should see what he wrote about you in the bathroom stalls." He immediately regrets his words when he sees her face.
Out of nowhere, she remembers, 'Make sure you suit up. You don't know where she's been.' Veronica shivers as she recalls Dick throwing a condom at her...Am I really remembering this, or is it what Sean told me? She passes her hand over her forehead as her head begins to throb and ache. Suddenly, she flashes on Beaver finding her in the journalism room at school. She closes her eyes as her headache increases in intensity. Something about...why can't I remember? If I could just....
"What is it, honey? Is your shoulder worse?" Keith asks with concern.
"I'm not sure," she mutters quietly, her eyes still closed.
"I was going to suggest that we head up to Rio Linda and ask around about Katey Shaffer this weekend, but I think we need to stay home and just rest, Veronica," Keith worries.
"Dad, no!" Veronica protests, her eyes flying open. "If Liam was involved...we need to work on this." She closes her eyes again, as her head throbs again. Veronica tries to push the pain away and opens her eyes to look at her dad. "I want to do this. I...I'm doing better when we're working. You see that, right?"
Her dad nods. "Yeah, actually I did notice that. But—"
Veronica sighs loudly and interrupts, "Dad. I...I'd like to stop in L.A. first. It's on the way; we can stay over at Logan's house and head up to Sacramento first thing on Saturday."
Keith looks at her in puzzlement. "L.A.?"
"I want to ask Mike what he's learned."
Logan frowns, thinking about their last meeting at the FBI before they left for Vermont. It had been all too apparent that Mike Fields still had feelings for his ex-girlfriend, and Veronica had seemed oblivious. And Mike's friend, Lynley, had been an ass when Logan was sure Veronica needed to end the operation at Briar Hill. He has a flash of anger, recalling his words to Lynley: 'I don't take orders from you, dickhead.'
Veronica continues, "We've been so busy investigating Griffith and dealing with Leo, we haven't even asked Mike what he found out from that list that Mac got of everyone who had accessed the Slasher files. He was supposed to get a message to you while we were undercover."
"I never heard from him," Keith replies.
"You don't think—" Veronica looks at him, panicked. She quickly slides off the stool and gets her cell phone. She accesses Mike's number in her contact list and hits 'send'. She paces impatiently, muttering, "Pick up, pick up, pick up." Finally, she sighs in relief. "Mike. It's Veronica....yeah, I'm okay. It was hard....I know. You talked to your friend Lynley?...He's exaggerating...No, it wasn't...Really, I'm okay...I'm okay, Mike...." Her voice starts to break as Mike presses her for details about the operation.
Keith motions to the phone, and Veronica says in relief, "My dad wants to talk to you."
Keith takes the phone and walks into his bedroom. The conversation continues in a muted tone.
Logan embraces Veronica; she sags against him wearily. "I was scared someone got to him," she whispers. "Another mistake...."
"Veronica, shh," he replies quietly. "I'm sure he's okay."
Keith walks back into the room and puts Veronica's phone on the counter. "He said he doesn't have anything solid on Hannah's murder. He's eliminated a few people, but that's it." He hesitates before continuing, "After the bombing, Mac felt she had to tell her handler about contacting Mike, and Mike was suspended from the bureau. Mike said his supervisor told him that Mac insisted that it was all her fault and she wouldn't cooperate anymore unless the FBI reinstated him. So Mike expects the suspension will be rescinded."
"That sounds like Mac," Logan comments.
"I told him we'd like to meet sometime tomorrow afternoon. We have to go to Duncan's hearing in the morning, and assuming the Mannings' lawyers are smart enough to drop the custody suit, we can head up to L.A. after that. You're sure you're up to this, Veronica?"
She nods. Tentatively, she asks, "Dad?"
"What is it?"
"Do you think...would it be okay if we found time for me to...." She sighs and takes a deep breath before blurting, "I'd really like to talk with Logan's shrink again."
Keith is shocked into silence, realizing this must be her primary reason for wanting to go to L.A. He remembers how reluctant she was when he insisted she visit a counselor after Lilly's death, and Veronica's request scares him.
"It's no big deal," Veronica hastily amends at his expression. "I just...I have something I want to talk to her about."
"Of course. Logan? Can you set it up?" Keith requests.
Logan kisses the top of her head and takes the cell phone. He paces as he talks, casting worried glances at Veronica, which she does her best to avoid.
"It doesn't help when you guys do that," she mutters.
"What, honey?" Keith says.
Veronica says, her voice breaking, "When you pity me like that. When you look all worried because I'm so messed up."
"Veronica—"
She takes a deep breath and shudders. "I can't help it, okay? I just keep thinking if only I hadn't gone after Gory, if only I hadn't helped Duncan kidnap the baby, if only I had listened to you when you told me the undercover operation would be too dangerous." She closes her eyes. Get a hold of yourself, Veronica. Don't let them see...hold it together. She opens her eyes and says firmly, "I'm okay. Just...I'd like to talk to someone who's not...involved. And she understands about the school, what it was like there."
Logan terminates the call and sits back down opposite her. "She'll make time for us late in the day." He takes Veronica's hand. "It's going to be okay. We got through today. Leo's going to leave us alone."
Veronica nods. Then why do I feel so scared?
Thurs. 3/19/09 evening: Griffith Residence, Neptune, CA
"Open up! Sheriff's Department!" Leo calls out grimly, pounding on the door to Tom Griffith's house. After a short delay, Mrs. Griffith opens the door, visibly upset. Leo hears a baby crying somewhere upstairs. "Ma'am...is your husband here?"
She shakes her head. "He got a phone call about ten minutes ago. He wouldn't talk to me about it. Tom grabbed his wallet and a small bag, and ran out the back."
Leo looks out the window; there are two cars parked in the driveway. "Do you have another vehicle?"
Mrs. Griffith shakes her head again, the tears streaming down her face. "No. I think someone picked him up. What's going on?"
"You didn't see the car that picked him up? What about his cell phone?" Leo asks, ignoring her question. "Did your husband take his cell?" he presses, hoping against hope that the doctor's phone could be tracked.
"No. It's on the counter," she answers, pointing. "I want to know what's going on."
Leo thumbs his radio. "Suspect is not on the premises. I want an alert at the border and all the local airports. Suspect is presumed to have left in an unidentified vehicle at approximately 2200 hours. Sacks, I want a tracer on all of Griffith's credit and ATM cards." He turns to Mrs. Griffith. "Is there someone who can watch your baby? A neighbor? You're going to have to come down to the station. I'll explain further down there."
She nods nervously. "Annie, next door."
Leo directs one of the deputies to go next door. "I'll need to look at your husband's desk. His computer, his papers, his files." Mrs. Griffith leads him to a desk with neat piles of papers. Leo shuffles through, quickly determining that the papers are merely household bills. "Deputy Clark, we're going to take this computer with us."
Leo triggers the radio again. "Sheriff D'Amato here. What's the status on the arrests?"
The radio crackles, "Ciaran and Padraig Fitzpatrick are in custody. We're proceeding with a search of the premises."
Leo barks, "Davis, report."
"Davis here. Liam's gone. The house is empty, Sheriff," a different voice responds over the radio.
"Shit," Leo mutters under his breath. Aloud, he directs, "Issue an APB on Liam and Dr. Griffith. This is a priority. I want all eyes on this. Contact all the adjoining counties and stress the importance of cooperation, Sacks."
"Got it, Sheriff," Sacks replies faintly over the radio.
Leo turns to Mrs. Griffith. "You said your husband got a phone call. Cell phone, or the telephone?"
"Cell phone," she replies, pointing at the device.
Leo takes the cell and accesses the call list. He dials the last incoming number, listed as unavailable; a message informs him that the call cannot be completed as dialed. "Clark, take the phone into evidence as well," he notes, handing the phone to the deputy. "See if you can find out anything about the originating number of the last incoming call."
Clark nods. "You want us to search the premises?"
"I want you to canvass the neighborhood first. See if anyone saw Griffith or a car. Then I want you to tear the house apart. I want every inch of this property examined," Leo replies. "If there's a clue where the doctor ran to, I want it found." He turns back to Griffith's wife. "Where do you think your husband is?"
"I don't know! What's going on? What's happening?" she answers tearfully. "Tom's done nothing wrong. We've been through hell lately with his daughter's murder. Why are you doing this?"
"Apparently there are some serious irregularities with your husband's business. His unavailability for questioning doesn't look good."
"Irregularities?" she replies, puzzled. "What are you talking about?"
"Money laundering. Suspected racketeering."
Mrs. Griffith is stunned into silence. After a moment, she sputters, "That's ridiculous."
"Dr. Griffith is also wanted in questioning regarding the murder of Kendall Casablancas," Leo adds. "Do you happen to know where your husband was the evening of March 11?"
Mrs. Griffith stares at Leo. She blurts out, "I want a lawyer."
"You're not under arrest, Mrs. Griffith."
"I want a lawyer," she says forcefully. "This is a huge misunderstanding, and I want an attorney."
"Suit yourself," Leo says noncommittally, motioning toward the phone. "Have him meet us at the department," he comments, as the deputy escorts the next-door neighbor into the front door. The woman quickly embraces Mrs. Griffith before heading upstairs to take charge of the baby.
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VERONICA MARS
10:00PM SHO ch: 340 60min 2009 TV-MA
The Eye of the Storm
Anxiety about Duncan's hearing; Leo asks
for help.
Veronica: Kristen Bell. Logan: Jason Dohring.
Keith: Enrico Colantoni. Leo: Max Greenfield.
Shephard: Granville Van Dusen. Ford:
Jim Holmes.
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CHAPTER ONE HUNDRED FIFTEEN: "THE EYE OF THE STORM"
Thurs. 3/19/09 evening: Sunset Cliffs Apartment, Neptune, CA
Keith turns on the television, anxious to hear the local news. With a few minutes to spare before the ten o'clock broadcast on the CW and Fox networks, he surfs around the channels, hesitating momentarily on each channel before moving on. On CNN, a couple talking heads are discussing something intently, and Keith blows past with barely a pause.
Veronica hears the name 'Kane' and exclaims, "Wait! Go back."
Keith returns to the previous channel, and they read the graphic behind the two men: 'CNN: Prima Facie Evidence...with Legal Analysts Jack Shephard and James Ford.' The lettering dissolves to a flashy logo, 'The Billionaire Heir and the Baby: Kane v. Manning'.
Veronica says sarcastically, "At least they've stopped calling her the coma-baby."
One of the men is pontificating somberly, "It all comes down to the best interests of the child. There's little case law to guide the judge."
His companion speaks, ticking off his points on this fingers as he proceeds. "Let's review the facts of the case. In December 2005, Meg Manning, who had miraculously survived a bus crash several months earlier, seven months pregnant and just a few weeks out of a lengthy coma, suddenly succombed to a blood clot that lodged in her heart. Her baby, a daughter, survived. Meg had identified the father as Duncan Kane, son of billionaire computer innovator, Jake Kane. In January 2006, after Meg's parents, Stewart and Rose Manning, announced their intention to file for sole custody of their granddaughter, the father, Duncan Kane fled from Neptune, California, having kidnapped the baby whom he presumed to be his daughter. Despite the best efforts of the FBI, Duncan Kane eluded capture and remained on the run for three years."
The first man asks, "Many legal experts have questioned why Duncan Kane felt he had to kidnap his own daughter rather than fight the grandparents for custody in court."
"There has been a lot of speculation about that, Jack. In the Aaron Echolls murder trial several months later, there was testimony that Duncan Kane suffered from seizures that caused him to have uncontrollable, violent fits. In addition, there have recently been rumors from sources close to the case that the Mannings have evidence of a felony committed by Kane while Meg Manning was in a coma."
"Are you suggesting blackmail, James?" Jack echoes.
The other man shrugs. "Immediately after Meg's death, the grandparents claimed that the mother had wanted the baby raised in their religion and based their suit on that. But who knows what evidence they might have produced for a judge if Kane had fought their request for physical custody in court."
"At the time, it looked bad for Duncan Kane that he ran. It was thought that there must have been something to those rumors of violent and uncontrolled seizures. His behavior seemed to proved that he was unstable," the legal expert comments.
James states dramatically, "And then one month ago...Kane returned to Neptune and dropped a bombshell." The graphic changes to a picture of Duncan, grasping Veronica's hand tightly, on the steps of the Balboa County Courthouse.
Logan physically flinches at the image, remembering what he had thought when he first saw it while hiding in South Padre Island: that Veronica had reunited with Duncan. He can't help thinking how close he came to ending it all that night.
Veronica notices his discomfort and turns to look at him; he shakes his head slightly and whispers, "I want to hear what they're saying." She focuses on the screen again and resolves to talk to him later.
On the television, Jack Shephard is continuing his recitation of the legal saga. "Kane negotiated a plea agreement with the Balboa County District Attorney that cleared him of the kidnapping charges, but a paternity test showed that the baby girl he'd been raising was actually the product of an incestuous relationship between the mother and her own father, Stewart Manning..."
"Who's now been indicted for child endangerment and unlawful sexual activity with a minor child." James looks thoughtful. "So now Duncan Kane's actions three years ago have been cast in a new light; although Kane himself has refused all interview requests, the speculation is that he took the girl to prevent the grandfather from abusing her."
Jack nods solemnly. "However, Rose Manning, Stewart's wife, has not been charged with any crime. And she's still pursuing custody of her granddaughter."
"Who is also, technically, her stepdaughter," James adds.
Veronica makes a face. The complicated relationships are impossible to summarize in a single term, she thinks. Poor Lilly.
"But Kane was not deterred, and he himself has filed for permanent custody of the girl he considers his daughter. At this point, the guardian ad litem for the child has petitioned the court to begin the process of terminating Stewart Manning's parental rights, pending the outcome of the incest trial. In the meantime, the grandmother and the 'kidnapper' are fighting for physical custody and visitation rights. And, if Stewart Manning is actually convicted of incest and his parental rights are terminated, Duncan Kane and Rose Manning will presumably be battling for the right to adopt the girl."
"Whew! What a mess. Who has the better case, the blood relative who possibly condoned sexual abuse, or the kidnapper with no biological relationship to the child?"
Veronica blurts out, "Any idiot can see—"
Keith agrees, "Yes, Veronica. Shh."
The legal commentator replies, "I think it's all going to come down to the best interests of the child. I'm curious to see if this felony that's been hinted at comes out at the hearing. And the judge is going to want to hear Duncan's story and will listen carefully to the reports from the guardian ad litem and case workers."
"We'll have an update tomorrow on a decision, if any, from the judge in the Billionaire Baby case."
As the theme music for 'CNN: Prima Facie Evidence' plays, Keith uses the remote to flip through the channels again, landing on the local Fox affiliate as the ten o'clock news begins.
Veronica says quietly, "Do you think he'll win the case?"
"I don't know," Keith replies honestly. "I think it depends on the judge. You heard what they said: it's going to come down to the best interest of the child. Some people think biology trumps everything else."
"Look at Mac," Veronica observes. "They didn't switch her back when they found out about the mistake. And she's okay. Don't you think—"
"It doesn't matter what I think. If the judge perceives the kidnapping as foolish and criminal and sees Mrs. Manning as another of Stewart's victims, he might...." Keith shrugs.
They lapse into silence as the local news begins. Keith is overtly nervous, fidgeting and restless, but doesn't speak. He keeps switching back and forth between the local broadcasts on the CW and Fox, expecting to hear a breaking news bulletin about the arrests.
All three are lost in thought as they watch the news stories, hoping for an announcement from the Neptune Sheriff's Department. Each of them is also secretly worried about the next day's hearing—terrified that the judge might question Duncan closely about the actual kidnapping plan. If Veronica's involvement in the kidnapping somehow comes up, they know that Duncan might be forced to testify against her. For the millionth time, Logan wishes that Duncan had just stayed away; Keith and Veronica are more pragmatic, but they too long for an easier solution than tomorrow's nerve-racking hearing. The tension in the room seems to increase with every minute that goes by without news of an arrest; too much is going on, and the uncertainty is overwhelming.
At eleven o'clock, Keith flips the channel to the ABC affiliate and begins tapping the remote nervously against his leg.
Veronica, snuggling on the couch against Logan's shoulder, suggests quietly and without conviction, "Maybe there's a news blackout."
Keith sighs and surfs to the NBC and CBS local affiliates. "Something's wrong," he mutters. "I wish I'd kept that police scanner." There's a knock on the door, and Keith jumps to his feet. He glances out the window and sees a police cruiser in the parking lot. He opens the door to Leo D'Amato.
"Keith," Leo says.
"What's going on?" Keith asks without greeting him.
"Can I come in?" Leo responds. Keith opens the door and allows him to enter. "We got Ciaran and Padraig Fitzpatrick, but Griffith, his office manager, and Liam got away. Someone warned them." Leo meets Keith's eyes, tacitly admitting that he should have listened more closely to Keith's information.
Keith sighs. "I was afraid of that. And the office manager had to have known everything that was going on with the money laundering. I bet it was a priority to prevent her from talking to you." He glances at Veronica and Logan before continuing. "I doubt she'll be found alive."
Leo massages his shoulder, trying to release some of his obvious tension. "Maybe we should have just gone after her first and tried to get her to turn on the others."
"There's no point second-guessing yourself now," Keith offers. "I'm sure you'll get them sooner or later. You probably set up road-blocks and alerted the border authorities, right?"
Leo nods morosely. He spies several large sheets of paper piled on the kitchen counter; he recognizes the name 'Kevin Bray' written in large letters and frowns. He walks over to look more closely. "Bray," he muses as he thinks about the recent occupant of his drunk tank. "What's this?"
"While we were preparing our case, we were trying to organize what we knew about the Fitzpatricks," Keith explains.
"Mind if I take a look?" Leo asks.
Veronica thinks, What a difference a day makes. They watch as Leo sorts through the papers, apparently absorbed by his thoughts.
Abruptly, Leo says, "I want to know exactly what you were talking about when you said you suspected the Fitzpatricks had a contact in law enforcement."
Keith replies, "Vinnie told me that Liam has a contact in the FBI. I don't know if that's true, but there certainly seems to be some evidence of tampering by someone in law enforcement in the dismissal of the charges against the Fitzpatricks last month. You and I know that was a solid case, and somehow someone made sure it went away."
"That's a pretty serious accusation, Keith."
"Tell him," Veronica urges.
"What?" Leo asks sharply.
Hesitantly, Keith explains, "There are some irregularities in Hannah Griffith's murder that don't match up with the other victims of the Saturday Night Slasher."
"We think she was killed by a copycat killer, someone who knew all the details of the investigation into the Slasher," Veronica adds.
"What's your evidence of this?" Leo responds harshly.
Veronica flinches at his tone.
Keith objects angrily, "Watch it! We helped you a lot tonight."
"In order to get your friend Duncan out of a jam," Leo comments, glaring back. "Who knows how many laws you broke getting that evidence anyways?"
"What is your problem?" Logan interjects. "I know we embarrassed you about the tapes, but—"
"I really don't believe you're all that reformed, Echolls. You may have fooled these guys, but I know you'll be drinking and causing trouble soon enough."
Logan pushes off the couch; Veronica grabs onto his hand tightly and says, "Stop it. Stop it!! I can't take this." She draws the back of her hand over her eye, wiping away a tear. She tugs at Logan's hand and gets him to sit down. "Leo, please."
Leo stares angrily at the three of them.
Veronica continues, "You knew we didn't have anything to do with Kendall's death. You knew it. It doesn't matter what evidence we gave you; you knew we were innocent long before Dad came to you tonight."
Leo's face is stony and stubborn for a long beat; finally, he nods and agrees with her. "There were some discrepancies in the case," he allows.
"I'm sorry we did what we did," Veronica says impulsively. "If there had been any other way....Leo, Dad told us about your sister. I'm so sorry about Tina. I know how much you loved her."
"Yeah," he mumbles, avoiding her gaze.
Veronica pushes herself off the couch. "Let me show you why I think Hannah wasn't killed by the Slasher." On her laptop, she pulls up the list of the dates and the dates of the full moons; she shows him how all the deaths until Hannah's coordinate with full moons on Saturday night. "I just stumbled on it," she explains. "I wasn't really investigating the serial killer. I noticed that Hannah's death didn't fit the pattern. But...you know about the mutilation, the heart cut into the victims' chests?"
Leo nods.
"The killer knew about that, and he knew that Hannah matched the profile of all the other victims. Except of course, she wasn't really a prostitute."
"What?" Leo asks.
"There's no evidence that she was a prostitute," Veronica argues. "She was found in an area frequented by hookers, and she'd been given heroin, but she wasn't a routine user of the drug, and she had never been arrested for solicitation. You know that that's extremely unlikely."
"Maybe she just started," Leo suggests.
Veronica shakes her head. "Somebody who knew the details that had been held back from the press was involved in her murder. And now that we have evidence that Griffith was connected to the Fitzpatricks...." She shrugs suggestively.
"Why would the Fitzpatricks kill Griffith's daughter?" Leo asks.
"To keep him in line maybe," Keith interrupts grimly. "Maybe he wanted out of the money laundering business, and they showed him what would happen to his family. You and I know the Fitzpatricks wouldn't hesitate to kill someone standing in their way."
"You realize that you're not safe with them on the loose?" Leo says.
"Even if you catch Liam, we're not safe as long as their pet FBI agent is free," Veronica retorts.
Leo sighs. "You've just made my job a hundred times harder. How am I supposed to pursue this without the FBI knowing what I'm doing?"
"We've got a few leads. Here, let me show you." Keith spreads out the papers and motions to the diagrams. "There's only a few Fitzpatrick associates that we haven't identified. We're trying to find a connection to somebody in the FBI." He shows Leo the three unidentified photos. "Do you know any of these guys?"
"This one," Leo says, tapping one of the pictures. "It's Tommy Shaw's big brother, Andy. He's got a straight job working for a plumbing supply company. But I think sometimes he can be persuaded to be the muscle for the Fitzpatricks when he needs some extra money. I don't know these other two guys."
Veronica sends the picture files to print. "Maybe you could work on identifying them as well," she suggests, handing him the printouts.
Leo nods, sighing. "In between hunting for Liam and Griffith," he says. He taps the chart. "This guy, Kevin Bray? He got himself arrested on Tuesday night for drunk and disorderly. He came up with a story that he witnessed Echolls meeting with Kendall Casablancas in Waterside Park the night she got killed."
"That's ridiculous. I was in Vermont that week," Logan contradicts.
"I know. But the Fitzpatricks didn't know that. He was the second witness that made a point of connecting you with Kendall."
"The second witness?" Veronica asks.
"The first one was a maintenance worker at the Neptune Grand, Oswaldo Cortez." Leo nods at Logan. "He told me about your affair with Kendall three years ago."
"Cortez? As in Hector Cortez?" Veronica asks incredulously.
"Yes, Oswaldo is his cousin. You know Hector?" Leo asks suspiciously.
"All I know is Hector took over leadership of the PCHers," Veronica says obliquely, omitting any reference to the PCHers' connection to the Fitzpatricks. Logan subtly shoots her a glance, and she nudges him to be cool. "Logan, do you remember any nice maintenance men from the Neptune Grand spying on you and Mrs. Casablancas?"
"You know how I like to mingle with the little people, snookums," he replies. "But no, I don't remember anyone named Oswaldo."
Leo snorts quietly. "You're holding out on me again, Veronica. It's a dangerous game you're playing. What do you suppose Oswaldo's beef is with you, Echolls?"
"The usual, I think. I'm rich, white, and free. At the time I was seeing 'Mrs. Casablancas'," he nods at Veronica, "I was pretty much universally hated by everyone with brown skin because they thought I killed Felix Toombs."
"So, what, he's still getting back at you for that? Even after you were exonerated?"
"Exonerated...that word has such a nice ring to it," Logan comments sardonically. He sees Leo's exasperation and amends, more cooperatively, "I don't think the PCHers will ever be my biggest fans. I never did anything to endear myself to the Latino population, and most of them probably still think I did something that night on the Coronado."
Leo exhales loudly and turns to Keith. "Do you mind taking me through these charts? Maybe I'll see a connection that you haven't."
"All right," Keith agrees. He spreads the papers out on the counter and begins to go through each of the names, summarizing their research and all the connections they've found. Leo asks questions from time to time, clarifying Keith's conclusions.
Veronica rests her head against Logan's shoulder, and they listen as the two men talk through all the complicated relationships. Keith tells a few stories from arrests during his time as sheriff to illustrate his points. After a while, Logan realizes that Veronica has dozed off.
Keith finishes a long explanation about a successful prosecution of one of Liam's henchman. He turns the page, pointing to the name 'Daniel Mulvaney', and begins to tell what he knows about the man.
"Mulvaney?" Leo interrupts sharply. "Dammit! I knew that name sounded familiar."
"What?" Keith asks, confused.
"We've identified the car that took Kendall to Waterside Park. It was reported stolen by Lawrence Crawford, whose housekeeper happens to be Bridget Mulvaney."
"And Daniel Mulvaney was the eyewitness who claimed to see Veronica when she supposedly murdered Clarence Wiedman last fall," Keith says, nodding. "He was Danny Boyd's cellmate at Salinas State Prison. We've been assuming that he's been working for the Fitzpatricks since his release. We had him followed, and Mulvaney was hanging out with Liam in the River Stix."
"So Daniel Mulvaney had access to the vehicle through Bridget, who is probably his sister, or maybe his mother," Leo muses.
Keith moves over to the laptop and enters Bridget's name in the PryingEyez database. "His aunt. And it looks like she shares an address with her nephew." He turns the screen so Leo can see it. Leo tells Keith about the efforts to recover the Lincoln Navigator; Keith suggests he should concentrate on a few chop shops, known to fence items for the Fitzpatricks, that are located on the outskirts of San Diego.
They continue talking about Mulvaney and various other Fitzpatrick cronies. As they converse, they gradually begin to be more at ease with each other.
Finally, Leo stands up and says he'll be in touch. He notices that Veronica is sound asleep, and he looks abashed. She appears fragile and weak, huddled against Logan. "Is she okay? I can't believe she just fell asleep. We've been talking about murderers and drug-runners."
"She's exhausted," Logan replies. "The undercover operation was very stressful. And it's been rough since we got back." He meets Leo's eyes briefly before looking away.
"Her shoulder's going to be okay?"
"They think so. She needs to have surgery when she's a little stronger," Keith explains.
Leo stares at her. She's drowsing and completely unaware, her mouth gaping a little in sleep and her body relaxed against Logan's. "Take care of her. I'm...I'm sorry. I let my feelings—"
"Let's try to move on," Keith suggests. "We'll be in touch, okay?"
Leo nods and leaves wordlessly, his face betraying his discomfort.
Logan says, "I'll put her to bed. She really is exhausted." He eases her into his arms and lifts her easily, carrying her into the bedroom as Keith watches.
A few minutes later, Logan returns to the living room, nervously brushing his hair back from his forehead. He asks Keith, "Do you really think this trip to Rio Linda is a good idea? With Liam on the loose, and probably out for blood? If there really is a mole in the FBI, they'll know who provided the evidence for these arrests."
"I'm hoping we'll find out something in Rio Linda about whoever's helping the Fitzpatricks. I think finding Hannah's killer is the only way to do that. We'll always be in danger if we don't. We'll take Kavner and the other guard with us. They can follow us and make sure we're all right while we're asking around."
Logan nods, comprehending but not happy about it.
Keith adds, "And I think it's good she's asking for help...asking to see your therapist."
Logan scoffs. "I'm not so sure. It's something she feels that she can't talk about with you and me." He looks up and meets Keith's worried eyes.
Keith suddenly yawns. "It's been a long day. We've got the hearing first thing. Let's see how she's doing in the morning and decide at that time."
"Okay," Logan agrees.
"She's going to be all right. The two of you are going to be all right. Try not to worry," Keith says reassuringly.
"Yeah." Logan walks back into Veronica's bedroom.
Keith watches him, noting the slump of his shoulders. I don't know how to help them. Maybe this therapist will help. He tries to pinpoint the moment when Logan's well-being became so important to him; he realizes that when Logan begged him for forgiveness, his anger over Logan's missteps had...well, not disappeared, but lessened in an essential way. He reluctantly acknowledges that he's grateful for another strong man to help him watch over his daughter. Veronica seems like anything but a 'badass, action-figure daughter' lately, he thinks ruefully.
Keith picks up the phone and dials Wallace's number. "Wallace, it's Keith. I'm sorry to call so late....Yes, everything went fine. I think it will be all right. Duncan got his immunity agreement....Don't be so hard on Duncan. He was in a bad position....Yes, I agree, that would have been better. Listen, Wallace, I think if everything goes well at the hearing tomorrow, we're going to head up to Rio Linda. I'd like you to work on a couple things for me. I don't want you taking any chances, and you're going to check in with me every step of the way."
In the bedroom, Logan shuts the door soundlessly and tiptoes into the room. Veronica is sleeping soundly under the covers, lit only by the dim light on the nightstand. He sits in the chair at her desk and watches her sleep. He thinks about finding her that night five years ago by the pool, lying sleepily, uncomprehendingly, on the lounge chair. She had looked beautiful that night, in a lacy white dress with a tight black choker around her neck; she had been wearing a little more makeup than he liked, but every boy had checked her out surreptitiously when she entered the party with her head held high. He had reluctantly admired her for her courage that night: she wasn't going to let them ostracize her without a fight, despite Logan's best efforts to trash her reputation.
He remembers the usual ache in his guts when he saw her walk in the door. She was as always the reminder that everything had changed when Lilly died, and her stubborn and unyielding refusal to go against her dad was so typical of her, and so frustrating and painful for him. He can still recall the pathological hatred he had had for her; it was as irrational and stubborn as she was.
Logan had stood above her as she lay helpless on the lounge chair. He tries to recall what he could have been thinking that night. He could have picked her up in his arms and taken her to a bedroom and locked her in for the duration. He could have called her father to come and get her. He could have even just left her there by the pool to sleep and sober up. He can't really remember making a decision to call everyone over to mock her; it just seemed to happen, almost as if the tragedy that was set in motion was attached inexorably to his own miserable existence. His father had taught him about cruelty, and he had embraced it that night when what she had needed was his help.
Then Duncan—solid, unswervingly upstanding Duncan—had walked over and insisted that they stop what they were doing immediately. Duncan had tried to be her hero that night, and Logan recalls feeling ashamed, humiliated even, when Duncan had looked at him accusingly. Duncan had put aside his anger at her and her father and tried to do the right thing. So he had punished Duncan for his good instincts by drugging him; two years later when Logan was listening to them making love in the next room at the Neptune Grand, he knew it was his penance for his shabby treatment of her that night.
How do you make that up to someone? I've been trying for five years now. It'll never be enough. I've tried to be her hero for so long now...and tomorrow she'll see him again: Duncan Kane, willing to give up his life for his child. How can she fail to see the difference between us? She never says it; she never says 'how could you have left me there?' But then again, we never talk about it.
He drops his head into his hands and just lets the regret wash over him.
She stirs restlessly and opens her eyes. "Logan?"
"I'm here," he replies quietly. "It's okay." Now...I'm here for you.
"Come to bed," she says in a hushed voice.
He gets undressed and slips into bed, pressing himself into her back, molding himself to her small and fragile body. She seems to settle into him, relaxing and letting go as he draws her closer.
His lips brush against her hair as he forms the words without sound: Love you, Veronica.
•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
VERONICA MARS
10:00PM SHO ch: 340 60min 2009 TV-MA
In Loco Parentis
Duncan's custody hearing.
Veronica: Kristen Bell. Logan: Jason Dohring.
Keith: Enrico Colantoni. Duncan 2.0: Chris
Carmack. Attorney Allen: Jeff Austin. Judge
Ferris: Don Worley. Celeste Kane: Lisa
Thornhill. Jake Kane: Kyle Secor. Lizzie
Manning: Anastasia Baranova. Duncan's
Attorney: James Patrick Stuart. Bailiff:
Thomas Nelson Webb. Intrepid Reporter:
Vincent Spano. Man: Trev Tommasi.
Kavner: Eric Bana.
•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
ONE HUNDRED SIXTEEN: "IN LOCO PARENTIS"
Fri. 3/20/09 morning: Balboa County Courthouse, Neptune, CA
Veronica, Logan, and Keith sit directly behind Duncan, who leans over to whisper something in the ear of this attorney. Duncan glances over his shoulder at them and acknowledges Veronica's smile of encouragement. Jake and Celeste Kane are seated two rows back. They steadfastly avoid looking at Veronica and the others.
The judge asks, "Mr. Allen. Have you heard from your client? It's 9:10; we have a very full docket today and need to get started."
On the other side of the room, the Mannings' attorney stands up and says, "No, your honor. I've tried to contact Mrs. Manning by cell phone with no response. I'm sorry for the inconvenience. I'm sure she'll be here momentarily."
Lizzie Manning walks in the back of the courtroom; the room begins to buzz with speculation. She makes her way to the front and sits down next to Veronica.
Duncan turns and asks her in a low voice, "Where's your mom?"
"I don't think she's coming. She called me early this morning, upset about the news that you had worked out a deal with the prosecution," Lizzie explains in a whisper. "She wanted me to lie about Grace."
"I'm glad you're not living with her, Lizzie," Veronica comments.
Lizzie sighs. "I've decided to ask the courts for custody of Grace. Duncan said he would help with my expenses and pay for my attorney."
Veronica takes her hand and squeezes it gently. "It's hard to go against your parents like that."
Lizzie nods, her eyes brimming with tears. "You can't imagine." She looks around. The whole courtroom is staring at her; she says morosely, "Everyone thinks he was doing it to me, too."
"I don't," Veronica replies.
"I want to move far away from here, somewhere where nobody knows about the Mannings and the coma-baby," she says bitterly.
"Thanks for doing this for Duncan," Veronica says softly. "And for your sisters."
The judge clears his throat before Lizzie can reply. "Mr. Allen, it appears that your client is not going to show."
A woman stands up. "May I approach, your honor?" Judge Ferris nods, and she walks to the front of the room. "As the guardian ad litem for Faith Manning, I would like to ask the court to proceed with the assignment of physical custody for the child. It's my understanding that Mr. Kane and Ms. Elizabeth Manning are able to provide evidence of the abuse that was occurring in the Manning household. That combined with the DNA evidence of the child's parentage is sufficient evidence to deny Rose Manning's request for custody. I've received reports from the foster home and the psychologists who have evaluated all the parties to this dispute. Mrs. Mannings' persistent denial of abusive behavior when confronted with the facts of her granddaughter's parentage and her refusal to accept counseling and other support from Child and Family Services indicate a severe problem. Her husband is under indictment for three counts of child endangerment and one count of unlawful sexual activity with a minor child, and yet Mrs. Manning refuses to admit that family counseling is warranted. She has said more than once that she believes the DNA testing to be fraudulent and counter to her religion."
"Yes, I've read the reports from the psychologists," the judge concurs. "Mr. Kane. We have a little latitude here in Family Court. I would like to question you." He motions that Duncan should take the witness stand.
Duncan's attorney nods encouragingly at Duncan, who stands up hesitantly and walks to the witness box. The bailiff swears him in, and Duncan takes a seat.
"Mr. Kane," Judge Ferris begins, "Tell me your impression of the situation in the Manning family. I'd like to know why you took such a drastic step as to flee the country with the child you believed to be your daughter."
Mrs. Mannings' attorney stands up. "I protest this vigorously. This is clearly inappropriate with Mrs. Manning not available to defend herself."
"If she wanted to defend herself, she could have attended the hearing today," the judge responds drily. "I can read between the lines, counselor. It's obvious to me that your client was threatening the witness with prosecution for breaking and entering, and, now that he's reached an agreement with the Balboa County District Attorney, that threat is no longer viable." He turns to Duncan and repeats, "What was your impression of the situation in the Manning family?"
"When Meg and I were dating, Mr. Manning seemed to be very controlling," Duncan begins hesitantly. "She had a strict curfew, and we had to provide a lot of details about where we were going and who we were with."
"Was that there any hint of inappropriate behavior on Mr. Mannings' part?" the judge presses. Mrs. Mannings' attorney rises and opens his mouth to object, and the judge says sternly, "Sit down, Mr. Allen."
"No," Duncan says thoughtfully. "He was very angry toward me and lectured me about God several times, but I'm sorry to say that I didn't realize what was going on."
Logan shifts uncomfortably in his seat; he remembers trying to talk to a teacher once when his father had lashed him viciously with the belt. The teacher had advised him that sometimes grownups get mad and it didn't mean that they didn't love their children. Logan had stared back, realizing that he wouldn't get any help from this quarter; Aaron had been appearing on talk shows to promote his latest movie and always held up photos of his beloved children for the cameras to shoot a close-up. The teacher was blind to Aaron's faults, and Logan had nodded and walked away, resolving not to bother asking for assistance again. He glances over at Lizzie, wondering how bad it was for her and if she had ever tried to ask for help. She catches his eye, and he looks away quickly and concentrates on Duncan, fidgeting uncomfortably in the witness chair.
Judge Ferris shuffles through some papers in front of him. "This agreement with the district attorney seems to indicate that you broke into the Mannings' house. What was the purpose of this break-in?"
Duncan's eyes light on Veronica momentarily before he focuses on the judge again. "After the bus crash, while Meg was still in a coma, her sister Lizzie approached me about Meg's laptop computer. Lizzie was concerned about the personal documents Meg had on the computer; she knew her parents would be upset and was trying to protect her sister. Lizzie and I managed to figure out Meg's password, and I was able to read her emails. She had been contacting the Department of Child and Family Services about an abused child that she was worried about. The emails implied it was a young boy, between 7 and 10, who was being abused. At first, I thought it was one of the children Meg was baby-sitting. Baby-sitting was one of the few extracurricular activities that Meg's parents approved of."
The judge makes a few notes. "So the break-in was..."
"Meg wrote that the abused child had been forced to write books of admonishments...things like 'I was bad, I deserve to be punished', over and over again. And it sounded like she had managed to get one of the journals as proof and was going to turn it over to DCFS. The emails said the child was being locked in a closet for punishment: I was worried about him, and I wanted to get that journal."
"Why not just ask her parents for the book? Or ask them to contact DCFS on your behalf?" Judge Ferris asks logically.
Veronica reflects, Why didn't we just ask Lizzie to look for the journal? We went right to covert ops mode: Duncan in his black turtleneck, breaking in when her parents were at church group...what was I thinking? Clearly, my preference is always to commit a felony. She looks back up at Duncan, who is considering the judge's question carefully. She knows he is struggling to keep her name out of his testimony if possible.
"I was the sinner who had knocked up their daughter," Duncan replies bitterly. "They weren't even allowing me to visit her and were barely civil to me."
"So you broke into their house."
"I knew where their key was hidden, so it wasn't actually....My intention was to get the journal and leave, but we—" Duncan stops short, realizing his mistake.
"We?" the judge echoes, surprised.
Veronica smiles wanly at Duncan and nods that he should go ahead. Logan grabs her hand and squeezes it, and they trade a glance. He feels the intense anxiety and nervousness emanating from her. Damn it, Duncan. Why couldn't you be more careful? Logan sighs unobtrusively, and Veronica grasps his hand a little tighter.
"My friend Veronica Mars was with me," Duncan explains reluctantly.
The courtroom buzzes with the revelation, and heads swivel to stare at Veronica. Judge Ferris bangs his gavel. "I'll clear this courtroom if necessary. I've allowed these proceedings to be open because the excessive public interest has led to false rumors and innuendoes in the press about judicial prejudice, but I can still reverse that decision." The murmur dies down.
"Mr. Kane, tell me what happened at the Manning house," the judge continues.
"We looked around for the book that Meg had mentioned. We found it in the air vent in Meg's room. Veronica looked at the writing and thought it didn't look like a little boy's writing." Duncan's eyes meet Veronica's again before he plunges ahead. "We went into Meg's sister's room. Grace. We found a stack of journals, all filled with the same sentence over and over again: 'the path to God is paved with righteousness,' and we realized that Meg was really looking for help for her sister. We heard something in the closet; Veronica found a secret door, and we found Meg's sister locked in a small space. We tried to get Grace to come with us, but she refused and said that her parents could tell if the door had been opened and would punish her. Grace said, 'I don't want to be tested. Daddy said I'm not ready.'"
The Mannings' attorney jumps to his feet and says strongly, "Objection! This is hearsay, your honor."
"Sit down, Mr. Allen. This is Family Court, not Matlock. I'll allow the testimony. I can interview Grace if there's a question about the accuracy of Mr. Kane's statements. Continue, Mr. Kane. What happened then?"
Duncan says, "The Mannings came home before we could get Grace out of there. Mr. Manning threatened us with a baseball bat and called the police. Sheriff Lamb came and arrested us."
"There's no arrest report in your file," Judge Ferris says, leafing through the paperwork.
"He put us in the squad car, drove around the corner, and let us go. I don't know why."
"Did you pursue the abuse report on Meg's sister?" the judge asks.
Duncan flushes. "No. Lamb acted like he didn't believe us. Who could we have told? When Meg died, I consulted an attorney who told us that Lamb's failure to charge us would serve to bolster Mr. Manning's custody case. And if we told what had happened, both Veronica and I would be charged with a felony, breaking and entering. The attorney advised me that the felony would count against me if I tried to get sole custody."
"It's ridiculous. You were assumed to be the natural father. You would have been granted at least shared custody," the judge explains.
"Unless I was in jail," Duncan retorts. "And I believed that any time spent with the Mannings would be harmful to my daughter. Meg had begged me not to allow them near our daughter." His voice hitches a little on the expression, 'our daughter'.
Veronica recalls those emotional consultations three years ago with the family law attorney in Los Angeles. The attorney had said there were two possibilities: the Mannings could say that Veronica and Duncan had made up the abuse story and paint Duncan as an unstable person subject to epileptic fits, or the Mannings could insist on pressing charges against the two of them for burglary. The felony charge could mean jail time, and the Mannings would be guaranteed sole custody at least until Duncan served his sentence, and, with Celeste refusing to support his petition, Duncan had convinced Veronica that it was hopeless. He was going to run, with or without her help.
Veronica had begged Duncan repeatedly to tell her dad, but they both knew her father would have insisted they let the courts decide. For Duncan, the possibility that Veronica might be convicted of a felony along with him was the final straw that convinced him to kidnap the baby and run. She had lain awake night after night trying to think of an alternate solution while Duncan pretended to accede to his parents' wishes. At last, she gave up and made sure that Duncan got away cleanly. She had always felt that the day when she said goodbye to Duncan forever was the day she became an adult and relinquished her last childish fantasy of a happily-ever-after. Somehow, even after everything that had happened—Shelly's party and all the misery of Lilly's murder and the subsequent investigation—Duncan had still represented that for her. Or at least she had thought he did.
Veronica shakes her head to clear these dark thoughts and focuses on Duncan, who looks uncomfortable and stressed on the witness stand. His attorneys had obviously told him to play down his wealth and status; Duncan looks handsome, but Veronica knows that this is probably his least expensive suit. His tie is conservative, and his hair is cut, not styled.
"So you decided to run with Faith?" Judge Ferris asks, scribbling a notation in the file.
Duncan says solemnly, "It was a bad decision, made under stress. I regret not pursuing all my legal options at the time." Duncan's attorney nods subtly; they had gone over the wording of this statement numerous times.
Attorney Allen stands up. "I'd like to question the witness, your honor."
The judge nods. "I'll allow it."
As the attorney approaches the witness stand, the room mutters approvingly. Logan hears a woman whisper, "What choice did he have? He was protecting his daughter from those creeps." Logan glances at Veronica surreptitiously; he knows she regrets what she and Duncan did, but she'll defend their intentions to the grave. Duncan's heroic grand gesture is a textbook example of Veronica's firm belief that the ends justify the means. He flashes again on Duncan trying to come to her rescue at Shelly's party—trying to rescue her from him and his depravity—and he exhales in frustration and guilt. Veronica turns to look at him, and he pretends to smile at her. He remembers how she had been completely willing to forgive him: 'I'm going to choose to think of the salt lick as one of those not real things.' But, of course, that was when she couldn't really remember the salt lick. Who knows what memories were stirred up when Klein was doing his sick therapy? Logan swallows the bile that rises in his throat and tries to pay attention to the hearing.
The Mannings' attorney paces for a while before he begins to speak. His face is disapproving and incredulous, in stark contrast to the general mood of the courtroom. "So Sheriff Lamb declined to arrest you?" Allen asks scornfully.
"Yes, that's correct."
The attorney turns to the courtroom and looks overtly skeptical. "Why would he do that?"
"I believe he intended to blackmail the Mannings," Duncan replies matter-of-factly.
The courtroom surges loudly, and the judge bangs his gravel. "Order!"
"Your story is more ridiculous all the time," the attorney observes sarcastically, and Duncan's attorney stands up to object. Allen says quickly, "Withdrawn. Mr. Kane, do you have in your possession one of the journals that you say the Mannings forced Grace to write?"
"No, of course not, we were physically escorted from the premises in handcuffs," Duncan says. "But I do have video and audio tapes that document the abuse that was going on in that household."
As the courtroom goes wild, the Mannings' attorney says in a loud voice, "Your honor, the authenticity of those recordings has been disputed. Our experts have shown that the recordings have been edited and are a complete fabrication. And the witness is not allowed to introduce physical evidence in this manner."
The judge sighs. "Mr. Allen. How many times do I have to remind you that this is Family Court? I have great latitude in accepting evidence into cases. When you are dealing with the abuse of a child, we are unlikely to have physical evidence that meets a high evidentiary standard. I believe your specialty is personal injury? I wonder about the wisdom of the Mannings in engaging you for this matter."
The attorney flushes at the judge's aspersions.
Judge Ferris continues, directing his remarks to Duncan, "Mr. Kane, how did you come into possession of this evidence?"
"It was sent to my parents anonymously," Duncan lies smoothly. Leo D'Amato had made it clear that he could not afford to substantiate the evidence when he gave it to Duncan's parents, and Duncan's attorney had been kept in the dark about the recordings' origins. "I assumed that someone was using the recordings to blackmail the Mannings, and the most likely candidate would be Sheriff Lamb."
"But you have no proof of that?" the judge asks.
Duncan shakes his head. "No. However, my attorneys have discovered a pattern of withdrawals from the Mannings' accounts that could be explained by a series of payoffs." Allen stands up angrily, and Duncan quickly says, "Of course I can't prove Lamb was blackmailing the Mannings."
"I'm going to ignore that supposition," the judge remarks. "Bailiff. Is this recorded evidence available?" The man nods. Judge Ferris rifles through the paperwork in the folder in front of him. "I assume there are expert depositions regarding the authenticity of the recordings from both parties?"
Simultaneously, the two opposing attorneys rise and says, "Yes, your honor."
"All right then. I'd like to review this evidence and the supporting paperwork in chambers. Twenty minute recess."
"Your honor...I haven't finished questioning the witness," Allen protests vigorously.
"I'll decide whether to allow this evidence. Perhaps we won't need to draw this out any further," the judge says wearily as he rises from his seat.
The bailiff says quickly, "Twenty minute recess."
The room is buzzing with rumors. Several reporters make a beeline for the pay phones in the lobby. One reporter moves to approach Veronica, and Keith preemptively puts an arm around her and says, "Not a chance, buddy." They stand to stretch their legs and walk to the side of the room to converse quietly away from eavesdroppers.
Veronica whispers to Lizzie, "Are you okay?"
Lizzie is white as a sheet. "I really don't want to testify."
Duncan's attorney overhears her and replies, "I think the judge is going to accept the recordings as evidence. It looks bad when the parent suing for custodial rights fails to appear; Mrs. Manning already has a huge strike against her. We'll move for summary judgment, and we won't need your testimony."
"I'm still going to have to testify against my dad in the...incest trial," Lizzie says shakily. "I didn't know what was going on...I couldn't stop it!" she whispers intensely.
Keith replies, "Of course you couldn't. Lizzie, your sisters need you to be strong. We'll help you, I promise."
"I still can't think of Faith as my sister. She's my niece." Lizzie adds weakly, "I just want to get away from here."
Duncan comes up to her and hugs her gently. "It's going to be okay, Lizzie. We're going to get through this. Thank you for helping me and Lilly."
Lizzie leans into him and cries softly. Veronica notices a man maneuvering in the crowd; she watches as he clicks a pen in their general direction. She turns to her dad. "Dad, that man has a camera." She nods toward the man who now appears to be looking elsewhere.
"Are you sure, Veronica?" he asks.
"It's that same pen camera we have," she explains.
Keith finds the bailiff and whispers in his ear. The bailiff nods and takes the man by the arm; he leads him back to one of the security guards, who carefully frisks the man and examines his identification. They watch as the bailiff confiscates the camera, with the man protesting loudly.
"Thank you, Veronica," Lizzie says gratefully.
"'Kane Heir Embraces Abuse Survivor,'" Logan says under his breath. "What a bunch of jackals. I remember half of these guys from my dad's trial."
"Trust Neptune to bring out the crazies," Veronica remarks.
"That's because we are the crazies," Lizzie replies bitterly. "I hate my dad. Every day there's a new article speculating about why my dad raped my sister and not me."
"Oh god, Lizzie," Veronica says sympathetically.
"Abusers don't operate according to logic," Logan says quietly. "My dad never touched my sister either."
"Are you okay, Logan?" Veronica asks with concern. "Maybe you should go home. This has to be...." She sighs loudly and concludes lamely, "I'm sure this is awful for you."
"No, I want to be here for you, Veronica," he protests. "I'll be all right. It actually feels good to see someone fighting so hard to help a child."
Veronica hears the unspoken protest that no one had fought for him. "Logan...."
Logan shakes his head, unwilling to discuss it further. "I'm staying."
Duncan excuses himself to go speak with his parents. They watch as the Kanes converse inaudibly. Celeste does not look pleased by the proceedings.
Logan nods toward Duncan's parents. "Duncan's parents aren't much better. Celeste looks like she's taken a dose of castor oil."
"They love him in their way, I guess," Veronica comments. "They just wanted a different life for Duncan, especially after Lilly died."
"Celeste is horrified of scandal," Keith adds. "I doubt she'll ever really get over this. I hope Duncan can find the strength to get through this on his own."
"I think if he gets custody he'll be okay," Veronica replies.
"We'll help him," Logan says.
Veronica looks at him in surprise; up until now, he has never declared his support for Duncan very strongly.
Logan adds more emphatically, "I'm not going to let our old jealousies define our relationship any longer." The words are difficult and scary, and irrevocably tinged with his looming insecurities, but he means it. "He's a part of our lives, Veronica. Forever. I want us to help him."
"I know. I do too," she agrees.
The bailiff announces that the judge is returning and everyone needs to take their seat. There is rampant speculation in the room as the judge walks in.
"I've reviewed the evidence. I'm convinced that there is reason to believe that the recordings are authentic." Judge Ferris looks sternly at Mr. Allen, encouraging him not to object further. He looks at Duncan's attorney. "Do you have a motion?"
The attorney stands up quickly and says, "Yes, your honor. Move for summary judgment in the case of Kane v. Manning."
"Granted. I hereby order that the custodial petition of Duncan Kane be granted."
"Objection, your honor," the Mannings' attorney protests over the murmurs of the observers in the courtroom.
"Mr. Allen. Based on the evidence I just reviewed, I'm going to encourage the district attorney to file additional abuse charges against Mrs. Manning. I'm also signing an emergency order to remove Grace Manning from her mother's custody. Elizabeth Manning?" the judge asks, looking around the court.
Lizzie stands up hesitantly. "I'm here, your honor."
"I see here that you've expressed a willingness to take temporary custody of your sister Grace. Is that true?"
"Yes, your honor."
"I'll have the Department of Child and Family Services schedule an evaluation as soon as possible so you can take on that duty. Are you prepared to be your sister's guardian, Ms. Manning?"
"I'm scared, your honor," Lizzie admits in a low voice. "I...I didn't expect this."
"You'll have the full support of this court. Have your attorney file the necessary paperwork as soon as possible. I'm counting on you, young lady."
"Thank you, your honor," Lizzie says tearfully. She sits down, and Veronica hugs her gently.
"Mr. Kane." Duncan stands up and focuses on the judge's stern face. "I'm placing a few temporary restrictions on your custody. I'm requiring you to post a $500,000 bond as a guarantee that you will not take Faith Manning out of this court's jurisdiction, and you will not leave the country for any reason without prior permission of the court. You will allow weekly supervised visitation from Mrs. Manning, assuming she is not incarcerated for her part in this tragedy. I expect that you will encourage your daughter to have a strong relationship with her half-sisters, and I will hear a report from you in six months on how you are facilitating that. You will be subject to surprise visits from the Department of Child and Family Services, and you will report to them on a regular basis until this court is satisfied that the situation is stable. And this custody order will be completely rescinded if you are convicted of any misdemeanor or felony other than a moving violation. You will complete a series of parenting classes, and I expect both you and your daughter to receive counseling on a regular basis. Is that clear?"
"Of course, your honor. Thank you, your honor," Duncan says, relieved and dazed by the judge's words.
"Good luck to you, Mr. Kane," Judge Ferris says. "I expect all parties to fulfill their responsibilities in this matter. These children have been through enough. This matter is adjourned for six months, at which time I'll hear progress reports from all the parties and the Department of Child and Family Services, and we'll consider a permanent order of custody at that time. Do not disappoint me." He bangs the gavel loudly and stomps off to his chambers.
The courtroom explodes. Mrs. Dominguez, Lilly's court-ordered social worker, pushes through the crowd and comes up to Duncan. "Congratulations, Mr. Kane. I'm so happy for you."
"Thank you, Mrs. Dominguez. I saw the report you wrote. My attorneys said they've never seen a more supportive assessment," Duncan says gratefully.
"I think you and Lilly have a wonderful relationship. Biology isn't everything, you know. Believe me," she responds strongly. "I'm going to ask to be assigned to your supervision. I'll drop off Lilly later this afternoon, Mr. Kane. I assume there won't be a problem posting the bond that the judge asked for?"
"I'll have my attorneys take care of the bond immediately. Thank you again." Duncan moves toward Keith. "Mr. Mars, I'm not sure this would have been possible without you and Veronica. Thank you for what you did. I can never repay you."
"Just love your daughter, Duncan. Follow the judge's instructions to the letter. And you and Lilly are welcome for dinner anytime," Keith replies.
Duncan laughs quietly. "You know, Mr. Mars, I need to look for a job. Do you know anyone who's hiring? I don't have much experience, and I never graduated from high school. I have a notorious past, and, as a single parent, of course I'll need flexible hours too. I'm sure that employers will be knocking themselves out to hire me," he concludes sardonically.
"Don't forget you were Student Council President," Veronica reminds him. "Go, Pirates!" She pumps her fist in a rah-rah motion. She adds sweetly, "I'm sure Mrs. Donaldson will give you a reference."
Keith smiles. "Let me think about that, Duncan."
Several security officers approach and offer to escort Duncan through the private elevator to his waiting limousine in the parking garage. Jake and Celeste Kane join him, steadfastly refusing to look at the Mars family.
Keith, Logan, and Veronica leave the courtroom and walk out of the building. When they exit the front door, they are confronted by a mass of reporters. "Mr. Echolls, can you give us a comment about your recent arrest for assault and battery?" "Ms. Mars, Peter Klein has accused you of entrapment in the Briar Hill case. Would you care to give us a comment?" "Logan!! Over here!"
Veronica grimaces at Logan, who draws her close to him. Lightbulbs flash in their faces. "Ms. Mars, is it true you were Sorokin's intended target at the Mackenzie funeral?" "Logan, have you been to visit Carrie Murray in the hospital?" "Any reaction to Duncan's stunning victory in his custody case?"
Keith mutters, "You knew they would get onto the story eventually."
"Yeah," Logan replies sarcastically. "It's been too quiet lately...almost three whole days without paparazzi."
"If the disguises aren't working any more, I want to get my regular hair back," Veronica says petulantly. She shakes her curly locks in disgust.
"Of course they knew you would be at the hearing; you were on the witness list, Veronica," her dad reminds her.
A particularly intrepid reporter shoves several others aside and pushes a newspaper in Veronica's face, despite Keith's best efforts to shield her. "Is it true that you feel responsible for Lilly Kane's murder?" he asks smarmily.
Keith says, "Veronica, no!" but she grabs the paper and helplessly examines the headline: 'Veronica Mars: "I Was Responsible For My Best Friend's Death."' The subheading reads, 'Briar Hill counselor refutes private investigator's story; releases 'guilt letter' written by Mars while attending the specialty school.'
Veronica feels nauseous as she sees a picture of Alyssa, the group therapy leader from Briar Hill. Sickened, she recognizes the words she wrote during her 'therapy'.
Logan approaches the reporter, intending to push him out of the way by force.
The reporter smiles falsely and says, "I don't think you want to do that, Mr. Echolls; don't you have an assault charge pending already?"
Fuming, Logan withdraws. "Excuse me, sir, can you let us past?" he says through clenched teeth.
"Of course. Here's my card if you want to tell your side of the story, Ms. Mars," he replies, pushing a business card toward Veronica.
Veronica is unable to move and sags against her father. "Dad," she says weakly.
"Do you have a comment, Mr. Mars? What's your reaction to the statements from Peter Klein and Alyssa Catano that your daughter suffered a nervous breakdown while you were trying to falsify evidence about the school for your client, Stephanie Denenberg? A 'witch hunt perpetrated by bottom-feeders' was the phrase that Klein used."
Keith gapes at the preposterous insinuation. He recovers and says, "No comment."
"Ms. Mars, how does it feel to have your personal revelations in therapy splashed across the front page? Peter Klein said this morning that he felt you might be a danger to yourself."
Veronica's eyes well up with tears, and she whispers, "No comment." Frightened, she glances at Logan's infuriated face.
He meets her eyes intensely, and, for a split second, she swears she can hear his impassioned thoughts: 'Go get 'em, bobcat. You can do it.'
Veronica breathes in and draws herself up to her maximum height; in a firm, loud voice, she stares directly in the reporter's eyes and states, "No comment at this time." Cameras click all around her, and she forces herself not to flinch. Out of the corner of her eye, she sees Logan's mouth twitching in a slight smile at her courage. "Excuse us, please," she says haughtily.
Keith practically scoops her off her feet and forces his way through the reporters, with Logan close behind. Kavner shows up and helps them push their way through the crowd to Veronica's Saturn. Keith unlocks the doors and helps Veronica and Logan get into the backseat and walks around to the driver's side. A young man is leaning against the driver's door.
"Excuse me, do you mind?" Keith asks impatiently.
"Keith Mars?" the man asks. When Keith nods without thinking, the man pushes a thick envelope in Keith's hand and says, "You've been served." He walks away nonchalantly without a second glance. Keith sighs. He withdraws a bundle of papers; it's a countersuit from Peter Klein. He gets in the car and locks the door.
In the back seat, Logan is cuddling Veronica, who has given up trying not to cry. He asks, "Who was that?"
"Nothing," Keith lies smoothly. "Let's get out of here." They head for the freeway to Los Angeles, with Kavner and his partner trailing behind in another vehicle. A few audacious paparazzi try to tail them, but Kavner maneuvers his vehicle in front of them, and Keith hits the accelerator and leaves the journalists far behind.
•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
VERONICA MARS
10:00PM SHO ch: 340 60min 2009 TV-MA
Change Walks Up And Punches You In the Face
Wallace does some sleuthing; Logan, Veronica, and
Keith head to LA; Mac's back in the mix.
Veronica: Kristen Bell. Logan: Jason Dohring.
Keith: Enrico Colantoni. Mac: Tina Majorino.
Wallace: Percy Daggs III. Wilson: Adam Gorelick.
Mrs. Brunswick: Debra Mooney. Guard: Emiliano
Diéz. Principal Lindsay: Barry Wiggins.
•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
ONE HUNDRED SEVENTEEN: "CHANGE WALKS UP AND PUNCHES YOU IN THE FACE"
Fri. 3/20/09 late morning: Pan High School, Pan, CA
In the parking lot of Pan High, Wallace hoists the book bag on his shoulder. He checks his watch: 11:25am. He waits patiently, assuming that an early lunch period is probably about to begin. Wallace adjusts the baseball cap worn backward on his head; he looks down at the blue and white Pan High sweatshirt he scored at a thrift shop in town and hopes he's blending, and not obviously trying too hard. A bell rings, and a few students make their way into the parking lot. Wallace goes against the flow and walks into the school. Most of the students head toward the cafeteria, but Wallace walks into the library.
The librarian's desk displays a sign, 'Mrs. Brunswick'. Wallace walks up nonchalantly and asks, "Mrs. Brunswick? I'm doing a project for English, and I was wondering if you have old Pan High yearbooks."
"Of course...uh...." she replies, searching for a name.
"Michael," Wallace says helpfully, with a smile.
"Michael, that's right," Mrs. Brunswick agrees happily. She leads Wallace to a section in the library and points. "Organized by year. Let me know if you need any more help."
"Thanks." He takes the yearbooks for 2005 and 2006 from the shelf and sits down at a nearby table. He compares the yearbook entries to the photo of the Fitzpatrick crony observed by Weevil. After a few minutes, Wallace becomes aware that a student is staring at him. Be cool, sodapop, he thinks. What would Veronica do? He pretends to continue turning pages for a while, then stands up and takes the yearbooks to another part of the library.
The boy follows him, now overtly staring. The student suddenly turns around and walks up to the librarian; they have a whispered discussion, both turning to look at Wallace. The student walks out of the library after a final look over his shoulder at Wallace.
Wallace decides to cut his losses; he closes the yearbooks and returns them to the shelf, studiously avoiding looking at the librarian. As he walks out of the library, he is stopped by a security guard. "Will you come with me, sir?"
"What's the problem, yo?" Wallace says nonchalantly.
"Don't make any trouble," the guard replies. He takes Wallace's arm and escorts him to the principal's office, where the student is speaking to a man wearing a tie and a serious expression.
"I'm Principal Lindsay. I don't believe we've met," the man says drily. "Do you have some ID?"
Wallace sheepishly removes his wallet and hands his Hearst College ID and his driver's license to the principal. "I'm doing a project for my sociology course at Hearst," he explains lamely. "Delinquency trends of high school boys. It was important not to identify myself as a researcher to avoid bias in the study."
"Really," the principal says dubiously.
"He's Wallace Fennel, isn't he?" the student says excitedly. "I knew it. Don't you remember when Neptune stole our goat? Fennel was the star of the Neptune basketball team."
"Okay, Wilson, we've got it from here. Go back to the library please." To Wallace, he says, "Aren't you a little old for high school pranks?"
Wallace stares back, completely at a loss for an answer. He finally mumbles, "Like I said, it's a sociology project. I'm too well-known at Neptune High; I couldn't—"
The security guard interrupts. "I don't believe it."
"Mr. Fennel, there are signs clearly posted that explain that visitors must register in the office." The principal points at a sign visible through the door of the office.
Wallace sighs. He pulls out his wallet again and gives a Mars Investigations business card to the principal. "I'm working for Mars Investigations. We're trying to identify a suspect who is involved with a recent murder in Neptune. Would you be willing to look at a photo for me?"
"A private detective?" the principal says sharply. He leans out the doorway and says, "Call the police. This young man is trespassing, and I want him arrested."
"Listen, I'll leave; there's no need to call the police," Wallace protests.
The principal ignores him. To the security guard, he says, "Take him to Mrs. Barth's office and keep him there until the police arrive. Don't let him talk to anyone."
The guard looks at Wallace sternly. Wallace stands up, abashed, and goes with the guard to an empty office. They pass by Wilson, who is pointing at Wallace and obviously making the most of his fifteen seconds of fame.
Wallace thinks morosely, So much for not taking any chances. Keith's going kill me.
Fri. 3/20/09 late morning: Neptune, CA to Los Angeles, CA
Keith pilots the Saturn toward Los Angeles as Veronica weeps against Logan's shoulder in the backseat. When her tears subside, Logan pries the newspaper out of her hands and reads the article.
They make a few dispirited comments about Duncan's success at the hearing, but they soon lapse into silence. Veronica seems to be lost in thought.
Logan keeps thinking about the article; the quotations are muddled in his brain, confused with his memories of junior year and all the anger and spite that seemed to rule his world at the time. But above all, he feels sick at the evidence that she had been desperately using real life feelings to put off her inquisitors at the school. Why couldn't Keith see that she was having trouble? Dammit, if only they had listened to me and pulled her out. And then...while all this was going on, I lost my shit. I was glaring at her—upset with her when she was fiercely trying to hold them off.
She had been so confident that she would be able to masquerade as a rebellious teenager before the mission. Now, he can't even think about how foolish they had been. He strokes her shoulder absently as he wishes he could have somehow been more supportive during the mission. The thought that keeps returning is I wish I could have talked to her while it was going on. During their brief moments of contact, they had both been unable to really talk about what had been happening. It's not like the old Veronica Mars would ever tell you when she was scared. And...I still don't even understand how I was feeling. I remember...I remember being mad at her. What the hell? How could I have been such an idiot? I should have realized...it was a call for help.
She reads his mind again. "Logan...I'm sorry I used Lilly at the school."
"Hey, it's okay, Veronica, shh," he says quietly. He notices Keith's eyes on him in the rear view mirror.
"I'm so sorry. I have to tell you," she protests. "I didn't mean to."
"Veronica," Keith says, frowning at Logan in the mirror.
"You know, we have to talk about this," she says, struggling to sit up. "We have to discuss it."
"We don't have to discuss it today; we've had enough upsetting things happen today," Keith says firmly.
"Dad. I need to tell Logan something." She scoffs. "You're not going to be happy either. You guys have been so upset with me for all the chances I took...." she begins.
Keith exchanges another glance with Logan but says nothing.
"Junior year. When Ms. James got the grant to study the long-term effects of grief in adolescents...." She averts her eyes from Logan. "I bugged her office."
Logan tenses. Veronica was listening?
"Say something!" she begs him. "Tell me I'm an ass. Say what you always say, that I always take ridiculous chances."
Keith clears his throat. "You did this because...?"
"I wanted to hear what people were thinking about Lilly. I thought...Dad, you know we were struggling to make sense of the evidence," Veronica explains.
"Did you listen to me?" Logan interjects in a quiet, flat voice.
She bites her lip, obviously anxious; she nods slightly, and he exhales audibly.
Logan says faintly, "So you heard me say...you heard me say that I blamed you for Lilly's death." He remembers: 'If she hadn't ratted me out… then Lilly and I would have stayed together. And Lilly wouldn't have been alone that day. I would have been there....Yeah, I blame Veronica.'
Veronica mumbles, "Yeah." A little louder, she adds, "I'm so sorry...it's was really wrong of me to listen into your private conversations."
"It was bullshit," he says bitterly, and Veronica looks stricken, thinking he means her behavior. He clarifies quickly, "No...I mean, what I told Ms. James: it was bullshit."
"What? No, Logan, you were right, I knew how Lilly would react, and I knew you loved her, and you would never hurt her, and I never should have—" she babbles.
"It was bull, okay? I was angry at everyone. Angry at everything, don't you get it? I felt guilty, and I was blaming everyone, you, your dad, Lilly, Duncan for..." He sighs in frustration. "I didn't even understand how I felt. I still don't, Veronica. Lilly made me angry. She used me, and I let her treat me like crap. I thought it was what I deserved, I guess." And after Lilly died, I was angry at you, all the time. That was why I let you get— He can't even think it; he refuses to think it. But the remembered rage feels suddenly close at hand, just barely concealed beneath the surface. He tries to focus a little. Veronica is trying to tell me something. "Veronica, you said...you said you didn't mean to talk about Lilly at Briar Hill. Did something happen...that we didn't know about?"
She rushes to explain, and he realizes she's been holding back something she needed to say, trying not to upset him...until now. "I slipped up. I was distracted—it was on the hike, right after they hurt my shoulder—I accidentally said I was thinking about all the people I'd hurt. The night I'd had a terrible nightmare about you; you were telling me you were sick of me using all the people around me." She swallows; even saying it aloud hurts.
Logan stares at her. Of course she was having nightmares; she'd been having them before we even left. "I said that in your nightmare?" Fuck.
Veronica looks away. "It was...it was kind of what Klein and Alyssa were saying all the time; they were drumming it into me constantly, that I was a user and.... After Maria hurt my shoulder, they took us on that hike. I was hurting so much; every step was agony, and I was just trying to make it through. I didn't want to give up—I was furious at Klein for having Maria hurt me like that, and I wanted him to go down hard for what he was doing. But they wouldn't let up. I was flustered, and I couldn't think of any of the stories we had prepared. Before I knew it, I started talking about my best friend who had died." She glances at him helplessly. "I'm so sorry, I know I shouldn't have."
Keith recovers his voice. "Veronica, it's okay. They were stressing you. You were injured! We're not mad about anything that happened during the undercover operation. Veronica, you did an incredible job."
"I'm not mad," Logan concurs. "Please, Veronica, believe me. You don't have to explain."
"I wouldn't blame you guys if you never trusted me again," she says wretchedly, resuming her stare out the window. "Now the whole world will be dredging up everything about Lilly again....Logan, I'm so sorry for everything, for talking about Lilly at Briar Hill, for bugging Ms. James. I never think what my actions do to everyone else."
He takes her hand and strokes it gently with his thumb. "It's all right, Veronica. I'm glad you heard me with Ms. James if it helped you to figure out what happened to Lilly."
She stares at him in disbelief. "You're glad I figured out that your dad killed her? Wouldn't we all have been better off if Abel Koontz had taken the rap?"
"You don't mean that!" Keith says, shocked.
At the same time, Logan says viciously, "Fuck no, we wouldn't have been better off! My dad deserved to be executed. My only regret is that he didn't suffer enough. If I'd had the balls, I would have killed him myself."
Veronica is speechless.
Logan continues, trying perceptibly to calm himself, "Veronica, you are not allowed to feel bad about investigating Lilly's murder. He drove my mother to an early grave. He killed my girlfriend. I could never forgive him, and he would have gotten away with all of it if you hadn't investigated. I hated him for what he did, Veronica."
"But he was your dad," she protests quietly.
"And Stewart Manning was Meg's dad! What's your point?" he says with more heat than he intends.
She sucks in her breath. "Oh god, I'm sorry, Logan."
They lapse into strained silence again.
Logan finally mutters, "Damn it. This is why we never talk about it."
Keith's brow creases with additional worry. He says, "We need to get gas," and takes the next exit off the highway, pulling into the first gas station. Keith extracts his wallet and hands Logan some cash. "Can you fill up the tank? I need to make a phone call."
Logan exits the Saturn and prepays for the gas. As he fills the tank, Veronica watches her dad talking on his cell phone. Her dad had taken the precaution of yet another prepaid, disposable cell phone and had cleaned out the petty cash from the office safe to pay for all their expenses. Keith hadn't needed to explain to her that if they were truly tracking an FBI agent, they would have to conceal their movements. She triggers the switch and lowers her window. Keith is pacing, holding the phone tensely about twenty feet away from the car, with the conversation inaudible but obviously upsetting. Suddenly, Keith raises his voice. "Jim, there's got to be something we can do. She can't handle much more of this, and frankly neither can I." She realizes he's speaking to Epstein, searching for something to counteract the publicity being given out by the Briar Hill representatives.
Logan is staring off into space, barely paying attention as the gas pump clicks off the gallons. Veronica reaches over the seat and grabs the envelope laying on the passenger seat; she extracts the papers and reads, 'Civil Complaint, Peter Klein et al. v. Keith Mars and Veronica Mars.' The causes of action listed are property damage, false arrest, defamation, fraud, breach of contract, and civil harassment, and Klein is asserting fifteen million dollars in damages due to their actions. Gee, why not throw in loss of consortium while you're at it? she thinks in disgust. She replaces the paperwork in the envelope, reflecting that fifteen million dollars would far exceed their personal liability coverage, not to mention that she and her dad would probably lose their PI licenses if the suit is successful.
I need to be strong, she thinks suddenly. We can't afford all this moping around. Her dad starts to walk back to the car, and she's struck by his haggard appearance. I'm not the only one who's exhausted.
Logan opens the side door, and she suggests, "Logan, why don't you drive for a while? I think Dad could use a nap."
He looks surprised but nods his agreement. She extends her hand, and Logan helps her crawl out and get settled in the passenger seat up front.
Keith puts his hand on the handle of the driver's door, and Logan says, "Okay if I drive? Maybe you could stretch out on the back seat and rest for a while."
Keith is about to protest when he notices Veronica's expression. She says, "Please, Dad. I'm going to need you at full strength."
He nods reluctantly and gets in the back as Logan takes the wheel. Logan pulls out into traffic and heads for the on-ramp to the freeway. Veronica reaches over the seat. "The cell phone, Dad. I want to check in with Kavner."
"Speed-dial, two, honey," he says as he hands it over. Keith passes a hand over his eyes. "You know, I think I will lie down for a while."
"Lots of traffic ahead," Logan comments. "Of course, it wouldn't be L.A. without traffic."
Veronica mutters into the phone, and Logan zones out as they move slowly down the freeway. He tries to remember what else he had said to Ms. James that day. He recalls being upset about the paparazzi and the stories about his dad cheating more than anything; he had really let loose at Becky—for once being honest about his feelings and admitting that life really wasn't worth living. He glances over at Veronica, who has terminated the call and has resumed staring out the window.
Veronica turns and says quietly, "I thought you'd be more upset with me. You know, for bugging Ms. James."
"I knew you were investigating," he replies. "You'd been asking questions."
"I'm sorry I wasn't a better friend to you," she offers.
"What do you mean?" he says, puzzled.
"You know, I shouldn't have...ratted you out to her." She looks into the backseat at her dad, who appears to be sleeping already. "And I should have taken your feelings into consideration about my dad investigating when everyone was already so upset about Lilly dying."
"No, you don't get to say that. I mean, I wish you hadn't told Lilly...but, Veronica—" He sighs deeply. "You know that I was the one spreading rumors about you, the one who turned everyone against you. You didn't do anything to deserve that." You didn't deserve the way I treated you.
"I could have—"
"No, you couldn't. You couldn't go against your dad. He was doing his job. And if the Kanes hadn't lied, maybe...." He looks at her. "Lots of maybes."
"We can't change anything," she said morosely.
"Except maybe how we feel about it. Do you think...do you think we would have ended up together if...." He can't quite complete the question, but she hears him just the same: if Lilly hadn't died.
She doesn't answer. After a pause, she says, "I meant what I said yesterday. I need you, Logan. I want to find a way to be together and have both of us be happy."
"I know, I do too. Veronica, I swear to you I'm not upset about anything you said or did while we were at the school. While we were there, I was...I couldn't handle it. It was too hard for me, to restrain you, to watch you be in danger like that. You know how I am, how hard it is for me to know that you're doing risky things, scary things. I thought it would be worse to imagine what was going on, but it wasn't. I couldn't handle playing a part like that. It's not like acting...I don't know what it's like, but I know I thought I was losing my mind. Sometimes I reacted to you—to the role you were playing, and I shouldn't have."
She takes a breath, and he knows she's going to apologize again. He rushes in, "Veronica, it was my decision to go undercover. I don't want to be upset about the decisions we made anymore. I have to say...I'm hating how much you're afraid right now. I want my old Veronica back, who rushed into danger and wasn't scared of anything. I want to argue with you again about taking chances. That's the Veronica I fell in love with. It scares me when you back down from snarking with Dick."
Veronica looks at him, stunned. "I thought you guys were....All you've been saying is how foolish I've been."
"Yeah, well, I guess I'm okay with you being foolish sometimes. Veronica playing it safe is a lot scarier. And sometimes Dick needs to be slapped down. Full-contact beer pong for Mac's welcome-home party, are you kidding me?"
She exhales and then suddenly laughs under her breath.
He looks at her and grins. "I mean it, Veronica."
"Okay, in the spirit of full disclosure, there was also the time I activated the tracking device in your cell phone."
"I wouldn't have it any other way," he says mock-seriously. "Any other surveillance I need to be aware of?"
"I think that's it," she replies, pretending to think about it. "Can I get back to you on that?"
"I was proud of you at the courthouse, Veronica. You didn't let the paparazzi see you react, and I know that was hard," Logan says. "We're going to get through this." Please...please let us get through this...let her forgive me for.... He stutters a little, saying, "W-we...we still have to figure some stuff out, but—"
"No, you're right. I don't want to be afraid anymore. We are going to figure it out."
In the backseat, Keith smiles slightly, keeping his eyes tightly closed as he pretends to sleep.
Fri. 3/20/09 late morning: Somewhere in the United States
Mac opens her eyes. My head hurts like a motherFRAKker, she thinks, closing her eyes again to counteract the throbbing pain. She licks her lips; she is unbelievably thirsty. I'd kill for a glass of water. She tries to sit up, and she remembers.
Her arms have fallen asleep, tied behind her back. She wriggles her fingers, trying to get the blood to flow. The room is dark; she hears the murmur of voices from next door. She tries to listen closely.
"What do you mean, you lost them after the hearing?! Are they still in Neptune? FUCK!" The voice quiets down, and she is unable to distinguish any more words.
•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
VERONICA MARS
10:00PM SHO ch: 340 60min 2009 TV-MA
Running Around in Circles
Leo's investigation; Weevil rescues Wallace;
Keith, Logan, and Veronica compare notes
with Mike Fields; a lead in Kendall's murder
investigation.
Veronica: Kristen Bell. Logan: Jason Dohring.
Keith: Enrico Colantoni. Eli: Francis Capra.
Wallace: Percy Daggs III. Leo: Max Greenfield.
Dr. Friedman: Lorraine Bracco. Mike Fields:
Michael Trucco. Sacks: Brandon Hillock.
Officer #1: James Martin Kelly. Officer #2:
Tom Yi.
•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
ONE HUNDRED EIGHTEEN: "RUNNING AROUND IN CIRCLES"
Fri. 3/20/09 late morning: Neptune Sheriff's Department, Neptune, CA
Leo puts his head in his hands and sighs. There hasn't been a single break in the case. Griffith's wife swore repeatedly that, to her knowledge, her husband was running a legitimate plastic surgery business and that she had never seen her husband even talking to one of the Fitzpatricks. The Griffiths were on vacation with their then four-month-old baby in Cabo San Lucas over the Martin Luther King Day holiday; they had cut their trip short when the news of Hannah's murder broke. A quick check with the Mexican hotel and Griffith's credit card company seemed to confirm the story.
Mrs. Griffith claimed to have no idea where her husband would run to. She said she had never seen Kendall Casablancas before and had never even heard of her. Mrs. Griffith had only moved to Neptune a year and a half ago, long after Richard Casablancas had dominated the front pages of the newspaper and his son had taken off a header off the Neptune Grand Hotel roof. When questioned about her husband's alibi the night of Kendall's murder, she had said that she was pretty sure he was home with her that night, but she was unable to offer any proof. Leo had pressed her about the money laundering at the medical practice, but she appeared to be ignorant of her husband's business dealings.
Mrs. Griffith had admitted that her relationship with her husband had been extremely tense recently, although she attributed the stress to Hannah's murder. Leo had hinted that perhaps her husband knew more about his daughter's murder than he had let on to the press. She had stared at him uncomprehendingly before telling him that he was crazy. After several hours of questioning and with no evidence to press charges, Leo had been forced to let her go. But he notes that she seems to be pondering something, and he makes a mental note to question her again after she's had a chance to process all the information.
Griffith's clean getaway seemed to indicate that he had had his escape planned; above all, he would need money and transportation. Leo muses whether a doctor can do plastic surgery on himself before dismissing the thought as ridiculous. But he realizes, at the very least, Griffith would be cognizant of how to make small changes that would alter his appearance drastically.
One of Griffith's neighbors, several blocks away, had recalled a taxi in the area around the time that Griffith ran, and one of the deputies is going through the tedious process of examining all the local cab companies' call sheets. Other than the neighbor who occasionally baby-sat for Griffith's baby, Griffith seemed to have no friends in the neighborhood. He had bought the house when he remarried and had kept a low profile; several neighbors mentioned that he had turned down invitations to holiday get-togethers.
"Sheriff?" Sacks asks, knocking lightly on the half-open door. "They found Fillipelli's car. It was abandoned at a rest area on the I-8, heading toward Phoenix. Near Yuma, Arizona."
"Any signs of foul play in the vehicle?" Leo replies, recalling Keith's observation that Griffith's office manager probably wouldn't be found alive.
"Nope. The car was clean. I got the locals in Yuma checking all the area hotels," Sacks says. "'Course...Yuma's pretty close to the Mexican border."
"Right," Leo concurs. "Send a request to–"
"The Border Patrol...already did, Sheriff. I spoke to the Chief Patrol Agent of the Yuma Sector. And Sheriff...Deputy Clark picked up Bridget Mulvaney. She's waiting for you in interrogation."
"Let her sweat for a little longer," Leo instructs. "I'll speak to her in a while."
Sacks leaves, shutting the door behind him. Leo thinks about the sequence of events last night. Someone found out about the arrest warrants and immediately called to warn the Fitzpatricks and Griffith. From the phone records, it looks like no one called to warn Fillipelli; I think someone was sent to make her disappear before we could arrest her. Griffith is involved enough that whoever is pulling the strings can't afford to have him arrested. But it looks like Griffith got away cleanly; the Fitzpatricks aren't known for their compassion, and have on more than occasion cleaned up a problem with murder. That means...Griffith has some kind of insurance policy—something that is preventing the Fitzpatricks from dropping him with a bullet.
Fri. 3/20/09 late morning: Pan Sheriff's Department, Pan, CA
Weevil parks his motorcycle and enters the nondescript building housing the Pan Sheriff's Department. He spots Wallace waiting on a bench behind the counter partitioning the room. Weevil approaches the desk clerk. "I'm here for Wallace Fennel."
"One hundred dollars and your friend is free to go," the clerk replies.
Weevil takes out his wallet and hands over the cash. The clerk nods to Wallace, who stands up and walks through the swinging gate that the clerk holds for him.
"Thanks, man," Wallace says.
"A ticket for trespassing? You're lucky I've got a hundred dollars to spare," Weevil replies.
"I was lucky all the way around. They said they could charge it as a felony since I trespassed on school grounds, but they talked to somebody at the Neptune Sheriff's Department who said I didn't have a record. So they charged it as simple trespass and wrote a ticket."
"Don't you have a credit card?" Weevil snipes. "Not that I'm not happy to bail you out, chilito."
"Uh, I know what that means, and a viente, amigo. My mom sees the bills. No way am I using my credit card. And you know I couldn't call Candice," Wallace says emphatically. "I'll pay you back. I'm sure Mr. Mars will reimburse me when they get back to Neptune."
"You know, Veronica did this shit all the time and never got in trouble."
"I know."
"Did you try tilting your head?" Weevil asks, demonstrating. "It always worked for her."
Wallace rolls his eyes. They exit the building, and Wallace stops short. He turns to Weevil and says incredulously, "You came on your bike?"
"Yeah. I'm sorry, but the limo was in the shop," Weevil retorts sarcastically.
Wallace looks at Weevil. "Maybe I should call a cab."
"Just keep your hands above the equator, and you won't lose them. You said you left your car in the visitors' lot at Pan High?"
"Yeah."
"That's just a couple miles from here. And I don't know what you're worried about; I'm the one whose reputation would be ruined. Your stock could only go up," he snorts. "Do you want to tell me what you were doing at Pan High?"
"I was looking for that kid you saw with the Fitzpatricks. Remember? Veronica said she thought she remembered him, maybe from here."
"Right...or from Java the Hut, or Gameland, whatever the fuck that is," Weevil recalls.
"Yeah, I was trying to find him in the yearbooks in the school library," Wallace says.
"You know, I think there's an easier way," Weevil muses. Wallace raises his eyebrows, and Weevil explains. "Rest Stop 15. If this dude is from Pan High and he's doing anything illegal, my homies at Rest Stop 15 will know about it."
Fri. 3/20/09 noon: Mike Fields' apartment, Los Angeles, CA
Mike Fields greets them at the door of his apartment. He shakes Keith's hand and brushes his lips against Veronica's cheek, lingering for just a moment too long. He nods brusquely at Logan. "Come on in."
Logan notes that Veronica has plastered a smile on her face. She doesn't want him to see that she's hurting. He resolves to let her and Keith take the lead; any tension between him and Mike isn't going to help anything. He sits off to the side and keeps quiet as Keith and Veronica take a seat on the couch.
"How are you feeling?" Mike asks with concern.
"It's nothing," Veronica says dismissively. "Surgery and physical therapy will fix me right up."
"You look tired, Veronica." Mike glances at Logan and returns his gaze to Veronica and Keith. "You all look tired...and upset."
"It's been hectic lately," Keith explains. "But we'll be fine. I'm sorry we haven't been in touch."
"Yeah, I heard something about the Neptune Sheriff filing a request for information on the operation in Vermont—something about an alibi. I talked to Agent Lynley; he filled me in on some of the details." Mike stares at Veronica. "He's very impressed with you, Veronica."
She blushes under his scrutiny and quickly changes the topic. "Mike, we were hoping you had been able to investigate Mac's list of the agents who had accessed the Slasher files."
Mike pushes a stapled sheaf of papers to her; about half the names are crossed out. "I began by checking the names on the list to see if they were on duty during the time when Hannah was killed. I was able to eliminate about half the agents. Then I had to hand the list over to Alan Sheffield."
Veronica asks, "Who's—?"
"He's Mac's handler. As I told your dad, Mac found out that the FBI believed the bombing wasn't related to the work she did on the Russian identity theft scheme, and she told Alan about the snooping she'd been doing in the FBI files on the Slasher case."
Veronica queries, "You mean Mac thought whoever killed Hannah was trying to get to her because she'd been investigating the copycat murderer?"
"That, or to you through her. Mac wanted the whole funeral scenario to be canceled in case someone had been alerted by her hacking into the databases. Alan was dubious, but I believe he took the precaution of reassigning any agents from the list to other duties the day of the funeral. We went through the timeline, and it did look possible that someone was reacting either to what Mac and I were doing here or to what you were doing in Vermont. I had been checking on alibis on my end, and you had been stirring up things at the school; then late Sunday night, someone bombed the Mackenzie house. But of course we know now that the bombing was unrelated."
Keith nods. "Right. So you haven't done anything more on the project?" Keith asks.
"No. I was suspended and reprimanded, and my passwords were deleted," Mike explains. "I don't have access to the databases anymore. Except...I did spend some time on my own researching connections to the Briar Hill people."
"And?" Veronica prompts.
"I didn't find anything on anyone employed by the school. But the FBI Serial Killer Task Force did brief the California Assembly's Public Safety Committee last September. And Vincenzo Frazzino is the chair of that committee. I was able to confirm that he was present in the Assembly that day for a roll call vote."
"Can we get a transcript of that briefing?" Veronica asks her dad. "I know the Assembly posts a lot of the debates on their website."
"Doubt it," Keith says dubiously. "I'm sure if they were discussing open criminal cases, it was a closed session." He looks at Veronica curiously. "You really think Frazzino had something to do with this?"
"No," Logan interjects, breaking his silence. "No way. I'm sure it was the Fitzpatricks."
Mike looks at him quizzically. "Who?"
Veronica explains, "You know, the Neptune local crime boss, Liam Fitzpatrick. He was in business with Hannah Griffith's father. Last night, we gave the sheriff evidence that the Fitzpatricks were laundering money through the good doctor's medical practice."
"And Dr. Griffith was seen with a Fitzpatrick accomplice, Kendall Casablancas, who got murdered on March 11," Keith explains.
Mike huffs in frustration. "You guys are leaving this alone, right? We're talking organized crime, racketeering, a serial killer, and apparently a corrupt agent. This doctor sounds like he has a lot to lose to. I remember this Fitzpatrick character now; he was a total psycho. You've got to take this to the authorities; you don't have a choice anymore."
"And if the person we talk to is the dirty agent?" Veronica asks.
"You need to leave it alone, Veronica," Mike says firmly.
Annoyed, she replies, "No, we're not leaving it alone. We won't be safe as long as they're on the loose."
"You're impossible, Veronica," Mike says in frustration. He turns to Keith and adds, "Can't you talk some sense into her?"
His words hit Veronica hard; she looks forlorn for a moment before she recovers. She struggles to maintain her composure. Finally she breathes out, and whispers intensely, "Hello? I'm right here." Her voice slowly gathers strength. "You don't need to talk sense into me. It's been made clear to me how much it hurts the people who love me when I do things without their knowledge and take too many risks. So we're sharing everything, and we're proceeding cautiously. We've got protection—there are two guards surveilling us. We're being careful."
"You always said that, Veronica," Mike replies. "Right before you went off half-cocked!"
Keith protests, "Mike!" He glances at his daughter, who flinches reflexively at the accusation.
God, did I sound like that? Logan thinks. "Geez, cut her some slack," he says aloud, trying hard not to react. "Like she said, we're working together on this."
Mike sneers, "Oh, great, the amateur weighs in. Good job protecting her at the school. What's the final tally, a dislocated shoulder and a kidney infection?"
"Oh, this was a really bad idea, Veronica. I don't know why you thought this FBI flunky had any information at all," Logan says bitterly, his fists clenched at his sides.
Keith looks sternly at Logan and says, "Enough. Let me handle—"
"Damn it!" Veronica swears suddenly. "This isn't helping." She throws a look at Logan, who is resisting every instinct to beat the crap out of this guy. "Mike, I know you think we should leave it alone. But...if we don't...can you think of anything that would help?"
"This is too big for private investigators, Veronica. I really think—"
"Mike," she says quietly. "We can't just hide from the Fitzpatricks for the rest of our lives."
He sighs and nods slightly in resignation. "What about Mac's handler? He probably was making discreet inquiries about the names on that list. At least talk to him."
"What's his name again?" Keith asks.
"Alan Sheffield. I'll get his number for you." Mike walks into the other room.
"Well, you got your wish," Veronica comments wryly to Logan.
"What are you talking about?" he asks, puzzled.
"Mike was arguing with me about taking chances. Right? Like you said you wanted to?"
"I think that's my job," he replies. "He's overstepping."
Veronica flashes him a wan smile as Mike comes back in.
"Here's Alan's cell phone number," Mike says, studiously avoiding looking at Logan.
"There's one other thing we could use your help on," Keith says. "These are two men who have been seen with the Fitzpatricks lately. We haven't been able to identify them." He gives Mike copies of Weevil's surveillance photos.
"I've never seen them," Mike comments, scanning the pictures.
"Is there any chance you can run them through the FBI's Facial Recognition Database?" Veronica asks hopefully.
"If my reinstatement comes through...maybe on Monday. You say these guys are involved with the Fitzpatricks?"
"Do you have any other ideas how to trace them? I have this sense that I should know this guy," Veronica says, tapping the photo of the younger man.
"You're not going to leave this alone, are you, Veronica?" Mike says.
"No," Veronica replies. "We can't."
Mike nods in defeat. "I'll get one of my buddies to run these photos for me, see if anything turns up. I'll call in some favors."
Keith stands up, and Mike escorts them to the door. Veronica turns and hugs him. "Thanks, Mike. I'm so sorry about your suspension. I promise you, I'll make it up to you someday."
"Just stay alive until then, okay? I'll do what I can on my end," he says morosely. Mike extends his hand to Logan tentatively. "I'm sorry, man. I know you helped a lot in Vermont. Lynley said it was a tough situation all the way around."
"Thanks," Logan replies, taking his hand. "I promise I'll take care of her."
"Yeah. That'd be good," he says. As he shuts the door, Mike's eyes meet Veronica's again. She is startled by the longing she sees in them.
As soon as they get in the car, Keith calls the phone number and leaves a message asking Agent Sheffield to call him as soon as possible.
Fri. 3/20/09 early afternoon: Rest Stop 15, near Pan, CA
Wallace leans on his mom's car waiting for Weevil, who is speaking with several rough-looking young men on the other side of the parking area. He watches as Weevil clasps hands with one of the others and bumps fists with another before returning to Wallace's vehicle. He asks impatiently, "So? Did they know the guy?"
Weevil shakes his head. "One guy thought he might have seen him around when he bought some weed from one of the Fitzpatricks last year, but he didn't know who he was."
"We're back at square one," Wallace says morosely. "I don't know how to work on this without tangling with the Fitzpatricks."
"Listen, I got to get back to Hearst."
"Thanks anyways, Weevil. I got to get going too. I have to run a background check on Oswaldo Cortez for Keith, and then I'm getting together with Candice tonight."
Weevil grabs Wallace's arm roughly. "Wait...who?"
"Oswaldo Cortez."
"Is he involved in this?" Weevil asks harshly.
"I'm not sure. Keith said he was a witness in the Kendall Casablancas case. He didn't give me the details, but I think Cortez might have been the one who told Leo about Logan's affair with Kendall. Why, do you know him?"
"He's Hector Cortez's cousin." At Wallace's blank look, he explains, "Hector took over the PCHers."
"After you—" Wallace begins.
"Yeah. After I was forced out of the gang," Weevil says harshly. He sneers, "Because Oswaldo was spying on me and Logan."
"Whoa," Wallace comments.
Weevil says, "I think I'm going to talk to Oswaldo and see what the hell is going on."
"You really think that's a good idea?"
In a mean voice, Weevil replies, "I'm not going to talk to him without help. And you know, it's about time I had this talk with him."
"Hey, at least let me call Keith and find out more about this before you do that," Wallace says. "I'll call you later and let you know what he says."
"All right," Weevil says reluctantly. He mutters, "Oswaldo...hijo de la chingada." He strides over to his motorcycle and mounts it without another look back at Wallace.
Wallace stares after him as he rides off. He pulls out his cell and leaves a message for Keith.
Fri. 3/20/09 early afternoon: Ca$hNow Pawnshop of National City, near San Diego, CA
Two officers from the San Diego Police Department are executing a search warrant in a large pawnshop. One officer notes a large number of car stereos and begins logging the serial numbers into his report. "Kenwood DNX7120," he mutters as he writes. "Serial number 805033479."
His partner looks up. "Hold on...Kenwood DNX, isn't that the stereo on the call sheet from the Neptune Sheriff's Department? The one marked urgent?"
"I'll call it in." The officer looks over the device. "Pretty sweet, combination GPS, DVD player, satellite radio. Some people got it rough, right, Jim?"
Fri. 3/20/09 afternoon: Dr. Friedman's Office, Los Angeles, CA
Outside the waiting room to Dr. Friedman's office, Veronica suddenly stops short a few feet from the door. Logan, holding her hand, is forced to stop with her. He glances at her quizzically; she shakes her head, uncertain herself why she halted.
She sighs finally and travels the last few feet, as if compelled. She notices that her hand is trembling slightly, and she pulls it from Logan's grasp, curling it into a tight fist.
The door to the doctor's treatment room is ajar; Dr. Friedman calls out, "Hello?" and walks out.
"I"m Keith Mars. Veronica's father," he adds unnecessarily, extending a hand in greeting.
"Mr. Mars, I'm Dr. Friedman." The doctor turns and says quietly, "Logan. Veronica."
"What happens now?" Veronica asks nervously, trying hard to keep her voice steady.
"I'd like to speak with Logan alone for a moment," Dr. Friedman replies.
Logan follows her into the inner office, casting a quick glance in Veronica's direction.
Dr. Friedman shuts the door and says, "Logan, I have to reiterate my objections at this time. It's completely unethical for me to treat both of you."
"I know, I understood what you said on the phone," he answers. "What if I signed something, that's it's okay if you reveal something you told me?"
"I'm not worried about you suing me. I'm worried about what's best for your mental health. You need a safe place to reveal your thoughts and emotions, even if you're feeling angry at Veronica."
Logan stares at her without speaking for a moment. "She trusts you."
"It might mean that you have to find a new therapist, if she wants to continue with me. Is that really fair to you, when you and I have been working together for almost nine months? We've barely scratched the surface of what made you run to Texas in January."
He ruffles his hair nervously. "I'm not happy about it, but I don't see a way around it. She's not the kind of person who could see just any therapist. I want her to talk to you, too." Logan says honestly, "I hate seeing her this way. We have stuff to work out, and I'm scared of how she is right now. Please. It'll be all right."
Dr. Friedman sighs. "Let's see how it goes today."
Logan leaves, and Veronica walks in hesitantly. She takes the same uncomfortable chair as the first time she was here. Dr. Friedman settles in a chair facing her. "How are you doing, Veronica?"
"I'm good," she replies automatically.
The doctor waits patiently.
Veronica says nervously, "How do we do this?"
"However you'd like. Tell me what's on your mind."
Veronica opens her mouth and closes it. I've been imagining talking to her for days, but...I can't do it. "You know, maybe this is a mistake." She rises from the chair.
"Why is it a mistake?" the doctor replies.
"Ugh. I hate when you do that," Veronica responds.
The doctor smiles. "We're just talking."
"Well, I don't know what to say."
Out in the waiting room, Keith is fidgeting. He stands up, walks to the window and looks out. "What do you think she's saying in there?" he asks suddenly. "It's good, right? It's got to be good that she's asking for help. I guess...it's just, I'll never get used to Veronica asking for help. You know what I mean?"
Logan reflects that he certainly does know what Keith means. He says obliquely, "She's still strong...you know that. Maybe it's a sign of strength that she knows she needs help."
"Okay," Keith replies. "Still...." He turns back to the window and stares at a building across the street without really focusing.
Logan realizes that Keith has been far more worried than he's been letting on for the last few days. "You know, I had an idea...something to cheer her up a little."
•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
VERONICA MARS
10:00PM SHO ch: 340 60min 2009 TV-MA
The Weak Become Heroes
Veronica talks to the therapist.
Veronica: Kristen Bell. Dr. Friedman: Lorraine Bracco.
•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
CHAPTER ONE HUNDRED NINETEEN: "THE WEAK BECOME HEROES"
Fri. 3/20/09 afternoon: Dr. Friedman's Office, Los Angeles, CA
In Dr. Friedman's office, the doctor watches as Veronica sits nervously unable to speak. "Can you tell me about what happened at the school? From the beginning?"
"Logan told you what happened, right?"
"I'd like to hear what you thought happened," Dr. Friedman says noncommittally.
"They took me in the middle of the night. I was handcuffed because I tried to run away—I was setting it up that I was resisting against them. We thought it would take too long to get the evidence we needed unless I fought back from the beginning, you see."
Dr. Friedman nods that she understands.
"So when I got there, they strip-searched me, and I resisted again, so we got 'em hurting me on video and me asking for a doctor. I stabbed Maria in the arm with a pen when they tried to make me sign voluntary commitment papers. Maria was my oldcomer, you know—"
"I know the terminology," Dr. Friedman interrupts. "Please continue."
"They sentenced me to Observation Placement for the pen incident. Then, you know, they let me out, and I had to talk with Klein, and he went over all my flaws and bad behavior."
Dr. Friedman makes a few notes, and Veronica stops talking. Friedman looks up. "I'm just keeping it straight by taking a few notes. I'm not writing anything about you."
Veronica breathes for a minute. Hesitantly, she continues. "After that we had group therapy. I was really tired; I had been up all night when they transported me to the school, and I didn't get much sleep while I was in isolation. And I just nodded off, and all of a sudden, they were hauling me down to the floor, really hard. And—"
Dr. Friedman waits quietly.
"Logan had to hold me down. You know, he was working as a guard. To protect me."
Dr. Friedman nods.
"A couple days later, I screwed up. I mean, you know, in the long run, it was good I screwed up, but...." Veronica sighs, tangled in her words. "I comforted one of the other girls in group therapy, and they assigned me an essay to write. You can't understand how insane it was...they kept saying 'We love you', and then they'd keep confronting us unless we admitted how fucked up we were. So I needed to get evidence of that, but...I didn't hug her on purpose, I just reacted."
"And they made you write an essay?"
"I realized it was an opportunity to provoke them. I just wrote, 'Fuck you Briar Hill', over and over again." Veronica stops, remembering what came next: trying to escape and Logan hurting her, on purpose it had seemed at the time. She recalls struggling against him, feeling his strong arms tightening angrily—feeling a sense of panic overtaking her.
"What happened?" Friedman presses.
"They put me in restraints for a couple days. It was good; we needed to document the use of restraints."
"It was good?"
"You know, for the case." She avoids looking at Friedman's sympathetic eyes. Veronica mutters, "I was surprised how hard it was, being in restraints I mean." I don't have to talk about the bucket yet.
There is an awkward silence; Veronica seems reluctant to continue. Finally, she says, "Afterwards, they kept it up. They didn't leave me alone, even if I was cooperating. Klein had Maria hurt me by twisting my arm behind my back." She motions with the arm in the sling. "And you know, it was pretty bad, they kept confronting me, yadda yadda yadda, and then...um...I broke down and called for help, but they didn't come."
"That must have been terrifying," Dr. Friedman comments.
Veronica nods but keeps silent.
"How did it actually end?"
"I was feverish—in the hospital they diagnosed a kidney infection. You know, they didn't let me use the bathroom often enough and the...hygiene was...." Friedman nods that she understands. "So I don't really remember the last day. There was another group therapy session, and I guess the headmaster was confronting me." Her voice begins to speed up. "The whole operation was very successful; we documented a lot of the abuse, and I'm doing okay now. I'm fine."
"You know, the average girl sent to the school would be going along to get along her first week and scared to death about what was happening. It sounds like you were pushing back from the minute you got there. They would have made that first week very intense for you. I think you're minimizing how bad it was."
Veronica stares back; she finally admits, "Yeah, it was a lot harder than I thought it would be."
"What was the worst part?"
Veronica thinks for a moment. "No one to talk to. Not being able to control anything—having to sit and think instead of doing something."
Friedman frowns. "It wasn't that you were becoming uncertain of your own mind? That's a common result from these kinds of stressors."
Veronica shrugs.
"When somebody tells you that you are a bad person over and over again, even if you know you are playing a role and not really that person, you will begin to question your own worthiness. It's called a 'situational' effect."
Veronica doesn't react.
The doctor continues, "Someone like Peter Klein is a skilled manipulator. He would be able to read his victims like a book. Even if they were trying to hide the truth from him."
Veronica shivers reflexively. In a quiet voice, she says, "I never knew how weak I was. I always thought I was a strong person. I let him—" She breaks off.
"You're weak because you had to ask for help? Because you had to stop the operation?" Dr. Friedman prompts.
"No! Because I'm such a bad person...he was able to see it and use it against me," Veronica moans, as the tears begin to run down her face. "I always thought the worst of everyone, especially Logan. I accused him of murder! I loved him, and I told the sheriff he had killed Lilly! Klein was right, I do have a black hole instead of a soul. Just the other day, one of my best friends Weevil was kidding with me, calling me a blackmailer. That's how he thinks of me. Everyone knows that's how I am!"
Dr. Friedman asks calmly, "What did your friend mean, when he teased you and called you a blackmailer?"
Veronica is startled out of her crying jag. She sniffles a bit and grabs a tissue from the table. "What did he mean? I guess that I use information to get what I need, to force people into doing things they don't want to do."
"Isn't that partly what it means to be a PI? You get evidence for divorce cases and insurance claims, which influences the outcome. And you gather information and analyze the data."
"I guess. But still I shouldn't be doing it to my friends. You know, trading information on them for their cooperation," Veronica replies.
Dr. Friedman asks thoughtfully, "Have you ever just asked your friends for what you need?"
"Of course...sometimes. But usually...I'm always asking for a favor, but I never intend to pay it back...and I always think the worst of them."
"Tell me about your friends, Veronica."
This was a bad idea. We're not getting anywhere, Veronica thinks. How is this helping? The doctor is waiting for her answer; finally she says, "Logan obviously. Wallace was my best friend in high school; he works part-time for my dad now too. Weevil: he used to be in a motorcycle gang and went to my high school; he works at Hearst now. Mac is my best girlfriend; Duncan is an old boyfriend who's back in town again. Maybe Dick, Logan's best friend, I guess we're friends too, now. My dad of course." I can't tell her that I just use all of them whenever it's convenient. I can't even help myself anymore.
"Okay, we know Logan was willing to go undercover for you. That's a pretty good friend."
Veronica scoffs. "That was only because he was worried about me—he knew I was being foolish."
"Still, he was there for you, even though it wasn't exactly what he wanted." Friedman checks her notes. "What about Wallace?"
"Yeah, Wallace would do anything for me. But he gets frustrated, because I'm always asking for favors and not telling him everything that's going on. And it's always a one-way street: it's what I want, all the time."
"Always? You don't ever do anything for him? What about Weevil, the one who teased you? Can you count on him?"
"Of course."
Dr. Friedman looks at Veronica, her eyebrows raised suggestively.
"Okay, I see your point, I have good friends I can rely on," Veronica mutters.
"People who help you when you need them. All you have to do is ask. People who care about you. And you help them when they ask?"
"Yes. If I give them a chance to ask," she says, with self-loathing.
"You're not your job, Veronica. You might not be happy about some of the things you've done to the people around you in the past, but they clearly love you and are loyal to you, and you to them. Does that make sense for a person whose soul is a black hole?"
Veronica blurts out, "But they don't trust me now. They always hold things back from me."
"Such as?"
The gun that my dad gave to Logan. The lawsuit that Klein just filed. She says instead, "They weren't going to tell me about my friend's family dying. Mac's family...we thought they'd been killed in a terrible accident." We thought they'd been killed...it sounds like a soap opera. I sound insane.
"You mean they were protecting you?"
"Yeah. Because I'm so weak."
"That doesn't sound like they don't trust you."
"Logan is— He's afraid to tell me what's going on, what he's—" Whatever it is that he doesn't want me to remember about Shelly's party. The words spill out thoughtlessly, unheeded. "He keeps saying he's worried I'm going to leave him. I don't understand why he would think that. I keep telling him how much I need him, even though I hate that everyone knows how...fucked up I am now. I feel like I lose a little piece of myself, every time I admit I need their help. And they keep going over all the times I let them down in the past. I mean, I know we have to: the problems we have now are because of the past, and we have to talk about these things, but I always feel so bad about all the choices I made that put my friends and my dad in danger now. You see, we think somebody's trying to hurt us because of...because of...." She finally stops because she's out of breath.
Veronica takes a couple deep breaths and continues, "And I feel so guilty about making Logan go undercover. He's been so upset...terrible nightmares; he won't really tell me about them. I feel like...I've made him give up his life. And...whenever he's around me, his life goes to hell."
"Veronica, how do you think Logan feels about you?"
"He has this irrational love for me."
Dr. Friedman appears to be surprised, and Veronica has a flash of smug satisfaction at being able to shock her, before she realizes that she is once again being 'self-centered,' 'self-important'. She remembers Alyssa drumming it into her: 'You need to get out of your head. Let go, and let God.' What was that list of my faults again? Oh yeah, reckless, sarcastic, self-righteous, suspicious, critical.... Veronica attempts to focus. Alyssa was full of shit, she thinks, trying to convince herself.
Friedman asks, "Why do you call Logan's love for you irrational?"
"It doesn't make sense that he loves me. I've never been able to trust him—never had faith in him. I've always thought the worst of him. I couldn't tell him I loved him for the longest time. He's romantic. I'm not."
"Veronica, do you think you're worthy of being loved?"
"Of course," she says without thinking.
Dr. Friedman stares at her.
Veronica, uncomfortable, repeats, "Of course I'm worthy of being loved. Logan is the one who...."
"Does it make you uncomfortable, Logan's unconditional love for you? The way he's willing to give up his life for you?"
Veronica mutters, "I hate you."
"What was that?" the doctor queries, not sure what Veronica said.
"I hate this. Do you enjoy doing this to your patients?" Veronica asks in frustration.
"Of course not. We're just talking, Veronica." Dr. Friedman stands up. "I'm having a glass of water. Would you like one?"
Veronica nods. As the doctor gets two cups of water from a cooler in the corner of the room, Veronica thinks that this was the stupidest idea she's ever had. We're not even talking about—
"You said you hate feeling weak, Veronica. What would make you feel strong?" Dr. Friedman asks as she hands Veronica a cup.
Veronica lifts her injured arm. "I need to get rid of this damn sling. I hate being injured. I hate having to ask everyone to help me."
"Not just because you're injured, you mean."
"Okay, I admit it, I don't like being so dependent on them. I hate having to ask for help," Veronica replies.
"Veronica, I'm not trying to make you admit anything. What's going on with your shoulder, medically?"
"I'll need surgery and physical therapy, I guess. But I have to get over this kidney infection first. I just have to get through the next few days." Veronica shrugs.
"So you're still on antibiotics."
Veronica nods.
"Aren't you supposed to be resting?"
"I'm taking it easy," she says evasively.
Dr. Friedman frowns. "You look tired to me."
"Things have been going on. The funeral...there was a shooting; we had to investigate somebody—sort of an emergency."
Friedman raises her eyebrows.
Veronica sighs. "The sheriff was investigating us in a murder case; we had to clear our names."
"That sounds stressful, especially when you're sick and injured. You have to take care of yourself, and let the people you love take care of you." Veronica winces unthinkingly. Friedman adds, "Logan was injured too, and you took care of him. Now he has to take care of you."
"I know."
"That was easier, to take care of him, wasn't it?" Dr. Friedman asks.
"For me. It was hard on him." She bursts out, "I don't know how to do this."
"Do what?"
"Figure out a life with him."
"No one knows how to do it, Veronica."
"Yeah, they do. They seem to be able to make decisions and just do what they need to. The problem is that his life always goes to hell when I'm around."
"Did you cause his problems this semester?"
"Well, some of them. He thought he had to protect me. I asked him to be there at the school so I'd feel safe."
"But Veronica, that was a huge step for you. That was progress. I remember how you struggled with that the last time you were here."
It doesn't feel like progress, Veronica thinks.
"What about Hannah?" the doctor asks.
"What about her?" Veronica replies.
"Is that your fault too?"
"Well, maybe...maybe if I hadn't broken up with Logan the summer before...." Veronica sees Dr. Friedman's expression. "Okay, I know. I know! I'm being ridiculous!! And it's what Logan does too...he always feels responsible when it's not even his fault."
"One of the ways that the tough-love programs work on their victims is by methodically destroying their value systems. They purposely break you, so that they can re-instill a new system of moral behavior. There's a lot of emphasis on personal responsibility, and they force you to question everything you think you know about your life."
"Tell me about it," Veronica says bitterly.
"You were under attack at the school. From what I've read, Peter Klein is one of the best manipulators in the industry...he's extremely adept psychologically. He's able to read his victims; he can find your weaknesses and use them against you to break you. Just because you assumed a role to play while you were undercover doesn't mean that he wasn't able to determine exactly how to hurt you the most."
"But Klein was just discovering the truth about me," Veronica whispers. "If I had been stronger...if I didn't have all these issues before I went undercover, it wouldn't have—"
"Veronica, do you remember talking about how survivors of these tough-love programs have to find a way to make the experience worthwhile? They have to find something positive in the experience in order to move on, maybe even embrace the program as their salvation."
"I don't want to do that. There was nothing positive there," she replies bitterly.
"Our lives are a sum of our experiences. You can't erase your time there, even if you want to."
"I don't want to erase it!! I need to—" Veronica stops, terrified.
"What?"
Veronica exhales heavily. "On the last day...the day I don't really remember...Klein was confronting me about my rape. I assume Logan has mentioned that I was raped?"
Friedman nods reluctantly.
"I don't remember much about the night that I got raped five years ago. I'd been dosed with Liquid X without my knowledge. Most of the information I have about that night is from the other people who were there. And some of them...had very good reasons to lie to me." Veronica wipes a tear from her eye. "I thought I'd made my peace with it. It was complicated but...the boy who raped me is dead." She meets Friedman's eyes and knows immediately that the doctor knows about Duncan as well. "I think...that last day at Briar Hill I remembered something about my rape."
The doctor maintains a poker face, and Veronica immediately surmises that Logan has discussed this with her. She says, "He told you."
Dr. Friedman nods reluctantly. "That's one of the reasons why it's problematic for me to treat both of you."
"I don't care," Veronica cries suddenly. "I can't start over from the beginning with a new therapist. It would take a year just to get through high school."
"I understand, but—"
"And I trust you," Veronica interrupts. "You don't understand how rare that is for me."
Dr. Friedman inclines her head. "Thank you, Veronica. That's a great compliment."
You don't know the half of it...well, maybe she does. "I know I remembered something that last day...I can feel it."
"But now you've lost the memory again?"
Veronica nods.
Dr. Friedman asks, "And that's worse? Not knowing?"
"I don't know anymore," Veronica says, wretchedly. "I spend every waking minute investigating all these cases, but I can't figure out what happened to me. It used to be the most frustrating thing in the world, but then...." She sighs and looks down at her lap.
Dr. Friedman queries curiously, "Have you ever talked to Logan about that night? Asked him to help you remember as much as possible? He could try to take through the evening chronologically."
Veronica sucks in her breath. Why haven't I ever asked him what he remembers? Am I afraid of what he'll say? I wouldn't let him talk that night in the pool house...I cut him off when he started telling me about the salt lick. And now...he always acts like he did something monstrous at Shelly's party. "He's...scared to talk about it. I don't know why. He's admitted he's afraid I'll leave him because of that night."
"Do you think he did something that was...unforgivable?"
"Other than buying the drugs? And putting some in Duncan's drink?"
"Is that unforgivable?" the doctor asks.
"He thinks so."
"What do you think?"
"I don't know," Veronica says honestly. "It wasn't wise. But then again he did a lot of things in high school that weren't very wise. I don't know if he did something else that night that he doesn't want me to find out." She looks out the window and says softly, "If he did do something else...I want to think I could forgive him, but...I don't know if I would. But I think...I think Logan is just afraid I'll decide he should have saved me that night, and I won't be able to get past it. It's what he always says about that night: 'I can't take that I hurt you when all I want to do is protect you.'"
Veronica turns back and gazes directly into the therapist's eyes. "Dr. Friedman, it's not just because I need to know what happened, although that's part of it." Her breath comes in pants; she's incredibly anxious physically. She is sweating profusely, and she has to work hard to keep her knee from jiggling compulsively. She closes her eyes and says, "I think they're going to use my rape at the trial...to discredit me, or to threaten me. They've already released a letter I wrote while undercover...I assume you saw it? They're going to paint me as a lunatic, a rape survivor who's psychotic at best, possibly even insane and violent because of what I've been through. I need to be prepared. It can't be for nothing. I can't have gone through that for nothing." Veronica opens her eyes and stares at the therapist. "So you see, I want to watch the surveillance tapes from the last day, and I think I need you to help me with that. I want to watch the video and remember everything, and then help win the lawsuit so that other girls don't have to go through that."
"You'd be watching some very difficult material, Veronica. It could be very traumatic to see yourself being so vulnerable."
Veronica's voice trembles. "I know, but I'll be more vulnerable if I don't know everything ahead of time. I can't testify, wondering what they're going to say about me."
"You're being very brave, Veronica. Many women would withdraw from the lawsuit rather than subject themselves to this."
Veronica looks away, tears forming in her eyes. "I'm not brave."
"What are you really afraid of, Veronica?"
She buries her face in her hands and wails, "I'm afraid to face Klein in court. I can't do it. He beat me, he won. I gave up."
"In an impossible situation, you called for help; you were performing a heroic task, Veronica. You were ill, injured, and sleep-deprived. You know that, right?"
"I know that. But I knew what it was going to be like, and I still let him beat me. He beat me by...." she sobs. "I let him beat me by assigning me jumping jacks. No one's going to see how hard it was. They're going to laugh at me for being so pathetic. They're going to believe him when he tells everyone that I'm just another user. I'm so ashamed."
"Veronica, you've been through a physical and mental ordeal, and the stress hasn't let up since you left the school—"
Veronica interrupts, "You don't understand...I've been doing better when we've been working. Everybody keeps congratulating me on the operation, but I feel like I failed; I feel like I'm lying every time I accept someone's compliment. It's when I...it's when I sit down and think, that I can't—"
"I understand. But Veronica, you have to give yourself some time to get over this. You did battle with experts who have perfected their brainwashing techniques for the last fifty years, and you won. You won, Veronica. They are scared to death that you will prevail at trial. That's why they're hitting back so hard; they wouldn't be worried if your case wasn't strong. Veronica, you caused them to be arrested and exposed for what they are. I promise you; you'll be a strong woman again, mentally and physically, with time. You have people who love you and are taking care of you. I see that you're torturing yourself with possibilities and worries about the legal battles ahead. We're all going to help you; you have people to rely on. That's not a weakness, that's a strength. I want you to do an exercise for me. Every time you start to think about Klein or the school, or how upsetting is to need people to help you right now, I want you mentally to list all the people who care about you, and think about the last time they told you they love you. And I want you to think about the quality of the love that they give you. You have people who care about you deeply, Veronica. I want you to say to yourself, 'I'm strong, and I'm getting stronger.'"
Veronica looks dubious.
Dr. Friedman presses, "Promise me you'll try?"
She nods reluctantly.
"Can you say it...I'm strong, and I'm getting stronger. I have people who love me," Dr. Friedman prompts.
Veronica repeats, "I'm strong, and I'm getting stronger. I have people who love me."
•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
VERONICA MARS
10:00PM SHO ch: 340 60min 2009 TV-MA
Do Not Pass Go
Leo's investigation; Veronica, Logan, and Keith
try to relax; Candice and Wallace on a date;
Weevil contemplates payback.
Veronica: Kristen Bell. Logan: Jason Dohring.
Keith: Enrico Colantoni. Leo: Max Greenfield.
Dr. Friedman: Lorraine Bracco. Wallace:
Percy Daggs III. Eli: Francis Capra. Candice
Pauling: Toy Connor.
•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
CHAPTER ONE HUNDRED TWENTY: "DO NOT PASS GO"
Fri. 3/20/09 afternoon: Neptune Sheriff's Department, Neptune, CA
Leo sits at his desk reviewing the evidence, or rather, the lack of it. Daniel Mulvaney was picked up a short time ago; he asked for a lawyer and refused to say another word. His aunt Bridget denied knowing anything about the theft of the SUV. She admitted she had the code to the alarm system written on the key ring to the Crawford's house, but she claimed that her nephew doesn't have access to her purse. Leo decides to keep both of the Mulvaneys in custody while he tries to get a search warrant for their house.
Sacks took a statement from Griffith's receptionist, who said she was never allowed any access to the financial databases. She had only booked appointments and answered the phone. When pressed about the lack of patients at the practice, she had shrugged and said it was easiest receptionist job she'd ever had and she certainly never complained about it.
The border patrol and the Yuma, Arizona police have checked in: there's been no sign of Karen Fillipelli. The anesthesiologist isn't talking and has asked for a lawyer; Leo's pretty sure he doesn't know anything and just took a check from his old business partner Griffith. Checks were direct-deposited into an account, then cash was withdrawn, presumably by someone other than the anesthesiologist.
The intercom buzzes, and Sacks tells Leo the car stereo from the Crawford's SUV has turned up in a pawnshop outside of San Diego.
Finally, a break in the case. "Send Davis right away," Leo barks. "Find out where that stereo came from."
Fri. 3/20/09 late afternoon: Dr. Friedman's Office, Los Angeles, CA
Veronica emerges from Dr. Friedman's office into the waiting room. Both Logan and Keith notice immediately that she's been crying.
Keith stands up and goes to her, enveloping her in a hug. "Are you okay, honey?"
"Yeah, I'm okay," she replies. Veronica turns slightly and says, "Thank you, Dr. Friedman."
"Of course. Mr. Mars, can I speak with you?" the doctor asks.
Keith says, "Logan, why don't you take Veronica to her surprise?"
"You finally got my pony," Veronica says wanly. "It's about time."
Keith huffs a laugh and releases her from his hug. He follows Dr. Friedman as Logan puts his arm around Veronica's shoulder and escorts her out of the office.
"What's the surprise?" she asks as they walk into the hallway.
"It wouldn't be much of a surprise if I told you, right?" he says evasively.
"But I'm going to like it?"
"Oh absolutely," he replies, pushing the down button for the elevator. They step in, and they have the elevator to themselves. Logan hums along with 'The Girl from Ipanema' playing on the loudspeaker. "We haven't been alone in an elevator for a while now. Got any ideas?" he whispers into her ear.
"Didn't we get into enough trouble in the last one?" she replies.
"Penny-ante stuff. Just false murder charges...it was totally worth it for a little nooky in the elevator." He bends down and begins kissing her neck as she watches the numbers flash by. "How much would you give me to hit the emergency stop button right now?"
"I'd give you all my money not to do it," she laughs. She turns and whispers, "You're just trying to distract me with your kisses and groping."
"Groping?!" He puts his hand on her ass and squeezes gently. "Is it working?" he asks.
"Actually it is," Veronica replies softly.
The elevator dings as they reach the main floor. Logan exits first, gently grabbing her hand and pulling her along. He leads her to a hair salon in the main lobby. "After you, milady." He makes a sweeping gesture and allows her to precede him.
The woman behind the counter says, "Ah yes. Here you are. Your friend told us you'd be interested in going back to your natural color and straightening your permanent?"
"Oh yes," Veronica says ecstatically.
The woman turns to Logan. "And you wanted a haircut and double-process hair color for yourself?"
He nods.
Veronica dumps her purse on the counter. "I have a picture you can use." She rummages with her left hand and extracts her wallet; she flips it to a picture of the two of them from the summer freshman senior year. Logan is tanned, with highlights in his short hair; Veronica looks happy and relaxed, with long blonde waves of hair swept back from her face.
The woman looks at the photo and says, "I don't think this will be a problem."
In Dr. Friedman's office several flights up, Keith sits down and faces the doctor. "How is she? Is she going to be okay? She was crying, wasn't she."
"Mr. Mars. First of all, I'd like to say that what you did at the school was very important work that truly needed to be done. There's been tremendous publicity, and I think your lawsuit might be the first step in getting some new laws on the books."
"But?" Keith prompts.
"You were listening and observing during the operation, correct?"
He nods, abashed. "I know, I should have gotten her out sooner—"
"It was a difficult situation. I know what it must have been like, and once she was there, you didn't want to waste the opportunity."
"Right."
"I'm sure Veronica's going to be all right. She has tremendous resilience and strength. What's going on now is that a random word or phrase will remind her of the programming they were trying to do on her. The brainwashing, you might say. Because she was fighting back, they were particularly intense with her."
Keith opens his mouth and Dr. Friedman quickly adds, "Mr. Mars, I'm sure you have a lot of questions. But I know you're aware that Veronica's sessions need to be completely private so that she feels free to discuss anything with me. You wouldn't want your own therapist to discuss your statements with your daughter."
He nods. "I understand. I'm just very worried about her."
"I've encouraged Veronica to speak with you about a particular topic we discussed today. She has legitimate concerns. But please don't pressure her. She's finding her courage right now. Mr. Mars, what Veronica needs right now is a little break from all this stress. I know that she mentioned that there are some things going on right now, but whatever you can do to help her relax and maybe even laugh a little would be very beneficial." Dr. Friedman scribbles something on a piece of paper. "This is my home number and my cell phone number, in case you need to reach me. Mr. Mars, I'm wondering if you have somebody that you can talk to. Veronica needs you at your best right now."
He remembers Veronica encouraging him to nap on the way here; 'Please, Dad. I'm going to need you at full strength.' "Yes, Veronica does need me. And I do think I have someone I can talk to. Thank you for everything, Dr. Friedman."
"Good luck, Mr. Mars."
Fri. 3/20/09 early evening: Navarro Residence, Neptune, CA
Weevil rummages through his bedroom closet and finds his old leather jacket. The last time he wore it was when he accompanied Veronica to East L.A. That time he wore it to blend in so they could get the information they needed quickly. Now, he puts in on and studies his reflection in the mirror. He scratches his chin; the stubble of his beard can't hide the slight puffiness of his cheeks from the painkillers he takes for his knee. The leather jacket, soft and well broken in, is a little more snug than it used to be. He pulls on the hem, adjusting the fit a little.
FLASHBACK:
On a construction site off the Pacific Coast Highway, the PCHers are gathered around as Weevil confronts Thumper about dealing drugs for the Fitzpatricks. Thumper asks sarcastically, "Let me make sure I got this straight. Working with our enemies, you got a problem with that?"
Weevil replies strongly, "You bet I do."
Thumper pretends to look puzzled. "Then maybe you can tell us what you were doing meeting at the Neptune Grand with Logan Echolls."
Weevil shakes his head, realizing that this is not going to go well.
Hector chimes in angrily, "And you were gonna bust me up for selling to an '09er last week."
"Hector’s cousin works maintenance there," Thumper says accusingly. "He saw you, all buddy-buddy with the piece of trash who killed Felix. You’re right, there’s rules. Like not selling out your brothers. I’m not like you, Weevil. I don’t make good speeches, so I’m just gonna say, adios. Hope that covers it."
The PCHers gather around. They grab Weevil and begin to beat him viciously.
Weevil thinks about all the hard choices he's made in the last few years. It hasn't been easy to keep on the straight and narrow. When he scored the Magneta-corp ID encrypting machine two years ago, the temptation to profit from it had been fierce. He had ended up building a new brick fence in his backyard and encasing the device in a waterproof container inside the wall. There have been many late nights since that time when he lay awake on the bed wondering just when he turned into a sucker working for the man. His knee would throb likes a mother, and all he could think about was grabbing a sledgehammer and busting out the easy way from behind the bricks.
Yesterday's adrenaline-fueled playacting at Dr. Griffith's office had made him ache for the old days when they would relieve a spoiled '09er of their vehicle, or at least their rims. He remembers how people would quickly get out of the way when he and the PCHers had roared up a street; he had felt powerful and unstoppable.
Truth be told, most days he can't even reconcile this man in the mirror with the boy who had taped Wallace Fennel to a flagpole and laughed like hell when Bootsie misspelled 'SNICH'.
His cell phone rings, and he answers. "Yo....After second shift? So ten o'clock....Yeah. I'll be there, Arturo."
Weevil hangs up the phone. His eyes light on his tool bag near the door, and he pulls out several items that he thinks he might need.
Fri. 3/20/09 early evening: Candice Pauling's apartment, Neptune, CA
Candice and Wallace are sharing a pizza in her apartment. Wallace has been describing the various ruses they used to get information on Dr. Griffith's operation. She giggled when Wallace demonstrated his messenger boy act but had looked appalled when she heard that the office manager was missing and, Keith had said, presumed dead because of her knowledge of the scam.
"You mean they killed her," she says.
"Yeah, probably."
"And you're still investigating these people," Candice adds, her voice getting louder.
"They're a threat to Veronica and Mr. Mars, and probably to Logan too."
"Because you exposed them. If you'd left it alone—"
Wallace turns to her in confusion. "If we'd left it alone, Duncan might have been charged with a felony and lost custody of his kid. You told me you liked him."
"I did, I mean I do."
"And we had to get the sheriff to stop investigating Veronica and Logan," Wallace says strongly. "Don't you get it?"
"I get it. I just don't think it'll ever end. You said it was the Fitzpatricks? And that's the same people who...." She swallows. "Shawn was mixed up with them. They don't screw around, do they?"
They stare at each other.
Finally Wallace clears his throat. "It's going to be all right. And I think when the dust settles we might find out what happened with Shawn."
Fri. 3/20/09 evening: Logan's House, Venice Beach, CA
After sharing several cartons of Chinese food from Woo Too, Keith, Logan, and Veronica are playing Monopoly, trying to forget about the long day and just relax for a change. Without spelling it out, they all seem to acknowledge that they need to forget about Briar Hill, the Fitzpatricks, and the rest of it for an evening. Keith watches his daughter surreptitiously, worrying and wondering about her long session with the therapist. Occasionally he checks his cell phone, but Alan Sheffield has not returned his call. Wallace has reported that he hasn't identified either of the photos yet, but Weevil might have some information by the morning on Oswaldo Cortez. Keith had pressed Wallace for details, but Wallace had said that Weevil wouldn't tell him what he was planning.
Logan seems destined to win the game, having acquired both Boardwalk and Park Place with a hotel on each, although he has few other properties. Veronica throws the dice and lands on Park Place.
"Pay up, honeybun," Logan says with a smirk.
"Wealth is so wasted on the rich," Veronica replies sarcastically.
"You know, if you play your cards right, I might let you slide on the rent."
"Play my cards right?"
"You know, give me a little sugar."
Veronica pretends to be appalled. "Sexual favors?"
"I can't watch this," Keith says. He stands up and walks to the kitchen to get a drink. He carefully turns his back on the couple and pours a soda.
Veronica says, "What are we talking about here? A kiss? I know." She whispers. "A hand job."
"Unh-uh." He bends to her ear. "The whole nine yards, baby. Otherwise, it's the poorhouse for you." Logan reaches over and fingers Veronica's stash of play money. "I don't think you have enough here to pay the rent."
"I'll give you one of my railroads," she says, pretending to plead.
"At a fire sale price, of course. Railroads are so twentieth century."
"How about this 'get out of jail free' card? I know you'll need that sooner or later," she replies, waving a yellow card in his face.
"Number one, conjugal visits are hot. And number two, I think you need that card more than I do. After committing fraud in that beauty contest, you're going up the river, sugarpuss," Logan teases.
Veronica scoffs. "Fraud? I won second place fair and square." She calls to her dad, who is steadfastly ignoring them. "Daa-ad. Can I borrow some money? Please."
"You need to learn to stand on your own two feet, honey," Keith answers from the kitchen.
Veronica tsks in annoyance. "You guys are double-teaming me." She sighs dramatically. In an exaggerated Southern accent, she says, "What's a young girl to do when she don't have a dowry? I'll have to kiss him, Pa."
Logan replies, "'I don't think I will kiss you—although you need kissing badly. That's what's wrong with you. You should be kissed, and often, and by someone who knows how.'"
In the kitchen, Keith shakes his head at their banter.
Veronica frowns theatrically at Logan before kissing him thoroughly. She pulls away with a smug expression.
"Whew. That was good." Logan puts out his hand expectantly. "Fifteen hundred dollars, please. Or thirteen hundred, the railroad, and the 'get out of jail free' card."
Veronica sulks as she hands over almost all her cash and the two cards. "I want to play 'Clue'."
Keith comes back from the kitchen and comments, "I'm guessing it's going to be a shotgun wedding?"
"She used her feminine wiles on me, sir," Logan explains. "I resisted with all my might."
"Oh, I know," Keith replies. "Believe me, I know." He leans down and kisses Veronica on the forehead. "Buck up, honey, you'll beat him next time."
"I ain't going take this lyin' down, Pops," Veronica says.
"Wouldn't expect you to."
Fri. 3/20/09 evening: Employee Parking Area, Neptune Grand Hotel, Neptune, CA
Oswaldo Cortez is walking from the service entrance of the hotel. A white panel van is parked next to his car. As he walks past it, the rear door bursts open and three young men jump out. They throw a black hood over Oswaldo's head and hustle him into the van as Oswaldo struggles violently.
In the passenger seat, Weevil says, "Let's go." The driver throws the van into gear and heads out, tires screeching as he exits the lot.
•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
VERONICA MARS
10:00PM SHO ch: 340 60min 2009 TV-MA
Land Mines
Veronica's reacts to therapy; Weevil pursues
vengeance; Mac's situation worsens.
Veronica: Kristen Bell. Logan: Jason Dohring.
Keith: Enrico Colantoni. Eli: Francis Capra.
Mac: Tina Majorino. Dick: Ryan Hansen.
Ethan Lavoie: John Prosky. Peter Klein:
Clancy Brown. Carrie Bishop: Leighton
Meester. Madison: Amanda Noret. Epstein:
Scott Grimes. Judge: Don Worley. Inga
Olofson: Seraina Jacqueline. Oswaldo:
Frankie Rodriguez. Alan Sheffield: Ned
Vaughn. Man: ???
•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
CHAPTER ONE HUNDRED TWENTY-ONE: "LAND MINES"
Fri. 3/20/09 late evening: Logan's House, Venice Beach, CA
Logan helps Veronica get ready for bed after the first relaxed evening in recent memory. It's like we forgot how to laugh, he muses. After the Monopoly game ended, they had given in to Veronica's pleadings and played 'Clue' with her. Veronica had triumphantly identified the perpetrator as Colonel Mustard in the library with the lead pipe, and he and Keith had shared a laugh at her over-the-top exultations.
She snuggles against him and closes her eyes. Logan conks out immediately, but Veronica lies awake thinking about her session with Dr. Friedman. Finally, tossing and turning, she falls asleep and begins to dream.
Veronica is seated in the witness chair and is recounting her time spent in restraints at Briar Hill, guided by Ms. Denenberg's attorney, James Epstein. "Ms. Mars, tell us again. Did you have any respite from this punishment?"
"I was led to a bathroom and allowed to use the facilities. I estimated that these breaks took place every six hours."
Epstein asks, "And if you had needed a break before that time?"
"I was alone in the room. There was no one to ask for a break." The courtroom murmurs; Veronica senses that they are on her side.
"No further questions." As the attorney steps back, Veronica's eyes meet those of Peter Klein. She is shocked to see that he doesn't look worried; in fact, he regards her with amusement.
Klein has hired Ethan Lavoie as his attorney. Veronica tenses as the weaselly lawyer approaches her; she remembers his sarcastic insinuations from Aaron's trial and prepares for the worst. He says, innocuously, "Nice to see you again, Ms. Mars."
"Can't say the same," Veronica replies without thinking as Lavoie paces in front of the witness box.
Abruptly, the attorney whirls around. "Isn't it true that you were placed in restraints at Briar Hill because of your violent behavior?"
"I struggled against one of the guards who was trying to put me under control," she answers. "I wouldn't say that I was violent."
"This guard was in actuality your own undercover operative, Mr. Echolls."
"Yes."
Lavoie leans in. "And he intentionally hurt you at that time."
Veronica sucks in her breath. How the fuck does he know that? She recovers and says, "He misjudged how hard to hold me in order to pretend to restrain me. It was important that he act like a typical guard." She sees Klein lean over and whisper something to his legal team.
"I see. So this operative that was in place to protect you was so frustrated with your behavior that he hurt you?"
Epstein leaps up. "Objection. Relevance, your honor."
"Sustained. Move on, Mr. Lavoie."
Mr. Lavoie acknowledges the judge's ruling and paces around the room. "Let's talk about your therapy at the school. What was the primary focus of the therapy you received at the school?"
"I didn't receive therapy at the school," Veronica replies, barely keeping the sarcasm from her voice. "I was punished repeatedly for not repeating the slogans espoused by the school."
"Your honor, please instruct the witness to restrict her remarks to the question asked."
"Ms. Mars...."
Barely holding her sarcasm in check, Veronica says, "I'm sorry, your honor. Can you rephrase the question please?"
"What was the school's assessment of your psychiatric problems?"
"They claimed that I was a drug abuser."
"Yes, of course." Lavoie pretends to ponder for a minute. "What about sexual addiction?"
"Excuse me?" Veronica asks incredulously.
"Isn't it true that Mr. Klein determined that you were lying about a supposed rape in your past?"
"What?" Veronica looks wildly at Epstein, who doesn't look up from scribbling notes.
"Ms. Mars, isn't it true that you made up a story about being raped five years ago? Mr. Klein was attempting to get you to admit that the incident in question was in fact consensual sex with two boys."
"NO! I was raped."
Lavoie asks condescendingly, "I'm sorry, I'm confused. Are you saying you were raped twice in one night?"
Veronica exhales. "Well, no, the first boy was...." She doesn't know how to say it, and her voice trails off.
"Wasn't the first boy whom you claimed raped you in fact your long-term boyfriend Duncan Kane? And did you not subsequently have another relationship with him after this rape supposedly occurred?"
"It was complicated," Veronica says weakly. "We were both drugged."
"So you were high and had sex with your ex-boyfriend, then later you got back together with him."
"That's not what happened. Logan put—" She realizes and stops dead.
"You were saying?"
"We were drugged against our will and...I don't know...I can't remember most of that night."
"Really. Let's go on to the other supposed rapist that night. A Mr. Cassidy Casablancas, I believe."
"Beaver," Veronica says.
"Yes, I understand that's what you called him. He was your friend. In fact, he hired you as a private investigator almost two years after this rape occurred. And you were so incensed at his raping you that you took the case."
Veronica tries to explain. "I didn't know then that he was the boy who raped me." I sound like a lunatic.
"Oh, so Duncan Kane did not rape you, but Cassidy Casablancas did."
"It was consensual with Duncan, but not with Bea– with Cassidy," Veronica protests.
"But you're unaware of the entire night supposedly. How can you be sure it was consensual with Duncan and not with Cassidy? Perhaps you gave consent. Perhaps you were just looking for a good time."
"NO!! It was rape! When I woke up without my underwear, sore and bloody, I knew I'd been raped."
"So you reported the rape. It's strange, there was no incident report." Lavoie pretends to look through a sheaf of papers in front of Peter Klein.
Klein tents his fingers and stares directly at Veronica. She tries not to look at him and focuses on Lavoie. "The sheriff didn't believe me."
Mr. Lavoie addresses the judge. "If you'll give me some latitude, I'd like to explore this supposed rape incident a little further. And I'd like the option to recall Ms. Mars at a later time."
"Granted. You may step down, Ms. Mars."
"Your honor..." Veronica pleads but the judge ignores her. She stands up and realizes she's wearing the infamous white dress from that night...and no underwear. She hangs her head and returns to sit down next to Ms. Denenberg's lawyer. Ms. Denenberg casts her a furious glance, obviously upset that Veronica has managed to damage their case. Veronica tugs on the attorney's sleeve. "I need to go change."
"No. You need to stay." He looks at her dress with disgust. "I don't know what's wrong with you: we talked about you wearing something modest and conservative."
"I did." She remembers putting on a skirt suit that morning, with conservative low-heeled shoes and pantyhose. Veronica looks down at her fuck-me high heels and bare legs; she touches the choker at her neck. She wants desperately to check her face in a mirror; she's certain she's wearing too much makeup. How did this happen?
"If that's what you call modest...." Epstein shakes his head, and Veronica flushes and looks away.
Lavoie says, "We call Carrie Bishop to the stand."
Veronica is horrified. Carrie walks in and flounces up to the witness chair to be sworn in by the bailiff. "Ms. Bishop, can you tell us what you witnessed at Ms. Pomroy's party."
"I saw her," Carrie indicates Veronica, "In a room with Duncan Kane. She was pulling his clothes off. She didn't even care that the door was open and everyone could see."
"Did she appear to be incapacitated?" Lavoie asks.
"No, of course not. She'd been drinking, but she was certainly not incapacitated."
"Then you were surprised to hear that she was claiming to be raped?"
Carrie snorts. "Nothing Veronica does would surprise me. She tried to defend a teacher who had had sex with an underaged student."
"Thank you, Ms. Bishop. I call Madison Sinclair to the stand." While they wait for Madison, Lavoie holds a whispered consultation with Klein. The two men keep glancing over at Veronica, and she shivers apprehensively.
Veronica asks Epstein anxiously, "Aren't you going to question these witnesses?"
He shakes his head 'no'. Veronica, still uncomfortable in her white dress, tries to pull the bodice a little higher to cover herself up. She crosses her legs and pulls the hem of her skirt down to cover her knees. God, if a reporter sees that I don't have underwear on....
Madison is in her element on the witness stand. She is simpering seductively, obviously posing for the crowded courtroom. Veronica clenches her fists, wishing that she could wipe that smirk off Madison's face.
Lavoie says, "Tell us about what happened at Shelly Pomroy's party."
"Veronica Mars was making out with all the boys in front of everyone. She grabbed my boyfriend, Dick Casablancas, and started dancing with him. She pushed him down on the couch and started kissing him. Even after Dick tried to push her off, Veronica kept making out with him. He finally got her off him, and she went on to the next boy down the line, Casey Gant. He at least was smart enough not to want to catch whatever STD she was running a special on that week."
Veronica is flaming red, furious at Madison. I've never regretted not cubing that bitch's car more than right this second.
Lavoie asks, "It's my understanding you wrote something on the windshield of Ms. Mars' car that night." He ostentatiously checks his notes. "'Slut', I believe, is what you wrote."
Furiously, Veronica shakes Epstein. "How is this relevant?" she hisses in his ear.
"Yes, because 'whore' had too many letters," Madison says triumphantly. A few people in the courtroom titter, and despite her anger, Veronica has a flash of pettiness as Madison realizes that the observers think that she couldn't spell 'whore'. Madison flushes and adds quickly, "There wasn't enough room to write five letters."
"Was this the first time that you witnessed the defendant acting in such a lewd manner?" Lavoie asks.
The defendant?! Veronica stands up and protests, "I'm not on trial here."
The judge stares at her sternly. "Yes, you are. Sit down, Ms. Mars. I want to hear this."
Veronica is consumed by panic. "Epstein," she whispers. "You've got to stop this!"
He sighs. "I'll try to get you off, but you know the penalties for false accusations. I wish you had told the truth about that night."
Madison is beaming at the judge. "The rumor was that she pleasured the entire swim team while jacked up on goof-balls." The judge huffs in disgust and makes a note on the paper in front of him.
Lavoie clarifies, "So she had a long history of multiple sexual encounters?"
"Yes. Apparently it runs in the family. I heard her mother was a drunken slut, too."
Lavoie asks, "Ms. Sinclair, are you aware that Ms. Mars has accused you of giving her a drugged drink that night at the Pomroy's?"
"She always says that. The truth is, there were so many tongues in her mouth that night that she has no idea what she swallowed." The crowd murmurs at the nasty insinuation. Veronica tries to look at her dad, but he avoids her gaze. As she turns back, Klein catches her eye and smiles benevolently.
Lavoie stares at Veronica as he asks Madison, "So it isn't true that you spit in a drink and gave it to her?"
Madison rolls her eyes. "Yes, it's true. Oh my god, like she was so scarred for life."
"No further questions. Mr. Epstein, your witness." Lavoie says magnanimously.
Veronica sighs in relief. Finally.
Epstein says, "Ms. Sinclair, did you actually witness my client having sexual relations with either Duncan Kane or Cassidy Casablancas?"
"No," Madison says sullenly.
"So your entire testimony is based on rumors and innuendo?"
Madison says defensively, "She's a slut, okay? It's not a rumor, it's a fact."
"So you say." Epstein sits down and Veronica smiles at him gratefully. Epstein whispers in her ear, "We're not out of the woods yet, Veronica, by a long shot."
Lavoie says, "The prosecution calls Richard Casablancas, Jr."
Veronica grabs Epstein's arm. "You can't let Dick testify!!"
"We don't have a choice, Veronica," the attorney replies.
Dick appears uncomfortable in a suit and tie. As he is sworn in, he avoids looking in Veronica's direction.
"Mr. Casablancas, can you tell us what happened at Shelly Pomroy's party?"
Dick glances at Veronica momentarily before looking away. "Nothing really."
Lavoie says strongly, "Is there a problem, Mr. Casablancas? Has Ms. Mars been intimidating you?"
"No, definitely not. We've never been intimate."
Lavoie is flummoxed by Dick's mistake. He restates, "No...Mr. Casablancas, has Ms. Mars threatened you in any way?"
"No." Dick steadfastly refuses to look at Veronica.
Mr. Lavoie approaches the bench. "Your honor, permission to treat this man as a hostile witness. He's obviously afraid of the defendant."
The judge nods his agreement and casts a disapproving look in Veronica's direction.
Lavoie asks, "Isn't it true that Ms. Mars threatened you in the spring of 2005? She was overheard saying, 'Insulting me right now seems like a good plan, how?' At the time, she was about to destroy your personal property."
"Yeah, my surfboard. I really loved that board," Dick says dreamily.
"Focus, Mr. Casablancas. What happened at Shelly Pomroy's party?"
"I don't want to say," Dick protests.
"Mr. Casablancas, you will be charged with perjury if you don't answer my question."
Reluctantly, Dick says, "I found Veronica in the guest bedroom with my little brother."
"Was she resisting his advances?"
Dick looks at Veronica for help. She gives him a look of frustration. Please...use that pea-brain for once, Dick. No more Pi Sig rate. All favors on the house from here on out.
"Mr. Casablancas, do not attempt to communicate with the witness." Lavoie positions himself between Dick and Veronica. "What did you see in the bedroom?"
Dick sighs. "Veronica was crawling toward Beaver. She said, 'Beaver, don't go, you said you were gonna stay here with me.' Then he said, 'Yeah, well, I'm here, I'm staying. Veronica, I'm here.' You know, they were kinda...making eyes at each other." He turns to Veronica. "I'm sorry, Ronnie!!"
"Mr. Casablancas!" the judge admonishes.
Dick hangs his head. "Veronica said, 'Well, why don't you come back here? It's an awfully big bed.'"
Lavoie paces in front of the witness stand. "Isn't it true that you also provided your brother with a prophylactic that night?"
"A prof-a-what?"
"A condom. You gave him a condom and stated, 'You better suit up. You don't know where she's been.'"
"Yeah, I said that," Dick admits.
Out of the corner of her eye, Veronica sees Klein nodding knowingly.
"So you knew that the defendant was sexually promiscuous? She slept around," Lavoie clarifies for Dick's benefit.
"That's what we thought. I really don't—"
"Thank you," Lavoie interrupts. "Mr. Casablancas, is it true that you and Mr. Logan Echolls procured some Liquid X for this party?"
Dick looks around wildly.
"Answer the question, Mr. Casablancas," the judge chides.
"No, I didn't get the drugs. Logan, Sean, and Luke did. But Luke gave me his dose."
Lavoie presses, "And did you and Mr. Echolls put the Liquid X in the cup that was given to Ms. Mars?"
"No. I don't know what Logan did with his. I put mine in Madison's cup."
"Who then gave it to Ms. Mars."
"I don't know. I wasn't paying attention. I swear," Dick says sincerely.
"No further questions. Your witness," Lavoie concludes.
Veronica whispers to Epstein. "Ask him about Beaver. He can tell you about the Sharks, how Beaver was abused by Woody Goodman."
Epstein whispers back, "I don't think it's relevant. The issue is whether you made up a story about a rape that never happened. You probably should think about coming clean, Veronica. It looks bad for you...all this evidence that you're a slut."
"I'm not a slut," Veronica protests. "Beaver raped me."
Epstein stands up and says, "No questions, your honor." Veronica gapes at him in disbelief.
Lavoie says, "The prosecution calls Inga Olofson."
Veronica sighs in relief. Finally. Inga will tell the truth.
Inga looks nervous. For all her years working in law enforcement, she's never had to testify in court before.
"Ms. Olofson, do you remember that morning when Ms. Mars walked into the sheriff's department?"
Inga is relieved; this question is easier that she had anticipated. "Ja, of course. She asked to speak to the sheriff."
"And did the sheriff take a report from Ms. Mars?"
"No," Inga replies.
"He didn't arrest anyone for rape?" Lavoie says strongly.
Inga sighs. "No."
"In fact, what did he say to you after Ms. Mars left?"
Hesitantly, Inga says, "Sheriff Lamb said, 'She probably got drunk and had sex and wants to get her story on the record in case she gets the clap or turns up pregnant.'"
Veronica, furious, shoves Epstein. "Object, goddammit. Isn't that hearsay?"
"Dead men tell no lies," he answers. Veronica just stares at him, unable even to protest any more.
"The prosecution calls Keith Mars to the stand." Veronica drops her head, unable to look at her dad. I'm so sorry, Dad. I fucked up bigtime.
"Mr. Mars, tell us about the last day of your daughter's undercover operation at Briar Hill."
Veronica's leg begins to twitch uncontrollably under the table. She holds it with her hand to try to force it to be still.
Keith keeps his voice calm and measured. "Veronica was receiving group therapy. We didn't realize that her audio bug had stopped functioning and that she had actually asked for the operation to end."
"Or so she said later."
"Excuse me?" Keith replies, puzzled.
Lavoie explains, "You only have her word for that, isn't that correct? Mr. Klein says that Veronica approached him and told him she wanted to come clean and discuss her behavior in group. Perhaps your daughter sabotaged the bug because she finally wanted to work on her character flaws, and she was reluctant to have her father listening."
Keith's mouth is open in shock. Finally, he responds, "I don't have any proof that Veronica's bug had stopped working. But you don't have any proof that she sabotaged it either."
"Well, we'll hear from Peter Klein later on that issue," Lavoie remarks, glancing at the headmaster. "What did you observe over your surveillance devices?"
"I heard my daughter talking about her rape."
"Her rape or her sexual encounters? Let's be clear, Mr. Mars."
"Her rape, Mr. Lavoie."
"Does your daughter ever...lie to you, Mr. Mars?"
Keith replies, "I'm sure she's had occasion to fib. She is a teenage girl, after all."
Lavoie nods. "Other than the occasional fib, would you say that you have a close relationship?"
"I would say very close."
"So, you would expect to hear the truth on what most people would call the..." Lavoie makes air quotes, "big issues."
"I would," Keith says firmly.
"So did your daughter come to you when she supposedly had been 'raped'?" Again, Lavoie makes air quotes.
"No...my daughter did not come to me when she was raped," Keith says through gritted teeth.
"Did your daughter have a personal relationship with Duncan Kane?"
"Yes, they dated. Freshman year, and then again in her senior year."
"So after she claimed this rape occurred, she dated him again," Lavoie continues.
"That's correct."
"Well, doesn't it stand to reason that it wasn't actually a rape after all, but just a sexual encounter with her old boyfriend?"
"She was raped by another boy that night," Keith says in a menacing tone.
"After she had sex with Duncan Kane. So let me see if I got this right. She convinced one boyfriend, Logan Echolls, to give her drugs that night. She had sex with another boyfriend, Duncan Kane. Then she had sex with another boy, Cassidy Casablancas, but she realized she might have contracted a sexually transmitted disease or become pregnant, so she tried to file a false report at the sheriff's department."
"You want to be careful there, Mr. Lavoie. My daughter was raped by Cassidy, and she did not file a false report."
Lavoie changes tacks. "I believe it was a surprise to you when you learned in open court that your daughter had a sexually transmitted disease."
"Yes, it was," Keith admits.
"And that was when Ms. Mars decided to renew her claim that she had been 'raped', so that you wouldn't find out that she had had multiple sexual partners on numerous occasions."
"That is not true," Keith says angrily.
"Witness is excused. I'd like to recall Ms. Mars to the stand," Lavoie intones.
Veronica is shell-shocked from her dad's disastrous testimony. She stands up and walks unsteadily to the witness stand. When she turns around, the room falls completely silent. Every eye is trained on her; Peter Klein is smiling broadly. She looks down; her dress is ripped and her breast is exposed. She tries to cover herself and sinks down below the railing to hide in the witness box. "No! No!" The bailiff grabs her arm and tries to pull her up into the seat.
"Veronica...it's all right...you're dreaming." Logan has turned on the light, and he is shaking her gently. "Veronica."
She looks at him and bursts into tears. Veronica sobs uncontrollably for long minutes as he strokes her back, trying to get her to calm down. At one point, he asks if she wants him to get her dad. She cries, "No, please don't tell Dad," and he wonders what the hell she could have been dreaming about as he holds her tighter.
Finally, she cries herself out. Veronica hiccups twice as she gets herself under control.
"Veronica, what do you want me to do?" he asks helplessly.
She exhales loudly. "Logan."
"What?" he replies, stroking the hair from her forehead and kissing the tip of her nose.
"I need you to tell me everything you remember from the night of Shelly Pomroy's party. Everything, Logan. I don't care how bad it was. I need to know. I can't not know anymore."
Land mine, he thinks.
Fri. 3/20/09 very late: Deserted warehouse, Neptune, CA
Oswaldo Cortez's hands are tied together, and he is hanging from a hook in the darkened warehouse. One eye is swollen almost completely shut, and his lip is split and bleeding. His head hangs down, and Oswaldo breathes heavily through a battered nose.
Weevil has bummed a cigarette from Arturo. He takes a long drag; damn, that's good. He looks at Oswaldo and thinks. Oswaldo has told them nothing—has mostly kept his mouth shut, in fact. Weevil drops the cigarette and grinds it into the concrete. He reconsiders and picks up the butt, putting it in his pocket.
Weevil walks up to Oswaldo and slaps his cheek lightly, then hard enough to sting. Oswaldo moans, sagging against the chain holding him up. Weevil says menacingly, "You and I have a score to settle. You're going to tell us about the Fitzpatricks—what exactly you've been doing for them. And I'm going to find out why you told the sheriff about Logan Echolls and Kendall Casablancas. The only question is whether I kill you or not."
"You better kill me," Oswaldo croaks out. "Liam's going to fucking destroy you, joto. How much does Echolls pay you to suck his sweet cock?"
"You're really fucking pissing me off," Weevil retorts. He goes to his bag of tools off to the side and rummages around. He pulls out a pair of channel-lock pliers and says sarcastically, "They taught me a trade up in Chino, you know. I'm a productive member of society now." To the other PCHers, he directs, "Hold him." Weevil walks toward Oswaldo holding the pliers.
Fri. 3/20/09 very late: Somewhere in the United States
Mac is woken by someone dragging her off the bed. They pull her, stumbling, into the next room, her arms still bound behind her back. She blinks against the bright light after more than a day in darkness. She sees Alan Sheffield, tied to a chair; he's been badly beaten and appears to have passed out.
"What did you do to him?" she says angrily.
"We're going to do more if you don't cooperate." The man grabs Alan by the hair and yanks his head up. She sees the blood and bruises on his face and winces.
"I need some water," Mac says, stalling. "You haven't let me eat or drink since you took us."
"Get her some water," the man in charge says.
They hold a glass to her lips, and Mac drinks.
"Thanks," she says. Think, Mac. What would Veronica do?
Abruptly, the man says, "You're going to help us find Veronica Mars."
"I don't know where she is," Mac replies. "I've been in Witness Protection for the last month."
"You're going to tell us anywhere she might have gone. Otherwise, your friend Alan is dead."
Alan's eyes open a small slit; he shakes his head almost imperceptibly, and Mac thinks she gets the message. They're going to kill Alan anyways...don't tell them anything.
Chapter One Hundred Twenty-Two
•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
VERONICA MARS
10:00PM SHO ch: 340 60min 2009 TV-MA
Due Process
Veronica, Logan, and Keith regroup and focus
their investigation; Dick visits; Leo pursues
Dr. Griffith.
Veronica: Kristen Bell. Logan: Jason Dohring.
Keith: Enrico Colantoni. Dick: Ryan Hansen.
Leo: Max Greenfield. Mrs. Griffith: Jennifer
Westfeldt. Deputy Clark: Zadran Wali.
•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
CHAPTER ONE HUNDRED FOURTEEN: "DUE PROCESS"
Thurs. 3/19/09 evening: Sunset Cliffs Apartment, Neptune, CA
Veronica, peering intently at the screen of her laptop, turns around at the sound of a key in the door. Keith walks in and tosses his keys on the counter beside her. "Well?" she says impatiently. Logan stands up anxiously and joins them.
Keith nods and puts his arm around her shoulders. "It worked; Leo agreed to give Duncan immunity. Leo's rounding up Griffith and the Fitzpatricks, and the district attorney will sort out the charges later. The picture was pretty compelling. At the very least, I'm sure Griffith will provide information about Kendall in exchange for a reduction in the money laundering charges."
Veronica exhales loudly in relief. "Duncan?"
"I don't think you have to worry about the custody case any more, Veronica. I'm sure the hearing will be dismissed tomorrow when Duncan's attorneys reveal that their client has immunity on the breaking and entering charges." He sits down next to his daughter, and she leans against him. His weariness overtakes him; he closes his eyes momentarily and tries not to worry that he's forgotten something.
"Good," Veronica comments. "I hope that bastard Stewart Manning goes to jail for the rest of his life."
Keith silently agrees. "What are you working on, honey?" He peers over her shoulder at the computer and sits down on a stool next to her.
Logan explains, "I got in touch with one of Hannah's friends. She admitted she helped Hannah after she ran away from the school."
Veronica quickly summarizes Julie Silver's story about her aunt in Rio Linda. "Hannah thought of somebody who would be sympathetic and ran to her."
"She must have realized pretty quickly that she needed help," Keith muses. "What have you learned about the aunt? You said her name was...."
"Katey Shaffer," Veronica finishes. "It's an alias. Née Katherine Silver. She's been under the radar since the early seventies. Kate Shaffer shows up in 1978, applying for a driver's license in Yreka; then in 1988, she changed her address to Sacramento. She let the license lapse after that. I think the social security number she was using is false, and she probably knew she'd be caught with the increased security precautions on drivers' licenses." Veronica swivels the screen to show her dad the driver's license photo from 1988. "So this picture is twenty years old. She doesn't own any real estate or have any credit cards, and she's never even registered a vehicle with the DMV. Julie said she was pretty much a hippy, still living like it was 1968."
"Born in 1955; she'd be fifty-three or fifty-four," Keith thinks aloud.
"I ran the Photoshop aging program on the photo and came up with a few possibilities. She's got to be working some kind of job off the books, a waitress maybe. The phone number that Julie had has been disconnected since," Veronica checks the screen, "Since mid-November of last year. No residential address listed on the account, just a billing address."
"November was two months before Hannah was killed," Keith muses, calculating backward. "Maybe they moved, and something happened at the new address."
"The phone number was listed under the name of K.C. Sanford. He owns several houses, apparently rentals. We can start with him and find out where Katey and Hannah were in November and maybe trace them from there."
Logan chimes in, "Maybe something happened in November, something that made them pull up stakes and move."
"Something or someone," Veronica agrees. "I ran Dr. Griffith's credit cards, Dad, to see if he's ever been in Sacramento or Rio Linda. No charges anywhere near there for the past year."
"That doesn't prove anything," Logan observes.
"Do you really think he killed his own daughter?" Veronica asks curiously.
Logan shakes his head. "No. I think it was Liam."
Keith says, "Liam was in prison in January, awaiting trial on the racketeering charges, with Vinnie and half of the Fitzpatrick family."
"Okay, one of Liam's flunkies," Logan amends. "To punish Dr. Griffith for making a deal with me."
Veronica asks, "But how did they find out about the deal?"
"Kendall told them, I guess," Logan says thoughtfully.
"I don't think so. She was scared of Liam; you remember how frightened she was when we threatened to call him," Keith interjects. "We're missing something. Something set this in motion, and I don't think we're seeing it."
"We might not ever find out," Veronica adds. "Unless Liam talks."
Keith pushes himself up off the stool. "You know, I think a celebration is in order." He goes to the refrigerator and pulls out a carton of ice cream from the freezer.
"Ice cream? No champagne?" Logan observes drily.
"We Mars have simple tastes," Veronica retorts gently.
Keith puts the carton on the counter along with three spoons. They share the ice cream in silence for a few minutes. Keith tells them Leo's story about his sister. He makes sure to omit Aaron's desire to retain the videotapes and simply states that Aaron reneged on his deal.
"Leo really loved his sister," Veronica comments quietly. "He talked about her all the time."
"Everything about that case was a tragedy," Keith agrees.
"Yeah, my dad was an expert at hurting people," Logan mutters bitterly. Veronica puts her hand on his arm to comfort him, but he continues angrily, "It was typical for him to use someone else's weakness like that. You could count on him to—"
The doorbell interrupts his comment.
Keith looks at them with raised eyebrows; Veronica shrugs that she doesn't know who it could be. He goes to the door. Dick is standing there, escorted by the security guard who has been observing the apartment from the parking lot. The guard asks, "You know this guy?"
Aggrievedly, Dick says, "Ronnie, tell this guy I'm cool."
"I don't know about 'cool', but yeah, we know Dick. It's okay," Veronica replies. The guard nods and walks away.
"I got your email." Dick walks over to Veronica and waves a printout in her face featuring the photo of Gerry Black that she had emailed to him. "I've been thinking about it; I do remember this guy. He was hanging around right after the wedding. Kendall said he was an old friend. My dad got tweaked about it, and they had a huge fight."
"You're sure it was this guy?" Veronica presses. "It's important."
"Yeah, I'm sure. Kendall was being a real bitch about it, as usual. Slamming doors and screaming matches until the middle of the night. Dad put his foot down and said he couldn't come over anymore; then he bought Kendall some diamond earrings, and they made up. Repeatedly, if you know what I mean," he concludes salaciously, pumping his pelvis in Veronica's direction.
"We get the picture; there's no need to illustrate," Veronica retorts. "His name is Gerry Black, and he's one of Liam Fitzpatrick's flunkies. I have photos of Kendall delivering a gym bag to him, probably containing cash Kendall siphoned from your dad's real estate deals."
"Kendall really was stealing from my dad?" Dick asks. "She always acted like she didn't understand anything about business."
"She was a con artist, Dick," Logan explains. "She was using your dad and me, and working with Liam."
"I always thought Kendall was attracted by your superior sack quotient, you know, bodily hotness divided by endurance," Dick muses.
"Too bad I didn't engage my brain when she flirted with me," Logan observes.
Dick snorts. "Like you had a chance. You were all emo over Ronnie, and Kendall was strutting around in a bikini...erectile discombobulation on a daily basis. Half the time when you were over, you were holding a pillow over your crotch."
Keith shakes his head, laughing quietly despite himself.
"Wow, thanks for sharing that delightful image," Veronica says sarcastically.
"Hey, we wouldn't have objected if you came over and showed off your swimsuit, Ronnie," Dick shoots back. "We don't discriminate against the smaller cup sizes."
"You know what they say, it's how you use it. In your case, I'm betting that's somewhat incompetently."
"There's nothing wrong with your ass, either. Mmm, mmm, good." Dick leans a little, scoping out Veronica's backside perched on the kitchen stool.
"Hey," Keith says, starting to get annoyed. "Watch it."
"Whoops. Sorry! Your daughter is so delightful, Mr. Mars," Dick says. "I'm sorry I objectified her. I learned in my Women's Studies class that the feminist imperative is to judge a woman by her accomplishments. And Veronica's accomplishments are legendary, to say the least."
Veronica begins, "It's okay, Dad. Dick can't help being a giant jackass, it's genet—" She stops short. It’s like you're this giant jackass piñata begging for someone to beat the candy out of you, she remembers saying angrily, letting her irritation over the sex video fly toward the nearest target. I always had to slap him down, harder than necessary. He's Logan's best friend after all.
Dick and Logan stare at her, surprised by her restraint, and Veronica looks back uncomfortably. Dick says, "You feelin' okay, Ronnie?" He reaches out the back of his hand to feel her forehead for a fever.
"Yeah, I'm fine," she says briefly, brushing his hand aside. "Dick, thanks for coming by with this information. Do you think you could stop by the sheriff's department and tell Sheriff D'Amato about this? It would help a lot."
"Of course. Is he still harassing you guys?" Dick asks.
Veronica shakes her head. "I think we're going to be okay. But every little bit helps. And Dick...I heard from Mac today. She's going to be coming back to town on Sunday."
"Yes!!" Dick begins to jump around the room, almost knocking over a lamp. "Fan-friggin-tastic!!"
Logan quickly reaches out a hand and steadies the lamp. "Dick, try to have an appropriate reaction for once in your life," he advises in amusement.
"Impossible. Inappropriate is my middle name," Dick replies, grinning happily. "You talked to her, Ronnie? What'd she say?"
Veronica replies, "She said the FBI agents were a bunch of tight asses. It sounded like they were still questioning her."
"D'you think she really outed the whole Russian mob like people have been saying?" Dick asks.
"I don't think they'd let her out of Witness Protection if she did, Dick," Logan says logically.
"Yeah, you're right," Dick says thoughtfully. "I think this calls for a party. Maybe...'The Revenge of the Nerds Rager'. Jello shots, full-contact beer pong...."
"Oh, that totally sounds like Mac," Veronica snarks without thinking. "I frequently heard her exalting the sublime aesthetic of alcohol-based entertainment at fraternity events."
"What? Oh, you're mocking me again. That's sweet, Ronnie."
Veronica flinches imperceptibly. Even when I'm trying not to be a bitch...I can't even help it anymore. Aloud, she comments lamely, "I'm sure she'll love it."
Dick shoots a glance at Logan. "Uh...okay. I'll let you know what's going on."
"Sounds good," Logan replies. He escorts Dick to the door.
Keith says quietly, "Everything okay, honey? I swear to you, Leo was convinced by the evidence we brought him. I don't think he'll be bothering you or Logan any more."
"I know," she answers. Avoiding his concerned gaze, she adds, "I'm just tired, Dad." I'm just a soulless piece of crap is all, Dad.
Keith stares at her, not believing her one bit. "Talk to me, Veronica."
She looks down uncomfortably. Logan sits back down beside her and puts his arm on her shoulder. "Don't," she says.
"Are you hurting more? I'm sorry," he replies.
"No, just...I don't know how to do this, okay?" she blurts out finally.
"Do what?" Keith asks in confusion.
"God, I can't even have a normal conversation with Logan's best friend," Veronica says bitterly. "All I do is mock the people who are supposed to be my friends. Dick came over to help."
Logan says incredulously, "You're kidding, right? That was Dick, who made your life completely miserable in high school. You should see what he wrote about you in the bathroom stalls." He immediately regrets his words when he sees her face.
Out of nowhere, she remembers, 'Make sure you suit up. You don't know where she's been.' Veronica shivers as she recalls Dick throwing a condom at her...Am I really remembering this, or is it what Sean told me? She passes her hand over her forehead as her head begins to throb and ache. Suddenly, she flashes on Beaver finding her in the journalism room at school. She closes her eyes as her headache increases in intensity. Something about...why can't I remember? If I could just....
"What is it, honey? Is your shoulder worse?" Keith asks with concern.
"I'm not sure," she mutters quietly, her eyes still closed.
"I was going to suggest that we head up to Rio Linda and ask around about Katey Shaffer this weekend, but I think we need to stay home and just rest, Veronica," Keith worries.
"Dad, no!" Veronica protests, her eyes flying open. "If Liam was involved...we need to work on this." She closes her eyes again, as her head throbs again. Veronica tries to push the pain away and opens her eyes to look at her dad. "I want to do this. I...I'm doing better when we're working. You see that, right?"
Her dad nods. "Yeah, actually I did notice that. But—"
Veronica sighs loudly and interrupts, "Dad. I...I'd like to stop in L.A. first. It's on the way; we can stay over at Logan's house and head up to Sacramento first thing on Saturday."
Keith looks at her in puzzlement. "L.A.?"
"I want to ask Mike what he's learned."
Logan frowns, thinking about their last meeting at the FBI before they left for Vermont. It had been all too apparent that Mike Fields still had feelings for his ex-girlfriend, and Veronica had seemed oblivious. And Mike's friend, Lynley, had been an ass when Logan was sure Veronica needed to end the operation at Briar Hill. He has a flash of anger, recalling his words to Lynley: 'I don't take orders from you, dickhead.'
Veronica continues, "We've been so busy investigating Griffith and dealing with Leo, we haven't even asked Mike what he found out from that list that Mac got of everyone who had accessed the Slasher files. He was supposed to get a message to you while we were undercover."
"I never heard from him," Keith replies.
"You don't think—" Veronica looks at him, panicked. She quickly slides off the stool and gets her cell phone. She accesses Mike's number in her contact list and hits 'send'. She paces impatiently, muttering, "Pick up, pick up, pick up." Finally, she sighs in relief. "Mike. It's Veronica....yeah, I'm okay. It was hard....I know. You talked to your friend Lynley?...He's exaggerating...No, it wasn't...Really, I'm okay...I'm okay, Mike...." Her voice starts to break as Mike presses her for details about the operation.
Keith motions to the phone, and Veronica says in relief, "My dad wants to talk to you."
Keith takes the phone and walks into his bedroom. The conversation continues in a muted tone.
Logan embraces Veronica; she sags against him wearily. "I was scared someone got to him," she whispers. "Another mistake...."
"Veronica, shh," he replies quietly. "I'm sure he's okay."
Keith walks back into the room and puts Veronica's phone on the counter. "He said he doesn't have anything solid on Hannah's murder. He's eliminated a few people, but that's it." He hesitates before continuing, "After the bombing, Mac felt she had to tell her handler about contacting Mike, and Mike was suspended from the bureau. Mike said his supervisor told him that Mac insisted that it was all her fault and she wouldn't cooperate anymore unless the FBI reinstated him. So Mike expects the suspension will be rescinded."
"That sounds like Mac," Logan comments.
"I told him we'd like to meet sometime tomorrow afternoon. We have to go to Duncan's hearing in the morning, and assuming the Mannings' lawyers are smart enough to drop the custody suit, we can head up to L.A. after that. You're sure you're up to this, Veronica?"
She nods. Tentatively, she asks, "Dad?"
"What is it?"
"Do you think...would it be okay if we found time for me to...." She sighs and takes a deep breath before blurting, "I'd really like to talk with Logan's shrink again."
Keith is shocked into silence, realizing this must be her primary reason for wanting to go to L.A. He remembers how reluctant she was when he insisted she visit a counselor after Lilly's death, and Veronica's request scares him.
"It's no big deal," Veronica hastily amends at his expression. "I just...I have something I want to talk to her about."
"Of course. Logan? Can you set it up?" Keith requests.
Logan kisses the top of her head and takes the cell phone. He paces as he talks, casting worried glances at Veronica, which she does her best to avoid.
"It doesn't help when you guys do that," she mutters.
"What, honey?" Keith says.
Veronica says, her voice breaking, "When you pity me like that. When you look all worried because I'm so messed up."
"Veronica—"
She takes a deep breath and shudders. "I can't help it, okay? I just keep thinking if only I hadn't gone after Gory, if only I hadn't helped Duncan kidnap the baby, if only I had listened to you when you told me the undercover operation would be too dangerous." She closes her eyes. Get a hold of yourself, Veronica. Don't let them see...hold it together. She opens her eyes and says firmly, "I'm okay. Just...I'd like to talk to someone who's not...involved. And she understands about the school, what it was like there."
Logan terminates the call and sits back down opposite her. "She'll make time for us late in the day." He takes Veronica's hand. "It's going to be okay. We got through today. Leo's going to leave us alone."
Veronica nods. Then why do I feel so scared?
~ • ~
Thurs. 3/19/09 evening: Griffith Residence, Neptune, CA
"Open up! Sheriff's Department!" Leo calls out grimly, pounding on the door to Tom Griffith's house. After a short delay, Mrs. Griffith opens the door, visibly upset. Leo hears a baby crying somewhere upstairs. "Ma'am...is your husband here?"
She shakes her head. "He got a phone call about ten minutes ago. He wouldn't talk to me about it. Tom grabbed his wallet and a small bag, and ran out the back."
Leo looks out the window; there are two cars parked in the driveway. "Do you have another vehicle?"
Mrs. Griffith shakes her head again, the tears streaming down her face. "No. I think someone picked him up. What's going on?"
"You didn't see the car that picked him up? What about his cell phone?" Leo asks, ignoring her question. "Did your husband take his cell?" he presses, hoping against hope that the doctor's phone could be tracked.
"No. It's on the counter," she answers, pointing. "I want to know what's going on."
Leo thumbs his radio. "Suspect is not on the premises. I want an alert at the border and all the local airports. Suspect is presumed to have left in an unidentified vehicle at approximately 2200 hours. Sacks, I want a tracer on all of Griffith's credit and ATM cards." He turns to Mrs. Griffith. "Is there someone who can watch your baby? A neighbor? You're going to have to come down to the station. I'll explain further down there."
She nods nervously. "Annie, next door."
Leo directs one of the deputies to go next door. "I'll need to look at your husband's desk. His computer, his papers, his files." Mrs. Griffith leads him to a desk with neat piles of papers. Leo shuffles through, quickly determining that the papers are merely household bills. "Deputy Clark, we're going to take this computer with us."
Leo triggers the radio again. "Sheriff D'Amato here. What's the status on the arrests?"
The radio crackles, "Ciaran and Padraig Fitzpatrick are in custody. We're proceeding with a search of the premises."
Leo barks, "Davis, report."
"Davis here. Liam's gone. The house is empty, Sheriff," a different voice responds over the radio.
"Shit," Leo mutters under his breath. Aloud, he directs, "Issue an APB on Liam and Dr. Griffith. This is a priority. I want all eyes on this. Contact all the adjoining counties and stress the importance of cooperation, Sacks."
"Got it, Sheriff," Sacks replies faintly over the radio.
Leo turns to Mrs. Griffith. "You said your husband got a phone call. Cell phone, or the telephone?"
"Cell phone," she replies, pointing at the device.
Leo takes the cell and accesses the call list. He dials the last incoming number, listed as unavailable; a message informs him that the call cannot be completed as dialed. "Clark, take the phone into evidence as well," he notes, handing the phone to the deputy. "See if you can find out anything about the originating number of the last incoming call."
Clark nods. "You want us to search the premises?"
"I want you to canvass the neighborhood first. See if anyone saw Griffith or a car. Then I want you to tear the house apart. I want every inch of this property examined," Leo replies. "If there's a clue where the doctor ran to, I want it found." He turns back to Griffith's wife. "Where do you think your husband is?"
"I don't know! What's going on? What's happening?" she answers tearfully. "Tom's done nothing wrong. We've been through hell lately with his daughter's murder. Why are you doing this?"
"Apparently there are some serious irregularities with your husband's business. His unavailability for questioning doesn't look good."
"Irregularities?" she replies, puzzled. "What are you talking about?"
"Money laundering. Suspected racketeering."
Mrs. Griffith is stunned into silence. After a moment, she sputters, "That's ridiculous."
"Dr. Griffith is also wanted in questioning regarding the murder of Kendall Casablancas," Leo adds. "Do you happen to know where your husband was the evening of March 11?"
Mrs. Griffith stares at Leo. She blurts out, "I want a lawyer."
"You're not under arrest, Mrs. Griffith."
"I want a lawyer," she says forcefully. "This is a huge misunderstanding, and I want an attorney."
"Suit yourself," Leo says noncommittally, motioning toward the phone. "Have him meet us at the department," he comments, as the deputy escorts the next-door neighbor into the front door. The woman quickly embraces Mrs. Griffith before heading upstairs to take charge of the baby.
•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
VERONICA MARS
10:00PM SHO ch: 340 60min 2009 TV-MA
The Eye of the Storm
Anxiety about Duncan's hearing; Leo asks
for help.
Veronica: Kristen Bell. Logan: Jason Dohring.
Keith: Enrico Colantoni. Leo: Max Greenfield.
Shephard: Granville Van Dusen. Ford:
Jim Holmes.
•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
CHAPTER ONE HUNDRED FIFTEEN: "THE EYE OF THE STORM"
Thurs. 3/19/09 evening: Sunset Cliffs Apartment, Neptune, CA
Keith turns on the television, anxious to hear the local news. With a few minutes to spare before the ten o'clock broadcast on the CW and Fox networks, he surfs around the channels, hesitating momentarily on each channel before moving on. On CNN, a couple talking heads are discussing something intently, and Keith blows past with barely a pause.
Veronica hears the name 'Kane' and exclaims, "Wait! Go back."
Keith returns to the previous channel, and they read the graphic behind the two men: 'CNN: Prima Facie Evidence...with Legal Analysts Jack Shephard and James Ford.' The lettering dissolves to a flashy logo, 'The Billionaire Heir and the Baby: Kane v. Manning'.
Veronica says sarcastically, "At least they've stopped calling her the coma-baby."
One of the men is pontificating somberly, "It all comes down to the best interests of the child. There's little case law to guide the judge."
His companion speaks, ticking off his points on this fingers as he proceeds. "Let's review the facts of the case. In December 2005, Meg Manning, who had miraculously survived a bus crash several months earlier, seven months pregnant and just a few weeks out of a lengthy coma, suddenly succombed to a blood clot that lodged in her heart. Her baby, a daughter, survived. Meg had identified the father as Duncan Kane, son of billionaire computer innovator, Jake Kane. In January 2006, after Meg's parents, Stewart and Rose Manning, announced their intention to file for sole custody of their granddaughter, the father, Duncan Kane fled from Neptune, California, having kidnapped the baby whom he presumed to be his daughter. Despite the best efforts of the FBI, Duncan Kane eluded capture and remained on the run for three years."
The first man asks, "Many legal experts have questioned why Duncan Kane felt he had to kidnap his own daughter rather than fight the grandparents for custody in court."
"There has been a lot of speculation about that, Jack. In the Aaron Echolls murder trial several months later, there was testimony that Duncan Kane suffered from seizures that caused him to have uncontrollable, violent fits. In addition, there have recently been rumors from sources close to the case that the Mannings have evidence of a felony committed by Kane while Meg Manning was in a coma."
"Are you suggesting blackmail, James?" Jack echoes.
The other man shrugs. "Immediately after Meg's death, the grandparents claimed that the mother had wanted the baby raised in their religion and based their suit on that. But who knows what evidence they might have produced for a judge if Kane had fought their request for physical custody in court."
"At the time, it looked bad for Duncan Kane that he ran. It was thought that there must have been something to those rumors of violent and uncontrolled seizures. His behavior seemed to proved that he was unstable," the legal expert comments.
James states dramatically, "And then one month ago...Kane returned to Neptune and dropped a bombshell." The graphic changes to a picture of Duncan, grasping Veronica's hand tightly, on the steps of the Balboa County Courthouse.
Logan physically flinches at the image, remembering what he had thought when he first saw it while hiding in South Padre Island: that Veronica had reunited with Duncan. He can't help thinking how close he came to ending it all that night.
Veronica notices his discomfort and turns to look at him; he shakes his head slightly and whispers, "I want to hear what they're saying." She focuses on the screen again and resolves to talk to him later.
On the television, Jack Shephard is continuing his recitation of the legal saga. "Kane negotiated a plea agreement with the Balboa County District Attorney that cleared him of the kidnapping charges, but a paternity test showed that the baby girl he'd been raising was actually the product of an incestuous relationship between the mother and her own father, Stewart Manning..."
"Who's now been indicted for child endangerment and unlawful sexual activity with a minor child." James looks thoughtful. "So now Duncan Kane's actions three years ago have been cast in a new light; although Kane himself has refused all interview requests, the speculation is that he took the girl to prevent the grandfather from abusing her."
Jack nods solemnly. "However, Rose Manning, Stewart's wife, has not been charged with any crime. And she's still pursuing custody of her granddaughter."
"Who is also, technically, her stepdaughter," James adds.
Veronica makes a face. The complicated relationships are impossible to summarize in a single term, she thinks. Poor Lilly.
"But Kane was not deterred, and he himself has filed for permanent custody of the girl he considers his daughter. At this point, the guardian ad litem for the child has petitioned the court to begin the process of terminating Stewart Manning's parental rights, pending the outcome of the incest trial. In the meantime, the grandmother and the 'kidnapper' are fighting for physical custody and visitation rights. And, if Stewart Manning is actually convicted of incest and his parental rights are terminated, Duncan Kane and Rose Manning will presumably be battling for the right to adopt the girl."
"Whew! What a mess. Who has the better case, the blood relative who possibly condoned sexual abuse, or the kidnapper with no biological relationship to the child?"
Veronica blurts out, "Any idiot can see—"
Keith agrees, "Yes, Veronica. Shh."
The legal commentator replies, "I think it's all going to come down to the best interests of the child. I'm curious to see if this felony that's been hinted at comes out at the hearing. And the judge is going to want to hear Duncan's story and will listen carefully to the reports from the guardian ad litem and case workers."
"We'll have an update tomorrow on a decision, if any, from the judge in the Billionaire Baby case."
As the theme music for 'CNN: Prima Facie Evidence' plays, Keith uses the remote to flip through the channels again, landing on the local Fox affiliate as the ten o'clock news begins.
Veronica says quietly, "Do you think he'll win the case?"
"I don't know," Keith replies honestly. "I think it depends on the judge. You heard what they said: it's going to come down to the best interest of the child. Some people think biology trumps everything else."
"Look at Mac," Veronica observes. "They didn't switch her back when they found out about the mistake. And she's okay. Don't you think—"
"It doesn't matter what I think. If the judge perceives the kidnapping as foolish and criminal and sees Mrs. Manning as another of Stewart's victims, he might...." Keith shrugs.
They lapse into silence as the local news begins. Keith is overtly nervous, fidgeting and restless, but doesn't speak. He keeps switching back and forth between the local broadcasts on the CW and Fox, expecting to hear a breaking news bulletin about the arrests.
All three are lost in thought as they watch the news stories, hoping for an announcement from the Neptune Sheriff's Department. Each of them is also secretly worried about the next day's hearing—terrified that the judge might question Duncan closely about the actual kidnapping plan. If Veronica's involvement in the kidnapping somehow comes up, they know that Duncan might be forced to testify against her. For the millionth time, Logan wishes that Duncan had just stayed away; Keith and Veronica are more pragmatic, but they too long for an easier solution than tomorrow's nerve-racking hearing. The tension in the room seems to increase with every minute that goes by without news of an arrest; too much is going on, and the uncertainty is overwhelming.
At eleven o'clock, Keith flips the channel to the ABC affiliate and begins tapping the remote nervously against his leg.
Veronica, snuggling on the couch against Logan's shoulder, suggests quietly and without conviction, "Maybe there's a news blackout."
Keith sighs and surfs to the NBC and CBS local affiliates. "Something's wrong," he mutters. "I wish I'd kept that police scanner." There's a knock on the door, and Keith jumps to his feet. He glances out the window and sees a police cruiser in the parking lot. He opens the door to Leo D'Amato.
"Keith," Leo says.
"What's going on?" Keith asks without greeting him.
"Can I come in?" Leo responds. Keith opens the door and allows him to enter. "We got Ciaran and Padraig Fitzpatrick, but Griffith, his office manager, and Liam got away. Someone warned them." Leo meets Keith's eyes, tacitly admitting that he should have listened more closely to Keith's information.
Keith sighs. "I was afraid of that. And the office manager had to have known everything that was going on with the money laundering. I bet it was a priority to prevent her from talking to you." He glances at Veronica and Logan before continuing. "I doubt she'll be found alive."
Leo massages his shoulder, trying to release some of his obvious tension. "Maybe we should have just gone after her first and tried to get her to turn on the others."
"There's no point second-guessing yourself now," Keith offers. "I'm sure you'll get them sooner or later. You probably set up road-blocks and alerted the border authorities, right?"
Leo nods morosely. He spies several large sheets of paper piled on the kitchen counter; he recognizes the name 'Kevin Bray' written in large letters and frowns. He walks over to look more closely. "Bray," he muses as he thinks about the recent occupant of his drunk tank. "What's this?"
"While we were preparing our case, we were trying to organize what we knew about the Fitzpatricks," Keith explains.
"Mind if I take a look?" Leo asks.
Veronica thinks, What a difference a day makes. They watch as Leo sorts through the papers, apparently absorbed by his thoughts.
Abruptly, Leo says, "I want to know exactly what you were talking about when you said you suspected the Fitzpatricks had a contact in law enforcement."
Keith replies, "Vinnie told me that Liam has a contact in the FBI. I don't know if that's true, but there certainly seems to be some evidence of tampering by someone in law enforcement in the dismissal of the charges against the Fitzpatricks last month. You and I know that was a solid case, and somehow someone made sure it went away."
"That's a pretty serious accusation, Keith."
"Tell him," Veronica urges.
"What?" Leo asks sharply.
Hesitantly, Keith explains, "There are some irregularities in Hannah Griffith's murder that don't match up with the other victims of the Saturday Night Slasher."
"We think she was killed by a copycat killer, someone who knew all the details of the investigation into the Slasher," Veronica adds.
"What's your evidence of this?" Leo responds harshly.
Veronica flinches at his tone.
Keith objects angrily, "Watch it! We helped you a lot tonight."
"In order to get your friend Duncan out of a jam," Leo comments, glaring back. "Who knows how many laws you broke getting that evidence anyways?"
"What is your problem?" Logan interjects. "I know we embarrassed you about the tapes, but—"
"I really don't believe you're all that reformed, Echolls. You may have fooled these guys, but I know you'll be drinking and causing trouble soon enough."
Logan pushes off the couch; Veronica grabs onto his hand tightly and says, "Stop it. Stop it!! I can't take this." She draws the back of her hand over her eye, wiping away a tear. She tugs at Logan's hand and gets him to sit down. "Leo, please."
Leo stares angrily at the three of them.
Veronica continues, "You knew we didn't have anything to do with Kendall's death. You knew it. It doesn't matter what evidence we gave you; you knew we were innocent long before Dad came to you tonight."
Leo's face is stony and stubborn for a long beat; finally, he nods and agrees with her. "There were some discrepancies in the case," he allows.
"I'm sorry we did what we did," Veronica says impulsively. "If there had been any other way....Leo, Dad told us about your sister. I'm so sorry about Tina. I know how much you loved her."
"Yeah," he mumbles, avoiding her gaze.
Veronica pushes herself off the couch. "Let me show you why I think Hannah wasn't killed by the Slasher." On her laptop, she pulls up the list of the dates and the dates of the full moons; she shows him how all the deaths until Hannah's coordinate with full moons on Saturday night. "I just stumbled on it," she explains. "I wasn't really investigating the serial killer. I noticed that Hannah's death didn't fit the pattern. But...you know about the mutilation, the heart cut into the victims' chests?"
Leo nods.
"The killer knew about that, and he knew that Hannah matched the profile of all the other victims. Except of course, she wasn't really a prostitute."
"What?" Leo asks.
"There's no evidence that she was a prostitute," Veronica argues. "She was found in an area frequented by hookers, and she'd been given heroin, but she wasn't a routine user of the drug, and she had never been arrested for solicitation. You know that that's extremely unlikely."
"Maybe she just started," Leo suggests.
Veronica shakes her head. "Somebody who knew the details that had been held back from the press was involved in her murder. And now that we have evidence that Griffith was connected to the Fitzpatricks...." She shrugs suggestively.
"Why would the Fitzpatricks kill Griffith's daughter?" Leo asks.
"To keep him in line maybe," Keith interrupts grimly. "Maybe he wanted out of the money laundering business, and they showed him what would happen to his family. You and I know the Fitzpatricks wouldn't hesitate to kill someone standing in their way."
"You realize that you're not safe with them on the loose?" Leo says.
"Even if you catch Liam, we're not safe as long as their pet FBI agent is free," Veronica retorts.
Leo sighs. "You've just made my job a hundred times harder. How am I supposed to pursue this without the FBI knowing what I'm doing?"
"We've got a few leads. Here, let me show you." Keith spreads out the papers and motions to the diagrams. "There's only a few Fitzpatrick associates that we haven't identified. We're trying to find a connection to somebody in the FBI." He shows Leo the three unidentified photos. "Do you know any of these guys?"
"This one," Leo says, tapping one of the pictures. "It's Tommy Shaw's big brother, Andy. He's got a straight job working for a plumbing supply company. But I think sometimes he can be persuaded to be the muscle for the Fitzpatricks when he needs some extra money. I don't know these other two guys."
Veronica sends the picture files to print. "Maybe you could work on identifying them as well," she suggests, handing him the printouts.
Leo nods, sighing. "In between hunting for Liam and Griffith," he says. He taps the chart. "This guy, Kevin Bray? He got himself arrested on Tuesday night for drunk and disorderly. He came up with a story that he witnessed Echolls meeting with Kendall Casablancas in Waterside Park the night she got killed."
"That's ridiculous. I was in Vermont that week," Logan contradicts.
"I know. But the Fitzpatricks didn't know that. He was the second witness that made a point of connecting you with Kendall."
"The second witness?" Veronica asks.
"The first one was a maintenance worker at the Neptune Grand, Oswaldo Cortez." Leo nods at Logan. "He told me about your affair with Kendall three years ago."
"Cortez? As in Hector Cortez?" Veronica asks incredulously.
"Yes, Oswaldo is his cousin. You know Hector?" Leo asks suspiciously.
"All I know is Hector took over leadership of the PCHers," Veronica says obliquely, omitting any reference to the PCHers' connection to the Fitzpatricks. Logan subtly shoots her a glance, and she nudges him to be cool. "Logan, do you remember any nice maintenance men from the Neptune Grand spying on you and Mrs. Casablancas?"
"You know how I like to mingle with the little people, snookums," he replies. "But no, I don't remember anyone named Oswaldo."
Leo snorts quietly. "You're holding out on me again, Veronica. It's a dangerous game you're playing. What do you suppose Oswaldo's beef is with you, Echolls?"
"The usual, I think. I'm rich, white, and free. At the time I was seeing 'Mrs. Casablancas'," he nods at Veronica, "I was pretty much universally hated by everyone with brown skin because they thought I killed Felix Toombs."
"So, what, he's still getting back at you for that? Even after you were exonerated?"
"Exonerated...that word has such a nice ring to it," Logan comments sardonically. He sees Leo's exasperation and amends, more cooperatively, "I don't think the PCHers will ever be my biggest fans. I never did anything to endear myself to the Latino population, and most of them probably still think I did something that night on the Coronado."
Leo exhales loudly and turns to Keith. "Do you mind taking me through these charts? Maybe I'll see a connection that you haven't."
"All right," Keith agrees. He spreads the papers out on the counter and begins to go through each of the names, summarizing their research and all the connections they've found. Leo asks questions from time to time, clarifying Keith's conclusions.
Veronica rests her head against Logan's shoulder, and they listen as the two men talk through all the complicated relationships. Keith tells a few stories from arrests during his time as sheriff to illustrate his points. After a while, Logan realizes that Veronica has dozed off.
Keith finishes a long explanation about a successful prosecution of one of Liam's henchman. He turns the page, pointing to the name 'Daniel Mulvaney', and begins to tell what he knows about the man.
"Mulvaney?" Leo interrupts sharply. "Dammit! I knew that name sounded familiar."
"What?" Keith asks, confused.
"We've identified the car that took Kendall to Waterside Park. It was reported stolen by Lawrence Crawford, whose housekeeper happens to be Bridget Mulvaney."
"And Daniel Mulvaney was the eyewitness who claimed to see Veronica when she supposedly murdered Clarence Wiedman last fall," Keith says, nodding. "He was Danny Boyd's cellmate at Salinas State Prison. We've been assuming that he's been working for the Fitzpatricks since his release. We had him followed, and Mulvaney was hanging out with Liam in the River Stix."
"So Daniel Mulvaney had access to the vehicle through Bridget, who is probably his sister, or maybe his mother," Leo muses.
Keith moves over to the laptop and enters Bridget's name in the PryingEyez database. "His aunt. And it looks like she shares an address with her nephew." He turns the screen so Leo can see it. Leo tells Keith about the efforts to recover the Lincoln Navigator; Keith suggests he should concentrate on a few chop shops, known to fence items for the Fitzpatricks, that are located on the outskirts of San Diego.
They continue talking about Mulvaney and various other Fitzpatrick cronies. As they converse, they gradually begin to be more at ease with each other.
Finally, Leo stands up and says he'll be in touch. He notices that Veronica is sound asleep, and he looks abashed. She appears fragile and weak, huddled against Logan. "Is she okay? I can't believe she just fell asleep. We've been talking about murderers and drug-runners."
"She's exhausted," Logan replies. "The undercover operation was very stressful. And it's been rough since we got back." He meets Leo's eyes briefly before looking away.
"Her shoulder's going to be okay?"
"They think so. She needs to have surgery when she's a little stronger," Keith explains.
Leo stares at her. She's drowsing and completely unaware, her mouth gaping a little in sleep and her body relaxed against Logan's. "Take care of her. I'm...I'm sorry. I let my feelings—"
"Let's try to move on," Keith suggests. "We'll be in touch, okay?"
Leo nods and leaves wordlessly, his face betraying his discomfort.
Logan says, "I'll put her to bed. She really is exhausted." He eases her into his arms and lifts her easily, carrying her into the bedroom as Keith watches.
A few minutes later, Logan returns to the living room, nervously brushing his hair back from his forehead. He asks Keith, "Do you really think this trip to Rio Linda is a good idea? With Liam on the loose, and probably out for blood? If there really is a mole in the FBI, they'll know who provided the evidence for these arrests."
"I'm hoping we'll find out something in Rio Linda about whoever's helping the Fitzpatricks. I think finding Hannah's killer is the only way to do that. We'll always be in danger if we don't. We'll take Kavner and the other guard with us. They can follow us and make sure we're all right while we're asking around."
Logan nods, comprehending but not happy about it.
Keith adds, "And I think it's good she's asking for help...asking to see your therapist."
Logan scoffs. "I'm not so sure. It's something she feels that she can't talk about with you and me." He looks up and meets Keith's worried eyes.
Keith suddenly yawns. "It's been a long day. We've got the hearing first thing. Let's see how she's doing in the morning and decide at that time."
"Okay," Logan agrees.
"She's going to be all right. The two of you are going to be all right. Try not to worry," Keith says reassuringly.
"Yeah." Logan walks back into Veronica's bedroom.
Keith watches him, noting the slump of his shoulders. I don't know how to help them. Maybe this therapist will help. He tries to pinpoint the moment when Logan's well-being became so important to him; he realizes that when Logan begged him for forgiveness, his anger over Logan's missteps had...well, not disappeared, but lessened in an essential way. He reluctantly acknowledges that he's grateful for another strong man to help him watch over his daughter. Veronica seems like anything but a 'badass, action-figure daughter' lately, he thinks ruefully.
Keith picks up the phone and dials Wallace's number. "Wallace, it's Keith. I'm sorry to call so late....Yes, everything went fine. I think it will be all right. Duncan got his immunity agreement....Don't be so hard on Duncan. He was in a bad position....Yes, I agree, that would have been better. Listen, Wallace, I think if everything goes well at the hearing tomorrow, we're going to head up to Rio Linda. I'd like you to work on a couple things for me. I don't want you taking any chances, and you're going to check in with me every step of the way."
In the bedroom, Logan shuts the door soundlessly and tiptoes into the room. Veronica is sleeping soundly under the covers, lit only by the dim light on the nightstand. He sits in the chair at her desk and watches her sleep. He thinks about finding her that night five years ago by the pool, lying sleepily, uncomprehendingly, on the lounge chair. She had looked beautiful that night, in a lacy white dress with a tight black choker around her neck; she had been wearing a little more makeup than he liked, but every boy had checked her out surreptitiously when she entered the party with her head held high. He had reluctantly admired her for her courage that night: she wasn't going to let them ostracize her without a fight, despite Logan's best efforts to trash her reputation.
He remembers the usual ache in his guts when he saw her walk in the door. She was as always the reminder that everything had changed when Lilly died, and her stubborn and unyielding refusal to go against her dad was so typical of her, and so frustrating and painful for him. He can still recall the pathological hatred he had had for her; it was as irrational and stubborn as she was.
Logan had stood above her as she lay helpless on the lounge chair. He tries to recall what he could have been thinking that night. He could have picked her up in his arms and taken her to a bedroom and locked her in for the duration. He could have called her father to come and get her. He could have even just left her there by the pool to sleep and sober up. He can't really remember making a decision to call everyone over to mock her; it just seemed to happen, almost as if the tragedy that was set in motion was attached inexorably to his own miserable existence. His father had taught him about cruelty, and he had embraced it that night when what she had needed was his help.
Then Duncan—solid, unswervingly upstanding Duncan—had walked over and insisted that they stop what they were doing immediately. Duncan had tried to be her hero that night, and Logan recalls feeling ashamed, humiliated even, when Duncan had looked at him accusingly. Duncan had put aside his anger at her and her father and tried to do the right thing. So he had punished Duncan for his good instincts by drugging him; two years later when Logan was listening to them making love in the next room at the Neptune Grand, he knew it was his penance for his shabby treatment of her that night.
How do you make that up to someone? I've been trying for five years now. It'll never be enough. I've tried to be her hero for so long now...and tomorrow she'll see him again: Duncan Kane, willing to give up his life for his child. How can she fail to see the difference between us? She never says it; she never says 'how could you have left me there?' But then again, we never talk about it.
He drops his head into his hands and just lets the regret wash over him.
She stirs restlessly and opens her eyes. "Logan?"
"I'm here," he replies quietly. "It's okay." Now...I'm here for you.
"Come to bed," she says in a hushed voice.
He gets undressed and slips into bed, pressing himself into her back, molding himself to her small and fragile body. She seems to settle into him, relaxing and letting go as he draws her closer.
His lips brush against her hair as he forms the words without sound: Love you, Veronica.
•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
VERONICA MARS
10:00PM SHO ch: 340 60min 2009 TV-MA
In Loco Parentis
Duncan's custody hearing.
Veronica: Kristen Bell. Logan: Jason Dohring.
Keith: Enrico Colantoni. Duncan 2.0: Chris
Carmack. Attorney Allen: Jeff Austin. Judge
Ferris: Don Worley. Celeste Kane: Lisa
Thornhill. Jake Kane: Kyle Secor. Lizzie
Manning: Anastasia Baranova. Duncan's
Attorney: James Patrick Stuart. Bailiff:
Thomas Nelson Webb. Intrepid Reporter:
Vincent Spano. Man: Trev Tommasi.
Kavner: Eric Bana.
•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
ONE HUNDRED SIXTEEN: "IN LOCO PARENTIS"
Fri. 3/20/09 morning: Balboa County Courthouse, Neptune, CA
Veronica, Logan, and Keith sit directly behind Duncan, who leans over to whisper something in the ear of this attorney. Duncan glances over his shoulder at them and acknowledges Veronica's smile of encouragement. Jake and Celeste Kane are seated two rows back. They steadfastly avoid looking at Veronica and the others.
The judge asks, "Mr. Allen. Have you heard from your client? It's 9:10; we have a very full docket today and need to get started."
On the other side of the room, the Mannings' attorney stands up and says, "No, your honor. I've tried to contact Mrs. Manning by cell phone with no response. I'm sorry for the inconvenience. I'm sure she'll be here momentarily."
Lizzie Manning walks in the back of the courtroom; the room begins to buzz with speculation. She makes her way to the front and sits down next to Veronica.
Duncan turns and asks her in a low voice, "Where's your mom?"
"I don't think she's coming. She called me early this morning, upset about the news that you had worked out a deal with the prosecution," Lizzie explains in a whisper. "She wanted me to lie about Grace."
"I'm glad you're not living with her, Lizzie," Veronica comments.
Lizzie sighs. "I've decided to ask the courts for custody of Grace. Duncan said he would help with my expenses and pay for my attorney."
Veronica takes her hand and squeezes it gently. "It's hard to go against your parents like that."
Lizzie nods, her eyes brimming with tears. "You can't imagine." She looks around. The whole courtroom is staring at her; she says morosely, "Everyone thinks he was doing it to me, too."
"I don't," Veronica replies.
"I want to move far away from here, somewhere where nobody knows about the Mannings and the coma-baby," she says bitterly.
"Thanks for doing this for Duncan," Veronica says softly. "And for your sisters."
The judge clears his throat before Lizzie can reply. "Mr. Allen, it appears that your client is not going to show."
A woman stands up. "May I approach, your honor?" Judge Ferris nods, and she walks to the front of the room. "As the guardian ad litem for Faith Manning, I would like to ask the court to proceed with the assignment of physical custody for the child. It's my understanding that Mr. Kane and Ms. Elizabeth Manning are able to provide evidence of the abuse that was occurring in the Manning household. That combined with the DNA evidence of the child's parentage is sufficient evidence to deny Rose Manning's request for custody. I've received reports from the foster home and the psychologists who have evaluated all the parties to this dispute. Mrs. Mannings' persistent denial of abusive behavior when confronted with the facts of her granddaughter's parentage and her refusal to accept counseling and other support from Child and Family Services indicate a severe problem. Her husband is under indictment for three counts of child endangerment and one count of unlawful sexual activity with a minor child, and yet Mrs. Manning refuses to admit that family counseling is warranted. She has said more than once that she believes the DNA testing to be fraudulent and counter to her religion."
"Yes, I've read the reports from the psychologists," the judge concurs. "Mr. Kane. We have a little latitude here in Family Court. I would like to question you." He motions that Duncan should take the witness stand.
Duncan's attorney nods encouragingly at Duncan, who stands up hesitantly and walks to the witness box. The bailiff swears him in, and Duncan takes a seat.
"Mr. Kane," Judge Ferris begins, "Tell me your impression of the situation in the Manning family. I'd like to know why you took such a drastic step as to flee the country with the child you believed to be your daughter."
Mrs. Mannings' attorney stands up. "I protest this vigorously. This is clearly inappropriate with Mrs. Manning not available to defend herself."
"If she wanted to defend herself, she could have attended the hearing today," the judge responds drily. "I can read between the lines, counselor. It's obvious to me that your client was threatening the witness with prosecution for breaking and entering, and, now that he's reached an agreement with the Balboa County District Attorney, that threat is no longer viable." He turns to Duncan and repeats, "What was your impression of the situation in the Manning family?"
"When Meg and I were dating, Mr. Manning seemed to be very controlling," Duncan begins hesitantly. "She had a strict curfew, and we had to provide a lot of details about where we were going and who we were with."
"Was that there any hint of inappropriate behavior on Mr. Mannings' part?" the judge presses. Mrs. Mannings' attorney rises and opens his mouth to object, and the judge says sternly, "Sit down, Mr. Allen."
"No," Duncan says thoughtfully. "He was very angry toward me and lectured me about God several times, but I'm sorry to say that I didn't realize what was going on."
Logan shifts uncomfortably in his seat; he remembers trying to talk to a teacher once when his father had lashed him viciously with the belt. The teacher had advised him that sometimes grownups get mad and it didn't mean that they didn't love their children. Logan had stared back, realizing that he wouldn't get any help from this quarter; Aaron had been appearing on talk shows to promote his latest movie and always held up photos of his beloved children for the cameras to shoot a close-up. The teacher was blind to Aaron's faults, and Logan had nodded and walked away, resolving not to bother asking for assistance again. He glances over at Lizzie, wondering how bad it was for her and if she had ever tried to ask for help. She catches his eye, and he looks away quickly and concentrates on Duncan, fidgeting uncomfortably in the witness chair.
Judge Ferris shuffles through some papers in front of him. "This agreement with the district attorney seems to indicate that you broke into the Mannings' house. What was the purpose of this break-in?"
Duncan's eyes light on Veronica momentarily before he focuses on the judge again. "After the bus crash, while Meg was still in a coma, her sister Lizzie approached me about Meg's laptop computer. Lizzie was concerned about the personal documents Meg had on the computer; she knew her parents would be upset and was trying to protect her sister. Lizzie and I managed to figure out Meg's password, and I was able to read her emails. She had been contacting the Department of Child and Family Services about an abused child that she was worried about. The emails implied it was a young boy, between 7 and 10, who was being abused. At first, I thought it was one of the children Meg was baby-sitting. Baby-sitting was one of the few extracurricular activities that Meg's parents approved of."
The judge makes a few notes. "So the break-in was..."
"Meg wrote that the abused child had been forced to write books of admonishments...things like 'I was bad, I deserve to be punished', over and over again. And it sounded like she had managed to get one of the journals as proof and was going to turn it over to DCFS. The emails said the child was being locked in a closet for punishment: I was worried about him, and I wanted to get that journal."
"Why not just ask her parents for the book? Or ask them to contact DCFS on your behalf?" Judge Ferris asks logically.
Veronica reflects, Why didn't we just ask Lizzie to look for the journal? We went right to covert ops mode: Duncan in his black turtleneck, breaking in when her parents were at church group...what was I thinking? Clearly, my preference is always to commit a felony. She looks back up at Duncan, who is considering the judge's question carefully. She knows he is struggling to keep her name out of his testimony if possible.
"I was the sinner who had knocked up their daughter," Duncan replies bitterly. "They weren't even allowing me to visit her and were barely civil to me."
"So you broke into their house."
"I knew where their key was hidden, so it wasn't actually....My intention was to get the journal and leave, but we—" Duncan stops short, realizing his mistake.
"We?" the judge echoes, surprised.
Veronica smiles wanly at Duncan and nods that he should go ahead. Logan grabs her hand and squeezes it, and they trade a glance. He feels the intense anxiety and nervousness emanating from her. Damn it, Duncan. Why couldn't you be more careful? Logan sighs unobtrusively, and Veronica grasps his hand a little tighter.
"My friend Veronica Mars was with me," Duncan explains reluctantly.
The courtroom buzzes with the revelation, and heads swivel to stare at Veronica. Judge Ferris bangs his gavel. "I'll clear this courtroom if necessary. I've allowed these proceedings to be open because the excessive public interest has led to false rumors and innuendoes in the press about judicial prejudice, but I can still reverse that decision." The murmur dies down.
"Mr. Kane, tell me what happened at the Manning house," the judge continues.
"We looked around for the book that Meg had mentioned. We found it in the air vent in Meg's room. Veronica looked at the writing and thought it didn't look like a little boy's writing." Duncan's eyes meet Veronica's again before he plunges ahead. "We went into Meg's sister's room. Grace. We found a stack of journals, all filled with the same sentence over and over again: 'the path to God is paved with righteousness,' and we realized that Meg was really looking for help for her sister. We heard something in the closet; Veronica found a secret door, and we found Meg's sister locked in a small space. We tried to get Grace to come with us, but she refused and said that her parents could tell if the door had been opened and would punish her. Grace said, 'I don't want to be tested. Daddy said I'm not ready.'"
The Mannings' attorney jumps to his feet and says strongly, "Objection! This is hearsay, your honor."
"Sit down, Mr. Allen. This is Family Court, not Matlock. I'll allow the testimony. I can interview Grace if there's a question about the accuracy of Mr. Kane's statements. Continue, Mr. Kane. What happened then?"
Duncan says, "The Mannings came home before we could get Grace out of there. Mr. Manning threatened us with a baseball bat and called the police. Sheriff Lamb came and arrested us."
"There's no arrest report in your file," Judge Ferris says, leafing through the paperwork.
"He put us in the squad car, drove around the corner, and let us go. I don't know why."
"Did you pursue the abuse report on Meg's sister?" the judge asks.
Duncan flushes. "No. Lamb acted like he didn't believe us. Who could we have told? When Meg died, I consulted an attorney who told us that Lamb's failure to charge us would serve to bolster Mr. Manning's custody case. And if we told what had happened, both Veronica and I would be charged with a felony, breaking and entering. The attorney advised me that the felony would count against me if I tried to get sole custody."
"It's ridiculous. You were assumed to be the natural father. You would have been granted at least shared custody," the judge explains.
"Unless I was in jail," Duncan retorts. "And I believed that any time spent with the Mannings would be harmful to my daughter. Meg had begged me not to allow them near our daughter." His voice hitches a little on the expression, 'our daughter'.
Veronica recalls those emotional consultations three years ago with the family law attorney in Los Angeles. The attorney had said there were two possibilities: the Mannings could say that Veronica and Duncan had made up the abuse story and paint Duncan as an unstable person subject to epileptic fits, or the Mannings could insist on pressing charges against the two of them for burglary. The felony charge could mean jail time, and the Mannings would be guaranteed sole custody at least until Duncan served his sentence, and, with Celeste refusing to support his petition, Duncan had convinced Veronica that it was hopeless. He was going to run, with or without her help.
Veronica had begged Duncan repeatedly to tell her dad, but they both knew her father would have insisted they let the courts decide. For Duncan, the possibility that Veronica might be convicted of a felony along with him was the final straw that convinced him to kidnap the baby and run. She had lain awake night after night trying to think of an alternate solution while Duncan pretended to accede to his parents' wishes. At last, she gave up and made sure that Duncan got away cleanly. She had always felt that the day when she said goodbye to Duncan forever was the day she became an adult and relinquished her last childish fantasy of a happily-ever-after. Somehow, even after everything that had happened—Shelly's party and all the misery of Lilly's murder and the subsequent investigation—Duncan had still represented that for her. Or at least she had thought he did.
Veronica shakes her head to clear these dark thoughts and focuses on Duncan, who looks uncomfortable and stressed on the witness stand. His attorneys had obviously told him to play down his wealth and status; Duncan looks handsome, but Veronica knows that this is probably his least expensive suit. His tie is conservative, and his hair is cut, not styled.
"So you decided to run with Faith?" Judge Ferris asks, scribbling a notation in the file.
Duncan says solemnly, "It was a bad decision, made under stress. I regret not pursuing all my legal options at the time." Duncan's attorney nods subtly; they had gone over the wording of this statement numerous times.
Attorney Allen stands up. "I'd like to question the witness, your honor."
The judge nods. "I'll allow it."
As the attorney approaches the witness stand, the room mutters approvingly. Logan hears a woman whisper, "What choice did he have? He was protecting his daughter from those creeps." Logan glances at Veronica surreptitiously; he knows she regrets what she and Duncan did, but she'll defend their intentions to the grave. Duncan's heroic grand gesture is a textbook example of Veronica's firm belief that the ends justify the means. He flashes again on Duncan trying to come to her rescue at Shelly's party—trying to rescue her from him and his depravity—and he exhales in frustration and guilt. Veronica turns to look at him, and he pretends to smile at her. He remembers how she had been completely willing to forgive him: 'I'm going to choose to think of the salt lick as one of those not real things.' But, of course, that was when she couldn't really remember the salt lick. Who knows what memories were stirred up when Klein was doing his sick therapy? Logan swallows the bile that rises in his throat and tries to pay attention to the hearing.
The Mannings' attorney paces for a while before he begins to speak. His face is disapproving and incredulous, in stark contrast to the general mood of the courtroom. "So Sheriff Lamb declined to arrest you?" Allen asks scornfully.
"Yes, that's correct."
The attorney turns to the courtroom and looks overtly skeptical. "Why would he do that?"
"I believe he intended to blackmail the Mannings," Duncan replies matter-of-factly.
The courtroom surges loudly, and the judge bangs his gravel. "Order!"
"Your story is more ridiculous all the time," the attorney observes sarcastically, and Duncan's attorney stands up to object. Allen says quickly, "Withdrawn. Mr. Kane, do you have in your possession one of the journals that you say the Mannings forced Grace to write?"
"No, of course not, we were physically escorted from the premises in handcuffs," Duncan says. "But I do have video and audio tapes that document the abuse that was going on in that household."
As the courtroom goes wild, the Mannings' attorney says in a loud voice, "Your honor, the authenticity of those recordings has been disputed. Our experts have shown that the recordings have been edited and are a complete fabrication. And the witness is not allowed to introduce physical evidence in this manner."
The judge sighs. "Mr. Allen. How many times do I have to remind you that this is Family Court? I have great latitude in accepting evidence into cases. When you are dealing with the abuse of a child, we are unlikely to have physical evidence that meets a high evidentiary standard. I believe your specialty is personal injury? I wonder about the wisdom of the Mannings in engaging you for this matter."
The attorney flushes at the judge's aspersions.
Judge Ferris continues, directing his remarks to Duncan, "Mr. Kane, how did you come into possession of this evidence?"
"It was sent to my parents anonymously," Duncan lies smoothly. Leo D'Amato had made it clear that he could not afford to substantiate the evidence when he gave it to Duncan's parents, and Duncan's attorney had been kept in the dark about the recordings' origins. "I assumed that someone was using the recordings to blackmail the Mannings, and the most likely candidate would be Sheriff Lamb."
"But you have no proof of that?" the judge asks.
Duncan shakes his head. "No. However, my attorneys have discovered a pattern of withdrawals from the Mannings' accounts that could be explained by a series of payoffs." Allen stands up angrily, and Duncan quickly says, "Of course I can't prove Lamb was blackmailing the Mannings."
"I'm going to ignore that supposition," the judge remarks. "Bailiff. Is this recorded evidence available?" The man nods. Judge Ferris rifles through the paperwork in the folder in front of him. "I assume there are expert depositions regarding the authenticity of the recordings from both parties?"
Simultaneously, the two opposing attorneys rise and says, "Yes, your honor."
"All right then. I'd like to review this evidence and the supporting paperwork in chambers. Twenty minute recess."
"Your honor...I haven't finished questioning the witness," Allen protests vigorously.
"I'll decide whether to allow this evidence. Perhaps we won't need to draw this out any further," the judge says wearily as he rises from his seat.
The bailiff says quickly, "Twenty minute recess."
The room is buzzing with rumors. Several reporters make a beeline for the pay phones in the lobby. One reporter moves to approach Veronica, and Keith preemptively puts an arm around her and says, "Not a chance, buddy." They stand to stretch their legs and walk to the side of the room to converse quietly away from eavesdroppers.
Veronica whispers to Lizzie, "Are you okay?"
Lizzie is white as a sheet. "I really don't want to testify."
Duncan's attorney overhears her and replies, "I think the judge is going to accept the recordings as evidence. It looks bad when the parent suing for custodial rights fails to appear; Mrs. Manning already has a huge strike against her. We'll move for summary judgment, and we won't need your testimony."
"I'm still going to have to testify against my dad in the...incest trial," Lizzie says shakily. "I didn't know what was going on...I couldn't stop it!" she whispers intensely.
Keith replies, "Of course you couldn't. Lizzie, your sisters need you to be strong. We'll help you, I promise."
"I still can't think of Faith as my sister. She's my niece." Lizzie adds weakly, "I just want to get away from here."
Duncan comes up to her and hugs her gently. "It's going to be okay, Lizzie. We're going to get through this. Thank you for helping me and Lilly."
Lizzie leans into him and cries softly. Veronica notices a man maneuvering in the crowd; she watches as he clicks a pen in their general direction. She turns to her dad. "Dad, that man has a camera." She nods toward the man who now appears to be looking elsewhere.
"Are you sure, Veronica?" he asks.
"It's that same pen camera we have," she explains.
Keith finds the bailiff and whispers in his ear. The bailiff nods and takes the man by the arm; he leads him back to one of the security guards, who carefully frisks the man and examines his identification. They watch as the bailiff confiscates the camera, with the man protesting loudly.
"Thank you, Veronica," Lizzie says gratefully.
"'Kane Heir Embraces Abuse Survivor,'" Logan says under his breath. "What a bunch of jackals. I remember half of these guys from my dad's trial."
"Trust Neptune to bring out the crazies," Veronica remarks.
"That's because we are the crazies," Lizzie replies bitterly. "I hate my dad. Every day there's a new article speculating about why my dad raped my sister and not me."
"Oh god, Lizzie," Veronica says sympathetically.
"Abusers don't operate according to logic," Logan says quietly. "My dad never touched my sister either."
"Are you okay, Logan?" Veronica asks with concern. "Maybe you should go home. This has to be...." She sighs loudly and concludes lamely, "I'm sure this is awful for you."
"No, I want to be here for you, Veronica," he protests. "I'll be all right. It actually feels good to see someone fighting so hard to help a child."
Veronica hears the unspoken protest that no one had fought for him. "Logan...."
Logan shakes his head, unwilling to discuss it further. "I'm staying."
Duncan excuses himself to go speak with his parents. They watch as the Kanes converse inaudibly. Celeste does not look pleased by the proceedings.
Logan nods toward Duncan's parents. "Duncan's parents aren't much better. Celeste looks like she's taken a dose of castor oil."
"They love him in their way, I guess," Veronica comments. "They just wanted a different life for Duncan, especially after Lilly died."
"Celeste is horrified of scandal," Keith adds. "I doubt she'll ever really get over this. I hope Duncan can find the strength to get through this on his own."
"I think if he gets custody he'll be okay," Veronica replies.
"We'll help him," Logan says.
Veronica looks at him in surprise; up until now, he has never declared his support for Duncan very strongly.
Logan adds more emphatically, "I'm not going to let our old jealousies define our relationship any longer." The words are difficult and scary, and irrevocably tinged with his looming insecurities, but he means it. "He's a part of our lives, Veronica. Forever. I want us to help him."
"I know. I do too," she agrees.
The bailiff announces that the judge is returning and everyone needs to take their seat. There is rampant speculation in the room as the judge walks in.
"I've reviewed the evidence. I'm convinced that there is reason to believe that the recordings are authentic." Judge Ferris looks sternly at Mr. Allen, encouraging him not to object further. He looks at Duncan's attorney. "Do you have a motion?"
The attorney stands up quickly and says, "Yes, your honor. Move for summary judgment in the case of Kane v. Manning."
"Granted. I hereby order that the custodial petition of Duncan Kane be granted."
"Objection, your honor," the Mannings' attorney protests over the murmurs of the observers in the courtroom.
"Mr. Allen. Based on the evidence I just reviewed, I'm going to encourage the district attorney to file additional abuse charges against Mrs. Manning. I'm also signing an emergency order to remove Grace Manning from her mother's custody. Elizabeth Manning?" the judge asks, looking around the court.
Lizzie stands up hesitantly. "I'm here, your honor."
"I see here that you've expressed a willingness to take temporary custody of your sister Grace. Is that true?"
"Yes, your honor."
"I'll have the Department of Child and Family Services schedule an evaluation as soon as possible so you can take on that duty. Are you prepared to be your sister's guardian, Ms. Manning?"
"I'm scared, your honor," Lizzie admits in a low voice. "I...I didn't expect this."
"You'll have the full support of this court. Have your attorney file the necessary paperwork as soon as possible. I'm counting on you, young lady."
"Thank you, your honor," Lizzie says tearfully. She sits down, and Veronica hugs her gently.
"Mr. Kane." Duncan stands up and focuses on the judge's stern face. "I'm placing a few temporary restrictions on your custody. I'm requiring you to post a $500,000 bond as a guarantee that you will not take Faith Manning out of this court's jurisdiction, and you will not leave the country for any reason without prior permission of the court. You will allow weekly supervised visitation from Mrs. Manning, assuming she is not incarcerated for her part in this tragedy. I expect that you will encourage your daughter to have a strong relationship with her half-sisters, and I will hear a report from you in six months on how you are facilitating that. You will be subject to surprise visits from the Department of Child and Family Services, and you will report to them on a regular basis until this court is satisfied that the situation is stable. And this custody order will be completely rescinded if you are convicted of any misdemeanor or felony other than a moving violation. You will complete a series of parenting classes, and I expect both you and your daughter to receive counseling on a regular basis. Is that clear?"
"Of course, your honor. Thank you, your honor," Duncan says, relieved and dazed by the judge's words.
"Good luck to you, Mr. Kane," Judge Ferris says. "I expect all parties to fulfill their responsibilities in this matter. These children have been through enough. This matter is adjourned for six months, at which time I'll hear progress reports from all the parties and the Department of Child and Family Services, and we'll consider a permanent order of custody at that time. Do not disappoint me." He bangs the gavel loudly and stomps off to his chambers.
The courtroom explodes. Mrs. Dominguez, Lilly's court-ordered social worker, pushes through the crowd and comes up to Duncan. "Congratulations, Mr. Kane. I'm so happy for you."
"Thank you, Mrs. Dominguez. I saw the report you wrote. My attorneys said they've never seen a more supportive assessment," Duncan says gratefully.
"I think you and Lilly have a wonderful relationship. Biology isn't everything, you know. Believe me," she responds strongly. "I'm going to ask to be assigned to your supervision. I'll drop off Lilly later this afternoon, Mr. Kane. I assume there won't be a problem posting the bond that the judge asked for?"
"I'll have my attorneys take care of the bond immediately. Thank you again." Duncan moves toward Keith. "Mr. Mars, I'm not sure this would have been possible without you and Veronica. Thank you for what you did. I can never repay you."
"Just love your daughter, Duncan. Follow the judge's instructions to the letter. And you and Lilly are welcome for dinner anytime," Keith replies.
Duncan laughs quietly. "You know, Mr. Mars, I need to look for a job. Do you know anyone who's hiring? I don't have much experience, and I never graduated from high school. I have a notorious past, and, as a single parent, of course I'll need flexible hours too. I'm sure that employers will be knocking themselves out to hire me," he concludes sardonically.
"Don't forget you were Student Council President," Veronica reminds him. "Go, Pirates!" She pumps her fist in a rah-rah motion. She adds sweetly, "I'm sure Mrs. Donaldson will give you a reference."
Keith smiles. "Let me think about that, Duncan."
Several security officers approach and offer to escort Duncan through the private elevator to his waiting limousine in the parking garage. Jake and Celeste Kane join him, steadfastly refusing to look at the Mars family.
Keith, Logan, and Veronica leave the courtroom and walk out of the building. When they exit the front door, they are confronted by a mass of reporters. "Mr. Echolls, can you give us a comment about your recent arrest for assault and battery?" "Ms. Mars, Peter Klein has accused you of entrapment in the Briar Hill case. Would you care to give us a comment?" "Logan!! Over here!"
Veronica grimaces at Logan, who draws her close to him. Lightbulbs flash in their faces. "Ms. Mars, is it true you were Sorokin's intended target at the Mackenzie funeral?" "Logan, have you been to visit Carrie Murray in the hospital?" "Any reaction to Duncan's stunning victory in his custody case?"
Keith mutters, "You knew they would get onto the story eventually."
"Yeah," Logan replies sarcastically. "It's been too quiet lately...almost three whole days without paparazzi."
"If the disguises aren't working any more, I want to get my regular hair back," Veronica says petulantly. She shakes her curly locks in disgust.
"Of course they knew you would be at the hearing; you were on the witness list, Veronica," her dad reminds her.
A particularly intrepid reporter shoves several others aside and pushes a newspaper in Veronica's face, despite Keith's best efforts to shield her. "Is it true that you feel responsible for Lilly Kane's murder?" he asks smarmily.
Keith says, "Veronica, no!" but she grabs the paper and helplessly examines the headline: 'Veronica Mars: "I Was Responsible For My Best Friend's Death."' The subheading reads, 'Briar Hill counselor refutes private investigator's story; releases 'guilt letter' written by Mars while attending the specialty school.'
Veronica feels nauseous as she sees a picture of Alyssa, the group therapy leader from Briar Hill. Sickened, she recognizes the words she wrote during her 'therapy'.
'Dear Mrs. [Kane],Next to the text, Alyssa is depicted in front of a blackboard, on which is written, 'Drugs: Why We Use.' She appears to be concerned and troubled in the photograph. The caption reads, 'Alyssa Catano, LPC, CADC, has spent her career focusing on drug abuse and personal responsibility.'
Your daughter was the most beautiful person I ever knew. I loved her with all my heart....I'm writing this letter to beg you for forgiveness. I did a terrible thing, and I hurt everyone around me with my actions. I'm trying to become a better person by admitting my guilt....I'll never forgive myself.'
Logan approaches the reporter, intending to push him out of the way by force.
The reporter smiles falsely and says, "I don't think you want to do that, Mr. Echolls; don't you have an assault charge pending already?"
Fuming, Logan withdraws. "Excuse me, sir, can you let us past?" he says through clenched teeth.
"Of course. Here's my card if you want to tell your side of the story, Ms. Mars," he replies, pushing a business card toward Veronica.
Veronica is unable to move and sags against her father. "Dad," she says weakly.
"Do you have a comment, Mr. Mars? What's your reaction to the statements from Peter Klein and Alyssa Catano that your daughter suffered a nervous breakdown while you were trying to falsify evidence about the school for your client, Stephanie Denenberg? A 'witch hunt perpetrated by bottom-feeders' was the phrase that Klein used."
Keith gapes at the preposterous insinuation. He recovers and says, "No comment."
"Ms. Mars, how does it feel to have your personal revelations in therapy splashed across the front page? Peter Klein said this morning that he felt you might be a danger to yourself."
Veronica's eyes well up with tears, and she whispers, "No comment." Frightened, she glances at Logan's infuriated face.
He meets her eyes intensely, and, for a split second, she swears she can hear his impassioned thoughts: 'Go get 'em, bobcat. You can do it.'
Veronica breathes in and draws herself up to her maximum height; in a firm, loud voice, she stares directly in the reporter's eyes and states, "No comment at this time." Cameras click all around her, and she forces herself not to flinch. Out of the corner of her eye, she sees Logan's mouth twitching in a slight smile at her courage. "Excuse us, please," she says haughtily.
Keith practically scoops her off her feet and forces his way through the reporters, with Logan close behind. Kavner shows up and helps them push their way through the crowd to Veronica's Saturn. Keith unlocks the doors and helps Veronica and Logan get into the backseat and walks around to the driver's side. A young man is leaning against the driver's door.
"Excuse me, do you mind?" Keith asks impatiently.
"Keith Mars?" the man asks. When Keith nods without thinking, the man pushes a thick envelope in Keith's hand and says, "You've been served." He walks away nonchalantly without a second glance. Keith sighs. He withdraws a bundle of papers; it's a countersuit from Peter Klein. He gets in the car and locks the door.
In the back seat, Logan is cuddling Veronica, who has given up trying not to cry. He asks, "Who was that?"
"Nothing," Keith lies smoothly. "Let's get out of here." They head for the freeway to Los Angeles, with Kavner and his partner trailing behind in another vehicle. A few audacious paparazzi try to tail them, but Kavner maneuvers his vehicle in front of them, and Keith hits the accelerator and leaves the journalists far behind.
•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
VERONICA MARS
10:00PM SHO ch: 340 60min 2009 TV-MA
Change Walks Up And Punches You In the Face
Wallace does some sleuthing; Logan, Veronica, and
Keith head to LA; Mac's back in the mix.
Veronica: Kristen Bell. Logan: Jason Dohring.
Keith: Enrico Colantoni. Mac: Tina Majorino.
Wallace: Percy Daggs III. Wilson: Adam Gorelick.
Mrs. Brunswick: Debra Mooney. Guard: Emiliano
Diéz. Principal Lindsay: Barry Wiggins.
•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
ONE HUNDRED SEVENTEEN: "CHANGE WALKS UP AND PUNCHES YOU IN THE FACE"
Fri. 3/20/09 late morning: Pan High School, Pan, CA
In the parking lot of Pan High, Wallace hoists the book bag on his shoulder. He checks his watch: 11:25am. He waits patiently, assuming that an early lunch period is probably about to begin. Wallace adjusts the baseball cap worn backward on his head; he looks down at the blue and white Pan High sweatshirt he scored at a thrift shop in town and hopes he's blending, and not obviously trying too hard. A bell rings, and a few students make their way into the parking lot. Wallace goes against the flow and walks into the school. Most of the students head toward the cafeteria, but Wallace walks into the library.
The librarian's desk displays a sign, 'Mrs. Brunswick'. Wallace walks up nonchalantly and asks, "Mrs. Brunswick? I'm doing a project for English, and I was wondering if you have old Pan High yearbooks."
"Of course...uh...." she replies, searching for a name.
"Michael," Wallace says helpfully, with a smile.
"Michael, that's right," Mrs. Brunswick agrees happily. She leads Wallace to a section in the library and points. "Organized by year. Let me know if you need any more help."
"Thanks." He takes the yearbooks for 2005 and 2006 from the shelf and sits down at a nearby table. He compares the yearbook entries to the photo of the Fitzpatrick crony observed by Weevil. After a few minutes, Wallace becomes aware that a student is staring at him. Be cool, sodapop, he thinks. What would Veronica do? He pretends to continue turning pages for a while, then stands up and takes the yearbooks to another part of the library.
The boy follows him, now overtly staring. The student suddenly turns around and walks up to the librarian; they have a whispered discussion, both turning to look at Wallace. The student walks out of the library after a final look over his shoulder at Wallace.
Wallace decides to cut his losses; he closes the yearbooks and returns them to the shelf, studiously avoiding looking at the librarian. As he walks out of the library, he is stopped by a security guard. "Will you come with me, sir?"
"What's the problem, yo?" Wallace says nonchalantly.
"Don't make any trouble," the guard replies. He takes Wallace's arm and escorts him to the principal's office, where the student is speaking to a man wearing a tie and a serious expression.
"I'm Principal Lindsay. I don't believe we've met," the man says drily. "Do you have some ID?"
Wallace sheepishly removes his wallet and hands his Hearst College ID and his driver's license to the principal. "I'm doing a project for my sociology course at Hearst," he explains lamely. "Delinquency trends of high school boys. It was important not to identify myself as a researcher to avoid bias in the study."
"Really," the principal says dubiously.
"He's Wallace Fennel, isn't he?" the student says excitedly. "I knew it. Don't you remember when Neptune stole our goat? Fennel was the star of the Neptune basketball team."
"Okay, Wilson, we've got it from here. Go back to the library please." To Wallace, he says, "Aren't you a little old for high school pranks?"
Wallace stares back, completely at a loss for an answer. He finally mumbles, "Like I said, it's a sociology project. I'm too well-known at Neptune High; I couldn't—"
The security guard interrupts. "I don't believe it."
"Mr. Fennel, there are signs clearly posted that explain that visitors must register in the office." The principal points at a sign visible through the door of the office.
Wallace sighs. He pulls out his wallet again and gives a Mars Investigations business card to the principal. "I'm working for Mars Investigations. We're trying to identify a suspect who is involved with a recent murder in Neptune. Would you be willing to look at a photo for me?"
"A private detective?" the principal says sharply. He leans out the doorway and says, "Call the police. This young man is trespassing, and I want him arrested."
"Listen, I'll leave; there's no need to call the police," Wallace protests.
The principal ignores him. To the security guard, he says, "Take him to Mrs. Barth's office and keep him there until the police arrive. Don't let him talk to anyone."
The guard looks at Wallace sternly. Wallace stands up, abashed, and goes with the guard to an empty office. They pass by Wilson, who is pointing at Wallace and obviously making the most of his fifteen seconds of fame.
Wallace thinks morosely, So much for not taking any chances. Keith's going kill me.
~ • ~
Fri. 3/20/09 late morning: Neptune, CA to Los Angeles, CA
Keith pilots the Saturn toward Los Angeles as Veronica weeps against Logan's shoulder in the backseat. When her tears subside, Logan pries the newspaper out of her hands and reads the article.
'VERONICA MARS: "I WAS RESPONSIBLE FOR MY BEST FRIEND'S DEATH."Puzzled, Logan rereads the words, 'If I hadn't broken them up, they would have been together that day, and Lilly wouldn't have been killed. I'll never forgive myself for that.' He feels Veronica's eyes on him and tosses the newspaper into the back of the SUV. "It's just another desperate move by Klein. I don't think it's anything to worry about," he says dismissively, ignoring the knot in his stomach as he contemplates what the headline would be in The National Inquisitor. 'Mars Says Echolls Cheated, Drove His Girlfriend Into the Murdering Arms of His Father'. He quickly changes the topic. "I can't believe Duncan's parents wouldn't even say 'hello' to us after everything we did for him."
'Briar Hill counselor refutes private investigator's story; releases 'guilt letter' written by Mars while attending the specialty school.
'Nathaniel Goldman, an attorney representing Briar Hill Academy of Manchester Center, Vermont, gave a statement today to reporters concerning the legal troubles of the specialized boarding school.
'Of course, at Briar Hill, we sincerely regret the death of Hannah Griffith and understand that her grieving mother is seeking someone to blame for her child's death. But the recent undercover investigation was flawed at best, using illegal wiretaps and falsified records to paint an inaccurate picture of the difficult job of rehabilitating chronic substance abusers. In fact, the school identified one of the undercover investigators as having severe psychological issues, as evidenced by some of the records of her treatment. We believe that the investigator's words speak for themselves, and her witness testimony will certainly be challenged if the litigation continues.
'The counselor at the school, Ms. Alyssa Catano, confirmed that the following letter was written by Ms. Veronica Mars while in residence at the boarding school. Ms. Catano explained that appropriate therapeutic steps were taken based on the information revealed in this letter.''Dear Mrs. [Kane],'Ms. Catano explained that Ms. Mars appeared to be consumed by guilt and exhibited erratic behavior during her stay at the school, including violence toward school personnel. "We believe this letter was a cry for help," Catano said somberly. "Of course, we were unaware of the tragic incident in Ms. Mars' past, since she concealed her true history from us."
Your daughter was the most beautiful person I ever knew. I loved her with all my heart.
I'm writing this letter to beg you for forgiveness. I did a terrible thing, and I hurt everyone around me with my actions. I'm trying to become a better person by admitting my guilt.
'I saw [Lilly]'s boyfriend kissing another girl. I told [Lilly] about it, and she broke up with him.
'If I hadn't broken them up, they would have been together that day, and [Lilly] wouldn't have been killed. I'll never forgive myself for that.
'I was wrong to let [Lilly] do the things she did without telling her that she should stop. I wanted to drink and drug with her and sleep around the way she did, so I never did the right thing. I never tried to get [Lilly] to stop all the terrible things she did.'
'Ms. Mars was unavailable for comment.'
They make a few dispirited comments about Duncan's success at the hearing, but they soon lapse into silence. Veronica seems to be lost in thought.
Logan keeps thinking about the article; the quotations are muddled in his brain, confused with his memories of junior year and all the anger and spite that seemed to rule his world at the time. But above all, he feels sick at the evidence that she had been desperately using real life feelings to put off her inquisitors at the school. Why couldn't Keith see that she was having trouble? Dammit, if only they had listened to me and pulled her out. And then...while all this was going on, I lost my shit. I was glaring at her—upset with her when she was fiercely trying to hold them off.
She had been so confident that she would be able to masquerade as a rebellious teenager before the mission. Now, he can't even think about how foolish they had been. He strokes her shoulder absently as he wishes he could have somehow been more supportive during the mission. The thought that keeps returning is I wish I could have talked to her while it was going on. During their brief moments of contact, they had both been unable to really talk about what had been happening. It's not like the old Veronica Mars would ever tell you when she was scared. And...I still don't even understand how I was feeling. I remember...I remember being mad at her. What the hell? How could I have been such an idiot? I should have realized...it was a call for help.
She reads his mind again. "Logan...I'm sorry I used Lilly at the school."
"Hey, it's okay, Veronica, shh," he says quietly. He notices Keith's eyes on him in the rear view mirror.
"I'm so sorry. I have to tell you," she protests. "I didn't mean to."
"Veronica," Keith says, frowning at Logan in the mirror.
"You know, we have to talk about this," she says, struggling to sit up. "We have to discuss it."
"We don't have to discuss it today; we've had enough upsetting things happen today," Keith says firmly.
"Dad. I need to tell Logan something." She scoffs. "You're not going to be happy either. You guys have been so upset with me for all the chances I took...." she begins.
Keith exchanges another glance with Logan but says nothing.
"Junior year. When Ms. James got the grant to study the long-term effects of grief in adolescents...." She averts her eyes from Logan. "I bugged her office."
Logan tenses. Veronica was listening?
"Say something!" she begs him. "Tell me I'm an ass. Say what you always say, that I always take ridiculous chances."
Keith clears his throat. "You did this because...?"
"I wanted to hear what people were thinking about Lilly. I thought...Dad, you know we were struggling to make sense of the evidence," Veronica explains.
"Did you listen to me?" Logan interjects in a quiet, flat voice.
She bites her lip, obviously anxious; she nods slightly, and he exhales audibly.
Logan says faintly, "So you heard me say...you heard me say that I blamed you for Lilly's death." He remembers: 'If she hadn't ratted me out… then Lilly and I would have stayed together. And Lilly wouldn't have been alone that day. I would have been there....Yeah, I blame Veronica.'
Veronica mumbles, "Yeah." A little louder, she adds, "I'm so sorry...it's was really wrong of me to listen into your private conversations."
"It was bullshit," he says bitterly, and Veronica looks stricken, thinking he means her behavior. He clarifies quickly, "No...I mean, what I told Ms. James: it was bullshit."
"What? No, Logan, you were right, I knew how Lilly would react, and I knew you loved her, and you would never hurt her, and I never should have—" she babbles.
"It was bull, okay? I was angry at everyone. Angry at everything, don't you get it? I felt guilty, and I was blaming everyone, you, your dad, Lilly, Duncan for..." He sighs in frustration. "I didn't even understand how I felt. I still don't, Veronica. Lilly made me angry. She used me, and I let her treat me like crap. I thought it was what I deserved, I guess." And after Lilly died, I was angry at you, all the time. That was why I let you get— He can't even think it; he refuses to think it. But the remembered rage feels suddenly close at hand, just barely concealed beneath the surface. He tries to focus a little. Veronica is trying to tell me something. "Veronica, you said...you said you didn't mean to talk about Lilly at Briar Hill. Did something happen...that we didn't know about?"
She rushes to explain, and he realizes she's been holding back something she needed to say, trying not to upset him...until now. "I slipped up. I was distracted—it was on the hike, right after they hurt my shoulder—I accidentally said I was thinking about all the people I'd hurt. The night I'd had a terrible nightmare about you; you were telling me you were sick of me using all the people around me." She swallows; even saying it aloud hurts.
Logan stares at her. Of course she was having nightmares; she'd been having them before we even left. "I said that in your nightmare?" Fuck.
Veronica looks away. "It was...it was kind of what Klein and Alyssa were saying all the time; they were drumming it into me constantly, that I was a user and.... After Maria hurt my shoulder, they took us on that hike. I was hurting so much; every step was agony, and I was just trying to make it through. I didn't want to give up—I was furious at Klein for having Maria hurt me like that, and I wanted him to go down hard for what he was doing. But they wouldn't let up. I was flustered, and I couldn't think of any of the stories we had prepared. Before I knew it, I started talking about my best friend who had died." She glances at him helplessly. "I'm so sorry, I know I shouldn't have."
Keith recovers his voice. "Veronica, it's okay. They were stressing you. You were injured! We're not mad about anything that happened during the undercover operation. Veronica, you did an incredible job."
"I'm not mad," Logan concurs. "Please, Veronica, believe me. You don't have to explain."
"I wouldn't blame you guys if you never trusted me again," she says wretchedly, resuming her stare out the window. "Now the whole world will be dredging up everything about Lilly again....Logan, I'm so sorry for everything, for talking about Lilly at Briar Hill, for bugging Ms. James. I never think what my actions do to everyone else."
He takes her hand and strokes it gently with his thumb. "It's all right, Veronica. I'm glad you heard me with Ms. James if it helped you to figure out what happened to Lilly."
She stares at him in disbelief. "You're glad I figured out that your dad killed her? Wouldn't we all have been better off if Abel Koontz had taken the rap?"
"You don't mean that!" Keith says, shocked.
At the same time, Logan says viciously, "Fuck no, we wouldn't have been better off! My dad deserved to be executed. My only regret is that he didn't suffer enough. If I'd had the balls, I would have killed him myself."
Veronica is speechless.
Logan continues, trying perceptibly to calm himself, "Veronica, you are not allowed to feel bad about investigating Lilly's murder. He drove my mother to an early grave. He killed my girlfriend. I could never forgive him, and he would have gotten away with all of it if you hadn't investigated. I hated him for what he did, Veronica."
"But he was your dad," she protests quietly.
"And Stewart Manning was Meg's dad! What's your point?" he says with more heat than he intends.
She sucks in her breath. "Oh god, I'm sorry, Logan."
They lapse into strained silence again.
Logan finally mutters, "Damn it. This is why we never talk about it."
Keith's brow creases with additional worry. He says, "We need to get gas," and takes the next exit off the highway, pulling into the first gas station. Keith extracts his wallet and hands Logan some cash. "Can you fill up the tank? I need to make a phone call."
Logan exits the Saturn and prepays for the gas. As he fills the tank, Veronica watches her dad talking on his cell phone. Her dad had taken the precaution of yet another prepaid, disposable cell phone and had cleaned out the petty cash from the office safe to pay for all their expenses. Keith hadn't needed to explain to her that if they were truly tracking an FBI agent, they would have to conceal their movements. She triggers the switch and lowers her window. Keith is pacing, holding the phone tensely about twenty feet away from the car, with the conversation inaudible but obviously upsetting. Suddenly, Keith raises his voice. "Jim, there's got to be something we can do. She can't handle much more of this, and frankly neither can I." She realizes he's speaking to Epstein, searching for something to counteract the publicity being given out by the Briar Hill representatives.
Logan is staring off into space, barely paying attention as the gas pump clicks off the gallons. Veronica reaches over the seat and grabs the envelope laying on the passenger seat; she extracts the papers and reads, 'Civil Complaint, Peter Klein et al. v. Keith Mars and Veronica Mars.' The causes of action listed are property damage, false arrest, defamation, fraud, breach of contract, and civil harassment, and Klein is asserting fifteen million dollars in damages due to their actions. Gee, why not throw in loss of consortium while you're at it? she thinks in disgust. She replaces the paperwork in the envelope, reflecting that fifteen million dollars would far exceed their personal liability coverage, not to mention that she and her dad would probably lose their PI licenses if the suit is successful.
I need to be strong, she thinks suddenly. We can't afford all this moping around. Her dad starts to walk back to the car, and she's struck by his haggard appearance. I'm not the only one who's exhausted.
Logan opens the side door, and she suggests, "Logan, why don't you drive for a while? I think Dad could use a nap."
He looks surprised but nods his agreement. She extends her hand, and Logan helps her crawl out and get settled in the passenger seat up front.
Keith puts his hand on the handle of the driver's door, and Logan says, "Okay if I drive? Maybe you could stretch out on the back seat and rest for a while."
Keith is about to protest when he notices Veronica's expression. She says, "Please, Dad. I'm going to need you at full strength."
He nods reluctantly and gets in the back as Logan takes the wheel. Logan pulls out into traffic and heads for the on-ramp to the freeway. Veronica reaches over the seat. "The cell phone, Dad. I want to check in with Kavner."
"Speed-dial, two, honey," he says as he hands it over. Keith passes a hand over his eyes. "You know, I think I will lie down for a while."
"Lots of traffic ahead," Logan comments. "Of course, it wouldn't be L.A. without traffic."
Veronica mutters into the phone, and Logan zones out as they move slowly down the freeway. He tries to remember what else he had said to Ms. James that day. He recalls being upset about the paparazzi and the stories about his dad cheating more than anything; he had really let loose at Becky—for once being honest about his feelings and admitting that life really wasn't worth living. He glances over at Veronica, who has terminated the call and has resumed staring out the window.
Veronica turns and says quietly, "I thought you'd be more upset with me. You know, for bugging Ms. James."
"I knew you were investigating," he replies. "You'd been asking questions."
"I'm sorry I wasn't a better friend to you," she offers.
"What do you mean?" he says, puzzled.
"You know, I shouldn't have...ratted you out to her." She looks into the backseat at her dad, who appears to be sleeping already. "And I should have taken your feelings into consideration about my dad investigating when everyone was already so upset about Lilly dying."
"No, you don't get to say that. I mean, I wish you hadn't told Lilly...but, Veronica—" He sighs deeply. "You know that I was the one spreading rumors about you, the one who turned everyone against you. You didn't do anything to deserve that." You didn't deserve the way I treated you.
"I could have—"
"No, you couldn't. You couldn't go against your dad. He was doing his job. And if the Kanes hadn't lied, maybe...." He looks at her. "Lots of maybes."
"We can't change anything," she said morosely.
"Except maybe how we feel about it. Do you think...do you think we would have ended up together if...." He can't quite complete the question, but she hears him just the same: if Lilly hadn't died.
She doesn't answer. After a pause, she says, "I meant what I said yesterday. I need you, Logan. I want to find a way to be together and have both of us be happy."
"I know, I do too. Veronica, I swear to you I'm not upset about anything you said or did while we were at the school. While we were there, I was...I couldn't handle it. It was too hard for me, to restrain you, to watch you be in danger like that. You know how I am, how hard it is for me to know that you're doing risky things, scary things. I thought it would be worse to imagine what was going on, but it wasn't. I couldn't handle playing a part like that. It's not like acting...I don't know what it's like, but I know I thought I was losing my mind. Sometimes I reacted to you—to the role you were playing, and I shouldn't have."
She takes a breath, and he knows she's going to apologize again. He rushes in, "Veronica, it was my decision to go undercover. I don't want to be upset about the decisions we made anymore. I have to say...I'm hating how much you're afraid right now. I want my old Veronica back, who rushed into danger and wasn't scared of anything. I want to argue with you again about taking chances. That's the Veronica I fell in love with. It scares me when you back down from snarking with Dick."
Veronica looks at him, stunned. "I thought you guys were....All you've been saying is how foolish I've been."
"Yeah, well, I guess I'm okay with you being foolish sometimes. Veronica playing it safe is a lot scarier. And sometimes Dick needs to be slapped down. Full-contact beer pong for Mac's welcome-home party, are you kidding me?"
She exhales and then suddenly laughs under her breath.
He looks at her and grins. "I mean it, Veronica."
"Okay, in the spirit of full disclosure, there was also the time I activated the tracking device in your cell phone."
"I wouldn't have it any other way," he says mock-seriously. "Any other surveillance I need to be aware of?"
"I think that's it," she replies, pretending to think about it. "Can I get back to you on that?"
"I was proud of you at the courthouse, Veronica. You didn't let the paparazzi see you react, and I know that was hard," Logan says. "We're going to get through this." Please...please let us get through this...let her forgive me for.... He stutters a little, saying, "W-we...we still have to figure some stuff out, but—"
"No, you're right. I don't want to be afraid anymore. We are going to figure it out."
In the backseat, Keith smiles slightly, keeping his eyes tightly closed as he pretends to sleep.
~ • ~
Fri. 3/20/09 late morning: Somewhere in the United States
Mac opens her eyes. My head hurts like a motherFRAKker, she thinks, closing her eyes again to counteract the throbbing pain. She licks her lips; she is unbelievably thirsty. I'd kill for a glass of water. She tries to sit up, and she remembers.
Her arms have fallen asleep, tied behind her back. She wriggles her fingers, trying to get the blood to flow. The room is dark; she hears the murmur of voices from next door. She tries to listen closely.
"What do you mean, you lost them after the hearing?! Are they still in Neptune? FUCK!" The voice quiets down, and she is unable to distinguish any more words.
•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
VERONICA MARS
10:00PM SHO ch: 340 60min 2009 TV-MA
Running Around in Circles
Leo's investigation; Weevil rescues Wallace;
Keith, Logan, and Veronica compare notes
with Mike Fields; a lead in Kendall's murder
investigation.
Veronica: Kristen Bell. Logan: Jason Dohring.
Keith: Enrico Colantoni. Eli: Francis Capra.
Wallace: Percy Daggs III. Leo: Max Greenfield.
Dr. Friedman: Lorraine Bracco. Mike Fields:
Michael Trucco. Sacks: Brandon Hillock.
Officer #1: James Martin Kelly. Officer #2:
Tom Yi.
•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
ONE HUNDRED EIGHTEEN: "RUNNING AROUND IN CIRCLES"
Fri. 3/20/09 late morning: Neptune Sheriff's Department, Neptune, CA
Leo puts his head in his hands and sighs. There hasn't been a single break in the case. Griffith's wife swore repeatedly that, to her knowledge, her husband was running a legitimate plastic surgery business and that she had never seen her husband even talking to one of the Fitzpatricks. The Griffiths were on vacation with their then four-month-old baby in Cabo San Lucas over the Martin Luther King Day holiday; they had cut their trip short when the news of Hannah's murder broke. A quick check with the Mexican hotel and Griffith's credit card company seemed to confirm the story.
Mrs. Griffith claimed to have no idea where her husband would run to. She said she had never seen Kendall Casablancas before and had never even heard of her. Mrs. Griffith had only moved to Neptune a year and a half ago, long after Richard Casablancas had dominated the front pages of the newspaper and his son had taken off a header off the Neptune Grand Hotel roof. When questioned about her husband's alibi the night of Kendall's murder, she had said that she was pretty sure he was home with her that night, but she was unable to offer any proof. Leo had pressed her about the money laundering at the medical practice, but she appeared to be ignorant of her husband's business dealings.
Mrs. Griffith had admitted that her relationship with her husband had been extremely tense recently, although she attributed the stress to Hannah's murder. Leo had hinted that perhaps her husband knew more about his daughter's murder than he had let on to the press. She had stared at him uncomprehendingly before telling him that he was crazy. After several hours of questioning and with no evidence to press charges, Leo had been forced to let her go. But he notes that she seems to be pondering something, and he makes a mental note to question her again after she's had a chance to process all the information.
Griffith's clean getaway seemed to indicate that he had had his escape planned; above all, he would need money and transportation. Leo muses whether a doctor can do plastic surgery on himself before dismissing the thought as ridiculous. But he realizes, at the very least, Griffith would be cognizant of how to make small changes that would alter his appearance drastically.
One of Griffith's neighbors, several blocks away, had recalled a taxi in the area around the time that Griffith ran, and one of the deputies is going through the tedious process of examining all the local cab companies' call sheets. Other than the neighbor who occasionally baby-sat for Griffith's baby, Griffith seemed to have no friends in the neighborhood. He had bought the house when he remarried and had kept a low profile; several neighbors mentioned that he had turned down invitations to holiday get-togethers.
"Sheriff?" Sacks asks, knocking lightly on the half-open door. "They found Fillipelli's car. It was abandoned at a rest area on the I-8, heading toward Phoenix. Near Yuma, Arizona."
"Any signs of foul play in the vehicle?" Leo replies, recalling Keith's observation that Griffith's office manager probably wouldn't be found alive.
"Nope. The car was clean. I got the locals in Yuma checking all the area hotels," Sacks says. "'Course...Yuma's pretty close to the Mexican border."
"Right," Leo concurs. "Send a request to–"
"The Border Patrol...already did, Sheriff. I spoke to the Chief Patrol Agent of the Yuma Sector. And Sheriff...Deputy Clark picked up Bridget Mulvaney. She's waiting for you in interrogation."
"Let her sweat for a little longer," Leo instructs. "I'll speak to her in a while."
Sacks leaves, shutting the door behind him. Leo thinks about the sequence of events last night. Someone found out about the arrest warrants and immediately called to warn the Fitzpatricks and Griffith. From the phone records, it looks like no one called to warn Fillipelli; I think someone was sent to make her disappear before we could arrest her. Griffith is involved enough that whoever is pulling the strings can't afford to have him arrested. But it looks like Griffith got away cleanly; the Fitzpatricks aren't known for their compassion, and have on more than occasion cleaned up a problem with murder. That means...Griffith has some kind of insurance policy—something that is preventing the Fitzpatricks from dropping him with a bullet.
~ • ~
Fri. 3/20/09 late morning: Pan Sheriff's Department, Pan, CA
Weevil parks his motorcycle and enters the nondescript building housing the Pan Sheriff's Department. He spots Wallace waiting on a bench behind the counter partitioning the room. Weevil approaches the desk clerk. "I'm here for Wallace Fennel."
"One hundred dollars and your friend is free to go," the clerk replies.
Weevil takes out his wallet and hands over the cash. The clerk nods to Wallace, who stands up and walks through the swinging gate that the clerk holds for him.
"Thanks, man," Wallace says.
"A ticket for trespassing? You're lucky I've got a hundred dollars to spare," Weevil replies.
"I was lucky all the way around. They said they could charge it as a felony since I trespassed on school grounds, but they talked to somebody at the Neptune Sheriff's Department who said I didn't have a record. So they charged it as simple trespass and wrote a ticket."
"Don't you have a credit card?" Weevil snipes. "Not that I'm not happy to bail you out, chilito."
"Uh, I know what that means, and a viente, amigo. My mom sees the bills. No way am I using my credit card. And you know I couldn't call Candice," Wallace says emphatically. "I'll pay you back. I'm sure Mr. Mars will reimburse me when they get back to Neptune."
"You know, Veronica did this shit all the time and never got in trouble."
"I know."
"Did you try tilting your head?" Weevil asks, demonstrating. "It always worked for her."
Wallace rolls his eyes. They exit the building, and Wallace stops short. He turns to Weevil and says incredulously, "You came on your bike?"
"Yeah. I'm sorry, but the limo was in the shop," Weevil retorts sarcastically.
Wallace looks at Weevil. "Maybe I should call a cab."
"Just keep your hands above the equator, and you won't lose them. You said you left your car in the visitors' lot at Pan High?"
"Yeah."
"That's just a couple miles from here. And I don't know what you're worried about; I'm the one whose reputation would be ruined. Your stock could only go up," he snorts. "Do you want to tell me what you were doing at Pan High?"
"I was looking for that kid you saw with the Fitzpatricks. Remember? Veronica said she thought she remembered him, maybe from here."
"Right...or from Java the Hut, or Gameland, whatever the fuck that is," Weevil recalls.
"Yeah, I was trying to find him in the yearbooks in the school library," Wallace says.
"You know, I think there's an easier way," Weevil muses. Wallace raises his eyebrows, and Weevil explains. "Rest Stop 15. If this dude is from Pan High and he's doing anything illegal, my homies at Rest Stop 15 will know about it."
~ • ~
Fri. 3/20/09 noon: Mike Fields' apartment, Los Angeles, CA
Mike Fields greets them at the door of his apartment. He shakes Keith's hand and brushes his lips against Veronica's cheek, lingering for just a moment too long. He nods brusquely at Logan. "Come on in."
Logan notes that Veronica has plastered a smile on her face. She doesn't want him to see that she's hurting. He resolves to let her and Keith take the lead; any tension between him and Mike isn't going to help anything. He sits off to the side and keeps quiet as Keith and Veronica take a seat on the couch.
"How are you feeling?" Mike asks with concern.
"It's nothing," Veronica says dismissively. "Surgery and physical therapy will fix me right up."
"You look tired, Veronica." Mike glances at Logan and returns his gaze to Veronica and Keith. "You all look tired...and upset."
"It's been hectic lately," Keith explains. "But we'll be fine. I'm sorry we haven't been in touch."
"Yeah, I heard something about the Neptune Sheriff filing a request for information on the operation in Vermont—something about an alibi. I talked to Agent Lynley; he filled me in on some of the details." Mike stares at Veronica. "He's very impressed with you, Veronica."
She blushes under his scrutiny and quickly changes the topic. "Mike, we were hoping you had been able to investigate Mac's list of the agents who had accessed the Slasher files."
Mike pushes a stapled sheaf of papers to her; about half the names are crossed out. "I began by checking the names on the list to see if they were on duty during the time when Hannah was killed. I was able to eliminate about half the agents. Then I had to hand the list over to Alan Sheffield."
Veronica asks, "Who's—?"
"He's Mac's handler. As I told your dad, Mac found out that the FBI believed the bombing wasn't related to the work she did on the Russian identity theft scheme, and she told Alan about the snooping she'd been doing in the FBI files on the Slasher case."
Veronica queries, "You mean Mac thought whoever killed Hannah was trying to get to her because she'd been investigating the copycat murderer?"
"That, or to you through her. Mac wanted the whole funeral scenario to be canceled in case someone had been alerted by her hacking into the databases. Alan was dubious, but I believe he took the precaution of reassigning any agents from the list to other duties the day of the funeral. We went through the timeline, and it did look possible that someone was reacting either to what Mac and I were doing here or to what you were doing in Vermont. I had been checking on alibis on my end, and you had been stirring up things at the school; then late Sunday night, someone bombed the Mackenzie house. But of course we know now that the bombing was unrelated."
Keith nods. "Right. So you haven't done anything more on the project?" Keith asks.
"No. I was suspended and reprimanded, and my passwords were deleted," Mike explains. "I don't have access to the databases anymore. Except...I did spend some time on my own researching connections to the Briar Hill people."
"And?" Veronica prompts.
"I didn't find anything on anyone employed by the school. But the FBI Serial Killer Task Force did brief the California Assembly's Public Safety Committee last September. And Vincenzo Frazzino is the chair of that committee. I was able to confirm that he was present in the Assembly that day for a roll call vote."
"Can we get a transcript of that briefing?" Veronica asks her dad. "I know the Assembly posts a lot of the debates on their website."
"Doubt it," Keith says dubiously. "I'm sure if they were discussing open criminal cases, it was a closed session." He looks at Veronica curiously. "You really think Frazzino had something to do with this?"
"No," Logan interjects, breaking his silence. "No way. I'm sure it was the Fitzpatricks."
Mike looks at him quizzically. "Who?"
Veronica explains, "You know, the Neptune local crime boss, Liam Fitzpatrick. He was in business with Hannah Griffith's father. Last night, we gave the sheriff evidence that the Fitzpatricks were laundering money through the good doctor's medical practice."
"And Dr. Griffith was seen with a Fitzpatrick accomplice, Kendall Casablancas, who got murdered on March 11," Keith explains.
Mike huffs in frustration. "You guys are leaving this alone, right? We're talking organized crime, racketeering, a serial killer, and apparently a corrupt agent. This doctor sounds like he has a lot to lose to. I remember this Fitzpatrick character now; he was a total psycho. You've got to take this to the authorities; you don't have a choice anymore."
"And if the person we talk to is the dirty agent?" Veronica asks.
"You need to leave it alone, Veronica," Mike says firmly.
Annoyed, she replies, "No, we're not leaving it alone. We won't be safe as long as they're on the loose."
"You're impossible, Veronica," Mike says in frustration. He turns to Keith and adds, "Can't you talk some sense into her?"
His words hit Veronica hard; she looks forlorn for a moment before she recovers. She struggles to maintain her composure. Finally she breathes out, and whispers intensely, "Hello? I'm right here." Her voice slowly gathers strength. "You don't need to talk sense into me. It's been made clear to me how much it hurts the people who love me when I do things without their knowledge and take too many risks. So we're sharing everything, and we're proceeding cautiously. We've got protection—there are two guards surveilling us. We're being careful."
"You always said that, Veronica," Mike replies. "Right before you went off half-cocked!"
Keith protests, "Mike!" He glances at his daughter, who flinches reflexively at the accusation.
God, did I sound like that? Logan thinks. "Geez, cut her some slack," he says aloud, trying hard not to react. "Like she said, we're working together on this."
Mike sneers, "Oh, great, the amateur weighs in. Good job protecting her at the school. What's the final tally, a dislocated shoulder and a kidney infection?"
"Oh, this was a really bad idea, Veronica. I don't know why you thought this FBI flunky had any information at all," Logan says bitterly, his fists clenched at his sides.
Keith looks sternly at Logan and says, "Enough. Let me handle—"
"Damn it!" Veronica swears suddenly. "This isn't helping." She throws a look at Logan, who is resisting every instinct to beat the crap out of this guy. "Mike, I know you think we should leave it alone. But...if we don't...can you think of anything that would help?"
"This is too big for private investigators, Veronica. I really think—"
"Mike," she says quietly. "We can't just hide from the Fitzpatricks for the rest of our lives."
He sighs and nods slightly in resignation. "What about Mac's handler? He probably was making discreet inquiries about the names on that list. At least talk to him."
"What's his name again?" Keith asks.
"Alan Sheffield. I'll get his number for you." Mike walks into the other room.
"Well, you got your wish," Veronica comments wryly to Logan.
"What are you talking about?" he asks, puzzled.
"Mike was arguing with me about taking chances. Right? Like you said you wanted to?"
"I think that's my job," he replies. "He's overstepping."
Veronica flashes him a wan smile as Mike comes back in.
"Here's Alan's cell phone number," Mike says, studiously avoiding looking at Logan.
"There's one other thing we could use your help on," Keith says. "These are two men who have been seen with the Fitzpatricks lately. We haven't been able to identify them." He gives Mike copies of Weevil's surveillance photos.
"I've never seen them," Mike comments, scanning the pictures.
"Is there any chance you can run them through the FBI's Facial Recognition Database?" Veronica asks hopefully.
"If my reinstatement comes through...maybe on Monday. You say these guys are involved with the Fitzpatricks?"
"Do you have any other ideas how to trace them? I have this sense that I should know this guy," Veronica says, tapping the photo of the younger man.
"You're not going to leave this alone, are you, Veronica?" Mike says.
"No," Veronica replies. "We can't."
Mike nods in defeat. "I'll get one of my buddies to run these photos for me, see if anything turns up. I'll call in some favors."
Keith stands up, and Mike escorts them to the door. Veronica turns and hugs him. "Thanks, Mike. I'm so sorry about your suspension. I promise you, I'll make it up to you someday."
"Just stay alive until then, okay? I'll do what I can on my end," he says morosely. Mike extends his hand to Logan tentatively. "I'm sorry, man. I know you helped a lot in Vermont. Lynley said it was a tough situation all the way around."
"Thanks," Logan replies, taking his hand. "I promise I'll take care of her."
"Yeah. That'd be good," he says. As he shuts the door, Mike's eyes meet Veronica's again. She is startled by the longing she sees in them.
As soon as they get in the car, Keith calls the phone number and leaves a message asking Agent Sheffield to call him as soon as possible.
~ • ~
Fri. 3/20/09 early afternoon: Rest Stop 15, near Pan, CA
Wallace leans on his mom's car waiting for Weevil, who is speaking with several rough-looking young men on the other side of the parking area. He watches as Weevil clasps hands with one of the others and bumps fists with another before returning to Wallace's vehicle. He asks impatiently, "So? Did they know the guy?"
Weevil shakes his head. "One guy thought he might have seen him around when he bought some weed from one of the Fitzpatricks last year, but he didn't know who he was."
"We're back at square one," Wallace says morosely. "I don't know how to work on this without tangling with the Fitzpatricks."
"Listen, I got to get back to Hearst."
"Thanks anyways, Weevil. I got to get going too. I have to run a background check on Oswaldo Cortez for Keith, and then I'm getting together with Candice tonight."
Weevil grabs Wallace's arm roughly. "Wait...who?"
"Oswaldo Cortez."
"Is he involved in this?" Weevil asks harshly.
"I'm not sure. Keith said he was a witness in the Kendall Casablancas case. He didn't give me the details, but I think Cortez might have been the one who told Leo about Logan's affair with Kendall. Why, do you know him?"
"He's Hector Cortez's cousin." At Wallace's blank look, he explains, "Hector took over the PCHers."
"After you—" Wallace begins.
"Yeah. After I was forced out of the gang," Weevil says harshly. He sneers, "Because Oswaldo was spying on me and Logan."
"Whoa," Wallace comments.
Weevil says, "I think I'm going to talk to Oswaldo and see what the hell is going on."
"You really think that's a good idea?"
In a mean voice, Weevil replies, "I'm not going to talk to him without help. And you know, it's about time I had this talk with him."
"Hey, at least let me call Keith and find out more about this before you do that," Wallace says. "I'll call you later and let you know what he says."
"All right," Weevil says reluctantly. He mutters, "Oswaldo...hijo de la chingada." He strides over to his motorcycle and mounts it without another look back at Wallace.
Wallace stares after him as he rides off. He pulls out his cell and leaves a message for Keith.
~ • ~
Fri. 3/20/09 early afternoon: Ca$hNow Pawnshop of National City, near San Diego, CA
Two officers from the San Diego Police Department are executing a search warrant in a large pawnshop. One officer notes a large number of car stereos and begins logging the serial numbers into his report. "Kenwood DNX7120," he mutters as he writes. "Serial number 805033479."
His partner looks up. "Hold on...Kenwood DNX, isn't that the stereo on the call sheet from the Neptune Sheriff's Department? The one marked urgent?"
"I'll call it in." The officer looks over the device. "Pretty sweet, combination GPS, DVD player, satellite radio. Some people got it rough, right, Jim?"
~ • ~
Fri. 3/20/09 afternoon: Dr. Friedman's Office, Los Angeles, CA
Outside the waiting room to Dr. Friedman's office, Veronica suddenly stops short a few feet from the door. Logan, holding her hand, is forced to stop with her. He glances at her quizzically; she shakes her head, uncertain herself why she halted.
She sighs finally and travels the last few feet, as if compelled. She notices that her hand is trembling slightly, and she pulls it from Logan's grasp, curling it into a tight fist.
The door to the doctor's treatment room is ajar; Dr. Friedman calls out, "Hello?" and walks out.
"I"m Keith Mars. Veronica's father," he adds unnecessarily, extending a hand in greeting.
"Mr. Mars, I'm Dr. Friedman." The doctor turns and says quietly, "Logan. Veronica."
"What happens now?" Veronica asks nervously, trying hard to keep her voice steady.
"I'd like to speak with Logan alone for a moment," Dr. Friedman replies.
Logan follows her into the inner office, casting a quick glance in Veronica's direction.
Dr. Friedman shuts the door and says, "Logan, I have to reiterate my objections at this time. It's completely unethical for me to treat both of you."
"I know, I understood what you said on the phone," he answers. "What if I signed something, that's it's okay if you reveal something you told me?"
"I'm not worried about you suing me. I'm worried about what's best for your mental health. You need a safe place to reveal your thoughts and emotions, even if you're feeling angry at Veronica."
Logan stares at her without speaking for a moment. "She trusts you."
"It might mean that you have to find a new therapist, if she wants to continue with me. Is that really fair to you, when you and I have been working together for almost nine months? We've barely scratched the surface of what made you run to Texas in January."
He ruffles his hair nervously. "I'm not happy about it, but I don't see a way around it. She's not the kind of person who could see just any therapist. I want her to talk to you, too." Logan says honestly, "I hate seeing her this way. We have stuff to work out, and I'm scared of how she is right now. Please. It'll be all right."
Dr. Friedman sighs. "Let's see how it goes today."
Logan leaves, and Veronica walks in hesitantly. She takes the same uncomfortable chair as the first time she was here. Dr. Friedman settles in a chair facing her. "How are you doing, Veronica?"
"I'm good," she replies automatically.
The doctor waits patiently.
Veronica says nervously, "How do we do this?"
"However you'd like. Tell me what's on your mind."
Veronica opens her mouth and closes it. I've been imagining talking to her for days, but...I can't do it. "You know, maybe this is a mistake." She rises from the chair.
"Why is it a mistake?" the doctor replies.
"Ugh. I hate when you do that," Veronica responds.
The doctor smiles. "We're just talking."
"Well, I don't know what to say."
Out in the waiting room, Keith is fidgeting. He stands up, walks to the window and looks out. "What do you think she's saying in there?" he asks suddenly. "It's good, right? It's got to be good that she's asking for help. I guess...it's just, I'll never get used to Veronica asking for help. You know what I mean?"
Logan reflects that he certainly does know what Keith means. He says obliquely, "She's still strong...you know that. Maybe it's a sign of strength that she knows she needs help."
"Okay," Keith replies. "Still...." He turns back to the window and stares at a building across the street without really focusing.
Logan realizes that Keith has been far more worried than he's been letting on for the last few days. "You know, I had an idea...something to cheer her up a little."
•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
VERONICA MARS
10:00PM SHO ch: 340 60min 2009 TV-MA
The Weak Become Heroes
Veronica talks to the therapist.
Veronica: Kristen Bell. Dr. Friedman: Lorraine Bracco.
•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
CHAPTER ONE HUNDRED NINETEEN: "THE WEAK BECOME HEROES"
Fri. 3/20/09 afternoon: Dr. Friedman's Office, Los Angeles, CA
In Dr. Friedman's office, the doctor watches as Veronica sits nervously unable to speak. "Can you tell me about what happened at the school? From the beginning?"
"Logan told you what happened, right?"
"I'd like to hear what you thought happened," Dr. Friedman says noncommittally.
"They took me in the middle of the night. I was handcuffed because I tried to run away—I was setting it up that I was resisting against them. We thought it would take too long to get the evidence we needed unless I fought back from the beginning, you see."
Dr. Friedman nods that she understands.
"So when I got there, they strip-searched me, and I resisted again, so we got 'em hurting me on video and me asking for a doctor. I stabbed Maria in the arm with a pen when they tried to make me sign voluntary commitment papers. Maria was my oldcomer, you know—"
"I know the terminology," Dr. Friedman interrupts. "Please continue."
"They sentenced me to Observation Placement for the pen incident. Then, you know, they let me out, and I had to talk with Klein, and he went over all my flaws and bad behavior."
Dr. Friedman makes a few notes, and Veronica stops talking. Friedman looks up. "I'm just keeping it straight by taking a few notes. I'm not writing anything about you."
Veronica breathes for a minute. Hesitantly, she continues. "After that we had group therapy. I was really tired; I had been up all night when they transported me to the school, and I didn't get much sleep while I was in isolation. And I just nodded off, and all of a sudden, they were hauling me down to the floor, really hard. And—"
Dr. Friedman waits quietly.
"Logan had to hold me down. You know, he was working as a guard. To protect me."
Dr. Friedman nods.
"A couple days later, I screwed up. I mean, you know, in the long run, it was good I screwed up, but...." Veronica sighs, tangled in her words. "I comforted one of the other girls in group therapy, and they assigned me an essay to write. You can't understand how insane it was...they kept saying 'We love you', and then they'd keep confronting us unless we admitted how fucked up we were. So I needed to get evidence of that, but...I didn't hug her on purpose, I just reacted."
"And they made you write an essay?"
"I realized it was an opportunity to provoke them. I just wrote, 'Fuck you Briar Hill', over and over again." Veronica stops, remembering what came next: trying to escape and Logan hurting her, on purpose it had seemed at the time. She recalls struggling against him, feeling his strong arms tightening angrily—feeling a sense of panic overtaking her.
"What happened?" Friedman presses.
"They put me in restraints for a couple days. It was good; we needed to document the use of restraints."
"It was good?"
"You know, for the case." She avoids looking at Friedman's sympathetic eyes. Veronica mutters, "I was surprised how hard it was, being in restraints I mean." I don't have to talk about the bucket yet.
There is an awkward silence; Veronica seems reluctant to continue. Finally, she says, "Afterwards, they kept it up. They didn't leave me alone, even if I was cooperating. Klein had Maria hurt me by twisting my arm behind my back." She motions with the arm in the sling. "And you know, it was pretty bad, they kept confronting me, yadda yadda yadda, and then...um...I broke down and called for help, but they didn't come."
"That must have been terrifying," Dr. Friedman comments.
Veronica nods but keeps silent.
"How did it actually end?"
"I was feverish—in the hospital they diagnosed a kidney infection. You know, they didn't let me use the bathroom often enough and the...hygiene was...." Friedman nods that she understands. "So I don't really remember the last day. There was another group therapy session, and I guess the headmaster was confronting me." Her voice begins to speed up. "The whole operation was very successful; we documented a lot of the abuse, and I'm doing okay now. I'm fine."
"You know, the average girl sent to the school would be going along to get along her first week and scared to death about what was happening. It sounds like you were pushing back from the minute you got there. They would have made that first week very intense for you. I think you're minimizing how bad it was."
Veronica stares back; she finally admits, "Yeah, it was a lot harder than I thought it would be."
"What was the worst part?"
Veronica thinks for a moment. "No one to talk to. Not being able to control anything—having to sit and think instead of doing something."
Friedman frowns. "It wasn't that you were becoming uncertain of your own mind? That's a common result from these kinds of stressors."
Veronica shrugs.
"When somebody tells you that you are a bad person over and over again, even if you know you are playing a role and not really that person, you will begin to question your own worthiness. It's called a 'situational' effect."
Veronica doesn't react.
The doctor continues, "Someone like Peter Klein is a skilled manipulator. He would be able to read his victims like a book. Even if they were trying to hide the truth from him."
Veronica shivers reflexively. In a quiet voice, she says, "I never knew how weak I was. I always thought I was a strong person. I let him—" She breaks off.
"You're weak because you had to ask for help? Because you had to stop the operation?" Dr. Friedman prompts.
"No! Because I'm such a bad person...he was able to see it and use it against me," Veronica moans, as the tears begin to run down her face. "I always thought the worst of everyone, especially Logan. I accused him of murder! I loved him, and I told the sheriff he had killed Lilly! Klein was right, I do have a black hole instead of a soul. Just the other day, one of my best friends Weevil was kidding with me, calling me a blackmailer. That's how he thinks of me. Everyone knows that's how I am!"
Dr. Friedman asks calmly, "What did your friend mean, when he teased you and called you a blackmailer?"
Veronica is startled out of her crying jag. She sniffles a bit and grabs a tissue from the table. "What did he mean? I guess that I use information to get what I need, to force people into doing things they don't want to do."
"Isn't that partly what it means to be a PI? You get evidence for divorce cases and insurance claims, which influences the outcome. And you gather information and analyze the data."
"I guess. But still I shouldn't be doing it to my friends. You know, trading information on them for their cooperation," Veronica replies.
Dr. Friedman asks thoughtfully, "Have you ever just asked your friends for what you need?"
"Of course...sometimes. But usually...I'm always asking for a favor, but I never intend to pay it back...and I always think the worst of them."
"Tell me about your friends, Veronica."
This was a bad idea. We're not getting anywhere, Veronica thinks. How is this helping? The doctor is waiting for her answer; finally she says, "Logan obviously. Wallace was my best friend in high school; he works part-time for my dad now too. Weevil: he used to be in a motorcycle gang and went to my high school; he works at Hearst now. Mac is my best girlfriend; Duncan is an old boyfriend who's back in town again. Maybe Dick, Logan's best friend, I guess we're friends too, now. My dad of course." I can't tell her that I just use all of them whenever it's convenient. I can't even help myself anymore.
"Okay, we know Logan was willing to go undercover for you. That's a pretty good friend."
Veronica scoffs. "That was only because he was worried about me—he knew I was being foolish."
"Still, he was there for you, even though it wasn't exactly what he wanted." Friedman checks her notes. "What about Wallace?"
"Yeah, Wallace would do anything for me. But he gets frustrated, because I'm always asking for favors and not telling him everything that's going on. And it's always a one-way street: it's what I want, all the time."
"Always? You don't ever do anything for him? What about Weevil, the one who teased you? Can you count on him?"
"Of course."
Dr. Friedman looks at Veronica, her eyebrows raised suggestively.
"Okay, I see your point, I have good friends I can rely on," Veronica mutters.
"People who help you when you need them. All you have to do is ask. People who care about you. And you help them when they ask?"
"Yes. If I give them a chance to ask," she says, with self-loathing.
"You're not your job, Veronica. You might not be happy about some of the things you've done to the people around you in the past, but they clearly love you and are loyal to you, and you to them. Does that make sense for a person whose soul is a black hole?"
Veronica blurts out, "But they don't trust me now. They always hold things back from me."
"Such as?"
The gun that my dad gave to Logan. The lawsuit that Klein just filed. She says instead, "They weren't going to tell me about my friend's family dying. Mac's family...we thought they'd been killed in a terrible accident." We thought they'd been killed...it sounds like a soap opera. I sound insane.
"You mean they were protecting you?"
"Yeah. Because I'm so weak."
"That doesn't sound like they don't trust you."
"Logan is— He's afraid to tell me what's going on, what he's—" Whatever it is that he doesn't want me to remember about Shelly's party. The words spill out thoughtlessly, unheeded. "He keeps saying he's worried I'm going to leave him. I don't understand why he would think that. I keep telling him how much I need him, even though I hate that everyone knows how...fucked up I am now. I feel like I lose a little piece of myself, every time I admit I need their help. And they keep going over all the times I let them down in the past. I mean, I know we have to: the problems we have now are because of the past, and we have to talk about these things, but I always feel so bad about all the choices I made that put my friends and my dad in danger now. You see, we think somebody's trying to hurt us because of...because of...." She finally stops because she's out of breath.
Veronica takes a couple deep breaths and continues, "And I feel so guilty about making Logan go undercover. He's been so upset...terrible nightmares; he won't really tell me about them. I feel like...I've made him give up his life. And...whenever he's around me, his life goes to hell."
"Veronica, how do you think Logan feels about you?"
"He has this irrational love for me."
Dr. Friedman appears to be surprised, and Veronica has a flash of smug satisfaction at being able to shock her, before she realizes that she is once again being 'self-centered,' 'self-important'. She remembers Alyssa drumming it into her: 'You need to get out of your head. Let go, and let God.' What was that list of my faults again? Oh yeah, reckless, sarcastic, self-righteous, suspicious, critical.... Veronica attempts to focus. Alyssa was full of shit, she thinks, trying to convince herself.
Friedman asks, "Why do you call Logan's love for you irrational?"
"It doesn't make sense that he loves me. I've never been able to trust him—never had faith in him. I've always thought the worst of him. I couldn't tell him I loved him for the longest time. He's romantic. I'm not."
"Veronica, do you think you're worthy of being loved?"
"Of course," she says without thinking.
Dr. Friedman stares at her.
Veronica, uncomfortable, repeats, "Of course I'm worthy of being loved. Logan is the one who...."
"Does it make you uncomfortable, Logan's unconditional love for you? The way he's willing to give up his life for you?"
Veronica mutters, "I hate you."
"What was that?" the doctor queries, not sure what Veronica said.
"I hate this. Do you enjoy doing this to your patients?" Veronica asks in frustration.
"Of course not. We're just talking, Veronica." Dr. Friedman stands up. "I'm having a glass of water. Would you like one?"
Veronica nods. As the doctor gets two cups of water from a cooler in the corner of the room, Veronica thinks that this was the stupidest idea she's ever had. We're not even talking about—
"You said you hate feeling weak, Veronica. What would make you feel strong?" Dr. Friedman asks as she hands Veronica a cup.
Veronica lifts her injured arm. "I need to get rid of this damn sling. I hate being injured. I hate having to ask everyone to help me."
"Not just because you're injured, you mean."
"Okay, I admit it, I don't like being so dependent on them. I hate having to ask for help," Veronica replies.
"Veronica, I'm not trying to make you admit anything. What's going on with your shoulder, medically?"
"I'll need surgery and physical therapy, I guess. But I have to get over this kidney infection first. I just have to get through the next few days." Veronica shrugs.
"So you're still on antibiotics."
Veronica nods.
"Aren't you supposed to be resting?"
"I'm taking it easy," she says evasively.
Dr. Friedman frowns. "You look tired to me."
"Things have been going on. The funeral...there was a shooting; we had to investigate somebody—sort of an emergency."
Friedman raises her eyebrows.
Veronica sighs. "The sheriff was investigating us in a murder case; we had to clear our names."
"That sounds stressful, especially when you're sick and injured. You have to take care of yourself, and let the people you love take care of you." Veronica winces unthinkingly. Friedman adds, "Logan was injured too, and you took care of him. Now he has to take care of you."
"I know."
"That was easier, to take care of him, wasn't it?" Dr. Friedman asks.
"For me. It was hard on him." She bursts out, "I don't know how to do this."
"Do what?"
"Figure out a life with him."
"No one knows how to do it, Veronica."
"Yeah, they do. They seem to be able to make decisions and just do what they need to. The problem is that his life always goes to hell when I'm around."
"Did you cause his problems this semester?"
"Well, some of them. He thought he had to protect me. I asked him to be there at the school so I'd feel safe."
"But Veronica, that was a huge step for you. That was progress. I remember how you struggled with that the last time you were here."
It doesn't feel like progress, Veronica thinks.
"What about Hannah?" the doctor asks.
"What about her?" Veronica replies.
"Is that your fault too?"
"Well, maybe...maybe if I hadn't broken up with Logan the summer before...." Veronica sees Dr. Friedman's expression. "Okay, I know. I know! I'm being ridiculous!! And it's what Logan does too...he always feels responsible when it's not even his fault."
"One of the ways that the tough-love programs work on their victims is by methodically destroying their value systems. They purposely break you, so that they can re-instill a new system of moral behavior. There's a lot of emphasis on personal responsibility, and they force you to question everything you think you know about your life."
"Tell me about it," Veronica says bitterly.
"You were under attack at the school. From what I've read, Peter Klein is one of the best manipulators in the industry...he's extremely adept psychologically. He's able to read his victims; he can find your weaknesses and use them against you to break you. Just because you assumed a role to play while you were undercover doesn't mean that he wasn't able to determine exactly how to hurt you the most."
"But Klein was just discovering the truth about me," Veronica whispers. "If I had been stronger...if I didn't have all these issues before I went undercover, it wouldn't have—"
"Veronica, do you remember talking about how survivors of these tough-love programs have to find a way to make the experience worthwhile? They have to find something positive in the experience in order to move on, maybe even embrace the program as their salvation."
"I don't want to do that. There was nothing positive there," she replies bitterly.
"Our lives are a sum of our experiences. You can't erase your time there, even if you want to."
"I don't want to erase it!! I need to—" Veronica stops, terrified.
"What?"
Veronica exhales heavily. "On the last day...the day I don't really remember...Klein was confronting me about my rape. I assume Logan has mentioned that I was raped?"
Friedman nods reluctantly.
"I don't remember much about the night that I got raped five years ago. I'd been dosed with Liquid X without my knowledge. Most of the information I have about that night is from the other people who were there. And some of them...had very good reasons to lie to me." Veronica wipes a tear from her eye. "I thought I'd made my peace with it. It was complicated but...the boy who raped me is dead." She meets Friedman's eyes and knows immediately that the doctor knows about Duncan as well. "I think...that last day at Briar Hill I remembered something about my rape."
The doctor maintains a poker face, and Veronica immediately surmises that Logan has discussed this with her. She says, "He told you."
Dr. Friedman nods reluctantly. "That's one of the reasons why it's problematic for me to treat both of you."
"I don't care," Veronica cries suddenly. "I can't start over from the beginning with a new therapist. It would take a year just to get through high school."
"I understand, but—"
"And I trust you," Veronica interrupts. "You don't understand how rare that is for me."
Dr. Friedman inclines her head. "Thank you, Veronica. That's a great compliment."
You don't know the half of it...well, maybe she does. "I know I remembered something that last day...I can feel it."
"But now you've lost the memory again?"
Veronica nods.
Dr. Friedman asks, "And that's worse? Not knowing?"
"I don't know anymore," Veronica says, wretchedly. "I spend every waking minute investigating all these cases, but I can't figure out what happened to me. It used to be the most frustrating thing in the world, but then...." She sighs and looks down at her lap.
Dr. Friedman queries curiously, "Have you ever talked to Logan about that night? Asked him to help you remember as much as possible? He could try to take through the evening chronologically."
Veronica sucks in her breath. Why haven't I ever asked him what he remembers? Am I afraid of what he'll say? I wouldn't let him talk that night in the pool house...I cut him off when he started telling me about the salt lick. And now...he always acts like he did something monstrous at Shelly's party. "He's...scared to talk about it. I don't know why. He's admitted he's afraid I'll leave him because of that night."
"Do you think he did something that was...unforgivable?"
"Other than buying the drugs? And putting some in Duncan's drink?"
"Is that unforgivable?" the doctor asks.
"He thinks so."
"What do you think?"
"I don't know," Veronica says honestly. "It wasn't wise. But then again he did a lot of things in high school that weren't very wise. I don't know if he did something else that night that he doesn't want me to find out." She looks out the window and says softly, "If he did do something else...I want to think I could forgive him, but...I don't know if I would. But I think...I think Logan is just afraid I'll decide he should have saved me that night, and I won't be able to get past it. It's what he always says about that night: 'I can't take that I hurt you when all I want to do is protect you.'"
Veronica turns back and gazes directly into the therapist's eyes. "Dr. Friedman, it's not just because I need to know what happened, although that's part of it." Her breath comes in pants; she's incredibly anxious physically. She is sweating profusely, and she has to work hard to keep her knee from jiggling compulsively. She closes her eyes and says, "I think they're going to use my rape at the trial...to discredit me, or to threaten me. They've already released a letter I wrote while undercover...I assume you saw it? They're going to paint me as a lunatic, a rape survivor who's psychotic at best, possibly even insane and violent because of what I've been through. I need to be prepared. It can't be for nothing. I can't have gone through that for nothing." Veronica opens her eyes and stares at the therapist. "So you see, I want to watch the surveillance tapes from the last day, and I think I need you to help me with that. I want to watch the video and remember everything, and then help win the lawsuit so that other girls don't have to go through that."
"You'd be watching some very difficult material, Veronica. It could be very traumatic to see yourself being so vulnerable."
Veronica's voice trembles. "I know, but I'll be more vulnerable if I don't know everything ahead of time. I can't testify, wondering what they're going to say about me."
"You're being very brave, Veronica. Many women would withdraw from the lawsuit rather than subject themselves to this."
Veronica looks away, tears forming in her eyes. "I'm not brave."
"What are you really afraid of, Veronica?"
She buries her face in her hands and wails, "I'm afraid to face Klein in court. I can't do it. He beat me, he won. I gave up."
"In an impossible situation, you called for help; you were performing a heroic task, Veronica. You were ill, injured, and sleep-deprived. You know that, right?"
"I know that. But I knew what it was going to be like, and I still let him beat me. He beat me by...." she sobs. "I let him beat me by assigning me jumping jacks. No one's going to see how hard it was. They're going to laugh at me for being so pathetic. They're going to believe him when he tells everyone that I'm just another user. I'm so ashamed."
"Veronica, you've been through a physical and mental ordeal, and the stress hasn't let up since you left the school—"
Veronica interrupts, "You don't understand...I've been doing better when we've been working. Everybody keeps congratulating me on the operation, but I feel like I failed; I feel like I'm lying every time I accept someone's compliment. It's when I...it's when I sit down and think, that I can't—"
"I understand. But Veronica, you have to give yourself some time to get over this. You did battle with experts who have perfected their brainwashing techniques for the last fifty years, and you won. You won, Veronica. They are scared to death that you will prevail at trial. That's why they're hitting back so hard; they wouldn't be worried if your case wasn't strong. Veronica, you caused them to be arrested and exposed for what they are. I promise you; you'll be a strong woman again, mentally and physically, with time. You have people who love you and are taking care of you. I see that you're torturing yourself with possibilities and worries about the legal battles ahead. We're all going to help you; you have people to rely on. That's not a weakness, that's a strength. I want you to do an exercise for me. Every time you start to think about Klein or the school, or how upsetting is to need people to help you right now, I want you mentally to list all the people who care about you, and think about the last time they told you they love you. And I want you to think about the quality of the love that they give you. You have people who care about you deeply, Veronica. I want you to say to yourself, 'I'm strong, and I'm getting stronger.'"
Veronica looks dubious.
Dr. Friedman presses, "Promise me you'll try?"
She nods reluctantly.
"Can you say it...I'm strong, and I'm getting stronger. I have people who love me," Dr. Friedman prompts.
Veronica repeats, "I'm strong, and I'm getting stronger. I have people who love me."
•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
VERONICA MARS
10:00PM SHO ch: 340 60min 2009 TV-MA
Do Not Pass Go
Leo's investigation; Veronica, Logan, and Keith
try to relax; Candice and Wallace on a date;
Weevil contemplates payback.
Veronica: Kristen Bell. Logan: Jason Dohring.
Keith: Enrico Colantoni. Leo: Max Greenfield.
Dr. Friedman: Lorraine Bracco. Wallace:
Percy Daggs III. Eli: Francis Capra. Candice
Pauling: Toy Connor.
•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
CHAPTER ONE HUNDRED TWENTY: "DO NOT PASS GO"
Fri. 3/20/09 afternoon: Neptune Sheriff's Department, Neptune, CA
Leo sits at his desk reviewing the evidence, or rather, the lack of it. Daniel Mulvaney was picked up a short time ago; he asked for a lawyer and refused to say another word. His aunt Bridget denied knowing anything about the theft of the SUV. She admitted she had the code to the alarm system written on the key ring to the Crawford's house, but she claimed that her nephew doesn't have access to her purse. Leo decides to keep both of the Mulvaneys in custody while he tries to get a search warrant for their house.
Sacks took a statement from Griffith's receptionist, who said she was never allowed any access to the financial databases. She had only booked appointments and answered the phone. When pressed about the lack of patients at the practice, she had shrugged and said it was easiest receptionist job she'd ever had and she certainly never complained about it.
The border patrol and the Yuma, Arizona police have checked in: there's been no sign of Karen Fillipelli. The anesthesiologist isn't talking and has asked for a lawyer; Leo's pretty sure he doesn't know anything and just took a check from his old business partner Griffith. Checks were direct-deposited into an account, then cash was withdrawn, presumably by someone other than the anesthesiologist.
The intercom buzzes, and Sacks tells Leo the car stereo from the Crawford's SUV has turned up in a pawnshop outside of San Diego.
Finally, a break in the case. "Send Davis right away," Leo barks. "Find out where that stereo came from."
~ • ~
Fri. 3/20/09 late afternoon: Dr. Friedman's Office, Los Angeles, CA
Veronica emerges from Dr. Friedman's office into the waiting room. Both Logan and Keith notice immediately that she's been crying.
Keith stands up and goes to her, enveloping her in a hug. "Are you okay, honey?"
"Yeah, I'm okay," she replies. Veronica turns slightly and says, "Thank you, Dr. Friedman."
"Of course. Mr. Mars, can I speak with you?" the doctor asks.
Keith says, "Logan, why don't you take Veronica to her surprise?"
"You finally got my pony," Veronica says wanly. "It's about time."
Keith huffs a laugh and releases her from his hug. He follows Dr. Friedman as Logan puts his arm around Veronica's shoulder and escorts her out of the office.
"What's the surprise?" she asks as they walk into the hallway.
"It wouldn't be much of a surprise if I told you, right?" he says evasively.
"But I'm going to like it?"
"Oh absolutely," he replies, pushing the down button for the elevator. They step in, and they have the elevator to themselves. Logan hums along with 'The Girl from Ipanema' playing on the loudspeaker. "We haven't been alone in an elevator for a while now. Got any ideas?" he whispers into her ear.
"Didn't we get into enough trouble in the last one?" she replies.
"Penny-ante stuff. Just false murder charges...it was totally worth it for a little nooky in the elevator." He bends down and begins kissing her neck as she watches the numbers flash by. "How much would you give me to hit the emergency stop button right now?"
"I'd give you all my money not to do it," she laughs. She turns and whispers, "You're just trying to distract me with your kisses and groping."
"Groping?!" He puts his hand on her ass and squeezes gently. "Is it working?" he asks.
"Actually it is," Veronica replies softly.
The elevator dings as they reach the main floor. Logan exits first, gently grabbing her hand and pulling her along. He leads her to a hair salon in the main lobby. "After you, milady." He makes a sweeping gesture and allows her to precede him.
The woman behind the counter says, "Ah yes. Here you are. Your friend told us you'd be interested in going back to your natural color and straightening your permanent?"
"Oh yes," Veronica says ecstatically.
The woman turns to Logan. "And you wanted a haircut and double-process hair color for yourself?"
He nods.
Veronica dumps her purse on the counter. "I have a picture you can use." She rummages with her left hand and extracts her wallet; she flips it to a picture of the two of them from the summer freshman senior year. Logan is tanned, with highlights in his short hair; Veronica looks happy and relaxed, with long blonde waves of hair swept back from her face.
The woman looks at the photo and says, "I don't think this will be a problem."
In Dr. Friedman's office several flights up, Keith sits down and faces the doctor. "How is she? Is she going to be okay? She was crying, wasn't she."
"Mr. Mars. First of all, I'd like to say that what you did at the school was very important work that truly needed to be done. There's been tremendous publicity, and I think your lawsuit might be the first step in getting some new laws on the books."
"But?" Keith prompts.
"You were listening and observing during the operation, correct?"
He nods, abashed. "I know, I should have gotten her out sooner—"
"It was a difficult situation. I know what it must have been like, and once she was there, you didn't want to waste the opportunity."
"Right."
"I'm sure Veronica's going to be all right. She has tremendous resilience and strength. What's going on now is that a random word or phrase will remind her of the programming they were trying to do on her. The brainwashing, you might say. Because she was fighting back, they were particularly intense with her."
Keith opens his mouth and Dr. Friedman quickly adds, "Mr. Mars, I'm sure you have a lot of questions. But I know you're aware that Veronica's sessions need to be completely private so that she feels free to discuss anything with me. You wouldn't want your own therapist to discuss your statements with your daughter."
He nods. "I understand. I'm just very worried about her."
"I've encouraged Veronica to speak with you about a particular topic we discussed today. She has legitimate concerns. But please don't pressure her. She's finding her courage right now. Mr. Mars, what Veronica needs right now is a little break from all this stress. I know that she mentioned that there are some things going on right now, but whatever you can do to help her relax and maybe even laugh a little would be very beneficial." Dr. Friedman scribbles something on a piece of paper. "This is my home number and my cell phone number, in case you need to reach me. Mr. Mars, I'm wondering if you have somebody that you can talk to. Veronica needs you at your best right now."
He remembers Veronica encouraging him to nap on the way here; 'Please, Dad. I'm going to need you at full strength.' "Yes, Veronica does need me. And I do think I have someone I can talk to. Thank you for everything, Dr. Friedman."
"Good luck, Mr. Mars."
~ • ~
Fri. 3/20/09 early evening: Navarro Residence, Neptune, CA
Weevil rummages through his bedroom closet and finds his old leather jacket. The last time he wore it was when he accompanied Veronica to East L.A. That time he wore it to blend in so they could get the information they needed quickly. Now, he puts in on and studies his reflection in the mirror. He scratches his chin; the stubble of his beard can't hide the slight puffiness of his cheeks from the painkillers he takes for his knee. The leather jacket, soft and well broken in, is a little more snug than it used to be. He pulls on the hem, adjusting the fit a little.
FLASHBACK:
On a construction site off the Pacific Coast Highway, the PCHers are gathered around as Weevil confronts Thumper about dealing drugs for the Fitzpatricks. Thumper asks sarcastically, "Let me make sure I got this straight. Working with our enemies, you got a problem with that?"
Weevil replies strongly, "You bet I do."
Thumper pretends to look puzzled. "Then maybe you can tell us what you were doing meeting at the Neptune Grand with Logan Echolls."
Weevil shakes his head, realizing that this is not going to go well.
Hector chimes in angrily, "And you were gonna bust me up for selling to an '09er last week."
"Hector’s cousin works maintenance there," Thumper says accusingly. "He saw you, all buddy-buddy with the piece of trash who killed Felix. You’re right, there’s rules. Like not selling out your brothers. I’m not like you, Weevil. I don’t make good speeches, so I’m just gonna say, adios. Hope that covers it."
The PCHers gather around. They grab Weevil and begin to beat him viciously.
Weevil thinks about all the hard choices he's made in the last few years. It hasn't been easy to keep on the straight and narrow. When he scored the Magneta-corp ID encrypting machine two years ago, the temptation to profit from it had been fierce. He had ended up building a new brick fence in his backyard and encasing the device in a waterproof container inside the wall. There have been many late nights since that time when he lay awake on the bed wondering just when he turned into a sucker working for the man. His knee would throb likes a mother, and all he could think about was grabbing a sledgehammer and busting out the easy way from behind the bricks.
Yesterday's adrenaline-fueled playacting at Dr. Griffith's office had made him ache for the old days when they would relieve a spoiled '09er of their vehicle, or at least their rims. He remembers how people would quickly get out of the way when he and the PCHers had roared up a street; he had felt powerful and unstoppable.
Truth be told, most days he can't even reconcile this man in the mirror with the boy who had taped Wallace Fennel to a flagpole and laughed like hell when Bootsie misspelled 'SNICH'.
His cell phone rings, and he answers. "Yo....After second shift? So ten o'clock....Yeah. I'll be there, Arturo."
Weevil hangs up the phone. His eyes light on his tool bag near the door, and he pulls out several items that he thinks he might need.
~ • ~
Fri. 3/20/09 early evening: Candice Pauling's apartment, Neptune, CA
Candice and Wallace are sharing a pizza in her apartment. Wallace has been describing the various ruses they used to get information on Dr. Griffith's operation. She giggled when Wallace demonstrated his messenger boy act but had looked appalled when she heard that the office manager was missing and, Keith had said, presumed dead because of her knowledge of the scam.
"You mean they killed her," she says.
"Yeah, probably."
"And you're still investigating these people," Candice adds, her voice getting louder.
"They're a threat to Veronica and Mr. Mars, and probably to Logan too."
"Because you exposed them. If you'd left it alone—"
Wallace turns to her in confusion. "If we'd left it alone, Duncan might have been charged with a felony and lost custody of his kid. You told me you liked him."
"I did, I mean I do."
"And we had to get the sheriff to stop investigating Veronica and Logan," Wallace says strongly. "Don't you get it?"
"I get it. I just don't think it'll ever end. You said it was the Fitzpatricks? And that's the same people who...." She swallows. "Shawn was mixed up with them. They don't screw around, do they?"
They stare at each other.
Finally Wallace clears his throat. "It's going to be all right. And I think when the dust settles we might find out what happened with Shawn."
~ • ~
Fri. 3/20/09 evening: Logan's House, Venice Beach, CA
After sharing several cartons of Chinese food from Woo Too, Keith, Logan, and Veronica are playing Monopoly, trying to forget about the long day and just relax for a change. Without spelling it out, they all seem to acknowledge that they need to forget about Briar Hill, the Fitzpatricks, and the rest of it for an evening. Keith watches his daughter surreptitiously, worrying and wondering about her long session with the therapist. Occasionally he checks his cell phone, but Alan Sheffield has not returned his call. Wallace has reported that he hasn't identified either of the photos yet, but Weevil might have some information by the morning on Oswaldo Cortez. Keith had pressed Wallace for details, but Wallace had said that Weevil wouldn't tell him what he was planning.
Logan seems destined to win the game, having acquired both Boardwalk and Park Place with a hotel on each, although he has few other properties. Veronica throws the dice and lands on Park Place.
"Pay up, honeybun," Logan says with a smirk.
"Wealth is so wasted on the rich," Veronica replies sarcastically.
"You know, if you play your cards right, I might let you slide on the rent."
"Play my cards right?"
"You know, give me a little sugar."
Veronica pretends to be appalled. "Sexual favors?"
"I can't watch this," Keith says. He stands up and walks to the kitchen to get a drink. He carefully turns his back on the couple and pours a soda.
Veronica says, "What are we talking about here? A kiss? I know." She whispers. "A hand job."
"Unh-uh." He bends to her ear. "The whole nine yards, baby. Otherwise, it's the poorhouse for you." Logan reaches over and fingers Veronica's stash of play money. "I don't think you have enough here to pay the rent."
"I'll give you one of my railroads," she says, pretending to plead.
"At a fire sale price, of course. Railroads are so twentieth century."
"How about this 'get out of jail free' card? I know you'll need that sooner or later," she replies, waving a yellow card in his face.
"Number one, conjugal visits are hot. And number two, I think you need that card more than I do. After committing fraud in that beauty contest, you're going up the river, sugarpuss," Logan teases.
Veronica scoffs. "Fraud? I won second place fair and square." She calls to her dad, who is steadfastly ignoring them. "Daa-ad. Can I borrow some money? Please."
"You need to learn to stand on your own two feet, honey," Keith answers from the kitchen.
Veronica tsks in annoyance. "You guys are double-teaming me." She sighs dramatically. In an exaggerated Southern accent, she says, "What's a young girl to do when she don't have a dowry? I'll have to kiss him, Pa."
Logan replies, "'I don't think I will kiss you—although you need kissing badly. That's what's wrong with you. You should be kissed, and often, and by someone who knows how.'"
In the kitchen, Keith shakes his head at their banter.
Veronica frowns theatrically at Logan before kissing him thoroughly. She pulls away with a smug expression.
"Whew. That was good." Logan puts out his hand expectantly. "Fifteen hundred dollars, please. Or thirteen hundred, the railroad, and the 'get out of jail free' card."
Veronica sulks as she hands over almost all her cash and the two cards. "I want to play 'Clue'."
Keith comes back from the kitchen and comments, "I'm guessing it's going to be a shotgun wedding?"
"She used her feminine wiles on me, sir," Logan explains. "I resisted with all my might."
"Oh, I know," Keith replies. "Believe me, I know." He leans down and kisses Veronica on the forehead. "Buck up, honey, you'll beat him next time."
"I ain't going take this lyin' down, Pops," Veronica says.
"Wouldn't expect you to."
~ • ~
Fri. 3/20/09 evening: Employee Parking Area, Neptune Grand Hotel, Neptune, CA
Oswaldo Cortez is walking from the service entrance of the hotel. A white panel van is parked next to his car. As he walks past it, the rear door bursts open and three young men jump out. They throw a black hood over Oswaldo's head and hustle him into the van as Oswaldo struggles violently.
In the passenger seat, Weevil says, "Let's go." The driver throws the van into gear and heads out, tires screeching as he exits the lot.
•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
VERONICA MARS
10:00PM SHO ch: 340 60min 2009 TV-MA
Land Mines
Veronica's reacts to therapy; Weevil pursues
vengeance; Mac's situation worsens.
Veronica: Kristen Bell. Logan: Jason Dohring.
Keith: Enrico Colantoni. Eli: Francis Capra.
Mac: Tina Majorino. Dick: Ryan Hansen.
Ethan Lavoie: John Prosky. Peter Klein:
Clancy Brown. Carrie Bishop: Leighton
Meester. Madison: Amanda Noret. Epstein:
Scott Grimes. Judge: Don Worley. Inga
Olofson: Seraina Jacqueline. Oswaldo:
Frankie Rodriguez. Alan Sheffield: Ned
Vaughn. Man: ???
•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
CHAPTER ONE HUNDRED TWENTY-ONE: "LAND MINES"
Fri. 3/20/09 late evening: Logan's House, Venice Beach, CA
Logan helps Veronica get ready for bed after the first relaxed evening in recent memory. It's like we forgot how to laugh, he muses. After the Monopoly game ended, they had given in to Veronica's pleadings and played 'Clue' with her. Veronica had triumphantly identified the perpetrator as Colonel Mustard in the library with the lead pipe, and he and Keith had shared a laugh at her over-the-top exultations.
She snuggles against him and closes her eyes. Logan conks out immediately, but Veronica lies awake thinking about her session with Dr. Friedman. Finally, tossing and turning, she falls asleep and begins to dream.
Veronica is seated in the witness chair and is recounting her time spent in restraints at Briar Hill, guided by Ms. Denenberg's attorney, James Epstein. "Ms. Mars, tell us again. Did you have any respite from this punishment?"
"I was led to a bathroom and allowed to use the facilities. I estimated that these breaks took place every six hours."
Epstein asks, "And if you had needed a break before that time?"
"I was alone in the room. There was no one to ask for a break." The courtroom murmurs; Veronica senses that they are on her side.
"No further questions." As the attorney steps back, Veronica's eyes meet those of Peter Klein. She is shocked to see that he doesn't look worried; in fact, he regards her with amusement.
Klein has hired Ethan Lavoie as his attorney. Veronica tenses as the weaselly lawyer approaches her; she remembers his sarcastic insinuations from Aaron's trial and prepares for the worst. He says, innocuously, "Nice to see you again, Ms. Mars."
"Can't say the same," Veronica replies without thinking as Lavoie paces in front of the witness box.
Abruptly, the attorney whirls around. "Isn't it true that you were placed in restraints at Briar Hill because of your violent behavior?"
"I struggled against one of the guards who was trying to put me under control," she answers. "I wouldn't say that I was violent."
"This guard was in actuality your own undercover operative, Mr. Echolls."
"Yes."
Lavoie leans in. "And he intentionally hurt you at that time."
Veronica sucks in her breath. How the fuck does he know that? She recovers and says, "He misjudged how hard to hold me in order to pretend to restrain me. It was important that he act like a typical guard." She sees Klein lean over and whisper something to his legal team.
"I see. So this operative that was in place to protect you was so frustrated with your behavior that he hurt you?"
Epstein leaps up. "Objection. Relevance, your honor."
"Sustained. Move on, Mr. Lavoie."
Mr. Lavoie acknowledges the judge's ruling and paces around the room. "Let's talk about your therapy at the school. What was the primary focus of the therapy you received at the school?"
"I didn't receive therapy at the school," Veronica replies, barely keeping the sarcasm from her voice. "I was punished repeatedly for not repeating the slogans espoused by the school."
"Your honor, please instruct the witness to restrict her remarks to the question asked."
"Ms. Mars...."
Barely holding her sarcasm in check, Veronica says, "I'm sorry, your honor. Can you rephrase the question please?"
"What was the school's assessment of your psychiatric problems?"
"They claimed that I was a drug abuser."
"Yes, of course." Lavoie pretends to ponder for a minute. "What about sexual addiction?"
"Excuse me?" Veronica asks incredulously.
"Isn't it true that Mr. Klein determined that you were lying about a supposed rape in your past?"
"What?" Veronica looks wildly at Epstein, who doesn't look up from scribbling notes.
"Ms. Mars, isn't it true that you made up a story about being raped five years ago? Mr. Klein was attempting to get you to admit that the incident in question was in fact consensual sex with two boys."
"NO! I was raped."
Lavoie asks condescendingly, "I'm sorry, I'm confused. Are you saying you were raped twice in one night?"
Veronica exhales. "Well, no, the first boy was...." She doesn't know how to say it, and her voice trails off.
"Wasn't the first boy whom you claimed raped you in fact your long-term boyfriend Duncan Kane? And did you not subsequently have another relationship with him after this rape supposedly occurred?"
"It was complicated," Veronica says weakly. "We were both drugged."
"So you were high and had sex with your ex-boyfriend, then later you got back together with him."
"That's not what happened. Logan put—" She realizes and stops dead.
"You were saying?"
"We were drugged against our will and...I don't know...I can't remember most of that night."
"Really. Let's go on to the other supposed rapist that night. A Mr. Cassidy Casablancas, I believe."
"Beaver," Veronica says.
"Yes, I understand that's what you called him. He was your friend. In fact, he hired you as a private investigator almost two years after this rape occurred. And you were so incensed at his raping you that you took the case."
Veronica tries to explain. "I didn't know then that he was the boy who raped me." I sound like a lunatic.
"Oh, so Duncan Kane did not rape you, but Cassidy Casablancas did."
"It was consensual with Duncan, but not with Bea– with Cassidy," Veronica protests.
"But you're unaware of the entire night supposedly. How can you be sure it was consensual with Duncan and not with Cassidy? Perhaps you gave consent. Perhaps you were just looking for a good time."
"NO!! It was rape! When I woke up without my underwear, sore and bloody, I knew I'd been raped."
"So you reported the rape. It's strange, there was no incident report." Lavoie pretends to look through a sheaf of papers in front of Peter Klein.
Klein tents his fingers and stares directly at Veronica. She tries not to look at him and focuses on Lavoie. "The sheriff didn't believe me."
Mr. Lavoie addresses the judge. "If you'll give me some latitude, I'd like to explore this supposed rape incident a little further. And I'd like the option to recall Ms. Mars at a later time."
"Granted. You may step down, Ms. Mars."
"Your honor..." Veronica pleads but the judge ignores her. She stands up and realizes she's wearing the infamous white dress from that night...and no underwear. She hangs her head and returns to sit down next to Ms. Denenberg's lawyer. Ms. Denenberg casts her a furious glance, obviously upset that Veronica has managed to damage their case. Veronica tugs on the attorney's sleeve. "I need to go change."
"No. You need to stay." He looks at her dress with disgust. "I don't know what's wrong with you: we talked about you wearing something modest and conservative."
"I did." She remembers putting on a skirt suit that morning, with conservative low-heeled shoes and pantyhose. Veronica looks down at her fuck-me high heels and bare legs; she touches the choker at her neck. She wants desperately to check her face in a mirror; she's certain she's wearing too much makeup. How did this happen?
"If that's what you call modest...." Epstein shakes his head, and Veronica flushes and looks away.
Lavoie says, "We call Carrie Bishop to the stand."
Veronica is horrified. Carrie walks in and flounces up to the witness chair to be sworn in by the bailiff. "Ms. Bishop, can you tell us what you witnessed at Ms. Pomroy's party."
"I saw her," Carrie indicates Veronica, "In a room with Duncan Kane. She was pulling his clothes off. She didn't even care that the door was open and everyone could see."
"Did she appear to be incapacitated?" Lavoie asks.
"No, of course not. She'd been drinking, but she was certainly not incapacitated."
"Then you were surprised to hear that she was claiming to be raped?"
Carrie snorts. "Nothing Veronica does would surprise me. She tried to defend a teacher who had had sex with an underaged student."
"Thank you, Ms. Bishop. I call Madison Sinclair to the stand." While they wait for Madison, Lavoie holds a whispered consultation with Klein. The two men keep glancing over at Veronica, and she shivers apprehensively.
Veronica asks Epstein anxiously, "Aren't you going to question these witnesses?"
He shakes his head 'no'. Veronica, still uncomfortable in her white dress, tries to pull the bodice a little higher to cover herself up. She crosses her legs and pulls the hem of her skirt down to cover her knees. God, if a reporter sees that I don't have underwear on....
Madison is in her element on the witness stand. She is simpering seductively, obviously posing for the crowded courtroom. Veronica clenches her fists, wishing that she could wipe that smirk off Madison's face.
Lavoie says, "Tell us about what happened at Shelly Pomroy's party."
"Veronica Mars was making out with all the boys in front of everyone. She grabbed my boyfriend, Dick Casablancas, and started dancing with him. She pushed him down on the couch and started kissing him. Even after Dick tried to push her off, Veronica kept making out with him. He finally got her off him, and she went on to the next boy down the line, Casey Gant. He at least was smart enough not to want to catch whatever STD she was running a special on that week."
Veronica is flaming red, furious at Madison. I've never regretted not cubing that bitch's car more than right this second.
Lavoie asks, "It's my understanding you wrote something on the windshield of Ms. Mars' car that night." He ostentatiously checks his notes. "'Slut', I believe, is what you wrote."
Furiously, Veronica shakes Epstein. "How is this relevant?" she hisses in his ear.
"Yes, because 'whore' had too many letters," Madison says triumphantly. A few people in the courtroom titter, and despite her anger, Veronica has a flash of pettiness as Madison realizes that the observers think that she couldn't spell 'whore'. Madison flushes and adds quickly, "There wasn't enough room to write five letters."
"Was this the first time that you witnessed the defendant acting in such a lewd manner?" Lavoie asks.
The defendant?! Veronica stands up and protests, "I'm not on trial here."
The judge stares at her sternly. "Yes, you are. Sit down, Ms. Mars. I want to hear this."
Veronica is consumed by panic. "Epstein," she whispers. "You've got to stop this!"
He sighs. "I'll try to get you off, but you know the penalties for false accusations. I wish you had told the truth about that night."
Madison is beaming at the judge. "The rumor was that she pleasured the entire swim team while jacked up on goof-balls." The judge huffs in disgust and makes a note on the paper in front of him.
Lavoie clarifies, "So she had a long history of multiple sexual encounters?"
"Yes. Apparently it runs in the family. I heard her mother was a drunken slut, too."
Lavoie asks, "Ms. Sinclair, are you aware that Ms. Mars has accused you of giving her a drugged drink that night at the Pomroy's?"
"She always says that. The truth is, there were so many tongues in her mouth that night that she has no idea what she swallowed." The crowd murmurs at the nasty insinuation. Veronica tries to look at her dad, but he avoids her gaze. As she turns back, Klein catches her eye and smiles benevolently.
Lavoie stares at Veronica as he asks Madison, "So it isn't true that you spit in a drink and gave it to her?"
Madison rolls her eyes. "Yes, it's true. Oh my god, like she was so scarred for life."
"No further questions. Mr. Epstein, your witness." Lavoie says magnanimously.
Veronica sighs in relief. Finally.
Epstein says, "Ms. Sinclair, did you actually witness my client having sexual relations with either Duncan Kane or Cassidy Casablancas?"
"No," Madison says sullenly.
"So your entire testimony is based on rumors and innuendo?"
Madison says defensively, "She's a slut, okay? It's not a rumor, it's a fact."
"So you say." Epstein sits down and Veronica smiles at him gratefully. Epstein whispers in her ear, "We're not out of the woods yet, Veronica, by a long shot."
Lavoie says, "The prosecution calls Richard Casablancas, Jr."
Veronica grabs Epstein's arm. "You can't let Dick testify!!"
"We don't have a choice, Veronica," the attorney replies.
Dick appears uncomfortable in a suit and tie. As he is sworn in, he avoids looking in Veronica's direction.
"Mr. Casablancas, can you tell us what happened at Shelly Pomroy's party?"
Dick glances at Veronica momentarily before looking away. "Nothing really."
Lavoie says strongly, "Is there a problem, Mr. Casablancas? Has Ms. Mars been intimidating you?"
"No, definitely not. We've never been intimate."
Lavoie is flummoxed by Dick's mistake. He restates, "No...Mr. Casablancas, has Ms. Mars threatened you in any way?"
"No." Dick steadfastly refuses to look at Veronica.
Mr. Lavoie approaches the bench. "Your honor, permission to treat this man as a hostile witness. He's obviously afraid of the defendant."
The judge nods his agreement and casts a disapproving look in Veronica's direction.
Lavoie asks, "Isn't it true that Ms. Mars threatened you in the spring of 2005? She was overheard saying, 'Insulting me right now seems like a good plan, how?' At the time, she was about to destroy your personal property."
"Yeah, my surfboard. I really loved that board," Dick says dreamily.
"Focus, Mr. Casablancas. What happened at Shelly Pomroy's party?"
"I don't want to say," Dick protests.
"Mr. Casablancas, you will be charged with perjury if you don't answer my question."
Reluctantly, Dick says, "I found Veronica in the guest bedroom with my little brother."
"Was she resisting his advances?"
Dick looks at Veronica for help. She gives him a look of frustration. Please...use that pea-brain for once, Dick. No more Pi Sig rate. All favors on the house from here on out.
"Mr. Casablancas, do not attempt to communicate with the witness." Lavoie positions himself between Dick and Veronica. "What did you see in the bedroom?"
Dick sighs. "Veronica was crawling toward Beaver. She said, 'Beaver, don't go, you said you were gonna stay here with me.' Then he said, 'Yeah, well, I'm here, I'm staying. Veronica, I'm here.' You know, they were kinda...making eyes at each other." He turns to Veronica. "I'm sorry, Ronnie!!"
"Mr. Casablancas!" the judge admonishes.
Dick hangs his head. "Veronica said, 'Well, why don't you come back here? It's an awfully big bed.'"
Lavoie paces in front of the witness stand. "Isn't it true that you also provided your brother with a prophylactic that night?"
"A prof-a-what?"
"A condom. You gave him a condom and stated, 'You better suit up. You don't know where she's been.'"
"Yeah, I said that," Dick admits.
Out of the corner of her eye, Veronica sees Klein nodding knowingly.
"So you knew that the defendant was sexually promiscuous? She slept around," Lavoie clarifies for Dick's benefit.
"That's what we thought. I really don't—"
"Thank you," Lavoie interrupts. "Mr. Casablancas, is it true that you and Mr. Logan Echolls procured some Liquid X for this party?"
Dick looks around wildly.
"Answer the question, Mr. Casablancas," the judge chides.
"No, I didn't get the drugs. Logan, Sean, and Luke did. But Luke gave me his dose."
Lavoie presses, "And did you and Mr. Echolls put the Liquid X in the cup that was given to Ms. Mars?"
"No. I don't know what Logan did with his. I put mine in Madison's cup."
"Who then gave it to Ms. Mars."
"I don't know. I wasn't paying attention. I swear," Dick says sincerely.
"No further questions. Your witness," Lavoie concludes.
Veronica whispers to Epstein. "Ask him about Beaver. He can tell you about the Sharks, how Beaver was abused by Woody Goodman."
Epstein whispers back, "I don't think it's relevant. The issue is whether you made up a story about a rape that never happened. You probably should think about coming clean, Veronica. It looks bad for you...all this evidence that you're a slut."
"I'm not a slut," Veronica protests. "Beaver raped me."
Epstein stands up and says, "No questions, your honor." Veronica gapes at him in disbelief.
Lavoie says, "The prosecution calls Inga Olofson."
Veronica sighs in relief. Finally. Inga will tell the truth.
Inga looks nervous. For all her years working in law enforcement, she's never had to testify in court before.
"Ms. Olofson, do you remember that morning when Ms. Mars walked into the sheriff's department?"
Inga is relieved; this question is easier that she had anticipated. "Ja, of course. She asked to speak to the sheriff."
"And did the sheriff take a report from Ms. Mars?"
"No," Inga replies.
"He didn't arrest anyone for rape?" Lavoie says strongly.
Inga sighs. "No."
"In fact, what did he say to you after Ms. Mars left?"
Hesitantly, Inga says, "Sheriff Lamb said, 'She probably got drunk and had sex and wants to get her story on the record in case she gets the clap or turns up pregnant.'"
Veronica, furious, shoves Epstein. "Object, goddammit. Isn't that hearsay?"
"Dead men tell no lies," he answers. Veronica just stares at him, unable even to protest any more.
"The prosecution calls Keith Mars to the stand." Veronica drops her head, unable to look at her dad. I'm so sorry, Dad. I fucked up bigtime.
"Mr. Mars, tell us about the last day of your daughter's undercover operation at Briar Hill."
Veronica's leg begins to twitch uncontrollably under the table. She holds it with her hand to try to force it to be still.
Keith keeps his voice calm and measured. "Veronica was receiving group therapy. We didn't realize that her audio bug had stopped functioning and that she had actually asked for the operation to end."
"Or so she said later."
"Excuse me?" Keith replies, puzzled.
Lavoie explains, "You only have her word for that, isn't that correct? Mr. Klein says that Veronica approached him and told him she wanted to come clean and discuss her behavior in group. Perhaps your daughter sabotaged the bug because she finally wanted to work on her character flaws, and she was reluctant to have her father listening."
Keith's mouth is open in shock. Finally, he responds, "I don't have any proof that Veronica's bug had stopped working. But you don't have any proof that she sabotaged it either."
"Well, we'll hear from Peter Klein later on that issue," Lavoie remarks, glancing at the headmaster. "What did you observe over your surveillance devices?"
"I heard my daughter talking about her rape."
"Her rape or her sexual encounters? Let's be clear, Mr. Mars."
"Her rape, Mr. Lavoie."
"Does your daughter ever...lie to you, Mr. Mars?"
Keith replies, "I'm sure she's had occasion to fib. She is a teenage girl, after all."
Lavoie nods. "Other than the occasional fib, would you say that you have a close relationship?"
"I would say very close."
"So, you would expect to hear the truth on what most people would call the..." Lavoie makes air quotes, "big issues."
"I would," Keith says firmly.
"So did your daughter come to you when she supposedly had been 'raped'?" Again, Lavoie makes air quotes.
"No...my daughter did not come to me when she was raped," Keith says through gritted teeth.
"Did your daughter have a personal relationship with Duncan Kane?"
"Yes, they dated. Freshman year, and then again in her senior year."
"So after she claimed this rape occurred, she dated him again," Lavoie continues.
"That's correct."
"Well, doesn't it stand to reason that it wasn't actually a rape after all, but just a sexual encounter with her old boyfriend?"
"She was raped by another boy that night," Keith says in a menacing tone.
"After she had sex with Duncan Kane. So let me see if I got this right. She convinced one boyfriend, Logan Echolls, to give her drugs that night. She had sex with another boyfriend, Duncan Kane. Then she had sex with another boy, Cassidy Casablancas, but she realized she might have contracted a sexually transmitted disease or become pregnant, so she tried to file a false report at the sheriff's department."
"You want to be careful there, Mr. Lavoie. My daughter was raped by Cassidy, and she did not file a false report."
Lavoie changes tacks. "I believe it was a surprise to you when you learned in open court that your daughter had a sexually transmitted disease."
"Yes, it was," Keith admits.
"And that was when Ms. Mars decided to renew her claim that she had been 'raped', so that you wouldn't find out that she had had multiple sexual partners on numerous occasions."
"That is not true," Keith says angrily.
"Witness is excused. I'd like to recall Ms. Mars to the stand," Lavoie intones.
Veronica is shell-shocked from her dad's disastrous testimony. She stands up and walks unsteadily to the witness stand. When she turns around, the room falls completely silent. Every eye is trained on her; Peter Klein is smiling broadly. She looks down; her dress is ripped and her breast is exposed. She tries to cover herself and sinks down below the railing to hide in the witness box. "No! No!" The bailiff grabs her arm and tries to pull her up into the seat.
"Veronica...it's all right...you're dreaming." Logan has turned on the light, and he is shaking her gently. "Veronica."
She looks at him and bursts into tears. Veronica sobs uncontrollably for long minutes as he strokes her back, trying to get her to calm down. At one point, he asks if she wants him to get her dad. She cries, "No, please don't tell Dad," and he wonders what the hell she could have been dreaming about as he holds her tighter.
Finally, she cries herself out. Veronica hiccups twice as she gets herself under control.
"Veronica, what do you want me to do?" he asks helplessly.
She exhales loudly. "Logan."
"What?" he replies, stroking the hair from her forehead and kissing the tip of her nose.
"I need you to tell me everything you remember from the night of Shelly Pomroy's party. Everything, Logan. I don't care how bad it was. I need to know. I can't not know anymore."
Land mine, he thinks.
~ • ~
Fri. 3/20/09 very late: Deserted warehouse, Neptune, CA
Oswaldo Cortez's hands are tied together, and he is hanging from a hook in the darkened warehouse. One eye is swollen almost completely shut, and his lip is split and bleeding. His head hangs down, and Oswaldo breathes heavily through a battered nose.
Weevil has bummed a cigarette from Arturo. He takes a long drag; damn, that's good. He looks at Oswaldo and thinks. Oswaldo has told them nothing—has mostly kept his mouth shut, in fact. Weevil drops the cigarette and grinds it into the concrete. He reconsiders and picks up the butt, putting it in his pocket.
Weevil walks up to Oswaldo and slaps his cheek lightly, then hard enough to sting. Oswaldo moans, sagging against the chain holding him up. Weevil says menacingly, "You and I have a score to settle. You're going to tell us about the Fitzpatricks—what exactly you've been doing for them. And I'm going to find out why you told the sheriff about Logan Echolls and Kendall Casablancas. The only question is whether I kill you or not."
"You better kill me," Oswaldo croaks out. "Liam's going to fucking destroy you, joto. How much does Echolls pay you to suck his sweet cock?"
"You're really fucking pissing me off," Weevil retorts. He goes to his bag of tools off to the side and rummages around. He pulls out a pair of channel-lock pliers and says sarcastically, "They taught me a trade up in Chino, you know. I'm a productive member of society now." To the other PCHers, he directs, "Hold him." Weevil walks toward Oswaldo holding the pliers.
~ • ~
Fri. 3/20/09 very late: Somewhere in the United States
Mac is woken by someone dragging her off the bed. They pull her, stumbling, into the next room, her arms still bound behind her back. She blinks against the bright light after more than a day in darkness. She sees Alan Sheffield, tied to a chair; he's been badly beaten and appears to have passed out.
"What did you do to him?" she says angrily.
"We're going to do more if you don't cooperate." The man grabs Alan by the hair and yanks his head up. She sees the blood and bruises on his face and winces.
"I need some water," Mac says, stalling. "You haven't let me eat or drink since you took us."
"Get her some water," the man in charge says.
They hold a glass to her lips, and Mac drinks.
"Thanks," she says. Think, Mac. What would Veronica do?
Abruptly, the man says, "You're going to help us find Veronica Mars."
"I don't know where she is," Mac replies. "I've been in Witness Protection for the last month."
"You're going to tell us anywhere she might have gone. Otherwise, your friend Alan is dead."
Alan's eyes open a small slit; he shakes his head almost imperceptibly, and Mac thinks she gets the message. They're going to kill Alan anyways...don't tell them anything.
Chapter One Hundred Twenty-Two