A/N: I wrote the notes for two stories, I began posting Reaching for the Brass Ring but unfortunately my muse ended up wanting to write more chapters of my version of this story instead. Lilly is still dead, and Abel Koonz went to jail for the murder but Aaron isn't the killer this time. There are some major changes that will be explained along the way but I did want to say that my mom was a huge fan of LA Law so I could't make Harry a psycho. Basically Aaron and Lynn are good parents just absentee to due to his career as an A List actor.
Chapter One
"We Used to Be Friends, A long Time Ago...
"This is my school. If you go here, your parents are either millionaires, or your parents work for millionaires. Neptune, California: a town without a middle class." Veronica realized she was talking to herself as she drove across the school parking lot to find her assigned parking spot.
Oh joy, it was right down the aisle from the last group of people she wanted near her. Pulling in, she made sure that her parking permit was visible in the window of her Le Baron, then getting out, locked it tight as she headed towards the front of the school, ready to begin her junior year of high school.
Seeing her classmates standing around the flagpole, laughing and taking photos, she pushed past the hoard only to see another teenager duct taped to the flag pole. The tall thin kid was naked with the word snitch painted in red across his chest.
Shaking her head as she saw no one helping him, she pulled out a small pen knife, moved forward and began to cut him down. When he was free, she couldn't resist sarcastically saying "Welcome to Neptune High!"
Twenty minutes later in the middle of her first class, half asleep in AP English, Veronica hears the teacher Mrs. Murphy calling her name. Realizing that she was asking about Pope's Essays on Man, she quickly explained her answer adding that it translated to Life's a Bitch until you die.
Hearing a few snickers, Veronica ignored the slights as two of the flaky blonds who were in the class only because of daddy's money said that if anyone was a bitch it was Veronica.
A very predictable announcement came over the intercom asking various students to go to their lockers. Smirking as she packed up her books, she couldn't help thinking right on time, once again ignoring comments about how she was so busted; she hurried to her locker where she saw Clemmons and Deputy Sacks waiting for her.
What they didn't know was that she was well aware of whose locker was going to be searched during the schools war on drugs before even the vice principal was thanks to a new friend she had made during the last school year. With a smirk, she opened her locker, let them search it but winking at the older man standing there glaring at the photo she had up in the door of her locker.
"What can I say, I love me some Clemmons." she said with a smirk as she looked at the photo of the vice principal surrounded by a red heart taped there.
"Okay, its clear, sir." Sacks said shaking his head as they went on to their next locker.
Veronica grimaced when the Deputy left without even a glance her way. At one point, she was close to all of them, after all her father had been their boss, but since Lilly's death, they all acted like she didn't exist.
Lilly's death... It was almost a year ago that her best friend Lilly Kane had been found murdered by the pool at her family home. The case had gone viral, the whole world knew about the death of the young Kane heiress and the bumbling sheriff who insisted that they had arrested the wrong man.
Jake Kane had gone after her father, had gotten him recalled from his positions as Sheriff, had gone to the press, determined to make sure that Keith didn't get Abel Koontz freed. Why she didn't understand, surely Jake would have wanted the real murderer of his daughter caught, but instead of standing behind Keith, he had used all his power and influence to ruin him.
At lunch, sitting at her table alone; she glanced over at the idiots acting like they ruled the world and admitted to herself that if it wasn't the world, it was Neptune High.
Duncan Kane, only son of Jake Kane, software giant, billionaire, Jake Kane. Duncan, her first crush, one of the FAB Four that had once included his late sister Lilly, Logan Echolls, and herself. One minute it seemed as if he was going to ask her out, the next minute, she found herself on the outside looking in, not getting why all the sudden those she had cared so much about were ignoring her.
Lilly's death and two parties later, and she pretty much despised the whole lot of them. But more about that part of the story that later. She didn't want to think of her mistakes, of her foolishness and what she had lost as a result...
Then there was Logan Echolls, son of Aaron Echolls, rich successful A List Movie star and his brilliant and beautiful wife Lynn. Logan was an amalgamation of his parents' beauty and charm when he wanted to be, but when he froze you out, you were out, simple as that. She could still recall the day he had looked through her, the day he had succeeded in making her feel like she would never be warm again.
The rest of the gang, Dick and his brother Beaver, at one time she had thought Dick amusing now she wanted nothing more than to slug him when he gave her that lazy almost sneering grin he was so famous for. He had scared her that night, the night of the Casablancas family's Halloween party the year before.
He had been so nice when she had first arrive, it was as if he had forgotten that she was apparently now banned, then mere minutes later, he had screamed at her and knocked her drink out of her hands and then had dumped it in the trash, told her to leave and had forced her to get into one of the many arranged cars with drivers. Veronica had left, trembling at the anger she had seen in his face as he screamed at her for simply drinking her mixed drink.
Casey and Luke, the rest of the guys who followed Duncan and Logan's orders as if they were handed down by the Greek Gods were sitting near the twosome as well, waiting for who know what, looking at the two boys expectantly. The girls did whatever they were told, not wanting to be sent out of Paradise, yeah right, Paradise, a place where you kissed ass if you wanted to be in the in crowd.
Hearing a thump on her table, she turned to look at Wallace who had dropped his bag lunch on it, a few smart remarks later; she found herself smiling back at the boy she had rescued when he said he would rather sit with her. That smile faded when she saw the bikers surrounding them and telling Wallace that he was in trouble for not staying on the flag pole.
Working out a deal with Weevil the de facto leader of the PCH bike gang, Veronica ignored his innuendo laced comments as she tried to figure out how she was going to accomplish what she had offered to do.
"Congratulations, Wallace, first day and you managed to piss of the local bike gang and the Sheriff's department."
"Well I always was a high achiever." He said with a shake of his head at her bravery in taking on the bald leader of the PCHers who was covered in tattoos.
Heading home, her mind on her last birthday party before everything fell apart, she let herself into the family home, wistfully wishing that she heard her mom's mood music, but instead all she heard was Backup coming towards her, his leash in his mouth.
Walking her dog through their new residential neighborhood, a step down from the larger home they had owned when their mother had lived there and her dad had been Sheriff. An hour later, she let herself into her dad's very busy office and saw Cliff waiting.
"Cliff, dad is out of town, chasing a bail jumper." She told the attorney even as she kept doing the paperwork for her dad's latest case. She had come to work for her dad a little over four months before, the same day she had cut her hair, changed how she dressed and grew a tougher skin. She had had to, she needed to keep busy because otherwise she would be thinking of things she couldn't afford to, not if she wanted to keep her sanity.
"I know, I will just leave the details with you of what I need him to look into." he said in a knowing tone of voice. "Its amazing, your father is often out chasing bail jumpers, yet everything manages to get done. No cases turned away, no files left unfinished."
Cliff tells her that his client dances at the Seventh Veil and beat up a washing machine at the local Laundromat. She wants to make a deal and mentions that the Seventh Veil has an interesting way of keeping their liquor license. Cliff opens the folder, puts it on the desk in front of Veronica, and takes his leave stating that Loretta was going to be brought in front of the judge that Friday.
It was almost midnight when Weevil turned around on the main drag when he saw the dark colored convertible with the young blond inside as they drove down the main drag. Stopping next to her open window, he couldn't resist tossing out a few comments, reminding her of her promise. "Remember, your pal can quickly find himself taped to that pole again."
Felix looked at the blond they kept running into and got off his bike, moving toward her, wanting to prove his manhood. "So chica, what do you say, you and I." With that he made a very disgusting move with his hips, only for Veronica to say that he wasn't her type.
"Nah, you like rich white boys, as many as you can, don't you?" he sneered as he kept moving forward, the rest of the bikers had seen Weevil's signal to stay back but they couldn't resist pointing out to Felix that he was being mocked by the blond.
Felix swaggered forward, resting his arm on the roof of her car, leaned in to leer at her only to hear a deep parking sound, then felt himself falling backwards as the dog in the backseat tried to get to him.
Weevil inwardly smirked at the way his cousin quickly backed down and called to Veronica. "Call off the dog."
"Backup chill, you don't know where he has been." Veronica told her large pit bull who was leaning out the window wanting to attack the young biker with what was apparently cheese for brains.
Felix stands and starts to move forward only to feel electricity jolting through his body. Standing, the biker obeyed his leaders order, cautiously eying the blond sitting in the car.
Weevil starts his bike and snarls "Weevil love you long time."
Shaking her head, Veronica sarcastically gives him a thumb up and says "Quite a reputation I've got, huh. You want to know how I lost my virginity. So do I."
She had awoken in a bed at Shelly Pomeroy's house; pain in her girly parts and her underwear on the floor and a tear slips down her face as she realizes what must have happened. "I never told my dad, I knew that I was foolish and frankly I had no idea who or what had happened and I knew it would kill him to learn any other bad news at the time."
Arriving at school the next day, her video evidence of what passed for the law at the Seven Veils locked up safely at the house, she was crossing the parking lot when she heard Logan Echolls calling out her name. Seeing how he had blocked her from getting by in his large yellow truck, she crossed her arms and listened to his latest barrage of insults.
When he included a comment about her mother, Veronica found the inner strength as she resisted the urge to cry and vowed to make him pay and pay dearly even as she watched Duncan stare out the passenger window, after a feeble comment to his best friend to leave her alone.
She had already begun her plans to deal with the bikers, but now she knew who she would use as cannon fodder, while she looked around for her friend Mac who had agreed to meet her in the lobby.
"Veronica." She heard her name being called out and turned to greet the only girl in school her age as short as she was. The dark haired girl with the blue stripes in her hair grinned at her as she came to a stop in the middle of the hallway.
Greeting her computer friend, she asked "Do you have a name for me?"
"Corney." she offered up then asked if she could tag along.
"It's better if you don't." she cautioned. "That way you can't be blamed if this goes wrong."
"Hey, I thought we were friends." asked Mac worried about what Veronica could be up to, she was certain that it involved way more than a fake bong.
"Trust me, you want nothing to do with this one." she is told as Veronica smiled then greeted Wallace. Mac was beginning to understand that this had to be about more than the PCHer's Mac backed off and went towards her AP History class.
Greeting the boy known as Corney, Veronica was happy when he said he could have it ready for her the next day and that it would be a hundred dollars. Handing over half the money, she said "Thanks."
That night her father returned, the bail jumper locked up and his check deposited. "Barbequing on the patio, like the middle class we once again strive to be."
As they talked and cooked, Veronica filled him in on the various cases she had handled in case the clients called, then asked him about his plans for the next day."
"I have a few meetings with clients out of the office, the whole day," he said finding it hard to look her in the eyes as he lied to his little girl.
Entering school the next day, unsettled to realize her father had just lied to her the night before, Veronica and Wallace were standing outside the door of the computer center, watching as Logan opened his locker for the Sheriff and Vice Principal Clemmons.
Watching as he stepped back, a smirk on his face, Veronica laughed at the expression on Lamb's face when he saw the bong in the shape of a man's penis inside.
Logan looks surprised at first, then with a glare began to look around, ignoring Lamb's order at first to turn around. Watching as the boy was handcuffed, and his rights read to him, she found she took pleasure in his hock as he sees her. "I know that this was you. It's not over, Mars."
At three thirty, Veronica and Wallace watched as the fire department answered the fire alarm at the Balboa county Sheriff's department and watched as they hurried inside the evidence room.
"I can't believe we did this, you know if we get caught, we are going to jail, right?" Wallace said even as he breathed a sigh of relief at getting out of trouble with the local gang.
Dropping off Wallace at his mother's job for Kane Enterprises, Veronica sees the dark colored sedan with the license plate Kane 1 pulling out and couldn't resist following him. When she saw which way he was headed, Veronica slipped onto the next street to reach the sleazy motel before him.
Arriving at the Camelot, Veronica pulled out her camera, wanting the money shot determined to learn what Jake Kane was up to.
Taking the photos, not really glancing at them as the man entering a motel room door and quickly shut it, she began to take photos of the cars on the lots like her father had taught her to when she had begged him to teach her the ropes of the PI business.
Halfway down the lot, she froze when she saw her dad's stake out car almost parked at the entrance. Getting back to her car, she pulled out and headed back to the office, needing to use the computer there to see if she was right about her rather frightening idea.
Sure enough, it was a man's hand shaking Jake's as he entered room 6 at the very seedy Camelot hotel. Moving in, she saw her father's wedding ring and with a shaking hand, deleted the photo, sick at the idea of her father meeting with the man who had gotten him fired over a year ago.
Flashing back to the night she had had to have her dad pick her up after Lilly had stranded her at the Pep Squad car wash, to the drive to the Kane house when the car radio had squawked 187, Kane residence.
Still not realizing what was going on, Veronica had ignored her dad's order to stay in the car and had walked over to where a catatonic Duncan was sitting in the marble foyer of the home.
"Duncan, what is it, what is going on?" she cried out as she stood there, trying to get a reaction, any kind of reaction from her ex friend.
When he just sat there, no reaction, she followed the path towards the pool where everyone seemed congregated and shouted no when she saw the long blond hair of her best friend. The blood pooled beneath her, the stillness of her body as she lay there dead.
She turned to the Kanes, watched as Jake Kane, Lilly's father fell to his knees sobbing and Celeste stood there, staring off into space, just like her son was doing in the foyer.
Returning to the present, Veronica recalled how Jake had had her father ran out of office, how the press had crucified him, calling him the bumbling small town sheriff out of touch with the modern ways. How her friends had turned on her, how her mother had fled Neptune, upset at the loss of stature, and the drinking had begun.
Heading home, her heart aching as she tried to puzzle out what her dad could possibly be doing with Jake Kane in a no tell motel, she made a call and then went to bed, not wanting to face the man she believed would never lie to her.
Two days later, Veronica was entering the courthouse, having left a note for Cliff that she had dealt with both of his cases then went to sit in the last room, wishing she could have brought popcorn as the bailiff called forth all participants in the next case.
Sheriff Lamb testifies that the bikers stole the alcohol, how the witness had been intimidated. Veronica gives him a smirk and he looked puzzled curious as to why she was there. He continues to testify, saying they have the theft on a security tape.
He strolled to the video machine and hit play but instead of bikers stealing booze; on the screen was a stripper from the Seventh Veil who gets into the passenger side of a sheriff's car.
She disappears, head down in the officers lap as she is seen bobbing up and down. The judge gasped then looked at the young sheriff and suggested that the DA drop the charges and arrange for an Internal Affairs investigation into the Balboa county Sheriff's department.
Cliff is amused as he asked the charges be dropped against his clients as well as Ms Calhoun. "Clearly my client can't get a fair case here in county."
Veronica smirked at a clearly furious Lamb then leaves out the double doors, knowing that she had dealt with both of her messes with one piece of luck.
AT the beach later that night, Wallace and she were walking along, he playing with his radio control plane and Veronica holding onto Backup's leash.
Seeing the 09ers off in the distance, she saw the angry look on Logan's face and that Dick seemed to be holding him back for some reason when she heard the sound of motorcycle engines.
Turning to see the PCHers riding over to her, she and Weevil traded insults then she handed the tape to Wallace. "I think we understand each other."
Weevil nodded, respecting Veronica's tenacity as they were about to go their separate ways. The PCHers seeing the rich boys partying headed their way. Well, well, what do we have here? It looks like a bunch of rich boys and girls partying on our beach, now why would they do that?"
"Its public property, dickwad." sneered Luke only to be knocked down.
Veronica and Wallace could only watch as the two groups circled one another and traded insults, the air growing tenser with every comment tossed back and forth. "Why do I suddenly feel like I am in the Outsiders?" he asked Veronica.
"Be cool, Sodapop." she said as they watched the two groups argue, before the PCHers help themselves to the keg then leave. "Let's get out of here before the 09ers decide to make someone pay for what just happened."
With that they hurried to Veronica's car, Wallace feeling someone staring at him. Turning he saw the tall 09er glaring at him, standing a little off to the side from the rest, clearly he had managed to piss off more than the bikers and cops, Wallace thought to himself as he made an internal note to ask Veronica which of the rich guys that was on Monday.
Same Timeframe, other views;
The blond haired boy was arguing with his little brother as he watched Veronica Mars pull into her assigned parking spot and shook his head when he saw her getting out of her car.
Turning to tell Cassidy he would see him later, Dick quickly followed the ostracized blond like Logan and he had discussed while Logan went to pick Duncan up to for school.
Watching as she rescued the that new kid, he winced glad that Logan had made a that deal with Weevil, because it looked like it just might come in handy because the PCHers were going to be pissed at Veronica rescuing the kid they were making a point with.
Slowly meandering towards homeroom, Dick saw Madison heading his way and grimaced before ducking into 's journalism room, well aware that his ex-girlfriend didn't get along with the young earnest teacher.
Sending a text to Logan, Dick took his new class schedule and gathering his bag, went to find out what trouble he could get into as he began the first day of his junior year.
Madison had seen Dick ducking out on her and was furious with the blond. She had heard a rumor about him bringing GHB to Shelly's party the year before from Luke and she was pissed that Luke had said that he had been planning on drugging her.
Seeing Veronica Mars entering her AP English class and taking the seat in the back row, Madison grimaced at the other blond and was about to make a comment to her when Veronica gave her look as it to say I dare you. Taking her text book from the teacher's desk, Madison quickly sat with Kimmy and Pam, determined to ignore the girl who had been rightfully been kicked out of their group by Duncan and Logan the year before.
When the locker check announcements came, Madison glared at Kimmy and Pam and when Veronica had left the room, reminded them that the girls had all agreed not to talk to or about Veronica.
"Why?" whined Kimmy. "We all know she deserves it, she is such a slut. Did you forget that she kissed Logan while dating Duncan last year?"
"Like Caitlin said if we keep talking about her, she stays in the guys mind, lets ignore her, then she will just disappear, drop off the radar so to speak." Madison replied. "Seriously do you really want another year where the entire discussion at lunch revolves around Veronica Mars?"
Logan watched Veronica out of the corner of his eye even as he greeted the tall thin blond girl who was so determined to be his girlfriend. Caitlin was okay as far as O9ers went but unfortunately he had made a pact at the beginning of the year and that meant not being paired up with a girlfriend.
A girlfriend required time and freedom of movement and until things had been resolved regarding Duncan, Dick and he were staying clear of romantic entanglements of anything other than the one night variety. Besides, the only girl he wanted on a more than permanent basis now hated his guts.
When Duncan arrived and sat down with his lunch, Logan grimaced when he saw that his friend was staring at the petite blond sitting across the lunch patio with that kid she had according to rumors rescued earlier that morning.
Feeling someone nudging him, he looked at Dick and nodded that he had seen the same reaction from Duncan. Both of them had hope that a summer away would make things better but it didn't seem to have worked.
When Duncan suddenly stood and stalked out of the lunch room, Logan nodded at the other 09ers and made like he was following his oldest friend, but in truth he headed to his bright yellow Xterra, a present from his parents this summer after they had had to cancel the family plans and head to a movie location in Australia.
Resting his head against the back of the seat, Logan recalled what had lead to the mess his life was in and found himself desperately wishing that Dick and he hadn't heard what they had.
"Dad, I was thinking, can I borrow your car tomorrow night?" Duncan was talking to his dad in the study when Logan and Dick had arrived at the Kane house.
"What's up Duncan?" Jake had asked back. "Are Lilly and you arguing again?"
"No, it's nothing like that, I uh, was thinking on asking Veronica to go to the movies with me." They heard him saying as they waited for their friend.
Logan saw Dick's eyes on him and said softly "Veronica likes Duncan not me. It's fine. It is what it is."
Dick didn't agree, Duncan was well aware that Logan had had a crush on Veronica since their first meeting three years before and they had always had the rule of bros before hos meaning no one asked out a girl that anyone else was crushing on.
The two boys heard the sound of Jake's computer chair creaking and knew he had had to lean back in it and were surprised when they heard Jake ask. "What about Lilly and Logan; I thought the four of you went out as a group."
"Dad, I want to go on a date, not to hang out." Duncan was stating as he paced back and forth occasionally coming into view of Dick and Logan.
"I don't think that is such a good idea, Duncan." Jake was heard stating. "And you know why that is."
"Dad, I haven't had an attack in over a year thanks to the new meds, besides, I drive all the time." He said.
"That's not the issue. I am talking about you dating Veronica." Jake Kane's replied shocked both boys in the hall, of all the girls in Neptune, most parents wanted their sons dating girls like Veronica.
"I don't understand." Duncan replied.
"Duncan…" They heard Jake sounding annoyed then the sound of the taller man standing and moving closer to his son. "We discussed this, your mother and I told you that you can't date Veronica."
"Why because you once dating her mom? That makes no sense dad." Duncan said annoyed with his dad.
Logan froze at that comment; he had had no idea that Mrs. Mars had once dated Mr. Kane. There was an icky factor to that that rubbed him the wrong way.
"Duncan; stop this!" Logan heard Mr. Kane harshly snap. "Ignoring this won't make it go away. Now I told you no, there is nothing left to discuss."
"You can't stop me, just because you won't let me drive. I will get Lilly to drive me or Logan." They heard Duncan retort.
"I will tell your sister the truth, Duncan." Jake Kane quietly replied.
"Which sister are you talking about, dad?" Was the bitter answer that had Dick looking confused as he tried to recall if Duncan had any other brothers or sisters than Lilly.
"Duncan, stop, I get that you are upset, but please remember that we are doing this for your own good. Why can't you ask out that nice Meg Manning or even one of your other classmates?" Wearily replied Jake.
"I want to date Veronica; she is the only girl for me." They heard Duncan answering.
"You know that isn't possible son."
"But you don't know that it is true, dad. C'mon what are the chances you are Veronica's dad? It's more likely that Mr. Mars is." The answer had both Dick and Logan in shock.
"Duncan listen to me, you can't date Veronica. She is more than likely your sister." Jake's harsh reply clearly trying to get through to Duncan.
"Yeah right, I think that this is just something that Mom and you came up with so that I won't date. I like Veronica, she is the only girl I like and when I get to school tomorrow, I am going to ask her out."
"Duncan, don't do this. If you care about Veronica as much as you claim to, don't do this to her. If you do, then we have to tell her the truth and you know how much she loves Keith. This would destroy her."
"I want Veronica." Duncan stubbornly replied.
"Well you can't always get what you want." Jake bitterly replied as he recalled how much he had longed to marry Lianne but had had to marry Celeste when she claimed to be pregnant with his child that last year of high school.
"Well I don't believe you and I am going to date Veronica, Mom and you will just have to get used to it." Duncan snapped.
"Duncan my god, do you get what you are saying. She is more than likely your sister, you can't date her."
"Don't tell me what I can or can't do." Duncan's voice was getting hoarse but clearly it was also getting louder as he snarled at his father. "I want Veronica; I won't let you take her away from me."
"Duncan, you can't have her. It would be just like dating Lilly." Jake said still trying to reason with Duncan all the while sending a text to his wife. Duncan when he got like this was intractable but they had to get him to face reality.
"No, no, you are lying. STOP LYING TO ME." Duncan screamed and Dick looked at Logan in shock as Duncan kept screaming. They heard footsteps entering the study from the living room entrance and Celeste asking Jake what he had done to get Duncan so upset.
"Dad is lying to me again. He won't let me date Veronica. Mom please; you told me as long as I said please, I can have anything I want. Please Mom, I want to date Veronica. Tell him to stop lying to me."
"God, I wish I could." Celeste's disgust was palpable as she glared at her husband. "Unfortunately I can't because your father never could resist that bitch. He is telling you the truth, Duncan. We told you this last week. Now, let's go to your room."
"No!"
Before anyone could react, Duncan had attacked his dad snarling and shouting that it was his fault that he couldn't have what he wanted.
Frozen at first, Dick could only stare as they heard Celeste shouting no while in the study Duncan had tackled his father to the floor and now had his hands around his neck banging his dad's head against the floor shouting "Your fault!" like it was some kind of mantra.
When they heard Celeste shouting again for help, both boys rushed in and along with a man in a suit that they knew as the head of Kane Security tried to pry Duncan off his father.
Celeste rushed out of the room and returned just as they were managing to pry his fingers off his dad's neck and just stuck her son with a needle.
Duncan went slack and the man in a suit just lifted him and carried him off to his room while Jake sat up and tried to regain his breath.
"Boys how long have you been here?" asked Celeste as she looked at them.
Dick just looked at Logan, knowing he was better at lying to parents than his friend. When Logan seemed to be unable to answer, Dick was debating what to say when they heard the commotion in the hallway as Lilly arrived.
Dick quickly decided that they didn't want the Kanes to know their secret and said "We were in Duncan's room when we heard shouting. We weren't sure what was going on, so we came down. What is going on with Duncan, Mrs. K?"
Glancing at Dick, well aware of the rumors of his shallowness, Celeste glanced at Logan who seemed to be in his own little world. "Duncan hasn't been feeling well and I would really appreciate it if you kept quiet about this."
"No problem, Mrs. K. Don't you know, bros before hos." He replied knowing she would take him at face value. "Cause Donut is our friend."
Lilly entering the room and saw what was going on and knew that Duncan had had one of his fits again. Getting the two boys off alone, she asked "What the hell is going on?"
"Where is Veronica?" Logan asked. "Did you take her home?"
"Yeah, they are having one of their family game night things." She replied with a roll of her eyes at how normal the Mars family was. "Why?"
"You need to find a way to come to my place." Logan ordered then gathering Dick left. "Tonight, it's important."
Logan came back to the present, his mind on what Dick, Lilly and himself had agreed upon that night and had begun to execute the next day in order to protect Veronica. They had slipped up a couple of times, but so far they had managed to protect her from the truth and Duncan's clearly unbrotherly love.
Early the next morning, Mac had driven to school in her piece of junk car. Her dad had not been happy when Mac had spent her summer work money on such a rust bucket of a car but Mac refused to ride the bus to school any longer than she had to.
Seeing the large yellow SUV that belonged to Logan Echolls, she saw the almost empty look in the eyes of his passenger Duncan Kane and shivered. Duncan had several classes with her and Mac would almost swear that someone kept that boy drugged since his sister had died the year before.
Lilly Kane had been a moth to a flame. A troubled girl who had grown up wealthy beyond belief she had also dated most of the boys from her zip code before she was even a senior and also a few from the wrong side of the tracks but Mac had liked her.
It was hard not to like Lilly. The blond had been best friends with Veronica who Mac had barely known at the beginning of their sophomore year but that had all changed over the last fifteen months.
Looking at her laptop, Mac couldn't help recalling the mystery IM she had gotten from her online pen pal asking her to be kind to Veronica. Mac had been surprised because she had always been friendly with Veronica but mere hours after that email it was as if the whole school had been turned upside down.
Veronica Mars had become the center of gossip and rumors, her closest friends were ignoring her and it was clear that the 02er kids were taking pleasure in her pain almost as much as the 09ers.
Mac just sat down next to her in their only class together and had said "Want to get out of here for lunch? My treat?"
"Why?" Veronica had asked the pain quite evident in her eyes. "Don't you know better that to talk to me, I am a leper?"
"Cause I really don't like other people telling me who I can and can't be friend with." She said with a smile. "Besides, don't you know, they cured Hansen's disease about a hundred years ago, I think."
Veronica had looked at Mac, positive she was being set up for something, but had hesitantly agreed. It had taken time and patients but their friendship had grown and the trust had eventually came.
Mac had even told her about the IM from Bogart asking her to be become friends with her. Veronica had demanded knowledge of who that had been but they had never found out who Mac's mysterious IM partner was in spite of both of them looking for the last several months.
But they had had bigger problems than Mac's mystery friend, Lilly had died and then Veronica's mom had fled town and her dad had had to resign from the police department. Veronica had moved four streets but a complete world over from where she had lived mere months before.
When Veronica had called her that morning after Shelly's party, it had been Mac who had gone with her to the hospital. Who had sat with her when she had freaked out during the uncompleted rape exam. Who had had to calm her down when she had refused to let the hospital tell the police what was going on.
She had been the one who had sat with Veronica that day and had watched as Veronica had taken a pair of scissors and hacked up her hair then had gone shopping with her when she purchased her wardrobe and the dye that had been dumped in the washer along with any pink clothes Veronica still owned.
Seeing her friend, she gave her the name of Corney then went to class, worried about what Veronica was getting into, knowing after what she had heard this morning, Veronica's most likely target for the fake Bong was going to be Logan Echolls, the very boy who had been making her life hell for the last fifteen months.
Jake knocked on the door and was quickly let into the squalid room. "Why can't we meet at the Grand?"
Keith looked at the man he wanted to hate more than any other person on this earth and just shook his head. "It wouldn't be as private."
"Any luck?" Jake asked as he looked at the file in Keith's hand.
"Lianne is gone; she had to have had help, Jake." Keith said.
There was an awkward silence for a few minutes then Jake said softly "I got the test results, thank you."
"I wish to god that they hadn't said what they do." Keith bleakly replied his eyes on the spider climbing up the cheap curtain covering the window.
"We both know that where it matters, Veronica is your child." Jake replied his heart beating wildly. "Why the hell did Lianne wait until last year to tell us that this was possible? She always told me that she was positive that Veronica was yours. That was the reason she gave me as to why she wouldn't divorce you and marry me."
"I don't know. God only knows what was going on in Lianne's mind." Keith replied. "You know that we have to tell the truth, Abel Koonz deserves to be free."
Scoffing, Jake said. "I offered him money, he took it. He is dying Keith; there is nothing that we can do that won't make this worse. Telling the truth will only make Veronica's life a living hell and that isn't what either of us wants."
"We don't know for sure, Jake. Maybe Lianne…" Keith couldn't finish it, all his evidence gathered since he resigned proved that Lianne had gone to the Kane residence and had an argument with Lilly, that she had killed her own daughter's half sister.
"Do you think I want to believe that Lianne killed Lilly, Keith?" Jake asked harshly. "To believe that I set all of this in motion by not telling the truth all those years ago."
"Does Celeste suspect anything?" Keith asked.
Running his hands through his hair in frustration, Jake said "I have no idea. We have never had a conventional marriage, you know that. I married her because she claimed to be pregnant. After the miscarriage I felt guilty and stayed. God the mess I made of all of our lives, of your life, of our children's lives."
Keith couldn't argue with that, but he also knew from others he had spoken to that Celeste had been determined to win the very smart and attractive Jake Kane from the beginning of middle school and that had never changed.
Even know, she refused to sign the divorce papers only out of spite and the fear that Jake would get back with Lianne no matter how much Jake had tried to assure her that would never happen.
"I have to head home to Veronica." Keith said with a heavy sigh. "Jake, why are we working so hard on this if you aren't going to let me tell the truth about what happened to Lilly?"
"I need to know the truth. We both do." He said his eyes still not meeting Keith's. "Lilly was my daughter, I loved her but we both know that she wasn't an easy child to love. The last few weeks before her death, she was so angry, so bitter and she refused to tell me what was going on. The way she turned on Veronica and turned her friends against her. I thought for sure she had learned the truth but Duncan didn't tell her and Celeste didn't."
"There are days I think Veronica deserves the truth…" Keith replied sadly "But then I think about what happened last summer and all I can do is be there for my daughter, hold her and try to make sure that the secret never comes out."
A few days later, Cliff watched as Sheriff Lamb's face went a very nice shade of purple and closed his briefcase with a snap. "Now let's see if you two can stay out of trouble for a few weeks."
The gangbangers left and went to join their crew.
At the beach, they watched as Weevil made a deal with Veronica and the boy from the Sac and Pac before continuing on to harass the 09ers before riding off with their beer keg.
Duncan watched the boy walking along with Veronica and decided to watch him. There was no way that he was going to let anyone else have her. If he couldn't have Veronica no one could….
Later that night, three young men were sitting on the abandoned pier sipping from ice cold bottles of beer. "So not a bad first week."
Logan looked at Dick and said "You aren't the one whose parents want to you ship to rehab. My dad decided to have a talk with me, telling me how there is nothing wrong with having feelings for another man. I want to wring her neck."
"Yeah but it was a thing of beauty man." Snarked the bald boy wearing the leather jacket. "The look on your face when they opened that locker was priceless."
Logan found it hard to laugh as he recalled his mom making him take a series of drug detection tests and even worse the discussion with his dad. When he had begun to tell the truth, he had had to shut down because he had never told his parents what was going on and they had been very upset with him for turning on Veronica for what they saw as essentially his fault.
Dick threw his empty bottle at the trashcan finding satisfaction in it shattering then said. "Did you see Duncan's eyes when Veronica hugged that kid?"
There was silence then Logan replied. "Yeah. He isn't getting any better."
Weevil looked at the necklace he wore around his neck, the necklace he had promised Lilly he would give to V if it was ever safe and then brought up what he had been hesitating to.
"We need to talk." Standing he looked at the two of them. "Mr. Kane and Sheriff Mars met again."
"Did they find Mrs. Mars?" asked Logan still shocked that the two grown men suspected Veronica's mom of killing Lilly."
"Nah, that isn't what this is about." Weevil said then just spat it out. "I heard them the evidence they were talking about. They don't know that it doesn't only fit Mrs. Mars. That Duncan wasn't at practice like he said."
"Duncan would never kill Lilly." Logan protested as he took in the pissed off face of Lilly's secret boyfriend. "Why would you even think of that?"
Dick was going over what they knew then looked at Logan. "Last year we would have never thought he would attack his dad either. What if Lilly confronted him?"
Logan didn't know what to say, not wanting to admit that they just might be in over their head. He was silent as he thought over all of the evidence that they had heard about then said "What are we going to do?"
"For now, nothing, just keep protecting V like we promised Lilly." Weevil said. "We just need to face that we might have gone about this the wrong way."
Dick looked at the time then said "I have to get home and do my homework."
Seeing their shock, he snapped. "Hey, I don't get by on my looks alone."
"Thank god, because they won't get you too far." Said Weevil as he watched the blond leaving curious as to what Dick was up to that had him insisting on being home every night by eleven o'clock when the rich boy didn't have a curfew.
"Hey Weevil…" Logan stopped the other boy from leaving then asked the question he really wanted an answer to but knowing it would expose his weakness. "How is she doing?"
Weevil looked at the boy he had long thought had it all and knew that Logan would trade it all for a time machine to go back and change the last year and said "She is fine."
With that lie, both of them left heading in different directions, both scared to admit that they were in over their head and that maybe just maybe they might need to tell the truth before long.
TBC
