Only a handful of people had ever surprised Veronica Mars and she preferred it that way, because being surprised left you vulnerable and if there was one thing that she despised, it was being made to feel defenceless. Nevertheless, Veronica starred at the file in front of her with her mouth agape. Considering the facts presented in the documents before her, there was the distinct possibility, however remote that it was, that her original findings in this case had been wrong. Maybe it was her innate prejudice towards the main player or maybe it had been her naivety, but somehow she had missed the most important details. Facts which the man in front of her had managed to unearth. Wordlessly, she chastised her ineptitude. Her clients deserved her best work and even if she disliked them to unparalleled levels, they had employed her to fight for them in the court of law. The words on the page blurred the more Veronica starred at them. Unable to speak and unable to even breathe properly, she refused to look up and meet the gaze of the balding, spectacled man sat in front of her. Instead she tried to digest the evidence that was clearly laid out in the comprehensive pages. Was it possible that she had contributed to a man's wrongful imprisonment? Was it possible that her dislike of his character had blinded her so completely? Was it possible that he was indeed innocent of the crime that he was currently serving a lengthy prison sentence for? She swallowed, slowly and deliberately. How the hell was she ever going to put this right?
VERONICAMARS
Throwing her studded leather bag over her shoulder, Veronica grabbed her keys from the kitchen counter. Today was going to be a busy day and she had better get on the road before all the leads dried up. There was a lot to be done and things wouldn't get done any quicker if she dawdled around the apartment.
"I'm proud of you honey," her father stated, interrupting her reverie.
"Mmm?" Veronica replied, distractedly. She glanced back, preoccupied by recent events and the direction her case was heading in. Things were not looking good and the more she dug into this case, the more convoluted it became. Untangling the web of lies that existed around what had become known as the case was complicated and the more she looked into her leads, the less sense everything was making.
"Taking this case," Keith explained. He looked at his daughter carefully, trying to judge her reaction. "It can't be easy considering who is involved and how ….. things haven't ever really been good between the two of you."
"Yeah well, he was always an arse hole." Veronica said, freely admitting the crux of the problem to her father. Keith had always been someone she could confide in and she felt like a weight was being lifted off her shoulders as she talked about the case.
"That doesn't mean he is guilty, Veronica." Keith reminded her, reassuringly touching her knee. "Despite what he's done to me, some consider him honorable…."
Veronica laughed, her chuckles shaking her whole body. Flippantly, she replied, "like who?"
"God knows," Keith scoffed. "Just remember that I am here for you if you ever want to talk about it….."
VERONICAMARS
"I would say it's good to see you Veronica, but the last time we met was far from pleasant." Don Lamb noted coldly, as he sat across the table from an immaculate Veronica. Gone were the faded or ripped jeans of her teenage years and instead stood the professional lawyer she had become. Some things were similar - the hair and the piercing stare – but many more things were different. Veronica felt Don's eyes roved over her frame, taking in every crevice in an instant.
Her own gaze covertly explored his appearance, trying to reconcile the convict before her with the man she had known. Despite being dressed in a bright orange prison jumpsuit, Don's appearance was strikingly similar to when Veronica had last seen him five years previously. With the exception of the hard, finely chiseled muscles beneath his shirt and the harsh glare he was giving her, he appearance and countenance were incredibly similar. Even though he had never been the kindest person Veronica knew, there was now an almost imperceptible volatile edge that rippled just beneath the surface and for a moment, this disconcerted her.
"Mr Lamb, I came to discuss your case." Veronica replied coolly, unwilling to give the man the pleasure of reacting to him and betraying her discomfort. No way in hell would she give him the pleasure of witnessing her steely resolve crumble; vulnerability was something that neither Veronica nor Lamb could abide. In their world, it was a weakness that you either hid or expunged.
"Finally realise that you got it wrong, genius?" Don smirked. However, the jovial expression did not reach his eyes and the frosty atmosphere between the two remained prevalent.
"New details about your case have emerged that suggest that you may be innocent," Veronica sighed, unflinchingly meeting his gaze as she conceded to his point.
He leaned forward, folding his hands together and peering at her intently. "Meaning that you missed something the first time around?" His words were said without emotion and Veronica sensed that he was testing her, judging her intently on her response to his declaration, which however much she despised admitting it, was fact. As his defence lawyer, she had failed him. It was her fault he had spent the last five years behind bars.
"Yes," she admitted bluntly. For a moment, their gazes met and held. Neither dared glance away from the other as an unspoken declaration of regret passed between them.
"What made you come to me in here? You are no longer my lawyer, you could have walked away." Don observed, leaning back in his chair, seemingly not caring about her answer. However, the glint in his eyes betrayed the interest that dwelt there.
"Why did you select me as your lawyer in the first place?"
"That has always bothered you hasn't it?"
VERONICAMARS
"Miss Mars, I do believe you are my lawyer." Don Lamb chuckled callously, slinging the files back across the table at her.
"Which is why I am asking you these questions, Lamb." Veronica persisted, lining the tables and graphs up against one another on the cold, flat surface that rested below her palms. "The prosecution are going to ask why these payments, here, here and here, line up with the deposits made here, here and here." Each 'here' was punctuated with a finger jab at the relevant point on the table. "If this is not fraud, you need to tell me what this is."
"I do not know," Don explained, enunciating each word as though he was explaining it to a child. "I am innocent. If I knew why these payments corresponded, I would not need a lawyer, Veronica."
"I'm struggling to believe you Lamb…."
Looking at her steadily, Don replied, "luckily, I didn't employ you for your steadfast belief in the Neptune police department…."
VERONICAMARS
"I chose you because of your refusal to relinquish a case until you find the truth," Don responded calmly as though he was not answering a quandary that had plagued her for the last five years. "I saw that I was being stitched up and I naively believed that your hatred of me would not prevent you from uncovering the truth. I thought your convictions would supersede your deep-rooted hatred-"
"I never hated you, Lamb." Veronica stated, surprise consuming her as she realised the truth of her statement.
Don raised an eyebrow, "so letting me rot in jail was a perverse kind of excitement for you?" His question was quizzical, almost flirtatious, but Veronica comforted herself with the knowledge that she was the last person who would ever receive that sort of attention from the former Sheriff.
"I'm here now aren't I? I'm trying to put things right Don," Veronica said, steadfastly looking him in the eye. "Let me put this right. A man come with to me with this…." She flung a file on the desk. "We might have our answer to how those payments appeared in your bank account….."
For the first time since Veronica had entered the room, she noticed a genuine ray of hope flutter briefly across his face. It was fleeting and before Veronica could comment on it, it was gone. However, there was no mistaking the intent interest Don now paid her. Tentatively, he retorted, "I'm listening Mars….."
VERONICAMARS
"I've had a-fucking-nuff of this bullshit!" Don almost screeched. "I'm telling you, I am innocent." He grabbed Veronica's pale arm, instinctively urging her to listen to him. "You aren't looking hard enough!"
"What do you suggest I do? Hack government databases? Put traces on the payments? Get individuals to identify the man who set up the offshore accounts the payments were transferred through?" Veronica snapped, exasperated by her client. She shook her arm free of his grasp. Nothing was making sense….
"If that is what is takes!" Don urged desperately. "I am innocent."
"And yet I don't quite believe you," Veronica reiterated. "I have had Mac hack into these databases, witnesses identified you from a number of photographs I supplied and I have traced these payments right back to their source and every-damn-thing is tied to you. God knows your corrupt Lamb. This is just the bloody proof!" Her head dropped into her hands, her blond curls falling through her fingers as her palms cupped her eyes, robbing the sockets nervously.
"If that's the case Mars, why have you not got that smary I-told-you-so look on your face? Why are you still working this case if you think I'm guilty?" He asked quietly but forcefully. His voice was barely above a whisper, but it tore through her body, leaving her even more confounded. "Push harder. Find the answers."
VERONICAMARS
"To what do I owe the pleasure, Mars?" Don enquired, his head tilted affectionately to the left. "With a jealous streak like his, the Echolls boy must be having to physically restrain himself considering the amount you've visited me in the last months."
"Logan and I broke up a long time ago," Veronica noted emotionlessly. "Right you need to sign here-"
"Must be some blow to him: loosing someone so adapt at getting him off murderer charges," Don retorted condescendingly as he edged closer to the desk and his calloused hand briefly and gently stroked her inner thigh. His touch was so soft and fleeting that Veronica would have missed it if it wasn't for the heightened senses invoked by her surroundings.
Before she could utter a fitting rebuttal, Don picked up the pen and began signing where she indicated. He did not read the documents placed before him as in recent months his signature had been required on a great many documents, which had desensitised him to the whole process.
"Here-"
"So what are these for anyway?"
"Here-"
"Selling my soul to eternal damnation?"
"Here-"
"Giving you permission to chop off my head and mount it above your father's fireplace?"
"And finally here-"
"Mars?"
"You've just declared your knowledge and agreement for me to call a range of individuals as your primary witnesses including but not limited to my father and Sachs," Veronica smirked smugly, enjoying the look of horror that passed over his face far more than she had any right to do so. It had been a long standing argument between the pair of them and it felt good to out manoeuvre him like the old days.
"Veronica, we've discussed this," Don sighed, annoyed and exasperated by her refusal to acknowledge his point. "Calling your father as a primary witness in my defence is a terrible idea, not least because the man hates my guts."
Not perturbed by his largely accurate observation, Veronica clutched the paperwork close to her chest lest he tried to snatch it away from her. "No denials from me on that one, except for the tincy little detail that he was the Sheriff at the point that this alleged corruption began and holds key information that can refute the claims that currently have you in that orange jump suit. I'm not saying it isn't flattering, but you might want to try another look after five years?" Veronica replied, sassily. Don's eyebrow rose as he smirked at her, his pale blue eyes rising from the paperwork resting on her chest, to her grinning lips. "Besides, my father despising you could actually help you at this point. God knows he is the last person anyone would expect to be called for your defence."
VERONICAMARS
"What do you think of Lamb, Dad?" Veronica sighed, running her delicate hands through her blond hair.
"This case is really getting to you, isn't it honey?" Keith enquired cautiously, not expecting an answer. Taking a seat next to his daughter at their shared breakfast bar, he thought about her question carefully as he spooned cereal into his mouth. "I think that one hell of a lot of the time he's a complete bastard. He's corrupt. He's selfish and I can see him profiting from another's downfall…." A pained expression passed over his daughter's face and as each syllable left his mouth, her face darkened. However, there was no point hiding his true thoughts from her so Keith continued. "Yet there are other characteristics that make him equally as likely not to be guilty. Did I ever tell you the story of how I come to hire him straight out of the academy?"
Veronica shook her head, intrigued.
"During one of his exercises at a civilian bar, he became aware of a domestic abuse case. A fists-first son-of-a-bitch that spent a few too many dollars on beer and took it out on his girlfriend and her son, if I remember correctly. Anyway, Lamb went off mission and dealt with it," Keith smiled fondly, remembering the moral man he had originally met over a decade previously. "Of course his trainer busted his arse and few departments wanted to touch him when he graduated – he was an arrogant bastard even over that and made a lot of enemies early on – but I saw a man I could work with."
She smiled, in silent agreement with her father's assessment of the situation. "This case is so complex. It's…."
Looking at his daughter warily, Keith sipped his black coffee. "You know, my old boss-"
"Mad McGregor?"
"That'd be the one," Keith smiled and crossed himself in mock-reverence of the man's name. "Used to say that a case is as complex the man. Mind you if you listened to the old coot, you'd also be believing that-"
VERONICAMARS
"Got any final words of wisdom, Mars?" Lamb enquired sardonically the night before the appeal began.
Veronica smirked, "don't be yourself."
"Well, that's not very nice. You're supposed to be the kind goodey-two-shoes here." He protested, his jaw dropping in mock-horror at her accusation.
She raised her eyebrows in disbelief, unable to fathom how anyone could ever view her as innocent. "I have spent one hell of a lot of time in lock up for a goodey-two-shoes and I became a lawyer…"
"Fair point. Maybe you aren't that good after all."
"Maybe you aren't evil incarnate after all."
"Jesus Christ, Mars! Save it for the jury. With glowing reports like that you may just get me off!" His muscular hands rested on his chest, emphasising his enthusiasm. An eyebrow raised comically, stressing the double entendre of his words.
Veronica rolled her eyes in mock exasperation, but a wide smile graced her lips, betraying her amusement. Whatever happened in the next few days, life was certainly going to change. A lot of work had gone into this appeal and she prayed that she would be able to vindicate him. All that was left for both of them to do was to wait for tomorrow and hope that the case was found in their favour. Despite the fact that there was no real business to be done before tomorrow's trial, neither Veronica nor Don were in a rush to part company. A nervous energy filled the room and it was only partly to do with the impending appeal.
VERONICAMARS
"Congratulations on finally winning the case Mars," Don smiled arrogantly. "Took you long enough." Previously, Veronica would have felt an overwhelming sense of guilt consume her at the thought of the length of time he had wrongfully spent behind bars, but she knew that he had forgiven her a long time ago. Whilst he may not have forgotten his time in prison, the fact that she had come back, admitted she was wrong and now ensured his freedom was apparently penance enough.
Veronica patronisingly patted him on the back. "Well, if you were such a bastard then I might have had an easier time convincing people you were innocent."
"Touché," he replied. His gaze drifted over her shoulder to the man stood behind her. "Keith. I would like to thank you for your testimony, especially considering everything that has occurred between us in the past." He held out his hand to his former boss. It was an apologetic gesture that not only demonstrated his gratitude, but also indicated the extent to which Don had changed in the intervening years. Maybe his name would never be synonymous with kindness, but evidently he was learning to admit and try to correct his indiscretions. To Veronica and many other people's surprise, Keith shook his hand. Whilst forgiveness for his role in Keith's downfall was a long way off, it was a lot closer that what it had been before.
Turning to his daughter, he quietly said, "congratulations honey. You did it!"
"Thanks Dad," she smiled, once again a child receiving praise from her father. Regardless of what changed, the look that passed over her face when Keith Mars praised her would never change.
"Tonight we celebrate!"
"Keith, if it is okay with you, I would like to take your daughter out tonight to celebrate the fantastic work she had done on my case. You are of course invited." Don stated, shocking both Mars in two simple statements. In that instant it was difficult to say who was more surprised: Veronica or her father. Both stood wordlessly starring at the man before them, mouths agape. Don chuckled, "it's not like I proposed a naked run through the centre of town!"
"Ummm – I would love to," Veronica replied, her eyes never leaving his.
Keith glanced between Veronica and his former deputy with a keen sense of interest. He was unsure of what he made about the look that he saw pass between the two of them that signalled something more than a professional interest. However, Veronica was her own person and she had been for a very long time. It was not his place to interfere in her affairs, even if he didn't quite approve of them and to be honest he did not know what he made of this newly released Don Lamb.
"Keith?" Don asked, interrupting his thoughts.
Looking the man in the eye, Keith smiled, a small, rue smile. "I think I will leave you young people to it tonight, but I will meet you for a pint sometime Lamb. Veronica, call me about dinner on Sunday." Kissing his daughter on the cheek and nodding curtly to Don, Keith exited the court room, making his way clumsily through the throngs of people that were also heading to door.
"It's just you and me little Mars," Don whispered, his hand gracing her back as he leaned in. Chills run up her back as his fingertips gently touched her through the fabric of her charcoal grey suit. "As much as I am grateful to Keith for his testimony, I am more grateful for this…."
Fate and everything good in this world could damn her to hell, but Veronica was glad too. An unspoken promise hung in the air between them as they made their way through the court house to the waiting press outside. His strong hand never left her back and for once in her life Veronica was grateful for surprises. In no world had she ever imagined that she would be excited for a date with Don Lamb. Thrills of pleasure coursed through her veins at the heady expectation of her date with the devil.