"Cassidy..." Veronica shook with spasms from the taser. "Why?"
"Why what?"
"Why did you kill them?"
"They were going to tell."
"Cassidy," Veronica gained more of her faculties back, and willed herself to stop shaking. "What he did to you was wrong. You were violated. Why didn't you get counseling?"
Cassidy looked at her, and she saw the unashamed truth in his eyes.
"You were embarrassed?" She exclaimed incredulously. "You endured torment and pain and suffering because you were embarrassed that Woody had that power over you?"
"You know nothing about what I went through." Cassidy said, defensively.
"I don't? Are you serious?" Veronica felt like smacking him. Then she remembered that she needed to calm him down. She applied for his sympathy. "I was raped. I was sexually assaulted. At least you knew who did it to you. I didn't know until hours ago. I lived with the embarrassment, and I didn't tell my dad that I'd been raped. He found out during Aaron Echolls's trial. I had been treated for chlamydia. The same disease that Woody gave to you, which you passed on to me.
"Letting someone have that power over you is wrong. You allowed him to continue on, abusing boys, and getting away with it. Your friends were going to out him, and you were terrified that they would succeed."
"Veronica," Cassidy said in a low growl, "You have no clue about me."
"I know that this isn't you."
"What?"
"The Cassidy I once knew was quiet, and sweet, and friendly. The Cassidy who fell for Mac. You didn't fall for her just because. You didn't fall for her in order to make her your next victim. You actually fell for her. She loves you. She is fiercely loyal. She may never be able to give up on you."
"Veronica?" Logan came up onto the roof and froze when he saw Cassidy. Cassidy still had his gun trained on Veronica.
"Logan, stay out of this." Cassidy warned.
"Put down the gun, Cassidy. You're not a killer." Logan shook his head.
"Oh, but I am. Didn't you know? I killed everyone on that bus. I killed them. I also raped Veronica last year, at Shelly's party. I'm worthless, wouldn't you agree? I am just a killer. A cold blooded killer. You see this?" he waved his cell phone around. "All I have to do is push one button, and it'll be like the Fourth of July up there." He pointed to the skyline, where the three could see Woody's plane preparing to land at Neptune Airport.
"No." Veronica realized that her father should be on that plane. "Don't. Please."
"If you'd added a "pretty please with a cherry on top", I might have considered it." Cassidy said, and pressed the "Talk" button. The sky lit up with the explosion. Veronica felt like she'd been turned inside out. Her guts wrenched and her heart felt like it had actually stopped.
"No!" she screamed. "No!"
"See?" Cassidy addressed Logan. "I can kill people. I just did. I'm completely and totally worthless."
"No." Logan shook his head, and boldly approached Cassidy. He placed one hand carefully on Cassidy's shoulder. He hoped he came across as sympathetic.
"What are you doing, Logan?" Cassidy asked, but before he knew what happened, he was facedown on the ground with Logan on top of him. Logan was taller, heavier, and with his longer arms, he snatched the gun from Cassidy's hand. He slid it to Veronica, who called 911 on her cell phone.
"This is Veronica Mars. Tell Sherriff Lamb that I have Cassidy Casablancas on the roof of the Neptune Grand. Cassidy murdered the kids on the bus and is responsible for raping me last year at a party. He just caused Woody Goodman's private jet to explode over Neptune Airport. Please send Lamb, the deputies, and reinforcements. Send the fire department to the airport. I have his gun, and Logan Echolls is restraining him. Thanks." Veronica closed her cell phone and kept the gun trained on Cassidy.
"Let me go, or you'll be sorry." Cassidy tried to get up, but couldn't.
"I'm already sorry. I made fun of you all these years, with Dick and your dad. I shouldn't have."
"Why are you apologizing now? It doesn't matter. It's too late."
"It's never too late to apologize. If I had sooner, you might have turned to someone for help instead of killing people that you once called friends."
"I doubt that." Cassidy snarled.
"Logan? Veronica?" Mac stepped onto the roof and looked at them in shock. She had borrowed a tee shirt of Logan's, from the appearance of it, and some basketball shorts which were cinched tightly around her small waist. "Cassidy?" she gasped.
"Mac, help me!" Cassidy begged.
"Why did you take my clothes?"
"Mac, they're going to kill me!"
"You know that I know that Veronica never points a gun at someone unless she has a rock-solid reason to. What did you do?"
"Nothing!" Cassidy lied. "Veronica made a mistake!"
"Why did you take my clothes?" Mac yelled. She walked over to where Cassidy lay beneath Logan's iron grip.
"I didn't want you to get involved. I didn't want you to know what I'd done."
"What did you do?"
"I can't tell you!"
"Tell her." Logan ordered. He pressed harder on Cassidy's wrists, into the concrete.
"I...was sexually abused by Woody Goodman when I was on his little league team. In turn, I also raped Veronica at a party last year. Then, some of my little league teammates were going to out Woody. So I rigged the bus with the explosives, set them off remotely, and killed them. I blamed it on a lot of different people, even including Veronica in one of the dead-end scenarios. She figured it out and texted you to "get away from me." That I am "a killer." And she was right. The great Veronica Mars was right again!" he said, glaring at Veronica. "I just blew up Woody Goodman's plane. He's dead, as is Veronica's dad."
The door to the roof flew open and Sherriff Lamb and two deputies came onto the roof. "You are one lucky girl, Veronica Mars." Sherriff Lamb admitted. "We were right around the corner when you called this in. Cassidy Casablancas," Lamb moved Logan off of Cassidy and handcuffed him. "You are under arrest." He read the rights to Cassidy, and took him downstairs to a waiting squad car. The deputies collected Mac's cell phone, Veronica's taser, Cassidy's gun, and his cell phone. They left, and Mac hugged Veronica.
"Thank you, Veronica." Mac whispered. "You might have just saved my life." Then what Cassidy had said sank in. "Oh, Veronica. Your dad. I'm so sorry." Mac hugged tighter as Veronica collapsed into sobs.
"I can't believe he actually did that. I didn't think he would do it." Veronica gasped out when she had control over herself.
"Let's go home, Veronica." Logan scooped her up in his arms. "I'll take you home, to your apartment. We can wait for news there. Better there than here, anyway."
"Okay." Veronica nodded faintly, resting her head against Logan's shoulder.
"I'm going home, too." Mac said. "I am so sorry about...Cassidy, Veronica." Mac told her quietly. "I should have seen this coming somehow."
"No one could have." she shook her head.
Logan got her home, and she fell into her bed. She cried for a long while, and eventually fell into a troubled sleep. It was populated by disjointed dreams, of her parents, and Lilly, and graduation. She woke early in the morning with a start. She could smell bacon. She sleepily walked into the kitchen, and was unprepared for the sight of Logan, cooking food on the stove. She had forgotten that it wouldn't be her dad. She leaned into Logan, and the tears were coming back when she heard someone say, "Who's cooking bacon?" She turned to see her dad walking into the kitchen, and she practically leaped at him.
"Dad!" she hugged him, hungrily, not wanting to ever let go again. She didn't know how or why, or who had protected him, but she was thankful that he was alive.
"What's wrong?" he asked her. "You're acting like you were never going to see me again."
"Dad, I thought you were gone! I thought he killed you."
"Who?"
"Cassidy Casablancas. He killed all of those kids on the bus, and raped me at that party last year, and he blew up Woody's plane. You were supposed to be on it."
"I wasn't, honey." Keith hugged Veronica. "I wasn't. Thank God I wasn't. Lamb wanted Woody to arrive alone. I drove all night, sweetie. I wasn't there. I was supposed to be, but I wasn't."
"I love you so much!" she smiled through her tears of joy, and hugged him back, as hard as she could. Logan slipped out to let Keith and Veronica enjoy breakfast alone, reunited and happy.