Victoria Echolls

Setting: Neptune, 2026

Chapter 1

"Hello, this is Veronica," Sheriff Veronica Mars answered the telephone from her office on its first ring.

"Veronica Mars, so nice to talk to you again. We have a problem here at Neptune High."

"Mr. C.? Why are you calling? Is Victoria in trouble?" Asking this of her fifteen year old daughter always gave her a small headache, as she remembered her father finding her hiding in the Principal's closet twenty years ago.

"Remember when you told me, on your graduation day, that I should not keep my passwords taped to my stapler? Well, you were right; as Victoria has broken into my office… actually she used a key. I wonder where she got that from."

"Oops. I forgot to give back the key Wallace gave me last year when I working that case for you. I promise to talk to her about it."

"Actually, you need to come with down here with her father, and discuss this problem, with me and a school counselor. I think you remember her. Gia Goodman?"

"Oh, Christ," Veronica looked around her office, and saw Mac waving at her from the doorway, "It'll have to be at lunch time. Yes, I promise to be there, Mr. Clemmons."

She hung up, and Mac laughed.

"Problems with Victoria?"

"Yes, as usual. She got her rebellious stage from Logan."

"That's not the way I hear it."

"Ha. Everyone loves to talk about my past, but they forget to look at their own. God, Lilly would get such a kick out of her. Anyway, Mac, what are you doing here? Problems with you're new 'get rich' scheme?"

"Nope. In fact, I just bought a new house. Kendall and I have this little competition going over at the Phoenix office."

"Oh. So what's the problem then? You want me to arrest her? I'd enjoy that you know."

"I just love how you hold grudges. Anyway, I'm not here because of my work. I'm here because I got this strange email from a Lilly Kane over in Australia. She wants me to find her mother."

"Oh, Christ. Close the door," Veronica turned to her computer, and opened her secret email program. Typed, Duncan, Meg's daughter's been emailing Mac about Meg. Didn't tell her about that? She closed her browser. "Mac, promise me you won't talk about this to anyone. Not Kelly, or Ben. Not even Grace or Lizzie. I thought Duncan told Lilly about Meg years ago. He even emailed me for pictures of Meg and her sisters."

"I know. That's why I came straight to you. I figured you'd know what to do. The email says when she was online, she found a bunch of messages from a Meg Manning on a genealogy website."

"That's impossible. Meg's dead. Meg's parents must be still looking for her and Duncan. Did she say if she left any messages for them?"

"Yes. It says she just wants a quick look, just in case, and she did not want to leave messages in case it was a hoax."

"How'd she know to email you?"

"I asked her that. No response yet. I think she got it from one of your emails. A bigger question is why the Mannings felt they had to post those messages."

"No clue. I just hope that we can find that out before they find Lilly and Duncan." Veronica looked at her watch, "Walk with me to my car, I have meeting with Victoria's principal in ten minutes."

"Ok," They walked to Veronica's Crown Vic. "What did you want to tell me outside of the office?"

"The Mannings abused Grace."

"What? When?"

"Before Meg died. Long before that actually, Duncan and I think. We found out when Lizzie brought us her laptop… remember, we had you take of the files and put them on a flash drive? Anyway, Duncan found some emails from Meg, to a CPS representative, and at first we thought it might have been about one of the kids, Meg babysat for, so I babysat a few of them. Duncan and I broke into the Mannings when they were supposed to be out of the house. We found one of the journals Grace kept, and found a compartment behind Grace's closet. They were locking her in there, while they were gone. The Mannings caught us, and Lamb came, but nothing happened afterward."

"Holy… Wow. How come you never told anyone?"

"No one would have believed us. Especially since we broke in." Veronica opened the car door and turned to sit in the car, "Need a ride?"

"Nope. Still have my old green VW."

"I can see that. Well, keep in touch about the Mannings."

"Absolutely, I'll let you know if I find anything." Mac watched as Veronica started her car and drive out of the parking lot, smiling as she imagined Victoria's expression when her mother walked into the principal's office.

A/N Not an update, I know, but a revising of chapters… so that they have separate pages.