2 – The Big Save
The prior week...
Veronica was ready to back out of her parking space when she saw Lynn Echolls tearing out of the administration building as fast as her four-inch heels would allow. She paused to fling her handbag into her convertible before climbing in herself. Lynn's hands were shaking as she pressed them delicately to her face. Veronica considered going over to make sure she was okay but Lynn suddenly sat upright, turned on her car, and drove rapidly out of the high school parking lot.
Veronica was concerned. She had watched Lynn after Aaron was attacked a month ago and she seemed very close to her breaking point, ugh, no movie pun intended. As difficult as Logan had been in the year after Lilly died, she felt like they were starting to maybe get back to something of a friendship - well, maybe that was going too far - but she no longer felt the need to set him on fire like she had a few months ago. His mother having a nervous breakdown in front of the world wasn't something she wanted him to have to live through if she could help stop it. She popped her car into gear and followed Lynn.
She had expected Lynn to head for the Echolls' estate but instead she drove towards San Diego. Veronica started to wonder whether she had made the right decision following her but once they were on the freeway, she was stuck, at least for a few miles. She continued to follow through San Diego until Lynn took the exit for the Coronado Bridge. The realization that the emotionally fragile Lynn was heading for the third deadliest suicide bridge in the country made Veronica break out into a cold sweat so she continued to follow but got stuck at a red light. She lost sight of Lynn briefly but gunned it when her light turned green to try to catch her on the immense bridge.
Despite her concerns, she was still startled to realize that she was catching up to Lynn's car because it was now stopped on the bridge. As she screeched to a stop behind the convertible, she caught sight of Lynn, wobbling on the railing. At least she had taken her heels off before she climbed up.
"Lynn, no! Please, no!" she shrieked as she leapt from her car. Lynn's head whipped back toward Veronica and she lost her grip on the phone she was clutching. The phone fell and Lynn's attention went with it, watching as it fell, and fell, and fell.
Veronica reached the railing and glanced down, seeing the phone finally hit the water. "Lynn, please get down."
Lynn glanced up from the Bay that had just swallowed her phone, two hundred feet below. "I think that sounds like a good idea." She wobbled unsteadily again and reached for Veronica's hand. Once on the ground, she threw her arms around Veronica. "Thank you."
"Let's get you back in your car before you attract a crowd."
"No, I can't drive. I took like seven Xanax on the drive here and that was on top of the bourbon. Driving impaired didn't seem like a big deal when I was coming here to throw myself off this bridge but now…can you get me out of here?"
"Your abandoned car is going to suggest...certain things," Veronica said, helping Lynn to the Le Baron while trying to figure out what to do to fix this situation with minimal paparazzi involvement.
"Yes. It will. And you know what, I can live with that." Veronica could now see the effects of the drugs and alcohol in Lynn's glazed eyes but the woman was still remarkably self-assured for someone who had nearly ended her own life only minutes before.
Veronica closed the passenger door and ran back to the driver's side. By some miracle, no other cars had come by yet but she couldn't rely on that continuing.
"Look, you can't let Logan think you've killed yourself. He'll be devastated."
"I'll call him and let him know. Maybe tell him to disappear for a day or two and let the press go to town. I've got no problem letting Aaron twist in the wind." In her impaired state, she looked around in confusion for a moment. "Oh. My phone. It's a floater. Can I use yours?"
Veronica blanched at her casual mention of the fate of the fallen phone, a fate Lynn had nearly shared. "Of course you can. I hope he answers when he sees my number." She handed the phone over to Lynn with an embarrassed look. "We're not really friends these days."
"No, maybe not like before, but he still cares about you."
Veronica snorted. "Ugh, no. Not anymore."
"If he didn't care, he wouldn't let you get him so upset. He would just ignore you like he ignores most of the rest of the world. Instead, he doesn't waste any opportunity to get in your face, does he?"
Veronica considered Lynn's words but remained dubious and there were more important issues at hand. Lynn took Veronica's phone and started to dial Logan's number but before she finished, a selfie of Logan making a goofy face, Lilly just visible behind him, popped up from the phone's directory. Lynn gave Veronica an amused smirk and hit the call button. As predicted, no answer.
"You can call again in a little while. No one even knows anything is happening yet. Right now, where are we going?" They had reached the island and Veronica was winding her way toward the skinny peninsula that tied Coronado Island to San Diego. "Back home?"
Lynn reclined her seat slightly and closed her eyes. "Umm, hopefully not. I have an idea but I'll need your help, Veronica." She opened her eyes and reached over to clasp a manicured hand on Veronica's forearm. "Will you help me?"
Veronica patted the hand on her arm. "Is this going to end up with me getting arrested for fraud?"
Lynn gave a slightly drunken laugh. "It might. But I'll pay your bail. And I'll make sure you get a good lawyer."
"Well then. How can I say no?"
