Chapter 2

The piranhas at the sheriff's department swam around Eve as she stepped out of her car. Roarke waited on the other side, by the steps, and she walked toward him and said, "Handle the reporters." She saw Veronica just racing up the steps, ignoring the questions the press threw at her, like "Why are you with the police Veronica Mars? And why are Roarke and his wife here with you?" Veronica just glared at them and said, "No comment, no comment, no comment."

Eve started to follow and a reporter grabbed at her arm. "What--?" the reporter started to ask, and Eve yanked her arm back, almost grabbing the camera and smashing it, still resisting the urge when a yellow Xtera drove up behind Roarke's transpo. The blonde boy driving it stepped out and walked up to Veronica, asking, "Did Deputy Sacks call you too?"

Veronica frowned, and said, "No. Why would he call me, Logan?"

Logan said, "He called me, told me to get down here, that it was urgent. And said that if I ran into you, to give you the same message, and to pass it on to your father."

Eve looked back at them, and said, "Why are you dawdling here then? Get inside and talk to him. Veronica," she said, as the tiny blonde girl started to walk into the building, "I'll talk to you later."

Veronica just nodded and saw Logan waiting for her up ahead. They walked into the building together and Veronica pulled out her communicator, and called Wallace, "Wallace is my dad back yet?"

Wallace shook his head, and said, "Are you going to be back soon?"

"Nope," she said, and then told him, "If my dad comes home tell him to wait up for me."

"'Kay," Wallace said, "What's up? You look and sound tense."

"Just got a bad feeling is all. Don't worry, I'll fine, Wallace, talk to you later," and she hung up.

Sacks came out of the main office and said, "I need to tell you something, but it has to be private. And you can only tell your father, Veronica. No one else."

"So get on with it. What do you have to tell us?" Her kryptonite-like curiosity getting to her.

"Aaron Echolls had escaped from prison. The guard was knocked out-" he cut off, seeing the panicked look that Logan and Veronica exchanged and the tears that formed in Veronica's eyes. "I'm sorry. His lawyer hasn't heard from him, and he has promised-" he was cut off by Logan's growl.

"You fool. The lawyer probably helped in this. As well as helping plant evidence against my best friend. He probably got a bonus for that. We all know that Duncan didn't kill Lilly. Veronica almost being killed last year proves that. While that attention is fixed on that Oscar trophy being found on the Kane estate, and Duncan being branded a kidnapper and a murderer, that bastard, my father was able to escape, probably to plant more evidence against Duncan."

Eve turned around at hearing the Kane name, and she stalked forward when she heard that Aaron escaped. "Echolls escaped? Christ Jesus. No wonder the Mayor called me in and asked me to transfer out here for a short time. Catching bastards like that is my life's mission."

Deputy Sachs blinked, and said, "Anyway, with Echolls escaping, the Mayor wants you under police protection until he is caught again."

Veronica started to shake her head, "No not going to happen. It's bad enough to have the constant guard dog of a father and even Backup on my case every time I leave the house. I don't want a Deputy following me around to my classes. Sorry ain't going to happen, never ever."

"Look your choices are a Deputy following you or being put in a safe house and no one will let you out until we catch the bastard," Eve took over, glaring at the blonde's stubbornness, "and trust me, a deputy will start looking really good after 24 hours of being stuck in the safe house."

Veronica relented, a little, "All right, but when I need privacy, I'm going to get it. No matter what. So which one? Deputy Leo had to resign a few weeks ago, so not him. Can't stand Sachs, no offense, just can't stand any lackey of Lamb's. How about you?" She smiled at Eve, and smirked a little at Eve's wince.

Not knowing how to handle a teenager, especially one like Veronica, Eve said, "Nope, I'll be out in the field, looking for two bas- bad guys," trying to clean up her language a little, mostly because of when she got home she'd have to be around Mavis and Leonardo's daughter who was her god child. "Detectives McNab and Peabody will be your guards, and Logan, I'll be assigned two of my men to you as well, Baxter and Trueheart."

"Whoa, whoa, whoa. I said one police officer not two. And they can't go to class with me."

"Won't need to, we'll stand outside the classroom and watch for Echolls that way." McNab stepped in, sensing the tension in the room, "and we won't be guarding you at the same time. We'll take turns in three, eight-hour shifts, or eight, three-hour shifts. Which ever seems the best."

"All right. Then I insist that you stay in the empty apartment next to mine. In fact," she turned to Eve, "why don't you and Roarke stay there with them. There's enough room. It two bedrooms, and McNab or Peabody can stay on the couch if they don't feel comfortable taking turns with the second bedroom," Veronica said, not knowing that Peabody and McNab were practically attached at the hip, and they were living together.

"Actually," Eve began, "we'd—"

"Love to," Roarke stepped in smoothly and smiled at Veronica, "thank you for the suggestion."

"Excellent, I'll phone ahead and tell Wallace to get the keys from the manager and to make sure nothing else needs to be done," she pulled out her communicator and beeped Wallace, "excuse me I need to go to the ladies' room," when McNab started to follow her as she left the office.

"That's fine; I'll just wait outside the door."

"Hey Wallace, I need you the get the keys for next door, from the office," knowing that Wallace would know she meant her drawer in her room, "and go clean up the next room, and add a few plants," stressing the word plants, hoping he'll remember last year when she had him take the little tree she had bugged to Kane Software's security office. "I'll be home soon, and I'll tell you what's been going on."

"Alright Veronica. Over and out," joking with her. "See ya." They said in unison.