A/N: First I'd like to thank everyone for the kind feedback. I started this second chapter long before I finally posted the first and it's been a tough one to get through as we get started on the big mystery and introduce some new characters. I've had a lot of fun with it too though, so I hope you enjoy and remember: Reviewing is good for the soul.

Chapter Two

It was all too familiar.

A look of absolute horror crossed over her face before being washed away by anger, guilt, sadness. The emotions had absolutely nothing to do with the scene she had witnessed unravel on Mac's computer screen. They were residual from a long time ago. A time she had been harder. Even elbows deep again in the grime and dirt that made up Neptune, California, she recognized that she had gotten soft. For just an instant, she could feel a flash of the girl she had been after Lilly died, after her rape. A hard exterior that held the world at arm's length so that she couldn't get hurt by it again.

Then, she felt the weight of Logan's hand soft on her shoulder.

Turning to look at him, she saw a similar look of sadness flash in his eyes. They were both reliving days long past, being visited by ghosts of their former selves. How easily they could be taken back there.

Veronica leaned into the comforting support of his body. Instantly, she could feel the way his arm wrapped around her and pulled her in just a little closer. His lips pressed against the back of her head and rested there as they both watched Mac's monitor.

"The Sheriff's Department has announced the discovery of sixteen year old Eve Martin brutally murdered early this morning just outside her parents' home. The town of Neptune is in shock, currently hearing echoes of the still unsolved Lilly Kane murder today. Sheriff Lamb, who has made an interesting reputation for himself in the media lately, has promised swift justice for the Martin family…"

The office was filled with silence as Keith Mars leaned forward to turn the video off. No one had spoken a word yet. No one dared. Besides, what could any of them possibly say? Lilly's murder had caused their lives to unravel all those years ago. They had lost so much and though a day didn't go by where Veronica didn't think of her best friend, they had all been doing their best to move on.

"I think I'm going to go…" Logan broke the silence and his contact with Veronica, slowly backing away.

The tips of their fingers were barely touching now and she felt her heart drop in her chest, a new kind of sadness overwhelming her. Why did they both always choose to run? "Logan…"

He stopped at the sound of his name on her lips. Mac and Keith were still in the room, but as far as either Veronica or Logan were concerned, it was just the two of them. When their eyes locked, everyone else just melted away. It had been like that for so long. Much longer than either admitted.

"I'll be back," he assured her as he pulled her back into him, kissing he tip of her nose, "We can have pizza for lunch and you can tell me all about the bail jumping hooker drug dealers you catch before noon." He gave a nod to the other two people in the room before disappearing out the door again.

"Veronica," her father touched her back gently once Logan was gone and the blonde turned quickly to look at him. The concern etched on his face made her heart hurt a little. She hated making him worry.

"I'm fine dad, really. I just need to go find him."

But was she really fine? Sheriff Dan Lamb's promise of swift justice only served to remind her of what he had done to Weevil after he had been shot by Celeste Kane on the night of their ten year reunion, allegedly in self-defense. It reminded her of what the Kanes had done to Abel Koontz when they had thought Duncan had murdered Lilly and how Lamb's predecessor and younger brother had been too lazy and power hungry to investigate the cover-up. It reminded her why she had wanted to leave Neptune behind so badly in the first place. Nothing good ever happened in the beachside town where the haves did whatever they wanted and the have-nots were used as a patsy in their twisted games.

No, swift justice would not be served, just as it had not for Lilly. Even after she and her father had solved the case and Aaron Echolls was locked up, he had managed to walk away a free man. Until someone decided to take matters into their own hands, Veronica reminded herself. While Aaron's death had been ruled a suicide, Veronica was not one to eat up the words printed in the newspaper. Not that she cared to look deeper into that particular cover-up.

After all, Aaron had gotten what he deserved. He had killed Lilly, almost murdered both Veronica and her father. He had been abusing his son for years. The world was better off without him.

Still, she did not have faith that the loved ones of Eve Martin would be given any sort of real peace with Dan Lamb on the case. But what was a girl to do? She knew her judgment was clouded by visions of Lilly lying outside the Kane mansion, her father holding her as she cried. Sure, Eve Martin was the daughter of a wealthy family in a world where money talked, but someone would surely take the fall for something they hadn't done and the people who loved her would be constantly haunted by her memory. As Veronica had been haunted by Lilly for so long after her death.

Finding Logan after borrowing her dad's car had been the easy part. It had always been the easy part. It was as though there was a string wrapped around each of their hearts, tying them together. All she had to do was give it a little tug and there he was.

The spot of Lilly's memorial fountain had gone unchanged in eleven years. Water still trickled gently from it, the plaque still sparkled. Logan stood leaning against the wall, fingers gently sloshing water. He was completely oblivious to her arrival and for a second, he was that seventeen year old boy again.

"She would have loved this. Everyone will always remember her name."

He looked up at her, surprised by her arrival and then his face changed. The corners of his lips tugged upwards in a smile and he took a tiny step back so that he was leaning fully on the wall now. His body opened up to her and Veronica cautiously stepped into it.

"She would have hated the fountain though," he said as her arms wrapped around his center and she nodded against his chest. Lilly would have found it so incredibly tacky. Not fabulous enough for the self-proclaimed Queen Bee of Neptune. "You know, every time I think we've moved past her…there she is."

"I think she's always going to be there," Veronica shrugged and looked up at him, "She's a pretty huge part of who we are. Who we became after she died."

"I just wonder if it will ever feel normal again. It's been years and we still live in her shadow."

"Hey," she gave him a little bump with her shoulder, "Normal is pretty boring."

Logan allowed for a laugh then that made Veronica sigh just a little, contentedly, "Yeah, but it's crazy, you know? All this time has passed and she's still getting what she wants from us. You know, she used to be so jealous of you."

Veronica blinked back her confusion as she looked up at Logan. Never in all her years of friendship with Lilly Kane or afterwards did she imagine that her best friend, who'd had it all, had ever been jealous of her. What did Veronica Mars have that the daughter of the most powerful family in Neptune didn't?

"She was," Logan nodded his head and gently ran his thumb down her cheek, "That's actually how we started, y'know? Me and Lilly. I'd had this crazy crush on you from the first time I saw you, and Lilly, well, she just hated being told no. Hated when she wasn't the center of attention all the time."

"I never knew." She was completely bewildered by Logan's confession. Never in a million years had she thought Logan Echolls would have ever looked at her in that way, especially not with Lilly around. Lilly was a brightly shining star, Veronica had just been lucky enough to be included in her glow. At least, that was how she had always viewed herself until she had been forced to live outside of the light.

"Yeah, well I never thought I stood a chance anyway," Logan shrugged, "You were better than all of us, less screwed up. And then you started dating Duncan and, well, then everything else happened."

Everything else. Which included Lilly's death and a year of being ostracized and ridiculed by her former friends, Logan especially. It suddenly gave a new meaning to Logan's tormenting of old, to the way he had looked at her after she had kissed him outside the Camelot motel, and to his speech from the alterna-prom about their love story being epic, a speech that they had echoed the words of before he had left six months ago. Spanning years and continents. Lives ruined, bloodshed. How true those words seemed to ring now, ten years later. They had left quite the wake of destruction in their path.

All these things that Lilly never told her. It made Veronica wonder how different it could have turned out if her best friend hadn't kept so many secrets from them all.

"And now here we are," Logan added, lips brushing the top of her head.

"Here we are," she nodded, her tone light and dreamy. Here they were, together. It seemed as though no matter how hard people tried to tug them apart, an invisible force just pulled them together again. As though they were made for each other. As though nothing could ever compete.

And nothing ever could. It had always been Logan. Veronica had tried the normal route. She had tried to have simple and uncomplicated, but it had just bored her. It had been so easy to walk away from it without looking back as soon as he called. Even her father had seen it within seconds of her arrival.

Taking a deep breath, she leaned back and looked up at him again. If she didn't say it now, she might lose her nerve, "Logan, I…"

"Are you Veronica Mars?" the voice penetrated right through their bubble then. Startled, Veronica's head whirled around to see who had managed to sneak up on them.

The first thing Logan noticed about the girl was her height. She was tall. Much taller than Veronica, though that was not a hard feat to accomplish, and model thin. And she was pretty in a way that sixteen year old girls were before they realized it, with a spray of freckles across the pale skin on her nose. Pure, innocent. The way that Veronica had been before Lilly was murdered, before she had gotten drugged and raped at Shelly Pomroy's party. Her green eyes were filled with a kind of desperate sadness, but behind all of that there was a spark, a fire, which immediately made Logan want to protect her. Joining the Navy had obviously done nothing to quench his undeniable savior complex.

"Who's asking?" Veronica stepped away from him now. Her head tilted to the side, her arms crossed in front of her chest. There was a hint of suspicion to her tone. Whatever she had wanted to tell him seconds ago was forgotten now. She was all business. Some things never changed.

"Zoey. Zoey White." the brunette looked down at her hands. Long strands of dark brown waves fell in front of her face and she took a deep breath. Having spent the better part his life surrounded by the likes of movie stars and Dick Casablancas, the young girl's insecurity threw Logan off. She wasn't damaged in the way that everyone he ever loved had been, she was genuinely not comfortable in her own skin. It made him wonder what a girl like this was doing looking for Veronica.

"And? What do you want? Come on, spit it out."

The corners of his lips tugged up slightly into an amused smile, despite himself. Patience was a virtue that Veronica seemed to have given up on a long time ago. She did not have time to beat around the bush or cater to the whims of others. If someone wanted something from her, she got straight to the point. It had always been something he both loved and loathed about her all at once. Though lately, he saw it in a much more affectionate way than he had all those years ago.

"Well, Eve Martin was my best friend…"

And with those words, Logan Echolls stopped smiling.

Eve Martin had been found early that morning by her younger sister. The older of the two Martin girls had recently gotten her driver's license and had since been eager to drive everyone around everywhere. Rachel had searched the house for her sister before spotting her familiar figure out by the pool. They were running late already and still had to drive across town to pick up Zoey, so it hadn't registered how odd it was that Eve was lying on the cold cement rather than on a lawn chair. Not until she had taken the first steps out the patio door and started screaming. There was blood everywhere.

The police report that Mac had hacked into the Sheriff's department to retrieve for Veronica claimed that the Martin girl, aged sixteen, had died from what appeared to be a blow to the head. An autopsy that had already been set for later that day would prove it. No information would be released to the public until then. Sheriff Dan Lamb had not lied. He had put this case on the fast track.

Officially, no arrests had been made. However, according to Zoey, who had tracked Veronica down after recognizing her from the news after the Dewalt-Scott case, the Sheriff's department had taken Benjamin Adams into custody for questioning. The Adams boy just so happened to be the deceased's boyfriend. Or, more recently, her ex-boyfriend.

Benjamin Adams was no spoiled rich kid. What Veronica had been able to find on him, with the help of Mac's computer skills, told her that his father had been a mechanic who went on a bender one long weekend and never came home and his mother worked as a nurse in the geriatric ward of the hospital. Long hours, at that. His grandmother had been the one to raise him for the most part, but she had died last year. Her obituary stated that she was survived by her daughter, Tricia, and two grandchildren, Annie and Ben. There were a few minor misdemeanors to his name, but nothing major. Nothing that screamed violent girlfriend-murdering psycho to her.

If Lamb found any evidence to even hint that the kid was guilty though, there would be no one to pay his bail. And given the latest trend within the county Sheriff's department to plant evidence, Veronica had no doubt that they would find something to justify charging him and the kid would fry for it.

She felt like she was going to be sick.

The look on Zoey White's face was clear in Veronica's memory. She had barely been able to look at Veronica in the eyes as she had spoken. Her fingers twisting in nervous knots. "He didn't do it."

"How do you know?" she had asked, fiercely suspicious eyes never looking away.

"Because I just do. Because he was with me last night."

In spite of the young girl's nervous tics, she had spoken with conviction. Veronica believed her instantly.

But what are you going to do about it, Veronica?

This wasn't like the missing persons case she had faced with months ago. No one was coming to her for help. No one except a sixteen year old girl who had just lost her best friend and who didn't have the authority or the money to hire Veronica to launch a murder investigation.

As if that stopped you from solving Lilly's murder when you were sixteen. Come on, Veronica. You've seen the system at work. So are you going to lay down with the dogs, or are you going to take them out?

She had known the answer from the second Zoey White had approached her though. If Lamb wanted to throw a sixteen year old boy to the lions without cause, she was going to make him regret it. She was going to be the pesky Veronica Mars who annoyed and pushed until things got done the right way. At the very least, she was going to make sure that an innocent boy didn't go down for this.

Picking up the phone, Veronica dialed a very familiar number. One that she had memorized ages ago. One that she would never forget. "Hey, Cliffy. It's me. I need a favor."

When Logan got back to the beach house he shared with Dick, he found his best friend and roommate lazily lounging on the couch playing video games. Sometimes it still astonished Logan that in all this time, nothing had changed. They had all grown up, but somehow Dick had managed to keep surfing, video games and babes as the main priorities of his life. He supposed that it should be comforting, in a way.

"Hey, dude!" Dick called out, waving a hand in the air above his head, "Where's Ronnie? I thought she was, like, your shadow now or something." It was true that since he and Veronica had started up together again, he had not really gotten to spend any quality time with his friend. Especially not considering he had been deployed for the last six months. Logan felt a little guilty about it.

Until he remembered what it was he and Veronica had been doing and the guilt melted away.

"Nah, she had some work to do." Logan slowly sat down on the coach next to Dick, leaning forward just slightly so he could scoop the second controller off the table. This would take his mind off of things. It would take his mind off of Eve Martin and the story that Zoey White had shared with them earlier. It hit a little too close to home.

"What the hell is up with the two of you, anyway? We don't see her for ages and then she's suddenly here, like, all the time. This is supposed to be our bachelor pad, bro, Ronnie's just gonna cramp our style." Pausing for just a second, Dick glanced at Logan and cleared his throat. "I mean, she's cool and all until she rips your heart and you go all dark on us."

There was a part of Logan that knew he meant well. After all, hadn't he been there from the very start of this love story between him and Veronica? By now, Dick Casablancas was well versed in what their epic love affair entailed and Logan knew that he tread carefully when it came to the tiny blonde one because of the warning given all those years ago. That if you had a problem with Veronica Mars, you were pretty much dead to him. Was that what he had said? That they should just evaporate or something. Still, at the end of the day, Dick was just looking out for him. Logan could appreciate that.

"Don't worry about it."

"Alright, but she's still seriously deranged, dude," Dick added, "I ran into her at this party on Spring Break and she was getting into some weird shit before she just, like, threw herself at me. She was bleeding and shit, too. I'm just trying to have your back, bro."

Logan sat up a little straighter as Dick talked. Not because he thought that Veronica would ever legitimately throw herself at Dick, he could hear her voice in his head excusing herself so that she could go throw up at the very mention of it. He just knew that Dick was oblivious at times. Especially when he was obliterated. If Veronica had done that, it meant that she had been in trouble. Serious trouble. So, what had Dick not noticed in his drunken party stupor? "What are you talking about? Where was this?"

"At the Gutiérrez cousins' place up the beach," Dick waved randomly in the direction of the wall next to him, "This dude was leading all this chicks to get more champagne in some other room, so I followed and the next thing I knew Rons was calling me baby and kissing me. She had this gash on her neck. It was pretty fucking weird, bro. And then the cops came in and busted the place."

Logan frowned. What would have happened to Veronica if Dick didn't aspire to live life like David Wooderson and keep hanging around Freshman-aged College girls far past it being socially acceptable? For just an instant, Logan regretted dragging her back to Neptune. She had been safe in New York. At least, safer than she had ever been in Neptune. Now she was right back in it.

He didn't realize that his hands had balled up to form fists as Dick told his story.

Maybe he should pay a little visit to the Gutiérrez cousins.

"Well, well, if it isn't my favorite Deputy," Veronica grinned as she strolled into the Sheriff's department with Cliff McCormack in tow. Norris Clayton looked up at her from his desk and returned her smile.

"Hey, Veronica, what can I help you with?"

"I'm here to see our friendly neighborhood Sheriff, do you think he might have a minute for yours truly?" she leaned forward, propping her elbows up on the desk. How easily she fell back into her old habits. Not just with Logan, but even now in flirting with her local law enforcers. For just a brief instant, she saw Leo standing there in front of her instead of Norris. But that image was quickly gone. He was a big shot detective in San Diego now. How easy it seemed for some people to just leave this all behind.

"He's actually busy right now. It might be a while, but you can wait if you want."

"I don't, actually," Veronica let out an exaggerated sigh, "But I guess that's why I brought Cliffy along with me. Cliff is here to represent one Benjamin Adams, so I think Sheriff Lamb might want to take a minute to come and see us before he's faced with a lawsuit. Just a suggestion." She shrugged her shoulders a little. "You go let him know I'm here."

Norris could only laugh and shake his head at Veronica, pushing himself back from his desk and leaving to get Lamb. Now if only everyone in the Sheriff's department could be so amused by me. Satisfied, Veronica took a step back and spun into one of the seats that lined the main lobby. Leaning back, she waited. Any second now…

"What do you want, Veronica Mars?"

The voice was impatient, which only made Veronica smile wider as she looked up Sheriff Lamb. His hair was slicked back, his blue eyes cold and irritated. Just as she had hoped they would be. "Well that's a loaded question. What I really want is a competent Sheriff, but since I guess that's not going to happen, I'll just settle on you letting Benjamin Adams go."

"He's a suspect in a murder investigation," there was not even a flicker of amusement that crossed over Lamb's face, "So how about you just run on home and mind your own business."

"Or how about I make some calls to all the local new stations and tell them that you brought a minor in without informing his mother with absolutely no cause? I'm sure they'd love to hear all about that." Veronica had pushed herself out of the seat she had taken now and moved to face-off directly in front of Sheriff Lamb now, crossing her arms over her chest and tilting her head in a defiant manner.

"Do you have anything to charge my client with?" Cliff asked, stepping in before either Veronica or Dan Lamb could say anything more. It reminded her to back off just a little. Be Cool, Veronica.

"I have an eye-witness putting him at the scene of the crime between 10 and 10:15 last night." There was an air of confidence to Lamb as he relayed this news to them. He took a wide stance, puffing up his chest and sticking his thumbs into the belt loops of his pants. But then again, he makes it so easy for me to want to destroy him.

"But you also don't have a time of death," Veronica pointed out before Cliff could say anything, "So basically, you've got nothing until that coroner's report comes in. Unless you caught him red handed, hovering over Eve Martin's body murder weapon and all. No? Great! We'll just go right ahead and get Benji, then." She pushed past Lamb without another word.

"Why do I let you talk me into these things, V?" Cliff mumbled as he followed close behind her.

"Because it's just so much fun trying to guess if that vein on Lamb's forehead is going to explode." Not for the first time, Veronica wished Logan had been there with her to see the look on the Sheriff's face.

When she opened the door to the investigation room, she found a tall, lean boy with sandy brown hair and brown eyes. He had been sitting and absently picking at his nails before they came in. She paused just a second to examine him as he turned to look at them. He was well-dressed. Bored. Confused. And the emotion that hit her like a ton of bricks in the chest when she recognized it, heartbroken.

For just a second, Veronica allowed herself to remember the look on Logan's face the first time she had seen him after Lilly's death. It was something that she had not thought about since the day it had happened. Logan in a black suit at Lilly's funeral, eyes rimmed with red from crying. He was drunk, she had known without even needing to talk to him just by the flask he had tried to hide in his breast pocket. Their eyes had locked for just one second and she had been immediately forced to look away, the power of his sadness too much for her to bear with her own. It was the same look she saw on Ben Adams now.

"Hey there, Benji," she greeted cheerily, pulling herself together. "How would you like to go home?"

And answer a few questions about why you were at your ex-girlfriend's house before she was murdered.