Veronica giggled as Logan scooped her off the desk, then moved to dump her unceremoniously on the bed.
"You and your weird desk fetish," she snarked up at him, rolling to squirm beneath the sheets. "I think we've done it on the desk as much as we have on the bed."
"That is not true," he protested before scooting in beside her. "And it's not about the desk as much as about the—"
"I know, the bang with a view."
His mouth dropped open in disbelief at her statement, then he lunged at her and she shrieked as she dove under the covers to escape his tickling fingers.
"Logan...Logan...stop! Logan!" She thrashed and laughed, smacking her palm against his chest and arms, until he snugged her arms against her sides and stretched out flat on top of her, effectively ending her struggles.
"Must you be so crude?" he asked, ducking his head to nibble on her neck. "Would it kill you to see the romance once in a while?"
"I dunno, it might," she answered breathlessly. "Although it's far more likely that you squish me to death in bed some night." She pounded her heels, pretty much the only body parts she could move, against the mattress. "I know muscle weighs more than fat, but Jesus, this is ridiculous."
"Fine." He rolled onto his back and pulled her on top. "Better?"
"If breathing is my priority, yes." She wriggled down his torso until she could grind her pelvis against his. "There. Even better."
He traced his fingers up and down her back. "You're insatiable."
"I always thought you liked that about me." She poked him in the chin. "I could stop."
"Nah. We're good."
Veronica rested her head against his chest and sighed. "Yeah, good."
They lay in silence for a few moments before Logan spoke again. "So, you didn't answer me before; you just jumped me to change the subject. Are you really gonna go through with this?"
"You think I jumped you with ulterior motives?" She lifted her head to give him a wounded look. "How could you think something like that?"
He snorted and raised his hand to comb through her hair. "Uhh, maybe because I know you?"
"Hmmph." She pouted at him for a moment, but when he merely raised his eyebrows at her, she shrugged and lay her head on his chest again. She'd known she couldn't avoid this conversation indefinitely. "Okay, fine, say what you wanna say."
"I don't think you should do this. Not the brain investigating, that's not the problem, I just don't think you should do it with Celeste. Wait til someone else gets murdered. There's enough people in this town; it's gonna happen."
"Seattle's pretty safe actually. Murder rate is fairly low for a city of its size."
"Veronica." His tone was growing more exasperated and she realized she needed to at least listen.
"Okay, sorry. There will be another one, but why wouldn't I do this one? We talked about this yesterday. Isn't it even better to be able to solve something with a personal aspect? Justice for Lilly's mom? Shouldn't that be a good thing?"
"Come on, Veronica, justice for Celeste Kane? Do not even pretend with me that you care about that. There's been times in your life where I think you might even have been willing to help someone commit this exact crime. So don't try feeding me that line of BS." He took his hands off her back and shifted out from under her, then pushed himself to a seated position leaning against the headboard. "No fair grinding on me when I'm trying to have a serious conversation with you."
Veronica chuckled and scooted up to sit beside him, pulling the sheet up under her arms. "Sorry. Wasn't doing that on purpose."
He snorted and put his arm around her shoulders. "Okay, fine. Just force of habit, I guess. So, even if you have gotten some noble idea about solving this crime, for Lilly, or whatever, then just let Liv eat the brain and help her with what she sees."
"How is that any different? It's just going to take longer."
"Maybe, but it's all kinds of dysfunctional to get in the brain of someone who hated you, and your mother, for years. You're going to take on that mindset? I've hated myself before, in a self-induced kinda way, so it was at least tempered with some self-interest. What's it gonna do to you without that personal filter, becoming someone who actually hates your guts and probably wouldn't be sorry to see you in that morgue?"
She twisted to face him, resting her hand on his chest. She'd really thought this was just more of the same old arguments, but those had all been more playful than anything and now he looked...almost anguished.
"Logan, seriously, this isn't that big of a deal." She scooted closer, leaning into him while stroking his chest soothingly. "One: I'm still me, and I think I'm a pretty strong personal filter for my own self-interests. And two: Celeste probably hasn't thought of me in years. I really think you're blowing this into something much bigger than it really is." She dropped a kiss on his shoulder. "Liv says she just gets visions about the murder, or things related to the murder. I certainly don't have anything to do with that."
"Of course you don't," he said, thumping his head back against the headboard. "But Liv only see things about the murder because that's the majority of information she has about the person whose brain she ate. You've got all kinds of other connections to Celeste, so you're probably going to see more than just the events of the last few days. You could actually see her, experience her, when she was setting up your mom to get scared out of town, or when she was getting Duncan to break up with you before Lilly died."
"Hey, maybe I can find out if she lied to him out of spite, or if she really did think I was Jake's kid," Veronica said, suddenly realizing the possibilities in getting insight into Celeste's thoughts beyond just solving her murder. Logan banged his head against the headboard again, groaning as he did so.
"That's exactly what I'm concerned about. You getting into her thoughts, and her feelings, about everything back then."
"Why? It'd be nice to finally find out what she thought she was accomplishing. I mean, it's not information I need, but it's interesting to get this chance." She sat up to look at Logan again. "Why is this a bad thing?"
He heaved a long sigh. "I've been in that place. The self loathing. Wondering if there's any point to going on? There was time before I found Harrison where I really wondered...why I bothered to stay in the world. Putting her hate for you in your head...it just seems like too much risk to me."
"Oohhh. Now I get it." The caressing hand stopped and smacked against his pec. "Child please. It's Celeste Kane. The day I can't take Celeste Kane...dead Celeste Kane no less..." She smacked him again. "You need to get a grip and stop worrying so much. You're like an old lady."
"I am not." Logan pulled his arm from around her and pushed out of bed. "Just because I'm concerned about my wife taking chances for no reason other than she thinks it sounds like fun does not make me an old lady." He looked around the room, then started for where she'd pushed his boxer-briefs off him in an earlier, much more gratifying part of the evening. "I'm going down to the gym."
"Oh no, you're not." She rolled out of the bed and followed him across the room. "Look, let's say you're right, and Celeste's brain overpowers me enough to really try to make me nuts, or even suicidal. You know what we do then?" She pressed him against the desk he liked so much and stepped between his feet. "We interrupt the flow with brain paste. That'll dilute the influence right away. You know that works. It's not like she's possessing me and you've got to find an exorcist. Even if you have to hold me down and squeeze that nasty junk down my throat, once I'm back to being me again, I will understand. Remind me of this conversation, and I won't even give you a bad time."
Logan shook his head and wrapped his arms around her. "You say that now."
"Cross my heart." She mimed an 'X' across her bare chest.
"Don't say, 'hope to die'," he grumbled, then kissed the top of her head.
"You're ridiculous," she said fondly, running her hands up to link behind his neck and tip him down toward her so their foreheads were pressed together. "Look, I'm not going to take unnecessary risks. I'm not nineteen, trying to prove that I don't need anyone so no one can hurt me. I do need you, and I know you need me, and I'm not going to do something that could make our children mom-less. It's bad enough that we've had to be away from them so much because of this stupid zombie thing. I'm not going to jeopardize anything else we have. Okay? Just please trust me. You don't have to worry about me."
"Too late," he responded, but he smiled down at her. "All right. I'm not making any promises about not worrying, but I do trust you—" she raised her eyebrows and he rolled his eyes "—I do, and I'll stop trying to talk you out of this. As long as you've got some tubes on hand...just in case things don't go quite like you're expecting."
"It's gonna be fine." She stretched up to kiss him and he pulled her up to straddle him. "On the desk again, hmm?" She planted her knees on either side of his legs and moved to take him inside her. He leaned further back on the desk, letting her set their pace. "You know, you're right." She grinned down at him and he looked at her questioningly.
"I expect so, but about what specifically?"
"This is a great view. I've usually got my back to it when we're up here, but I can see why you like it."
He scoffed and shook his head, then slid a hand from her hip to stroke her core.
"Think they'll sell it to us when the house is ready?" she asked in a teasing voice.
"The view? Might be kinda tough to move that."
"Just the desk, smart guy." She poked him in the chest with her finger, but he smirked at her as he grabbed her hand and pulled it flat against him, over his heart.
"Oohh, okay. I may be able to do that if you'd like." He pulled her hand up and kissed her fingers, then pressed them to his chest again. "It's a nice desk though. Sturdy. It's probably pricey."
"I think you can handle it."
The following afternoon, Veronica was again in the morgue with Liv, watching regretfully as Liv prepared a single slice of brain.
"It's not like me to let anyone, even Logan, talk me into or out of what I want to do."
"But he got in your head on this one, didn't he?"
Veronica gave her companion a wry smile. "Maybe a little." She shrugged and shook her head. "His issue was someone else in my head, but he's the one making me second guess myself, not Celeste Kane."
"Well, he might be right," Liv said. She moved a slab of brain from the heavily spiced egg mix it had been soaking in and dropped it onto a plate of bread crumbs. "If this woman didn't like you, maybe it wouldn't be the brain for you to try out."
"You're going to try it," Veronica countered. "Is it a good idea for you to hate me? I have very few friends who I'm not related to."
Liv gave a disbelieving laugh as she continued to bread the brain, but Veronica shook her head again. "You think I'm joking, but I am so not."
"Even if that's the case, I get over it. Ravi will tell you; sometimes the brains make me nearly impossible to tolerate."
"Oh yeah, I know how that works." Veronica stirred another spoonful of horseradish into the marinara. "Really early on, when Viv and Harrison were shipping me brains down in SoCal, they sent me one that turned out to be from this social media influencer wanna-be. I know I shouldn't speak ill of the dead, but she was awful. And I never knew if Harrison did it on purpose or not, he said he didn't know who she was, but he sent it right before Logan came home for a couple of weeks. And this brain really liked him."
"He must have loved that."
"No, just the opposite. He hated this other girl chasing him, even when she was living in my body, and he flat out refused all of her—our—overtures."
Liv threw her head back, laughing. "Oh no, that must have sucked."
"You're right about that. He'd been gone for a while on some overseas thing, and he's finally home and he won't let me anywhere near him. Luckily, that was about the time that the Fillmore-Graves people finalized the brain paste process and Viv sent a box down to me. Cleared the vapid twit out and fixed our little problem." Veronica gave a sigh of contentment, but then felt her cheeks warm as Liv laughed again. "Umm, you know."
"Indeed I do." Liv stabbed the slice of brain with a fork and lifted it from the plate of breadcrumbs. "So, no parmigiano del cervello for you?"
Veronica rolled her eyes to the ceiling, grumbling to herself. "No. I guess not. Not until you get another murder victim."
Liv nodded, and turned to place the brain in the hot oil on her single burner hot plate. The sizzling sound made Veronica grumble again, but Liv gave her a friendly smile.
"I think it's sweet that he's looking out for you. And that he's such a one woman kinda guy that he pushed off the fan girl."
"He didn't push a fan girl away, it was still me. He obviously would push away an actual other woman. He's fond of his private parts." Liv laughed again, but Veronica shook her head. "No, that's not fair; I'm just being bitchy. The smell of garlic-drenched brain frying in garlic-infused olive oil is getting to me. It is sweet. He is sweet."
"Talking about me, ladies?" They both turned to see Ravi leaning in the doorway.
"You wish," Liv replied. "If you must know, Mr. Nosy, Veronica was talking about her husband."
"That's Dr. Nosy to you, and Chase Graves is sweet?" He stepped into the room, a skeptical look on his face. "I'm pretty sure that's not the reputation he's cultivating around town. I mean, Liv, he shot your boyfriend." He stopped and sniffed loudly. "You know, if I didn't know that was a human brain you're cooking, I'd say that smells pretty good."
"I know, doesn't it?" Veronica exclaimed. "And I'm missing out. Can we make this again when the next brain comes through? But, first..." She swiveled back to Liv. "Logan shot your boyfriend? Why am I just now hearing about this?"
Liv shrugged. "It was before you got to town, and it's not exactly an easy segue during dinner conversation. Plus Justin seems to be over it, so when Peyton wanted me to come with her to dinner with you guys, I kinda figured I should try to be over it to."
"I'm pretty sure I wouldn't get over it if someone shot Logan," Veronica said with a frown. "Like ever."
"I'm not all that surprised by that news," Liv said as she turned the brain to brown the opposite side. "So, sure you don't want some of this? We've got quite a bit left of this brain."
"What's the storage protocol?" Veronica asked. "I'm sticking with no for now, but depending on what you see, I might change my mind later."
"Don't worry, you're good for at least a week," Ravi advised. "On top of the cure, I'm working on some other ideas that could result in longer term preservation, but for now, it's just the morgue refrigeration."
"Like pickling?" Veronica wrinkled her nose. "Maybe..."
"That would not be conducive to this delicious meal," Liv said, turning toward them with the nicely browned slice of brain. Veronica leaned forward with an appreciative sniff as Ravi grimaced and stepped back.
"Okay, let's get some sauce and more cheese on that and then we'll see what Celeste has to tell you." Veronica grabbed the container of spicy marinara and put a large dollop on the breaded brain. Ravi shook his head and backed toward the door.
"I'll let you guys alone. It creeps me out when my mouth waters over your brain dishes."
"At least bring us the wine, you wimp," Liv called after him as she sprinkled cheese on top of the sauce and slid the whole thing into her toaster oven.
"Please," Veronica added and Ravi raised a hand in acknowledgement, then disappeared into his office before returning with the bottle of wine that Logan sent them yesterday, and two glasses.
"None for you?" Veronica asked.
"No, I've got...plans for tonight. A meeting."
Liv turned to him with a startled look. "A meeting? Tonight?"
"Yeah, with those guys...we met. You know..." His lips pressed together and his eyes shifted sideways to Veronica and then away.
Veronica chuckled and shook her head. "Would you prefer if I left the room so you can actually speak in full sentences?"
"No, no, it's just, it's related to another case," Liv said quickly. She looked at Ravi. "Are you going to be okay on your own?"
"Sure, sure. These guys, they're no big deal." From the look on Liv's face, it appeared that she didn't agree.
"Maybe I should hold off on this—" she gestured toward the toaster oven, then stepped back to it and opened the door, pulling the pan out.
"No, you need to help Clive." Ravi nodded firmly. "Stop worrying and eat up. Mrs. Graves wants to hear who killed her old friend."
Veronica snorted. "Again, it's Veronica, and Celeste Kane is about the furthest thing from an old friend as you can get. Is she was, there wouldn't be any issue with me being the one to eat that meal. But I can, if I need to. We know Logan isn't crazy about the idea, and he might have reason, but Liv, if you need to do something else..."
"Nope, she's good." Ravi turned for the door again. "I'm going to wrap a few things up and I'll be back to see how you're doing."
Liv watched him go with a frown, but then turned back to the prepared brain. "Okay, then, let's do this thing." She moved it from the pan to a serving plate, then sat down at the small table. "If you could, you can pour the wine and give me some insights about my meal."
Liv snapped out of the vision with the usual roar and rush. Most of her meal still sat in front of her and she was clutching her fork.
"That was the fastest a vision has ever come on," she said, when she was present enough in the now to notice Veronica staring at her with her mouth slightly ajar. "I wonder if that's from you talking about her as I ate."
"I've never seen someone have a vision quite like that," Veronica said. "I've had them, obviously, but I couldn't see myself." Ravi appeared in the doorway again, apparently having heard her mention the vision. He moved to the table where they sat and joined them.
"That was really quick. Can't believe I missed it." He looked over at Veronica. "So, did you say you've never seen Chase...sorry, Logan, or anyone else, have one?"
"Not like that, Logan's been a brain paste guy from really early on. In the very beginning, I've seen him eat unadulterated brains, but never very much at a time, and never with that level of response. Probably more like a petit mal compared to the grand mal I just saw her have." Her eyes narrowed as she turned back to Liv. "I mean, I know a vision's not exactly like a seizure, but that was longer and more pronounced than anything I ever saw Logan experience." Her head tilted to the side. "So, what did you see?"
Liv took a deep breath, sorting through the memory. "We were in her living room."
"Here in Seattle?"
Liv nodded at Veronica. "Yeah, in the house where she died. The only other person I saw in the vision was a tall African-American man. He said, very stern and forbidding, 'He's not happy about this. This forced separation is a real problem and I'm getting concerned that he may take matters into his own hands if you keep fighting him on this. I don't think you really understand what he's capable of.'" Liv closed her eyes and let the memory of the vision replay.
"She was aggravated by that. I could feel that in her. To me, he seemed vaguely threatening, but I didn't feel anything from her that made me think he intimidated her and he didn't say anything outright that would make me think she was in immediate danger. She sounded more condescending than anything else. She said, 'Of course I understand, I know all kinds of things you don't think I do.' That got his attention and he looked at her like he was trying to figure out exactly what she was talking about. Then she said, 'What you both need to understand is what I'm capable of. You just need to tell him she's far safer if he stays away. I can't predict what will happen if he fights me on this. Do you understand me, Clarence?' Did you know anyone in her life named Clarence?"
Veronica nodded vigorously, excitement evident on her face. "Oh yes, I know exactly who she was talking to. And I'm pretty sure I know who she was talking about too. I just don't get why. She and Jake, her ex-husband, have been divorced for years. I don't know why she would still care who he's messing around with at this late date."
"Do you think the man in the vision is who killed her?"
Liv watched Veronica consider that idea, her face twisting as she thought. After a moment she shook her head. "My initial guess is no, Clarence wouldn't kill her. But who knows. It's been a decade since I dealt with any of these people." Liv started as Veronica stood abruptly.
"If you don't mind, I think I'm going to go do a little research. If you see anything else, can you text me?"
"Oh no, it's okay...if that's what you want. I'll finish up here and let you know if I have another vision." Liv caught Ravi's eye as Veronica began to shove her things back into her bag. He frowned at her, eyebrows scrunching as he glanced between the women.
"Great, thank you." She straightened and gave a quick wave to both Liv and Ravi. "We'll talk soon."
Liv stared after her as she disappeared, not re-focusing on Ravi until the door to the morgue slammed shut.
"Methinks Mrs. Graves knows something about this that she doesn't necessarily want to share," Ravi said.
"That's kinda my impression too," Liv replied. She took another bite of the sauced and breaded brain, chewing carefully. "All I know is that we better hope she doesn't end up stonewalling this investigation. Clive's gonna be pissed if she ends up driving this investigation into a ditch because she's trying to keep something quiet. I probably should have kept her out of this entirely once we found out she had a personal stake in this murder. It never occurred to me that she might have her own agenda."
"Maybe she just wanted to get started on the investigation," Ravi suggested. "Let's not jump to any conclusions yet about her motivations." He stood and waved his hand at Liv's meal. "You eat up and I'll get ready to go meet up with my anti-zombie buddies."
"Be careful. Let me know if you need anything."
"I will."
Veronica couldn't wait to get back to the hotel and her laptop. She sat in the back of the Uber and poked furiously at her phone, doing preliminary Google searches. A Prying Eyez website search would give better results, but she couldn't wait.
Lianne Mars...nothing since a drunk and disorderly arrest in 2014. Lianne Kane, maybe? Could they have finally gotten married? Apparently not, nothing under that name at all. Where is she? And why does Celeste still care whether Jake has anything to do with her? They've been divorced for years, but she's still trying to keep them apart? That's gotta be what this is about, right? And if I'm right about that, was it Jake or Lianne that finally got Jake's pesky ex-wife out of the way?
Veronica sighed and banged her head back against the car seat. And here's the big question. If Lianne's the one who finally got fed up with Celeste keeping them apart, are you going to help the Seattle PD arrest your mother for murder?
