Part II - Chapter 5
He wasn't sure if he was being prudent or just indulging in some wishful thinking, but Logan had been careful to make sure his phone was set to "ring" while it recharged overnight. Although he knew it was unlikely that Veronica would call while he was sleeping, he hadn't wanted to take the chance. But the phone had remained stubbornly silent, and he awoke on Saturday not to a ringing phone but to the sun filtering through the half-closed blinds.
He pulled himself out of bed and headed to the shower, hoping she wouldn't decide to call in the next few minutes. While the warm water cascaded over his body, he let his mind wander as he considered everything that had happened in the past ten days.
Logan didn't kid himself. It had been a blow to hear from Cliff that Veronica had a fiancé, but he knew he'd eventually have to accept it. But first, he'd just wanted make sure that the man was someone who was...worthy of Veronica. So he'd gotten himself invited to the Farnsworths' dinner, where he'd expected to meet a charismatic firebrand who'd made it all the way from his humble beginnings to the top of the food chain through a combination of intelligence, ambition, and pluck. A male version of Veronica, perhaps, with a bent for politics. He'd expected to be impressed.
Instead, he'd met a careful man, who'd clearly married his way into the best circles and who seemed less suited for politics than almost anyone Logan had met.
Logan had purposely remained at the Farnsworth dinner after Veronica left to hear what Garcia had to say for himself. He'd listened attentively while the candidate regurgitated all the right answers when asked about his reasons for running for office: his feeling of obligation to help his community, the corruption that was rampant in many local governments, how it had been his lifelong dream to become California Attorney General. Blah, blah, blah. And the others at the table had all nodded and smiled like sheep, and pledged their support as well as their dollars.
But Logan had a bullshit meter that had been finely calibrated against the grandiose ramblings of that king of bastards, Aaron Echolls. Almost from birth, he'd learned to distinguish sincerity from utter crap, and he just fucking knew that somebody else had written those lines that Garcia was spouting, and that he was tossing them off because that's what was expected. And his delivery wasn't even that good. Logan figured that with his own thespian genes, he could have done a hell of a lot better job himself.
So he'd come away from the dinner...puzzled. And wary. And wanting some answers.
He'd gone to Garcia's the next night, hoping to figure out what made the man so fucking appealing to Veronica, and why the hell she'd ever agreed to marry him. Because he knew damned well it wasn't the rock that she'd been wearing on her finger.
Logan continued his musings as he dried himself off and pulled clean clothes out of his suitcase. After the dinner at the Farnsworths', he'd been pretty damned sure that he didn't like Matthew Garcia, and that he never would, but he had supposed that his reaction might stem from feelings of jealousy or possessiveness. After the dinner at Garcia's, he'd adjusted that opinion. Now he knew that the man was a pretentious prick, and that he would have despised him no matter how they'd met. Logan had always been a good judge of character, and he knew that Matthew Garcia was a self-important jerk, and worse, that he seemed to think of Veronica as one of his possessions.
He grimaced then, remembering that he himself hadn't exactly been the poster child for good behavior the night before, either. Logan had wanted prove to Veronica that he'd changed, that he'd at last learned to exercise some self-restraint. But instead, he'd only succeeded in making himself look like an idiot.
Logan sighed. All those years gaining control of his temper and he'd just reverted right back to jackass mode. Blurted out information that he'd known was bound to shock her even as it was spilling out of his mouth. He hadn't done anything quite so stupid in a long, long time.
By rights, Veronica should have been pissed as hell, but somehow...she wasn't. He'd expected to find her long gone by the time he'd finally made it out of Garcia's building. Instead, he'd found her leaning against the building hugging herself, and he'd wanted to kick himself for proving to her that he was still an insensitive asshole.
But she hadn't been angry so much as bewildered. And he could relate. He'd felt that way himself just a few days before, and he desperately needed to explain it all to her. But he wouldn't be able to do that until she called and they set up a...meeting.
He was just about to say "Screw the waiting," and call her when his phone beeped and a text appeared. From Veronica.
Can't do today, it said. Tomorrow 2pm Japanese Tea Garden?
OK, he responded, biting back his disappointment that he'd have to wait yet another day to talk to her.
His phone beeped again. Do you know where it is?
Logan chuckled. Typical Veronica. She'd make the arrangements to suit herself, and only then worry about whether or not they were workable.
I'll find it, he texted back. He had some idea that it was in the park, but he'd figure it out if it took him all day.
Tomorrow. Damn. He was wondering how he was going to fill the empty day that now stretched before him when his phone actually rang. Logan snatched it up and pressed "Answer," hoping to hear that Veronica had reconsidered. But it was a different female on the other end of the line.
"Hi, Logan?" The voice was bright and cheery. "I hope I didn't wake you. I'm not usually up this early, but my body clock is still all screwed up."
Logan did some quick mental gymnastics. "Evie?" he said. He was surprised to hear from her. He smirked. Well, perhaps not altogether.
"Yes, it's Evie. Sorry, didn't I say that?" She sounded a little breathless, as though she'd just finished a run.
Logan laughed. "No," he said, "you skipped that part. But I managed to figure it out."
Evie laughed, too. "Yep, my mom keeps telling me I need to improve my 'social graces'. That's what she calls it. 'Social graces'."
"Yeah, well I wouldn't worry about it. At least not as far as I'm concerned. I'm not exactly known for my good manners either. Although, like yours, my mother did try." At least sometimes, he thought. She tried sometimes.
"So what can I do for Evie Garcia today?" he asked, a smile in his voice. He'd already learned that Evie could be outrageous. And she seemed very young for her age, or maybe he was just very old for his. But he liked her. She somehow reminded him of another young girl he'd known a long time ago, who'd also said outrageous things and dressed provocatively to annoy her parents.
"You can take me to lunch," she said. It was the last thing he'd expected.
"Uh, Evie, I'm not sure that's a good idea." He tried to let her down gently.
"Why?" she asked. "Because you and my father don't like each other?" He was beginning to think that Evie had never heard of subtlety. Or perhaps she just didn't believe in it.
Logan had no idea how to respond to her question, but it didn't matter. Any response would have been superfluous, because Evie just wasn't taking 'no' for an answer. She continued to wheedle, using a tone that with anyone else Logan would have found annoying, but with Evie Garcia, he simply found amusing.
"The thing is, Logan, one of my friends had actually heard of you. She kept insisting that I really couldn't have met you because you never leave Neptune." She paused, exasperated, "Where the hell is Neptune, anyway?"
Logan couldn't help the bark of laughter that erupted. He hadn't met anyone so delightfully sassy in a long time. Or so totally tactless. She was like one of those madcap heiresses in the very old black and white movies that he'd sometimes watched with his mother when he was little. Carole Lombard. Myrna Loy. Claudette Colbert. He remembered them all fondly. She was Carole, Myrna, Claudette, and all the others, but with a Latin twist.
"So if we were to go to lunch," he said, the laughter still in his voice, "is there any chance that one or more of your disbelieving girlfriends might just happen by?"
"Er, that is a possibility," Evie said, sounding a little more confident now that it seemed she might get what she wanted. "So you'll come?"
"Why not?" Logan said. "I find myself unexpectedly free today. Why don't I pick you up? Say around one?"
"It's a date!" Evie laughed. "I'll meet you in front of the building."
Logan hung up thinking about his plan to spend the better part of his afternoon playing the amusing charmer for a bunch of rich late-adolescent females. Shades of his not-so-distant past.
xxxxxxxx
He'd assured Matthew he'd be there by mid-morning, but ten o'clock came and went, and then eleven, and still Padrino had not arrived. Matthew felt that he would jump out of his skin if he had to wait much longer. He knew he was in for a dressing down. But what could he do? He could not marry a woman who was still married to someone else.
Matthew chafed at being put in this position. At having to defend his actions. At having to explain to anyone else something as personal as what woman he chose to be with.
He had known Padrino for more than 30 years, since he was in his early teens, and Matthew had always looked up to him, been in awe of him. Padrino had been kind and encouraging, and Matthew had basked in his approval. But then, Matthew had always met or exceeded the expectations that had been set for him, so why should he not have had that approval?
But now - now they had asked something of him for which he had slowly come to realize he was not at all suited. He did not enjoy the constant networking and politicking. Matthew had worked hard to become successful, and now he wanted to enjoy the fruits of that success, not spend his time ingratiating himself to strangers. And in the greatest of all ironies, if he was successful in his quest, he would be forced to work for a pittance compared to what he could be making in his law practice.
But one did not refuse a...request...from such men.
So he'd found himself preparing to declare his candidacy for California Attorney General. Padrino had insisted that a single man would not be as appealing to the electorate. He might be seen as a player, and what the voters wanted was a 'family man'. Matthew had already been dating Veronica for a few months, and it was suggested that he should become engaged.
Matthew smiled wryly. Perhaps 'suggested' was not precisely the correct word.
Matthew had been relieved when Veronica had agreed to his proposal. He doubted he could find anyone else who suited him so well. He'd hoped that after the primaries were over and he had the party's nomination in hand, he could persuade Veronica to marry him with little fanfare.
And now...this. Matthew would make it his business to ensure that this time her divorce went through as quickly as possible. Because until that happened, he knew that she wouldn't put that ring back on her finger. And the man who had been his mentor for so many years would be seriously displeased.
Matthew was relieved when he heard a knock on the door around noon. Evie was thankfully in her room getting ready for an outing with her friends, so Matthew let his visitor in himself and ushered him into his office.
"Can I get you anything, Padrino?" he asked cordially. "Some coffee or water? Perhaps a glass of Merlot?
"No, Mateo. This is not a time of day during which I generally imbibe."
"And your...friend? Out in the hallway?"
The older man just grunted. "He does not need anything. He is only here to see to my needs, Stop hovering, Mateo. Sit, sit."
Matthew seated himself at one end of the large couch, while the older man took the other end. No one called him 'Mateo' anymore, except for Padrino. Is he trying to remind me of who I am, where I came from? If he only knew that I can never forget, no matter how hard I try.
"So what is this new complication with the lovely Veronica, Mateo?" Padrino had never met Veronica, nor was he likely to, but he'd seen pictures of her.
"Uh, there's been a slight hitch in our...plans. For the time being, Veronica has...removed her engagement ring."
"So, she's broken the engagement?" the older man asked, displeased and waiting for an explanation.
"No...but she...doesn't want to wear the ring. It's...temporary."
"You are not making sense, Mateo. If she has not broken the engagement, why give back the ring?"
"Well, uh, it's a strange situation. Veronica was married once before, when she was very young..."
Padrino frowned. "Very young? She is not so old now," he said. "Why have I not heard about this early marriage before now?"
"It...it didn't seem relevant." And besides, she never told me. But he knew better than to part with that information. "But...as it turns out, there was some...irregularity with her divorce. A, uh, technical thing. She just found this out," Matthew hastened to add.
"So all this time you have been courting a woman who was already married?" Padrino was quick to get to the point. "Who else knows about this?" he asked, his voice harsh and his expression severe.
"No one." Matthew rushed to reassure him. "She told me about it immediately. She was shocked." Well, it was almost the truth.
"And...the husband?" The older man got right to the heart of the matter. "He won't be causing any trouble, or trying to blackmail you while this 'technical thing' is resolved?"
"No, no." Matthew tried to picture the extremely wealthy Echolls attempting to extort money from him. "That's not going to happen. They hadn't seen each other in years before this came to light. It will just take a few weeks to straighten it all out. But in the meantime, she...didn't feel right about wearing the ring."
Padrino was silent for a moment, thoughtful. "You assured me that Veronica was the right person," he finally said.
"She is, Padrino, she is," Matthew said hurriedly. "She's brilliant and beautiful..."
"All well and good, Mateo." His voice was cold. "But something like this could ruin you. No matter how attractive she is, if this gets out, it won't help you win an election."
"It will all be taken care of within a very short time." Matthew rushed in. "And Veronica is worth the wait. These days, the public expects more from the wives of elected officials than they used to. More than just smiles and a nice dress. Veronica is brilliant and articulate. She could be a great asset..."
"Could be, Mateo?" His tone was sharp. "She must be the person who can help you win this election. This is our one chance to ensure that the Attorney General's office is...sympathetic to our needs."
His look became pointed, his voice deliberate. "And I know I do not have to remind you that this is your opportunity to repay all the...kindnesses that you have received over the years. Nothing that is given to you in this life comes without obligations. You may have forgotten that in your zeal to become the important San Francisco lawyer, but the time has come for you to give back to those who made it possible."
His voice was deceptively soft. "We won't have another chance at the Attorney General's office if you fail." For the first time in the many years he'd known Padrino, Matthew looked at the man and felt a chill.
"I know you understand, Mateo." His voice, usually warm like honey, was cold as ice. "Failure will not be acceptable."
Matthew nodded his head. "Is there any way in which I can demonstrate to you that my assurances are justified?"
Padrino smiled suddenly, and Matthew was inexplicably reminded of a shark he'd seen once on a school visit to the aquarium when he was a boy.
"Bring your beautiful Veronica to the charity ball next weekend." He laughed a little, and Matthew shuddered inwardly, recognizing for the first time the coldness in his eyes. "Who knows which charity it is? It doesn't matter. It only matters that you be seen there with your woman and that you look the part. That you convince all those Anglo bigwigs you're so friendly with that the boy from the barrios deserves their support."
He paused. "If you can't get her to do that much, Mateo, we may need to rethink your Veronica."
"What...what does that mean, Padrino?" His voice was so faint could hardly hear it himself.
"We won't worry about that now, Mateo," he said.
By the time the older man left, Matthew was practically shaking, but he wasn't sure whether it was from fear or anger.
xxxxxxxx
When Logan pulled up to the curb near Garcia's building at one o'clock, Evie was nowhere in sight. He had to maneuver to find a temporary parking spot because directly in front of the building a large, chauffeured vehicle was taking up most of the available space. He shook his head and reflected that the waiting was also reminiscent of his adolescence.
When Evie came through the door just a minute or two later, she appeared to be in the company of two men, one considerably older even than Garcia, and the other...
Logan did a double-take. He knew that face, but the couldn't quite put a name to it. It was a Neptune connection, he was sure if it. So what was he doing here? Logan grabbed his phone impulsively and started snapping pictures of the two men.
He thought it was possible that she'd just happened to come out of the building at the same time as the men, until the older man leaned over and kissed Evie on the cheek, confirming that she knew them. Logan ducked down instinctively, but there was no need. The two men were paying no attention to his car or its occupant as they entered the chauffeured vehicle.
"Friends of yours?" Logan asked as Evie got into his car.
"Old friend of Daddy's," she answered. "He kind of gives me the creeps, but he's Daddy's padrino so I have to tolerate him."
"Padrino?" Logan asked.
"Yeah," she said, "like his sponsor...or his mentor. Daddy's always complaining that my Spanish sucks." She tossed her head. "But just because my name is Garcia doesn't mean I should know how to speak Spanish."
Logan was amused by her attitude, but still curious about the man. About the pair of men.
"And what about the other man?" he asked her.
"Him? I don't know. He's just one of Padrino's flunkies."
"Flunkies?"
"Yeah. Padrino's been visiting Daddy for years and he always has some young guy with him to open the door for him, help him on with his coat..." she gave Logan a pert look. "Wipe his ass."
Logan laughed on cue. "So he's...no one special."
"Nope. Don't think I've ever seen that one before. He's better than some of them," she added. "At least this one was respectful, didn't try to look down my dress."
Curiouser and curiouser, Logan thought. "Where to, Madam?" he asked Evie as he pulled away from the curb.
"Do you know how to get to the waterfront?" she said, laughing. "I have a strong feeling that a couple of my friends might be hanging around there today."
"As you wish," he said smiling.
As he'd predicted, Logan spent the next three hours regaling Evie and her friends with stories about Neptune and other aspects of his life that he didn't mind sharing. But he was also able to casually extract information about Matthew Garcia's life as a boy. Evie didn't know much, but what she did know was in Logan's possession by the end of the afternoon.
After he dropped off Evie at her door, Logan thought again about the pictures in his phone, about Garcia's mysterious "padrino," and about why he might have a "flunky" who hailed from Neptune.
He pulled his phone out as he maneuvered the car along the city's hilly streets and punched in a familiar name. Maybe he'd visit an old friend and get some technical assistance with the pictures at the same time.
"Hey, Mac," he said when she answered. "You'll never guess where I am."
"Oh, I think I might," she said. "Why didn't you tell me you were coming north?"
"I thought I'd surprise you," he said, "but I guess I'm too late."
"You might say that," she said.
"So how'd you like some company? I'd like to see that condo you keep bragging about, and I might even be persuaded to buy you dinner."
"I've already got company," she said vaguely.
Logan paused.
"You got a new guy you haven't told me about?" he asked.
"Not exactly," she responded with a sigh.
Logan stilled. "Is Veronica there now?" He really didn't even have to ask.
"Kind of," she said, and he could hear the discomfort in her voice.
Logan thought furiously. "I'd like to see your place, Mac," he told his friend, "but I also need a little technical help with something. Uh, why don't you call me when you're free?"
"Technical help. Well, that certainly sounds intriguing," she said brightly. "I'll do that."
Logan hung up. Veronica was there. Well, he was pretty sure there was at least one bombshell he wouldn't have to drop on Mac.
xxxxxxxx
Mac pressed "End" and looked straight up into Veronica's suspicious eyes.
"That was Logan, wasn't it?" she asked Mac.
Mac sighed, not even trying to dissemble. With Veronica, it simply wasn't possible.
"It was," she said. "He, uh, wants to see my condo since he's visiting the city..." Her voice trailed off as she realized the implications of that.
"Veronica..." she began, but that's as far as she got.
"So how long have you and Logan been in touch?" Veronica asked quietly.
Mac sighed. "Since the beginning. Almost since you moved up here."
Veronica was bewildered. "Why? How?"
"'How' is easier," Mac answered honestly. "I drop in on him sometimes when I'm in Neptune to visit my family. We might catch a meal or have a drink. Sometimes he'll call, or I will, if we haven't seen each other for a while."
Mac hurried on, trying to explain. "I didn't want to keep it from you, Veronica, but you could barely stand to hear the name 'Logan'. Why would I tell you I'd seen him? And then...it just became habit. He was 'off limits' as a conversational topic. That's just how it was."
"But, why, Mac? You'd never been that close to Logan. I guess I just...I don't understand."
"Oh, god," she said softly. Mac had known this day would come eventually, and she'd always hoped that when it did, she'd be able to explain it to Veronica's satisfaction.
"When everything...happened...here, Logan and I...Veronica, I sat with him for hours. Waiting, just waiting in that...hospital."
Veronica turned away. "Mac," she said. "I don't want to talk about that..."
"I know you don't," Mac said. "You never did. That was your choice and I respected it. But I had a feeling that Logan...might. He'd called me about something totally unrelated to you and I just...I suddenly thought to myself that if you'd wanted to talk, you could have talked to me. But Logan had no one. No one who knew."
Mac's eyes begged Veronica to understand, and not see her friendship with Logan as a betrayal.
"So...when I finally managed some time for a family visit, while I was in Neptune I went to see him. To see if he wanted to talk about...everything. And...he did."
Mac sighed and continued earnestly. "I promise you, Veronica, that except for that first time, we never discussed...you...at all. I never told him what you were up to...and he never asked. We talked about his business, if he had any new projects. I'd tell him about work. Sometimes Dick joined us for dinner."
"Dick? Dick Casablancas? Don't tell me you and Dick are buddies, too!" Veronica simply couldn't imagine it.
Mac chuckled. "I wouldn't say we're exactly friends, no, but we...tolerate each other." She shrugged. "And maybe he's grown up a little,too."
"So...you know about LEA." Veronica made it a statement.
"Logan's business? Yes, of course. Why are you asking about that?" Mac was puzzled.
"No particular reason," Veronica lied, suddenly realizing that if she'd only known to ask Mac about 'Leah', she could have saved herself from all that...hurt. She didn't try to fool herself into thinking it had been anything else.
"I'm not upset with you Mac," she said finally. "You were being a friend to Logan when he needed one and I can't fault you for that."
"I'm a friend to both of you." Mac wanted to be very clear. "It hasn't been a problem up to now. And I don't see why it should be."
"It won't. It's not." Veronica hastened to assure her. "It was just such a surprise."
"Hardly the biggest one you've had this week, though," Mac suggested with a small smile.
"Nope, not hardly," Veronica agreed.
"So...what are you gonna do about that?" Mac wanted to know.
Veronica sighed. "I guess we'll talk to a lawyer about putting everything right."
"And by that you mean..."
"I mean, find out from Logan what went wrong with the...divorce...the first time, and make sure it doesn't happen again," Veronica said. "Fix it."
"Fix it? That's it? There are no other possible options, no other possible outcomes to explore?" Mac raised her brows and looked pointedly at Veronica.
"Mac, we should have been divorced six years ago. The fact that we weren't, well, it was just some kind of mistake, nothing more. Something happened, I don't know what yet, but..."
"Veronica," Mac knew she should probably butt out, but she and Veronica had been friends for a long time and she couldn't just let it go. "Did you ever think that maybe this...this glitch...or whatever the hell it was, might have happened for a reason? That maybe the universe is trying to tell you something?"
"This from you, Mac? My rational scientist? You're the one person who knows how hard I've worked to build a life for myself here. And Matthew..." Veronica paused.
"What about Matthew?" Mac asked.
"He...he fits my life." Veronica finished quietly.
"He fits your life? That's all you can say about him?" Mac bit her lip, but couldn't hold back.
"Veronica, I was there, remember. Not just for the sad part..."
"Mac, please don't." Veronica put up her hands, as if to ward off what Mac might say next.
But Mac was on a roll by then, and wasn't going to stop until she got it all out.
"Not only for the sad parts," she continued softly, "but for the happy parts, too. Please don't try to convince me that you and Logan..." She started again. "I've never seen two people so in love as you and Logan were that weekend before everything...went to hell. I just think...you shouldn't forget that part."
Mac stopped abruptly as if she could hardly believe that she'd finally said the words that she'd held back for so many years.
Veronica stared at her and for a moment Mac was afraid that she'd gone too far. Then Veronica heaved a sigh.
"I...accepted Matthew's proposal, Mac." Her face was set. "I...I owe him some loyalty."
Mac was silent for a moment.
"And what about what you owe yourself?" she asked finally. "What about what you really want?"
"This is what I want," Veronica insisted.
Mac nodded. "Okay," she said, knowing it would be pointless to continue. It had never been possible to sway Veronica once she'd made up her mind. She'd always needed to figure things out for herself.
She smiled suddenly and glanced at the clock, changing the subject.
"Do you want to get some takeout?" Mac asked. "There's a great new Italian place just down the street." She figured Veronica could use some food after all the emotional conversation. They were neither of them used to it.
Not for the first time that day, Veronica surprised her.
"I'm not very hungry," she said. "I think I'll go home. I've...I've got some work to do."
"Work? But you just finished a big trial. I don't..."
"Thanks for listening, Mac," she said, picking up her handbag. "You're a good friend. I...I'll think about what you said." She smiled softly as she opened the door and said, "and I'm pretty sure you could talk Logan into the Italian takeout."
Then she was gone, and Mac was left wondering if she'd said too much...or not enough.
xxxxxxxx
Veronica was right. When she returned his call, Mac was more successful in interesting Logan in the new Italian restaurant, particularly when he heard its name.
"La Dolce Vita?" he said, chuckling. "Who could resist? I'll be ordering the Tortellini Fellini."
When he showed up an hour later, he was carrying a large takeout bag that was redolent of garlic and oregano. Mac unpacked it and set the food out on the small table in her dining alcove.
"This place is great, Mac," Logan said, looking around. "I'd say the bragging is justified."
"Says the man with the multi-million dollar beach house," Mac scoffed.
"Well, a house on the beach would make it easier for you get more surfing in," he agreed.
"I'll keep that in mind," she said with a laugh, as she ate her Tomato Risotto and sipped her wine. "So, what kind of technical assistance do you need? I'm always looking for a challenge."
Logan's brows rose. "So we're just going there directly, huh, Mac? We're skipping right over everything Veronica must have told you when she was here?"
"Logan..." Mac sighed. "You know I won't talk to you about Veronica. You've never put me in the middle like that. Please don't start now."
Logan dropped his fork onto his plate and studied her intently.
"Okay, let's not talk about the fact that Veronica and I are still married. Let's talk about Garcia instead," he tried.
"Logan," Mac chastised him. "You can't possibly expect me to discuss Veronica's personal life."
Logan threw up his hands in frustration. "By all means, Mac, let's not talk about my wife or her fiancé, because that's just none of my fucking business."
Mac was sympathetic. "Logan, I know you want to have this conversation, but you need to have it with Veronica, not with me."
"Okay, fine!" he said, glowering. He stabbed his fork into his lasagna and ate quietly for a few minutes before speaking again.
"Just tell me one thing, Mac, and then I'll stop bugging you."
"If I can," she said warily.
Logan wondered how he could phrase his question so that Mac might actually answer it.
"You've met Garcia, right?"
Mac nodded. "Yes," she said. "A few times, but I don't know him well."
"Okay. So tell me honestly, would you be happy to see Veronica married to him?"
"Well," she said, "it's Veronica who has to...to like him."
Logan's eyebrows rose and he said, "That's not what I asked, Mac."
Mac paused. "Fine," she responded. "Let's just say that I wouldn't be unhappy to find that she wasn't going to marry him."
Logan smirked. "Good enough," he said, satisfied.
"And now that you've wormed that out of me," Mac wanted to know, "what's this technical assistance you require from your computer genius friend?"
"I thought 'genius' was overstating it, Mac?" he reminded her.
"I've reconsidered," she said with a smile.
Logan laughed and pulled out his phone, accessing the pictures he'd taken outside Garcia's building earlier that day.
"I took some pictures of a couple of guys, one older and one about our age." He showed the pictures to Mac. "The young guy...does he seem at all familiar to you?"
Mac took a look and said instantly, "Neptune High, PCHer. Scary guy." Then added, "Can't remember his name."
"PCHer! What the hell is wrong with me?" Logan's arms flailed around as he berated himself for not making the obvious connection.
"Look," he asked her, "can you...using your mad computer skills...separate the two men...and maybe remove the background...so I can get two separate pictures, but nothing to show where they were taken?"
"Oh, the things people ask me to do," Mac said with a smile, uploading the images into her computer and beginning the task of creating what Logan had asked for.
"I'll clean these up a little, too," she said. "I think I can make their faces a little clearer."
Mac paused, looking at him out if the corner of her eye. "And then you're going to tell me what this is all about."
"When I figure it out, I will," he promised.
As soon as Mac finished and uploaded the new pictures into Logan's phone, he sent a text to Weevil and attached the picture of the younger man. The text said simply, "Do you know this guy?"
They didn't have to wait long. When his phone rang, he knew it was Weevil before he even checked the Caller ID.
Without preamble, Weevil barked into the phone, "Where did you get that picture?"
"Why?" Logan asked him.
"Because that's my cousin Chardo, and I haven't seen him in almost five years!"
"Chardo! Shit, I should've remembered. Weevil, what's Chardo doing these days?"
"I don't know exactly, man, but whatever it is, it ain't good. He's like the, what do you call it, the black sheep in my family. And that's sayin' somethin', because the Navarros ain't exactly choir boys...as you know."
Logan suddenly had a very bad feeling. "Weevil, this is important. Can you find out what Chardo has gotten himself mixed up in? Who he works for?"
"I don't know, Logan. My grandma might know something, but she's not gonna want to talk to me about it."
Logan paused, not sure exactly how much to tell Weevil.
"Weevs, if I tell you that this involves...Veronica's welfare, would that give you some incentive to find out?"
There was a moment of silence from the other end of the line.
"Logan...you've seen V? Is she okay?"
"She is...for now. Look," he continued, "can you go see Lety tonight? I wouldn't ask if it wasn't really important."
Weevil caught the edge of concern in Logan's tone. "Let me see what I can find out," he said.
xxxxxxxx
Leticia Navarro had had to raise several of her grandchildren, and most of them were grateful. But none showed his gratitude more than her grandson Eli.
Lety had never known where he got the money, but Eli had assured her it was completely legitimate. So she could do nothing but thank him when he'd found a way to buy the small house that she'd been living in for the past ten years while she was raising his cousin Diego. Now Diego was at college - gracias a dios - and since he was the youngest, the last she'd had to raise, she was able to take her ease in her own home.
When Eli showed up unexpectedly that Saturday night, Lety was busy watching reruns of The Golden Girls on the new flat-screen TV that they'd all chipped in to buy her last Christmas. She often wondered about those "girls." It seemed that in their whole life, none of them had ever had to do anything more difficult than keep a husband happy. But still, she had to laugh at their antics. And Lety could always use a good laugh.
"Whatcha doin', abuela," Eli said as he walked into her house. Lety smiled. Eli always said the same thing every time he came in the door. But it was Saturday, not Monday. What was he doing here? Letty liked things to stay in a nice, predictable rhythm, because when there was a change in the rhythm, that's when there was trouble.
"And what else would I be doing on a Saturday night, Eli, but watching The Golden Girls? The real question is why are you here on Saturday? Shouldn't you be taking your beautiful wife somewhere nice instead of visiting me?"
"What? I can't come over on a Saturday?" Eli smiled at her fondly, kissing her on the cheek. "Besides, Marisol is pretty tired still, abuela. The baby just started sleeping through the night, so she's not really feelin' like kickin' up her heels."
"You know I would be happy to come over and give her a little rest, Eli. Take care of my great-grandchild." Lety loved to say the word, and she smiled often just remembering that she really had a great-grandchild.
"Pretty soon," he said. "As soon as she's just a little bigger. Right now, it's hard to get Marisol to leave her."
"So what is it, Eli? I know you're here for a reason," she said.
"Yeah." Weevil wasn't sure how to start, so he finally just dived right in. "What do you know...what do you hear...about Chardo?"
It was the last thing Lety had expected. "Why are you asking about Chardo?" she said.
Weevil wasn't sure what to tell her because Logan hadn't given him any details.
"He was...seen somewhere." he finally said.
"Seen by who? And...where?"
"By Logan," he said. "He never said where."
"By Mr. Logan? But how could that be?" Lety was perplexed.
Weevil shook his head and smiled at her. "You know Logan would be upset if he heard you call him that, abuela," he said.
"Ah, it just comes naturally to the tongue," she said, shaking her head. "So many years I watched that sad little boy grow up."
Weevil had heard similar sentiments from his grandmother over the years, but she'd never explain, and he finally stopped asking.
She brightened suddenly. "But when I saw him at your wedding, I couldn't believe what a fine man he is now. He kept talking about how sorry he was about evicting us from that other house. But what did I care? We moved in here. It was bigger, better. And besides," she looked sideways at her grandson, "I know you had something to do with that, Eli. You caused him some trouble and so he made trouble for you."
"Me and Logan, we made our peace a long time ago, abuela," her grandson assured her. "We've been friends for a while now and...he's helped me out, gave me a chance to do some things...and now he's asked me for help. He needs to know about Chardo."
Lety sighed. "You know I don't like to talk about Chardo. He was not a good boy, not even when he was little." Lety crossed herself. It made her sick at heart to speak ill of her grandson, but, after all, the truth was the truth.
"Chardo...the last time he got out of prison, I went to pick him up, but he told me he had made other arrangements."
"You never told me this," Weevil said.
"No, Eli, because you didn't need to know, and because I was...ashamed."
Lety paused. "I saw the man who picked him up. I didn't know his name, but I'd seen him driving around in a big flashy car and I knew what that meant. He was one of those men who come into our neighborhoods with their drugs and their guns and take our sons. Take the weak ones, like Chardo."
Lety finally looked up at him with sad eyes. "Chardo is one of those men now, Eli. And wherever he is, whatever he's doing, I don't want to know about it."
xxxxxxxx
Logan had left Mac's and was on his way back to the St. Regis when he got Weevil's call.
"Where are you?" Weevil asked, as soon as Logan answered.
"I'm in the car, on my way back to the hotel."
"Yeah, and where is the hotel, you jackass?"
"Oh, shit, Weevil. I never said, did I? I'm in San Francisco. I had...some business up here."
"So you saw Chardo in San Francisco? That's a surprise."
"Hang on, Weevs," Logan said, "I'm just pulling into the garage."
"Yeah, that's good, Logan, because if this has something to do with V, well, you shouldn't be driving when I tell you what I found out about Chardo."
Logan's heart started hammering. He just fucking knew there'd been something wrong about Garcia. And he was going find out what the hell it was.
"Okay, I've parked. What is it?" Anxiety made his voice harsh.
"Shit, Logan, you're gonna have to let me know what the hell is going on. Abuela...my grandma told me that Chardo got himself mixed up with some drug dealers, but she doesn't know who they are, or who they work for."
Logan was silent for so long that Weevil thought that the call had dropped.
"Logan?" he finally said.
"Yeah, I'm here, Weevs." Logan was trying to absorb what Weevil had just told him. And to decide what do next.
"I...need to make another call, Weevil. Thanks for getting the information, but I need to get off the phone now."
"What the fuck, Logan! You ain't gonna just leave me like this after tellin' me that this has something to do with V."
"I don't really know how it connects up, but I'm sure as hell going to find out. I'll be back in Neptune soon, Weevil, and we'll talk."
"Yeah, I'm holding you to that," Weevil said. "And Logan?"
"Yeah?"
"Be careful."
Logan sighed. "Yeah, I think you can count on that," he said.
As soon as he hung up with Weevil, Logan placed a call to another number in Neptune.
"Keith," he said, as soon as the man answered. "It's Logan. I need you to do something for me, and to just trust me that it's important enough for you to give up your Sunday."
"What do you need, Logan?" Keith asked, immediately apprehensive, because Logan hadn't quite managed to conceal his anxiety.
"I'm going to send you a picture of a man. I...We need to find out who he is. Keith, if you know anyone at all who has access to some facial-recognition software, I need you to call him and find out this guy's name."
"Where are you now, Logan?" Keith asked.
"I'm in San Francisco." Logan offered no further explanation, but he knew that Keith would have no trouble connectIng the dots.
There was a long pause.
"Does this have anything to do with my daughter?" Keith asked finally.
"I'm not sure," Logan said honestly. "But I've got a terrible feeling that it might."
"What's going on, Logan?" Keith wasn't letting this go.
Logan sighed. It really wasn't up to him to tell Veronica's father about their failed divorce, so he didn't want to have to explain his presence in Veronica's immediate vicinity until he absolutely had to. But he needed Keith on board. Needed his help.
"I would tell you if I could, but right now, my hands are tied." He paused. "Please, Keith. I would never ask for something like this if it weren't important."
Keith was silent for nearly a minute.
"Will you give me your assurance that what you're asking of me won't hurt Veronica?"
Logan paused, trying to come up with an honest response.
"What I can assure you is that if we don't look into this man, then we may have failed to protect Veronica from a dangerous situation."
"Okay, Logan," Keith said after a moment. "That's good enough for me."
Logan uploaded the picture to Keith, and he probably should have felt some relief at sharing the burden, but he knew he'd be uneasy until they figured out exactly what - and who - they were dealing with.