A/N: Pop back to Chapter 10 for the link to a missing scene/POV or you can just head over to my tumbler (KMD0107) to see it.
Chapter 11 – And The Feelin' That I'm Under
Wallace climbed into the back seat of Logan's 'douchemobile' and wondered what he had gotten himself into, both literally and figuratively. The truck may have been hideous, but the back seat didn't lack for space. Bet that's why he went with the Nissan instead of one of those snooty German cars. Plenty of room to spread out… Wallace scrunched up his face when he realized the implications of this, Ugh, why did I have to think that? Wallace quickly inspected the seat to make sure that there wasn't anything he didn't want to touch.
"Just had her detailed." Logan winked at Wallace in the rearview mirror.
"What are you talking about?" Veronica asked, as she slid into the front passenger seat.
"Nothing, just guy talk." Logan replied with a smarmy smile that reminded Wallace a bit of Aaron Echolls.
"You've got your dad's charm." Wallace blurted out unintentionally.
Logan's eyes narrowed momentarily, and then his face smoothed back out into its usual, arrogant countenance. The transformation was something that Wallace had observed more than once in the last few days. He was fairly sure that if he hadn't been watching closely he might have missed it.
"I'd like to think I take more after my mother in that regard." Logan made eye contact with Wallace through the rearview mirror again and Wallace would swear that Logan's eyes actually twinkled. Smize, the word from America's Next Top Model popped into Wallace's head. He shuddered at the memory of a girl he once dated forcing him to watch Tyra Banks' tutorial on 'smiling with your eyes'.
"Knock it off Logan, and pay attention to the road. We are well aware that you think you're pretty." Veronica teased.
Logan rapidly tapped his fingers against the steering wheel. "No think about it. I am pretty… pretty hot, pretty talented with my hands, and there's this thing I do with my tongue that I've been told is pretty—"
"All right! Cool it, Casanova. I'd like to maintain some mystery between us. And you know I meant the adjective not the adverb. But if we're going there, how about pretty annoying and egotistical?" Veronica snarked.
"You two are…" Wallace just shook his head, at a loss.
"Pretty entertaining?"
"Entertaining is one word for it." Wallace laughed. Suddenly Logan's words came back to him. "Come to think of it, I wouldn't mind learning about that tongue thing though. Got a big date with Georgia comin' up. Share the knowledge, Echolls. Ya know, now that we're pals and all."
"Later, Fennel." Logan winked into the rearview mirror. "I don't wanna upset 'virgin ears' over here." He swept his arm around to point his thumb at Veronica.
Veronica scoffed loudly. Wallace saw Logan's eyes grow wide and his mouth clamp shut as he nervously ducked his head to avoid catching Wallace's eyes in the mirror again.
Wallace's thoughts turned to his and Logan's conversation from Sunday. Veronica with no memory after a party where people had the date-rape drug. Rape… Wallace hadn't thought the word in reference to Veronica, even after hearing Logan's story about the party at Shelly Pomroy's last year but—was that what happened?
They pulled into a spot on the street in front of Mars Investigations. Wallace jumped out of the truck quickly, not wanting Veronica to read his thoughts, as she was so often able to do. He started making his way up to the Mars Investigations office with Logan and Veronica trailing behind.
The plan this afternoon was for Veronica to do a little research before some 'clandestine' meeting that she had. She refused to elaborate about it to either of her friends. Meanwhile, Wallace and Logan would commence with operation 'put the screws to Troy'.
Wallace waited for Veronica to unlock the door and then headed straight for her computer. "All right, V. Where should we start?"
"Well, my dear Wallace, that is elementary!" Veronica quipped in a British accent. "Start at the beginning—the credit report." She smiled tightly and moved the mouse over the bookmark bar, clicking on the appropriate link.
Out of the corner of his eye, Wallace saw Logan throw himself down on the old couch and begin pulling things out of his backpack. Logan's expression was back to narrowed eyes and a tense jaw.
Wallace had noticed that something hadn't been quite right with them all day. And that story about Duncan at lunch had been very vague. He was used to V being a bit closed off and understood why she wouldn't want to share private details in such a public place, but both Logan and Veronica had been acting strangely all afternoon. As Veronica leaned over Wallace to input her password, he accidently bumped her arm and she practically jumped out of her skin. It was the final straw.
"Okay you two. Spill. V, why are you so jumpy? And Logan, every time you think no one's looking, you look homicidal. Fill a brotha in."
While they waited for the credit report to be generated, Veronica disclosed a few more of the details of what had happened with Duncan that morning.
"So neither of you have a clue what he was ranting about?" Wallace asked in disbelief. Could they both really be that clueless?
"No, he wasn't making any sense." Veronica said, rolling her shoulders. Wallace noticed that Logan didn't look as innocent. He gave Logan an incredulous look.
"Fine, I might have an inkling." Logan sighed heavily, "And Veronica is just in denial that her precious golden-boy Duncan could think such a thing."
"Oh come on Logan. You can't possibly believe that he thinks you and I were screwing around behind his back? You were totally hung up on Lilly and I was in 'puppy love' with Duncan." Veronica turned back to the computer with a dismissive wave of her hand.
Wallace could tell from the look on Logan's face that Veronica was dead wrong. The accusation of cheating may not have been true, but if Logan's expression meant anything, Duncan may have had reason to believe that there was something between Logan and Veronica. Wallace glared at Logan, waiting from him to come clean. It wasn't until Veronica handed Logan a print out of Troy's credit report that Logan caved.
"Veronica, um…Ronnie." Veronica looked up at Logan. "Um… it's possible that Lilly might have told Duncan that…" Logan cleared his throat a few times before continuing. "She might have told Duncan that I had feelings for you. You know, back then." He stated quickly, his bouncing heel practically jamming through the floorboards with nervous energy.
Wallace held his breath while Veronica stared at Logan for a few long seconds and then started laughing. Logan looked to Wallace, but all Wallace could do was shrug. He had no idea what was going through Veronica's head in even the most normal of times. Veronica had thrown herself on the couch next to Logan, giggling.
"What is so funny about that, Veronica? You think my having feelings for you is funny?" Logan asked, a thread of anger tingeing his words.
"No, I don't find your feelings funny. I find the idea that you had those kind of feelings for me funny. Especially after you and Lilly got together. I mean, come on! As if you," she pointed at Logan, "or anyone else, for that matter, could ever see me as anything other than a friend when Lilly was around. I had to date her brother because he was the only man on the planet that didn't want Lilly," Veronica continued laughing to herself and patted Logan on the hand with an indulgent smile.
Wallace found himself frowning at Veronica's assessment of her attractions. And Logan looked lost at sea, or some other cliché. Wallace felt his mouth drop open. Oh my god, Richie Rich totally had a thing for V! He started to point at Logan but was cut off by Logan curtly shaking his head and mouthing a curt 'no'. Okay, I'll save that little observation for later. But Wallace was definitely not going to let Logan escape the conversation forever, if for no other reason than to make sure that things with Duncan were under control. And as for Veronica…well, he'd bring it up with Logan too. Wallace just needed to get Logan away from V long enough to have said talk. With the subjects they had to discuss having V overhear them would not end well for either of them.
"So…" Wallace tried to change the subject, "V, give me that report and let Logan and I get to work picking apart your ex." Wallace forced a smile and hoped that Veronica bought it.
"Right! I'll just be in my dad's office. I have a few phone calls to make. You two play nice." She giggled a few more times while she made her way into the interior office and closed the door.
"Logan?" Wallace tried to get Logan's attention as he came around the desk to join him on the couch. "Logan?" He tried again when Logan didn't respond.
"I don't want to talk about it." Logan said sullenly.
"Okay, I thought you wanted to talk about how we were going to mess with Troy, but if not I'll work on it by myself." Wallace started flipping through the pages that Veronica had printed out.
Logan didn't respond but joined Wallace in searching through the pages of transactions. After a few minutes of silent paper shuffling, Logan finally spoke. "What if we cancelled all his credit cards?"
Wallace was getting ready to respond when Veronica's head popped out the door, "Stay away from felony offences please. You don't want to do anything that can be traced back to you." Then she shut the door again.
"Okay so we shouldn't cancel the cards…" Logan pulled out his wallet and started staring at his various cards. He looked back up at Wallace, his eyes were twinkling again and he was smiling like the Cheshire Cat. "What if we ordered him new cards?"
Wallace looked at him in confusion, "Wouldn't opening new accounts be bad too?"
"No, not new credit card accounts. I mean literally new cards. Have you seen all those advertisements for customized cards?"
Wallace shook his head—scoffing at the idea that he would actually have a credit card.
"Anyway, I get them all the time. Get your favorite sports team or even your own picture. We could request new cards with obnoxious stuff on them. Like Hello Kitty." Logan was getting excited now. "All we have to do is call and tell them the card won't swipe any more and have them send the new cards, the information you need for that is pretty minimal. Social Security Number and mother's maiden name, if it's like most of my cards. We have all that information right here," Logan tapped the credit report in front of him.
Wallace found Logan's excitement contagious. They split up the list of Troy's cards, looked up the card image options, and took turns calling to request the cards. In just under thirty-six hours, Troy would be the proud recipient of cards ranging from Hello Kitty to the Little Mermaid.
"What else can we do? That should be embarrassing when he has to use them in front of other people, but what can we do to disrupt his day?" Wallace asked to the room.
Veronica's head popped back in, her phone still pressed to her ear, "Um… I happen to know from experience that having your car malfunction is a huge disruption." She smiled and ducked back into the office.
"How does she do that?" Logan asked, smiling at the now closed door.
"Got me, man. Lucky for us, Troy took his dad's car when they went to Mexico. That leaves his own precious BMW fair game for us. What kind of stuff did you guys do to Veronica's car?" Wallace asked, not even thinking of how the question might affect Logan.
Logan choked, "Shit! I don't want to think about that." Logan slumped into the couch.
"Sorry man, but really, I know about all of the flat tires, was there anything else?" Wallace asked in a hushed voice.
"I think Enbom loosened the wires to her tail lights so she'd get pulled over." Logan looked uncomfortable.
"Come on man, you all were constantly dogging her. What else?" Wallace pushed.
"I'm serious, I only ever let the air out of her tires. And I made sure she knew it was me. And of course there was the crowbar incident…but again, I wanted her to know it was me." He grimaced at Wallace. "The others didn't give me the details of their plans." Logan exhaled sharply and bent down, hiding his face between his knees. "God I'm such a prick."
Veronica chose that moment to join them again. She sat down next to Logan. "I've come to think of it as 'Psychotic Jackass-ery'." She said, gently rubbing a few circles on his lower back. "And remember I've got a soft spot for pricks." Veronica said, very seriously.
Logan chuckled lightly and leaned into her shoulder, "Yeah, I might have started a rumor to that effect. Sorry about that."
"Well, then I guess at least one thing you said about me in the last year was true." She winked. "Come on, tell me about what you two have been doing." She rubbed one more circle across Logan's lower back and leaned her head on his shoulder briefly.
Wallace found himself fascinated watching them. All joking aside, there was a familiarity between Veronica and Logan that was different than his own relationship with his BFF. He was close to Veronica, but with Logan it felt different, charged.
Wallace shook his head and quickly filled Veronica in on what they had accomplished and their plans to mess with Troy's car enough to hopefully get him pulled over or at least inconvenienced.
"Well my little Padawan, stronger in the force it appears you are becoming." Veronica said in a passable imitation of Master Yoda.
"I'm pretty sure revenge is more of a Sith thing, V." Wallace laughed.
"I'll gladly be the Darth Vader to your Galactic Emperor any day," Logan said with a smirk and those smiling eyes of his.
"Who does that make me?" Wallace was almost afraid to ask.
"Darth Mal?" Veronica asked Logan.
"Naw… Wally here is more…"
"If you say Jar Jar Binks I'ma shank your ass."
At Veronica's request, Logan dropped Wallace off first before heading to her apartment.
"Logan, what are you doing for dinner tonight?" Veronica asked him.
"Um… probably just some takeout. My mom had to head back to LA.; Aaron 'needed her'." Logan said with a hint of bitterness. Even though his mother drank a lot, he did value the time he got to spend with her when Aaron wasn't home.
"Have dinner with us then. I'm not even sure that my dad will be back in time to eat. We can just order extra and he can have it whenever he shows up. We can do some homework or whatever until I have to head to my meeting…" Veronica's voice trailed off. Logan turned to look at her and saw something soft in her gaze. He didn't think it was pity, but he couldn't quite place it.
"Mars, I don't need a babysitter. I can eat dinner by myself." Logan said a little more harshly than he really intended.
Veronica exhaled loudly from the passenger's seat, "You're such a jackass; did it not occur to you that maybe I don't want to eat dinner by myself after this morning. You can't just let a girl keep her dignity?" She teased.
Logan couldn't help but laugh, despite the fact that he didn't believe her. Hell, this girl had been through some real shit and had done it alone. He really didn't think she was in need of his company but… he couldn't deny that the idea of having dinner with her sounded much better than sitting at home alone. Even if it did just delay going back to the empty house. Logan knew the house didn't have to be empty; he could have invited over any of his many 09er buddies. But after spending so much time over the last few days with Veronica, and even Wallace, it just didn't appeal.
"Fine, you win. I'll eat dinner with you—I guess." He smiled at her.
Logan quickly parked the Xterra in the small parking lot and followed Veronica to her apartment. As they approached the door, Logan was sure that he could hear noises coming from inside. "Your dad must be home Ronnie, maybe I shouldn't stay?"
"Dad's car wasn't in the lot… and you're staying regardless." She declared while changing the angle of her head, presumably to try to see through the blinds. Veronica reached for the door and turned the unlocked knob. She looked back at Logan, who could only shrug. If it wasn't her dad, he didn't have a clue who else it could be.
Logan watched Veronica pull out her Taser and reach for the knob, her back rigid and shoulders tense as she pushed the door open. He quickly dropped his bag in case he needed to be able to move easily. He stepped over the threshold immediately behind Veronica and was surprised to see Rebecca James bustling around the Mars' kitchen wearing an apron.
"All right. Where is your sifter?" Ms. James spoke to the room.
"I don't think we have one." Veronica replied.
"Oh, hi! Um…" Ms. James pulled herself up from where she had been digging through the cupboard, only to be knocked back by Backup jumping on her. Logan was surprised to see her laugh, collapse to the floor, and start petting Backup.
"You didn't give Backup human food, did you?" Veronica demanded curtly.
"Oh no, no, no. I just found his happy spot, that's all. So, um, another case of bad timing. Your dad went out for groceries, because I'm making dinner for both of you tonight." Ms. James looked over and saw Logan. "There is plenty for you, too, Logan. So, uh, how was your day?" Ms. James asked, smiling and looking a bit nervous.
"Fine. You know, the usual. Got accosted in my own home—missed first period. You must have heard." Veronica said coldly, plastering on one of her fake smiles.
"Ronnie, play nice." Logan said so quietly that only she could hear him.
"Oh, right. Well... I was sorry to hear about Duncan." Ms. James was looking more uncomfortable by the minute.
"Thanks, we just hope he's okay." Logan responded. "How was your day Becky?" He asked with just a hint of a smile, trying to get the conversation back on track. Logan wasn't a fan of Ms. James, but the antagonism rolling off of Veronica was never pleasant to be on the receiving end of and Logan had no desire to get taken down in the fallout if she went postal.
"It was excellent, thank you Logan." Ms. James looked back at Veronica, "I know you guys like Italian food so I am making fettuccine. And for desert… guess."
"No idea." Veronica said sharply. Logan moved behind Veronica and started massaging her tight shoulders, hoping to get her to relax a little. Veronica sighed heavily and leaned into his touch so he continued despite a confused look from Ms. James.
Ms. James recovered quickly and smiled brightly again, "Waffles and ice cream. That's your favorite, right? I put this sauce on top of vanilla ice cream; it's on the burner. Well, you'll see. I promise it's really good."
"That sounds really good, doesn't it Ronnie?" Logan asked, squeezing Veronica's shoulders a bit when she didn't respond.
"Oh, yeah, that sounds good Ms. James." Veronica replied, sounding subdued and far away.
"Where'd you go just now?" Logan whispered in her ear.
Veronica just shook her head and replied softly, "Later."
Logan was startled by the sound of shattering ceramic.
"Oh!" Ms. James cried and swiftly bent down to start picking up the broken pieces of the bowl she had dropped. "Oh, God, I'm so sorry. It just slipped out of my hands."
"It's all right. Logan can you grab the broom?" Veronica asked as she bent over to help Ms. James, a dazed look still on her face.
Logan was wandering aimlessly, trying to figure out where a broom would be, when he heard the door open and spotted Mr. Mars carrying a full bag of groceries.
"Hey, how's it going in here?" Mr. Mars asked the two women bent over on the floor then looked up, "Logan, you look lost." Keith chuckled.
"A broom?" Logan replied.
"Look at this. I'm a klutz." Ms. James tittered nervously, indicating the mess on the floor.
"Ah, it was ancient anyway. Don't even worry about it. Broom's in the closet there." Keith pointed to a door down the hall.
Logan quickly grabbed the broom and handed it to Veronica. She looked completely neutral, which Logan knew was a bad sign; Veronica was often at her most dangerous when she appeared calm.
Veronica started to speak, "I really appreciate you doing this…"
"Yeah, Becky, we do. It smells good, do you need any help?" Logan quickly cut Veronica off. He suspected she was getting ready to beg out of this dinner, but he knew she would have to deal with Rebecca James and her father sooner or later, and the adolescent in Logan was dying to watch it all unfold. Besides, it was nice to watch her squirm after she had laughed off his confession about having had feelings for her.
Rebecca tried to hide her disbelief, "Really? Um…sure Logan. If you could grab a bowl to replace the one I broke, I'll start making the salad."
"That's very nice of you Logan." Surprise laced Keith's words too.
"Wow everyone, don't try to hide your surprise that I know how to be a good guest." Logan announced sarcastically to the adults. Veronica harrumphed at his comment.
Rebecca and Keith had the courtesy to look embarrassed. "Veronica, why don't you help me bring the rest of the groceries and some files in from the car?"
Veronica put the broom away after dumping the remains of the bowl into the trash. "Sure Dad." She glared at Logan as she passed him. Logan couldn't help but laugh as he ducked down to grab another bowl.
"What's so funny?" Rebecca asked, after the Marses left the apartment.
"Well, Becky, in case your keen senses missed it, Veronica was getting ready to say we couldn't stay for dinner, and I ruined her escape plans. Now she is not very happy with me." He continued to chuckle to himself.
Rebecca gave him a wry smile, "Logan, the only person who ever called me Becky was my dad. Maybe outside of school you could just call me Rebecca?"
Logan was surprised by Rebecca's admission and by her use of the past tense. He knew he probably shouldn't ask but, hell, he was Logan Echolls—master of psychotic jackass-ery—and he liked to push buttons. "Past tense, Rebecca? Don't speak to dear old dad anymore?"
"No Logan. I haven't spoken to my father since I left for college." She said evenly, not looking up from her food preparations. "He was… not a nice man." She glanced briefly at Logan where he was leaning against the counter, and then resumed chopping the tomato she'd set on the cutting board.
Logan shoved his hands in his pockets and shifted his weight uncomfortably. Either Rebecca was telling the truth and had just shared something personal with Logan, or she was lying to try to form a fake connection with him. From his experience, the latter seemed more likely. Logan rolled his shoulders and deliberately smoothed out his features into what he liked to think of as 'indifferent pomposity'.
"Need help with anything else?" Logan asked as nonchalantly as possible.
The door swung open signaling Veronica and Mr. Mars' return. Veronica's arms were full of extendable file folders and Mr. Mars was holding two bags of groceries.
"Maybe you can set out plates when I finish up here." She indicated the vegetables she was still cutting for the salad, since the counter space was also the eating area.
Logan nodded, his customary smirk firmly in place, as he headed to the living room to contemplate how all four of them were going to be able to sit at the small island.
Much to Veronica's surprise, the dinner Ms. James made was pretty tasty. But eating waffles and ice cream—her mother's signature dessert—with her dad's girlfriend was just not going to happen. As subtly as possible, Veronica gave Logan a look that indicated he'd best keep his big mouth shut, a message she emphasized by placing her hand on his knee.
"Dinner was really good, Ms. James. And we're really sorry to dine and dash but we," Veronica indicated herself and Logan, punctuating her statement with a firm squeeze to Logan's knee, "have some things to work on before it gets too late. So we can't stay for dessert."
"Really?" Ms. James said with disappointment.
"Why not?" Keith looked back and forth between Veronica and Logan. Veronica was sure he was looking for a crack in the facade. She hoped that Logan could hold his own.
"I…" Veronica looked back at Logan, "We… told a friend we'd meet him at the Sac-N-Pac. It's a for school project."
"Oh, well, I-I'll ask first next time. Make sure you're available for the full dine-in experience." Ms. James replied.
"Thanks for cooking. I may have to pop up and steal some dessert when I drop Veronica off later." Logan gave Veronica a smirk that she knew meant he wasn't letting her get away with anything, despite her tightening grip on his knee.
"Which won't be too late." Keith narrowed his eyes first at Logan and then Veronica. She ignored her father as she jumped off the stool, grabbed her bag, and dragged Logan off of his stool toward the door.
"Have a good night." Veronica called as she pulled the door closed behind them.
Veronica waited until she was almost to the parking lot to give Logan a piece of her mind. "What the hell was that? Did you just want to watch me be tortured?" Veronica growled as she dug in her bag for her keys.
"So what if I did? And what is your problem—you went all quiet when she first mentioned making waffles and ice cream, which I know you love. Is this meeting so urgent that we couldn't stay for dessert?" Logan asked spinning his key ring around his finger.
Veronica gave up her search for her keys and looked up at Logan. "My mom and I used to make them together, okay?" Veronica felt her tear ducts begin to burn at Logan's look of understanding. "I haven't had it since she left." She resumed digging in her bag for her car keys while blinking rapidly to hold back the tears she didn't want Logan to see. God, what is wrong with me? Veronica Mars doesn't cry.
As she pulled the keys out of her bag, Logan snatched them right out of her hand. "I told your dad I would be bringing you home later." He smiled cautiously.
"Fine!" Veronica growled, frustration over-taking the ache in her chest, and stomped around to the passenger's side of the Xterra. "But you take me where I tell you and then you pick me up when I tell you to, got it?"
Logan nodded, a grin now plastered on his face.
"Drop me off at the Sac-n-Pac." She commanded.
"You know, you should be thanking me Mars." Logan stated as he pulled out into the early-evening traffic.
"Is that so? How do you figure?" Veronica responded snidely.
"If we had taken off earlier for this quote 'school project', your dad would have expected you back much sooner. And I had already deduced from our earlier conversation about dinner that this very important meeting wouldn't be taking place until late. See… I totally saved your ass there." He flashed Veronica a smile that she was sure caused most girls to melt. She wasn't most girls. Well, fine, maybe it spoke to her marshmallow core but she'd never let him know that.
"All you did was force me to sit through an awkward, though admittedly tasty, dinner." Veronica smirked, but couldn't resist licking her lips at the memory of the creamy alfredo sauce. It really had been very good.
"Whatever, Mars. You loved every bite of that dinner. I was sitting next to you and heard every one of your cute little 'mmm's. You're not fooling anyone." Logan reached over and squeezed Veronica's cheek like an annoying aunt would.
"Like you didn't enjoy it, too." She replied weakly as they pulled into the Sac-n-Pac parking lot.
"True, but I wasn't the one trying to get out of the dinner. Though I was the one who Rebecca tried to bond with." Logan said with apprehension, putting the truck in park.
Veronica turned in her seat to look at him, "What do you mean?"
"While you were grabbing the groceries, she told me her dad 'wasn't a nice person'." Logan replied mockingly.
Veronica wasn't sure what to make of that, so she just nodded. "You need to go; my source isn't going to be very…tolerant of your presence. I'll text you when I'm ready to be picked up, okay?"
"Yeah, yeah. I'm outta here. How long do you think?" Logan asked, waving his hand in a 'come-on' gesture.
"Two hours give or take."
Logan nodded and put the truck in reverse. Veronica hopped out, slammed the door, and gave him a small finger wave. She waited until the she could no longer see the yellow monstrosity before texting Weevil.
To Weevil from Veronica Mars, 6:53pm:
Rdy when u r
Less than a minute later Veronica heard the roar of a motorcycle approaching. Eli 'Weevil' Navarro, the leader of the PCHers, pulled up in front of her.
"You were waiting for my call weren't you? Admit it!" Veronica gushed, playfully slapping Weevil on the shoulder.
"Blanca." He held out a helmet to Veronica in greeting, giving no further comment.
She accepted it, strapped it on her head, and climbed onto the back of the motorcycle. A few minutes later Weevil pulled over in a rundown, but quiet 90902 neighborhood.
"Here's how it is chica. The car—it came though and is already gone." Weevil explained, pulling his helmet off after dismounting his motorcycle.
"But it was stolen early Sunday morning…" Veronica said, thinking out loud.
"Yeah, even Angel thought that was pretty quick. But the 'ahem', paperwork was all in order, if you get what I'm sayin'." Weevil puckered his lips with raised eyebrows.
She got it. It was looking less and less like a random boost. "Did you ask about the piñata?"
"One of the guys, Mario, he took it for his daughter's birthday."
"Please tell me you know where Mario lives, because we need to get that piñata right away." Veronica told Weevil, her heart racing.
"Baby, I'll buy you a piñata." Weevil said waggling his eyebrows suggestively.
"Will you buy me a piñata full of steroids?" Veronica said in her most sugary-sweet voice, fluttering her eyelashes.
Weevil smiled darkly and laughed, "That's their house, right there with the balloons." Weevil pointed to a mailbox a few houses down.
Veronica sighed in relief and took off toward the house, Weevil on her heels. She followed the sounds of the party to the backyard where a little girl was swinging at the piñata she was seeking. "Shit." She said under her breath.
The little girl continued to swing at the piñata and Veronica ran toward them, "Stop, stop!" She called as the piñata blew open, releasing a rain of candy. Veronica quickly backtracked when she realized the children's prize wasn't performance-enhancing drugs. "Sorry, sorry." She mumbled.
"Está loca." Veronica heard one of the mothers say as she retreated to the edge of the yard where Weevil stood.
"Well?" Weevil asked her.
"It was full of candy…" Veronica responded, accepting the helmet he offered her once again.
"What does that mean blondie?" He pushed again.
"I'm not sure yet. Can you drop me back at the Sac-n-Pac?" Veronica asked, no longer paying attention to Weevil. Her mind was cranking away, trying to figure out what this new piece of information meant. She absentmindedly climbed onto the back of the motorcycle and held onto the gang leader while she filtered through everything she had learned.
None of this makes sense. Veronica decided as Weevil pulled back into the Sac-n-Pac parking lot. She climbed off and removed the helmet as well as the heavy leather duster she had been wearing. "Thanks Weevil, I'll be in touch."
"What the hell, V?" Weevil grabbed Veronica's arm as she handed him the helmet, scowling angrily at the bruises that had been exposed as she pulled off her jacket.
"Hazard of the job." Veronica replied flippantly.
"If you say so." Weevil shook his head and sped away.
Veronica pulled out her phone and saw that it had barely been an hour.
To Logan Echolls from Veronica Mars, 8:02pm:
Come get me?
To Veronica Mars from Logan Echolls, 8:02pm:
On my way
He had replied almost instantly, and less than five minutes later Logan pulled into the parking lot.
"You couldn't have gotten here this fast from your house." Veronica accused.
"That is true." Logan smiled at her, offering nothing further.
Touché, Echolls. I didn't tell you what I was doing so you won't tell me. Fine. Veronica sat quietly as Logan pulled out of the lot and turned the opposite direction of her apartment.
"Where are we going?"
"Thought you might like some ice cream," Logan's lips quirked. "And I want an update on Luke's case."
"Ice cream? Wow Echolls, you know the way to a girl's heart." Veronica said, clutching her chest dramatically to mask her genuine excitement.
"No." He responded immediately. "I know the way to your heart."
Veronica found herself speechless. Calm down Mars, you know all about misinterpreting his flirtations. He's just teasing. Veronica was quiet for the rest of the drive, afraid she might say something she would regret.
Logan parked and she followed him into the small ice cream parlor.
"What'll it be Ronnie? Rocky Road? Or have you developed new tastes?" Logan wrapped his arm around her waist, pulling her close to the viewing window. He pointed at what had been one of Veronica's absolute favorite flavors for years.
She actually hadn't had Rocky Road in a while and decided that if there was ever a time to be nostalgic, then having ice cream with Logan was it. "The old standby it is."
Logan pushed her away toward the tables and ordered for both of them. He joined Veronica at a small table by the window a few minutes later. "Okay, how did it go?" He asked calmly, but Veronica could see how tense he really was. Someone didn't like me going off on my own, did he?
"Well, the piñata was a dead end." She said simply. She hesitated, curious to see if he would push for more, hoping he would.
"What does that mean? Did you find the actual piñata?" He asked.
Veronica could feel a small adrenaline rush at sharing what she had worked out. "I did. Well, my source did. The car was chopped. And not in the regular way…" She smiled excitedly. "One of the guys on the crew took the piñata for his kid's birthday. But when I got there…" She paused.
Logan looked at her expectantly. His expression eager, eyes bright and twinkling with shared excitement. "Well…" He prompted impatiently.
"Nothing but candy! No drugs—they thought I was crazy." Logan looked at her speculatively, "No, really, one of the moms called me crazy." Veronica couldn't help but grin wickedly.
Logan laughed loudly, earning startled looks from the handful of other patrons. "So where does that leave Luke?" He asked a little more quietly.
"Well, now it's time to move on to Plan C." Veronica responded confidently.
"Jesus Veronica, what were plans A and B?" Logan asked loudly, gaining a few more glares.
She laughed. "Well A was pretty easy. Get the drugs 'slash'," She slashed the hand holding a spoon full of ice cream through the air, "money back from either Troy or Duncan. Plan B was to find the car and get them back that way—which was obviously a bust. And now Plan C…" Veronica rubbed her hands together manically before her face drooped a bit, "Okay, I haven't completely worked out Plan C. But…"
Logan interrupted her, holding his hand up, "I have every faith that you'll figure something out. But I want you to promise me something." He reached out to grasp the hand that wasn't occupied with a spoonful of ice cream.
Veronica could tell he was waiting for her acquiescence, so she nodded tentatively.
"I want you to promise to tell me what's going on and let me help. I don't want you talking to that Zigman guy alone." Veronica was ready to interrupt him, her mouth opening on the words. "Wait," Logan stopped her, "I'm not saying you can't…well, that you can't do anything—I know better than that—what I'm saying is include me."
Veronica had to admit he had a point. Approaching Zigman could be dangerous and having backup—the human kind who could dial a phone—might come in handy. "All right Logan, you have a deal. I promise to include you in my plans for this. No approaching scary drug dealers without informing you first." She squeezed his hand firmly. Logan quickly raised it to his mouth for a chaste kiss before placing it back on the table with a smile.
Veronica and Logan spent the rest of their time together chatting about a few pending class assignments and their plans for lunch the next day. Veronica climbed back into the Xterra, happily sated after ice cream and the excitement of the case. All too soon, Logan was dropping her back off at home. She said her goodbyes and headed inside.
Keith was sitting in his favorite chair watching a sports recap and sipping on a soda. "Hey honey, how'd the project go?" He didn't look away from the TV.
"Oh you know, there's always someone who doesn't do their part." She chuckled to herself. "We'll be meeting again to try to finish it up later in the week." Veronica told him, providing herself cover if she needed to be out late another night.
After begging off watching TV with her dad, Veronica quickly went through her bedtime routine before pulling an envelope out from between her headboard and mattress. She flipped, yet again, through the images that someone had used to blackmail her mother.
As Veronica stared at the images, the memory of her mom pulling her out of school a few days before she left played back in her mind.
Three days later she was gone. At the time, I thought it was just one more item on the growing list of odd things my mom did. I chalked her nerves up to the vodka. But now, I think she really was scared.
The time had come to try to find her mom.
A/N: As always many thanks to my betas Bondopoulos and BryroseA! Welcome to all the new followers/subscribers and thank you to all of you who have been coming along for this ride. Hope you enjoyed this chapter and feel free to let me know what you thought in a review/comment or PM. I love hearing what you think!
