A/N: Rob Thomas and Warner Bros. owning the best short lived television show in existence, check. Me owning nothing, also check (sigh).

Chapter 21

As promised, the evidence in the case was scant. Logan fetched her laptop from his room (clever bastard) and they all took turns watching the surveillance video several times through. The perp was wearing non-descript clothing; dark pants and sweatshirt without any printing on them, gloves and a ski mask. They studied the photographs of the exterior of the store and compared them to the video. The front of the convenience store was glass, so they could tell he came from the left side by the woods rather than the parking lot, so this signified he was on foot. The camera was from behind the clerk, so anyone watching could see his actions at the cash register as well as view the front of the store. The perp entered the store at 5:16 am, pointed a gun at the clerk and said something. The clerk raised his hands and spoke back. After a few seconds of conversation—the video was sans audio—the clerk opened the cash register and started putting the money into a paper bag.

The hardest part for her to watch was when her father entered the store at 5:18am. The perp swung around and immediately fired a shot, hitting him only a few inches below his heart. He fell back into the door while the perp jumped up and down a couple of times, put his hands on his head, then turned and grabbed the bag of money from the clerk before jumping over her father and running out of the store.

There wasn't a strand of hair or a fingerprint left behind. They could tell he was a few inches shorter than Keith Mar's 5'8", and was white. According to the police report and witness statement, the clerk didn't notice eye color and said there was nothing distinctive about the voice, only that he didn't recognize it so he must be from out of town. There were no other witnesses and no video for the parking lot, and the woods behind the store were searched, but nothing turned up. The ground was covered with dry pine needles so there wasn't even a stray footprint to provide a clue.

The only other piece of evidence, the bullet, was from a .33 and was still with forensics. There had been no fingerprints, and it would take time to have it analyzed for any further clues. That was it; a run of the mill robbery turned random act of violence. When they were done looking over the police report, clerk's statement, and crime scene video for the umpteenth time Logan and Charlie were ready to admit defeat. But stubbornness and a finely honed taste for revenge kept Veronica from giving up. Detective Lame Lairdrefused to leave her alone with the evidence, but when he wasn't looking she was able to rip the DVD of the security tape and take pictures of all the documents surreptitiously. She knew she was sneaky about it, but it did help that here was a NASCAR documentary on the TV he couldn't seem to look away from. Once she had copied everything she needed, she threw it all back in the evidence box. "Where is your report from interviewing the clerk?"

"What do you mean?" he asked.

Reminding her self to breathe, she talked slowly so he could understand. "I mean, when you went and spoke to him yourself to follow up on his statement. Why haven't you included it? Have you written it yet?"

Laird's brow furrowed, not understanding her question, and explained, "I have his statement that he gave the responding officers. You read the copy."

She stood up and walked up to where he was lounging in a chair. Her voice was ice as she clarified, "Do you mean to tell me you didn't bother to personally interview the key witness to an attempted murder?" It caused her little satisfaction when his face turned white and he began to utter incessant 'Uhs' while trying to think of a response. When no more eloquent an answer came from him, she was barely able to speak through her fury and her words come out in breathless, one-word sentences. "You. Stupid. Imbecile. We. Statement. Now." She headed toward the door but turned back when he didn't move to follow her.

He was standing with a hand on his hip, his other scratching the back of his neck while making a study of his boots. Working up his nerve he looked up and crossed his arms before telling her, "I can't do that, Agent Mars. I mean, I can but I promised Hansen you wouldn't be involved. I've already crossed a line by letting you see all this stuff, but if you come with me to question the witness it could be both our ass—I mean tails."

Just before she really blew her top Charlie took pity on him. He jumped up to stand between her and Laird. "Look man, she's just upset. It's probably time we all took a break anyway so why don't you go track down the clerk and do the questioning. You can call Veronica to tell her how it went," he suggested, jumping up to escort him out of the room. When the detective hesitated Charlie quickly grabbed the evidence box and shoved it in his hands while practically pushing him out the door.

Before she could give Charlie the force of her fury, Logan distracted her. "Hey, Veronica. When was the last time you called to check on your dad?" She glanced at her watch and realized she hadn't spoken to her dad or the hospital in over three hours, and wanted to make sure he had gotten moved to his new room without any problems.

Settling for a glare at Charlie, she held out her hand to the two men and snapped, "I need keys. I want to go check on him myself." She knew that she was wound too tight, and the best thing would be a few minutes alone before a little face time with her dad to make sure he was doing alright. But instead of reaching into his pocket, Charlie opened his mouth like he was going to say something. Knowing she had to leave the room before she exploded she turned to Logan and grabbed the keys he was holding out to her, then headed toward the door. It may have been a tad theatrical to slam it behind her, but it was even more satisfying.

When Veronica had left the room Charlie seemed to…wilt. Logan couldn't think of any other way to describe it. One minute he was standing while she walked out, the next he had sunk to sit on the bed and hold his head in his hands. He looked up at Logan with an expression that seemed an even mix of confusion and anger. "What the hell is happening? Why do I feel like I've been two steps behind since I got here?"

Logan felt pity for Charlie and consoled, "Come on man, you met Ronnie at work. You know what she's like when she's on a case."

Charlie shook his head and told him, "Not exactly. I met her the first week on the job. A lot of computer work and an arrest was what I saw. When she's at home the last thing she wants to think or talk about is work. And I've never seen her pissed at me like she was a minute ago. I don't even know what I did."

Though it was glaringly obvious to him, Logan attempted to explain to the confused man in front of him. "Well, you apologized for her like she was some hysterical girl. Then you got rid of the guy before she could really sink her teeth in. But don't worry about it. She'll cool off and come back," he reassured.

Charlie stared him down for a moment, and then nodded. Logan could practically see the gears shifting in his head before he asked. "What about you, what are your plans?"

Now it was his turn to be confused. He asked, "My plans? I've haven't thought more than five minutes ahead since Veronica answered the phone Saturday morning."

Charlie nodded, acknowledging the craziness of the past few days, and expanded on his question. "I mean, now that I'm here. You must need to get back to work."

Logan could hear the challenge in Charlie's words and it pissed him off. Veronica had given no indication she was ready for him to leave and, since he had spent the last three days holding her together, he wasn't about to be dismissed by her boyfriend. Feigning casualness he sure as hell didn't feel, he sat down in a chair, and put his feet up on another. "My schedule is open ended; a lot I can handle through email for the time being. And your girlfriend has my car, so for now you're looking at my plans." He folded his arms to go behind his head and gave Charlie a relaxed smile.

Giving an exasperated sigh, Charlie scooted back on the bed and lay down, resting his head on a pillow. "Then make yourself useful and wake me up if she calls. I'm still wrecked so I'm going to try and catch some sleep."

Logan woke in the chair several hours later, the open curtains showing a pitch black sk,y so he knew it was the middle of the night. He looked at the room's second bed, where the only light in the room glowed from Veronica's laptop as she hunched in front of the screen, intently focusing on something. Charlie's light snoring indicated he was still asleep, so Logan spoke quietly to get her attention. "What are you doing?"

Veronica looked up, her face ghostly in the blue light from the display. "Come here. I want to show you something," she whispered urgently.

He came over to the bed and sat right behind her, hunching over her shoulder so he could see the screen. She was watching the convenience store video again, and he had to wonder how many times she had been over it while they were sleeping. The excitement in her voice was unmistakable. "Look, watch the guy right after he pulls the trigger. See, right there!" she pointed to the shooter. "See how he looks at the clerk before he starts to do his freak out dance? And look at the clerk. He's yelling at the shooter, holding out the bag of money."

"Yeah, so?" he asked, missing whatever had her in a dither.

"So I think they know each other. I think he was telling the shooter to take the money and go so he could call the police. And look, before that." She backed up the video to 5:14am and he saw the clerk moving restlessly behind the counter, checking his watch three times in the two minutes before the shooter entered the store.

Logan reached around her to back up the video and watch it straight through again. He left his hand hovering over the finger pad on her laptop, not even registering how he had gotten used to being close to her again. When he was done he paused it and, still conscious of Charlie sleeping only a few feet away, he whispered near her ear, "They planned it—," his words falling short when he felt the shudder move through her. He froze, suddenly aware of the lack of space between them and her response to his words in her ear. He remembered how, in times past, he had often done the same just to elicit that reaction from her. Swallowing to dislodge the lump that had suddenly formed in his throat he whispered, "Veronica—".

She jumped forward off the bed, scooping her laptop up with her and placing it on the dresser. She made it clear they were to pretend that nothing had passed between them by focusing on the new information. Her voice was low, speaking just above a whisper. "Yeah, they planned it. This clerk started his shift at 5am. He never even made a move for the silent alarm until after the shooter left. He's working from 5am to one today. I spoke to Laird and he couldn't find the guy last night, but is going to pick him up for questioning when he gets off work. I think a little recon is needed before then."

"What do you mean recon?" he asked, afraid he already knew.

She hissed her words, still trying to keep quiet so as not to wake Charlie, "Reconnaissance. Information gathering. Collecting of intel. Finding what I need to nail his ass to the wall."

He warily asked, "Which means calling Adam to have him look into known associates, criminal history, and financial records, right?"

She shook her and offered, "Already done, he's digging and will call me with any information. I was thinking more along the lines of going to his place while he's at work and seeing what I can find."

His voice raised a few decibels as he focused less on being quiet, and more on her idiotic plan. "Veronica, not only were you told to stay away from this investigation and have no authority here, you don't have a search warrant. Anything you find you couldn't use, and that's if you didn't get caught."

She rolled her eyes at him. "I won't get caught. I only did this like a hundred times when I was a PI. And there's no way in hell I'm leaving this in the hands of Lame Laird in 346. I just need enough to make the guy talk. I don't care about him. I care about the guy with the itchy trigger finger."

His voice showed his irritation with her idiotic idea, but he didn't care. "And are we ignoring the fact that you're looking for an armed man and your gun is in New York? Along with your common sense? Are you planning to scold him into your non-existent handcuffs and make a citizen's arrest?"

"Hey—"

Her voice rose to match his. "No, Logan. Despite what you seem to think I'm not stupid! I swung by my dad's house and got one of his guns and a pair of handcuffs. But they're just precautions. I meant what I said. I'll let Laird make the arrest!"

"Hey—"

"So let me see if I have this brilliant plan of yours straight!" Logan yelled. "You're going to commit a little B&E, get enough info to intimidate the accomplice to your father's shooter, then track the guy down and, being the patient gentle soul you are, pick up the phone to call a guy you think is a dumbass to make the arrest! Did I—"

"HEY!" Charlie yelled, interrupting what had become a shout fest between them.

Logan realized he was now standing, leaning over so his face was mere inches away from Veronica's. At some point Charlie had turned on a light and neither of them had even noticed. He saw how the color had risen in her cheeks and her eyes sparked at him. Her feet were squared off, as were his, and neither was willing to look away despite the disruption. Though they had stopped yelling, the argument continued with their eyes until he could tell she wouldn't back down. Breaking their stare, he took a step back and glanced over at Charlie. "You talk some sense in her. But if you don't have any better luck, let me know and I'll help you get her into those handcuffs." He walked around her, getting the satisfaction of slamming not one, but two doors when he left their room and went into his.

As Logan slammed the door, Veronica once again picked up the TV remote and threw it where his head had just been. It hit the closed door, bouncing harmlessly to the floor, and she growled in frustration. "Jackass!" she yelled, then turned around to see Charlie staring at her incredulously.

"What!?" she demanded.

He didn't answer, just kept looking at her until she felt the anger flow from her. He didn't deserve her ire, especially when it was leftovers from fighting with Logan. She walked over to him and put her hands on his waist. "Oh God, Charlie, I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to wake you, he just made me so mad, I didn't think—"

Charlie pulled away from her and spoke angrily, "Veronica, I couldn't care less that you woke me up. But what the hell is going on? What was he doing at our place on Saturday, and why is he here? I show up last night and the two of you are curled up together on that couch in the waiting room."

She stared at him, open mouthed, realizing how much he he been sitting on since he's gotten there. Before she could find an answer she realized he wasn't finished with his questions, and she cringed from the rare fury he directed at her.

"Then, it's like both of you switched to some radio frequency that I can't tune into," Charlie continued. "Like you speak a language only the two of you know. Not just quotes of crap I've never heard of, but you have this way of speaking without talking. I didn't notice it at first, but the more time you spend together the more obvious it is. And then that fight—Jesus! We've never fought like that. I've never seen you like that. What the hell am I supposed to think?"

He was right, and he had never been stupid. She had no answers for him and couldn't handle this while her dad lay in the hospital with his shooter getting way. So she tried for appeasement. "Charlie, I don't blame you for thinking what you're thinking, but Logan is here as a friend. When I got that call on Saturday I was in pretty bad shape, and I only made it through the last three days because of him." She tried to explain what had just happened, "But, you know that friend you can go years without seeing and then when you get together you just fall back into your old patterns, good and bad? That's what you're seeing. And, as much as I hate to admit it, that fight was because he's trying to take care of me and he's worried."

His look softened at the reminder of why there were all in small town Oregon, stuck in side by side hotel rooms. He came forward to give her a hug, and kissed the top of her head while holding her in his arms. "Veronica, I get that he helped you and I'm grateful. But I am here now, and taking care of you is what I came for. I think it's time he went home and I intend to tell him so."

She backed up a step so she could look up at him. "No, Charlie, please. If he chooses to leave on his own that's fine, but after everything he's done for me I don't want him shoved out the door like he was just a placeholder for you. He's my friend and I owe him more than that, including the right to stay as long as he likes. And if you'll remember, he's your friend too."

His frown told her how unhappy he was with her request, and he stopped just short of agreeing "I thought he was, too. But I think when this is all over we're going to have to have a talk about Logan."