Chapter 53

They met outside the Pi Sig house at nine sharp the next night, and Veronica handed out coasters.

"So, here's the plan." Veronica addressed the group. "Do your own thing at the party, but if you see a girl who looks out of it, sneak up to her drink, dip the coaster in, see if it turns red. If it does, the drink is dosed."

"If you see a really cute girl and you want to dance with her?" Wallace asked.

"Dance." Veronica smiled. "Just know that your libido caused some girl to get raped."

Wallace's face dropped. "That kinda takes the fun out of it."

"Hey, it's your life." Veronica shrugged.

"Since when?" Wallace and Logan both demanded.

"See?" Veronica searched her purse. "You give me a hard time, I'm a little less enthusiastic about giving you the little 'thanks for helping' presents I made you this afternoon." She pulled out three IDs and passed them out.

"Don't I get one?" Logan demanded.

"You already have one." She waved him off. "Congratulations. You're all twenty-one."

Wallace and Mac accepted the gifts like they were nothing, used to Veronica's magic tricks, but Piz was in awe.

"You can't even tell! I can buy myself a beer cup!" He made a run for the entrance.

The others followed behind him, and were greeted by Drew, the guy Veronica had tossed drinks on at the Hearst Orientation Weekend.

"Looky here." He smiled sarcastically at Veronica. "My favourite drink tosser. I'm so happy you came to Hearst."

"Seriously, does anyone like you?" Wallace asked.

"I'm a fan." Logan threw an arm around her shoulder.

"IDs out. Show them to our friend from the Hearst Police department." Drew's voice dragged like he had repeated the phrase a hundred times that night, and Veronica and her friends complied.

"Beer cups are ten bucks, soda cups are five. Everyone must purchase one or the other."

Piz handed over the money for a beer cup and Drew handed him the plastic cup and a wristband.

"Right wrist. Print your name, legibly, on this cup. Use only this cup. Do not share that cup with a minor." Drew listed.

While Mac bought a soda cup, Veronica picked up one of the coasters that they were giving out and examined it. They were a disaster.

"These are your rape-testing coasters?" She demanded. "This is what you're giving out?"

"Yeah. Don't get raped... Not that you should have that problem." He observed, staring at her stomach.

"Where's Chip Diller?" She demanded, ignoring the jab.

Drew pointed inside and Veronica stormed off, Logan close on her heels. She found him in a corner of the living room, talking to a girl.

"Chip!" She had to yell to be heard over the music.

He obviously wasn't thrilled to see her, but Veronica didn't care. She pulled one of her coasters from her purse and held it up.

"I want you to take a look at these coasters and see if you can spot the difference. Item one- printed on two sides with the name of a drug-testing manufacturer on it, distributed at the Take-Back-The-Night booth. Item Two- printed on one side, handed out at the Pi Sig party. One tests for date-rape drugs. My guess? The other tests to see if drinks are wet."

"You don't know that." Chip shook his head haughtily. "Find me a laced drink, and let's see if it works. Go on, go on. Find one." He urged her. "I'll time you."

Veronica sneered at him, then dropped the Pi Sig coaster in the cup the girl was holding.

"There you go, Bambi. If it turns red, he's trying to rape you. If it doesn't, he still might be trying to rape you. How do you live with yourself?" She demanded, looking back at Chip.

"Oh, it's a struggle, but I manage." Chip assured her, turning back to the girl.

Veronica turned away from him in disgust, only to find herself facing Dick... and Bonnie.

"Hi Bonnie!" She smiled sweetly, walking over. "So, where's your boyfriend tonight?"

"Do you see a ring?" Bonnie asked, glaring at Veronica.

"Hey. Veronica, where's your boyfriend tonight?" Dick asked. "Oh, that's right. You don't have one."

"I'm married, Dick." Veronica reminded him, then leaned forward and quickly tested Bonnie's drink.

"Use protection." She ordered, when the piece of coaster didn't turn red, then walked off in search of Logan. They wandered through the house, looking for girls that were overly drunk and avoiding people who were falling all over the place. There was nothing odd until Veronica saw Tim Foyle storming through the crowd.

"This can't be good." She muttered, grabbing Logan and dragging him towards the crowd that was gathering around Tim.

"That's it, Bonnie!" He screamed. "I've had enough!"

Veronica pushed her way to the front of the crowd and saw Tim screaming at Bonnie, who had rolled of Dick's lap and was now sitting beside him.

"I've known about all of them! I've known about every knuckle-dragging frat boy you ever gave a free ride, but guess what? I wasn't sitting back and taking it. Not at all! For every guy you were with, I was with someone new myself. Did you think I didn't know? I know everything!" He stopped, catching his breath and looking around him, then turned to walk away. Veronica was about to follow him, but Logan took her hand and pulled her away to say hi to Mercer.

"Hey, Logan! Veronica!" Mercer greeted them as they approached.

"Hi, Mercer." Veronica gave a small wave.

"I hope you brought your dancing shoes! They're putting my show on after the band's done."

"Ya, I haven't really been doing much dancing, lately." Veronica smiled, placing a hand on her stomach.

"Right, right. On that note, what are you doing at a kegger? It can't be very fun for you."

"I'm here to help out a friend." Veronica shrugged, before Logan could answer. "She didn't want to come alone, and wanted to make sure she had a ride home."

"Always the good Samaritan." Logan remarked, putting an arm around her shoulders.

"Hey!" Wallace and Piz came running over, and Mercer disappeared.

"We got a positive." Piz announced. "This cup was dosed. It belongs to..." He checked the side of the cup. "Kim Kaiser."

"So where's Kim Kaiser?" Veronica asked.

"We asked around. No one's seen her, but we found someone who knows where she lives. She's off-campus, by the marina, uh, Harbour View Apartments." Wallace told her.

"All four girls were raped in their own rooms. We've got to get there." Veronica said. "Who's got the closest car?"

"I do." Piz volunteered.

"Okay, let's go." Veronica went to take a step, but was stopped by both Logan and Wallace.

"Not a chance!" Logan told her. "I'll go. You stay here."

"Okay." Veronica nodded, then pulled his head down to kiss him. "Be careful."

"You too."

"Get her out of her apartment!" Veronica called after them, then turned to Wallace. "Come on."

"Where are we going?"

"It's time for me to make a little announcement." She lead him outside to the stage, where the band was just finishing their set and ran up the steps to the microphone.

"Hi, uh, we're looking for Kim Kaiser." She spoke to the crowd. "We think she's been given a date-rape drug. If you've seen her or you're friends with her, please come find me. I'll be right in front of the stage."

She took up her post and Wallace went to find Mac.

A few minutes in, a girl approached Veronica.

"You're the girl looking for Kim, right? She didn't come to the party."

"I saw her drink cup." Veronica told the girl, shaking her head.

"She lent her ID to her little sister, Carrie."

"Where's Carrie?" Veronica demanded.

"She wasn't feeling good. She was walking back to her room." The girl told her.

"Which dorm?"

"Benes Hall. You think she's alright?" The girl didn't look overly worried, but Veronica turned and started to push her way through the crowd. She was halfway to Wallace, when she heard Mercer's voice over the radio and everything clicked. Mercer could tape his show. Mercer was the rapist.

"Wallace! Mac!" She screamed, jogging over to their table. "We have to go!"

"What's wrong?" Wallace asked, jumping off the table.

"I'll explain in the car. Come on!" They dashed out to the Range Rover, which was parked around the corner and started driving towards Benes Hall.

"Mercer is the rapist, and right now he's on his way to Benes Hall to rape Carrie Kaiser, Kim's little sister." Veronica explained. "So, here's the plan. We're going to go and hide Carrie, and catch Mercer."

"That's not a plan, that's a goal." Mac pointed out.

"Okay. Mac, Wallace, you take my taser and hide Carrie in her closet. Then, Mac, you hide in her bed and wait for Mercer to come in, with the taser. Wallace, you hide down the hall and call the police when Mercer goes in, then go and help Mac."

"What are you going to do?" Wallace asked.

"I'm going to go and call the Sheriff's department."

"Far away from this, right?" Wallace prompted. "Where Mercer won't see you and try to kill you again."

"Yes." Veronica agreed.

"Alright." Wallace and Mac nodded and they pulled up to the dorms.

"Everyone understands the plan?" Veronica asked, handing Mac the taser.

"We've got it." Mac nodded.

"Good luck."

Wallace and Mac ran off to find Carrie's room.

Veronica followed them inside a minute later, dialling the Sheriff's Department.

"Hi, I think there's a bomb in my dorm. I'm at Benes Hall at Hearst! You should send someone, right away." She hung up and ran up the stairs to Wallace and Piz's room, where she sunk to the floor out of breath and worried. Five minutes later, Mac came running down the hallway. Her face was bloody, but other than that she looked unharmed.

"Mac!" Veronica raced forward.

"Veronica? Mac?" Moe approached them. "Are you alright?"

"Mercer's the rapist." Mac panted, wiping the blood from her face.

"Come on, come with me." Moe guided them into his room and flicked on the kettle.

"Where's Wallace?" Veronica asked.

"Mercer knocked him unconscious." Mac explained, breathing heavily.

"I'll call the Sheriff." Moe offered, pulling out his phone. He turned away, and spoke as he finished making the two girls tea.

"They'll be here soon." Moe promised, handing them both mugs.

"We can't wait." Mac shook her head. "Carrie is still up there, and Wallace."

Veronica and Mac got to their feet, ready to go fight for their friend, but Moe stopped them.

"No, you stay here, where you're safe." Moe told them. "I'll get a bunch of guys together and go up there."

He turned and backed out of the room, closing the door behind him.

"I'm so sorry I pulled you into this." Veronica apologized as Mac drank the tea.

"Don't be. I wanted to be involved. This is important." She assured her. "This isn't your fault."

She took another drink. Veronica nodded and got to her feet, not wanting to sit still. The picture caught her eye, just as Mac spoke again.

"Veronica, I don't feel good." She mumbled, and then the mug dropped to the floor, followed by Mac.

"Mac!" Veronica cried, kneeling beside her. "Mac? What's wrong?"

"My head... It's dizzy." Mac told her.

Veronica got up and ran to the door, only to find it locked. Moe had locked them in. She walked over to the mug she had set down, untouched and dropped a piece of a coaster into it. It immediately turned red.

Moe had dosed them.

Moe was working with Mercer.

Veronica hurried back over to Mac, trying to get it together and decide what to do. She pulled out her phone and dialled Logan's number.

"Hey, we-"

"Logan, Mercer is the rapist." Veronica interrupted him, speaking as quickly as possible. "And Moe is his accomplice. Mac and I are locked in his room in Benes Hall. He dosed Mac."

"Veronica, listen to me. Call Mark. Okay? I'll call the Sheriff, you call Mark and he'll come and get you. Okay?"

"Okay." Veronica nodded and hung up. Then dialled Mark's number.

"Mrs. Echolls, where are you?"

"Benes Hall, room 212. You need hurry." She hung up and returned to Mac, hearing voices down the hall.

"We have to hide." Veronica told her. "Come on."

She helped Mac to her feet and over to the closet- the only hiding place available. Mac crawled in one side and Veronica followed behind her, closing the door behind her.

The lock clicked, and Veronica heard two people enter.

"You said they were here." Mercer yelled.

"They were." Moe sounded desperate.

"Well, then where the hell did they go?" Mercer demanded. "They were dosed, and Veronica is a freaking boat. She can't move that fast!"

"I don't know. I'm sorry, sir." Moe whined, and Veronica heard the distinct sound of Mercer's fist connecting with his nose. Then she heard knocking.

"Answer the door." Mercer hissed.

After that, there was yelling and scuffling for a minute then nothing.

"Veronica!"

"Mac!"

"Veronica!"

"Mac!"

The chorus of names, from Wallace, Piz, Logan and Parker echoed from a hallway. Then the closet door was opened and Mark stood there.

"Mr. Echolls!" He called towards the open door. "They're in here!"

Veronica took in the scene in front of her. Mercer was on the floor, bleeding and unconscious, and Moe was sitting across from him, crying like a baby. Logan ran into the room followed by Parker, Wallace and Piz.

"Veronica!" Logan ran over, pulling her from the closet. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine." She assured him. "Get Mac."

"The Sheriff is on his way." Mark told them, standing over Moe to make sure he didn't make a run for it.

"Well, that puts my mind at ease." Veronica grumbled, looking to where Wallace and Piz were pulling Mac out of the closet. "Is she okay?"

"I think so. She's just a little out of it." Parker said, propping her head up in her lap.

"Are you okay, Wallace?" Veronica asked, noticing a small cut above his eye.

"I'm fine." Wallace assured her. "Just a little bump."

"Sheriff's Department!" Sacks and Lamb appeared in the doorway.

"Why is it always you?" Lamb asked as soon as he saw Veronica.

"It's a gift." Veronica shrugged.

"And, look at this..." He saw Mercer lying unconscious. "I was right in the first place."

"Technically, I was right too." Veronica pointed out. "I was the one who accused him in the first place."

"Yes, but then you got him off."

"There was evidence." Veronica argued.

"Okay!" Sacks stepped in. "Maybe now isn't the time..."

"No." Logan agreed.

"Paramedics are on their way up." Another deputy announced, entering the room.

"Alright, cuff these two and get them into the squads." Lamb pointed to Moe and Mercer.

"That one needs medical attention," Mark told him, pointing to Mercer's leg.

"He can get it in a cell... Veronica, why don't you enlighten me."

"Why don't you let her calm down." Logan countered.

"It's fine." Veronica assured him, turning to Lamb.

"No, it's not." Logan interrupted. "You're going down to an ambulance with Mac and Wallace, and then we'll go down to the station and you can explain everything."

As he spoke, two paramedics came up and got Mac onto a stretcher and took her down to the ambulance, motioning for Wallace and Veronica to follow.

A few minutes later, Veronica was sitting on a stretcher in a second ambulance, having her vitals checked.

"I'm fine." She kept saying. "Nobody touched me, I didn't get hurt. Where's Mac?"

"They took her back to the hospital to be treated. They said she would be released in the morning." Logan told her. "She's going to be fine. Just a little out of it."

"And Wallace?"

"Mrs. Echolls, please, you need to sit still." The paramedic told her, trying to look in her eyes.

"He's fine." Logan promised. "Just a little bump on his head. No concussion or anything."

"How far along are you?" The woman checking her vitals asked.

"22 weeks."

"Have you had your mid-pregnancy ultrasound yet?"

"Yes. I had one at 17 weeks and one just last week."

"Did you find out the sex?" She asked, sweetly.

"It's a girl. You don't need to make small talk, I'm fine." Veronica informed her. "Can we just get this over with so I can go?"

The woman's smile faltered and she looked down at the notepad she had been scribbling on.

"Okay, it looks like everything here is fine, but I suggest you make an appointment with your OB to follow up."

"She will." Logan promised before Veronica could argue.

"So I can go?" Veronica demanded.

"Yes. You can go."

"Great. I have to go explain to Lamb why he's arresting two people." She got to her feet and climbed out of the ambulance, with Logan's help.

"Veronica, do you need a ride back to the station?" Sacks offered.

"No, I've got a car." Veronica told him, pointing to the Range Rover that was still parked with all the cop cars.

"Okay, we'll see you there." Sacks got into his own squad and followed them back to the station, then brought Veronica into an interview room.

"Can I just point out," Veronica started. "That when a bomb threat is called in, you evacuate the building. That's protocol."

Sacks nodded, obviously feeling a little guilty about not doing so.

"Are you done lecturing my deputies, yet?" Lamb asked, wandering into the room. "Can we get to the part where you tell me why you went after the rapist?"

"Technically, it wasn't me. It was Mac and Wallace. I went after his accomplice." Veronica pointed out, sitting down. "You're gonna want to take notes." She added, looking at Lamb expectantly.

He smiled sarcastically, pulled out a voice recorder and sat across from her, flicking it on.

"Alright, let's have it."

"Mercer is the rapist-"

"We already knew that." Lamb interrupted.

"Can you just shut up and let her talk?" Logan asked, from where he stood, leaning against the wall behind Veronica. Lamb waved his hand dismissively and Veronica started again.

"Mercer is the rapist. All the evidence I put together to get him off, was based on the assumption that his call and request radio show couldn't be pre-recorded. But it can be. Moe was the set-up man. He'd dose the victims, then call Mercer with the room number and give him the master keys he needed to get in. Moe dosed me a few weeks ago, to provide an alibi for Mercer."

"What do the Pi Sigs have to do with it?" Lamb asked.

"Nothing. Just nights they could be sure there'd be plenty of drunk girls, plus a convenient scapegoat."

"Is that it?" Lamb asked.

"Well, seeing as I've completely done your job for you, yeah. That's it. I can guarantee that you'll find all the extra evidence you need in their rooms." Veronica got to her feet. "Now, if you don't mind, I'm going to go to the hospital to check on my best friend who almost died tonight because your people can't do their jobs, and then I'm going to go home because I'm so tired I could fall asleep on the floor right here."

She turned and marched out of the room, Logan hot on her heels.

"We don't need to visit Mac tonight." He told her. "You can go see her in the morning."

"No, I'm going to see her now."

"Veronica, you said it yourself, you're exhausted. You need to sleep."

"No, I need to make sure that my best friends are okay. Because I put them in an incredibly dangerous situation tonight and they got hurt, and it's my fault."

"No, it's not-" Logan started, but Veronica stopped in her tracks and turned to face him.

"Logan, look at my face. Does it look like I'm screwing around? I'm going to see Mac and Wallace, and making sure they're okay. And then, tomorrow, I will rest. Okay?"

She definitely did not look like she was screwing around. She had the look that Logan had learned meant that she wasn't budging, and arguing would probably involve a lot of pain on his part, so he nodded.

"Mac!" Veronica cried as soon as she entered the room.

"Veronica!" Mac called back, still sounding a little out of it. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine. Are you okay?"

"I'm great. I know you didn't like GHB, but I don't know... it's not that bad." Mac joked.

Veronica smiled, obviously feeling a lot better now that she knew Mac wasn't mad at her.

"Wallace." She turned to her other best friend, who was sitting beside Mac, along with Parker and Piz. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine. Nothing an Advil can't fix." He assured her. "We're both fine. They're going to release Mac in a couple hours."

He got up and walked over, taking Veronica by the shoulders. "Go home and sleep. You need it."

Veronica sighed and nodded.

"I'm sorry about all this." She told them. "I never wanted you guys to get hurt."

"Veronica, it's not your fault." Mac assured her. "We wanted to help."

"And now, I can tell girls I caught the Hearst rapist." Wallace grinned. "Do you even understand how much play this is gonna get me?"

Veronica gave a small laugh. "Alright." She nodded and allowed Logan to take her arm and lead her out to the car.

She fell asleep in the car, and somehow Logan carried her upstairs- she didn't know how, since she was about the same size and weight of a whale, but he did. She didn't wake up until the next afternoon.