Chapter 15

"It would appear these hackers today have gotten exponentially more creative in locating these so-called software loopholes. All I can say to listeners is be careful what you post on the internet. Privacy is a thing of the past. Even state-of-the-art security camera programs are being interfered with."

"If I'm not mistaken didn't Ms. Landros, owner of the Neptune Grand, implement heavier safety measures after the last incident a few months ago? Yet, I read in yesterday's newspaper that there's been another breach with that security system this past weekend."

Veronica began listening to Neptune's local talk show radio just as Trish Turley brought up the Palmer Investigation. "Yes," Trish spoke with her usual Texan bravado, "and while the hacker was not after credit card information, the "black-out" unfortunately resulted in the tragic loss of Evangeline Grace Palmer. Who knows if she could have been saved if the software had tougher firewalls. It sure creates a sense of unease when booking a stay at the Grand. It wouldn't be my first pick."

Another guest speaker with a deeper voice added, "I hear the Sheriff apparently has two in custody based on the allegations that they were the ones responsible for the death. Word is one of them is Trina Echolls, Logan's Echolls' sister. I must wonder what is with that family."

Veronica felt sick to her stomach. Of course, this topic would get radio play. Logan expected it.

"Anyone's guess. The younger Echolls charges were eventually dropped a few years back. Could it be Miss. Echolls was simply at the wrong place at the wrong time just as her brother?" Trish questioned. "It wouldn't be the first time the Balboa County office royally screwed up. While Langdon's been on a roll with putting behind bars those involved in the recent carjackings out by Dog Beach, this though, may be out of of her league. If memory serves, Petra Landros will hire those she feels will bring justice to Ms. Palmer's untimely passing."

Veronica switched the radio off having heard enough and pulled into the parking lot connected to the municipal building. At least, Trish Turley seemed unconvinced that Trina was involved. Veronica wondered if Trish hinted at Petra Landros hiring outside sources again to solve the crime. Petra would want to have to whole thing hushed up as soon as possible and yet, there hadn't been a phone call to Mars Investigations.

Walking down the hallway, Veronica carried a manila folder tucked under her arm. She was going to go ahead with her plan. She caught Norris just as he entered into the main room inside the Sheriff's Department.

He double-blinked at the sight of Veronica. She wore a deep crimson low-cut blouse and skinny jeans with black boots. A formula that worked plenty of times in the past to get what she wanted. Norris sighed, picking up on exactly why she was there. "Ms. Echolls made bail."

Which made clear that Marcia Langdon was still going through with the charges. Trina, like her brother, was hardly a murderer. Vain, egotistical, sure, but a killer? Hardly. None of it mattered, Langdon needed a fish to fry.

"What if I told you I obtained information that would make it impossible for Trina to have any involvement period?"

Norris glanced down at his wristwatch. "I have a few minutes to spare."

Veronica followed Norris over to his desk and sat across from him in a old, wooden chair. She placed the file on top for him to view.

"Evangeline was at Leah Vance's funeral sitting with the rest of the actors from the theater. This is the girl who supposedly committed suicide about three weeks ago even though it doesn't make sense. Evangeline and Leah were friends. Look at the official reports, you'll see that the way in which both died is too similar to ignore. A drug overdose just like," Veronica held her fingers and made quotations, "Connor Larkin's 'accident'." She then pointed to the dates listed on the reports. "Trina was out of town during Leah's murder."

He scanned through the pages. "How did you get—"

"I have my sources." Veronica interjected. "Look, questioning Rob and Trina will waste taxpayer's dollars and get the Sheriff nowhere. You'll want to bring in Katelyn Renner. She knew all three actors."

"The director?"

"Yeah. They're all connected. Promise me you'll look into it?"

"Sure thing but Langdon's planning to put Mr. Grimes behind bars for life."

Veronica furrowed her brows. Did innocent until proven guilty not apply here or did Marcia think she had enough proof for conviction? "There's not even enough evidence. This…" she pointed to the folder, "will create doubt."

"I'll see what I can do."

"Thanks." Veronica drew a long breath and relaxed her posture. "So, Trina's out on bail already, huh?"

Norris nodded. "Just a few minutes ago actually..."

Veronica suddenly saw Logan, wearing a gray crew-neck t-shirt and jeans, out the corner of her eye. Her head whipped around fast to make sure she wasn't imagining it. "Excuse me, Norris." She instantly rose up and ambled over towards Logan. "Hi?"

He stopped dead in his tracks at the sound of her voice. "Hey." He mustered a half-smile. "You stalking me?"

"I prefer the term surveillance." Veronica joked before her mouth formed a hard line and she stood still, all-businesslike with her arms crossed. "Trina?"

Logan shrugged his shoulders in response. "She called."

"Why am I not surprised." Her bail posted, Trina didn't have the funds herself. She wasn't exactly one to set up a savings account for emergencies. So, she called the only person who would help and got released for the time being. Logan never had the greatest relationship with his sister. However, Trina went through a similar hell growing up at the hands of Aaron so Logan would come through for her if she truly needed it. Even though Trina never displayed the same courtesy when he was accused.

"I was itching on qualifying for the world's best brother of the year." Logan replied with sarcasm.

"I think you lost out on that one when Hunter mailed that picture he drew of all of us."

"It's neck and neck."

Trina appeared a few steps away with another officer trailing her from behind. Trina smiled as she approached Logan. "Thanks lil' bro."

"I'm just happy I was the Echolls on the right side of the bars this time." Logan turned to Veronica. He pulled out a folded piece of paper from his back pocket. "And I took a photocopy of Trina's mug shot if I ever need a pick-me-up," he whispered once Trina was out of earshot.

Veronica glanced down at the shot with a look of amusement. Poor Trina's hair was disheveled. She had visible dark circles underneath her eyes. Veronica assumed Trina's worse nightmare would be if this image was made public. "Did the Sheriff have anything to say?" Veronica asked curiously, handing back the paper.

"She asked me out to dinner again; but I respectfully declined."

Veronica rolled her eyes. "No wonder she's seemed tense on screen. I bet she doesn't take rejection well."

"What's this?" Who let the animals out of their cages?" Deputy Lyles frowned, noticing the three of them standing near the counter.

Logan quickly gave Veronica a kiss goodbye and walked out of the office with Trina. He had his share of cops for the day.

"What are you doing here?" Lyles muttered reproachfully as he stared down at Veronica.

"To see you, dummy. What can I say, I've missed you." Veronica sarcastically replied. "I also came to see Sheriff Langdon. I want her to drop the charges completely on Trina Echolls."

Lyles laughed. He tried to composed himself but Veronica had to wait almost a full minute before he finally stopped and uttered, "Why the hell do you think that'll happen?

"Let's see, so this office can actually catch the real killer? Trina barely knows what 4x4 equals, you really think she could pull tampering with footage all the while invisible to everyone and not to mention under the influence? That won't hold up in a court of law. Trina broke up with Rob the night of and she got plastered. I bet Rob's just trying to save his skin by mentioning her. He has no alibi, but at the same time, you don't have enough proof he did it either way. You're all grasping at straws and it's going to backfire."

"Sounds like a nice tall tale to me," Lyles smirked.

Veronica tried to hold her tongue, but it was no use. "I met some pricks in my time but you, sir, are a cactus." Veronica shook her head. "Why am I even bothering talking to you." She pushed pass Lyles and heading towards Langdon's office.

Langdon had a few minutes to spare and Veronica quickly caught her up to speed.

"One. Miss Echolls stayed on the same floor and her hair was found in Evangeline's room." Langdon held up one finger and then a second. "Two. Robert Grimes specifically mentioned her disdain for Miss. Palmer. We heard his statement and he even admitted he went to see her that night before he went out with Trina." It still wasn't the confession that she needed. "It's more than likely Trina Echolls was involved in some capacity. Unless, you can prove with concrete evidence an alternative?"

"She wasn't at the hotel that night. That's why no one saw her. She was drunk and had a fight with Rob. She found out about him hooking up with the murder vic. Trina's innocent. I made sure she found a place to rest. She's…" Veronica had a tough time spitting it out but to make it all the more believable, "…family."

"If this isn't the truth, you're putting me in a hard place, Ms. Mars. I have people breathing down my neck. One false move and I'm out. Trust me, Neptune would be far worse off with Lamb still in office. I need more verification."

It was a lie, but with Trina's whereabouts unconfirmed and the cameras down, who was going to argue? Veronica hoped she could steer Langdon, at least, in a different direction. "Everyone at the party that saw can attest to that. Go ahead. Ask around."

"I'll have one of my deputies on it."

Veronica was about to say something else until she realized Marcia Langdon was agreeing with her.

"Look up Leah Vance. She recently passed under similar circumstances. Same drugs in their systems at the time of death. They both died of asphyxiation."

"Leah Vance." The Sheriff rolled the name off the tip of her tongue trying to place where she heard it before. "That was ruled a suicide."

"It's bullshit. Question Katelyn Renner in conjunction."

"I'll tell you what…I'll make sure to look into it," Langdon's features softened, although she concluded in a tone that clearly suggested she wouldn't go further than some some precursory searches.

Veronica nodded, accepting that was more help than Lamb would have ever given her.

*x**x**x**x*

Back at the house, Veronica was in the midst of cooking dinner when Logan came to help set the plates down at the table. The television in the living room was on with the six o'clock news. Logan and Veronica overheard everything. There was a report on the recent gang activity plaguing Neptune. More cases then ever of PCHers breaking into homes stealing possessions among a list of other felonies and infractions. The news-anchor failed to mention these incidents were the retaliation. They never relayed the part where one PCHer got beat up with a night stick by one of Lamb's trusty deputies on top of getting charged with resisting arrest.

Logan switched off the TV with the remote and asked, "do you want me to come with you?"

Veronica stopped stirring the sauce to stare at Logan who had walked back into the kitchen now to grab the forks. "Huh?"

"Later tonight? You're going to trail Lyles."

The same dangerous choices that led to Sacks and Keith's hit and run. Logan knew she could take care of herself but there was a difference between walking across hot coals barefoot and standing in the middle of it. There was always a risk.

"I told Weevil I would." Veronica had a hard time going back on promises. She realized what Logan had implied. "But, it's okay, I planned to meet up with Mac any way. She can be my backup." Veronica already filled Logan in on the library as well as eventually returning to Vintage. She wanted to give peace of mind finally to Marcie but more than anything, Veronica wanted justice. "You know I won't be able to rest until I find proof."

"Of course not. You have a tendency..." Logan's voice trailed off.

She raised one sharp eyebrow. "What? Don't hold back."

"Veronica..." Logan bit his tongue and hesitated. He watched as she placed the sauce on top of the spaghetti and set the large bowl on the dining table.

"Stop with the dramatic pauses."

"You spend all your time on these cases; granted it's benefited me on more than one occasion..." Part of him wished she would allow herself a vacation for longer than a weekend. He also knew going after a serial killer and trying to obtain incriminating evidence on Deputy Lyles would put Veronica in jeopardy. Logan loved her for being strong and kick-ass, but it didn't stop him from being constantly concerned.

"Some would say that meant I'm good at my job. Efficient." Veronica scooped up spaghetti and meatballs putting a small amount on her plate.

"Others might say compulsive." Logan stood behind his chair, placing his hands on top of it, ready to sit down. He waited, though, for Veronica's reaction.

"You really wanna go there?" After all, he was the one leaving for six months again.

Logan took his seat. "Fine, I like to retract my statement."

"Wise move."

"Just be careful tonight."

"That's a given." Veronica sighed heavily. "I think this is the twentieth time we've had this exact conversation."

"Thanks for the tally. If we really tried and put our heads together, I bet we can come up with something else to argue about."

Veronica walked over to Logan and gave him a kiss on the cheek. "Dinner's getting cold."

*x**x**x**x*

The temperatures decreased significantly since Veronica had left the Sheriff's Department earlier yet it was still hot enough outside for her to blast the car's AC. Mac, sitting in the passenger's seat, peered out the window keeping an eye out for anything out of the ordinary.

Veronica passed the CVS and pizzeria and pulled into the library at nine-thirty. Officially, the library closed at seven. The buildings lights were all turned off. The last janitor left an hour ago. Veronica double checked her surroundings before getting out. They figured it would be better to come after hours to avoid questions of why Mac would need to use the librarian's computer. Mac assumed correctly that the IP address came from the front desk Dell. The newest and most update usable computer out of the bunch.

Veronica knew whoever chose the library did so for the location and ease of access.

When they reached the front doors, Veronica found it was a cheap lock she could easily pick. Once inside, Veronica switched on a lamp perched on top of the counter. Mac took a seat on the large cushioned chair behind the counter while Veronica brought one over. Mac booted up the computer and the two waited until the start menu appeared on screen.

"This is obviously a shot in the dark, but if you find something legit, anything that can lead to the identity; that would be perfect, Q."

Mac stifled a laugh. "I'll try if this damn computer ever stops being slow as molasses." Finally able to view the start screen, Mac plugged in a flash drive and began snooping around.

Thirty minutes went by before Mac said anything relating to the task. "Okay," She began, "the downloaded program was created at 10:43pm on Sunday. It's what allowed whoever to access the hotel's servers. It was timed to stop the cameras from filming specifically at three am. That's why Evangeline was left like that. Whoever did it, ran out of time."

Veronica, who had been texting Wallace, looked up from her phone. "No shit? That gets me wondering if the surveillance from Connor's apartment was so grainy and blurry on purpose. We never did see that figure wearing a hoodie again."

"When I reviewed that, there were no missing frames. Why not just do the same thing here before, you know?"

"What about internet history?"

"There's only three sites listed from ten pm to twelve am and then nothing until eleven am when the library reopened." Mac took a deep breath. "Google. An article on Katelyn Renner filming in Neptune from the county times. The last one is Evangeline's twitter page."

"So-o, this was a bust?"

"Though, if you look at what Evangeline posted around twelve am. "Watching these infomercials drunk gets me thinking of actually buying those bacon bowls."

Veronica narrowed her eyes. "I don't get it."

"It only got one favorite."

"And here I thought she was a wannabee actress. Where's her legion of fans?"

Mac shrugged her shoulders and carried on. "It was from at dre239. I hacked into the account. The picture is still of that stupid egg and the person only has two tweets. It's the account belonged to whoever used this computer. Here, look for yourself." Mac backed up and let Veronica get a better view.

As Veronica glared at the computer screen, she could feel her frustration rising.

Then it hit her like a wave of clarity.

Author's Note: Here's a few tidbits: I ended this chapter a little earlier, more action in the next! Marcie is still paying Veronica to solve the case. Besides that motivation, Veronica feels the burning need to find out the reason why. Why Leah and Evangeline. Why Connor. Keith is still looking into the names on the napkin. I mentioned in chapter 14 that he had scratched off the escort as a possible assailant. Veronica also continues to wait to see if Rachel Zellers will answer her e-mail. It's the beginning of June folks and Connor had died on Friday, May 13th but Veronica is finally closing in. Any other questions feel free to ask!

Please review and let me know I still have readers. I urge you to reread the story before the last few chapters get posted because things written all the way in the beginning will come back full circle. There will be twists and turns.

***5 chapters to go until the finaleeee! ***