Chapter Four
"Veronica, Logan Echolls will have access to all the best criminal attorneys. And it's Sunday!"
Cliff McCormack was not best pleased at being interrupted. Loretta was making good on her promise to pay in kind and he was comfortable lingering in his bed.
"Cliff, he won't be able to get someone there fast, and anyone he knows works for his father. Besides, that's not all."
"What do you mean?"
"I might need you too."
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Logan hadn't done this. Of that Veronica was certain. She had heard enough from the news reports to know, that if they were accurate, the attack on Aaron had happened long before she took Logan home. She was his alibi.
"Great."
Cliff told her not to go the Sheriff's Department. Based on what she had told him, she was going to get a visit from them soon enough.
Veronica was too agitated to stay in, waiting for the knock
on the door so she let herself out of the apartment and drove to John
Enbom's place.
John looked at her with a mixture of gratitude
and frank curiosity as she handed over the disk.
"Thanks Veronica, you saved my life."
"Piece of advice? Keep your homework in your pants."
John nodded and paid her cash. Veronica checked the amount and turned to go.
"Hey, uh, Veronica. I heard about you and Logan…"
"Nice to see the Neptune grapevine is as healthy as ever," Veronica said.
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Where were they? There was no sign of anyone from the Sheriff's Department and Cliff hadn't called. Veronica turned the television on, searching for news. She found Trina.
Trina Echolls thrived in the limelight. It was as if the bright spots of the cameras switched on a light within. She shone as she told the press of her despair at finding her battered father in his study, Logan standing over him. She described Logan's bandaged knuckles, blood seeping through. She mentioned the party, Logan's threat. She was clever, she never for a moment sounded like she was condemning Logan but every word she said did so.
"Miss Echolls, Miss Echolls! Does your brother have any reason to attack Aaron?"
"No, none. None at all. My brother must have… I don't know."
"Lying bitch."
Veronica turned off the TV in disgust. She was about to forget Cliff's advice and head for the Sheriff's Department when there was a knock at the door.
"Speak of the devil! What's going on, Cliff?"
"You're off the hook."
"What do you mean?"
"He hasn't told them you were together."
"What?"
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Cliff's soft spot for Veronica was the only thing keeping him from point blank refusing to get involved any further. But that girl had a way of wrapping him round her little finger and here he was again.
"Mr McCormack, I thought Mr Echolls made it clear he didn't want-"
"I'm not here to represent Mr Echolls, Deputy. I'm here to represent Veronica Mars."
As he spoke, Veronica came round from behind her lawyer and looked up at Leo D'Amato. He stared for at her for the briefest of moments and then turned away. Veronica wilted at the disappointment in his eyes.
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Veronica was tired. She had been in this room for hours. Leo would not look at her once in all that time as he took her statement. From his questions, she knew he had interviewed a lot of the party guests, had heard all about her and Logan and the 'blow job' and everything. And she couldn't do anything to correct his assumptions. Cliff had advised her not to say anything about going upstairs to recover John Enbom's work from the computer as she, and Logan, could get into trouble for it. Besides, after what happened with Logan at the apartment, she wasn't sure how fair it would be to Leo to protest her innocence of involvement with Logan. But she hated that she was hurting him. She liked him. Maybe one day, he'd let her tell him the truth.
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Sheriff Don Lamb was not a man known for his passion. He was a hard and hollow man, with little emotional substance. He had worked methodically to get where he was, helping Keith Mars' on his self-destruction by leaking the crime scene video from the Kane murder without conscience or concern. So it was unusual that he should feel so passionately about anything, never mind about Keith's daughter. But it was true; he hated Veronica Mars with passion. She had shown him up as a fool more than once and, by god, he wasn't going to let her do it again. He'd have that little bitch for obstruction.
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"Veronica Mars, here we are again."
Sheriff Lamb had never been able to hide the disdain he felt for her and now was to be no exception.
"Has she been read her rights?"
Leo nodded. Lamb turned his attention back to Veronica.
"Come to get your boyfriend out of trouble, have you?"
"Come to get you out of trouble, Sheriff, before your bungling gets the department sued."
Lamb's eyes narrowed.
"Bring her," he barked to Leo.
"Hold on, Sheriff," Cliff protested. "Where are you taking her?"
"Relax, Counsellor, we're going to have a word with Mr Echolls."
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Logan wouldn't look at her. He wouldn't look at anyone.
"Mr Echolls. Veronica Mars here has leapt on her white charger and come to rescue you." Lamb enjoyed being snide. "She says you were with her all night."
Logan looked up at the Sheriff. Veronica was willing him to look at her but he was careful to avoid her gaze.
"Check your notes, Sheriff. I told you she took me home. Don't you guys get training or something so you can remember stuff like this?"
"Yeah, we get training. And notes. Which say that you told us that she took you home straight after the party?"
"More or less." He shrugged.
"I'll tell you what I think. I think your girlfriend here is lying to protect you and I think I'm gonna have her for obstruction. That's unless I find enough to do her as an accomplice."
The room erupted. Both Leo and Cliff jerked to their feet.
"Now, hang on…"
"Sheriff, this is outrageous…"
Even Trina, sitting ineffectually at the side as Logan's temporary guardian, looked surprised and almost excited at this development.
Veronica didn't hear any of it. She was focused on Logan. His reaction was less immediate but react he did. He gazed at her for a moment and then…
"Sheriff, Veronica is not my girlfriend. Never has been, never will be. She wanted to go to the party and I owed her one, so I took her. Sure, we messed around. We're horny, it goes with the teenage job description but she took me home. We stopped at her place because I'd… stupidly hurt my hands and she bandaged them. I don't know what time it was when she dropped me off."
"And we know she lies, Mr Echolls, it's what she does. Isn't that right, Veronica?"
"I am not lying about this you son of a bitch."
"Oh come on Veronica. This convenient alibi for a boy you were having sex with last night, coming in here pretending to be Lilly Kane, tampering with evidence, oh, and best of all…"
Veronica knew a millisecond before it came what he was going to say and knew at the same instant that she was powerless to stop it. Trust the bastard to mimic her as he did it.
"Oh, Sheriff, boo hoo, I've been raped, I've been raped…"
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Veronica hated crying on the toilet. She had not done it for a long time, it made her feel weak and like the girl she'd left behind. But here she was again. She had bolted from the room and Lamb had let her go, telling Leo to follow her and not let her leave the premises.
"Oh god," she thought, "Dad!"
How was she going to keep this from him now?
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Leo was gentle when Veronica finally came out. He asked her if she wanted some water and when she shook her head, he said, "I'm sorry Veronica, Lamb's a jerk."
"Leo, things aren't what they seem, I promise. Although that, the rape…"
She trailed off. He patted her arm in comfort. She took a deep shuddering breath.
"And I'm sorry if I've let you down."
"Maybe some things aren't meant to be, Veronica."
Leo didn't take her back to the room. He sat her on bench outside the office and told her to wait. There was no sign of Cliff either. Veronica shut her eyes and leaned her head back. This was turning into a really bad day.
Finally, just when she was about to kick something, Veronica saw Cliff and, behind him, Logan.
"Let's go," Cliff said.
"What happened?"
Cliff put his fingers to his lips and indicated that they should go outside before speaking.
Once outside, Cliff told Veronica that they were in the clear. Aaron Echolls had regained consciousness and reported that he had been attacked by an intruder. That was that, and Cliff was going back to his very cold bed.
"Cliff."
He paused.
"Dad doesn't know, a-about the rape."
"He should."
"I-I know, but please don't…"
"He won't hear it from me, Veronica."
"Thanks."
Left on the steps of Neptune's Sheriff's Department, Veronica and Logan both looked down at them, preserving the uncomfortable silence to avoid talking. Veronica finally broke the impasse.
"Why didn't you tell them? About having an alibi?"
"I don't know. I wanted to kill him. When I found him, it was almost as if I had, and done the world a favour. I didn't see any reason to let you share my limelight. Or any more reason to link your name with mine."
Veronica smiled despite herself.
"You're an idiot."
"That's not the worst I've been. When did it happen?"
She knew what he was asking.
"Shelly Pomroy's party, last year."
"Who was it?"
Veronica wasn't sure if she imagined the violence in his voice.
"I don't know. Someone slipped me a roofie and when I woke up, I…"
She couldn't go on as she swallowed a sob. Logan turned to her and took her in his arms, gently, without passion or urgency. Veronica rested there and felt a rare moment of peace.
He was screwed up, she was screwed up. Maybe they did make a pair. Just as well. School tomorrow, later this morning, whenever, was going to be a pain in the ass.
