A/N: this time, the italics signify flashbacks.
"The doorbell rang. My dad went to answer it. I saw that it was Deputy Sacks, with two men I didn't recognize. Sacks said that they were with the state police. When my father asked what was going on, one of the state troopers said that Aaron Echolls had escaped while being transferred to Pelican Bay."
"What?" yelled Logan as he came storming out of the living room. "He escaped last night and you're just telling us now?"
"Logan, calm down," said Veronica as she came out of the kitchen.
"Logan? Are you Logan Echolls?" Asked Detective Montez.
"This is him," said Sacks. "Boss?" said Sacks into his radio.
"Yeah?" crackled back Lamb over the receiver.
"We found the Echolls kid. He's at the Mars'."
"Fabulous. Get him over here."
"Mr. Echolls," asked Finneran, "has your father tried to contact you at all?"
"No, and even he's not crazy enough to think that I would help him."
"Nonetheless, we'd like you to return to your house with us, in case he tries to contact you there. We've already established a trace on your phone line, but we need you there to answer if he calls, to keep him talking."
"Did you have a warrant to do that?" asked Keith Mars.
"I have a copy right here."
"Dad, I want to go with him."
"I don't know if that's such a good idea, honey."
"He needs me. Plus, the place will be crawling with state troopers and deputies. It'll be perfectly safe."
"Keith, we're concerned that he also might try to come after you or Veronica, so Lamb has instructed us to keep a couple of deputies circling the block in a few cruisers. Okay?"
"Thank you."
"Let me just grab my purse, and we'll go."
"Why was it so important to take your purse with you?"
"It had my pistol in it. With Aaron on the loose, I'd feel safer armed."
"When did you get the gun?"
"After Aaron nearly killed me. It was very hard for me to feel safe again after that. I felt better once my dad got me the gun and started teaching me to shoot."
"You have a concealed-carry permit?"
"Of course. It's in my wallet."
"What happened after you arrived at the Echolls' estate?"
"We were sitting on the couch. The staff all had off for the holiday, but the place was filled with state troopers and deputies. Logan and I were both upset…."
"How long do they expect us to just sit around here waiting for dear old Dad to turn up or try to call?"
"Honey, try to relax," said Veronica quietly as she leaned against Logan on the couch. "Say, Detective, Montez, is it? How did he escape?"
"He was being transferred from county jail to Pelican Bay prison and the bus got into an accident on the freeway. He just ran for it."
"Why did it take so long for you to find us?"
"Our first move was to establish roadblocks and a perimeter. When we didn't catch him after about ten hours or so, we started worrying that he'd gotten by us."
"Then you started worrying. Wonderful."
"Logan, please, try to relax," repeated Veronica. In a whisper, she continued "why don't we go into the study. Maybe it'll be less stressful away from all the cops."
"Being alone with you is probably not going to help me calm down," whispered Logan with a smile, "but I like the way you think." Raising his voice, Logan continued "Detectives, I'm going to go into the study. There's an extension in there, so I'll be able to answer if he does call, and you'll still be able to trace it, but he won't be able to hear you all stumbling around in the background."
"Fair enough," replied Finneran.
"I'll go with him," said Veronica.
In the study, Logan put his arms around Veronica and led her toward the desk. As she leaned back on it, he started kissing her gently. As she ran her hands over his back, he whispered, "You're right, this is much better."
"Logan, hold on a second."
"What's wrong?"
"I hate to tell you this, but I had an ulterior motive in getting us in here and away from all the cops."
"So did I," answered Logan with a slightly lascivious grin.
"Logan, I'm serio—"
"So am I," as he kissed her more forcefully. He started kissing her on her cheek and her jaw, and then down her neck, and ran his left hand down her side and lifted her tank top out of the top of her jeans.
"Logan, I'm not kidding a—ooh," her breath caught in her throat as his lips found the tender spot on her neck just an inch-and-half below her left ear. His right hand had somehow found its way down her thigh and was caressing the back of her knee.
"Logan, stop it," Veronica insisted as firmly as she still could.
"Okay. I'm sorry," he said, standing up and helping her to her feet. "I didn't mean to make you feel uncomfortable."
"Uncomfortable was the last thing you were making me feel, but I needed to talk to you seriously."
"So what happened immediately after you and Logan entered the study?" asked Jaffee.
"I sat down at the desk and started going through the drawers. Logan asked me what I was looking for."
"What did you tell him?"
"That I was searching for his father's address book."
"Try at the bottom of the top-left drawer. Why are you looking for it though?" asked Logan. "Do you think Aaron is going to try to contact his agent or something?"
"Not his agent. Think about this: your father—"
"F-word!"
"Sorry. The murdering-S.O.B.-who-should-burn-in-hell has one of the most famous faces in the world. So where is he going to hide?"
"You think maybe he's not trying to get away. That he just wants payback on you and your dad?"
"The thought's crossed my mind, but even Lamb knew to prepare for that, so he'd have to know he'd be walking into a trap. What if he is planning to escape? He'd have to change his appearance. And I'm not just talking about a dye-job and tinted contacts."
"Plastic surgery." Veronica gave him a finger-gun. "Between him and my mother, they had at least four cosmetic surgeons they used."
"Unfortunately, none of these entries have more than a number and a first name. Some of them are just a number. See if you can help me figure out who's who."
