Part 3

"Where are those faces?" he called out, his voice cheery and excited, as if he had not just an hour ago demanded his guests to clear out.

"Logan!" Janie, the casting director greeted, "I'm certain you would adore this shortlist I have for you."

Logan approached her and took the folder handed over to him. One by one, he leafed through the pictures. On the third face, he mumbled, "What is this, Janie?" He stacked the headshots in two piles. "This series is about short, spunky blonde investigator. You've given me a whole of non-blondes here. You're not conforming."

Janie watched as the pile of brunettes and redheads was discarded, and they ended up with the handful of blondes. She took the pictures Logan did not like and said, "I was under the impression that the color of an actress' hair does not cut her out of a role, Logan."

He shook his head. "I had very specific instructions."

"These are great young actresses. At least see their audition tapes to see if they work."

Logan shook his head. "Nope. Now," he picked up the picture of a young woman with shoulder-length blonde hair, "she looks like our main character. Show me her tape."

Janie sighed in disappointment, because the other girls that Logan did not want to see were also talented. Still, a job was a job, and Logan was in control. "Alright. I had them work with Marty on the locker room scene you wrote."

He closed the door of his locker, and she was standing beside him. He should have known, but he was caught of guard. He should have been expecting it because she had been catching him off guard since he had first met her.

"It's been six months, Logan," she said. "No matter how much I deny it, it's getting more and more obvious every day that you're not going to forgive me."

He took his Physics book and closed the locker door.

She took a deep breath. "I'm going to do us both a favor and not bother you with apologies anymore. I just… I'm sorry, alright? That's the last time I'll say it." Instead of walking away with her head hanging, she lifted her chin and turned her back on him.

And then he watched her leave his life.

"That's her," he said, as a final decision. "Hire her."

He left as quickly as he came. He heard Janie calling the girl's agent and delivering the news. "I don't know how or why but he just picked her. She's going to be Elizabeth Archer, the investigative reporter of Neptune High. It's going to be a hit!"

He was on his way back to where his car was parked, but he had one more stop to make.
Logan walked through the corridors and opened a door. "Mac."

"You look like hell," the sound editor said. She stood up and flipped off the monitor.

"Thank you," was his answer. His quest had been to forget about Neptune, but the world had completely turned around. Now, he was surrounded by everything that he should have forgotten. Mac had been just one of those few inescapable remnants of that life. Until, of course, he decided to live in it. "Anything new?"

"I don't know, Logan. It's been two years and the trail is cold."

"Don't give up. Hire all the help you know." His lips screwed. "Don't tell me that this is one of the ironies of life, when you would say that the only person who can track down Veronica Mars is Veronica Mars."

"Just let it go already, Logan. You just have bad luck, ok? Two girlfriends dead. I loved Veronica and all, but Logan, you're throwing so much of your life away with this obsession."

He shook his head. "I'm not going to rest until I prove that the Duncan killed her."

Mac squeezed his hand. "I would be able to help you if only you can tell me the whole truth."

If it would help nail Duncan to the wall, he would. The truth had come out before, and it was only Veronica who ended up hurt. He would never have it revealed again.

Since the night they broke up, Logan had not touched nor spoken with Veronica. It was then welcome closure to Logan to approach her so that they would finally be able to end that chapter of their lives and move on to the rest of their lives.

After the graduation ceremony, he saw Veronica kiss her father and go off to the school building. He supposed that it was to use the bathroom. It seemed innocent enough to follow her and wait.

In the corridor, he spotted Veronica and Celeste Kane.

"Going off to college with him may be the smartest move you've ever done, Veronica," Celeste said. Somehow, it did not sound like a compliment. "You'd be fixed for life—an apartment my son paid for, an education that our money took care of, and best of all, you can wrap my son around your little finger as much as you want because you will be the only one there with him."

He had wanted to step in, but he had not spoken to Veronica for so long for both their sakes. Besides, she had always been able to hold her own. "With all due respect, Mrs Kane, Duncan is a smart young man. I doubt he will let a girl like me manipulate him into financing my entire life. And didn't my college money come from the money you paid my dad to find him when he ran away from you?"

Celeste smiled. "Go ahead, Veronica. Duncan is still his father's son. He will get tired of a woman far below his caliber too. Then he'll marry someone we approve of and live the life he's always been meant to live."

Celeste had then walked away. Veronica just stayed still, then covertly reached up to dry her eyes.

"You knew what you were getting into when you got back together with Duncan."

She had whirled around and was obviously surprised to see him.

"Look, Logan, I don't have the time and the energy for this!"

Veronica started back out of the building.

"I don't know why you're putting up with her."

She continued walking.

"She treats you like dirt and he can't even defend you. Admit it or not, Veronica. Duncan had always been the best boyfriend when you were together but even then, before Lilly's death, he had never stood up to her. I would have done everything for you!"

At this, she stopped. Veronica turned around and shook her head, disbelief written all over her face. "Do everything for me?" she demanded, her voice rising. "I made one big mistake and you cut me out of your life!"

"He cut you off his too."

"Because he thought I was his sister!" she screamed back, grateful that they were alone in the halls and everyone else was outside. He had not spoken to her for a full year and the moment he finally did, it was to fight.

"That entire family has been treating you like dirt," he argued.

"You did it to me too," she sobbed, hitting him on the chest. "You treated me like I was worse than nothing. You killed me with each look."

Logan closed his eyes at the feel of her fist on his chest. Without meaning to, he grasped her wrist and pulled her close. He leaned down and kissed her. "You were everything," he breathed against her lips. "Always were."

"What?"

"I thought I could go off and start over somewhere, let you start your life with Duncan, and forget everything else. I can't."

She pulled away and looked up at him. "You've forgiven me?"

"I never stopped loving you." He laid his forehead on hers and kissed her nose. "Meet me in the Regent. In our honeymoon suite?"

She smiled and laughed softly. Of course he remembered. She stopped. "No, Logan."

"What?"

"Duncan—"

"Just come. I won't force you to stay. Decide later."

"I have to go," she whispered, and ran back to Duncan and the graduation party.

"I'll see you tonight, Veronica. I'll be waiting!"

Mac finally turned the monitor on again, and Logan's gaze fell on the frozen video. "Mac, what is that?"

"It's Veronica."

"I know it's Veronica," he said. "Play it."

He watched as Veronica sat down on the edge of a bed. He did not recognize the room, but he recognized the boxes piled behind her. He had stood on the side of the street and watched his best friend load those boxes into his car, once, long ago, in that scene he had so needed to forget. The boxes behind her in the unfamiliar room told Logan that it was the college apartment that Duncan had gotten for himself and for Veronica.

"Mac, I'm scared." Logan stepped forward and traced her face on the monitor. He saw the real fear in her eyes. "For the first time, Veronica Mars is afraid of her own shadow. I'm sending you this so that you can save it as part of a number of evidence I will funnel to you. Keep them safe, Mac. It's a matter of life and death."

"Afraid of what?" His forehead creased. Logan turned to Mac. "Afraid of what? Afraid of Duncan?"

Mac shook her head. "I swear I don't know. She never got around to sending them to me."

Logan knew, with complete certainty, that it was Duncan Kane. He was the one with the access and definitely the motive.

"You came."

"I came because I need to tell you to leave me alone, Logan. I'm with Duncan now. I'm leaving tomorrow with Duncan."

He took her hand and brushed a kiss against her knuckles. "Just come on in. You can decide later."

Veronica warily glanced at both sides of the corridor. She stepped in. "Logan, I—"

He kissed her, and her arms reached up around his shoulders. She kicked the door closed.

"Oh God," she gasped. "I thought I've recovered," she breathed in between her moans and sighs.

"Recovered from what?" he chuckled.

"My addiction to you," was the simple answer.

"Must mean I'm a junkie," he said, "because I've lived this past year only on memories of us."

Duncan had found out about that night. He had flown to Hollywood and confronted Logan about it. The next morning, the headlines were filled with the report of Veronica Mars' disappearance, and the grieving fiancé who found the exact point where her car had driven off.

His phone rang, and he glanced down at the screen. He looked up at Mac. "It's Duncan Kane." Logan answered the phone. "I thought you smashed your phone on the ground. Who am I kidding? You can afford ten lines."

"Do you have any idea how much you've fucked with my life?"

"I slept with her, Duncan. I did it because I loved her. You remember that much," he said.

"How could you?"

Logan lay gasping on the ground. He saw his best friend heaving angrily, towering above him. "You knew, despite all the shit between us back then, that I would have fixed it given time. Veronica and I were healing. I would have made it all better. You swooped in and took advantage of that. The question is, Duncan," Logan posed, as he stood up, "how could you?"

"You hurt her. Besides, we were never meant to break up."

"I loved her."

"So you did it for revenge?" Duncan demanded.

"I wanted her back."

"Stay away from her!" Duncan stalked back to the rental car. "We're getting married."

Logan tightly shut his eyes. "Don't fly back," he called out. "Stay here and cool off. Don't go back to her like that."

"Why the hell didn't you stay like I asked, Duncan?" Logan said softly into the phone. "Why would you put her in danger like that?"

"Why didn't you ever tell anyone that you followed me back?" Duncan asked. Logan froze. "Why did Keith Mars find used plane tickets that place you in the same place as me the night she died?" Logan was silent. "Were you that angry that she chose to stay with me? Why did you kill her, Logan, if you loved her so much?"

tbc