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Part 4

"I would have loved to chat with your girlfriend," Logan said into the phone. Duncan glanced up at Veronica, who looked at him with challenge in her eyes. "Time doesn't permit niceties unfortunately."

Duncan turned away from Veronica, but remained seated in front of her. "What's up, Logan? How can I help?"

"I need you to spot me some cash."

Without asking for a reason, Duncan responded with, "Where will I meet you?"

"That's the thing. I need you to drop it off at the Tsim Sha Tsui police station."

Duncan sat up, forgetting for the time being the pressing problem he was faced with. "You're in jail."

"Got it the first time," Logan said lightly. "It's a long story, and it revolves around Veronica's camera. I don't want to stay the night here."

"I'll be right there," Duncan promised, then hung up the phone. He looked at Veronica, who had started gathering up her file. He opened his mouth to speak, but she shook her head.

"You're going to say that you need to go, and you're going to leave this problem right here," she said through her teeth.

"Veronica, I need to help out an old friend."

Her eyes narrowed, and Duncan regretted his words when enlightenment dawned on her. "Your old friend. He said his name is Logan Echolls." Veronica stood and strode to the bedroom. When she came back, Duncan saw the photo album that he had shown her – the extent of his help to make her remember the past. She showed him the photograph that he had pointed to before, where Veronica was in Duncan's embrace and Lilly and Logan held onto each other in the middle of a laugh. "This Logan Echolls?" she asked.

Reluctantly, Duncan admitted, "Yes."

Veronica nodded her head. "I'm going with you."

He needed to exercise his will now. "It's dark out. I'm catching the night ferry to Tsim Sha Tsui in December. I'm not taking you on that trip in the middle of the night, Veronica. That's crazy."

"So is your keeping me in this apartment!" she burst out. "You're doing it. Why can't I?" she demanded.

"Veronica, he's my oldest friend."

"And according to this," she replied, thrusting the album to his face, "he's mine too!"

"Listen to me, Veronica. You're staying. We'll talk tomorrow." Duncan pushed back from the table and walked over to the door. He picked up his wallet and keys from the bowl in the living room. "I'll tell you everything."

She brushed the tears away from her eyes. "If I don't get the truth soon, you're going to destroy me," she whispered.

Duncan wrapped his arms around her and kissed the top of her head. He brushed the tears away and kissed her eyelids. "I promise, Veronica. When I get back."

She nodded, half convinced to wait. "If I don't get answers within twelve hours, Duncan, I'm going to leave. That's not a threat."

He took a deep breath and cupped her face in his hands, then drew her up for a long kiss. Silently, he told himself that by the time he got back to her, he would have thought everything over so that she would have answers and he could keep her.

Duncan walked out of the building and hailed a cab to take him to the dock. As he sat back in his seat, he thought of the best way to approach Veronica in her quest. She had always been difficult to handle when she had her mind set on another thing.

iDuncan would never have believed that he would find Logan Echolls' home as a bliss type of apartment complex in the poorer side of the neighborhood. Seeing Veronica standing outside was more of a crime than anything she had investigated. Only a few months ago she had been his and she had been looking forward to a future in which she would be one of the richest women in California. Now she waved away the son who shunned his wealth to travel the world.

He stepped away from the column and said, "You left me without telling me why. Then I find out that my mother's been paying you," he continued, accusation in his voice. "What the hell, Veronica?" he spat out. "Where are you putting the money if you've been living in this hovel? You can feed and clothe and shelter Logan for years with that kind of money."

She whirled around to face Duncan, then looked back at the direction where Logan had gone. Presumably it was to check if Logan had already boarded the bus. He had, and the vehicle had been about to pass by the building. Veronica pushed Duncan behind the column again. She waved at Logan, who stuck out his head and yelled, "I'll see you for dinner!"

When Logan's bus had vanished into the curve of the road, she pulled Duncan up the bliss complex and into the room she and Logan rented. Duncan looked around the small space and grimaced.

"We don't have any heat so live with it," she muttered. Veronica switched on the stove to boil some water, then settled into the chair wearily.

Duncan deflated in his anger upon really looking her over. He knelt down in front of her and gripped her chin, turning her face from side to side. "You don't look well."

"I'm happy," she answered.

"I could have given you everything he's not willing to give you," he told her. "Logan has got money stuck in his bank accounts, Veronica, but he's not willing to spend anything to keep you healthy and warm?"

"Duncan, you don't understand what Logan and I have. It's safer for you if you don't talk about it."

Duncan nodded. "Then tell me where you've been carting the money that my mother paid you to leave me."

Veronica stood up and took a cup from the cupboard. She then ripped open a sachet of tea. Beside the stove, she waited for the water to boil. "It's a long story."

"I know about your dad. Is it for that?"

Veronica winced at the sad memory of Keith's long illness. He had been confined for so long, and it took a large amount of money to keep the life support needed for Keith. It was more than what Veronica could afford. Celeste Kane had offered to help at the right moment, in exchange for abandoning her son.

"Don't even think of going to my son because the moment he takes your side, he's cut off. He's not going to be of any help to you," she had told her.

Veronica closed her eyes and then met Duncan's gaze, full of betrayed trust. "It's not an excuse," she whispered.

"I just need your help understanding what happened." He took her hand and squeezed it. "And I want you back."

She shook her head, extricating her hand from his grip. "Duncan, I'm sorry about what I did, but I can't go back to you. I love Logan."

"You owe me this, Veronica."

"No," she repeated.

Duncan handed her a card. When she did not take it, he slipped it into her pocket. He leaned close to her and said, "Call me when you're done playing with Logan Echolls and you're ready to go back to the real world, Veronica. Poverty's only exciting at first."/i

It had only been fair, Duncan decided. Outside, the storm thundered and Duncan looked out at the raging waters. What he had done was take back what had been his. Logan was aware of what he would lose. He had been explosive, and he would live to regret it. The cab stopped just outside the ferry dock. Duncan stood on the makeshift bridge and paid the fare.

"No trips across!"

Duncan looked up at the dark night sky and saw lightning streak in the horizon. "I need to get to Tsim Sha Tsui!"

The ferry was full, like any other night when commuters ferried back and forth after a day's work. It was something Duncan never needed to do, but these people needed to get back home. He, on the other hand, was not pressed by need as so many of the passengers.

The ferry surged forward, and Duncan let out a sigh of relief.

He owed Logan Echolls nothing.

i"Logan."

Seated in his corner at the coffeeshop at the end of the street, Logan looked up from his computer to see a familiar face. He stood up immediately and gave Duncan a warm embrace, laughing at the coincidence of seeing an old friend. "Duncan Kane!" Logan greeted, grinning. "What are you doing out here?"

Duncan returned the embrace and patted Logan on the back. "I'm here to close some things I've left open."

"Business?"

"Some." Duncan gestured towards the computer on the table. "You've turned into one of the hackneyed writers who write in Starbucks."

Logan shrugged and took his seat again. Duncan pulled up the nearest chair and took a seat. "It's my life now." He turned to Duncan, who was still looking at him. "Actually…" Logan shut down the system. "My place is close by. Want to drop by?"

"Definitely."

Logan closed the notebook and placed it inside his backpack. "I want to tell you something first," he confessed somberly.

"I know."

"You do?"

Duncan nodded. "It was one of the things I wanted to close here in Hong Kong."

"Veronica and I are very happy," Logan admitted.

Duncan sat back, because the words were too simple to summarize everything that he felt when he had finally tracked Veronica Mars down and learned that she was living in a foreign land with his best friend. "I see that."

The walk back to the bliss was quiet. Logan looked around at the places they passed by as if it was the first time he had seen the buildings. At one point, Logan had called to Duncan to wait up as he took out his camera and snapped a shot of a stray cat licking its leg. The walk took fourteen minutes. Duncan knew, because discomfort made time crawl.

So many months it had been since he had seen Veronica outside the same apartment complex. Not once did she call him, and it was time to remind her of what she could have had.

Logan knocked on the door. He turned to Duncan and said, "She's probably sleeping. She sleeps a lot these days. You'll see why."

Duncan closed his eyes. The sound of Logan's jangling keys was merry, but his heartbeat thundered in his ears.

The door opened and Logan led him inside, switching on the lights as he walked in. He turned to wave Duncan in. "The bedroom's here." Logan opened the door and peeked inside. "Ronnie!"

A tingling sensation in his nape made Duncan turn. It was then that he saw the light in the bathroom. He left Logan and walked over, then knocked on the door. Logan saw where Duncan was standing and asked, "She there?"

Duncan placed his ear against the door. He heard the muffled sobs. He hit the door with his fist. "Open the door, Veronica!"

Logan frowned, then pushed Duncan back from the door. He twisted the knob, but it wouldn't turn. With trembling fingers Logan picked the key and cursed when he tried and failed to insert it into the doorknob. Duncan snatched the key and with steadier hands opened the door.

Veronica sat on the edge of the tub, looking up at Logan with her tear-streaked face. "I can't stand up," she whispered, gripping the tub.

Logan rushed over and knelt in front of her. "Is it the baby?"

To Duncan, the sight of Veronica with a five-month belly, looking pale and ill, was shattering. He watched as Logan kissed Veronica's temple, dried her tears, then lifted the flap of her robe. He heard the low calm murmur of Logan's words after he saw the line of blood that ran down her thigh to her leg. Logan lifted her in his arms and passed by Duncan.

Duncan followed close behind him. He saw Veronica's head rest on Logan's shoulder as she buried her face in his neck.

Later as she slept in the hospital room, and Logan sat on the chair beside her bed gripping her hand, Duncan handed his best friend a check. Logan fisted his hand as he saw the figure written above Duncan's signature. "You two are lucky now," Duncan reminded Logan. "But you've got to start taking care of them. You need money for that."

Then, reluctantly at first, after glancing at Veronica's sunken eyes, he took the check. "I'll owe you," he rasped.

Duncan closed his hand over Logan shoulder and squeezed./i

He had only ever meant to help.

Thunder roared, and the ferry pitched forward. Around him, he heard nervous cries and a baby's piercing wail. Duncan stood to stumble to the front of the ferry.

In front of him, waves swallowed waves. Lightning struck the bow. All power died in the ferry. A spark ignited at the rear of the boat.

Then it was chaos.

iDuncan dropped to his knees in the middle of the street. Eaton House loomed behind him, the very building that Logan had dreamed of for his family. There was no fantasy involved now. Veronica was crumpled on the ground, a pool of blood around her body. The cab that slammed into her stopped a few yards away.

He looked up to see Logan panting from a distance.

"What the hell did you do?" Duncan demanded, his cry sharp and painful through the cold, still air. "What the hell did you do!"

Logan blinked at the sight, but did not move.

Beside the unmoving body, Duncan fumbled for his phone. "I have an emergency!"/i

tbc