A/N: Here is part 1 of Chapter 10.Hopefully this will help you pass those long hours between now and the finale.And before you ask, I'm planning on havingpart 2 up by Thursday. Enjoy and Reply!

Lying here in the darkness

Hear the sirens wail

Somebody going to emergency

Somebody's going to jail

---New York Minute, Don Henley

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Veronica, you don't have to do this." Keith whispered as they stood in front of the Morgue doors.

"Yeah dad I do." Veronica told him, trying to remain calm.

"Veronica, this is all happening really fast…" Lamb began

"You think I'm rushing into this but I'm not. " Veronica whispered, "I know what I'm doing. I need to do this. "

"Alright." Keith said clutching his daughter's shoulder as he motioned to Sheriff Lamb.

Lamb opened the door slowly and Veronica walked into the room at the same pace. There was only one body in the room and in a way that made what she had to do even harder. Veronica had dealt with death far more than any seventeen year old should but this time it was harder. There was no one she could go after. There was no case to solve. A person she had looked up to and loved was dead and there was no one to blame.

"Are you ready?" Lamb asked as he clutched the plain white sheet and began to pull it back.

"Mom!"Veronica shot up in bed trying desperately to catch her breath

"It's okay." Logan whispered into his girlfriend's ear as he sat up right along with her, "Hey its okay."

"Yeah. Yeah." she whispered as her breathing started to become less labored. "How long was I out?"

"A while. Those sleeping pills seemed to have really done the job."

Veronica looked over at the clock, and then back up at Logan.

"Have you slept at all?"

"I've closed my eyes here and there. But it's okay. I can handle it."

"Excuse me." Lynn said knocking on the door as she opened it, "Lilly's here."

"Send her in." Logan told his mother.

"You called Lilly?"

"Of course. You need your friends. I called Wallace too and told him what's up. He said he'd be right over..."

"Logan he can't..."

"But I told him that you wouldn't want him to miss his math test so he's coming as soon as it's done."

"Call him back. Tell him not to come."

"No."

"He has to focus on this test. He can't fail it. And if he knows he's going to see me as soon as he's done he's going to rush through it and do a half-ass job… "

"And you think that he's going to do better if he knows that he's not going to see his best friend, and that she's not going to know that he's there for her?"

"I know he's here for me. Call him back."

"Hey." Lilly said pushing open the door, "Am I interrupting something?"

"No." Logan and Veronica both said shaking their heads.

"How are you holding up?" Lilly took a seat on the bed and began to rub her friend's arm sympathetically.

"I'm doing pretty---I'm holding in there."

"And your dad?"

"He's hanging in too."

"Veronica, is there something we can do for you?"

"You really want to help me Lil?"

"Of course."

"Then you can help me investigate what happened to my mother."

Lilly let out a long groan before saying, "That's a bad idea. Veronica, you know that I think that your whole Nancy Drew act is cute but this isn't a missing dog case. This is death. And I know that you're grieving right now but---"

"Lilly shut up." Logan instructed, "We'll do it."

"Logan---"

"We'll do it but you'll have to do something for me."

"Why am I not surprised." Veronica rolled her eyes, "What is it?"

"You can't be involved."

"Logan you can't be---"

"Serious? I am. Veronica, Lilly is right, you're grieving. We both know that grief makes you do things without thinking. You won't be on your top game."

"And you think that you can handle this?" Lilly asked perplexed, "You're both insane."

"I'm not going to win this am I?" Veronica asked.

"Nope."

"Fine. But I want you to keep me up to date at all times. I want to be doing something other than sitting around and feeling helpless. Do you understand me?"

"I understand."

"Lilly?"

"She understands." Logan said nodding his head in his ex's direction.

"I understand." Lilly said nodding back.

Over at Neptune High Mac walked up to Cassidy in the hall after her first class.

"Hey." She said with a smile, "How are you today?"

"Better now. How are you?"

"I'm okay."

"Just okay?"

"I haven't seen Lilly yet and I'm worried about her."

"Why? I mean you two aren't really that close."

"We had a talk last night. A lot of things were said and I'm worried about her."

"I'm sure she's fine."

At that moment Wallace went rushing past them.

"Wallace!" Mac called out.

Wallace didn't stop but he did turn around and told her, "I've got to go. It's important."

"That's weird." Cassidy said rubbing her back.

"You ever get the feeling that something is going on that we don't know about?"

Logan sat in his car waiting for Lilly, who had been inside the sheriff's department for almost a full half hour, while listening intently to the silence until he felt his phone begin to vibrate from inside of his jacket pocket.

"Shouldn't you be trying to get some sleep?" Logan asked as he answered the phone, knowing exactly who was on the other end.

"Can't sleep. To tired." Veronica told him with a yawn, "How's it going?"

"It's going pretty good. How are things over there? Is my mom taking care of you?"

"Your mom is doing a great job. She brought me bagels and muffins and orange juice for breakfast."

"That's my mom. She may suck all the other times but when the world is falling down around someone she steps up to the plate and takes charge."

Logan looked out his front windshield and saw Lilly heading his way.

"Lilly's done."

"Okay, call me when you get anything."

"Will do. I love you."

"Love you."

"Try to sleep, okay?"

"Okay. Bye."

"Bye."

Logan hit end on his phone as Lilly got into the car.

"Was that our girl?" She asked.

"Yeah."

"How's she doing?"

"Same." Logan told her as he slid the phone back into his pocket and then asked, "So what did you get?"

"Not much." Lilly said as she opened her phone and pulled up a few pictures that she had just taken, "Take a look."

"This is good." Logan began flipping through them and then stopped when he came across a picture of a matchbook, "The River Styx. Place sounds peachy. Let's go."

Logan put the car into reverse and peeled out of the parking spot and an hour later into the bar's parking lot and shut off the engine.

"Yeah, this place looks just peachy." Lilly said wrinkling her nose, "Why would Veronica's mom come here? I mean it's so gross."

"'Cause when you've got a drinking problem you don't really care about the surroundings. Now come on let's go."

Lilly and Logan got out of the car and walked in.

"What can I get for you?" The bartender asked as they walked up to the bar.

"I'll have a seven and seven and the girl will have…" Logan began and Lilly cut him off

"I'll have a vodka tonic."

"Coming right up."

As the bartender turned around and began making their drinks Lilly coughed loudly and then asked, "So were you working last night?"

"I'm always working."

"That's not what I asked. What I asked was whether or not you were working last night."

"Yeah I was." the bartender told her as he handed them their drinks

"Good. " Logan said trying to be intimidating, "So we've uh we've got a few questions for you."

"Do you now?"

"We sure do Mr.…."

"Boyd. Danny Boyd." Danny said shaking his head, "You know this whole Ms. Marple and the Hardy Boys routine you've got going here was funny at first but now…It's just sad."

"It's about a woman who you let drink and drive." Logan informed him, ignoring the last comment.

"And die." Lilly said with a hint of anger in her voice.

"That's quite an accusation." Danny said crossing his arms.

"It's the truth. Now you'll either tell us what we need to know or I'll give Sheriff Lamb a phone call and let him know that you just served alcohol to two minors." Lilly pulled out her phone and began to wave it in his face before quickly pulling it back, "And I'm guessing that an accusation like that is going to hurt your charming little business."

"What do you need to know?"

Logan placed a picture of Lianne on the bar and began to tell him what happened to her,

"Now this woman has a very strong daughter with powerful friends and, if she finds out that you lied to us, she will taser you so long and so hard that it will be impossible for you to ever create any of your demon spawn. Are we clear?"

"Crystal. So what do you want to know?"

"Was she here last night?"

"Yeah."

"Was she with anyone last night?"

"A man."

It was Lilly's turn to play interrogator now.

"What did he look like?" She asked

"I don't remember."

"Try harder."

"Not going to help baby. I don't remember the men. Now if he'd have looked like you, then I would have remembered."

Lilly moaned slightly and then looked over at Logan and asked, "How much do you have on you?"

"What?"

"How much do you have on you?"

"You want me to grease the witness?"

"Yeah. "

Logan pulled out his wallet with a sigh and began to pull out a wad of money.

"I've got a hundred. Take it or leave it." He told Danny as he threw the money down.

"He was a guy mid-thirties early forties maybe. Brown hair."

"Anything else?"

"He was dressed pretty nice. Certainly better than the regular drunks and winos I see."

Lilly was quiet for a minute and then pulled up the picture of the watch that she had taken on her phone, "Was he wearing this watch?"

"Yeah."

"Thanks."

Lilly stood up and began to head towards the door with Logan following quickly behind her.

"You're going to have to pay me that money back." Logan whispered as they left

"Relax, you'll get it."

Over at Logan's house Veronica sat on the couch watching The South Park movie when Wallace walked in.

"Hey." Veronica said with a slight smile, "How was the test?"

"A breeze. What are you watching?" Wallace walked over to the couch and sat down beside his best friend, sliding his arm around her

"South Park movie."

"Hmm." Wallace whispered and for the next few minutes they sat in silence.

"You know I wish I knew the magic words to say to make everything better. 'Cause I'd be saying them right now. But I don't. So I'm just going to say this: I'm here for whatever you need. If you want to talk I'm here to listen. If you want to listen I'm here to talk. If you just want to sit in silence I'm here for that too. I guess what I'm trying to say is that I'm not going anywhere." Wallace said not once taking his eyes on the screen.

"I know." Veronica said with a nod of her head "Thank you."

"No problem."

Veronica laid her head down on her best friend's shoulder and began to once again watch the movie.