"KILLER INSTINCT"
A/N: Part of this episode will feature a recreated scene from 'Nevermind the Buttocks'… the scene where Keith is inside Kendall Casablanca's home when Liam Fitzpatrick walks in with the gun… just fyi.
Previously on 'Veronica Mars':
"Yeah, Allison. We've got trouble. I just had that Mars girl in my office just a few minutes ago."
"Oh god, no. She's trying to spoil everything. What did you tell her?"
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Veronica felt a sense of relief that it wasn't Duncan, but was still shaken. She looked back at Keith and Sheriff Lamb before looking back at the cold body on the table. It wasn't Duncan, but it was Carla Jackie.
"Veronica Mars, you're under arrest for the murder of Carla Jackie." Lamb took out the cuffs.
"What?" Veronica was even more stunned.
"What? Lamb! No, this is insanity! My daughter would never do that!"
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"No, we were not to have outside help with this matter. Someone must have. How about you? You never speak much, did you kill her?"
The superintendent pointed to the dark colored man in the corner. He spoke.
"No." The voice sounded familiar. "I did not."
The man in the corner got up from his chair.
"If you'll excuse me, I have work to do."
He stepped into the light for his face to be seen; Clarence Weidman.
"Let's get this matter under control, and do what's necessary." LeBlanc told Weidman.
"I know what to do." He left the room.
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"They've proved that the blood sample that they found in the house is yours. They have two witnesses… A Tim Kennedy and an Eduardo Oroczo."
"Thumper?" Veronica asked.
"If that's what you call him…" Cliff replied.
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Thumper had just filled up his tank on his motorcycle at a local rest stop on the outskirts of town when he was just driving off. Across the lot of the station was a parked blue sedan. The driver's side mirror was fidgeted with and stopped to show the reflection of Clarence Weidman. The blue sedan pulled out of the station right after Thumper had left.
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Lamb bit onto his lip.
"Your friend Thumper was found off of the side of the road just a few minutes ago. His skull crushed in. Tim Kennedy is also missing. It looks like that god damned miracle is working after all."
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"Well… with the complete lack of evidence…" The judge began.
I will have to say that this court is adjourned with Miss Veronica Mars to be free from charge.
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Logan walked down the hall of Neptune High on the next morning to run into Weevil. They both gave a glance.
"I know it was you." Logan started.
"You mean I stabbed you, is that it?"
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Keith looked down to see a manila envelope. He undid the flap, and slid out the heave object onto the desk. A bloodied switchblade lain on the desk. Keith took in a deep breath, and looked up back at the door, then back at the knife.
'I don't know which is worse, having everyone shun you out of society because your father is a psycho into thinking that someone is a murderer and getting kicked out of the sheriff's department or everyone shunning you out of society because they all think that you killed the coolest teacher on campus… at least last time they actually left me alone…'
Dick strolled over to Veronica with his usual smirking smile.
"If it isn't my lady killer friend."
"If it isn't my unobligatory jackass friend." She replied.
"Ooh, that's cold. Just like the way you did Miss Jackie?"
"Do you know what Dick…"
"You're going to kill me? Please make it quick, I've got a history exam."
Veronica became bitter and started to walk down the hallway over to her locker where everyone just stood, whispered, glared, and pointed at her as she walked. Veronica looked at her locker, which had been painted with the words 'Killer' on them.
She knocked on her locker after looking at the words.
"Ten bucks if I open it I'll be covered in pickle juice." Veronica told herself.
'Of course if I would have killed Mr. Davis or the art teacher, then my locker would be filled with tulips and roses and everyone would be cloyingly sweet to me and let me ride on their shoulders to class. Oh how I wish Carla Jackie was lame… Oh how I do wish…'
Veronica started to walk away from her locker and down the hallway to only be hit with a Frosty.
"Loser!" Someone yelled out in the background.
Veronica was astonished at what had just happened, and began to wipe some off with her hand.
'It's official… I am now technically turning into Nicholas Cage…'
"It's a milkshake… from Wendy's."
"Why do people…"
Veronica opened the door to her apartment and went inside to find Keith sitting on the couch watching 'The Weather Man'. He looked over to see a large stain on Veronica's shirt.
"Hey honey… what happened to you?"
"I was hit… with a Frosty…" Veronica started.
Keith was startled by the statement, and slowly turned his head toward the television screen; he finally turned it back toward Veronica.
"Why would someone throw a Frosty at you?"
"Because they're mean and psychotic, and they're not taking the whole 'I killed the coolest teacher in school' thing so well.
"Tough first day back at school?"
"Like a rock."
Veronica started to walk away.
"This came for you today. Dimitri Vasquez?"
Veronica turned around to see a letter on the coffee table.
"Dimitri Vasquez?" Veronica asked.
"You're not seeing some Russian slash Cuban man are you?"
"Um… no… my little pink book is empty at the moment."
"I'm sure Duncan will be glad to hear that. Send my regards." Keith got up from the chair and went into the kitchen to grab another water.
Veronica looked down at the unopened letter, snatched it, and went into her room.
"And look what's behind door numero uno." Veronica replied the next day at school when she saw Mac walk up to her.
"I think I totally screwed it up with Beaver. He seemed…"
"Angry, whiningish, sad, depressed, narcissistic, childish…"
"I'll stick with angry?"
"Well… I guess I'm not really the best one to come to for relationship information. Usually the guys I date are either criminals, jackasses, or just plain stupid."
"I need help with something."
"One of the few people among the Neptune population who will even speak to me nevertheless ask for my help. It doesn't have to do with getting Beav back, does it?"
"Someone's been hacking into all of my systems, including the ones that I set up for my dad to help protect is bank statements and accounts. Now everything's screwed up, I can't get back into my own system, and cash from the accounts is slowly starting to disappear."
"Don't you have a counterattack or some type of tracking system to avoid that?"
"Whoever's doing this is… so much better than me…"
Veronica gazed.
"Yeah, I know. Sad…"
"All right, I'll help. Meet me later on and I'll see what I can do."
"Thanks, you're a lifesaver."
'Hopefully I'm the cherry kind. I don't actually know why I hope I'm the cherry kind, I guess it's just because I love cherries.'
Veronica started to walk down the hallway to be disturbed by the next sight. Clarence Weidman walking out of the administration wing of the school passing a glancing look at Veronica as he walked by her.
'Please tell me he was here about a parent-teacher conference…'
CREDITS PLAY.
Veronica kept walking down the hallway after that meeting with Weidman to only bump into Logan.
"How's the case coming along?" Logan asked.
"It's so nice to be needed once in a while."
"Yeah, well… this may help you. I think I know who did it."
"Please don't say your man crush Weevil again. If I only had a buck for every time you say his name."
"Not him, but it is one of the PCHers, I'm pretty sure of it."
"Well… Felix is dead, so is Thumper. Weevil is out… any others?"
"Hector. He was near my locker before I was stabbed."
"Hector… don't these PCHers ever learn…"
"I'm pretty sure it's one of them."
"And why exactly them?"
"The Fitzpatrick's. They work for them, they'd like to see me dead."
"Then why not ask me to look into the Fitzpatrick's?"
"Just check out the rest of the PCHers."
"Your wish is my… I gotta stop saying that." Veronica started to walk away.
'From ballistic jerks being stabbed to computer geeks being hacked into, life… is a bundle of unexpected mysteries. And still I haven't been able to read that letter from Duncan yet. Maybe it'll make good bathroom reading material.'
"Hey, honey. How was your day?" Keith asked when Veronica entered the apartment.
"Ah, you know, the usual."
"The usual."
"Yep, and as always, the sex was fantastic."
"Hey…" Keith sank his eyes at Veronica. "That's not funny."
Veronica chuckled.
"You didn't get any Frostys thrown at you today, did you?"
"I think everyone is starting to calm down a bit. Only cheese fries today."
"Why do they always seem to waste the good food?"
"Maybe I'm worth the good food."
"You must be. You wouldn't be hungry by chance? Keith Mars' secret homemade chili?"
"Dad… the secret's out. You just buy it from Wendy's and add some extra cheese."
"…You can't forget the love! The most important ingredient."
"I'm sure Jóse, the drive thru teller, puts lots of love into it as he's stirring the pot around and putting it into those little chic yellow cups."
Veronica closed the door to her room, and fidgeted around underneath her bed for the letter Duncan sent her. She ripped the envelope apart in getting out the letter, and opened it's neatly folded letter on wide ruled notebook paper.
'Veronica,
I said long ago that I would not contact you in any form possible, but now I must ask for your help. In my home locked in a small safe in my parents bedroom is a large manila envelope with documents inside that I must get immediately. Since I am not able to get back to Neptune because of my whereabouts with the child, I am asking you to get my that envelope and meet me in Tijuana at the small roadside grill at 11p seven days from the date on top of this letter. I must have those documents before my parents decide to move them. Do not look inside the envelope when you have acquired it, it's important they stay classified. Please Veronica, I need those documents.
Love,
Duncan'
'Sweet, sour… just the way a girl likes a letter written by her runaway boyfriend. Any possibility I could pick up one of those cute bobble-head dolls while I'm in Tijuana?'
Keith opened Veronica's door and popped his head inside.
"Chili's a waiting."
Veronica grinned.
"I'll be right there."
Keith responded to the phone ringing and went over to the counter.
"Keith Mars."
"Yeah… Keith. Sheriff Lamb here."
"What can I do for you Lamb?"
"That Thumper kid whose body we found off the side of the road."
"What about it?"
"The coroner has new evidence stating that it's not his."
"Why exactly are you calling me about this?"
"It seems like your friend the Mayor wants us to partner up and help get Veronica off and find the real killer of Miss Carla Jackie."
"Which you think is bull…"
"But I have to follow it anyway or I'd lose my job."
"Which would be a real pity." Keith replied.
"It would. Meet me in my office tomorrow. We need to find out where this Thumper guy really is."
Veronica walked into the living room when Keith hanged up the phone.
"Who was that?" Veronica asked.
"Deputy Lamb. Wanting me to go back to work with him to find out what really happened to Thumper."
"Is that good or bad? The part about working with Lamb?"
"Bad… but other than that good. I hope. Let's eat."
Veronica strolled down the hallway of Neptune High to run back into Mac.
"So, how about them Yankees?" Mac asked. "Did you find anything out?"
"No, Mac. I'm sorry. I'll come by after school today? And you can fill me in on the rest."
"That sounds great, but we need to hurry. My dad comes home in two days."
"We'll get it by then."
"Good. I'll see you then."
Veronica entered the administration wing of the school and slipped into Patterson's office.
"Good morning, Miss Patterson!' Veronica greeted as she slammed the door, startling the principal.
"Uh, Veronica… what can I do for you?"
"Two words, Clarence Weidman."
"Yeah?"
"What was he doing here yesterday morning? Please tell me a parent-teacher conference."
"Those type of things are confidential and only for faculty members to know about."
"Don't make me beg… conference? Honor roll assembly? Dirty little secret conference explaining conspiracies?"
"Miss Mars…"
"All right. I'm just saying. Who knows what Clarence Weidman could be up to."
"Please, leave."
Veronica checked to make sure the bug she planted was still there.
"Ok, have it your way. I just wanted to make some convo."
Veronica went for the door.
"And you have a very nice day." Veronica smiled, and exited the office.
"Thanks for coming, Veronica. My dad is surely going to be pissed if he finds out that money is disappearing." Mac greeted Veronica at her door.
"Would you know of anyone who'd want to take money from you or your father?"
"No, not at all. We barely make the bills." Mac let Veronica inside.
"Anyone who'd want to get revenge or any of that?"
"Nope… Take a look. It goes down, up, down again. But decreases more each time it goes down." Mac turned the screen to Veronica.
"Someone's hacking into my system. I just can't trace it back to the source."
"Is there anyone at all…"
"I don't know who… unless someone is challenging me. Like for instance someone who thinks they're better with technology than me."
"Which would be?"
"No one…Well, at least no one I know of…"
"Well, that is a dozy right there, isn't it?"
"Yeah…"
"I'll check around, see who'd want to actually hack into your system." Veronica glanced out of the window to see a boy sitting under the tree.
"Who's that?" Veronica asked.
"Who?"
"The boy under the tree?"
"Oh, that's Paul. Kaminski I think? He's been sitting under there for the last few days bird watching."
"I feel like saying hi."
Veronica walked out of the house and over to where Paul was sitting.
"Hi, Paul. Been hacking into anyone's system lately?"
"What?" He asked.
"Well, you did do a good job with the 'Kill em' all' site, I thought that maybe you'd strike again."
"No… I'm just watching the birds."
Veronica looked up into the tree, and back at Paul who was wearing headphones.
"Must be some good music to be looking at the house next door. Rockin' Robin?" Veronica smiled.
"No, just watching birds."
"Well then, have fun."
Veronica started to walk away, Mac followed.
"Anything?" She asked.
"I'll look around for you. I'll call tomorrow."
"Thanks, Veronica."
"Not a prob."
'Right now, there are bigger fish to fry, and to get…'
Keith was parked on the corner watching the home of Kendall Casablancas, or known as Priscilla Banks. He took out his large Thermos, and poured some coffee out of the jug into the cup. He sipped quietly waiting for any action on the Bank's home. He looked down at the jug, tightening the lid, and looked back up to see a dark colored Crown Vic pulling into the Bank's driveway.
Keith watched to see Clarence Weidman get out of the car, look around, and walk around to the back side of the home. Keith, himself, got out of his car, took a device out of the glove compartment, and ran over to Weidman's car.
He looked around, knelt to the floor, and stuck the device under the backside of the Vic. Keith took out a small flashlight that was in his pocket, and went around the opposite side of the home. He bent down underneath one of the windows as a beam of light shown through the window.
Keith slowly looked through the window to see Weidman quietly fumbling through papers, shelves, and cupboards. Weidman frantically went through cupboard after cupboard looking for something without too badly screwing the order of the cupboards up.
Keith went around to the back of the house where the door was wide open, and squatted down behind a group of trashcans as Weidman thrashed through the back door, and ran around the side of the house without noticing Keith.
After hearing the car start up, Keith went inside the home, and turned on the flashlight looking through the things Weidman was looking through. Without finding anything important, Keith went over to Kendall's computer, and took apart the body with the help of his knife that he had in his back pocket.
He took out the hard drive, and placed the body back together when a large beam of light shown through the front windows of the home. Keith stashed the hard drive in his jacket when his phone rang.
"Keith Mars." He listened. "Oh, hi honey." He listened some more. "All right, stay right there and don't move. If you see anyone else come toward you other than me get the hell out of there."
Keith heard the front door open and turned off the flashlight, and then a few seconds later turned off the cell phone. He moved around to the side of the wall where Liam couldn't see him. After thinking it was all clear, Keith started to move for the front door.
"Ah, so it is the luck of the Irish. Keith Mars, right here." Liam pointed the gun.
"Liam, you don't want to do this. I have a daughter."
"Lovely girl, we've met. I'll be sure to look over her when you're gone."
Liam pulled the trigger, but it was empty.
Keith rammed into Liam, and the two started knocking things off of the front table, and went through the window. Keith smacked Liam as he tried to struggle, got up, and ran over to Veronica's LeBaron and got inside.
"Move, or you're a hood ornament." Veronica yelled to Kendall who got out of the way, and Veronica drove off.
'While dad was getting all of the documents printed off of Kendall Casablanca's hard drive with the help of Mac, I had other affairs to attend to… like playing Bill the Burglar and getting those documents for Duncan.'
Veronica pulled up at the Kane mansion, guarded by nothing but a fence and some cameras. She got out of the car, and went over to the side fence in which she climbed. Veronica ran over to the back laundry room door, and took out a lock picking device. She opened the door and ran over to the security system and punched in the numbers so the alarm wouldn't go off.
'Duncan told me the code long ago… and it still works, I'm surprised.'
She snuck into Jake and Celeste's bedroom, and opened the closet door. She turned on the light, and fidgeted through the heaps of clothing to finally find a small safe on the floor covered by a mound of t-shirts and old shoes.
Veronica opened the letter, and at the bottom in small numbers was the code. She punched it into the combo lock and the sound of air rushing out was heard. Veronica opened the door to find just some papers, a piece of jewelry, and a red hard covered book. Veronica flipped through the book.
'It's a diary…'
Veronica flipped to the front cover and glanced at the name on the book.
'Of Carla Jackie's? Why would the Kane's have Carla Jackie's old diary? How are they involved in this?'
Veronica heard a thump come from the other room, and took both the manila envelope and the red journal. She closed the door, threw a heap of clothes over the safe, and left the room the was it was before she ransacked the safe.
"How many of these e-mails are there?" Keith asked Mac as she was still printing them out.
"Quite a few, actually."
Keith looked down at his laptop that was tracking Weidman's car. The dot had stopped at an address, and stood still for a couple of minutes. Keith wrote down the address, and entered it into the search site.
He scrolled down the page that he found.
Keith scrolled down even further until he came across the marriage records.
"Carla Jackie…"
"What was that, Mr. Mars?" Mac asked.
"Oh, nothing Mac. How are those files coming along?"
"Almost done, finally."
Veronica drove down the road for the Mexican border.
'Dad won't miss me for at least a few more hours.'
Veronica pulled up at the roadside grill where the letter told her to go to. She waited around outside while her heart started to pound faster and faster as she thought more about him. He finally showed. He walked from out of the shadows, his beard as long as ever. Veronica recognized him, she stopped breathing, and ran over to him. He embraced her in his arms and spun her around once.
She looked up at him and gave him a light kiss.
"I've missed you."
"I have too." He replied.
Duncan looked around.
"Did you get them?"
"Yeah." Veronica pulled the manila envelope off of the passenger seat, and handed it to Duncan.
"Thanks." He went back up to her, hugged her once more.
"Be safe." Veronica replied.
"I'll contact you, don't worry."
Duncan kissed Veronica once more, let her hand go gently, and disappeared back into the darkness.
"Wait, Duncan. What's in that envelope?" She called out.
There was nothing but pure silence. The only sounds were the crickets chirping, the one to two cars zooming down the highway, and the sound of plates clattering. Veronica stood for seconds waiting for a reply, but decided not to wait any further. She got back into her car, and drove for the U.S. border.
'One chance I get to see my boyfriend, it turns out to be like an episode of 'Tales from the Crypt'. Maybe some things aren't meant to be…'
Veronica knocked loudly on Mac's door the next afternoon. Mac opened the door and smiled as she hoped Veronica had found something.
"Did you find anything?" Mac asked.
"Nada. But then, I thought of something. The boy sitting under the tree watching the birds with his messenger bag at his side and no books or binoculars to help him out." Veronica pointed to Paul who was sitting underneath the tree again.
"Yeah?"
"Ten bucks he's not watching birds."
"Hello there, old chap!" Veronica startled Pete.
"Oh, uh... hi..." Pete tried to cram something into his bag.
"Having fun watching the birds?" Veronica asked.
"A lot?"
"That's good."
Pete got up from the ground.
"I've gotta be going now." Pete cracked an uneasy smile.
"Not so fast birdman." Veronica grabbed his messenger bag.
Pete tried to struggle, but Mac came up beside Veronica and also grabbed the bag. He let go.
Veronica opened the bag to find a laptop, papers, and some sort of scanning device.
"Check it out." Veronica handed the bag to Mac who looked through it.
"It looks like we've found the guy, but why my house? We're not rich or anything..."
"What are you talking about?" Pete asked.
"The money in my father's account has been disappearing. And from this device, I can see why." Mac replied.
"I'm not trying to steal any cash... I'm trying to listen into Cindy Sanders from across the street."
"What?" Mac asked.
Veronica opened the laptop.
"Oh, you know how to work it..." Veronica closed the laptop.
"Wait... 'Peeping Tom'? Not 'Italian Job'?" Mac asked.
"Nope. It looks like that device was somehow screwing the accounts up when turned on. Take a look at the accounts now." Veronica replied. "And you, take a hike, Carl Boehm." Veronica shoved the bag back to Paul.
Mac ran into the house as Paul ran away. Veronica followed Mac.
"The accounts are back to normal... Wow, I guess it was his device..." Mac responded after she checked her computer screens.
"Honey?" Mac's father asked as he walked through the door with his bags at hand.
"Dad's home. Thanks Veronica."
"No prob."
Veronica started to drive home when she passed the old Shark Stadium.
'Runaway boyfriends, peeping toms, dead dogs… When will anything ever return to normal?'
Construction workers were working on getting rid of the debris of the stadium when one of them came across an arm.
"Hey! Over here!"
A bunch of workers scrambled around the arm and started to dig the guy out.
'Well, welcome to Neptune. Where things aren't close to normal, people seem to walk around like zombies, and the finding of dead bodies in Shark Stadium.'
The crew members were able to lift the body out of the wreckage… and whom it was, the one and only Thumper…
'Good night and good luck…'
Veronica drove down the road heading for home with the radio blasting.
And the spiffy 'CREATED BY ROB THOMAS' ending credit plays, then we fade out completely.
Next time: Veronica finds more clues that lead her to Carla Jackie's enraged alcoholic ex-husband who has a mind of his own that may have led to him killing her off. And an old diary may help provide even more clues on whom Clarence Weidman really is… that's next time on 'Veronica Mars'.
