Disclaimer: I do not own Veronica Mars. I wish I did but the wonderful characters and ideas belong to Rob Thomas. I also do not own sidekick or Mercedes-Benz.
Author's Note: Okay, I know I said it'd be a quick update but again, school got in the way. I'm now going to strive for weekly updates instead of promising anything quicker. I don't know if I like the way this chapter turned out. I'm not as good as writing drama and suspense as I thought I was. I think after this mystery, I'm going to stick to relationships. So, as always, read and review it, even if it is constructive criticism!
Trying to live up to the promise that she made the night before, Veronica headed to the Sheriff Department early the next morning to tell her Dad about the plan and request some back-up help from the department .
"Good morning Inga!" Veronica said, handing her one of the coffees she had in her hand. "Is my Dad in yet?"
"Oh, thank you Veronica. Yes, he's in his office but he has a meeting with the mayor in twenty minutes," Inga replied.
"Thanks," Veronica said, heading to Keith's door.
"GOOD MORRNNINGGGG!" She said in a sing-song voice. Keith was frantically thumbing through the file cabinet in the corner of the room.
"Veronica, hi. Sorry, I misplaced the file on, the file on." He headed over to his desk, looking at a post-it note. "The file on the crime rate in Neptune."
"You mean this file? The one labeled 'Don't lose'." Veronica handed the file to Keith.
"That's the one," He said, pulling it from her hand.
"Dad, I know you're in a rush but I wanted to talk to you about the Manning case. I'm going to start surveillance today, which may include actually letting myself into the Manning house and I just wanted to make sure you were on board with the plan, maybe sending someone along with me, just in case."
"Uh, okay but can we talk more about this later? I really have to go," Keith asked, grabbing the file from his desk and his jacket. He walked over to Veronica, kissing her on the forehead. "I'll see you at home later?"
"Sure Dad, yeah. See you later." Veronica said, disappointed.
With or without him, the plan will commence this afternoon. Veronica thought. Maybe I'll have more luck with Weevil.
As Veronica pulled out of the Sheriff Department parking lot, she didn't notice the black Ranger Rover pulling in. Logan headed into the Sheriff's office with a mission.
"Hi Inga, Is Leo D'Amato here?"
"Hello Logan. How are you? Word around the office is that you and Veronica are back together?" Logan nodded and smiled anxiously. "Oh, that's so great to hear! Oh yes, you wanted to see Deputy D'Amato. Deputy D'Amato?" Inga turned around, pointing Logan over to Leo, who was sitting at his desk.
"Logan? Didn't think I'd ever see you here? What's going on? Something wrong with Veronica?"
"Uh, not right now but she's been working on a case for Lizzie Manning. Last night she told us that she may take extreme measures to help her get custody of her little sister, Grace. I'm worried that she may take it a little too far. You know Veronica, she tends to get herself in a little too deep sometimes. I didn't know where else to turn. You know, I wouldn't come to you unless.."
"No, I know," Leo nodded. "What can I do?"
"She said she was planning on doing some surveillance today but she was pretty gun-ho about getting the case solved so I doubt surveillance is all she's going to do,"
"Well, I get off in about an hour. I can follow her, make sure she doesn't get herself into any trouble. She just left, Keith was in a rush though so I don't know if she actually told him her plans. I'll let him know what's going on too," Leo said.
"Thanks Leo. It really means a lot to me."
"Anything for Veronica. She is a pain in the butt sometimes but you gotta love her."
"I do, I really do. That's why I can't lose her." Logan said, placing his head in his hands.
"I know," Leo said, patting him on the back. "I'll keep her safe, Logan. I promise."
Veronica sped quickly to Mars Investigations. Walking into the office, she noticed that Weevil had not yet arrived to work. Veronica looked down at her watch.
I'm losing precious time here! She thought to herself. Reaching into her pocket, she pulled out her sidekick and dialed Weevil's number.
Ring. Ring. Ring. Ring.
"There's gonna be a beep, leave one or hang up."
Beep. Beep. Beep.
"Hey Weevil, Where are you? I really need to talk to you. It's Veronica by the way. If you're not here in..10 minutes, I'm leaving. You'll know where to find me."
Veronica sat in Weevil's chair, staring anxiously at the clock. Slowly but surely, ten minutes went by. Pulling out a piece of paper, Veronica began to write a note.
"At the Manning house. May do inside surveillance. Meet me there ASAP!!"
She stuck the note firmly to the screen of his computer, not noticing in her rush to get out, that the note had unstuck and floated straight onto the floor.
Veronica drove through the White Pines subdivision, heading toward the Manning house. Saturday morning in the subdivision was disgustingly typical: fathers tossing a baseballs with their sons, mothers gardening, and kids their bikes. The Mannings lived up to this classic view to a tee, except for leaving their daughter locked in a closet for hours a day.
Lizzie had mentioned that Stewart and Rose spent most Saturdays at the country club, Stewart polishing his golf skills and Rose, getting new cookies recipes, leaving Grace locked up in the closet, alone. Veronica drove by the house, noticing the family car still sitting in the driveway. She parked a safe distance away and waited.
I thought country clubbers started their day early. Veronica looked down at her watch, it was almost 11:30. Finally, after almost forty minutes of sitting and waiting, Veronica saw the Manning's gold Mercedes Benz pull out of the driveway and head the opposite way out of the subdivision. She pulled up closer to the house, parking the car and pulling out her binoculars. After waiting another twenty minutes with no sign of the Manning's return or any other visitors, Veronica looked down at her phone.
No missed calls from Weevil or Dad. She thought to herself. If I don't go now, I'll have to wait another week. Veronica impulsively jumped out of the car and headed toward the backyard.
Veronica unlatched the gate and headed toward the back door. Two years earlier, Veronica had been in the same backyard with Duncan. Veronica headed for the back door, hoping that the key they had used was still in its place. Lifting the heavy potted plant with one hand, Veronica felt under it with the other.
Voila! Veronica thought, grabbing the key and brushing the dirt off. As she began to unlock the door, Veronica felt herself stop.
Maybe I should call my Dad one more time. Or Weevil. Veronica moved to the corner of the yard, just behind a tree and dialed her Dad's number, it went straight to voicemail.
"Hello, This is Keith Mars, Sheriff of Balboa County California. If this is an emergency, please dial 9-1-1. If not, please leave a message with your name and number after the beep. Have a good day."
"Hi Dad, it's Veronica. I tried talking to you about the Manning case this morning but you were in a rush. I got to the house and the Manning's aren't home so I decided to go in. When you get this, send someone over, just in case. Be discreet. And Dad, I love you."
Veronica quickly dialed Weevil, the phone continued to ring and then went straight to voicemail. She left a similar message, asking for back-up then hung-up the phone.
I tried. Veronica thought to herself as she put the key into the lock and opened the door.
The steepness of the stairs, the pictures that lined them, the feel of the squishy carpet, these were all too familiar to Veronica. She dashed up them as quickly as she could. At the top of the stairs stood Meg's old room and Veronica couldn't help but go in. She quietly made her way through the room, gliding her hand across the dresser until she reached Meg's jewelry box. Sitting inside, under a bunch of tattered bows and a few luggage keys, were a pair of diamond earrings that Meg always wore and a simple chain-link bracelet that read "My Darling."
Something for Lilly. Veronica thought as she slipped the earrings and bracelet into her back pocket. She continued through the room, her eyes settling on the same picture they had settled on two years earlier. Sitting dusty on her nightstand, a picture of Meg, Lizzie and Grace, under it reading "Sisters Are Forever." Veronica's mind drifted back to her motive and she headed toward the room across from Meg's.
Walking into the room, Veronica felt a strange sense of deja-vu. Without thinking, she headed straight for the closet, pushing away the clothes, she found that the tiny hidden room her and Duncan had found Grace in two years prior had not been covered. Now, instead of a simple latch lock, a chain with a pad-lock stood in it's place. Veronica knelt down and instinctively began knocking on the door of the room
"Grace, Grace? Are you in there?" She said. No answer. Veronica felt around the closet for a key. No luck.
"Grace? Grace, I'm here to help you." Veronica kept looking around the closet until she heard knocking coming from another room. Immediately, she rose to her feet to follow the sound back to Meg's room.
"Grace. Keep knocking." Veronica continued to listen for the sound. She opened the door to Meg's larger closet, pushed away the clothes only to find a larger, but very similar hidden room. Locked with a similar chain set up, Veronica began feeling around for a key. After several sweeps around the closet, something in her mind clicked. She quickly jumped up, running toward the jewelry box she had been digging through earlier and grabbed the small set of keys. Veronica grabbed the lock and began trying the keys. The first few failing but finally, on the second to the last key, the lock clicked. She immediately unchained the handle of the door and opened it.
Unlike two years earlier, dark room harbored a small girl who barely sitting upright. Veronica reached in, pulling her out of the small room carefully and laying her down on the ground of the closet floor.
"Grace, are you okay?" She asked, kneeling next to the pale girl feeling her forehead.
"Meg? Meg? Is that you? Are you an angel? Did you come to save me?" She said, her eyes welling with tears. Veronica looked down, noticing her previously short blonde locks had grown during the summer, causing her to resemble her deceased friend.
"Yes, Grace." Veronica replied, without thinking. "Now, you need to tell me, are you okay? Can you stand?"
"Meg, I knew you'd come. I knew it." Grace said, grabbing Veronica's hand, trying to lift herself up. Before she knew it, Veronica was holding a limp girl in her arms.
"Grace! Grace, can you hear me? Grace!" Veronica placed the girl back on the floor. She put her head close to Grace's mouth, listening for a breath. The small, struggling puff of air landed on Veronica's cheek and she let out a sigh of relief. As she began to pick up the small girl off the floor, Veronica felt something on the back of her head. Before she could turn around, the voice pierced her ears.
"Put her down." Veronica slowly placed Grace back on the floor before turning her head slowly. "Did you really think I'd leave my house unattended when I knew my stupid little whore of a daughter was trying to send me to jail? Oh, Veronica Mars, you're not as smart as I thought you were."
"Stewart Manning, I didn't think we'd have the pleasure to meet again. Now, if I were you, I'd take the gun and put it down because my father, the SHERIFF, and my assistant, an ex-con, are waiting for me to signal for them to send back-up." Veronica replied, holding onto Grace's hand, monitoring the girl's faint pulse.
"Really? Is that true, Veronica? Well, after I dropped off my wife at the country club, I drove past Mars Investigation. Your assistant was sitting there, eating, so I don't think he'll be joining us anytime soon and I just got off the phone with the Sheriff Department, your dear Dad is still in a meeting so I think it'll be you and me for a while."
"Alright then. Well, there may not be anyone coming for me but your daughter is barely breathing, she needs to go to the hospital!"
"Grace is fine. She passes out sometimes. I'll take care of her after I take care of you." Veronica cringed as her placed a blindfold over her eyes and tape over her mouth.
Damn, where's your assistant, the former leader of a motorcycle gang and your Sheriff father when you need them? Veronica thought as he lead her, at gunpoint, back across the hall. Why didn't I listen to my friends? Stupid Veronica Mars. Stupid. Stupid. He stuffed her into the tiny hidden room inside Grace's closet, slamming it shut and chaining the handle. This can't be good.
A/N2: DUN DUN DUN. That is all.