A/n: Thank you all for the encouraging comments and reviews- they seriously make my day. Rated for giving that M tag a whirl and taking a little detour along the way.

CHAPTER 10:

Cassidy Casablancas hated his name, and for good reason. It was like his parents didn't have the decency to spare a thought towards an unsuspecting kid saddled with a girl's name. Yep, a girl's name- a fact made very clear by big brother Dick from day one, and reinforced by the several very female Cassidys that passed through kindergarten. And so when his older sibling generously bestowed the nickname of 'Beaver' upon his narrow shoulders, it stuck.

At which point he almost preferred Cassidy.

He supposed he had done well for himself. Following an awkward phase of puberty and an even more awkward phase of high school, he had finally managed to put some distance between him and Dick in college. He thrived at a larger school, the sheer space and anonymity allowing him to breathe for the first time in his life. His dad had been a lot easier to get rid of – a simple task with Veronica Mars that cost him less than a grand had provided him with more than enough blackmail material that Dick, Senior, Casablancas had happily parted with some control allowing Cassidy his own source of income.

It boosted his self-confidence tremendously.

And rumor had it that his fortune far surpassed the original Casablancas; a seed of ingenuity planted by Cassidy himself. He was proud of that one.

It wasn't completely a lie. After he had partnered with the Kanes', his annual turnover had ticked up from the millions to hundreds of millions. He had shown them- had made a fortune on real estate and stocks and had shacked up with one of the most popular girls in high school.

Not too bad for the kid who had been stuffed into almost every locker in high school.

They say money doesn't buy happiness, but Cassidy had to admit, it came pretty darn close. Plus it helped that he was finally the son that his parents recognized. Dick who now clung onto the glory days, flittering from one alcohol induced party to another had faded to a little more than a nuisance. For once he was glad that he hadn't gotten the looks, but rather the brains of the family. He now had what every 09er wanted for himself-

Money. Women. Respect?

Cassidy's eyes hardened behind the dark shades as he watched his skimpily cladded wife simper up to the pool boy. There was a time when he might have been offended, but he was well aware that a cheating spouse was a sign that he had finally arrived amongst Neptune's elite. So if Madison wanted to wear her itty bitty excuse of swimsuit to trapeze around the pool, so be it.

Besides he had bigger things to worry about. Life had been good. Or at least it was going the way it was all supposed to when Duncan had dropped dead after leaving the most intriguing of messages on his cell phone.

He wasn't worried- he was terrified. It would be a cold day in hell before Celeste or Jake Kane allowed the authorities access to Duncan's phone records, but really he had more to fear from the Kanes than the authorities.

What was a little prison time relative to having his throat slit?

Tired of the nausea that steeped in his throat, Cassidy finally decided to do something instead of waiting for inevitable. He took in a deep breath, and steeled himself for the worst before picking up his phone.

He was going to need a little insurance if anyone came after him.

"So Mr. Echolls, do you recognize either of these girls?" Wallace cleared his throat and pushed the snapshots over the table. Officially, they weren't supposed to be interrogating Aaron. But the big brass had yet to arrive and the smarmy sheriff seemed to content to turn a blind eye as along as his palms were suitably greased- another one of those benefits of leading a life of crime in this part of Balboa county.

Still, he supposed the man deserved some credit for hauling an aging movie star who held some clout around these parts almost as soon as he had pulled into his home.

Logan mostly sat in grim silence. He stared at his father as though the answers would magically come to him. With his partner being of little use, Wallace figured it was best he step up.

"Mr. Echolls?"

Aaron glanced a quick look at his son before studying the pictures, "yeah. This is Carmen. And the other…I'm not sure."

"Carla," Logan answered bitterly. "The other one is Carla. Perhaps you need your tapes to refresh your memory."

"Son," Aaron gulped.

"It's Detective Echolls," Logan said easily. "So you admit to knowing these girls."

Aaron looked miserable as he shook his head. Logan briefly wondered how much of that emotion was real and how much of it was an act. Aaron was nothing if not a committed actor- he probably skipped over several treatments of botox to look this haggard. He couldn't begrudge the realism.

"I've been involved with them," Aaron seemed to choose his words carefully.

"Ok Mr. Echolls," Wallace interjected fully aware of Logan glaring at the other man. "Do you know where they are now?"

"What?" Aaron looked confused. "Why?"

Logan guffawed in disbelief before standing up and slapping his thighs. There were only so many things one could fake.

"Mr. Echolls," Wallace ventured. "Were you aware these girls were underage at the time of your…" he searched for the appropriate word, "trysts?"

Aaron looked glum. "I was under the impression that they were merely young for their age."

Logan shook his head. "Yep. That's exactly what happened when you were sneaking around with Lilly, didn't it? Oops, let me guess, your dick slipped in her without either of you noticing. "

"Logan." Wallace intoned warningly. "Mr. Echolls. Did either of them give the impression that they were older than they appeared?"

Aaron nodded, looking a bit more relieved, grabbing the opening quickly. "Both girls. Carmen and Carla mentioned they were 18. It was also confirmed by the woman on the phone."

"Woman on the phone?" Logan asked, curiosity piqued.

"I've probably done worse things," Aaron seemed almost resigned to his fate. "But you know you get a certain age, and despite your past accomplishments, you don't really get … you know. So I…"

"Wow, hookers. Getting classy there, dad," Logan mouthed clearly intent on saying more when Wallace stepped in. "Were they part of an escort service, Mr. Echolls? Perhaps you could get us their number?"

Aaron nodded morosely before sliding over his phone. "Yeah. Escort service." It wasn't like he had a better name for it.

"And the girls usually come to your home?"

"Usually yes. But not always. It depends."

"And Mr. Echolls, have you shared this er…service or number with anyone else?"

"No, I haven't. But," Aaron seemed uncertain.

"But?" Wallace asked patiently.

"Yeah Aaron, but? It's not like you have much else to implicate yourself with."

"I got the number from," Aaron seemed uncertain despite the looks from both Logan and Wallace. He was about to confess when he seemed to think the better of it. "No one. I just had the number. You know those guys on the boardwalk, they're always flipping their shiny cards at you- I called one of those numbers."

"You're sure?" Wallace asked.

Logan rolled his eyes. "Well doesn't matter. One of these girls, Carla bears a striking resemblance to the girl found in the water tank at the Hilton in LA. Let's just say if it does turn out to be her…" He had no clue as to whether the descriptions even matched but the look on Aaron's face seemed to be worth the bluff.

He diverted his attention to the other man only if to avoid his son's mocking gaze. "I got the number from Duncan."

"Duncan, as in Senator Kane?" Wallace couldn't keep the surprise from his voice, a sentiment echoed by Logan in what seemed to be a string of curses.

"You have to understand. Those girls…they were completely willing. And I definitely did not hurt them. In fact I even called Duncan a couple days before he… you know."

"You were in contact with Duncan?" Suddenly Logan wasn't sure he wanted to hear anymore.

"I was running out of money. I mean you work hard, and you make these investments, but the economy and… I just had to…" Aaron didn't get a chance to finish as men in cheap suits barged into the interrogation room.

"All yours, gentleman," Logan waved his hands with a smile while pushing Wallace towards the door.

"What about me?" Aaron croaked.

This time it was Logan who answered, a wry grin that didn't quite reach his eyes. "Sorry dad, but the FBI is in charge here considering there were minors involved." He didn't particularly want to leave, not now when it was becoming alarmingly clear that Aaron was involved in something more sinister than he had originally thought.

"No. Fucking. Way," Veronica cursed under her breath as Logan filled her in on the details. If he had been surprised that she had stuck around despite his and Wallace's absence for almost the entire day, he tried not to show it.

"Oh yeah. So guess there was something linking Duncan directly with those missing girls, after all. And judging by what Aaron was trying to tell us- he was probably blackmailing Duncan. You didn't notice any odd phone calls or Duncan acting differently?"

"No, I mean if I had noticed, you think I'd have let myself be accused of murder?"

"I could probably call the lawyer or something you know. Check into Aaron's finances. See if he really is in trouble, and maybe try and call someone back in the department. See if they can subpoena his phone records or something."

Veronica blinked away emotion that had come flooding. The events following Duncan's death had her questioning her sanity, wondering if perhaps she had been mistaken, but finally there was definitive proof that she wasn't just being a paranoid bitch.

"And oh," Logan waved his hand trying to look as disinterested as possible. "Wallace had to get back to LA, so you don't have to keep up the housekeeper stint, you know. Pretty sure Trina's convinced you're my summer romance so…"

"I'm off the hook?" Veronica asked softly. She was glad Logan had changed the subject. She hadn't always been this emotionally fragile, at least not while Keith was around, but as years passed, she felt her father's absence deeply. It had become harder to prevent the waterworks that threatened at the oddest of moments.

"Pretty much."

Logan fiddled with the keys that lay on the dining table. He wanted to say more, wanted to talk to Veronica even if it were only about the case and its repercussions but he wasn't quite sure what to say next. "So yeah. Or you could stay at the pool house you know. Get some privacy."

Veronica's lip curled. "Not worried that I'll sneak away in the dead of the night?"

Logan shrugged seemingly careless. "I don't… you're not gonna are you?"

"Probably not." Although in all honesty, Veronica had to admit that she probably should. But then Logan would have go after Weevil, and she really didn't want that either. She had enough people after her- no reason to add Logan to the list. Besides, she rationalized, her only intent had been to find her father, and she definitely needed all the help she could get.

Logan nodded, swallowing hard. His eyes fixed on the flooring beneath; he rolled the key ring between his fingers. "So how come… you didn't…you know."

"Leave?" Veronica finished the sentence. "Not sure. Didn't think I should."

"Right. Keep your friends close but your enemies closer?"

Veronica looked sheepish. "I wouldn't exactly consider you an enemy. We're getting close to solving this and we make a good team?"

"We do," Logan agreed, stretching his arms over his head in an exaggerated yawn. "So yeah. It's been a long day…"

"Logan?"

"Yeah?"

"How come you never kept it touch after?" She didn't have to clarify what the 'after' was. He knew exactly what she was referring to.

Logan briefly toyed with the idea of lying to her, but before he could come up with some semblance of a rational explanation, he blurted out the exact truth. "I was embarrassed."

"Embarrassed?" Veronica seemed confused. "But why? It wasn't your fault."

Logan laughed mirthlessly. "Yeah, I'm aware. It's just… you know. You don't really want people to find out that your father's been hitting you." He made a face before trying to rise from the chair. He didn't want to be a part of this conversation anymore than he had wanted to be in that interrogation room.

"I would have stopped it you know," Veronica's voice stopped him in his tracks. "If I had known earlier."

Words caught in Logan's throat as he tried to come up with a suitable response. He had several things to say- it wasn't your fault either, you couldn't have possibly known, no one else cared. At long last, he managed an awkward "thank you," before turning to walk away.

"Hey Logan?"

"Yeah?" He tamped down the tremble that threatened his voice. His hands shook slightly and he waited as Veronica walked towards him. He held his breath unsure of her next move when she merely smiled and rose on the tips of her toes, and pressing her lips against his- firm and demanding.

"I mean it."

Statue-like, Logan remained frozen, his back stiff as a board when Veronica pulled back, looking sheepish. "I didn't mean…" She didn't get a chance to finish the sentence.

His lips slotted against hers, teeth clicking, and tongues tangling as they kissed. Logan's hands ran up and down her sides before he cupped the back of her thighs and lifted Veronica against him. It was easy enough to cover the few steps to the dining table, and he sat her on the wood as their mouths continued to suck and bite at each other.

Veronica's hands tugged through the short strands of hair, holding his head in place as she angled her mouth, allowing him access. Logan licked his way in, both panting and gasping as they struggled to get closer.

Somewhere, in some corned of her mind, Veronica was sure she was screaming at herself. To step back, to move away before she lost control except her body refused to listen. She pressed herself against Logan, smelling salt and cologne as she tilted her head, allowing him to nip at her neck. Whimpers and groans filled the space where words were supposed to be and Veronica lost all semblance of thought as one large hand came up to cup her breast.

His thumb brushed across her nipple, and she arched into his palm, the sensitive tip burgeoning to become apparent through her polo. Impatient for friction, Veronica scraped her nails across his back, and Logan responded by thrusting a jean-clad thigh between her legs. She rolled her hips, and rubbed into the flesh, sweat and arousal dampening his jeans.

Their breathing escalated, Logan ran his palms down her sides, his lips still fused to hers as they each tried to get a little closer. Veronica pulled back apologetically, "what." She managed in little puffs of breath. "Are. We. Doing?"

"I don't know," Logan murmured, bending his head once more to capture her lips, his tongue demanding as it flicked into her mouth. "I don't know." He scraped his teeth down her jaw and the side of her neck before suckling onto her clavicle, his hands pushing her shirt out of the way.

She didn't need much urging, and Veronica pulled off her shirt impatiently. Logan answered her action with a resounding groan and she smiled impishly allowing him to hold her at arms length as he perused the sight in front of him. "Your turn," Veronica croaked, partly embarrassed at his attention and partly impatient to get him the same way.

Logan didn't need to be told twice. He yanked apart the buttons of his shirt and pulled Veronica towards him, both sighing when skin met skin. His hands fumbled with the buttons of her jeans while Veronica tackled his. He crowed in victory as he got in first, hand thrusting impatiently to find her heat.

Veronica let out a little growl, annoyed that he had the upper hand while still trying to get closer. There were so close and yet…

She whined impatiently while he latched onto her nipple, suckling the tip through lacey fabric. He swatted her hands away and undid his own buttons, pushing the denim down his legs along with his boxers. The cool night air was a welcome relief across heated skin and he lifted Veronica up, allowing her to do the same.

Finally having gotten Logan exactly where she wanted- naked and willing between her legs, Veronica reached up for this mouth. Logan rocked forward, the motion sending a shot of pleasure through her veins as she inched to get closer.

"Condom?" she managed to whisper between moans and whimpers as they slid against each other. She sighed heavily, her insides clenching at the thought of what was to come.

"Bedroom," Logan answered, with no intentions of moving. This. Veronica. Felt too good and there was no way in hell he was moving away. Their bodies moved in sync, his thrusts picking up pace, and his hands cupping her ass to cushion it- until they collapsed against each other.

Veronica smiled against Logan's shoulder, "so. Bedroom?"