DISCLAIMER: I don't own any rights to Veronica Mars. This story is written as a tribute only. No celebrity endorsement is implied by product placements. All real persons' names are used in the sense of "wouldn't it be cool if this person had this gig?" The institution discussed in this fic is not a real institution.
A/N: Beta-ed by Kazy and Poniesforall. All mistakes that remain are my responsibility.
Veronica has been restrained for an entire day, wrists and ankles handcuffed to a chair in a dark room. Every six hours, she is released and led to the bathroom, where she uses the facilities while her companion watches closely through the doorway. Even though Veronica knew this would be the situation, she feels degraded and humiliated by the constant scrutiny. Only the oldest residents are allowed any bathroom privacy, and they use their privileged positions to mock the newcomers.
Every muscle in Veronica's body aches from the unrelenting position she is forced to maintain by the restraints. She seethes inside, but forces herself to relax. She starts by concentrating on relaxing her toes, willing them to release their tension, moves up her legs to her torso, arms, neck, imagining each muscle becoming fluid and flexible; then she starts the process over again, keeping her breathing steady and slow.
When she has done the relaxation exercise ten times, she begins doing arithmetic in her head. She subtracts 8 repeatedly from 100. She adds 21 repeatedly until she reaches 840. She tries to remember all the squares, 1, 4, 9, 16...until she blanks on 15x15 and shakes her head. Then she tries to remember the name of every person in her kindergarten class. The mental exercises help pass the time; she thinks they are not going to drive me insane. She whispers, I'm okay, I'm okay.
The guard looks up and says, "Shut up, Connie, this is punishment. If you don't straighten up, you're going to be doing this a lot."
If I have anything to say about it, no girls are going to be locked up like this again, she vows.
Six weeks earlier...
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VERONICA MARS
10:00PM SHO ch: 340 60min 2009 TV-MA
Revenge of the Coma-Baby
Veronica gets help for Duncan;
Leo finds new evidence in the desert;
Logan obsesses.
Veronica: Kristen Bell. Keith: Enrico
Colantoni. Duncan 2.0: Chris Carmack
Cliff: Daran Norris. Logan: Jason Dohring.
Leo: Max Greenfield. Special guest star:
Katherine Heigl as the Blonde Woman.
•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE: "REVENGE OF THE COMA-BABY"
Mon. 2/2/09: Neptune Grand Hotel, Neptune, CA
Veronica rocks Duncan in her arms for a few minutes, thinking how they should proceed. She comes to a decision and stands up. She goes to the phone and calls room service, ordering two pots of coffee and a couple burgers. Then she calls her dad and Cliff and asks them to come over, saying it's an emergency. After she hangs up, she finds the scotch bottle that Duncan has been drinking from, and she grimly pours it down the drain. Duncan protests feebly, and Veronica says matter-of-factly, "Booze is not going to help you with this. I want to hear what my dad and Cliff have to say."
When the room service arrives, she gets Duncan to drink a cup of coffee, then pushes him into the bathroom, telling him to take a shower. He emerges ten minutes later, considerably more sober, and Veronica convinces him to eat a burger and drink another cup of coffee along with copious amounts of water and some ibuprofen she finds in her purse.
By the time Cliff and her dad arrive, Duncan is morose but coherent. Veronica explains the situation. She concludes by saying, "I want to know what the legal situation is here. Duncan, give Cliff a dollar."
Duncan finds his wallet and gives Cliff the money. Veronica says, "Okay, Cliff, you're hired. What's your opinion here?"
"Well, I think you summarized it pretty well. We can't apply for custody without knowing who the father actually is. You say Duncan's attorneys haven't notified the district attorney of the results of the paternity test?" Veronica nods, and Cliff continues, "So, fortunately, the amnesty deal for the babynapping is still on the table. Speaking as your low-rent attorney: no matter what else you do, Duncan, you have to accept that amnesty. Don't be a fool; this is a one-time offer."
"But I have to surrender custody of Lilly at the same time," Duncan protests. "I'm not going to do that if there's a chance I'll lose her."
Keith breaks in, "If Duncan's not the father, who is? Duncan, did you know of anyone else who was sleeping with Meg?"
"She led me to believe that the one time we had sex was...her first time, and there was nothing about it that led me to believe she was lying," Duncan responds.
"You're telling me you believed you were unlucky enough to get a girl pregnant the very first time?" Cliff says incredulously.
"It happens, and the condom broke," he replies defensively.
"Who provided the condom?" Cliff says.
"I don't know...I don't remember. It was almost four years ago."
Cliff looks at Keith. Keith says, "Duncan, is it possible she purposely brought a defective condom to make you think you could be the father of her child?"
"Dad, that doesn't sound like Meg. She wasn't a devious person," Veronica protests. "She must have just hoped that Duncan was the father."
"Veronica, one of the nurses at the hospital told me that she suspected Meg had awakened from her coma long before anyone realized. I think Meg was capable of being more devious than we thought," Keith says. "Duncan, when you spoke to Meg after she woke up, what was her plan?"
"She wanted to get married, at least long enough to make her baby 'legitimate'. She said she would sign any pre-nup I wanted and would agree to minimal child support from me," Duncan explains.
"It sounds like Meg wanted to conceal the true parentage of her child. When the birth certificate is filled out, the husband is presumed to be the father, unless the mother declares otherwise," Cliff says.
"For what reason would Meg want to hide the father of her baby?" Veronica asks. Cliff and Keith stay silent, and Veronica bursts out, "No, I don't believe it. You think Stewart Manning is the father. Why would she protect him like that?"
Keith sighs, "She might not have been protecting her father. She might have been protecting her mother."
"It's possible," Duncan chimes in. "Meg always defended her mother. She said her father bullied her, threatened her if she argued against his rules or punishments."
"What about someone else? Someone that was sleeping with Meg?" Veronica says, still shaken by the idea that Stewart Manning could have been this evil. "She was going out with Cole before she started seeing you, Duncan. Maybe they hooked up again and weren't careful. Or that creep she was baby-sitting for, the one who came on to me?"
"What?" Duncan and Keith ask simultaneously.
"Mr. Fuller, he invited me to come to his boat and smoke a 'jay'" Veronica adds air-quotes "and fool around. Maybe he invited Meg too, and she took him up on it." Keith looks pissed and begins to pace around the room.
"Meg smoking pot? I don't think so," Duncan says positively.
"We're not worried about Meg getting high, Duncan," Veronica says with frustration. "We're trying to find out who knocked her up."
"Jesus Christ, Veronica, do you have to say it like that?" Duncan protests. "Have some respect for the dead, will you?"
"Duncan, she played you for a fool. And both of us jeopardized our futures because of her lies," Veronica says angrily. "Saint Meg didn't tell you everything."
Cliff clears his throat. "This is all very dramatic, but you're missing the point. Would Meg have lied to protect Mr. Fuller or Cole? I can't really see a reason why she would. But protect her mother? That's a pretty powerful reason to take such drastic action. Don't forget, if Mr. Manning was committing incest with his daughter, Mrs. Manning might even be criminally liable for allowing it to happen."
"But by protecting her father, she was allowing her sister Grace's abuse to continue," Duncan says.
"Maybe not," Veronica realizes. "Maybe that's why she was trying to have the Child Protection Services investigate Grace. Have Grace taken away from the family, or at least put under close supervision by CPS, but not expose the family to a horrific incest case that might put her father and mother in jail. Lizzie is old enough that Meg might have thought she'd be okay."
Keith says quietly, "You have to remember that the victim sometimes refuses to prosecute their abuser. On half of the domestic abuse calls we got when I was sheriff, the wife would refuse to press charges against her husband. When it's a family situation, logic has nothing to do with people's actions and reactions."
"Dad, that's horrible. That means...that means that Meg might have been being abused when..." Veronica can't finish, and instead walks over to her dad, who puts his arm around her.
"Duncan, is it possible?" Keith asks.
"Mr. Manning was creepy. He controlled every moment of Meg's life. When we went out, Meg had a strict curfew, and she had to phone home at several points during the evening. It was several months before we were allowed to go somewhere without an adult chaperone."
I'm surprised Meg was able to get you alone long enough to glaze the donut, Veronica thinks. Aloud, she says, "Duncan, if there's even a chance that Stewart Manning was molesting his daughter, I'm not going to allow you to run again. You have to stay and expose him."
"Allow me? You think you're going to stop me?" Duncan retorts angrily.
"Duncan! You have to do this. He can't get away with this." She turns to Keith and asks him, "Dad, what can we do? Can we compel Stewart Manning to take a paternity test?"
Cliff chimes in, "If Duncan's not the father, he has no legal standing to request a paternity test. You would need sufficient cause, some other evidence, to ask the court to order the test. But...there is such a thing as a sibling DNA test. If you can get Lizzie Manning to agree to provide a sample, we can have a test done to see if she and Lilly are siblings."
"And if the test shows that they are?" Veronica asks.
"The police would use the positive sibling DNA test as reasonable cause to investigate and charge Stewart Manning with child abuse. He would be compelled to provide a DNA sample, and if it proved that he was the father, he would be charged. Lizzie can act as an interested party on Lilly's behalf and request that Stewart Mannings' parental rights be terminated due to child abuse. Duncan could request custody at that time."
"And Rose Manning? Would she be prosecuted? Could she try to retain custody of Lilly?" Veronica asks.
Cliff replies, "I don't know. I guess it would depend on whether the courts felt she was aware of the situation. If Lizzie knew what was going on, she might be able to provide some information, and then we'd know how to proceed."
Mon. 2/2/09: Ranchita, CA
In Ranchita, California, near the Anza-Borrego Desert, Leo consults with the fire marshal. The fire marshal points to a distinctive burn pattern and says, "They definitely used an accelerant, probably gasoline. But what's unusual was the amount of care used to destroy the vehicle itself. My best guess would be a General Motors or Ford car from the early seventies. All combustible material was burned away in the fire."
Leo and the fire marshal walk over to the remains of the car. Leo peers at the burnt metal and asks, "Do you think you can get any vehicle information off this?"
"Maybe your crime scene techs can find something, but I've found all I can here." The fire marshal signs his report and hands it to Leo. "You know, it's weird. The owner hasn't responded to our attempts to contact them. Usually people are freaking out about their insurance claims."
As Leo returns to his car, he sees something in the dirt near his car's tire. He dons a pair of latex gloves. Leo carefully digs up the item and seals it in an evidence bag, marking it into his evidence log. He peers at it through the plastic bag and decides it's some sort of small electronic device, but the item has been crushed beyond recognition, probably by one of the official vehicles that have been investigating the arson.
Late Mon. 2/2/09: Somewhere in the United States
Logan decides to avoids the newspapers. He doesn't want to know the details of Hannah's murder, which at first occupied vast front-page real estate and have now begun to disappear into interior sections as the reading public yearns for the next big scandal. He refuses to turn on the television in his economy motel room; he even unplugs it so that the extra step may dissuade him if he weakens in his resolve.
His thoughts wander to Veronica more than he would like; he's determined to stay out of her life, to keep her safe from him, but she refuses to leave his memories. He imagines Veronica's comments on his voluminous Hannah stories: "Aww, that's so sweet"; "God, Logan, you're such a girl"; and "How could she have stayed away". He tries to push judgmental Veronica out of his head; hopelessly he realizes that Veronica has always been his audience, that he desperately needs her approval. She will always be the one who matters the most.
Late Mon. 2/2/09: Neptune Grand Hotel, Neptune, CA
Cliff and Keith discuss the custody issue with Duncan and Veronica for several hours. Cliff admits that there are few precedents in a case like this. "If Meg had been able to marry you and had fraudulently named you as the father, it would have been a different situation entirely. There is a wealth of case law that could be applied from the days before DNA testing made paternity an exact science."
Keith thinks, Dammit! it would have been preferable if Duncan had merely let this play out at the time, and says aloud, "Duncan, I'm sure it will all work out. If Stewart Manning is the father, you will be regarded as a hero who saved a child without even knowing for certain that she was your biological daughter."
Duncan regards Keith bleakly. "In what world are you living? In the Neptune I know, you can kill a girl with an ashtray and be acquitted."
Keith purses his lips and privately agrees.
Duncan continues, "She's my daughter. I can't live without her."
Keith says, "Cliff and I will talk to Lizzie. Let's see if she'll agree to do the sibling DNA test before we even think about any other plan of action."
When Cliff leaves the room to use the bathroom, Veronica pulls Keith aside. "Um, Dad? There's something you need to know about Lizzie." She steals a glance at Duncan, then continues, "Duncan offered her a half-million dollars in return for testifying against her father. She receives the funds when Duncan is awarded custody."
"Oh, Veronica, that was really not the smartest move. Bribing a witness?" Keith asks incredulously.
"Compensating her for the loss of her father's support when she testifies against him is more accurate," Veronica replies defensively. "How can Lizzie be impartial when she is dependent on her father for support? I'm sure she wants to have a college education at least as much as I do, and, in her case, that's her best chance to get away from her family eventually."
Cliff walks back in, saying, "You rich kids and your lavish lifestyle. Your bathroom's bigger than my apartment, Duncan. Ah, to be young and wealthy in Neptune."
"I'll take care of it," Keith says to Veronica. Another cover-up, he thinks.
As Keith and Cliff leave, Duncan begs Veronica to stay for awhile. "I'm going to move in here. I can't deal with my mother and think about this. I'll call Astrid and ask her to pack a bag for Jane and bring her here. Please stay until they get here. I need you, Veronica."
Veronica and Duncan sit together on the couch for a long time, both of them remembering the simplicity of their time there in the past before they knew Meg was pregnant. Duncan holds onto Veronica as if she is a lifeline to normalcy. When Astrid arrives with a sleepy Jane, Veronica stands up to go, and Duncan hugs her tightly. He whispers in her ear, "I need you, Veronica. I still love you. I've thought about you every day since I left Neptune."
Veronica stiffens, but whispers back, "I'm here for you, Duncan. It's going to be okay."
As she leaves the Neptune Grand lobby, Veronica notices a beautiful woman with blonde hair checking in. Something about her seems familiar, but even though Veronica stares at her profile for a long minute, she can't place her.
•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
VERONICA MARS
10:00PM SHO ch: 340 60min 2009 TV-MA
Down the Rabbit Hole
Keith locates the evidence in Vinnie's
case; Candice comes clean with Wallace.
Veronica: Kristen Bell. Keith: Enrico
Colantoni. Cliff: Daran Norris. Gallagher:
Christian Stolte. Father Patrick: James
Joseph O'Neill. Wallace: Percy Daggs III.
Candice Pauling: Toy Connor.
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CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO: "DOWN THE RABBIT HOLE"
Tues. 2/3/09 morning: St. Mary's Cemetery, Neptune, CA
A pickup truck labeled 'Neptune Coroner's Department' with a back hoe in tow pulls up to St. Mary's cemetery. Keith, wearing thick black plain-glass spectacles and a salt-and-pepper colored wig under his hardhat, goes to speak with the supervisor of the cemetery while Eli Navarro waits in the truck. "I have an order here to examine the casket in plot #79," he explains to the supervisor. "There's been an accusation that the funeral director put certain items in the casket that were supposed to be returned to the family. I think there's a lawsuit involved. I don't really know what it's about, but the word came down from my boss to check the casket." He shows the supervisor some official-looking paperwork and offers it for signature.
The supervisor shrugs, saying, "I don't know what to do. Father Patrick is out of town at a diocesan conference. He really should be here." He looks through the paperwork, which is lengthy and filled with legal terms and a plethora of official stamps and signatures.
"Come on, it's no big deal. We'll be out of your hair in a couple hours," Keith wheedles, preferring to do this excavation during the daylight hours rather than attempting a midnight stealth operation. He's well aware that Father Patrick is out of town for the day and in fact is giving a speech on community relations at a diocesan conference in San Diego that morning.
The supervisor signs the form and motions that Keith should go ahead. Keith nods a thank you and hopes that Cliff is doing his part up at Lompoc this morning.
Keith gets back in the truck, and Eli, scratching at his unaccustomed baseball cap, asks, "Are we good to go?" Keith nods, and Eli continues, "Let's get this crackhead operation over with. I don't want to have to come back here again. You know I'll do whatever you need to help Veronica and jack those pinches culeros for what they did to my uncle, but I hate this fucking dirtnap motel." Eli crosses himself and mutters, "Ave maria purísima."
Tues. 2/3/09: Lompoc State Penitentiary, Lompoc, CA
Cliff enters the prison and prepares to have his belongings searched. When the guard wearing the name tag 'Gallagher' opens Cliff's briefcase, the guard says, "What the hell is this? You can't bring a weapon in here."
Cliff looks in his briefcase at a Smith & Wesson 539 in a plastic Ziploc bag. "Where is my head? I forgot to drop that off. That's new evidence in a case I'm working on. Just hold on to my briefcase, will you? I'll pick it up after I finish meeting with Mr. Van Lowe."
Before Cliff has cleared the area, the guard is on the phone with a worried expression.
Tues. 2/3/09: Hearst College, Neptune, CA
Wallace is eating lunch in the Food Court at Hearst College. Candice spies him and gives him a little wave. Wallace halfheartedly waves back, and Candice frowns and comes over to join him.
"What's up, Wallace?" Candice says.
Wallace regards her thoughtfully, wondering just how much to say. I know she's hiding something. I remember how much it hurt when I found out about Jackie. Finally he says, "Candice, I really like you. In fact, I've never met a girl like you, smart and beautiful and kind. But I think you're hiding something from me, and I had a bad experience with a girl a few years ago. It messed me up when I found out the truth about her. It wasn't even that bad what she was hiding; what hurt was her not trusting me. And I think you don't trust me either."
Candice looks down at her tray of food.
Wallace continues, "I don't want to get hurt again, so I think I'm just going to walk away." He starts to stand up, and Candice puts her hand on his arm.
"Wait...I'll tell you everything. I've been wanting to," she says.
Wallace sits back down and looks at her.
"I don't know where to start," Candice says.
"Try the beginning. I have a lot of time to listen," Wallace replies. What the hell is going on?
"Wallace, I have a half-brother. His name is Shawn. We have different fathers, so his last name is Blake, but my father raised him and we were very close growing up. Shawn went to school here at Hearst. About two weeks before Christmas last year, he disappeared."
Wallace replies, "Shawn Blake? I don't remember reading anything about anyone with that name. What happened?"
"He told his roommate that he was going home. But he never got home. He was last seen in Neptune on Dec. 15, but the family wasn't expecting him until Christmas Eve. By the time my parents realized something was wrong, no one had seen him for ten days. I was in Mali and didn't know anything about it. My parents didn't want to worry me at the time; they were hoping he would show up. Finally, around New Year's Eve, my father flew out here to Neptune and talked to your sheriff, Vinnie Van Lowe."
"Uh-oh," Wallace says. "Vinnie wasn't a very good sheriff."
"And not very nice to my father. Sheriff Van Lowe said since Shawn was over eighteen, there wasn't much he could do," Candice said. "He said Shawn was allowed to disappear if he wanted to. My father contacted all the hospitals in the area and talked to my brother's roommate, who didn't know anything. Apparently, they were just roommates and weren't good friends."
"What about a private detective?" Wallace asks.
"My parents don't have very much money. My mother hasn't been able to work for years because of her health problems. My father didn't stay out here long because he needed to get back to take care of her," Candice replies.
"So you decided to come to school here and look for him?"
"Yes, but so far I haven't been very successful."
Wallace looks at her. "Candice, why wouldn't you ask me for help? You know I work at Mars Investigations; I can help you."
Candice sighs. "My brother had a lot of problems with drugs when he was younger. I guess...I guess I didn't want you to find out. And...well, I've been looking into Mars Investigations. At first, I found a lot of articles that implied that your boss was a crooked sheriff. But I read his book and researched a little more, and I've come to believe that Mr. Mars is an honest man."
"Candice, I want to help you. And I have to tell you, the person you should be talking to is my friend Veronica."
Tues. 2/3/09: Sunset Cliffs Apartments, Neptune, CA
Keith enters the apartment. He gets a plastic bag to store the bullet he retrieved from the corpse in Mary MacDonald's grave. He stares at the bullet for a long time, thinking that this was the most heinous thing he's ever had to do. I didn't have a choice! he protests to himself. Vinnie insisted that I had to get the bullet from the corpse; one of his fellow inmates at Lompoc was convicted because of similar evidence. I know he would turn in Veronica to save himself; it's the 'Vinnie Special', taken to the max.
Keith undresses to take a shower; he starts to throw his clothes in the hamper, but changes his mind and bags them in a plastic, intending to throw them out instead. In the shower, he turns the water to the hottest setting and scrubs every inch of his body with Veronica's loofah. Still, when his hand comes near his face, he thinks he still smells the stench of decay and corruption. Keith stays in the shower long after the water turns icy cold; the frigid blast makes him shiver, but he welcomes the pain of the stinging cold water.
Tues. 2/3/09: Hearst College, Neptune, CA
VERONICA
I've been trying to study all afternoon, and I've accomplished nothing. I can't stop worrying about Duncan. He's fled the country twice now when confronted with a problem, and I'm certain he'll run again if we can't get Lizzie to take the sibling DNA test. Even with a positive result, custody isn't a certainty. He loves Lilly, and it would kill him to give her up. How the hell am I going to help him?
Dad promised to speak to Lizzie first thing tomorrow; I argued with him, tried to get him to talk to her today, but he said he would be busy all day and couldn't reschedule. His phone has been off every time I've tried to call him today. He's been very secretive all week; Wallace says he has no clue what he's up to.
I keep thinking about Meg...poor Meg: what it must have been like for her, how desperate she must have been to come up with her plan; and then Duncan broke off their relationship and began pursuing me again. No wonder she hated me. God, what a mess.
And then...there's Logan. I've watched the casino video a hundred times now. Something is wrong with that video, but I can't figure out what it is.
I wish...I wish I knew what was going on with him.
Tues. 2/3/09 evening: St. Mary's Church, Neptune, CA
A short distance from St. Mary's Church, Keith sits in his car monitoring two laptops. The first one is showing all surveillance activity on the devices Keith placed in the priest's residence and in the church. The second laptop has the hacking program that Mac created for Keith. When Father Patrick logs on to his computer, the Bluetooth device in the laptop, enhanced by a range-extender, will automatically seek a connection with the Bluetooth wireless keyboard in Father Patrick's office. The laptop will ping the keyboard, seeking the PIN number of the device, and will use the algorithm Mac designed in order to compute the PIN and make a secure connection. All the information Father Patrick types in from that point will be mirrored to the laptop screen.
While Keith waits, he thinks about the bullet he retrieved that morning that is now stored in the freezer at the Mars residence behind a carton of Rocky Road. He feels like he still reeks of the smell of decomposition, but he forcibly tamps down the panic, knowing it can't possibly be true.He thinks, I know today's 'exhumation' will help to sell the ruse of the gun from the robbery and make Father Patrick react the way I need him to, but damn Vinnie to Hell!
Keith watches as Father Patrick turns into the driveway and parks in his reserved spot. The cemetery supervisor immediately accosts the priest, and Keith surmises that Father Patrick is learning about the exhumation from the morning. Father Patrick appears to be angry and walks quickly into his office.
Keith selects the surveillance device that provides a live audio feed from the office, and hears a beep and an electronic voice saying, "You have five new messages. Tuesday...11:14 am" A voice says, "Father? It's Gallagher, from Lompoc. That shyster McCormack was here today; he had a gun. I think he's got the gun from, you know, that thing we talked about. Call me right away." -beep- The electronic voice continues, "Tuesday...11:58 am" It's Gallagher again, asking Father Patrick to call. There is one message from a parishioner asking for an appointment, then two more messages from Gallagher.
Keith hears the priest say a very unecclesiastical "Shit!" and sees from the video feed that the priest has picked up the phone. He dials a number, and Keith, switching to monitor the phone bug, hears that the phone is ringing and is picked up by an answering machine. Father Patrick slams the phone down, and logs onto his computer.
Mac's program automatically pings the Father's computer and retrieves the PIN number of the Bluetooth keyboard. Keith watches on the second laptop screen as Father Patrick types:
"(ctrl) N
gallagher at gmail•com (tab) (tab) Re: Your Message (tab) (tab) Are you sure it's the same item? Item location has not changed to my knowledge. Please describe item. (alt) S
(ctrl) N
roastbeefman at yahoo•com (tab) (tab) Re: VVL (tab) (tab) Someone may be helping VVL. Need to activate contingency plan immediately."
From his video feed, Keith sees Father Patrick suddenly stop and pick up an envelope from the stack of mail on the desk. He opens the letter and reads with an expression of shock. Keith peers at the screen and thinks that the envelope has a sticker indicating it was forwarded from another address.
Father Patrick turns back to the computer screen and types.
"There was a fire at L's property in Ranchita. The shed was destroyed. VVL rep appears to have other evidence. Please advise. (alt) S"
Keith watches as Father Patrick shuts down the computer and begins to pace around the office. He seems to make a decision; he unlocks a desk drawer and removes a key ring. He exits the office, and Keith slouches in his car seat to prevent his being seen as Father Patrick hustles out of the priest's residence and into the church.
Keith switches the video feed to the devices in the church, toggling between them until he picks up an image of the priest. He watches as the priest locates a hidden door behind the lectern on the alter, unlocks it, and pulls it open. The priest's relief is palpable; Father Patrick looks around the church, closes the compartment, and returns to the priest's residence.
Keith immediately exits his car and stealthily enters the church. He locates the compartment. The lock is almost invisible, set into the fine woodwork of the panel. Keith uses lock picks to open the compartment, and he retrieves a gun in a plastic bag and quickly leaves the church.
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VERONICA MARS
10:00PM SHO ch: 340 60min 2009 TV-MA
Gazing Into the Abyss
A new development in the serial murder case, and
Veronica is curious; Keith talks to Lizzie; Vinnie
makes a deal; Veronica works a case; Logan
confronts his demons.
Veronica: Kristen Bell. Keith: Enrico Colantoni.
Cliff: Daran Norris. Lizzie: Anastasia Baranova.
Vinnie: Ken Marino. Logan: Jason Dohring.
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CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE: "GAZING INTO THE ABYSS"
Wed. 2/4/09 morning: Hearst College Food Court, Neptune, CA
At breakfast, Veronica reads the latest news headlines on her laptop. She sees an update on the investigation into Hannah's murder and clicks on it for more information.
"The Los Angeles Medical Examiner's Office has released additional information regarding the autopsy of Hannah Griffith, the most recent victim of the Saturday Night Slasher serial killer.
"A representative for the office confirmed today that toxicology tests performed on the hair of the victim indicate that Ms. Griffith was not a habitual drug user, although urine screens at the time of death showed large amounts of heroin in her system.
"Ms. Griffith, 18, was found murdered on January 18, and the FBI and Los Angeles Police Department have confirmed that the murder appears to be consistent with the previous victims attributed to the so-called Saturday Night Slasher. A representative from the FBI has stated that there are no new leads in the investigation."
Veronica wonders about this latest development. What the hell is going on? Hannah wasn't a drug user, but she was found with heroin in her system. It's a big jump from clean-and-sober to on-the-nod. She remembers her promise to Weevil not to investigate this killer, and she hesitates. She knows her dad, too, would be upset if he finds out that she's thinking about looking into this, and, up to now, she fully intended to leave this investigation to the professionals. But a part of her thinks helplessly that maybe Logan would come back to her if the serial killer was caught. She finally gives in to her curiosity and calls her old boyfriend, Mike Fields, the FBI agent. She gets his voicemail and asks him to call her back.
Wed. 2/4/09: San Diego State University, San Diego, CA
Keith consults the printout of Lizzie Manning's class schedule that Veronica gave him and a copy of Lizzie's Neptune High School yearbook photo and scans the faces of the students milling around the SDSU campus. He sees a likely candidate exiting a building across the courtyard and hurries to catch up with her.
"Ms. Manning? Elizabeth Manning?"
Lizzie looks up, surprised, and says, "Sheriff Mars. Did Veronica send you to do her dirty work?"
"Lizzie...it's okay if I call you Lizzie?" Keith asks, and Lizzie reluctantly nods. He continues, "Can we find a private place to talk? It's important. I know you have...an arrangement with a certain party, and I know you don't want to jeopardize that. Am I right?"
Lizzie nods sullenly. "There's a place over there," she says, indicating a distant bench well apart from the rest of the courtyard. She walks toward it, and Keith follows her.
They sit, and Keith begins to speak. "Lizzie, this is not going to be easy to hear. Duncan Kane received the results of a paternity test, and it indicates that he is not the father of Meg's baby."
Lizzie goes white. "That's impossible. Meg said...Meg said it was Duncan's."
"I know. We all assumed that Meg was telling us the truth. Are you aware of anyone else who could be the father?" Keith probes in a gentle voice.
"What are you implying?" Lizzie cries harshly.
"Please tell me what you know, Lizzie. I can't change what happened to Meg, but I'd like to help you if I can. And I know Duncan is still committed to going through with your arrangement with him if you'll be honest with us. You see, we can't really figure out why Meg would lie about who the father was. Maybe you know something that we don't," Keith says.
"You're just as crazy as your daughter; there's nothing to know," she replies.
"Lizzie, someone fathered Meg's baby. And Meg concocted a desperate scheme to make the world think that Duncan was the father. Why would she go to such lengths to conceal the father of her baby? I know it's hard to think about, but I think you know who the father is."
She stares at him angrily, remaining silent.
"No one will blame you for keeping quiet. You were a child, and you couldn't possibly have understood what was going on," he continues. "Lizzie, you were a victim too."
Lizzie looks down at her lap, and Keith waits for her respond. Finally, he asks, "Lizzie? Are you okay?"
When Lizzie raises her head to look into Keith's eyes, his heart breaks to see the tears streaming down her face. She whispers, "I think Meg...I think Meg was trying to protect me. She...saw Daddy watching me, and she told me it was going to be alright. Then...Meg was so worried. She would hardly talk to me, but I knew she wasn't sleeping or eating. Then one day, she seemed relieved, as if she had figured something out. She was happy. Duncan made her so happy. But when he broke it off, Meg became the biggest bitch. She complained about Veronica all the time, said that Veronica had ruined her life. Meg started talking back to my parents. You just don't do that to my father. He locked her in her room for an entire weekend."
Keith tries to put his arm around Lizzie, but she flinches and he drops his hand. She begins to sob inconsolably. "Lizzie, are you confirming that it's possible that your father...is the father of Meg's baby?"
She nods.
"Lizzie, there's a DNA test that can prove that you and Lilly are sisters. If it shows that you are, the courts can compel your father to do a paternity test. Duncan still wants to try to adopt her. Are you willing to help? I'm not going to lie to you, it's going to be awful. People are going to say and write terrible things about you and your family. But if your father really did this, we need to get Grace and Lilly permanently away from him. And you need to be free of him as well."
Lizzie nods again, hiccuping through her sobs.
He hesitates, but he knows he has to ask the question. "Lizzie...did he ever...did your dad do anything to you?"
She looks up, panicked. "No! Will people think he... Oh my god! People will say..."
"He never touched you? Or Grace?"
"After Meg died, something changed. I think that's when someone started blackmailing my parents. I thought it was Veronica, but she said..." Lizzie explains.
"Yes, we're pretty sure that it was Sheriff Lamb who was blackmailing your parents. If it kept your dad from touching you, I'm grateful to Lamb for that at least," Keith replies grimly. He adds, more gently, "Lizzie, what about your mother? Do you think she knew what was going on with Meg?"
"Why?" Lizzie replies, quizzically.
"You need to know before you decide what to do. If she was aware, she could be charged with child abuse herself. And...if she was not aware, you and she are the closest blood relatives, and as such could claim custody rights."
"I could ask for custody?" Lizzie says incredulously. "No way."
"So you think Lilly should stay with Duncan?"
"You keep saying 'Lilly'. The family calls her 'Faith'," Lizzie comments distractedly.
Keith looks at her with concern. "You can be declared an interested party in Faith's case, and you can support Duncan's petition for custody. Your support would help his case a great deal. You don't have to testify against your mother. You can say that you don't know what she knew, because that's what it sounds like to me. I'm sure that you didn't want to know, Lizzie. It's not something you want to think about your mother."
Lizzie begins to sob again. Keith moves to comfort her again; she tenses, but reluctantly allows him to hug her. He rocks her, trying futilely to calm her, damning Stewart Manning to hell for hurting his children.
Finally, she looks up at him and says, "I'll do it. I'll take the test, and I'll support Duncan's petition for custody. Maybe my...sister will have a better life because of it."
Wed. 2/4/09: Lompoc State Prison, Lompoc, CA
Vinnie Van Lowe, meeting with two representatives of the district attorney's office along with Cliff, prepares to sign the paperwork accepting a deal for probation in return for his testimony against the Fitzpatricks.
Cliff says, "And are we agreed, we'll be transferring Mr. Van Lowe to the protective custody of the Neptune Sheriff's Department? Mr. Van Lowe feels that you will not be able to provide adequate protection here in Lompoc, even in solitary confinement, and he has family in Neptune that he wishes to spend time with before he enters the witness protection program. This is a deal-breaker, gentlemen."
The attorneys finally acquiesce, and the deal is executed. Vinnie shakes Cliff's hand and whispers in his ear, "Tell Keith he totally rocked the house on this."
Cliff merely raises an eyebrow. "I'm not sure what you're referring to. Congratulations, Vinnie, you're on your way to becoming a free man again."
Wed. 2/4/09: Le Coq d'Or Restaurant, Neptune, CA
Veronica tails Douglas Stern, Jr., trust attorney to Neptune's wealthy elite, to a local restaurant, Le Coq d'Or. Keith has explained that they need to have proof that he is colluding with the beneficiaries in order to pursue fraud and undue influence charges. He has told Veronica that she should try to get photos, or even better, video or audio surveillance, of the attorney meeting with the brother of their client. The client has explained that he suspects that his brother, who is currently excluded from their father's will, is seeking to have the trust attorney influence his father to once again include him in his estate.
At the restaurant, she watches from her car and takes a long-range photograph as the attorney joins two men at a table near the rear of the room. Veronica goes into the restaurant and asks the maitre d' if there are any tables available. He replies, snootily, "All tables are reserved, madam." While she is speaking, Veronica reads the names on the reservations list upside-down and recognizes the surname of the brother they are seeking. She turns away, walking slowly and trying to come up with a way to hear the conversation.
There is a commotion in the kitchen, and the maitre d' heads back to see what is going on. Veronica smiles to herself. She looks under the shelf of the reservation desk and finds a vest similar to the maitre d's. Bingo. She dons the vest, glad that she wore a plain white shirt that day, and gets a T9 audio transmitter from her purse. She stows her purse under a chair, takes a few menus for cover, and heads into the main area of the restaurant. She grabs a flower from a vase on a convenient table and, hiding the bug in the petals, heads for the back of the room where her targets are sitting.
"How are you gentlemen doing today? May I get you anything?" She brushes against the table and 'accidentally' knocks over the table's flower vase. "Oh, I'm sorry!" she exclaims. As she rights the vase, she substitutes the flower with the bug.
The three men mutter that they don't need anything, and Veronica says, "Your server will be right with you." She quickly exits the restaurant, retrieving her purse from under the chair where it was stowed and depositing the vest where she got it. In her car, she launches the Sonic Snoop Audio Surveillance application on her laptop, selects the serial number of the audio device, and hits record. Gotcha, she thinks, as she hears the men laughing and bragging about the money they're scamming from 'the old man'. It never gets old, catching a con artist dead-to-rights, especially a sleazy '09'er con artist. As she listens, she realizes that the third man is Gordon Wilks, the psychiatrist that she had earlier noticed had signed off on many of the failed competency exams for the elderly clients of the trust attorney.
After lunch, the men stand up and shake hands. Keith had mentioned that he wanted her to pursue her instincts regarding the psychiatrist, and, checking her watch for the time, Veronica decides to follow the shrink and plan her next move. Wilks gets in his car, and, at a discreet distance, Veronica follows him as he drives to a building prominently labeled, 'Neptune Medical Associates'.
Wed. 2/4/09: Somewhere in the United States
Logan has ventured out of the motel room for a midday walk on the beach. So far, so good, he thinks. His new appearance and clothing have changed his look enough that no one has given him a second glance. His commitment to his physical therapy has only strengthened; each day, he is able to do more reps, walk a little further, lean on his cane a little less strongly. It feels good to move and get stronger; it's the only thing that feels good right now, and he holds onto it desperately.
Some days the surf on the beach is wild, kicked up by the wind, and he can feel the blowing sand particles stinging against his face. Today, however, the water is calm, and the sun is out; a few die-hard sun-worshippers are on the beach even though it's only in the mid-70's. It's too early for the spring break crowds; these people are locals taking their lunch break. He hates the baseball cap he's wearing, but he knows it's very 'anti-Logan' and conceals his identity more than the change in hair color and the facial hair. The sun beats down on him, and for a moment he actually feels okay. I feel okay today. I feel okay; maybe...maybe the worst is over.
He hears laughing and a camera clicking and whirring behind him, and he whirls around, panicked. No, I'm not ready! No, please leave me alone for a while longer, I can't, I can't, I can't... He's about to hurry back to his motel room to pack up and run again when he realizes it's not a paparazzo; it's just a father taking pictures of his wife and children some distance away. Logan forces his agitation back down as the father stares at him curiously. Logan gives him a little wave and says weakly, "Beautiful day, huh?"
The father nods and turns back toward his happy family. The kids romp in the surf; it's way too cold to swim without a wet suit, but the children are enjoying themselves immensely just splashing in the shallow water. What the hell is wrong with me that it's so hard for me to be happy? How has the rest of the world figured this out, but I'm still completely at a loss how to be a happy person?
Suddenly, he thinks, I wonder what Veronica's doing. I hope she's happy. But a small, mean voice replies, No, you don't. You don't want her to be happy. You want her to be sad and lonely...especially if she starts up with Duncan again; you want her to be miserable inside. You want her to be miserable like you.
Fiercely, he thinks, No, no, I'm protecting her. I want her to be happy. The mean voice says, Bullshit. You're just being selfish. You're scared because she sees all of you; she sees what a total fuckup you are. Suck it up, asshole. Go back and beg her forgiveness and spend the rest of your life making up for running away from her. She was right to kick you to the curb senior year; you're fucking it up again, just like you did with Madison and Kendall, and if you don't fix it, she'll write you off forever.
He roars back, She fucking deserted me when I needed her the most! My mother was dead; my father had killed my girlfriend; I was on trial for murder! She ran back to her wimpy safe little boyfriend, ran away from me, ME who loved her helplessly, completely, desperately; ran right back to that shit-eating coward Duncan. I needed her, and she ran away! She always lets me know that I can't possibly measure up to her impossible standards. She just toys me with me until it's time to dump me again. It's her fault I was even with Hannah; if Veronica had stayed with me and helped me, I never would have gone after Hannah.
The mean voice just keeps repeating, What BULLSHIT, you fucking loser; she was right to leave you. You're so full of shit; now you're blaming Veronica for Hannah. How low can you go, Logan? Your old man has nothing on you.
That day, Logan walks twice as far as he's ever gone since the cast was removed. His leg is throbbing when he finally returns to his motel room, and he is exhausted. His mental battles have raged on, only increasing in intensity as he gritted his teeth and walked just a few hundred yards more, just a few hundred yards more...
•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
VERONICA MARS
10:00PM SHO ch: 340 60min 2009 TV-MA
Sleazy Does It
Mac upgrades the Pi Sig computer security;
Veronica bumps into Keith, learns some
disturbing information and has a revelation.
Veronica: Kristen Bell. Keith: Enrico
Colantoni. Mac: Tina Majorino. Dick: Ryan
Hansen. Dr. Frazier: Chris Sarandon.
•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR: "SLEAZY DOES IT"
Wed. 2/4/09: Hearst College, Neptune, CA
Dick opens the door to the Pi Sig frat house. When he sees Mac, he calls out to Chip Diller, "It's just another chick who can't stay away from me."
"Hilarious," Mac comments, brushing past Dick into the foyer. "How are your computers behaving?"
"Well, you know, I can't really say I've put my laptop through a full workout, but I've been making up for lost time downloading porn. It's like Christmas all over again."
Mac looks at him quizzically.
"You know...ho, ho, ho," he explains, making a lecherous face.
Despite herself, she laughs.
"You do miss me, admit it," he prods her. "I always made you laugh, Mac."
"Except for that one time, when you made me cry," she replies drily. "Take me to your computer, earthling."
Dick shuts up for once and escorts Mac to his room. She seats herself at his desk and opens the laptop to be assaulted by a picture of three generously-endowed models servicing a man. "It burns!" she cries sarcastically, pretending to cover her eyes.
"Whoops, my bad, let me get rid of that," Dick says. He taps a few keys, then tells her, "Okay, it's safe for impressionable children now."
Mac looks at the screen which is refreshingly blank, showing only a few icons. She performs a system profile and searches the computer drive for any malicious intrusions. "So far, so good." She takes a cd out of her bag and installs an application.
"I thought you said it was fixed before," Dick comments, pulling his chair closer to try to rub against Mac's leg.
She moves her chair slightly, frowning at him, and replies, "That was just a temporary fix to get you guys up and running, you know, just in case one of you wanted to do some schoolwork–"
"Not likely," Dick interrupts.
"Well, this is a more powerful security protocol. It uses a rotating encrypted password scheme that kicks in whenever a remote server asks permission to download a program, no matter how innocuous it seems. You're going to have to start up the password generator before you run your browser; now when a flirt-bot tries to initiate itself, the browser will ask for the correct password in order to continue, and the flirt-bot will not initiate. For now. This is only going to work until the flirt-bot programmers figure out a way around it. You will have to set a master password, and you'll still have to watch for any unusual behavior and let me know right away if anything seems weird."
"You are Mackalicious! Master password, huh? I'm thinking...TrouserSnake."
Mac chuckles. "All right. Look, here's how to change it." She goes through the steps slowly several times. "You should probably change it every day, if you're going to continue engaging in such risky behavior. Think of it as a condom for your computer."
"How d'you come up with this anyways?" Dick asks, impressed.
"I had a couple consultants helping me," Mac explains. "I'm actually glad you brought this to my attention; it had infected our website as well."
"Always happy to serve you, mistress," he replies. As he escorts her out of the frat house, he surprises her by suddenly grabbing her in a hug and whispering in her ear, "I really do miss you, babe."
Wed. 2/4/09: Neptune Medical Associates, Neptune, CA
Veronica waits in her car as the psychiatrist enters the medical building. She is considering her disguise options in case the shrink remembers her from the restaurant when she suddenly sees her father exiting the building. Dad? What are you doing here? Could this be your secret project? Her dad had said that he wanted her to take the lead on the trust attorney case for now. She scooches down in her seat, hoping that her Saturn is a common enough vehicle that her dad won't notice her. I'm being ridiculous! He knows I'm working on this case. Still she stays concealed until Keith's car is out of the parking lot. He looked upset about something, she thinks.
She makes up her mind. In her back seat, she finds a brown wig, glasses, and a colorful sweater, and puts them on. She walks into the lobby of the medical center and looks at the directory of offices. There is a physical therapist taking up the entire first floor; a general practitioner and Gordon Wilks, M.D., the psychiatrist, on the third floor; and on the second floor, a gynecologist and Robert Frazier, M.F.C.C. Uncertain what M.F.C.C. stands for, she pulls out her iPhone and runs a search on the initials, learning it's a social worker qualification: 'Marriage, Family and Child Counselor'.
She climbs the stairs to the second floor and enters a door marked 'Robert Frazier, M.F.C.C. Family Therapy and Educational Consultant'. There is no one in the waiting room, but Veronica sees some brochures in a display on the wall. She peruses them quickly, stopping short when she sees a brochure for Briar Hill Academy. Recognizing the name as the school where Hannah was sent, she skims the pamphlet. Her skin crawls; something about the brochure seems totally off to her. The quotes of the successful graduates are a little too perfect.
"May I help you?" a man says.
Veronica jumps in surprise. "Um, I was just looking at this information."
"Would you like to come and talk for a moment? Is something bothering you?" the man says. "I'm Dr. Frazier."
Veronica thinks, according to my google search, you're not really a doctor at all. "Okay," she replies. She follows the 'doctor' into his office and sits across from him in a comfortable chair.
"Let's start with your name," Frazier suggests.
"Vicky Warshawski," Veronica says.
"Vicky, tell me what's going on in your life." Frazier leans forward in his chair, appearing attentive and concerned.
"Well, uh, Dr. Frazier," Veronica says, stalling while she thinks about the phrases she just read on the brochure, "I'm not getting along too well with my parents. I'm thinking I need a change."
"Give me an example, Vicky," the counselor says. He stands up and moves to a chair next to Veronica and leans in, effectively closing off her personal space.
"Well, they found some pot in my room, and, like, they grounded me for a month. Then I snuck out to see my boyfriend, and my mom got totally hyper and said I was going to get pregnant if I didn't watch out. I said I wanted to get pregnant, and she went ballistic." Veronica starts to get into her role a little. "I don't really want to get pregnant. I just, I don't know, I act out because they're so ridiculous. It's just a little weed. They don't remember what it's like to be a teenager. Then there's the internet thing. They checked my browser history and went nuts because I was reading some blogs on livejournal. Shit, it's just stories about TV shows. Ooh, sorry, I mean, 'shoot'. What's the BFD?"
"Let's see, Vicky. The big deal is that your parents are very worried about you, and rightly so. It's a different world today. And the rules are changing every day, and your parents are having a hard time keeping up and trying to keep you safe. You might be right about needing a change. The school you have there" he motions to the brochure in Veronica's hand "is a very strict school. But students come to appreciate the rigorous discipline. And at the beginning, there's no contact with the family while you work on your program."
"That sounds great; they're making me crazy," Veronica says.
"There's intensive group therapy, and the school itself is very good. Once you get away from your friends who are doing drugs and putting pressure on you to have sex, you might find that you enjoy your school work more and will apply yourself to your studies in a new way."
"Discipline sounds tough, though. I'm not good at following the rules."
"Well, Vicky, I hate to tell you, but you sound like the perfect candidate for this school. It's the rules in life that ultimately give you freedom. When you are confronted with the craziness of an unregulated world, you have too many choices, and you end up struggling. In a disciplined environment, you actually have the freedom to explore your inner self and discover the real you."
What a load of crap, Veronica thinks. Is this guy an educational consultant or a reeducation mind-control consultant? "You might be right," she says, pretending to be rueful. "What if I decide I don't like the school? Can I quit?"
"No, Vicky. We ask our students and their parents to sign a contract committing to a six-month residency. Without a commitment, there's no possibility of improvement and achievement," Frazier responds.
"That sounds scary. And what about the security guards? That doesn't sound good."
"The security guards are just for the students' own protection," Frazier answers smoothly. "Some students have trouble with the transition at first, but you'd be surprised how many students actually end up applying for positions as counselors after graduation. And of the students who graduate Briar Hill successfully, over 90 go on to college. Most say that they wouldn't have made it through high school without the support system at Briar Hill. It's really quite a successful program."
For your bank account, she thinks sarcastically. "Is it expensive? It sounds good, but my parents don't have a lot of money."
"How expensive would a criminal defense attorney be if you got into serious trouble? How much is your parents' peace of mind worth? I bet they'd be willing to spend a lot of money to ensure your happiness and safety," Frazier replies. "Vicky, here's an inquiry form. I'd like you to fill it out, and someone will contact your parents. How did you hear about me, by the way?"
Veronica thinks fast. "Oh, I was across the hall at the gyno, and they're running really behind, and when I saw 'educational consultant' on your door, I just thought, 'I wonder what that's about.'" She reaches for the inquiry form and fills it out 'Mr. and Mrs. Stuart Warshawski, 23 Emperor Court, Neptune, CA 90909' "Thanks for talking to me today; I feel better just knowing there's another option." She waggles her fingers and gets out fast, feeling sick to her stomach that Hannah had to go to a school like that. Hannah wasn't my friend, but she didn't deserve to go to some gulag like that. No wonder she ran away.
When Veronica gets down to the lobby, she sees a therapist working with a patient learning to use a cane through the large window of the physical therapy offices. She flashes on Logan, learning to use his cane after he got his cast off. The last day I saw him happy, she thinks. She watches for a second, ruefully thinking that Logan should be concentrating on rehab instead of running away and blotting out the pain of Hannah's death with drinking and carousing.
Suddenly, she realizes what's wrong with the Madeira video. In the video, Logan's not using the cane the way the therapist taught him. I remember the therapist said, 'Don't use it on the same side as the injury.' Logan joked back, 'What about "House"? That's how he does it.' The therapist replied, 'TV shows get it wrong all the time. Use it on the opposite side; it'll take the weight off your bad leg.' She realizes she barely saw him use the cane before he took off, but still she berates herself harshly for not noticing the discrepancy before now.
It's not Logan in Madeira. It's not Logan in Madeira. Veronica can't breathe. She leans against the wall in the lobby until someone stops and asks her if she's okay. She nods and pushes herself off the wall. After retrieving her bug from the restaurant, she plans to head back to Mars Investigations. There's no way I'm going back to classes at Hearst today; I'm going to investigate Logan's disappearance again, now that I know he's not really in Madeira. Shit, Madeira. I can't believe I didn't know it was a ruse right away.
pinches culeros – fucking assholes
Ave maria purísima – Hail purest Mary or protect me, Mary, mother of God