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.
After her period in restraints, Veronica finds her reentry into the regular routine to be disorienting. She flinches when another girl comes too close to her; she has to force herself to pretend to participate in the group therapy sessions. At lunch, she concentrates on eating her meager meal slowly and doesn't look at any of the other girls at her table. When she leaves the lunch room, she keeps her eyes down on the floor and tries her best to look cooperative and docile. When she passes by the guard, she notices him looking at her in surprise.
That night, she dreams that she is still in the restraints. She wakes up in a cold sweat and for a moment is scared to death that she cried out in her sleep, and the guards are coming to take her back to the room. She stays frozen in position, terrified, imagining that she can hear their footsteps. Her muscles ache with the memory of her confinement as if the cuffs were still attached to her wrists and ankles.
Six weeks earlier...
•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
VERONICA MARS
10:00PM SHO ch: 340 60min 2009 TV-MA
Tough Love
Keith speaks to Ms. James; Veronica
investigates Logan's disappearance.
Veronica: Kristen Bell. Keith: Enrico
Colantoni. Ms. James: Paula Marshall.
•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE: "TOUGH LOVE"
Wed. 2/4/09: Neptune High School, Neptune, CA
"Rebecca, thank you for fitting me into your schedule," Keith says. "How have you been?"
Rebecca James regards Keith across her desk. "It's good to see you, Keith. I've been busy lately; it's a tough time of the year with kids worrying about college acceptances. Is Veronica okay? I saw the fight at the funeral. Mr. Griffith acted disgracefully, although I'm sure I can't imagine the pain he's in right now with his daughter's murder."
"Veronica's fine. Well, I guess she's all right. You probably heard...Logan's, well, Logan has left the country. He's quite upset about Hannah Griffith and feels guilty, and Veronica is very worried about him. They were quite happy together until this happened," Keith says.
"Those two have been through so much. Both of them experienced so much sadness and grief over Lilly Kane, and then the whole situation with Cassidy was just devastating."
"I actually wanted to speak with you about Hannah Griffith. I have a release from Hannah's mother so you can talk about her." Keith pulls a sheet of paper from his briefcase and hands it to Rebecca.
She glances cursorily at the paper and looks up at Keith. "What would you like to know?"
"Ms. Denenberg is considering suing the boarding school where Hannah was sent. She feels their treatment was at least negligent, and possibly criminal, and she would like to shut the school down. The school reported that Hannah had serious psychiatric disorders; although Ms. Denenberg said that there were nightly battles over Hannah's relationship with Logan, she's not sure that Hannah's problems were truly as extensive as the school claimed. Briar Hill Academy advised Ms. Denenberg to limit her contact with Hannah and to keep Hannah at school over summer vacation for more treatment."
Rebecca says firmly, "Hannah did not manifest any extreme psychological symptoms in my opinion. I counseled her several times while her parents were divorcing. She was sad, but, like many children of divorce, she was hopeful that the fighting would diminish when her parents separated. She mentioned the brutality of her parents' arguments to me several times. I know she lost some weight at the time, and I mentioned my concern about it, and she promised to try not to lose any more weight. The last time I counseled her, she seemed to have made her peace with the divorce and was trying to adjust to the shared custody routine."
"What about her relationship with Logan? What do know about that?" Keith probes. "Is it possible she was depressed?"
"I didn't speak with either of them at the time, and obviously I couldn't reveal anything Logan said to me without a release from him. But I can tell you that I saw them around school. I wondered about the relationship from Logan's perspective. I know he was going through a terrible time with the accusations of murder, his mother's death, and his father's incarceration and trial, and I surmised that Hannah's relative youth and the simplicity of her attraction for him made for a very unequal relationship, but one that would be very compelling for someone going through Logan's situation," Rebecca muses.
"But Hannah? She didn't seem depressed? She didn't have anger issues? The school said she was cutting herself," Keith explains.
"Cutting? Well, that can be a very secretive behavior, but I usually have had a sense that something is wrong when I'm alerted to that particular problem by the parents. I'm astonished to hear that Hannah was cutting herself. In fact–I have to tell you, Keith–Mr. Griffith's eulogy at the memorial was shocking to me. He mentioned anger and depression, and I was quite surprised."
"What about the school where Hannah was sent? Are you familiar with it?" Keith reaches into his briefcase and hands Rebecca a copy of the school's brochure.
She reads silently for a few minutes, then looks up at Keith, quite distressed. "This was a tough-love school, then? I was not familiar with it when I heard about the transfer. A school like this can be very damaging for a sensitive girl like Hannah."
"So you know about the tough-love programs?" Keith presses.
"Unfortunately, yes. Several parents here in Neptune have sent their children away to these programs. I've only heard terrible things. Twelve-steps programs perverted into attack therapy sessions. Children placed in restraints and forced to maintain stress positions for hours on end. And the academics at these schools are practically nonexistent. Parents are told that it is the only solution to their family's problems, and children are committed there, sometimes for years, until they are damaged irrevocably. Keith, I've read about these schools, and it's very hard to shut them down. The Supreme Court has affirmed a parent's right to commit their children to these programs indefinitely without an independent psychiatrist's evaluation. And the schools are not subject to the same laws as a public school. The only real consequence of an investigation is a loss of accreditation, and many states accept an accreditation from a service that relies on self-reporting and ignores such complaints. Even if you succeed in shutting a school down, they merely declare bankruptcy and reform in another state under a new name."
Keith says grimly, "I'm aware of the problems. You didn't even mention the governmental officials who've accepted payments to look the other way. It's a veritable hydra-headed monster. It kind of reminds me of Neptune and its various sinners."
"Keith, I think there's a lawyer in San Diego who's working on a lawsuit against one of these schools. A colleague of mine mentioned it to me. I'll find out his name and forward it to you."
"I appreciate that, Rebecca."
Wed. 2/4/09: Mars Investigations, Neptune, CA
Veronica sits, staring at the Madeira video paused on her computer screen. She still can't believe Logan would have gone to the extreme of hiring an impersonator and sending him to another country but the evidence is in front of her face. For a moment, she despairs, realizing just how upset and desperate he must have been when he concocted this ruse. He obviously used the phony, clumsy trail to Tijuana to lure her while he worked on a more definitive solution that would evade the media as well as her. I can't believe I'm thinking this, but...I'm proud of him. This was classic misdirection.
She pulls out the list of taxi runs originating from near Logan's beach house that Mac had gotten for her. When she found out about Madeira, she set the list aside in anger, but now she looks at it again, trying to find a clue as to Logan's intentions.
Logan had to have had help, she realizes. If he didn't ask me or Dad for help, who would he turn to? She thinks for a while, then she remembers the old P.I. adage to 'follow the money'. Logan's accountant, Avi Kaufman. She looks at the list of taxi destinations, and sure enough, sees one trip to Wilshire Boulevard in downtown Los Angeles on Monday, two days after the funeral.
Veronica considers several possible ruses, then pulls a cell phone out of the drawer in her desk. The phone number for this cell is 818-555-1200, and the caller ID comes up as Associates Inc. Veronica and her dad use this cell whenever they need to pretend to be a Los Angeles firm. She then sets up a new internet domain name under the name KaufmanAssociatesInc. She uses the cell to call Logan's bank.
"Yes, this is Jane, I'm calling from Mr. Avi Kaufman's office. I need to get a copy of all transactions made for the account of, hold on a sec, let me check the name again, yes here it is, Logan Echolls, that's E-C-H-O-L-L-S. All transactions in the last thirty days, please...The account number? 56426-47-2-7883...Yes, the PIN number is 5683 and the social security number is 345-12-8879...Mother's maiden name? Lynn Lester...Yes, I'll hold...Could you email that information to me at you so much for your help."
Veronica terminates the call. Drumming her fingers on the desk, she impatiently waits for an email to appear in her new account. While she waits, she thinks about the sightings of Logan that have appeared in the tabloids. She pulls up the Instigator web site and looks for the photographer credit for the shot of Logan in LAX. 'Hans van Dornward' is listed as the photographer. How many people can there be with that name? She looks up the name on Planet Zowie and gets a phone number in Los Angeles.
"Mr. Dornward?...This is Veronica Mars. I'm prepared to give you an exclusive photo opportunity and a short interview if you'll answer a few questions for me...Yes, that's correct...I was wondering if you could tell me how you knew Logan Echolls was going to be at that airport that day when you took that shot?...Really? It was a lucky chance; you were there to photograph Jessica Simpson and just happened to see Logan Echolls. That's very interesting. I'll see you tonight at seven at, hmm, let's see, can we meet at Trattoria Acqua in San Diego?...All right, see you then." She hangs up and looks at the computer screen, willing Logan's bank information to appear.
Finally, a new email appears, and she opens the document and examines the record of Logan's account. There are very few transactions in the days just before and after Hannah's funeral. The most obvious is a cash withdrawal of 50,000. Veronica's heart sinks. If Logan withdrew that much cash, he must intend to stay away for quite a time. She tries to calm her shaking nerves and looks at the rest of the information. There is a check for 2000 written to a Robert Thomas, and Veronica assumes this is 'Rob' that she and Dick tracked down in Tijuana. There is only one other check written: 20,000 made out to Harvey Greenblatt. Aaron's agent, and I guess Logan's agent too, if he's successful as a screenwriter.
Veronica ponders the information in front of her. It looks like Greenblatt performed some service for Logan, and Veronica considers how best to learn what it was. She decides to run a check on Greenblatt's cell phone calls.
When she accesses Greenblatt's account, Veronica sighs. The man must make five hundred phone calls a day. I guess that's what agents do, she muses. She decides to start with Saturday, January 24, after she was released from the emergency room with the concussion. Veronica scans the phone numbers until she recognizes an incoming call from Logan's cell number, then begins the tedious process of looking up every outgoing call after it in the list. She begins to recognize certain nominally unlisted numbers that occur frequently as the private phone numbers of Greenblatt's most prominent, and obviously most demanding, Hollywood stars, and eliminates them as possibilities. Then she makes a list of the remaining numbers and starts attaching names. Most are familiar names of B-list and C-list celebrities.
One name, however, is completely unfamiliar. She types 'Jason Dohring imdb' into her Planet Zowie search engine and clicks on the result. Veronica gasps. The actor looks exactly like Logan. She reads that Dohring has done guest appearances on TV shows like 'Judging Amy' and 'Boston Public', had small roles in films such as 'Deep Impact', and did a commercial for Dominoes Pizza. When she runs a Planet Zowie search on him, she discovers that he was recently signed to play Logan Echolls in the Aaron Echolls biopic, 'For the Love of Lilly', that is slated to begin shooting in the summer. She looks up the actor's representation page on imdb pro and sees that he recently switched representation to the Greenblatt Talent Agency.
Veronica takes the ersatz Los Angeles cell phone and dials Greenblatt's office. Adopting a nasal tone, she inquires, "Yes, this is Cordelia Gray from Cannon and Associates. We have a last minute casting call for a film that begins shooting in London next week, and you have an actor on your roster who would be perfect for us. His name is Jason Dohring. What's his availability?...Really, he's unavailable for at least six weeks?...That's unfortunate...Certainly, why don't you fax those head shots to our office, marked to my attention."
Veronica terminates the call and sighs. She realizes that although she now knows for certain that an actor is playing the role of Logan Echolls, she still has no idea where Logan actually is. She has another thought and accesses the web page for Greenblatt Talent Agency. She sees on the client list that Greenblatt also represents Jessica Simpson and Johnny Depp, the host of the party that Logan supposedly attended in Madeira. Logan, you are a sneaky bastard. You made sure that the paparazzi would see you. Or rather, see your impostor. She thinks she should be pissed, but in actuality she's a little amused at Logan's creativity. Using the paparazzi to get away from the paparazzi? Best. Plan. Ever. Guess that's why I love you. Now all I have to do is find out where you really are.
VERONICA MARS
10:00PM SHO ch: 340 60min 2009 TV-MA
Chasing the Storm
Veronica helps Wallace with Candice's missing
brother; Mac goes boldly into a new frontier;
Veronica demonstrates her gastronomic
prowess; Logan tries to heal.
Veronica: Kristen Bell. Wallace: Percy Daggs III.
Mac: Tina Majorino. Mordroc: Gabriel Tigerman.
Hans van Dornward: Kenny Johnson. Logan:
Jason Dohring.
•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX: "CHASING THE STORM"
Wed. 2/4/09: Mars Investigations, Neptune, CA
Veronica is sitting lost in thought about Logan's possible whereabouts at the computer in Mars Investigations when she hears a key in the lock. She looks up, expecting to see her dad, but it's Wallace and Candice instead.
Candice says, recognizing Veronica, "Wait, this is the girl who dumped my lunch tray."
Veronica steps out from behind the desk and says, "Nice to see you again, Candice. Wallace has told me a lot about you."
Candice turns to Wallace and comments, "So that was a setup?" She gives him a stony look.
"C'mon, don't be that way. I just wanted to give you a chance to appreciate the mad flava of Fennel." He grins at her, and she relents, smiling back. "Veronica, I'm glad you're here. Candice...well, Candice needs your help with something."
Candice, urged on by Wallace, explains to Veronica that she is trying to locate her half-brother Shawn, missing for a year, and last seen at Hearst College in December of 2007.
"You talked to the roommate, and he didn't know anything?" Veronica asks. Candice nods, and Veronica continues, "What about other friends?"
"I think Shawn had some friends at the Alpha Rho Nu fraternity. The roommate said they didn't hang out at all; the roommate is premed and Organic Chemistry was kicking his ass that semester. He said he was at the library until closing every night and hardly saw Shawn," Candice replies. "Shawn didn't do sports at all, so there aren't any teammates to talk to, and I haven't really been able to find out who his friends were at all other than the guys at the fraternity."
Candice looks at Wallace for support, and he nods to go on. "Veronica, Shawn was pretty messed up on meth when he was younger. My dad and uncle saw what was going on and got him into a rehab, and he seemed like he was clean. My dad tried to convince Shawn to stay in Atlanta for college so he could have the family to lean on for support, but Shawn really wanted to come to California. Shawn took a year off before college and earned money to help pay for his education to prove to my dad he was mature enough to leave home. Then when Shawn got great financial aid here, my dad relented and let him come to Hearst. The first three years, Shawn did great. But the school sent us his final report card after Shawn went missing, and it was...well, two incompletes, an F and 2 C's. He'd been a solid B student before that."
"So you think he started using again?" Veronica asks. Meth...shit, that means the Fitzpatricks.
Candice nods unhappily. "Veronica...I have the feeling that Shawn is dead. No matter how much he was tweaking, he always stayed in contact with me. But I have to know what happened to him." Wallace rubs her shoulders, trying to comfort her.
"Candice, I think the first thing to do is to check John Does in neighboring towns to see if there were any unidentified bodies in the time period just after your brother's disappearance. Sheriff Van Lowe should have done that for your father, but it's likely that he didn't bother." Seeing Candice's stricken expression, Veronica adds gently, "Candice, he's probably okay...maybe he got in trouble and didn't want to face your family. We just need to eliminate the possibility."
Veronica turns to Wallace, saying, "I'll help you get started on the John Does. And you should check all the databases, Wallace. Maybe he's in prison and was too embarrassed to contact the family. Check the court transcripts; see if there's any possibility he changed his name; vital statistics should be able to tell you if he applied for a marriage license; contact the county welfare office to see if he applied for welfare or food stamps; and DMV can tell you if he renewed his driver's license. Don't forget to check the credit reports: I'm assuming you have his social security number." Candice nods, looking vaguely relieved as Veronica lists all the places they can check for Shawn.
Veronica shows Wallace how to run a search for deceased John Does and leaves to change for her dinner with the paparazzo photographer, Hans van Dornward. She purposely selected the most expensive Italian restaurant in San Diego, vowing to at least make the photographer pay monetarily for his indiscreet photos. On the way to San Diego, she calls Weevil, asking him if he'd be free for a trip to Los Angeles. Weevil agrees to go with her on Friday.
Wed. 2/4/09: Hearst College, Neptune, CA
Mac finishes her studying for the evening and gets her cell phone. I don't know why I'm so nervous; this is ridiculous. Finally, she gets up her nerve and dials Rick Picket.
"Hi Rick, it's Mac."
Rick/Mordroc replies, "Hey, what up, Mac?"
Mac clears her throat. "Well, there's a showing of 'The Empire Strikes Back' at the Film Forum on Saturday. I was wondering–"
"I'd love to go," he breaks in. "Can we meet for dinner first? At the Diner maybe?"
Mac smiles as she feels her nervousness dissipate. "Absolutely. How's it going with the flirt-bot investigation? Have you made any progress?"
"Well, thanks to your help, I think we're getting close. The Cult is hoping to have something to take to the FBI soon. There's a few of us working on the problem now, and we had a breakthrough last night. The program has much more widespread distribution than we thought. Any more incursions on your site?"
"No, it seems clean so far, thanks to you."
"I'm glad you called; I'm looking forward to Saturday. Do you want to meet at 6:00 at the Diner?"
Mac agrees, and as they end the conversation she smiles, anticipating a fun evening.
Wed. 2/4/09 evening: Trattoria Acqua, San Diego, CA
Veronica has dressed carefully for her dinner at the restaurant with the paparazzo. She is hoping that wherever Logan is, he'll see her picture and decide to come home. At the same time, she wants to avoid an overtly sexy appearance, thinking, I've been overexposed as it is. She settles on a sky-blue dress with cap sleeves and a fitted bodice; she knows Logan loves the color on her but the dress is not too revealing. Veronica adds a simple strand of pearls that Logan gave her for Christmas. She is careful to apply her makeup with subtlety and spends ages on her hair, trying different styles; she finally gathers her hair into a loose chignon with a few hairs strategically wisping around her face.
When she arrives at Trattoria Acqua, the paparazzo is waiting for her at the entrance. He notes her appearance appreciatively and asks, "Ms. Mars?"
"You must be Mr. van Dornward."
"Hans, please," he says, extending his hand for a handshake.
"Hans, could we possibly shoot the pictures before we eat? I tend to be...well, let's say a 'hearty' eater, and I'm afraid I might spill something on my dress," Veronica says with her most winning smile. I haven't eaten since breakfast...I hope Hans has a high credit limit on his Amex.
Hans escorts her to the patio in the rear of the restaurant, and he takes a series of photos before they head into the restaurant.
Veronica spends a moment discerning the priciest options on the menu, then settles on Aragosta Fritti (lobster with an avocado and strawberry salad) for her appetizer and Filetto di Bue (Filet Mignon, with puréed squash, sautéed spinach, and smoked bacon, in a reduction sauce) for her entrée. Chuckling internally at van Dornward's expression, she finally takes pity and orders a relatively inexpensive Cappellini al Pomodoro for her pasta selection. "Sparkling water to drink, please."
Hans rouses himself from his stunned price calculations and asks quickly, "Are you sure you don't want wine? They have a great wine list here. Or maybe something from the bar."
Not a chance in hell I'm going to drink a drop around a reporter. "No, that's okay. I'm really not a drinker," she replies, flashing her most winning smile.
Hans orders Penne con Ragu Piemontese, one of the more economical options, and begins to raid the bread basket as Veronica is served her appetizer.
As the meal progresses, Hans watches in amazement as Veronica eats every bite of her order. She restrains herself from moaning in delight at the exquisite flavor combinations, but she is enjoying her petty revenge on the photographer as much as possible.
After the pasta course, Hans asks Veronica some questions about Logan. "Did you know that Logan was going to leave the country?"
Veronica pats her mouth delicately with her napkin and gives her carefully considered reply. "Logan has been understandably upset about the death of Hannah Griffith. He mentioned to me that he needed a change of scenery and an opportunity to relax away from the crowds of Los Angeles, so I wasn't surprised that he left. He knows that I am unable to take time off from my studies due to the requirements of my scholarship and was therefore unable to accompany him."
"But did he tell you where he was going?" Hans presses.
"Logan was concerned that his phone and email were not secure. There was an incident recently where his privacy was violated, so I'm sure he was being careful about telegraphing his intentions to the media." Veronica muses that perhaps she could have a career as a publicist if the private eye thing doesn't work out.
Hans asks, "So you're not upset with him?"
"Of course not. I love Logan, and I look forward to seeing him again as soon as possible. I'm sure that the FBI is going to have a break in the case soon, and everyone will see how ridiculous these allegations were." Careful, Veronica.
"Are you investigating the serial killer? Are you trying to clear Logan's name?" Hans asks excitedly.
"Of course not. Logan is not suspected of any crime, and the serial murders are an investigation that needs to be left to the professionals," Veronica says, crossing her fingers under the table, thinking about her ex-boyfriend Mike Field's reluctant promise to get her copies of the pertinent information from the FBI's investigation.
Their server comes to the table and inquires as to their dessert selection. Hans proclaims that he is stuffed. Veronica smiles and says, "I was considering the dessert sampler, but I think I'd like the Cappicino semifreddo instead."
Hans looks at her as if she's a circus freak. When the luscious chocolate mousse arrives, Veronica digs in and can't helping moaning a little at the transcendent perfection of her dessert selection.
Wed. 2/4/09 evening: Somewhere in the United States
After terminating his cell phone conversation with Dr. Friedman, Logan sits thinking for a long time. They spent an hour discussing his anger; Logan is truly bewildered by the demons raging inside him, especially his anger toward Veronica, but he again refused to try anti-depressants. At one point, he asked helplessly what he could do to feel better without the drugs, and Dr. Friedman suggested finding a place to do volunteer work. The therapist told Logan that volunteering combining with physical exercise could help a lot, but she still wished that he would consider the anti-depressants.
To Logan's surprise, Dr. Friedman then offered to contact Logan's professors and arrange extensions on his schoolwork. Logan has admitted to her that despite his hatred of schoolwork in high school, he has come to enjoy the screenwriting program at UCLA, and he is missing the discipline of his classes. Dr. Friedman stressed to him that he won't feel better unless he continues the work he has begun on his own mental health, which includes his studies. Logan accesses the UCLA Film Department website on his laptop and looks at the assignments his professors have posted since he left Los Angeles.
She didn't say it–she never says it, she's great that way–but I know the good doctor thinks I'm running away from my problems. Dammit, it's just not FAIR. I'm so goddamn angry about EVERYTHING. I had enough problems for ten lives already; I was just barely holding it together. Why did Hannah have to die? Maybe...maybe...maybe it's not my fault, like the doctor says. I just don't understand why it had to happen when things were finally going pretty well, finally things were almost okay. Then Duncan shows up, sniffing around Veronica again, then Hannah...I can't seem to escape the shitstorm. I can't bear to think that Veronica is ashamed of me. She's probably sobbing on Duncan's shoulder right now, regretting that she ever started up with me again. When do I get to be happy? Fuck, I'm not even asking for 'happy'; when I do get to feel OKAY?
He thinks about Dr. Friedman's response from their phone call: "You have to decide to be happy, Logan. You can't choose how the world treats you, but you can choose how you react to the world. I guarantee you that if you decide to be unhappy, you will be unhappy. You can't live outside the world forever; you need to find a way to live in it and survive. Maybe even learn how to thrive in the world." Logan wishes it was that easy, to just decide to be happy.
Logan looks again at the posted assignments, realizing that he can use a story he has written about Hannah for one of them. He cringes at the thought of exposing the rawness of his emotions, but after reflecting for a long time, begins to edit his story, taking out some of his most personal thoughts, in order to submit the story as his assignment.
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VERONICA MARS
10:00PM SHO ch: 340 60min 2009 TV-MA
Family Values
Veronica insists on being let in on the Briar Hill
investigation; Wallace and Candice search for
Shawn; Duncan grows a pair; Veronica and
Keith interview a satisfied customer of the
Briar Hill experience.
Veronica: Kristen Bell. Keith: Enrico Colantoni.
Wallace: Percy Daggs III. Candice Pauling:
Toy Connor. Duncan 2.0: Chris Carmack.
Celeste Kane: Lisa Thornhill. Jake Kane: Kyle
Secor. Anthea: Lauren Ambrose. Mr. Gittlesen:
Steve O'Neill. Mrs. Gittlesen: Rhoda Griffis.
•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN: "FAMILY VALUES"
Thurs. 2/5/09 morning: Mars Investigations, Neptune, CA
When Keith enters Mars Investigations, he's surprised to see Veronica already there. She usually doesn't come into the office before her classes; he thinks, She's obviously waiting for me. Now what? Could she have found the bullet or... He tries to calm himself, walking over to her and kissing her on the top of her head. "You're up early, honey."
"I got the goods on the attorney yesterday," she replies. "Do you want some coffee?"
Keith unlocks his office door. "You don't have to ask; you know I have to have my morning cup of joe."
She gets two cups of coffee and brings them into Keith's office. She sits across the desk from him and plunges in. "I saw you leaving Neptune Medical Associates yesterday."
Keith looks at her sharply.
"The shrink in cahoots with Attorney Stern has his office in that building, but that's not why you were there. You were interviewing Dr. Frazier, weren't you?" she asks. "The educational consultant?"
"Honey, what did you do?" Keith asks, upset.
"I went in his office and saw a brochure for Briar Hill. I've read in the newspaper reports that that's the school Hannah was sent to." Veronica puts the brochure on her dad's desk. "The doctor, and I use that term loosely, came in, and I pretended to be a girl fighting with her parents. He gave me the hard sell for the school. Dad...you have to let me help. Wallace said Ms. Denenberg hired you to shut down the school, and you don't want us to help because you're afraid we might find something on the serial killer."
"That's right, I don't want either of you anywhere near this case."
"Dad, you have to let me help. The school sounds awful. And you have to admit, it might come in handy to have a partner who can look like a bratty teenager."
Keith sighs. "The school is worse than awful, Veronica. The girls are suffering. And it's going to be difficult to shut the school down. I spoke to a lawyer last night who's been trying to find a basis for suing them for two years with no success."
"Well, even more reason to let me help. Listen to what Dr. Frazier said." She tells her dad everything Dr. Frazier said, and Keith grabs a legal pad to take notes.
"Veronica, I really don't know about this. There's something you're not telling me."
Yes, I found out Logan's not in Madeira, and I'm going to find out where he really is if it kills me. "I want to do this for Logan. He feels guilty about Hannah. Maybe if we shut the school down, he'll...maybe he'll come home," she says helplessly. "Maybe he'll see that he's not responsible for what happened to her; it was what her dad and the school did that ruined her life, not Logan."
"Oh, Veronica. If Logan really believes that he's responsible–"
"He does. And he shouldn't. I know, he shouldn't have pursued her the way he did–she was so much younger than him–but Dad, I really don't think he's responsible for ruining her life. She cared about him. I...I saw them together. She...she might have been in love with him." Veronica begins to cry.
Keith's heart is breaking to see his daughter crying, but he is very uncertain about letting her help on this investigation. The educational consultant scared him; the plausibility of the man's claims could convince many a parent, even a well-intentioned one. Some of the stories Keith has found posted on the internet have been horrific. Keith thinks that the school scares him almost as much as the Saturday Night Slasher; at least the serial killer has a chance of being prosecuted if caught, whereas the school seems impervious even to state regulation.
"Dad, something good should come out of Hannah's death. Please let me help," Veronica begs. "I found a police report on the school. A girl was murdered there last year, and still the state didn't shut them down after an investigation."
Keith nods. He found the report too; the police report stated that several girls banded together and killed another to try to convince the police to investigate the school and shut it down. All that happened was the killers were sent to prison, and the school continued as it always had after a cursory inspection by the state. Keith had read to his surprise that 63 of the 65 students were returned to the school by their parents after the murder investigation was concluded. What the hell are these parents thinking?
But what really concerns Keith is that he knows his daughter very well: if he doesn't let her help with his investigation, she very well might start to investigate on her own, and that could be very dangerous. "Veronica, if I let you do this, you have to promise you won't do anything on your own, and we will work together. You will tell me everything. You will not keep secrets," Keith says seriously.
You mean like you're keeping secrets about Vinnie's defense? Veronica thinks. She replies aloud, "Absolutely. And you're the boss. I do what you say. You have the lead on the investigation. Thank you, Daddy." She walks behind the desk and hugs Keith, murmuring, "I'm so lucky you're my dad."
You don't know the half of it, he thinks.
Thurs. 2/5/09: Hearst College, Neptune, CA
Wallace hangs up his cell phone and turns to Candice. "Shawn cashed in his airplane ticket last December."
"Why didn't your sheriff find that out?" Candice asks.
"Well, you'd have to know Vinnie Van Lowe to answer that. But in his defense, he was right that Shawn was over eighteen, and there was no suspicion of foul play. If you or I wanted to disappear, that wouldn't be breaking any laws in and of itself, and the sheriff wouldn't be required to investigate," Wallace replies. "Candice, it does sound like Shawn was raising money to buy drugs. We need to talk to his friends at Alpha Rho Nu. I have a couple friends at the frat; I'll ask them to ask around and see who knew Shawn."
"And you didn't find any trace of him in any of the databases that Veronica suggested?"
"No. But you can't lose hope. If he wanted to disappear, he would have been trying to avoid things like applying for a credit card or welfare. He could have secured a fake ID and be living under another name. I'll have to ask Veronica who's making the best fake ID's in Neptune now," he muses.
Candice sighs. "I can't believe I'm hoping he's doing drugs."
Wallace hesitates, knowing the next part will be hard. "I did get a few photos of John Does from the coroner's departments in neighboring towns. Unidentified men who superficially resemble Shawn: early 20's, African-American, six foot tall. You need to look at the photos and see if any of them are Shawn." He hands her the faxed sheets, and she goes through the pile slowly. At the end, she puts down the pile with shaking hands and says, "He's not in there."
"There will be more photos to look at, Candice. Those were just the photos from this county." Wallace looks at her sympathetically. Each dead-end convinces him more and more that Candice's suspicion was right, and her half-brother is probably dead.
Thurs. 2/5/09 evening: Pemberton Estates, Neptune, CA
"More wine, Duncan?" Jake Kane asks.
Duncan shakes his head. He looks across the table at his mother's sour face, then smiles at Lilly/Jane sitting next to him.
"Jane, are you ready for dessert? I think it's ice cream."
She bounces up and down in her chair, asking delightedly, "Chocolate? Daddy, is it chocolate?"
Duncan nods, grinning at her. Celeste puts her wine glass down a little too strongly, and the wine glass clinks against her water glass. Duncan frowns at her, then asks Jane, "Do you have to go the bathroom, sweetie?" She thinks a second and nods 'yes'. "Okay, you know where it is. Make sure to wash your hands, okay?" Jane slips out of her chair and heads for the bathroom.
"You know, you could be a little nicer, Mother. None of this is Jane's fault. She's a great kid, and you've hardly spent any time with her."
"When are you going to stop this ridiculous crusade, Duncan?" Celeste replies. "Move back home, accept the amnesty offer, and get on with your life. Let the authorities deal with the Mannings. I don't want the family to be tabloid fodder again. We've had enough bad publicity and tragedy in this family."
"What are you suggesting? Are you saying that I shouldn't pursue custody?" Duncan says furiously.
"Of course you shouldn't pursue custody. You're talking about spending your entire trust fund on this legal chimera. She's not even your da-" seeing Jane return to the table, Celeste amends her word, "progeny."
Duncan pounds his fist on the table and stands up angrily. "That's it! Mother, if you can't support me in this, I won't have anything more to do with this family."
Jane looks from Celeste to Duncan and begins to cry. Jake Kane says ineffectually, "Duncan, calm down. Your mother's just upset."
"Dad, I would appreciate if you at least could support me." Duncan kneels and hugs Jane, whispering in her ear, "It's okay. It's just silly grown-ups talking about silly things. Everything's going to be fine."
Celeste continues, "Duncan, I have to say that I think that your attorneys are giving you false hope. You haven't even received your trust fund yet, and the bloodsucking lawyers have probably figured out how to milk you for every cent of it."
"And that's okay with me. I'd gladly give every dollar of my trust fund to try to retain c-u-s-t-o-d-y," he says, hugging Jane. "This is your granddaughter, not some...bête-noir." He glances at Jane and, switching to French to protect her, he continues, "Elle n'est pas un embarras ou un problème. Elle est votre belle petite-fille. Si vous m'aimez, vous devez l'aimer." He tickles Jane to distract her.
"Daddy, stop!" she giggles. "What did you say? Stop spelling!"
He pulls up her shirt and blows a raspberry on her tummy. "I love you, Jane, don't you ever forget that. Can you go find Astrid? She'll get you some ice cream. I have to talk some more with Grandmommy and Pop-Pop."
Celeste tsks loudly as Jane runs to find Astrid. "I told you, Duncan, I hate that name. It sounds like the Beverly Hillbillies. 'Pop-Pop'! Although it's good to see that you remember your French lessons; you didn't waste every advantage we gave you."
"I had several occasions to practice speaking French on my journeys, Mother," Duncan says bitterly.
"Duncan, we're going to support you," Jake begins. Celeste starts to interrupt, and Jake shushes her. "Celeste...let me talk. Duncan, it's all just a lot to get used to. You haven't been around. We're not accustomed to being grandparents yet. And these new revelations...it's going to be a media frenzy. Your mother is rightfully upset that our dirty linen will be aired in public again."
Duncan replies sarcastically, "I really don't think they're going to be talking about the Kane family when the incest story comes out, Dad." Celeste shuts her eyes in revulsion at the word 'incest'.
Jake continues, "Your mother and I just want what we've always wanted, what's best for you. We're just worried that you won't pursue your education and go on with your life."
"I don't have a life without my daughter," Duncan says in a cold voice.
Celeste sighs and picks up her wine glass.
Duncan continues, harshly, "I'll finish packing up the rest of my belongings tomorrow and have them delivered to the Neptune Grand. I expect both of you to be more supportive. When you speak to the press, I would prefer that you refer to Jane as my daughter, and you will say that you love her and fully expect that I will be awarded custody. You are looking forward to a time when the whole family can be together and put this whole mess behind us. If you can't say that, then I'd like you to say 'no comment'. Can you do this for me, Mother?"
Celeste sighs again and reluctantly nods her agreement.
"Good. Jane and I will be going back to the Neptune Grand now."
Duncan leaves the table and looks for Jane back in Astrid's quarters. He finds the two of them sharing a pint of chocolate ice cream. He smiles at Jane and comments, "Don't ever let Grandmommy see you eating out of the carton, Jane."
"Why not?" she asks.
"Grandmommy is...Grandmommy likes to be very grown-up about everything," he finally answers.
Astrid and Jane say together, "Poopiehead!" Jane says gleefully, "Grandmommy's a poopiehead."
Duncan laughs and says, "Astrid, really! Don't make any more problems for me. Jane, please don't say that to Grandmommy."
"I know, Daddy," Jane says giggling.
Duncan sits down and pulls Jane onto his lap. "Jane, try not to pay attention to Grandmommy. She's just...well, okay, she's a poopiehead. But we love her anyways." He thinks for a moment then continues. "The next few days are going to be confusing. Pretty soon, you're going to be able to tell everyone my secret name. Jane, do you know you have a secret name too? I'm going to tell you your secret name on Monday, that's...Friday, Saturday, Sunday, Monday...four days from now," he says, ticking off the days on his fingers. "And on Monday, you are going to get to be the fairy princess, and all your loyal subjects are going to take very good care of you and ask you lots of questions about the hide-and-seek game we've been playing. You must tell them everything. It's very important."
"Even your secret name? I can tell them your secret name?" Jane asks.
"Yes, Jane. They know it already. I won't be able to be with you, Jane, but I'll visit you as much as I can, and I'll be thinking about you every minute. It's all part of the game. And at the end of the game, do you know what we're going to do?"
"No," she says solemnly.
"Do you remember I told you about Disneyland, how wonderful it is? Well, we're going to go there, and we're going to see Belle and Cinderella. We're going to have such a good time. We'll have ice cream cones and hot dogs and everything you love."
"Disneyland!! I can't wait!" she cries, clapping her hands in glee.
Duncan hugs her, and Astrid looks at him sympathetically.
Thurs. 2/5/09 evening: San Diego, CA
On a quiet street in a suburb of San Diego, Keith and Veronica ring the doorbell of a modest home. The Gittlesens have agreed to speak to them about their daughter's experience at Briar Hill Academy. A middle-aged woman answers the door. "Mr. Mars?"
"Yes, I'm Keith Mars. This is my daughter and assistant, Veronica."
The woman looks Veronica up and down, with disdain. Veronica wonders what the problem is, but merely says, "Hello, Ms. Gittlesen."
"'Mrs.', please," the woman replies.
"I'm sorry, Mrs. Gittlesen. Thanks for meeting with us today," Veronica replies. She thinks about all the research her dad has shown her about these schools, and her first impression is This woman doesn't seem so bad; a little rigid but not evil. Why would she send her daughter to Briar Hill?
Mrs. Gittlesen steps aside to allow the Marses entrance. She leads them to the living room where a man and a young woman are seated. The man rises and shakes Keith's hand and nods toward Veronica. "This is our daughter, Anthea."
Anthea is dressed in a long skirt and a long-sleeved blouse and does not speak. Veronica realizes that Mrs. Gittlesen disapproves of her jeans and scoop neck top.
Keith pulls out a legal pad and says, "Mr. and Mrs. Gittlesen, as you know from our phone conversation, the parent of another student at Briar Hill Academy has made some allegations of abuse at the facility. The attorney in charge of the case has asked us to speak with recent graduates in order to determine if these incidents actually occurred before proceeding with a lawsuit. Can you tell what caused you to seek out an alternative educational situation for your daughter?"
Mr. Gittlesen clears his throat, glances at his daughter, and begins. "Anthea began to have problems at school in ninth grade. Her grades dropped precipitously, and the school psychologist recommended an evaluation by a learning specialist. The specialist decided that Anthea had a mild case of ADD and prescribed Adderall."
"Did the Adderall help?" Keith asks.
"No, in fact, Anthea used it as an excuse to stop doing her homework altogether. She sold her prescription medication to other students and used the money to buy marijuana and alcohol." The father's disgust at his daughter is palpable. Veronica regards Anthea curiously: the girl seems unmoved by her father's tale.
Mrs. Gittlesen continues, "Then Anthea was caught shoplifting. We let her stay in police custody overnight, hoping it would teach her a lesson. But things got worse from there. Anthea ran away. We hired private detectives, who found her and brought her home. We grounded her, restricted her television, phone, and internet access, but still her friends helped her to run away again."
Keith asks Anthea directly, "Anthea, what was going on in your mind at that time?"
The girl looks to her father for permission to speak; he nods, and she says, "Everything happens for a reason, you know. I really needed to get straight. I wasn't thinking right before Briar Hill."
"Why didn't you take the Adderall? It can really help students who are troubled by ADD," Veronica asks curiously, thinking of several friends who managed to achieve good grades after being prescribed medication for their learning disabilities.
"Medication isn't the answer; I just needed to get my mind straight. The school really helped me, because it was so organized and strict," she replies.
"We were opposed to the medication from the beginning," Mrs. Gittlesen says. "Our family philosophy is that you have to take responsibility for your actions, and society relies far too much on cure-all medications."
Keith takes a few notes, and continues. "So what was the school like, Anthea? How did you get there?"
"Well, my parents had me taken there."
"Taken there how?" Keith presses.
"We hired a transport service. They came in the middle of the night and escorted Anthea to the school. Since she had run away previously, we felt it was the best option, and the school recommended it highly," Mr. Gittlesen responds.
"Did the transport service use handcuffs or other restraining devices?" Veronica asks.
"Oh, I would probably have hurt myself if they hadn't used the handcuffs," Anthea responds. "You don't understand, I needed this. I wasn't thinking right," she repeats.
"And when you got to the school?" Keith presses.
"Some of the older students interviewed me and told me what to expect so it wouldn't be such a shock. They taught me the rules and told it would be hard, but if I worked the program, I would learn a lot. You see," she leans forward, trying to convince Keith and Veronica, "Change is never easy. You have to give up your current beliefs before you can learn a new way to live."
"Tell me about the discipline about the school. Were you ever restrained? Or confined in a small room by yourself?" Keith asks.
"Of course. I had a lot of anger issues, and I didn't want to admit my problems at first. Instead of confronting my own problems, I confronted the counselors. And because they cared about me, they enforced the rules. They even paddled me one time, but I know they did it to help me. And it did, it helped me a lot. When I advanced in the program, I got to help the newer kids. You don't know how great it was; when they trusted me to help counsel the newcomers, I knew that I really had made progress in my treatment." Anthea is genuinely enthused about her experience at the school. "I had to help the newcomers confront their own problems; sometimes it was hard because I had to be so strict with them. But I know that forcing someone to examine their weaknesses is an act of love."
"How long were you at the school?" Veronica asks.
"Three years. I was seventeen when I started, and they recommended that I stay there for three years."
"What's next for you, Anthea? Are you going to college?" Keith asks.
"No, I don't think so. I'm just going to take a few classes at the community college for now. It's too hard to go to a regular college; people don't follow the rules, and it makes me angry. I worked so hard to be healthy, and it seems like everyone else just doesn't care," she responds.
"Anthea still has a few credits before she can get her G.E.D.," Mrs. Gittlesen remarks. "We're so proud of her; we were worried she would never graduate from high school. And Briar Hill made it possible; I know she'll be able to do it now."
Veronica thinks, Twenty years old. Two years past high school age, and the school couldn't even come up with enough credits for her to graduate.
Andrea adds, "I'm so grateful that my parents sent me there; I tell them over and over again 'thank you for caring enough to help me'."
Veronica knows from Keith's research that Briar Hill students have to admit that they needed the school before they can be allowed to graduate, but she's completely puzzled by Andrea's attitude. I'd be pissed as hell.
Keith asks, "What about the finances? It's my understanding that the school is very expensive."
"We took a second mortgage on our house. It was well worth it. The counselors at the school told us that the way Anthea was going, she would have been in prison or dead by this time if we hadn't stepped in. Thank goodness we didn't take the advice of our school's guidance counselor. Can you believe it, he actually told us the academy would be damaging to Anthea's mental health!" Mrs. Gittlesen says indignantly.
"We recommend the school highly, Mr. Mars. Several of our close friends whose children were struggling have sent their kids as well based on our good experience," Mr. Gittlesen adds.
"And you received a discount on your daughter's fees because of those recommendations, is that correct?" Keith queries.
"What are you implying?" Mrs. Gittlesen says sharply.
"I'm not implying anything. I've heard that the school has a policy of refunding fees based on successful referral by satisfied customers, is that correct? You've certainly expressed your satisfaction with the academy," Keith replies smoothly.
"Yes, of course. That's the way of the world. I would never go to a new doctor without a recommendation from a friend, and my friends asked me for my advice when they had problems with their own children. The academy is grateful for recommendations, and I think their policy is fair," Mr. Gittlesen answers.
Can you say pyramid scheme? Veronica thinks disparagingly. Sign up all your friends so you can get a rebate. Satisfied customer, my ass.
Keith senses Veronica's anger and pats her on the shoulder soothingly. "Well, I'd like to thank you for your time, Mr. and Mrs. Gittlesen. I've got to get Veronica back to Neptune; she has early classes in the morning. I'll make sure to convey your satisfaction with the school to our employer."
Back in the car, Veronica turns to Keith and say, "Dad, it's BULLSHIT. Did you hear her? All memorized phrases, not a single original thought. She hasn't even finished high school yet. Anthea is completely brainwashed. No wonder Hannah ran away."
Keith starts the car and drives back toward Neptune. "Veronica, try to calm down. I told you this was going to be very difficult. If you're going to work this case, you have to know that we're dealing with very manipulative, very skilled con artists. They are using every trick from the cult handbook: psychological manipulation, peer pressure on the parents, fear of modern society. And they're astute salesmen, selling their con with high-pressure tactics."
Veronica remains silent for a minute, then says quietly, "I can do this. We can do this."
Keith looks at her. "So...heard anything from Logan since the video?"
Veronica glances at her dad, thinking, What does he know? "No, I haven't heard from him. Why do you ask?"
"You just seem calmer about it, the last couple days. I sort of expected to see a video on Youtube of you chasing him all over Madeira with a pitchfork." Keith smiles at her.
She looks at her dad in surprise. "Not a pitchfork; maybe a sackcloth and ashes. He's grieving; I know that now. I think he'll come back when he's ready." Except I know he's not there...and I'm going to find him. Then I'm going to...actually, I don't know what I'm going to do, she realizes.
chimera - WASP (White Anglo-Saxon Protestant, i.e. wealthy white American) for 'pipe-dream, fantasy'
progeny - WASP for 'offspring, heir'
bête noire - WASP for 'a person or thing especially disliked or dreaded; bane; bugbear.'
Elle n'est pas un embarras ou un problème. - "She is not an embarrassment or a problem."
Elle est votre belle petite-fille. - "She is your beautiful granddaughter."
Si vous m'aimez, vous devez l'aimer. - "If you love me, you have to love her."
Note Duncan speaks French like I do: lots of cognates, and present tense.