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. I also wanted to thank everyone who has left me reviews; every comment is greatly appreciated.
Veronica throws herself into the routine, determined to get along, to go along. When the girls are herded into the room with the hard plastic blue chairs, she knows what she's supposed to do this time, and she eagerly waves her hands in the air with the girls around her.
The leader announces that today they are going to do a new exercise. He directs the girls to circle their chairs. Veronica's heart begins to pound, but she is careful to do exactly as she is told and sits quietly with her hands on her thighs.
"This is called the 'Lifeboat Exercise'. Our ship has been wrecked at sea, and there are only a limited number of lifeboats. There are ten of you here, but there are only seven seats in the lifeboat. Each of you in turn will go around the circle. You will tell each of the girls, 'You live' or 'You die'. You can save yourself, or you can choose to give up your seat to someone more worthy. You know the exercise, Maria, we'll start with you."
Maria walks around the circle a few times, looking each girl in the face with cold, dark eyes; Veronica realizes she's deciding who merits survival. She passes by Veronica a third time, then spins around and screams in Veronica's face, "You die! You die!" The spittle flies into Veronica's face, and she flinches; Veronica is screaming on the inside but she keeps silent, shaking with the effort. Maria smiles chillingly and moves on to the next girl, shouting, "You live!"
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VERONICA MARS
10:00PM SHO ch: 340 60min 2009 TV-MA
Day In the Life of a Human Google
Veronica gets inside info about the Slasher
from the FBI; Wallace finds out more about
Shawn; Veronica and Weevil find out about
Logan's new look.
Veronica: Kristen Bell. Eli: Francis Capra. Mike:
Michael Trucco. Wallace: Percy Daggs III. Andre:
Melvin Jackson, Jr. Steve: Brandon Young.
Woman in Beauty Salon: Lupe Ontiveros.
•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT: "DAY IN THE LIFE OF A HUMAN GOOGLE"
Fri. 2/6/09 morning: Federal Bureau of Investigations, Los Angeles, CA
The security guard at the front desk asks who Veronica and Weevil are seeing. She replies, "Michael Fields," and the guard checks the appointment list on his clipboard, issues them day passes, and instructs them to fill out the sign-in sheet and show ID. When Eli clips his pass on his jacket, he whispers to Veronica, "Never thought I'd come to the FBI willingly."
On the third floor, they find Mike's office, and his assistant tells them to go in. Mike stands up behind his desk, and Veronica remembers just why she went out with him. Damn, he looks good. Mike walks over to her and kisses her cheek, saying, "It's good to see you, Veronica." He looks at Eli questioningly, noting Weevil's disreputable appearance with his tattoos and leather jacket.
"This is my friend, Eli Navarro. He's helping me with an investigation today," she says.
Eli shakes Mike's hand and takes a seat. Veronica joins him, and Mike leans against his desk, staring at her. "How have you been, Veronica? I've...I've missed you." He glances at Eli, obviously wanting to say more, but hesitating. "I'm glad everything worked out okay for you after the shooting."
Veronica wants to ask if Mike is seeing anybody; she's still smarting from the revelation that Mike was still married while they were going out, but the immature part of her wants him to be pining away helplessly for her. It's just as well Weevil's here; it's better not to get into it. "Yes, everything worked out all right. All the manslaughter charges were dropped, and of course I was completely cleared of suspicion in the Wiedman case. I just have a little scar where I hit my head in the car accident." And a few more trust issues, thanks to you lying to me, she can't help adding in her head.
"I can't say I was happy to get your phone call, Veronica; I don't like it that you're involving yourself in the Saturday Night Slasher case," Mike comments.
"I'm not involving myself; I just want to review the case files. The last girl who was murdered–"
"Right...you told me. She was an old girlfriend of Logan's," Mike interrupts.
Weevil notices the abrupt change in tone and glances at Veronica. She flushes a little at Mike's angry inflection, and rushes in with an explanation. "It's just that the media are spinning this in the worst possible way. I'm sure there's nothing I can do, but...Mike, he's run away because of this and I just...I just want to see if maybe I can help get this case resolved and get things back to normal for us."
"Veronica, you promise that if you learn anything, you will bring it to me? You won't go after some crazy killer by yourself?" Mike asks.
"Absolutely," she promises.
"Don't worry, I'll keep an eye on her," Eli adds. She glares at him. "Listen, chica, you're going to be careful, and we're going to check up on you," he adds.
She rolls her eyes.
Mike turns around and picks up nine manila folders from his desk. "These are unofficial copies. You didn't get them from me. But if you leak anything to the press, I promise you I will tell my supervisors that I caught you snooping in my office."
Veronica quickly looks at the folders; Hannah's is on top, and she notes that each folder contains a summary of biographical information, autopsy and toxicology reports, a crime scene report, and pictures of each victim, before and after their death. "Mike, if I think of anything, I'll call you right away...Can you do me another little favor?"
Weevil snorts internally. Veronica and her favors: nobody's safe from this girl.
Veronica continues, "Can you run Logan Echolls' passport to see if he passed through Customs?"
"I thought he was in Madeira; I saw that video."
Veronica thinks, Keeping track of me and my boyfriend? "I actually think he is still in the country. Can you check though? Here's his passport number." She pushes a piece of paper into Mike's hand.
Mike frowns, but goes behind his desk and enters a few keystrokes. He looks up to see Veronica watching him intently and comments, "Just stay over there, Veronica. I don't need you stealing my password again."
She decides to keep quiet and not to press her luck. After a minute, Mike looks up and says, "It looks like he hasn't passed through Passport Control. So the video is a ruse? Awfully elaborate, if you ask me. What's he got to hide?"
Weevil is also surprised at Mike's response; he glances at Veronica, gauging her reaction.
She merely says, "I was pretty sure the video was a fake. He's not hiding anything. The media have been relentless; I think he felt it was his only option. Thanks for confirming it for me."
Mike makes small talk as they stand up to leave. "So have you been down to the shooting range? I was working a case in your area last week and stopped at El Cajon to get some practice in; they said your dad was in buying a gun recently."
Dad was buying a gun? "It's been a little crazy lately. I haven't been able to practice," she replies.
"You can't do that. You gotta keep your skills up. Use it or lose it," he comments.
"I know. I was lucky to get a clean shot off when I had to shoot Harmony," she says.
Mike hesitates, then reiterates, "You're going to be careful, right? And you're going to bring anything you learn to me?"
"Yes, absolutely, you have my word," Veronica answers.
When they leave the office, Eli says, "Guy's still in love with you."
She looks at him in surprise.
"C'mon, why do you think he's helping you? He's desperate to get you back," he continues. "Makes me sad I never went after you, you must have somethin'-somethin' going on to get all these guys drooling over you."
"Yeah, except for the ones who run away. Duncan Kane, Logan Echolls," she replies.
"Logan's coming back. I've seen the way that boy looks at you. Damn, girl, you must rock the sack. And hey, if Logan's stupid enough to stay away, you can always count on me for a midnight booty call." Weevil throws his arm over her shoulders.
"Is that why you wore your old gang clothes today–you're trying to win me over? I thought Mike was going to shit when he saw your leather jacket and tats."
"Yeah, that was fucking chingón. Your FBI dude wanted to get all up in my face." Weevil smiles at her. "You said we were going to East L.A.; I thought I should dress the part in case I have to blend in with my homies in Vatoland."
"And the sex appeal is just an added benefit?"
"Finally, she acknowledges the sexual tension," he snarks back. "You're afraid because you know once you let yourself have some spicy Weevil lovin', you'll never settle for a vanilla white boy again." He bats his long lashes at her, and she punches his arm, laughing.
Fri. 2/6/09 morning: Hearst College, Neptune, CA
Wallace enters the Alpha Rho Nu fraternity and sees one of his basketball teammates hanging with some other residents. He goes over and extends his fist.
"Yo, Andre, how's it shakin'?"
Andre bumps fists and replies, "We bitch-slapped those TCU freaks last night."
"Pwned and owned. The Texas Chainsaw Massacre." Wallace grins at Andre.
"So what up, bro?"
"You know I been hangin' with that girl Candice? She's lookin' for her brother; he was at the school last year, and he swayzed over Christmas break. His name was Shawn Blake." Wallace corrects himself, "His name is Shawn Blake."
"Oh yeah, I heard somepin' bout dat. Dude took a bounce. He was hangin' here all the time; we called him the X-Man," Andre replies.
"X-Man?" Wallace asks.
"Yo, Steve, Fennel wants to know about the X-Man," Andre calls to another frat guy.
Steve comes over to join them. "X-Man's got the most primo shit. Meth-X. We was tweakin' all the time with that ice."
"What's Meth-X?" Wallace asks.
Steve replies, "It's meth and ecstasy. That shit is ill."
Shit is right, Wallace thinks. "So when's the last time you saw the X-Man?"
"Long time ago. Last December," Steve answers.
"And if he's not around any more, who's dealin' it now?" Wallace asks.
"It's been dry lately, just a lot of sorry-ass herb. Wish that mother would come back to town."
"Can you ask around, see if anyone's heard from the X-Man lately?"
"You know it, dawg. I'll give you a holla back if I get the 411."
Wallace leaves the frat, more worried than ever about Candice's brother.
Fri. 2/6/09: East Los Angeles, CA
Weevil parks the motorcycle, and he and Veronica dismount and remove their helmets. "Okay, tell me again what we're doing here," he asks.
"So I'm pretty sure Logan was at his agent's office on Monday the twenty-sixth. He was arranging for an actor to take his place. The agent made a phone call to a car service that day. Someone like that would either drive their own Mercedes or call a limo; they wouldn't use a car service. I think it was Logan who called a cab. Mac hacked into the car service computer and found a trip from the agent's office to East Los Angeles, where we know–"
"That you can get anything illegal, if you've got the cash. So what was Logan buying in East Los Angeles?"
"I'm betting the first thing was a new identity," she replies. She looks around, saying, "So this is the exact address where he was dropped off."
"If it was Logan."
She looks at him. "I can feel that I'm on the right track here, Weevil. Up to now, everything I've found out about Logan's disappearance has felt wrong to me; but ever since I found out he used his agent to hire a doppelganger, I've felt that I'm making progress tracking him down."
"Doppelganger? Is that like a gangbanger?" he snarks.
She doesn't reply, but just continues to look at the businesses in the neighborhood. There are a couple bodegas, a check-cashing place, a furniture store, a drug store, and a hairdresser, 'Sala de Belleza'. She thinks a minute, then digs some photos of Logan out of her messenger bag. "Let's go," she says, dragging Eli into the beauty salon.
Once inside, she gives Weevil the photos. He comments, "Somebody's been busy with Photoshop." The photos all show Logan with different hairstyles and hair coloring.
"Ask if they remember this man. Tell them...uh...tell them his wife was in an accident, and we need to find him to tell him."
"Unh-unh. Not good enough. I think maybe the charges were dropped. Or a girl told her dad that Logan's not really the father of her baby."
"Okay, whatever. Just ask."
Weevil turns to the woman behind the counter in the beauty salon. "Oiga Seño, estamos buscando a un cuate. Se metió en una bronca y creemos que cambió su aspecto. Una chava se embarazó y le dijo a su jefe que nuestro amigo la violó; y no es cierto, él es buena onda. Pero la chava luego se arrepintió y le confesó a su jefe que no es cierto, así que ya no hay bronca para nuestro cuate. Estamos tratando de encontrarlo para decirle que ya puede regresar."
The woman looks at them uncertainly.
Weevil tries again, "Esta es su chava." He points at Veronica, and she nods vigorously in agreement. "Ella lo ama y quiere que regrese a casa." Veronica tries to look sympathetic and not bad-ass for once in her life. She opens her wallet and shows the woman a picture of her and Logan hugging and smiling.
The woman looks carefully at Veronica's photo, then stares at Veronica. Finally, she says, "Sí, estuvo aqui. Ay ay ay tan guapo, un taco de ojo. Se peleó con nosotros porque no queriamos arruinar lo guapo que es. Pero nos dio harta lana así que le enseñamos como hacerlo y como mantenerlo bien y le enseñamos a usar el tinte de pelo."
To Veronica, Eli says, "She says he was here; they didn't want to ruin his 'natural beauty'," he uses air-quotes while rolling his eyes, "but he gave them so much money that they finally agreed. They dyed his hair, and then they showed him how to do it himself."
"Ask what he looks like now."
Eli complies, saying, "¿Cómo se ve ahora?"
The woman stares at the sheet of possible Logans. Finally she selects one and says, "Se peina diferente ahora, se hace la raya del lado y se lacio el pelo. No se ve bien. Y no se ha rasurado en un par de dias; creo que se está dejando la barba."
In the picture she indicates, Logan has extremely dark brown hair, almost black. Weevil translates for Veronica, "She's saying that he parts his hair on the side now, smoothed down, maybe gel or something, and he's growing a beard. Uh, Veronica? She said your stud muffin is not lookin' too smokin' hot right now." She frowns at him.
The woman continues, "¿Están seguros que ya no hay pedo, ya no está en peligro? El nos dijo que estaba muy preocupado por su vida y nos dio lástima." She looks carefully at Weevil and Veronica, trying to assess if they are a threat to Logan.
Veronica says, with conviction, "I love him with all my heart. I just want him to come home." The woman nods that she understands.
Even Weevil is surprised at the depths of her sincerity. But he still can't resist whispering, "Yeah, you say that now, but I know you're going to spank him when you find him. Then...maybe you'll put him on a leash." Veronica narrows her eyes, glaring at him.
•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
VERONICA MARS
10:00PM SHO ch: 340 60min 2009 TV-MA
Standard Deviation
Mac and Wallace enlist Dick's help again to
locate Logan; Veronica and Weevil find out
Logan's new name and transportation; news
about Gory Sorokin; Logan takes a step.
Veronica: Kristen Bell. Mac: Tina Majorino.
Wallace: Percy Daggs III. Dick: Ryan Hansen.
Eli: Francis Capra. Keith: Enrico Colantoni.
Volunteer: Debra Jo Rupp. Logan: Jason Dohring.
•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE: "STANDARD DEVIATION"
Fri. 2/6/09: Hearst College Food Court, Neptune, CA
"Yo yo, what up, Big Mac?" Wallace sits down with Mac in the Food Court.
"Great game against TCU last night; you really posterized that mother. The 'dunk of doom'!" Mac puts up her hand for a high-five, and Wallace obliges.
"Have you seen Veronica today?" Wallace asks.
Mac replies, "She went to L.A. with Weevil. I think she's tracking Logan again."
"What?"
"She told me that she figured out it's not Logan in the video. She thinks he's still in the U.S., and she's trying to trace his movements after Hannah's funeral."
"No way," Wallace says. He pulls his laptop out of his bag, and they watch the Madeira video again. "It looks like him, but I guess...it never shows his face close up." He hits the play button again and pauses the video at one point. "Damn, he went to a lot of trouble to keep Veronica from finding him. Is she pissed?"
"You know, I think she's just thinking about finding him."
"Doesn't sound like Veronica. She's all about the getting even, not so much about forgiveness."
Mac shrugs. "She loves him. And he wasn't just running from Veronica you know. They still run that 'Tinseltown Diaries' show over and over again. That reporter Carrie keeps leaving messages on my voicemail, trying to get me to give an interview."
All of a sudden there's a commotion on the other side of the Food Court. They look over and see Dick arguing with a girl. She throws a milkshake on him, and Mac chuckles. Wallace glances at her and says, "Richard Casablancas, making friends and influencing people the world over."
"Yeah, Dick's got a talent for pissing girls off."
Dick sees them and comes over. Wallace offers him a napkin, and Dick tries to clean himself off as he sits down with them.
"What'd you do this time?" Mac says.
"I just told her she would look great with implants. I don't understand why she went all freakin' bitchzilla on me," Dick says aggrievedly. "It was a compliment."
"You haven't heard from Logan by any chance?" Mac asks curiously.
"What? You mean since he went to Madeira?" Dick says absentmindedly. "Shit, there's milkshake in my hair." He works his fingers through his hair disgustedly.
"Yeah. Has he sent you any postcards? Called?"
"No, but it looks like he's been pretty busy, if you know what I mean," Dick replies.
Wallace says, "What if we told you that Veronica thinks it's not Logan in the video?"
Dick stares at him. "Dude, what the hell are you talking about?"
Mac says, "Do you really think he would blow off Veronica like that? After everything they've been through?"
Wallace cues up the video again and shows it to Dick. Dick watches closely, then looks at Wallace and then Mac. "It's possible. It looks like him, but you never see him up close. Damn! He kutcher'd us. That's the shirt Veronica gave him for Christmas."
"So where would he be if he's not there? Any ideas?" Mac asks. "Come on, Dick, think. Work those last few brain cells."
Dick screws up his face comically in an attempt to concentrate. Wallace rolls his eyes at Mac. Finally, Dick says, "I don't know. He hardly talked to me that week before he left. He was really jacked up."
"Can you ask around? See what Enbom thinks. Maybe the other Pi Sigs would have some ideas where he might go," Mac says.
Dick nods his agreement, saying, "Anything for you, candypants!"
Fri. 2/6/09: East Los Angeles, CA
It takes several hours, but Veronica and Weevil finally find a man who, for a fee, admits that he made a new driver's license for Logan in the name of William Matthews.
"What's with the name?" Weevil asks.
"I don't know. I think he was trying to be very ordinary. I'm sort of impressed by how well he managed to disappear, but at the same time, it makes me sad that he felt he had to do this to get away from me," Veronica replies morosely.
"Come on, you know he's not thinking right now. He's just upset. Listen, you know I'm not even friends with him, and I was upset about the way the press treated him," Weevil says soothingly.
"But he should have felt he could turn to me for comfort and support."
"So maybe when you find him, you tell him that until he starts to believe it."
"When did you get so smart about relationships?"
"I'm not. Weevil standard policy is to love 'em and leave 'em begging for more." Weevil points to the used car lot across the street. "What do you think? I bet he bought a car. Even with the new hair..."
"...He wouldn't have risked public transportation. I agree," Veronica concurs.
"Why don't you wait here? Let me talk to them; they're not going to trust a gringa. Gimme the picture and some grease money."
Eli hurries over to 'Miguel's Pre-Owned Vehicles' while Veronica pretends to window-shop for discount jeans and knockoff shoes. She thinks, Maybe I should be leaving him alone. Maybe he's not running away from his problems, just running away from me. He hasn't tried to contact me. She sees a dress that vaguely reminds her of one that Logan bought for her, and she aches with the longing to see him again.
Weevil finds her a few minutes later. "Turns out this cholo Miguel knows my uncle Angel. Logan bought a Civic, about ten years old with a lot of miles. Sounds like a real piece of shit. And Miguel hooked up the paperwork for him, fake insurance papers and registration." He hands her a slip of paper with the information. "You okay?"
"Just...wondering if maybe I should leave him alone, let him be."
"Listen, Logan knew what he was getting when he started seeing you. He knew you're not some girly-girl that sits back and lets the world kick sand in her face. Some part of him is waiting for you to show up and ask him to come home," Eli comments.
Veronica looks at him.
"The Mars family is tough, and he knows that. Just look at your dad, that graveyard stunt."
"What? What graveyard stunt?" she asks curiously.
Weevil realizes his error. "Nothing. No big deal. Just something I helped your dad with. I thought you knew about it."
"Tell me. TELL ME. Something's going on with him, and he won't let me in,'' Veronica cries, grabbing Weevil's jacket.
"Can't keep your hands off me, huh?" Weevil says, trying to distract her.
"Don't change the subject. Tell me! What. Did. You. Do." she says, poking her finger on his chest with each word.
"Ow." He grabs her finger to stop the poking.
She continues to scowl at him.
"If you do end up in the FBI, all the criminals are just going to turn themselves in for fear you'll find them and look at them," he says shielding his eyes from her glare.
"Please," she begs him.
"Not the head tilt! What'd I tell you about that?" he teases.
"Eli...come on, I'll owe you a big favor. Anything you want. A get out of jail free card."
He hesitates, then tells her, "Your dad and I dug up a body in St. Mary's Cemetery. We were pretending to be from the coroner's office. He took something from the body. He didn't let me see it. We put the body back and got the hell out of there. Coño, I don't think I'm going to be able to go in a graveyard again after that smell."
"What was the name on the grave? Was it Matt Dannon?"
"I don't know, I didn't look. I didn't want to know. That's those pendejos, the Fitzpatricks, at St. Mary's."
"Yeah, I know." She thinks, This must be the corpse that Dad was looking for with the ground penetrating radar. Vinnie, you piece of shit! What did you get my dad into? Aloud, she says, "Did he say why you were doing this?"
Weevil hesitates, then says, "He said we were doing it to help you. I wouldn't have agreed to do it just for some case." He throws his arm over her shoulder. "Veronica, you should leave it alone. Come on, let's get going. I want to get back to Neptune."
"Can we make one more stop? I want to talk to Logan's shrink, see if she has any idea where he is," Veronica says.
"All right, as long as I don't have to talk to her. I hate fucking headshrinkers," he replies.
Fri. 2/6/09: Mars Investigations, Neptune, CA
Keith checks his email at the office and finds a new message from Cliff.
"That guy you asked me to check up on, Gorya Sorokin, was paroled today. He served 90 days on a weapons charge. He tried to purchase an illegal firearm from an undercover ATF agent."
Keith runs a search on Sorokin and discovers that he's the youngest child of the capo of a large Russian crime syndicate based in Brighton Beach, New York, with affiliates in Miami and Las Vegas. The capo, Vladimir 'Vlad' Sorokin, is serving twenty years on a murder rap. Keith wonders if the Sorokins are connected to the Chicago mobsters Sergei and Yevgeni Sukarenko that he helped put away several years before; he sends an email to a contact in the FBI asking about the Sorokins and any connections to the Sukarenkos.
Fri. 2/6/09: Somewhere in the United States
Logan hesitates outside a building on the outskirts of town. I haven't really talked to anybody except Dr. Friedman for over a week. He reads the sign again.
"Good Samaritan Rescue Mission. All are welcome here. Meals served at 11am and 5pm. Volunteers needed."
He finally screws up his courage and enters the building. At the front desk, he waits for a woman to notice him. She looks up and smiles. "How can I help you?"
"I'm...um...I'm interesting in volunteering. Maybe in the kitchen," he answers.
"Oh that's wonderful." She hands him a clipboard with a form. "Can you fill this out?"
He panics a little, but decides to just try to get through this. Let's just see what I have to fill out. He peruses the form. Name, address, phone number, a waiver of liability; okay, I can fudge all that. He starts to read the rules for volunteers.
1. Report any suspicious activity or any threatening words or gestures.
2. Do not give rides or money to a client. Do not take pictures of the clients without their permission.
3. Keep your scheduled appointment for volunteering. Call 555-2927 if you will not be able to keep your appointment.
4. Kitchen volunteers must wear a hairnet or a baseball cap at all times. You will be provided with an apron. Dress comfortably and be prepared to work for a minimum of one hour.
Logan remembers the bullshit volunteering he did with his father junior year. That was all for the paparazzi. This time...this time I'm hoping the paps don't find me. And I'm really hoping Friedman's right, that this'll make me feel better.
"Everything okay?" the lady asks. "Do you have any questions?"
"Yep. Where's my apron?" he replies, handing the form back to her.
"Oh, God bless you. I just need to make a copy of your ID," she adds.
Logan nervously hands it over. She comments, "It's just for the files. More paperwork for me everyday!!"
He smiles at her, hoping that's true. He knows his ID won't stand a lot of scrutiny, but from the appearance of this place, volunteers are desperately needed, and he's hoping it will slide by.
"Here's your ID. Okay, let's take you back and get you started!" the lady says.
•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
VERONICA MARS
10:00PM SHO ch: 340 60min 2009 TV-MA
Digging Deeper
Veronica meets with Dr. Friedman;
Leo works the evidence.
Veronica: Kristen Bell. Dr. Friedman:
Lorraine Bracco. Leo: Max Greenfield.
•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
CHAPTER THIRTY: "DIGGING DEEPER"
Fri. 2/6/09: Los Angeles, CA
When Dr. Friedman emerges from her treatment room to the waiting room, she is surprised to see Veronica Mars sitting there. Dr. Friedman walks over to the chairs where Veronica is sitting. "Hello, Veronica. What can I do for you?"
Veronica had ten opening gambits prepared, but her voice fails her. Finally, she starts to speak hesitantly. "Well, I, uh, wanted to ask your advice. It's about a case my dad and I are working on. And, well, uh, I was in Los Angeles, and I remembered Logan said you were a really great shrink," Veronica inwardly winces, regretting her word choice, "I mean, psychiatrist, and I hoped you'd have a little time to help me." She really does need advice about the Briar Hill school. The interview with Anthea Gittlesen has completely puzzled her. How could someone say that a demeaning, humiliating experience had helped them?
"Why don't you come in? I have a few minutes," Dr. Friedman replies, reentering her treatment room. As she takes a seat, she motions to Veronica that she should also sit.
Veronica notices the couch and several comfortable chairs. I get it, you're supposed to pick; that tells the therapist something about you. She selects the least comfortable chair, trying to send the message that this is just business; this is not personal.
Veronica summarizes what she and her father have discovered about Briar Hill. She asks, "How can a graduate of a school like that–someone who was subjected to isolation, beatings, and humiliation–be positive about their experience? Why wouldn't they just hate the people who did that to them?"
"The human mind has powerful coping mechanisms. When you are forced to live in an inhuman situation of terror and insanity, you try to make the experience into an uplifting one. They think, 'If I make it through this, I will truly be a better person.' And in this case, where the residents are forced to be complicit in the torture of others, they have to justify their actions by saying that 'the experience helped me; I'm only helping them. The school did cure me.' I can find some psychological studies for you to read. If you are going to continue to investigate this place, you need to understand why the graduates are defending their experience. And, Veronica, your work in this situation is very heroic. These schools are very damaging, and every exposé that shuts down a school saves children's lives. I see why Logan admires your courage and conviction."
Veronica flushes. "It's just a case."
"I don't think so. You seem personally invested."
Changing the subject, Veronica asks, "What about the parents? Why aren't they complaining when they're not allowed to see or talk to their children? And when their children return as zombies, emaciated like Holocaust victims, why don't they see that they made a mistake?"
"Again, the parents are relying on a defense mechanism. They were told over and over again that the school was the only thing that prevented their children from a horrific future of drug abuse, or a life in prison or on the streets. The fact that they paid so much, in some cases bankrupting themselves, only meant that the school must have been a highly effective treatment that their children needed desperately. Many were convinced to recruit other parents to send their children, so their complicity ensures that they will have to justify their actions to themselves. It would be very hard to get these parents to admit that they erred in sending their children to Briar Hill. They won't testify if there's a lawsuit."
"You mean, the parents did know that there was torture going on? I thought...I thought they just weren't aware of how bad it was," Veronica says.
"Perhaps some were not aware. But you told me yourself that the students had to thank their parents for sending them to the school in order to graduate from the program. The students had a powerful motive to tell their parents exactly what the parents wanted and needed to hear: that the school had saved them, cured them. So the parents' basic motivations were completely reinforced by the students' testimonials that the school was wonderful, that the harsh methods were completely justified and necessary."
"But that's...that's...diabolical. It's pure evil."
"I agree. Although there haven't been any studies using control groups, the data seems to indicate that students with mental disorders actually get worse at schools like this, and students who are just going through normal teenaged rebellion are permanently traumatized. So the schools are completely ineffective for the worst students and damaging to the best students. They actually make every child worse, and, in the process, they systematically take every cent they can from the parents. And they use methods that assure cooperation from every participant, willing or unwilling. It's going to be very difficult to eradicate these kinds of schools. It's going to take a federal initiative, to prevent the operators of the schools from reforming under new names each time a school is shut down."
Veronica is even more horrified than before, hearing Dr. Friedman's summary of the difficulties involved in their case.
Dr. Friedman continues gently, "Veronica, I think there must be a psychiatrist you could have consulted in Neptune. Why are you really here?"
Veronica flushes again. "I'm...worried about Logan. Have you talked to him? I know he's not in Madeira." She notices Dr. Friedman surreptitiously looking at her desk drawer.
Dr. Friedman takes pity on Veronica and says, "I have talked to him. He's all right. I actually don't know exactly where he is, but I'm hoping he'll come home soon."
"I just...miss him. I don't think that he's the cause of...everything bad. It's ridiculous."
"And it's hurtful that he ran away from you. Abandoned you, you might say."
Veronica looks at the therapist. You mean like my mother abandoned me?
Dr. Friedman continues, "It's not unusual for a deeply depressed person to push their friends and lovers away. Their concern seems to aggravate the anger that the patient is experiencing. Logan's very depressed, Veronica. You need to know that.
"But for you this is quite upsetting because he made sure that you saw his double acting out your worse fears, reliving the most painful part of your past history. That couldn't have been easy for you to see, and he knew how you would react...Maybe you should consider talking to somebody. I can give you a couple recommendations. This time apart must be very difficult for you." Dr. Friedman looks at Veronica sympathetically.
Veronica just stares. Finally she shakes herself and says, "I'll think about it. Thanks for speaking with me; I think I understand a lot better now."
"I'll find those psychological studies and overnight them to you." Dr. Friedman stands, escorts Veronica to the waiting room, and returns to her treatment room, firmly shutting the door.
Veronica thinks, There was something in her desk, something about Logan. She checks her watch and sees that it's 4:45; she assumes the good doctor will knock off work at 5:00. She quickly scans the waiting room and sees a closet with a flimsy lock. Veronica goes to the main door, opens it and shuts it without exiting, making a little more noise than necessary. She quickly pulls out her lock picks and makes her way to the closet. In a few seconds, she has popped the lock and opened the door. The closet contains office and cleaning supplies on several shelves. She quietly moves a few items, making a space, then crouches on the floor of the closet and shuts the door, making sure to engage the push-button lock on the doorknob. Hopefully, Dr. Friedman won't be needing any office supplies right now.
In a few minutes, Veronica hears Dr. Friedman coming into the waiting room and then exiting through the main door. She waits a few minutes, then cautiously and silently opens the closet door. The waiting room is empty. Veronica quickly goes to the door for the treatment room. It is locked, but Veronica is able to pick the lock after a few minutes' work, and she enters the treatment room. She goes to the desk. The middle drawer is locked, but the side drawer is unlocked and contains a disposable cell phone. She turns it on, noting that it has never received any calls and has only made calls to one number, which she carefully transcribes. She turns off the phone, removes the battery pack, and writes down the serial number she finds in the battery compartment. She reassembles the phone, replacing it exactly as she found it and closing the drawer, and leaves Dr. Friedman's office as quickly as possible.
Fri. 2/6/09: Neptune Sheriff's Department, Neptune, CA
Sheriff Leo D'Amato opens the report from the Los Angeles crime lab where he sent the crushed electronic device he found in Ranchita. The report states that the function of the device is unknown and unlikely to be determined due to its damaged condition. The device has an antenna, an adjustment dial, and five LED lights, and apparently is capable of emitting either sound or vibration. The crime lab notes that it is powered by two AA batteries and weighs about 90 grams. Overall dimensions are 87mm long by 55mm wide by 24mm high, or 3.4 x 2.2 x 0.9 inches.
Leo wonders, Some sort of pager? With an antenna to extend its range? It's difficult to get a cell phone signal in the desert; I wonder if it's also difficult to receive pages. Maybe this is an extended range pager.
He tries a few Google searches to see if such a pager exists, but comes up empty. He returns to the report, which concludes by enumerating the writing on the casing, or what writing is still visible after the exterior was damaged.
S??-?H??DV
The report says the second digit is most likely C, O, Q, 0, or 6; the third is I or 1; the fourth is S, 5, or 6; the sixth is O or 0; the seventh and eighth are S, 5, or 6 again. Leo sighs. What's that, 120 possible solutions? If they guessed right.
He begins the laborious task of trying each possibility. On the fifth try, when he inputs SCI-SH055DV into his Google search engine, he is shocked to see several results for a device labeled, 'Bug Detector - High Range Signal Detector'. Leo immediately clicks on the first link, and discovers that the picture matches the device in his hand exactly. He reads the description:
DETECT HIDDEN CAMERAS AND OTHER WIRELESS BUGS.
This unique high frequency scanner is used to detect peeping cameras, tapping, cellular phones and other radio frequency devices that may be hidden in your home or office. Avoid being the target of unwanted wireless peeping or tapping to protect your privacy or information from being disclosed secretly. Our new High Frequency Detector can detect wireless digital and analog signals up to 6 GHz. Stop disturbance of cellular phone communication within desired control area.
Wireless signals used in hidden spy cameras and other wireless eavesdropping surveillance equipment can now be detected. Now you can scan for high range hidden wireless signals that may be present in your home or office. Keep your business and family matters safe from unwanted viewers or listeners.
High Frequency Detector has 3 LED's. When a cellular phone or peeping camera is detected, the LED will light from level 1 to level 2 to level 3, and the beeping sound will change from slow to rapid indicating the strength of the detected signal.
The High Frequency Detector has vibration warning mode, just set the switch to silent. Silently scanning your environment will allow you to discreetly scan without your eavesdroppers knowing. A great tool for helping you to provide disinformation to your eavesdroppers. Use the included earphone to detect discreetly.
Specifically Designed For Easy Use, Which Does Not Require Complicated Installation or Any Professional Knowledge. (1)
Leo leans back in his chair thinking about the device. It says 'does not require professional knowledge', but everything about this arson screams 'professional'. The car in the fire was destroyed completely, and the evidence techs said it was possible that someone used acid to obliterate the identifying numbers on the vehicle. And this device is something that a law enforcement or corporate security professional would use to make sure their actions were not being observed remotely. This was not just a random firebug; this was someone with a reason to destroy that car and prevent its identification. Someone with a professional reason and the knowledge how to avoid detection...except that they made a small mistake and left this bug detector behind.
Leo finds a toll-free number on the website and calls the company, SpyGear, to ask about purchases in Balboa County. He's not surprised when they ask for a court order; he hangs up and phones an amenable judge, receiving a warrant that requests a list of all purchases in Balboa and the three adjacent counties within the last five years.
--
(1) www•spytechs•com/bugsweepequip/sho55dv•htm
•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
VERONICA MARS
10:00PM SHO ch: 340 60min 2009 TV-MA
In the Detective Business, We Call This a Clue
Veronica tries to track Logan and works on
the serial murder case; Veronica helps
Duncan get settled in.
Veronica: Kristen Bell. Duncan 2.0:
Chris Carmack.
•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE: "IN THE DETECTIVE BUSINESS, WE CALL THIS A CLUE"
Late Fri. 2/6/09: Hearst College, Neptune, CA
Veronica sighs. Logan's car is a dead end. She has run the vehicle information through various databases only to find out that the car was abandoned in Phoenix at least a week ago. Apparently several teenagers found the car with the keys in the ignition and went joy riding. The teens were drinking, and the car ended up in a ditch somewhere just outside of Phoenix; luckily, no one was hurt, and the Phoenix police seemed disinclined to investigate the "William Matthews" who doesn't actually exist. She opens her browser to MapQuest and traces a route from Los Angeles to Phoenix. Her heart sinks to realize that he could have been headed for Tucson, Albuquerque, El Paso, San Antonio, Dallas, or Houston; or any other number of cities further along this route; or any small town that struck his fancy along the way. She ruefully considers that a man who hired an impostor to deceive her probably wouldn't hesitate to double back on his tracks as well. He could be hiding somewhere under my nose here in Neptune, assuming I won't look for him so close to home.
She then runs a search on the identification number of the disposable cell phone she found in Dr. Friedman's office. It was purchased at a Walmart in Phoenix on the same day that the car was abandoned. She assumes that Logan has the phone with the number that was programmed into the one that Dr. Friedman had, and she begins to dial the number, hoping he'll answer. At the last digit, she changes her mind and terminates the call. He'll run if I call him. Shit! I should have taken the other phone. He would have answered if he thought it was Friedman calling. But...he might have run anyways, and right now Dr. Friedman is his only contact to his old life. I don't want him to lose that. It sounds like she's trying to convince him to come home, and if he's willing to talk to her and not me, then...I'd better stay out of it. The frustration that she is so close to finding him, yet still completely unable to make contact, overwhelms her.
She knows it's futile, but she runs a search on 'William Matthews' anyways. Logan chose well; the normalcy of the name results in an abundance of hits, and she abandons the search soon after. Veronica is positive anyways that he would have gotten new identification at the same time as obtaining new transportation in Phoenix. I suppose I could take a trip to Phoenix and see if I can get lucky again. What if he's done this over and over again, determined to keep me away? How long will I keep chasing him? She imagines dragging Weevil, Wallace, and Mac around the country, fruitlessly searching for Logan as he becomes ever more accomplished at concealing his tracks.
She ransacks her brain, trying to come up with another way to find him. She starts to make a list of ideas, but each idea gets crossed out as either impossible to follow up on or unlikely to have results. After a while, she gets so discouraged that she just rests her head on the desk to try to clear her mind.
She looks at the manila folders she got from Mike Fields that morning and decides to spend some time going through them since she's not making any progress finding Logan. She creates a new file on her laptop and makes a list of serial killer's victims and a few pertinent details.
Catherine Kerr
DOB: 4-28-86
Date of Death: 7-31-04
Born in Topeka, KS; moved to Los Angeles in 2003.
Occupation: Prostitute
Hair: Blonde
Weight: 120
Height: 5'8"
Theresa Drummond
DOB: 6-23-87
Date of Death: 1-14-06
Born in Albany, NY; moved to Los Angeles in 2004.
Occupation: Prostitute
Hair: Blonde
Weight: 115
Height: 5'5"
Lysa Dean
DOB: 2-5-88
Date of Death: 5-13-06
Born in Lincoln, NE; moved to Los Angeles in 2005.
Occupation: Prostitute
Hair: Blonde
Weight: 122
Height: 5'9"
Evangeline Bellemer
DOB: 7-31-89
Date of Death: 10-7-06
Born in Portland, OR; moved to Los Angeles in 2006.
Occupation: Prostitute
Hair: Blonde
Weight: 108
Height: 5'2"
Gloria Doyle
DOB: 6-17-88
Date of Death: 3-3-07
Born in San Diego, CA; moved to Los Angeles in 2005.
Occupation: Prostitute
Hair: Blonde
Weight: 112
Height: 5'3"
Elizabeth Kapp
DOB: 4-3-89
Date of Death: 6-30-07
Born in San Francisco, CA; moved to Los Angeles in 2007.
Occupation: Prostitute
Hair: Blonde
Weight: 120
Height: 5'7"
Mary Alice McDermit
DOB: 11-22-88
Date of Death: 11-24-07
Born in San Francisco, CA; moved to Los Angeles in 2006.
Occupation: Prostitute
Hair: Blonde
Weight: 127
Height: 5'9"
Linda Lewellen
DOB: 10-19-90
Date of Death: 8-16-08
Born in Miami, FL; moved to Los Angeles in 2007.
Occupation: Prostitute
Hair: Blonde
Weight: 105
Height: 5'1"
Hannah Griffith
DOB: 12-5-90
Date of Death: 1-17-09
Born in Neptune, CA; moved to Los Angeles (unknown date).
Occupation: Unknown; presumed to be a prostitute
Hair: Blonde
Weight: 107
Height: 5'6"
Veronica makes a list of all the correspondences between the victims: all are Caucasian, blonde, and thin, of varying heights, all are around 18-19, none are originally from LA, all are prostitutes. She looks at the toxicology reports and finds that all the previous victims were in fact addicted to heroin unlike Hannah, whose results from a hair analysis test showed that she had not been using regularly. She notices that one victim, Mary Alice McDermit, died two days after her birthday, and for some reason the coincidence overwhelms Veronica with sadness.
She looks at their school records to see if by chance any of the other girls went to tough-love programs like Briar Hill. Veronica knows from her research that similar programs are run as drug rehab centers or 'outward bound' type programs, and she scrutinizes each file for possible connections. One girl, Elizabeth Kapp, was a participant in a summer wilderness program for troubled youth, but none of the other girls appear to have attended any similar programs.
She lists the dates of birth in order; then the dates of death; then the cities where the victims were born, and fails to find any similarities. She peruses the medical examiners' reports and sees that all victims had the design of a crude heart cut into their lower abdomen after death. Veronica looks up, startled; she realizes this is the information that has been held back from the press. She compares Hannah's autopsy report and sees that her torso was defiled as well, and the heart appeared to be made with the same type of scalpel-like instrument as the other victims' wounds.
All of the remarks on Hannah's autopsy echo the comments on the other victims' reports: "The cause of death is a five-inch transverse knife wound located on the victim's neck. The direction and angle of the wound indicate the assailant was right-handed and apparently standing in front of the victim. Both carotid arteries and jugular veins were transected." "Lividity indicates that the victim was killed on Saturday, January 17, and the body was moved to the crime scene location more than twelve hours subsequent to the time of death. Time of death was also confirmed by pathology results."
One victim's name seems a little familiar, and she runs a background check on Gloria Doyle. She is surprised to see that Gloria is a distant relation of the Fitzpatricks and a cousin of Ed Doyle, the bus driver who drove the bus off the cliff her senior year. She looks at Gloria's criminal record and sees that Gloria spent time in juvenile detention for several minor offenses and was arrested in San Diego and in Los Angeles for solicitation numerous times, with most offenses reduced to misdemeanors. She frowns and looks at Hannah's file again; no arrests, in fact no information at all about Hannah since she left the boarding school. All the other victims have long rap sheets, with arrests and convictions for various crimes, but primarily featuring prostitution and drug arrests. It seems like it's par for the course for a hooker to be arrested; if Hannah really was a prostitute, why didn't she have a rap sheet? So that's two differences between Hannah's case and the others.
Veronica spends a long time looking at the dates of the murders.
Sat. 7/31/04
Sat. 1/14/06
Sat. 5/13/06
Sat. 10/7/06
Sat. 3/3/07
Sat. 6/30/07
Sat. 11/24/07
Sat. 8/16/08
She remembers when the murders began to occur closer together in 2006 that there was rampant speculation that the killer was 'decompensating'; unable to maintain his sanity, the killer was supposedly taking greater risks to kill his victims more often. Then when there was a lapse of six months and later one of nine months, FBI officials began to suggest that the killer had been incarcerated for other crimes that kept him off the streets and prevented him from killing more girls.
Veronica looks at her list of dates again and sighs. If the FBI with all its resources is stumped by this killer, how can I hope to solve this case? Suddenly, her frustration turns into anger at Logan. Damn you, Logan! If this is what I have to do to bring you home, you're asking the impossible. She slams the laptop shut and heads for bed, hoping to dream of anything but Madeira, Logan Echolls, or a creepy serial killer with an unknown agenda.
Sat. 2/7/09: Neptune Grand Hotel, Neptune, CA
The next day, when Veronica enters the suite at the Neptune Grand, she is confronted by boxes everywhere she looks. Duncan sees the look on her face and comments, "Yeah, I have a lot of stuff. Thanks for coming over to help...and for keeping me company. I'm pretty freaked out about the hearing on Monday." He glances to make sure Jane is still in her room before he continues. "I'm really not sure this is the best thing. I know that Stewart Manning should pay for what he did to Meg, but I'm worried I won't get custody. I'm a criminal now in the eyes of the court."
Veronica notes the dark circles under his eyes and his stressed expression, and she begins to worry. "Duncan, if you run again, how will you explain to Jane that you didn't punish the man who abused her mother?"
"I'll tell her I ran to make sure she could be with me forever," he replies defensively.
"And if you're caught, and go to jail? If you don't accept the amnesty deal, and you get caught, you'll go to prison for kidnapping, Duncan. How will you explain that to Jane?" Veronica asks. "You have to do this, Duncan. I know you'll get custody." After a pause, she inquires, "Have you gotten the results back from Lizzie's DNA test to know for sure?"
"No, but...now that I've had time to think about it, I don't think there's any possible explanation for Meg's behavior other than..." Duncan's voice trails off.
"I know. I didn't want to accept it at first. I didn't want to believe that Meg would do that to you–"
"To us, Veronica. She did it to us. We would still be together if she hadn't hatched this plan."
Veronica looks at him quizzically and tries again. "I didn't want to believe Meg would deceive you like that. But Dad's right: in a situation like this, people are unpredictable and desperate."
"We'll know for sure on Monday. I paid a lot of money to make sure the test results would be available before my amnesty hearing. I ran into Lizzie at the testing lab. She looked terrible. She's still living at home you know; I don't know how she can stand to be in the same room with him," Duncan comments.
"That's awful."
Duncan starts to pace around the room. "Veronica, I really don't know about this. What if they don't decide to give me custody? I can't live without my daughter. It's not too late to just leave the country again. It wasn't that bad being on the run. After what happened with Aaron's trial..."
"Duncan, no! You can't run away...this is the right thing to do. And I'm sure you'll be awarded custody."
Duncan is not so sure, but he drops the point for now. He turns to Veronica and tries to affect a lighter tone. "So let's see what's in all these boxes. When my parents moved up to Napa, they boxed everything up. Well, actually, Astrid boxed everything up. My mother wouldn't break a fingernail packing anything."
"Things not too smooth with Celeste right now?" Veronica notes.
"She still can't get past being a grandmother," he responds.
"She's a poopiehead!" Jane pops up from the doorway. Veronica starts laughing.
"Jane, what did I tell you about listening to private conversations?" Duncan asks, walking over to the little girl. "And I don't want you to use that word, okay? Especially about your grandmother." To Veronica, he adds, "Astrid taught her that word. Celeste was probably being a B-I-T-C-H again."
"Hard to believe that St. Celeste was not being nice," Veronica comments sarcastically.
"Jane, do you want to do some coloring while Veronica and I work?" Duncan asks. The little girl nods her head, and Duncan finds a coloring book and a box of crayons.
Veronica watches them and says, "It couldn't have been easy for you overseas...a little kid with all her toys and diapers and everything, and you had to be able to pick up and run at the drop of a hat."
"I learned pretty quickly what was absolutely essential, and we had a 'go' bag packed at all times. Once we only had ten minutes to get our stuff together before we had to run. Jane doesn't have a lot of stuffed animals and toys, but what she does have is precious and memorable."
"Mr. Boogles! Veronica, do you want to see Mr. Boogles?" Jane runs into the other room and returns with a bedraggled pink stuffed elephant in her arms.
"Very nice, Jane," Veronica comments. How's your mother instincts, Veronica? Check...still on hold, thank god. I don't envy Duncan.
Veronica motions to a stack of boxes and says, "Okay to start with these?"
"Uh-huh. There's a lot of stuff that should just be thrown out, I'm sure."
Veronica finds that the first box is full of clothes, and she takes the box into Duncan's bedroom and puts the clothes into drawers. She sorts out a few items that are probably too worn or dated for Duncan to consider donating to charity.
The next box is all sporting gear, and Duncan tells her to just leave it packed up; he's not sure when he'll have time to play games in the near future.
She thinks, Duncan is so serious now; everything is for Jane. I've never seen him like this. I know they say everything changes when you become a parent, but he still surprises me. She realizes something and thinks, I remember we were all so worried because he didn't seem to care about anything. Hollow Duncan is gone.
Veronica opens another box and finds papers–lots of papers. It looks like Duncan's schoolwork from Neptune High School. "Uh, Duncan, do you want to keep this sex-ed quiz? You got a 98. Looks like you missed the question on bisexuality."
"I did not! Let me see that!" Duncan says, trying to grab the paper.
Veronica holds the quiz away from him and dances out of reach. "It's okay to be curious, Duncan. 75 percent of all teens have these feelings, you know," Veronica says smugly.
Duncan gets the paper out of her hands and looks at it. "I misspelled gonorrhea. Christ, Veronica, that was a long time ago. None of this stuff matters. I think you should just chuck the whole box."
"What if there's a note from Meg in there? Maybe it would help in your case. You might not have thought it was important at the time, but it might show her state of mind when she was planning this," Veronica says more seriously. "I'll go through the papers, okay?"
"Just..." Duncan's voice trails off.
"What?"
"If you find something from her, just don't read it okay? Let me see it first, all right?" Duncan asks.
"All right."
Celeste apparently saved everything her darling boy ever did. Every pop quiz, every essay, every mention in the school newspaper was carefully placed in the box. Veronica's eyes begin to cross as she sorts through the miscellanea. Duncan gives her permission to throw out all his schoolwork, and she quickly fills a garbage bag with the papers. Towards the bottom of the box, she finds a brightly-colored flyer and looks at it curiously.
'FULL MOON PARTY! SATURDAY JULY 31'
There are pictures of martini glasses and stars decorating the flyer, and, after the date, the symbols K, 9, and an hourglass are listed.
"What's this?" Veronica asks, showing Duncan.
Duncan thinks a moment, then says, "Sean Friedrich threw a party at Dog Beach. It was the summer after Lilly died. You and I were broken up. I don't know why I saved that." He turns the flyer over, and sees handwriting on the back. "Some girl's phone number, I think." At Veronica's expression, he shrugs, 'sorry'.
Veronica is calculating. "You're sure it was the summer after Lilly died? That's 2004, right?"
Duncan replies, "Positive. What does it matter? It was just a stupid party. I remember Logan was drunk off his ass, howling at the moon, and Dick was mooning all the girls."
"That's one of the dates of the serial killings. Saturday, July 31, 2004." Veronica goes over to her bag and gets out her laptop. "Duncan, is there Wi-Fi here in the hotel?"
"Probably...but you know me, I'm completely incompetent at tech stuff," Duncan replies.
"Right, son of internet innovator can barely turn on a computer, I remember," she says drily. She figures out how to get access to the hotel's Wi-Fi signal and surfs to a webpage on phases of the moon. She opens her file on the serial killings and compares the dates of the killings to the webpage as Duncan watches over her shoulder. She sits back in the chair, stunned. She turns to Duncan and says, "All the killings except for Hannah's were on dates with a full moon." Veronica has another thought and returns to look at the data on the webpage. "In fact, the serial killer has struck on every Saturday that was also a full moon since the killings began. It looks to me like the gaps in the killings weren't random and weren't due to the killer being in prison or otherwise unable to pursue his compulsions."
"What does that mean?" he asks.
"It's just one more thing about Hannah's killing that doesn't add up," she replies. She thinks, Was Hannah killed by a copycat killer? But why?? Why would someone want to kill Hannah if not a deranged serial killer? To cover up something that Hannah knows? Maybe Hannah knows something about Briar Hill. Maybe she threatened to expose the school. Now that she had turned eighteen...maybe she decided to go after the school for its abuses. What if she saw something at the school that someone wanted to cover up...someone ruthless enough to track her to Los Angeles and murder her?
Slang Mexican-American dialogue by 'Babushcka'.
Pendejos - asshole
Chingón - fuck
Oiga Seño, estamos buscando a un cuate. - Hey mama. We're looking for a friend of ours.
Se metió en una bronca y creemos que cambió su aspecto. - He was in some trouble, and we think he tried to change his appearance.
Una chava se embarazó y le dijo a su jefe que nuestro amigo la violó; y no es cierto, él es buena onda. - A girl got pregnant and told her father that our friend raped her; it wasn't true; he's a good guy.
Pero la chava luego se arrepintió y le confesó a su jefe que no es cierto, así que ya no hay bronca para nuestro cuate. - But the girl finally told her father the truth, and he's off the hook.
Estamos tratando de encontrarlo para decirle que ya puede regresar. - We're trying to find him to tell him he can come home.
Esta es su chava. - This is his girlfriend.
Ella lo ama y quiere que regrese a casa. - She loves him and wants him to come home.
Sí, estuvo aqui. Ay ay ay tan guapo, un taco de ojo. - Yes, he was here. Ah, so good-looking, very easy on the eyes.
Se peleó con nosotros porque no queriamos arruinar lo guapo que es. - He argued with us; we didn't want to ruin how beautiful he was.
Pero nos dio harta lana así que le enseñamos como hacerlo y como mantenerlo bien y le enseñamos a usar el tinte de pelo. - He gave us so much money though. And then he asked us how to do it, how to keep it looking good, and then we showed him how to use the hair dye.
¿Cómo se ve ahora? - What does he look like now?
Se peina diferente ahora, se hace la raya del lado y se lacio el pelo. No se ve bien. - He's parting his hair different than this now. It's parted on the side and smoothed down. It doesn't look good.
Y no se ha rasurado en un par de dias; creo que se está dejando la barba. - And he hadn't shaved for a couple days. I think he's growing a beard.
¿Están seguros que ya no hay pedo, ya no está en peligro? - You're sure that he is safe now?
El nos dijo que estaba muy preocupado por su vida y nos dio lástima. - He told us he was very worried for his life, and we felt so bad for him.
coño - fuck
See the Full Moon Party flyer here.
i259•photobucket•com/albums/hh302/VanessaGalore/FullMoonPartyGraphic6•jpg
(replace "•" with ".")