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.
Previously on Veronica Mars: The Year of Living Dangerously Part Two
vanessagalore•livejournal•com/39048•html
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VERONICA MARS
10:00PM SHO ch: 340 60min 2009 TV-MA
Playing Catch-up
Dick reaches out to Mac; Logan gets up to
speed on the Briar Hill mission; Duncan
asks Mars Investigations for help.
Veronica: Kristen Bell. Logan: Jason
Dohring. Keith: Enrico Colantoni. Cliff:
Daran Norris. Dick: Ryan Hansen. Mac:
Tina Majorino. Duncan 2.0: Chris Carmack.
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CHAPTER FORTY-TWO: "PLAYING CATCH-UP"
Fri. 2/27/09: San Diego RCFL, San Diego, CA
Email to Cynthia MacKenzie from Richard Casablancas, Jr.; rec'd 2/27/08.
"Yo Mac, Ronnie said you were in protective custody with the FBI, and she said it's all because of the Pi Sigs' computers. She was pretty pissed at me for putting you in danger. I would never hurt you, you know that right? I'm really sorry. What's a little identity theft compared to a bomb?
I'm hoping the FBI dudes will send this on to you. Ronnie said you can't contact anybody, but hey, maybe you'd like to hear from some of your friends. We're friends, right? That was fun, figuring out Logan's password. Almost as much as fun as our trips to Vegas.
You're not going to believe it. Ronnie found Logan, and SHE DIDN'T GO AND GRAB HIM BY THE NUTS AND DRAG HIM HOME. She told me he was all right, and she'd let him come back when he was ready. I know you won't believe it, but the Dickster was struck dumb when he found out. Friggin' redonculous! Whoops, my bad, if the censors are reading this, I didn't mean anything by 'friggin'. Shit, I did it again!
Other than that, it's pretty much the same old, same old, around here. You know, porn, pizza, and parties, the three basic "P" groups. Hey, you'd be proud, I went to all my classes this week. I did fall asleep in my Women's Studies class though. Who knew that class was going to be so tough? I thought we were going to study women. Turns out that it's about a bunch of women activists. You ask me, I think some of them are dykes. Oh, yeah, I forgot. 'Lesbians'. Or 'Transgender Individuals'. Man, I could use your help in that class, just to understand all the words.
I miss you, Mac. Hope you're okay and not too lonely. Write back if they let you.
Dick"
Fri. 2/27/09 morning: Sunset Cliffs Apartments, Neptune, CA
Logan frowns at the laptop screen, disturbed by what he is reading. Keith and Veronica have gone to the Neptune courthouse for Keith's preliminary hearing; Logan wanted to attend, but upon discussion, the three of them agreed that it would be better for Logan to stay home. So far, no one has recognized Logan due to his changed appearance, and Logan hopes that it will stay that way. He realizes with a sinking heart that eventually the paparazzi will recognize him, and the media circus will start again; but for the time being, Logan wants to enjoy his anonymity. Veronica ruefully said that she wished he'd cut his hair, go back to his natural color, and shave his beard, but she agreed that she too was enjoying the temporary peace. When she left, she kissed Logan goodbye and caressed his moustache; he chuckled and smiled wryly as she pretended to sniff the air. "I'm going to enjoy it as long as I can," he whispered, winking at her.
Logan knows that the preliminary hearing will be merely a formality; the prosecuting attorney had called Keith at home the evening before and said that he had received word from the sheriff's department that there had been an error with the evidence. The attorney apologized profusely and said that he would be withdrawing the case against Keith. Keith said, "That's good to hear," but Logan knew the truth: Keith was heart-broken that Veronica had stooped to blackmailing Leo.
The evening before had been punctuated by long silences, as the three of them kept thinking about the dirty deal that was made at the sheriff's department. Neither Veronica nor Logan slept well that night; each of them was keenly aware that the other was remembering that day's confrontation with Leo D'Amato. Veronica kept thinking about Aaron trying to burn her alive in the freezer and his being acquitted of the attack and Lilly's murder due to Leo's perfidy. Logan helplessly relived the trauma of watching the tapes and destroying the evidence of his father's affair with his girlfriend, thereby playing his own role in enabling his father's acquittal. Both Logan and Veronica pictured Aaron, smug and manipulative behind bars, secure in the knowledge that he had ensured his freedom with a cash payment to a susceptible pawn.
Finally, just before dawn, Veronica rolled onto her side and looked at him. Logan was lying on his back, staring at the ceiling with his right arm bent and propping up his head; he turned to her questioningly, and she whispered, "Make love to me; I don't want to think anymore."
He rolled onto his side to face her and replied quietly, "Veronica...it's going to be okay; your dad's going to be fine." He reached for her face and gently stroked her cheek.
She closed her eyes and sighed, "I don't want you to go back to L.A. I need you here."
He thought, All this time...I didn't think how it was for her. How could I have... "Veronica, I'm sorry I–"
"Just kiss me..." She reached for his hand still on her cheek and leaned into him, finding his mouth and brushing it with a soft kiss.
He caught his breath: the softness of her kiss was more arousing than the bold and persistent kiss of a temptress. He kissed her back gently, feeling his body respond to her. He pressed into her more strongly, feeling the curves of her body, her well-remembered reactions stirring his own sense-memory. He groaned quietly as she ran her fingers down his back, and Veronica's answering shiver told him she was remembering too. Logan cupped her ass, pulling her leg over him, and she murmured nonsense words, "Logan, oh...", sighing her pleasure that he was there for her. He was almost hard when she reached down and touched him, stroking him, claiming him, and he began to breathe heavily, taking her mouth with his and showing her just how he was feeling with his tongue.
She startled him by shifting her body and taking him inside; he was awed by Veronica's readiness and her smooth welcoming wetness that engorged him. He reached for her breast, and she arched into him, rocking him with her need and longing. She set a slow and steady pace, and he hurried to catch up and be with her, thrust with her. He pulled back to see her face, and he saw concentration and determination and trust; it made him ache to see how she still trusted him, after he...after he... He pushed the thought out of his head and focused on her, on her beauty and sensuality, and on the closeness, the interconnectedness of them, and he rocked with her as she took what she needed from him.
After, they finally slept, holding onto each other for comfort. When the alarm sounded, they woke to find their hands still intertwined, each unwilling to release the other even in sleep. As Veronica and her father got ready for Keith's hearing, Logan watched her, thinking and wondering.
Logan asked Veronica before she left with Keith if he could look at her notes on the Briar Hill investigation; Veronica pursed her lips, knowing he would be upset. Logan persisted, saying that he might have useful information from the time he spent with Hannah. Finally she agreed and opened her notes files on her laptop for him. "Try not to freak out," she said, with a forced cheerfulness. "Dad and I have been working on this a while, and we're still working out the kinks in the plan. I promise: we're going to make absolutely sure that I'm safe."
Logan reads Veronica's notes on the interview with the educational consultant and the meeting with the Gittlesens. He gasps when he reads about the transport service, thinking about delicate Hannah forcibly handcuffed on a long cross-country ride to the school in Vermont. She was so thin and fragile. But then he remembers her defying her parents in order to keep seeing him: she was stronger than she looked. That must be how she found the strength to run away. Veronica had noted the catch-phrases spouted by Andrea Gittlesen, and Logan imagines the school trying to force Hannah to parrot these responses.
I don't care if Hannah's mother doesn't blame me; I know I am at least partly responsible for Hannah going to this school, he reflects morosely. He knows that Veronica and Keith had decided that if Keith had to go to prison, they would have called off the Briar Hill operation and turned the evidence they had collected over to the attorney suing the school; for a fleeting moment, he regrets helping Veronica blackmail Leo, since she will now be able to follow through on the undercover operation.
Logan keeps reading; he sees some notes from Veronica's conversation with Dr. Friedman, and he realizes that she used the investigation as a ruse to talk with his shrink. He wishes he could have seen the two women battling it out; he's sure that Veronica was trying to manipulate the doctor into revealing information, and he's just as sure that Dr. Friedman was completely in control of the conversation. Not for the first time, he thinks that the inner strength of his therapist reminds him of Veronica's determination and drive.
He reads the notes from the Mars' interview with Attorney Epstein. Parents bankrupted by exorbitant fees; girl never saw a psychiatrist; solitary confinement; stress positions; attack therapy. As he continues to read, he becomes more and more agitated. Students forced to admit to imaginary offenses in order to progress in the program; make up stories of drug use, sex, and crimes to satisfy the counselors' demand for 'honesty'; resisting treatment causes school to add months to the program's duration; parents warned ahead of time that students will make up stories of abuse; students warehoused in bunk beds and underfed; parents signed liability waiver that specifically allowed use of mace, tasers, restraints, and corporal punishment. Goals of undercover operation: document interview not conducted by psychiatrist; document corporal punishment, violations of mandated child abuse reporting, and inadequate caloric intake; demonstrate lack of training for the security guards in proper restraint techniques; document excesses of attack therapy; document use of older students to discipline newer students, thereby shielding staff from complaints of abuse.
The words flash like neon signs in Logan's brain: he pictures Hannah, already too thin, losing more weight and becoming weaker; he imagines Hannah being forced to tell of their tryst at the Neptune Grand and admitting that she initiated contact; he sees Hannah restrained by a burly guard, crying and swearing that she'll behave herself, and nevertheless being sentenced to time in solitary confinement or some sort of stress position. Logan's mind conjures horrific images of Hannah handcuffed or holding a pose like the pictures from the Abu Graib prison scandal.
Then his heart stops, as he remembers that Veronica's going to go into this situation willingly. He begins to pace around the room, trying to calm himself. His rational mind knows that Veronica is tough and trained in self-defense, but his emotions overwhelm his logic, and he is afraid for her. He is terrified; he knows that she is committed to this operation, and nothing he does will prevent her from going undercover.
Veronica's words on the beach in South Padre echo in his head: "I thought you might come home if I solved her murder." Logan realizes that by running away he set into motion the very thing he was trying to prevent.
Suddenly, the apartment seems claustrophobic, and Logan looks around for a baseball cap to wear, intending to go for a walk on the beach as he was doing daily in South Padre. Backup watches him alertly, hoping for an outing. Logan collects Backup's leash and is headed out the door with the dog when he is seized by a panic attack. In Neptune, the face of Logan Echolls is well-known, and he knows a baseball cap, a beard, and darker hair won't prevent people from recognizing him. Overwhelmed by self-loathing and regret, he shuts the door and paces restlessly around the room, as Backup sits watching with a confused expression.
Fri. 2/27/09 morning: Balboa County Courthouse, Neptune, CA
"Case dismissed. You're free to go, Mr. Mars," the judge intones.
Keith nods at the judge, an old friend. He turns around to Veronica, seated behind the defense table. She stands up and hugs him, whispering, "Let's get out of here."
As they walk out, arm-in-arm accompanied by Cliff McCormack, Veronica sees Duncan seated in the last row. He has gone back to his natural hair color and his old short hair cut, and he is sporting new glasses that make him look professorial. He stands up and says, "Thank god the case was dismissed. Congratulations, Mr. Mars."
"New look?" Veronica asks, noting Duncan's preppy outfit.
He shrugs, running his fingers through his short hair. "I'm sick of dyeing my hair. I don't know how women do it." Duncan looks at Veronica seriously. "I wanted to be here for you and your dad, Veronica; you've been so supportive of me. And I was hoping to talk to you about something. I bribed one of the bellhops at the Grand; he sneaked me out in a laundry hamper and brought me here. I'm pretty sure the paparazzi are still staked out at the entrance of the hotel. Can we find someplace a little more private to talk? Someplace where the reporters won't see us?"
Cliff says, "We can use an attorney's conference room. Technically, you're still my client. I'm assuming you don't mind if I'm present?"
"No," Duncan responds. "I was hoping you'd be here. I need your opinion too."
The four of them closet themselves in the private room. Duncan pulls out a piece of paper and gives it to Veronica. He clears his throat and begins to speak. "I've been...seeing this woman for a couple weeks. My attorneys are working on the custody case, and they've told me I need to careful about my relationships with women. There can't be even the appearance of impropriety at this point, because Meg's mother might use it against me to try to win custody. I don't really know anything about this woman. Katya seems to care about me, but...I don't know. She really doesn't ever talk about herself; she did say at one point that she's in town to collect on an old debt."
Veronica looks at the paper and sees the name 'Katerina Ingeborg Beversdorf', an address in Argentina, and an Argentinian passport number and driver's license information.
Keith asks sharply, "What are you thinking, Duncan?"
"I'm worried that she's married. It would look bad for me at the hearing if I was involved with a married woman," Duncan explains.
"You're right, Duncan, the judge is going to be looking for a stable family situation in your case," Cliff comments. "It's moralistic and unfair, but the appearance of impropriety would really undermine your case, especially since you're basing your claim on Mrs. Manning's being an unfit parent."
Duncan nods and continues, "It's not just that. Katerina could be after my money; it's been trumpeted in the press that I have millions in a trust fund. She could even be a spy for the Mannings. I can't imagine how they could have known it was me in the Neptune Grand before the amnesty hearing, but the Mannings were tracking me for a long time overseas. Their detectives almost caught me and Jane in Sydney; we were lucky–we got on a train just as the doors were closing, and we were able to lose them. I was pretty sure that they had lost my trail before I had my plastic surgery, but maybe they somehow were able to follow me and were aware of my new appearance."
"Why not just break off the relationship with Katerina?" Veronica says logically.
Duncan avoids looking at her directly as he replies tensely, "Veronica, you don't understand. I've been very lonely for a long time. And now, I don't even have my daughter. I...I need this woman; I'm not dealing with this very well, and it helps to have..." his voice trails off.
For a moment, Veronica regrets her harsh words to Duncan two weeks earlier. But she shakes herself, thinking, I wouldn't have done him any favors by stringing him along. It's better that he knows how I feel. Aloud, she says, "I know it's been hard, Duncan. Your parents aren't exactly supportive."
Duncan ruefully nods his agreement.
She continues, "Duncan, I could swear I met her somewhere before. Did she say that she knew me?"
"No, she asked me who you were," he replies. "But...she did say, she's been in Neptune before. And she knows about my sister's murder and the Aaron Echolls trial. I know the case had national coverage, but still, it sounds like she has a history here in Neptune."
Cliff clears his throat and asks, "Who er...initiated contact?"
"We had seen each other in the hallway at the hotel. A couple days before my hearing, she asked if I wanted to share a bottle of wine. And then..." Duncan glances at Veronica before continuing lamely, "One thing led to another."
Veronica quickly calculates the dates in her head and realizes two days before the hearing was the same night that she had rejected him. She stares at Duncan; he meets her eyes briefly then looks away. Duncan was pretty vulnerable that night; he was worried about his daughter, then I kicked him to the curb. Recalling her own experience with the Piz sex video, she voices a new thought. "Duncan, do you think it's possible she planted recording devices in your room? If she's working for the Mannings..."
Duncan looks extremely worried when Veronica mentions recording devices. He stutters a little when he says, "She's a little c-crazy, I mean, it's...exciting with her. She's definitely...experienced." He closes his eyes and rubs his forehead.
Veronica thinks, What the hell were they doing? My memory of sex with the Donut is missionary, rinse, repeat; comfortable and predictable.
Keith says, "Veronica, I think you should sweep Duncan's room for bugs and videocameras. In the meantime, I'll do a background check. If there's something in her background that would reflect badly on you, or if we find a connection to the Mannings, we'll let you know right away. Don't worry, Duncan; we'll take care of it for you." He grabs Duncan's arm in a gesture of support and comfort.
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VERONICA MARS
10:00PM SHO ch: 340 60min 2009 TV-MA
High-Tech Crimes and Misdemeanors
Mac at the FBI; a lead in Shawn's murder
investigation; a break-in at Mars Investigations.
Keith: Enrico Colantoni. Mac: Tina Majorino.
Wallace: Percy Daggs III. Candice Pauling:
Toy Connor. Alan Sheffield: Ned Vaughn.
Leon: Jerry Shea.
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CHAPTER FORTY-THREE: "HIGH-TECH CRIMES AND MISDEMEANORS"
Fri. 2/27/09: San Diego RCFL, San Diego, CA
Mac sighs. Some days she imagines she can see as far as Neptune out the window of the nondescript highrise building housing the FBI's San Diego Regional Computer Forensics Laboratory. It's not that the work she's doing is that bad, but no one here has a personality. She's become used to the stares at the red streak in her hair and at her jeans and T-shirts as she walks down the hallways filled with agents dressed in matching dark suits and white shirts. Mac balked when her FBI handler suggested she might be more comfortable in chinos and a button-down shirt. She privately wonders how the robotlike agents can keep their emotions so guarded; Mac secretly thinks it's a good thing that Veronica won't be doing the FBI program anymore, although she would never tell her that.
Today, Mac's agenda starts with a meeting with CART, the Computer Analysis and Response Team. Her handler, Special Agent-in-Charge Alan Sheffield, walks into the office and takes a seat. "So, Ms. MacKenzie, you remember that some of the top computer forensic investigators in the country will be at today's meeting. There will be representatives from the DCFL, the Department of Defense Computer Forensic Laboratory, and from C.A.T.C.H., the High Tech Crimes Task Force. They're quite anxious to see what you've come up with in trying to recreate Rick Picket's investigation into the Russian Mafia."
Mac responds, "And I'll be representing ROFLMAO."
Alan looks at her in puzzlement. "I'm not familiar with that agency."
"Never mind. It was a joke," Mac explains. She sighs again. These people sure know how to take the fun out of computer hacking. At least they bought me the computer of my dreams. Every component of her computer is state-of-the-art; some of the components are even unreleased prototypes that Mac had only dreamed of. She is enjoying the work, but Mac is lonely. She misses Veronica and Wallace; she even misses Dick harassing her. She says to Sheffield, "Thanks for passing on that email from my friend; it really made my day today."
Alan replies, "You know you can't write back to him."
"C'mon, you can censor it and send it through the Los Angeles FBI Office. It's perfectly safe," she wheedles. "I miss my friends. You gotta give me something."
"I let you write to your friend Veronica. She still has a security clearance from when she was in the program," Alan explains. "Other than her, I think it's a bad idea."
"You know, a little contact with my friends might help me to work faster. I'm going crazy, just sitting in a hotel room at night with a guard outside the door. Room service got old fast. I've already watched every pay-per-view movie twice."
"Witness protection is probably saving your life, you know," Alan retorts. "And you're getting extra privileges: most witnesses don't get pay-per-view."
"Yeah, well, even convicts get conjugal visits. This sucks," Mac complains.
Alan sighs resignedly. "Write the email. I'll look it over, and then I'll pass it on to the ADIC from the Los Angeles office to send it from there. Remember, you want your friends to think you're at Quantico. It might save your life."
"I promise!" Mac swears, thinking, 'ay-dick': the name for the assistant director-in-charge is the best acronym in the FBI. "Thanks, Alan, you're my BFF."
Alan looks confused.
Mac quickly says, "You know, 'Bureau Friends First'."
Alan nods, saying, "Yeah, I like it. 'Bureau Friends First'."
Mac turns away to roll her eyes and laugh under her breath as Alan leaves the office. Yep, that's my SAC. What a tool.
Fri. 2/27/09: Home of the Paulings, Atlanta, GA
Wallace logs onto the computer in Candice's old bedroom and checks his email, finding two new messages. The first is a short text sent from Veronica's phone saying that the charges were dismissed against Keith. All RIGHT!! I don't know how she did it, but Veronica slam-dunked it. He opens the second message, which is an email from Professor Winkler.
"Wallace:
I asked around and found out that my old student Leon has accepted a position at Magneta-Corp Technologies in Marietta, Georgia. He's working in their encryption division, designing new protocols for security id's and credit cards. I have an email address of luck.
Don't worry about that paper for my class; I've extended the deadline for you until Mar. 30, when you come back from Spring Break. I've spoken to your other teachers as well. They've all agreed to postpone your deadlines.
Prof. Winkler"
Wallace opens up Mapquest and discovers that Marietta is only twenty miles away. "Candice? Can we borrow your dad's car and take a trip to Marietta?"
Candice frowns. "What's in Marietta?"
"Someone who can help us with your brother's Blackberry, I think," he explains.
Fri. 2/27/09: Mars Investigations, Neptune, CA
After a somewhat subdued celebratory lunch, Keith drops Veronica at the apartment and drives to Mars Investigations. When he approaches the pebbled glass door, he notices that it's ajar and immediately thinks, oh no, not again. He cautiously opens the door, taking note of the broken lock, and enters. The office has been thoroughly searched. Every file cabinet has been emptied, and there are messy piles of folders throughout the office. The desk drawers have been taken out of the desk, their contents strewn on the floor. Pictures are askew, and Keith assumes the intruders checked behind for secret storage locations. Keith checks and, once again, the phone lines were cut, disabling the alarm system. However, last fall when Harmony Chase broke into the office, Keith took additional security precautions. A hidden battery-operated videocamera is set to activate if its power source, supplied by a low-voltage telephone line, is interrupted. Keith removes the videocamera from its concealed hiding place and reviews the footage.
He watches as an attractive blonde woman cautiously enters the office and begins a methodical search. The time stamp on the recording is 9:43 a.m., approximately the time of Keith's preliminary hearing. He muses, A lot of people knew exactly where I'd be at 10:00 this morning. He notes that the woman knew enough to wear latex gloves during the search, although that's certainly common knowledge nowadays. Fast-forwarding through the video, Keith observes the woman using a portable hard drive to clone the two office computers' hard drives. What the hell is she looking for?
The woman stares determinedly at the office safe, and Keith slows the video speed to normal to watch more closely. She tries a few combinations without success, then begins to look around the office, apparently to see if Keith has written the numbers anywhere. After twenty minutes of diligent searching, she checks the time and apparently decides that she can't risk staying any longer. The time code reads 11:57 a.m. when the blonde woman exits the office. Keith freezes the frame and looks at the woman. He's sure he's never seen her before, but her features are striking, especially her voluptuous profile and lush blonde hair.
Keith ponders for a few minutes whether he should call the sheriff's department; then he makes up his mind and calls Veronica on his cell phone. "Honey, can you come to the office? It's important. Someone broke in again, and I have video...A woman; someone I've never seen before. I'd like to see if you know this person." He thinks a second, reflecting on the paparazzi who only recently stopped staking out Mars Investigations. He adds, "Bring Logan, too. Let's see if he knows her. Maybe she's a reporter. She's quite good-looking; she's definitely pretty enough to be on TV."
While Keith waits for Veronica, he calls his contact in the Organized Crime Section at FBI headquarters and asks him to email some photos of known female associates of the Sukarenkos and the Sorokins. Keith has not stopped worrying about the Russian mafia since catching Gorya Sorokin staring at him up in Lompoc. The package bombs sent to Mac and Max have only increased his anxiety. The FBI contact offers to run her face through the facial recognition computer program used in airport security. Keith selects the best shot of the woman from the video, transfers it to his computer, and emails the jpeg file to the OCS.
He contacts Cliff, asking if he knows any beautiful blonde women associated with the Fitzpatricks. Cliff says no, but offers to ask around at the courthouse and the parole office. Keith emails Cliff the jpeg. Then he calls the telephone company, alerting them to the fault in the line; he terminates the call and waits impatiently for Veronica, thinking about this new development. He looks around the office at the mess and begins to tidy the chaos while he waits.
Fri. 2/27/09: Magneta-Corp Headquarters, Marietta, GA
Wallace and Candice walk into the lobby of Magneta-Corp headquarters. The receptionist smiles at them and asks them to sign in. "And your business today?" she queries.
"Oh, I went to school at Hearst College with Leon Harris, and I was nearby. I thought I'd say hello," Wallace replies.
"I'll page him."
Wallace leans over the desk. "I'd love to surprise him. Can you just say there's a package here for him?"
"Oh, certainly." The receptionist smiles conspiratorially.
When Leon walks into the reception area, Wallace intercepts him before he can speak. "Hey, Leon, long time no see. We haven't talked since Veronica Mars and the Aspen picture." He grabs Leon's hand and shakes it before Leon can react.
Leon frowns and glances at the receptionist. He drops Wallace's hand and looks at him with confused expression.
"You remember, that one Halloween, you were Fibonacci and I was Niels Bohr. Good times, right?" Wallace raises his eyebrows at Leon. "I love reliving college memories."
"Yeah...yeah, you're right, good times." Leon stares at Wallace.
"This is my girlfriend, Candice. I told her a lot about you, and she insisted we drive up here immediately to meet you," Wallace continues.
Candice steps over closer to Leon and shakes his hand. "Nice to meet you, Leon. I've heard a lot about you. Wallace says that you guys used to get into all sorts of trouble in college."
Wallace thinks, Nice improv.
Leon says nervously, "Why don't I show you my office?" He waves at the receptionist and escorts Candice and Wallace down the hallway to a small office with several computers. Leon shuts the door and says nastily, "What the hell do you want? I thought that bitch Veronica Mars was out of my life forever."
"Ooh, temper, temper," Wallace replies, smiling. "Look, Leon, I just need a little help with something, and I bet it's right up your alley. And if you help me, I won't tell the company president about the Hearst student ID scandal."
"We made complete restitution, you know," Leon says heatedly.
"Still, I think Magneta-Corp would be interested to know about your college hijinks. Obviously, you used your friend's connections to land this job. I bet Human Resources didn't even bother to check your references."
Candice chimes in, "Leon. Please. We're just looking for a little help." She smiles at Leon, and Wallace thinks, Good cop, bad cop; I love this woman.
Leon grudgingly nods his agreement.
Wallace pulls out the Blackberry. "We're trying to get the data off this. It's password protected, and we obviously don't know the password." He hands the Blackberry to Leon. "This belonged to Candice's brother, who was found murdered. We're looking into the circumstances of his death."
Leon looks at the device. "You put in new batteries? And I assume you knew enough not to activate the autodelete by entering three wrong passwords?"
Wallace nods.
Leon continues, "Hold on, I think I know how to do it, I just need to check something on a phone hacks site." He types on his computer keyboard, reads a while, then turns back to Wallace and Candice. "It looks like you can email a computer worm program that will trigger the device to email all its information back to the sender. You just have to know the email address of the account holder."
Wallace turns to Candice, "Is your brother's email account still active?"
"Yes," she replies. "It's a Yahoo account, and I've been sending emails to it every week or so in hopes that Shawn would check it and respond. . I don't have his Yahoo password though."
"Doesn't matter," Leon comments. He types on the computer for five minutes, occasionally pausing to think and revise his efforts, then leans back in his chair. He taps his fingers on the desk impatiently. A soft bell 'dings' on Leon's computer, and he leans back to the computer and types a few keystrokes. The printer behind him begins to spew pages filled with data. Leon collects the paper and hands it to Wallace. "That's everything on the device."
Wallace quickly looks through the sheaf of papers. "Excellent! I'll be sure to tell Veronica how helpful you were." He collects the Blackberry from Leon's desk and stands up to leave.
Candice waves 'bye'; Leon glowers as they leave the office.
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VERONICA MARS
10:00PM SHO ch: 340 60min 2009 TV-MA
Hidden Agendas
Logan confronts Veronica about the
Briar Hill Investigation; Mac replies
to Dick; Veronica recognizes the
burglar.
Veronica: Kristen Bell. Logan: Jason
Dohring. Keith: Enrico Colantoni. Mac:
Tina Majorino. Alan: Ned Vaughn.
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CHAPTER FORTY-FOUR: "HIDDEN AGENDAS"
Fri. 2/27/09: Neptune, CA
On their way to Mars Investigations to review the video footage from the break-in, Veronica glances at Logan slumped next to her in the passenger seat. After expressing his relief that the charges against Keith were truly dismissed, he's barely said two words. "Logan..." she tries and falters.
"What?"
"You read all the files on Briar Hill, didn't you?" she finally says.
"Yes."
"Logan, it's not your fault that she was sent there," Veronica hazards.
"Yes, but it's my fault you're putting yourself in danger investigating the school. You told me in Texas you had hoped solving Hannah's murder would bring me home," Logan says.
"Logan, you're being ridiculous! You can't be responsible for everything," she replies, exasperated. "It's my choice to be involved in the investigation. Maybe I would have been involved even if you never knew Hannah."
"Bullshit."
"It's not bullshit. Someone needs to go undercover. These kind of programs have been operating for forty years without any kind of federal regulation. And since I was kicked out–" She stops short.
"What? Kicked out of what? Tell me what's going on," he demands.
"I got kicked out of the FBI intern program. Either because I used Mike Fields' FBI account to get information or because I shot Harmony, or maybe it was the stuff that was revealed in the Dateline exposé," she replies quietly.
"So now you've got to prove to the FBI that they were wrong to kick you out? Veronica, I have to say I'm glad you got kicked out. You said once you're an agent, they could choose to post you anywhere, and you have no say in your posting," Logan says.
Veronica glances at him. "What's wrong with that?"
He looks at her intensely. "What about us? Do you want us to be together? If you're in the FBI, do I pick up and follow you around the country every time some jagoff in D.C. decides they need you in Peoria?"
She stares at him in disbelief, then tears her eyes away to look back at the road.
Logan continues more quietly, "I know; I'm not being rational. I just ran away from you and hid from you for four weeks, but here I am worrying about our future. I'm fucked up, all right?"
Veronica pulls the Saturn to the side of the road and stops the car. They sit in silence for several minutes.
Finally she says, "You're not fucked up. It's true what you say. The FBI caused problems for me and Piz too. He couldn't take it that the FBI was more important to me than he was."
Logan closes his eyes, then quietly asks the question without opening his eyes. "Am I more important to you than the FBI?"
"Are you asking me not to try to get back in the program?"
"Dammit, Veronica, that's not what I asked." He drops his head, afraid to look at her.
Her voice shakes a little as she replies, "...Of course you're more important. But that doesn't mean that I can't try to be reinstated. And I also think that I was right, that you won't get over Hannah's death until her murder is solved. You're still eaten up by guilt. I see the way you look when you don't realize I'm watching. You're completely consumed by shame and remorse. And it's not right. You made mistakes that year. But, Logan, my god, you were all alone with no one to help you. Even I had deserted you, and I'll always regret that." Logan looks up suddenly at these words. She continues, "You were desperate, and you did an awful thing, going after Hannah. But even while you were trying to use her, you couldn't help but care for her. You would not feel so guilty if you hadn't cared for her. You wouldn't be the man I love if you didn't feel bad about her." After a minute of silence, she asks, "Logan?"
"Are you thinking that the FBI would take you back if you are successful in building a case against the school and catch Hannah's killer? Because, Veronica, that's not a good reason to do this. And neither is trying to help me get over her death," he answers. "I'm worried for your safety. Even with a wire. Even with another person undercover with you."
They stare at each other, at an impasse; both are struggling to resist falling into the old familiar fight over her investigations. "What if you helped with the planning? If you had a say in how we do this operation? Would that help?" she finally asks.
"Maybe," he admits. "If I saw that you were being completely open with your father, and he's satisfied with the security arrangements, maybe I would worry a little less."
"Okay, done," she says firmly. "You now have veto power. If you're not convinced, I'll pull the plug...Logan, it really is awful what's going on in these schools, and you read that it's all completely legal. This is a chance to do something in Hannah's memory, to make sure that what happened to her doesn't happen to anyone else."
He nods his reluctant agreement. Veronica starts up the car, and they drive the rest of the way to Mars Investigations in silence.
Fri. 2/27/09: San Diego RCFL, San Diego, CA
Alan looks over the email draft that Mac has given him. Mac tries to look innocent as he reads.
"Dear Dick,
It's great to hear from you. I'm going crazy trying to research these identity thieves. It seems like I'm not making any progress at all trying to trace their activities.
I'm glad to hear you're going to class. The women's studies class might even be good for you. I'll quiz you on the history of the Equal Rights Amendment when I get back. And I can't believe the story about Veronica and Logan! Maybe there's hope for those two after all.
This is going to sound stupid, but I haven't been able to find one of my T-shirts. It's the Padres shirt with the field of daisies on the back, the one that Veronica's boyfriend gave me the summer after sophomore year, do you remember? I think I left it in your room the last time I was there. Can you give that to Veronica to hold for me? It's one of my favorites, and I've been going nuts trying to remember where I left it.
I really miss you guys and hope to hear from you soon, if it's possible. They're treating me really well here, but it's lonely without my friends.
Love, Mac"
Alan reads the email three more times, then he shrugs, saying, "Okay. It seems alright. You didn't say anything that would be a problem. I'll send it to the L.A. office and, once the ADIC approves it, we'll send it on to your friend. Mac, I know this is hard. But I heard the DCFL people were very impressed with your skills. I know they were looking at your website, and they thought the security protocols you used were particularly ingenious. Maybe you'll get a job out of this."
"I don't know, I think I'm more suited to the private sector," Mac replies.
"Government work has its own rewards," Alan intones.
Mac shrugs. No thanks. After the way they blew off Veronica, I think I'll pass.
Fri. 2/27/09: Mars Investigations, Neptune, CA
"Scoot down," Veronica suggests as she nears the office. "Let me make sure the paparazzi haven't come back." Logan complies, and she drives past the office and takes a right on the next street. She frowns when a gray sedan a few cars back does the same, but when she takes the next right, it continues straight, and she dismisses it as coincidence. Veronica drives around the block a few times, scanning each of the parked vehicles. "I think we're okay. I'll let you out, you go in, and I'll park the car and follow you in a few minutes just to be sure." She smiles at him. He nods gratefully, tacitly acknowledging just how much pain the paparazzi have caused him. He gives her a little wave as he exits the car.
When Veronica joins Logan and Keith inside, Keith kisses the top of her head 'hello' and runs the video for them to watch. Veronica gasps aloud.
"What?" Keith asks quickly, stopping the video.
"That's Duncan's new girlfriend," she explains.
Logan looks closely at the screen. "I'm sorry; even with Duncan's plastic surgery, she's totally out of his league. Score one for the Donut."
"Do you know her?" Keith asks. "Something's obviously going on here. I didn't make the connection that it had something to do with Duncan. Could she have been looking for information on you, Veronica, to damage Duncan's custody case?"
"I don't know. What have I done that would look bad for Duncan...oh. The kidnapping," Veronica realizes suddenly. "Do you think Mrs. Manning is still trying to use that against Duncan?"
Keith shrugs. "The court's going to look at Mrs. Manning very suspiciously; I'm sure she's going to use any dirt she can find on Duncan if she's serious about winning custody. Let's get started on the background check. You should work on the Argentinian databases, Veronica; your Spanish is a lot better than mine. I'll check with my friend in the FBI to see if the facial recognition software came up with a match, and I'll search the U.S. databases."
Logan watches over Veronica's shoulder as she works on the computer. After a few minutes, he turns back to the videocamera and watches the video footage. Occasionally, he pauses the video and looks closely at the woman.
Veronica, curious, asks, "Did you see something?"
"There's something about her...I can't put my finger on it," he replies.
"I know, I had the same feeling when I met her. It looks as though she's never been in the United States before several weeks ago. But Duncan told us that she's been in Neptune before, and she said she was here to collect on an old outstanding debt."
"So that means..."
"It means Katerina's using a false name now, or was using a different name in the past, or she's lying about why she's here now. I'm trying to do a backwards search on the history of that name, trying to identify the past whereabouts of Katerina Beversdorf, all her previous addresses." Veronica frowns at the computer screen.
"Katerina Beversdorf..." Logan mutters. "It doesn't sound familiar." He runs through the video at high speed again, stopping once in a while to focus on the woman.
After an hour, Veronica gives up in frustration. "I hate the South American databases. Sometimes you can't tell if it's just sloppy record keeping or if there's actually something of importance in the records. I can't find any address information on Katerina older than two years ago. It looks like she traveled to Europe a couple times recently. She doesn't have any kind of criminal record. I found her birth records and a record of graduation from a secondary school, and then there's no information for about ten years until she applies for a new driver's license in Buenos Aires in early 2007. Maybe she wasn't in Argentina those ten years."
Keith walks out of his office and says, "Any luck? The facial recognition software was a bust, and Cliff showed her picture around the public defender's office and the parole board, and no one recognized her. Although Cliff said he would defend her, pro bono, should the need ever arise." He laughs a little. Keith leans over Veronica's shoulder, and she pulls up the relevant records to show him what she's found. "Did you check the Bureau of Vital Statistics, or whatever it is in Argentina, to see if there was ever a death certificate in that name?"
"There's no death certificate on file. But...you and I know, it's possible to bribe an official to buy a death certificate to create a new identity," Veronica muses. "We need to get her fingerprints. I'm thinking...I'll ask Duncan to invite us over for dinner tomorrow night. We can have some wine, and we'll get her prints on the glass. Sometime during dinner, I'll excuse myself and sweep Duncan's bedroom for bugs. If she's planted any devices, I'm betting that's where they'll be, based on how embarrassed Duncan was when he talked about their relationship." She looks at Logan. "Are you okay with that? Seeing Duncan, I mean. I know you were upset..."
"No, it's all right," Logan says. "I want to find out who she is too. It's driving me crazy. I'm sure I've seen her before, but I can't place her face. And...it might be good to see Duncan" and make sure that Duncan knows to keep his hands off Veronica, he adds to himself.