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. All opinions regarding real-life organizations expressed in this fic are the opinions of the characters only. You may or may not agree with the conclusions of the characters, and no harm or insult is intended to these real-life organizations, or to any participant, past, present, or future, in the meetings of these organizations. Again, this fic is not intended for those under the age of 17.

A/N: Beta-ed by Poniesforall, who is also my assistant casting director, and Kazy. All mistakes that remain are my responsibility.

Previously on Veronica Mars: The Year of Living Dangerously Part Two:

vanessagalore•livejournal•com/50067•html

•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
VERONICA MARS
10:00PM SHO ch: 340 60min 2009 TV-MA
Scars
Logan compares notes with
Keith and the monitoring team.
Logan: Jason Dohring. Keith: Enrico
Dr. Kinny: Dan Castellaneta. Epstein:
Scott Grimes.
•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••

CHAPTER SIXTY-FOUR: "SCARS"

Sun. 3/8/09 late evening: Rented house, Manchester Center, VT

Keith answers the knock at the door. "Hey, Logan, come on in." Dr. Kinny and Epstein look up from the computer screen and acknowledge Logan.

"The video from the group therapy?" Logan asks as he and Keith walk over to join the others.

"Yeah. We've watched the takedown several times," Keith replies.

Epstein adds, "It's obvious that they brutalized Veronica for what was an accidental reaction to the other girl poking her. It's completely out of line with an appropriate response."

Keith says, "I'm glad we were able to get video for the group therapy room. It's one thing to describe what's going on there, but the video makes it clear how insidious the therapy is. They're using all the classic brainwashing techniques."

Logan interrupts, "How can you be so calm about this? That's your daughter being hauled down to the floor. And that's me, helping to hold her down." He watches as Dr. Kinny rewinds and watches the scene again. This is like a nightmare, where you have to watch yourself being tortured over and over again...or in my case, I get to be the instrument of evil.

Keith pulls Logan aside, and they go into the dining room as Dr. Kinny and Epstein continue to talk about today's group therapy session.

Keith sits at the table and motions for Logan to join him. "Logan, I know this is hard, having to watch and not be able to stop them from hurting her. It's hard for me too. I wish there was another way to do this, but Veronica was right. There's not a lot of girls her age who have the experience and know-how to pull this off. And my god, what they do to these girls is horrific, and these schools need to be closed, permanently. But don't think I'm not worried about her. I'm worried about her every minute, and every time the bug goes silent when she's not on camera, I'm torturing myself with pictures of her living through the stories we've heard."

Keith continues, "I know how you feel; it's how I'm feeling. But I'm counting on you to keep it together so you can help her if she really needs it. You know that Veronica is a great actor; she's been helping me for years now, and I'm always impressed with the way she can take on another persona at the drop of a hat."

"I know, but–"

"Logan, she's all right. She made certain to let you know that. She used the code words, 'I want to call my dad'. You know she's all right," Keith responds.

Logan sighs heavily, ruffling the hair on his head.

Keith thinks, He's not saying anything that I haven't been thinking over and over again since I let Veronica talk me into this. Aloud, he just says, "You gotta keep it together, Logan; I'm counting on you. Have you learned anything else?"

"I think we need to find out more about Maria."

"Veronica's oldcomer?" Keith asks.

"She has a cigarette burn scar on her arm," Logan explains. "I don't think she got it at the school. It's an old scar."

Keith studies Logan, wondering how he knows what the scar is, and finally realizes with a sudden burst of anger... "Aaron?" he asks tersely.

Logan says evasively, "It's not just that. I heard Tony and Klein talking about her. They said she was going to be transferred to something called "Serenity Bay" just before her eighteenth birthday. 'At her father's insistence', Klein said."

"Before she ages out?" Keith says sharply.

"They implied that Maria thinks that if she manages to break Veronica, Maria will be allowed to graduate and leave the school, but instead, no matter what happens, she's going to go to this Serenity Bay place," Logan adds.

"Serenity Bay, that sounds familiar. Hey, James, can you come in here for a minute?"

Epstein joins them at the dining room table, and Logan repeats what he said to Keith.

Keith says, "What can you tell us about Serenity Bay, where they're planning on transferring Maria?"

Epstein sucks in his breath. "Serenity Bay is in Jamaica. It's the worst of all the tough-love programs, and there's absolutely no government regulations or oversight there."

"It sounds like Maria's father is going to 'warehouse' her there. He's trying to keep her locked up even after she's an adult," Keith muses. (12)

Logan stares at him. "This is sick. I mean, I think Maria's a total bitch for the way she's treating Veronica. But if she has that scar, you know that means someone was abusing her. And then maybe they locked her away, to keep her from talking about it." If Aaron had known that there were schools like this, he might've...he tries to clear his mind of the black thoughts he's been inundated with since he saw Maria's scar. "I don't understand how this is legal. I know what you said, that parents have the right to educate their children the way they want, but this is abuse."

"We need to see Maria's file; maybe it will shed some light on what's going on," Keith responds.

Logan asks uneasily, "Is there any chance...is there any chance that Maria could have been punished with a cigarette at Briar Hill? I mean, if there's a chance that Veronica could get–"

Epstein interrupts, "No. Maybe in a different program, but not at Briar Hill. The worst physical abuse that I've heard of at the school was paddling or neglect–kids who didn't get medical attention soon enough. I don't think they'd take the chance of doing something like burning a kid which would be direct evidence of the problems at the school. They're too smart; they prefer psychological abuse. I think you're right, it must be an old scar on Maria."

"Have you made any progress on getting into Klein's office to look at the files?" Keith asks.

Logan replies, "Not really. Klein's office is locked with a magnetic card reader like every other door. I think only he and his secretary have access."

"Does she wear the card on a chain around her neck?"

"No, I think she keeps it in her purse, and she locks her purse in her desk while she's working," Logan answers.

"Klein's secretary doesn't live on the campus," Keith thinks out loud. He pauses, then says, "All right. Let's try this. Tonight I'll go to the secretary's house and put a slow leak in one of her tires. Tomorrow, James and I can follow her, using the same route she would take to the school. When she pulls off to change the tire, we'll stop and offer to help. James can distract her, and I'll get her card and use a magnetic card reader to copy the magnetic stripe. Then I'll dummy up a new card and get it to you. If it doesn't work, we'll have to try to break into her house or come up with something else."

"Tomorrow would be a good time to try to get into Klein's office. Tony mentioned that Klein's heading up to Montpelier for an important meeting at one o'clock. And they're taking all the girls on a day-long hike, so most of the staff will be involved with that," Logan explains.

"Day-long hike?" Keith queries.

Logan nods. "Tony said that they find it helpful to push the girls to their physical limits in order to help them 'progress'." He makes air-quotes around the word 'progress'."

"Break them down, you mean," Epstein clarifies.

"Yep," Logan replies succinctly. "I'm worried about Veronica on this hike. The bug on her isn't going to transmit audio very far without the repeaters that you installed in the building."

Keith says. "Are you supposed to go on this hike?"

"No. Tony said my knee would be a liability, so I'm excused from duty for the hike. What they do is, they split the employees into teams. When the girls reach a predetermined point, the employee team is replaced by another team that reached the point via the school jeep. Then they switch again at the next stopping point. That way the employees don't get tired, and they can really push the girls to physical exhaustion," Logan explains.

Epstein mutters, "I hope Veronica's in good shape."

"She is. She's been working out and running on the beach every day. She's a lot tougher than she looks," Keith replies. "Don't let her size fool you. That's my bad-ass action-figure daughter we're talking about."

But she's not as tough as you think, Logan worries, thinking about Veronica's nightmares.

Keith thinks a moment, then says, "We have an audio recorder that can record up to twelve hours. It's small; Kavner can hand it off to Veronica at some point, and she can hide it in her sock so we can at least document what happens on the hike. Then she can get it back to him, or even drop it somewhere at the end of the hike. Veronica will know what to do when Kavner hands it to her."

Logan mutters, "It's killing me not to be able to talk to her or touch her."

"Logan, you're really helping Veronica just by being there," Keith says. "And you're helping me too. I know Veronica's a lot safer with you there."

Logan nods. "There's another girl I want to check out too. Tara."

Epstein says, "We noticed her in the intake video. She was reluctant to join in on holding Veronica down, and Maria had to yell at her."

"She's probably new. She's paired with an oldcomer, so she hasn't been there for long. What I noticed was during school; I think she's got a learning disorder or dyslexia. She was really struggling, and the school's not providing any extra help for her. And she seems frightened to death every time I see her," Logan remarks.

"See if you can look at her file too. You remember how to use the camera I gave you?" Keith asks.

Logan lifts up his wrist; the ordinary-looking wristwatch is actually a powerful digital camera. "Yeah, I remember."

Epstein interrupts their discussion. "You said Klein was going to Montpelier tomorrow?" Logan nods, and Epstein continues, "That's the state capital. If there's any kind of graft going on–anyone that Klein is paying off to keep the school open–this meeting might be evidence of that."

"You're right. There won't be much to do in terms of monitoring tomorrow because we won't be able to hear Veronica while she's on the hike. Maybe you and I could tail Klein and see what his business is in Montpelier," Keith suggests.

Epstein nods.

Logan stands up to leave. "So you'll let me know when you have the new magnetic card?"

Keith replies, thinking out loud, "Yeah, I can bring the encoder with me and do it right there in the car. I'll text you when it's ready. If Klein's meeting is at one, he'll have to leave around ten-thirty or eleven. I can get his license plate from the Vermont DMV, and we can pick him up once he leaves the school property...Logan, try not to worry. Except for Veronica pushing it a little at intake, she's doing a great job; she's gotten a lot of evidence already. We might be able to end the operation early."

Logan nods glumly and turns to leave. He stops and turns back, "Do you think it's worth the risk to plant a bug in Klein's office? I...I'm starting to think Veronica was right, that Hannah was killed because of something that happened at the school. Klein is a fanatic. He believes in what he's doing. He's not just a con man."

Keith studies Logan's worried expression. "You really think he would kill to protect his program? What could Hannah have done to him?"

"I don't know. Maybe she saw something and was going to go public with it," Logan offers.

"But there have been plenty of exposés on the schools. Former students have come forward and testified before Congress, but still the laws haven't changed and still the schools operate exactly as before. The public believes that these kids deserve to be put away and ignores the bad publicity. What could have Hannah have seen while she was at the school?"

"Maybe another student was murdered that we don't know about. Maybe a student suffocated while in restraints, or an infection was left untreated for too long...you read the same horror stories that I did. Maybe Hannah witnessed a payoff. Maybe Klein got an underage girl pregnant; maybe he even got Hannah pregnant. DNA doesn't lie," Logan theorizes. I can see Klein justifying just about anything.

Keith is silent, momentarily panicked that he has put Veronica in jeopardy. "You really believe Klein is capable of something like that? What did he say exactly?"

"He said, 'It's hard in the beginning. Once you see some girls improve and graduate, it'll be easier for you. We have to tear them down before we can build them up again.' And it didn't sound like just a pep talk to a reluctant employee. He believes what he's doing is the right thing to do. He was completely sincere. He believes that he has to hurt the girls to help them. How do we know he wouldn't kill someone in order to save this program that he's devoted his life to?" Logan says passionately. Since his conversation with Klein, he has replayed the man's words over and over in his head, trying to decipher any hidden meaning; nothing about Klein's words or the research about the schools that he read back in Neptune has reassured him that Klein wouldn't murder to avoid prison or even a lawsuit. And here we are, collecting evidence for a lawsuit, against someone who might be willing to kill to protect his cause.

Keith studies Logan, taking Logan's opinions seriously. "You're right. We should take the opportunity to bug Klein's office. And we're going to be more careful about provoking him until we can get Veronica out of there."

"But I think we should end this right now–"

Keith interrupts, "If Klein murdered Hannah, how did he get access to the FBI case files to make her murder look like another one of the serial killer's victims?"

Logan stares back, unable to come up with a plausible scenario. Finally, he replies, "What about that FBI guy, Mike Fields? Can you ask him to investigate a possible connection with Klein? Something that would show how Klein could know about the serial killer victims."

Keith nods. "It's a good idea. I'll ask him to check to see if Klein has any ties to the FBI." He pauses, then continues, "I am going to think about ending this sooner. Veronica's already managed to document the strip search and got a video of the school denying her request for medical attention. And she got assigned to Observation Placement very quickly. She's doing very well; I'm confident we're going to be able to end this after no more than a week, maybe less than that."

"A week? Keith, that's–"

"I know, Logan, but we have a responsibility to the other girls as well." Keith sighs. "I just can't see how Klein could possibly know the details of the Saturday Night Slasher murders; it's just too far-fetched that he would go to that much trouble to conceal something that happened three years ago. And how did he even know that Hannah was in Los Angeles? Her parents haven't heard from her since she ran away from the school, and it's my understanding that FBI hasn't been able to determine where she's been in that time. How would Klein have gotten this information?"

Keith continues, "Logan, this operation is too important to abandon. Too many young girls have been hurt, and Veronica's eyewitness testimony along with our surveillance is essential to doing something about these programs. Let's see if you can get the bug in Klein's office tomorrow. I promise you; I'll listen to every word he says and if anything indicates that he suspects Veronica of being a plant, I'll end this immediately." Keith rummages in a bag of surveillance supplies that he brought along with him from Neptune. "Okay. This one is easy. It's small enough you can put it in an electrical socket; just unscrew the cover, stick it in place with the double-stick tape, and replace the cover. It's voice activated; with the repeaters we have installed at the school boosting the signal, the battery supply should last for the whole operation." Keith demonstrates how to toggle the switch to 'voice-activate', 'on', and 'off'. Logan nods that he understands.

Epstein clears his throat. "You know, if you really want to find out what Hannah might have witnessed, you need to stir up a hornet's nest."

Keith looks at him questioningly, and Epstein continues, "Send a reporter in to interview him, asking about Hannah's time at the school. Maybe the reporter could say that Hannah kept a journal, and he's come into possession of it. And if we see something when we tail him to Montpelier, we can use that to try to get a reaction...see what he does."

Keith nods slowly, thinking about how to work this. "It's a great idea, but I'm not even going to consider doing that while Veronica is undercover. I want to make sure that we keep Veronica's safety our prime objective until she's out of there. And then, we can provoke Klein into a reaction, using the evidence that we've collected. Logan, I'm counting on you to help me with this. Get the bug into Klein's office, and keep watching Veronica and reporting to me," he concludes firmly.

Logan replies reluctantly, "Yeah. Okay. But I still wish we were...It's...well, this is even harder than what I thought it would be. I hope we can wrap this up and get Veronica out of there quickly." His voice cracks a little at the end.

Keith walks over to him and hugs him. He whispers in Logan's ear, "You're going to be okay. Veronica's going to be okay. We'll be back in California before you know it."

Logan holds on for a second before releasing Keith. How can he forgive me, love me even, after everything that's happened over the years...I can't believe he thinks I'm worthy of being loved. "Yeah. I better get going," he mutters aloud, heading for the door.

Keith watches out the window as Logan gets in his car and drives off. Epstein takes over for Dr. Kinny at the computer monitor, and Dr. Kinny comes over to Keith. He says, "So how's he doing?"

"Sorry?" Keith replies, lost in thought.

"It's not just Veronica you should be worrying about. In the Stanford Prison Experiment and in the short experiments I ran every year, the guards were affected psychologically as much as the prisoners," Kinny explains.

"Right, I remember, that was what set in motion the relationship between Mercer and Moe."

"I've berated myself since their arrest, trying to find some sign that I should have recognized, that they were damaged by my experiment. I've stopped running it. The ethics of the original Stanford experiment are still debated among my colleagues," Kinny says ruefully. "But I'm quite sure that I personally contributed to their psychosis."

"I'm sure they were already insane before they participated in your experiment," Keith protests.

"No. I don't think so. Something about the experiment triggered a change. I've requested permission to interview them. I'd like to write a book about the Hearst rapists, but they've denied every request for an interview...You know, I know a little of Logan's history from the ridiculous stories on tabloid news shows. But there's obviously more to Logan's history that I'm not privy to." Kinny puts up his hand to stop Keith from interrupting. "I don't want to know the details; you shouldn't tell me anything confidential without his permission. But...just in general, Logan's relationship with his father was...toxic, even harmful, yes?"

Keith nods.

Kinny continues, "I'm going to assume the worst. Keith, we need to be monitoring Logan as well as Veronica. For someone with that kind of history, playing the violent role of a strict prison guard can bring up long-buried memories. And if he has to act in a way that reminds him of his father...well, that might be very traumatic for him. We need to monitor him as well as Veronica, assessing his psychological state so that he too is not harmed by this."

Keith thinks, If this is the only thing that Kinny contributes to the mission, he's already proven his worth. Keith sits for a long time staring out the window, thinking about men who murder young girls and fathers who strike their sons. He remembers, a long time ago, noting with a police officer's suspicion that the new boyfriend of his daughter's best friend Lilly was wearing a long-sleeved shirt on the hottest day of the summer. Keith thinks about what he knows of Logan's youth and what he can guess happened behind the closed doors of the finest mansion in Neptune.

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VERONICA MARS
10:00PM SHO ch: 340 60min 2009 TV-MA
Breaking It Down
Mac has a break-through; the girls go
on a hike; Logan breaks into Klein's
office; Keith and Epstein tail Klein.
Veronica: Kristen Bell. Logan: Jason Dohring.
Keith: Enrico Colantoni. Mac: Tina Majorino.
Alan: Ned Vaughn. Peter Klein: Clancy Brown.
Maria: Gina Mantegna. Kavner: Eric Bana.
Tony: Romany Malco. Epstein: Scott Grimes.
Megan: Anna Lynn McCord. Alyssa: Christina
Hendricks.
•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••

CHAPTER SIXTY-FIVE: "BREAKING IT DOWN"

Sun. 3/8/09 very late: RCFL, San Diego, CA

Mac types furiously on her computer. Alan asks, "So how close–"

Mac silences him by holding up a hand and closing her eyes. She says, "More coffee. Less talking."

Alan sighs and gets another cup. When he returns, Mac is leaning back in her chair with a satisfied smile. "You got it?" he asks.

"I think so. This is the ISP address," Mac says, pointing at the screen. "Forget the coffee, I want to go to bed."

Alan nods as he places a call to a federal judge for a warrant.

Mon. 3/9/09 early morning: Briar Hill Academy, Manchester Center, VT

Veronica is roused from a deep sleep. She is shaken roughly, and when she doesn't move fast enough, she is slapped twice on the face and hears, "Do you think you're special? Let's go. Get your shoes on right now, or you can hike without them."

A hike? Veronica remembers interviewing a former student who complained bitterly about hiking until the students were completely exhausted, then having to sit through lectures on working your program.

She sits up and jumps down off her top bunk. All the girls are jostling each other in order in a mad rush to get their shoes on and get to the bathroom. The girls have started lining up at the entrance to the room, and she hurries to do the same. It never fails to shock her how quiet it is without the usual teenager bickering and teasing. Maria ties the tether to Veronica's wrist again, and Veronica tries not to react. The group marches single-file to the common room, where they stand at attention until Peter Klein enters the room and walks to the front. He surveys the girls and finally begins to speak.

"We are all here because we're fighting. We're fighting the moral decay that we've allowed to creep into our souls. I feel sorry for anyone who doesn't have the opportunity to accept the love that the program instills in us. Those of us that have been through the program know that it never fails; people just fail the program. You girls are lucky that you've been given the chance to reform your life and to change your bad habits and screwed-up thinking. But in order to change, you have to beat your old habits. Remember your habits don't want to let go of you, and they're ready to take you over again the moment you let down your guard.

"Make no mistake; we're in a battle, a battle for your soul. And it's not an easy battle. Your character defects are waiting for you to slip again. You need to be tough to win this battle. So we're going to get tough. We're going to build up our body and our mind. We're not going to give our sins a chance to get hold of us again. We're going to beat them, body and soul.

"You need to decide that you are tough enough to refuse to let your flaws determine the rest of your life. You need to know this like you know you have to breathe to live. Choose life. Choose the program."

The girls quickly repeat, "Choose life. Choose the program."

Veronica tries to join in and manages to mumble "program" with the others.

Maria frowns at her and mutters, "Make sure you get it next time."

Out of the corner of her eye, Veronica sees Kavner with two other employees, a man and a woman. They sport down jackets and hiking boots, in contrast to the girls who have no jackets to protect them from the cold Vermont weather. Kavner meets her eyes briefly, and Veronica quickly looks back at the front of the room. Something's up, she guesses. She decides to try to give him an opportunity to make contact as soon as possible.

The woman calls out, "Let's go," and she leads the girls to the front door of Briar Hill Academy. She uses her card key to unlock the door; Kavner holds the door open as the girls file outside.

Veronica tries to hold back a little; crossly, Maria says, "What is your problem?"

Kavner approaches from behind and says, "You need help with this one?"

Maria says, "I think she's trying to set a record for the most number of months added to her program."

"Tough girl, huh?" Kavner comment. He takes Veronica's arm and, with Maria tugging on the tether, forces Veronica to catch up with the other girls. When Maria head is turned, Kavner passes Veronica a small device and mouths, "Sock." Veronica keeps the device concealed in her hand. When they catch up to the other girls, Veronica bends over, pretending to retie her shoelace but actually putting the device inside her sock.

Kavner says to Maria, "You got her now?"

Maria nods and yanks on the tether; she and Veronica fall in with the other girls who have started hiking a clearly-marked path in the woods.

Veronica muses, I didn't realize how much I missed the sun. The contrast of the cloudy Vermont sky with the almost-constant mild weather in Neptune is vast; still Veronica breathes in the air, enjoying the illusion of freedom and the sheer joy of being outside after not even having a window to look out for forty-eight hours. The stifling atmosphere of the school is already having an effect on her, and she thinks dismally of the students who spend five or six years at the school. There are small patches of snow at intervals, and Veronica wonders if they make the students do this hike if there is substantial snow on the ground.

Kavner hangs back to be the "sweeper", preventing any girls from straggling behind; the other two leaders set a brisk pace. Veronica is glad that she's been working out on the treadmill for the past few weeks in preparation for the operation; when Epstein made it clear that students were pushed to physical exhaustion, she began to schedule extra workouts, trying to be in top physical condition to get through the operation. But when Maria looks at her, Veronica pretends to pant through her mouth and breathe heavily, as if the hike is taking a great toll on her. As she hikes, she feels the digital recording device Kavner handed off to her in her sock. Not much to record so far, she thinks.

She tries to keep her mind off her hunger; no breakfast today, and last night's dinner was ridiculously small, oatmeal and an apple, along with the ever-present bug juice. Maria was granted a peanut-butter sandwich as well, and Veronica reflected that the food limitations were a powerful motivating device to make the girls compliant. Maria lorded it over Veronica, obviously masticating the sandwich and making sounds of contentment as she ate her extra ration.

They hike for about an hour before a short rest stop is called. After five minutes, they set off again, resuming the fast pace. After what Veronica estimates is five miles of strenuous hiking, the trail meets up with a rough forest road, where a jeep is waiting. The girls line up for a cup of water. Kavner and the other two leaders get in the jeep and three other employees take their place. Veronica realizes that the tradeoff means that the employees never get tired, but the girls are being pushed to their limit. Veronica sees that all the girls are tired and miserable, but no one says a word. After a short rest, they begin hiking again at a relentless pace.

She reflects that at least Hannah Griffith was on the track team; this was probably one activity that was not too difficult for her. Despite not knowing her well, Veronica is constantly trying to create a mental picture of what Hannah's experience had been at the school. Hannah seemed to be trusting; she apparently forgave and excused Logan's misbehaviors despite the bad publicity. Someone like that would be more susceptible to the mental programming going on at the school. But Veronica knows that Hannah was also on the dean's list, with consistent good grades despite her involvement in sports and spirit organizations. Hannah wasn't dumb; she had to have known that the school's programs were based on fallacies. And it must have been particularly awful to be accused of being a druggie and a sex addict merely for the crime of falling for Logan, especially when her father was doing cocaine. She imagines Hannah protesting in group therapy that she had done nothing wrong and being told that she was too screwed-up to see how bad she really was.

Why did Hannah's father choose such an extreme school for his daughter? How did he even know about this school? Mrs. Denenberg implied that the school was chosen partially for its distance from California and the tight security. Did they really think Logan would mount a rescue to bring his beloved home? Of course, the irony of Logan's presence at the school now is not lost on Veronica.

So, what happened that made Hannah decide to run away? Veronica remembers the tale that Epstein told her of a student who was tracked by dogs and caught hiding in the woods. The student was sentenced to public paddling and subsequent observation placement for 90 days, and twelve months were added to his program. The swift retribution for the smallest offense is such an ingrained feature of the school that Veronica finds it hard to believe that a student would take the chance of running away. Something convinced her to run; and she obviously had a good plan, because it worked. Or she had help.

I keep coming back to Maria. She had to have been here when Hannah was here. She might have even been a newcomer at the same time. If only I could talk to her, get her to tell me what happened...

Mon. 3/9/09 early afternoon: Briar Hill Academy, Manchester Center, VT

At 12:30, Klein's secretary leaves for lunch; Logan watches as she gets in her car and drives off, presumably to get her flat tire fixed on her lunch hour. He quickly enters the main building, fingering the new card key in his pocket. The building is deserted, with a large proportion of the employees working on the hike. Logan stealthily makes his way to Klein's office. He inserts the card in the reader, half-expecting a loud alarm to go off as the reader detects a forged card. The lock clicks quietly and the reader's LED signal changes to green. He turns the handle and enters the office.

Logan peruses the paperwork on Klein's desk. Most of it relates to the yearly budget; he uses the camera in his watch to quickly take a few photos of the papers, not wanting to spend time reading them. He looks around to find an electrical outlet; the nearest one has a fax machine plugged into it, and Logan hesitates, wondering if a power interruption will cause the time on the machine to be reset. He decides it's not worth the risk, and he looks for another outlet. Near one of the bookcases, he finds another that is unused, and he places the bug as Keith had instructed him.

He turns to the lateral file cabinets. He reads the brand name 'HON' and tries the file cabinet master keys with that label on the key ring. The third one fits perfectly and unlocks the first cabinet, labeled 'Current Students'. Logan makes note of the key, 'HON 600 series', and pockets the key ring. He pulls the file for Connie Morris and photographs its contents. He runs his finger over the tabs on the files, looking for the first names 'Maria' and 'Tara'. He sees 'Frazzino, Maria' and pulls a hefty file; he makes sure it's the correct one, checking the enrollment date, age, and other data, then photographs every page in the file. He carefully replaces all the pages as they were and looks for Tara's file. Logan photographs the entire file for 'Connolly, Tara', which is substantially thinner than Maria's. Despite his rush, he takes the time to notice that the file includes a police report, and Tara's date of enrollment is listed as 2/11/09. Logan replaces Tara's file and relocks the cabinet.

The next file cabinet is labeled 'Former Students, A-H', and Logan uses the key to open this cabinet. Logan locates Hannah's file and copies it. He checks the time, realizing he has a few minutes. He walks to the desk, thinking; he decides to scroll through the caller ID on the phone. He takes a small piece of paper from the wastebasket, and finds a pen, carefully noting its position on the desk. The phone saves the last 30 incoming calls, and Logan writes all of them down, pocketing the list. He checks the time again and decides to get out while he can.

Logan opens the door silently and checks that the hallway is clear. He hears voices and shuts the door, his heart pounding. He realizes it's Tony, going over a maintenance request with another employee. He listens to the voices, which gradually diminish in volume. With his allowed time quickly slipping away, he decides to chance it and open the door. He exits the office and shuts the door behind him; the LED stays red, and when he tries to door handle, it's firmly locked. He tries to appear confident and certain as he strolls to the front door.

"Hey, Roger!!" Tony calls.

Logan turns around and tries to keep his voice calm. "Tony, I was looking for you. Someone said they thought you might be here."

"Yeah, we have a plumbing problem I need to take care of. What's up?"

"I didn't know what I was supposed to do on my shift today since the girls are all on that hike."

"Right," Tony says, nodding. "You can run a couple errands for me. The girls should be back at four for group." He starts walking to the front door, inclining his head to indicate that Logan should follow.

Logan walks with Tony, realizing he is totally jazzed by the adrenaline rush from breaking into Klein's office. He remembers feeling the same way after rescuing Veronica from the River Stix–shaky and excited and scared all at once–and he reflects that this feeling could get addictive.

Mon. 3/9/09 afternoon: Briar Hill Academy, Manchester Center, VT

After a brief rest stop, Maria yanks at Veronica's tether harder than necessary to get her going, and Veronica suppresses a flash of anger. Then she reflects that a newcomer, especially a newcomer like herself, would probably act out a little, or at least complain about the rigors of the hike. Let's have a little performance for the digital recorder. She deliberately steps on a small rock; it causes her to lurch to the side. As she staggers sideways, she pulls on the tether, and Maria turns around crossly.

"What is your problem, Connie?"

"I'm sorry, my leg hurts," she replies piteously.

One of the leaders, Alyssa, the group therapy specialist, hears their talking and jogs back. She yells at Veronica, "Stop being so lazy! Keep up with the group."

"I have a cramp in my leg," Veronica protests, rubbing her calf. "Can't we rest a little bit longer?"

Alyssa blows her whistle, stopping the hike. "Fifty pushups. Let's go."

Veronica stares at her in apparent disbelief. Alyssa gets behind her and shoves her in the back. Veronica loses her balance and stumbles forward onto the ground. All the girls stare at Veronica. No help there, she thinks.

Alyssa is furious at Veronica's disobedience. She looks at the other girls and proclaims, "If she doesn't do the pushups, no one will have dinner today. And five extra miles on the hike."

Every girl, even Tara, begins to scream at Veronica. "Do it!" "Goddamn it, do the pushups!" A few of the oldcomers are not satisfied with verbal taunts; they approach and look as though they are going to kick and punch Veronica.

Veronica gets on her hands and knees and begins to do pushups. Of course, in her training at the FBI, she managed to become quite proficient at the male version of pushups, but for right now, she acts the part of a typically out-of-shape teenaged girl perfectly. She deliberately slows down, trying to appear as if she's struggling as the count gets into the thirties, and Alyssa mocks her, "Come on, tough girl, let's go. You're never going to make it if you don't work harder than that." Veronica finally finishes, the last few pushups appearing to exhaust her. Maria yanks on her tether again, and Veronica gets up on her feet, pretentiously breathing hard and rubbing her supposedly aching arms.

Alyssa blows the whistle again, and the hike resumes.

Mon. 3/9/09 afternoon: Montpelier, VT

Keith and Epstein, following behind Klein's car, watch as he turns into a construction site. Keith drives past, circles the block, and finds a parking place with a good vantage point. The signs posted declare that building permits have been filed under the name of Brannigan and Sons. Keith hands Epstein his telephoto-equipped camera and instructs him to document Klein's activities. Keith opens his laptop, thinking, thank god for wi-fi, and looks up Brannigan on the business section of yellowbook•com. With a little more research, he finds that John Brannigan is listed as chief executive officer, and he locates an image of Brannigan via Google. Keith comments to Epstein, "What did we do before the internet?", and Epstein nods, taking a few photos. "What's happening?" Keith asks.

Epstein replies, "A guy just came out and shook hands with Klein."

"Let me see," Keith says. He takes the camera and confirms that it is Brannigan meeting with Klein. He watches as Klein hands Brannigan an envelope; they talk for a moment, then Klein turns to walk away. Keith starts up the car, waiting for Klein to get back to his car. They follow Klein long enough to determine that he's on his way back to Briar Hill; Keith takes the next exit and pulls off the road. He sends a text to Logan, 'K on way back', then turns to Epstein. "Let's check out Brannigan, see what the connection is to Briar Hill." He makes a U-turn and heads back to Montpelier. Upon Keith's instructions, Epstein gets the address of the Building Inspector's Office, located in the Fire Department central building on Main St. They park and enter the building.

A young woman is staffing a desk in the office. "Yes, may I help you?"

"Hi, I'm doing a report on Montpelier for the corporate headquarters of TransNational Enterprises." Keith selects a business card from his wallet that matches his statement and hands it to the woman. She holds the card by the edges, looking at it carefully. "We're doing a feasibility study on possible cities in the Northeast for our planned relocation. Is it possible to take a look at the building permits issued in the last year? We'll need to do extensive renovation on the possible site we've located, and I want to make sure that your local construction companies can handle the work. Of course, if we do decide to locate here, the positive impact on your commercial property taxes would be substantial, and we would be hiring local people to work for the company."

"Certainly, I can help you with that. I believe we had 112 permits issued last year." The woman stands up and walks to a filing cabinet. She removes several file folders and hands them to Keith, who has taken a seat next to the desk. He peruses the files, taking notes and carefully obscuring his true target by looking closely at several different construction companies. Brannigan and Sons has applied for five building permits. The permits only list the address of the sites without identifying the property owners.

"I think that'll do it," Keith says finally.

"Are there any questions I can help you with? If you want, I can set up a meeting with our building inspector or the mayor. I know Montpelier is aggressively seeking new commercial enterprises, and the mayor would certainly be willing to discuss a tax break," the secretary says hopefully.

"It's still very preliminary," Keith replies. He leans towards the woman and continues, "But between you and me, it's down to three different cities. The thing is...our CEO hates being courted by town officials. He's strictly a by-the-numbers guy, so let's just keep this between us."

"I'll keep my fingers crossed," she swears.

They leave the building, and Epstein comments, "Very smooth. So I assume we're heading to the assessor's office to look up the owners of these parcels?"

"You got it," Keith says.

At the assessor's office, Keith gets the names of the property owners of the five sites under construction by Brannigan and Sons. Back in the car, they run the names through Google search.

"Bingo. Carl Behr," Keith says.

Epstein looks over his shoulder at the laptop screen. He says, "Commissioner Carl Behr. Of the Vermont Department of Education."

"Let's drive by this address," Keith suggests.

They take a tour through what is obviously one of the wealthier sections of Montpelier. Behr's house shows signs of an extensive remodel that will double the square footage of the already large house.

Keith taps on the steering wheel. He turns to Epstein, "So how much you want to bet that Klein is financing this remodel in exchange for favorable reports on the school?"

"And probably a heads-up on surprise visits by inspectors," Epstein adds. "I'll take that bet."

•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
VERONICA MARS
10:00PM SHO ch: 340 60min 2009 TV-MA
Tip-Off
Weevil and Wallace; after the
hike; Keith reviews the files.
Veronica: Kristen Bell. Logan: Jason Dohring.
Keith: Enrico Colantoni. Eli: Francis Capra.
Wallace: Percy Daggs III. Maria: Gina
Mantegna. Alyssa: Christina Hendricks.
Coach: Richard T. Jones.
•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••

CHAPTER SIXTY-SIX: "TIP-OFF"

Mon. 3/9/09 afternoon: Athletic Center, Hearst College, Neptune, CA

A whistle blows during the Rough Riders practice scrimmage. "Get your head in the game, Fennel!" the coach yells.

"Okay, okay," Wallace replies, nodding. He takes the ball and dribbles down the court looking for an opening. He passes the ball, and the throw is way high, resulting in a turnover.

The coach blows the whistle again and tells the team to hit the showers. "Unh-uh, not you, Fennel. Get over here."

Wallace trots over, knowing this isn't going to be pretty. He keeps his mouth shut; there really is no excuse for the way he's playing today. Sitting in a car with Eli Navarro until three a.m. is, not surprisingly, the worst way to prepare for a playoff game. And nothing to show for it. Liam Fitzpatrick sat in the River Stix downing beers until an hour past closing time; despite Weevil's assertion that Liam spent his whole day committing crimes, the man appears to be walking the straight and narrow path these days.

"You know what tomorrow is, right?" the coach asks. "Because I'm not sure you do, based on the way you're playing out there...C'mon, let's hear it, because I think you might be confused."

Wallace nods. "First round, Mountain West Conference Tournament, against Air Force."

"Oh, so you do know," the coach replies sarcastically. "What the hell's going on out there, Fennel?"

"Didn't get much sleep last night," Wallace mumbles evasively.

The coach turns away in disgust. He turns back around and yells, "Didn't get much sleep!! What the hell are you thinking?"

"Sorry, coach. It won't happen again," Wallace says.

The coach points his thumb at the locker room disgustedly, and Wallace quickly leaves the court before the coach can change his mind and really lay into him.

When Wallace exits the locker room, Weevil is waiting. "Yo."

Wallace bumps fists with Weevil and says, "What up?"

"I got a tip from my uncle that Liam is accepting delivery on some cars with shaky documentation," Weevil relates.

"When's this going down?" Not tonight, not tonight, Wallace hopes.

"Wednesday," Weevil says. "Good thing it's not during your game tomorrow, right? I got some money on you. You better not screw up."

"Oh, hell no, we wouldn't want you to lose some money over this," Wallace retorts sarcastically. "What's the line?"

"They've got Hearst at -7 1/2."

"Great. So not just a win, a big win."

"Yeah, I'm counting on you to cover the spread," Weevil says, throwing his arm over Wallace's shoulders.

"Hey, anything for you, big guy," Wallace shoots back, shaking off Weevil's arm.

"You, uh, talk to Keith?" Weevil asks, trying to sound casual.

Wallace looks at him. "Yeah. I talked to him today. Veronica's kicking serious ass."

"Of course. I knew she'd do great. Girl's practically a superhero," Weevil says, relieved.

"True dat." Wallace adds quietly, "I'm worried too."

Mon. 3/9/09 late afternoon: Briar Hill Academy, Manchester Center, VT

When the girls finally return from the hike, Veronica sees Kavner working unobtrusively outside the building. He looks at her briefly then turns back to his work. She stumbles and stops for a moment, forcing Maria on the other end of her tether to stop as well. For once, Maria is too tired to bark at her and just waits while Veronica 'adjusts' her shoe. All the girls look exhausted, and no one notices when Veronica surreptitiously dumps the recording device as she straightens up. Kavner walks past the girls toward the employees' living quarters, and Veronica resists the temptation to look back.

The girls file into the common room, and Alyssa begins lecturing them on willpower and mental toughness. Each of the girls stands up in turn to talk about she has learned about herself that day on that hike.

When Veronica stands, she hesitates for a long moment, trying to gauge what the percentage play is here. Provoke again? Submit? She finally stammers, "I don't really understand what you guys are talking about most of the time. But I'm trying." She sits back down, waiting for an explosion from Maria or Alyssa.

After a long pause, Alyssa says, "Well, Connie, I think you're trying to be honest. You've got a long way to go, but this may be a good first step. Keep paying attention."

Unaccountably, Veronica feels real relief. She stares into space for a moment, then realizes she should be focusing on what the other girls are saying. She tries to listen but keeps zoning out.

At last the girls are released from group therapy and head for the showers. The oldcomer girls go first, taking quick showers; by the time the newcomers are allowed to shower, there is no more hot water. Veronica undresses carefully, making sure to keep the bug in her bra obscured from Maria's constant supervision. She quickly soaps up and rinses in the freezing water; Maria waits for her impatiently, watching her closely for any signs of misbehavior. Again Veronica seethes at the complete lack of privacy. What the hell am I going to do in the shower? She fantasizes briefly about stealing the bar of soap to make it into a weapon. I suppose I could put it in a sock to make a crude sap. She pictures swinging her improvised weapon at Maria's head. Yeah, this school is doing a good job of rehabilitating me.

In the dining room, Veronica takes her peanut-butter sandwich and sits down with Maria. Everyone looks completely miserable and worn-out from the hike and the lectures. Even though she was in excellent physical condition before coming here, Veronica too is exhausted. The stress of the operation combined with the lack of sleep for the last several nights and now the added physical exertion have taken a toll on her. She stares at her sandwich on the plate, thinking, I might be too tired to eat. Except...I'm starving. She looks around at the other girls. The oldcomers, now easily recognizable to Veronica due to their added privileges, are relishing their dinner, taking tiny bites of their sandwiches. She realizes they are savoring the pathetic meal, enjoying every bite as if it's filet mignon. Veronica knows she has to eat; she picks up the sandwich and takes a bite, replacing it on her plate to rest while she chews. She forces down some of the bug juice, trying to replace the fluids she knows that she lost during the hike.

Out of the corner of her eye, she sees Logan entering the dining room, relieving another employee. Veronica steadfastly keeps her eyes away from him, worrying that he might inadvertently betray her. She notices Peter Klein walking up to him and engaging him in conversation. When Klein walks away, she takes a chance and looks directly at Logan, who nods just the slightest amount possible and immediately directs his gaze at Klein's back. I bet he got into Klein's office.

Veronica starts to perk up at the thought of learning what Logan has found out, until she realizes that he can't take the chance of talking to her. Goddammit, I want to know what's going on! She slumps again, depressed and tired, wishing this could just be over already. She closes her eyes for a minute, and she starts to dream about sleeping, not in the uncomfortable bunk bed here at Briar Hill, but in the waterbed her dad bought at a tag sale a few years ago.

The bed was awful, with the constant motion making her queasy at times; still, it took her months before she would admit to her dad that she hated it. Now, it makes her smile, thinking about her dad remembering that she wanted one and going to a lot of trouble to set it up as a surprise for her. She thinks about the special sheets she bought for the bed, picturing their lurid design. When she picked them out, she giggled at the leopard-skin print more appropriate for a 1970's swinging bachelor pad. She imagines slipping into those sheets now, smelling the familiar, wonderful, normal smells of the Mars' favorite laundry soap and fabric softener. And the best part? Knowing that her dad was sound asleep in the next room and Backup was sleeping next to the bed–one jump onto the waterbed was enough to convince Backup that the new bed was pure evil–and knowing that both her dad and her dog were ready to leap into action to protect her from anything that threatened her.

She starts awake with a jolt, realizing she was actually sleeping, her hand holding the sandwich now drooping toward the plate. Veronica shakes herself and forces herself to eat the last few bites of the sandwich. She pours herself another glass of the hated bug juice, knowing how important it is for her to avoid dehydration. Got to stay sharp, got to stay on my game. No more wishful thinking, Veronica; you've got a school to take down and evil headmasters to expose.

Mon. 3/9/09 early evening: Rented house, Manchester Center, VT

Keith surmises that Logan, after his obviously successful foray into Klein's office, somehow found a way during his 2:00 to 10:00 shift to sneak off and email the jpegs from the digital camera. The short text file that accompanies the pictures is brief.

'All is fine, exactly as discussed. This is a list of the last 30 phone calls from caller ID.'

Thirty phone numbers follow. Keith nods his head. That was good thinking; I guess Veronica's rubbing off on him. He decides to look at the pictures first before tackling the phone numbers. He prints hardcopies of all the photos that Logan took; the pictures of the files appear uniformly clear and legible to Keith's great satisfaction.

Tara Connolly's file is unremarkable: it contains a copy of her birth certificate, her immunization records, and her previous school transcript. Her parents admitted her to Briar Hill for ninety days in lieu of a felony conviction; when Tara completes the program at Briar Hills, her juvenile record will be expunged. Keith looks at the police report; sixteen year-old Tara and a seventeen year-old boy were arrested breaking into a vacation home in Bennington, Vermont. Both were legally drunk at the time of arrest; the boy additionally had a record of several misdemeanors and was on parole for felony car theft at the time. The boy was sentenced as an adult and is now serving a one-year sentence at St. Johnsbury Regional Correctional Facility.

He peruses Tara's school records. She was diagnosed as having Attention Deficit Disorder and dyslexia at the age of ten and is supposed to be taking Adderall, 20 mg two times per day. Keith looks up the dosage and finds that that amount appears to be the maximum allowable dosage; he assumes that Tara is significantly impaired by her ADD. Despite this diagnosis, Tara was a solid 'B' student at her previous school. She had had no previous trouble with the law before the break-in, and Keith assumes that her clean record led the court to recommend an alternate sentence. When Keith looks at Tara's intake records, Keith finds that Briar Hill's psychologist recommended the complete cessation of her medication; he notes the date when the psychologist supposedly saw Tara, reminding himself to try to check to see if Tara was actually seen by the doctor. He recognizes the name of the psychologist as the man who Epstein believes signs off on whatever diagnosis the school requests for a substantial fee. Perhaps we can check the doctor's records to see if he was seeing other patients elsewhere at that same time. Despite Tara's short term at the school, she has already had a month added to her treatment plan for the infraction of 'disobedience'.

Putting Tara's records aside, he finds Hannah's records and sighs. Most of the file is familiar to him; he has reviewed Ms. Denenberg's copies of these documents numerous times. But there are pages that are new to him that review Hannah's lack of progress in group therapy. Hannah was sentenced to Observation Placement for several days approximately two weeks before she ran away. The psychologist reiterates that Hannah had a 'cutting' disorder, a sexual addiction, and a drug addiction. Some of the staff have contributed reports that Keith suspects were completed after Hannah ran away. They tell tales of her defiant behavior and emotional outbursts during group therapy, and relate Hannah's unwillingness to work on her problems. The final page is a detailed police report filed by Briar Hill when Hannah ran away. Keith puts the file aside, intending to spend more time examining every detail of Hannah's time at the school, and picks up Maria's paperwork.

Maria Frazzino is listed as seventeen years old, with a birth date of 5/22/91. Keith frowns. The spaces next to 'parents' are blank. He checks through the files, looking for a reference to a guardian. On the last page of her file, there is a form that acknowledges that VF Inc. will be financially responsible for her charges at Briar Hill Academy. There is a signature scrawled at the bottom, which does not appear to be 'Frazzino'. Keith compares the file to Hannah's, Tara's, and Connie's, which all simply state the parents' names on the first page of the file. He goes back to Maria's files and finds a copy of a canceled check from VF, Inc. in the amount of 50,000. He makes a note of the bank's name and routing number. Bank of America, 555 Capitol Mall, Sacramento. Keith ponders various ruses to try to identify the owner of the account. He decides, what's the point of having a contact in the FBI if you don't use them? He leaves a message on Mike Fields' cell phone, asking him to call as soon as possible.

Keith goes through the rest of Maria's file. The file also seems to be lacking the birth certificate and immunization records that Hannah's and Tara's contain, and Keith knows that he was asked to provide these items for 'Connie'. Maria was admitted on 6/3/05, soon after her fourteenth birthday. The file has no police reports, no school counselor assessments, no history of Maria's behavior prior to her admission to the school.

After her admission, the file documents violation after violation: assignment to Observation Placement numerous times, at one time for over 40 days consecutively; cryptic notations that indicate that Maria was resistant to group therapy and was punished in various ways; and psychologist's reports that diagnose her as having 'oppositional defiant disorder'. The same doctor who recommended that Tara stop her ADD medication also signed Maria's psych report. Maria's 'Plan of Treatment' was initially twelve months; she has had months added at various points along the way to reach her current total of forty-five months, or 3 3/4 years at Briar Hill. She is currently scheduled to graduate in June, soon after her eighteenth birthday. Keith finds a letter from Serenity Bay School in Jamaica, confirming that Maria will be transferred to the new school on June 1st.

Suddenly Keith realizes why the name Frazzino seems so familiar to him. He googles a list of state assemblymen from California; he clicks on the page listing the California Assembly leadership. 'Vincenzo Frazzino' is listed as Speaker, but Keith knows that Frazzino is also a rising star in Republican politics who is positioning himself for a U.S. Senate run in the fall. Recalling a particularly virulent battle over a proposition added to the ballot several years ago, Keith looks up Frazzino's webpage and finds a glowing report that states: 'Frazzino's leadership in the battle to pass Proposition 38 in 2004 resulted in California's being the first state in the nation to hold parents financially responsible for the crimes of their minor children. Since the passage of the Parental Responsibility Act, juvenile crime has declined by ten percent.'(13)

Keith sits back in his chair, stunned. If Frazzino's juvenile delinquent daughter was outed to the press, the Assemblyman's ambitious plans to run for U.S. Senate would be dashed. No wonder the bastard wants to keep her locked away. He personally sponsored legislation intended to force parents to be liable for their children's actions, which only encourage parents to lock their children away until they are adults. In Maria's case, even after she's eighteen, any misbehavior on her part would reflect poorly on Frazzino. Keith recalls the intense press scrutiny on the twin daughters of President George W. Bush before the relatively tame stories of underage drinking were crowded out of the press by the terrorist attacks on 9/11.

He searches for press stories on Frazzino's family. Prior to 2004, family portraits feature a carefully coifed brunette wife and two neatly dressed children, a boy and a girl. Keith peers at the photo, but it is impossible to determine if the somber young girl in the photo is in fact the Maria currently in charge of his daughter. A press release in July of 2005 mentions the wife and son on vacation in Martha's Vineyard, but makes no mention of Frazzino's daughter. In September of that year, the Assemblyman's bio was updated and mentions that his daughter is at a boarding school in Switzerland. Keith assumes that a new bio will be published in the fall, mentioning that Maria is 'traveling abroad' or 'enrolled in an exclusive Swiss university' or some other equally vague statement about her whereabouts.

Keith rubs his forehead, thinking about everything he has learned about Maria. If someone threatened to expose Frazzino's secret juvenile delinquent daughter...now that's a solid motive for murder. And a state assemblyman could probably request to review an ongoing FBI investigation into a serial murderer.

He has another thought. I wonder how much extra Klein charges Frazzino to keep his secret.

(12) Parks, Alexia. An American Gulag. Eldorado Springs, CO: Quality Books, Inc., 2000. p. 166.
(13) Please note that the 'Parental Responsibility Act' is completely fictional, but is based on current statutes in many states, including California. Details below.
Parks, Alexia. An American Gulag. Eldorado Springs, CO: Quality Books, Inc., 2000. p. 153.
Author's note: For the purposes of this fic, I had the 'Parental Responsibility Act' passed in 2004, but in fact most of the parental responsibility statutes have been around a lot longer than that, and they are NOT known under that title. Also, I completely made up the statistic regarding the decline in juvenile crime after the passage of my completely fictional 'Act'. Here's a summary of the actual California law on parents' responsibilities:
"CALIFORNIA: Parents are responsible if the parent has knowledge of the child's potential for misconduct and fails to take reasonable steps to prevent such misconduct; if the parent has signed the child's driver's license application or the child drives the parent's car with the parent's knowledge and permission; if the child is guilty of willful misconduct; or if the child is given ready access to a firearm."
from: www•enotes•com/everyday-law-encyclopedia/parent-liability-child-s-act
Also see this article on Wikipedia about U.S. parental responsibility laws in general and California law in particular, which has survived a challenge in the California State Supreme Court.
en•wikipedia•org/wiki/ParentalUNDERSCOREresponsibilityUNDERSCOREPERCENT28criminalPERCENT29
The point is that these laws create a powerful incentive for a parent to lock up their misbehaving child, and the tough-love schools have tapped into that market by exploiting parents' reasonable fears. (Okay, getting off my soapbox now.)