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. No harm or insult is intended to any real-life organizations or to any participants 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 and Sobertears. All mistakes that remain are my responsibility.
Last time on The Year of Living Dangerously Part II-Just the important stuff from chapters 77-83:
( for the whole overblown "previously on", see my journal.
vanessagalore•livejournal•com/61213•html )
Veronica wakes up with a headache and a fever. She asks for a doctor, but Maria refuses. Veronica vows to keep going. The monitoring team debates ending the operation, but they are told that a judge believes what they have documented is not yet proof of abuse, and they decide to continue for a short time. Keith, as Mr. Morris, calls the school, and Klein updates him on 'Connie's' progress.
Mac's family meets with US Marshals prior to entering Witness Protection. A federal agent, Brenda, will take Mac's place at her family's fake funeral.
Duncan reads about a renewed investigation into the Casablancas real estate swindle; most of the funds were not recovered. He deletes the photo of Kendall from his phone.
Klein, dissatisfied with Connie's compliance, has her taken down again, and Veronica's shoulder is injured; she is infuriated and refuses to quit. The girls are taken on another hike; it is terminated abruptly when Carrie, under the supervision of the monitoring team, calls in a tip to a local news station, who quickly arrive to investigate possible abuse at the school. Veronica gets a brief respite while the media is there.
Logan tries to get Veronica to stop the operation unsuccessfully. While being attacked in group therapy, Veronica begins to incorporate real-life details about Lilly. Logan is upset and angered, and Veronica sees it. Veronica is forced to write a 'guilt letter' to Celeste and to document the details of her moral flaws. Late at night, Veronica is prevented from sleeping. She is forced to do 200 jumping jacks, which are excruciating due to her shoulder injury, and she finally breaks down and calls for help. However, her bug has ceased functioning, and the monitoring team does not hear. Logan however has a feeling that something has gone wrong and tries to convince Lynley to stop the operation. Veronica is further stressed by the seemingly innocuous task of reshelving books; she is scared and confused because federal agents have not arrived.
In the morning, Keith and Epstein visit the Guardian Angel, Michelle Weisz, who tells them details of Hannah's time at and escape from Briar Hill. She tells them that she believes Hannah was living in Rio Linda, a small town near Sacramento (the capital of California). The interview with Weisz takes Keith and Epstein an hour and a half's drive from the school. Kavner is sent on an errand off campus. Lynley and Kinny are left to monitor Veronica; Kinny realizes there's no audio coming from her bug. Kinny and Lynley argue about stopping the operation.
The girls are herded into a special group therapy session. Klein takes charge and begins to attack Veronica. Veronica is completely stressed and exhausted, and Klein twists her arm, aggravating her dislocated shoulder beyond bearing. To stop the abuse, she admits she was roofied and raped and tells Klein some of the details that she can remember. For the first time, Veronica remembers Beaver molesting her, and she has a complete breakdown. Kinny finally convinces Lynley to stop the operation, and the feds are called in. In the meantime, Logan and Kavner storm the session; Logan punches out Klein when he discovers Veronica is made up like a whore with 'SLUT' written on her forehead. Veronica is taken to the hospital, and federal agents arrest Klein and the other employees and shut down the school.
Sheriff D'Amato finds out that Kendall was staying at the Neptune Grand. Housekeeping reports that her room was searched thoroughly by an unknown person. An employee comes forward with a tip that three years ago Kendall was having an affair with Logan Echolls. Leo gets security footage and discovers a video of Logan and Veronica making out in the elevator.
•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
VERONICA MARS
10:00PM SHO ch: 340 60min 2009 TV-MA
Dislocation
Veronica wakes up in the hospital; Leo
questions Dick.
Veronica: Kristen Bell. Logan: Jason Dohring.
Leo: Max Greenfield. Keith: Enrico Colantoni.
Dick: Ryan Hansen. Dr. Arthurs: Glenne Headly.
•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
CHAPTER EIGHTY-FOUR: "DISLOCATION"
Sat. 3/14/09 evening: Southwestern Vermont Medical Center, VT
LOGAN
Logan sits watching her breathe. In and out, in and out...eleven, no, twelve times per minute according to the monitor. All of Veronica's readings are perfectly normal, according to the doctor who checks in every hour. But Veronica just sleeps. Dr. Arthurs reassures Keith and Logan that her heavy sleep is due to her exhaustion and the sedation given to her, but Logan still counts her breaths and worries.
Dr. Arthurs went over Veronica's condition thoroughly with Logan and Keith. Her dislocated shoulder has been stabilized and will require surgery when she is stronger. Her fever is due to a minor kidney infection, presumably from the bathroom restrictions Veronica had been subject to, and Dr. Arthurs predicts that her temperature will return to normal rather quickly with IV antibiotics. Neither Keith nor Logan ask the questions that preoccupy them about Veronica's mental status.
It took only twenty-five minutes to ride to the hospital in Bennington from Manchester Center. It felt like hours to Logan. He had a million questions for the paramedics but couldn't form the words to ask them. He watched as they took her vitals; he listened as they called in a report to the hospital detailing the situation. When the ambulance reached the hospital, Keith jumped out of his car directly behind them in the ambulance bay and ran over to the stretcher as they wheeled her into the emergency room. Logan recognized the nauseous expression on Keith's face as the mirror image of his own.
A short while after they arrived, the emergency room doctors briefed Keith on Veronica's condition. Logan overheard the phrases from a short distance away– 'dehydration...exhaustion...kidney infection...anterior subcoracoid dislocation... closed reduction and pain management...consult with an orthopedic surgeon'–with each word causing him more and more distress as the doctors calmly discussed the medical options. Keith succinctly summarized for the doctors what Veronica had been doing for the past week, and the doctors assimilated the information and reassured Keith that his daughter appeared to be strong and was likely to have a complete recovery. They admitted Veronica to a private room, and Keith and Logan settled in for a vigil.
At one point, Keith urged Logan to get some dinner and promised to page him immediately if she woke. Logan found the cafeteria and tried to swallow a tasteless burger; he managed a few bites before pushing the food aside. He wandered into the pharmacy next to the cafeteria; he looked at balloons that trumpeted 'Get Well Soon!' and brightly wrapped boxes of chocolates and dismissed them as too little, not enough, and completely besides the point. In the toiletry aisle, he picked up a small can of shaving cream and a pack of disposable razors. In the fluorescent glare of Veronica's bathroom, he carefully shaved off the hated beard and mustache, recalling despondently his decision to change his appearance to hide from her. Keith looked at his clean-shaven face and made no comment as he pretended to thumb through a worn copy of 'People' magazine.
After a brief and sickening conversation about the group therapy session, they mutually decided not to discuss the operation. Logan waited with his guts twisted into a knot, expecting Keith to berate him for his part in Veronica's rape and his negligence in guarding her during the undercover operation, but Keith just seems lost and completely devastated; time enough for recriminations later, he supposes. Keith told him about the explosion that killed Mac's family, and Logan wondered how the hell they would tell Veronica.
Keith's cell phone has vibrated with call after call for the entire afternoon. At intervals, he left the room, and Logan assumed he was getting updates from Lynley and letting Wallace know that she was all right. At one point, Logan turned on the television with the sound muted and saw Carrie Murray shoving a microphone in Vincenzo Frazzino's face at his Sacramento home. She must have jumped on a plane as soon as she knew the operation was over, he muses. The shit is definitely going to hit the fan. He clicked through a few channels and saw that Klein's arrest and the closing of the school was the lead story on every local newscast.
Dr. Arthurs comes into the room and examines Veronica again. She is no-nonsense, yet somehow compassionate and empathetic, and appears to be a woman who likes her job and her patients. She smiles and nods reassuringly at Logan and asks Keith to come into the hallway to discuss Veronica's condition. Logan listens to their murmuring conversation without being able to distinguish the words. He pulls his chair closer to the bed and takes her left hand in his for perhaps the hundredth time that day, he supposes. He caresses her fingers gently, avoiding the IV coming out of the back of her hand. This is what it was like for her last fall, when I was lying unconscious, he realizes.
He looks up at her face and notices with a shock that her eyes are open. "Veronica..." he whispers. His voice fades away as he comprehends that she is terrified. "I'll get your dad," he chokes out. Logan releases her hand and gets Keith from the hallway.
KEITH
FLASHBACK TO THE MORNING: Epstein takes a curve a little too fast, and the car fishtails a little before he gets it under control. Keith listens to the group therapy session over his cell phone.
KLEIN: TELL ME ABOUT THIS RAPE YOU SAY HAPPENED.
VERONICA: I DON'T REMEMBER IT. I WAS DRUGGED.
KLEIN: YOU MEAN YOU DON'T WANT TO REMEMBER IT. YOU DON'T WANT TO ADMIT THAT YOU'RE A SLUT.
VERONICA: NO! HE...I DON'T KNOW...HE...
KLEIN: WHAT ARE YOU REMEMBERING? TELL ME! I WANT TO HELP YOU.
VERONICA: NO, YOU DON'T. YOU'RE EVIL. I HATE YOU. I WANT MY DAD.
KLEIN: CONNIE, WE LOVE YOU HERE. YOU'RE NEVER GOING TO BE ABLE TO LIVE A MORAL LIFE IF YOU DON'T ADMIT YOU'RE A SLUT AND AN ADDICT. YOU'RE STILL NOT ABLE TO BE HONEST WITH YOURSELF. WHY WON'T YOU LET US HELP YOU?
Keith grips the phone with aching fingers, as if his tight grasp might somehow allow him to control this situation. He stops breathing, waiting...waiting for what Klein might try next with his daughter.
VERONICA: NO...WHAT ARE YOU DOING? PLEASE, DON'T. I WANT MY DAD, PLEASE, WHY ARE YOU DOING THIS?
KLEIN: YOU NEED TO CONFRONT YOUR PAST. YOU CAN'T MOVE ON UNTIL YOU ADMIT YOUR MISTAKES, CONNIE. YOU KNOW YOU WERE ASKING FOR TROUBLE THAT NIGHT...AND YOU GOT IT.
She is crying and protesting incoherently. Keith closes his eyes, then asks Epstein where they are. Epstein replies tersely, 'fifteen minutes,' and Keith nods. Veronica is repeating over and over that she wants her dad, and Keith knows, without a shadow of a doubt, that she is not using the code. In his mental scrapbook, he pictures every scraped knee that he bandaged and kissed; he remembers every girlish bout of tears when a supposed friend gossiped about her behind her back; and, overwhelmingly, he hears her desperate screams coming unbelievably, nightmarishly, from within a freezer engulfed in flames. He didn't hesitate for a moment that night, and he rushed into the fire without a thought for his own safety.
Epstein looks over and says, 'She'll be all right."
Keith nods and listens again.
KLEIN: WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON?
LOGAN: WE'RE STOPPING YOU, YOU SICK FUCK. GET YOUR HANDS OFF HER!
KAVNER: PUT YOUR HANDS ABOVE YOUR HEAD. ALYSSA, GET AWAY FROM HER. NOW.
LOGAN: ...VERONICA, IT'S OKAY, IT'S OVER.
VERONICA: GO AWAY. LEAVE ME ALONE.
LOGAN: VERONICA, IT'S ALL RIGHT, I'M HERE, IT'S OVER. IT'S OVER, VERONICA. I'M SORRY.
KLEIN: YOU DON'T KNOW WHAT YOU'RE DOING. THIS GIRL WAS ABOUT TO HAVE A BREAKTHROUGH. THE EFFICACY OF THE THERAPEUTIC METHODS WE'RE USING HERE IS WELL-DOCUMENTED, EVEN IF THEY'RE NOT PLEASANT FOR LAY PERSONS WHO ARE UNFAMILIAR WITH THEM.
Keith is enraged; every muscle in his body is tense and screaming. He listens as Logan lays into Klein, the sounds of the scuffle bitter and unmistakable.
KAVNER: LOGAN! GO TO VERONICA, NOW. SHE NEEDS YOU. STOP!
LOGAN: ...IS SHE GOING TO BE ALL RIGHT? SHE DIDN'T KNOW ME! I'M HER BOYFRIEND...WHAT THE HELL DID HE DO TO HER?
PARAMEDIC: SHE HAS A TEMPERATURE OF 103, AND SHE'S SEVERELY DEHYDRATED. HER SHOULDER'S BEEN DISLOCATED. HER MENTAL STATUS IS PRETTY ALTERED, AND WE'VE GIVEN HER A SEDATIVE TO CALM HER DOWN.
Altered...she's altered, he thinks.
They pull up to the main building, finally, just as an ambulance drives off. Keith jumps out of the car before it stops moving and finds Lynley.
"She's all right, they're taking her to the hospital in Bennington. She's going to be fine," Lynley reassures him.
Keith nods, unable to form coherent words. Epstein volunteers to stay at the school to help with any questions and hands Keith the car keys. Keith gets back in the car and heads for Bennington. He catches up to the ambulance quickly and stays on its tail.
FLASHBACK TO SEVERAL HOURS AGO: Once Veronica is settled into her room and appears to be resting comfortably, Keith checks in with Lynley. Klein, Alyssa, and the other employees have been taken to the county jail to be questioned and charged. Lynley is overseeing the local sheriff's department and coordinating with the FBI.
Lynley says, "They don't know what to do with the students. None of them are talking."
Keith replies, "They're worried about what will happen to them when this is over. When the girl was murdered last year, most of the students were returned to the school, and there were dire consequences for any student who had talked to the police."
"We've assured them that the school will not be reopened," Lynley protests.
"They've seen evidence to the contrary. Their reality is that the school is in control of their lives," Keith responds. "Their parents didn't believe them before when they told tales of being abused; they're not going to take the chance that we won't believe them again."
Lynley sighs. "We don't know what to do with them. For instance, Maria...she's clearly guilty of assaulting Veronica, but at the same time, she's a victim as well. The Department of Child and Family Services has been arguing with the county sheriff's department. Family Services usually would return a child to their own family, but so far every parent we've contacted has sworn that the school saved their child's life and has stated that they will find a new residential program if Briar Hill is closed. We've asked for an emergency hearing with a family court judge. I have an agent working to compile the video evidence you collected to present at the hearing. Epstein told me to expect vigorous protests from the parents if the girls are placed in foster care."
Keith muses, "The parents are victims too. They were trying to do the right thing."
"Most of them," Lynley comments. "I talked to Frazzino's chief of staff, and he denied that Frazzino's daughter was even at Briar Hill. He claimed that she's studying abroad."
"How the hell does Frazzino think he's going to spin this?" Keith says angrily.
Lynley says, "I don't know. You know, Carrie's on her way to California already. She's practically salivating at the chance to nail him."
"I don't doubt it."
Hesitantly, Lynley asks, "How's Logan doing?"
"He's barely said two words. I think he blames himself. But you know there's plenty of blame to go around," Keith replies.
"I should have listened to him last night. He had a feeling–" Lynley starts.
"There's plenty of blame to go around," Keith repeats. "My daughter should never have been there at all. Period. Listen, I'll talk to you later."
VERONICA
I'm so tired. I don't feel...right. I feel weird. Floaty. My shoulder is numb. What happened to it? When I try to move it, it's...I don't know.
What are they doing to me now?
Open your eyes, just...just look and see. Don't let them see you're awake. I don't want them to know I'm awake. Maybe they'll...maybe they'll stop.
Oh god, he's looking at my hand. He's going to...they must be thinking about putting me back in restraints. He must have told them...everything. What's different about his face? I don't understand...I'm so confused. God...there's an IV in me!! What are they doing now?!
Please...I'm so ashamed of myself. I know I have a lot of work to do. I promise to work hard on my program. Please...I promise!
Sat. 3/14/09 evening: Southwestern Vermont Medical Center, VT
Keith rushes back into the room followed by the doctor. "Honey, it's all right. Veronica, you're okay, it's all over now."
She stares back blankly, not comprehending.
The doctor gently pushes Keith aside and moves to the bed to evaluate her. "So you've decided to wake up, I see. Can you tell me your name?"
It's a trick. "Connie Morris," she whispers.
"Veronica, honey, it's over. We've shut down the school–" Keith starts, but Dr. Arthurs turns to him and with a look asks him to be silent.
"You're in a hospital in Bennington, Vermont," the doctor explains. "Do you remember why you came to Vermont?"
Veronica looks at her dad. Suddenly she realizes that she's not wearing a bra. She touches her chest and knows that the bug is gone. I'm so confused. She remembers the code words and says, "I'd really like to be in California," and she watches her dad for his reaction. Out of the corner of her eye, she sees him across the room. He is watching her intensely, and she shivers.
"That's right," her dad says encouragingly. "I'd really like to be in California right now too. You have no idea, honey." He looks to the doctor for permission and continues. "Veronica, the undercover operation is over. Klein is behind bars. You're going to be just fine."
She whispers, "Why didn't you come? I said 'California' so many times. I'm...I'm so confused. It's not really over, is it?" She glances at Logan momentarily. "He told them what they wanted to know, didn't he? I promise I'll try harder. Please don't... I'm going to work hard. I'm so...tired..." She closes her eyes again and slips back into a deep sleep.
Dr. Arthurs sees Keith's pained expression and quickly reassures him. "She's still quite feverish. And the sedatives we gave her are very strong. You can't expect her to be completely coherent until they wear off. I'm going to ask our psychiatrist to evaluate her condition in the morning. I'll have him speak to you about the particulars of her situation. Please don't worry, Mr. Mars. She's young and healthy; she'll get through this."
Logan forces himself to breathe again. It's not possible to bear this, he broods. Awkwardly, he sits down, compelling his limbs to move and fold into position. He watches her sleep and tries to drive out every foreboding thought by counting her breaths.
Sat. 3/14/09 evening: Neptune Sheriff's Department, Neptune, CA
Sacks escorts Dick Casablancas to Sheriff D'Amato's office. "Come in, Mr. Casablancas."
Dick walks in hesitantly and sits down opposite Leo. "What'd I do now, Sheriff? You talked to Jennie Budosh, right?"
"Yes, Ms. Budosh reluctantly confirmed that she was with you the night that your stepmother was killed," Leo replies.
"Reluctantly? I don't think so. I left Jennie begging for more, the way I remember it."
"Uh-huh. Some new information has come to my attention, Mr. Casablancas. What was the relationship between your stepmother and your friend Logan Echolls?" Leo asks.
Dick stares at Leo. "That was a long time ago. And it didn't mean anything."
"What didn't mean anything, Dick? I'm asking you what their relationship was."
"Okay, Logan was boffing her. The guy was lonely, and she was hot. And willing. Extremely willing, if you know what I mean."
"I'm still a little confused why a woman like Kendall would have had an affair with a high school boy. Make me understand, Dick. How is it that your best friend came to be Kendall's lover?"
"Logan's always been...advanced in his sack skills. And Kendall wanted to tap that, along with a lot of other girls. That's all there is to know," Dick explains.
"When did the affair start?"
"I don't know. Maybe the beginning of senior year? After Veronica dumped him," Dick muses.
"You sure it wasn't why Veronica dumped him?" Leo presses.
"You don't know Logan very well if you think that he would cheat on her. He's always been completely messed up about Veronica. He would never–" Dick stops short.
FLASHBACK: Veronica and Dick are sitting on a stone bench at Hearst College. Veronica says, "Logan slept with Madison when you guys were in Aspen."
Dick is surprisingly hurt by this information. It's been a long time since he and Madison were involved, but still... He is also shocked that Logan would sleep with Madison, for whom Veronica appeared to have a completely obsessive hatred ever since Shelly Pomroy's party, and he wonders, not for the first time, about their fucked-up relationship. Love 'em and leave 'em is one thing, but love 'em and torture 'em–that's just sick.
Dick tries to pretend that Ms. Rich-Dude-Kryptonite has not just rocked his world. He shrugs and replies, "And?" trying for indifferent, but not quite succeeding.
Veronica tries to backpedal. "Sorry, Dick, I probably shouldn't have..."
Dick says carelessly, "Wot, me worry? Can we be done? I've got things to do."
Later that day, he finds Logan in his suite and confronts him. "Did you hook up with Madison?"
Logan nods and admits, "I did. It just happened, you know. I didn't think you had any feelings left over her."
Dick replies, "It's still uncool. You don't do that to a buddy."
Leo stares at Dick, waiting for an explanation.
Dick finishes lamely, "Logan would never cheat on Veronica. Kendall was just a rebound chick. Logan treated her like shit, and she kept coming back for more."
"And you weren't mad at him for sleeping with your stepmother?"
"Come on, she was like five years older than us."
"Try twelve years older, according to her birth certificate."
"Well, then she was doing a spectacular job as a trophy wife. She had an awesome bikini collection, and let's just say she filled them out magnificently," Dick muses. "And stepmother? That's really stretching it. I don't think 'mother' was in Kendall's vocabulary. It's not like me perving on Logan's mom," he adds. Which of course I totally did.
"Okay, so Logan and Kendall got together the beginning of senior year. How long did the affair last?"
"I don't know...off and on through that year? Why aren't you asking Logan these questions?" Dick realizes.
"Where is Logan Echolls right now?"
Dick pauses, then says, "I think there was a video of him partying in Madeira a while back. And then I heard he hooked up with Mischa Barton in Paris about a week ago."
"Yeah...I don't think so." Leo picks up a remote control and points it at the television in the corner of his office.
Dick watches as Logan and Veronica make out in the elevator of the Neptune Grand Hotel. Leo keeps his eyes on Dick's face as he watches; he notes that Dick looks more and more nervous as he watches.
Leo remarks, "You notice the time stamp, right?" He pauses the video and reads aloud, "2/28/09 23:49. That's just a few weeks ago. It's proof that Logan Echolls was in Neptune while he was supposedly in Europe playing the bad boy for the paparazzi. I'm wondering why he went to all that trouble to make sure that everyone thought he was out of the country. Have you talked to him since January?"
Dick stares at Leo. Damn. Where are you, Logan? This guy wants to put your balls in a vise. He finds his voice and says evasively, "If I hear from him, I'll let you know. Is there anything else, Sheriff?"
"Just this: Kendall was staying at the Neptune Grand the night this video was taken. Wouldn't that have been a coincidence if they ran into each other that night?" Leo suggests. "See if you can get in touch with Echolls. If not, I'm going to get a material witness warrant and get to the bottom of this. Sacks will give you a ride home," he says dismissively, looking down at the paperwork on his desk.
Dick, somewhat off-balance, stands up and leaves. He thinks, What the hell is going on?
•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
VERONICA MARS
10:00PM SHO ch: 340 60min 2009 TV-MA
Disorganized Thinking
Wallace updates Weevil on Veronica's
condition and tries a new tactic;
Veronica attempts to sort it all out;
Leo gets Logan's financial records.
Veronica: Kristen Bell. Logan: Jason Dohring.
Leo: Max Greenfield. Keith: Enrico Colantoni.
Wallace: Percy Daggs III. Eli: Francis Capra.
Sacks: Brandon Hillock. Dr. Arthurs: Glenne
Headly. Dr. McCoy: Bruce Davison.
•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
CHAPTER EIGHTY-FIVE: "DISORGANIZED THINKING"
Sat. 3/14/09 evening: Hearst College, Neptune, CA
"Yo, it's me," Wallace says on his cell.
On the other end, Weevil replies, "Yeah, what's up."
"I heard from Keith. The undercover operation is over, and Veronica's out of there. She got hurt, and she's in the hospital, but Keith says she's going to be okay. It's on the news: Briar Hill Academy in Vermont. You can probably find it online."
"She got hurt? What happened?" Weevil asks.
Wallace explains, "Her shoulder was dislocated, and she has a kidney infection. Keith says she's mostly exhausted."
"Damn."
"Yeah...damn."
After a moment, Weevil asks, "What's happening with that yahoo address? Any ideas how to trace it?"
"No, I'm waiting for Keith to get back, to see if he has any ideas."
"Well, why don't we try another stakeout, see what those fuckers are up to–"
"No," Wallace interrupts. "Lookit; I made a promise to Candice to leave it alone."
"Oh man, you are completely whipped. You've been hanging out with Veronica too long and turned into a little girl." In a high voice, Weevil mocks, "Oh, the big bad micks are going to huff and puff and blow my house down."
"More like cap my ass, pendejo. How is you and me getting jacked up by the Fitzpatricks going to make the world a better place?" Wallace retorts. "She's got a point."
Weevil snorts. "Who you calling pendejo, ese? If the micks didn't kill me yet, they're not gonna. Hope you don't mind, I'm going to keep my eye on them. They're going to make a mistake one of these days."
"Yeah, if you don't make one first. I'll let you know how Vee's doing," Wallace says, disconnecting.
Wallace drums his fingers on his desk. Weevil's words cut more than he let on. He reflects that if Veronica was here right now, she'd probably be jumping on the back of Weevil's bike and staking out the Fitzpatricks herself while he was feebly protesting that it was too dangerous.
Maybe there's something I can do without breaking my promise to Candice. He remembers that in the Harmony case last fall, he had helped out by digging out all the real-life clients that resembled the characters in Keith's novel. Of course, that wasn't the real answer, but it led to the information that broke the case.
Wallace takes a sheet of paper and labels it 'FITZPATRICK CRIME FAMILY - ORGANIZATIONAL CHART'. At the top, he writes, MARY MCDONALD. He leaves room for her children and their spouses. Then across the page, he writes LIAM, CORMAC, PATRICK, CIARAN, PADRAIG, allowing space for the other eight siblings. On the next line, he writes MOLLY, leaving plenty of room for this generation's progeny. Using the Mars Investigation account, he logs into the PryingEyez database and begins to fill in the spaces on his chart.
Sun. 3/15/09 morning: Southwestern Vermont Medical Center, VT
A nurse is checking on Veronica as Keith and Logan are dozing. Veronica opens her eyes and looks around the room. She sees her dad sleeping soundly in a chair near the bed. Dad... she thinks. She closes her eyes again, trying to decide what was really a memory and what was just a nightmare.
The nurse asks, "How are you feeling today, Ms. Mars?"
Ms. Mars...oh that sounds very good. "I'm thirsty," she croaks. The nurse pours a glass of water from a pitcher on the bedside table.
Logan stirs. He looks over at Veronica and meets her gaze. The nurse adjusts the bed a little and helps Veronica to sit up; she hands her the glass of water, and Veronica drains the glass. The nurse leaves the room, and Logan walks over to the bed.
"Veronica." He watches for any sign of the terror that gripped her yesterday. She appears apprehensive but something of the old Veronica has returned.
"Hey," she replies quietly.
"We've been so worried about you," he says. "How do you feel?"
"A little confused," she admits. "How did I get here?"
"You don't remember?" he asks.
"I remember group therapy after breakfast, and Klein sitting down, asking me..." she starts hesitantly. "I'm not sure after that."
"Veronica?" Keith says, rubbing his eyes and joining them. "Honey, how are you feeling?"
"My shoulder feels funny, but it's not hurting the way it was before...I had such a headache."
"Your shoulder was dislocated, and you're going to need surgery to repair it. The doctors said you have a kidney infection, probably from all the bathroom restrictions, and you had a pretty high fever when you were admitted," Keith explains. He puts the back of his hand to her forehead, the way that he used to, when she stayed home from school. "I think your fever broke."
"Dad, I'm sorry...I'm so sorry I screwed up," she says suddenly.
"What do you mean, screwed up? You did a great job; Klein's going to prison for sure," Keith replies.
"We're the ones who screwed up," Logan adds.
"No, I pushed back too hard, and then I let him break me, and..." she says with a catch in her voice. "I thought I was strong enough for this, but..."
Logan glances at Keith. Keith pulls his chair over so he can sit next to her bed. "Veronica, honey, your bug stopped working after you were writing the guilt letters with Alyssa. We didn't realize because it was bedtime, and we thought you had just gone to sleep."
"At bedtime?" she asks puzzled. She remembers being exhausted, tossing and turning in the bed, unable to get comfortable with her shoulder aching and throbbing.
"When the hospital gave me your clothes, the transmitting wire had come loose from the bug," Keith explains.
"So...you didn't hear what happened during the night?" she says tentatively.
Keith shakes his head 'no'. Hesitantly, he asks, "Do you want to talk about it?"
"They...they woke me up two times. Oh, it sounds so stupid," she realizes suddenly. Jumping jacks and shelving books; it sounds like nothing, it sounds like...I just crumpled up and sobbed like a little baby. Her eyes well up, and she stops talking.
"It's okay, you don't have to talk about it," Keith says.
An unfamiliar doctor enters the room. "Mr. Mars? I'm Dr. McCoy; I'm one of the psychiatrists here. Dr. Arthurs asked me to check in on Veronica today." He turns to Veronica. "Hello, Veronica. Do you feel up to talking with me?"
She nods, taking a deep breath to try to compose herself.
"Tell me your name."
"Veronica Mars."
"Do you know where you are?" he asks.
"In the hospital. In Vermont I guess."
"Good. Do you remember what day it is?"
She thinks for a minute and shakes her head. "No, I'm not sure. March...twelfth, thirteenth maybe? 2009," she concludes firmly.
"Okay, that's pretty close. It's Sunday, the fifteenth." Dr. McCoy makes a note then continues, "Do you remember why you're here in Vermont?"
"I'm a private investigator. I'm working with my dad. We're collecting evidence on Briar Hill Academy for a lawsuit," she says. With each word, her voice gains confidence. Veronica concludes, "I was undercover, pretending to be a student at the school, and my uh,...friend, Logan, " she nods at him, "was undercover as well, with another professional investigator."
Logan lets out the breath that he didn't realize he was holding.
Dr. McCoy smiles. "It sounds like you were very brave."
Veronica pretends to smile back. No, actually...I let them break me. I'm not brave at all.
McCoy continues, "If you're hungry, we'd like you to get you off that IV and give you a good breakfast."
She nods, and Dr. McCoy leaves to find a nurse. On his way out, he explains, "I'll check back in on you later. We'll talk a little bit more and see how you're doing. Just take it easy for now."
Logan whispers in Keith's ear; Keith nods, and Logan leaves.
Dr. Arthurs comes in and checks over Veronica again; she orders the IV removed and changes Veronica to oral medication. "Now, listen to me, young lady; your job for the next twenty-four hours is to sleep. No stress. No getting out of bed. Understood? And if you continue to improve, in the morning we can discuss your options for your shoulder. I'm not worried at all about your infection; the antibiotics are working, and I'm sure you're going to be just fine, Veronica."
"Thank you, Dr. Arthurs," Veronica replies, smiling wanly. I really had my heart set on another all-day hike, but I think a day in bed sounds just fine.
Keith follows the doctor out to the hallway. "The FBI agent in charge of this case urgently needs to speak with Veronica," he explains. "The employees of the school where Veronica was undercover are being arraigned tomorrow morning, and her statement will be crucial. Do you think Veronica is up to it? I know she would be upset if the prosecution was not successful because she couldn't give a statement."
Dr. Arthurs sighs. "Stress is her biggest enemy right now, Mr. Mars." She lowers her voice. "I'm still quite concerned over her disorientation yesterday. Any interview needs to be very short. Let's say later this afternoon, after she's had a couple good meals and rested a bit more."
"Of course. What about..." Keith's voice trails off. He rubs his forehead worriedly and continues. "Veronica's best friend...well, her whole family was tragically killed in a terrible accident since we've been here in Vermont on this investigation. We haven't even told Veronica yet. The funeral is on Tuesday, and I know Veronica would want to be there for her friend."
"Back in California?" the doctor says quizzically.
Keith nods.
"You're making my job very difficult, Mr. Mars. Hold off on telling her until tomorrow, all right? Giving a statement to the FBI is enough stress for one day. We'll see how she's doing tomorrow."
Keith nods again and goes back into Veronica's room. He fusses over her, fluffing her pillows, pouring her another glass of water, and asking if she wants the television on. She shakes her head, "No, just...I don't know. I'm just tired." Veronica shuts her eyes again, and her dad feels completely useless.
A short while later, Logan returns bearing three large styrofoam containers. Trying to sound casual, he announces, "Hey, Veronica. I couldn't bear to make you eat hospital food. Scrambled eggs, pancakes, or french toast?"
Veronica suddenly realizes that she's ravenous. "French toast." She smiles a little, and he feels slightly hopeful for the first time in a week.
Logan wheels the table over and opens the container. He uses the plastic utensils to cut the french toast and sausage into bite-sized pieces; he looks at her and asks, "You want syrup on everything right? And a lot of it, I assume?"
"Of course," she answers. Keith smothers a quiet chuckle, happy to see a glimpse of the old Veronica.
He opens two large containers of 'real Vermont maple syrup', saying, "I told them, only the good stuff, Grade A, 100 percent real maple syrup, and jumbo size." Logan sneaks a glance at her again, and Veronica is still smiling. "You want me to feed you?"
She stares at him; her smile is still frozen on her face, but her eyes well up with tears. "You don't have to feed me."
I said something wrong. "I know. You don't need me to. But I'd like to. You took care of me when my leg was broken, and I want to take care of you. But if you want, you can do it." He puts the fork on the left side of her styrofoam container and places a couple napkins within easy reach.
She picks up the fork a little clumsily with her left hand and tries to stab a bite of the french toast. After failing twice, she begins to sob and drops the fork into the container.
"Honey," Keith says. He goes to her and cautiously hugs her. She leans her head on his shoulder and lets the tears flow. He lightly pats her on the back and mutters, "It's okay, it's okay; you're just tired. It's going to be fine. I'm so sorry, honey."
She opens her eyes and sees Logan looking at her with concern. "Don't look at me like that!" She begins to cry even harder.
After a moment, Logan says, "I'll be back in a little while," and leaves the room.
Keith rocks his daughter, completely at a loss how to help her.
Sun. 3/15/09 morning: Neptune Sheriff's Department, Neptune, CA
Deputy Sacks knocks on the doorframe to Leo's office.
"Yeah, Sacks, what do you got?" Leo asks.
"It's that financial information on Logan Echolls that you requested. Bank statements and credit card receipts." Sacks places the papers on Leo's desk and turns to leave.
"Hey, Sacks, you know that partial fingerprint we got in Kendall's room?"
"Yeah, Sheriff...the one from inside the drawer, I remember. The crime scene techs haven't been able to match it with anybody in the databases."
"Which only means that they don't have enough points of comparison to get an absolute match through IAFIS. Can you ask them to review that fingerprint to see if it's consistent with Logan Echolls' prints? Or Veronica Mars?"
"Veronica?" Sacks asks, dubiously. "You don't really think Veronica had something to do with this?"
"Just see if it's possible that it's one of theirs, okay, Sacks?" Leo replies. "I'd like a report by the morning."
Sacks leaves, shutting the door behind him. Leo spreads Logan Echolls' financial records on his desk. All the credit cards except one have been unused since January 25, 2009. That card lists two charges to KLM Airlines and various restaurant and hotel charges in Europe. When Leo compares the receipts from before January 25 and after, he notes that there is a slight discrepancy in Logan Echolls' signature, and he decides that Echolls gave one of his credit cards to the impostor who showed up on the paparazzi videos. He turns to his computer screen and pulls up the video showing 'Echolls' club-hopping in Madeira; Leo thinks that if the State Department hadn't confirmed that Logan Echolls had never left the country, he himself might have been fooled into believing that was Echolls doing shots with various B-list celebrities.
Of course we know he was right here in my office, twisting the knife, on February 26th. On the day when Echolls and Veronica were telling him their theory about the Lilly Kane sex tapes, Echolls' credit card receipts have him buying dinner in the casino in Funchal. Pretty ballsy to confront a cop when your fake alibi is plastered all over Youtube, but then again he's relying on me never wanting to reveal what we talked about that day. Leo clicks on another link, and a video of a Gracie Jane interview starts to play. Gracie Jane smarmily discusses the Echolls' family legacy of statutory rape and murder, and for just a moment, Leo feels sorry for Logan Echolls. Then he thinks about Echolls angrily saying, 'The only reason to steal all the copies was to destroy the evidence against Aaron,' and Leo shuts down the video, pushing away all his doubts and deciding that where there's smoke, there's fire.
He turns to the other financial records. Echolls' bank account also appears to be dormant since January 27. Leo scrutinizes the transactions carefully. There is a check for 2000 dollars written to Robert Thomas and another made out to Harvey Greenblatt in the amount of 20,000 dollars. Most notably, there is a cash withdrawal of 50,000 dollars. From the reverse side of the check written to Harvey Greenblatt, Leo finds the bank tracking number for the party who deposited the check. He looks up the number in a financial database and determines that the bank is a Bank of America branch on Wilshire Boulevard in Los Angeles. He googles 'Harvey Greenblatt Wilshire Los Angeles', and the first result is 'Greenblatt Talent Agency'. Leo clicks on the link and finds that Harvey Greenblatt is CEO. On the list of artists represented, he scrolls down and sees 'Aaron Echolls', but 'Logan Echolls' is not listed. When he clicks on 'Aaron Echolls', he learns that Aaron was Greenblatt's first major client. There are several photos of Aaron and Greenblatt with their arms around each other, posing at various red-carpet events.
I can kill two birds with one stone; that woman, Madison Sinclair, who mentioned Logan's affair in the article, is in Los Angeles too. And of course I'd really like to know what Greenblatt did for the son of his most famous client.
He hits the intercom. "Sacks. I want you to cancel all my appointments for tomorrow. And then I'd like to arrange two meetings for me in Los Angeles." He gives Sacks the pertinent details and begins compiling notes for the two interviews.
Sun. 3/15/09 morning: Southwestern Vermont Medical Center, VT
Keith knocks on the passenger window of Logan's car, and Logan hits the button to unlock the doors. Keith slides in and shuts the door. "She fell asleep again."
"Uh-huh."
"Just been sitting out here the whole time?"
"Uh-huh."
"Did you get some breakfast? You need to eat too."
Logan shakes his head.
Keith says, "C'mon. My treat. I could use another cup of coffee."
Logan shrugs, and they walk across the street to a diner. Logan orders eggs and bacon. Keith sips his coffee and watches as Logan pushes his food around the plate.
Finally, Logan pushes the plate away, his eggs half-eaten. He avoids looking directly at Keith. "I've been thinking it might be better if I head back to Los Angeles. She's scared of me."
"She's scared of what happened," Keith corrects.
"Come on. It's like what was happening to me at the school. She can't tell what's real anymore. And we still don't know what happened Friday night." Logan looks up at Keith. "I want to know what Klein was saying to her in that last session."
Keith hesitates.
"Just tell me!" Logan says, his voice rising a little. A couple patrons look over at him, and he lowers his voice to an intense whisper. "What happened during that last group therapy session? I couldn't hear what that asshole was saying to her, and it fucking killed me to sit outside the door, waiting for backup to go in and stop him. You didn't see what he did to her face. It was...despicable, the most vile thing you could think of to do to a rape victim...They put makeup on her, like she was a whore, and wrote 'slut' on her forehead."
Keith closes his eyes. "Kinny told me some of it. Klein was saying that we don't do anything when we're high that we don't wish we could do when we're sober. He was pressing her for details on her rape, and Veronica kept saying she didn't remember."
"She doesn't remember most of that night at Shelly's. Fuck...you mean he was saying that she was asking to be raped? That party was beyond crazy...we were all messed up that night. And Veronica accidentally got a drink with GHB in it." Logan swallows. "Mr. Mars?"
Keith looks up, realizing that this is the first time in perhaps four months that Logan has called him anything other than 'Keith'.
"I was one of the boys that brought the GHB to the party. I didn't give it to her, I swear. I swear I didn't mean for her to...it was...I swear it was a mistake that she got it in her drink," he finishes lamely. "I've begged her forgiveness..."
"Wallace said that it was Cassidy and Duncan who raped her. He didn't tell me the details but...Duncan Kane? Logan, I know Duncan pretty well, and I just can't see him–"
Logan laughs bitterly. "Yeah, well, that one's on me too. I gave Duncan some of the GHB, and I guess the GHB together with his epilepsy meds...Veronica said they ended up together at the end of the night, and Duncan was so screwed up he assumed that it was...consensual, I guess. Veronica was in really bad shape–"
"And Cassidy?" Keith asks sharply.
"Veronica doesn't remember anything about Beav– Cassidy." Logan remembers seeing Dick, Sean, and Beaver manhandling her and feeding her shots. I...hated her so much then, for what her dad was doing, for supporting him instead of... I thought...she was just drunk and...No, I KNEW what was going on. And I let it happen. Hell, I was laughing about it. "God, how can you even stand to look at me. I'm sorry for everything. I should have never..." He stands up to leave, pulling out his wallet and throwing a twenty on the table. Logan grabs his coat and hurries out of the coffee shop.
Keith catches up to him a half a block away. He puts his hand on Logan's arm. "Stop...Stop!" Logan stops walking and stands uncomfortably, unable to look Keith in the eye. Keith says, "I know things were very rough for you with Aaron, and I've tried to forget about the things you did when you were younger. But Logan, that's my baby you're talking about. And what you're saying...if you had ANYTHING to do with that–" He sighs heavily. "You don't know what it's like for a father to have to hear that his daughter was raped. And then to hear that her boyfriend, who I've accepted like a son, was involved in it...I'm having a lot of trouble understanding that. But what I keep coming back to is that Veronica, my bad-ass Veronica, who couldn't even forgive her own mother...Veronica somehow forgave you."
"Except she didn't." At Keith's look, Logan continues quietly, "Every time she's ever needed to trust me, she's never been able to. She's NEVER been able to completely trust me ever since. She never says it's because of her rape, but I think she blames me for it. It's why we always ended up breaking it off, because she couldn't trust me. And if Klein was torturing her, saying that she wanted to be raped...and I was right there while he was fucking with her mind, I was the guy who was manhandling her and forcing her to–" he drops his voice, "forcing her to pee in a bucket like an animal...she's never going to..."
Hesitantly, Keith reaches out and puts his hand on Logan's arm. "I don't believe that she blames you for her rape. Logan, she chased you halfway across the country! She trusted you to watch over her on the undercover operation."
"And look what a great job I did," he retorts.
They stand silently looking at each other for a minute. Finally Keith says, "I need you to stay with her. Lynley has asked if I want to sit in on Klein's questioning this afternoon. And I really want to ask him about Hannah for Ms. Denenberg. But I don't want to leave Veronica alone."
"What if she freaks out again?"
"Then I trust you to call the doctor and take care of her for me. Can I count on you?"
Logan finally nods in response.
"There's plenty of blame to go around here. I can't believe I let her talk me into this undercover operation in the first place. And then when we were planning this, we thought all the bugs were overkill; but now I can't believe we didn't have every inch of the school wired with duplicate video feeds. And once the FBI got involved...I was thinking it would help the case and get her out of there quicker, but I was kidding myself. We should have gotten her out when they pulled that surprise hike, no matter how many times Veronica used the code that she wanted to keep going. If I had known she was really hurt...Logan, I have to believe that we're going to get past this. I have to believe it. Somehow she's going to be all right."
•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
VERONICA MARS
10:00PM SHO ch: 340 60min 2009 TV-MA
Inquiries
Klein is questioned; Logan and Veronica
start to talk.
Veronica: Kristen Bell. Logan: Jason Dohring
Keith: Enrico Colantoni. Klein: Clancy Brown.
Lynley: James Badge Dale. Attorney: Ray
Wise. US Attorney Ruggerio: Nathan Fillion.
•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
CHAPTER EIGHTY-SIX: "INQUIRIES"
Sun. 3/15/09 afternoon: Manchester Center Police Department, VT
Lynley greets Keith with a handshake; he says quietly, "How's Veronica?"
Keith says, "She's okay. She'll be all right. She's mostly exhausted."
Lynley motions to the video screens. "I've been bringing the prosecutor up to speed; I've shown them a selection of the recordings. We're hoping to charge him on various state and local statutes for fraud and assault and battery as well as the racketeering and bribery charges. But of course the federal charges will take precedence."
"I'm concerned that Klein will cut a deal. I'd like to see him serve real jail time, and not in a cushy federal prison. Observation Placement would be too good for him."
Lynley nods. He points at a figure on the video screen. "The man on the left is US Attorney Don Ruggerio. He'll be running the interview. We can communicate with his assistant if we need to." They take their seats; Epstein joins them, a legal pad at the ready to take notes.
They watch as Klein is brought into the room in handcuffs. His attorney places his briefcase on the table, and Klein is released from the cuffs. They sit down; Keith, the veteran of numerous difficult interrogations, discovers that he's fuming at Klein's relaxed attitude.
Klein's attorney says, "Gentlemen, this is all a gross misunderstanding. A well-meaning parent, who is understandably distraught about her daughter's murder, is trying to find someone to blame. And the offenses committed by this private investigative firm certainly rise to the level of entrapment, and we will be seeking vigorous recompense for damages. My client is of course eager to cooperate with any investigation to prove that the school complies with all local and federal regulations."
Ruggerio shuffles some paperwork. "I'm glad to hear that Mr. Klein is interested in cooperating. We have documentary evidence of some unusual procedures at your school."
The attorney replies, "You do understand that, as a private school, Briar Hill Academy is allowed to set its own policies and procedures."
"As long as the minimum welfare of the students is guaranteed, yes, that's correct." Ruggerio looks down at his notes. "Let's talk about the intake procedure. Can you explain what the standard protocol is for a new student?"
Klein looks at his attorney, who nods. He says, "Our students usually don't come to the school voluntarily. We expect some resistance. Parents choose our school because of the secure environment."
"Resistance?"
"Most of the parents use a transport service which is not affiliated with the school in any way."
"But the transport service is recommended by you?" Ruggerio comments.
"No, actually by the education consultants who work directly with the parents," Klein explains. "And of course the education consultants are paid a standard fee, no matter what treatment they recommend."
"You're denying that these consultants are financed by your school?"
"They are independent consultants; their fee is paid directly by the parents," Klein says.
"Okay, so the students arrive. Now what happens?" Ruggerio asks.
"They are asked to remove their clothes. We search their belongings for contraband and issue them new clothes."
"What about a strip search?"
"Oh, that's definitely not standard procedure," Klein states.
"Really?" Ruggerio points a remote at a television screen. The video shows Veronica being forcibly stripped of her bra and panties; Ruggerio fast-forwards the video, then slows it down to show the girls fighting Veronica and forcing her down to the floor. He pauses the video for a moment on Maria striking Veronica in the face. Klein's attorney fidgets uncomfortably in his seat. Ruggerio starts the video again and shows the girls forcing Veronica into the stirrups on the table; he pauses it again on Maria, wearing a pair of surgical gloves, clearly moving to perform an invasive search.
Klein's attorney whispers in Klein's ear; he nods. "There are some very rough girls at the school. Clearly, they misunderstood what was expected of them and went too far. That video is absolutely not procedure. I think if you look in our student manual, you'll see the admission process outlined. If I had known what was happening, those girls would have been disciplined." The attorney whispers again, and Klein adds, "Was that not one of the private investigators watching that entire scene? One of our own employees would certainly have known to report that incident, and all the girls would have received consequences."
"I believe he actually did file a report on the incident," Ruggerio notes, pulling a piece of paper from his stack. "It's got your initials on it."
Klein flushes.
Ruggerio finds another piece of paper. "This is from Connie Morris' file. It's a psychologist report...dated the day she was admitted. I don't see a psychologist in the room here." He uses the remote to fast forward.
Klein says, "That's a clerical error. The psychologist actually reviewed the notes from our group therapy professional and made his assessment one day later."
"So Connie was not actually seen by this psychologist?"
"No, we usually only have cases reviewed by our psychologist, who is on call, but usually not at the school."
Ruggerio comments, "That's funny, because Mr. Morris was assured when he placed his daughter in your care that she would be evaluated–"
"And placed in appropriate treatment," Klein finishes. "And that's exactly what happened. She was evaluated by our staff; her treatment plan was reviewed and approved by our psychologist."
Bastard, Keith thinks. He remembers how difficult it was to get Dr. Castro to guarantee a psychiatrist's evaluation for his 'daughter'.
"And what would trigger an actual visit from your psychologist? What particular behaviors would alarm you enough to seek professional assistance?" Ruggerio presses.
Klein consults with his attorney again and responds, "Any situation that our staff was not able to handle, or a student who clearly needed medication."
"What about general medical attention? Ms. Morris asked for a doctor several times and was not seen by a doctor or a nurse," Ruggerio asks.
"Her claims were not credible. Many of our students are accomplished liars when they first start their programs," Klein responds.
"Yet you assured Mr. Morris that she could see a nurse if she wanted. Note my emphasis–if she wanted. This was not thirty minutes after Connie was denied access to medical care."
"By her oldcomer, who clearly was deviating from our accepted standards. I feel quite badly that Maria was treating Connie like that. If I had known, I would have stopped that immediately."
Keith muses that this could go on for hours; Klein, the veteran of numerous lawsuits, is immensely skilled at twisting the words of his accusers and at protecting himself by having students and lowly employees perform the majority of his unscrupulous 'treatments'. But he knows, from Epstein's experience, Veronica's experiences documented on video and audio are among the best evidence ever assembled against one of these tough-love programs.
Ruggerio asks, "So are your older students, your 'oldcomers', trained how to treat the newer students? Are they trained in restraint techniques? We witnessed Ms. Morris being restrained by both your students and your employees."
"We believe in experiential training," Klein states. "The students learn by observing the older students, and as they are able, they are given more responsibility to assist the newer students with their programs."
"So the training consists of watching other students who themselves were never trained in restraint techniques?"
"That's a gross oversimplification," Klein huffs. "These students are supervised very carefully by our employees. The student to faculty ratio is quite low, making for a very safe environment. You're suffering from a basic misconception about our use of restraints. Only students who have progressed satisfactorily in their program are given the privilege of restraining other students, and we find that they are grateful for the opportunity of helping others who are struggling."
"Privilege, I see. Okay, how about the training for your employees? And what about qualifications and credentials? What are the minimum requirements?"
"There is no one set requirement for all the positions; each employee is carefully selected for their position."
"Even the two investigators who were hired as guards without a background check and no training?" Ruggerio asks.
"Of course they received training; as they were assigned tasks, they were instructed in the proper performance of their duties and were given more responsibility as they earned it," Klein replies indignantly.
"Hmm. The investigators indicate that they were expected to help restrain girls in stress positions on their first day of work and received no instructions other than 'assist the older students, you'll see what's necessary,'" Ruggerio says, reading off a sheet of paper.
"Again, this is a clear case of entrapment. Most new employees have the common sense to ask questions in order to perform their job correctly. If these two men restrained girls improperly, it was of their own volition. There was clearly an agenda being pursued in this investigation, and several of the events during the past week appear to have been staged in order to cast the school in a poor light."
Keith is dismayed; he didn't expect Klein to crumble under questioning, but he is starting to doubt that the evidence they collected at such a great cost to Veronica will even be enough.
Klein's attorney says, "I'd like for us to take a short break now. I need to confer with my client."
Keith thinks, You bastard, you never gave Veronica a break. You made her wait to go to the bathroom for hours, caused her infection, allowed the girls to dislocate her shoulder... He begins to shake with anger and regret.
Epstein touches Keith on the shoulder. "Don't worry. He's good, but what we've got is better. We have a preponderance of evidence. He can try to explain it away, but no jury will acquit him. I swear to you: Veronica didn't do this for nothing. No one's ever had evidence like this before, and when the students see what we have, they'll be lining up to testify against him."
Ruggerio comes out of the room to talk to Keith. "A regular stone-cold bastard, huh? I'm not surprised that he's never been convicted before. But I'm impressed with the quality of the evidence you collected, Mr. Mars. It's very comprehensive; your daughter did an amazing job. He can dance around the facts all he wants, but the destructive nature of the school is clear to see. Agent Lynley said you also had a few questions about a related matter."
Keith summarizes what he knows about Hannah Griffith. He gives Ruggerio a copy of his own file on Hannah along with the file Logan had copied from Klein's office. Ruggerio looks at him questioningly. "What are you thinking?"
Keith explains, "It's a long shot. There's some evidence in Hannah's case that seems contradictory and possibly points to some sort of copycat murder. Hannah could have witnessed something at the school, perhaps Assemblyman Frazzino or the Education Commissioner making a payoff. Or maybe she remembered Maria Frazzino's crazy stories of being abused by her father and realized they weren't so crazy after all. We recently located a witness who puts Hannah in a town near Sacramento where Frazzino lives."
"Blackmail?" Ruggerio surmises.
"Yes. What if Hannah stumbled upon something that made her realize that Maria was telling the truth, and she decided to try to make Klein or Frazzino or both pay for it?"
Ruggerio taps the autopsy report on Hannah. "But this looks like whoever murdered her was familiar with the modus operandi of the true serial killer..."
"...Indicating somebody who has connections to the government, perhaps an ambitious state assemblyman with a reputation for being tough on crime," Keith concludes, nodding. "And I'm thinking some questions on Hannah's death might rattle Klein a bit. If he thinks you're pursuing him on that–"
"He might be more cooperative on some of the other issues," Ruggerio finishes. "Okay. I'll start with that when we come back."
Sun. 3/15/09 afternoon: Southwestern Vermont Medical Center, VT
On his way back to Veronica's room, Logan checks in at the nurse's station and asks for an update on her condition. The nurses reassure him that she's doing fine. When he enters the room, she's sleeping again. Logan quietly sits down in the chair next to the bed and watches her. Her face is relaxed and peaceful, not betraying the inner turmoil she was exhibiting earlier. He hates the red hair and unfamiliar hair style; even the temporary tattoos that seemed exotic and sexy when she got them now just appear grotesque and strange. Her arm is strapped to her chest, immobilizing it, and he wishes he could somehow make it all better.
Not for the first time, he thinks how gutsy she was to keep going after her injury. There's something about her strength and single-mindedness–no, bullheadedness–that are still capable of surprising him after all this time. And the thought that that bastard–prick motherfucker cocksuckingSONOFABITCH–might have broken her, might have driven that out of her forever...right now, he'd gladly go back to those vicious arguments when he was berating her for taking too many risks if it meant that she would be strong again, that she would be Veronica again.
He's so lost in thought that he doesn't realize she's opened her eyes and is looking at him again. "What happened to your beard?"
Startled, he stutters, "Wh-what?"
"You shaved," she replies.
He rubs his chin. "Couldn't stand it any more...looking in the mirror and seeing someone else staring back at me. I want to get my old hair back too." He ruffles his hair, in the old familiar gesture, and he's surprised when she smiles a little.
"You always do that, you always mess with your hair, especially when you don't know what to say. Or when you're nervous..." she muses.
"I don't think nervous is the right word...scared to death, maybe," he admits.
"Scared?" she asks, completely flummoxed.
"Of course, I'm scared that...I'm scared that he hurt you and..." He can't express it. "I was terrified the whole time," he admits. You don't know how terrified I was.
"You were scared?" she asks hesitantly. "You didn't act...terrified. You acted...like one of them." Her voice becomes completely inaudible by the last word.
"That's what scared me the most. Veronica, I almost had a nervous breakdown at one point; I almost beat the shit out of Carrie when she–" he stops short. She's not ready to talk about this. Stop...stop!!
"What did Carrie do?" she says curiously. "I mean, I know she's done plenty already."
"She just saw me...when I was upset about something," he finishes lamely.
"What?"
He knows he shouldn't say it, and he stays silent.
She repeats, "What were you upset about?"
He says it, almost against his will, "Do you think it was easy for me to hurt you? And then..." He can't say it.
She looks at him in shock. "What? Logan, what?"
"I was upset because I was acting like one of them, I was...Veronica, goddammit, I kept feeling like I was turning into my dad," he says, the words spilling out helplessly. Stop, you've got to stop, she's not ready to talk about this! "Veronica, please, let's not talk about this–"
"I just thought...I don't know...I thought you were mad at me, for making you be there, for not giving up this stupid operation, for everything I've ever done to you, all the things I ever accused you of, and really it's just that I'm a rotten person" she chokes back a sob, black hole black hole, "and I know you and Dad can't really love me because of the way I am. I thought...I thought you told them about all the horrible things I've done. I'm so sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry," she babbles.
"Veronica, please, you've got to calm down," he says anxiously. "Please, it's all right, it's going to be fine, dammit, please stop crying." It's a good thing Klein isn't here right now, because I would go to the electric chair to beat the crap out of him, if only he was here right this fucking minute.
"How can you even stand to be in the room with me? I'm just a disgusting piece of filth. There's nothing worth saving!" she cries hysterically. "I know that's why you didn't come when I called for help."
"Oh...fuck!!" She called for help, and we didn't hear it. What the fuck happened on Friday night...and what the fuck happened in that group therapy? He cautiously sits on the bed next to her. "Veronica, please, just let me hold you. I swear to you, I swear that I would have been there in one second if I had known you wanted help. You know I would have been there. Please."
He gently puts his arms around her, gingerly avoiding her right shoulder. She resists, pushing him away weakly, but he hangs on until she gives up and lets him hold her. She weeps as he tells her over and over again that he loves her. She cries, with great gasping hiccups and sobs, her words incoherent and jumbled and her face wet with tears. "Please don't...please..."
Logan says 'I love you, Veronica, you're safe now' so many times that it becomes a mantra with a rhythm all its own. He hopes that the words are penetrating her hysteria and panic.
At last, she seems to exhaust her supply of tears; with a few shuddering sighs, she gradually calms down, and he pulls back to look at her. She closes her eyes, still unable to look at him. He wants to kiss her, somehow make her forget everything; he wants it with every cell of his body, but he is afraid. He recognizes that same terror and confusion that had gripped him until he somehow managed to pull back and regain control. How do I help her? He feels inadequate and overwhelmingly guilty–for letting this happen, for somehow giving her the idea this was the way to help him. Veronica...please be okay. Please tell me how to help you.
He moves to the chair beside the bed. "Try to sleep, Veronica. I'll be right here the whole time." Logan slips his hand, palm up, underneath hers, giving her the option of holding his hand. He waits, fiercely hoping she'll take his hand; he forces his muscles to stay completely immobile even though he wants nothing more than to squeeze her hand tightly, so that she knows, really knows, that he is there for her. But he waits: somehow he knows instinctively that she needs to feel even a little bit in control, and she must make the decision that she wants his support. Finally, tentatively, she gently curls her fingers around his and chooses to hold on, and he suppresses a sigh of relief.
•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
VERONICA MARS
10:00PM SHO ch: 340 60min 2009 TV-MA
Defensive Maneuvers
Klein is questioned about Hannah; Mac
takes a chance; Veronica discloses.
Veronica: Kristen Bell. Logan: Jason Dohring.
Keith: Enrico Colantoni. Mac: Tina Majorino.
Klein: Clancy Brown. Attorney: Ray Wise.
US Attorney Ruggerio: Nathan Fillion. Lynley:
James Badge Dale. Dr. Arthurs: Glenne Headly.
Alan: Ned Vaughn. Brenda: Katherine Bailess.
•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
CHAPTER EIGHTY-SEVEN: "DEFENSIVE MANEUVERS"
Sun. 3/15/09 afternoon: Manchester Center Police Department, VT
Ruggerio sits back down at the table and regards Klein and his attorney. He aimlessly taps the folder in front of him with his pencil, as if deciding how to begin. From the viewing area, Keith watches, anticipating a battle of wits between the tough prosecuting attorney and the smooth con artist. Epstein and Lynley are observing as well.
Finally, Ruggerio says, "Do you remember a student from a few years ago named Hannah Griffith?"
Klein looks startled. "Of course I remember Hannah. I remember every student, but I consider her to be my worst failure."
"How so?"
Klein sighs. His attorney taps him on the arm and gives him a look, trying to advise caution. Klein says, "Hannah was only a student for a short time. She came under the influence of one of our employees, who did not approve of our treatment methods and took it upon herself to help Hannah run away from the school. Hannah was dangerously unstable, and I wasn't surprised to find out earlier this year that she turned to prostitution and drugs after leaving us and had been murdered by a serial killer in Los Angeles. I feel certain that if Hannah had stayed at the school and graduated, she might have avoided that fate. So I feel responsible for not realizing that my employee was short-sighted and foolish."
"Tell me about Hannah's instability. What was your treatment focusing on?" Ruggerio asks.
"Well, I'd have to see my notes, of course–"
Ruggerio pushes a folder across the table. Klein looks at the papers, which are copies of his notes. He takes a few minutes to review then begins. "Hannah's parents were concerned about her relationship with an older boy. The boy was on house arrest, awaiting trial for the murder of a gang member, and had a long history of drug and alcohol abuse and various misdemeanor convictions. Mr. Griffith noted that he had found a large quantity of cocaine hidden in his bathroom; his daughter claimed that it was evidence that Mr. Griffith himself was doing drugs, but Mr. Griffith suspected that it was planted by this boy named," Klein consults the file again, "Logan Echolls."
Klein pauses a moment before starting in again. "Hannah was caught by her father having sexual relations with Echolls after having been forbidden to associate with him. Combined with a precipitous drop in Hannah's grades and some evidence that she herself was using drugs, Mr. Griffith made the difficult decision to get some serious help for her problems." Klein looks at his notes and continues, "Mr. Griffith also explained that he and his wife had been going through a difficult divorce and custody mediation and they agreed that Hannah needed a break from the family drama."
Ruggerio asks, "What was your diagnosis of Hannah's condition, and what treatment did you prescribe?"
"Based on our evaluations, our psychologist diagnosed her with a sexual addiction secondary to a borderline personality disorder and drug addiction. It was clear based on her statements in group therapy that her father had sought help for her just in time. Hannah threatened to run away from the school and repeatedly swore that we couldn't keep her away from Logan. She repeated the claims that her father was involved with drugs, which were of course untrue. Her father is a respected plastic surgeon."
Klein sighs and continues. "None of these girls are easy to treat, but Hannah's denial of her problems was perhaps the most extreme I have ever seen. She claimed to be a virgin, yet her father caught her having sex with this character. She repeatedly claimed that her father was involved with criminals and was pursuing a vendetta against her boyfriend. We tried to convince her that her boyfriend was a user and a petty criminal by forcing her to read aloud the numerous newspaper stories that detailed his exploits. When she refused, we were forced to resort to Observation Placement numerous times. We find that that treatment encourages girls to examine the errors of their thinking."
Ruggerio takes the file back and looks for a particular paragraph. Pointing, he asks, "What's this about 'cutting'? And something about food punishment?"
"Oh, it was completely tragic. Hannah used silverware to cut herself, thinking that a doctor would believe her crazy stories about her father and arrange for her release. Of course, our doctor is experienced with the kind of stories these girls will make up for attention, and he reported them to us immediately. The incident was further proof that Hannah desperately needed residential placement. After she was treated, we had to take away the privilege of eating utensils until she demonstrated that she could be trusted again."
"You mean, she had to eat with her hands?"
"She was placed on a bread and water regimen for forty-eight hours to think about what she had done to herself, and then, yes, she had her normal diet restored and ate with her hands."
Keith is so repulsed by Klein's self-serving description of his treatments that he almost misses Ruggerio's next question.
Pointedly, Ruggerio asks, "Were her parents notified about this cutting incident?"
"Of course. We report any incident that involves violence."
"And were they allowed to speak with Hannah at that time?"
Klein replies, slightly sarcastically, "We don't allow students who act in this way to talk to their parents. Family contact is a privilege that is earned."
"I see, like silverware."
"Just because you are ignorant about tough-love programs doesn't mean that they are ineffective."
Klein's attorney breaks in. "You do know that past students and the parents of successful graduates have been contacting me all morning offering to testify on Mr. Klein's behalf."
"Yes, I am aware," Ruggerio comments. "So Hannah was now on food restrictions and had been sentenced to Observation Placement several times. Were you seeing any progress in her 'borderline personality disorder'? Did you consider any kind of psychotropic medication since you claimed that her denial was among the worst you'd ever encountered?"
"Replacing illicit drugs with legal drugs is not the answer. If we truly encounter a situation that requires medication, we ask the parents to find an alternate placement for their daughter."
"And how many times has that happened?" Ruggerio asks.
Klein looks at him then whispers in his attorney's ear.
Ruggerio says, "Well? How many times have you suggested alternate placement?"
The attorney nods, and Klein admits, "We have never needed to make that suggestion. We have always been able to provide appropriate treatment without medication here at the school. Our philosophy is–"
"What if you had a student with schizophrenia?" Ruggerio interrupts.
"That's never happened," Klein swears.
"That's funny that you say that. This student, Ms. Robin Finney, was diagnosed with schizophrenia after her parents took her out of your school. And she was supposedly 'seen' by your psychologist. It looks like your treatment plan for her was attack therapy and stress positions, even though she was clearly hallucinating." Ruggerio places another piece of paper in front of Klein. Keith knows this is one of Epstein's clients, the originator of their lawsuit.
"This is a witch hunt," Klein protests. "Our psychologist was certain that her condition was exaggerated."
"And he made this diagnosis in person? Or was it second-hand, based on the reports of your employees? Your employees who have no medical training?"
The attorney waves his hand, indicating that Klein should not respond, and Klein remains silent.
"Okay, let's get back to Hannah," Ruggerio says, swiftly changing the topic. "Did you have any contact with her after she ran away from the school? Any contact at all: over the phone, by a letter or email, or in person."
Klein, puzzled, shakes his head 'no'.
"I need a verbal response, please," Ruggerio says.
"No, I was never contacted by Hannah Griffith after she left the school."
"Was Hannah Griffith present when you were treating Maria Frazzino in group therapy?" Ruggerio asks.
"Yes. All the girls who were at the school participated in Maria's therapy."
Ruggerio leans in and says, "So Hannah heard the details of Ms. Frazzino's stories about her father's abuse?"
"If you mean the wild tales that Maria concocted during her early days at school, yes, Hannah heard those stories."
Ruggerio again shuffles through paperwork and finds a medical report. "Well, our doctor examined Ms. Frazzino. In addition to several cigarette burn scars and other marks believed to have been made by a belt, x-rays revealed that she's had quite a few fractures, including one that's almost exclusively seen in child abuse cases. Did your staff ever notice these scars and make a report of suspected child abuse?"
"Maria herself recanted her stories and explained that she had burned herself to get back at her father."
"Why would she do that?" Ruggerio asks, unable to hide his disbelief.
"We've seen this kind of compulsive lying many times over the years. It comes from a lack of structure and guidance in the home; sometimes children receive attention for an accident and get the impression that this is the way to behave."
"If she had burned herself, don't you believe that this is a symptom of a serious psychiatric disorder?"
"Yes, and we provided treatment that worked. Maria is now quite well-adjusted and participates extensively in assisting with treating the newer students," Klein says proudly.
Keith is sickened by Klein's statements; in his opinion, Maria's actions resembled those of a sociopath, and Klein's pride in her behavior is offensive in the extreme.
Ruggerio continues, "So you don't believe that Ms. Frazzino was ever a victim of child abuse?"
"Of course not. We would have reported it to the state immediately if we felt that she was being truthful."
Ruggerio stares at Klein. "So if Hannah Griffith found out at some point that Maria was a victim of child abuse and contacted you to see what you thought about that..." he says leadingly.
"What? What are you accusing me of?" Klein answers, outraged.
His attorney puts a hand on Klein's arm and says, "The interview's over. I'm advising my client not to answer any more questions. We've tried to cooperate, but this investigation is completely ridiculous. If you are foolish enough to pursue these charges, my client will be vindicated in court."
Keith is uncertain what to think. Klein is certainly rattled by this line of questioning. Is it because he truly is surprised to be accused of being involved in Hannah's murder...or is he scared that we are getting close to the truth? He watches as a corrections officer places handcuffs on Klein and escorts him out of the room.
Ruggerio comes out to the viewing area. "What did you think?"
Keith says, "I don't know. He certainly was upset at your implication that he had some involvement in Hannah's death. You know, it doesn't have to be Klein that Hannah tried to blackmail. She might have been too afraid. Maybe she contacted Frazzino and blackmailed him. I'm certain a state assemblyman would have contacts in the FBI."
Ruggerio asks, "What about your other theory, that Hannah witnessed a payoff?"
Keith rubs his forehead. "The more I think about it, the more I believe that the girls are too supervised to accidentally see something like that." He carefully refrains from saying that it was Michelle Weisz, the guardian angel, who convinced him of this. 'If you're not successful, I want to be able to keep doing what I'm doing.' "We watched my daughter at the school for a week; her every move was controlled and monitored. I'll admit, I'd love to have rock-solid evidence that Klein was responsible for Hannah's murder, but I'm not seeing it here."
Lynley interrupts, "Do you think I'll be able talk to Veronica this afternoon? We need to find out if any physical abuse occurred during the time her bug was nonfunctional. I don't want to leave a possible assault charge out of the indictment. Something happened while we weren't able to listen, and I'm betting it was serious, given her condition the next morning. I don't want to let them get away with anything, Keith," he says strongly.
"We can try. But I don't want you upsetting her. I know she would want to give a statement, but she's been through a lot the last few days, and she needs to have rest and calm more than anything," Keith answers.
"Of course," Lynley replies. "I'll let you be the judge. If the questions are upsetting her, I'll stop immediately."
Sun. 3/15/09 afternoon: San Diego RCFL, San Diego, CA
Mac watches as Brenda, the agent charged with impersonating her, walks back and forth. Brenda converses with Alan as 'Mac', and Mac watches her smile shyly and toss her head in a completely plausible imitation of Mac. At first, Mac denied that the mannerisms that Brenda was employing were even close to her true behavior. But at one point, Brenda, her blonde hair now dyed brunette with blue streaks just like Mac's and wearing silicone cheek inserts that made her face round, not pointed, turned her head and spoke, and it actually gave Mac the chills.
"You missed your calling. Hollywood needs you," Mac comments.
"It's the makeup and the hair," Brenda says modestly.
"Nope, you've really impressed me, and that's not easy to do," Mac replies. "It's a lot of work for one performance."
Brenda smiles. "Well, hopefully we'll only need the one performance."
"Let's take a little break," Mac's handler Alan says.
Mac wanders over to a computer. "Okay if I check the news?" she asks.
Alan says warily, "No email, right?"
"I know. Don't worry, I'm not going to do anything to put my family in danger."
"All right," he agrees.
Mac clicks on the internet browser. She sneaks a surreptitious glance at Alan; he's not paying much attention and is discussing the details of Brenda's upcoming performance at the funeral for Mac's 'family'. Mac is certain that Mike Fields would have delivered her list of the FBI agents who had access to the Slasher case files to Veronica by now. But she hasn't heard back from Mike, although, since the bombing, her days have been filled with WitSec meetings and preparation for the fake funeral. Mac wonders if Mike has been trying unsuccessfully to get in touch with her. She types 'Hannah Griffith' into Google to see if there have been any new news stories on the case; she is surprised when a story on 'Briar Hill Academy' is the first result.
Mac reads the story and realizes this is the school where Hannah was sent. The story is vague, but mentions that several undercover operatives were instrumental in gathering evidence which led to the arrest of the school's headmaster, Peter Klein, and the closing of the school for alleged abuses against the students.
Mac smiles. Sounds like Veronica to me. She continues to read. The article mentions that the Commissioner of the Vermont Department of Education, Carl Behr, was under investigation for a possible payoff scheme. A sidebar mentions the girl who was murdered a year ago by two of the students and speculates on a culture of evil at the school.
She returns to the search results. The second article is entitled, 'California Assemblyman Implicated in East Coast School Scandal'. She clicks on it and is shocked to find that the byline reads 'By Carrie Murray'. She reads quickly; to Mac's relief, there is no mention of Logan or Veronica, but the article is certainly written in Carrie's typically scurrilous style and hints at incest, child abuse, and financial coverups.
Alan calls, "Let's get back to work, Mac!"
Mac memorizes the three names, Peter Klein, Carl Behr, and Vincenzo Frazzino, and determines to try to find a way to use the FBI databases to investigate a link between them and the agents who had access to the Slasher files before she is banished to her new identity in Whereverville, USA. It's not going to be easy with Alan hovering over me. Now that I've tracked down that Russian server, they usually won't even let me get on the computer...all 'to protect me'. Taking the internet away after tempting me with FBI databases is cruel and unusual punishment. She quickly erases her browser history and quits the program, thinking all the while how she can possibly get access to the FBI files.
She walks back over to the other agents. Mac notices Alan has removed his conservative suit jacket, and it is hanging over the back of a chair. He is leaning against a table with his shirt sleeves rolled up watching Brenda work. Way to be wild, Alan baby, she thinks. Then she reconsiders. Alan usually keeps his Blackberry in his jacket pocket.
Mac slows her pace. She waits until all eyes are on Brenda, then Mac trips and falls to the floor near the chair where Alan's jacket is hanging.
"Hey, are you all right?" Brenda asks.
"Yeah, I just wounded my pride," she replies. As she stands up, she keeps her back to the others and casually grabs the Blackberry from Alan's jacket. She hides it in her jeans pocket, pretending to brush herself off as she smiles ruefully at her clumsiness. "Wow, I really am a dork," she says wryly.
Sun. 3/15/09 afternoon: Southwestern Vermont Medical Center, VT
Veronica opens her eyes. I was sleeping again. I feel like I'm never going to get enough sleep, she thinks. Veronica looks over at him; Logan is reading a magazine. She watches; he's not turning the pages but rather staring at the same page thinking. He feels her eyes on him, and he looks up.
"Hey, sleepyhead," he says quietly.
"What time is it?" she asks.
Logan checks his watch. "About five o'clock."
"Where's Dad?"
"He should be back soon." Logan pauses, considering what details to tell her. "Something with the case," he adds vaguely. "How are you feeling?"
"Tired...like I'm never going to get enough sleep."
"You haven't really slept since you left California," he reminds her.
"I...I should have asked you before, are you okay? I remember...there was a fight. You were yelling and..."
He flexes his fingers slightly. "My hand's a little sore. But I think Klein's face hurts worse," he can't help adding.
"Everything's so confused," she admits. "What Klein was saying–"
"You can't pay any attention to what he said, Veronica!" he replies quickly.
"No, I..." She lapses into silence, and Logan wishes desperately that Keith or Dr. Arthurs or even his own Dr. Friedman would come and tell him what to say to her. Veronica stares out the window at a mountain range in the distance. "It's actually beautiful here," she says wistfully. She turns to him again and asks, "What happened to the other girls at the school?"
"I'm not sure. There was an emergency hearing yesterday with the Department of Family and Child Services. I think the state wanted to put them in temporary foster care while they investigated the school."
"Good," she comments as she returns to staring back out the window.
Dr. Arthurs and Keith come into the room. The doctor notes, "Ms. Mars, you're looking a little better."
Keith adds, "Hi, honey. Did you get some more rest?"
She nods in response.
Logan pushes his chair out of the way and watches as the doctor checks Veronica's vital signs. He exchanges a glance with Keith.
Dr. Arthurs says, "Your dad brought somebody with him who wants to talk to you. Do you think you're up to talking with someone from the FBI? If you're not, it's okay. You've been through a lot, and I'll take the heat if you want to wait. I'm not afraid of the FBI." She makes a fist and demonstrates her bicep, and Veronica smiles wanly at this show of prowess.
"I guess it's okay," she mumbles.
The doctor nods and goes to check on other patients. She warns Veronica as she leaves, "Don't get too excited, okay? I'll be back to check on you again, Ms. Mars." She gives Keith a warning look, and Keith nods that he understands.
"Do you want me to stay?" Logan asks uncertainly.
Veronica hesitates, then nods her agreement.
Keith beckons, and Agent Lynley comes into the room. "Hi, Veronica. I feel like I know you. I've been watching you on the video for the last four days. My name's Thomas Lynley."
"Mike's friend," she notes.
"Yes, Mike told me all about you. He said you had incredible investigative skills, but I think he underestimated you," Lynley adds.
Careful, Logan thinks. This is a bad idea.
Lynley continues, "You know that your bug went out late Friday night, after you met with Alyssa. Can you tell us what happened after that?"
"Is this really necessary?" Logan interrupts.
"Well, yes it is, actually. We're in the process of determining the criminal complaint against Peter Klein and the other employees," Lynley says, puzzled by Logan's attitude.
"No, I can do it," Veronica interrupts. She closes her eyes and sighs before she begins. "It wasn't anything that intense. They just...they woke me up and made me do two hundred jumping jacks."
Of everything Logan has imagined that they could have done to her, this is not remotely like any of his scenarios.
"Jumping jacks?" Lynley asks incredulously.
"I know, it sounds..." her voice trails off as she flushes in humiliation. "My shoulder was very painful, and I...I couldn't do it. I fell on the floor at one point, and I said the code words. I said, 'I really wish I was in California.'" She looks at Lynley's surprised face. "I thought...I thought the guard was going to hit me, and he threatened to make me do push-ups instead, and..." She realizes she's babbling again.
"But he didn't actually hit you?"
"He was going to grab me by the arm and drag me up off the floor, and I knew, my shoulder was hurting so much, I couldn't let him do that..."
Logan realizes with a shock that what's killing her is the innocent nature of what exactly broke her down–that no one will understand why she gave in then. There's nothing illegal about assigning jumping jacks as a punishment, he thinks, and he knows that she too is aware of the problem. She believes that no one will comprehend the brutality of her experience, but of course he discerns exactly how sinister it was. He can see her berating herself for crumbling over a 'little' pain when she had been able to withstand so much abuse and degradation from them. With perfect clarity, he sees that she is completely disheartened by the realization that she is not anywhere near as strong as she thought she was.
Lynley asks, "What happened when no one came to stop the operation?"
"I didn't know what was happening. I was certain I had said the code words, but no one was coming. I didn't know what was happening." Logan is certain that her voice is trembling, although she is taking great pains to hide it.
Logan interrupts again. "Let's not do this right now." He glances at Keith, but before Keith can add his protests, Veronica begins speaking again. Keith also is trying to comprehend what she's describing; he too had been picturing intense psychological abuse or actual physical blows, and he is struck dumb by her tale.
"No...no, I want to tell it," Veronica objects. "You don't understand; I'd been having nightmares that I said the code word, and no one came. In my dream, sometimes my dad had abandoned me, or Klein found out about the operation and killed him, or...I don't know. It was..." She sees the pity and shock on her dad's face and, even worse, an expression of disbelief on Lynley's face. Embarrassed, she rushes in to explain. "I managed to get up off the floor, and I finished the jumping jacks. Then they took me back to bed. And a little while later, they woke me up again, and Alyssa made me...she made me..." she blushes furiously. "It was stupid; she pulled all the books in the library off the shelves and made me refile them. It just seemed so insane; just completely purposeless and inexplicable. And when you didn't come to stop the operation, I thought...I thought I was going crazy."
"Alyssa was trying to keep you off balance," Logan rushes in to reassure her. "She was showing you how deranged everything was and how much power they had over you, and she was making sure you didn't get any sleep so that Klein could work his sick therapy on you the next day. I saw her that night, and I knew something was up."
Lynley frowns at Logan for interrupting again. Logan glares back and moves to the bed, taking her hand and squeezing it gently. Logan continues, "Veronica's not ready to talk about this. You have enough for your criminal complaint. And, Lynley, I'll never forgive you for not investigating when I told you something was going on that night."
"You told them...?" Veronica asks in surprise.
"I called Lynley and told him something was up, something was really wrong. I had a feeling, and they wouldn't listen to me," Logan says angrily.
Keith recovers his voice. "Logan's right. Veronica's not ready to talk about this yet. Lynley, you've got plenty for the arraignment tomorrow. I'd like you to leave now." He escorts Lynley to the hallway; the two men converse in low tones, occasionally glancing at Veronica.
Turning to Logan, Veronica repeats, "You told them something was going on?"
He nods. "I didn't know what it was. But after the surprise hike...and then I saw Alyssa wandering around the campus in the middle of the night..." He shrugs.
She stares at him. "But you were so...you were so furious with me because I told them about Lilly. I'm sorry about that, they just...they kept after me, I couldn't seem to say anything that they believed. But when I," she swallows. "When I told them about Lilly, that I had tattled on you, that I saw you cheating on her, somehow they knew...they knew it was the truth." She stops talking, completely deflated, her courage leaving her.
"It's okay," he says. "I'm not mad about anything you said, I was just surprised. I'm sorry I made you think I was upset."
"No, it's not okay...I never should have told them that," she chokes back a sob.
"Veronica...if it made them ease up on you a little, I'm glad you told them about Lilly," he tries to reassure her.
Keith comes back in the room, and Veronica says, "Dad, I'm so sorry, I don't know why I quit when I did, I ruined it–" She begins to cry. "I know I let you down."
Keith looks stricken. "Veronica, you got so much more evidence than we even needed. How can you say...honey, you did an incredible job."
"No, I messed up," she says tearfully. "I couldn't do it."
"Veronica, you are not allowed to feel that way! Don't you know–" Keith yells before thinking. He tries to calm himself and continues, "Honey, I'm sorry. Peter Klein is an evil man. What he did to you–goddammit, what I let him do to you...please, Veronica. You can't think that way." He turns to Logan. "I need to talk to her alone for a minute."
Logan nods and leaves the room. He decides to find Dr. Arthurs and ask her to check on Veronica again.
Keith sits down on the bed next to Veronica. He fusses with the pillow and smoothes the sheets around her, stalling for a just another minute before he starts. "Veronica, honey. I want you to know that you can tell me anything. I...I know why you wouldn't want to tell your dad what happened at the party. You have to know that I wish I could erase it all for you."
She stops breathing. Oh god. Not a nightmare, not a hallucination...it was real. Klein did find out about my rape. Dad knows. Oh god, Dad knows. Oh Daddy.
His voice cracks a little, breaking her heart. "I knew something was wrong, and I thought it was because of your mother. I wasn't a very good dad for you; I threw myself into the Lilly Kane case and pursued Jake Kane instead of taking care of you. I don't want you to ever think that I'm ashamed of you. I'm so proud of you; you've been so brave, Veronica. I'm the one who should be ashamed. I let you down by letting you get involved in this case, and now I've found out that I let you down five years ago too."
"Dad, no...you were right to go after Jake Kane–"
"No, Veronica. You are my priority, and I'll always regret that I lost sight of that."
"Dad, I wanted to tell you, but..." she tries. She thinks, what good will it do to tell him, and then she says it anyway, the long-withheld words spilling out heedlessly. "I told Lamb. I reported the rape to him. He didn't believe me. I couldn't...with everything everyone was saying about you and the case, I wasn't brave enough to tell anyone else."
"You told that bastard? And he didn't believe you?" Keith says, completely enraged and sickened by the revelation. "Oh, Veronica..." How could I have not seen what she was going through?
"Daddy...I want to go home," she whispers. "When can we go home?"
"As soon as possible," he promises. "As soon as the doctor says it okay for you to travel. They don't want to operate on your shoulder until your infection has completely cleared. There's no reason why we can't do the surgery in Neptune."
She closes her eyes gratefully, then remembers something she wanted to ask. "Dad? Did Logan really try to get you to stop the operation?"
Keith scoffs. "Are you kidding? He tried to get us to stop the very first day. But that last night, when your bug went out, he knew. Logan knew something was wrong. He called and told Lynley that something was going on, but..." he sighs, "Your bug wasn't working, and he thought you were just asleep. Then Dr. Kinny realized that we weren't getting any audio when we should have been hearing you at breakfast. He convinced Lynley that something was wrong with your bug."
"Weren't you listening?" she asks in a small voice.
"Oh honey, Epstein and I were interviewing the woman who helped Hannah to escape. We tracked her down, and she wasn't far from here. She gave us a good lead to where Hannah was living after she ran away from the school. We never would have found her if you and Logan hadn't been undercover," he explains, hoping she will find it a small consolation. "We thought...we thought you would be all right. Kavner was on his shift, and Lynley and Dr. Kinny were monitoring the bugs. But I should have been there. It doesn't matter how big a lead it was. I'm sorry, it was my fault it went on so long. It's all my fault."
"You didn't hear the group therapy?" she whispers.
"Some of it, while we were rushing back." And the rest of it, I watched on video this morning. He conceals his rage from her and concentrates on reassuring her. "Honey, you were right to want Logan on this. He did a great job. I wish we had listened to him more than we did."
"I always used to think he worried too much," Veronica replies.
"This was very hard on him. He was very concerned about you, and it brought up a lot of bad memories about his father when he had to act like the other employees. He was very stressed, and Kinny wanted to pull him out. But Logan insisted that he wouldn't quit as long as you were still there."
"He was so scary...I couldn't understand the way he was acting."
"The other guards were giving him grief that he was being too easy on you. He was worried they would fire him, and he wouldn't be there to protect you when you needed him. So he had to try to appear to be rough with you, and I think it almost killed him."
Is that why he was so angry and upset with me? Suddenly, her head begins to hurt, and she wonders if it's the stress of trying to understand what was happening at the school. Veronica says, "I think I need to lie down for a little bit. But Daddy, I really want to go home as soon as possible."
Keith kisses her on her forehead and helps her to adjust the bed so that she's lying down again. Logan has found Dr. Arthurs, and she comes in and takes Veronica's vitals again. In the hallway, she explains to them that she has ordered more sedatives and anti-anxiety medication for the evening, and she will assess Veronica again in the morning. Keith relates Veronica's desire to go home, and the doctor agrees that familiar surroundings would be helpful. She looks at Keith and Logan and notes their fatigue. "You're not doing her any good by not eating or sleeping. I want you two to get a hotel room, have a good dinner and maybe a long shower."
Logan protests, "I don't want her to be alone overnight. You don't understand, she was all alone while they were hurting her...we let her down. I don't want her to be alone now."
Dr. Arthurs says she will arrange for a cot to be placed in Veronica's room if they will agree to take turns sleeping at a hotel and staying with Veronica. "She needs you two to be healthy for her. I don't want to scare you, but I'm concerned about her mental status. It may be a while before she's out of the woods.