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, Kazy, 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 84-87:
( for the whole overblown "previously on", see my journal.
vanessagalore•livejournal•com/63490•html )
At the hospital, Veronica is diagnosed with a kidney infection, a dislocated shoulder that will require surgery, and exhaustion. Logan and Keith sit in vigil; Logan shaves his beard. Veronica wakes up, extremely disoriented and still scared of Logan. She is unable to remember most of the events from the last therapy session at Briar Hill. Logan and Keith tell her that her bug had stopped functioning; Veronica realizes that is the reason why she wasn't rescued. Veronica is emotionally fragile and susceptible to crying jags. The doctors emphasize Veronica's need to avoid stress, and Logan and Keith decide not to tell Veronica about the MacKenzie bombing.
Logan tells Keith some of the details of Veronica's rape. Veronica and Logan begin to talk about their perceptions of the time spent undercover, and Veronica slowly begins to trust Logan again. Agent Lynley questions Veronica about the period when the bug went out; Veronica is humiliated to admit that she broke down when she was ordered to perform the relatively innocuous task of jumping jacks. Logan is the only one who really understands how much she was affected by the mind control techniques at the school because of his own experience there. Veronica learns that while she was calling for help, Logan was unsuccessfully trying to convince them to shut down the operation.
At Briar Hill, the employees are taken into custody; after an emergency hearing, the students are placed in temporary foster homes. Klein is questioned by US Attorney Ruggerio about the school procedures and details of Veronica's time at the school. Klein is obviously skilled at avoiding self-incrimination and deflecting accusations of misconduct, but the prosecutor assures Keith that the evidence is sufficient for conviction. Keith tells Ruggerio about Veronica's theory of Hannah's murder, and the prosecutor presses Klein on Hannah's experience at the school and any subsequent contact. Klein refuses to answer any more questions when he realizes the direction of the questioning.
Leo questions Dick about Logan's relationship with Kendall. He obtains Logan's financial information from the period when Logan hid from Veronica in Texas. Leo asks for a partial fingerprint from Kendall's hotel room to be compared with Logan's and Veronica's fingerprint records. He sets up interviews in Los Angeles with Logan's agent, Harvey Greenblatt, and Madison Sinclair.
Wallace abides by Candice's wishes and stops spying on the Fitzpatricks; Weevil mocks him and swears to continue his surveillance. Wallace starts working on an organizational chart of the Fitzpatrick crime family.
Mac learns of the operation at Briar Hill. She steals her handler's Blackberry to try to use the FBI files to help Veronica investigate.
•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
VERONICA MARS
10:00PM SHO ch: 340 60min 2009 TV-MA
Personally Motivated
Mac hacks; Logan and Veronica
compare notes.
Veronica: Kristen Bell. Logan: Jason Dohring.
Mac: Tina Majorino. Alan: Ned Vaughan.
•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
CHAPTER EIGHTY-EIGHT: "PERSONALLY MOTIVATED"
Sun. 3/15/09 evening: Hotel, San Diego, CA
Mac is hunched over Alan's Blackberry. It's one thing to hack into a Blackberry from a computer, and it's completely another thing to hack into a computer from a Blackberry. Still, she's making progress. Mac has cracked Alan's password through diligent effort and now has access to his emails, but she has still found it impossible to actually get into the FBI databases. She racks her brains, trying to remember all the hacker tips she used to find on her favorite "Blackjacking" websites.
Once again, she sends a BBProxy code as an email attachment to Alan's desktop computer; the code attempts to activate an unsecured channel that Mac remembers noting on the FBI intranet. The database portal has accepted that she is the user 'Alan' and allows her access, but the returning data streams have been interrupted by various firewall protections; one by one, she has tried to evade each in order to gain unfettered access to the databases. She has carefully attempted to disguise her tracks by using the encryption protocols of the Blackberry. Without having spent the past five weeks working with the FBI databases, she would have found this task impossible; as it is, she has tried and failed to gain access perhaps a hundred times.
Mac sighs as the latest attempt fails again. She interlaces her fingers above her head and stretches her shoulders. The miniature keys of the Blackberry are great for texting, but not so comfortable for long stretches of data input. She glances at the muted television; she has been keeping one eye on the screen, hoping that CNN will run a story on the Briar Hill Academy closing. After a puff piece on the latest gasoline-saving technology that promises to do almost nothing to actually end the oil crisis, she notes the closed-captioning: 'Assemblyman Frazzino arrested; denies all charges'.
Mac seizes the remote and turns up the sound.
"Vincenzo Frazzino, speaker of the California Assembly and a rising star in the Republican party, voluntarily surrendered into custody early this morning on felony child abuse, sexual abuse of a minor child, neglect, and aggravated assault and battery charges. His daughter, a minor child, was recently found to be confined at a restrictive therapeutic boarding school, Briar Hill Academy, of Manchester Center, Vermont. Speaker Frazzino has been raising funds and working with the California Republican party leadership for a presumed run at the state senate seat in the fall. He is the author of California's Parental Responsibility Act, which makes parents financially and legally responsible for the crimes committed by their minor children. A spokesman for Frazzino confidently assured the media that all charges would be dismissed when the evidence was examined. Governor Schwarzenegger, in a prepared statement, called for an independent prosecutor to oversee the investigation of the allegations. In a related indictment, Dr. Todd Swinney, of Sacramento, California, was also charged today with failure to comply with mandatory child abuse reporting statutes. Sources close to the investigation state that medical records and documents from the boarding school show a clear pattern of long-standing physical and sexual abuse; speculation in the state capital hints that the Sacramento District Attorney is likely to file conspiracy charges that will implicate several key members of the Speaker's staff."
Damn, Mac thinks. Way to take down the high and mighty, Veronica. She starts suddenly when there is a knock at the door.
"Mac, I'm coming in," Alan says, accompanied by the sound of a keycard unlocking the door.
"Hey, hang on, give me a second," Mac replies frantically, trying to shove the Blackberry under her mattress.
Alan walks in and extends his hand. "My Blackberry please."
Mac attempts to look confused. "Huh?" she says weakly.
"Yeah. I know you took my Blackberry...probably this afternoon when you fell. You really must think I'm stupid," he comments furiously. "And to tell you the truth, I am stupid, to try so hard to keep you safe, when you've been completely cavalier about your own welfare and that of your family. What the hell is so important that you would do something so incredibly foolish?"
Mac flushes a dark red and sits down on the bed. She fishes out the Blackberry and hands it to Alan without a word.
He sits on the other bed and looks at her. "What was so important?" Alan plays with the device, looking at the settings and trying to determine what she's been doing. "You had to know that I would figure out that you took it. And still...you took the chance to do something."
She replies quietly, "I wanted to do one last thing for my friend Veronica before I disappeared out of her life forever. I can't say goodbye, but she'll know, if I can get her this information, that I was thinking about her and trying to help her one last time."
"Help her with what?" he asks.
Mac motions at the television screen. One of the CNN talking heads is interviewing a child psychologist who is talking about the lasting traumatic effects of long-term child abuse. The graphic on the screen changes to a picture of Briar Hill Academy as the psychologist gives an overview of tough love schools.
"Veronica was investigating the last victim of the Saturday Night Slasher, Hannah Griffith. She went to school with us in Neptune." Mac decides to gloss over the connection with Logan. "She was sent away to that school that's been on the news, Briar Hill Academy, and then Hannah ran away. No one knows where she was before she turned up murdered in January. I think Veronica and maybe her dad too were undercover there at Briar Hill. There was a news story that attributed the school's closing to the work of private investigators."
Mac continues, telling Alan about Veronica's copycat theories and what Veronica had told her about Briar Hill before Mac was whisked away to witness protection subsequent to the first bombing attempt.
Alan asks, "This is your friend, Veronica Mars? The college student?"
"She's a criminology major, and she was also an FBI intern the last two summers," Mac says defensively. "And she's been a licensed private investigator for the last two years, and she helped her dad unofficially before that."
"Right, I remember reading something about her in your file. She also was not invited back into the FBI program this year, as I recall."
"Your loss," Mac retorts. "Besides–" Mac thinks better of what she was going to say and stops short.
"What?" Alan demands. "You realize that I'm going to have to make a report about this incident. I'll probably be demoted because of what you did."
Mac swallows. Alan really is an okay guy. "I'm sorry. I don't want you to get into trouble. I'll tell them I knocked you over the head to get your Blackberry," she offers.
Alan snorts. "That's not going to help me. Letting a civilian get the jump on me? C'mon, Mac. What were you going to say?"
"Veronica thought someone in the FBI might have been involved. Whoever killed Hannah Griffith knew a lot of the details of the other murders."
"Someone in the FBI? Doubtful." Alan considers this information, then asks curiously, "How did Veronica get onto the idea that this was a copycat murder? There's been no suggestion of that in the media."
Mac explains Veronica's theory about the full moon occurring on the dates of the real murders. "She just stumbled onto the connection. It can't be a coincidence. The correlation is too perfect."
Alan frowns. "Veronica is certain about this?" When Mac's dossier was being compiled, Alan read an FBI evaluation of Veronica Mars. Now he tries to remember exactly what the evaluation had said about her. He recalls that it lauded her investigative skills and her intuitive grasp on data and information, but reflected that her psychological profile revealed an alarming propensity for reckless and impulsive behavior that needed to be addressed if she was to continue in the program. All her instructors in the internship program seemed to be impressed with her skills and gave her high marks. Despite her personality flaws, she was preliminarily approved for a third internship until she was charged in the fatal shooting of Harmony Chase. An internal FBI investigation revealed that she had improperly gained access to FBI files through her boyfriend, and it was determined that she was possibly psychologically unfit for law enforcement and the rigorous chain of command demanded by the FBI.
"I remember something about Veronica improperly using FBI files last fall," he says. "Seems like she's been a bad influence on you, because that's pretty much what you're doing right now."
"After I helped you arrest fifteen Russian mobsters and put their identity theft scheme out of commission," she replies defensively. "And my reward is that I lose my life. Well, my life as I knew it."
Alan stares at her.
"What?" she asks.
He sighs. "You are not supposed to know this because of the security risk. And I was worried about getting your hopes up."
"What? Tell me," Mac says intensely.
"Based on the debriefings conducted with some of the persons we arrested last week, it seems as though the bomb attack on your house was personally motivated, rather than mob ordered," Alan explains.
Mac is totally confused. Personally motivated?
"The bombing was not retaliation for the work you did identifying the originating server. Someone is using that as an excuse to go after you personally."
"I don't understand, why would somebody come after me? The only things I've ever done are some minor hacking. Well, there is that website that Veronica and I created, YourCheatingHeart•com. Do you think I pissed somebody off by outing them as a cheater?"
"We investigated that pretty thoroughly. You remember that we got your client list before we shut the site down?"
Mac nods.
"All very small fish: no one with a reason to hate you that would be big enough to take out your whole family. We investigated your whole family as well, and after what you told me the other day, we looked at the Sinclairs too. We came up empty-handed. And the only other thing we found in your background was your trips to Las Vegas."
"You know about Vegas?" Mac says, horrified.
"Yes. Again, very small time." At her insulted expression, he adds quickly, "I'm sure you're quite good at card counting, but I don't think the casinos put a hit on you."
Slightly mollified, she asks, "So what then? Why would someone come after me?"
"At this point, we've run out of leads. It's possible that someone unknown to us in the Russian mafia is pursuing a revenge scenario, although we're not sure how they would have determined that you were personally responsible for the arrests last week." Alan looks at her somberly. "I'm hoping for your sake that this person takes a big chance to try to get at you at this funeral, and we'll be able to arrest them. And then, maybe you and your family won't have to be in witness protection." At her expression, he rushes to qualify again, "Maybe. Don't count on it."
Mac completely forgets to breathe at the thought that she might not have to give up her life after all.
Sun. 3/15/09 very late: Southwestern Vermont Medical Center, VT
Logan is woken from his dozing sleep. He looks over to Veronica's bed and sees her struggling to sit up. He sits up and asks, "Hey. Are you okay?"
After a moment, she explains, "I'm just...trying to go to the bathroom. It's all the fluids they've been making me drink."
"Do you want me to get a nurse?" Do you want me to help? he wants to ask, but there's no way he'll say it. All he can think about is the bucket.
"No," she replies quietly, but firmly. "I can do it."
He looks at her, not knowing what to say. Finally he says, "Let me know if you need help." He swings his legs over the edge of the cot and sits up with his back to her, trying to give her as much privacy as possible. He listens to the quiet rustling sounds of her movements through the room, the subtle snick of the bathroom door being closed, and the rush of water as she finishes. Logan stays completely still with his back toward the bathroom; he tries to think about anything, anything except the way she looked when she was humiliated by Dave. And me. I helped. He closes his eyes, letting his own shame wash over him.
Suddenly he feels her weight on the mattress beside him. Logan opens his eyes and looks at her. "How's your shoulder?" he asks, trying to control a slight quiver in his voice.
"It hurts a little," she admits. "Dad went to the hotel?"
"Yes. He can be here in five minutes if you need him," he replies.
"No, that's all right."
"Is it...is it okay that I'm here?" he finally says. He looks at her face searchingly. "If you want me to go..."
She takes his hand and whispers, "No. I want you to stay. I like the sound of your breathing." I don't want to be afraid of you. I know...I KNOW that I love you. It's crazy to be afraid of you. I know that I love you. "I like knowing you're here in the room with me."
Logan says, "Come on, you should go back to bed. You need to sleep." He tries to pull her up from the bed, but she resists, and he sits back beside her.
"I've been awake for awhile, just thinking. I've been trying to understand what happened while we were undercover. Dad said you had to be tougher on me because the other guys were hassling you, and you were afraid you were going to get fired. And then you might not have been around when I really needed you. And he said...he said it was so hard on you to be tough with me, and you were very upset."
He doesn't know how to respond and looks at the floor.
"I thought you were upset with me. Maybe you were, because I wouldn't quit. But mostly I thought you were mad because I was acting out, making them be harsh with me. And I couldn't understand it, because you knew that I had to get proof of all the awful things that go on there."
He says quietly, "It killed me to watch you being hurt and attacked. And it was hard because I didn't always know everything that was going on. Then when I had to restrain you, I...Veronica, I can't even tell you what that felt like. I knew why we were there, but I'm not like you. I'm not good at this–I can't just shut it off the way you do. I don't know how you could go on after they hurt your shoulder. It must have hurt like hell, Veronica. I–I wanted to quit so many times, but I couldn't leave you there. There's no way I would have quit with you still there."
Stricken with remorse, she says, "I didn't know...I didn't think how..."
"Veronica, you were so brave. What they were doing to you..." He falters and stops.
She protests, "I don't feel brave at all. I still don't really remember the last day. I just remember wishing it would end; I was so scared when you didn't come. I know now why you didn't come, but at the time..." Her voice trails off. "I keep thinking, there's something I need to remember, but then I just feel exhausted and–" She exhales loudly. "I don't want to feel like this anymore. I don't want to be confused and frightened."
Maybe it's a good thing you don't remember that last day. "Veronica, I don't know how to help you. And I'm scared that I'll do the wrong thing, say the wrong thing," he admits helplessly. "We've already made so many mistakes."
"I know. I'm scared too," she replies. She grips his hand a little tighter and adds, "You were crying before...I heard you."
He scoffs a little and looks away.
Veronica tugs gently at his hand, and he turns back to her. Try to make him understand. "I'm so sorry I didn't quit when you asked me to, after the hike, when you drove us back in the jeep. I was just so angry at Klein. I wanted the whole world to see what a bastard he was, and that's all I could think about."
"I know. Everyone will see now. It's okay, Veronica," he reassures her.
Her voice trembling, she persists. "It's not okay. That's what you were there for...to watch over me and make sure I wasn't being affected, and I should have listened to you. I wanted you on this because I trusted you, and then when it was time for me to trust you, I didn't. I want you to stop blaming yourself, Logan. You're always so ready to take it all on, and you shouldn't. I see now how hard it was for you to hurt me; I never even thought about what that would be like for you. Especially..." she can't finish her thought, Especially after what your dad did to you. "I'm so sorry I made you be there."
He knows what she is saying, but he refuses to let her go there. "I just want you to be okay. I just want us to be okay." Logan's voice breaks as he adds, almost inaudibly, "And I'm really scared that we're not going to be able to figure it out."
"I'm going to be okay," she says quietly. I want to be okay again. "And we are going to be able to figure this out. Logan...we are going to figure this out."
They sit in silence for several minutes. Finally, he stands up. "Come on, you've got to get back to bed now. Dr. Arthurs will have my head if she hears you were up in the middle of the night."
Veronica lets him lead her back to bed. He helps her up and gets the covers settled around her.
She senses his hesitancy. She says, "Kiss me goodnight," and he bends and kisses her forehead. Veronica frowns and grabs the back of his head. She pulls him to her, and he kisses her mouth gently. She whispers, "I need you, you know."
"I need you too," he replies. "I love you, Veronica."
She smiles and closes her eyes. That's what I wanted to hear. "I love you too."
•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
VERONICA MARS
10:00PM SHO ch: 340 60min 2009 TV-MA
Arresting Developments
Complications from Klein's arrest;
Leo questions Greenblatt; Veronica
does some investigating.
Veronica: Kristen Bell. Logan: Jason Dohring.
Leo: Max Greenfield. Keith: Enrico Colantoni.
Wallace: Percy Daggs III. Agent Lynley:
James Badge Dale. Harvey Greenblatt:
Paul Ganus. Sacks: Brandon Hillock. Nurse:
Ellen Crawford.
•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
CHAPTER EIGHTY-NINE: "ARRESTING DEVELOPMENTS"
Mon. 3/16/09 morning: Southwestern Vermont Medical Center, VT
When Veronica wakes up, Keith and Logan are discussing something in a whisper. She observes Keith glancing in her direction, and she tries to hear what they are saying to no avail. Logan notices that she's awake and walks over. "How are you feeling this morning?"
She stretches as much as she is able with the sling trapping her right arm to her chest. "I think I might have rejoined the living." She gives him a quizzical look and adds, "What's going on?"
"Just figuring out when we should try to go back to Neptune," Logan replies.
"As soon as possible," she comments quickly. "I'd really like to go home."
Keith says, "Well, you know, you've been through a lot. It's a long plane ride. We're thinking maybe Wednesday morning."
Veronica notices that Keith is carefully avoiding looking at Logan. Something's up...something they don't want me to know. "Hey, have you heard from Wallace?" she asks. "Give me your phone, I want to let him know I'm okay."
"I talked to him a little while ago," Keith replies. "He's taking care of a few things for me in the office, and he was happy to hear you were doing better."
Okay, now I'm getting pissed. I'm not allowed to call Wallace? Veronica had noted the lack of a phone in her room previously and had assumed it was to prevent reporters from calling. She changes the topic and thinks that her dad looks relieved. "So, Logan, can we try breakfast again? Maybe...a breakfast sandwich this time? You know, for the klutz." She waves her left hand in the air.
"Of course," Logan answers. From his expression, Veronica decides that she is absolutely certain that something is up. He turns to leave the room but is intercepted by Agent Lynley and a uniformed police officer.
"Mr. Echolls," Lynley says in greeting. "Keith, Veronica."
Veronica tenses in anticipation. 'Mr. Echolls?' More questions? What's going on?
Keith nods at the officer and asks, "What's going on, Lynley?"
Lynley sighs. "Klein's attorneys have insisted on pressing charges against Mr. Echolls for assault and battery. Unfortunately, the video feed clearly shows him striking Klein, and Mr. Echolls does have a misdemeanor conviction on his record for vandalism. They've tried to make the case that it should be charged as a felony since the assault was committed on school grounds against a teacher, but the district attorney has refused and is charging it as a simple misdemeanor. If you'll come with us, Mr. Echolls, and surrender yourself into custody, that would be for the best. I'm sure that you can post bond and be released immediately."
Vandalism...that misdemeanor conviction is my fault, she thinks.
Logan tries to make a joke. "I knew there was a reason I keep my attorney on retainer."
"Don't joke," she retorts. "Damn it, Logan." She closes her eyes; she has a vague memory of Logan hovering over her, then standing up and striking Klein, screaming, 'You fucker!' She tries and fails to remember more clearly exactly what happened. Veronica hears Klein talking, seemingly unendingly, and she feels his hands holding hers, forcing her to listen, forcing her to tell him everything. 'Tell me what happened...Come on, Connie, you're never going to get better if you don't admit it...Tell me who else is undercover with you.' She shakes her head in distress, thinking, No, that's not right! Why can't I remember?
"The district attorney has indicated that he's not inclined to pursue this vigorously and will be looking to make a plea arrangement," Lynley explains.
"I'll follow you to Manchester Center and arrange for a bail bondsman," Keith says quickly. "And we'll get Epstein over there right away to represent you for now." He sees Veronica's agitation and tries to reassure her. "Veronica, don't worry; it'll be all right. This will be no big deal. Klein's just trying to make trouble with some desperate legal maneuvers. I'm not surprised he's doing this."
With difficulty, Veronica focuses on her dad's words and pushes away the images of Klein staring into her eyes. She nods at her dad. Just...don't think about it, for now. She forces the terrifying thoughts back into a corner of her brain, locking them away until she feels a little more courageous. Veronica tries to breathe normally and pretends to smile encouragingly at Logan.
The police officer takes out a pair of handcuffs, but Lynley waves him off. "I don't believe that's necessary, officer. I'll take the responsibility."
"Thanks for that small favor," Logan comments wryly. He looks questioningly at Lynley, "Can I...?" When Lynley doesn't stop him, he walks over to the bed and kisses her goodbye. He whispers in her ear, "It's not a big deal, Veronica. I'd do it again in a heartbeat. Besides, I've been a good boy for too long now. You know you have a thing for bad boys."
"I'm sorry," she breathes anxiously. "It's all my fault."
"Don't you dare," Logan says firmly. "My choice, to–" Mindful of the police officer, he stops just before saying 'to punch out the fucker.' Carefully, he amends, "To do what was right."
"Don't try to impress them with your wit, all right? You know, you have the right to remain silent." She looks at him sternly: I'm not kidding.
He nods. "Yes, Veronica."
Keith says, "Honey, we'll get this squared away, and we'll be back as soon as possible. Try not to worry."
Why would I worry? You're hiding something from me, my boyfriend just got arrested, and I still can't remember... She plasters a smile on her face to reassure him and says merely, "Hurry back."
Mon. 3/16/09 morning: Greenblatt Talent Agency, Los Angeles, CA
"Mr. Greenblatt, I'm Sheriff Leo D'Amato from Neptune, California." Leo extends his hand in greeting to a dark-haired man wearing an Armani suit and sporting a Bluetooth headset in his ear.
"Call me Harvey," Greenblatt responds. He puts a finger in the air and says, "No, that's not acceptable...Thirteen five is as low as Harrison will go."
Leo realizes that Greenblatt has taken a call, and he fidgets waiting for the conversation to conclude.
"I'm sorry, I'm in the middle of a tense negotiation right now. How can I help you, Sheriff?" Greenblatt smiles, showcasing his perfect Hollywood teeth.
"I'm wondering what service you performed for Logan Echolls back in January for twenty thousand dollars and if you by any chance know his current whereabouts. There's some evidence linking him to a crime in Neptune last week," Leo says abruptly.
Greenblatt leans back and tents his fingers. "I consider Logan an old family friend. I represented his father from the very beginning of his career."
Leo stares back and raises an eyebrow questioningly.
Greenblatt stabs at the intercom on his desk. "Sylvia, hold my calls." He fusses with his tie for a moment, then directs his attention to Leo. "Logan came to me looking for help with the paparazzi. His old girlfriend had been murdered, and the paps were hounding him day and night. He begged me to help him. I told him it would die down soon, but he was insistent. He was worried that something might even happen to his present girlfriend. You remember that there was an incident last fall, when the paparazzi pursued him and his friend, and Logan was injured in a car wreck caused by a photographer?"
Leo nods that he's familiar with the story.
"So he wanted to hire someone to provide a little misdirection."
"An impostor, correct? Based on the Homeland Security databases, Echolls never left the country, despite the videos that were splashed all over the news."
"Yes. I'm representing the screenwriter who wrote the Aaron Echolls biopic, 'For the Love of Lilly,' that begins filming this summer, and I've recently signed a young actor who will be portraying Logan in the film. When I spoke to Logan around Christmastime, I told him that this kid has an uncanny resemblance to him, and Logan asked me to hire him to...well, to act out for the paps, somewhere far away from here. I suggested Madeira, knowing I could get my client Johnny Depp to play along and invite the kid to his party. I knew the paps would be there, and this actor, Jason Dohring, would show up in the press."
Leo replies, "So the idea was that Logan was going to hide somewhere else?"
"I don't know where he went. After I helped set it up, he said, 'thank you,' and I haven't heard from him since. I think he didn't want me to know. His girlfriend's a private detective. She's the one who–"
"Yes, I'm familiar with his girlfriend," Leo interrupts. "You do realize that what you did could possibly be construed as giving him an alibi?"
"An alibi?" Greenblatt says nervously.
"Yes. I think that would be aiding and abetting if Mr. Echolls is found guilty of a crime."
"There was no attempt to fool anyone other than the paparazzi. Jason flew under his own name, and he did not use Logan's identification. He used a cane and had his hair cut similarly to Logan's usual style, and the paparazzi assumed it was Logan using a false name. Jason was playing a role. To him, it was a job, and we told him it was going to be a publicity stunt for the movie. He was happy to get a paycheck for basically taking a vacation and hanging out with movie stars. Logan authorized him to use one of his credit cards that has a ten thousand dollar limit. Jason always used his own name on hotel registers or when signing the credit card charges; the paps just assumed that Logan was using a false name. I can provide a copy of Jason's contract to you. There was no attempt to do anything illegal," Greenblatt protests.
"It seems like a lot of trouble to go to just to escape the paparazzi."
"Yeah, well, the paparazzi have gotten incredibly intense lately. I tell all my young starlets to wear two pairs of underwear when they go out now." Greenblatt sighs. "I'm glad I'm not a publicist. Sheriff, I have to say I think you're underestimating how traumatic the paparazzi can be. The last time I saw him, Logan was beside himself over the death of his ex-girlfriend. What is this crime that Logan is accused of, anyways?"
"Another one of his former lovers was killed," Leo replies succinctly. "A Ms. Kendall Casablancas, although she was known by a few other names as well."
Greenblatt is shocked into silence. After a moment, he recovers and states, "I don't believe it."
"Yeah, that makes three of his ex-girlfriends now. It's pretty dangerous to fall in love with Logan Echolls, wouldn't you say?"
Greenblatt repeats, "I don't believe it. He's really turned his life around. I helped get him into UCLA film school, and he's done very well there. You know he made that donation to open the center for battered wives and children."
"'The Bridge'. Right, I remember."
"Have you considered that this could be one of Aaron's crazy fans?" Greenblatt suggests. "You know that over the years Aaron was stalked numerous times. Maybe one of them has transferred her attentions to Logan."
Leo nods thoughtfully. "Yes, I remember the stabbing incident at their Christmas party. That could be worth looking into."
Greenblatt helpfully adds, "I believe Veronica's father investigated that for the Echolls. He might have some more information on any stalkers who were a serious threat to Aaron. Sheriff, if you have any more questions, I'd be happy to answer them."
Leo places a business card on Greenblatt's desk. "I'd appreciate it if you gave me a call right away if you hear from Logan. I'd really like to clear this up quickly."
After leaving the building, Leo puts in a call to the department. Sacks informs him that he received a fax replying to Leo's inquiry to Homeland Security. "Logan Echolls traveled to Boston on March 4 on a ticket purchased by Mars Investigations. And that's not all; that flag you put on Echolls' name turned up an arrest warrant issued for him this morning in Vermont...a misdemeanor assault and battery charge."
"That sounds like Echolls," Leo comments.
"No, you're not going to believe it, Sheriff. The charges against Echolls were filed by Peter Klein, the headmaster of that school that's been on the news: the one where Frazzino's daughter was. The news has been saying that private investigators were involved in exposing what was going on there; I bet it was Keith and Veronica. You know that school is where Hannah Griffith was sent."
Leo is silent, processing this new information. "Call up the department that issued the warrant and get some more of the details."
"You got it, Sheriff," Sacks replies.
"What about that fingerprint? What did the techs say?" Leo asks.
Sacks is silent for a few seconds. "They um...they said it could be a match for Veronica Mars. But Sheriff, I really don't–"
"Interesting. We'll have to see what Veronica has to say about that. And Sacks? I'd also like you to pull the files on Aaron Echolls' stabbing at that Christmas party...I think it was four years ago. It was right when I first joined the department. I don't remember the details."
"You know who worked on that investigation? Keith Mars," Sacks offers helpfully.
"Right. It looks there's a few things I'll need to speak to Keith about as well."
Mon. 3/16/09 morning: Southwestern Vermont Medical Center, VT
After her dad and Logan leave with Lynley and the police officer, Veronica desperately tries to be brave and think positively. But when the nurse walks in, she takes one look at Veronica's face and says, "Are you hurting more, honey?"
Veronica begins to cry profusely. Damn it. Damn it! I hate feeling like this. I hate it I hate it.
The nurse asks anxiously, "Do you want me to get the doctor, Veronica?" She bustles around, checking Veronica's temperature and taking her pulse.
"No, no. Please, I'm just...it's been such a long week," she finishes lamely. Got to keep it together, Veronica, or they'll never let you go home. She wipes her eyes and resolves to stop crying right. this. moment. Goddammit! Veronica smiles a little and says, "You know we were doing an investigation, and there's a lot of legal stuff going on. And I'm stuck here, and I don't know what's going on."
"I know there's orders for you not to receive any phone calls or visitors, and all access to this area has been secured. You must be an important young woman," the nurse replies. "Are you sure you don't want me to get the doctor?" She looks at Veronica's chart. "You could have more pain meds if you'd like. And they would help you get some more rest."
I'm SICK of resting. I don't like feeling spacey from the pain meds. I want to get back to my life. "No thanks. Really, my shoulder doesn't hurt that much."
"Okay. If you change your mind, you know how to ring the nurses' station." The nurse makes another note on Veronica's chart and leaves the room.
Veronica tries some of the breathing exercises that she used at the school, and she forces herself to resume control. This is not going to beat me. She pictures herself gritting her teeth in determination, rolling up her sleeves, and getting to work on making herself strong again, and she laughs a little at the mental image. I really want to know what's going on. Why won't they let me call Wallace? Suddenly, she is overwhelmed by panic. Did something happen to Wallace? Is that why they don't want me to call him?
She throws off the blanket and cautiously gets off the bed, favoring her injured shoulder. Veronica walks toward the door, cursing the hospital gown that flaps open in the back. She tries to keep it secured with her left hand but has to give up when she gets to the doorway. She cracks open the door and scouts the hallway. Nurses are moving around; two are sitting behind a high counter. Veronica continues to watch for several minutes, debating if she can leave the room to search for a phone without being observed by the nurses.
An insistent alarm begins to sound from a room at the far end of the hallway, and several nurses head in that direction. Veronica goes for it; she slips out of her room and stealthily moves down the hallway to the next room. She peeks in and sees a patient along with two visitors. She continues to the next room. It is empty, and the sheets have been stripped off the bed, presumably in preparation for the next patient. There is a phone on the table next to the bed. Veronica enters, carefully shutting the door behind her soundlessly.
She picks up the phone and dials '0-619-555-0189'. She waits with her heart pounding until the operator comes on. "Collect call for Wallace Fennel from Veronica Mars," she says with a shaky voice. The operator places the call.
"Yo." She hears the familiar voice and smiles in relief.
"Is this Wallace Fennel? Will you accept a collect phone call from Veronica Mars?" the operator asks.
"Of course."
"Wallace!" she says excitedly before she remembers to keep her voice down.
"Veronica, are you okay? Why are you calling collect? What happened to your dad?" Wallace asks.
"He wouldn't let me call you. Wallace, what's going on? Why won't Dad let me talk to you?" Veronica says frantically. She hears him breathing on the line, but he doesn't answer. "Wallace, tell me what's going on. I'm imagining all sorts of crazy things. Did something happen to you? Are you all right?"
"I'm fine, Veronica." Wallace keeps his voice steady, but he's shocked by her obvious emotionality. He's never really seen her like this before.
"Then what is it? What doesn't he want me to know?" she persists, her voice rising in panic. "Wallace, tell me."
He considers and discards a few feeble lies that he knows she'll see right through; Wallace gives up and tells her the truth, hoping it's the right thing to do. "There was...well, some crazy person blew up Mac's parents' house."
Veronica is stunned into silence.
Wallace continues. "Mac's parents and her brother were killed."
"What about Mac?" Veronica asks tremulously.
"She was still in witness protection, I guess. The papers just said that she wasn't at home."
"Nobody's talked to her? Oh poor Mac."
"The funeral's tomorrow afternoon. I guess she'll be there. When I see her, I'll tell her you wished you could be there."
"I'm going to be there," she decides suddenly. "They must think it's the Russian mafia that blew up the house, right? Right?"
Wallace sighs. "Yeah. No one's saying it in exactly those words, but I guess that's what they think. I did some checking, and the day before the bombing, the FBI arrested fifteen Russian guys in Florida on multiple charges of identity theft, racketeering, conspiracy, and fraud. There wasn't a lot of details, but it sounded like computer crime, and I'll bet Mac had something to do with the arrests. Veronica, if your dad didn't tell you about this..." Wallace pauses, then plunges in. "When I talked to him this morning, he sounded pretty worried about you. Are you all right?"
"I'm going to be fine. I'm just tired."
"Your dad said you had a kidney infection and a dislocated shoulder." Wallace omits what Keith had told him about Veronica's disorientation. "Maybe you should just be resting in the hospital. You know you're not going to be able to get close to Mac. If she really is the target of the Russian mob, there's going to be a million FBI agents and US Marshals making sure that she's safe."
"I'm coming to the funeral, Wallace. This might be the last time we ever get to see Mac. Even if we can only wave at her across the room, I want her to know that we're there for her. You know if this was the mafia, there's no choice: she'll have to go into Witness Protection for the rest of her life."
"I know," Wallace mumbles. "Your dad's going to kill me for telling you, isn't he?"
"No, he's not." Because I'm going to kill him first...after I make him take me back to Neptune.
"Veronica..." Wallace knows from Keith's phone call that somehow Veronica's rape became an issue during the operation. He doesn't know whether to apologize for telling her dad about it. "Are you really okay? Weevil has been worried about you too. I told him the operation was over."
"I'm just tired," she lies. "But it was hard...the hardest undercover job I've ever done."
"Keith said you did a great job, and for sure everyone's going to jail for a long time."
"I hope so," she muses. "It was a lot worse than I thought it would be. Wallace, you know I love you, right?"
"Okay, now I'm really worried. Where's my BFF's hard shell exterior?" he kids lightly.
"Hey, even the tough girls say I love you once in a while," she replies. "I miss you. It's only been a week, but I feel like I haven't seen you in years." Her voice trembles as she continues, "Tell Weevil I love him too, okay?"
"Veronica. You're scaring me. Are you sure you're okay?" When she doesn't reply, he goes on, "I love you too, Vee. I'm glad you're out of there. Call me when you know what flight you're on."
Fighting back tears, she says, "Okay. I'll see you soon." She cradles the phone and sits on the bed for a long time staring into space.
•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
VERONICA MARS
10:00PM SHO ch: 340 60min 2009 TV-MA
Exposing the Soft Underbelly
Leo interviews Madison; Veronica
vows to avenge Hannah.
Veronica: Kristen Bell. Leo: Max Greenfield.
Madison: Amanda Noret. Gracie Jane: Jill
Brennan. Dr. Griffith: Rick Peters. Nurse:
Ellen Crawford.
•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
CHAPTER NINETY: "EXPOSING THE SOFT UNDERBELLY"
Mon. 3/16/09 late morning: near USC, Los Angeles, CA
Madison Sinclair opens the door to Sheriff D'Amato.
"Thank you for seeing me, Ms. Sinclair," he says.
"Of course, I'm eager to help. Please call me Madison." There's definitely something about a man in uniform, she thinks as she escorts him to her living room. When Leo takes a seat on her couch, she sits down quite near him and crosses her legs, hoping that he'll notice the fabric of her skirt sliding a little higher on her thigh. "How can I help you Sheriff?"
Leo does in fact notice Madison's thigh, and he wisely hitches himself a few inches away from her. "Madison, I'm investigating the murder of Kendall Casablancas, and I'm trying to get some background information. When I was doing some research, I found an interview you gave regarding Logan Echolls back in January. You said," Leo says reading from his notes, "'Logan Echolls was involved romantically with his best friend's stepmother. He was an emancipated minor living alone in the Neptune Grand Hotel, with no parental supervision.' I'm assuming, by best friend's stepmother, you are referring to Ms. Casablancas, yes?"
"Yes. I was quite close with Logan's best friend Dick Casablancas at one time. Dick told me that Logan was 'doing' her," Madison says superciliously. She laughs. "Logan always did have a death wish."
"What do you mean?" Leo asks.
"Well, Dick didn't care. But if Mr. Casablancas had found out...I think Logan would have ended up six feet under."
"Do you know when this relationship started? I'm wondering if perhaps this affair was what led to the breakup around that time between Echolls and Veronica Mars."
"Oh, you heard about that. Well, Duncan Kane and Logan both had a thing for that skank...I have no idea why, to tell you the truth. I heard she dumped Logan, and he was wandering around moping after her at the beginning of senior year."
"Did Veronica dump him because he was fooling around with Kendall?"
"Ooh. That would be delicious." Madison thinks a bit. "But I don't think so. Most people thought she dumped him to get back together with Duncan." She stands up. "Would you like a drink, Sheriff? I'm going to have some iced tea."
Leo writes 'Duncan Kane' in his notebook. "Yes, that would be fine." While Madison goes to the kitchen, Leo tries to remember the details of his and Veronica's first date. Everything was going really well that night, until we ran into her friend Meg and...yeah, that was the guy, Duncan Kane. There was a lot of tension there. And then last fall, there was all that publicity about the supposed conspiracy between Veronica, Logan, and Duncan in Clarence Wiedman's death.
Madison comes back in and sets a tall glass of iced tea on a coaster in front of Leo. She sits down, again positioning herself just slightly too close to him.
He takes a sip of iced tea and coughs a little. "That's quite an unusual recipe for iced tea," Leo comments, placing the glass back on the coaster. Bourbon, he thinks, and quite a bit of it.
"Old family recipe," Madison says. Her mind wanders to a memorable night with Don Lamb that started with a quick hand job in his cruiser and ended with handcuffs and champagne at the Neptune Grand. Madison wonders if Leo has his handcuffs with him.
"Tell me about Duncan, Logan, and Veronica," Leo says. "From the beginning."
Madison tears her mind away from her thoughts of a naked Leo D'Amato in her bedroom. "Duncan hooked up with Veronica in ninth grade. His sister Lilly had been seeing Logan for a while, and Veronica was always around because she was Lilly's best friend. The four of them hung out all the time, and I guess Veronica kind of latched onto Duncan, you know, kind of like a leech? Then one day early in the fall sophomore year, Duncan just broke it off. Veronica was wandering around school looking like she didn't know what hit her. Of course, it's always hard if you're not really in the 'in' crowd. And Duncan was the only reason Veronica Mars was allowed to hang with the '09ers. Duncan was definitely acting strange around that time," Madison muses. "There was a rumor that he tried to choke his father, but Duncan always denied it. Then of course his sister Lilly was killed."
"So at this point Duncan and Veronica are broken up, and Logan's girlfriend is murdered?" Leo clarifies, taking notes.
"Right. After Lilly's murder, Veronica's father began to investigate the Kanes, and it was decided that Veronica needed to make a choice."
"Excuse me? A choice?" Leo asks.
"It was obvious to all of us that Veronica's father was investigating the Kanes in some crazy witch hunt. That guy, Abel Koontz, admitted to the murder. But Veronica's father wouldn't let it go. When Veronica stood up for her father, that was it."
"What was it?"
"Logan put out the word to make her life hell. She wasn't to be invited to parties, and no one was allowed to talk to her or sit with her at lunchtime. Anytime she did anything wrong, we made sure to broadcast it to the whole school. And Veronica didn't make her life any easier. She had sex with the whole swim team, you know. She was totally high and probably didn't know what she was doing, but still...what a whore."
Leo, despite himself, feels sick to his stomach thinking about the nice girl he had had a crush on at that time. "But wasn't Veronica's father justified in investigating Lilly Kane's murder? Abel Koontz wasn't the murderer."
"It wasn't the Kanes either, and any moron should have known that. Veronica totally got what was coming to her."
Leo stares at Madison. This is not an impartial witness. She hates Veronica. "Logan Echolls was the ringleader of this vendetta against Veronica?" How could Veronica have been willing to help Logan at the eighties dance if he did that to her? It sounds like he succeeded in making her life hell.
"It wasn't a vendetta, you're not listening to me," Madison replies pettily. "Veronica was a slut, and she was telling anyone who was stupid enough to listen to her that her dad was going to nail the Kanes for killing their daughter. How could she do that to her best friend?"
All right, somehow we have to get her to stick to the facts. "So how did they go from sworn enemies to boyfriend and girlfriend?"
"They hooked up at the end of junior year. Logan was a mess after his mother killed herself, and Veronica was there to take advantage of it. They were together for most of the summer, according to what Dick said."
"That was when Logan was arrested for the murder of Felix Toombs?" Leo adds.
"Yes. She stuck by him throughout the hearing, amazingly," Madison says sarcastically, "and then she dumped him like a hot potato and went back to Duncan."
"I'm surprised she forgave Logan for the way she was treated after Lilly's murder," Leo comments.
"Are you kidding? She was ecstatic to get back into the inner circle again. And for some reason, over the summer, Duncan started pursuing her again, and she went back to him. I guess she thought Duncan was a better catch than Logan."
"And this is when Logan took up with Kendall Casablancas?"
"Apparently. Dick said he found Kendall in Logan's suite one morning when he picked up Logan to go surfing. That was maybe November? And Logan admitted that it had been going on for a while. Oh, but that's not the best part." Madison grins, knowing that she's saved the best for last.
"The best part?" Leo asks.
"Dick said that Kendall was hitting on Duncan while she was sleeping with Logan. I guess after Dick Sr. took off, Kendall was left without any money in her own name. And Logan was willing to give it to her in the sack, but that's it. Logan definitely wasn't in the market for a trophy wife. So Kendall looked around and saw that Duncan was doing it with Veronica. I can't imagine that Veronica would be much competition for a woman like Kendall."
"I thought you said Veronica did the whole swim team. She must have learned a few tricks," Leo comments wryly.
"Spreading your legs isn't much of a trick. Anyways, Kendall finally wore Duncan down and nailed him. Veronica walked in on her in Duncan's bedroom; Logan witnessed the whole thing and told Dick."
"And I'm assuming Dick told everyone."
"Of course. The next day, Veronica and Duncan had a very public fight at school, and they broke it off. If you ask me, the only thing that was surprising was that Duncan had stayed with Veronica for as long as he did. Everyone thought that he was going to get back together with his old girlfriend Meg anyways, since she was pregnant with Duncan's child."
"That's right. And then Duncan took off with his daughter after Meg died." Leo makes a note to look up the case files from the kidnapping incident that had occurred shortly after his dismissal. At the time of the manhunt for Duncan Kane, Leo remembers being completely depressed and unwilling to listen to any of news reports that involved the Neptune Sheriff's Department. He was going on multiple job interviews, trying to find a job, any job, that would cover his sister's expenses; finally, he found a job selling insurance with no benefits, and he took a security guard position on the weekends for extra money. The shenanigans of the richest family in town barely registered on his radar at that point.
"And I think Veronica's been trying to get back in the spotlight ever since Duncan came back," Madison remarks cattily.
"What?" Leo replies, startled out of his musings.
"I saw her hanging onto his hand last month at his press conference announcing his amnesty agreement in the kidnapping case. I bet she'll be hooking up with him again. Veronica's always chosen Duncan over Logan," Madison confides. "Personally, I don't get it. I mean, I've never been with Duncan, but Logan is...a spectacular lover. Even drunk off his ass."
"You...and Logan?" Leo can't resist asking.
"Just the one time." Madison smiles prettily.
Sacks had intimated to Leo that Don Lamb had been sneaking around with Madison three years ago, and, with this new information, Leo is tempted to ask her who does she think she is, calling Veronica a slut. He refrains, deciding to focus on the case, although at this point he's decided that Madison is a completely unreliable witness. "So you're confirming that Duncan definitely had a relationship with Kendall at one point?"
"When they argued at school, Veronica screamed at him that she found Kendall in his shower. Then she said, 'I trusted you the first time, but not anymore. I'm nobody's fool.' And Duncan told her that was it–they were over," Madison says triumphantly.
"That's not exactly proof that Duncan slept with Kendall. It's just evidence that Veronica didn't trust him," Leo points out.
"What do you need, a diagram? Of course he slept with Kendall. Are you telling me that you believe a guy would turn down the hottest woman in Neptune to be faithful to," she shudders, "Veronica Mars? You heard that she had chlamydia, right? They said it in open court at Aaron Echolls' trial. Veronica is a diseased skank who will do anything to get in with the 'in' crowd," Madison concludes triumphantly.
"Wow, sounds like you were putting your genital health in risk by sleeping with her lover, Logan," Leo retorts, disgusted with Madison's observations.
"What?? Eww. I'm sure he wore a condom when he was with her," Madison says, alarmed.
"Better get that checked out," Leo adds. "Thank you, Ms. Sinclair, you've been very helpful." He stands up and shakes her hand. "I can see myself out." He leaves Madison sitting on the couch, wondering if she needs to get tested.
Leo shuts Madison's door behind him and walks to the elevator. He punches the button and finds himself doubting his original theory. A small voice inside him is prodding him, 'You know your theory doesn't make any sense.' Madison's nasty insinuations have had the opposite of their intended effect, and he finds himself thinking about the Veronica he first met four years ago and what was so attractive about her at the time. He tries to reconcile that girl with the tough young woman who so coolly and effectively shut down his arson investigation. Still, despite his doubts, he decides there has to be something going on with Logan and Veronica vis-à-vis Kendall. Why was Veronica's fingerprint in Kendall's room? I've got to find out what's going on here if I want to break this case.
The elevator arrives, and Leo gets in. He mulls over Madison's story. The only new information she gave me was that Duncan Kane was sleeping with Kendall before he ran away with his baby. His head hurts a little, trying to make sense of all the romantic entanglements. Maybe it's not a coincidence that Kendall came back to Neptune the same time that Duncan did.
Mon. 3/16/09 morning: Southwestern Vermont Medical Center, VT
Veronica is still staring into space thinking when her nurse comes in the room where she had phoned Wallace. "Veronica! I've been looking for you. What are you doing?"
Veronica turns to her. She wipes her eyes and says, "I needed to call someone."
"Honey, I think the doctor and your dad thought you should rest–"
"I know. I'll go back to bed, if you get my dad on the phone for me," she interrupts.
"I think he said he'd be back this afternoon," the nurse replies.
"No, I need to talk to him right away. We have to go back to California. Can you get a phone for my room?" Veronica looks at the nurse obstinately. "Just for outgoing calls, if they're worried about reporters."
The nurse sighs and nods her head in agreement. Veronica slides off the bed and leaves the room, with the nurse directly behind her. When they pass the nurses' station, Veronica notices that the other nurses have gathered around a television and are murmuring comments. When they see Veronica, they quickly pretend to look busy.
The nurse helps Veronica back into bed and promises to get a phone installed immediately. After she leaves, Veronica grabs the remote and turns on the television. She flips through channels until she suddenly see Tom Griffith talking with Gracie Jane.
"It's incredibly hurtful what people are saying," Dr. Griffith comments in a mournful voice. "I tried to do the right thing for my daughter and now I'm being accused of...well, I don't know what they're saying, but I know I wanted my daughter to get the best treatment possible."
Gracie Jane replies, "So you believe the news stories about Briar Hill are exaggerated?"
"Of course they're exaggerated. These are kids in trouble, and the school has to make sure that they won't relapse into drinking and drugging. It's so distressing to be accused of abusing my daughter when all I wanted was for her to be safe," Griffith replies.
"What about these stories that are coming out about Vincenzo Frazzino and his daughter? There are a lot of questions being raised as to why Briar Hill Academy didn't report the suspected abuse."
Griffith shakes his head, dismissing Gracie Jane's objections out of hand. "I understand that Assemblyman Frazzino may have misled the school about his daughter's condition, but that has nothing to do with my daughter's case. She was hanging out with a dangerous boy and was in danger of ruining her life. My ex-wife is consumed with guilt about Hannah's murder and is trying to find someone, anyone, to blame, when the truth is that the real villain in my daughter's case is the boy who introduced her to drinking and drugging. We absolutely did the right thing by sending Hannah to Briar Hill. The school has an effective program of rehabilitating kids in trouble, and when this is all sorted out, I know Peter Klein and Briar Hill will be completely vindicated. I've never met a man who cared so much about the welfare of teens. Mr. Klein was beside himself when Hannah managed to run away from the school, and he personally telephoned me to offer his condolences for my loss."
Veronica is consumed by anger over Griffith's callous words. Oh, you bastard. I swear I'm going to hunt you down and put you in restraints so you can experience Briar Hill for yourself.
"Of course the boy who introduced her to drinking and drugging would be Logan Echolls, son of Aaron Echolls, the accused murderer and statutory rapist."
Tom Griffith's face twists into an irate grimace. "Yes. Logan set out to corrupt my daughter. He mocked me and told me there was nothing I could do to keep him away from her. I knew my only choice was to get my daughter as far away from him as possible."
Gracie Jane looks sympathetically at Griffith. "Did you ever consider filing statutory rape charges against him?"
"My daughter would not have cooperated, and, as you can imagine, I was not eager for her to suffer the publicity that would have resulted. I knew Echolls would use his millions to hire the best attorneys and would never see a day of jail time."
"It's true that there is a double standard for Hollywood–"
Sickened by Gracie Jane's smug statements, Veronica clicks off the television mid-sentence. I've got to hold it together; I have to be strong. The media is going to drag Hannah's death back into the spotlight again, and Logan's going to need me. And I'm not done with Briar Hill yet, she thinks. It was worth it...it was worth it to show these assholes just what the school was really like. I'm going to have to be the best witness in the world to convince these people that there's nothing loving about tough-love schools.