Year of Living Dangerously Part II

by VanessaGalore

Now complete. Sequel to YLD1. If you don't deal with the past, it will deal with you. A future-fic about fatherhood, consequences, & redemption. Logan/Veronica, Ensemble, & everyone I haven't killed yet. Minor Character Death. Reviews contain spoilers.

32. Chapters 103 to 106

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 Kazy and Poniesforall. Legal advice on a plot-point by zaftig-darling. All mistakes that remain are my responsibility.

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Last time on The Year of Living Dangerously Part II-Just the important stuff from chapters 100-102:

( for the whole overblown "previously on", see my journal.
vanessagalore•livejournal•com/78812•html )

Keith, Veronica, Logan, and Duncan discuss Duncan's photo of Dr. Griffith arguing with Kendall. Veronica reviews her investigation of Dr. Griffith senior year, including her run-in with Liam at the River Stix. Keith is furious that Veronica didn't tell him this information before they went undercover at Briar Hill; Keith tells them that Vinnie Van Lowe told him that the Fitzpatricks 'own' someone in law enforcement. Logan remembers that Kendall was in his suite the night he promised Dr. Griffith that he would leave Hannah alone, and Kendall might have overheard the conversation. They realize that Dr. Griffith might have performed Kendall's plastic surgeries, possibly under duress of Kendall telling the Fitzpatricks about his deal with Logan.

Keith comes up with a plan. They will investigate Dr. Griffith and the Fitzpatricks, trying to find a connection and proof that Griffith was involved in Kendall's murder. Keith will try to convince Leo to give Duncan immunity for breaking into the Manning house in exchange for Duncan's eyewitness testimony of seeing Kendall with Dr. Griffith; as a bonus, they will give Leo as much evidence as possible about Griffith's connections with the Fitzpatricks. Afterward, they will travel to Rio Linda to see if they can find any clues to Hannah's true murderer. Veronica realizes that her dad is actually quite worried about Leo's vendetta and nervous about taking on the Fitzpatricks.

Veronica has a talk with her father about Logan and insists on being allowed to have a 'grown-up' relationship with him, including sleeping together at the Mars apartment. She firmly tells him that she needs Logan in order to feel safe. They discuss her rape at length. Logan is incredibly embarrassed by the knowledge that Keith and Veronica were discussing her having sex with him.

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VERONICA MARS
10:00PM SHO ch: 340 60min 2009 TV-MA
Drunk and Disorderly
Logan dreams; St. Patrick's Day revelry.
Veronica: Kristen Bell. Logan: Jason Dohring.
Klein: Clancy Brown. Kavner: Eric Bana.
Dave: Jason Wiles. Leo: Max Greenfield.
Bray: Mark Sheppard. Sacks: Brandon Hillock.
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CHAPTER ONE HUNDRED THREE: "DRUNK AND DISORDERLY"

Tues. 3/17/09 very late: Sunset Cliffs Apartment, Neptune, CA

Logan awakens with a start; he checks the time and realizes he's late for his shift. He dresses quickly and hurries to the main building. Snow is falling heavily, and he shivers in the chilly Vermont air. Dave is waiting impatiently for him and bumps fists, saying, "'Sup." Logan nods in response, wondering where the rest of the guards are. He feels groggy and confused today after another sleepless night of worrying about the operation. As always, the silence of the school petrifies him; the absence of jostling, unruly teenagers never fails to unnerve him.

Dave says, "Come with me. We've got a tough one today."

Logan's stomach clenches and heaves; if Dave thinks it's tough....

Dave mutters something about most of the girls being on another hike. He leads Logan upstairs to a room he has never noticed. Dave unlocks and opens the door, motioning that Logan should go in.

Logan takes a deep breath and steps in. She is restrained to the chair, the heavy leather straps cutting cruelly into her limbs. Her head hangs down; her red hair is tousled and greasy. He hasn't seen her for a week; the operation has been going for three weeks, and still Keith insists that they need to continue. There's a bucket off to the side, and the room smells of urine; Logan feels nauseous, realizing that they've been humiliating her this way. Kavner is standing off to the side; he acknowledges Logan with a slight movement of his head.

Klein is seated in front of Veronica with a serious, intense express on his face. He acknowledges Logan. "Mr. Oakley, glad you could join us. We're doing some role-playing today, and I need your help. Connie's resisting; she won't give me the satisfaction of cooperating, will you, Connie?"

Veronica raises her head; there's a bruise on her cheek, and one eye is swollen partially closed. "Fuck you. If I was in California, this wouldn't be happening."

Logan's heart leaps. She said the code. Let's get the fuck out of here. He looks over at Kavner, who shakes his head warningly. Logan thinks, What the fuck? End this now, goddammit!

Klein laughs. "Connie, what the hell is your problem? You know that we love you here. You're not going to California, you're going to be here with the people who care about you until you get better. Come on now, I want you to go back to that night. I want to know everything. What happened when you got to the party?"

Fuck! Klein knows about Shelly's party. Logan panics; what else does he know?

Her head droops. "I told you. Somebody gave me a drink. I didn't feel good. I went out to the pool and laid down on one of the lounge chairs."

"You wanted somebody to find you there," Klein prompts.

"No! What are you talking about?" she protests.

"You know you went to that party looking for drugs and sex," he pushes.

"No. No! I just wanted to have some fun, I was...everyone hated me, I was hoping...." her voice trails off, breaking Logan's heart. He recalls laughing at her as she pushed her way through the crowd and telling the guy next to him to look at that stupid bitch Ronnie, who still thought she had '09er friends. Logan remembers just how much he had hated her that night, and the bile rises in his throat.

Klein continues, "Okay, Connie. What happened after you laid down by the pool?"

"Someone found me...I don't remember who...they were doing...body shots on me." Her voice is almost inaudible, and she refuses to look at him.

He thinks, She absolutely knows who found her passed out by the pool that night. She remembers who called over all the usual suspects to have some fun at her expense. He remembers deliberately ignoring that nagging inner voice that was protesting, 'She's your friend...why aren't you helping her? You know she wouldn't be doing that if she wasn't wasted. That's Veronica lying there, sweet, innocent Veronica who played 'I Never' with you.'

Klein is staring at Veronica, impatient for her to continue. She says, pleading, "Please...I don't remember anything after that." Logan thinks, I don't want her to remember. Please, god, let her forget this.

Klein snorts. "Come on, Connie, you've got to get your thinking right." He leans into her face and screams, "You wanted to get high! You wanted those boys to take advantage of you! In fact, you went off and had sex with one of them, didn't you?"

"No!...No!" she says again. "I just wanted...I just wanted...."

Sarcastically, Klein berates her, "You're pathetic, Connie. All this talk about a rape. You're just trying to put the responsibility for your behavior on someone else. You said you took a drink from someone; are you trying to tell me that someone drugged you on purpose?"

"It was Madi–" Veronica stops short, and the slip of her tongue scares Logan to death. "It was stupid, okay? I admit it. I was stupid. But I didn't take drugs on purpose. And I don't remember what happened after that. You can yell at me all night, and I still won't remember." She looks up at Logan and says, "California. California, goddammit." Her voice cracks on her last words.

Kavner pushes off the wall that he's been leaning on and walks over to Logan. He whispers, "Don't pay any attention to her; we changed the code words."

"So she's confused! We have to get her out now!" Logan says under his breath.

"No. You're the one who's confused. You've got to do your job; she needs you to do your job. You're putting her in danger...get it together!" Kavner walks away. Logan's head pounds: why, why....why.

During this exchange, Klein stands up; he towers over Veronica and grabs her chin viciously, causing her to wince in pain. He examines her face as one would stare at a particularly vile insect. "Time for you to get honest, Connie. Dave, untie her." Dave begins to loosen the bonds on Veronica's ankles as Klein goes to a table on the far side of the room. Logan hears a glass bottle clinking against the side of a glass as something is poured.

He knows he shouldn't say it, but he does. "What are you doing to her?"

"We're going to reenact the night she says she was raped. She needs to face the truth," Klein explains calmly. "She can't get healthy until she admits she was a user."

"Why are you so sure she wasn't raped?" Logan asks helplessly.

"Because she's a liar and a user. She uses everyone around her, and the lies...the lies just keep on coming," Klein finishes smugly. He walks over to Logan and hands him a glass filled with a brown liquid. "I want you to give her this."

The smell of the alcohol wafts from the surface of the drink, and Logan feels nauseated and lightheaded. "You're giving her alcohol? I thought she was an addict. How can you give her alcohol?"

Klein says imperiously, "You don't understand what we're doing here. This girl is about to have a breakthrough. This method works every time, in my experience." He nudges Logan. "Go over to her. I want you to say, 'How about a little hooch, baby? Are you feeling horny?'"

It feels like all the air has been sucked out of the room; Logan's vision clouds over, and he staggers a little, feeling slightly faint. How the fuck does he know that? Did she tell him that? He looks at Veronica, who stares back with frightened eyes.

Dave shoves him on the back, causing some of the alcohol to slop over the sides of the glass. "Do it, fucker."

Logan looks over where Kavner was standing; the man has disappeared. Gone to get help? Did he finally realize that she's called for help?

Dave becomes infuriated at Logan's hesitation; he grabs Logan around the neck and runs him backward until Logan hits the wall, his head slamming against the plaster with a thud. The glass is knocked out of his hand, spilling alcohol all over him. Logan is pinned against the wall with Dave's forearm against his neck. The scent of the alcohol soaking his clothes combines with the sour stench of Dave's breath. Dave says menacingly, "Are you going to do what you're told? Stupid fuck, did you think we wouldn't find out?" Logan hears her sobbing loudly as Dave hauls back and punches him in the stomach. Doubled over, Logan tries to get away from Dave.

Klein says, "That's enough. Get him over here." Dave grabs Logan by his shirt and hauls him over to Klein; Logan stumbles and falls to the floor in front of the headmaster. "Get up, Oakley." Dave pulls his leg back to kick Logan, but Logan scuttles away and stands up to face the headmaster. Klein walks over to Veronica and grasps her hair; he pulls, hard, and Veronica gasps loudly. Looking directly at Logan, Klein says, "Get the glass and fill it up again."

"Let go of her!" Logan cries, but Klein pulls even harder on her hair, jerking her head back, and Veronica screams. Panting, Logan hurries to retrieve the glass and fills it again from the bottle. He thinks wildly of options: he decides to throw the alcohol in Klein's face and punch Dave, then grab Veronica and run.

Dave taps on Logan's shoulder firmly and says quietly. "Don't even think about it, tough guy. We'll hurt her even worse."

"Please don't hurt her! What do you want me to do?" Logan asks, trying like hell to keep calm while the world goes insane.

"Give her the drink and say it," Klein directs. He releases his grip on Veronica's hair and pushes her forward, closer to Logan.

Logan proffers the drink and says in a quiet, flat voice, "How about some hooch. Are you feeling horny." God...I'm sorry. Forgive me.

Veronica glances at Klein's contorted, evil face and takes the drink. She swallows it quickly, choking on the alcohol as it burns her throat. Coughing and sputtering, she pushes the glass back at Logan. He takes the glass and stands there, breathing heavily.

"Connie, tell him you want to have sex," Klein says.

Without looking at his face, she mutters indistinctly, "Want to have sex." She sways slightly, the alcohol hitting her hard almost immediately. Veronica passes a hand in front of her eyes and grimaces.

"Do it," Klein orders.

"What?" Logan replies in shock.

"Fuck her, or else Dave will." Klein explains, his voice rational and calm, "She has to take responsibility for having sex that night. She can't keep claiming it was rape. She needs to admit that she wanted to get high. She needs to relive that night so she can move on."

"Fuck you, I'm not doing it," Logan bursts out. "You fuck, you sick fuck...." Dave strides to his side and slaps his face with an open hand, almost knocking Logan down again. Logan tries to defend himself; he aims the empty glass at Dave's forehead, but Dave grabs his arm, twisting it and forcing him to drop the glass. Dave forces Logan's arms behind his back and holds him in place.

Klein shakes his head in distress. "You're not seeing the big picture here. We're trying to help Connie." He grabs Veronica by the shoulders and forces her down onto her knees. He takes a lipstick out of his pocket and roughly grasps Veronica's jaw. He letters 'S L U T' on her forehead as she begins to cry. Logan begins to struggle against Dave, and Klein forces Veronica's head near Logan's crotch. "Connie, just show us how you did it that night. I'm trying to help you."

"No...no..." she wails, keeping her eyes closed and resisting against Klein's strong grip.

With a sudden jerk, Logan twists out of Dave's grasp. He lurches forward and pushes Klein away from Veronica. "Run, Veronica," he pants as he tries to hold Klein down. Veronica scrambles to her feet and scurries to the door; Logan tries to punch Klein. Without warning, Dave's fist crashes into his skull, and the lights go out.

When he comes to, he is lying on the floor in a different room, completely dark except for a strip of light at the bottom of the door. Logan stands up and fumbles along the walls of the small room for a light switch; he flips it on, and the room is bathed in a soft light from recessed fixtures. I know this room. He turns, and he sees the belts hanging on the walls, framed by lavish mahogany woodwork. He knows what he's supposed to do; he touches one belt, an expensive and exotic lizard skin number with an etched design. Remembering those hard edges that opened up vicious welts on his back, he rejects it for another, slightly safer option. He opens the door and walks to the library where a man is staring out the window. Keith Mars turns around and says, "You've really fucked up this time, Logan." He puts out his hand, and Logan gives him the belt.

Veronica shakes him awake. She is sitting beside him on the bed, regarding him with a worried expression. His eyes gradually focus, and his breathing slows. She caresses his face, frowning when she encounters his sweaty brow. "Hey," she says quietly. "It's okay."

He swallows, completely unable to speak. He meets her eyes briefly before looking away.

Veronica asks, "Logan?"

He looks at her again. In the darkened bedroom, he thinks he still sees the angry red writing on her face. He closes his eyes and shakes his head, trying to clear the nightmare vision. When Logan reopens his eyes, her face is blessedly free of lettering.

"It's okay," she repeats. She carefully arranges herself back on the bed, pressing her body into his, cursing the sling and her injured shoulder that limit her from throwing her arms around him. "Do you want to tell me about it?" she whispers.

He shakes his head 'no'. He glances at the clock: 3:38am. "Let's try to get some more sleep," he replies at last.

He closes his eyes, pretending to sleep; next to him, she watches and listens, quite certain that he's still awake.

Wed. 3/18/09 early morning: Neptune Sheriff's Department, Neptune, CA

Sheriff D'Amato enters the department; Sacks, on duty behind the counter, hands him several sheets of paper. Leo scans the papers quickly and asks, "You arrested three guys at McHale's last night? Drunk and disorderly?"

"The St. Patrick's Day celebration got a little out of hand last night," Sacks comments. "One guy, Kevin Bray, is insisting on seeing you."

"Let me see his file, Jerry," Leo requests. He opens the file and reads that Bray was arrested ten years ago for receiving stolen goods; the charges were dismissed. Keith Mars' notes indicate that he assumed Bray was a minor Fitzpatrick flunky. "Anybody get hurt at McHale's?"

Sacks shakes his head. "No...just a bar fight. A couple chairs got broken."

"Anything else?"

Sacks replies, "A message from that FBI agent, Alan Sheffield. He has a few questions and needs to speak to you. And...Lloyd Blankenship from The Dispatch called; he's looking for a quote about the shooting."

"All right. I'll talk to Bray now." Leo heads back to the holding cell. Three men, scuffed up and hungover, are lying on the cots.

One man, upon seeing the sheriff approach, pushes himself up and unsteadily walks to the bars with a pronounced limp. He rests his hands on a crossbar and says quietly, "Sheriff."

Leo flinches at the smell of booze; the guy is still half-lit. "Are you Bray?"

The man nods. "Listen...I got info that might be useful to you. Any way we can make this charge go away?"

"Info on what?" Leo says suspiciously.

"You know that broad who got killed in the park?"

"Are you talking about Kendall Casablancas?" Leo asks.

"Yeah, that's the one. That blonde chick with the ass and the tits," Bray specifies. "I saw her with someone that night."

"What were you doing there? In the park at night?" Leo queries.

"Oh, you know, this and that," Bray replies vaguely. "You interested? The ball and chain is not going to be happy with me if I have to pay another fine. She'll cut me off again."

Leo thinks for a minute. "Just tell me what you saw, and then I'll see what I can do for you."

"Unh-unh. C'mon, Sheriff, it's just a bullshit D&D."

Leo purses his lips. "You'll pay for the damage you caused last night?"

"No problem, Sheriff. We're real sorry we got so drunk last night. It's just...you know...St. Paddy's Day and all, sometimes we get a little carried away."

Leo replies, "Let me talk to McHale, see what he says. If he'll accept restitution and doesn't want to press charges...."

"We're his best customers. He'll be okay with it," Bray swears.

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VERONICA MARS
10:00PM SHO ch: 340 60min 2009 TV-MA
Knight in Shining Armor
Discussion question: who is more damaged?
Support your thesis with quotations.
Veronica: Kristen Bell. Logan: Jason Dohring.
Keith: Enrico Colantoni.
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CHAPTER ONE HUNDRED FOUR: "KNIGHT IN SHINING ARMOR"

Wed. 3/18/09 early morning: Sunset Cliffs Apartment, Neptune, CA

Keith taps lightly on Veronica's bedroom door. When he hears her say, 'Come in', he opens the door slightly, making sure to keep his eyes averted. "Veronica, Logan...I'm going out for a while."

From the bed, Veronica says, "Is that a sanitation department uniform? Doing a little dumpster diving, are we?"

"Yes. I'm going to get Dr. Griffith's garbage. Can you meet me at the office in a couple hours? We'll go through everything. Just so you know...Kavner's sitting in the parking lot keeping watch. I hired him to help for the next few days. For now, I just asked him to help keep an eye out. He said he chased a few paparazzi away already. I know you guys are tired, but you need to get up pretty soon. We've got a lot to do today. I left a note with a few things I'd like you to start researching. Wallace will be at the office soon too."

"Okay," Veronica replies. "Love you, Dad."

"Love you too, honey," he remarks, closing the door.

"Being a PI is so sexy," Logan comments dryly. "Picking through garbage, that's just great."

"Yeah, well, you can help too," Veronica retorts. "You know, pull your weight around here." She stretches, wincing a little as she moves her shoulder. She turns a little to look at him. "Are you going to tell me what you were dreaming about last night?"

"I don't remember," he lies.

"Bull." She stares at him, but he steadfastly refuses to answer. She sighs. "Logan, you know we won't get through this unless we talk to each other."

"I can't, okay?" he says finally.

"You're scaring me," she presses, but he just shakes his head. She breathes out and decides to drop it for now. She huffs a laugh. "Your manparts are safe, okay? I'm going to be careful. Kiss me, will you?" He kisses her gently, and she grabs the back of his neck, making the kiss more passionate than he had intended. She hums a little, expressing her contentment. "That's to hold me over until we get out of the slippery shower," she explains. "After that, I can't guarantee the safety of your manparts."

"Come on, woman. Let's get you clean," he says, escorting her to the bathroom. She walks carefully, holding her injured arm close to her side, and waits patiently while he adjusts the water temperature. He steps in first. "Hold onto me," he instructs. Grabbing onto his arm, she follows him into the shower and stands under the stream; she braces herself carefully with her good arm on the wall and faces him. "Hmm, I could get used to a Veronica Mars who cooperates with me," he mutters.

She closes her eyes and tilts her head back slightly to wet her hair. "I don't know what you're talking about; I always do what you say. Oh, man...this feels so good. After those showers at the school, I'll never complain about the water pressure here again."

He reaches for the shampoo and squirts a small amount into his palm. Logan rubs his hands together, working up a slight lather before applying the shampoo to her hair. He kneads carefully, rubbing her scalp with his fingers, working the shampoo into her hair patiently and thoroughly. "Okay, let's rinse." He guides her head back into the water flow and works the suds through the strands of hair.

"Again, please," she murmurs, with her eyes still closed. "Why didn't we ever do this before?"

He chuckles quietly. The soap suds from her hair are traveling down her body and glistening in a very enticing way, and he is experiencing a definite physical response to the sight. "You're so beautiful," he says under his breath. He applies more shampoo to her head; he lets himself work the shampoo into her hair for far longer than necessary.

When she leans back to rinse again, she moves slightly, and his cock brushes against her leg. "Are you sure we can't misbehave...a little?" she suggests. Veronica wriggles a little and manages to rub her thigh against him. She opens her eyes and looks at him with a direct challenge.

He groans a little; the intensity of his response is slightly disorienting after the disturbed nightmare. "Stop it, Veronica. I don't want you to slip and fall, okay?" He backs off enough to break contact with her.

"All right," she agrees, pretending to be petulant. She looks down at her torso and says, "I'm pretty dirty. Do you think you could do something about that?" She glances at him with a knowing smile.

Logan doesn't quite trust himself to speak at this point. He tries to focus on his job here: it's just like being a nurse, he tells himself. She's not actually...hot and wet and slick with suds just a few inches from me. He takes a washcloth and reaches for a bottle of liquid soap.

She touches him on the arm. "No, the other one."

He puts the bottle back and takes a different one; he reads the label aloud. "With tea tree oil and colloidal oatmeal? What kind of girly stuff is this?"

She laughs. "It's non-irritating. For everywhere. You know what I mean," she stresses. Her hair is plastered to her scalp, and she looks....

He pops open the lid on the bottle and sniffs the gentle, subtle aroma of the body wash. Oh, crap. It smells like her, it's her scent...it's how she smells when she opens herself to me.... He is suddenly overwhelmed by a vision of her leaning against the wall, while he slathers the body wash on her ass, slipping his hand between her legs and massaging as she moans and thrusts back compulsively against his growing, throbbing erection...or she's riding his cock, as he holds her up against the tiles with her legs wrapped around him, and he is thrusting, and, with her head thrown back in ecstasy, she is sinking down, down on him, her breasts covered in a foamy lather that smells like...oh holy fuck. He closes his eyes and tries to dismiss the images.

She looks at him quizzically. "No, really, it's great stuff. It's my favorite. I'll let you borrow it if you're good." She smiles wickedly, and he realizes that she has absolutely no intention of being good. Veronica reaches toward him and trails her fingers down his chest, and he winces with the effort of holding himself away from her. If he just moved a millimeter, he could relieve this pressure by...he tries to think about anything but those breasts and that dampened thatch of hair leading to...fuck.

"Okay," he replies. He looks at the label, expecting it to say 'Compulsion' or 'Erotomania' but finding only the text, 'Recommended by gynecologists'. I'm so fucking horny even 'gynecologist' isn't turning me off. Trying to keep his voice steady, he asks, "What do you call this scent anyways?"

"It's 'fresh meadow right after a rainstorm'," she teases, laughing at him. "When I use it, I always have an uncontrollable desire to skip through a field of daisies wearing a flowing white dress."

He pours a little of the body wash on his hands. It's not really a traditional soap–it glides on his fingers and feels sensuous and smooth. He rubs his thumb against his fingers, appreciating the tactile slickness, and loses his focus again for a moment as he imagines rubbing his thumb against her as she gasps her pleasure.... He tries to concentrate on his breathing and to forget about the demands of his persistent erection as he applies the liquid soap to the cloth. He begins to wash her, pretending to pay extra attention to the back of her neck and the underside of her arms. His eyes keep straying to her breasts; finally he soaps her chest, attempting to be clinical and asexual with his strokes, but failing completely.

"Logan?"

"Mmm?" he answers in a strangled voice, completely consumed by his restraint and the effort to concentrate on thinking about Mrs. Hauser, which in his experience was the absolute best way to kill an erection.

"Logan, the washcloth is a little...rough. Do you think you could soap me with your hands?" She smiles and pouts a little.

"Fuck, Veronica. What are you trying to do to me?" he replies hoarsely.

"Please, Logan...." she begs, her need suddenly raw and apparent, and he can't take it any more.

Logan drops the washcloth into the tub. "I give up," he mutters. He upends the bottle and applies more body wash to his hands. Fiercely, he warns her, "You better hold on to that wall, Veronica." With his palms, he begins to massage her breasts gently, rubbing against the erect nipples and sliding around the soapy skin. He squeezes gently, rubbing the pads of his thumbs across her nipples to tease her.

"I think I might be dirty...a little lower if you don't mind," she suggests slyly.

He moves his right hand to her belly and, spreading his fingers wide, caresses her belly. "Here?"

"Mmm...that's pretty nice, but even a little lower please."

He laughs at her directness. He squeezes out a little more of the slick soap and spreads it on his cock before slipping it between her legs. He returns his hands to her breasts and thrusts gently, not wanting to off-balance her; he rubs his cock smoothly against her opening, and she moans loudly and throws her head back. "Is that what you had in mind, Veronica?" he asks huskily, and she manages to nod her approval.

The water suddenly turns cold, and Veronica says, "Oh, no...."

"Fuck!" he swears. "Don't move, okay?" He aims the showerhead, rinsing the two of them in the icy blast of the water; she yelps, protesting, and he pulls her to him, kissing her forehead to comfort her. Logan rips open the shower curtain, and steps out of the tub. He reaches behind her and shuts off the taps. He grabs a towel and throws it over his shoulder. "Come on," he growls hoarsely, extending his arm for her to hold. She steps out of the tub, shivering a little, and he gingerly picks her up into his arms, careful to hold her so as not to hurt her. She gasps a little in surprise. "I'm not hurting you, am I?" he asks quickly.

"No, no, you just shocked me," she exclaims. She grabs on to him, running her fingers through the damp hair at the nape of his neck.

He carries her back into the bedroom, setting her down cautiously on the bed. He spreads the towel and lays her down in the middle of it, with her head on the pillow. "You're all right?" he asks breathlessly, as he lays down beside her, making sure to keep his weight off her upper body.

She laughs, "Better than all right," and reaches down with her good arm to stroke his cock. "You're still a little soapy," she says mischievously.

He stretches his arm behind him to the nightstand, fumbling for a condom in the drawer. He throws several on the bed before he leans over to nuzzles her neck, kissing under her jaw and sucking gently as she continues to caress him. "Fuck, Veronica, you control me, do you realize that? I can't control myself when you touch me like that...fuck, I can't even control myself when you just talk to me." He moves to her face and kisses her mouth, probing and tasting her with his tongue. He steals a glance at her beautiful breasts, still damp and glistening with suds, and he reaches for her, toying with her nipples and making her arch underneath him.

He pulls back from kissing her to look at her flushed and relaxed face, so ready to give herself to him. She looks down at her hand around his cock, taking in the sight of his intense arousal. "I love looking at you when you're...like that," she admits when she catches him staring at her. "You're so...excited by me," she adds, a little shyly.

"Fuck, you have no idea," he says. He reaches down and takes her hand off him; he pulls her hand to his lips and brushes his mouth against the back of her fingers. He looks at her face so intensely that she trembles. Logan moves down the bed to position himself between her legs with his mouth at her pelvis. He parts her legs a little wider and brushes her hair out of the way so he can really look at her. The smells of her arousal and the subtle scent of the body wash–that he'll now forever associate with her pussy–make for an intoxicating combination. He licks her lips gently, tantalizing her with his strokes. Slowly–so slowly–he brings her to the brink, avoiding her most sensitive area in order to prolong it for her. She feels him experimenting, ever inventing, trying to surprise her with his ingenuity and responding to her cues whenever she writhes or moans her pleasure.

He pauses for a moment to look up at her, and she catches his eye as he bends to titillate her clit. She gasps at the increased sensation; he watches her losing control, bending her legs and futilely grasping at his head as he torments her. He tongues her furiously once he sees her excitement magnify; his tongue begins to tire from his efforts but he persists, determined to keep up the intensity. She begins to vocalize, her guttural moans telling him that she's close, and he reaches for a condom. He sucks on her clit, trying to keep her going as he fumbles to sheath himself. Finally, the condom is smoothed into place, and he hauls himself up to her opening, desperate to enter her.

He pulls her leg up, forcing her a little wider apart, and maneuvers his cock into position. "Yes, god yes," she breathes, as she hitches herself under him. He slides in; she is so wet and aroused, and her soft skin is pliant and willing. He spreads his arms on either side of her, keeping his weight up and off her; he knows, the condom will help him last longer, and today it's all about her...the way she makes him feel, the way she has somehow forgiven him after everything that's happened and everything that's been revealed. He tries to concentrate on right now, right this moment with her under me, but suddenly he starts seeing her as she was in the dream and as she was at Shelly's. Logan shakes his head, trying to eradicate the images, and focuses on her face, her body. Think about sex in the shower. Veronica riding me, the water cascading down upon us...almost drowning and not even caring.

His brain refuses to cooperate; he remembers seeing her stumbling off the lounge chair, heading back into the party to be mauled by '09ers. Then he imagines he is watching Beaver staring at her, plotting and scheming, and he is standing by, doing nothing, even...encouraging him, egging him on. And somehow Klein is there too, tsking at their debauchery. No! Fuck. He closes his eyes and seizes at the fantasy of her leaning against the tiles in the shower, and he is sliding in, so deep, and she is loving it. Focus. Focus. Focus! You love her, you'll never hurt her again. You will never hurt her again.

Veronica notices his hesitation and mistakes it for fatigue. She begins to move her hips, taking over the lead to encourage him. His body, his fucking traitorous body, responds to her and meshes with her movements. You love her, you're not hurting her, he tries to tell himself. He thrusts compulsively, concentrating on that look of love on her face to block out the guilt that he feels. With each stroke, he feels like he's asking for her forgiveness: I'm sorry, I'm so sorry, I didn't know what I was doing that night, I didn't know Beaver would...let me make it up to you, please. She's losing herself in the sensations now, unaware of anything but the nerve endings clutching and convulsing, and oblivious to everything except what he's making her feel. I love you, don't leave me, I love you, don't leave me, he thinks on every in and out stroke. She gropes helplessly with her hand, trying to caress him even as she loses all control because of his efforts. She whispers, "Kiss me, Logan." He bends to her face and kisses her desperately as he vows, I can't ever fail her again.

He whispers, "I want to try something...tell me if I'm hurting you, promise?" He wants, somehow, to make it even better–somehow make everything better. She nods. Her eyes never leave his; he gently urges her legs up and over his shoulders. She wraps her ankles around his neck, and he turns his head to kiss her shin, all the while keeping eye contact with her. Now, in the new position, he can keep his weight off her and concentrate his efforts more precisely. He strokes deeply, and she moans, her eyes fluttering shut. He watches her face and her body as he plunges inside her, trying to fill her and consume her all at once. She tries to meet his thrusts with her own, but she is losing the ability to control herself; he feels a pulsing around him, and an answering sensation begins at the base of his cock. An intense wave of emotion consumes him; there is so much love for her, so many feelings that he can't begin to express to her. He thrusts one last time, staying deep within her as the rush begins.

Logan feels completely attached and connected to her in an impossible way; in his orgasm, it seems as though as he's lost track of where the vibrations of his body end and hers begin. Still inside her, he eases her legs down and coaxes her onto her side so he can lay down next to her; he thrusts his waning erection fully within her, wanting to keep this feeling–this connectedness–going as long as possible. Just in case...just in case it never happens again. He caresses her satiated face gently. Her eyes remain closed, with her breathing gradually slowing to normal. Logan presses the back of his hand to her chest, feeling the soft thump of her heart as it calms to its normal rhythm.

"I think I'm dirty again," she whispers, a small smile on her lips. "We did it wrong. We better take another shower."

"Huh! You are a slave driver," he whispers back. She opens her eyes and looks at him. He hesitates, and then, stroking her face gently, he says it. "Please don't ever leave me. I'll be your slave forever, Veronica."

"Logan, what–" she tries, startled by his words.

"Just promise me you won't leave me," he repeats. "I'm sorry for everything I ever screwed up."

"Logan, stop. What are you talking about? Of course I won't leave you. I promise."

He carefully grasps the condom and extricates himself from her; he disposes of it in the wastebasket and repositions himself on her other side, his front to her back. He buries his head in the back of her neck and throws a leg over her; his hand holds onto her hip as he tries to relax against her. "I'll get up in a minute," he mumbles. "I just want to hold you for a little while." He strokes her hip gently, tracing patterns with his forefinger. He draws his name with his finger, branding her as his, even if no one can see it but him, and she shivers in his arms, somehow knowing the significance of his touch without specifically comprehending the actions of his finger. He thinks, 'My knight in shining armor'...if only I could manage to be that for her...if only I'd actually been that for her when she needed me. Please...let her forgive me...please let her forget that night at Shelly's.

"Logan?" she persists. "Talk to me. What are you thinking?"

He doesn't want her to know about the nightmare; he's still trying to make sense of it himself, and he's convinced that telling her will just make everything worse. The images from the dream the night before are still vivid and raw–a projector flashing visions of pain and misery to torture him. The memories themselves are bad enough; but when they are twisted and perverted even further, he thinks that he cannot possibly bear it. Logan keeps remembering Keith in the dream, extending his hand for the belt, and he aches with confusion and guilt. He holds onto her more tightly.

In a quiet voice, Veronica begins to speak. "When I was at the school, I had a lot of time to think. You know how I am...I'm always doing something, talking to people, investigating, stirring up trouble. I never just sit around and wait for life to happen to me. Sometimes, I think I do that...so I don't have to think about how awful things are. When you left me, I didn't just lie in bed all day crying. I started looking for you, until I finally found you."

He tries to hug her a little tighter; until she finally found me, he thinks. She didn't give up on me.

She continues haltingly. "But...there...they kept locking me up alone, and I couldn't do anything. All I could do was think...think about everything I had screwed up in the past, everything I should have done differently. And you were there, I knew you were acting a part, but it kept upsetting me, reminding me of the time when we were...enemies. After a while, I started thinking you were mad at me, for insisting on going undercover, for making you go undercover too."

"Veronica, no–" he protests, completely miserable that he had, in fact, telegraphed his feelings to her during the operation.

"I know you would do anything to keep me safe, and it seemed like you were willing to sacrifice...us...to do it. I know...it sounds crazy, I can't explain it, it was so...insane there."

She takes a deep breath, exhaling tensely, and continues. "I made a promise to myself...that if I ever got out, I would make it up to you for taking you for granted, for making you go undercover and having to hurt me. I remember that. I remember making that promise to myself. I know I remember that. And then...that last day, everything got so jumbled...I couldn't understand why you guys didn't rescue me. Do you know how hard it was for me to call for help? That's not what I do, Logan! I thought...it was too late. Everyone realized that I really was a user like Klein was saying and it was too late for us, too late for me and Dad, too late–"

He tries to stroke her back, to settle her, like you would calm a skittish animal. "Veronica, it's all right; it's not too late. I don't want to lose us either. Are you kidding? It's all I care about."

She glances over her shoulder. "Why won't you tell me what's going on? I'm trying so hard to show you that I love you and trust you. I've told you over and over how much I need you–it's what you've always wanted from me, and I'm really trying." She turns back to face forward and avoid his concerned gaze. Veronica whispers intensely, "I've told Dad everything; I'm not keeping any secrets, and I'm not taking chances. You guys keep reminding me how...foolish I was...about Gory, about Duncan. I'm sorry! And I'm so sorry I took you for granted, Logan. I know now how wrong that was, and how hard it is to find someone who will love you no matter what. You've got to tell me...why are you so worried that I'm going to leave you?"

Logan thinks, Crap...she's right...she's trying so hard. He closes his eyes and haltingly tells her about the nightmare. "In the dream...Klein and Dave were making me help them confront you about Shelly's party. You kept using the code words, and Kavner was telling me that we couldn't stop the operation. I tried to fight them, but they wouldn't stop. I couldn't stop them. I had to help them.... They were trying to make me...." He can't tell her the final details of Klein attempting to force him to reenact the rape.

Veronica's body tenses. "I don't understand...why did that make you think I'm going to leave you? They're the ones who were doing that to me. You were trying to stop it."

"No! Veronica...you don't understand. It's not the dream that's upsetting me. I saw what was going on that night at Shelly's. You were my friend! You were practically passed out. And what did I do? I laughed at you; I called everyone over to do body shots off you. Shit...I was the one who suggested getting the Liquid X in the first place! Veronica, I was the one who tried to turn everyone against you; I'm the one who made all the '09ers hate you. I'm the one who let that happen, made that happen that night. I'm the one who's supposed to protect you! I'm so scared that you're going to remember everything from that night. You're going to remember me laughing at you and urging them on. I know that Shelly's party is why you've never been able to trust me...and...."

"And what?" she demands relentlessly.

"Now your dad knows too," he finishes morosely. "He's been trying too...he's been trying not to kill me for letting them...fuck, for helping them rape you that night. But...I know he thinks that I'm a total fuckup, that I should have done a better job undercover and then afterwards given you more time before we....After all, it's just the latest stupid thing I've done." His voice is filled with self-loathing.

Veronica turns around and stares at him in shock at his bitter tone.

"I'm sorry," he protests again. "I'm so sorry that I didn't do a better job of protecting you, then or now. I don't blame you or your dad for not trusting me. I wouldn't trust me."

Veronica tries to roll over to really look at him and winces at the pain from her shoulder. "Damn it!" she swears. "Will you...come on this side? I want to look at you."

He sighs gently, scared of what she's going to say, but he maneuvers his body up and over her and lies down on his side facing her. Logan closes his eyes, unable to withstand her intense expression.

"Look at me, Logan." She waits until he opens his eyes before plunging in. "It's true, I didn't trust you. Every time I tried with you, something happened. I tried to forgive you for the Liquid X and the salt lick, and then I found the videocameras and learned you had lied about your alibi. I tried to be with you that summer, and you burned down the community pool." She starts to cry, and her voice begins to shake. "You made that stupid epic speech, and I so wanted to believe you...I came to you, and Kendall was there. And then...after we broke up at Hearst, I came back to you again...begged you to take me back, and I found out you'd been with Madison. And this fall...we got back together again, things were great, then Hannah was killed, and you ran away! Every time I tried...." She begins to cry in earnest.

Logan is overwhelmed by nausea and fear; each enumerated sin stabs him in the heart. He thinks, What do you want me to do? How can I make this right? He remembers begging her for forgiveness after he fucked up with Madison, and she couldn't get past it. She just couldn't; and now...he's certain she's not going to get past this. Once she remembers everything about that night at Shelly's.... He tries desperately to think of something, anything to say. But the words fail him, and he rolls away, looking up at the ceiling...wishing...wishing....

"Don't you dare turn away! Dammit, Logan. Come back here," Veronica demands.

Nervously, he rolls back toward her and forces himself to meet her eyes.

Her chest heaves with a great, shuddering sigh as she tries to calm herself. "You can't change anything you did, and I can't change all the foolish things I did–and all the times I didn't believe in you when I should've had a little more faith and a lot more forgiveness. Logan...it's not all your fault that I can't trust you. I mean, things happened, terrible things. But...you know my mother...abandoned me and my dad."

He looks at her in surprise; Veronica never talks about her mother like that.

She stumbles on, "It's...hard for me to believe you won't do that too. Logan, I never really believed in happily ever after. But I'm trying. Dammit! I'm trying."

Veronica continues on, the words spilling out incoherently. "All I know is...we have to decide to try to go from here, together. I know that I love you, and I want to trust you. I don't know how to erase what's happened between us. I do know I want to be with you more than anything, and I want to try to learn to trust you. I know you love me too. And I'm not going to run away from you this time or blame you when things get hard. But don't you dare push me away or hold back. If you do, I can't do it. I can't do this alone!"

Logan stares at her, unable to speak.

"Say something, goddamn it!" she begs. "I'm putting it all on the line for you; are you going to be able to do that for me? You have to let me help you when you need it. I can't wonder what the hell is going on with you! We are so past that, Logan. We have to be able to do this together, or we should just give up now."

"No!" he finally manages. "I don't want to give up. Of course I don't want to give up!"

After a moment of silence, Veronica asks, "Was Dad in your dream too?"

"How the hell did you know that?" he exclaims.

"Logan, he knows you love me."

It's not enough, he thinks suddenly. I want HIM to love ME. Wait...where did that come from?

She continues, "And Dad knows that I love you. You've got to give him time. He just found out his little girl was hurt...and Logan, he feels so guilty that he didn't know. He's pretty upset about the operation too–he feels that he made a bad call sending me undercover."

"I know," he responds. "And this shit with Leo–"

"Can't you see? He wants to fix everything, Logan; he wants to make everything all right again for his baby girl. And I'm not sure that's possible. Sometimes things don't work out okay. Logan, Dad is really scared. He's trying not to show it."

"What the hell are we going to do, Veronica?" he asks.

"We're going to try to get through it together. I know I can't do it alone, and neither can you."

"How are you not completely terrified right now? With Leo breathing down our necks, threatening to reveal what you did to help Duncan?" he says compulsively.

"It's what I said...as long as I can do something, I'm okay. We are going to find out what the connection was between Griffith and Kendall, and we're going to make Leo see it. And we're going to find out who killed Hannah and why." Her voice is determined and resolved.

"Remind me never to piss you off," he says, half-joking.

"You always say that...and yet? You. still. do," she replies lightly, poking him in the chest on each word.

He grabs her finger and brings it to his lips. "I'm sorry."

She knows exactly what he's apologizing for. "You're forgiven."

•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
VERONICA MARS
10:00PM SHO ch: 340 60min 2009 TV-MA
Counterintelligence
Keith does some dumpster diving; Veronica,
Logan, and Wallace compare stories.
Veronica: Kristen Bell. Logan: Jason Dohring.
Keith: Enrico Colantoni. Dick: Ryan Hansen.
Wallace: Percy Daggs III.
•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••

CHAPTER ONE HUNDRED FIVE: "COUNTERINTELLIGENCE"

Wed. 3/18/09 early morning: Medical Offices of Dr. Thomas Griffith, Neptune, CA

Keith parks around the corner from Griffith's offices and walks back several blocks. Frank, his contact at the Neptune Department of Sanitation, promised that the garbage truck that services the medical complex would be here by 8:30 and would be watching for him. Keith hears a truck approaching, and he steps off the curb into the street. The truck slows down and stops, and Keith jumps on the rear bumper, joining a similarly dressed man with the name 'Bob' embroidered on his shirt. Bob nods a greeting, and the truck moves down the street. As the truck makes its stops, Keith helps toss garbage into the rear of the truck. The truck turns into the medical complex and heads for the rear of the building.

Keith identifies Griffith's doorway and picks up a garbage bag. He notices a locked fenced-in area next to the building; he tries to see inside, but can only see a sliver of the area through a crack in the fence. He notes the brand of padlock securing the area for future reference. He takes the garbage to the back of truck and then continues around to the passenger side, putting Griffith's garbage in the passenger seat of the truck. Keith returns to the rear of the truck and hops on the bumper as the truck moves to the next stop. As the truck rumbles on to the next building, Keith looks around for possible vantage points for surveillance and identifies an adjacent parking lot that overlooks the complex.

At the next cross street, the truck turns the corner and deposits Keith, along with Griffith's garbage, at his car. He passes several twenties to the driver and to Bob and gives them a slight wave as they drive off. He puts the garbage bag in the trunk of his car; thankfully, it appears to contain primarily office waste and not much in the way of food. Keith drives to the surveillance point he had identified. He boots up his laptop and checks to see if Griffith has a wireless internet connection; as he suspected, Griffith's Wi-Fi signal is heavily protected and not susceptible to the few hacker tricks Keith knows. Keith pours a cup of coffee from his thermos and settles in to wait and watch.

His thoughts turn to Hannah Griffith as he watches her father's place of business. When she had first arrived at the school, it must have been immediately apparent to her, as it was to him and the others on the undercover operation, that Briar Hill was an insane place. After she escaped with Michelle Weisz's help, he imagines that the girl must have been terrified, unwilling to call her parents for help and fearful that the school had sent pursuers after her. Sent away...he thinks again. How could a dad send his daughter away to a place like that? I'll never understand that. Keith tries to put himself in Hannah's place: she would have thought long and hard before asking people for help. She would have needed a place to live and a job–a job that a fifteen-year-old could do without a parent's or guardian's permission. Waitress? Baby-sitter? Store clerk?

Keith scribbles a few notes detailing ideas for investigating Hannah's time after her escape. She would have needed identification as well. The private investigators hired by Griffith and Ms. Denenberg three years ago had checked national driver's license registries with no success. Hannah would have probably changed her appearance as well; he makes a note that Veronica should use Photoshop to come up with a few possibilities before they go up to Rio Linda.

He suddenly sighs in frustration; his thoughts always come back to why? Why murder Hannah? Retribution? To ensure her silence? Did she know something about her father's arrangement with Kendall, whatever that was? Maybe Hannah is the key to understanding Kendall's murder as well. He scribbles: did Hannah know Kendall? Keith reflects that he has a lot of new questions for Ms. Denenberg.

A truck pulls up to the rear of the medical complex. With binoculars, Keith is able to read the lettering on the cab door, 'SteriDispose' and an address on the outskirts of Neptune. A man exits the truck, opens the padlocked area next to Griffith's office and removes a large red barrel on a dolly. Keith is surprised when the man picks up the container and hoists it easily into the back of truck. The man unloads another red barrel and wheels it into the secured area; he closes the gate and relocks the padlock. The truck drives off. Keith runs a quick computer check on 'SteriDispose'; according to the Neptune Department of Consumer Affairs, it is a medical waste recycler. As Keith checks its business profile, he realizes that the company is a shell corporation, and discovering the true principals of the corporation will take a bit more digging.

Keith watches for the next half an hour; there is no activity, and he decides to try to find a place where he can observe the front entrance to the complex. He drives around the block and settles on the parking garage across the street. He drives up to the mostly deserted third level and parks facing Griffith's office. Keith observes the office for about an hour; only two clients enter the building during that time.

Thoughtfully, he calls Griffith's office. When the receptionist answers, he introduces himself as a drug company representative and asks to speak to the doctor. The receptionist tells him that Dr. Griffith is very busy with patient consultations and to try back later. Keith terminates the call and watches the office for another hour, but Griffith's medical practice seems to be anything but busy. Keith makes a note of all the license plates in the parking lot. The two patients eventually exit the building, and Keith takes their photos and tags their plate numbers with a brief physical description.

Wed. 3/18/09 morning: Mars Investigations, Neptune, CA

Veronica is working on her laptop at her dad's desk, trying to make some headway on the research her dad had left for her while Wallace works out at the reception desk on a different topic. Logan is observing over Veronica's shoulder, asking questions as she works. Veronica's cellphone rings. She checks the caller ID display and laughs. "It's for you," she says, turning to Logan. She thumbs the send key and says, "He's right here," before handing Logan the phone.

Logan says, "Hello?" frowning at her.

"Yo. What's up with Ronnie? I thought we were friends now...she doesn't even want to say hello?" Dick says aggrievedly.

Logan laughs. "My girlfriend has accepted that you're a part of my life, Dick. That's progress, you know."

"Dude, that was completely fucked up yesterday at the funeral...the news is saying that Gory Sorokin was arrested...Carrie was hurt, and that other reporter guy was killed. What the hell happened?" Dick asks.

Logan explains briefly. "Did you hear that Mac's family is all right?"

"What?" Dick asks. "I don't understand."

"Yep, they weren't home when the bomb went off," Logan says. "And check this out: it looks like Mac's not going to have to go into witness protection either."

"Sweet!"

Logan hears the phone crash. "Dick? Dude!" Veronica looks at him questioningly.

There is a fumbling sound on the receiver, and Dick comes on to say, "Sorry...I was doing a little happy dance and dropped the phone. My bad."

Logan whispers to Veronica, "Dick's a little excited that Mac might be around again."

"Hey! Have you guys talked to her?" Dick asks excitedly. "Will you tell her...oh shit, I don't know what to tell her...tell her I'm stoked her family's okay."

"All right. Try to calm down, Dick. You're going to scare Mac acting like this."

Dick is oblivious. "Tell her...I've completely given up porn," he says impulsively.

"No one is going to believe that, least of all me," Logan replies. He explains to Veronica, 'Dick says he's given up porn,' and she rolls her eyes. From the reception area, Wallace snorts loudly. Logan speaks into the receiver, "Seriously, dude, no need to go all radical. Try to take it easy."

"Easy, sleazy," Dicks says scornfully. "I'm going to woo her."

Logan laughs. "Woo her? You've completely lost it, Dick. Get a grip."

Veronica motions that she wants the phone. She takes the handset from Logan and says, "Dick? We might need you to do some counterintelligence for us."

"What? Are you saying I'm not smart?" Dick says, slightly confused. "Ronnie, I really thought we were past that."

"No," she chuckles. "Just...we may need you to give Leo a little more information about Kendall. You might put a certain spin on things, shall we say?"

"Ronnie, I never understand what you're up to. But okay; for my bro's best ho, anything you want."

"You silver-tongued devil, it's really hard to understand why Mac totally dumped your ass," Veronica responds. Wallace smothers a laugh, exchanging a look with Logan.

"Come on, you're going to put in a good word for me with Mac, right?" Dick pleads.

"I am not getting involved with that," Veronica swears.

"But you won't make it worse for me, will you?"

Veronica sighs. "Dick, you don't actually need my help to blow it with Mac. Take my advice, think before you speak. That actually would be a good general rule for you."

Wallace chimes in, "Give it up, Veronica. Ain't gonna happen."

Dick protests, "You know my humor's my best feature, Veronica. Well...other than my hair."

"No doubt, Dick, no doubt," Veronica agrees. "We'll talk to you later, okay?" She terminates the call and looks over her shoulder at Logan. "Some things never change."

"Some people, you mean," Logan comments. "What are you planning?"

She confides, "I'm not sure yet...it's just an idea. Leo's so sure that we're in some crazy conspiracy to cover up the kidnapping; I'm thinking I want Dick to push him in another direction."

"What direction?"

"We've got to get Leo thinking about Kendall's con artist past and her connections with the Fitzpatricks. Dick might have seen something suspicious about her when they were living together. I've got those pictures of Kendall handing off a bag to someone. Maybe Dick saw her with that guy and never thought about it."

"Yeah, I'm sure he never thought about it," Logan says dryly.

Wallace overhears them and joins them in the office. "Are you thinking the bag man was working for the Fitzpatricks?"

"Had to be," Veronica muses. "Why?"

"I ran into Weevil at the funeral yesterday. He's been staking out Liam, Ciaran, and Padraig Fitzpatrick, following them around whenever he's off work. He's got pictures of everybody they've been hanging out with for the last week or so."

"You're kidding," Veronica says. "Why is Weevil staking out the Fitzpatricks?"

Wallace says, "I asked him for help with Shawn's murder, and he–"

"Weevil's been helping you?" she says in surprise.

"He took me up to Chino to talk with the old leader of the PCHers, Emilio Vargas. Emilio told us that the Fitzpatricks were helping Shawn with distributing drugs; Shawn had the connection, and the Fitzpatricks were moving the drugs for him. But then Shawn tried to double-cross the Fitzpatricks. Emilio said that there was a dirty cop pulling the strings, making sure that the Fitzpatricks never got convicted, and that was probably who took out Shawn. And Weevil told me your dad was pulling some sort of scam with the Fitzpatricks in St. Mary's cemetery, and I–"

"Wait–you found out what Dad was doing? Something in the cemetery?" Veronica says breathlessly. "Spill."

Wallace shakes his head. "Veronica...you should ask your dad. I'm not supposed to know about it."

"He won't tell me!" Veronica retorts, upset. "What do you know?"

Logan interjects, "Veronica, your dad's trying to protect you. Maybe you should leave it alone."

She shoots him an aggravated glance.

Logan shrugs. "Veronica...your dad did some very bad things to try to help you. He almost went to prison."

"I thought we were all going to be open and honest from now on," she says sarcastically. "I guess we were just talking about me, huh? Everyone else is allowed to hide things."

Logan frowns. "I know, it doesn't seem fair. I also know that you told me how worried your dad is, and maybe you should pay attention to that." He thinks, For once, Veronica, do what your dad says; everyone in the room hears his unspoken thought.

Veronica's anger deflates a little as she remembers how upset her dad was the evening before. She turns to Wallace again. "I promise not to go crazy. Just tell me what you know...what you and Weevil found out."

Wallace hesitates. He sighs and continues, "I told you about the ground-penetrating radar. We knew your dad was probably trying to find a body buried somewhere. He hired Weevil to help him dig up a grave at St. Mary's. He wouldn't let Weevil see what he was doing."

"Dad dug up a grave?" Veronica asks incredulously.

Wallace nods.

Veronica ponders this information. "What could he want in a grave? Did Weevil remember which grave Dad dug up?"

Wallace says cautiously, "I asked Weevil that. He said it was in the section where all the Fitzpatricks are buried."

"Not that guy Matt Dannon we were wondering about?"

Logan says, "Who?"

Veronica explains, "Dad was researching a guy named Matt Dannon who was a suspect in a liquor store robbery twenty-five years ago. He disappeared after the robbery."

Wallace says, "No, Weevil said it wasn't Matt Dannon."

Logan inquires, "What was that about ground-penetrating radar?"

Wallace explains, "Keith asked me how to find something that was hidden maybe ten feet underground. He said not metallic or radioactive, maybe plastic or wood. Candice has done a lot of research in hydraulics, and she suggested ground-penetrating radar. Keith got the equipment. He did the scans himself–never told me what exactly he was scanning–and I showed him how to interpret the data."

Shrewdly, Veronica asks, "Is the data still on his computer?"

"No, Veronica. You must be rubbing off on me, girl! I was pretty curious. I looked for it while you guys were gone, and Keith took everything relating to the GPR off his hard drive."

Logan says, "He probably erased all the evidence during the arson investigation."

Veronica nods thoughtfully. "All right, so you and Weevil decide to investigate the Fitzpatricks. What happened?"

"We tried to set up Liam, Ciaran, and Padraig to flush out the dirty cop; Weevil heard they were taking delivery on some stolen BMWs. We staked them out, and, when the cars were delivered, we dropped a dime on them. The sheriff arrested them."

"Ni-i-i-ice," Veronica says with admiration. "I've taught you well, young Jedi. Up high." She puts her hand up, and Wallace gives her a high-five.

"So, you know, after they were arrested, we headed over to St. Mary's. Your dad has the entire rectory and church bugged."

"No way," Veronica gasps. "Even the confessional booth?"

"Yep," Wallace nods. "That's not all. Mac wrote him a program that remotely collects all the input on his computer via Bluetooth."

"And?"

"Liam called Father Patrick from the jail. He told Patrick to call their attorney, Stephen Tramser, and 'you-know-who'. Patrick called the lawyer and then he sent an email." Wallace sees that Veronica is practically peeing her pants, wanting to know what the email said. "Damn, Vee, try to control yourself."

"Come on, what did it say?" she asks impatiently.

Wallace writes down the message and hands it to her. Logan looks over her shoulder with curiosity.

To: roastbeefmanATyahoo•com
Re: LF
L arrested tonight by NSD, receiving stolen goods. Need you to intercede if possible.

"LF is Liam. NSD...Neptune Sheriff's Department, I guess. Roastbeefman?" Veronica muses.

"I have to say, I was kind of hoping it would say mfieldsATfbi•gov," Logan comments. Veronica frowns at him, and he gives her a sheepish glance in return. He mumbles, "Sorry. I just don't like the dude."

Veronica frowns.

Wallace prods, "What?"

"I don't know. Roast beef means something, but I can't remember what. So what happened after Father Patrick sent the email?" Veronica asks.

"We went back to the Sheriff's department. Liam and his brothers had to stay overnight. I don't think anybody helped them. Nobody unusual came to the department," Wallace replies.

"Maybe it's Leo," Logan suggests.

"Why would Patrick have to contact Leo if the Fitzpatricks were in the Neptune jail? Leo would know about it already," Veronica says logically. "It can't be Leo."

"Why does Leo think you guys are involved in Kendall's murder anyways? He's done such a great job since he was elected, and this just seems dumb," Wallace says, puzzled. "You weren't even around when she was murdered. You were undercover across the country!"

Veronica and Logan share a glance.

Wallace says worriedly, "Uh, oh. What did you guys do to piss off Leo?"

"It's not important. Leo thinks we were in a conspiracy with Duncan. We just have to make sure that Leo starts looking at other suspects and leaves us alone," Logan explains, with obvious tension in his voice.

Wallace shakes his head. "I know things have been rough for Duncan, but I really hate that he came back to Neptune. He should have stayed away."

"Wallace!" Veronica protests.

Wallace says spitefully, "No, come on...he messed up, Veronica! He kidnapped his baby and ran. And now he's fussing at you to help with his custody hearing, and it looks like he got you involved in a murder investigation. How the hell could you get back together with him senior year after what he did to you, freezing you out and not telling you that he could have been your brother? What a frickin' douche. I remember what you were like when I first came to Neptune: bitter and hurt and lashing out at everyone."

Veronica stares at him in shock.

"I know you like the guy, Veronica, but I can't forgive him for hurting you like that," Wallace concludes.

"Wow. If this is how you feel about Duncan...I can't imagine how much you hate me," Logan mutters.

"Yeah, well, you pretty much get a free pass for life for saving Veronica on the roof of the Neptune Grand," Wallace says matter-of-factly. "But I have to say, you really pissed me off when you ran away in January. Veronica needed you, man."

Logan swallows and looks uncomfortable. "You're right."

"Enough!" Veronica interrupts. "We don't have time for this. So Weevil's been following the Fitzpatricks around? He didn't happen to...say...witness Liam killing Kendall, by any chance? Or meeting with Dr. Griffith?"

"I don't know about Liam meeting with Dr. Griffith, but the night we got Liam, Ciaran, and Padraig arrested? That was the night Kendall was murdered," Wallace explains. "The Fitzpatricks were sitting in a Neptune jail cell when Kendall was being killed."

"Damn it," Veronica swears. "I suppose that would have been too easy."

"Wait...so the Fitzpatricks got arrested and called roastbeefman to help them. But no one came to help," Logan thinks aloud.

"Maybe roastbeefman was busy killing Kendall," Veronica suggests.

"So maybe Dr. Griffith didn't kill Kendall?" Logan asks.

"We know Griffith was involved with her somehow," Veronica states. "Duncan witnessed them arguing and took a picture. And we know both Griffith and Kendall had a history of dealing with the Fitzpatricks."

"This shit makes my head ache," Wallace complains.

"Tell me about it," Logan agrees morosely.

"Why did Duncan take a picture of Kendall? How did he even know it was her? She looked completely different," Wallace queries.

Veronica sighs. "He was involved with her. He didn't know it was Kendall until–well, we figured it out when we were talking to her."

"Involved? You mean, he was getting freaky with her? I get it now. He can't just say what he witnessed because he'll look like a sleazoid at his custody hearing!" Wallace shakes his head in disgust.

Veronica nods.

Wallace scowls. "The Fitzpatricks, Kendall, scumbag plastic surgeons. This sucks." He stomps out of the office and sits down at the desk in reception, muttering to himself. He starts tapping at the keyboard, a little harder than necessary.

Veronica stares into space, thinking about roastbeefman and Wallace and Weevil tailing the Fitzpatricks. She walks out to reception and sits on the edge of the desk. "Wallace? You said Weevil's been taking surveillance photos of the Fitzpatricks?"

Wallace nods. "Weevil's totally gone off the deep end, and he insists that he's gonna take the Fitzpatricks down. He's still pissed about Felix and getting sent to Chino."

"Weevil was lucky he only served an assault charge," she replies. "With the eyewitness they had, he could have gone down for murder."

Wallace shakes his head. "He's out for revenge, Veronica." He sighs. "Weevil gave me a lot of shit because I backed off on the investigation. Candice made me promise, though. She wanted me to wait until your dad came back to town."

"Let's see if Weevil can stop by later," Veronica suggests. She picks up the telephone and dials Weevil's number.

As she is talking to him in a low voice, Keith, still wearing the sanitation coveralls, enters the outer office carrying a large garbage bag. Wallace grimaces and moans, "My favorite...garbage duty."

Logan walks over and takes the bag from Keith. "I got it. Tell me what to do." Tell me how to help.

Keith looks at him quizzically before relinquishing the bag with a slight nod. "We have to sort out anything useful. Any papers need to saved. Obvious garbage we can toss. Anything you have questions about, set aside for me to look at. Anything, Logan. There are garbage bags in the kitchen area; spread everything out on one of them."

Logan busies himself following Keith's instructions. He spreads out a garbage bag and seats himself on the floor in the reception area. He starts to dig into the bag, scrutinizing each item he pulls out. He begins to separate out all the paperwork into a file, carefully smoothing each sheet as he goes.

Keith walks over to Veronica and kisses her on the head. She leans back and looks up at him. "Did you have fun playing garbageman this morning, Dad?"

"Sanitation engineer, Veronica. Don't let Frank hear you say 'garbageman'. I staked out Griffith's office for a while. He doesn't seem to have many clients."

"I'm not surprised. I made an appointment with him three years ago, and he refused to do any work on me," Veronica explains. "He said I was perfect the way I am."

"Well, that's true, but you're not going to stay in business long as a plastic surgeon if you don't believe in pursuing body perfection. Tell me about the appointment, Veronica."

FLASHBACK: Veronica waits in Dr. Griffith's office. The doctor enters and proffers his hand. "Veronica? Hi, I'm Dr. Griffith."

Veronica enthusiastically says, "I'm so grateful you were able to fit me in. I know there's a lot of work to be done, and I'd really like to get started as soon as possible."

The doctor motions for her to take a seat and asks, "What kind of work are you thinking about?"

Veronica hedges, saying, "Uh, well, you tell me."

Griffith surprises her by replying, "Well, that's not really how I work."

Veronica enumerates her flaws. "Okay, uh, well, definitely implants. Um...not, like, clown boobs, but, like a generous 'C'. Um, and then there's...." She points to her nose. "The bump, and I-I think my lips could use some work."

Dr. Griffith looks at her with concern and says, "You don't really want to have these procedures done."

Puzzled by the doctor's reluctance, Veronica protests, "If you're worried about money, my mother said I could have work done for my eighteenth birthday."

He replies decisively, "Veronica, I don't want to waste your time. Okay, there's absolutely nothing you need to change. You're a gorgeous young woman. I wouldn't perform a single procedure on you."

Keith comments, "So he's a surgeon who doesn't want to do surgery."

"Right," Veronica agrees. "He said he had to do a procedure and gave me a brochure on 'Body Dysmorphic Disorder' before he left."

"Do you think he knew who you were? Maybe he recognized you," Keith suggests.

"You mean, he somehow knew my connection to Logan?" Veronica says, puzzled. "Or that I'm a private investigator?"

"Maybe he knew who you were from the publicity about Aaron's arrest. Or the Fitzpatricks told him who you were–"

"I don't think so," Logan chimes in from the reception area. "They didn't seem to know who Veronica was at first in the River Stix, until Molly told Liam she was 'Keith Mars' daughter'."

Keith ponders. "Doesn't make sense," he concludes finally. "Show me what you've found in the databases."

•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
VERONICA MARS
10:00PM SHO ch: 340 60min 2009 TV-MA
Pressure
Bray's eyewitness account; Keith, Veronica,
and Logan talk to Ms. Denenberg.
Veronica: Kristen Bell. Logan: Jason Dohring.
Keith: Enrico Colantoni. Leo: Max Greenfield.
Stephanie Denenberg: Stacy Edwards. Dave:
Jason Wiles. Bray: Mark Sheppard. Sacks:
Brandon Hillock.
•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••

CHAPTER ONE HUNDRED SIX: "PRESSURE"

Wed. 3/18/09 early afternoon: Neptune Sheriff's Department, Neptune, CA

Sheriff D'Amato approaches the holding cell. Bray and his cellmate, finally sobering up after their debauchery, look up anxiously. Leo says, "Okay, McHale okayed dropping the charges in return for restitution. Let's hear what you have to say about Kendall Casablancas."

Bray comes to the front of the cell and leans against the bars. "Well, I saw her talking with someone the night she got killed. Someone she shouldn't have been talking to."

"Stop jerking me around, Bray. Who was she with?" Leo says with irritation.

"Logan Echolls," Bray replies smugly.

"Really," Leo comments. "What were you doing in the park again?"

"I told you, no big deal," Bray says evasively.

Leo presses, "What were you doing in the park, Bray?"

"I was collecting some money this guy owed me."

"What guy?" Leo asks.

"I don't remember his name. The guy bought something from me."

Leo sighs. This is complete bullshit. "So tell me exactly what you saw."

"Echolls was talking with the broad. When they saw me, they looked all guilty. I guess they didn't want to be seen."

"Define 'looked guilty'."

"Um...Echolls looked over his shoulder, and uh, he took her arm and walked away with her."

"Right. How do you know it was Logan Echolls?" Leo persists.

"That guy's on TV all the time! One of those rich Hollywood brats that always walks when they get arrested. Not like me...I never got a break."

"Oh, poor you," Leo says sarcastically. "You're on permanent disability from a car accident, and you spend your life drinking in bars."

"What the fuck?" Bray says indignantly. "Like I asked to be run over by that prick!"

"Just relax, Bray. So you're saying you definitely saw Logan Echolls with Kendall Casablancas the night she was murdered? How do you know it was March 11 that you saw them together?" Leo asks.

"Oh, the next day, I read about her getting offed in the papers," Bray says.

"And you didn't come forward about this because..." Leo says doubtfully.

"I make it a policy not to volunteer information," Bray explains defensively. "Just look at how you're treating me now! Acting like I'm the criminal when I'm helping you!"

"All right, all right. You're willing to testify to what you saw?"

"Of course. Are we done here?" Bray questions.

"We're definitely done." Leo unlocks the holding cell. "See the deputy for your personal belongings." Leo watches as the two men walk toward the front of the building. At one point, Bray looks over his shoulder at the sheriff, and Leo tries to figure out what exactly is going through his mind.

Leo goes to his office and shuts the door. He locates the information Deputy Sacks had obtained about Logan's recent arrest in Vermont. Leo skims the report until he finds the name he is looking for: Agent Thomas Lynley. He calls the FBI San Diego field office and asks for Agent Lynley to contact him as soon as possible. When he hangs up, he opens Bray's file again and reviews his arrest for receiving stolen property ten years earlier. The witnesses who alibied Bray are all known Fitzpatrick cronies; all swore up and down he was in the River Stix when the alleged crime took place. Leo taps the folder on the edge of his desk and thinks about Bray's revelation. McHale had agreed to restitution quickly, almost as if he had expected Leo's proposal. Leo muses that bar fights are probably par for the course in Fitzpatrick territory, and no bar owner would want to cross the Fitzpatricks.

He presses the intercom. "Sacks, can you come in here?"

A few seconds later, Sacks knocks and opens the door. "Yeah, Sheriff."

"What do you know about McHale's Bar?"

Sacks shrugs. "There's not much to know. It's a dive. It's not a college hangout; it's more like working guys bitching and moaning about their wives and drinking away their paychecks."

"Do we get a lot of calls from McHale's? I don't remember ever getting a call to go there when I was a deputy."

Sacks thinks a moment and shakes his head. "Actually, this is the first incident I can think of. McHale's a really big guy...6'4", maybe 240...works out a lot. I think he fought Golden Gloves when he was younger. If there's a problem at the bar, I bet he usually just busts heads himself and doesn't bother calling us."

"But this time he got two of his most loyal customers locked up for a bar fight," Leo suggests.

"Looks like it, Sheriff. What are you thinking?"

"I'm wondering if someone is getting impatient," Leo says cryptically.

Wed. 3/18/09 afternoon: Denenberg Residence, Neptune, CA

"What if she won't tell us about Griffith?" Logan worries aloud as he, Keith, and Veronica walk up to Ms. Denenberg's front door. "She must have been in love with him once. And she might tell him what we're doing." Not to mention–she must absolutely hate me.

Veronica reaches for his hand and grasps it firmly. He looks at her determined face and reminds himself, if she can be strong, I can be strong. We can do this.

Keith says shortly, "Let's just see what she says before we start to worry," reflecting that Logan has merely voiced his own concerns about the woman. He pushes the doorbell.

Stephanie Denenberg answers the door. If anything, her personal appearance has deteriorated further since Keith's last visit. He realizes that she perhaps made an effort the last time he was here that she is unable to perform on a daily basis. Keith says, "Stephanie. We're sorry to bother you like this. Something's come up, and we're hoping you'll help us. This is my daughter, Veronica, and...I believe you've met Logan Echolls."

Ms. Denenberg begins to cry. She steps forward and puts her hand up, as if to touch Veronica's face. She drops her hand listlessly. "Veronica," she whispers. "Thank you...I'm so sorry they hurt you." She reaches again toward Veronica, motioning toward the sling on Veronica's shoulder.

Veronica closes the gap between them. She puts her good arm around Ms. Denenberg's waist, hugging her and burying her head in Stephanie's chest. Ms. Denenberg cautiously puts her arms around Veronica's back to return the hug. After a few moments, Veronica pulls away and says quietly, "I'm so sorry about what happened to Hannah. You're doing the right thing by suing the school. It will save a lot of girls. It's already saved Maria Frazzino."

Ms. Denenberg looks at her with disbelief.

"They were going to send her to an even worse hell than Briar Hill, Ms. Denenberg. There was another girl there, Tara, who reminded me a lot of your daughter. And I think we shut down the school before she could be seriously hurt by Peter Klein."

Ms. Denenberg nods wordlessly, trying to process Veronica's words.

Keith clears his throat. "May we come in? It's important that we talk to you."

"Of course," Ms. Denenberg says. Distracted, she continues, "Where are my manners? What's wrong with me? Come on in."

They enter the house. Veronica notices a large stack of unopened mail on a table beside the door. Ms. Denenberg leads them to the living room. She appears slightly unkempt, her hair unwashed and her clothes stained and wrinkled. Veronica pulls Logan aside. "Go to the kitchen and make us some coffee or tea." He nods and heads for the kitchen.

Stephanie sinks onto the couch and Veronica and her dad takes seats facing her. She repeats, "I'm sorry...I don't know what's wrong with me. Before I was...I was doing better. I was concentrating on hoping that the school would be closed and those bastards would be arrested."

And now Briar Hill has closed, and it hasn't actually helped, Keith thinks. He says quietly, "It's a bit of a letdown, and it feels strange that it doesn't make you happy."

"Of course...I knew that. I knew it wouldn't make me happy," Stephanie protests dully.

"Stephanie, you did a good thing. You're doing the right thing," Keith says.

Veronica adds, "It's not just Briar Hill. People are looking at all the tough-love programs now because of the publicity about Maria Frazzino. Maybe we'll actually see some regulation in the industry now. You know, a lot of state child welfare agencies have been sending kids to these places, and that might stop now."

Ms. Denenberg nods.

"Stephanie, we need your help," Keith presses. "It's not about the school."

Her eyes slowly focus, and she looks at him questioningly.

"Something's come up about your ex-husband. Would you be willing to talk to us about him?" Keith asks.

"Tom?"

"Yes."

"I don't understand," Ms. Denenberg says in confusion.

"How much did you know about your husband's medical practice?" Keith begins.

"He was quite successful when he first started out. Tom got lucky; he had a few clients in the beginning who made it big in Hollywood, and he got a lot of referrals and publicity. He seemed to have a knack for knowing what the patient really wanted, and his skills were always very good."

"But something happened?" Keith asks.

Ms. Denenberg nods. "He started having difficulties about six years ago. He blamed it on the rising cost of malpractice insurance after litigation."

"Yes, we discovered that he had been sued, but it looks like the case was dismissed without prejudice and sealed." It had taken a call to a friendly prosecutor at the Balboa County courthouse before Keith had been able to discover any of the details of the well-hidden claim. Someone had apparently worked hard to expunge most of the details of the lawsuit from the public record.

"Adverse results are always a possibility in plastic surgery. And one of his clients unfortunately was left badly scarred, and she sued. This particular woman's case was actually very tragic. She was killed in a car accident before the case could go to trial, and she had no relatives to continue the suit," Stephanie explains. "Tom was very worried when the suit was filed. Apparently, she had a very good case, and he was certain he was going to lose his practice. He swore up and down that it wasn't his fault, that he hadn't made any errors, but the pretrial depositions were a nightmare. The woman refused to settle; she was angry and vindictive. I hate to say it, but Tom was so relieved when she died. Without her testimony, and with no living relatives to continue the suit, there was no case, and it was dismissed. Tom's attorney convinced the judge that the mere existence of the lawsuit was damaging to my husband's reputation, and the judge agreed to seal the docket."

Keith and Veronica exchange a glance. Veronica thinks, Perhaps the Fitzpatricks made a deal with the doctor and made the victim go away...permanently.

Stephanie looks at them apologetically. "At the time, I supported him. But now...I think Tom did make a mistake in that woman's surgery. He began drinking heavily and couldn't sleep at night. He started being cautious in his surgeries, and a surgeon can't be afraid to cut and still do his job. And then, even with the suit resolved, his insurance premiums quadrupled. The final blow was Tom's best anesthesiologist leaving the practice."

Keith asks, "There were also a few tax liens around that time."

"Yes, shortly after the lawsuit, my husband was audited, and the government obtained a large judgment against him."

"Do you remember what the scope of the audit was?" Keith scribbles a few notes.

Ms. Denenberg thinks for a moment before responding. "All I remember is that it was extensive. On top of the lawsuit, the pressure of the audit was devastating."

"And around that time, you separated."

Stephanie nods. "It sounds awful...I deserted him when he needed me...but Tom was unbearable. His drinking was out of control. I wanted to try to come up with a plan to save us financially, and he refused to discuss the business with me. He started staying out all night, and that was the last straw. I took Hannah and left."

"But it looks like he somehow scraped together the funds to buy you out of your community property share of the practice during the divorce proceedings," Keith comments.

"Yes. You could have knocked me over with a feather when my attorney told me that Tom had secured the funds to buy me out. Frankly, it was a relief. I was concerned about being in business with my ex-husband over the long term, especially if he was having problems," Stephanie explains.

Logan walks in to the living room with several cups of tea. He puts them on the coffee table and begins to walk back to the kitchen.

Ms. Denenberg says, "You found clean cups...."

"Yeah, I washed a few dishes and loaded the dishwasher. I was going to clean up a little."

"I'm sorry, I haven't been...."

"It's all right; I'd like to do it for you," he says before disappearing back into the kitchen.

"Maybe I misjudged him," Ms. Denenberg muses. She takes a cup and sips at the hot beverage; she holds onto the cup just a little too tightly, her white knuckles betraying her tension. Her eyes are vacant and bloodshot.

"A lot of people did, myself included," Keith replies.

Ms. Denenberg asks suddenly, "Why are you asking all these questions about my husband?"

Veronica says cautiously, "There's a possibility Dr. Griffith is involved in a murder, someone that perhaps he performed surgery on a few years ago. We have a picture of them together recently, and our witness said they were arguing." Keith pulls out a copy of Duncan's photo and lays it on the coffee table in front of Ms. Denenberg. Veronica continues, "And...it looks like both he and this woman had a connection to the Fitzpatricks."

"The Fitzpatricks? I don't believe it. Hannah was saying the same thing...it's just not possible that my husband was connected with the Irish mob," Stephanie protests. She picks up the photo and examines it closely, frowning.

"Your husband was prepared to perjure himself at Logan Echolls' murder trial," Keith explains. "Why would he do that?"

"You mean it's true? Logan really was dating my daughter to try to...I don't know...scare my husband into recanting?" Ms. Denenberg replies. "I never really believed that."

Logan reenters the living room and takes a seat. He says quietly, "It's true. The Fitzpatricks wanted me to be convicted, and they somehow convinced your husband to lie and say that he was on the bridge that night. We located the real witness, who exonerated me."

"Why would Tom do that?" Ms. Denenberg asks, still resisting the idea.

Veronica explains, "What if the Fitzpatricks helped him out by murdering the woman who was suing him? And I bet they supplied the funds to buy you out in the divorce settlement."

"That's crazy! For what purpose? Why would they do all that for my husband?"

"We think the Fitzpatricks are using your husband's practice for money laundering," Keith says. "We haven't figured out exactly how he's doing it, but we think he's taking fake patients and not performing procedures. They pay cash; he pays his vendors, who are actually fronts for the Fitzpatricks, and, voilà, the money is suddenly legit. It looks like he's paying Workman's Comp on more employees than he actually seems to have as well. So perhaps he's running some more money through payroll as well."

Veronica comments, "It's perfect. Most plastic surgery procedures aren't covered by insurance, so he doesn't have any insurance companies checking up on him."

Ms. Denenberg is silent. She stares at the photo again. She looks up and exclaims, "This is that woman, Richard Casablancas' wife. The one who had...."

"A lot of plastic surgery," Keith finishes. "We think she blackmailed your husband into performing the surgery for her. She knew about Logan's deal with your husband."

"Deal?"

Logan explains, "I promised to leave Hannah alone, and your husband said he would withdraw his testimony." He sighs. "I had every intention of keeping my end of the bargain. But Hannah...Hannah didn't want to end it. And I was weak. She was...she was probably the last person alive who believed I was a good person. It was...I cared about her, Ms. Denenberg. I'm sorry, I shouldn't have...." He sighs again, his shoulders slumping forward. "Kendall Casablancas was there when I was talking with your ex-husband."

Keith says, "Stephanie, Kendall was a con artist. She was connected to the Fitzpatricks, but they had a falling out. When she needed help to disappear and get away from them, she called your ex."

"You know this? Or you're guessing? Keith, this is all very far-fetched," she comments, upset and incredulous.

"Some of it we know. We know about Kendall's cons, and we know she was intimately involved with Cormac Fitzpatrick. And we're certain that your husband lied about his presence on the Coronado Bridge that night."

"And the money laundering?"

"It's extremely hard to prove without access to his files."

"You want me to help you get into his files," Ms. Denenberg realizes.

Keith nods. "We're going to try to access his computer system tomorrow. We have an actress who is going to portray a patient, and we're going to plant some surveillance devices."

"I don't understand...why are you doing this? Why isn't this being handled by the sheriff?"

Keith glances at Logan. Logan clears his throat and speaks. "I had a relationship with Kendall Casablancas in the past, and the sheriff thinks Veronica and I are involved in her death."

"Wasn't she...she's quite a bit...?" Ms. Denenberg wonders aloud, and Logan flushes deeply. Realization dawns on Ms. Denenberg's face.

"I wasn't a good guy," Logan says, his voice cracking a little. "Ms. Denenberg..." he swallows, trying to get up the courage to continue. Veronica takes his hand and squeezes it a little for encouragement. He glances at her momentarily before redirecting his attention to Ms. Denenberg. "I'm so sorry for everything. I wish I could take back everything I did. Your daughter was such a beautiful person; she made my life better just for knowing her. I know I can't ask for your forgiveness–because what I did was unforgiveable–but I wanted you to know how sorry I am."

Ms. Denenberg stares at him for a long minute; Logan wishes he could sink into the ground forever and disappear from that harsh gaze. Her expression suddenly changes, and Ms. Denenberg just looks incredibly sad. She asks quietly, "My ex-husband was really going to send you to prison based on a lie?"

Logan nods.

"For the goddamned Fitzpatricks?!" she continues, suddenly viciously angry.

Keith hurries to say, "He may well have been afraid for his life, or for the safety of you and Hannah."

"The safety of...." she repeats. She looks at Keith; conflicting emotions of fury and horror play across her face as she begins to comprehend her husband's actions. "Are you saying what I think you're saying?"

As gently as he can, Keith says, "We think it's possible Hannah wasn't really killed by a serial killer...that someone tried to make it look like she was, but in fact–"

"I'll kill him myself! If my husband was involved in something and caused this...I'll kill him myself," she repeats. She begins to weep, and Keith moves to sit beside her on the couch. He takes her in his arms and rocks her as she cries.

The doorbell rings. "Are you expecting someone?" Keith asks gently, and Ms. Denenberg shakes her head 'no'.

"I'll get it," Logan offers. He walks to the front door and opens it.

It's Dave, the guard from Briar Hill, and Logan is too shocked to speak. He shakes his head, momentarily considering the possibility that he might still be dreaming.

"What are you doing here, you fucking traitor?" Dave asks harshly.

Logan recovers his voice. He tries to keep his voice calm and steady. "Get out of here. I don't know what you want, but you shouldn't be here." His fingers automatically curl into tight, hard fists, and he forces them to straighten.

"I just wanted to talk to Ms. Denenberg about a few things," Dave explains. "It's my right. It's still a free country, Roger. I mean...Logan."

Keith and Veronica, having heard the angry voices, join Logan in the vestibule. Veronica gasps audibly when she recognizes Dave, and she sags against her father, who grips her in a tight hug.

"Oh, look. It's Connie McConArtist, and Daddy Dearest," Dave sneers.

Keith says in a strong voice, "You need to leave now."

"All right, all right, I'll leave; I just wanted to make sure that Ms. Denenberg knows that we're going to fight this lawsuit with everything we got. We're not going to roll over. We did nothing wrong at the school; we followed every bullshit regulation there is. We're going to countersue, and we're going to make her life a living hell."

"How are you not in prison right now?" Logan asks venomously.

"It's called bail, you douche. And I'm glad I ran into you. 'Course, the next time I run into you, it's going to be in a dark alley. There's nothing worse than a fucking turncoat." Dave spits at Logan's feet. "We don't like investigators very much. You'll get yours...when you least expect it."

It takes every ounce of Logan's strength to resist the impulse to strike Dave. His struggle plays out on his face, and he breathes heavily with the effort to control himself.

Keith draws his gun from his holster and points it at Dave. "You're leaving now. You're going to leave Ms. Denenberg and my family alone. And I'll be filing a complaint with the courts that you've tried to intimidate the plaintiff and the witnesses. I'm going to ask the judge for a restraining order against you and your colleagues, and I don't doubt that we'll get it. You might've even violated the conditions of your bail with this stupid move."

Ms. Denenberg has joined them; when she sees the gun in Keith's hand, she backs into the wall and looks completely terrified. Dave leans around the door jamb and mock-salutes her, saying, "Nice to meet you, ma'am. See you in court...unless of course you change your mind about the suit." He turns around and walks off the porch. Keith holsters his weapon and follows him to his car. Dave backs his car out of the driveway and pulls into traffic, giving Keith a little wave as he goes.

When Keith walks back in the front door, Ms. Denenberg has collapsed in hysterics in Logan's arms. Veronica appears to be more than a little upset at this turn of events. Keith rubs her shoulder comfortingly, and she turns to him and asks, "How can people be so evil?"

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A/N: There were some comments (concrit) about the smut in this section, so it has been revised accordingly. Thank you to the people who commented; I think it's better now. See? Reviews make a difference.