CHAPTER 5

"Veronica?" Lamb asked impatiently. "Are you listening?"

"Nope" Veronica answered lightly, inspecting her nails.

They were in Lamb's office. Lamb had phoned and asked her to come in for more questions. She had told her dad where she was headed and had gone in alone.

Keith had offered to go, but Veronica had declined. She had begun feeling safer after they had been told that Duncan had been found.

Ever since arriving, Veronica had pretended that Lamb didn't exist. By the look on Lamb's face, he was getting tired of it.

Goody.

"You seem pretty calm, considering that someone tried to kill you two days ago" Lamb said snidely, having lost what patience he had.

"I'm a calm person" Veronica returned, her eyebrows rising in challenge. She continued when she noticed the red in Lamb's face. "What exactly is this all about…Sheriff?" she asked, putting a sarcastic lilt to her last word.

"This is about…" he paused to lay a picture in front of her. "…the arrest of Duncan Kane"

Veronica gasped in revulsion and looked away. The picture showed Duncan's eyes, filled with madness and shining out of a mug shot. The cast of his skin was pasty and he had a crooked smile on his face.

What caught her attention was the bruising on his face. It looked like someone had taken a bat to him.

"They…they told me that they had found Duncan and…I…I" Veronica broke off and covered her face with her hands. Lamb ignored her muffled sobs to speak.

"They found him all right; in his house were you left him" He leaned back in his chair, looking bored. "He was tearing the place apart. The deputies that found him had a hard time making the arrest and..." Lamb trailed off meaningfully, shrugging his shoulders.

"But he's sick" Veronica said, stifling her sobs to look up at him angrily.

"That will be something for the courts to decide"

"With you pushing for leniency I bet" Veronica spat at him sarcastically.

"I would expect you to be happy about that" he answered, his eyes narrowing.

"Why?" she asked incredulously.

"Oh, I don't know. Maybe because he tried to kill you" Lamb said in anger, putting his hands palm down on his desk and leaning forward.

"I've already told you everything about last night" Veronica retorted icily. She pushed up from her chair and moved to the door. "Is that all?"

At Lamb's angry nod, she turned the knob and left. Leo was waiting for her on the other side. He fell into step with her as she made her way to her car. Veronica still walked with a small limp from her fall, but it wasn't anything serious.

"Hopefully he's gone after the next election" Leo commented casually. Veronica nodded silently. "He talked to you about Kane?"

"Showed me a mug shot and everything" Veronica answered with a false cheeriness to her voice. "Like I would be happy that a sick man was beaten"

Leo swore and fondly imagined squeezing the life out of his boss slowly. The bastard never could understand good people, Veronica especially.

"He continues to surprise me with his low level of intelligence" Veronica continued.

When they reached her car she turned and smiled at Leo, while taking out her keys.

"Thanks for letting me vent" she said, opening her door and getting in.

Leo lifted his hand in farewell as she drove away.

Veronica drove directly to the Navarro house. But when she got there she turned the car off and just sat. She was trying to gather her thoughts before she saw him.

She could never send Duncan to prison. She had known as soon as Lamb showed her the picture. And the knowledge of how she felt was shattering to her.

Her sobs were out of shock and worry, not grief. Whatever she had felt for Duncan had ended when he had lost it. 'Go crazy once, shame on you. Go crazy twice, shame on me'

She just didn't know how everything would turn out. Or how the people that mattered to her would react to her decision.

"Planning on getting out? Or is this a stakeout?" Weevil asked with a smile beside her car. He was wearing a white t-shirt with jeans. His usual leather jacket was nowhere to be seen.

His smile was the last straw and she burst into tears. Weevil moved quickly to open her door. He swept her into his arms and held her.

"Shhh. Querida, what's the matter?" he murmured into her hair. She sniffled and nestled closer to him.

"I'm so sorry Weevil" she whispered.

"Sorry about what?" he asked with confusion evident in his voice.

"I'm sorry that I can't hurt Duncan" she whispered so softly that Weevil barely heard her. But he did hear her. His eyes hardened and he released her slowly, looking her in the eyes.

"What are you talking about Veronica?" He said, taking hold of her shoulders. "What happens to Duncan has nothing to do with you"

"But it does" she cried out. "I have the opportunity to speak on his behalf to the court" she whispered furiously, lowering her voice so that she wouldn't be overheard.

"Don't" Weevil said harshly. "That bastard doesn't deserve your pity"

"I don't pity him" Veronica said with exasperation. "I just want him in an asylum instead of a prison?"

"I can deal with that?" Weevil laughed and kissed her lightly on the lips. They both froze.

"Do that again"

Veronica looked as surprised as Weevil did when that order popped out of her mouth. After a few seconds of hesitation, Weevil did just that.

"Now once more with feeling" Veronica said, laughing happily. She caught his face with her hands and started kissing him eagerly.

The kiss definitely had feeling, but it didn't stop at one.