A/N: I'm on a writing kick and not questioning it. Sorry for the wait—hopefully someone still wants to read what happens!

-x-

Veronica made it out of the Sac N Pac as quickly as she possibly could. Seeing Logan had left her unsettled – it'd been stranger and more difficult than she'd imagined. Not that she'd spend any time imagining what it would be like to run into Logan again. Right. Of course not.

Still, as she hurried through the parking lot toward her Milan, she could quite shake the feeling that she'd been sent spinning through some sort of bizarro time warp. All that was missing was a clandestine meeting with Weevil.

With a shake of her head, Veronica climbed into her car and tried to remind herself that she was only back in Neptune to solve the Albright case. In no way did that necessitate running into Logan Echolls a second time. (She did, however, think it might require catching up with Wallace, but that was another matter entirely. She'd been slacking on her BFF duties for far too long.)

The short drive home was uneventful – for the most part, at least. A brief glimpse of a yellow Xterra did nothing to calm Veronica's nerves. She had always hated that car. But barring the sighting of the SUV, she made it home safe and sound.

Once she'd parked the car, she grabbed the bag of groceries and her suitcase from the trunk and marched inside. Keith had left the door unlocked for her, so she stepped inside. Setting her suitcase down, she called, "Honey, I'm home!"

Her father was in the living room, alternately reading the newspaper and yelling at the TV. When he heard her voice, however, he set the paper aside and came to greet her. "I thought my Spidey senses were tingling." He opened his arms, and Veronica stepped into them. "How was your flight, kiddo?"

"The same as usual." She moved back and into the kitchen to unpack her the grocery bag. "I brought the appropriate items for a Dinner of Champions."

"Just tell me you got Magic Shell."

"Of course I did," Veronica replied, looking up from the bag mock-scandalized. "It's like you don't know me at all."

Keith held up his hands in a gesture of surrender. "I'm just checking."

Veronica shook the bottle of Magic Shell at him. "I'll forgive you this once, but you'd be wise never to doubt me again."

They fell into comfortable conversation, and, one again, Veronica caught herself feeling like she was back in high school again. On edge from seeing Logan, eating dessert for dinner with her dad, the promise of an interesting investigation – it was as close as she had gotten to a normal routine ten years ago.

It wasn't until they had finished their ice cream (second helpings, in Veronica's case) that her father brought up the case.

"The Albrights want to meet you tomorrow. Well, Mrs. Albright does; the brother and father are out of town, " Keith said. "But try not to sleep until noon like you did every day the last time you visited."

"Jetlag – that's all I'm going to say."

"It doesn't take that many days to adjust to a few hours of time difference."

"Does, too." Veronica grinned, then sobered. "What does she want?"

"To go over the night of the murder, make sure you're acquainted with the facts."

Veronica nodded. "The usual, then."

"Sounds like it."

There was a pause where Veronica imagined that her father wanted to say something else about the case. Be careful, maybe. Don't get too close to this one. But whatever was on the tip of his tongue was interrupted by a yawn on her part, the long hours of travel finally catching up with her.

"I better get to bed," she said. She picked up the two empty bowls and set them in the sink; then, that done, she walked back over to kiss her father on the cheek. "'Night, Dad."

"Goodnight, honey," he called, his words following her down the hall and into the bedroom.

Then, after changing out of her clothes, Veronica fell asleep almost as soon as her head hit the pillow.

-x-

The house was gorgeous. That was the first thought that struck Veronica as she parked her Milan outside the Albrights' home. It was imposing, yet elegant.

Well, Veronica, what were you expecting? This is 09er territory.

She walked up the front walkway, armed with her folder of notes about the case so far, and rang the doorbell. As she waited, a wave of anxiety washed over her, and she scolded herself for letting this case get to her before it had really begun. It's been ten years, she reminded herself firmly. Ten years.

After a moment, the door swung open to reveal a plump woman who appeared to be the Albrights' housekeeper. Her grey-streaked hair was smoothed back into a tight bun, and although her eyes were kind, there was something about her presence that screamed no-nonsense.

"Hi, I'm Veronica Mars, and—"

"Of course, dear." She smiled and waved Veronica inside. "Mrs. Albright is expecting you. Right this way."

Veronica followed the woman – Mrs. Hughes, she introduced herself – through the inside of the house, which was just as beautiful, if not more so, than the exterior had been. Lush furniture, expensive-looking paintings, and hardwood floors were fixtures in each room she passed through. Like the Echolls' house, she thought. Or the Kanes'.

Veronica's comparisons were brought to an abrupt end, though, as Mrs. Hughes stopped in what was looked like a living room. She led Veronica to the plush couch, leaving her with assurances that Mrs. Albright would be there soon. When the housekeeper had disappeared to parts unknown, Veronica took the opportunity to observe the room. There wasn't anything unusual about it (save the extravagance of it all), but there was portrait on the back wall that caught her attention.

The newscasts had flashed pictures of Elaine Albright, so Veronica had known what she looked like, but this was different. It had been taken by a professional photographer – the kind of portrait set against an all-white background, with smooth lines and crisp quality. Elaine's hair was perfectly curled, her wide eyes sparkling with laughter.

"Miss Mars?"

Veronica started at the sound of a voice. She stood at once, turning to meet Mrs. Albright. "Call me Veronica," she said. "And you must be—"

"Tara Albright." The woman offered her hand to Veronica, who shook it immediately. Mrs. Albright was almost regal looking, with blue eyes that she had given to her daughter and hair neatly done up in a French twist. She was dressed in black, and the circles under her eyes stood out in stark contrast to her pale skin. "Please, let's sit."

Veronica did as she was told, then reached toward the coffee table to pick up the folder she had brought along. There was never any easy way to start conversations like this; Mrs. Albright may have wanted to speak to her, but that didn't mean she'd want to answer all of Veronica's questions. She cleared her throat and said, "I know it won't mean much, but I wanted to say how sorry I am for your loss." Mrs. Albright gave her a weak smile in thanks, and Veronica continued. "The first thing I wanted to know was why you questioned the arrest of Thomas Stewart?"

It seemed strange to Veronica that a mother would choose to ignore assurances from police that Stewart – the man who had been linked to three other killings close to Neptune – was responsible for her daughter's death. There was little physical evidence, but the circumstantial evidence was damning enough.

Mrs. Albright tucked a loose curl behind her ear. "It seemed too – too convenient," she began. "Elaine was – we found her at home. I don't know; those other girls, they were all blonde–" her eyes ran over Veronica's hair "–and at bars at the time, and Elaine wasn't…. She was pretty, of course, but she wasn't a – she didn't spend her time like that."

As far as reasons went, those weren't the strangest Veronica had heard, although it didn't explain away Stewart's presence in the neighborhood that night, or the fact that the method of killing – blunt force trauma to the head – had been the same.

"Do you have any idea of who might have done it?"

Mrs. Albright sighed heavily. "To be honest, not really. It was more of an instinct that Stewart wasn't responsible. Call it a mother's intuition."

Veronica nodded her understanding. "Did your daughter have any enemies that you know of?"

Mrs. Albright laughed, but it rang hollow in the space between them. "How many seventeen-year-olds have enemies that would want to kill them?"

Oh, Mrs. Albright, if you only knew how many people hated me at that age…

Out loud, Veronica said, "And your son, he's the one who found Elaine, is that right?"

"Kyle," she confirmed. "He's not even sixteen. He came home and–" Mrs. Albright paused, sniffing softly. "I'm sorry; it's a little hard to talk about. You'd think by now that I'd be getting used to the idea that I'll never see Elaine again…." She trailed off, her voice wobbling.

"There are some things you never get used to," Veronica said quietly.

Images of Lilly, all blonde hair and Cheshire grins, flashed through her mind. She thought of what she wanted to say to Mrs. Albright – that it never really got easier, you only got better at not thinking about it – but figured that wouldn't be the most comforting thing to say at the moment.

She let Mrs. Albright collect herself for a few seconds longer, before continuing, "And your neighbors, that would be the Youngs and the Morgans, right?"

"Yes. We don't know the Youngs very well, but they were out of town on that night. The Morgans, though, are like extended family – Elaine spent a lot of her time over there. She and Sarah – that's Travis and Melanie's only child – were inseparable."

Veronica smiled slightly, the words the world is ready for you, Veronica Mars ringing in her ears. Her grin faded, however, when she thought of what Sarah must be going through. It would be painful to talk about, she knew, but she also had the feeling that Sarah might be the key to this case. Some parents only knew what they wanted to about their children's lives. Which led her to her next question…

"Did Elaine have a boyfriend?"

Mrs. Albright shook her head. "She dated a boy named Ryan Wheeler for a while, but they broke up last month. Elaine seemed to be okay with it; or at least she never told me if she was upset about it. He came by the house a few days before her death, but I didn't see anything out of the ordinary happen."

"But Elaine wasn't dating anyone else at the time of her death?"

"Not that I know of, no."

Veronica glanced down at her notes. "And you have a housekeeper, a chef, and a gardener, correct?" She ticked off each employee, trying to keep out thoughts about how painfully 09er it seemed.

"Yes. Mrs. Hughes and Eli have been with us since the kids were newborns. I trust them completely."

"But the gardener?"

"His name is David Elmore. He started working here about three months ago; he came recommended from a family across town. I don't – well, he had an alibi. There are a few people who say he was at a bar about twenty minutes from here."

Veronica jotted down the information onto a blank sheet up paper, making a note of the years the employees had been with the Albrights. It wasn't much to go on, but she knew that sometimes it was the staff who knew everything that went on in a house. Mrs. Hughes, she was sure, would be a wealth of knowledge. She capped her pen and looked back up at Mrs. Albright. "And is there's anything else you can remember about that night, anything unusual?"

The woman paused for a moment, considering. Then, with a shake of her head, she said, "Nothing that I can think of."

Veronica nodded. "Thank you, Mrs. Albright. I know this must be difficult for you, but I'm going to do everything I can to find out who did this to your daughter."

"I just want to know why," Mrs. Albright replied, her voice sounding strained. "Elaine didn't deserve this – no one does – but she was only seventeen. She was so young." Her voice cracked on the final word, and she looked at Veronica through watery eyes. "Thank you for coming. I thought you might understand more than most people what it's like to lose someone like Lanie."

Veronica could only manage a weak smile. "I'll be in touch," she said.

Then, without any prompting from Mrs. Albright, Mrs. Hughes appeared by the couch to escort her from the house. Veronica said her thanks at the door, mentioned to Mrs. Hughes that she would be back to talk with the staff, and then walked quickly to her Milan. The drive home was spent mulling over what she'd learned about the case – not much, but enough to get started. She knew the main players, she just needed the motivations for each.

When Veronica made it home, her father was sitting at the table, paper in hand, waiting for her when she walked through the door..

"How was Mrs. Albright, honey?" he asked, not looking up.

"I don't know," Veronica said, sitting down at the table next to him. "I still think the whole thing is a little weird." She paused, wondering how much to elaborate. Then, after a slow exhale, she added, "It's hard not to think of Lilly."

"Well, I'm proud of you, Veronica," Keith said. "The Albrights deserve the truth."

"I know." Veronica smiled weakly. "That's why I'm here."

A comfortable silence fell between them, and Veronica thought absently about what she would do tomorrow. She'd talk to the neighbors – the Morgans – first. Then it would be on to the boys, the new gardner and the old boyfriend – David Elmore and Ryan Wheeler. Mr. Albright and Kyle would be home in two days, and they'd be crucial to the investigation, she knew. Until then, though, there was a lot to get done.

But I will find the truth, Veronica promised herself. I have to.

-x-

A/N: Next chapter: more investigation, an introduction to the not-so-friendly sheriff, and a small appearance from Logan!