Chapter Thirty-Nine

Tomorrow would be another day for them. For that evening, however, the new and improved Fab Four decided they needed a break from work and mysteries and emotional turmoil. Before leaving the Mars residence, they met up in the parking lot not long after Wallace arrived from his grueling day at work.

"Think we could do something fun tonight for a change?" Mac asked after greeting Wallace with a bear hug and a welcoming smack of a kiss.

"What do you have in mind?" Veronica asked, her eyes taking in the scene while her brain continued to try to adjust to it.

Mac glanced up at Wallace, her eyes gleaming and dimples showing. Wallace grinned back and looked over at Logan, asking, "Think we could get some VIP treatment at the club, man? I hear it's been cleared from all the reunion stuff. Grand reopening is tonight, right?"

"Dude, Dick's been taking care of all that," Logan replied but looked as if he were contemplating the idea. Slowly nodding, the corners of his mouth turned up in the slightest hint of anticipation, he said, "I'll give him a call. Let him know we're coming."

When Logan stepped away to call Dick, Veronica felt a bit ill at ease standing alone with the newly engaged couple. She gave them a sheepish and almost apologetic smile as she fidgeted for a few seconds before seeming to make a decision.

"I'm sorry I wasn't overly enthusiastic to find out about you two," Veronica began. "It's just...yet again, I didn't see the change coming and it kinda bowled me over."

Mac gave Wallace an amused look mixed with some sort of silent communication. Wallace gave her a tiny nod and each of them reached an arm out to yank Veronica into a tight embrace.

Stumbling forward and laughing, Veronica squeezed her friends back and rolled her eyes. "You two really are too cute for words. Glad I brought you together," she teased.

Wallace rolled his eyes and chuckled but Mac grinned and beamed before asking, "So does that mean you'll agree to be my maid of honor?"

Veronica's brows lifted and her eyes widened. She hadn't considered yet the implication that an engagement meant a wedding and a wedding would mean a production of family and friends and crowds and - she stopped. Looking at her best friends with sincerity, Veronica nodded and directed her gaze to Mac before saying, "It would be an honor." Then she added with humor and a sparkle of mischief in her eyes, "Just know that I will hurt you if you give me some ridiculously awful bridesmaid's gown, k?"

Grinning in response, Mac said, "You got it, Bond. In fact, I may go so far as to allow your input. IF you're lucky."

Releasing them both, she feigned a cheer, clapping her hands and bouncing while she squealed comically.

Wallace and Mac were doubled over laughing at her when Logan came back to the group. He wasn't quite sure what had caused Veronica's display but he couldn't resist going deadpan to ask, "Did somebody get her a pony?"

Rolling her eyes in delight, Veronica laughed and shook her head. "Nope. Mac asked me to be her maid of honor," she informed him.

Logan's brows lifted along with a corner of his mouth in what could only be described as a supremely amused expression. He glanced at Mac over the top of Veronica's head and asked, "Have you made her sign a contract that explicitly outlines all the ways she can NOT ruin your big day?"

"Hey!" Veronica protested, punching Logan playfully in the arm before saying, "Just because I'd never in a million years dream of a big wedding for me doesn't mean I can't be there for my best friends and do it up right!"

"Suuuure," Logan teased with a grin, his eyes obviously adoring her.

Wallace and Mac looked at each other again and Mac gave him a nudge before Wallace cleared his throat. Logan and Veronica stopped their bantering long enough to look at the other couple questioningly. Wallace gave the pair his own twinkling-eyed grin as he asked, "Hey, Pretty Boy. Think you could manage to not outshine me if I asked you to be my best man?"

Stunned and completely taken aback, Logan gave a slow nod and an even slower grin of bemusement before he said, "Yeah, man. Totally. I don't even know what to say." The fact that Wallace, whom he'd always placed firmly on the 'Veronica only' side of their list of friends, thought enough of him to ask him to take that type of responsibility nearly left him speechless.

The look on Logan's face at Wallace's request meant the world to Veronica but she had to ask, "Don't you have a brother that privilege should belong to or something?" Seeing Logan's gaze falter and streak with a quick flash of doubt before it was gone, Veronica quickly grabbed his hand and explained, "Not that I don't love this or think you'd make the greatest best man in the world...I was just wanting to make sure that Wallace's brother's feelings wouldn't be hurt."

Logan quirked a crooked half-smile down at her and squeezed her hand before looking at Wallace and saying sincerely, "Seriously, Dude. It means the world to me that you'd ask. Not sure why you would. But if it's gonna get in the way of anything with your brother, I'll take the sentiment at face value and bow out without protest."

"Nah," Wallace said with an easy smile and shrug, "Darrell's all caught up in his own stuff right now. As soon as he heard we were engaged, he told me not to even think about asking him to be in the wedding," he chuckled, "Said it would hard enough for him to figure a way to be here for it."

"So I'm second choice, huh?" Logan grinned.

"Eh, first choice outside family," Wallace said with clear Fennel family pride.

"I'd be honored," Logan responded, holding out his fist which Wallace promptly bumped in the oh-so-masculine, ever-testosterone-filled gesture of male friendship. Then he looked at Mac with a twinkle of mischief in his eyes, "Don't worry, Mac. I'll make sure the strippers stay away from him."

Veronica punched him again, this time a bit harder. He was expecting it and was prepared but still made an obligatory "OOF" sound. Then Logan changed the subject. "Everything is set up at the club with Dick. Are we ready to go?"

The group agreed they were ready. One couple moved to the basketball-colored Camaro while the other moved to the sleek Italian convertible. When they got to the club and parked, the back emergency exit where Veronica had come out after the reunion caught her eye.

"Hey," she said with an inquisitive lilt to her voice, "Are there other emergency exits like that?"

Logan followed her gaze before answering, "Yeah. There's an emergency exit on each side of the building except where the main entrance is. Why?"

Looking up at him with a clearly marked pattern of thought going through her mind, Veronica asked, "Just out of curiosity, do those exits or stairwells have security cams?"

Wallace and Mac were making their way toward them from Wallace's car. Logan caught sight of them out of the corner of his eye and called out, "Go ahead in. Veronica's in detective mode."

Rolling his eyes, Wallace nodded and turned himself and Mac toward the main entrance.

"What are you thinking?" Logan asked after they were out of sight.

"I'm thinking that there were a lot of things at the reunion that didn't add up. I don't know if we'd see anything or not and even if we did see anything, I don't know if it would have anything to do with Carrie or her murder but it might be worth checking out," Veronica replied.

Thoughtful now, Logan said, "It's worth a shot. Everything we've been looking into is going in circles. The footage is still here. I don't think anyone even thought to check it. Lamb sure didn't care that a shot was fired or that the sprinklers went off," he scoffed.

Hesitating, Veronica asked, "Do we want to check it now or just snag it and check it tomorrow? I know the plan was to try something mellow and fun for awhile…"

Logan grinned and swept Veronica up in his arms, dancing her in a few circles before kissing her soundly. "Let's have some fun. I'll still be charged with murder in the morning!"