CHAPTER TWO

Veronica pulled into the parking spot marked "reserved." It was the one and only perk to this new office location. She entered the building and climbed the shabby steps. If they were ever going to escalate beyond cheating lowlifes and bond jumpers they were going to need fancier digs. There was probably some crappy idiom about looking like a success to be a success. Unfortunately it was on the same list as 'it takes money to make money,' which of course was in short supply at Mars Investigations these days. These days, Veronica? How about always?

She put an overpriced latte on Mac's desk. Since it was the only form of payment Mac was receiving these days, Veronica didn't complain too much or too loudly about being her coffee benefactor. "Good morning, Future Optimization Specialist."

"Just…no."

"Grand Poobah it is then."

Mac shook her head, "where were you yesterday?"

"Riding along in my automobile." Veronica crossed the room to her office and paused at the door, "cruisin' and playin' the radio." She opened the door and turned back to Mac, "with no particular place to go?"

Mac swiveled her chair away, but not before Veronica caught the wide grin on her face. If only yesterday was really a Chuck Berry song instead of Piz and panic.

The files littered across her desk were a clear indication that Dad spent some time at work yesterday. She put them all in a neat stack before pushing them to the side. Sharing a desk and an office with her Dad was okay for now since he was only in for a day a week, two at the most, but once he was back full-time it was going to be a challenge. There wasn't enough room for two desks, there was barely enough room for this one and the visitor chairs. Of course there was always the very big check from Logan sitting in the bottom of her purse. An investment, or as he put it, "an advance against all my future murder charge investigations."

If it was only up to her, the check would be spent already. Pay for Mac, a new office locale a little closer to the 09er zip code, her own desk, advertising. Hey, a girl can dream right? But it wasn't up to her and there was no way Dad was going to accept that sum of money from Logan.

Thinking about Logan made her want to grab the calendar and count days, but doing the math again wasn't going to make her feel any less uneasy. Instead she booted up her laptop and typed California Bar Exam into Google. She'd already missed the July exam and the next test was February. The information for the filing deadline wasn't posted on the site yet, but judging by last year's information, the application would be available the beginning of next month and timely filing would be before November.

She searched for California Bar prep courses and bookmarked a few that looked promising. Promising and expensive. Veronica sighed and closed the computer; the screen was making her dizzy. Resting her head on the desk, she closed her eyes and contemplated a nap. That's the way to earn big bucks Veronica –napping.

With a groan she lifted her head and picked up the pile of file folders. The first three were closed, but she had to prepare final reports for the clients. Paperwork was not at the top of her 'how I want to spend my day' list so she put them back in the inbox. The next was from a local estate attorney who needed help tracking down a missing heir. Veronica put that aside for Mac. The last file was yet another spouse suspected of cheating. Marjorie Kincaid was positive her beloved, one-true-love James, Jimmy was seeing the "trampy" new office assistant. Her tears didn't seem very real, but her check was and it had cleared the Mars bank account this morning. Veronica entered Jimmy's work address and his schedule in her phone before tossing it in her purse. The phone made a soft thunk as it hit the box she'd shoved into her purse this morning. She was staring at the box when her office door opened.

"Veronica."

She looked up with a smile, "hey Teach, playing hooky?" Best friend, basketball coach and health teacher, Wallace Fennel stood in her doorway. "Don't look so glum, I swear I'm not the one who spray-painted the girl's locker room…what's wrong?"

"It's Piz, Veronica."

She stifled a sigh, "Wallace I know you're his friend, but it's over between us. I didn't tell him about Logan, because well, I didn't. Not that it mattered because I think he pretty much figured that part out by himself. I'm sorry he's hurting, but if you're here to plead his case…"

"Stop talking," he barked the words at her with such force it shocked her.

Mac appeared at the open office door, "everyone okay in here?"

Veronica shot a quick glance in Mac's direction that silently asked, what gives? Mac responded with a shrug and a small head shake, no idea. They both turned to Wallace and waited.

"Piz is dead, Veronica." He slumped into one of the visitor's chairs, visibly shaken by his own news. She opened her mouth to argue with him and then clamped it shut. The words, but I just saw him yesterday, fading before she could utter them. Isn't that what everyone said? No, I just saw him this morning, yesterday, last week, like the fact that they were alive and healthy then meant they couldn't be dead now. Dead? Piz? Her stomach turned over and she threw up in the garbage can next to her desk.

When she was done retching, Mac was by her side with a cup of water. A slight tremor in Mac's hand caused some of the water to slosh over the rim as she passed the cup to Veronica. She took small sips and waited for the nausea to pass. "Tell me what happened."

"He showed up at my apartment late last night, he'd been drinking." The last part of Wallace's sentence sounded more like accusation than explanation. "We talked for a little while until he passed out on the sofa. He was still sleeping when I left for work this morning."

She knew his day started early. Wallace was usually out of the house by six a.m. and at school no later than six-thirty. Veronica looked at the clock, twelve-thirty. A six hour window from Piz sleeping on the sofa to…she couldn't complete the thought, it just seemed so impossible.

"After first period, I realized I left my lesson planner at home. I'm free third period so I went home to get it. Lamb and his deputies were already there. My neighbors heard the gunshots."

It took a minute for her to process what he said. She'd thought it was an accident, "gunshots?"

"Somebody killed him V."

She was incredulous, "Piz? Are we talking about the same guy? Naïve, innocent, no enemies in the world, that Piz?" Wallace didn't respond. "Lamb let you leave the scene?"

Now it was Wallace's turn to be incredulous, "you certainly don't think I did it, do you?"

"Of course not. I'm just surprised that Lamb didn't arrest you on the spot and declare the case closed."

"My alibi was easy enough to check out. I was in a classroom in front of thirty kids when my neighbors reported the shots."

"Easy enough for someone with a brain, but we both know that doesn't apply to our local, neighborhood sheriff." They also both knew that if they wanted to find out what happened to Piz, they couldn't count on any answers from Neptune law enforcement. "What time did you get home?"

"I let my second period class go early and I got home a little after ten."

"And when did your neighbors hear the shots?"

"In the middle of my first period class, around eight thirty."

The six hour window just closed to two hours. Two hours wasn't a lot of time. It had to be someone who knew, not only where Piz was staying, but that Wallace would be gone that early. "Did you see anyone on the street when you left? Anything out of the ordinary?" It was easier to focus on the details and push thoughts of Piz out of her mind.

"I don't know. It was still dark and I didn't get much sleep. I think the street was empty, but I can't be sure."

Veronica grabbed a sheet of paper and started making notes. She'd have Mac pull his credit card information and try to put together a timeline of his movements over the past few days. In the meantime, she would canvas the neighborhood and see if anyone could remember anything out of the ordinary and talk to the neighbors who reported the shots.

Wallace's neighborhood was a mix of residences, retail outlets, and office space. Eight thirty was late enough for the houses to be empty- people on their way to work, but still early enough that the offices would be empty too. Whoever did it picked an ideal time for leaving behind few witnesses.

She tapped her pencil against the desk, while she thought out her list. Of course she would have to interview friends and…her hands stilled. "Has anyone called his parents?"

From the silence, she gathered that the answer to her question was no. Of course, Lamb or someone from the Sheriff's Department would make official notification, but it didn't seem right to Veronica that they hear it from an official before hearing it from one of them, before hearing it from someone who loved Piz.

"I'll do it, Veronica."

She was shaking her head before Wallace even finished speaking, "you look beat. Why don't you go," she was about to say home when she remembered that his home was a crime scene, "to my house. Dad is there to let you in and I'm sure he'd appreciate the opportunity to mother someone and better you than me." He hesitated. "Seriously Wallace, go, I'll call the Piznarskis."

It took a little more convincing, but between her and Mac, Wallace reluctantly left. Veronica waited until she heard the front door, "Mac, I'll need their…"

"On it." She was back in a flash with their number scrawled on a yellow Post-it. Veronica stared at the number. "I'll be up front if you need me." Mac left the office, shutting the door behind her.

One awkward phone conversation coming up.