Mac gave me another sideways glance as I chopped onions. My dad, oblivious to the looks, wheeled over to the kitchen and attempted to steal a carrot slice. I slapped his hand away, and he made his way to the bathroom. Knowing he would take a couple of minutes, Mac started whispering. "What's going on Veronica? What did the doctor say?"

"I had a couple of tests and..."

"...what? Please, Veronica-"

"You were right. Mac." I told her. I feel the tears threatening to spill over. Mac stared at me, speechless.

"Wow. Wow. That, uh, congratulations, I guess? So, what are you going to do?" she asks, a small smile playing on her lips.

"I'm gonna work the shoe case"

"Veronica-"

"What?"

"You can't just pretend this isn't happening!" Mac exclaimed.

"Will you keep your voice down? I don't want my dad finding out." I say, and the tears fall. Mac puts her arms around me.

"Oh Veronica, there's no need to cry, having a baby is a wonderful thing-" she says, sweeping me up in a full blown hug. I cry a little more on her shoulder.

"It's the onions, those damn onions!" I get out between deep breaths. I put the knife in my hands down, and wash my hands at the sink. I can feel my body shaking as I try to control myself. "I can't be a mother, can I? I mean, with Aaron Echolls and Lianne Mars as role models what does this kid have to look forward to?" I blurt out. My shaking worsens. "Veronica, you seem to be forgetting that this baby will have Keith Mars as a grandfather. There's no one better." Mac says, which comforts me a little. I imagine the look on my dad's face when I tell me him. He'd be so happy. "You've got a good job which will teach your kid right from wrong, you've got Logan, who'll treat you both right. Its all going to be fine!" she says again, and I know that Mac's right. I break away from the embrace, and wipe my face.

"Veronica?" My dad asks, concerned. He's in the doorway, and I don't believe he's heard anything.

"It's okay dad, just those damn onions" I laugh, and Mac beams.

Heidi is sitting in my office when I walk in with lunch today. She gives me a slight smile, then looks at her watch. "Veronica"

"Heidi" I say, the now informal greeting unsettling me. Something about her is not right. She isn't telling me everything.

"I brought you the information you wanted. Maria, Dorita, Carlos, they're all here. I hope this helps" she said, a secret smile on her face. She bids me goodbye and leaves me to my salad. "Veronica, you can't have a salad by itself! You're eating for two now!" Mac exclaims. I sigh, putting my head in my hands.

"Mac, if I need your input, I will ask for it. I'm fine, I'm just not hungry. So, do you have anything for me?" I tell her, hoping she'll stop bugging me. This morning, she came in with a pamphlet about 'Mommy and Me' classes. I couldn't think about it, not now, with the case.

"I have a name. Donald Wascoe."

"Donald Wascoe? Is that supposed to mean something?" I ask.

"Stoner Donny?" Mac raises an eyebrow. Suddenly it clicks into place.

"That kid who took 'shrooms in English and thought he was having conversations with William Shakespeare? What's he got to do with it?" I ask. Stoner Donny, from what I can remember, was an annoying blonde haired kid who always wore black Ray Bans, as if he was in some sort of Tarantino film. Skinny, pale, but smart, he hung around with Corny till he got caught on top of one of the classroom cabinet's, dressed as a ninja. It was one of the highlights of that particular semester.

"Well, as you know, Donny got kicked out of school after the ninja incident. Parents dropped him off at military school, he got cleaned up, became a stable member of society" Mac said, scratching her head. "That was until two years ago, when he was dishonourably discharged from the armed forces for 'psychological reasons'. No trace of him since, except some storage warehouse in Nevada he owns." Mac finished.

"So, what does not-so-stoned Donny have to do with some missing shoes? I inquired.

"Well, he got caught breaking and entering into Mr Harris-Claude's house last year, during a garden party. Guest found him shoving shrimp down his pants. Wasn't charged, Mr Harris-Claude didn't feel the need to." Mac sighed with annoyance. I knew what she was thinking.

"So you don't have an address?"

"Except for the warehouse, nothing. He was listed as working at the Lobster Shack, but apparently hasn't turned up for a while. It's a start"

"It certainly is. Mac, can you find an up to date picture of Donny? Just in case"

"So when are you telling Logan?" Mac asked abruptly.

"Mac, we are not talking about this now. I want to find these shoes, get paid, and then tell Logan." I replied. I wasn't ready to tell Logan, truthfully, because it meant that it was real. It meant there was no going back. "He's the father, Veronica. He has as much a right to know as you do." Mac scolded me. I knew she was right. But I really wanted to focus on these shoes. According to Heidi, they'd gone missing a week ago, when the house had its big clean. She thought she'd seen them in the trash, but they'd disappeared by the time she got down there. Heidi was convinced that the house staff had hidden it there until they left, after which they took it with them. It reminded me of another case, a thousand life times ago, when Weevil's money went missing from a poker game and Sean Friedrich's had hidden it in an old bottle.

"There's not a lot of security at the house, anyone could have got in. Donny, the three house staff. Have you set up any alerts for local pawn shops? Its been a week, they would have sold them on by now. Someone must have seen those shoes" I tell Mac. She rushes to her computer as I grab my bag and leave, in search of Donald 'Donny' Wascoe.

Hi there, just wanted to talk about the reviews, in which some have mentioned confusion at the shorter chapters.

Those are taken from the point of view of the man being held hostage, the idea is that he is drifting in and out of conciousness,

and so only snapshots of what is happening is being captured. I promise you, it's related to Veronica, but I don't want to give away too many clues just yet. Please be patient, I'm getting there!

On a lighter note, thank you for all the reviews, follows and views! Its amazing!

Thank you! G