Logan stared out the window at Keith's house, contemplating what to do next. He tried to call Keith again, on the way to his house, and there was still no answer. Although he had the key to let himself inside, and the code to the security system, Logan still felt awkward about using it. While he was driving, he had a passing thought that maybe good old Keith Mars had hooked up with a "lady-friend" - which is why he didn't answer his phone this morning - and Logan could be walking in on something he didn't want to walk in on.
Pony gave a soft "woof" from the back seat and Logan glanced in the rear view mirror at her.
"I know, I'm being an idiot. Let's just go inside Pony and get you settled."
Opening the door, Logan glanced back up at the two-story house and a shiver ran down his spine. Something felt off, but he couldn't put his finger on it. Glancing down the street, his mind flashed back to the night he saved Keith from the hit-and-run that killed Deputy Sacks. The screeching of tires; the crushing sound of the impact of the truck hitting the small car; the smell of oil and gas when he stuck his head in the passenger seat window; dragging an unconscious Keith to the curb before the truck hit the car again before speeding off. It didn't matter how much time went by, Logan thought of that night many times as he drove down this street. But today, with the stress of everything else going on, it seemed even more vivid in his memory.
Logan walked around the car and opened the back door. Pony bounded out onto the grass, her tail wagging happily. She trotted up the front steps, leading the way to Grandpa's house, as Logan followed. With a deep, cleansing breath, Logan fished the keys out of his pocket and opened the door. Pony pressed past him and began barking loudly, announcing their arrival.
Turning towards the alarm panel, Logan paused. It wasn't on. Spinning on his heels, Logan surveyed the house.
"Keith!" Logan hollered, his voice echoing.
Pony took off down the hallway towards the back office, barking wildly. Logan's stomach flipped and he reached inside his coat, grabbing his gun from a compartment in the lining. Flipping the safety off, he raised the weapon, creeping slowly towards the back room.
The door to the room was open slightly but there was no movement coming from the space.
"Keith? Can you hear me?" Logan called out again.
Pony let out a wail and Logan burst through the doorway, gun at the ready. Keith lay motionless, face down between the coffee table and the sofa-bed, Pony howling over him.
Dropping to his knees by Keith's head, Logan reached under him to place his fingers on Keith's neck, pressing firmly. He found a weak pulse and a wave of relief washed over him. Grabbing his phone, Logan quickly dialed 911. As he waited for the call to connect, his eyes scanned the room – the window was smashed from the outside, the computer knocked off the desk, a chair lay toppled on the floor.
"911. What is your emergency?"
"I need an ambulance and police to 755 Applewood Road. There is an unconscious male, unknown injuries, possibly sustained during a break-in."
"Thank you sir – I am dispatching them now. Please hold the line for further instructions."
Logan swallowed hard, his eyes scanning Keith for any signs of what could have happened. He was still in his sweat pants and a t-shirt – so he was either in bed or going to bed when the break-in happened. Glancing around the room again, he checked for signs that something was missing, but nothing caught his eye. The front rooms didn't seem to be missing anything, and when he glanced over his shoulder, he could see that the big screen TV Logan and Veronica bought Keith for his birthday was still in the living room. Sirens echoed down the street and Logan inhaled sharply, his own pulse racing from adrenaline.
"Sir? Are you still there?"
Logan was jarred by the sound of the operator. "Yes. Yes, I'm here."
"What is your name and relationship to the victim?"
Logan's jaw clenched for a second as he thought of breaking this news to Veronica and the kids. Lowering his head, he looked down at the pale, unmoving body of Keith.
"Logan Echolls," he replied, almost choking on his words. "He's my father-in-law."
The pounding of police boots on the front porch signaled the arrival of help as the ambulance sirens came to a halt on the street.
"Pony! Heel." Logan commanded and the dog came closer to him, still on alert, but near.
The officers stormed through the house and Logan swiveled in his position on the floor to face them. "I found him this way – possible break and enter – I don't know if anyone is still in the house or on the property."
"All right, sir. Just step back. Medics are right behind. We'll take it from here." One of the deputies said, dropping to the floor next to Logan and Pony to survey the scene.
Moving away, Logan caught a glimpse of the paramedics coming though, and he leaned against the open door, watching in horror as they began their assessment of Keith.
His phone buzzed in his hand and he jumped slightly in shock. Veronica's name flashed across the screen and he closed his eyes, trying to gather his thoughts. Exhaling slowly, he answered the phone.
Veronica's knee bounced rapidly, her eyes darting between the kids sitting quietly in the uncomfortable plastic chairs of the private family waiting room as they watched cartoons on the big TV, and a window looking out into the hospital hallway. Two hours had passed and there was still no word on Keith's condition. The EMT had stabilized his breathing but he had yet to wake up – a thorough examination finding that he had sustained some manner of blunt trauma to the head either when he fell or scuffled with the intruder. All Veronica could think about was how hard it had been for Keith to recover from the brain trauma from the attempted murder all those years ago. When he did wake up, this time, what would he be like?
Logan pushed the door open with his back, turning around to reveal a tray filled with drinks and snacks from the cafeteria.
"Food!" Linc exclaimed and jumped up, rushing towards Logan.
"Hold your horses, buddy." Logan crossed the room and placed the tray on the coffee table. The kids descended on the pile of garbage like a flock of seagulls.
"Humour me and at least eat a banana or apple before you devour the junk-food, please." Veronica let out a deep sigh, leaning her head back against the wall behind her chair.
"Listen to your mom," Logan stated, handing each child a piece of bruised fruit to balance out the chips, chocolate bars, and pop they grabbed. The kids each took the fruit without fuss, apparently understanding that arguing with their parents at this moment would be a very bad idea, before making their way back to their seats.
Grabbing an apple, Logan sat down next to Veronica and kissed her forehead. "You should eat something too."
He held the apple in front of her and she shook her head. "No. My stomach can't take food right now. And I think I've had too much coffee."
Logan shrugged and took a bite of the apple instead, leaning back in his chair, his head near hers leaning against the wall.
"I'm going to go and swing by the office and pick up some things from the safe. I talked to Kayte and she said she would take Pony for the next little while – her condo allows pets." Logan's voice was low and soothing. "Then I'll come back and pick up the kids so we can finish packing quickly."
Veronica closed her eyes. She knew he was talking about grabbing their guns and the emergency cash he had on hand. Even though they couldn't talk about it in front of the kids, they were both on the same page about what needed to be done. Dick. Pony. Keith. Someone was circling them and they needed to leave as quickly and quietly as possible.
"Just a little impromptu family vacation," Veronica said. A shiver ran down her spine and she raised her head, wrapping her cardigan around her a little tighter.
Logan placed his hand on hers and kissed her temple, pressing his forehead against hers. "You and the kids will be safe here until I get back," he whispered. "I don't want to leave your dad either, but we need to. He would understand."
A lump caught in Veronica's throat and she swallowed, hard. "I know," she whispered back. "Let's just focus on what needs to be done."
Rising, Logan stretched and yawned – today felt like a marathon, and he was no where close to the finish line. Walking over to the line of kids in front of the TV, he leaned over and kissed each one on the head while they ate.
"I'll be back, guys. Love you."
"Love you too, Daddy," Jack replied, chips falling out of his mouth as he spoke.
Logan tousled the boy's hair and smiled, his eyes darting back to Veronica. She forced a smile back towards him, giving him a small wave before he left the room, passing in front of the window before disappearing down the hospital hallway.
The steps up to Mars Investigations felt like climbing Mount Everest. Pausing a moment to collect himself, Logan pushed open the door, letting Pony bound in front of him.
"Hi Pony-girl!" Kayte scrambled from behind her desk and dropped to the ground, her arms open in welcome. Pony happily licked her face before rolling onto her back for the required belly-rub.
"Logan! Get in here!" Mac called out from her office, her voice echoing down the hall.
"So, we yell now? The fancy intercom feature on the phone just doesn't cut it?" He snarked loudly, placing the bag of dog food on top of Kayte's desk before making his way down the hall. "Or was bringing the kids' to the office that much of a mistake?"
"Haha. Mock me, but I have good news for you." Mac gestured for him to come around her desk, pointing at her computer screen. "So, I know that Veronica said to stop investigating, but I was close to a break-through so I just couldn't stop."
"Fuck, Mac – " Logan started speaking before she waved her hand in front of his face to stop him.
"Just shut up and listen for a second – I think I found out who is behind all this stuff." She tapped her finger on the image of a house on the screen. "This is where the guy lives."
Logan leaned over to examine the Google Maps image of a house, a sprawling bungalow with a concrete wall in front. "I know this house."
"Yeah, you do - it's one of two houses built when they subdivided the land on your family's property."
His heart began beating faster and Logan's mouth went dry. When he first joined the Navy and began the process of getting his life back together, he hired a realtor to handle the sale of the property where the Echolls mansion once stood. She had suggested they subdivide the sprawling area in the hopes of increasing their profit. He agreed and the proceeds went directly into a trust that he rarely touched. He had only seen what had been built on the site once, when Carrie was house-hunting in the '09er area and she took him to an open-house on the property.
"Here's the thing –" Mac continued. "I was getting nowhere with the phones so I started looking into all of the investments in the clubs that had both Sean and Dick as investors. Well, a few years ago, money started coming in from an 'anonymous' source so I started hacking into the bank transfers – they were all from a Cayman Islands account – except for one from just before the opening of the club in San Diego. It was for $10,000 and was listed in Sean's accounts as 'anonymous' but it was from a bank account in Neptune. So I tracked it and found that there were only large sums that were transferred through it – one of which was for the purchase of this house."
"Who owns it?"
"It was purchased two-years ago by an A. DeLarge."
Logan's blood went cold. "I know that name. Mac, why do I know that name?"
"University English, old man – it's the main character from 'A Clockwork Orange' – Alex DeLarge."
A rapid succession of images flashed through Logan's head. The cover of the book. Hearst University. The Halloween party. Veronica and him as Meg and Jack White.
Who came dressed as Alex?
"Mercer." Logan hissed. "Jesus Christ, it's Mercer."
Logan's mind began calculating the time. It was almost 20-years since he watched Mercer Hayes - also known as the "Hearst University Rapist" get sentenced to 25-30 years for the rape of ten women. Veronica was the one who exposed his diabolical plan – executed with the help of the resident advisor – to drug and rape women on campus. When Logan found out Mercer came after Veronica the night she found out Mercer was the rapist, Logan took one last act of vengeance and beat Mercer to a bloody pulp in a prison cell, while the guards looked the other way.
"What?" Mac gasped. "Isn't he in prison still?"
Logan ran from the room, heading down towards his office. "Run a check, Mac!" He yelled from the other room as he dropped to his knees in front of the safe. His hands shook and he took a cleansing breath, trying to focus on the combination numbers to the lock.
Pulling the safe door open, Logan grabbed the first gun from its place along with a clip full of bullets. He inspected it quickly before loading the gun, flipping the safety off and stashing it in a second pocket inside his jacket. He grabbed another gun and clip, loading it but keeping the safety on before shoving it into the back pocket of his jeans. Slamming the safe door, he twirled the combination lock and rose.
"What do you have for me, Mac." He hollered down the hall.
Mac emerged from her office, her face white with fear. "He got parole just over two-years ago."
The weight of their past came crashing down on Logan and he grabbed the wall to steady himself. Gathering his senses, Logan grabbed his phone out of his pocket and dialed Veronica. Her phone went to voice-mail immediately and he silently cursed the hospital rule that they needed to turn off their cell-phones in the emergency room. Taking a deep breath, he began to leave a message for her.
"Hey. It's me. Look, there's been a change in plans. Mac found out something about the case and I'm going to follow the lead. I want you to take the kids and just leave from the hospital. Just get out. Use the spare credit card and leave. I will call you when things are safe. I love you."
Logan hung up and his phone beeped at him. The "low battery" signal showed he was at 10% power.
"Fuck, shit. Whatever." He powered down his phone and stuck it in his pocket.
"What do we do?" Mac crossed her arms in front of her and leaned against the wall.
Glancing around the office, Logan waved his hand in the air. "Close up. Power everything down. Go and lay-low for a few days until you get word from me."
"And Veronica?"
"She'll be safe," Logan stated, making his way to the door. "As long as she listens to what I said, she and the kids will be safe."
He gave Mac and Kayte one last nod, hoping he was covering the mix of fear and anger that was stewing inside of him. They nodded back and he stepped into the hallway, taking a deep inhale before descending the steps to the outside.