A/N: Thank you to all that are sticking with this story. Thanks Bondopoulos, who has been amazingly positive and helpful in your beta process with whiny me. Ain't no one else on FanFic like ya, glad I have ya! Thank you to all those who have left reviews, favorited, and followed. It's flattering, but mostly it's great that the story has generated such great interest. Thanks again.

Chapter 17 Lion's Den

"A client by default?" Logan asked doubtfully. "Like one that left your office satisfied?"

Veronica tsked. "You say that as if I am often unsatisfying."

"Trust me," Logan said with a smirk, "that is not what I'm implying at all. You always left me more than satisfied. Wait. That's not true."

"Hey!" Veronica elbowed him.

He grinned playfully. "Let me clarify."

"I think you ought to keep that foot of yours in your mouth and just shut the hell up."

"Well, if it isn't the one-eight-hundred ten-dollar an hour, 'if you cannot afford an attorney one will be provided for you' attorney-at-law, Cliff McCormack. Which low-life thug is crying innocence today?" From across the counter a greasy-haired man whom Veronica recognized as Sheriff Daniel Lamb was sauntering toward them. When Logan turned to face him, Veronica watched Lamb's expression turn even sourer. "Well, lookie at what the cat dragged in."

"We came to request a meeting with you, Sheriff," Cliff informed him. "All three of us."

"Three?" Lamb repeated. His eyes met and held Veronica's. "Let me guess."

"No need to guess, Sheriff," she chirped, "I can tell you already know."

"Your reputation precedes you, Ms. Mars," Lamb said snidely. "You're right, you don't need an introduction."

"I'm flattered, Sheriff. Oh, and, by the way, thank you for putting out all that misleading information on the news." She smiled. "I see you've been keeping true to the Lamb legacy."

"Veronica."

Cliff's voice came out in a warning and Veronica held up her hand to stop him from saying any more. "Oh, I know, Cliffie. I'll watch myself." To Lamb, she said, "There was an incorrect piece on Channel Nine's news yesterday, regarding my father's Buick Le Sabre. I just wanted to come down to clear up the confusion and let you know that, in fact, his vehicle has not been stolen. Since he's been in the hospital from that unsolicited attack last week, I, as his daughter, have needed a means of transportation."

Lamb sneered, but Veronica saw a slight flash of uncertainty glance over his features. "The media must have gotten that wrong."

"Yes, they must have," Veronica agreed. "Tell me. How long has the Sheriff's Office worked off of wild speculation and rumor?"

***Break***

They left Vinnie's office with a signed contract in hand. The moment they climbed into the rental, Mac took her phone out and began tapping through the apps. She accessed the bug she'd planted on Vinnie's desk and Vinnie's voice broke through right as Bunk started the car.

At first the sound was garbled but after a few moments, Mac heard what sound like Vinnie humming or whistling, she couldn't quite tell which. She cast a curious glance up at Dick, who was sitting in the passenger seat and craned around to listen.

She smirked at his look of concentration as he listened along with her. Distracted by his expression, she was surprised when he said, "I know that tune, man...is it..l think it might be..yeah, it's Hall and Oates!"

"Dick, seriously, who cares what song he's singing?" Mac retorted, pressing the volume up to full capacity. "What does it even matter?"

But Dick wasn't listening to her. "Dude, it's 'Private Eyes'!"

"'Private Eyes'?" Mac repeated, a sudden feeling of trepidation washing over her. Something about the name of that song didn't set right with her. Something Veronica used to say about Vinnie Van Lowe and his humor….

Through the transmitter they heard the humming stop and Vinnie suddenly was talking. Mac motioned for Dick to shut up when they heard Vinnie say, "Get me M." There was a pregnant pause and then, "I got news."

Excited, and a little worried, Mac looked up and met Bunk's eye in the rearview mirror.

"Dick Casablancas just left my office, I know, right? …I say there's no such thing as coincidences…trust me…"

"Sheesh, Macster, you should have tapped into his phone line," Dick complained, seemingly unperturbed by Vinnie's topic of conversation.

"Hush, Dick! Seriously."

"Yeah, he was in here with his girlfriend…saying he wants me to find his father!...I can take that money and run…right!...all the way to the bank!..." Vinnie chortled obnoxiously. "If he wants me to find him, I'll find him! He can't be that hard to find…..no. I don't think so. None of them know I know that. There's still a car there. I think the guy's been…bow…chicka-bow-wow…over at the girlfriend's house."

From the front seat, Dick cheered, "Yeah, man, right on! The Dickster's gettin' some action!"

Mac felt her cheeks stain red and she firmly kept her eyes locked on her device.

"Yeah, he looks whipped. But why they were really here…I'm not sure what their game is." Vinnie paused. "No….all right…yup. I'll keep you posted."

There was an obvious click of the phone being set into its cradle and then the whistling started up again.

""Watching your every move'," Dick sang along with Vinnie's whistling. "Ye..ah."

"Dick!" Mac objected. "Doesn't any of this worry you?"

"Psh…Van freakin' Lowe?" Dick guffawed, breaking from his crooning. "I'd be more worried if the Stay Puft Marshmallow Man jizzed me with his marshmallow gun. Vinnie's useless."

"Not so useless that he won't lead us where we need to go," Bunk pointed out, suddenly joining the conversation. "He doesn't seem to realize you planted a bug, Mac. The whole goal of this was to get that bug inside that building, that room. We're the successful ones here. He just has to think he's the one winning."

"He's got tiger blood."

"Yeah, and that works out really well. Winning!"

***BREAK***

"Clayton!" Lamb unexpectedly bellowed, veering away from the counter, "Come over here. I need you to take a statement."

The officer whom Logan had pointed out not five minutes earlier looked up from behind his desk. Norris Clayton stood up quickly and hastily made his way over to the counter where his superior was beckoning him.

"Yes, Sheriff?" Deputy Clayton's eagerness seemed apparent and Logan felt slight disappointment tinged with curiosity.

"Take Ms. Mars and get a statement from her regarding last week's explosion on Rosart. She is now claiming that the car that we've been considering as stolen," Lamb slid his gaze from the deputy to Veronica and then back, "she has permission to use. While that may be the case, I need a full report regarding this incident and also as to why," he looked over to Veronica again, "she chose to aide and assist Mr. Echolls instead of bringing him here to me." Lamb cleared his throat and stood up straight. "Now, I have to ask that we take you, Mr. Echolls, into the interrogation room."

"With my lawyer," Logan prompted, bouncing on his heels slightly and motioning with his head toward Cliff, thoroughly enjoying the pinched look of displeasure on Lamb's face. "Mr. McCormack is my attorney."

"Of course he is," Lamb said unpleasantly. "You do realize there are better?"

"And you do realize that I didn't ask your opinion?" Logan responded cheerfully. "Miranda never gave opinions or recommendations of representation in the past; has that changed since the last time I was arrested?"

"Now, Logan," Cliff said, lightly touching Logan's elbow as they followed the sheriff into the back, "No one said anything about being arrested. We're just here to help with the investigation, is all."

"Right. That part slipped my mind."

***Break***

Veronica wasn't surprised that Lamb took Logan and Cliff into an interrogation room without her. Standard procedure was, after all, standard procedure. She would have been disappointed in Lamb if he had invited her to join them. She bid them a confident adieu and turned back to Deputy Norris Clayton.

Norris was very much the way Veronica remembered from high school. He was tall and hugely built, not quite six feet tall but wide as a door. To Veronica's petite five feet, Norris' near six feet could have been foreboding, but she remembered his kindness toward her and felt assured that he was in fact the man that Logan had seen at her father's office. Norris was on their side, she was sure of it.

"So. Deputy Clayton," Veronica started, weighing her words, watching his expression, knowing that he was most likely on guard in this environment. "I have to tell you, I'm surprised to see you here. I never pictured you in law enforcement."

He said nothing; instead he met her eye and motioned her to follow him back his desk. After they settled in across from each other, he pulled out a pen and paper. "So we need a statement of the afternoon in question. What can you tell me of the incident?"

The officer was all business. There wasn't a flicker of recognition besides that brief look at the counter, but Veronica had a sense that he was trying too hard to appear unaffected by her presence within the precinct. Before she'd gotten here, she'd resigned herself to the fact that she'd be questioned and so she patiently answered the questions Norris asked her before she finally said, "Deputy Clayton. Seems law enforcement gave you a justly deserved chance to prove you're not a menace to society."

Norris looked up from his notes and glanced around the room before looking at her. "Thanks to some very good investigative skills, I didn't have to worry about having to redeem myself." Veronica sat back in her chair in triumph, relieved when he gave her a slight smile. "How's your dad been since the accident?"

She blew out a breath. "He's…recovering."

"That's good to hear." Again, Norris looked around the room and then leaned over his desk closer to her. Voice lowered, he said, "He's a good guy, your dad."

"I know."

He nodded slowly, staring unblinkingly into Veronica's eyes. After a few moments, he sat back and then set his pen aside.

"I need you to sign this document that states that what you told me today is true and to the best of your knowledge," Norris told her, shuffling a stack of papers before handing them across to her. "The bottom three pages are for your records."

Veronica took the pen he offered her and signed her name on the bottom line. She then thumbed through the paperwork and then pulled out the three papers he'd referred to skim them quickly. As soon she read the last page, her eyes jumped to his in question. He nodded his understanding and said, "If you have any questions, please call the number on the last sheet; after hours is best."

His tone held little inflection, but Veronica felt a flare of excitement. The last page looked like a police report of some kind and at the bottom was a phone number. She'd known that Norris was still a good guy, and here was the proof.

"Thank you. If there's anything more I can help you with, please call." She tore off an edge of paper from her notes to jot down her information and slid it over to him. "Or email me at this address."

Norris stood up then, and, slipping the little bit of paper into his pocket, extended his hand out for her to shake. Veronica followed his lead, pulling the strap of her messenger bag onto her shoulder, stuffing the papers he had just given her into the largest pocket as she stood while he said, "Thank you for the contact information. I do need to ask that you be available and not leave the area in case we have more questions. I'm sure you already know that the statement you just gave me doesn't match what the investigation has yielded so far. If you could send in the title or registration of the Le Sabre, it would benefit us immensely. We'd like to clear up this…misunderstanding as soon as possible so that we are able to move on to other viable leads in this case."

Veronica nodded. "I'm sure the registration is in the glove box. I can run out and get it?"

"You can just take a picture and email it over... Its n clayton at balboa county dot gov."

She smiled. "Great. I'll send it right away. And I'll look over this paperwork tonight to see if there is anything I may have missed or forgotten to tell you, and get back to you as soon as I can."

"Please do. Feel free to contact me anytime."

***Break***

There was still crime scene tape around the front of the Mars, Investigations building when Veronica pulled up thirty minutes later. She drove around to the back, got out, looked around and then entered through the back entrance that she and Logan had used right before the his car had exploded.

She let herself into her father's office and flipped on the lights.

"The key was just where you said it would be," Bunk's voice boomed from the far corner.

Veronica shut the door. "How was Vinnie?"

"Just the way you described," Bunk said with a chuckle. "All pomp and ready for a pay check. He took the retainer and started right in. Mac got the bug placed, and he called Morrison right after we left. It's all started. I dropped the other two off at Dick's beach house. There was a car just down the street. They're headed out on their goose chase, see if they get followed. They will, though. No question about that. How was Logan when you left him?"

"Good, I think," Veronica said, pulling out the papers that Deputy Clayton had given her from inside of her messenger bag. "The rental is there waiting for him, your guys are on it, so thank you."

"Well, of course. That's why I'm here, you know."

She flung the bag down in a chair, still tightly holding the papers. "In other news, I think we found ourselves an in at the Sheriff's Department."

"An in?"

She nodded. "Pretty sure that along with Deputy Sacks, there was another informant from within the walls of that office coming to Dad with information." As Veronica told Bunk about Norris and how Logan had recognized him, she handed over the papers. "I only skimmed these briefly, but Norris gave this to me along with the statement I signed. It looks like some kind of police report, but none of the names look familiar to me. Will you look over it and see what you think while I check the safe? Dad may have given me a clue as to what the combination really is."

**Break**

Logan had been correct. The safe's combination had been the date of her Bar exam all along. That was the first thought that flitted through Veronica's mind when she heard the telltale click and pulled the lever successfully down. She swung the heavy door open and stared at the contents with a faint smile on her face feeling as if she'd found the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow.

There was a jump drive sitting on the top shelf and an accordion file folder below it. She quickly pocketed the jump drive and pulled out the heavy file folder, sliding it to the floor and then opening the top to scan the labels.

It really was like a finding pot of gold.

The first label was written in her father's neat script 'Larry Morrison'. Veronica felt her heart stop for a moment, and she felt vindicated that they'd figured that out already. The file behind that was labeled 'Real Estate', which Veronica barely glanced at, knowing she'd have to come back to it later. The next labels were 'Manny Rose', 'Balboa Sheriff's Office', 'Cliff's', 'Emails', and 'Sandra Lupeo'.

The last was a name that Veronica not seen yet. Veronica took out the contents of that file and spread the few pages out evenly over Keith's large desk. She looked at each, one by one, reading the information slowly, attempting to piece together what she could.

**Break**

The beach house was being staked out; Mac would bet her life on it. There had been a car about four houses down from Dick's that she was sure belonged to none other than Vinnie Van Lowe. That's what they'd all decided when Bunk dropped her and Dick off. So the three of them had given a great show of saying good-bye, complete with a great big hug and kiss from Bunk as if he really were Mac's father. Dick had even shaken the older man's hand stoically as if he were trying to impress his future father-in-law.

Then Dick had herded Mac into the house once Bunk had driven off. Dick gathered up some clothes and other things for Logan and for himself, and then the two of them had climbed into Dick's Rubicon and set off toward Neptune High.

The Jeep was newer and the inside was pristine, but Mac found herself once again surprised by Dick's economy. He could have been riding in an Escalade or some kind of fancier SUV, but the surfer chose to drive a Jeep. Only a couple of days before she'd been surprised at his low-key living quarters, and this just added to the enigma that was Dick.

"How do you like your Jeep?" Mac asked nonchalantly, running a hand along the passenger's side dashboard. "My brother really loves these; he wants one so badly."

"I love this thing. It's the best for what I use it for; trail riding and going over the sand, man." Dick slapped the dash with obvious affection. "Hell, yeah, Logan and I did the Rubicon trail last year, it was epic. We rolled my baby, man, rolled it! Ugh, that was fun pulling it back over. Good thing there were like twenty Jeeps behind us, man, every one of them with wenches."

"That explains the dent in the door," Mac commented. "Or is that from another time?"

"Hell, battle scars are the point of a Rubicon, dude; it's a rite of passage. One does not clean up a Rubicon's wounds. That's just wrong."

She laughed quietly. When he glanced over at her questioningly, Mac shrugged. "You just always seemed like more of a pretty boy."

"What does that mean?" Dick asked, indignant.

"Well, come on. You own the 09er, you have a ton of money, your dad was –"

"Don't. Don't bring my dad into this," Dick said, his voice suddenly harsh. "I don't claim anything to do with him. Today with Vinnie was fun and games, but in reality, I've disowned the bastard."

"Okay, I apologize," Mac conceded quickly, feeling remorseful. "I didn't mean anything by it. I only meant that…I was in the house you grew up in. It wasn't exactly hillbilly. Especially by 09er standards."

"First of all, a Jeep does not equal hillbilly. Second, that wasn't really the 'house I grew up in'. I would have thought the Beav would have told you that."

Mac glanced over at Dick curiously. He, on the other hand, was focused on the road and didn't look at her. Quietly, she told him, "Cassidy and I never really talked about that, I guess."

"So then what did the two of you talk about?"

"Quantum physics and the Pythagorean Theorem," Mac said drily, and Dick grinned. She grinned back. "Fibonacci numbers and how they fit so predictably into everyday life."

"Ah, that Fibonacci character. Quite the trickster."

"Patterns from hell."

"Actually, the Fibonacci sequence was the one Law at Hearst I honestly understood," Dick admitted, surprising her. "I squeezed out a B in Modern Math that semester." He laughed when saw her mouth agape. "I know; a B for the Dickster should have made all the papers."

"I am incredibly surprised you didn't shout it from the rooftops."

"Well, that was during my dark period. Van Gogh had his blue period, I had my black. I only wrote in black pen."

She burst out with unexpected laughter. "That sounds like a very dark time indeed."

"Yes, well, I was there. It was." Dick tapped the steering wheel. "When I lost a little of my mojo, I started paying a little bit more attention in class. Did you ever have Dr. Rajavi for math? He was impossible to understand. I think he got off the boat and came straight to campus to teach. Listening to him to him try to speak English was like calling into AOL online back in the day. You'd end up in India."

"America Online? You're aging yourself, Dick, and I never had the pleasure."

"Hey, even 09ers ran across slow internet connections when they were twelve years old and trying to access good porn." He flashed another grin at her. "God, it was like pulling teeth sometimes. The World Wide Web has really gone places in the past fifteen years. Dial-up porn was a true test of endurance."

"A little stamina never hurt anyone."

"Yeah, well, the ladies don't generally complain."

You don't have to remind me, came the unbidden thought. She felt herself squirm. "Anyhoo… back to your original point?"

"Huh?" Dick glanced over at her. "You don't want to talk about porn?"

"Not especially."

"Hmm. You disappoint me."

"What can I say? Porn in the daylight is just not the same as porn in the dark."

Dick emitted a whoop of satisfied glee. "Well, I'll just have to make sure the darkness lasts longer than normal when I'm with you."

**break***

It was past class hours, but just barely, when Mac and Dick finally pulled into the familiar parking lot of Neptune High. Mac automatically found herself looking around, inspecting the exterior of the high school for changes. These walls held some joy for her, but not much. There'd been more heartache here than laughter, but Mac worked at not letting that affect her in a negative way anymore. The first five years post-graduation had been the toughest by far, and the last five had been a steady increase of improvement. Mac was glad to have moved on from this place and all of the demons that had once held her back.

There was a distinctive green and yellow banner that was strung across the entryway, proudly touting the Pirates were number one. She and Dick crossed beneath it and walked into the Quad where there were still a number of students standing in small groups and sitting at tables, open textbooks and notebooks scattered throughout the laptops, tablets, and cell phones.

"These kids would be so bored with your technology, Mac," Dick commented when they approached the double doors. "They could build a super computer in their sleep."

"Are you saying I'm obsolete?" She threw a look over her shoulder to a group of teenage boys engrossed with their phones.

"Oh, no, I would never imply that you're archaic. But you got to admit, high school would have a hell of a lot more interesting if we'd have had tablets, smartphones, and Instagram."

"True. Instead, we had Purity Tests and Pirate Points. Utter boredom. Whatever did we used to do with our time?"

***Break***

Logan stared at Sheriff Dan Lamb in wonderment. This sheriff was possibly more of an ass than his younger brother had been.

He had been sitting next to Cliff in this hot confined interrogation room for near on two hours, and Logan was sure that there was every the chance in the world that they'd be sitting here for another two, if not longer. Logan was even more positive that Lamb was only holding them there merely to be a jackass and not because he had any reason to.

He wondered how Veronica was getting along at Mars Investigations and whether Bunk had made it there yet. He wondered how the appointment with Vinnie Van Lowe had gone and whether Mac had been able to plant a bug.

The slam of the interrogation room's door jarred Logan from his thoughts and he turned to watch Deputy Clayton stroll in. Logan regarded him closely. When Veronica instantly recognized him it had made Logan feel as though he should have immediately recognized the officer as well. The night at Mars Investigations was fresh on Logan's mind now; set on a revolving play by play that only he could see. He kept seeing Keith Mars' back door open and Clayton exiting, quickly leaving.

Now that Logan thought about it, and also now that he realized it was important, there was something familiar about the burly-built deputy. He looked to be around Logan's age, which made sense because Veronica had implied he had once been a client. Back when she had clients most of them had been fellow students at either Hearst or Neptune High.

Logan wondered if he'd be able to get away with friendly banter or if Deputy Clayton was a surly as his expression suggested.

"What do you need, Clayton?" Lamb barked from his perch on the corner of the interrogation table, still glowering down Logan.

Logan gave a flat smile to the sheriff and then turned his attention back to the newest addition to the room.

"Sorry, Sir, but I wanted to let you know that we verified Ms. Mars' claim and that she does indeed have possession of the Le Sabre that is in fact Mr. Keith Mars' personal vehicle. There were no other—"

"That's enough, Deputy." Lamb stood up and gestured back to the door. "Let's take this out into the hallway."

"Oh, by all means, finish your conversation in here," Logan invited with a smirk. "I won't tell the higher-ups about the breech in protocol. It can be our little secret."

Lamb glared down at him before following Clayton out of the room.

After the door snapped shut, Cliff said, "Lamb really wants to arrest you. So badly."

"Yeah," Logan answered, letting himself give way to his concern, "but are you sure he won't?"

"You might be safer behind bars." Cliff raised his hands and grimaced. "Relax, that's only an observation. You gained Brownie points just by showing up. Now, if Veronica has done her job—"

"She has."

"Then Martina Vasquez will be waiting outside for your statement. Everything will go just as planned."

The door opened again and Lamb ambled back in. Logan noted how the sheriff hooked his fingers in the belt loop of his pants and moseyed in half on his heels. It reminded Logan of how a sheriff in a bad Western might wander into the local brothel to break up a fist fight. Lamb even completed the image with a toothpick settled between his teeth, making the greasy-haired officer look even more hickish. The only thing missing was the ten-gallon hat.

"I guess we're done here for now," Lamb said through gritted teeth, his scowl fixed on Cliff. "But we have to warn you that if you evade us, we will be putting a warrant out for your arrest—"

"On what grounds?" Cliff interrupted.

Lamb opened and closed his mouth dumbly. Then he frowned flatly. "Never you mind. The point is, Mr. Echolls' here is still under suspicion and we can make his life hell, don't you doubt it. We can find enough evidence to get that warrant."

"Haven't we given you enough evidence to prove the contrary?" Cliff asked rationally. "I hate to do your job for you, but there are plenty of people on Mr. Echolls' side who enjoy it, so if you'd like them to keep digging, then by all means—"

"McCormack, you're testing me," Lamb warned through gritted teeth.

"No, sheriff; testing you is me asking for you to prove that the gun in Eli Navarro's case is actually Eli Navarro's. This is just the precursor." Cliff snapped his briefcase closed after stuffing his laptop and papers inside. He stood up. "I've advised all of my clients, Mr. Echolls included, of their rights and what you, as the local brass, can and cannot do. And so Mr. Echolls knows that if and when you have more questions, your office will contact my office first to set up an appointment. No threats are necessary for that." He motioned for Logan to stand. "I'll be in touch, as per my usual, twice a day in regards to this case. We expect that your office will be diligently seeking the parties responsible for planting and detonating the bomb in the Beamer belonging to Mr. Echolls. We're also very interested in the progress of the incident in which Mr. Echolls was shot. It seems like you have a lot to do, Sheriff."

With that, Cliff opened the door and waited for Logan to pass by. Logan felt a surge of exhilaration at how Cliff handled the newest Sheriff Lamb, an obvious sign how the lawyer had had years of perfecting his interactions with Neptune's finest.

The door slammed behind them and they took long strides back down the hallway to the open office where they'd left Veronica. Knowing already that she would not be there, Logan didn't bother to look for her and instead searched out Deputy Clayton. He was disappointed when he didn't see the stocky officer.

"All right, now remember what we discussed and what you're need to say when you exit the building," Cliff reminded Logan in a low undertone. "We need you to come off as innocent and undeserving of this persecution."

"Uh, I am innocent and undeserving of this persecution," Logan reminded him glibly.

A/N: So this is a shorter chapter than usual...forgive me. I wanted to get this chapter out a little earlier than the others have been coming, so hopefully that will help your forgiving heart :) Reviews are warmly welcomed! Thanks for reading!