Undercover Angel, Part VI (2) - The New Dawn
Section 1
Undercover Angel
Part VI (2) - The New Dawn
He didn’t know what to say. “Veronica.”
Determinedly, she wiped away her tears. “It wasn’t all for nothing. That confrontation at your house led me to Curly Moran.”
He was having trouble keeping up with her transitions. “Who?”
She brushed away the last of her tears. “Curly Moran was the stunt coordinator for your dad’s first movie, The Long Haul. He rigged a stunt that had a truck going over a cliff.”
He tried to follow her reasoning. “And you think he was involved in the bus crash.”
“He was involved in the bus crash. On the night of your “Life is Short” party, Weevil received an anonymous phone call from your house saying that Curly Moran was responsible for the bus crash.”
That clicked in his memory. “I remember you asking me about that. I didn’t recognize the phone number. Did you find out which phone it was?”
She nodded. “Yes, the day after you were re-arrested, I had Norris and Cassidy come here and check out all your phone lines.”
“They broke into my house?” It was just a question, no accusation in his voice.
“They didn’t have to break in. I still had the key you gave me,” She reminded him.
He nodded. “So which phone was it?”
Veronica pointed to the telephone mounted on the wall down by the dock door.
He blinked in surprise. “It was from in here? No wonder I didn’t recognize it. I never come in here. Then what happened?”
“A few days later, Curly’s body washed up on the beach. He had been beaten to death and he had my name written on his hand.”
“Who killed him?”
“The Fitzpatricks. Curly didn’t actually trigger the bomb, but he did create it. I didn’t think he knew what was going to happen. He was suffering from remorse. He had even lit a candle at the memorial service.”
Logan thought about it. “Why was your name written on his hand?”
“The Fitzpatricks wanted my dad, who had proven to be a relentless investigator, focused on something other than the bus crash,” she explained. “They were afraid that he would trace it back to them if he didn’t have something more important to focus on.”
Logan nodded in understanding. “Like the fact that a dead man had his daughter’s name on his hand. But why did the Fitzpatricks blow up the bus?”
“They were ordered to crash the bus by the church.”
He could only stare at her. “You’re saying that the New Dawn Church was behind the bus crash? Why?”
Veronica’s cell phone chirped again. She flipped it open, checked the caller ID and scrambled to her feet.
“What? What is it?” Logan rolled up into his knees.
“Norris is back,” she explained hurriedly.
She turned and rushed down the steps. She was back a second later, looking flustered.
“Backup, guard,” she ordered.
“Veronica, this is ridiculous,” Logan complained. “I’m not going anywhere.”
He rose up on his knees but Backup growled and Logan quickly sat back down.
“Fine,” he agreed sullenly. “I’ll just sit here and let your dog decide which part of my anatomy he’s going to rip off first.”
Her mouth curved into a humorless smile. “No need. I already told him which part of your anatomy you’re most attached to. He knows where to attack,” she assured him coldly.
Logan abruptly pulled his knees close to his chest, feet firmly planted on the floor and Veronica nodded.
“Yup, that’s the one,” she agreed and hurried back down to the lower level.
Logan craned his neck to watch her, careful not to make any sudden moves that might upset the pit bull and cause him to mangle Logan’s favorite possession. Veronica hurried to the dock door and flipped the switch. Norris and the Cigarette Rider were already idling outside. Expertly, Norris eased the boat into the dock and Veronica switched the door closed.
Norris bounded out of the boat and swooped Veronica up into an exuberant hug. She hugged him back then tapped on his shoulder to make him put her down. He bent his head close to hers and they spoke quietly. After a moment, Veronica looked grimly satisfied and led Norris up the staircase.
Norris bounded up the stairs as though on wings, grinning from ear to ear. The grin froze when he saw Logan. The color - and joy - drained out of Norris’s face.
“What is he doing here?” Norris demanded grimly.
Veronica raised her brows. “He said he followed you.”
“No,” Norris shook his head in denial. “I’d recognize his jackass yellow SUV a mile away.”
She turned to Logan and looked thoughtful. “Did you by chance borrow someone else’s car, Logan?” she guessed.
Logan grinned slowly. “You see, I was hanging out with this detective last summer. She rubbed off on me,” he paused for a beat, “a lot.”
She rolled her eyes at him in exasperation. Then she turned back to Norris.
“Change of plans,” she announced. “You’re going to drive Logan’s borrowed car back to the marina. Logan will call the car’s owner to let him know where he can pick up the car. And he’ll leave him a hundred bucks for his trouble.”
“Will I?” Logan questioned.
She looked back at Logan. “Yes, you will. Where did you stash the car?”
“It’s just inside the service entrance. On the right side, bottom of what used to be the formal garden,” Logan directed.
She nodded. “Where are the keys?”
His voice dropped an octave. “In my right front pocket. You’ll have to dig deep for them.”
She rolled her eyes again. Norris made a disgusted sound and grabbed Logan by his shirtfront. He yanked Logan to his feet as though he was rag doll.
“Or I can just turn you over and bang your head into the ground until they fall out,” Norris suggested.
Veronica quickly interceded. “Let him go,” she ordered, pulling on Norris’s wrist.
Reluctantly, Norris let go. Logan released his pent-up breath and took a step back. Backup growled from behind him and Logan stepped forward again. Veronica shook her head in disgust.
“I think I’m going to choke from all the testosterone in this place,” she complained. She pulled Logan away from Norris and Backup then slipped the keys out of his pocket.
“That was smooth,” Logan complimented. “I barely felt a thing.”
Norris grabbed his shirtfront. “I’ll give you something you can feel,” he threatened.
Veronica caught his wrist and tugged. “Norris, we don’t have time,” she reminded him. “We have to stick to the plan.”
Norris glared at Logan but released him.
“Okay, I’m out of here.” He nodded at Veronica.
“One more thing,” she halted him. She turned to Logan. “Where’s your wallet?”
“My wallet?” Logan repeated. “I’m already giving you the party space, now I have to pay for it, too?”
Norris reached for Logan again and Veronica hastily stepped between them.
“Where is it, Logan?” she asked again.
“Why don’t you frisk me for it?” he snapped, his control worn dangerously thin.
Norris moved faster than Logan would have though a guy that large could move. One second he was standing, hands on hips, behind Veronica. Then the next second he had moved around Veronica and slammed Logan into the wall. Logan hissed in pain as his bound arms took the brunt of the contact.
“Norris, stop!” Veronica cried.
The spike in tension alerted Backup, who sprang up and growled menacingly at Logan.
“Stop it, all of you,” she ordered in exasperation.
She moved to stand between Logan and Backup then put her hand on Norris’s wrist.
Norris glared at Logan. “He doesn’t get away with talking to you like that.”
“I won’t let him get away with it,” she promised.
Norris reluctantly released Logan and stepped back. Logan took a deep breath.
“My wallet is in my right rear pocket,” he instructed quietly.
Veronica took out his wallet, removed a hundred dollars then put back his wallet.
“I’ll pay you back,” she promised as she gave the money to Norris.
Logan waited until Norris left before responding. “Don’t worry about paying me back. This is as close to third base as I’ve ever gotten with you,” he pointed out dryly.
Veronica sighed and knelt down to Backup. “That's right, Logan,” she shot back. “You always had to pay for it with me, huh? Because that’s all that a girl like me is good for.”
His eyes widened. “No, I didn’t mean it like that.”
She straightened. “It doesn’t matter - really.”
“Veronica, I meant that I’m just so fucking grateful that you’re touching me for some reason other than to choke me.” His words were tripping over each other in his haste to get them out. “I’ll take that anyway I can get it.”
She ignored his fumbled apology. “My dad will be here soon. Meg and Grace are in Mexico now. They’ll be on a plane to Cuba tomorrow morning and then they’ll be safe.”
Logan paused and forced his mind back to their present situation. “What about Norris? What’s next for him?”
“His part is finished. Now he just has to make sure his alibi is set, just in case.” She glanced at her watch. “We’re on schedule.”
“Okay. Explain to me why you think the New Dawn Church ordered the bus crash,” he asked.
She nodded. “We need to go back to the summer and Norris’s search for his son. Rhonda was putting pressure on the church and they were stalling her. Then they did something incredibly stupid.”
“What was that?”
“They gave Rhonda a payoff,” she stated flatly. “They thought the money would shut up her family and make them back down. Instead, it just made them greedier. Not only did they take the money, but Rhonda was still trying to get her baby back. She even threatened to go to the cops and the media. Worse, she had told Betina Marone about it.”
“And who is Betina?”
“Betina was Dick’s down-low fuck buddy. She also died on the bus.”
She went back to her bag, ruffled through the pictures and brought out Betina’s photo. Logan studied it and nodded. She put the photo back in her bag and continued.
“Betina had been having unprotected sex with Dick for the last few months, trying to become pregnant with his child. We think Betina approached the church and offered to sell her baby to them. Her original plan had been to milk Dick for child support or maybe pressure him into marriage.” Veronica shook her head. “But a guaranteed two million dollars probably seemed like a safer bet to Betina than trying to get money from Dick Casablancas.”
“Two millions dollars?” Logan gasped. “That’s how much the church paid Rhonda as hush money?”
She nodded solemnly. “Yes, but they hid it. Legally, it was a settlement for pain and suffering after Rhonda’s mother found a finger in her chili, at one of Woody’s restaurants.”
Logan’s head was beginning to spin. “Woody? Woody Goodman? He’s involved in this?”
“Yes, the Goodmans are members of the New Dawn Church. Their son, Rodney, is adopted. And they’re raising him by the church’s teachings. I was at Gia’s house and I met Rodney.” Her mouth tightened at the memory. “He spilled a glass of water. Woody told Rodney that he’d have to tell Mrs. Goodman about the spill. Poor Rodney was practically shaking with fear. They were going to punish him for spilling a glass of water.” She looked at Logan with wide, horrified eyes. “Can you believe that?”
Logan expression was grim. “Yeah, I can.”
Veronica looked stricken. She cleared her throat then continued. “So now the church officials were worried. They had two loose cannons out there, threatening to destroy everything they had worked so hard to build. “
Logan was having trouble making the puzzle pieces fit. “Are you saying the church was willing to kill all those kids to take out Rhonda and Betina? That’s just crazy. Goodman’s own kid was on that bus.”
“But she wasn’t on the bus for the return trip.” Veronica pointed out. “The bus smelled bad and Dick called his dad to send a limo. My dad later found out that there was a dead rat taped under one of the seats on the bus. Dad pointed out to me that a dead rat only has one purpose.”
“Which is?” Logan prompted.
“It smells bad,” she explained simply. “So none of the 09ers, except Meg, were on that bus.”
He shook his head. “It still doesn’t make sense to me. What if Dick’s dad hadn’t sent the limo?”
“Then Woody would have done it. He knew that bus was going to explode. He wasn’t going to risk his daughter’s life.”
“But you think they were willing to kill the rest of those kids. That…” Logan stared at her in blank disbelief. “That’s just crazy,” he concluded.
“Yes, it is,” she agreed. “But think about the people who died on that bus and compare them to the values of the New Dawn Church.”
She went over and picked up her bag again. She came back with the stack of pictures. She moved Rhonda and Betina’s photos to the bottom then held up the next one.
“First we have the driver, Ed Doyle,” she began. “He was a middle-aged man with no money, no ambitions and no connections.”
She flipped to the next picture. “Second was Leslie Dumas, our substitute journalism teacher. She was young, intelligent, well educated, and beautiful. But she had one fatal flaw.”
“And what was that?”
“She was black,” Veronica said flatly.
Logan just blinked at her, speechless.
“There isn’t a single member of the New Dawn Church or babies adopted through the church who are non-white,” she elaborated. “Moving on to the other kids on the bus, we have Cervando Perez. He was a member of the PCHers. He had a three-point-five GPA and ambition but…”
“Let me guess,” he interjected grimly. “But he was too brown.”
Veronica nodded. “Yes. Plus, he had scammed Liam Fitzpatrick out of money. Offing Cervando was double points.”
She shifted and held up two photos, side-by-side. “Now we move on to Marcos Oliveres and Peter Ferrer. Marcos was Mexican but Peter passed the Aryan looks criteria; however they shared what the church considered ‘a defect’.”
“And what was that?”
“They were both gay,” she informed him. “Homosexuality is an abomination, according to the church.” She gathered the pictures together. “So, Rhonda and Betina were the targets but everyone else was acceptable collateral damage.”
“What about you?” Logan asked starkly. “Did they intend to kill you, too?”
She busied herself with putting the pictures away. “I’m not sure. On one hand, I’m blond-haired, blue-eyed and intelligent. I fit the physical criteria. And, as a bonus, I’m capable of attracting two of the wealthiest 09ers in Neptune,” she added sarcastically.
Logan shrugged and nodded. “There is that. With that handy skill, you’d be pretty valuable to the church.”
She glared at him. “On the other hand,” she continued, “I like to stick my nose where people don’t want it, I’m poor and I come from a broken home with an alcoholic mother and a father who was the former disgraced sheriff.”
“He’s not disgraced anymore,” Logan pointed out.
Veronica couldn’t hold back a small smile of pride. “True. My father has since been vindicated and he’s a man who will never give up in his search for the truth. By killing me, they would have to deal with Keith Mars. Even the Fitzpatricks avoid confronting my dad if they can.” She paused to think about it. “So I guess I wasn’t supposed to be a target,” she concluded.
He stopped to think about it, too. “I’m glad,” he said simply.
She just stared at him, her expression unreadable.
He cleared his throat. “What about Meg? Why was she on the bus? Why didn’t she take the limo?”
The corners of Veronica’s mouth twitched down and she took a deep breath to compose herself. She covered her eyes with her hand before she spoke.
“Meg was angry with me,” Veronica explained. “She took the bus because Duncan and I were supposed to be in the limo. We had just started dating again. It upset her to see us happy when she was in so much pain. I went on the bus to try to talk to her. She had just been reinstated to the cheerleading squad. I tried to start off by talking about that but she shut me out. She thought that I had forgotten about her pregnancy and my promise to help her.”
Veronica uncovered her eyes, her features tight with anguish. “I didn’t forget. I didn’t know then what I know now.” Her voice cracked and she had to clear her throat to speak again. “If I had known how much danger Meg was in, I would have driven her across the border myself the first day she came to me.” She looked away, her voice thick with tears.
“It’s okay, Veronica. I know you wanted to help Meg. And she obviously knows it now, too,” Logan soothed.
He cautiously leaned forward and pressed his forehead against hers, giving her comfort the only way he could. She sniffed and closed her eyes, holding back the tears.
“You have no idea how guilty I feel,” she whispered.
“You have nothing to be guilty about,” he reassured her softly. “You did the best you could with the information you had.” He gently bumped his forehead into hers, making her open her tear-soaked eyes. “No one else would have done - or could have done - as much for Meg as you did. You came through for her, Veronica.”
She looked at him hopefully. “Do you think she sees it that way?”
He rubbed his forehead against hers. “I know she does.”
Veronica shut her eyes again, relief easing some of the tightness out her face. She rested her fingertips hesitantly on his shoulders. Logan shifted to nuzzle her cheek when a sharp click made her jump away from him. He turned to the sound and saw Keith Mars standing in the doorway, gun held loosely at his side and murder in his eyes.
Veronica hurriedly brushed her tears away as she crossed to her father. “Dad. How’s Lizzie? Is she okay?” she asked anxiously.
“She’s fine. She’s in the safe house with her Aunt Chris,” Keith spoke to Veronica but kept his gaze fixed on Logan.
“Norris took Logan’s car back to the marina,’ she explained. “And Meg and Grace made it across the border without problems.”
Keith’s gaze flickered to his daughter briefly. “I know. Mac called me.” He looked back at Logan. “Now we’ve got to take care of him.”
Veronica also turned to look at Logan then looked back at her father.
“What do you want to do?” she asked cautiously.
Keith’s eyes narrowed. Logan was pretty sure Keith wanted to bury him under the boathouse, especially after catching him nuzzling his daughter. He hoped the former sheriff’s sense of justice would overcome his fatherly desire to murder his daughter’s ex-boyfriend.
“He’ll have to go to the safe house with you,” Keith decided, holstering his gun.
“Dad, I don’t have to go into a safe house,” she protested.
He turned to look at his daughter. “Yes, you do,” he contradicted sternly. “All hell is going to break loose in a few hours. The Mannings are going to report Grace and Lizzie missing, the New Dawn Church will collapse, half of the wealthiest families up and down the west coast will be under investigation for child abuse, Goodman is going to be arrested for fraud, and the El Mano enforcers are going to be scouring the gutters looking for Griffith and the Fitzpatricks. CPS, the FBI, the SEC and the DEA are going to be crawling all over Neptune. Who do you think is first person Lamb is going to haul in for questioning?”
She looked grim. “Me.”
He touched his nose and nodded. Then he nodded at Logan. “One word from lover boy here and you’ll be sharing a cell with Kendall Casablancas.”
Veronica’s mouth tightened and she nodded. She bent down and grabbed her messenger bag. “I’m ready,” she announced.
Keith smiled encouragingly at her as he walked over to Logan. His smile died as he looked over the teenager. “Turn around,” he ordered.
Logan released his breath on a hiss but did as he was told. “I’m not going to say anything to anyone,” he insisted. He grunted as Keith began to tug on the ropes binding him.
Keith used the ropes to pull Logan closer. “You’re not going to get a chance to tell anyone,” he snarled.
Keith yanked on the ropes again and Logan cried out in pain. And then he was free. He winced as he shook out his hands, the blood rushing painfully to his fingers. Veronica, looking anxious and concerned, stepped closer to him but stopped when her father turned to glare at her. She hesitated then stepped back. Keith turned back to Logan.
“Know this, Logan,” Keith informed him, his voice dangerously low. “I love my daughter. I will do anything to protect her. Anything. You keep that in mind.”
Keith looked Logan directly in the eyes and Logan stepped back, shocked. Logan thought he had seen Keith Mars angry before, when Keith had thrown him out of the Mars’s apartment, but that look was nothing compared to this. The man in front of him was cold, ruthless and determined.
“You won’t get any trouble from me,” Logan promised quietly.
Keith nodded. “Then let’s go,” he ordered.
He turned, put his arm around Veronica and hugged her to his side. Veronica called to Backup who was standing alertly at the open doorway. Immediately, the pit bull was at her other side. They walked over to Keith’s nondescript sedan. Keith opened the front passenger door.
“Logan, you drive,” he announced as he opened the back door for Veronica and Backup.
Logan nodded, shook his hands out again then walked around to the driver’s side. He slid behind the wheel and adjusted the seat and mirrors as he waited for the others to get comfortable. He looked in the rearview and studied Veronica’s pale, worried face.
He had to admire her audacity and her guts. And her ruthless determination to protect those she loved. His chest ached with regret as he thought back on the events of the previous summer. How differently would things be today if he had spent his time and energy being with Veronica instead of on revenge?
There certainly wouldn’t have been Duncan or Kendall. If Veronica had been able to depend on him, then he would have been the one she plotted with - and slept with. And he would probably have had that bleeding ulcer from worrying about her. But at least he would have had the right to worry about her.
Keith slammed his door sharply and jerked Logan out of his bitter reverie. Logan turned and looked at the furious expression on the older man’s face. Logan swallowed nervously.
“Where am I going?” he asked quietly.
“Don’t turn the lights on until you’re off the service drive,” Keith instructed. “When you get to the end of the drive, turn right. I’ll give you directions when you need them.”
Logan nodded and started the car. He backed the car out, maneuvered around Veronica’s Le Baron and carefully drove towards the rear entrance, guided only by the full moon.
“What about my car?” Veronica asked.
“We’ll leave it here for now,” Keith answered.
“It might be spotted in the morning,” she warned.
“If it is, and it’s recognized, people will probably think you’re out with Logan.” Keith looked pained at the thought.
Logan wisely said nothing. It was never a good idea to draw attention to yourself when an over-protective father was worried about the affect being with him was going to have on his sweet daughter’s reputation. He was very aware of the gun poking out of Keith’s shoulder holster.
Logan followed Keith’s directions and soon they were out of Neptune, heading east into the desert and past the small, dingy towns that occasionally dotted the highway. They drove steadily through the dark night, with only Backup’s occasional whines and Veronica’s soothing murmurs to break the silence. Keith was quiet and grim, his gaze constantly moving, from the road in front of him to the road behind him and Logan beside him. Finally, after about an hour, Keith directed Logan to pull up behind a small, ramshackle house hidden at the end of a long, dusty drive.
They all got out, worn and weary from the tense drive. Keith led them to the door, unlocked it and allowed them to precede him inside. Backup immediately began to investigate, alertly sniffing around the tiny living room. Keith went to the back, opened a door against the far wall and went inside. Veronica went into the kitchen, divided from the living room by a counter with stools, and opened the refrigerator. She came back a moment later with three bottles of water and a tray of shrink-wrapped sandwiches.
Logan took the tray from her and looked baffled. He set it on the coffee table.
“I stocked up yesterday,” she explained. “I also cleaned the bathroom and fixed up the bedroom. This is going to be home until things quiet down in Neptune.” She set the water bottles on the table and headed back to the kitchen area.
“Wow, finally, I get to shack up with Veronica Mars.” Logan clasped his hands and looked towards the ceiling. “Thank you. My life is now complete.”
“Your life will be over if my dad hears you,” she warned him, coming back with a bowl of water.
“Why do you think I kept my voice down?” he pointed out. “I may be stupid sometimes but I’m not suicidal.”
She became very still for a moment then she set the bowl down by the sofa. Backup hurried over and eagerly lapped at the water. She scratched the pit bull behind the ears.
“That’s good, Logan,” she said as she continued to look down at her dog. “At least that’s progress for you.”
He sat down on the sofa. “I was never suicidal, Veronica,” he said quietly. “Not even that day. I just…needed to spend some time with my mother.”
She nodded, still not looking at him. He was about to speak again when Keith rejoined them. She looked up at her father.
“Are you hungry? We have sandwiches.” She nodded towards the coffee table. “There’s other stuff in the fridge if you want something else.”
“No, this is great.” Keith reached down and picked up several sandwiches and a bottle of water. “I have to get going.”
Veronica tensed and straightened away from Backup. She went over to her father and hugged him. Keith held her tightly and looked up, his jaw rigid as he fought to hold back his emotions. Finally Keith pushed her away, his hands still on her shoulders.
“You take of yourself and don’t do anything stupid,” he ordered.
She nodded. “I won’t,” she promised. “I’ll be fine. I’ve got Backup and I’ve got Logan. They’ll take care of me.”
Keith’s expression darkened at the mention of Logan. He looked over to the teenager and studied him. Logan stood up, meeting Keith’s gaze. Finally, Keith came to a decision.
“Have you ever used a gun, Logan?” he asked.
Logan blinked, startled. “Yes,” he answered.
“What kind?”
Logan shrugged. “Lots of them. Mostly pistols,” he answered.
“Semi-automatic?”
“And revolvers,” Logan replied.
“Have you ever used a Ruger?” Keith asked.
Logan nodded. “Yeah, a .38 Special and .357 Magnum,” he confirmed.
“Are you any good with them?” Keith asked.
Logan looked him directly in the eyes. “If I have to be.”
Keith nodded towards the side table behind Logan. “There’s a .38 in that top drawer.” He pointed to the kitchen. “There’s another one in the drawer beside the sink.” He nodded towards the back wall. “There’s a Blackhawk in the bedside table and there’s a Bisley in the bathroom. All are fully loaded, all have extra cartridges with them.”
Logan’s mouth fell open. Keith stepped closer to him.
“Pay attention, Logan,” Keith snapped.
Logan shut his mouth with an audible click. “I am.”
Keith pointed to a small corner closet. “That closet is steel reinforced. I’ll call before I come back. If anyone else shows up here, anyone, your job is to get Veronica, Backup and yourself into that closet. There’s a trap door that leads into a tunnel. Backup knows that tunnel inside and out. There is a car at the end of the tunnel. The key is taped inside that steel door. If anything goes wrong, you get in that car and drive as far and as fast as you can.”
Keith stepped forward until he was practically nose-to-nose with Logan. “Do you understand what I need you to do, Logan?”
Logan nodded solemnly. “Yes, I do.”
Keith studied him for a long moment. “I don't trust you, Logan, but I know you'll do everything you can to protect Veronica,” he announced.
Logan swallowed hard and nodded.
Keith looked grimly satisfied. Then he turned back to Veronica, who had been uncharacteristically silent during the exchange. “Do you remember the codeword?” he asked her.
“Yes,” she confirmed as she slid her arms around his waist and hugged him again.
He held her close. “And, unless I give you the codeword, you go directly into that closet. Understand?”
“Yes, Dad.”
He hugged her hard and looked at Logan over her shoulder. Logan stood up straight and nodded. Keith nodded back then detangled himself from his daughter. He kissed the top of Veronica’s head then slipped out.
Veronica went to the window and waited as her father pulled away. Then she sighed heavily and rested her head against the glass. Logan went to the side table and opened it. The gun and spare cartridge were the only items in the drawer.
“We should check all the guns,” he suggested.
She nodded and went into the kitchen. He watched her take out the gun, release the clip, check the barrel, reload and reset the safety. Her actions were quick and competent.
“You know how to use a gun,” he remarked, impressed.
“Sheriff’s daughter,” she reminded him. “I grew up with guns. I’ll check the bedroom, you check the bathroom.”
Bedroom. One bedroom.
“Your father was going to leave you here alone?” he demanded.
“It’s not as dangerous as it seems,” she reassured. “He just wants to prepare for the worst. He’s antsy because you’re here. He knows that we had a security breech. And if one person knows…” she trailed off without finishing the thought.
“I didn’t tell anyone,” he insisted. “And, unlike Norris, I made sure I wasn’t followed.”
She walked into the bedroom so he went into the bathroom. He checked the gun then checked out the bathroom. It was small but clean and functional. Fresh towels were neatly stacked on the shelf above the toilet and the postage stamp sized shower sparkled. There was a small window just above the shower. He studied it and decided that it was too small for even someone Veronica’s size to fit through. He walked back into the living area.
“The bathroom is secure,” he announced. “It looks like the only ways to get in is through the door or these windows out here.”
Veronica brought a bowl of food over for Backup. “There’s a large window in the bedroom, too,” she informed him. “But all the glass is shatterproof so we should have enough warning.”
Logan went over to inspect the closet. He found the key, a flashlight and the hook that worked the trap door. He tested the trap door. It opened and closed smoothly. He closed the closet door and went back into the living room. He flopped down onto the sofa beside Veronica and looked over at Backup.
“How come he’s not growling at me and eyeing my family jewels?” he asked as he watched the pit bull munch contentedly at his dinner.
“He’ll be calm around you for as long as I am,” she explained. “Try to jump me and see how fast he goes for your claim to fame.”
Logan snorted. “Let me guess. Your dad taught him that trick while we were still dating?”
She smiled faintly. “Possibly”
He smiled back then asked the question he had been mulling over during the car ride.
“So who made the call?”
“Which call?”
“The call about Curly Moran.”
“Oh, that call,” she recalled. “Leo did.”
“Leo? Why?”
“Lamb was happy to believe that Ed Doyle, the bus driver, had crashed the bus while committing suicide. Leo had started investigating and knew there was more to the story. He couldn’t call my dad or me because he knew we’d trace the tip back to him,” she sighed. “So he needed to pass along the information to someone who would check it out but not bother to find the informant.”
She shifted to a more comfortable position. “He saw a bunch of the PCHers at your house while he was breaking up the party and decided to pass the information on to Weevil.”
Logan thought that over. “So what’s Leo’s story?” he asked. “Why is he involved in this now when he was trying so hard to hide his involvement before?”
“Leo was the one who stole the Lilly and Aaron tapes,” Veronica reminded him. “But, in the end, he couldn’t stomach the idea of the tapes out in the open and Lilly exploited after her death. He sold them to you because he knew you would destroy them.”
Logan nodded but said nothing.
“When my dad confronted him, Leo said that he stole the tapes because he needed the money for his little sister’s special schooling.”
“What kind of special schooling?”
“She has Down Syndrome,” she explained. “That didn’t make sense to me because Lisa is already in special schooling. The school district has a program for special needs children. His parents had told me all about it when I first met Lisa. And then it hit me.”
Logan stiffened. “Who hit you?” he demanded.
“Not ‘who’, ‘what’,” she corrected. “Leo’s parents are older and they have dark hair and dark eyes, just like Leo. Lisa is only eight and has blond hair and blue eyes.”
Logan blinked as he connected the dots. “She’s adopted.”
Veronica nodded. “I confronted Leo and he admitted what was really going on. He had just lost his job at the sheriff’s station and was desperate. He needed money to pay off a blackmailer.”
“Blackmailer? Leo was being blackmailed?”
“His parents were,” she corrected. “Leo explained that a few weeks earlier his parents had gotten a blackmail demand, complete with pictures.”
He wrinkled his brow. “What did they do?”
Veronica sighed and looked down at her hands. Logan looked down and noticed that she was clasping and unclasping them nervously.
“Leo’s dad was a sanitation worker,” she explained. “Eight years ago, he was preparing to empty a garbage bin behind one of the grocery stores. But the arm that lifted the dumpsters had gotten stuck. So Mr. D’Amato got out of his truck to inspect the arm and heard crying from inside the dumpster. He found Lisa, thrown away like she didn’t matter.”
Logan’s mouth dropped open but no words emerged.
“Mr. D’Amato wrapped Lisa up in his shirt and rushed home with her,” Veronica continued. “Mrs. D’Amato is a nurse so she was able to take care of Lisa. It was obvious that Lisa had Down Syndrome. The D’Amatos were afraid that Lisa would be sent to some institution and not properly cared for if they took her to the authorities.”
“So they kept her and didn’t say a word about it. Another illegal adoption,” Logan concluded.
Veronica was still looking at her hands. “That’s right. They knew that not everyone is able to or wants to take care of a baby with Lisa’s special needs. They had the love she needed. Everything was fine until the blackmail threats. Someone sent them pictures from that day, of Mr. D’Amato taking Lisa out of the garbage, wrapping her up and taking her home.”
Logan understood. “So, I take it the blackmailer told Leo’s parents to come up with the money or threatened to tell Child Protective Services that the D’Amatos had kidnapped Lisa.”
“That’s right,” she confirmed. “They didn’t go through legal channels, either. And, after having Lisa for eight years, there’s no way they can give her up.”
Logan frowned. “I only gave Leo fifty grand. Was that enough to pay the blackmailer?”
She shook her head. “No, it wasn’t. But once I knew what was going on, I was able to get Leo the money he needed.”
Jealousy flared inside Logan and made his voice sharp. “Let me guess. Duncan? He gave you the money?”
“No, it was Cassidy,” she corrected. “The Phoenix Land Trust gave Leo the money.”
For some reason, that made him feel better. Although he knew he was a little shit for even caring where the money came from when it was used to protect an innocent little girl.
“So you had Leo pay the blackmail to gain time, investigated Lisa’s birth and connected her to the New Dawn Church,” he concluded “And Leo joined you in your plan to bring down the church.”
She stopped fiddling with her hands and laid them flat on her thighs. “I didn’t have to investigate Lisa’s birth,” she informed him. “Mrs. D’Amato was a nurse at Neptune Memorial. It was easy for her to go through the hospital records and find the only baby born with Down Syndrome at that time. Lisa was born before the church was powerful enough to own doctors and nurses or to build a birth center. Mrs. D’Amato made a copy of Lisa’s medical file, including her original birth certificate.”
She finally looked up at Logan. There was deep sadness in her big blue eyes. “The birth mother was, at the time, a fifteen-year-old sophomore from Pan High. All of her medical expenses were paid for by a private account Mac traced back to the Levi Stinson Sanctuary House. But Mrs. D’Amato didn’t know the significance of that information at that time. She just kept the original records and she created a new birth certificate listing herself and Mr. D’Amato as Lisa’s parents.”
“Just like the New Dawn Church does,” he pointed out gently.
“But they did it to protect Lisa,” she defended fiercely. “Not to try to mold a sweet, innocent baby into something out of The Children of the Corn.”
“Veronica, it’s okay,” he soothed. “They did what they had to do to protect that baby. If everybody was like the D’Amatos this world would be a better place.” He looked away, his mouth drawn into a thin line.
They were both quiet for a moment then Veronica cleared her throat.
“Leo and his parents were so concerned with getting the money that they didn’t stop to ask the obvious question.”
Logan turned back to look at her. “What obvious question?”
“Why now?” she stated simply. “Why did they pick now to start blackmailing the D’Amatos? The church threw Lisa away eight years ago because she didn’t match their idea of perfection. They threw her in a dumpster but stuck around to watch when she was discovered. Whoever that person was, he not only watched her to fight to live but took pictures of her struggle.” Her voice wavered and she had to stop speaking.
“Lisa’s okay now,” Logan pointed out gently. “She’s in a good home with people who love her and will do anything to protect her.”
“That’s what those monsters in the church were counting on,” Veronica pointed out. “They knew that the D’Amatos weren’t wealthy people. But they would sacrifice everything they had to keep their daughter. And they were counting on Leo coming to me for help.”
“What do you mean?”
“For eight years, they didn’t care about Lisa,” Veronica reminded him. “Now, right when Duncan and I were pressing the Mannings to let us see Meg, the D’Amatos are blackmailed and the mystery witness from the bridge, who really isn’t the witness from the bridge, comes forward to have you re-arrested.”
He was stunned. “You said earlier that Griffith went to the cops as a way to distract you. You think that blackmailing the D’Amatos was another attempt to keep you from seeing Meg?”
“The timing was too perfect, it couldn’t be a coincidence,” she insisted.
“But what does Meg have to do with the church?”
“Meg’s parents are members of the New Dawn Church,” Veronica informed him grimly.
Logan’s mouth dropped open. It was a moment before he could speak. “Meg and her sisters are adopted?” He thought about that for a moment. “Yeah, I can see Meg as product of the church’s teachings but Lizzie is wild. Or at least she was wild. She doesn’t seem to be anymore. I didn’t even recognize her at first when I saw her earlier.”
“No, neither Meg nor Lizzie are adopted and they weren’t raised with the church’s teachings.” She explained. “Mr. and Mrs. Manning didn’t join the New Dawn Church until they adopted Grace last year.”
He jerked in surprise. “Grace is adopted? But I thought the church only adopted out babies. Grace is five or six years old.”
“She’s seven,” Veronica corrected. “Do you remember that purity test scandal that happened last year?”
She waited for him to nod before she continued. “One of Meg’s so-called friends logged on as her and trashed her. Mr. Manning was furious, he threatened to sue the school board and went through Meg’s room. Even though I was able to prove that Meg’s score was faked, Mr. Manning seemed to have snapped. The church was actively recruiting him because of his wealth. According to Meg, her parents became more strict and rigid every day. Then one day they came home with Grace. They explained that Grace’s parents had been killed in a car accident and that Grace needed a new home.”
“Was that true?”
“Yes, because of Grace’s age, the church had to do a legal adoption. But the church owns judges and lawyers now, so the transfer was quick and easy. Mac verified that Grace’s original adoptive parents died in a freeway crash. A drunk driver hit them on their way home from church. Ironic, huh?” she questioned.
Logan was quiet as he tried to reconcile what she had just told him with what he already knew. “When did Meg give you this information? You told me before that she wouldn’t tell you what was going on at home,” he reminded her.
“She didn’t tell me when she first found out she was pregnant. I need to go a little further back to explain what happen to Meg,” she warned.
He shifted to face her and propped his elbow on the sofa back. “Trust me, I’m practically glued to my seat,” he assured her as he cupped his head in his hand.
She also shifted to face him. “Back in early June, we confirmed that Meg was pregnant. I didn’t know back then that Meg’s parents had joined the church. I had Mac tracing the recent births of baby boys and chasing the financials. Meg wouldn’t tell me what was going on at home, only that she had to get out.”
“And that’s when you called Duncan and told him about Meg,” he clarified.
She shook her head. “No, I didn’t tell him about Meg being pregnant. Meg made me promise not to tell anyone about it. I only told Duncan that Meg was having serious trouble at home and needed to get away from her parents. But I did tell him about Norris’s son.”
Abruptly, she turned away from him and sat up straight.
Logan stiffened. “What?”
Section 3