Chapter 14: Ice, Ice, Baby (Part B)
Title: All Fall Down
Pairing / Character: Veronica/Logan, Keith
Rating: PG-13 to R
Words: 109,131
Summary: In Neptune, the brighter the summer sun, the deeper the shadows.
Spoilers / Warnings: Seasons 1 and 2 / Language and adult situations
Chapter 14: ICE, ICE, BABY
Author: herowlness and sarah_p
Additional Characters: Casey, Dick, JP, Madison, Susan Knight, Wallace
Rating: PG-13
Words: 12,811
Author’s Note: All Fall Down is a collaborative effort by 20 writers. You can learn more about this project here.
We've gotten a lot of input from the various AFD authors for this chapter, but we'd like to give special thanks to kantayra, mastermia, mutinousmuse, and onastick.
herowlness would like to especially thank Sarah for being an awesome cowriter and really making this experience a hell of a lot easier. I couldn't have done it without you, babe. :)
sarah_p would like to thank Lizzy for being so darn hot. And for being an awesome co-writer. But mainly for the hot ;).
X-posted to veronicamarsfic, fic_from_mars, crackapalooza, herowlness_fic, and sarah_and_lizzy.
All Fall Down
Chapter Fourteen, Part Two
ICE, ICE, BABY
Once again, Keith pored over Veronica’s notes. He'd noted a reference to Professor Tyler Wilson's psychological assessments. Apparently, some of the missing girls - Marisol Reyes, Rosa Ramirez, and Tracy Gonzalez - had been research subjects. Keith knew from years of work on the police force that eighty-two percent of all child abductions were committed by someone the child knew, and through his job, Wilson had had an easy in with scores of school age girls.
Of course, he also knew that after the first twenty-four hours, the probability of finding a missing child alive dropped. Significantly.
He didn't dwell on that, instead focusing on getting answers for the families of the missing girls and preventing the disappearance of any more Neptune schoolchildren. Veronica's notes indicated that she no longer considered him to be a suspect after she'd checked out his criminal record and run his file. However, if the professor had any connections to James K. Polk Middle School where Grace Manning attended school, Keith would have to reevaluate him as a suspect.
Keith reached for the phone and dialed, waiting for his daughter to answer her cell phone.
"Yeah?"
"Hey, sweetie. How are you doing?"
"Good, I think. The latest sabotage attempt was averted by Joey's mom, believe it or not. What about you? Have you had any luck tracking down Grace?"
"That's actually why I'm calling," Keith clarified, torn between wanting to keep her completely removed from the case and saving himself a few extra hours of legwork. However, Veronica had had a point when she'd first mentioned this case - the important thing here was to realize that the lives of a number of little girls hung in the balance. If Veronica could speed up this investigation, that was for the best. "Do you remember Professor Tyler Wilson?"
"The creep from the psychology department at Hearst? Yeah, definitely. What's going on? I looked into him a few weeks ago, but I couldn’t find anything that would stick."
"Do you remember if he did any of his research at any other Neptune schools, other than East Neptune Middle School?" he asked.
"Um." She paused for a moment, giving his question due consideration. "I don’t think so. I'm pretty sure that all the files Logan and I found in his office were only for East Neptune."
"You're positive? Nothing at all on James K. Polk Middle School?" he pressed, wanting to be certain that the name wouldn't ring any bells. Of course, if she did change her answer at the name, it meant that he'd have to verify that fact, but he preferred to be thorough rather than leaving a possible line of investigation untouched.
"No, Dad, I would have remembered if Wilson was involved with JKP. I mean, that’s where I went to school. I wouldn't forget something like that. Why?"
"Thanks, honey," he responded, brushing off her question. "I'll see you at home later tonight, okay?"
"Yeah, okay. Bye."
Replacing the receiver, Keith stared down at his case notes. Now what?
The next morning, Veronica exhaled in frustration as she rewound the tapes for what felt like the hundredth time. She wanted to see a fan holding a sign, proclaiming them to be "Joey's biggest fan," or something equally obvious, but she'd had no such luck yet. Of course, there were the typical "marry me" signs addressed to each of the halfway decent-looking skaters, but nothing indicated that anyone in particular was Joey's biggest fan.
She drove to Manny's Flower Hut, hoping some simple investigating would be enough to identify the saboteur. If she was lucky, someone other than Manny would be working. In the event that the culprit hadn’t paid by check or credit card, she knew from previous experience that he wasn't very good at describing patrons.
The bells above the door chimed with her entrance, and Veronica was relieved to see Susan Knight walk in from the back room.
"Hey, Susan. How are you? How's your little boy?"
"I'm doing great. Sean is growing bigger every day. He said his first word a few months ago. He's going to be so smart," she bragged proudly. "How about you, Veronica?"
"I'm fine. I'm going to Hearst this fall, and I'm still helping my dad out with some cases. Which, actually, is why I'm here. I have a client who’s being stalked by a crazed fan, and I need to figure out who’s behind it all."
"And you think it has something to do with us?" Susan asked, flabbergasted.
"Not directly. He got a bouquet and a balloon that looked like that one," Veronica pointed towards a replica of the one Joey received. "The card said that the balloon, at least, came from here. I was hoping you could check to see if it was paid for with a check or credit card? Or could I look at the security tape so I can identify the person?"
"We have security cameras, but Manny rerecords over the old tape the next day. He doesn't see why they'd be important, except in the case of a robbery," Susan apologized. "But if you don't mind waiting, I check up on the sale."
"That would be great, Susan. Thanks."
Susan slipped into the back, and the bells above the entryway chimed. Veronica was more than a bit surprised at who she saw walking towards her.
"Veronica Mars," a warm voice greeted her. "Haven't seen you in a while."
"Not since Logan's housewarming party," she agreed. "It's good to see you, Casey. What have you been up to?"
"Actually," he said conspiratorially, "I just signed this biography that's gotten a lot of press for my family's publishing company."
"That's great!" she enthused. "I'm sure your parents are really proud."
"They actually don't know yet. All they really care about is that the company makes enough money to keep them in luxury cars and country club memberships. They'll find out at the press conference tomorrow, with the rest of the world."
"Wow, so I'm like the first to know?"
"Outside of our lawyers and the guy's agent and some top executives? Yeah."
"I feel so important. Now if only Gant Publishing were publicly traded, I could actually make some money off of this deal."
He laughed. "Enough about me and my boring life. How are you? How's Logan?"
"I'm good. I'm actually here working on a case. And I think Logan's fine," she finished reluctantly, offering Casey an unsure smile.
"Are you two … " he trailed off awkwardly, apparently not wanting to say "broken up."
"Yeah, for a few weeks now." He opened his mouth to offer some clichéd platitude, but she waved him off. "It's fine. Life is simpler this way, you know?"
Her words were true, but they weren't the entire truth. While her life was simpler without Logan, it was also a lot less exciting.
"Well, nice running into you, Veronica."
"You too, Casey," she agreed, watching him walk towards a case full of pre-prepared arrangements.
Veronica turned to the counter, offering Susan an encouraging smile. "Did you find anything?"
"The good news is that we've only sold one of those balloons in the past week, so I know who must have made the purchase. The thing is, he paid with cash. Sorry."
"Were you working then? Do you remember what he looked like?" Veronica pressed.
"Well, the receipt says he came by early yesterday - just after we opened. The only person I can remember is a kid. He was adorable.”
Veronica refrained from rolling her eyes. Susan was just answering her questions and telling her about the boy she'd helped. It wasn’t her fault that evil came in all shapes and sizes. "Do you remember anything about his appearance?"
"Um, he was a few inches shorter than I am, with light brown hair. His voice, that was different too. Like he had a lisp or something, I think?"
"Okay, thanks, Susan. Give me a call if you remember anything else?"
"Will do. Take care, Veronica."
"What the hell is all this crap?" Wallace asked as he met up with Logan in the rink parking lot. He dug through the duffel bag and encountered more and more doo-dads that he wasn't familiar with.
"Technology," Logan responded succinctly. "Just in case we need it.”
"Need it for what? I thought we were just here to make sure that skater guy isn’t putting the moves on V. You have enough gadgetry here to outfit a team of CIA agents."
"Just put on the damn earpiece, Wallace."
"Tell me again why we had to be here so damn early?"
"So we can see what’s going on before all the fans get here,” Logan explained, handing Wallace a map of the building with different areas marked off and highlighted in an organized manner. "The sectors in blue are yours, and I'll cover the ones marked in green. If you find anything, let me know," he instructed, motioning towards their com sets. "Any questions?"
Wallace looked over the map Logan had created in disbelief. Even Veronica would be impressed. Which, he suddenly realized, was probably the point. With a sigh he looked up. "Let's just get this over with."
It wasn't too much later when Logan spied Veronica and Joey from across the ice. They were only talking - thankfully - but Joey was much too close to her for Logan’s peace of mind. He had his hand on her shoulder, and was leaning towards her. Fucking leaning. Thankfully, Veronica stepped away from him before he got any closer.
"What the hell kind of name is Joey anyhow?" he muttered. "A real man would go by Joe. Or Joseph."
"What?" Wallace's voice crackled in his ear.
"Uh, checking out Sector 1-C right now."
"Oookay," was Wallace’s only response.
Watching some more from across the ice, Logan sighed. He didn’t know if things with Joey were serious, but Veronica deserved so much better. She deserved a man, not a frilly skater boy. She deserved someone who could watch her back, but who could still stand up to her and be her equal.
Someone like him.
But they weren't good for each other. He knew that, deep down inside. And that's why he'd broken it off.
Of course, that didn't stop him from thinking about her. It didn’t stop him from wanting her.
He was well and truly fucked.
And not at all like he wanted to be.
Hours later, Keith still hadn't made any progress on the case. He'd used Veronica's notes and the related newspaper articles he'd found on the internet, and he checked and double-checked to see if anything was missing.
Frustrated, he started compiling a list of all the missing girls and their demographics. The key to finding out who'd taken them would likely rest in their commonalities. It took some time and a number of database searches, but eventually he had it.
The similarities were basic - all of them were young girls between the ages of nine and fourteen, and each had gone missing from her own neighborhood. Most of them were Hispanic, but Grace Manning was about as white as one could get.
Keith didn't have much to go on. Really, only the ages of the girls were similar, but something about it seemed so familiar that he tried to concentrate, to focus his mind on the clue that just might break the case.
And then it hit him.
He'd had a similar case many, many years ago. Well, maybe it had been similar. It was so long ago that he couldn't be positive about the minutiae of the case, but there was a chance he still had some of the old case notes. They weren’t more than a few pages of nearly indecipherable scrawl, but he'd hung onto them after leaving Fresno, on the off-chance that he might later be able to use them. Lianne had tried, more than once, to throw them away, saying that they were nothing more than dust magnets that he'd never look at again and that he shouldn't hold on so tightly to his past.
Vindicated, Keith sped home, ran through to the front door, and pulled the tattered box out of the corner of his closet. He'd known he might need it, that eventually it would come in handy. And he'd been right.
Well, at least partially right.
The girls who had gone missing in Fresno had almost all been Caucasian. Kalie Wong was the only one who appeared to be any different.
The girls were about the same age and had disappeared in much the same way that the Neptune girls had. Unlike in Neptune, however, there had been no out-of-place vehicle noted in the girls' neighborhoods. However, the prime suspect at the time, Dina Clark, had been seen in the areas before each disappearance.
They'd never learned what Dina's motive had been, as she'd been killed by an irate father before they could get her into custody. Keith couldn't extrapolate a possible reason as to why these girls were disappearing now, but if he could get copies of the case files from the Fresno Police Department, he might learn more.
Keith knew that Dina Clark couldn't be responsible for the Neptune crimes. After all, it was hardly possible for a ghost to make a half-dozen vibrant, terrestrial girls disappear. However, it was definitely possible that a copycat had surfaced, or that someone with a similar motive was in Neptune now.
He dialed the number for his old precinct and swore to himself that this time, the person responsible would be forced to face a judgment handed down by his peers. Dina had only had to answer to one man, Henry O'Connor.
This bastard wouldn't get off so easily.
"Ben!" Veronica exclaimed as soon as Joey's younger brother came into sight. "Just the guy I was looking for."
"R-really?" he asked, surprised.
"Definitely. I'm trying to figure out who's been trying to hurt your brother, and the weird thing is that most of the stuff that's been happening probably wouldn't do anything to hurt any skater besides Joey," she explained. "I mean, what's the probability that someone would put tomatoes in a batch of cookies to begin with, let alone that they'd be sent to someone like Joey who has a tomato allergy?"
"I, uh, I'm not very good at math," Ben replied. "Can we talk later? I told my mom that I'd get us some food."
"That's fine. We can walk and talk easily enough." She paused, matching her steps to his as they headed for the snack bar. "You see, Ben, the tomato thing isn't all that's bothering me. I mean, there aren't that many people that would be able to sprinkle extra glitter on your brother's costumes, are there?"
"I, uh, I dunno."
Rolling her eyes at his futile attempts to lose her, she finally placed a hand on his shoulder to stop his forward movement.
"Do you want to do this the easy way or the hard way?"
"What are you talking about?" he asked, his eyes darting every which way.
"I know that you ordered those flowers from Manny's Flower Hut yesterday, when you knew that your brother has a pollen allergy that’s exacerbated by daffodils. So it follows that you probably sprinkled glitter on your brother's costume before he left for that competition in Salem. And, of course, since you know what happens when he eats tomatoes, why wouldn't you want to do whatever possible to screw up the one thing that he's spent most of his life working towards?"
"You don't know what you're talking about," he insisted, brushing her hand off of his shoulder and trying to walk away.
"Oh, believe me, I do, Ben. And after I have a few words with Joey and your mom, they'll know all about how you tried to sabotage your big brother. The only thing I don't know is why you did it. Was it because your brother's famous and you're not? Do you wish that you were in the spotlight instead of him?"
"That's the problem!" Ben hissed, his latent lisp even more apparent now that she'd gotten him riled up. "Joey's so famous that all I ever am is the brother of that Olympic skater. Mom always brings me along to these stupid skating things without even asking if I want to be here. Because I don't. I hate the stupid traveling, I hate this life, and I hate my brother!"
Wow. That had been easier than expected. Of course, cracking twelve year-olds was hardly a job that needed the help of the CIA.
"Okay, Ben, you've got two options. Either you can tell your mom and Joey what you did, or I can. What's it going to be?"
"I'll tell them," he agreed reluctantly.
Spying Wallace out of the corner of her eye, Veronica gave him a steely look. "You’d better. I'll know if you don't."
Her gaze followed Ben as he approached his mother, his expression making it clear that he'd rather be doing almost anything else in the world than telling her what he'd done. Confident that she'd intimidated him enough to get the results she wanted, Veronica turned back in the direction where she'd seen her best friend moments earlier, only to have him standing directly beside her.
“Nacho?” He held the food out as he continued to munch loudly.
"What are you doing here, Wallace? You don't even like skating."
"Well, V, it's a funny story actually … "
Veronica crossed her arms over her chest and quirked an eyebrow. "Make me laugh, Wallace."
"I just stopped by to visit. You've been so wrapped up with this case, and I thought it'd be nice to, you know, see you for a minute. And it's been great. So, have fun, and I'll catch you later."
"You're a terrible liar," Veronica admonished, rolling her eyes. "Have I taught you nothing? Besides - "
Veronica winced as the sharp sound of feedback interrupted her tirade.
"Wallace? What was that?"
"Leonardo, do you copy? I’ve lost visual contact. I’ll meet you at the rendezvous point. Repeat, do you copy?"
Grimacing, Wallace craned his neck towards something on his chest. Was that a microphone clipped to his sweater?
"Was that Logan?" Veronica frowned.
"Leonardo, I need confirmation. Do you copy?"
"Uh, copy," Wallace spoke quietly into the mini-mic.
Veronica merely stared at him.
"This was all Logan’s idea!”
At the mention of his name, Logan stepped into the lobby, eyes widening in surprise at who was standing beside his partner in crime.
“Hi, Logan,” Veronica greeted him brightly. "Care to explain to me why you and Wallace were playing sneak'n'creep around the rink today? Were you bored? Did the surf stop washing ashore?”
Logan said nothing.
"I could have handled this one on my own, guys. This is probably the easiest case I've worked on all summer. I mean, a few ice skaters, an angst-ridden preteen - piece of cake."
"We weren’t here to help with the case,” Wallace clarified, making a point to stare at Logan.
“What?” He replied, defensive. “I just wanted to see if Veronica could get us back to meet some hot skater chicks.”
Looking at Logan strangely, Veronica stifled a giggle and decided not to press the issue. She didn't know why Logan elected to play PI for a day at the rink, and, honestly, since he didn't hurt her case at all, it wasn't that important. She was just happy they'd made slow-but-steady progress in regaining their friendship since he’d returned from San Francisco. So, making a big deal out of this? Not really worth it.
"What?" Logan frowned at her. "What's so funny?"
"Oh, nothing," she said. "It's just … Leonardo?”
"Hey! The Ninja Turtle thing was Logan's idea! Having the code name of a turtle doesn't exactly play up my pimp status, you know?"
Veronica laughed. "So who was Logan?"
"Michelangelo," Logan supplied. "I mean, he is a party dude."
Wallace rolled his eyes. "That's what Logan wanted. Since I was the one who had my life interrupted when he dragged my ass down here, his name was my call."
"And, what, you made him Donatello? Ooh, Wallace, you rebel," Veronica teased.
"No," Wallace said with a grin. "April."
"Being pretty is so fucking hard," Logan groused. "If I were half as hot as I actually am, you'd let me be Michelangelo."
"Boys," Veronica admonished. "The show's starting. Pay attention. Especially you, April."
Joey skated to center ice, and Veronica watched from where she stood rink-side. She'd wanted to be close to the ice, so that after his skate, she could finally bring this case to an official end.
When his routine started, her eyes were glued to his black-clad figure, and she watched as he landed a perfect triple axel. His next jump wasn't as clean though, and Veronica flinched when he stepped out of it. Joey, unfazed by the minor flaw in his otherwise perfect skate, continued on, maintaining the playful and engaging show Veronica had seen him skate throughout the week. The audience around her was speechless, and when Joey's long, smooth strides came to a stop, he was showered with applause. Veronica knew that he'd done exactly what he set out to do and that he'd be pleased with his performance.
He glided to stop at the edge of the ice and walked towards Veronica with a wide smile on his face, having been showered with applause and gifts after his impressive routine.
"How'd I do, coach?"
"You did great. Congratulations." Veronica smiled, trying to find the best way to verify that his brother had done as she'd demanded. "So Ben … "
"Yeah." Joey let out a low whistle. "I never would have guessed he was capable of that sort of thing. I mean, he's my brother, you know?"
Veronica couldn't help but feel sorry for Joey. Despite all his naïveté and overly persistent flirtation, he wasn't a bad guy. Clearly, having his brother work against him like this had hit him hard. She was surprised that he'd been able to skate so well, knowing what he did about Ben.
"He said that he'd hoped that if I kept messing up, I'd just give it all up and go back to living a boring life in Illinois, even after everything I've given up to move here to be near my coaches. I mean, this is what I want to do with my life. No matter what happens, I can't give it up. So, thanks, Veronica," he said, motioning for her to follow him into the bowels of the rink.
Finding his duffel bag, he withdrew a check and filled it out. Noticing Veronica's eyes widen, he shook his head. "You've earned every penny. I don't know how to thank you, Veronica."
"I was just doing my job, Joey."
"Still." Joey fumbled awkwardly with his pen. "My family and the Sinclairs are going to head out to dinner, now that the show's over. You want to join us? My treat. It's the least I can do."
To most girls, Joey was a catch. He was cute, and nice, and obviously appreciative of her. But there was no spark between them. It seemed the more time she spent with Joey, the more convinced she was that she belonged with someone else.
"Look, Joey, I appreciate the offer, but I can't go out with you.” Or spend an entire evening being civil to Madison, but she figured he didn’t need to know that.
"Okay," he nodded, strangely accepting. "It was nice working with you, Veronica."
"Likewise," she agreed, waving as the Evans clan walked out of the otherwise empty area and out of her life.
Leaning back against the wall, she slid to the floor, enjoying the relative peace and quiet after spending the past hour in the midst of the raucous crowd while she waited for Joey to skate.
Her phone vibrated in her pocket. It was her father. Hoping that he had good news about Grace, she answered. "Hello?"
"Hey, sweetie. I just wanted to let you know that I'm heading up to Fresno to look into some things. I'll be back in a few days, okay?"
"Okay, Dad," she agreed tentatively. "Is this about Grace?"
"It might be. Give me a call if you need me," he instructed. "And … be careful. I've gotta run."
"I always do," she said, noticing the incredibly vague way that he answered her question about Grace. Interesting. Given the fact that he didn't want her involved in the case and that he had just been to Fresno a few weeks prior, she was willing to bet that this trip was motivated completely by Grace’s disappearance.
She hung up and considered her options. She could stay at the rink for awhile and watch the rest of the exhibition. Or, she could just head home, the freshly signed check evidence that she was done with everything having to do with ice skating. Or she could do something fun and try to reclaim a little bit of the Veronica Mars that she used to be before everything changed.
Decision made, she headed back up to the stands, hoping that Wallace and Logan were still be at the rink. Suggesting that they go and do something fun was so much easier than calling them and trying to plan something.
Luckily, when she returned to their seats, they were still there.
"Ready to go?" she greeted them, noting with a smirk that they both flinched in response.
"Your friend," Logan paused on the word, "skated well."
"Oh. Thanks." Veronica quickly looked down and, steeling herself for an easy dismissal, asked, "Do you guys have any plans for tonight?"
"Who? Me?" Logan looked over his shoulder comically before turning back to face Veronica while Wallace stifled his laughter. "I'm sorry, were you talking to someone else?"
Veronica smacked him playfully on the arm. "Look, after being around here all week, and living off of rink concessions, I’m starving. Want to go grab something to eat?”
"What, you wouldn't rather ask Jo - "
Veronica's face fell. She'd half-expected Logan to overreact about the whole Joey thing, and -
"Yeah," he amended quickly.
She blinked, a stupefied expression on her face. "What?"
"Dinner. I mean, I know the Mission Impossible clothes aren't ideal for fine dining, but what the hell. I look good in black. Sounds like a plan."
"Oh. Okay." Veronica found herself nodding with growing enthusiasm. "Great. What about you Wallace?"
"I'm in."
"Let me just run over and grab a soda." Logan motioned to the concession stand. "Watching a bunch of dudes run around in spandex really made me thirsty. Freud would have a field day with that one, but I'm just going with it."
"Probably better that way," she agreed. "While you're over there, could you grab me a lemonade?"
Logan rolled his eyes. "Fine. Although the spandex excuse doesn't work for you, for the record."
Laughing, Veronica shoved him playfully. "Hurry up. If we don't leave soon, it’s hot dogs and nachos all the way.
"Already gone," he replied over his shoulder as he darted down the bleachers.
"So you and Echolls are going out?" Wallace asked the second Logan was out of earshot. "Where did that idea come from?"
"It's just a group of friends getting some food, Wallace. Nothing life-altering."
They weren't getting back together. Besides, even if she wanted to, Logan didn't want to be with her anymore. And she'd get over him. Eventually.
"Is that the only reason you asked me?" Wallace asked, looking more curious than hurt.
Veronica sighed. She knew that she and Logan were just friends and that this dinner wouldn't be any different from when he'd brought pizza by the office earlier that week, but she didn't want Wallace thinking that she only wanted him to come along so that it wouldn't be only her and Logan. How could she explain this?
"It's fine.” Wallace bailed her out. “Can my girl come too? She’s supposed to meet me here soon, anyway."
"You have a girlfriend?" Veronica was more than a little surprised at this revelation. How had she not known that her best friend had a girlfriend? Maybe Logan had had a point when he said that she'd been neglecting her friends in favor of her cases.
"That despicable, am I?" Wallace joked. "And, she isn't really my girlfriend, but maybe - "
"Maybe I'm right behind you," a petite redhead spoke up, approaching Wallace.
"Veronica Mars, this is Alanna Morgan."
"Great to meet you," Veronica replied smoothly.
Veronica wanted to interrogate this girl, make sure that she was deserving of her best friend, especially after what had happened with Jackie, but she knew that this wasn't the time or place for that. Of course, given the mess that was her own love life, interfering with Wallace's apparent happiness probably wasn’t the best idea.
They'd go out tonight, the four of them, and they'd have a good time. She'd make sure of it. She'd be the easy-going and fun-loving Veronica Mars that she didn't let out very often. She wouldn't interfere with Wallace's new girl, and she wouldn't try to make things with Logan any worse than they already were.
Tonight, things would be different. She'd let loose and hopefully feel freer than she had in a long time.
Whether that happened tomorrow, however, was anyone’s guess.
Keith started the ignition, having been forced to take the five hour trek up to Fresno by Sergeant Jimmy Collins. Jimmy had refused to fax him the case notes, unwilling to even use the department's encrypted fax. He'd also refused to go over any case details over the phone.
So, Keith was going back to Fresno for the second time in a month. He only wished he'd made the tenuous connection between the disappearances of young girls in both cities, decades apart, when he'd visited a few weeks prior.
Shortly after pulling onto the freeway, a breaking news bulletin came over the radio.
"The parents of nine year old Grace Manning can sleep soundly tonight. Their daughter was found earlier today. Unconfirmed reports from Neptune Hospital indicate that the young girl ran away from home Tuesday afternoon. She is currently being treated for dehydration, but sources say that she should be going home tomorrow. Sheriff Don Lamb, asked to comment on how he found the girl, said - "
Not wanting to hear Lamb talk about how the department had worked so hard to find Grace Manning while at least four other girls were still missing, Keith flipped the radio off and considered heading back home.
He realized, though, that if he turned around, pacified now that Grace had been found, he would be just as bad as Lamb, dismissing the other missing girls. Veronica might have asked him only to recover the youngest Manning, but now Keith felt a responsibility to find the other girls.
So he continued down the open road, his eyes on the horizon. He had a way to go yet, and he was just getting started.
Continue to Chapter 15
Just a few closing notes:
Joey Evans was modeled after Evan Lysacek, although the characterization is a bit different from how we imagine Evan being. After all, this isn't meant to be RPF, you know?
Also, cookies to anyone who can spot the Jensen Ackles shout out. :)
Thanks for reading!
Click here for Chapter 13.
Click here for Chapter 14A.
Click here for previous chapters.
Pairing / Character: Veronica/Logan, Keith
Rating: PG-13 to R
Words: 109,131
Summary: In Neptune, the brighter the summer sun, the deeper the shadows.
Spoilers / Warnings: Seasons 1 and 2 / Language and adult situations
Chapter 14: ICE, ICE, BABY
Author: herowlness and sarah_p
Additional Characters: Casey, Dick, JP, Madison, Susan Knight, Wallace
Rating: PG-13
Words: 12,811
Author’s Note: All Fall Down is a collaborative effort by 20 writers. You can learn more about this project here.
We've gotten a lot of input from the various AFD authors for this chapter, but we'd like to give special thanks to kantayra, mastermia, mutinousmuse, and onastick.
herowlness would like to especially thank Sarah for being an awesome cowriter and really making this experience a hell of a lot easier. I couldn't have done it without you, babe. :)
sarah_p would like to thank Lizzy for being so darn hot. And for being an awesome co-writer. But mainly for the hot ;).
X-posted to veronicamarsfic, fic_from_mars, crackapalooza, herowlness_fic, and sarah_and_lizzy.
All Fall Down
Chapter Fourteen, Part Two
ICE, ICE, BABY
Once again, Keith pored over Veronica’s notes. He'd noted a reference to Professor Tyler Wilson's psychological assessments. Apparently, some of the missing girls - Marisol Reyes, Rosa Ramirez, and Tracy Gonzalez - had been research subjects. Keith knew from years of work on the police force that eighty-two percent of all child abductions were committed by someone the child knew, and through his job, Wilson had had an easy in with scores of school age girls.
Of course, he also knew that after the first twenty-four hours, the probability of finding a missing child alive dropped. Significantly.
He didn't dwell on that, instead focusing on getting answers for the families of the missing girls and preventing the disappearance of any more Neptune schoolchildren. Veronica's notes indicated that she no longer considered him to be a suspect after she'd checked out his criminal record and run his file. However, if the professor had any connections to James K. Polk Middle School where Grace Manning attended school, Keith would have to reevaluate him as a suspect.
Keith reached for the phone and dialed, waiting for his daughter to answer her cell phone.
"Yeah?"
"Hey, sweetie. How are you doing?"
"Good, I think. The latest sabotage attempt was averted by Joey's mom, believe it or not. What about you? Have you had any luck tracking down Grace?"
"That's actually why I'm calling," Keith clarified, torn between wanting to keep her completely removed from the case and saving himself a few extra hours of legwork. However, Veronica had had a point when she'd first mentioned this case - the important thing here was to realize that the lives of a number of little girls hung in the balance. If Veronica could speed up this investigation, that was for the best. "Do you remember Professor Tyler Wilson?"
"The creep from the psychology department at Hearst? Yeah, definitely. What's going on? I looked into him a few weeks ago, but I couldn’t find anything that would stick."
"Do you remember if he did any of his research at any other Neptune schools, other than East Neptune Middle School?" he asked.
"Um." She paused for a moment, giving his question due consideration. "I don’t think so. I'm pretty sure that all the files Logan and I found in his office were only for East Neptune."
"You're positive? Nothing at all on James K. Polk Middle School?" he pressed, wanting to be certain that the name wouldn't ring any bells. Of course, if she did change her answer at the name, it meant that he'd have to verify that fact, but he preferred to be thorough rather than leaving a possible line of investigation untouched.
"No, Dad, I would have remembered if Wilson was involved with JKP. I mean, that’s where I went to school. I wouldn't forget something like that. Why?"
"Thanks, honey," he responded, brushing off her question. "I'll see you at home later tonight, okay?"
"Yeah, okay. Bye."
Replacing the receiver, Keith stared down at his case notes. Now what?
The next morning, Veronica exhaled in frustration as she rewound the tapes for what felt like the hundredth time. She wanted to see a fan holding a sign, proclaiming them to be "Joey's biggest fan," or something equally obvious, but she'd had no such luck yet. Of course, there were the typical "marry me" signs addressed to each of the halfway decent-looking skaters, but nothing indicated that anyone in particular was Joey's biggest fan.
She drove to Manny's Flower Hut, hoping some simple investigating would be enough to identify the saboteur. If she was lucky, someone other than Manny would be working. In the event that the culprit hadn’t paid by check or credit card, she knew from previous experience that he wasn't very good at describing patrons.
The bells above the door chimed with her entrance, and Veronica was relieved to see Susan Knight walk in from the back room.
"Hey, Susan. How are you? How's your little boy?"
"I'm doing great. Sean is growing bigger every day. He said his first word a few months ago. He's going to be so smart," she bragged proudly. "How about you, Veronica?"
"I'm fine. I'm going to Hearst this fall, and I'm still helping my dad out with some cases. Which, actually, is why I'm here. I have a client who’s being stalked by a crazed fan, and I need to figure out who’s behind it all."
"And you think it has something to do with us?" Susan asked, flabbergasted.
"Not directly. He got a bouquet and a balloon that looked like that one," Veronica pointed towards a replica of the one Joey received. "The card said that the balloon, at least, came from here. I was hoping you could check to see if it was paid for with a check or credit card? Or could I look at the security tape so I can identify the person?"
"We have security cameras, but Manny rerecords over the old tape the next day. He doesn't see why they'd be important, except in the case of a robbery," Susan apologized. "But if you don't mind waiting, I check up on the sale."
"That would be great, Susan. Thanks."
Susan slipped into the back, and the bells above the entryway chimed. Veronica was more than a bit surprised at who she saw walking towards her.
"Veronica Mars," a warm voice greeted her. "Haven't seen you in a while."
"Not since Logan's housewarming party," she agreed. "It's good to see you, Casey. What have you been up to?"
"Actually," he said conspiratorially, "I just signed this biography that's gotten a lot of press for my family's publishing company."
"That's great!" she enthused. "I'm sure your parents are really proud."
"They actually don't know yet. All they really care about is that the company makes enough money to keep them in luxury cars and country club memberships. They'll find out at the press conference tomorrow, with the rest of the world."
"Wow, so I'm like the first to know?"
"Outside of our lawyers and the guy's agent and some top executives? Yeah."
"I feel so important. Now if only Gant Publishing were publicly traded, I could actually make some money off of this deal."
He laughed. "Enough about me and my boring life. How are you? How's Logan?"
"I'm good. I'm actually here working on a case. And I think Logan's fine," she finished reluctantly, offering Casey an unsure smile.
"Are you two … " he trailed off awkwardly, apparently not wanting to say "broken up."
"Yeah, for a few weeks now." He opened his mouth to offer some clichéd platitude, but she waved him off. "It's fine. Life is simpler this way, you know?"
Her words were true, but they weren't the entire truth. While her life was simpler without Logan, it was also a lot less exciting.
"Well, nice running into you, Veronica."
"You too, Casey," she agreed, watching him walk towards a case full of pre-prepared arrangements.
Veronica turned to the counter, offering Susan an encouraging smile. "Did you find anything?"
"The good news is that we've only sold one of those balloons in the past week, so I know who must have made the purchase. The thing is, he paid with cash. Sorry."
"Were you working then? Do you remember what he looked like?" Veronica pressed.
"Well, the receipt says he came by early yesterday - just after we opened. The only person I can remember is a kid. He was adorable.”
Veronica refrained from rolling her eyes. Susan was just answering her questions and telling her about the boy she'd helped. It wasn’t her fault that evil came in all shapes and sizes. "Do you remember anything about his appearance?"
"Um, he was a few inches shorter than I am, with light brown hair. His voice, that was different too. Like he had a lisp or something, I think?"
"Okay, thanks, Susan. Give me a call if you remember anything else?"
"Will do. Take care, Veronica."
"What the hell is all this crap?" Wallace asked as he met up with Logan in the rink parking lot. He dug through the duffel bag and encountered more and more doo-dads that he wasn't familiar with.
"Technology," Logan responded succinctly. "Just in case we need it.”
"Need it for what? I thought we were just here to make sure that skater guy isn’t putting the moves on V. You have enough gadgetry here to outfit a team of CIA agents."
"Just put on the damn earpiece, Wallace."
"Tell me again why we had to be here so damn early?"
"So we can see what’s going on before all the fans get here,” Logan explained, handing Wallace a map of the building with different areas marked off and highlighted in an organized manner. "The sectors in blue are yours, and I'll cover the ones marked in green. If you find anything, let me know," he instructed, motioning towards their com sets. "Any questions?"
Wallace looked over the map Logan had created in disbelief. Even Veronica would be impressed. Which, he suddenly realized, was probably the point. With a sigh he looked up. "Let's just get this over with."
It wasn't too much later when Logan spied Veronica and Joey from across the ice. They were only talking - thankfully - but Joey was much too close to her for Logan’s peace of mind. He had his hand on her shoulder, and was leaning towards her. Fucking leaning. Thankfully, Veronica stepped away from him before he got any closer.
"What the hell kind of name is Joey anyhow?" he muttered. "A real man would go by Joe. Or Joseph."
"What?" Wallace's voice crackled in his ear.
"Uh, checking out Sector 1-C right now."
"Oookay," was Wallace’s only response.
Watching some more from across the ice, Logan sighed. He didn’t know if things with Joey were serious, but Veronica deserved so much better. She deserved a man, not a frilly skater boy. She deserved someone who could watch her back, but who could still stand up to her and be her equal.
Someone like him.
But they weren't good for each other. He knew that, deep down inside. And that's why he'd broken it off.
Of course, that didn't stop him from thinking about her. It didn’t stop him from wanting her.
He was well and truly fucked.
And not at all like he wanted to be.
Hours later, Keith still hadn't made any progress on the case. He'd used Veronica's notes and the related newspaper articles he'd found on the internet, and he checked and double-checked to see if anything was missing.
Frustrated, he started compiling a list of all the missing girls and their demographics. The key to finding out who'd taken them would likely rest in their commonalities. It took some time and a number of database searches, but eventually he had it.
The similarities were basic - all of them were young girls between the ages of nine and fourteen, and each had gone missing from her own neighborhood. Most of them were Hispanic, but Grace Manning was about as white as one could get.
Keith didn't have much to go on. Really, only the ages of the girls were similar, but something about it seemed so familiar that he tried to concentrate, to focus his mind on the clue that just might break the case.
And then it hit him.
He'd had a similar case many, many years ago. Well, maybe it had been similar. It was so long ago that he couldn't be positive about the minutiae of the case, but there was a chance he still had some of the old case notes. They weren’t more than a few pages of nearly indecipherable scrawl, but he'd hung onto them after leaving Fresno, on the off-chance that he might later be able to use them. Lianne had tried, more than once, to throw them away, saying that they were nothing more than dust magnets that he'd never look at again and that he shouldn't hold on so tightly to his past.
Vindicated, Keith sped home, ran through to the front door, and pulled the tattered box out of the corner of his closet. He'd known he might need it, that eventually it would come in handy. And he'd been right.
Well, at least partially right.
The girls who had gone missing in Fresno had almost all been Caucasian. Kalie Wong was the only one who appeared to be any different.
The girls were about the same age and had disappeared in much the same way that the Neptune girls had. Unlike in Neptune, however, there had been no out-of-place vehicle noted in the girls' neighborhoods. However, the prime suspect at the time, Dina Clark, had been seen in the areas before each disappearance.
They'd never learned what Dina's motive had been, as she'd been killed by an irate father before they could get her into custody. Keith couldn't extrapolate a possible reason as to why these girls were disappearing now, but if he could get copies of the case files from the Fresno Police Department, he might learn more.
Keith knew that Dina Clark couldn't be responsible for the Neptune crimes. After all, it was hardly possible for a ghost to make a half-dozen vibrant, terrestrial girls disappear. However, it was definitely possible that a copycat had surfaced, or that someone with a similar motive was in Neptune now.
He dialed the number for his old precinct and swore to himself that this time, the person responsible would be forced to face a judgment handed down by his peers. Dina had only had to answer to one man, Henry O'Connor.
This bastard wouldn't get off so easily.
"Ben!" Veronica exclaimed as soon as Joey's younger brother came into sight. "Just the guy I was looking for."
"R-really?" he asked, surprised.
"Definitely. I'm trying to figure out who's been trying to hurt your brother, and the weird thing is that most of the stuff that's been happening probably wouldn't do anything to hurt any skater besides Joey," she explained. "I mean, what's the probability that someone would put tomatoes in a batch of cookies to begin with, let alone that they'd be sent to someone like Joey who has a tomato allergy?"
"I, uh, I'm not very good at math," Ben replied. "Can we talk later? I told my mom that I'd get us some food."
"That's fine. We can walk and talk easily enough." She paused, matching her steps to his as they headed for the snack bar. "You see, Ben, the tomato thing isn't all that's bothering me. I mean, there aren't that many people that would be able to sprinkle extra glitter on your brother's costumes, are there?"
"I, uh, I dunno."
Rolling her eyes at his futile attempts to lose her, she finally placed a hand on his shoulder to stop his forward movement.
"Do you want to do this the easy way or the hard way?"
"What are you talking about?" he asked, his eyes darting every which way.
"I know that you ordered those flowers from Manny's Flower Hut yesterday, when you knew that your brother has a pollen allergy that’s exacerbated by daffodils. So it follows that you probably sprinkled glitter on your brother's costume before he left for that competition in Salem. And, of course, since you know what happens when he eats tomatoes, why wouldn't you want to do whatever possible to screw up the one thing that he's spent most of his life working towards?"
"You don't know what you're talking about," he insisted, brushing her hand off of his shoulder and trying to walk away.
"Oh, believe me, I do, Ben. And after I have a few words with Joey and your mom, they'll know all about how you tried to sabotage your big brother. The only thing I don't know is why you did it. Was it because your brother's famous and you're not? Do you wish that you were in the spotlight instead of him?"
"That's the problem!" Ben hissed, his latent lisp even more apparent now that she'd gotten him riled up. "Joey's so famous that all I ever am is the brother of that Olympic skater. Mom always brings me along to these stupid skating things without even asking if I want to be here. Because I don't. I hate the stupid traveling, I hate this life, and I hate my brother!"
Wow. That had been easier than expected. Of course, cracking twelve year-olds was hardly a job that needed the help of the CIA.
"Okay, Ben, you've got two options. Either you can tell your mom and Joey what you did, or I can. What's it going to be?"
"I'll tell them," he agreed reluctantly.
Spying Wallace out of the corner of her eye, Veronica gave him a steely look. "You’d better. I'll know if you don't."
Her gaze followed Ben as he approached his mother, his expression making it clear that he'd rather be doing almost anything else in the world than telling her what he'd done. Confident that she'd intimidated him enough to get the results she wanted, Veronica turned back in the direction where she'd seen her best friend moments earlier, only to have him standing directly beside her.
“Nacho?” He held the food out as he continued to munch loudly.
"What are you doing here, Wallace? You don't even like skating."
"Well, V, it's a funny story actually … "
Veronica crossed her arms over her chest and quirked an eyebrow. "Make me laugh, Wallace."
"I just stopped by to visit. You've been so wrapped up with this case, and I thought it'd be nice to, you know, see you for a minute. And it's been great. So, have fun, and I'll catch you later."
"You're a terrible liar," Veronica admonished, rolling her eyes. "Have I taught you nothing? Besides - "
Veronica winced as the sharp sound of feedback interrupted her tirade.
"Wallace? What was that?"
"Leonardo, do you copy? I’ve lost visual contact. I’ll meet you at the rendezvous point. Repeat, do you copy?"
Grimacing, Wallace craned his neck towards something on his chest. Was that a microphone clipped to his sweater?
"Was that Logan?" Veronica frowned.
"Leonardo, I need confirmation. Do you copy?"
"Uh, copy," Wallace spoke quietly into the mini-mic.
Veronica merely stared at him.
"This was all Logan’s idea!”
At the mention of his name, Logan stepped into the lobby, eyes widening in surprise at who was standing beside his partner in crime.
“Hi, Logan,” Veronica greeted him brightly. "Care to explain to me why you and Wallace were playing sneak'n'creep around the rink today? Were you bored? Did the surf stop washing ashore?”
Logan said nothing.
"I could have handled this one on my own, guys. This is probably the easiest case I've worked on all summer. I mean, a few ice skaters, an angst-ridden preteen - piece of cake."
"We weren’t here to help with the case,” Wallace clarified, making a point to stare at Logan.
“What?” He replied, defensive. “I just wanted to see if Veronica could get us back to meet some hot skater chicks.”
Looking at Logan strangely, Veronica stifled a giggle and decided not to press the issue. She didn't know why Logan elected to play PI for a day at the rink, and, honestly, since he didn't hurt her case at all, it wasn't that important. She was just happy they'd made slow-but-steady progress in regaining their friendship since he’d returned from San Francisco. So, making a big deal out of this? Not really worth it.
"What?" Logan frowned at her. "What's so funny?"
"Oh, nothing," she said. "It's just … Leonardo?”
"Hey! The Ninja Turtle thing was Logan's idea! Having the code name of a turtle doesn't exactly play up my pimp status, you know?"
Veronica laughed. "So who was Logan?"
"Michelangelo," Logan supplied. "I mean, he is a party dude."
Wallace rolled his eyes. "That's what Logan wanted. Since I was the one who had my life interrupted when he dragged my ass down here, his name was my call."
"And, what, you made him Donatello? Ooh, Wallace, you rebel," Veronica teased.
"No," Wallace said with a grin. "April."
"Being pretty is so fucking hard," Logan groused. "If I were half as hot as I actually am, you'd let me be Michelangelo."
"Boys," Veronica admonished. "The show's starting. Pay attention. Especially you, April."
Joey skated to center ice, and Veronica watched from where she stood rink-side. She'd wanted to be close to the ice, so that after his skate, she could finally bring this case to an official end.
When his routine started, her eyes were glued to his black-clad figure, and she watched as he landed a perfect triple axel. His next jump wasn't as clean though, and Veronica flinched when he stepped out of it. Joey, unfazed by the minor flaw in his otherwise perfect skate, continued on, maintaining the playful and engaging show Veronica had seen him skate throughout the week. The audience around her was speechless, and when Joey's long, smooth strides came to a stop, he was showered with applause. Veronica knew that he'd done exactly what he set out to do and that he'd be pleased with his performance.
He glided to stop at the edge of the ice and walked towards Veronica with a wide smile on his face, having been showered with applause and gifts after his impressive routine.
"How'd I do, coach?"
"You did great. Congratulations." Veronica smiled, trying to find the best way to verify that his brother had done as she'd demanded. "So Ben … "
"Yeah." Joey let out a low whistle. "I never would have guessed he was capable of that sort of thing. I mean, he's my brother, you know?"
Veronica couldn't help but feel sorry for Joey. Despite all his naïveté and overly persistent flirtation, he wasn't a bad guy. Clearly, having his brother work against him like this had hit him hard. She was surprised that he'd been able to skate so well, knowing what he did about Ben.
"He said that he'd hoped that if I kept messing up, I'd just give it all up and go back to living a boring life in Illinois, even after everything I've given up to move here to be near my coaches. I mean, this is what I want to do with my life. No matter what happens, I can't give it up. So, thanks, Veronica," he said, motioning for her to follow him into the bowels of the rink.
Finding his duffel bag, he withdrew a check and filled it out. Noticing Veronica's eyes widen, he shook his head. "You've earned every penny. I don't know how to thank you, Veronica."
"I was just doing my job, Joey."
"Still." Joey fumbled awkwardly with his pen. "My family and the Sinclairs are going to head out to dinner, now that the show's over. You want to join us? My treat. It's the least I can do."
To most girls, Joey was a catch. He was cute, and nice, and obviously appreciative of her. But there was no spark between them. It seemed the more time she spent with Joey, the more convinced she was that she belonged with someone else.
"Look, Joey, I appreciate the offer, but I can't go out with you.” Or spend an entire evening being civil to Madison, but she figured he didn’t need to know that.
"Okay," he nodded, strangely accepting. "It was nice working with you, Veronica."
"Likewise," she agreed, waving as the Evans clan walked out of the otherwise empty area and out of her life.
Leaning back against the wall, she slid to the floor, enjoying the relative peace and quiet after spending the past hour in the midst of the raucous crowd while she waited for Joey to skate.
Her phone vibrated in her pocket. It was her father. Hoping that he had good news about Grace, she answered. "Hello?"
"Hey, sweetie. I just wanted to let you know that I'm heading up to Fresno to look into some things. I'll be back in a few days, okay?"
"Okay, Dad," she agreed tentatively. "Is this about Grace?"
"It might be. Give me a call if you need me," he instructed. "And … be careful. I've gotta run."
"I always do," she said, noticing the incredibly vague way that he answered her question about Grace. Interesting. Given the fact that he didn't want her involved in the case and that he had just been to Fresno a few weeks prior, she was willing to bet that this trip was motivated completely by Grace’s disappearance.
She hung up and considered her options. She could stay at the rink for awhile and watch the rest of the exhibition. Or, she could just head home, the freshly signed check evidence that she was done with everything having to do with ice skating. Or she could do something fun and try to reclaim a little bit of the Veronica Mars that she used to be before everything changed.
Decision made, she headed back up to the stands, hoping that Wallace and Logan were still be at the rink. Suggesting that they go and do something fun was so much easier than calling them and trying to plan something.
Luckily, when she returned to their seats, they were still there.
"Ready to go?" she greeted them, noting with a smirk that they both flinched in response.
"Your friend," Logan paused on the word, "skated well."
"Oh. Thanks." Veronica quickly looked down and, steeling herself for an easy dismissal, asked, "Do you guys have any plans for tonight?"
"Who? Me?" Logan looked over his shoulder comically before turning back to face Veronica while Wallace stifled his laughter. "I'm sorry, were you talking to someone else?"
Veronica smacked him playfully on the arm. "Look, after being around here all week, and living off of rink concessions, I’m starving. Want to go grab something to eat?”
"What, you wouldn't rather ask Jo - "
Veronica's face fell. She'd half-expected Logan to overreact about the whole Joey thing, and -
"Yeah," he amended quickly.
She blinked, a stupefied expression on her face. "What?"
"Dinner. I mean, I know the Mission Impossible clothes aren't ideal for fine dining, but what the hell. I look good in black. Sounds like a plan."
"Oh. Okay." Veronica found herself nodding with growing enthusiasm. "Great. What about you Wallace?"
"I'm in."
"Let me just run over and grab a soda." Logan motioned to the concession stand. "Watching a bunch of dudes run around in spandex really made me thirsty. Freud would have a field day with that one, but I'm just going with it."
"Probably better that way," she agreed. "While you're over there, could you grab me a lemonade?"
Logan rolled his eyes. "Fine. Although the spandex excuse doesn't work for you, for the record."
Laughing, Veronica shoved him playfully. "Hurry up. If we don't leave soon, it’s hot dogs and nachos all the way.
"Already gone," he replied over his shoulder as he darted down the bleachers.
"So you and Echolls are going out?" Wallace asked the second Logan was out of earshot. "Where did that idea come from?"
"It's just a group of friends getting some food, Wallace. Nothing life-altering."
They weren't getting back together. Besides, even if she wanted to, Logan didn't want to be with her anymore. And she'd get over him. Eventually.
"Is that the only reason you asked me?" Wallace asked, looking more curious than hurt.
Veronica sighed. She knew that she and Logan were just friends and that this dinner wouldn't be any different from when he'd brought pizza by the office earlier that week, but she didn't want Wallace thinking that she only wanted him to come along so that it wouldn't be only her and Logan. How could she explain this?
"It's fine.” Wallace bailed her out. “Can my girl come too? She’s supposed to meet me here soon, anyway."
"You have a girlfriend?" Veronica was more than a little surprised at this revelation. How had she not known that her best friend had a girlfriend? Maybe Logan had had a point when he said that she'd been neglecting her friends in favor of her cases.
"That despicable, am I?" Wallace joked. "And, she isn't really my girlfriend, but maybe - "
"Maybe I'm right behind you," a petite redhead spoke up, approaching Wallace.
"Veronica Mars, this is Alanna Morgan."
"Great to meet you," Veronica replied smoothly.
Veronica wanted to interrogate this girl, make sure that she was deserving of her best friend, especially after what had happened with Jackie, but she knew that this wasn't the time or place for that. Of course, given the mess that was her own love life, interfering with Wallace's apparent happiness probably wasn’t the best idea.
They'd go out tonight, the four of them, and they'd have a good time. She'd make sure of it. She'd be the easy-going and fun-loving Veronica Mars that she didn't let out very often. She wouldn't interfere with Wallace's new girl, and she wouldn't try to make things with Logan any worse than they already were.
Tonight, things would be different. She'd let loose and hopefully feel freer than she had in a long time.
Whether that happened tomorrow, however, was anyone’s guess.
Keith started the ignition, having been forced to take the five hour trek up to Fresno by Sergeant Jimmy Collins. Jimmy had refused to fax him the case notes, unwilling to even use the department's encrypted fax. He'd also refused to go over any case details over the phone.
So, Keith was going back to Fresno for the second time in a month. He only wished he'd made the tenuous connection between the disappearances of young girls in both cities, decades apart, when he'd visited a few weeks prior.
Shortly after pulling onto the freeway, a breaking news bulletin came over the radio.
"The parents of nine year old Grace Manning can sleep soundly tonight. Their daughter was found earlier today. Unconfirmed reports from Neptune Hospital indicate that the young girl ran away from home Tuesday afternoon. She is currently being treated for dehydration, but sources say that she should be going home tomorrow. Sheriff Don Lamb, asked to comment on how he found the girl, said - "
Not wanting to hear Lamb talk about how the department had worked so hard to find Grace Manning while at least four other girls were still missing, Keith flipped the radio off and considered heading back home.
He realized, though, that if he turned around, pacified now that Grace had been found, he would be just as bad as Lamb, dismissing the other missing girls. Veronica might have asked him only to recover the youngest Manning, but now Keith felt a responsibility to find the other girls.
So he continued down the open road, his eyes on the horizon. He had a way to go yet, and he was just getting started.
Continue to Chapter 15
Just a few closing notes:
Joey Evans was modeled after Evan Lysacek, although the characterization is a bit different from how we imagine Evan being. After all, this isn't meant to be RPF, you know?
Also, cookies to anyone who can spot the Jensen Ackles shout out. :)
Thanks for reading!
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