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Fic: Down Again #6: The Sting (Veronica Mars, Lamb/Veronica)
Title: The Sting
Fandom: Veronica Mars
Pairing(s): Lamb/Veronica
Word Count: 4236
Rating: PG-13
Summary: Veronica enlists help to take down Doug, and there's a startling development in the case.
Notes: Sequel to What Goes Down. Sixth in the Down Again series. AU from episode 3:2 - My Big Fat Greek Rush Week; potential spoilers up to the end of season three.
Previously: Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5
Now that she had enough clues to piece together his identity, all Veronica needed was evidence that linked Doug Handler to point shaving. And this time, when she got it, she wasn't going to let him off with a slap on the wrist or a warning not to come around again.
She doubted he'd be dumb enough to hide the evidence in his room like he had the last time she caught him cheating - high stakes gambling and game fixing weren't exactly the same thing as a shoe box full of fake poker chips - but she hadn't found any unusual activity in his financial records, either. He had to have another account somewhere, and she needed help to find it.
And since she hadn't spoken to Lamb since his impromptu visit to her apartment, that only left one person she could ask.
"Veronica," Mac said, as she opened the door to let Veronica in. "Let me guess. You need a favour."
"Actually," Veronica said, "it's for Wallace."
Mac looked surprised. "Oh. In that case, what can I do to help?"
Veronica smiled. "Is there any way you can track down an extra bank account someone's keeping hidden?"
"Of course. What's the name?"
"Doug Handler."
"Okay," Mac said, opening up her computer as Veronica sat on the bed. "Just give me a few minutes."
"Fast," Veronica said, and Mac turned to look at her. "Not you. The search."
Mac laughed. "I know what you mean."
They sat in silence for a while, Veronica trying to keep her mind occupied. It helped to have something to focus on other than Hallie, other than Lamb, other than the criminology assignment she still hadn't touched.
"So," Veronica said, looking around. "Where's Parker?"
Mac shrugged. "Out."
"With Logan?"
"Do you care?"
"Only as a friend," Veronica assured her.
Mac shrugged again. "I don't think so. I think she's just ..."
"Out," Veronica said. "Right."
"So," Mac said, after a minute. "How are you and, you know?"
Lamb. Exactly the person she didn't want to think about.
"You know what?" she asked, getting up before Mac could turn around. "I'll come back later."
-
Veronica had been over Doug Handler's stats for the three games that were most likely to have been fixed, but they didn't tell her much. He was a solid player, but not a superstar, so he was easy to overlook. He also had enough time on the court that he could easily have changed the outcome of the games.
She was counting on Mac to come through with the financial information, but she needed to able to prove that it was at least possible that Doug, not Wallace, had cheated. Luckily, Wallace had been able to point her in the direction of the Hearst basketball commentary team, and Veronica was guessing that they'd be able to make a lot more sense out the numbers than she could.
Crossing her fingers, Veronica knocked on the door. The guy who opened it looked more like a typical sports fan than an AV geek, but a quick look at the equipment in the room behind her told Veronica he was probably both.
"Hi," she said. "I'm Veronica. A friend of mine said you might be able to help me?"
He looked her up and down. "Help you with what?"
"I need to take a look at the tapes of some of the games from last year's basketball season. I'm hoping you still have them?"
"Sure we do," he said, and opened the door a little wider so she could step inside. "Are you looking for any games in particular?"
She gave him the dates, and he nodded, turning around to rifle through some messily labelled tapes.
"This could take a while," he said over his shoulder.
"I'll wait," she said, leaning back against the doorway.
A couple of minutes later, he held up the tapes triumphantly, and slotted one of them into the VCR. "So, what are you looking for?"
"Do you know the players well?"
"From last year? Yeah."
"Okay. So, you'd know if they're not playing as well as usual? Like, if something looks off?"
He shrugged. "Sure, I guess."
"Could you point it out to me?"
He turned to look at her curiously as he started the tape. "Is there anyone in particular you want me to watch?"
"Yeah," she said. "Doug Handler."
-
"Got it," Mac said, when Veronica returned. "It wasn't easy, but there were three large deposits paid into the account last semester."
"Do you know the dates?"
Mac looked down at the files she'd printed out. "One at the beginning of the year, one a couple of weeks after that, and the third was a week after that. Does that mean something?"
Only that the dates Doug Handler was receiving large amounts of money from a mysterious source coincided with the suspect games. Mac handed the records over, and Veronica looked at the dates highlighted. One a couple of days after each of the games. Perfect. And -
"You tracked down the account he was paid from?"
Mac grinned. "Mine is a full service invasion of privacy."
"You're a goddess," Veronica told her.
"I know," she said. "So, does this get Wallace off the hook?"
"Absolutely. I've just got to make one more stop."
-
Even though she was fighting with Lamb, Veronica still had a few friends in the sheriff's department. It was one fortunate side effect of spending most of her free time hanging around the station.
Another was that she knew Lamb's schedule down to a tee. Like the fact that, on Thursday afternoons, he spent an hour in the gym. Usually that coincided with her having class, but this week's lecture had been cancelled in favour of starting the mid-semester break early.
She spared a wary glance towards the door to his office, just in case, but it was open, his chair empty. Inga waved her through with a smile, and Veronica returned it before making her way through to one of the desks in the back.
"Peters," she said. "Just the man I'm looking for."
He raised an eyebrow. "You sure about that?"
"Absolutely." She gave him her most winning smile. "I need to ask you a favour."
"If it involves the sheriff -"
"Hardly," she said. "I need you to catch a bad guy for me."
He opened his mouth, as if to ask her why she didn't go to Lamb instead, but then seemed to think better of it, and shrugged. "That's my job."
"Great." She pulled the financial records Mac had dug up out of her bag, and pointed to the name that wasn't Doug Handler's. "I'm pretty sure this guy has been fixing college basketball games. He's been paying one of the players to shave points. I thought maybe you wouldn't mind hauling him in."
Peters leaned forward, and nodded. "Yeah, I think I recognise the name. Bookie. We questioned him a couple of times, couldn't get anything on him."
"Would you like to?"
She handed the records over, and he leaned back to study them. "I'm not even going to ask where you got these."
"Good call," she said. He rolled his eyes, and she leaned casually against his desk. "So, are you doing anything tomorrow?"
-
"Are you sure this is going to work?"
Veronica nodded to Peters as he passed, then slid her earpiece in, handing one to Wallace. "I'm sure."
"Are you sure it's even legal?"
"As long as they're not planning to arrest him."
Wallace still looked unconvinced, and she laid a steady hand on his knee to stop the nervous twitch he seemed to have picked up sometime in the last ten minutes.
"It's fine," she assured him. "They get him to confess to cheating, he rolls over on his bookie, and everyone walks away happy. Well, except for Doug. He gets to be kicked off the team, expelled, and probably lose his grad school spot."
Wallace was looking at her curiously, and she raised an eyebrow.
"What?"
"Have I ever told you how glad I am I never got on your bad side?"
"It was implied," she said, and turned to face the alcove where Doug was waiting. "Come on. You don't want to miss this."
Doug looked surprised as Peters approached him, and glanced around the courtyard. Veronica shrunk back in her seat; if Doug recognised her, it might blow the operation, and she wasn't going to let that happen.
"Where's Joe?" he asked, and Peters shrugged.
"He's been detained."
Veronica rolled her eyes. Cop humour.
"He sent me. Unless you want me to go back and tell him the deal's off?"
She tensed for a moment as Doug seemed to consider it. The evidence she had would probably be enough to get Wallace off, but she wanted a confession. She wanted Doug Handler nailed to the wall.
He shook his head, and she let out a breath.
"Whatever," he said, his voice tinny and uncertain through the earpiece. "Look, I made you guys your money back already."
And a little extra for himself, no doubt. He should have stuck to counterfeiting chips at amateur poker nights; it was what he was good at. Not nearly as lucrative, but it also wasn't likely to land you in debt to a bunch of scary men with a penchant for breaking kneecaps.
"And you think that makes us even?"
Doug shifted. He obviously wasn't very well versed in the ways of the criminal underground.
"It's not going to be easy, this time." Trying to reason his way out of it. Good luck with that. "There was already an investigation. They think they caught the guy. If it happens again ..."
"Then you'd better make it look good." Peters leaned forward, casually menacing, and Veronica had to give him credit. He did it well.
"I don't know if -"
"We gave you time off. Now we're calling in the marker. First game back, Neptune wins by less than nine."
Doug was already looking scared, and Veronica silently willed Peters not to push it too far.
"Deal?"
Beside her, Veronica could hear Wallace holding his breath, and she did the same. Their entire plan rested on what happened next.
"Fine," Doug said. "Deal."
Peters nodded, and Doug, looking relieved, started away. He didn't get far before Sampson and Ramirez rounded the corner, and Peters clapped a hand on his back.
Veronica smiled triumphantly at Wallace, who was looking happier than she'd seen him in weeks, and rushed over to join the action.
"Hey!" Doug yelled, suddenly panicked. "What the hell is this?"
"This," Veronica said, removing her earpiece as she approached him, "is not your lucky day. In fact, I'd say you're having a very bad day."
"You can't just -"
"Actually," she interrupted him. "I can do a lot of things. I can go to the dean with what I know, which is that you threw those games and framed Wallace for it. I can tell your teammates all about how you sold them out. And I can get these fine deputies here to haul you in for questioning, so unless you want them investigating every single thing you've done in the past four years, I suggest you go down to the sheriff's department willingly and tell them what they want to know."
Doug might have been monumentally stupid, but at least he knew when he was beaten. He nodded, and Peters smiled at Veronica as he slapped on a pair of handcuffs.
She got Wallace off the hook, and they got a shiny new witness against Joe the bookie. It was a mutually beneficial agreement.
Doug turned to look at Veronica again as they started to lead him away, and his eyes widened.
"Hey," he said. "I know you."
At last, some recognition.
"You broke into my room last year."
"Yeah," she said. "Sucks for you."
-
"Hey, watch it!" Logan called out as someone jostled past them. Veronica glanced over, but he was smiling, and she relaxed a little.
"Did you spill your drink?" Parker asked. She was sitting next to him, far enough away to be just friendly, but Veronica had caught them sneaking glances at each other as they took their seats. Whatever was going on with them, Veronica thought, at least Parker seemed to be happy.
Logan shook his head. "Nah, it's okay."
He smiled at Parker, and took a sip of what Veronica hoped was just soda. She doubted the college would take too well to people sneaking alcohol into games, particularly given the current climate, and she was looking forward to taking a break from getting her friends out of trouble for at least another week or two.
On the other side of Logan, Mac and Bronson were sitting so close together they were practically in each other's laps, paying no attention to what was going on around them. It would have been sickening if it wasn't kind of adorable, and Veronica was willing to forgive them for it. Mac, more than anyone, deserved a little happiness.
Of course, that did leave her and Piz in the uncomfortable position of being the only two people there without dates. Or non-dates, or whatever it was Logan and Parker were. She glanced at him with raised eyebrows, and he laughed, turning away from the couples.
"Yeah," he said. "Silly me, I forgot to invite someone. Of course, I thought we were coming to a basketball game, not the prom."
Veronica smiled, and turned to face the court. There was no sign of the players yet, but she was itching to see Wallace back in uniform.
"Young love," she said. "What can you do?"
"What?" Parker asked, and Veronica looked at her guiltily.
"Nothing," she said. "Just talking about Mac and Bronson."
The couple in question either decided to ignore her, or, more likely, hadn't heard what she'd said.
Parker shrugged. "I think it's cute."
Of course she did. In Parker's world, everyone got to live happily ever after.
It was a nice fantasy. Too bad Veronica had given up believing in fantasies a long time ago.
"Of course it is," she said. "I guess I'm just feeling a little left out."
Logan leaned over Parker. "They might let you join in, if you asked nicely."
She shot him a dirty look, but his grin only widened.
"Or you could have invited Dick."
Her mouth fell open in shock, and she immediately cursed herself for betraying the emotion. Logan's eyes gleamed wickedly, and she fought to recover quickly.
"I have no idea what you're talking about," she said, in what she thought was a good imitation of sincerity.
"Yeah," he said, obviously not believing her. "He's claiming he doesn't remember anything, either."
But Logan evidently did, which meant he must have seen it. And that meant other people might have, too.
Oh, god. She wanted to die.
She tried not to let that show on her face, though, and turned away from Logan before he could say anything else. Behind her, she could hear him laughing, but she ignored it, fixing her eyes firmly on Piz.
"You know," he said, picking up on her need for a change of conversation, "I was thinking about covering this for the radio station."
"They didn't go for it?"
"No, I'm sure they would have let me do it." He shrugged. "I just realized that I don't actually know anything about basketball. Or about commentating."
"That might have been a problem," she agreed.
Piz was about to say something else when he was abruptly drowned out by the noise of the crowd, and Veronica glanced over to see movement on the court. She slid forward in her seat, and smiled as Wallace stepped out onto the court with the rest of the team.
"So," she said, as the noise around them died down a little. "How does it feel to have your roommate back?"
"It's okay," Piz said, feigning nonchalance. "I mean, not that I didn't enjoy having a single, but it's nice to have my friend back."
"Well, you're welcome to him," she said. "He was eating us out of house and home."
And hogging the remote. And ganging up with her father to spend the entire day watching sports. And using up all the hot water in the shower.
She almost missed him already.
When the game started, they both fell silent, and Veronica peered around the guy seated inconveniently in front of her. Wallace, from what she could tell, was on fire, moving up and down the court like he was born for it. At least the forced hiatus didn't seem to have affected his game.
At half time, they were up by eight points, and by the time the final buzzer sounded, they'd won by fourteen. Veronica couldn't help feeling a little school pride as the crowd cheered, and she made her way down from the bleachers to meet Wallace at the edge of the court.
"Wallace!" she called out, and he grinned, taking the last few steps towards her. "You were amazing out there."
"I couldn't have done it without you," he said sincerely, and she shook her head.
"The team couldn't have done it without you. They're lucky."
"Luck?" He waved a hand. "Luck's got nothing to do with it. It's all skill, baby."
She rolled her eyes as Wallace preened, and started rummaging around in her bag.
"Here," she said finally, holding out a box. "I've been carrying it around all night, so it might be a little squished."
He took the box, and his smile widened. "You made me a spirit box?"
"Not just any spirit box," she said. "This is a special 'congratulations for getting back on the team' spirit box."
He opened it. "Snickerdoodles."
"A double batch of snickerdoodles."
Wallace met her gaze, and she shrugged.
"Anyway, congratulations."
He slung an arm around her shoulder, and she didn't bother to complain that he was getting her all sweaty.
Sometimes her life wasn't so bad, after all.
-
"Please tell me you're here to set up for the party."
Well, that didn't take long. She hadn't even set foot inside the house yet. "Hey, Kelly."
"Oh. Hey, Veronica. But please tell me you're here to help."
"Sure," she said with a shrug. "What do you need?"
"Oh my god, everything. I still don't have any decorations up, the bar is completely understocked, and unless we get the sound system set up before everyone gets here, it's going to be a complete disaster."
"Why don't I help with the stereo?" she offered. It was the least she could do, unless she wanted to see Kelly actually start tearing her hair out.
Kelly sighed. "You're a lifesaver."
As Veronica followed her into the back room, she wondered how to bring up the subject of Hallie. She'd promised Lamb she'd stay away from the investigation, but that had been weeks ago, and it wasn't like she'd talked to him lately. Besides, what he didn't know couldn't hurt him, right?
She didn't get a chance to say anything at all, though, when Kelly suddenly stopped in front of her, shouting something about lighting and ambiance and a bunch of words that mostly sounded like high-pitched shrieks. She rushed off, heading towards the kitchen, and Veronica sighed.
Somehow, she doubted that Kelly was going to be running for social chair again next year.
She set about fixing the sound system, anyway. She almost laughed when she saw the problem, and glanced around the room until she saw a familiar face.
"Siobhann," she said. "Do you know if this thing has a cord?"
Siobhann came over to have a look, and smiled. "Yeah. It should be around here somewhere, I'll have a look."
Veronica got up to help her, her eyes scouring the small room.
"I'm afraid she's going to have a breakdown or something," Siobhann said quietly after a minute, glancing towards the door. "She's insisting that everything has to be perfect. I'm just hoping campus security doesn't find out and come to shut us down."
Veronica smiled sympathetically, and Siobhann straightened, throwing up her hands.
"I don't know," she said. "Try looking in Kelly's room. It might be there."
Kelly's room was upstairs, second on the left, with a nameplate stuck conveniently to the door. Inside, it was immaculate, and Veronica let out a low whistle. Apparently Kelly was a fan of organisation in her personal as well as her social life.
She paused, her search for the power cord momentarily forgotten. She hadn't gotten the chance to ask Kelly about Hallie, but there might be something about her here. Other boyfriends, enemies, house rivalries; anybody who might have been tempted to slip something into her drink. Like all self-respecting sorority girls, Kelly probably kept a diary, and in a room this neat, it wouldn't take Veronica long to look for it. In fact, it was probably -
- under her bed. Veronica looked down as her hand closed over the book. It was marked clearly as 'Kelly's Diary' in brightly coloured ink, and it didn't so much as have a lock to keep it safe. Anyone could look through it, and Kelly would never even know. And if it just happened to fall open ...
Veronica looked down again, and paused. The power cord for the stereo was curled up against the wall, partially hidden by the bedspread. She had what she came for.
Noise began to filter up from downstairs, the Theta Betas in the throes of party preparation, and Veronica set the diary aside. She didn't want to start suspecting the Theta Betas, and Kelly wasn't exactly known for being reticent. Anything she needed to know, she could probably just ask, if she ever found a minute when Kelly wasn't busy.
And if not, she knew where to look for more answers.
"You found it," Siobhann said, when Veronica got back downstairs.
She nodded, and plugged in the cord. The stereo lit up immediately.
That was one crisis averted, at least.
It wasn't long before people started arriving, and Veronica still hadn't found an opportunity to talk to any of the Theta Betas about Hallie. The Pi Sigs were the first to get there, predictably, and she quickly busied herself on the other side of the room when she saw Dick. Luckily, he didn't seem to have brought Madison, but he still wasn't someone she particularly wanted to talk to. Especially after what had happened at the last party they both attended.
Mac and Parker arrived shortly afterwards, followed by Wallace and Piz, and finally Logan. Veronica smiled at him when he caught her eye, and went to talk to Mac, who looked uncomfortable and alone in the corner.
"No Bronson?" she asked, and Mac smiled grimly.
"No me, I wish. Parker forced me to come. She said I was spending too much time with Bronson and not enough time with her."
"And this is her idea of spending quality time together?"
Mac shot her an unimpressed look.
"If you want," Veronica offered, "I can distract her while you sneak out."
Mac smiled gratefully, and then glanced over Veronica's shoulder. "Never mind. I think she's going to be distracted for a while."
Veronica looked around, and saw Parker talking to Logan. "Then I guess now's your chance."
"Yeah," Mac said, already starting towards the door. "If she asks, tell her I'm in the bathroom. Or that I went home sick."
"Will do," Veronica assured her, and watched as Mac left. When she turned back around, Wallace was standing in front of her, grinning.
"So, how does it feel?" she asked. "Tonight was your second win in a row."
"Feels good," he said, and she couldn't help smiling with him. At least she'd managed to solve one case. "How about you? Enjoying the party?"
"Oh, yeah," she said unenthusiastically. She should never have bothered believing that the college's restrictions would mean she might get a break from all of this once in a while.
"Hey," he said, more seriously. "If you want to talk, I mean, about anything ..."
He looked uncomfortable, and she guessed he was talking about Lamb. Apparently she wasn't the only one who had noticed their recent lack of communication.
She shook her head. "Thanks, but I'll pass. I'm not sure this is really the right place for a deep and meaningful conversation."
He shrugged, but he was still watching her. "Whatever you say. Just know that I'm here for you, all right?"
"I know that," she told him sincerely.
He looked slightly mollified as he left, and Veronica considered the merits of allowing herself a drink. It looked like it was going to be a long night.
Or not, as a loud bang on the door caught everyone's attention.
"Oh my god." Siobhann, standing to Veronica's right, visibly paled. "Security."
Then the person at the door stepped into the light, and Veronica realised it wasn't campus security at all.
It was Lamb.
His eyes slid over Veronica with only a slight pause, and she frowned. If he wasn't looking for her, what was he doing here? She watched as he strode forward, apparently seeing whoever it was he'd come for.
"Logan Echolls," he said, in a voice that carried clearly over the sudden hush of the party. "Come with me."
Next: Part 7
Fandom: Veronica Mars
Pairing(s): Lamb/Veronica
Word Count: 4236
Rating: PG-13
Summary: Veronica enlists help to take down Doug, and there's a startling development in the case.
Notes: Sequel to What Goes Down. Sixth in the Down Again series. AU from episode 3:2 - My Big Fat Greek Rush Week; potential spoilers up to the end of season three.
Previously: Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5
Now that she had enough clues to piece together his identity, all Veronica needed was evidence that linked Doug Handler to point shaving. And this time, when she got it, she wasn't going to let him off with a slap on the wrist or a warning not to come around again.
She doubted he'd be dumb enough to hide the evidence in his room like he had the last time she caught him cheating - high stakes gambling and game fixing weren't exactly the same thing as a shoe box full of fake poker chips - but she hadn't found any unusual activity in his financial records, either. He had to have another account somewhere, and she needed help to find it.
And since she hadn't spoken to Lamb since his impromptu visit to her apartment, that only left one person she could ask.
"Veronica," Mac said, as she opened the door to let Veronica in. "Let me guess. You need a favour."
"Actually," Veronica said, "it's for Wallace."
Mac looked surprised. "Oh. In that case, what can I do to help?"
Veronica smiled. "Is there any way you can track down an extra bank account someone's keeping hidden?"
"Of course. What's the name?"
"Doug Handler."
"Okay," Mac said, opening up her computer as Veronica sat on the bed. "Just give me a few minutes."
"Fast," Veronica said, and Mac turned to look at her. "Not you. The search."
Mac laughed. "I know what you mean."
They sat in silence for a while, Veronica trying to keep her mind occupied. It helped to have something to focus on other than Hallie, other than Lamb, other than the criminology assignment she still hadn't touched.
"So," Veronica said, looking around. "Where's Parker?"
Mac shrugged. "Out."
"With Logan?"
"Do you care?"
"Only as a friend," Veronica assured her.
Mac shrugged again. "I don't think so. I think she's just ..."
"Out," Veronica said. "Right."
"So," Mac said, after a minute. "How are you and, you know?"
Lamb. Exactly the person she didn't want to think about.
"You know what?" she asked, getting up before Mac could turn around. "I'll come back later."
-
Veronica had been over Doug Handler's stats for the three games that were most likely to have been fixed, but they didn't tell her much. He was a solid player, but not a superstar, so he was easy to overlook. He also had enough time on the court that he could easily have changed the outcome of the games.
She was counting on Mac to come through with the financial information, but she needed to able to prove that it was at least possible that Doug, not Wallace, had cheated. Luckily, Wallace had been able to point her in the direction of the Hearst basketball commentary team, and Veronica was guessing that they'd be able to make a lot more sense out the numbers than she could.
Crossing her fingers, Veronica knocked on the door. The guy who opened it looked more like a typical sports fan than an AV geek, but a quick look at the equipment in the room behind her told Veronica he was probably both.
"Hi," she said. "I'm Veronica. A friend of mine said you might be able to help me?"
He looked her up and down. "Help you with what?"
"I need to take a look at the tapes of some of the games from last year's basketball season. I'm hoping you still have them?"
"Sure we do," he said, and opened the door a little wider so she could step inside. "Are you looking for any games in particular?"
She gave him the dates, and he nodded, turning around to rifle through some messily labelled tapes.
"This could take a while," he said over his shoulder.
"I'll wait," she said, leaning back against the doorway.
A couple of minutes later, he held up the tapes triumphantly, and slotted one of them into the VCR. "So, what are you looking for?"
"Do you know the players well?"
"From last year? Yeah."
"Okay. So, you'd know if they're not playing as well as usual? Like, if something looks off?"
He shrugged. "Sure, I guess."
"Could you point it out to me?"
He turned to look at her curiously as he started the tape. "Is there anyone in particular you want me to watch?"
"Yeah," she said. "Doug Handler."
-
"Got it," Mac said, when Veronica returned. "It wasn't easy, but there were three large deposits paid into the account last semester."
"Do you know the dates?"
Mac looked down at the files she'd printed out. "One at the beginning of the year, one a couple of weeks after that, and the third was a week after that. Does that mean something?"
Only that the dates Doug Handler was receiving large amounts of money from a mysterious source coincided with the suspect games. Mac handed the records over, and Veronica looked at the dates highlighted. One a couple of days after each of the games. Perfect. And -
"You tracked down the account he was paid from?"
Mac grinned. "Mine is a full service invasion of privacy."
"You're a goddess," Veronica told her.
"I know," she said. "So, does this get Wallace off the hook?"
"Absolutely. I've just got to make one more stop."
-
Even though she was fighting with Lamb, Veronica still had a few friends in the sheriff's department. It was one fortunate side effect of spending most of her free time hanging around the station.
Another was that she knew Lamb's schedule down to a tee. Like the fact that, on Thursday afternoons, he spent an hour in the gym. Usually that coincided with her having class, but this week's lecture had been cancelled in favour of starting the mid-semester break early.
She spared a wary glance towards the door to his office, just in case, but it was open, his chair empty. Inga waved her through with a smile, and Veronica returned it before making her way through to one of the desks in the back.
"Peters," she said. "Just the man I'm looking for."
He raised an eyebrow. "You sure about that?"
"Absolutely." She gave him her most winning smile. "I need to ask you a favour."
"If it involves the sheriff -"
"Hardly," she said. "I need you to catch a bad guy for me."
He opened his mouth, as if to ask her why she didn't go to Lamb instead, but then seemed to think better of it, and shrugged. "That's my job."
"Great." She pulled the financial records Mac had dug up out of her bag, and pointed to the name that wasn't Doug Handler's. "I'm pretty sure this guy has been fixing college basketball games. He's been paying one of the players to shave points. I thought maybe you wouldn't mind hauling him in."
Peters leaned forward, and nodded. "Yeah, I think I recognise the name. Bookie. We questioned him a couple of times, couldn't get anything on him."
"Would you like to?"
She handed the records over, and he leaned back to study them. "I'm not even going to ask where you got these."
"Good call," she said. He rolled his eyes, and she leaned casually against his desk. "So, are you doing anything tomorrow?"
-
"Are you sure this is going to work?"
Veronica nodded to Peters as he passed, then slid her earpiece in, handing one to Wallace. "I'm sure."
"Are you sure it's even legal?"
"As long as they're not planning to arrest him."
Wallace still looked unconvinced, and she laid a steady hand on his knee to stop the nervous twitch he seemed to have picked up sometime in the last ten minutes.
"It's fine," she assured him. "They get him to confess to cheating, he rolls over on his bookie, and everyone walks away happy. Well, except for Doug. He gets to be kicked off the team, expelled, and probably lose his grad school spot."
Wallace was looking at her curiously, and she raised an eyebrow.
"What?"
"Have I ever told you how glad I am I never got on your bad side?"
"It was implied," she said, and turned to face the alcove where Doug was waiting. "Come on. You don't want to miss this."
Doug looked surprised as Peters approached him, and glanced around the courtyard. Veronica shrunk back in her seat; if Doug recognised her, it might blow the operation, and she wasn't going to let that happen.
"Where's Joe?" he asked, and Peters shrugged.
"He's been detained."
Veronica rolled her eyes. Cop humour.
"He sent me. Unless you want me to go back and tell him the deal's off?"
She tensed for a moment as Doug seemed to consider it. The evidence she had would probably be enough to get Wallace off, but she wanted a confession. She wanted Doug Handler nailed to the wall.
He shook his head, and she let out a breath.
"Whatever," he said, his voice tinny and uncertain through the earpiece. "Look, I made you guys your money back already."
And a little extra for himself, no doubt. He should have stuck to counterfeiting chips at amateur poker nights; it was what he was good at. Not nearly as lucrative, but it also wasn't likely to land you in debt to a bunch of scary men with a penchant for breaking kneecaps.
"And you think that makes us even?"
Doug shifted. He obviously wasn't very well versed in the ways of the criminal underground.
"It's not going to be easy, this time." Trying to reason his way out of it. Good luck with that. "There was already an investigation. They think they caught the guy. If it happens again ..."
"Then you'd better make it look good." Peters leaned forward, casually menacing, and Veronica had to give him credit. He did it well.
"I don't know if -"
"We gave you time off. Now we're calling in the marker. First game back, Neptune wins by less than nine."
Doug was already looking scared, and Veronica silently willed Peters not to push it too far.
"Deal?"
Beside her, Veronica could hear Wallace holding his breath, and she did the same. Their entire plan rested on what happened next.
"Fine," Doug said. "Deal."
Peters nodded, and Doug, looking relieved, started away. He didn't get far before Sampson and Ramirez rounded the corner, and Peters clapped a hand on his back.
Veronica smiled triumphantly at Wallace, who was looking happier than she'd seen him in weeks, and rushed over to join the action.
"Hey!" Doug yelled, suddenly panicked. "What the hell is this?"
"This," Veronica said, removing her earpiece as she approached him, "is not your lucky day. In fact, I'd say you're having a very bad day."
"You can't just -"
"Actually," she interrupted him. "I can do a lot of things. I can go to the dean with what I know, which is that you threw those games and framed Wallace for it. I can tell your teammates all about how you sold them out. And I can get these fine deputies here to haul you in for questioning, so unless you want them investigating every single thing you've done in the past four years, I suggest you go down to the sheriff's department willingly and tell them what they want to know."
Doug might have been monumentally stupid, but at least he knew when he was beaten. He nodded, and Peters smiled at Veronica as he slapped on a pair of handcuffs.
She got Wallace off the hook, and they got a shiny new witness against Joe the bookie. It was a mutually beneficial agreement.
Doug turned to look at Veronica again as they started to lead him away, and his eyes widened.
"Hey," he said. "I know you."
At last, some recognition.
"You broke into my room last year."
"Yeah," she said. "Sucks for you."
-
"Hey, watch it!" Logan called out as someone jostled past them. Veronica glanced over, but he was smiling, and she relaxed a little.
"Did you spill your drink?" Parker asked. She was sitting next to him, far enough away to be just friendly, but Veronica had caught them sneaking glances at each other as they took their seats. Whatever was going on with them, Veronica thought, at least Parker seemed to be happy.
Logan shook his head. "Nah, it's okay."
He smiled at Parker, and took a sip of what Veronica hoped was just soda. She doubted the college would take too well to people sneaking alcohol into games, particularly given the current climate, and she was looking forward to taking a break from getting her friends out of trouble for at least another week or two.
On the other side of Logan, Mac and Bronson were sitting so close together they were practically in each other's laps, paying no attention to what was going on around them. It would have been sickening if it wasn't kind of adorable, and Veronica was willing to forgive them for it. Mac, more than anyone, deserved a little happiness.
Of course, that did leave her and Piz in the uncomfortable position of being the only two people there without dates. Or non-dates, or whatever it was Logan and Parker were. She glanced at him with raised eyebrows, and he laughed, turning away from the couples.
"Yeah," he said. "Silly me, I forgot to invite someone. Of course, I thought we were coming to a basketball game, not the prom."
Veronica smiled, and turned to face the court. There was no sign of the players yet, but she was itching to see Wallace back in uniform.
"Young love," she said. "What can you do?"
"What?" Parker asked, and Veronica looked at her guiltily.
"Nothing," she said. "Just talking about Mac and Bronson."
The couple in question either decided to ignore her, or, more likely, hadn't heard what she'd said.
Parker shrugged. "I think it's cute."
Of course she did. In Parker's world, everyone got to live happily ever after.
It was a nice fantasy. Too bad Veronica had given up believing in fantasies a long time ago.
"Of course it is," she said. "I guess I'm just feeling a little left out."
Logan leaned over Parker. "They might let you join in, if you asked nicely."
She shot him a dirty look, but his grin only widened.
"Or you could have invited Dick."
Her mouth fell open in shock, and she immediately cursed herself for betraying the emotion. Logan's eyes gleamed wickedly, and she fought to recover quickly.
"I have no idea what you're talking about," she said, in what she thought was a good imitation of sincerity.
"Yeah," he said, obviously not believing her. "He's claiming he doesn't remember anything, either."
But Logan evidently did, which meant he must have seen it. And that meant other people might have, too.
Oh, god. She wanted to die.
She tried not to let that show on her face, though, and turned away from Logan before he could say anything else. Behind her, she could hear him laughing, but she ignored it, fixing her eyes firmly on Piz.
"You know," he said, picking up on her need for a change of conversation, "I was thinking about covering this for the radio station."
"They didn't go for it?"
"No, I'm sure they would have let me do it." He shrugged. "I just realized that I don't actually know anything about basketball. Or about commentating."
"That might have been a problem," she agreed.
Piz was about to say something else when he was abruptly drowned out by the noise of the crowd, and Veronica glanced over to see movement on the court. She slid forward in her seat, and smiled as Wallace stepped out onto the court with the rest of the team.
"So," she said, as the noise around them died down a little. "How does it feel to have your roommate back?"
"It's okay," Piz said, feigning nonchalance. "I mean, not that I didn't enjoy having a single, but it's nice to have my friend back."
"Well, you're welcome to him," she said. "He was eating us out of house and home."
And hogging the remote. And ganging up with her father to spend the entire day watching sports. And using up all the hot water in the shower.
She almost missed him already.
When the game started, they both fell silent, and Veronica peered around the guy seated inconveniently in front of her. Wallace, from what she could tell, was on fire, moving up and down the court like he was born for it. At least the forced hiatus didn't seem to have affected his game.
At half time, they were up by eight points, and by the time the final buzzer sounded, they'd won by fourteen. Veronica couldn't help feeling a little school pride as the crowd cheered, and she made her way down from the bleachers to meet Wallace at the edge of the court.
"Wallace!" she called out, and he grinned, taking the last few steps towards her. "You were amazing out there."
"I couldn't have done it without you," he said sincerely, and she shook her head.
"The team couldn't have done it without you. They're lucky."
"Luck?" He waved a hand. "Luck's got nothing to do with it. It's all skill, baby."
She rolled her eyes as Wallace preened, and started rummaging around in her bag.
"Here," she said finally, holding out a box. "I've been carrying it around all night, so it might be a little squished."
He took the box, and his smile widened. "You made me a spirit box?"
"Not just any spirit box," she said. "This is a special 'congratulations for getting back on the team' spirit box."
He opened it. "Snickerdoodles."
"A double batch of snickerdoodles."
Wallace met her gaze, and she shrugged.
"Anyway, congratulations."
He slung an arm around her shoulder, and she didn't bother to complain that he was getting her all sweaty.
Sometimes her life wasn't so bad, after all.
-
"Please tell me you're here to set up for the party."
Well, that didn't take long. She hadn't even set foot inside the house yet. "Hey, Kelly."
"Oh. Hey, Veronica. But please tell me you're here to help."
"Sure," she said with a shrug. "What do you need?"
"Oh my god, everything. I still don't have any decorations up, the bar is completely understocked, and unless we get the sound system set up before everyone gets here, it's going to be a complete disaster."
"Why don't I help with the stereo?" she offered. It was the least she could do, unless she wanted to see Kelly actually start tearing her hair out.
Kelly sighed. "You're a lifesaver."
As Veronica followed her into the back room, she wondered how to bring up the subject of Hallie. She'd promised Lamb she'd stay away from the investigation, but that had been weeks ago, and it wasn't like she'd talked to him lately. Besides, what he didn't know couldn't hurt him, right?
She didn't get a chance to say anything at all, though, when Kelly suddenly stopped in front of her, shouting something about lighting and ambiance and a bunch of words that mostly sounded like high-pitched shrieks. She rushed off, heading towards the kitchen, and Veronica sighed.
Somehow, she doubted that Kelly was going to be running for social chair again next year.
She set about fixing the sound system, anyway. She almost laughed when she saw the problem, and glanced around the room until she saw a familiar face.
"Siobhann," she said. "Do you know if this thing has a cord?"
Siobhann came over to have a look, and smiled. "Yeah. It should be around here somewhere, I'll have a look."
Veronica got up to help her, her eyes scouring the small room.
"I'm afraid she's going to have a breakdown or something," Siobhann said quietly after a minute, glancing towards the door. "She's insisting that everything has to be perfect. I'm just hoping campus security doesn't find out and come to shut us down."
Veronica smiled sympathetically, and Siobhann straightened, throwing up her hands.
"I don't know," she said. "Try looking in Kelly's room. It might be there."
Kelly's room was upstairs, second on the left, with a nameplate stuck conveniently to the door. Inside, it was immaculate, and Veronica let out a low whistle. Apparently Kelly was a fan of organisation in her personal as well as her social life.
She paused, her search for the power cord momentarily forgotten. She hadn't gotten the chance to ask Kelly about Hallie, but there might be something about her here. Other boyfriends, enemies, house rivalries; anybody who might have been tempted to slip something into her drink. Like all self-respecting sorority girls, Kelly probably kept a diary, and in a room this neat, it wouldn't take Veronica long to look for it. In fact, it was probably -
- under her bed. Veronica looked down as her hand closed over the book. It was marked clearly as 'Kelly's Diary' in brightly coloured ink, and it didn't so much as have a lock to keep it safe. Anyone could look through it, and Kelly would never even know. And if it just happened to fall open ...
Veronica looked down again, and paused. The power cord for the stereo was curled up against the wall, partially hidden by the bedspread. She had what she came for.
Noise began to filter up from downstairs, the Theta Betas in the throes of party preparation, and Veronica set the diary aside. She didn't want to start suspecting the Theta Betas, and Kelly wasn't exactly known for being reticent. Anything she needed to know, she could probably just ask, if she ever found a minute when Kelly wasn't busy.
And if not, she knew where to look for more answers.
"You found it," Siobhann said, when Veronica got back downstairs.
She nodded, and plugged in the cord. The stereo lit up immediately.
That was one crisis averted, at least.
It wasn't long before people started arriving, and Veronica still hadn't found an opportunity to talk to any of the Theta Betas about Hallie. The Pi Sigs were the first to get there, predictably, and she quickly busied herself on the other side of the room when she saw Dick. Luckily, he didn't seem to have brought Madison, but he still wasn't someone she particularly wanted to talk to. Especially after what had happened at the last party they both attended.
Mac and Parker arrived shortly afterwards, followed by Wallace and Piz, and finally Logan. Veronica smiled at him when he caught her eye, and went to talk to Mac, who looked uncomfortable and alone in the corner.
"No Bronson?" she asked, and Mac smiled grimly.
"No me, I wish. Parker forced me to come. She said I was spending too much time with Bronson and not enough time with her."
"And this is her idea of spending quality time together?"
Mac shot her an unimpressed look.
"If you want," Veronica offered, "I can distract her while you sneak out."
Mac smiled gratefully, and then glanced over Veronica's shoulder. "Never mind. I think she's going to be distracted for a while."
Veronica looked around, and saw Parker talking to Logan. "Then I guess now's your chance."
"Yeah," Mac said, already starting towards the door. "If she asks, tell her I'm in the bathroom. Or that I went home sick."
"Will do," Veronica assured her, and watched as Mac left. When she turned back around, Wallace was standing in front of her, grinning.
"So, how does it feel?" she asked. "Tonight was your second win in a row."
"Feels good," he said, and she couldn't help smiling with him. At least she'd managed to solve one case. "How about you? Enjoying the party?"
"Oh, yeah," she said unenthusiastically. She should never have bothered believing that the college's restrictions would mean she might get a break from all of this once in a while.
"Hey," he said, more seriously. "If you want to talk, I mean, about anything ..."
He looked uncomfortable, and she guessed he was talking about Lamb. Apparently she wasn't the only one who had noticed their recent lack of communication.
She shook her head. "Thanks, but I'll pass. I'm not sure this is really the right place for a deep and meaningful conversation."
He shrugged, but he was still watching her. "Whatever you say. Just know that I'm here for you, all right?"
"I know that," she told him sincerely.
He looked slightly mollified as he left, and Veronica considered the merits of allowing herself a drink. It looked like it was going to be a long night.
Or not, as a loud bang on the door caught everyone's attention.
"Oh my god." Siobhann, standing to Veronica's right, visibly paled. "Security."
Then the person at the door stepped into the light, and Veronica realised it wasn't campus security at all.
It was Lamb.
His eyes slid over Veronica with only a slight pause, and she frowned. If he wasn't looking for her, what was he doing here? She watched as he strode forward, apparently seeing whoever it was he'd come for.
"Logan Echolls," he said, in a voice that carried clearly over the sudden hush of the party. "Come with me."
Next: Part 7