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jesterladyficThis chapter's title comes from CS Lewis
I’m not quite sure how this happened actually. But I am sitting in the front seat of Gia’s Fiat. We are driving together. She is taking me to see Wallace’s game. There must have been something strange in the air last Thursday when she offered to take me. My car being inconveniently in the shop at the time, I accepted. Gia had been a little cool to me since I ran out on her coed slumber party. I guess I’m…glad she isn’t anymore. If only she would stop talking for five seconds.
“I’m totally glad we did this,” Gia gushed. “I’ve wanted to talk to you for, like, forever. You’re totally awesome, like the most cool girl at school.”
“Thanks. It’s a change, but one I’m willing to accept.”
Veronica turned her head to the window and watched the scenery go by, not listening to half of what Gia was talking about. They reached the game and she gladly settled in to watch Wallace play.
He was amazing, naturally. She was glad he was back on the team. She slapped him a high five at the end.
“Jordanesque, my friend.”
“What happened to keeping me humble?”
“Hmmm, starts tomorrow. Anyway, I gotta go cause Gia is waiting for me, but I’ll talk to you later if you still remember the little people.”
“See ya.”
***
“Honey, why are you doing this?”
“Mom, we’ve been over this.”
“Mrs. Manning, we don’t want to fight.”
“The lawsuit might suggest otherwise, young man,” Mr. Manning cut in with a tight lipped smile.
Cliff joined the happy foursome.
“Your lawyer is on his way,” he informed the Mannings. “We’ll officially start then since we wouldn’t want you to say anything before.”
“Naturally.” Mrs. Manning turned to Meg. “Can I at least hold her?”
“When we get home,” Meg answered uncomfortably. “I promise.”
She held Lilly closer as they walked into the room. The door thudded behind her ominously, but Duncan put his hand on her shoulder reassuringly.
***
“We just need to make like a five second stop.”
“I don’t think I should be flying anywhere on a school night,” Veronica said as they entered into a hangar.
“Ha, ha! My dad keeps some cars here and I totally want to drive the Porsche tomorrow. The plane ride we can do another time.” They parked and got out of the car, heading for the Porsche. Gia settled down and started to turn it on when she knocked over her drink cup. “My dad will kill me!” she cried, horrified.
Veronica hurried to the cupboards alongside the room and started to search for anything that would clean up the mess.
What she saw wouldn’t clean it up. It would make it worse. She stared at it for what felt like forever before Gia’s increasing hysteria brought her back into focus. There were some rags next to the detonators and she grabbed them.
“Gia,” she asked while sopping up the liquid. “Does anyone but your dad use this hangar?”
“No.” Gia sniffed and wiped her eyes. “Why?”
Oh, how to answer that question!
***
Veronica hurried down the hallway looking for Mac. She didn’t find her, but she did spy a familiar blonde head.
“Dick!” she yelled.
He sighed and turned to face her.
“What do you want?”
“Have you seen your brother or Mac?”
“Like I follow around the puppies. I don’t know where they go.”
“Well, you’re certainly a lot of help.”
“You gotta learn to leave me alone,” Dick said seriously.
While the prospect wasn’t unpleasing, Veronica was puzzled as to Dick’s animosity.
“And here I thought we were getting to be pals.”
“Please. You date Duncan, his sister dies. You date Logan, he's nailed for murder. You get put on Robbie and Hunter's jury, they get sent to Chino. You're like rich-dude kryptonite, Veronica. This rich dude wants no part of it.”
Dick walked away leaving Veronica completely stunned.
She never sought Dick’s good favor, but it was odd to have someone feel
that strongly about her ability to mess up people’s lives. It actually kind of hurt. She was startled from her reverie when she spotted Mac’s red locks.
“Hey!” She hurried to catch up with her. “I actually caught you without your new boy toy.”
“He’s so much more than that.”
Mac sighed and leaned against her locker for a moment. Veronica raised her eyebrows.
“I’ll pretend I didn’t hear that. So, wanna do me a favor?”
“Want might be too strong of a word to use. Maybe you could say, bear to, or bring yourself to. Feel strongly pressured to and caved in work too.”
“I don’t ask for them that often. I need a Q for my Bond, you know.”
“And what can I do for you today, Mr. Bond?”
“Woody Goodman.”
“The mayor?”
“He has some protected files on a shared folder at City Hall. I want you to hack in and get them. Plus, anything else you can get from him.”
“Why are we investigating the mayor?” asked Mac.
“The mayor might be messing around in things he shouldn’t, let’s say.”
“You’re not going to tell me, are you?’
“Hmm, no,” Veronica said, a brilliant smile in place.
“Well, I’ll start right away then. But I am meeting Cassidy, so get out of here.”
“Don’t do anything I wouldn’t.”
Veronica waved and headed for her next class, only to get accosted by Logan.
I’m not sure what to say to him. Thanks for the bear? What the heck was that supposed to mean? Why can’t you be uncomplicated like all the other boys?
***
Logan smiled at Veronica's obvious discomfort with him stopping her in the hallway. At least she wasn’t mad.
“Hi. Got a sec?”
“I’m charging you,” she said and pushed past him into the empty classroom he indicated.
Logan raised his eyebrows and followed her to where Weevil was waiting for them.
“What’s up, V?”
“You know if you two are going to be friends now I’m going to have to rearrange my view of the universe.”
“This is a temporary arrangement, I assure you.” Logan glared in Weevil’s general direction. “I want to know what my dad is up to.”
“Here’s a tip. They have these things called visiting hours at prisons,” said Veronica.
“Sure, that will work great. By the way, Pops, framed me for murder lately?”
“Might not be a peacekeeping visit,” she agreed. “What does Weevil have to do with this?”
“Anything you come up with on why Thumper’s in with his dad, helps me to find a way of putting him away for killing Felix,” Weevil replied.
“Don’t you boys ever do anything normal?”
“Coming from the queen of unnormal,” Weevil scoffed.
“I’m doing badly today on the wit scale,” she murmured to herself. “So, I need to do what?”
“Just find out the connection between my dad and his lawyer and Thumper. And yes, I will pay you,” said Logan.
“I’ll stop braiding,” she said in response and left.
Logan smiled after her. She remembered. Weevil quirked his eyebrow.
“What the hell’s that mean?”
“Don’t strain yourself, man,” Logan answered. “It’s nothing. By the way, thanks for being so gracious about meeting here today. Especially with leaving me high and dry last week.”
“We are not a team with a cheer and matching uniforms,” Weevil reminded him. “I just want to know if this can be done another way. Not like you wouldn’t drop it if it didn’t pertain to you no more.”
“Hmm,” was Logan’s response.
***
“Where are you taking me?”
“Relax, Mac. You’ll love it.”
“Cassidy, if I’m not home by dark my parents freak. There will be people looking and dogs and if they find you over my dead corpse in the woods, they will eat you.”
“I’ll risk it.” He laughed. “Don’t you trust me?”
“Are you going to take me to have your way with me? If so, then no.”
Cassidy looked uncomfortable and glanced into his mirrors.
“I wouldn’t…”
“I was just kidding,” Mac said and laid her hand on his arm. “I trust you.”
“Good,” he said and pulled into a parking lot. They were in an empty park. “Madame,” he said as he offered her his hand out of the car.
“This is amazing,” she said in awe.
He’d packed them a picnic. Probably had his own personal chef pack it, but hey, the thought.
“You hungry or you wanna swing?”
“Swing,” she decided. They walked over to the swing set and he pushed her. They ate the amazing food he’d brought and then walked around the path that framed the small wooded area of the park. “I wish we didn’t have to go, but I promised Veronica I’d help her out.”
“What’s she got you doing now?”
Cassidy’s thumb rubbed over the back of her hand.
“Researching the mayor if you can believe it.” His thumb stopped. “I don’t know why, but, hey, Veronica usually has good reasons for what she does.”
“Yeah, she does,” he said softly.
His face grew tighter and pinched and he looked as if his mind were a million miles away.
“Are you okay?” she asked after he didn’t say anything the entire walk back to the car.
“Fine,” he answered shortly. He barely answered her the whole way back so she simply shut up and stared out the window. He reached for her hand before she got out of the car. “I’m sorry, I’ll call you later.”
“Bye,” she said.
He drove off and Mac got to work on Woody’s files somewhat absentmindedly. Cassidy was almost like two people sometimes.
***
Veronica hurried into her dad’s office at the station. This was the first chance she’d had to speak to him about what she’d seen despite its rather important connotations.
“What is it, honey?”
He came around the side of the desk to give her a hug.
“Gia and I went to the game last night. She wanted to borrow one of her dad’s cars. I was digging around in the hangar where he keeps them and I found...I don't know, but I'm pretty sure it was some sort of explosive and detonators.”
“Veronica, are you saying that the mayor might have blown up the bus?”
“I’m saying that I know what I saw. I’ll let the Sheriff handle this one.”
“Veronica, are you absolutely sure what you saw in that hangar were explosives?”
“And detonators. Pretty sure. They were marked C-4.” Keith sighed heavily and sat on the edge of his desk. “Maybe Woody has a legitimate use for them,” Veronica said, trying not to jump to conclusions for once.
“Trout fishing? Anyone else know about this? Gia?”
“She didn't see anything. What are you gonna do?”
“What I have to,” Keith replied, looking rather stressed.
I’m not quite sure how this happened actually. But I am sitting in the front seat of Gia’s Fiat. We are driving together. She is taking me to see Wallace’s game. There must have been something strange in the air last Thursday when she offered to take me. My car being inconveniently in the shop at the time, I accepted. Gia had been a little cool to me since I ran out on her coed slumber party. I guess I’m…glad she isn’t anymore. If only she would stop talking for five seconds.
“I’m totally glad we did this,” Gia gushed. “I’ve wanted to talk to you for, like, forever. You’re totally awesome, like the most cool girl at school.”
“Thanks. It’s a change, but one I’m willing to accept.”
Veronica turned her head to the window and watched the scenery go by, not listening to half of what Gia was talking about. They reached the game and she gladly settled in to watch Wallace play.
He was amazing, naturally. She was glad he was back on the team. She slapped him a high five at the end.
“Jordanesque, my friend.”
“What happened to keeping me humble?”
“Hmmm, starts tomorrow. Anyway, I gotta go cause Gia is waiting for me, but I’ll talk to you later if you still remember the little people.”
“See ya.”
***
“Honey, why are you doing this?”
“Mom, we’ve been over this.”
“Mrs. Manning, we don’t want to fight.”
“The lawsuit might suggest otherwise, young man,” Mr. Manning cut in with a tight lipped smile.
Cliff joined the happy foursome.
“Your lawyer is on his way,” he informed the Mannings. “We’ll officially start then since we wouldn’t want you to say anything before.”
“Naturally.” Mrs. Manning turned to Meg. “Can I at least hold her?”
“When we get home,” Meg answered uncomfortably. “I promise.”
She held Lilly closer as they walked into the room. The door thudded behind her ominously, but Duncan put his hand on her shoulder reassuringly.
***
“We just need to make like a five second stop.”
“I don’t think I should be flying anywhere on a school night,” Veronica said as they entered into a hangar.
“Ha, ha! My dad keeps some cars here and I totally want to drive the Porsche tomorrow. The plane ride we can do another time.” They parked and got out of the car, heading for the Porsche. Gia settled down and started to turn it on when she knocked over her drink cup. “My dad will kill me!” she cried, horrified.
Veronica hurried to the cupboards alongside the room and started to search for anything that would clean up the mess.
What she saw wouldn’t clean it up. It would make it worse. She stared at it for what felt like forever before Gia’s increasing hysteria brought her back into focus. There were some rags next to the detonators and she grabbed them.
“Gia,” she asked while sopping up the liquid. “Does anyone but your dad use this hangar?”
“No.” Gia sniffed and wiped her eyes. “Why?”
Oh, how to answer that question!
***
Veronica hurried down the hallway looking for Mac. She didn’t find her, but she did spy a familiar blonde head.
“Dick!” she yelled.
He sighed and turned to face her.
“What do you want?”
“Have you seen your brother or Mac?”
“Like I follow around the puppies. I don’t know where they go.”
“Well, you’re certainly a lot of help.”
“You gotta learn to leave me alone,” Dick said seriously.
While the prospect wasn’t unpleasing, Veronica was puzzled as to Dick’s animosity.
“And here I thought we were getting to be pals.”
“Please. You date Duncan, his sister dies. You date Logan, he's nailed for murder. You get put on Robbie and Hunter's jury, they get sent to Chino. You're like rich-dude kryptonite, Veronica. This rich dude wants no part of it.”
Dick walked away leaving Veronica completely stunned.
She never sought Dick’s good favor, but it was odd to have someone feel
that strongly about her ability to mess up people’s lives. It actually kind of hurt. She was startled from her reverie when she spotted Mac’s red locks.
“Hey!” She hurried to catch up with her. “I actually caught you without your new boy toy.”
“He’s so much more than that.”
Mac sighed and leaned against her locker for a moment. Veronica raised her eyebrows.
“I’ll pretend I didn’t hear that. So, wanna do me a favor?”
“Want might be too strong of a word to use. Maybe you could say, bear to, or bring yourself to. Feel strongly pressured to and caved in work too.”
“I don’t ask for them that often. I need a Q for my Bond, you know.”
“And what can I do for you today, Mr. Bond?”
“Woody Goodman.”
“The mayor?”
“He has some protected files on a shared folder at City Hall. I want you to hack in and get them. Plus, anything else you can get from him.”
“Why are we investigating the mayor?” asked Mac.
“The mayor might be messing around in things he shouldn’t, let’s say.”
“You’re not going to tell me, are you?’
“Hmm, no,” Veronica said, a brilliant smile in place.
“Well, I’ll start right away then. But I am meeting Cassidy, so get out of here.”
“Don’t do anything I wouldn’t.”
Veronica waved and headed for her next class, only to get accosted by Logan.
I’m not sure what to say to him. Thanks for the bear? What the heck was that supposed to mean? Why can’t you be uncomplicated like all the other boys?
***
Logan smiled at Veronica's obvious discomfort with him stopping her in the hallway. At least she wasn’t mad.
“Hi. Got a sec?”
“I’m charging you,” she said and pushed past him into the empty classroom he indicated.
Logan raised his eyebrows and followed her to where Weevil was waiting for them.
“What’s up, V?”
“You know if you two are going to be friends now I’m going to have to rearrange my view of the universe.”
“This is a temporary arrangement, I assure you.” Logan glared in Weevil’s general direction. “I want to know what my dad is up to.”
“Here’s a tip. They have these things called visiting hours at prisons,” said Veronica.
“Sure, that will work great. By the way, Pops, framed me for murder lately?”
“Might not be a peacekeeping visit,” she agreed. “What does Weevil have to do with this?”
“Anything you come up with on why Thumper’s in with his dad, helps me to find a way of putting him away for killing Felix,” Weevil replied.
“Don’t you boys ever do anything normal?”
“Coming from the queen of unnormal,” Weevil scoffed.
“I’m doing badly today on the wit scale,” she murmured to herself. “So, I need to do what?”
“Just find out the connection between my dad and his lawyer and Thumper. And yes, I will pay you,” said Logan.
“I’ll stop braiding,” she said in response and left.
Logan smiled after her. She remembered. Weevil quirked his eyebrow.
“What the hell’s that mean?”
“Don’t strain yourself, man,” Logan answered. “It’s nothing. By the way, thanks for being so gracious about meeting here today. Especially with leaving me high and dry last week.”
“We are not a team with a cheer and matching uniforms,” Weevil reminded him. “I just want to know if this can be done another way. Not like you wouldn’t drop it if it didn’t pertain to you no more.”
“Hmm,” was Logan’s response.
***
“Where are you taking me?”
“Relax, Mac. You’ll love it.”
“Cassidy, if I’m not home by dark my parents freak. There will be people looking and dogs and if they find you over my dead corpse in the woods, they will eat you.”
“I’ll risk it.” He laughed. “Don’t you trust me?”
“Are you going to take me to have your way with me? If so, then no.”
Cassidy looked uncomfortable and glanced into his mirrors.
“I wouldn’t…”
“I was just kidding,” Mac said and laid her hand on his arm. “I trust you.”
“Good,” he said and pulled into a parking lot. They were in an empty park. “Madame,” he said as he offered her his hand out of the car.
“This is amazing,” she said in awe.
He’d packed them a picnic. Probably had his own personal chef pack it, but hey, the thought.
“You hungry or you wanna swing?”
“Swing,” she decided. They walked over to the swing set and he pushed her. They ate the amazing food he’d brought and then walked around the path that framed the small wooded area of the park. “I wish we didn’t have to go, but I promised Veronica I’d help her out.”
“What’s she got you doing now?”
Cassidy’s thumb rubbed over the back of her hand.
“Researching the mayor if you can believe it.” His thumb stopped. “I don’t know why, but, hey, Veronica usually has good reasons for what she does.”
“Yeah, she does,” he said softly.
His face grew tighter and pinched and he looked as if his mind were a million miles away.
“Are you okay?” she asked after he didn’t say anything the entire walk back to the car.
“Fine,” he answered shortly. He barely answered her the whole way back so she simply shut up and stared out the window. He reached for her hand before she got out of the car. “I’m sorry, I’ll call you later.”
“Bye,” she said.
He drove off and Mac got to work on Woody’s files somewhat absentmindedly. Cassidy was almost like two people sometimes.
***
Veronica hurried into her dad’s office at the station. This was the first chance she’d had to speak to him about what she’d seen despite its rather important connotations.
“What is it, honey?”
He came around the side of the desk to give her a hug.
“Gia and I went to the game last night. She wanted to borrow one of her dad’s cars. I was digging around in the hangar where he keeps them and I found...I don't know, but I'm pretty sure it was some sort of explosive and detonators.”
“Veronica, are you saying that the mayor might have blown up the bus?”
“I’m saying that I know what I saw. I’ll let the Sheriff handle this one.”
“Veronica, are you absolutely sure what you saw in that hangar were explosives?”
“And detonators. Pretty sure. They were marked C-4.” Keith sighed heavily and sat on the edge of his desk. “Maybe Woody has a legitimate use for them,” Veronica said, trying not to jump to conclusions for once.
“Trout fishing? Anyone else know about this? Gia?”
“She didn't see anything. What are you gonna do?”
“What I have to,” Keith replied, looking rather stressed.
