Veronica Mars s01e07 Episode Script

Previously on Veronica Mars: It's been a year since my best friend, Lilly Kane, was murdered.
Everyone remembers reading about the bungling local sheriff.
That bungling sheriff was my dad.
Duncan Kane.
He used to be my boyfriend.
Then one day, with no warning, he ended things.
What do you think Mom was doing at the Camelot Motel with Jake Kane? I told you to stay away from that case.
Do you know what your joke cost me? - You, say you're sorry.
- I don't want his apology.
- Forty-four Adam.
- Forty-four Adam, affirmative.
I look back over the past week and wonder if things could've turned out differently.
If I hadn't met the girl, if I hadn't initiated the case, if I hadn't interfered would tonight be just another dull, quiet night in our apartment complex? Miss, out of the way.
Is it my fault a horrible crime played out its final chapter here or was what happened inevitable? - Hey, Rocky.
- Hey, Veronica.
- Hi, neighbor.
- Oh, hey, Veronica.
- Are you okay? - Yeah, fine.
Oh, your Snow Patrol CD.
I'll get it back to you, I swear.
I've just been so into it.
I know.
I can hear it through the ceiling.
Oh, God, you can hear us fighting, can't you? I'm sorry.
- What was the fight about? - Oh, it was nothing.
You're right, it's not my business.
No.
It's just stupid.
I My journal's missing.
I think he took it.
- Really? - Yeah.
He somehow got it into his head that I have a thing for my boss.
Suddenly, the journal disappears.
It's sort of my diary/sketchbook.
But it's got some way personal stuff in there.
I hope it turns up.
Hey, Killer.
- Do you mind if I? - No, go ahead.
He lives for the attention.
You are so lucky he's your dog.
I would immediately put him in a little sailor's outfit.
Veronica, can I ask you a favor? I have a doctor's appointment Tuesday morning.
I'm getting some test results.
- Do you need a lift? - And maybe some handholding.
Of course.
Mr.
Echolls, I was wondering if I could have a word.
"Anthropomorphic.
" All yours, big guy.
Your father has generously offered to donate a pair of boots for our school fundraising auction.
Not the ones made for walking? God, I love those boots.
The pair he wore in Hair Trigger.
We're hoping we'll be able to pay for our new scoreboard with what we'll make off of them.
I haven't been able to reach your father.
I was hoping you could remind him.
I'll have my assistant call his assistant.
Let's see, Carrie Ann Leski went on to be Miss California.
Of course, then she went on to gain Oh, and Jake Kane.
Big computer mogul, and I sat next to him in typing.
Surprisingly slow, typing-wise.
He's a brilliant man.
Ronald Toolen, of Toolen Motors.
Are you married? Because I hear he's separated now.
Veronica.
Just the girl I was looking for.
I'd like you to meet Evelyn Bugby.
Aren't you cute? Evelyn is from the alumni association.
She can use help putting together a photo display for a class reunion.
If only I had the spare time.
Bob Patton, is that you? Class of '79.
Think of all the bad clothes you can mock: Velour shirts, platform shoes.
- Okay, I'll do it.
- Great.
Your first assignment is to scan and print all of the photos Mrs.
Bugby tabbed.
And please keep her away from me.
Very nice.
Oh, excuse me, I have to go talk to her for a second.
Did you say? And somewhere, amidst the Most Likely to Succeed and Class Sweetheart my mom, Lianne Reynolds, Most Likely to Disappear off the Face of the Earth.
They teach you manners in ESL? If I was gonna cheat, don't you think I'd pick somebody smart? If you was gonna.
Alas you both get zeros.
No talking during tests.
Guess Mrs.
Daniels ain't giving it up at home, huh? The glow of your father's wealth and celebrity may be enough to sustain you through high school but do you know what it will get you in the real world? Please say "high school English teacher.
" Please say "high school English teacher.
" Mr.
Navarro.
I wonder if you'll find Mr.
Echolls so amusing 10 years from now when you're pumping his gas.
See me after class, both of you.
I'll tell you where to report for detention.
You know what I love? I love that I get a zero for talking when you were the one who was talking to me.
You get detention for dissing the teacher in front of everybody and I get detention for laughing.
- Let me ask you something, man.
- Jesus, is this detention or hell? How do you people not make yourselves sick? I mean, it's like you walk on water in this school.
For what? It's nothing that you do.
All that matters is who your parents are and the zip code your mom shot you out in.
But if I donate to the United Latino Pain-in-the-Ass Fund will you shut the hell up? You like playing with yourself? Or you wanna make things interesting? What did you have in mind? You're almost as bad an actor as your father.
You know that you don't need a diploma to steal hubcaps, right? I mean, why do you even show up here? Promised my grandmother.
I don't break my promises.
And I mean this: Is this Reno or detention? Would you believe the best of both? - Oh, come on, man.
- What the hell? Dude, we're playing a game here.
This is punishment, gentlemen, not party time.
Well, that would explain the absence of balloon animals.
The two of you may not have learned respect in the home but you are going to learn it here.
And you now have a full week of detention for me to teach you without luxury time for playing cards.
- Why did you tell her? - I assumed she knew.
She's your mother.
I didn't want her to know about the baby.
I can't believe you told her where I was.
- You're just being hormonal.
- Shut up! Go spend the night with Joanna! Maybe then she'll stop calling here! Get over it, Sarah! Grow up! - Did you hear something last night? - What kind of something? Like a loud thump from upstairs.
Well, no.
But you know me, I can sleep through an earthquake.
Why? I don't know.
It sounded like a falling body.
It really freaked me out.
- A falling body? - Yes, a falling body.
Would you describe the sound as Hitchcockian? I'm glad you're able to entertain yourself.
Oh, sweetie, don't sell yourself short.
I find you completely entertaining.
You're dressed awfully early.
I'm taking Sarah to the doctor before school.
- Well, that's mighty neighborly of you.
- I'll see you back at the ranch, partner.
Sarah? Sarah, it's Veronica again.
Give me a call when you get this.
I'm just getting a little worried.
The people that say high school years are the best years are usually on the yearbook staff.
I just pray that bake sales and pep rallies aren't as good as it gets and that the prom isn't the most magical night of my life, like it was for this golden Oh, my God.
- So how's life with the movie star's kid.
- Oh, he makes juvie hall seem like vacation.
Yeah? You should tell him you spend some quiet time with Lilly Kane his precious girlfriend.
I'd love to see the look on his face when he finds out you tapped that fine, white ass.
You shut your mouth with that, man.
You don't know what you're talking about.
And it wasn't like that, all right? What? What'd I say? Hey, what's up? - I've got a little Neptune High trivia for you.
- Yeah? Did you know that your dad and my mom were king and queen of the prom? Which, I guess, means they were, like, a couple or something.
Did you know about that? No.
It's weird, huh? The boy does have a gift for evasiveness.
Last year, he broke up with me without so much as an "it's over.
" What's going on? What's going on is I had lip gloss on my teeth for, like, all of first period.
Why is Duncan pretending I no longer exist? Because he's a freak.
I don't know.
I'm his sister, not his shrink.
It's like he's broken up with me, but hasn't gotten around to telling me yet.
He has been weird the past few days.
Maybe his right hand finally said no.
Can you not see I'm really upset about this? God, Veronica, please, will you stop, okay? He's going through, like, a phase or something.
You two are meant for each other.
He's not that stupid.
- Fine, I'll talk to him.
- Thank you.
You know, I don't know what you people would do without me.
Is this a joke? No, Mr.
Echolls, this is detention.
I meant the car.
Oh, my God.
It's not yours, is it? Seriously, I don't think it's school policy to have students do chores.
Seriously, would you like to hear the school's policy on gambling, Mr.
Echolls? It's considerably detailed.
Hi, I'm looking for Sarah.
Me too.
She didn't show up today.
I'm her neighbor.
She's been missing since this morning.
I'm getting really worried.
- You might check with her boyfriend, Andre.
- Do you know him? I feel like I do.
She talks about him ad nauseam.
"He's such a brilliant artist.
" "He's so down-to-earth.
" "He has magic hands.
" I'm sensing you don't like him very much.
They fight all the time.
And I know for a fact the guy's got a temper.
A couple weeks ago, she spent the night at my place.
It was storming out, she didn't wanna drive.
Andre absolutely flipped out.
They fought on the phone like Sid and Nancy.
Thanks for the info.
This isn't like her.
She hasn't missed a day of work since she started here.
Do you know where I can find Andre? Hello? - What are you doing here? - Have you seen Sarah? Not since this morning.
Why? I was supposed to take her to the doctor this morning, but she wasn't around.
- She didn't show up for work either.
- She'll turn up.
You're not concerned? This is what she does.
When things get a little rough, she runs.
What was the fight about? I told her I found her friends annoying.
Something about you telling Sarah's mom she was pregnant.
Well, if you know the answer, why ask the question? Sarah's mom didn't know she was pregnant? They hadn't spoken since Sarah left Ohio.
I told her that Sarah was pregnant.
She said she wanted to come be with her.
Sarah freaked.
- Freaked and ran off.
- Yeah.
So get these dark fantasies out of your head.
She'll come back as soon as she's processed it all.
It's her way.
I heard a noise come from your apartment last night.
- A loud thump.
- Thump.
Must've been when I cracked her head with a candlestick and she crumpled to the ground.
No, wait.
- That was Professor Plum in the study.
- I am seriously worried.
You are seriously paranoid, is what you are.
I didn't hear a thump.
Maybe I slept through it.
Look, why don't you go back to playing field hockey or whatever it is you usually do after school.
I can handle this.
Actually, what I usually do after school is work at my dad's detective agency.
You remember, he used to be sheriff.
He still has a ton of contacts in law enforcement.
Well, la-di-da.
Who's the girl? She's the head of our neighborhood-watch program.
I wasn't aware this was clothing-optional.
Let me know when you're ready for me, Picasso.
See you, neighbor.
Thanks for dropping by.
Dogs.
Nature's psychic detectives.
They know it in their bones when something is wrong.
Now I've got the corroboration I need.
Hey, Killer.
Killer? Killer.
Killer, where are you, bud? Oh, hi.
What the hell are you doing in my apartment? I couldn't study.
The little guy was barking his head off.
I tried the door it was unlocked.
So I came in and checked on him.
I never leave my door unlocked.
Oh, well, then Sarah must have done it.
That's possible, right? Possible? Yeah, that's possible.
Look, I don't know who you think you are, but you need to stay out of my business.
- Am I being clear? - Crystal.
Nice chatting with you.
Well, we definitely don't need this one.
I have no idea who this is, so, what does that say? Oh, perfect.
We have to have Doris Landers.
She was Class Sweetheart, in more ways than one.
But a very nice girl.
- What about Lianne Reynolds? - Who? She's my mom.
Oh, my God.
Of course, look at you.
I thought you looked familiar.
You look just like her.
How is she? I love this picture of her.
Oh, she was just gorgeous.
And Jake.
They were a beautiful couple.
- So they were a couple? - No, they were the couple.
Very lovey-dovey.
Practically connected at the mouth in the hallway.
Everyone thought they'd get married.
But everything worked out for the best.
Otherwise, you wouldn't be here, right? Right.
They were something, though, like a couple in a movie.
Aaron Stellman.
I think he went to jail.
It's just high school.
What happens here doesn't mean anything.
I was part of a perfect couple.
It was part of my perfect life.
It's amazing how fleeting perfection can be.
Yesterday, you said we were made for each other.
I don't I really I don't wanna be in the middle of this.
What is "this"? - I think maybe you should just move on.
- What? I can think of a half-dozen guys that would be a better match for you than Duncan.
What did he say? Did I do something? No, it's not you.
It's just He needs some time alone for a while.
Would you stop walking? What is so horrible that you can't tell me? Can you trust me? It's for the best, Veronica.
I know that it doesn't seem like it right now, but it is.
You deserve better.
Alphabetized by author, and then by title.
For example, Shakespeare would come after Poe, and before Wordsworth.
And then within Shakespeare, Macbeth after Hamlet.
- Should I draw a diagram? - Please.
That would be helpful.
If you get this wrong, I'll simply have you do it again.
Come on, amigo.
Let's get to it, huh? Heads up.
My bad.
You obviously have no appreciation of literature.
Would that it were Mr.
Daniels' head.
I was thinking more like that scene in Casino, with the Vise-Grip.
See, I'm more of a purist.
You know, less blood, more emotional distress.
I'd rather see him locked in a room, padded, crapping himself in the corner.
You know, he's an English teacher, he'd appreciate the poetic justice.
I think I've got your poetic justice.
- Meaning? - Meaning I've got a plan.
Tick, tick, losing interest.
If I thought you had the cojones to pull it off, I'd tell you.
But Never underestimate the size of my cojones.
Where the? - You know how to get back to your hotel? - Yeah.
I have one more thing.
Where do you think she is? No idea.
Look, I have your number at the hotel, so if I hear anything I'll give you a call.
- Thank you.
- Sure.
Excuse me.
Are you Sarah's mother? Yes.
I'm Emily, and this is her stepfather, Randall.
My father's a private detective, and he's really good at finding missing people.
I can give you his card.
- Come on, check it out.
- Thanks again for the ride, Lisa.
Let me know if you need me to take you home.
Oh, jeez, what's the problem now? All right, people, break it up.
Break it up.
What's the big attraction? Son of a Son of a Get back to class.
Come on, move it! Go to class! Go to class, people! Mr.
Navarro.
Interesting artwork you left at the flagpole this morning.
Artwork? Looks to me like Mr.
Daniels has a little drinking-and-driving problem.
Spare me your indignation, Mr.
Navarro.
We have a witness.
Yeah, sure you do.
The only thing that's gonna make this easy on you is if you tell us who helped you.
All right.
You guys wanna know who helped me? Ask your witness.
You believe this? - Tell us who helped you! - Tom.
Easy.
I've called your grandmother.
She's been informed that, as of today, you are expelled from Neptune High School.
- You are no longer a student here.
- And you had so much potential.
Okay, then, a security guard will escort you to clean out your locker.
Wait.
Does this mean I can't try out for the soccer team? I didn't know they expelled people at our school.
Well, not our people.
- They expelled him? - Security escorted him off the grounds.
I was in the office changing my schedule.
You could hear Daniels just blowing a fuse.
You know, "Tell us who helped you! Tell us who helped you!" If he starts selling oranges in front of my house, I'm gonna be pissed.
She was a very sweet girl.
Lighthearted.
An angel.
And then, around her senior year, I saw a change.
She was secretive always picking fights with me.
Thank you.
I think she was angry because I remarried after her father died.
I don't know, she had a knack for attracting troubled, young men.
Come on, Emily, you make her sound worse than she was.
She was a teenager.
They have moods.
We shouldn't kid ourselves, Randall.
Then one day, last year, she took off.
Didn't finish high school.
Never even said goodbye.
Emily, she's only been gone a couple of days.
We'll find her.
That's why we're here.
I'll do my best.
So here's what I'm thinking: The boyfriend, Andre, he knows something.
If we lean on him, put the fear of God in him Veronica, I'm handling this case from here on out.
I brought them here so you could be involved.
- And I'm handling this case without you.
- No.
Dad, she's my friend.
No, she's a girl you talked to in the laundry room from time to time.
Look, sweetie, young, attractive girls who take up with troubled men disappear without warning I've handled a hundred of these cases in my life, and they often end badly.
Prepare yourself.
I convinced Dad to let me keep working on the case if I stayed away from Andre.
Hi.
This is Sarah Williams.
I'm just wondering if I can get my test results over the phone.
Right, the DNA test.
Could you explain to me what that means? Sarah's baby, it wasn't Andre's.
- You got a sec? - Mr.
Echolls.
What can I do for you? Man, I tell you, Mr.
Clemmons, I am pissed off.
I need for you to use appropriate language in here, Mr.
Echolls.
Now, what's got under your skin? It's that Weevil kid.
- He is no longer a student here.
- Yeah, I know.
But the problem is, he's getting all the credit for sticking Mr.
Daniels' car on the flagpole.
Now, all of a sudden, he's, like, the biggest badass in Rad dude here at Neptune.
People are gonna be talking about that punking for years.
- I don't think I understand.
- I mean, I want my share of the credit.
You're confessing to helping Eli Navarro? You can't just get away with this, young man.
Yeah, I didn't think I could.
So, what kind of punishment are we talking about? I'm not really understanding your question.
Well, if Andre's not the baby's father, do you know who is? It's not mine, if that's what you're suggesting.
No, I'm not, but you work with her every day.
- You might have picked up something.
- I hate to think this but maybe the guy that raped her is the baby's father.
- She was raped? - Yeah.
It's one of the reasons that she left her hometown and followed Andre here.
- She told you that? - Yeah.
Like you said, we spend a lot of time together.
- Did she say who it was? - Never.
I should get back to work.
But if I think of anything else, I'll be sure to give you a call.
You stole the diary.
- What? - How did that work? She was sleeping at your house that stormy night, and there it was just poking out of her bag.
You had to find out if she had a thing for you too.
You realize you're paranoid.
I do.
Everyone reminds me.
But it doesn't mean I'm not right.
I want the journal.
It's gonna help me find her.
I told you, I don't have it.
- Looks like we're in a bit of a standstill.
- Looks that way.
Excuse me.
Hey.
It's Veronica.
Hear you have some free time on your hands.
You wanna do me a little favor? - We heard there was a sale.
- Yeah.
Everything's on clearance.
- What do you guys want? - I don't know.
Sometimes girls get put off by this old jacket.
Do you think something in suede might make me seem more accessible? Could you? Could you please not do that? Yo, W, it looks like the new Prada line came in.
Guys.
Remember, no white after Labor Day.
Nathan, did you happen to find that journal? What the hell? - You going somewhere? - What's it to you? Strange time to take a trip, with your girlfriend missing.
- And how is this your business? - I was hired by her parents to find her.
Something tells me they wouldn't be keen on the idea of you skipping town right now.
Well, that's just it, pal, I'm not skipping town.
I'm just dropping off a friend.
- Track number three.
All aboard.
Can I go? They're boarding now.
I appreciate you humoring me.
Go catch your train.
- I'll be right here waiting for you.
- Well, I'll be right back.
I'd like to take this opportunity to remind you both that you're getting off easy.
This will go on your permanent record, but you're fortunate that you're not being suspended or expelled.
Does it go on my permanent record that I was un-expelled? Don't push your luck, Eli.
I'll take this one.
- Hey, man, what are you doing? - Hey, what the hell is that? - It's my arm, dog.
- Why do you have Lilly's name on your arm? - You really wanna know? - Yeah.
- You really wanna know? - Yeah, I really wanna know! Lilly's my little sister's name, man.
That okay with you? Put your hands on me again, you'll lose one of them.
Yeah, I think I just peed myself.
If you keep a diary, you have to consider the possibility that someone could find it and be privy to your every intimate secret.
At least, that's what I told myself as I pored through Sarah's private thoughts.
There were no details of the sexual assault, only its aftermath.
Sarah didn't handle it well.
She felt she couldn't talk to her mother.
She couldn't relate to her friends.
She ran away from home and started sleeping in her car.
Bingo.
The one bright spot was Andre.
She met him in an art class and followed him to Neptune.
Sarah? - You found me.
- Everyone's worried about you.
- Are my parents here? - Yeah, they're back at the apartment.
I'm gonna miss all this.
- I found her.
- I know.
Word's out in the complex.
I'm very impressed.
- Think I've got a future in the biz? - You've got a future as a highly paid Ivy League-educated executive of some sort who never thinks about private investigation again in her perfect life.
Now, let's do something normal fathers and daughters do.
- Buy me a pony? - I was thinking I'd watch TV and you'd rub my feet.
- Yeah, that's normal.
- Have you seen my keys? - You're not leaving, are you? No, Sarah, I'm not the one who's always running.
Look, I spent the past two hours making small talk with your parents.
- They didn't come 2000 miles to see me.
- I told you, I don't wanna deal with them.
Yeah, well, you're gonna have to deal with them sometime.
- You're right.
- I'm gonna take Killer for a walk.
- I'll be right back.
I love you.
- I love you too.
Come here, buddy.
Come on.
I have to say, I still really don't trust Andre.
I don't know.
I mean, he knows about the DNA test, that the baby's not his.
And he said it didn't matter.
Which, in itself, is all sorts of freakish.
Or it's a testament to how much he loves her.
A man's gotta be pretty committed to a woman to agree to raise another man's child.
Do you know who the real father is? Hello? Earth to Mars.
What? - Where did you go just now? - Nowhere.
What did you just ask me? Who the father is.
Oh, Sarah.
What's wrong? Mom, there's something you should know.
- Why didn't you tell me she was raped? - I just found out.
- He raped me! He raped me! - These are lies! You are a liar! - Why are you trying to hurt me? - Shut up and listen to me for once! Your husband raped me! Just stay here.
- No, I'm done keeping quiet.
- That's enough.
- Sarah.
- You're not gonna hurt me again.
- Oh, no.
- Open up! Randall! No! I'm so sorry! - How is she? - She's resting.
She's gonna be okay.
So I guess I'm grounded.
I'm gonna let you slide on this one.
But can I let myself slide? Sure, the real tragedy happened long before I came along.
I just brought it to the surface.
But are some things better left buried?