3.13 "Postgame Mortem"
Aired Feb 13, 2007
Details
Hearst College locker room: Coach Barry is yelling at the basketball team about its poor performance during the first half of the game. Wallace and Mason look apologetic. The Coach yells especially loudly at his son Josh and tells him to man up and play better. Josh yells back and threatens to quit the team. In a huff, he takes off his jersey and throws it at his father. He storms out of the locker room, even after an assistant coach tries to calm him down. Coach Barry gives the team a pep talk for the second half of the game. Wallace nods when Coach tells him to look alive.
Hearst food court: Wallace and Veronica are eating ice cream, and she tries to get him to see the bright side of the team's 20-point loss in which the all-conference small forward quit the team. Veronica points out that Wallace played a lot of minutes in the game, but he reminds her that he's starting in place of Mason, which is awkward. Wallace thinks he might have been picked to start because he gets along better with the Coach, and Mason currently isn't speaking to Wallace. When Veronica stands up, Wallace looks concerned and asks if she's doing okay with the Logan situation. Veronica says she's been trying hard to put Logan out of her mind and thanks Wallace for mentioning him. She leaves, and Wallace looks slightly embarrassed.
Mars apartment: Veronica walks into the kitchen and takes a bite out of a piece of buttered toast. She then reads a note from Keith, which says she now owes him for eating the breakfast and must help at the office today with invoices. Veronica is disgusted that she always falls for his trick, but she grabs more food on her way out the door.
Hearst: Dick and his Economics professor are walking into a classroom, and the professor asks him if he thinks Logan will be coming to class that day. Dick says it's doubtful and jokes that Logan had a grapefruit-sized tumor removed. The professor says that if Logan misses one more class, he will automatically fail the class.
Neptune Grand: Two staff members, including Jeff Ratner, stand outside Logan's door with a cart of food, and the managerial-looking staff member says they will leave it only if Logan returns some of the trays in his room. Ratner points out that the hotel has no more salt and pepper shakers. Dick arrives on the floor and tells the staff members he will handle the situation. He wheels the cart into the incredibly messy room, and then tells Logan there is a fire in Veronica's neighborhood. An unshaven and despondent-looking Logan steps onto the balcony to look for the fire, and Dick locks him out. Dick lets the hotel staffs in to clean up the room and goes to take a shower. When he emerges from the shower, he joins Logan on the balcony and gives him the warning message from the Econ. professor. He also tries to set up Logan with the sister of his new love interest. Logan declines, but Dick has already arranged for the two girls to come by the hotel later that evening. He invites Logan to the swim team's beach party, but Logan doesn't answer him. Dick nods and goes back into the room.
Mars Investigations: Veronica enters the office talking loudly about contract law and disputing the fact that she's obligated to Keith. She stops short when she opens Keith's office door and sees two people sitting in his client chairs. Keith introduces them as Coach Barry's wife and son, Josh. He informs her that the Coach was found dead last night, and the sheriff suspects Josh murdered his father. Veronica looks shocked at hearing this news. Cliff is also in the office, standing against the wall, and Keith says that Cliff brought the Barrys to him.
Opening Credits
Mars Investigations: Josh tells Keith about his fight with his father, and he says his father always went to a spot along the P.C.H. to mellow out after losing a basketball game. Josh went there looking for him so they could talk about their fight. Veronica looks on sympathetically. Josh says he thought his father had left the spot since his car was gone, but then he saw his father's bloody body. Josh ran over to his father and saw that he had been shot dead. When he got home, his mother advised him to take a shower and change his clothes so that his younger brother would not have to be traumatized by seeing Josh in bloodied clothes. However, the sheriff arrived soon after and found Josh's bloody clothes as well as Coach's N.I.T. championship ring. Keith asks Josh if he took the ring off his father's dead body, but Josh answers that he had found the ring in his locker and figured his father had left it there as a peace offering for their fight earlier. Keith asks about the Coach's enemies, and Josh tells him that Mel Stoltz, Heart's primary benefactor, hated the Coach and wanted him gone. After they leave, Keith wonders if the widow was lying to protect her son, and Cliff says he believes her but admits he has believed many things in the past that turned out to be lies. Keith says that maybe they can get Josh's younger brother to testify for his brother's behaviour but Cliff says that he is severely autistic and can't testify as a witness.
Neptune Grand: Dick complains that Logan isn't helping to clean up their suite and starts picking up dirty clothes on the floor and chucking it at Logan. Then his friend Melinda and her sister, eleven-year-old Heather arrive. Logan sarcastically asks which one's his, and Dick just shrugs and gives Logan a sheepish grin.
Hearst maintenance closet: Veronica asks Weevil to help her get in touch with the current leader of the P.C.H. gang. Weevil jokes that he should call his parole officer to let him know that he's associating with known criminals. Veronica offers to pay him a few hundred dollars.
Neptune Grand: Dick and Melinda decide to go to the swim team beach party. Logan refuses to baby-sit Heather, but when Heather says she'll simply watch TV while they're gone, Dick and Melinda quickly leave before Logan can protest. Logan shows Heather how to order pay-per-view movies on the TV and goes to bed.
Stoltz Industries: After waiting in the lobby for an hour past his appointment time, Keith barges into Mel Stoltz's office and finds him practicing his putting. Keith asks Mel about Coach Barry's death. Mel says he wanted the Coach fired because the basketball team hasn't won a championship in six years. But he didn't mind that he was dead. At the time of the Coach's death, Mel says he was flying in his private jet.
Neptune Grand: Logan wakes up in the morning and finds Heather watching cartoons in the living room. Dick and Melinda never came home the night before. Dick calls Logan from Las Vegas, and Logan yells for him to come back to Neptune. Dick argues that Logan never leaves the suite anyway and that Logan owes him since Logan had sex with Madison, his only long-term girlfriend. Melinda is behind Dick jumping on the bed. Logan insists they return by the evening. Heather sweetly says that she ordered Logan some eggs from room service, but notes that they're now cold. She then asks Logan if all he ever does is sleep.
Outside: Veronica and Weevil are waiting by their cars for members of the P.C.H. gang to arrive. Arturo is the leader, and Veronica reminds him that she once taped him to a pole for mugging pizza delivery men. Arturo insists the P.C.H.ers didn't kill the Coach, saying that Coach Barry's car was too old and worthless to carjack, and P.C.H.ers don't use guns for carjackings. They usually put a nail board on the road, and when the driver pulls over and changes his tire, they steal the driver's nice car. Arturo brags that the presence of a Latino gang scares most white drivers into handing over their keys voluntarily.
Neptune Grand: Heather goes into Logan's bedroom and asks if he's sick. She then cheekily asks him if he wants her to put highlights in his hair but doesn't get a response. She finally gets him out of bed by asking him to connect the Game Cube. Logan gets slightly animated when sitting on the couch, playing Mario Kart and explaining it to Heather. She reminds Logan how luxurious his life is, but he does not agree. She then realizes that he is sad over a girl then asks him if he has any clothes that would fit her. She says she's starting to smell like him.
Josh Barry's house: Veronica asks Josh to show her the spot where he found his father's body. Josh asks Veronica if she is close to her father, and she says she is. He tells Veronica his father was his best friend and worst enemy. Veronica looks perplexed.
Sheriff's Department: Sacks tells Sheriff Lamb that there is a kid there who says he saw something on the cliff the night of Coach Barry's death. It's Mason and he tells the sheriff that he was driving down the P.C.H. on his way to San Diego to meet his girlfriend, and he saw Coach Barry arguing with Josh by the Coach's car.
P.C.H. Overlook: Veronica examines the area with Josh and states that she sees no nail board or motorcycle tracks there. She then walks toward the edge of the cliff and notices trampled grass and tire marks. She says it looks like a car went over. Josh freezes in place for a moment and stares at Veronica, but then he walks quickly to catch up to her. Josh stands next to her, and they both look down at the turbulent ocean.
Veronica's car: Josh ponders why someone would have pushed the Coach's car over the cliff if he were being carjacked. As Veronica pulls up in front of Josh's house, they notice a parked police car with its lights on. Sheriff Lamb arrests Josh, in front of his mother, for the murder of his father.
Neptune Grand: Heather notices that Veronica's picture is the wallpaper on Logan's laptop computer and says she's pretty. Logan replies that he hadn't noticed and then gets a phone call. It's Dick, who announces that he just got married. Logan yells at him to come home, but Dick blows him off and says he's on his honeymoon. Heather fools Logan into thinking she's leaving the suite to meet a guy she met in an Internet chat room. He smiles when he realizes he's been tricked. He holds out his hand, and Heather gives him five. She asks who was on the phone, and Logan says it was her brother-in-law.
Jail: Veronica tells Josh the police found his father's car in the ocean, so carjacking is no longer one of the crimes. This makes Josh more suspect, and he mentions that Mason hated his father because the Coach took away his starting job. Josh says Mason has a temper and a gun. Josh jokingly asks Veronica for something to read, peanut butter cookies, and a hacksaw. Veronica says she should be able to provide reading materials.
Mars Investigations: Keith calls airport maintenance and confirms that Mel Stoltz refueled his Gulfstream 5 on the night of the Coach's death. Mindy O'Dell comes in, and Keith tells her he plans to drop the case because of the discrepancies in the things she's told him. He mentions the eggshell that he found on the Volvo's windshield and a cell phone call she made to Hank Landry on the night of the dean's death. Keith says that if she and Professor Landry had been together at the Neptune Grand all night like she said they were, then there's no reason for the phone call. Suddenly, Mindy remembers that she called Landry when she went down to the hotel lobby to get toothpaste for him. It was to ask him what brand he wanted.
Hearst college: Professor Landry answers Keith's phone call pleasantly.
Mars Investigations: Mindy sits there listening as Keith asks Landry why Mindy called him on the night of the dean's death.
Hearst college: Landry says without hesitation that she asked him what brand of toothpaste he wanted.
Mars Investigations: Keith tells Mindy that he'll continue his investigation of the dean's death.
Logan's Room: Logan and Heather are playing Super Mario Kart, and she asks him why Veronica is his ex. He evades the question, but she presses him, asking questions until he admits that he did something to Veronica. Heather asks if he's apologized, and Logan pauses the video game, telling Heather that he poured his heart out to Veronica on her voicemail, but she never phoned him back, leading him to believe that she's obviously finished with their relationship. Heather cheerily tells him to try again, but Logan brushes her off, directing her attention back to the game.
Neptune Grand: Keith enters an office where Reggie is watching several security closed-circuit monitors. He asks if Keith wants him to check up on Veronica again, but Keith declines, saying instead that he's checking on a client's alibi for December 10. Reggie tells Keith that the hard drive starts recording over itself after a month, so he no longer has access to that footage, but the valet records are kept much longer. Keith nods in satisfaction.
Hearst: Veronica catches up to Mason as he's leaving a building, introducing herself as Wallace's friend and informing him that she's working with the Barry family to solve the coach's murder, and Mason opines that Josh was pushed too far by his father. Veronica asks what he saw that night; Mason tells her that he was driving down the PCH and saw Josh and his dad standing by the coach's car, facing each other and arguing. Veronica asks how he saw both of them, given that they were facing in opposite directions, and he replies that he recognized Josh's hair and jacket, and that he looked back and saw his profile. Veronica suggests that perhaps Mason was the one who was disgruntled to the point of killing the coach, but Mason is offended by her insinuation, and when Veronica asks him about his gun, he tells her to screw off and walks away.
Mars Residence: Veronica is making cookies when Keith enters the apartment, and at his look of disbelief, Veronica reassures him that they're for work — that she's not entirely sure she believes Josh, but he needs to believe that she does. Keith tells her that Mason's girlfriend confirmed his alibi for the night of the coach's murder, and Veronica gets a distraught look on her face and asks Keith to do her a favor — to never get murdered. Close to tears, she tells him that she doesn't know what she'd do without him, and Keith suggests that Veronica let him handle the case, but she declines, composing herself. Changing the subject, she asks how Mindy took the news that Keith was off her case, but Keith tells Veronica that he didn't actually drop the case. He tells her about the phone call and alibi, but then says that the valet records showed that the Volvo was checked out at 1:51 a.m. and returned on 2:59 a.m., putting both Mindy and Hank's alibis under question. Keith asks Veronica if she knows anyone who would give her registration receipts, and she gets a slight smile on her face as she nods.
Neptune Grand: Veronica approaches the front desk, and Tina greets her as "Logan's girlfriend," which Veronica glosses over after a moment's hesitation. Veronica asks if Tina has seen Rory Finch at the hotel recently, but Tina says that it's been a while, and a search of the records show that he hasn't been a guest since December 10. Veronica asks about the charges on the account, which included room service and a movie, and when Veronica asks who might have delivered the dessert, Tina tells her that the person working the graveyard shift is none other than Jeff Ratner, who was demoted after stolen toiletries were discovered in his car.
Logan's Room:
Heather announces to Logan that she convinced the radio station to play a tribute song to Veronica.
Neptune Grand:
In the kitchen, the staff radio blares "What's Left of Me," the song Heather requested on Logan's behalf. Veronica hears, but shuts off the radio and her emotions just in time to run into Jeff Ratner.
Logan's Room:
Logan says he wishes Heather hadn't sent out the radio request, but Heather assures him that girls love the attention. Heather spouts a platitude: people who are in love shouldn't break up. Heather asks Logan to take her to the work-out room.
Neptune Grand:
Jeff takes Veronica to the room Professor Landry and Mindy stayed in the night of Dean O'Dell's death. Jeff admits he heard a fight and delayed his delivery of the room service. Jeff claims that when he returned, a woman answered the door. Jeff adds that the fight he overheard was between two men.
Neptune Grand:
Veronica and Jeff join Logan and Heather for an awkward elevator ride. Veronica and Logan barely squeak out forced salutations before Veronica notices that Heather is wearing her shirt. Logan doesn't explain Heather's presence, and Heather pesters Logan to tell Veronica how he feels. Eventually, Heather takes matters into her own hands and tells Veronica that Logan loves and misses her. Logan and Heather exit; Jeff makes a snide comment about Logan and Veronica.
End of Act Three:
Neptune Grand:
Heather admonishes Logan for missing the opportunity to win back Veronica. Logan shouts at Heather; he claims she, as an 11 year old, knows nothing of love. Heather cries.
Hearst College:
Veronica attends Landry's class. Landry congratulates Veronica on progressing to the second round of the FBI internship program. He reveals that Dean O'Dell wrote her an unsolicited letter of recommendation. Veronica asks Landry a specific question about Kiss Kiss Bang Bang, which he answers correctly.
Mars Investigations:
Veronica tells Keith that Landry watched the movie. She shows Dean O'Dell's glowing recommendation letter to Keith, who promises Veronica to put the Dean's killer behind bars.
Logan's Room:
Dick calls Logan to ask if Logan knows a lawyer; he wants to divorce Melinda. Melinda reveals that Heather's father left their family, and Heather had trouble dealing. She reminds Logan to give Heather her Prozac. Logan smooths things over with Heather by taking her out for ice cream.
Mars Residence: Mindy shows up at Mars Investigations in response to an "urgent" call from Keith. He asks her straightforward questions about details from Kiss Kiss Bang Bang, the whereabouts of the Volvo at the time of the dean's death, and the other male voice that Jeff overheard coming from the hotel room. Mindy gives Keith some shifty-eyed answers and claims that she's being framed. She then fires Keith, but he insists that he'll stay on the case because he liked Dean O'Dell.
Logan's Room: Heather admits that Amy's Ice Cream is superior, and Logan tells her that with age comes wisdom. Wise beyond her years, Heather then accuses Logan of flirting after he asks her for a weekly online Mario Kart date. They walk in on the newlywed Dick and Melinda quarreling over Melinda's toes and their respective size and alignment. Melinda demands that her sister gather her things and heads for the door. Heather confirms the standing date with Logan and gives him a hug. Dick says that he needs a shower.
Sheriff's Department: Veronica drops off the reading material Josh requested, complete with peanut butter cookies hidden inside a hardcover edition of The Count of Monte Cristo. Josh tells Veronica that he thinks Mason killed his father, and she tells him that if Mason had done it, he probably threw his gun into the ocean. Veronica leaves, giving Deputy Sacks a love tap on the way out. Josh retreats to his bunk, sizes up a cookie, then glances up to his nosy cell mate before biting into it.
Hearst: Dick meets up with a showered and shorn Logan outside of a classroom. Logan hands his Econ professor a shiny red apple with a side of smirk and follows Dick inside.
Hearst: Hank Landry, in professorial mode, lectures about serial killers among us. Lamb interrupts and asks for Veronica. She raises her hand, and the sheriff arrests her for the aiding and abetting of Josh Barry's escape from jail. He cuffs a very stunned Veronica and reads her the Miranda warning.