Scene 6: Interrogating Logan

[obligatoryass]

Previously...

Logan's on his way to his class - film studies, which he signed up for kind of as a joke, but has actually been kinda cool - when he sees the guy in the suit staring at him.

It's creepy.

Logan shrugs it off, moves back toward class, but when he looks back, the guy is walking toward him. Walking fast, too. Logan stops, slouches down, and walks toward the suit.

"Yeah?"

Comments

[paladinsuitsyou]

"Logan Echolls?" Booth says, peering at the kid over his sunglasses.

He's about as unimpressive as person as he always looked on those damn tabloid shows, Booth reflects.

[obligatoryass]

"Who's asking?" Logan asks, not impressed with the suit's attempts to look imposing.

[paladinsuitsyou]

"Special Agent Seeley Booth," he says, pulling out his badge. "FBI. Your sister might have mentioned me."

[obligatoryass]

"She did," Logan says, scowling. "She was not impressed, I'll add."

[paladinsuitsyou]

"No, I didn't get that impression," Booth says drily. "Listen, you want to go someplace and talk, or should we just discuss your dead mother right here on the quad?"

[obligatoryass]

Logan snits, "Can't this wait? I've got class."

Booth's expression does not offer this as an option, so Logan sighs and leads the way to the food court.

It's not ideal, but it's probably good enough.

[paladinsuitsyou]

Booth follows, looking ominous.

Upon their arrival, he considers a cup of coffee, but then realizes it would probably be pretty vile and takes a seat near the back of the room instead. Logan sits as well, and the two look at each other for a moment before Booth says, "So."

[obligatoryass]

"So what?" Logan counters, his eyes narrow.

[paladinsuitsyou]

"So, what can you tell me about your mother?" Booth asks, leaning back in his chair. "Maybe why she'd fake her own death?"

[obligatoryass]

This line of questioning does not do much to endear him to Logan.

"Oh, I don't know," he says sarcastically. "Maybe because my father was a psycho? Do you think that's a good enough reason?"

[paladinsuitsyou]

"No," Booth says bluntly. "That's a good reason to get a divorce, not to fake your own death. This whole thing - it's elaborate and dangerous. It makes no sense."

[obligatoryass]

Logan looks at his lap, then closes his eyes for a moment.

He's probably an idiot for even considering talking to this guy candidly. He's sure that Trina would think so. But...his mom's dead, and not the way he thought she had died. This guy's job is to figure out who did it. He deserves to at least understand why, maybe. If anyone can.

"Because he was psycho," he says softly. "Not in the normal sort of crazy-violent way - he was that too, abusive and...and hurtful in all kinds of ways. But he always said he'd kill my mother if she divorced him, and she - we - believed him. If she went public with what he did to her - to us - it would have ruined his career."

He pauses again, then, even more quietly, "Look what he did to Lilly Kane."

[paladinsuitsyou]

"Thought that was more a crime of passion," Booth says slowly.

[obligatoryass]

Logan shrugs. "He was plenty angry, yeah. But if he hadn't killed her then, he'd have done it some other way."

He hesitates for a moment, again not sure how much he should say.

"Don't make the mistake, Agent Booth, of thinking that my dad wasn't capable of controlling his anger. He could hold a grudge for as long as he needed, until he was finally able to unleash it."

[paladinsuitsyou]

Booth raises his eyebrows at Logan. "Sounds like you've got firsthand experience there."

[obligatoryass]

Logan's face goes blank, and he just shrugs.

That's something he has no interest in going any deeper into, and he makes that clear with his rigid body language.

[paladinsuitsyou]

Booth watches him for a long moment, then realizes he's not getting anymore information with this angle. So he moves on.

"But you always thought she faked her death, right? I mean, it took you awhile to believe she was really dead? Why's that?"

[obligatoryass]

Logan looks down. "She left this lighter - her father had it, in Korea. She carried it with her all the time - except not that day. At first, I thought it was like, a message to me, saying she was somewhere else, safe."

He's quiet again, still looking down.

"I - I don't think that anymore."

Even it she did leave it as a message, it's one that doesn't much matter anymore. She tried too hard to leave him behind, and he can't find himself caring much. For a long time, he'd hated that the lighter had been in the house the night the PCHers burned it down, but now, it just doesn't seem as important.

[paladinsuitsyou]

"What convinced you otherwise?" Booth asks. He knows some of the details of the search for Lynn, and he knows this part too - Keith Mars was very helpful about his daughter's investigation into Lynn's "death," - but he wants to hear what Logan says about it.

[obligatoryass]

"We - Veronica Mars and I - I hired her to help me find her, find out if she was alive, right, and - yeah. She found some kids who filmed the bridge that day, making some stupid movie about - God, I don't even know. But they caught her falling -"

He breaks off, not even sure how he feels about that anymore. It's all just such a fucking mess.

"They've probably still got it, if you want it. Veronica told 'em not to sell it, and she was kind of scary when she wanted to be. Especially to a bunch of freshmen."

[paladinsuitsyou]

"I'll need their names," Booth says, sensing the kid's discomfort and moving past it.

Logan's not as awful as he'd expected, given what the tabloids said - the bum fights, burning the community pool and...well, the general rich, young asshole reputation.

Not that he's more than a useless guy without direction, but he's clearly in some pain over his mother's death and disappearance, and since he's not a suspect, yet, Booth can respect that.

"And Mr. Echolls, I appreciate your time, but until we wrap this up, don't leave town, OK?"

[obligatoryass]

Logan surrenders the names, then makes a face. "I've heard that before," he says. "I've got no plans to disappear, OK?"

"Just...find who killed my mom, OK?"

She wasn't much of a mother, but she was the only one he had, and life wasn't any better when she was gone. Wasn't a lot worse, but it certainly didn't make it any better.

[paladinsuitsyou]

Something in the way he says it kind of breaks Booth's heart. It's so forlorn, so lost, as if Logan's still just a 5-year-old who misses his mother. (This is probably closer to the mark than Booth realizes.)

"I'll do what I can," Booth says, standing. As he turns, he pauses for a moment, not sure this is the right thing to do, then claps the kid's shoulder. "Hang in there, Logan."

[obligatoryass]

Logan looks up at the suit, startled. "Uh, yeah, thanks," he says, stumbling over his words a bit. "I'll do what I can."

[paladinsuitsyou]

"All right. I'll see you around."

Booth exits the cafeteria, putting his sunglasses on to protect himself from the bright Southern California sunlight.

Time to go poke around in the dead woman's life some more. And see if he can get his hands on that video.