Identity Crisis (You Aren't What You Seem)
Veronica had been put on assignment for July 4th. That was the kind of work grunts had to do. Although her officer had tried to make it sound appealing (with a mischievous grin) by saying she would still get to see fireworks, wear a dress (he didn't know Veronica that well), be at a party, and bring a date. Of course, the date was also assigned. It happened to be another first year fed, Matt Woolf. That would be the ex-boyfriend that she'd dated while at Quantico. He was passionate about his job, and about being the best. That meant he was bitter at Veronica, and wanted to out-shine her at their job.
Veronica sometimes wondered if Matt had requested to be in San Diego just because Veronica was going to be there. For, you know, continuous annoyance potential. And to keep making her life hell by smiling hatefully as he tried to do everything better than her.
Still, she did her best to ignore his muttered comments as she escorted her to a party thrown at Crestwood Valley Country Club. They were scoping out a woman they believed to have been kidnapped at an early age and then changed her identity. It's not as though she was guilty of a crime (not that her papers for a new identity could be all that legal), but her family was still looking for her (hoping she wasn't dead) and the FBI wanted to find the guy who'd snatched her, as he was wanted as a suspect in other cases. Someone had called the tip line, and now they were following up on this tip. Was Rebecca Riley secretly Ann Fry?
They'd studied family home videos with Ann in them, and now they (Mars and Woolf) studying Rebecca's movements, voice, mannerisms, even what appetizers she declined. Everything could be something.
Things were strained between Veronica and Matt, though he didn't know why. It was because the FBI was interested in Curtis Mayfield. How soon would it be until they found the name Logan Echolls mixed-up with all of this? Veronica was doing the right thing, but it's not as though the FBI would believe that.
She wore a pale yellow strapless dress that hit above her knees, and smiled the smile of someone who wanted to tell you there was spinach in your teeth but was bound by polite society to say nothing. Only, in the case of Veronica, she had a lot more secrets than that. Matt had gone off to get a drink somewhere in the din of this place, so she sighed with relief and leaned against a wall. Thong underwear is never worth the uncomfortable price of having no panty-line, she thought. That was a thought she'd had many times in life. Still, there she stood.