"Hot Dogs"
Veronica and Weevil are at Mars Investigations, studying math. Veronica’s first advice is that Weevil should have a pencil. Weevil mentions that he’s heard that Duncan left town because Veronica accused him of killing Lilly (see “Weapons of Class Destruction”). Keith arrives and Weevil, uncomfortable to be around him (though he still calls him Sheriff), leaves. Elsewhere in Neptune, a girl named Mandy (Claire Titelman) hears her Jack Russell terrier Chester barking, but when she goes outside to check on him, he’s gone. At school the next day, Veronica runs into Logan and, after a little awkwardness (see “Weapons of Class Destruction”), he asks where she thinks Duncan is. Veronica encounters Mandy, who’s hanging up posters about and asks Veronica for help. Veronica tells her that she’s not a pet detective but offers to make some calls and help her hang up the fliers. Wallace pulls Veronica away and announces that he overheard something interesting in the office - Weevil was arrested for breaking into the Kanes’ house the night before. After school, Veronica heads to the sheriff’s department; Leo thinks she’s there to see him, but she’s there to see Weevil. As he takes her back to see Weevil, he tells her that he only had some pocket change, some condoms, and a pen on him when he was arrested. Veronica asks Weevil why he was in Lilly’s room, then reveals that she knows he had written Lilly some letters. She notes that he broke into Lilly’s room just a couple of hours after she told him that she was close to finding the killer. Weevil asks if Veronica is going to help him and she refuses. He finally admits that he went to Lilly’s room to get back a diamond ring he’d given her. He adds that the Kanes want to make him pay for the break-in and points out that he’s 18 now, so he could go to jail.
Veronica meets with Mandy, who explains that she was babysitting for some 09ers, who let her keep Chester in the yard. Veronica suggests that Mandy go to the pound in person so that they’ll be more likely to remember her and Chester. At the Echollses’ house, Aaron reads Siddhartha and is joined by Trina (see “Ruskie Business”), who doesn’t believe that he’s quitting show business for good (see “Lord of the Bling”). She tries to convince him to take a part in her boyfriend Dylan’s independent film, but he declines. Aaron’s lawyer Barry arrives and tells the three remaining Echollses that Lynn cut Aaron and Trina out of her will and left $115,000 to Logan. Veronica and Mandy go to the pound, where they talk to two employees, JW and Hans, about Chester. At the Echollses’ house the next morning, Trina tries to ask Logan for a loan so she can pay back money she borrowed from Dylan; he’s not sympathetic. At school, Mandy gets harassed by a student named Lenny and Veronica chews him out for her, then tells Mandy to stand up for herself. That afternoon, Veronica gets a call from Hans; she and Mandy go back to the pound and Hans gives Mandy Chester’s collar, telling her that he’s dead. Veronica heads to the beach with Backup, where she sees a notice board full of fliers for lost dogs. She takes some and calls the owners, learning that the dogs that have been returned were owned by people who offered big rewards. She tests her theory by changing the $100 award on a flier to $1,000.
Celeste arrives and demands to know what Veronica knows about Duncan’s disappearance. Veronica shoots back that there’s plenty of stuff she could’ve told him. Keith arrives to overhear Celeste telling Veronica that she reminds her of everything that’s wrong with her family. Keith kicks her out and Celeste tells him that if he were really a good detective, he would’ve known what was going on right in front of him. Veronica catches up to Celeste and tells her that she’ll help her find Duncan if she promises to drop the charges against Weevil. Veronica heads back to the beach and hangs up the flier she altered. At the Echollses’ house that night, Logan encounters a bruised and battered Trina. He accuses Dylan of hurting her and decides to go after him, but Trina won’t give him any identifying information. She adds that he’s already said he doesn’t want to be involved in her problems, so he should stick with that decision. At school, Veronica and Wallace talk about their parents’ relationship (see “Weapons of Class Destruction”). She gets a call for the owner of the dog on the changed flier and says that she’ll send her brother (aka Wallace) to get the dog. That afternoon, Wallace goes to get the dog, which is brought to him by a Hispanic man who doesn’t speak English. As the man leaves with his reward money, Backup attacks him. In the ensuing chaos, Veronica sneaks back her reward money. She follows a tracker she placed on the man’s van and winds up at a warehouse, where the man meets up with some other men. When he sees her, he accuses her of taking his reward and Veronica winds up surrounded. She learns that the dog was taken by “the dog man,” who drives a white van and has something to do with well-endowed women.
Wallace returns the dog to its owner, who, he’s disappointed to see, is too old for him. At school, Veronica spots a white van with a nude woman on the mudflap. She breaks in and waits for the owner, who turns out to be Hans. He doesn’t admit to anything, but she reminds him that since he’s 18, he could go to jail. She runs into Weevil and is pleased to see that he’s been released. Logan heads to Mars Investigations and asks Veronica to help him find Dylan. At the Echollses’ house, Aaron sees Trina putting makeup on her eye and decides to meet with Dylan to discuss his movie. Veronica calls the screenwriter of Dylan’s movie and learns his last name; she does some investigating and learns that two women have restraining orders against him. Logan tries to call Trina, but Aaron tells him that she’s getting ready, since Dylan is coming over. Trina introduces Dylan to Aaron, who talks about his own abusive father, then starts beating Dylan up to the strains of “That’s Amore.” Logan and Veronica arrive at the end of the fight and escort Dylan to his car. Once he’s gone, Logan asks Veronica if she thinks that Lilly loved Weevil. She tells him that Lilly never told her about Weevil, so she’s not sure. He decides that he doesn’t need to feel guilty about moving on, then does some kissing with Veronica. They decide to keep whatever’s between them quiet for a little while. Logan drives Veronica home and she has a flashback to being in a car with Lilly, who got a spy pen and said she would use it to pass secret messages to her lovers.
Veronica meets up with Mandy again and tells her that she thinks Hans and some other guys from the pound are kidnapping 09ers’ dogs and holding them for ransom. Veronica then heads to the sheriff’s department, where she breaks up with Leo, then asks him for a favor. They go to the pound with Mandy and get into the quarantine room, where they find a bunch of the dogs from the lost dog fliers. Leo arrests JW as Mandy, distraught that Chester isn’t there, zaps Hans with a taser. Hans finally admits that Chester is alive and was sold when they couldn’t get a reward for him. After the fiasco is over, Veronica asks Leo to clarify that Weevil had a pen and not a pencil on him when he was arrested. Leo confirms that it was a pen, and one that matches the description of Lilly’s spy pen. At the Mars’ apartment, Keith takes some of Veronica’s hair from a brush, as well as some of his own hair, and sends it away for DNA testing. When Veronica returns home, she asks him why he didn’t suspect Weevil of killing Lilly. Keith explains that Weevil had an alibi and there was no evidence against him. He shows her all of his info on Lilly’s case (hidden in a box marked Playboys) and brings out Weevil’s time card, which proves that he worked from 8 until 2. Even though Lilly didn’t die until later that day (see “Credit Where Credit’s Due”), Keith doesn’t think that the Kanes would cover everything up for Weevil. Veronica takes Mandy to get Chester and, at school the next day, she asks Weevil about the spy pen. He tells her that she can have it, but won’t tell her if there were any messages inside when he found it.
WELCOME TO NEPTUNE: Mandy
THE LILLY KANE CASE: Before the real time of Lilly’s death was revealed, Weevil had an alibi. Now that the real time is known, he is a suspect.
Weevil broke into Lilly’s room to get her spy pen, which might have contained a message from him.
MEMORABLE QUOTES: VERONICA: “I’ll be at home. With the only sane member of the Mars family.”
Leo: “What is it about bad boys?”
Weevil: “Look, uh, the Kanes want me crucified for this and now that I’m 18….”
Trina: “Pop tart?”
Trina: “My boyfriend Dylan spotted me some cash a few months ago and…now he’s bugging me about it. I-I can’t get him off my back.”
Veronica: “You prank call Mandy?”
Written by Dayna Lynne North; directed by Nick Marck
Keith: “The one who eats from the garbage and keeps bringing me dead birds?”
Veronica: “That’s the one.”
Veronica: “Um, tattoos, leather, parole violations. Total good-girl bait.”
Leo: “I’m doomed.”
Veronica: “Goodbye, juvie. Hello, community soap.”
Logan: “Hmm, a tart from a tart.”
Logan: “Did you try standing up?”
Lenny: “What if I did?”
Veronica: “Well, I want to congratulate you. Shake your hand. Congratulations! You’ve been named the world’s biggest cockroach. This award is given in recognition of your unparalleled lack of decency and humanity. Bravo! You’re gonna die friendless and alone.”
Lenny: “Hey, everybody knows you’re the biggest--.”
Veronica: “Shut up! If I want you to speak, I’ll wave a snausage over your nose. If you use Mandy again to try to convince yourself that you’re not a loser, I will ruin your life - got it?”