Author's Note: No, I haven't forgotten about anything else I'm writing. But this one's likely to be short, so no worries. I don't think I've ever seen this particular spin on the opening question.

Disclaimer: Rob Thomas created Veronica Mars. I ain't him.

X X X X X

Who killed Lilly Kane?

It's the question on everyone's lips. Has been for months, now. And I can answer it for you.

My name's Veronica Mars. I live in Neptune, where there are three types of people. The haves, the have-nots, and -- well, I'll introduce you to the third type shortly. No point in getting ahead of ourselves.

Lilly and I were at a Neptune High Pep Squad car wash when she came up to me. "I know a secret, Veronica Mars," she said. "A good one." Right then the witch who actually ran the pep squad came over and told us to stop talking. We both glared at her, but Lilly didn't feel inclined to share while she was actually watching. Pity she didn't; it might have saved everyone a whole lot of trouble if she had.

I remember when Dad got the call about her death. I was with him at the time. He told me to stay in the car while he investigated the "disturbance at the Kane place." But since when have I ever paid attention to my father?

Seeing Duncan, I knelt by him and asked him what had happened. He seemed to be in shock.

Of course he was. He'd just seen his sister's dead body. I saw it myself when I went into the Kane backyard. No one saw me until I was actually able to see Lilly's body, lying there, skull caved in, and blood everywhere.

I just stood there until Dad said, "Veronica!" and got one of his deputies to escort me back to the car.

Things started to go downhill for a bit after that -- Dad got it in his head that one of the Kane family had done it, and they, being the richest people in Neptune, naturally fought back. They got a petition for a recall election started, and it almost worked, until a newspaper report was published showing that Don Lamb -- who would have taken over had Dad been booted out -- was guilty of, among other things, malfeasance in office. So Dad kept his job, and kept right on pressing the Kanes.

A guy named Abel Koontz then "confessed" to the crime. Complete bullshit, of course, and Dad was able to prove it fairly quickly -- and also managed to show that Jake Kane himself had put him up to it.

Say bye-bye to Jakey for a while. And now Dad's investigation seemed completely legitimate in the eyes of the public. After all, he wouldn't have been engaged in a cover-up if there hadn't been anything to cover up, right?

Of course, no one in the Kane family did kill Lilly. But it gave Dad something to do.

There are three types of people in Neptune: The haves, the have-nots . . . and me. Technically, I'm a have-not, though with my Dad in a position of power that gives me street cred with the haves -- even more so, now that he's managed to fight off Jake Kane at every turn. Not that people tended to piss me off anyway. Neptune High has learned: Bad things tend to happen to people who piss me off.

By now, you're probably wondering who exactly killed Lilly Kane.

The answer is easy: I did.

Stick around and I'll tell you why.