“Something simple-minded and morally vacuous? A hamster, perhaps? Maybe Veronica?""Excuse me!" Veronica griped form the back table."Those are gerbils, Mr. Charbonnet, not hamsters. And I'd thank you to minimise the insulting commentary.""My apologies, sir." Alec nodded. "The gerbil is a noble beast. I shouldn't have compared it to Veronica.”

“Where'd the dog go?" I ask, sounding panicky."That wasn't a dog, Zara," he says, words whisper strong.I jerk my head up. "What was it then? A cat? A gerbil? A geriatric hamster?”

“So? I know damn well that I didn’t poison her.”Veronica Lane, M.D., Treating Murder”

“In lower Manhattan there is an improbable point where Waverly Place intersects Waverly Place. It was there that I met Veronica, on a snowy, windy night.”

“As the fireworks began to illuminate the sky above them, Blake and Veronica made love for the first time on Hideaway Hill.”

“I take the tiniest of steps back and reach out to place my hand in his. When I do, it’s exactly as I thought – electrifying. Game face, Veronica, game face. I smile as if he has no effect on me at all. I know this works when I am doing my job. I don’t know if it will work for him, but here it goes. “Veronica Johnson,” I confidently reply. He just stands there for a moment grinning. It’s as if he’s happy that I seem unphased by him. I am definitely not used to the reaction he is giving me. Joe’s reaction, now that was the typical reaction. But, this? What the hell is this?”