I really do think that Wallace will be absent and that this is a way of isolating Veronica so that when things blow up with Duncan she won't have anyone to turn to. Her being made persona non grata is the only way I can see for them to bring back "our" Veronica.

I really, really hope so. It would be interesting also to see whether she'll still have Keith's support, too. Not that he'll stop supporting her ever, but whether he'll be too tied up in other things to be there for her--which I think I saw you mention to someone else. Also, I'm wondering how he's going to end up handling this new bus information, and if Veronica will tell Keith about Jackie's dad and Lamb blackmailing him. Because being at odds over investigating another murder after what happened last year could be another way to drive a wedge between the two of them, leaving Veronica completely on her own. Maybe not having her dad's support for awhile, either, will break her out of this.