There was a big fluffy brown maine coon curled up on the edge of a large queen sized bed. The owner of this bed and his partner were in the hallway. This cat is Shawn Spencer. He used to live with the Spencers. Well, he semi-lives here. His father lives with the Spencers. But his mother was given to a family member who rarely visits. Henry Spencer, that is his father. Henry's owners were a same-sex couple who had retired from working in the force. They were John Spencer and Rick Spencer.
Shawn raised his head up then stretched his legs out.
"Shawn, get off my bed!" Came Henry.
Henry had lost his hair a few years ago, but then again, he was the type of cat who looked like a big coat of fur can be put on him and be so smooth with him. He wasn't one of those feline cats that were born without fur. Shawn leaped to the window still that had a open window. Shawn didn't always live with the Spencers. He was a street cat. A loner who didn't always choose where to stay permanently. This is just one of those nights where he came to sit down and fall to sleep after a exhaustive day being 'psychic'. It was one of the small time cases he worked alone without Gus.
"Sorry, Dad," Shawn said. "I can hear Gus calling me."
"One of these days you are going to be taken to the shelter and be killed," Henry said. "You should stay."
Shawn sighed.
"Dad," Shawn said. "I am not staying in a home that makes me go to beauty pageants."
"What do you expect?" Henry asked. "Your fur is gorgeous!"
Shawn's tail went back and forth.
"I will see you later!" Shawn leaped out of the window.
Henry leaped to the edge.
"Don't get yourself killed!" Henry shouted after him.
Henry had taught Shawn everything about being alert if a intruder entered the house or someone suspicious had entered. To make use of the photographic memory that Shawn inherited from his mother. The Spencers worked for a company of some sort. They had a eleven year old son who went to school, played football, and was constantly pestering his dads to get him a sister. Traver was just too cute to be in the middle of danger. Henry had practically groomed Shawn to be his replacement. He was the only one out of the litter that hadn't been given away.
Burton Guster, or Gus, as his owners refer to him, is a very prominent cat. One who is, lack of a better word, unable to get a mate for life. But what he does have that makes up for it is Shawn. Gus is a serengeti cat with short fur, long legs, and full of energy. His owners were women, being sisters, funny enough. Alice Guster and Elizabeth Guster. Alice worked for a pharmaceutical company. Elizabeth was a novelist and was out to get dates almost every month. Every day he would follow Alice through the door, down the sidewalk, and to the car. Without a day being missed. He started when he was a kitten.
And on his first day, that was when he met Shawn Spencer.
With his parents right behind him.
"How am I going to explain to my boss why the sales has gone down?" Alice asked out loud.
"Explain it in a very seductive manner featuring your good old convincing talk," Gus said. "I known you can not lose your job and my lavish life style."
Alice looked down.
"I know," Alice said. "My tone does it all."
"Of course it does," Gus said. "I just only wish I can find a mate with that kind of voice."
"It is not like I am going to lose my job," Alice said, with a nervous laugh followed by a gulp. "Today."
Gus brushed against her ankle.
"Relax, Alice." Gus said.
Alice came to a stop at the parked car.
"Gus, sit." Alice said.
Gus sat down.
"You can do it!" Gus said, encourangingly. "You are good at what you do!"
Alice rolled an eye.
"And Pluto is a planet," Alice said. "Pluto is a planet." She walked around repeating the phrase to herself. "Pluto nash is not a planet."
Alice got into the car.
"See you after work!" Gus said.
The car flew into the distance.
"She is a beautiful woman." Gus said.
"Your owner is a human and you are crushing on her!" Shawn said.
Gus jumped up a good two feet above the ground then turned in the direction of Shawn with his short hair raised up.
"I told you to stop doing that to me, Shawn." Gus said, with a hiss.
Shawn's eyes had the smiling twinkle about them.
"I just ate some breakfast in the next door neighbors trash," Shawn said. "It was certainly delicious."
"Ew!" Gus said. "You are disgusting."
"The fish and the cheese was not." Shawn said. "And the pineapple."
"Cats shouldn't eat cheese." Gus said.
"Nothing can stop me," Shawn said. "Are you ready to go into town with me and find a case that we can solve?"
"No, Shawn!" Gus said. "I am staying right here and waiting for my owner to come back."
"Uh huh," Shawn said. "So you don't want to go into the belly of Santa Barbara."
"No way," Gus said. "I nearly lost one of my nine lives, Shawn. Nine lives! I can die if I get down to my last life."
"I'll tell Juliet you said hello." Shawn said, walking past Gus. "I believe she just came back from the trip in Florida."
Gus's head raised up.
"Juliet's back?" Gus followed after Shawn.
"Why yes," Shawn said. "Juliet told me explicitly when she would be back."
"How come you left that out?" Gus narrowed his eyes at Shawn.
"I left it out as a surprise, buddy," Shawn said, pressing himself against Gus's body with a purr. "Let's shop for new mates instead of a new case."
Gus sighed.
"Urgh," Gus said. "Every time you say that we get involved with a case."
Shawn grinned.
"Not every time!" Shawn said. "I will race you! First one there has to pass himself off as a psychic!"
Shawn sped into the distance.
"SHAWN!" Gus shouted, darting in the direction of the speeding cat.
"I WAS KIDDING!" Shawn shouted back.
Lassiter is a black short haired cat sitting on the ledge of his master's window. A man, James Lassiter, very single. James worked for the SBPD. Lassiter prided himself in awakening his master when a intruder entered the apartment. One that could easily just end both of their lives. He prided himself in putting pieces together from a case that would be sprawled out on his owner's table and his owner would talk to him as though he were a real person. Lassiter appreciated that.
"Jim," James detective partner, Steven Meganson, had said, standing at the doorway. "Are you unwell?"
"Negative," James said, getting up from the chair. "I was caught up with the case we are working on. Talking with Lassiter put a few things into perspective." He put the chair in. "And you came to my place of residence." He raised his eyebrows. "Since when did you get my new address?"
"You were not answering your phone." Steven said. "That warranted my concern."
James laughed.
"Steve, Steve," James said, approaching Steven with a folder in his arms. He had sleep circles under his eyes. "I can handle myself in my own house." He slipped on his jacket revealing his police armed gun in one of the gun holders. His owner had numerous guns all over the apartment in the case there was a intrusion. "Let's go to work."
James and Steven went out in a single file line out of the apartment. Lassiter turned away from the inside of the apartment complex to the outside. He waited until he saw his owner come side by side with his partner. The two split up getting into the car. The car zipped away from the scene. He head a purr coming from his right. Lassiter looked over to see on the window ledge sat a white and orange calico being Juliet O'Hara. She lived in a abandoned room next door but did the tenants love her. She was their mascot but lately she had been down at some half of the state with relatives.
"O'Hara," Lassiter said. "I did not hear your return last night."
"I can't exactly stay with my parents forever and ever until the day of my death, now can I?" O'Hara asked.
"Not the type in my book." Lassiter said.
"So did you solve any cases while I was gone?" O'Hara asked.
Lassiter puffed his chest.
"Of course I did," Lassiter said. "But the culprits escaped. I could have used your help."
O'Hara licked her paw.
"Want to go out on patrol down town?" O'Hara asked, lowering her paw.
"I would be obliged," Lassiter said, getting himself upright. "Partner."
The two leaped from ledge to ledge until they made it to the bottom. They made it side by side. Humans strolled right past them blissfully ignoring the pair of cats. The two went down the street side by side. Various dogs of various breeds barked at them while their owners were engaged in a regular conversation. There were cats in the pet store that watched the pair go off. Many could experience envy for them for having what they did not. Freedom to more anywhere that is not in the shape of a box.
Shawn and Gus made it to their usual hang out spot. It was a psychic's headquarters. A woman, no less. The green sign hanging from the window read 'Psych' a private psychic investigation service. Gus skided to a halt looking over where his best friend was. The hair on his back started to raise and he began to growl at at Shawn rather mad. Shawn's tail was curled around his side. There was a welcome mat in front of the door.
"I have to check on Barbara." Shawn said. "You know how she is with working late."
"You said, I quote, NO CASES!" Gus whacked him.
Shawn rubbed the side of his face.
"This is not a case,Gus." Shawn said. "You go look for Juliet and I make sure my master is awake."
"Your master?" Gus repeated. "You don't have a master." He paused. "You . . . just picked your master? Without me even knowing?"
"It is temporary," Shawn said. "Now off to Juliet you go!"
Gus glared at Shawn.
"Last time I left you alone, you stumbled upon a case," Gus said. "I am going in with you."
Shawn shrugged.
"Your loss." Shawn said.
The two went through the ajar door that made a ring as they entered. Gus wore a collar that had his name printed on it. Shawn had a necklace around his neck that seemed to be made made of silver or golden, it was hard to tell with the lighting. The shiny sparkling light coming from it often drew Gus's attention. The two went around the counter. Shawn leaped onto the chair then onto a table. Gus suitely followed after him. They saw a man standing in the middle of the room appearing to be lost. He appeared to be pale floating above the floor.
"OH MY GOD YOUR OWNER KILLED A GUY!" Gus said.
"That's a ghost, Gus!" Shawn replied.
"This is not a case!" Gus screamed on his way out. "AHHHHH, DEAD PERSON!"
"I know," Shawn shouted back. "We have to find the body first in order for it to be a case."
Shawn leaped going through the apparition landing on the couch.
"Hey,you," Shawn said, then he raised his voice. "HEEEYYY!"
The apparition turned his head in the direction of Shawn.
"Follow me." Shawn said.
Shawn came down the hall with the man following him. Sure, man can't understand a word said by the cat but they do understand their cues. Shawn slipped his way into the psychic's bedroom. He leaped onto her bed with a purr. He traveled his way over to the other side of the bed. He sat down then pat her face. The ghost was staring at Shawn, lost, confused, and over all dazed. The ghost was in a business suit. In one hand he held a suitcase. Shawn licked the woman's face earning a moan. It seemed that she was enjoying it.
"Darling." The psychic said.
Shawn rolled an eye.
"Wake up." Shawn said. Not a eye opened. Then he took a deep breath and exhaled. "I AM HUNGRY! I AM HUNGRY! I AM HUNGRY! I AM HUNGRY! I AM HUNGRY, GET ON YOUR ASS, WOMAN!"
The psychic rolled off the side of the bed.
"Urgh," The Psychic said. She lifted her head up then she froze. "Excuse me. Do not follow me into the bathroom. Am I clear?"
The ghost nodded.
"Good," The psychic said. "Go into the lobby room and wait for me there. I will be right out with you in twenty minutes."
The ghost drifted his way out.
"You are very welcome." Shawn said.
The Psychic knelt down then pet Shawn.
"Good Shawn." The Psychic said, stroking his beautiful fur hearing a purr come from the feline.
The Psychic stood upright then prepared to get ready for the day. Shawn came out of the store where he saw Gus curled around a fire hydrant with his arms wrapped around it. Shawn snickered. Gus was the most cowardly cat in the world, or at least Shawn believed. His best friends reaction did not stun him. In fact, when they discovered a dead body in a cabin Gus ran out screaming. That was on their very first case that involved two bodies in a accidental shooting.
"Ready to go Juliet shopping?" Shawn asked.
Gus unwrapped himself around from the fire hydrant toward Shawn.
"I thought you would never say it." Gus said.
Gus and Shawn walked down the street.
Three hours on patrol Lassiter and Juliet were hailed by a house cat. The house cat was terrified in the mist of tears and shocked. He wore a pink collar around his neck. Juliet instructed that he to sit down while her partner went to check the scene. Lassiter's claws detracted from his paws as he entered the wide open doorway. He hid behind the wall standing on his back legs looking over. The coat was clear. Lassiter darted into the scene. He walked down the walkway past the staircase. He looked around as his claws made tapping sounds on the wood below. He came into the kitchen. Lassiter took a turn to the left where he saw a tom cat's corpse laid on the rug beside the seemingly asleep human. He could tell the cat was dead because the head was not facing the direction it should be and that it had a bleeding wound on its thigh that had become a pool of blood. Sickening, that Lassiter knew, regarding the unfair scene before him.
Usually he dealt with crimes that mainly involved cats.
"I will call back up." Lassiter said.
Lassiter came to the deceased human then slipped the phone out using his mouth. He dropped it to the floor then swiped his paw on the screen that had the detracted claws. He came to the dialing option. He hit the numbers 9-1-1. He sat there waiting for the call to start. His tail flickered from side to side. If Lassiter's owner knew of this he would be extremely proud of him. But the world of a cat was far too sophisticated to be revealed to the human world. Lassiter's mothers had taught him that humans will never understand how animals speak.
"Hello, what is your emergency?" The 911 operator asked.
"We have a dead body." Lassiter said.
"Hello, is there anyone here?" The 911 operator said.
"Yes." Lassiter said.
"Hello?" The 911 operator said. "Please stand by. I will dispatch police officers to your location. Can you hear me?"
"O'Hara, we must leave the scene, immediately," Lassiter announced, heading out of the room. "Police will be here any minute."
In a hour there was yellow tape surrounding the house and the body had been chalked up. There were police cars parked alongside the sidewalk including a ME vehicle. Lassiter was interrogating the eyewitness in the backyard regarding what was seen,heard, and sensed. Including if they had any enemies. Cat wise. The human aspect had to be left to the human detectives. Juliet did some of the questioning and a bit of the consolation. Sure Lassiter felt excited to be part of a real case. It felt honor some at best. Gus and Shawn were walking down the sidewalk.
"Oh look," Shawn said, then he changed his direction. "A crime scene."
"Shawn, you said we were going Juliet shopping!" Gus said, following after Shawn.
"I can smell Juliet!" Shawn said.
Gus raised his head up and sniffed as he followed Shawn.
"You are right," Gus said. "I can smell her."
The two darted past the legs of several humans, past the door, and continued to follow Juliet's scent. Well it was Gus who was following Juliet's scent. He could smell drying blood, a sweet scent naturally belonging to Juliet, colongne belonging to various people inside, spoiled cheese from somewhere, sunny side up eggs, and some baby puke among others. Detective James and Steven were standing in the room where the victim was found. The ME was doing his job.
"How long has he been dead, doc?" James asked.
"For the better part of three hours," Doctor Miller said. "He can't have possibly made the call."
"Fascinating," Steven said, rubbing his chin. "It seems the dead made a phone call."
Gus came striding right in.
"And she is here!" Gus said.
Shawn came to abrupt stop alongside him.
"Gus. . ." Shawn said. "Uh, the dead guy, we met his ghost."
Gus opened his eyes to see a dead body strewn on the floor dressed in a business suit. He had two bullet holes to the chest. One bullet hole to the forehead. His eyes were widened and his face appeared to be horrified. His right hand was locked in a grip shape although he was lacking what he had been holding at the time of death. Gus's eyes widened as Shawn made his way onto the chair of a cushion of a chair. Shawn then leaped to the ledge of a window where he could see his friend dart out of the building. Shawn noticed the business man had defensive markings on his hands. His face had a bruise that had been developing gradually long after death. His legs were bent. The man's hat was strawn right across against the leg of a chair. Shawn noticed the paper on the table reading 'bankruptcy','security notice', 'House for sale', 'meet at 10:37 PM at SLB',and a brochure for a aquarium. There was a kennel big enough for a cat under the chair. There was black cat hair dotting the inside of the white towel.
"Spencer!" Lassiter shouted, abruptly.
Shawn slowly turned around with a smile on his face raising his tail up turning around.
"Why Lassie-face," Shawn said. "I honestly did not expect you here."
"There was no cat involved in this crime," Lassiter said. "Stay out of their crime scene."
Shawn swayed himself himself putting one paw on the side of his head.
"I am divining that . . ." Shawn said. "This cat was caught in the middle of a murder."
"Well, Spencer," Lassiter said, gesturing to his right. "THIS is the owner's cat!"
"Hello." Roy said, a short legged white cat had spoken in a small voice.
"Hello," Shawn said,with a kind as hell smile that could melt a cat into a piddle. "I am divining that . . . you escaped."
Roy nodded.
"I did!" Roy said. "I have no idea where the dead cat came from." He lowered his head. "I-I-I-I," Roy continued. "I don't know. I had been a bad kitty," His tail was curled around his leg. Roy sounded ashamed of himself. "So master locked me in the basement with breakfast and a kitty litter."
"But the door was unlocked." Shawn said.
"Precisely," Roy said. "I was a good kitty and then I was a bad kitty. . . . all over again!"
Shawn took one look of the scenery inside then to the backyard. He could rely on his photographic memory to come in handy later on during the case. He leaped down onto the grassy yard. Gus came round the house then came to a abrupt stop seeing a familiar determined expression on his best friends face. He only got that when he was on a case. He came straight to Juliet's side.
"Did you hear about Pluto?" Gus asked. Juliet turned her head in Gus's direction. "That is messed up, right?"
"Why yes," Juliet said. "It is messed up." She tilted her head. "But what is Pluto?"
"A planet deemed a dwarf planet." Gus said.
"So it is a planet." Juliet said.
"Not exactly by the official astronomers," Gus said. "Such a shame." He shook his head with a sad sigh occupying it. "I remember when it used to be until the discovery channel mentioned it."
Juliet patted Gus's back, comfortingly.
"There, there," Juliet said. "They have said the exact same thing about the ninth planet."
Gus teared up looked up in Juliet's direction.
"They said there hasn't been one for years." Gus said.
"They are wrong just like they are about nintheranus." Juliet said.
Gus wiped a tear off.
"Shawn," Lassiter said, with a sigh. "You are not taking over my case."
"Who says I am?" Shawn asked, now completely in Lassiter's personal space. "I am on another case." He then inadventurely nuzzled Lassiter. "I am going to solve this human case and-oh wait, that would be solving your case as well!" His hazel eyes brightened up with paws on Lassiter's shoulders which he started rubbing. "Well,that is just too convenient. Want to trade cases with me, Lassie?"
Lassiter was trembling, fueling rage toward the young cat.
"GET! YOUR! PAWS! OFF! ME!" Lassiter roared sending Shawn tumbling down straight on his backside. "And I will never trade case with you, ever, because there is no trading. You are not even a full detective or a consultant to the Santa Barbara Cat Department."
"Oh right," Shawn said. "I should have done that long ago." Shawn backed off from Lassiter. "See you at the office!" Shawn turned around skipping his way down the side of the house leaving the fuming black cat. "Off to the SBCD!"
"Oh no." Gus said, with a moan. "I will make sure he doesn't get himself killed."
Gus promptly followed after Shawn.
"I am going to kill him!" Lassiter fumed. "O'Hara, to the station!"
The Santa Barbara Cat Station was an abandoned police station occupied by cats and cleaned by cats. It looked well kept for a old and abandoned police station. There was a cat who did the autopsy's named Woodrow Strode or more known as Woody. He was a large cat with a balding head which was odd for a cat. He worked in the morgue. There are other detectives in the station interviewing suspects ranging in species except for human. Buzz was a blue eyed black and white cat, friendly one at that, working to climb up the ranks.
Buzz belonged to two wealthy owners.
Claimed they were billionaires at least.
Chief Vick, Karen Vick, was in her office filing paperwork. If you can call carefully applying her claws on the screen reading what file report had been given to her then you could call that careful. She had on a pair of glasses. She was a tom cat, but old enough to be referred to her as in her late thirties to her early forties. No one really knew how old Chief Vick was. She had recently given birth to a litter of kittens that were given away except for her one child safe at home with her masters. Her masters never knew where she went or where she went for that matter to deliver all five of the kittens. Through the blinds she could see a couple of cats headed her way. Vick sighed lowering the pad to the table then straightened herself up.
What did Shawn get himself into this time?
The doors opened with, "May I be a official consultant? The only pay I need is fish and I am fine!"
"Shawn!" Gus said.
"All right, all right," Shawn said. "Perhaps a location where I can freely get Pineapple?" Gus glared a hole through Shawn's right temple. "Scratch that, just the fish."
"You will only get rats," Vick said, as a look of horror spread on Gus's face and Shawn appeared to be pleased of himself. She turned her head over in the direction of the two detectives alongside the two friends. "What kind of case did you get your paws on?"
"Cat murder," Lassiter said. "And a human murder."
"Spencer," Vick said. "This is a human's job to solve."
"I sense. . ." Shawn had one paw on the side of his head. "That there is more to this case that involves the cat." He closed his eyes looking back at the crime scene. He caught sight of a cat store form on the table among the paperwork. There was a spare cat collar inscribed with a name, address, and phone number. The address apparently didn't match the one he had been to. "And that cat was stolen."
Vick looked over in the direction of Lassiter and O'Hara.
"Mr Spencer will be working with you," Vick said. "After all, he only helps on the difficult cases. This one falls under that category."
"Yes, chief." Lassiter said, lowering his head.
"See you on the field, Lassie!" Shawn slapped Lassiter's left shoulder then went out the doors.
Shawn and Gus followed the leads to the case mostly by hanging around Barbara the Psychic and the detectives at Psych. The three had some crazy chemistry far as Gus could tell and Shawn was oblivious to it. For the past five years this is what Gus was subjected to. Relentless flirting, Shawn's cluelessness regarding the romance in the air, the sentences being finished by the three, and simply using them to get further on the case. Steven and James appeared to be close, awfully close, for platonic partners. Shawn and Gus went to the locations mentioned. Surprisingly they met more cats than humans. There was one human missing who was supposed to be there.
Shawn and Gus were back at it the following morning, side by side, with twigs in Shawn's beautiful fur. Gus was busy flickering off the twigs using his paws once Shawn had stopped. They had paid a visit to the Psych agency once again catching up what the detectives had discovered. All the while Lassiter and O'Hara did the investigating on the cat end side questioning those who knew the stolen cat. The DNA test came back that the cat belonged to a middle income middle aged family being the Wilsons. Shawn's breath smelled like fish. Gus turned his head away taking off the junk that was in Shawn's gorgeous fur. Shawn, apparently, was enjoying the attention he was getting from Gus. Gus loved Shawn as a brother and as a friend to a deeper level of it.
And that is where they found the suspect.
"Shoo, if you know better, twit!" The human,Austin Beller, kicked Shawn landing the cat against a drawer.
"Shawn!" Gus came running over to his friend's side. "Are you okay?
"Ow," Shawn said. "That hurts."
Beller sneezed.
"Damn cats," Beller said. He sneezed again.
SLB stood for Southern Lobster Barbecue. Shawn and Gus were currently there. There was cries of help coming from behind the doors. Shawn lifted himself up then caught sight of the gun sticking out from Beller's had a bruise on the side of his neck and scratch marks on his hands. Cat scratch marks. Woody had explained to Shawn and Gus earlier about finding skin on the victim's claws. The cries for help were largely being ignored from the humans. Unless, it was not coming from a human. But rather from a animal. That would certainly explain the baffling scene.
Gus and Shawn ran over toward the door side by side.
"Help us!"
"Let us out!"
"I am scared!"
"It's so dark in here!"
Shawn sat under the knob.
"Hold on!" Shawn said. "Gus, time to use that shiny head of yours."
"I am not bald." Gus said.
"I meant, pause!" Shawn said.
"Paws,Shawn." Gus said.
"I heard it both ways!" Shawn said.
"No, you haven't." Gus hopped onto his friend's backside then began to set to work on getting the door open.
Beller sneezed, repeatedly, as he took a bat out. Damn cats, Beller thought, they should stay in the storage room where I put them. Our frame backed away to show the entrance of SLB. Lassiter had a strange feeling that something was not right. Shawn had yet again landed into trouble along with his side kick Mr Guster. His claws detracted out of his paws and the fur on his back rose up. Juliet's claws detracted. The pair of cats went through the doors to the building following the familiar scent of pineapple.
Steven and James vehicle came to a stop.
"This is the place." Steven said, looking out.
"Yes," James said. "The suspect is said to hang around here often." He unbuckled himself. "Perhaps this suspect of ours will give us a better shade of light on the victim's argument with him."
"Indeed," Steven said, unbuckling his seatbelt. "It was unfortunate that we were unable to find him earlier."
The two men rose out of their vehicle closing the doors. The two men went side by side toward the doors. Our view made its way back into the building where a loud wack was heard followed by a unsettling sound. It had been loud enough for both human and cat to hear. Lassiter ran in the direction of the loud whack followed by Juliet. It sounded like a body had been struck followed by a cat's painful meow. The door to the unfairly kept cats was held open ajar.
Shawn was in the way of Gus acting as his shield. Gus's side was sore but not enough to bust a rib-cage. He needed to lay down until his legs could get him back at it. Shawn revealed his fangs at Beller. Shawn's fangs were detracted. Shawn lunged at the man narrowly missing the bat then began to give Beller several scratches to the face. Beller yanked Shawn off his face then tossed him into the corner of the room with Gus. Beller sneezed. His face was lined by red scars making him seem like someone had done a bad job of drawing on him. Shawn was unconscious slouched against the wall alongside Gus. Beller approached the two.
"You meddling cats." Beller said, then started to raise the bat.
Lassiter came to the corner of the ajar door.
"Shawn!" Lassiter shouted.
Beller sneezed. For a moment there it looked like Shawn was not breathing. Lassiter's head turned in the direction of the suspect as he began to have a sharp edged hiss. His hair was puffed up. His eyes were trained on the human male. Beller sneezed. Lassiter freaked the hell out of him. The door was moved completely open when O'Hara joined his side. The innocence that was once on her feline face had all but faded. Their eyes were hunched in the man's direction. The gaze they were giving him was strangely odd. He never saw on a cat. It was like being stared by a detective themself. That's when he dropped the bat then speeded his way out of the room.
"O'Hara, with me!" Lassiter shouted.
"Shawn. . ." Gus dragged himself over to his unconscious friend. "Wake up."
Gus nudged the side of Shawn's face.
"Shawn." Gus said, head lowered.
Lassiter and O'Hara chased after Beller. Hot on their heels were Steven and James. James overheard the sound of the doors being slammed shut. He naturally assumed it was the suspect because the sound of shoes squeaking against the floor was not a natural part of this building. He only heard one pair of shoes doing that. The detectives were getting close on the suspect. Lassiter and O'Hara followed suit without being seen. Beller leaped over a building ledge landing onto the next flat roof top. Lassiter landed through square into a open window with O'Hara right behind him. The door to the apartment was wide open because someone was moving even more apparent by the boxes that were recently opened.
Beller looked over his shoulder then turned it back in the direction he was speeding. He was speeding down the array of stairs with one hand trailing down the rail. He could hear his own heart beating with the adrenaline running through his veins. Stupid cats. Stupid weaseling cat owner. He was marketing these cats for the cat fights and sometimes he had to steal other cats just to make a profit. He also sold them for breeding purposes which was made illegal in Santa Barbara because of maltreatment toward cats in the hands of unlicensed cat breeders. He hated cats. He stayed the hell away from them due to some handy men during most of the grunt work. Most of the time. His grunts were in Canada. When they said that he would be screwed without them they were entirely right. He hated when they were right.
Beller came through the door then speeded his way toward the lobby.
Freedom was right ahead.
Until he felt something sharp and long enter his back side. He yelped collapsing to the floor. Oh god, he could feel a sneeze coming down. Taken out by a couple of cats? That was absurd and entirely out of the playing field. It was impossible. That he thought at first. No one had known the operation was going on. He had lied that he was storing cats in the back to help a local cat shelter. He was intending to get some temporary grunts do the work but he hadn't gone to the right places. He sneezed. Damn cats. He could see one calico one standing right in front of him.
"Freeze!" James shouted, coming out of the elevator with his gun drawn out.
"With your hands up in the air." Steven finished, holding the gun in the direction of the pinned down man.
Beller could see that the cats were headed out the doors.
Shit, Beller thought drawing his hands up in the air, I was taken down by a couple of cats.
"O'Hara, release the cats." Lassiter said, as they returned to LSB.
Gus was right beside Shawn.
"Shawn," Gus said, one paw rubbing the side of his neck. "Wake up."
"Guster," Lassiter said. "I need you to speak with the eyewitnesses. Can you do that?"
Gus looked over in the direction of Lassiter appearing to be in the middle of tears.
"Yes, Detective Lassiter." Gus said, his voice becoming high pitched.
Just how hard did Shawn hit the wall?
"Go." Lassiter said.
Gus slinkered off into the direction of O'Hara stifling back tears. Lassiter looked around then placed one paw on the side of the maine cat's neck. There was a faint, weak heartbeat. It didn't sound like a bunch of horses with humans on them riding into the scenery. It couldn't be considered a heart beat. If the paramedics were sent their way here he wouldn't make it until they arrived. Then again they did have the contact information of Spencer's father's owners but they wouldn't be here on time. Lassiter sighed looking down upon the cat.
"Shawn. . . ." Lassiter started to say in a low voice. "You astound me." Shawn's ears flickered. "I don't know how you do it. But you solve the hard cases. I have to admit, I do use your help to solve a couple of mine, because . . . . you are gifted. You have a gift to see what I can't see." The black cat sighed lowering his head. "What I am not sorry is for how I treated you. You were using your gift as a charade. A play toy. A thing that gets attention to you. Which is very rude and unprofessional of a Psychic." Lassiter licked his paw. "Shawn, I have always admired your detective abilities. If you decide to leave. . . I will inform your father of your honorable de. . ." The last part didn't want to come out as the older cat got emotional. "Parture."
Shawn's paw twitched then slowly slid its way to Lassiter's extended paw that was nearby.
"Lassie. . ." Shawn said. "Don't be sad."
Lassiter looked up to see the much younger cat staring back at him with that usual look in his eyes. Sure, Lassiter loved everyone regardless of their gender. But Shawn just about broke a heart string in Lassiter's heart. There was the familiar brightness of life in his eyes. He may be injured but under no way did that break his spirit. He wasn't a ordinary cat, that Lassiter knew, always up to something. That was what Lassiter could count on him for. Getting to the core of the case by getting into danger ninty-five point six percent of the time. It had become a tradition for Lassiter to come in with O'Hara to save their cat asses.
"Don't you do that again!" Lassiter said, pulling his paw back with a snap.
Shawn tilted his head.
"Love you, too." Shawn said, with the glowing of a smile in his eyes.
"Guster," Lassiter said, going after the cat. "Spencer will live. Stop crying!"
Shawn winced feeling pain in the middle of his backside.
That, too, will heal.
"SHAAAWWWWNNNN!" Gus nearly about trampled on his friend landing on his backside. "Ithoughtyouweregoingtodie!"
Shawn laughed.
"I will if you let me lay my back against the wall for awhile." Shawn said, half-heatedly.
Gus slid his friend against the wall just enough that he could curl up around Shawn. He squeezed his way around Shawn then sat down. Gus was purring with his head placed on Shawn's backside. The cats were being released one by one. We can see the psychic woman later watching the interrogation. She appeared to be puzzled seeing a lot of cats in the visions. She watched the interview between the three men. It was a interrogation. He was about to crack.
"And if it wasn't for those stupid cats I wouldn't be here!" Beller complained.
From somewhere far off, Henry sneezed.
The End.