"I still don't understand why I have to be here Shawn" Gus' worried voice hit the police psychic's ears as he looked around for clues.
"Because Gus, every good detective had a sidekick. Holms and Watson, Tintin and Snowy, those two guys from that silent movie you watched."
"You mean The Little Tramp? Shawn that is Charlie Chaplin, an American film icon" Shawn however wasn't listening to Gus. He was moving his hands over the coffee table sitting in the middle of the house. The house they were in wasn't abandoned. The owner had disappeared a couple days before and her neighbors had just called the police to report it. Detectives Lassiter and O'Hara had naturally been assigned to the case, but Shawn had snuck over a little early to check the place out.
"I feel as if she left in a great hurry." Shawn said his voice mysterious.
"Cut the crap Shawn, Lassiter and Juliet aren't even here." Gus said carefully stepping around a pile of magazines scattered on the floor.
"You're right Magic Head, but I've found that pretending to be psychic has actually sharpened my psychic powers." Gus snorted in laughter. Shawn ignored him and continued looking around the living room. He wandered over to where the front door was looking at a picture on the wall. He looked back and forth from the picture to the answering machine.
"What is it?" Gus asked coming over to Shawn. Shawn was looking closer at the answering machine.
"What is up with those magazines? Bridal ones, baby ones and the typical old lady fare of Home and Garden. And why on earth would someone have an answering machine and no tape in it?" he said popping open the cassette holder to show Gus an empty machine. He opened the drawer on the table. Inside was a tape for the machine. Shawn picked it up and then opened the hall closet. "Ah ha! I solved it." He set the cassette on the table.
"Are you going to tell me what it is Shawn?" Gus asked.
"Of course not you need to wait until the big finale when Jules and Lassie-Face get here"
"Which is gonna be any minute if we don't get out of here" Gus said checking his watch. He pulled Shawn out the door. They had reached the middle of the driveway and Shawn was arguing with Gus.
"Hey c'mon we haven't even checked out her pantry. Maybe she's one of those old lady types that makes brownies all the time." Gus paused momentarily tempted by the thought of triple chocolate brownies. This was enough time for a maroon police car to pull into the driveway. Detective Carlton Lassiter got out of the driver side and his partner, Detective Juliet O'Hara got out of the passenger side.
"Spencer what are you doing here?" Lassiter barked his voice full irritation.
"Funny you should ask that Lassie, because I was just wondering the same thing." Shawn said then paused and rephrased. "Only I was wondering what you and Jules were doing here instead of me and Gus. I know what Gus and I were doing here."
"We got a call some punk kids were in Mrs. Cardale's house, although now that we're here it just appears to be you two" Lassiter snarked back. Gus shot Shawn a look, he hated being caught doing something wrong. Shawn however was in his element, getting out of trouble.
"Relax Lassiter. My psychic visions are always strongest when there's recently been a birth" He closed his eyes and then began to walk towards the house. Juliet rolled her eyes at Lassiter, but her curiosity got the better of her and she began to follow Shawn. Lassiter mumbled something about murder under his breath and followed too. Gus once again found himself in Mrs. Cardale's house amidst the heap of magazines on the floor.
"Shawn what is this all about?" O'Hara said her patience growing thin. Shawn held up his hands and then as if they were leading him walked about the room until he reached the answering machine he had touched not 5 minutes before.
"The magazines on the floor have obviously been upset by somebody and no one in this room is that big of a klutz, except maybe Lassiter after a few martinis." Lassiter cleared his throat and Shawn whipped his head around smacking it on the wall. There was a loud thunk and the picture fell from the wall onto the floor. The glass shattered and Lassiter made a noise of irritation. Shawn bent down to pick the picture up. "No frets Lassie, my head will be back to normal in a few moments. He showed them the picture. In it were three women, one older and two younger. "Mrs. Cardale isn't missing. She's gone to visit her daughter who has just had a baby or she's gone to the elopement of her second child. The spirits aren't being very clear on this one." Juliet shoved Shawn out of the way so she could examine the answering machine. "Now, now Jules there's no need to get physical, at least not yet" Spencer winked at her. She ignored him and picked up the tape from the table where Shawn had left it. She put it in the machine pressing the play button
*Hello Mrs. Cardale this is Ralph at Ed's Dry Cleaners your dress is already to be picked up. Thanks.*
Lassiter ground his teeth impatiently. The next message came on.
*Mom! I know you just let the machine answer most of the time, but my water just broke and Doug is taking me to the hospital. We're at St. David's please come!*
A woman's panicked voice came through the machine. Juliet looked up at Lassiter.
"St. David's that's like an hour from here." She said. "I'll have them send a squad car over." She started to pull out her cell phone.
"No need to do that Jules" Shawn piped up. "We can all check it out when we take her this suitcase that she obviously forgot." He grabbed a wheeled suitcase out of the closet near the door. Lassiter groaned along with Gus.
"Shawn I have to be to work at 4." Gus complained.
"Exactly and it's noon now so you have plenty of time to drive us there and back." Shawn said
"Why does he get to drive" Lassiter griped. They argued about who would get to drive for probably 20 minutes and then the four of them found themselves in Gus' car with Shawn and Juliet scrunched in the back making their way down the highway.
"Why is there no leg room in your car?" Juliet asked Gus as she tried to make herself comfortable.
"Because" Gus snapped back irked that he was driving. "The suitcase from Mrs. Cardale's is in the trunk and Shawn we didn't even look for brownies."
"Brownies?" Lassiter growled from the passenger seat "Always thinking about your stomach at a time like this."
"Lassie you of all people should know that nothing is more delightful then the warm gooeyness that is a chocolate brownie" Shawn said. Lassiter didn't say anything and kept his eyes focused on the road ahead as if willing the car to move faster. The faster they dropped the damn suitcase off the faster he could go home and be away from these people for a while.