"Damn it, Spencer!" Lassiter growled, ripping off his soaking wet suit jacket and tossing it angrily on the motel room chair. "You were supposed to be in the car!"
Shawn and Gus were only two steps behind him, also soaking wet.
"I saw the ice cream truck." Shawn shrugged, running his fingers through his hair, trying to shake some of the water out. "Do you have any idea how long it's been since I've had a Nutty Buddy?"
Lassiter whirled around, his eyes spitting fire at the psychic.
"A Nutty Buddy?" He growled. "My car got stolen because you wanted a damn ice cream cone?"
"Not just an ice cream cone." Shawn corrected him, raising a single finger. "A Nutty Buddy. It has chocolate. And nuts."
"Spencer--"
"Look, Lassie…when it rains, I like ice cream. Okay? It brightens my otherwise dismal surroundings. It's like taking a Xanax…if Xanax was chock full of delicious flavor."
Lassiter took a angry step towards him, and Gus quickly stepped between the two before one of them ended up on the floor in a bloody heap.
Gus was suspecting it wouldn't be Lassiter…
"We didn't know the guy was going to steal your car." He said. "It's not our fault it doesn't have an alarm."
"I don't need an alarm." Lassiter spat through clenched teeth, still glaring at Shawn. "I'm a cop!"
"Well, tell that to guy who stole your car." Shawn snorted. "I guess he didn't read The Jacker's Guide to Etiquette."
"Spencer!"
Whatever lecture Lassiter was about to unleash had to wait, however, as Juliet entered the room at that moment. They all turned and watched her as she wrung the rain out of her hair, letting it fall back on her shoulder in wet clumps.
"I called the Chief." She said. "She's going to put an APB out on your car, but she can't get anyone down here to get us until tomorrow. Unless we want to take the bus back tonight…"
"I'm not riding a damn bus three hours back to Santa Barbara!" Lassiter snarled. "And I'm not leaving until I get my damn car back!"
"Why doesn't it have an alarm?" Juliet demanded.
Shawn coughed loudly, slicing his hand across his throat.
"Sore subject, Jules."
Lassiter glared at Shawn.
"I don't care what the Chief says! You're never coming on a stake-out again!"
"But my psychic vision is what led you to the guy." Shawn pointed out.
"I don't care!" Lassiter shouted. "This wasn't a vacation, Spencer! I was trying to make a bust and you were buying a damn popsicle!"
"Nutty Buddy." Shawn, Gus and Juliet all corrected him at the same time.
"I don't care!"
"It doesn't matter, anyway." Juliet sighed, sitting on the bed. "Because we're all stuck here for the night."
Lassiter groaned and kicked off his shoes.
"Then I'm getting some sleep." He grunted.
Everyone nodded in agreement.
And yet…no one moved.
"So get the hell out of my room!" Lassiter shouted finally.
Everyone blinked at him.
"Your room?" Gus snorted. "It's on the Department's account."
"Yeah." Lassiter nodded. "But it's reserved in my name. So beat it! Get your own room!"
"I can't." Juliet shrugged. "My card's maxed out."
Everyone looked at her curiously.
"There was a sale…" She explained. "And these really cute pumps…I had to get all the colors!"
"Fine." Lassiter grunted, rolling his eyes. "It's the Department's room, anyway. O'Hara stay, you two yahoos out!"
"I didn't bring my wallet." Shawn laughed. "Are you kidding me? With the Department paying for food and gas? Why would I need money? Besides, Gus is like my personal ATM."
"Uh…normally, he's right." Gus mumbled. "Except…I left my wallet in my other jacket."
Shawn snorted.
"Your other jacket, Gus? Really? That's your excuse? At least say it was in the car when it got stolen! Be original!"
"I did leave it in my other jacket!" Gus insisted. "I only found out we were going on this trip ten minutes before we left! I didn't even have time to pack a toothbrush! I guess I just grabbed the wrong jacket!"
"Then sleep in the rain." Lassiter snapped, opening the door and motioning them out. "I don't care. Hey…while you're at it…get a little psychic vision and find my car!"
Juliet rolled her eyes and stood up, crossing to the door and pushing it closed.
"You're not kicking them out in the rain." She said firmly. "It's not their fault your car doesn't have an alarm."
"Then what the hell are they going to do?" Lassiter asked, afraid he already knew the answer.
Juliet shrugged.
"I guess we're all…sleeping in here."
