"You need to call the chief."

"I do not," Shawn Spencer protested. He was sitting in the front passenger seat of the Gus' car, fondly referred to as the Blueberry. "The chief knows she can call me up whenever there's a case that Lassiter can't handle. Just because it's been a few weeks is no reason to bother her with information she already knows."

"Shawn, if you want your agency to keep running, we need cases on a regular basis," Burton 'Gus' Guster argued as he turned a corner. "Paying cases. It's been four weeks since the last case from the police. Besides, it's good business to keep you employer reminded that you're available. Call the chief."

"After breakfast," Shawn said with a dismissive wave of his hand. "Too early and I'll just be an annoyance."

Gus rolled his eyes. "I think she's used to that by now," he responded. "Call her now. Otherwise you're just going to try to get out of it later on."

With a long-suffering sigh, Shawn pulled his phone out. Before he could hit the speed dial for the Santa Barbara police station, his phone notified him of a text. Frowning, the brown haired man read the message. "Hold on a moment, Gus," he said. He hit a contact icon. "We might need to take a detour before we get breakfast."

"What's going on?" Gus asked, glancing over. "Is it a case?"

Shawn shrugged. "I don't know. My dad just said to- Hey, Dad," he said as the call connected. "What can the spirits do for-. What? You're kidding. No, I can take one... No need to thank-...Right. Gus and I will be there in a few minutes."

"Is your dad in some kind of trouble?" Gus asked as his partner ended the call. He turned in the direction of Henry Spencer's home.

"Yeah. Double Trouble, actually" Shawn answered with a gleeful grin. When Gus sent a bewildered glare at him, the detective clarified, "Ethan and Evelyn are apparently spending the week with him while Mom is working, and the two of them fighting. Dad wants them separated for a little while, so one of them is going to be with us today."

"Which one is coming with us?" Gus asked with suspicion.

Putting on an innocent expression, Shawn glanced over. "Does it matter?" he responded. "We have to help my dad out here, Gus."

Gus' snort said he thought differently. "You said they take turns being practical and psychotic," he pointed out. "If I have to put up with another version of you, I'm going to turn this car around and you can go get the kid on your own. I'll get my own brunch without you."

"First of all, I don't think I like you calling either of my cousins psychotic," Shawn told him. "Although the one in the army is a little on the weird side...but I digress! Second of all, how would I get Ethan or Evie if you don't go along? My dad would flip if I showed up with my motorcycle." He paused. "You know what? Turn around. I'll take my motorcycle. I haven't messed with my dad's heart rate yet this week."

"Shawn, you didn't answer my question. Which one is coming with us?"

The other man shrugged. "We'll find out when we get there, Gus," he replied. He looked down at his hand as his phone rang again. He accepted the call with a cheerful, "Shawn Spencer, Psychic." He listened for a few moments, making Gus glance over anxiously. "Absolutely, Chief. We are in the area now. We'll drop in right away."

He ended the call. "New case?" Gus asked. "I told you you should have called her."

"Make a left here," Shawn instructed. "We're needed at a theater and not because I'm going to make my musical debut."

"What about your dad?"

Shawn grinned. "An hour more isn't that long," he answered. "And the delay will make him appreciate even more the favor I'm doing him."


It wasn't the theater exactly where they went. A small office building beside the historic building was where Shawn headed. He was the first to spot the chief talking to a balding man in front of the receptionist desk. "Chief! You called and we came," the 'psychic' detective called out. "What can we do for you?"

Chief Vick shook hands with the man and then turned to meet the newcomers. "Mr. Spencer, Mr. Guster," she said. "I've called you hear as a favor to the mayor, who is a friend of Mr Carter, the manager of the theater. One of the stage hands, Agnes Simmons, hasn't come into work the past two days. The mayor and Mr. Carter are good friends, so I offered to have you two come in and check it out."

"No one is allowed to have a sick day anymore?" Shawn asked in horror. "What's with this?"

"She hasn't answered any of our calls," Mr. Carter said as he joined them. "I personally went to Agnes' house and she wasn't there." He did a double take as he saw Shawn. "Wait a moment. Aren't you that guy from that soap opera?"

Shawn grinned with pride. "That's not creepy at all," Gus remarked, shaking his head. "And I mean you checking on a girl and not the knowing Shawn. Is it standard practice to check up on your female employees like that?"

Mr. Carter eyed him in a puzzled way. "I will leave you in Mr. Spencer's capable hands," Chief Vick said, sounding eager to escape. "Mr. Spencer, report to me one you know anything."

"Is there any reason to think that this Agnes person would be in some kind of trouble?" Shawn asked, taking charge as the chief hurried away. "Did she have enemies? Did she paint a piece of scenery the wrong color? Did she steal the script?"

"As a matter of fact, Agnes collaborated on the script and the music," Carter informed him, leaning against the desk and crossed his arms. Though his right hand was hidden under his left arm, Shawn saw the man flex his fingers. "And as far as I know, everyone loved her. She was a beautiful girl and very talented. The dialogue she added to the script was spot on."

"'Was' a beautiful girl," Shawn repeated, picking up on the past tense. He gave a laugh, looking over at Gus. "She's not dead yet, is she? Just missing, I thought the chief said. Let's not go jumping to any sudden conclusions here."

The manager coughed, his face turning red. "No, of course not," he answered. "I just...I can't think of any reason she would just disappear."

"When was she last seen?" Gus asked.

"Two nights ago, so Wednesday night" Carter responded after a moment. He nodded. "Yes, it was Wednesday. She was the last one here. She said she had some work she wanted to finish before she left. Agnes was... is dedicated to the play. She loves the book and music. She was-is a very artistic person."

Shawn frowned at him, noting the continual struggle to keep using the present tense. "What book is the play based on?" Gus asked with interest. "That might be important. To the case."

The manager turned to him. "Pride and Prejudice," Carter responded with little enthusiasm. "But with a twist. At least that's what the writer keeps telling me."

"'It is a truth universally acknowledged' that Pride and Prejudice does not need any twists," Shawn declared. "Unless it's to add in zombies, then it's kind of cool. But you can't do that because someone else has already done it so it can't be called a real twist."

"When did you read Pride and Prejudice?" Gus demanded.

"I didn't," Shawn answered. "I once watched five minutes of the movie with Keira Knightly."

Mr. Carter looked between them uneasily. "We're going to have to take a look around and talk to everyone Agnes worked with," Shawn declared, turning back to the case at hand. "We'll let you know if we discover anything."

"Yes, of course," Carter said, checking his watch. "No one will be at the theater now, but they should get there in a few hours. I have to make a few phone calls. Just tell everyone that I approved of your presence here and I expect them all to cooperate."

"A few hours? Fantastic," Shawn answered. "That gives us plenty of time for brunch."