Chapter 2
~Just Another Hunch
"Shawn, where are we going?" Gus asked. "And it better be good if you woke me up this early. It's eight o'clock in the morning and I haven't had my scrambled eggs yet—"
"Gus, yes it's early…but we found a body."
"No Shawn, you did not find a body. You're just dragging me on a hunch you have."
"My hunch is correct," Shawn stated.
"It's a hunch," Gus butt in, "it can't be correct."
"But it is."
Gus rolled his eyes. Shawn was impossible sometimes—actually all the time.
The sirens were getting louder as a few cop cars cruised by.
"Oh no," Shawn started, "we can't let Lassie beat us!"
"Maybe if you would stop driving like a little old lady, we would actually get there," Gus mentioned.
"Dude, I can't go above the speed limit."
"Like you never do it?"
"Yes Gus, because I never actually get the chance to drive."
"That's because it's my car, Shawn. And if you hadn't kidnapped me and my keys, you wouldn't be sitting in that seat right now."
"You're right, Gus."
Shawn smiled. He pushed harder on the pedal. They began to pick up speed which left Gus wishing he never said anything in the first place. Before the light could turn red, Shawn made a sharp turn to the right. The beach was in distance now.
Abruptly he stopped by the sidewalk, placing the car into park.
Gus looked at Shawn, "You're never driving my car again."
"Why?" Shawn asked. "I drive just as bad as you do."
Shawn stepped out of the car. Gus however did not move, he only stared back at Shawn through the open window.
"Gus, aren't you coming?" Shawn questioned.
"The beach is half a block up. Why are we parked over here?"
"It's good exercise," replied Shawn. "And besides, I want to stroll in from behind with the I-told-you-so look."
Reluctantly, Gus exited the car.
"Hey, I'm also saving you on gas," Shawn added.
"Thank you," Gus said in a sarcastic tone.
It was evident Gus wasn't exactly fully awake. He didn't appreciate being dragged out of bed to go to the scene of a murder. It wasn't the first time either.
As they walked down the street, they passed by a teenage boy wrapped in a girlish towel. Shawn did a double take before noticing it had Hannah Montana on it. He laughed and glanced at Gus, who didn't look as amused as he did.
"Maybe he's a fan," Gus suggested. "Although, he didn't look too thrilled about it."
"Like you," Shawn pointed out. "Don't deny that I've caught you listening to Smiley Citrus before."
"It's Miley Cyrus, Shawn. And it was one time."
They were a couple feet away when Juliet O'Hara waved to them. Immediately the two of them ran over. They didn't get too far before the police circled around something in the grass off to the right.
With a smile Shawn joined the police in staring at the dead blonde. "I believe I was right," he said turning to Gus. "You owe me five bucks."
"I never made a bet," Gus made clear, "I owe you nothing."
Before Shawn could interrupt with more nonsense, Jules spoke first. "I think this is our missing person."
"The description does seem to fit her," Gus added.
"Shawn, what do you think?" Jules turned to face him, only to find he wasn't standing there anymore. "Shawn?"
"I'm over here, Jules!" Shawn called back.
He was standing on the other side now, watching Carlton Lassiter address a little girl and her mother.
"You saw nothing?" Lassiter asked.
"We've only been on the beach for about ten minutes. We started west, then headed this way, running into you," the woman replied honestly. "We saw or heard nothing unusual. I'm sorry we couldn't help. It's really a shame what happened to her."
"Can I ask a question now?" the little girl muttered.
"Honey, let the police man do his work. We best get going…" the woman whispered, trying to shun her daughter from the tragic matter a couple feet away.
"Mister, have you seen my Hannah Montana beach towel? I lost it yesterday but maybe it's still here."
"No I have not, sorry. But if we find it, we'll be sure to return it to you."
Lassiter watched as a cop escorted them away from the beach. Meanwhile Shawn approached him, laughing as he did so.
"What's so funny, Spencer?" Carlton's sweet smile disappeared.
"I never knew you could sound so sweet towards little children, Lassie. It was actually kind of cute. Did you mean it? Because otherwise you might be breaking that little girl's heart when you don't show up at her doorstep with that towel," Shawn replied. "Oh and…I hate to tell you I told you so."
Lassiter's face fell. "Shut it Spencer."
Carlton looked just a grumpy as Gus had this morning. But then again, that was always how Lassiter acted around Shawn.
"This is our missing person, Marissa Cooper," Lassiter started as he began to examine the body. "It looks like knife wounds and a bullet to the head but no signs of a struggle."
"Lassie, I believe we are missing another missing person."
"Spencer, what are you talking about?"
Shawn raised a brow. Stepping closer, he pointed a finger at the red sand beside Marissa. "All that blood could be from here, but it's unlikely. You see, if it was from her, the stomach wounds would be more sand than blood. And it doesn't look as if she has moved from her backside."
"Are you saying there should be two bodies?" Carlton sighed.
"Yes. I'm glad you're catching on, Lassie."
"So where is this other body, psychic?"
"I don't appreciate that tone of voice."
"Spencer, I don't have time for—"
"Maybe the body walked away," Gus added in.
"Zombies aren't real, Gus," Shawn frowned.
"I never said anything about zombies," Gus said quietly.
"But you were hinting at it," Shawn said back.
"If they lost that much blood, they should be dead...not walking away," cut in Jules. "But it shouldn't matter. As long as they didn't cover their tracks, there's evidence everywhere."
"Well, I guess we're done here," stated Carlton.
"Wait!" Shawn said loudly.
"What now? There's nothing we can do at the moment," Lassiter answered.
"That little girl—what kind of towel did she lose again?" Spencer placed his fingers at his temples, pretending to have one of his psychic moments. "Oh right—Hannah Montana—! Gus and I saw some kid walking down the street with one…"
"Coincidence? I think not," Gus chimed in. "It was wrapped around him. He could have easily been hiding something."
"So maybe he took a swim, found a free towel and decided to dry off?" Lassie suggested.
"No," Shawn stated, "he wasn't wet. In fact, it's so hot you don't need a towel to dry. I also don't think he would have taken the towel unless he absolutely needed it anyway."
"Spencer, that is absolutely ridiculous!" Carlton shouted.
"Yeah Shawn, I have to agree with him on that," Jules muttered. "He could have stolen it…or picked it up because he felt like it."
"I mean, what could he possibly be hiding?" Gus asked.
"Drugs, alcohol, who knows!" Shawn yelled. "Or a gun. A knife. Blood. Maybe…just maybe that blood was from him."
Shawn's theories had gotten him nowhere. He knew it sounded abstract, but hey, it was possible. There was no doubt that the boy could have been a secret murderer. It was a crazy world. Filled with crazy people.
Despite what everyone else thought, Shawn knew there was something up. There was just something in the boy's face. A sort of nervous tension. But then again, it was just another hunch. His last one had proven right but there was no say about this one. Still, this boy was a person of interest.
