The Next Day

"Gus! So glad you're here."

"Why? We get a new case?"

"Not yet. But soon, my fine feathered friend."

Gus shook his head and seated himself behind his desk and began going through some paperwork.

"God, this is so annoying!" said Shawn.

"What? Not having any cases?"

"No. That girl. Susie."

Gus looked up. "The girl from yesterday? What about her?"

"She reminds me of someone, but I can't think who!"

"She reminds me of someone too. You know who?" Gus asked, going back to the paperwork.

"Is it--"

"It's you, Shawn. She reminds me of you."

"Gus, you have such a crazy brain. She doesn't act like me!"

"Hello?" There was now a female voice in the office.

'Who is that?' Shawn mouthed at Gus. Gus just shrugged.

"Enter!" Shawn said, turning in his chair to look towards the door.

At that moment, who should come in but Susie Morrison. Shawn and Gus barely recognized her, due to her having the hood of the zippy pulled over her head and her hair obscuring her face. Shawn got out of his chair and went over to her.

"Susie?" he asked. "Is that you?"

"Yeah, it's me." she said. "Shawn, can I talk to you?"

"Of course you can, Suze. Is it cool if I call you that?"

"Um, sure? Listen, Shawn, before I--"

"Holy crap! Suze, what's wrong with your face?"

Gus looked up. "Shawn, you are so rude. How can you- Oh my God. What happened?"

"Well, Gus, clearly I wouldn't know. I haven't found out yet myself."

All this bickering and commotion was caused by Susie removing her hood and pushing her hair away from her eyes. There as a purple ring encircling her right eye and scratches on her cheeks.

"Guys!"

"Right. Our bad." Shawn said, turning his attention back to Susie. "Susie, what happened?"

"It's nothing," she said, shaking her head. "My mom… got mad and… threw some things at me…"

"And some of them hit home base, it looks like." Gus said. "Let me take a look at those scratches--"

"Gus, what the hell?"

"What, Shawn? I was just going to help Susie--"

"Gus! You're in pharmaceuticals, meaning drugs and creams and ointments. Not 'Bandaging-Wounds-R-Us'."

"Shawn, I know how to dress a wound."

"You two fight more than a married couple." This comment was from Susie, who had let her hair fall back into her eyes, as if to think that if they couldn't see the scratches, they weren't there.

Shawn sighed. "Gus, what are we doing? Arguing when we have a poor girl here in need of our services." He looked at Susie. "What can we do for you?"

"I need your help with something."

"Right. Please, sit on our wonderful, puffy couch. It's not as comfortable as the Chief's pregnancy chair, but it's a close second if I do say so myself."

Susie opened her mouth to say something, but changed her mind. Shaking her head, she sat on the couch. Shawn and Gus took seats next to her.

"So," said Shawn. "What do you--"

"Wait," Gus interrupted. "Susie, you said your mom threw things at you. Why'd she do that?"

"That's just it, Gus. She did this to me because she thinks I killed her boyfriend."

"Killed her boyfriend? Why would she think that?"

"She--"

"Wait," Shawn said. He took Susie's hand in his and said, "Susie, don't worry. Everything's going to be okay. The spirits say you didn't do it, and I believe them."

"Shawn, I know you aren't psychic."

Shawn looked to Gus, who wore the same look of surprise as Shawn. "Gus, I knew it felt odd in here. We have a non-believer on our hands."

"Shawn, please."

At the tone of her voice, Shawn looked back to Susie.

"Shawn, you're right. I don't believe in psychics. But," she said. "But I know that you're the best detective in Santa Barbara, possibly all of Cali." Susie looked up at Shawn. "Look, I understand if you don't want to help me because of what I said. But I meant every word of it. I really need your help. You're the only one for me."

"If I had a nickel for every time I heard that, I'd have five cents." Shawn said. "So we'll help you. But what exactly happened?"

"I went out to take some pictures around 8 this morning. I got back home around quarter of 10? When I got home, I saw Bryant's truck in the driveway--"

"And who is this Bryant?" Gus asked.

"My mom's boyfriend. Anyway," Susie said. "I went inside--"

"Did you have to break into your house again?" Shawn asked.

Susie smiled a bit. "No," she said. "I had a key. So, when I got inside, I put my camera in my room, and then went to my mom's bedroom to tell her I was back.

"When I got in her room, I found Bryant on the floor. That's when my mom came in, saw Bryant, and started screaming that I'd killed him."

"And that's when she started throwing things at you?" Gus asked.

"Yeah," Susie said, sighing. "She grabbed whatever was around her and just hurled things at me. I got out as soon as I could, but she still managed to hit me with a few things. When I got outside, I grabbed my bike and came here."

"Gus, can I see you for a minute?" With that, Shawn walked into the other room of the office space, Gus following.

"What is it?" Gus asked.

"Dude, I still can't think of who she reminds me of!"

"Shawn, I don't think we should take this case."

"Gus, why not? Wait," Shawn said. "Is this because she's a 'non-believer'?"

"No, Shawn. I just don't think this is our kind of case. This is something for… Children's Services or something."

"Children's Services? Please, Gus, that is so--"

"Plus, she ran from the crime scene. How are we going to explain that?"

"Gus, her mother was throwing things at her. Getting out was the only sane thing to do!"

"Shawn, we aren't taking this case."

"C'mon, Gus. Look at her out there, all bruised and injured. she needs help. Like one of those ointments you have."

"Shawn, I- wait. What did you just say?"

"She could probably use one of your ointments you carry around. Not the butt cream, but something else."

"Well, I probably do have something that would help…"

"Excellent! Let's go tell her the good news!"

Shawn walked back into the other room where Susie still sat on the couch. "Good news," he said, as Gus walked over to his sample case and started rummaging through it. "We can help you. So, Gus here is going to clean up your face and then we'll head to your house. Surely Lassie and the gang are down there by now."