Back off Spencer
„As you can see, is the cause of death easy to tell." the pathologist said, pointing at the hole in the heart, what he had already stored in a bowl of the scale.
Detective Lassiter didn´t bother to round the table to look at it any closer. He had seen enough looking at the accurately dismantled body of the dead criminal that was lying right in front of him. So he just smiled at the coroner and gave him a grateful nod to affirm the information. The pathologist got the signal and let go of the heart. He wiped his hands off on his pinafore, leaving red marks all over his chest. Everybody else might have noticed his mistake. Not Woody Strode. He went just on with his work as if it was completely normal to run around like Sweeney Todd. The detective just dismissed it. He swallowed nevertheless at the unpleasant sight and took care to keep a save distance from the doctor, when he came to him, to show him even more. But before he went on he paused and looked at Lassiter.
„By the way. Did the FBI tell you to come down here for the report, detective?" he asked.
„Sure." Lassiter answered. „The chief just wants us to have a clean closure before we hand over the case completely."
„Ah yeah." Strode said. „I see." And with a shrug he turned back to the body.
Lassiter had to restrain to roll his eyes at the easy deceived naivety of that man. Of course FBI had not sent him here to get a report on their behalf but this was still the case of the S.B.P.D. and he wanted to be damned if he would let the FBI walk off with a victim that was shot right in front of his department, without ever letting him know what became of the case. If necessary he would even call his friend at the FBI headquarter to get the informations about how it was going. Okay she was just a stenographer but she was tricky and surely she would find a way to find out what was going on. It was not the best contact one could have in an office like the FBI but it was better than nothing.
„Except for the bullet in his heart I can tell you that our friend didn´t live the healthiest life." Strode now told him. „He suffered from too much cholesterol and high blood pressure. And his lungs didn´t look good as well. He was a heavy smoker and if he hadn´t got shot, he probably would have gotten cancer in a couple of years from now."
Lassiter listened to that without really listening. That was nothing he could use for anything. How the guy had fed himself before he died was not his problem. But while listening, his eyes dropped down and he noticed something. There was color on his neck, wasn´t it?
„What´s that?" he asked, pointing at his detection.
„Oh." Strode cried out quiet delighted and turned the man´s head around so Lassiter could see the neck a little better. It didn´t help very much though.
„Its a tattoo." he explained. „Wait. I have a foto." He walked off and returned with a picture. Lassiter took it from him. This one was more like it.
„Its a snake." Strode told him though he surely saw that Lassiter could see it quiet good on his own. „A very accurate picture. Artistic I would call it. Interesting details."
Lassiter was about to agree with him. There was something on the head of that snake that looked suspiciously like another snake. Interesting. Maybe it was a picture of some devils worshippers or some other evil old cult. Maybe this guy had been in some sort of a sect. Or even more likely this tattoo marked the members of a highly criminal alliance like the mafia or even more dubious and shady. People like that would probably kill their own to keep them from talking. From giving away the darkest and deepest secrets of their …
„Detective?" Woody addressed him and dragged him out of his musing.
„Hm?"
„Is everything all right, detective?" the coroner asked. „You looked a little distracted."
„Oh, yeah yeah." Lassiter said and cleared his throat. „What did you just say?"
„I was about to tell you, that the way the tattoo is stretched out, I can tell you, that he has it quiet long. It grew with him when he got older. He maybe has it since his childhood."
„Who makes a kid a tattoo like that?" Lassiter asked. „Especially on the neck."
Strode just shrugged.
„Thank you, doctor." Lassiter said. „May I take this?" he raised the picture.
„Oh, of course. That´s what I made it for. To help you with the investigation. I planned to give it directly to Special Agent Johnson but I believe you can do that as well."
„Of course." Lassiter smiled at him politely. Then he left. This FBI guy could see for his own picture if he wanted one. This was his lead and he would track it down before the FBI even had an idea about the meaning of that tattoo.
When he came back to the bullpen he went straight into chief Vick´s office. He heard Spencer´s voice long before he entered. The fake psychic was already there and pretended to have one of his episodes. Just another stupid act to get himself a hiring on a case he wasn´t needed for. Lassiter would take care of getting him out of the door as soon as he was done with his playing. Trying to interrupt him was useless, he had learned that quiet early in their relationship. He would only get himself into something he didn´t want to be a part of. Over the years he had learned to stand the stupidity and dismiss it afterwards. That was the best and only way to handle that overgrown kid.
When he entered the chief´s office, Spencer had his hand on his head and was talking in a high pinching voice, with his eyes closed.
„I see a snake!" he cried and made Lassiter frown unwillingly. „Many people. Mean people." He grumbled as if he was angry. Then he opened his eyes. „Its a gang." he said. „Their sign is a snake. That way they mark their members."
Before chief Vick could ask a question about that pitiful act, Lassiter stepped forward.
„Good work, Spencer." he said. „But this is something I could have told you as well without any visions." He showed chief Vick the picture. „There was a tattoo on the neck of the dead man´s …"
„Chest?" Spencer interrupted him. When no one knew what he meant, he apologized. „Sorry. I guess I confused that with something else."
Gus pushed him with his elbow but Shawn ignored it. Chief Vick took the picture from Lassiter and looked at it.
„Do you know, what gang this tattoo belongs to?" she asked Lassiter and Shawn the same time.
Shawn waited until Lassiter admitted that he didn´t. „Not yet." he explained. „I just got the information but I will investigate it immediately."
Chief Vick nodded and gave him the foto back. „No." she said and stopped Lassiter´s turn around in the motion. „This is an FBI-case." she reminded him. „You will hand them the picture and all the information you´ve got so far."
Gus threw a winning grin at Shawn.
„But Chief!" Lassiter cried out. „We …"
„Oh, I see something else!" Shawn shouted. „Someone was arrested. Yeah. A member of that gang. But its fade. It was a long time ago."
„How long?" chief Vick asked and interlaced her fingers.
„I´m not sure." Shawn went on. „Very long. Long enough to get back to the time, when my dad was still active."
Chief Vick raised both eyebrows and Lassiter even started to laugh.
„Great." he said. „That gives us a time period of over thirty years to work with."
„Wait!" Shawn demanded. „Now I see it. Its not just the time of my father working here. He was the one who arrested the man."
Chief Vick started to think about it, closely watched by all three attendants. Finally she nodded.
„All right. If this is true, then I believe this case is ours after all. At least to a certain degree. Detective. You will call Henry in for a questioning. Ask him about his old cases. Maybe he remembers a man with a tattoo like that."
„Wait." Shawn cried. „My dad isn´t here?"
„He is still on vacation." Karen told him. „I thought you knew that."
„I did." Shawn replied a little startled. „I … just forgot … for a moment."
The chief threw him a hesitant look but then decided to skip that point, not noticing the confused look the two consultants exchanged with each other. She looked at Lassiter again and gave him a gaze that said strongly that she expected him to go to work at once. Reluctantly the head detective nodded and then left her office. That was going to be an annoying one, he thought when he was outside. When he really was forced to call in a Spencer on this could-have-been-a-cool-case, it would be everything but cool. It would be stressing and troublesome, like all cases this family was involved in. Why had he wanted it again? He couldn´t remember.
...
„You think he decided to let go of this after all?" Gus asked Shawn when the two of them walked back to the police station after they got themselves some tacos from the shop around the corner.
„Maybe." Shawn replied. „Why else should he stay home in spite of what he said yesterday? Maybe his vacation was more important for him than teaching me a lesson after all."
„Dude, you really think that?" Gus asked doubtful. Shawn just shrugged. „You know, he will be pissed when he learns that you brought him into this." Gus then added for consideration.
„I know." Shawn answered with a mouthful of meat and vegetables. „But I had no choice, Gus. He knows something but obviously he doesn´t want to talk to me about this. Maybe he´ll talk to Lassie."
Gus just shrugged. „Hope you know what you´re getting yourself into." he said and took a bite from his own taco.
Shawn didn´t respond. He didn´t like this situation either. His dad would deny him cream-cakes for over a month, maybe longer. But that was a prize he had to pay if he wanted to solve this case. Henry was the only lead he had so far and if he couldn´t present something very fast, the case would be gone for good. This way he had won some time. Besides his dad would eventually love to reopen one of his old cases anyway. Not even he would be able to resist. He just wouldn´t admit it. But that was okay.
Smiling Shawn entered the department behind Gus. They had been on their way for somewhat around half an hour. Enough time for his dad to drive here, if Lassie had called him right away. And if not, they could wait here until he arrived. Of course they would hide, so he wouldn´t see them. No need to tempt fate.
„Hey, Jules!" he greeted when they reached the young woman´s desk. „My dad already here?"
„No." she answered. „We couldn´t reach him yet. He´s probably not home. We´ll try again later."
„Spencer!" Lassiter´s deep voice suddenly appeared behind them. „You´re still here?"
Shawn faced the detective with a serious look. „Not still." he said. „Again." He forced himself to look even more serious. „Didn´t I tell you that I´ll be back?" he asked.
Lassiter rolled his eyes about that poor and pathetic Terminator imitation and passed the duo by walking right through them. Both, Shawn and Gus followed him with their eyes, while biting into their tacos synchronously. Lassiter halted and looked back at them irritated. They just returned the gaze.
„You gonna stay?" he asked. „Don´t you have anything else to do?"
„We won´t leave before my father arrives here." Shawn stated overdramatic.
Lassiter sighed. „Suit yourself." he said. „But stay out of my way. It could take some time."
„Why don´t you call him again, right now?" Shawn suggested. „He was probably just on the John when you tried the first time."
Lassiter, who had just sat down, rose again, leaning on the table with a gritting smile. Gus raised his eyebrows at the sight. What was Lassie up to now? It looked strange.
„Why don´t you call him?" Lassiter suggested friendly. „He´s your dad after all. Call him on your cell phone and ask him sweetly to come over here. Would you do that?"
Shawn swallowed the rest of his bite and didn´t give a response. Lassiter knew exactly that he couldn´t call himself to ask his dad here for questioning. He knew it damn well and that was something Shawn hated. When someone tricked him with his own weapons. Especially if this someone was a certain head detective. That was so not fair.
Lassiter nodded, still smiling. „That´s what I thought." he sat down again. „Careful on your way out. The caretaker just moped the floor."
Shawn threw a look at Juliet. The junior-detective just shrugged. Finally he turned around to leave.
„Where can he be?" Gus whispered at him.
„No idea." Shawn replied and threw a look back at Lassiter´s table. The head detective had just picked up his phone and dialed a number. Shawn smiled but when Lassie put it back into its cradle after a minute without reaching anyone, his smile faded again. Gus looked at him somehow worried. That was something he didn´t like either. Especially when he felt worried himself with no particular reason at all. That his dad didn´t answer the phone could have many reasons. Maybe he was out to the home depot again. The man seemed to spend almost his entire free time there, when he wasn´t in his garden or building something in the house … or fishing. There were many reasons why he wouldn´t answer his phone. So why was Shawn so tensed about that idea? Because it was just not like Henry not to answer the phone, that´s why. Plus he had planned to be at the station today. And he had seemed pretty serious about that.
Shawn opened the door and they left the police station. Outside he took his cell phone out.
„Are you going to call him anyway?" Gus asked.
„Just a try." Shawn mumbled. „I´ll ask if he overlooked one of my tubs. He´ll buy that."
Gus raised one eyebrow but waited what was gonna happen. It rang two times, three times and then the connection was suddenly gone. Shawn cocked his head and looked at the display.
„What is it?" Gus wanted to know.
„He must have switched off his cell phone." Shawn said startled.
„Why should he do that?"
„I dunno. He must have seen on the number that it was me."
„Maybe that was the reason." Gus suggested slightly teasing.
„Gus, don´t be ridiculous. The man never misses a chance to talk me into one of his home improvement projects." He looked at his cell phone musing. „He never switched off his phone when I called. And he always answered even if he didn´t want to talk to me."
He looked at Gus and the teasing in his friend´s eyes was gone. Now there was only worry. The same worry Shawn felt himself. Something was wrong.
...
The first thing Shawn noticed when they got out of the car, was the newspaper that lay at the door of his father´s house. The first bad sign. He didn´t bother to tell Gus about it but hurried right over to the door. It was locked. It was never locked. He bowed down and fished the second key from under the plant and opened the door. By now Gus had locked the car and caught up with him. He looked at him and got his drift. Shawn counted down from three to zero and then opened the door quickly. They peeked inside but everything was quiet. On the tip of their toes they sneaked in, always expecting an assassine (or maybe a ninja fighter dressed all black) to jump around the corner and attack. Fortunately nothing like this happened and when they were sure that the first floor was empty, they finally exhaled and relaxed.
„Dude." Shawn whispered. „The second floor."
„You go." Gus whispered back.
„I have to secure the … you know the … the down here." He made a gesture to include the room, when he suddenly noticed something.
„You only want to secure the door so you can get away faster." Gus hissed.
Shawn raised his hand to finish the argument and then pointed at what he had discovered. Gus followed his sign and saw it too. There was dirt on the floor. Thick, heavy dirt from the garden right in front of the back door, forming at least one clear footstep. The door itself was closed.
„Someone was here." Shawn whispered.
„Really, Shawn?" Gus asked. „What was your first clue?"
„Dude. When was the last time you saw my dad letting someone in, that had dirty feet like that?"
„Never."
„Exactly. Whoever came in here, was not a bidden guest. We also know that he is gone since last night. He didn´t get his newspaper in. That´s the first thing he does in the morning."
Shawn went over to the dirt and spotted something beneath the sofa. He bowed down to have a better look and froze. Immediately he stood up again and took his cell phone out.
„What you do?" Gus asked startled.
„I call Lassie." Shawn said absolutely serious. „My dad has been kidnapped."
...
„One more time, Spencer." Lassiter demanded. „You know that your father was kidnapped … why?"
„Look around, Lassie." Shawn answered. „Can you see him?"
„That he is not in his house doesn´t mean that he is held hostage, Spencer." Lassiter argued very calm. „There are lots of people who stroll off from time to time."
„Not my father." Shawn insisted.
Lassiter groaned and threw his head backwards in a gesture of weariness.
„Since when is he missing?" Juliet asked.
„O´Hara, don´t support him." Lassiter begged. „His old man probably got enough of him for a while and went on a vacation."
„He is not on vacation." Shawn insisted.
„Oh, and you know that." Lassiter said with irony. „Of course, he always tells you where he is going, every single minute in his life. Get real, Spencer. Your dad left without saying good bye to you. Get over it."
He was about to leave, when Shawn stumbled into his way, faking a sudden episode. „Oh god, I feel a fight." he cried. Lassiter pushed him back to Gus. „Or at least a struggle." Shawn went on as if he didn´t notice it. „My dad pulled his gun. But the attacker disarmed him." He pretended to struggle against an invisible man and then made a gesture as if he lost his gun into the direction of the couch.
Without opening his eyes, he pointed with his finger. „There!" he cried. „Look for it. It has to be there somewhere."
Juliet bowed down and spotted the gun, that was stuck beneath the sofa and the floor.
„He is right." she said and put a glove over her hand to pick the gun up.
Lassiter frowned but then shook his head. „That doesn´t prove anything." he said. „He might have hidden it there on purpose. I have eight hidden guns in my appartement."
Juliet and Gus threw him startled looks at this, but he didn´t notice any of them. He was already addressing Shawn again. But he didn´t listen to him either. He had noticed something else. There was something missing on the fireplace.
„ … Did you get that Spencer?" Lassiter asked.
Shawn turned back to him. „Hm? Sorry, what did you just say?"
„I said." Lassiter started over again barely able to keep himself from yelling. „That there is no sign of a struggle in here. No matter what you say." he added quickly and strictly to shush him and O´Hara before one of them could object.
„I agree." Shawn said.
„Spencer, I thought I made myself clear …" Lassiter started but then blinked in surprise. „You do?"
„You do?" Gus and Juliet echoed the detective.
Shawn nodded and raised his hand to his temple again. „I sense something now. Something that came after the struggle. My dad left … freely. The man came in, they struggled and he lost his gun. But then he left with him."
„Was he forced to?" Juliet asked.
Shawn hesitated but then threw a furtive look at the fireplace and shook his head. „No." he said. „He did it on his own free will. He knew the intruder."
Lassiter clapped his hands in an ironical applause. „Finally!" he said. „You finally figured out that your father left without any criminal force. Great! O´Hara, lets go. We´re done here."
„But he is in trouble nevertheless." Shawn cried out. He tried to keep up the performance but when he saw that it didn´t work, he eventually lowered his arm. „Lassie, I just know it." he said. „Jules."
She was about to say something but again, Lassiter was faster. He pointed at Shawn and said: „Listen, Spencer. When your father is missing for more than 48 hours than you may report him missing officially. Until then there is no case." He looked at him and Shawn´s slightly desperate look almost made him regret that he had spoken that harsh. A little more gently he added: „Keep calling him on his cell phone. When he is nerved enough he will answer."
With that he left. Juliet padded Shawn´s shoulder in sympathy for a moment: „I´m sure he´s all right." she said and then followed her partner.
„What did you mean he left on his free will?" Gus asked when they were alone. „First you say he fought, then he went on his own behalf? Where are you going with that?"
„I don´t know, Gus, okay?" Shawn snapped but then went contemplative again. His eyes were at the fireplace again. Gus looked over there as well but couldn´t find anything interesting.
„What?" he asked. „What is there?"
Shawn went over to the place and pointed at the space between the fish and a wooden box. „His map is gone." he said.
„His hiking map?"
„Exactly. He only takes it with him, when he intents to go somewhere special."
Gus raised his eyebrows. „Then maybe he really just went for a trip." he guessed.
„Gus, didn´t you hear a single word of what I said before?" Shawn cried out hitting his own forehead. „Turn around and look at this. If he had just left for a nice hiking weekend, do you really think, he would have left without cleaning up? No way. The man is a cleaning maniac. No. Whatever it was that made him leave, was so urgent that he had no time to get the broom and you know what that means when it comes about my dad."
„I don´t know, Shawn." Gus replied. „I think Lassiter might be not so wrong after all. And even if you are right and he really left in a hurry … who says that there is any crime involved? He is in a hurry when he has to bring the fish to the barbecue."
Shawn didn´t know what to say against this. It was true, his father had an attitude to make a mountain out of a molehill. Gus came to him and padded his back the way Juliet had done before. Well, maybe not quiet the same way.
„Don´t worry." he said trying to ease him. „He´ll be back." He threw a look at his watch. „I have an appointment with a customer. See you later."
He padded Shawn´s shoulder one last time and then left. Shawn stayed behind and sighed. That was definitely not the way he had imagined this case to go. Why had he wanted it again in the first place? He couldn´t remember. Finally he brought himself to move again. He was almost at the door but then halted. Something was still wrong here and he couldn´t leave without fixing it. At least that. So he went to the closet and rummaged in there until he found what he was looking for. With the broom in his hand he went back to the back door and started to sweep the dirt out of his father´s house.
