Henry had always imagined having to sit in front of a judge for something involving his son, but nothing like this had ever crossed his mind.

"Mr. Spencer, when did you first become acquainted with Ms. Morrison?"

"Shawn brought her to my house the day she'd come to him wanting help proving she didn't kill her mother's boyfriend."

"Your son brought Ms. Morrison to your house?"

"Yes. Shawn felt that it was the safest place for her at the time."

"And what did you think of the arrangement?"

Henry thought. "It was better than her being with her mother."

The judges made note. "Mr. Spencer, are you proud of your son?" asked Blacksprial.

'What does that have to do with this?' thought Henry. He thought about all the things that had happened since Shawn had been born. He never made life boring for Henry. And sure, Shawn had gotten into his fair share of trouble. And no, Shawn had never gone into the police force as Henry had hoped. And he hadn't held a steady job before this scam of being a psychic detective. But Henry had to admit that Shawn did a pretty damn good job of solving cases. Sure, he came to Henry a little too much sometimes, but who didn't need help every now and then? "Yes," he finally answered.

"Do you believe that your son is a good guardian?"

Henry had always hoped Shawn would settle down and start a family, once he straightened out a bit. When Shawn first brought Susie over, Henry had been a little wary of Shawn watching over her. But he'd watched how Shawn had adapted to a father-like roll. And Susie seemed a hell of a lot happier with Shawn than she had that first day he met her, when she was still legally under watch of her parents. "Yes," he answered. "He cares for Susie more than her parents probably ever did."

"So you feel your son is responsible enough to be a full-time guardian?"

"Yes. He watches out for her and makes sure she's happy and has everything that she needs."

"Would you say you play an important part in Ms. Morrison's life now?" asked Judge One, after making a note.

Henry considered. "That depends on your definition of 'important'. And I suppose you'd have to ask Susie if I play an important part." Henry paused. "I mean, I'm definitely in her life. Every week, Susie and Shawn, and usually Gus come over for dinner. And Susie comes over to do laundry. She repays me by making cookies or a cake or something. I told her that wasn't necessary, but she insisted." Henry smiled a little. "She certainly knows how to bake."

The judges looked at each other. Cookies in exchange for laundry?

"During these weekly visits, have you ever seen any evidence of abuse between your son and Ms. Morrison?"

"Well, they have the occasional spat. It usually ends with Susie smacking Shawn in the arm."

"She hits him?"

"Nothing too serious."

"Would you say she's stronger than your son?"

"She's won a few arm wrestling matches."

The judges looked at each other, and jotted down a few notes. "Mr. Spencer, do you feel that your son has ever been neglectful of his duties regarding Ms. Morrison?"

"No. He cares for her more than anything. He does whatever he can for her. And he's always conscious of the fact that Susie's a vegetarian. Every week, when I call him to remind him about dinner, he tells me to remember that Susie doesn't eat meat."

"Do you feel that your son is in a good enough financial state to be her permanent guardian?"

"Yes. And if he ever needed a loan, he'd pay it back."

"Mr. Spencer, you served on the force for quite some time, didn't you?"

"Yes."

"And you're aware that your son now works alongside the police department?"

"Yes…."

"And that Ms. Morrison has worked with your son and Mr. Gustor during the past two weeks?"

"Yes," Henry said. He'd run into Shawn a couple times when he was working on a case, and Susie was always right next to him. "My son has said she's a very valuable asset to his 'team'."

"Would you say it's smart for Ms. Morrison to be working with your son?"

"She wants to pull her weight."

"What we mean is, do you feel that the cases put Ms. Morrison in danger?"

Henry snorted inwardly. "Every job has a small percent of danger involved. Police work is just a little higher, percentage-wise."

"But do you feel that if the situation arose, your son would do everything in his power o protect Ms. Morrison?"

"Yes. Shawn would never intentionally put Susie in a sop that was dangerous. And if she did get injured, he would do everything to help her get better."

The judges paused, caught off-guard that their next question had been answered without their asking it. They made note of what Henry had said.

"What do you think of the living arrangements Ms. Morrison has?"

"They aren't too bad."

"You are aware that she's living in the office where your son conducts his business, Mr. Spencer?"

"Yes."

"And you're okay with that?"

Henry leaned forward slightly. "I offered Susie to stay at my house. She could stay in Shawn's old room, just like she did during the case involving her parents. But she said she didn't want to be a bother. And the office is where she wanted to stay. And she's cleaned it up a bit, making it a bit nicer. It's very livable."

"Wouldn't you feel better if Ms. Morrison was actually living with your son?"

Henry sat back and thought. Shawn's apartment was in a good enough neighborhood, but so was the office. And Shawn's apartment was somewhat small. No, the office was the better choice of the two. "Susie's happy in the office. And I think it's better for her there than in Shawn's small apartment."

Blacksprial wrote something down. "Mr. Spencer, your son cares for Ms. Morrison very much, doesn't he?" Henry nodded. "Have you ever gotten a feeling that they care a little too much for each other?"

Henry narrowed his eyes. What exactly was this jerk-off suggesting?

"What I mean is, have you ever noticed any signs of a sexual relationship between your son and Ms. Morrison?"

"No." Henry said, with perhaps a little more force than necessary.

"Do you feel that your son would ever force Ms. Morrison to do--"

Henry jumped to his feet, knocking the chair over behind him. The metal clanged against the concrete floor as his hands hit the judges' table, making a ripple in the water in the glasses.

"Don't you ever," Henry growled. "Accuse my son of something like that." He glared at the judges.

Judges One and Three looked a little nervous, while Blacksprial stared at Henry. With no trace of fear, he said, "One last question, Mr. Spencer." The air was tense. "In your opinion, do you believe your son should be allowed to remain Ms. Morrison's guardian?"

"Absolutely." Henry's eyes still had fire in them.

Blacksprial nodded. "Thank you, Mr. Spencer. You may leave now."

Henry straightened. With one last glare towards the judges, he turned towards the door and left.

Judges One and Three looked at Blacksprial. They were scared. Blacksprial calmly hit the intercom button. "Bring in Ms. Morrison."