Daddy's Little Girl Chapter 7
This story is mostly supposed to focus on Juliet, Shawn, and Grace as a family; and I find the police stuff a little hard to right sometimes. So Shawn and Juliet conversations is how I reveal what is happening in the case (except for last chapter which I struggled with), which is all very important to the fic as well. I will tell you that starting in the next few chapters there will be much more of an appearance of Gus, Lassiter, and Vick who have been lacking as well as Henry who I have yet to find a place for in this fic thus far.
Shawn was thankful that Juliet, because she was home all weekend, let him rehook up the cable box and the two of them settled on the couch to watch TV. He was rubbing her back gently, trying to calm her down.
"Shawn, I believe we might have to set up a detail for you," she murmured.
"Absolutely not, I have a cop as a wife," he shook his head. She sat up.
"Shawn, Swanson's secretary told us that he specifically gave the cards to Hunt, Murphy, and Fowler," Juliet fretted. "He targeted them, played on their fears, made sure that they needed to go to you for help, and then killed them."
"Allegedly," Shawn added. "Sure he didn't have a crush on me or something; handed out my cards to the people he suspected needed help."
"If you want a murderer, specifically a male murderer, to have a crush on you," she teased. "Go right ahead with your little fantasy."
"Funny Jules, but in all seriousness, those people did have real problems," Shawn protested.
"And the fact that the note found on Murphy's car matched Swanson's handwriting?" Juliet questioned. "Or that his home was professionally cleaned, not a bit of evidence or DNA left behind. There is something going on Shawn and you are involved."
"I appreciate your concern sweetheart but I've been doing this for quite some time," Shawn protested.
"And the amount of times you have gotten yourself into trouble?" Juliet asked. "At least let me put a protective detail on you when you are not around me."
"Good thing I don't plan on leaving your side this whole weekend," Shawn kissed her cheek.
"Though if Lassiter gets a lead I am going in," she reminded. "I'm not allowed to worry about you at all?"
"Of course you are… but it is you and Grace I am worried about most," he told her. "We've found no connection between Swanson and Bridgewater except for the fact that they both named the company after themselves, which makes them all a bit self-involved don't you think."
"Bridgewater blames you for being in jail," she reminded.
"And a man named Swanson has never even visited the former owner of the company in jail, so where is the connection Jules… you are making something out of nothing," he shook his head. "Swanson, if he is the murderer, clearly knew that I was the one who discovered Bridgewater's involvement in the murders and the robberies. He just wants us to go on a wild goose chase while he finds the best places to rob. It's a crime of opportunity and copycat, though if he really wanted to copy him the murders were supposed to occur after the robberies not before."
"Shawn that is brilliant I-" Juliet began.
"I told chief that theory when you and Lassie were out at his apartment with McNab, she'll have Lassie on it tomorrow," he said. "Now, let's get some sleep. I have a feeling it will take all my powers of persuasion to keep you home tomorrow, so let's make the most of tonight." Juliet giggled and stood up, spying To Kill a Mockingbird discarded on the coffee table still.
"I doubt we are getting much sleep."
"That's right milady."
"Well we better give Grace her book, so that tomorrow morning she'll have something to do, while we are still recovering from tonight," Juliet smirked, kissing Shawn on the lips before picking it up.
"Be careful, even if I woke the sleeping bear I'd have to duck from a flying lamp," Shawn warned as Juliet approached her daughter's bedroom door.
"No way!" Caroline squealed as Grace showed up on the front step. "You're actually here! I wondered where David disappeared to!"
"In the flesh," Grace smirked.
"How on earth, I mean, we all just assumed after you didn't answer us that your Mom busted you," she said.
"She did, big time, but she took it one step too far and I had to get her back," Grace said.
"Are you sure that's smart," Natalie said. "Won't you be grounded for like the rest of the summer if she catches you?"
"I'm sure I will but she won't catch me, we're in the middle of a huge fight and unless she suddenly turns around between now and three in the morning she has no reason to check my room," she shrugged. "And even if she does catch me, I don't care. I won't be allowed to do anything this summer anyway the way she is acting like she doesn't trust me. She put an unmarked police car outside our house and had a rookie sit out there all day to make sure I did not even leave. I am not even sure that is legal!" She stepped inside the house and nodded her approval. At least half the sophomore class was here, and some juniors and freshman as well. "And there is no way I'd miss this."
"C'mon, let's get a drink in your hand and celebrate your last day of freedom," Caroline smirked, giving her a cup.
"Or technical freedom Spencer," David added. She lost track of her friends for a while as she roamed the house. She loved Caroline's house, it was the very opposite of hers. Big, open, fun. Caroline's parents were rich and were often on business trips leaving her alone in the house. Usually they had small parties, just Caroline, Grace, Natalie, David, and their other friends Alex, Sarah, and Mark. But to herald in the start of junior year, the year that counted, the year where they could go to prom and be upperclassman lead them to want to have a big party.
As she did a shot or two of whatever was in Caroline's alcohol cabinet, unlocked by her older brother, she didn't even care if this could destroy her relationship with her Mom by going out tonight.
Tonight was about drinking, boys, and her friends. In Grace's teenage mind, there was absolutely nothing wrong with that.
Juliet tried not to make the door creak as she opened her daughter's bedroom door. She didn't look at the bed right away, which looked exactly how it usually did with Grace in it, a mess of blankets and something burrowed underneath. Instead she placed To Kill a Mockingbird on her desk gently with all intentions of getting out of the room fast.
But there was suddenly an unmistakable smell of perfume in the air, and several dresses in the corner, and not to mention not a snore or deep breath was coming from the direction of the bed. And that's when Juliet saw.
"SHAWN!" she screamed, suddenly ripping the covers off the bed to find nothing but the extra pillows that were typically in the closet down the hall. She heard fast feet running towards the room, flipping on the lights. His hands were in his hair, immediately groaning, at the sight he saw.
"Shit Jules where is she," he hissed.
"You know the real reason she wanted to go over Caroline's tonight right," Juliet growled. Her face was bright red, her fists still grasping the bed covers, if it was possible smoke would have been billowing out of her ears.
"A party," he gulped as she stormed out of the room. "Jules where are you going?" She grabbed her badge, gun, and cell phone.
"I'm about to teach that girl a lesson," she gritted out through clenched teeth.
"What are you planning on doing Jules?" Shawn repeated, he never saw his wife this angry except for when he got a face full of drink at Lassiter's wedding. She looked possessed.
"Tell me she does not deserve this Shawn, and I will stop," she stared at her husband, knowing full well he knew exactly what she was about to do.
"Well I can't because she does," he felt like ripping out his hair. He remembered the feeling of rage when he was arrested for joyriding that car, by his father no less, he didn't know if their family could survive that. He and his father's relationship almost didn't.
"Then back me up when we get home," Juliet snapped and before Shawn could say another word sprinted out of the house and was speeding away in her car before Shawn even made it to the front door.
Caroline's house was not in a busy neighborhood such as theirs, it was alone on top of a hill, which was why Juliet was not surprised by the amount of kids and music spilling out of it. They never thought they would get caught. Caroline had no neighbors to complain of the noise to.
Luckily she called for backup.
When she heard the siren's behind her she placed her own lights on top of her car, and that's when she heard the screams of terrified teenagers not wanting to get caught by the police.
"SBPD, stop what you are doing!" officers were already screaming as she got out of her car, spilling into the house.
There was only one group of people she wanted to look for. And it was not hard, for she had been over Caroline's house enough to pick Grace up and knew the layout. They'd be in the kitchen, the back of the house, most likely thinking of an escape plan.
"Freeze," she hissed as her daughter's blond hair came into view, the group of 6 teenagers attempting to run out the garage door amongst the chaos.
"Grace isn't that your-" she heard the boy, David she believed, gasp.
"Mom," there was evident fear in Grace's voice as her daughter spun around and looked up. Their eyes met and just from how glassy they were Juliet knew she was drunk. And that made her even angrier.
"Surprised," Juliet hissed as less and less kids started to be heard in the house, the ones who got away. She was fully aware of the scene she was going to see when she got back to the station. Lassiter looking shocked because she could imagine that he was still there, since it was only 11 o'clock. Vick not happy that she was probably getting called back in. Parents and pissed off teens. The most pissed off, was most likely standing directly in front of her.
"What are you doing here?" Grace said in dismay. Juliet noticed the rest of the group trying to slip away.
"Stop!" she yelled. She snatched a cup from the counter which had been in Grace's hand and sniffed it. Beer. She turned to her daughter who was suddenly no longer looking scared, but seething. As if Juliet was embarrassing her. "Grace Madeleine Spencer, have you been drinking?"
"No," Grace snapped. "And even if I had how would you know?" She noticed Alex, Sarah, and Mark suddenly sprinting away.
"HEY!" Juliet growled but she could not turn around. She had to catch those who she could.
"Great job Detective," her daughter spat, purposefully antagonizing her. "This isn't your job, obviously because you suck at it." That was the last straw as Juliet reached into her back pocket and pulled out something that made Grace's face fall. As a detective she normally did not carry this, but she was fully aware of what she was going to find when she left the house, so Juliet brought it along. In her hand, sat a breathalyzer. Juliet's eyes turned dark blue, as they always did when she was mad, and held it out to her daughter.
"Blow," Juliet practically snarled and she saw the look on her daughter's face register. She was screwed. Grace obeyed and now Juliet could see the tears. Her eyes were as dark as hers, but now she was just embarrassed, she was tired, and she had all but given up. There was a beep and Juliet looked at it. "You haven't been drinking huh? Read that for me?" She held it up to her daughter and Grace squeezed her eyes shut. ".11 blood alcohol concentration. Above the legal limit for even adults to drive. What do you have to say for yourself?" Officers just arriving to the scene were now by her side, doing the same to Caroline, David, and Natalie who had not run; either knowing that Juliet knew them, or wanting to be there for their friend.
Grace opened her mouth but closed it.
"Grace Spencer, you are under arrest-" Juliet began.
"Mom!" Grace wailed.
"For possession and consumption of alcohol while you are underage."
Juliet is on a war path because Grace's rebellion has gone too far. She is now breaking the law and the only way Juliet saw fit to punish her was by this.
To all those who think Grace is taking this too far here is the guideline for her mindset: Her mother cares more about the SBPD than her (not in reality but in her mind) so the resentment has built up for years and she can no longer take it. She has to rebel, or else her mother will never pay any attention to her. But that was only trying to get away with her grades. Here, the party, the drinking. It was simply for spite because she is a teenager and now that I am in the last years of being a teenager, I have looked back at the many things I have done just to spite my mother and although they are overdramatized here (necessary for the fic), they always felt right in my mind at the time that I did them.