Disclaimer: I own nothing. And the Brain Freeze bit belongs to one of their promotional commercials.
Me: SEE!!! I told you I'll be updating faster this week!!!
Gus: Now could you please lower the bazookas?!
Shawn: Yeah. You guys are wasting perfectly good pineapple in the ammunition! Try something heavier.
Me: *glares* Don't give them ideas!
Shawn: But the pineapples!!!
Me: I'm the one who has to take the pelting!
Shawn: Well, at least try to catch them!!!
Me: SHAWN!!!!!!
Shawn: …Just saying…
"Thanks Buzz!" Said Shawn happily as he took the smoothie Buzz had in his hand. "No problem!" He said before leaving. After Shawn was done making his order for the mandatory smoothies, the rest of them started analyzing all previous crime scene that hangman committed on his way to Santa Barbara. Photos of each crime scene were up on the board as Shawn walk up to it while slurping on the pineapple frozen treat. Lassiter stood from his chair with a scowl.
"Ok, why are we even looking at all these pictures?! We need to concentrate on the last victim. We should mobilize all units to--" He started saying but was interrupted by Juliet.
"We've already dispatch every available unit and every bus station, airport security and train station has his photo so he can't get out of the state. There's not much else we can do now" Juliet explained trying to calm his partner. Paul just shook his head.
"No. There has got to be something else. Hangman always puts a lot of attention to each of his victims but these seemed to be taken at random. We must be missing something. He always leaves something for us to find. A word within a word." He explained as he kept trying to find anything within the photos.
Lassiter reluctantly sat down and kept examining his part. He didn't understand what they were even supposed to be looking for. Suddenly, they were startle by a piercing scream coming from the pseudo psychic.
"AHHHH! OHHHH! Ahhhhhh…!" Shawn screamed as he cradled his head, clearly in pain. The rest of them went to him in worry as they saw Shawn leaning on the desk in pain.
"What is it Shawn?" Gus asked him worried for his friend. Shawn raised his head and looked at his smootie.
"This thing is WAY to cold! It should have a warning label or something?! Gus, take a note!" The rest of them rolled their eyes at the false alarmed but secretly relief.
"Spencer this is serious!" Lassiter exclaimed angrily. How Spencer ever got to be the top detective at the NYPD he'll never know. As they went to continue their work, Shawn still affected by the cold, squinted his eyes to manage the pain. As he faced the board with all the crime scene photos he saw it.
"A word within a word…" He murmured as his mind started processing the new information lightning fast. Suddenly he turned to the group with a big smile on his face.
"Pauli…You SMART bird! THAT'S IT!" Shawn exclaimed happily. Paul looked confused at Shawn's remark as the others were.
"What's it?" Paul asked. Then Shawn turned towards the board and started taking the central photos from all the crime scenes and placed them on the table. Everyone stared at him as they saw him changing and rearranging the order of the murders into something that only his mind saw.
"Shawn, what are you doing?" Juliet asked gently as to not disturb his train of thought. At this, Lassiter just rolled his eyes and scowl.
"Wasting our time, that's what…" Lassiter mumbled but stopped when Juliet nudged him in his side. Suddenly, Shawn started explaining.
"Pauli is right. There really IS a word within a word" He said. But the rest of them were still confused.
"And by word, you mean?" Shawn turned towards his awaiting public holding one of the photos on one hand.
"I mean… he literary left us letters." He stated. He started walking towards Paul and placed the photo in front of him.
"Here Pauli. What do you see?" Shawn asked and Paul straightened in his chair at the tone. It was the same tone that Shawn used whenever he was teaching him a new trick or a hidden clue when they were together. As he scanned the photo he tried to see anything suspicious but all he could see were the same mutilated body of the victim. But he still felt something nagging at him.
"Just the victim Sir. Why? What did we miss?" He asked Shawn. At this, Shawn took the picture and went to the table grabbing a marker and started drawing on it. He turned around and showed them the picture which now had a black mark perfectly outlining the body forming a Y.
"Ok NOW what do you see." Their eyes widen as they saw the letter clearly shown in the picture.
"A letter!" Paul exclaimed excitedly.
"That's why it seemed so wrong to us. He positioned each victim differently each time to leave us a message." Shawn explained to the group as he kept marking the letters on the rest of the pictures.
"So what's the message?" Gus asked from behind.
"Shawn?" As he finished the last letter, Shawn froze reading the message. The rest of them saw this and stared at the pictures.
"You'll join her soon… What does that mean?" Lassiter asked the two detectives since the message was clearly for them. Paul's face turned completely white as he read the message. He then turned towards Shawn.
"Sir… is he…" Paul stuttered. Shawn raised his head at this and faced him with a grim expression.
"Yes he is…" Shawn said with a somber tone putting all of them on edge.
"He's coming after me…" The room got deadly quiet as the weight of the words. Suddenly the doors opened with a boom. The chief entered with a serious look.
"They found another body."
TBC…
Me: To the people who want more scenes with Penny I just ask you to be patient. They're coming :D And to those who are waiting for a Henry scene, well… All I ask of you is that you don't kill me when you read the first part… The father/son bonding will come… But you know how stubborn Spencer men are… They sometimes "fight" before any real bonding happens. *hint*
Shawn: Hey! We don't fight all the time!
Gus: Yes you do! You just fought with him last week!
Shawn: That was just a small altercation.
Gus: You're holding his fishing bait as ransom!
Shawn: ...I fail to see your point...
