Now or never
„Mr. Spencer." chief Vick greeted Shawn when he reached her. Her eyes were totally awake, looking at him estimating. She wanted to know if he was in the condition to think. He was – sort of.
„I will post two officers at Mr. Guster´s room." she told him now. „The assassine might come back to finish his work."
„Why should he?" Shawn asked. „He placed this bomb to get me, not Gus."
„We can´t be sure about that, Mr. Spencer." the chief objected. „Detective Lassiter thinks that the assassine might be after you both, because you worked on this case together. You´re right. He will come after you as well, but first he will try to finish Mr. Guster, cause he´s the easier target right now."
Shawn was startled for a moment. Until this moment he hadn´t even thought that far. But then he shook his head again.
„He probably believes that he got him." he said. He turned halfway around to Gus´ room. „I mean look at him. He almost did get him. He has to believe that he is dead."
„He won´t." chief Vick said matter of factly.
Shawn frowned. „How can you be so sure?" he asked and then chuckled slightly. „Its … Its my part to be sure of impossible things."
Chief Vick threw a short glance at Lassiter. Shawn looked from her to him and saw something in their eyes, he didn´t like. Even Jules looked at him kind of funny. What the hell was going on between them? Were they up to something? He tried to figure out what it could be but failed. If he had needed another prove for how much this event had shaken him up, he had it now.
„Mr. Spencer." chief Vick started. „We will give information to the press so they will report about the attempt on Mr. Guster´s life on TV. They will state that there is a possible involvement of higher crimes and we will explicitly mention that he survived."
„What?"
„We hope that the killer will see the news and …"
„You want to use my best friend as a bait?" Shawn snapped much louder than necessary.
„Spencer, he already is a bait." Lassiter chipped in.
Shawn turned to him and for a moment he didn´t know what to say. Lassiter´s gaze was not arrogant and dismissive as usually. He looked at him reasoning and emphatic, as if he wanted to say: think of it and try not to be a fool for a change. But this time it wasn´t about him fooling around. It was about Gus and Shawn just couldn´t allow that his life would be endangered even more than it already was.
„I´m a much better bait." he said. „Use me. I can do the same thing I did to lure my dad out of his hiding place."
„No way." Lassiter denied. „Letting you walk around with a target on your back? Forget it. In here we at least know the area. We just sit tight and wait for the killer to come back."
„No!" Shawn objected.
„Yes, we will."
„No, you won´t."
„Spencer!"
„Detective." chief Vick interrupted them and then turned to Shawn again, musing. Lassiter noticed the change in her face and grimaced as if in pain.
„Oh, chief no!" he cried. „Don´t do that. You know where this leads to."
She raised a hand to silence him, still looking at Shawn. „Mr. Spencer, if I am supposte to agree to that offer, I need to know what you have in mind." she said. Shawn was about to say something but she was not finished: „And I need your promise, that you will fully cooperate. No one-man-improvements. Are we clear?"
„Absolutely." Shawn assured her.
„Chief, you can´t be serious." Lassiter said.
„Actually I was unhappy about the idea of endangering Mr. Guster and other patients from the beginning." she told him.
„Chief, he is a civilian." Lassiter argued. „It is against all regulations."
„Ooww I sense something." Shawn cried with his hand on his temple.
Lassiter dropped his head in exasperation. „Not again." he groaned.
„Yeah, I see it." Shawn went on without paying attention to him. Chief Vick and Juliet were listening very closely. He said: „There is a Santeria shop, right over the street of that garage in Downtown."
„Yeah, that´s true." Juliet affirmed. „McNab mentioned it."
„Spencer." Lassiter said and looked at him with peeking eyes. „We had an agreement about that."
„That was before my office went off with my best friend in it." Shawn replied. „And you didn´t go along anyway."
„That´s not true." Lassiter cried offended. „I went along. Just like you wanted it."
„Went along with what?" chief Vick asked confused.
Lassiter halted when he realized that he had allowed Spencer to pull him into an argument like that in front of the chief. „That´s not important." he claimed.
Chief Vick and Juliet looked from him to Shawn, with asking eyes.
„No, it isn´t." Shawn agreed. „By the way, I sense that the answer we are looking for, is in that shop." he went on. „The best thing will be, you let me go in there and let me do my thing. I´ll find out who is behind all this."
„I let you go nowhere without protection." chief Vick disagreed. When he wanted to speak up, she didn´t let him. „You are a civilian." she remembered the fact once again. „I can´t let you go alone. One detective has to go with you." To Lassiter and O´Hara she added: „If you go both, it will be far too obtrusive. I let you decide. Come to an agreement which one of you it will be."
Juliet opened her mouth to say something but Lassiter was faster. „I go." he said adamantine. „Sorry, O´Hara but these guys tried to blow me up. I owe them one."
Juliet understood immediately that it was useless to argue about that. She knew her partner and when he was in that mood he would not listen to anything she said. Besides, they were just talking about a walk into a shop. No big deal. If he wanted to do that so badly she wouldn´t stop him. She looked at Shawn asking and he nodded reassuringly.
„All right, then." chief Vick agreed.
„Perfect." Shawn said and rubbed his hands. He grinned in the well known Shawn Spencer way. „Then I´d say we meet tomorrow morning at the police station, somewhat around eleven o´clock. What do you say?"
„I say, we don´t meet tomorrow." Lassiter replied with a forced grin of his own. „We go now."
„Now?" Shawn echoed and laughed uncertain. „Don´t be silly. We can´t go now. Its already half past four."
„Chief." Lassiter started his statement. „If we let him out of our sight now, he will go there on his own without waiting for backup like an intelligent person."
Chief Vick turned to Shawn with raised eyebrows. „Would you?" she asked him. He didn´t answer but lowered his gaze in shame. That was all Karen Vick needed to know. „All right, detective." she said facing Lassiter again. „If you feel ready to go now, we´ll prepare everything for you."
Lassiter nodded and she went to the next phone to order equipment to be brought from the station to the hospital. After fifteen minutes McNab had already delivered it. It included next to walkie talkies and binoculars an earwig that Lassiter was supposte to wear, so they could listen in the whole time. While chief Vick took Shawn aside to talk into him again, to make sure he really understood the meaning of no improvisations, Lassiter got bugged with the earwig.
„He will do his … stuff again, when we are in there." he told Juliet.
„Of course he will." she replied with a not understanding shrug. „Isn´t that the reason why chief Vick agreed to send him in in the first place?"
„And that exactly is the problem." Lassiter said and wiped his hands over his face.
Juliet looked at her partner with a slight smile. After a moment she said: „You know your biggest problem is that you never stopped fighting it. Even after all these years you are not willing to accept that it could be true."
„Of course I´m not willing to accept it could be true." Lassiter said. „Because it isn´t true."
Juliet looked at him with a patient smile. „Did you ever think of trying to see it as a method?" she suggested. He looked at her as if she had talked in a foreign language but she just shrugged. „The police uses different questioning methods ever since to get suspects to talk." she argued completely reasonable. „I know you don´t believe its really psychic. But the difference is not that big if you look a little closer. His method is just a little stranger. It works. He is successful with it. He even made some suspects talk with it, faster than we would have been able to."
„O´Hara, what he does is not a method." Lassiter argued with an expression of disgust.
„It doesn´t matter what it is." she insisted. „Sometimes there are things that are … just … are. There is no evidence for it."
„Evidence is what we are looking for." Lassiter reminded her.
She looked at him estimating and thoughtful. „Maybe I should go after all." she finally said.
„What? Why?" Lassiter asked offended.
„Because with that attitude you won´t convince them." she said. „Those Santeria people are very sensitive when it comes about their beliefs. They react very offended to anybody who doubts their beliefs. They will sense that you are a doubter."
„A doubter?" he echoed. „Come on, now you´re talking like Spencer. This is not the first time I go undercover. I know how to pretend."
„But obviously not how to just believe." she hold against it.
„How am I supposte to believe in something that I don´t believe in?" he asked.
„I don´t know." she admitted. „But if you don´t find a way, they will not buy your story."
...
It was a usual Downtown street. A couple of shops, a couple of pedestrians and a couple of parked cars. One of them was a certain Ford Crown Vic that had just dropped two men at the corner and would wait there until they were back. Juliet had binoculars and the receiver for Lassiter´s earwig, so she would hear and see everything that happened in and outside of the shop. On the other side of the street there were two more civilian cars with police officers occupying them. If something should go wrong, anything, they would be ready.
Shawn and Lassiter walked down the street to the shop. To seem more like a civilian Lassiter had removed his tie. This was no real undercover mission after all so he had denied Spencer´s suggestion to wear a leather jacked and boots. He might allow Spencer to do one of his acts if necessary but he wouldn´t allow him to make him ridiculous.
„Honestly, Spencer." he now mumbled to him. They were halfway down the street to their target. „Tell me. How did you know about that Santeria shop? Have you been here last night?"
„No." Shawn answered offended. „If I´d been here, I would have bought some magical candles for my next séance."
„Oh, please." Lassiter replied with a snort. „We´re on our own now. You can tell me."
„We´re on our own?" Shawn asked with a glance at Lassiter´s ear. The earwig was invisible but of course he knew it was there. „Forget it." he said grinning. „You won´t make me talk about my deepest secrets when everybody can hear it. This is very private, detective." he added in a faked assaulted tone. Lassiter threw him a faked disappointed look in return.
„I´m surprised that you can still joke around." he then said. „After your best friend almost being killed and all."
The joy vanished from Shawn´s eyes, when he remembered Gus´ picture, how he had looked like in that sickbed. „Thanks for reminding me." he said gloomy. „I was trying to method act me into the roll we have to play. Great. Thanks a lot for your help, buddy."
Back in the car Juliet closed her eyes and shook her head. That was not a good start from her partner´s side.
The two men reached the shop and went in. A little bell rang over their heads when they opened the door and told the owner that customers had entered. The whole room was decorated with shelves. One of them was filled with porcelain figurines of saints. Another one contained vessels and jewelries that claimed to have magical powers. Next to that was a stand with candles in different colours and the matching joss sticks. Shawn tapped Lassiter´s arm with his backhand and grinned.
„Didn´t I tell you they have some?" he said.
A man in his mid thirties with black hair and a dark teint came through a door behind the register and greeted them with a friendly smile. „Welcome." he said. „What can I do for you?"
„Hi, my name is Timmy." Shawn introduced himself. „That´s my associate Jimmy. We´re here because we´re looking for a friend of mine. He maintains his motorcycle frequently in the garage on the other side."
„When this is so, why are you asking here?" the man wanted to know.
Shawn chuckled. „You got me." he said. „You see, it turns out that he isn´t quiet there right now. We can´t find him. At least not over there. But I sensed something in here that would help us find him."
„You sensed?" the man asked.
„Yeah, you see I´m a psychic. I sense things. And right now I´m getting something from you."
He looked the man over and spotted some dirt under his fingernails. „You were working in the garden not long ago. Picking … plants. Magical plants."
„I have a little patch in the backyard." the man affirmed but didn´t seem fully convinced though. He looked at Shawn as if he tried to figure out if he was trying to mock him.
„You don´t believe him, do you?" Lassiter asked and made Shawn flinch inwardly. „I can understand that. I was sceptical too when I first met him. I always wondered why God would give something like that to such a put on, immature idiot like that. But he did. His gift is real. I saw it."
Outside in her car, after her first shock, Juliet was positively surprised about what she had heard. She only hoped that the shop owner would buy it. Even in her ears it had sounded a little too much. But she trusted Carlton and his instincts.
In the shop Shawn looked at him completely taken aback. For him it had been absolutely unexpected to get such a support from Lassiter. Then he spottet something behind the detective. It was the window putty at the shop window. It was clean and white, far too new for an old shop like that. Immediately Shawn raised his hand again.
„Oh, I sense violence in here." he said. „Not long ago. Destruction." He looked at the man as if he just understood. „Somebody broke your window." he said.
Now the man looked truly surprised. „That´s true." he said. „We had to renew it. How do you know?"
„I also feel your pain because of the money you had to spend for it." Shawn added. „That sure was not easy for you. Some people just don´t understand what you are doing here. They call it voodoo but they just don´t understand. Believe me. I know the feeling."
The man nodded. „Maybe I can help you find your friend." he said at last. „Please, come with me. I want to show you something."
He went back to the door behind the cash register. Shawn and Lassiter exchanged a glance. Then they followed him. He led them trough a short hallway. At the end of it, there was another room. He opened the door and entered it. „I want to show you something." he repeated. „Its in here."
Shawn and Lassiter followed him inside.
Outside in the car, O´Hara suddenly lost the signal of Carlton´s earwig. She tried to tune the receiver to get it back but it didn´t work. What the hell had happened? There had been nothing that would cause a malfunction like this. They had only entered another room. Why should that disturb the signal? She wanted to get out of the car but stopped herself from doing so. No. Not yet. A malfunctioning signal was no reason to lose the head. Things like that could happen and the two of them had just made some progress. If she would run in now, she would destroy that again. No. She would wait. Just a little longer. If the signal was not back in the next five … no, ten minutes – stay calm Juliet – she would set the backup team in alarm and go in herself, to make sure if it was really necessary to storm the shop. She would pretend to be a friend of Shawn and Carlton – Timmy and Jimmy she recalled with a smirk – and that she was looking for them. That was simple enough to work. But not before she had waited ten more minutes. Give them some time. They are professionals. Both of them.
In the shop, Shawn and Lassiter were completely unaware of the malfunctioning earwig. Since the system was not for two way communication, Lassiter had noticed no difference. The shop owner had led them to some sort of a shrine. He guessed that the man wanted Spencer to do some mambo jambo for him, before he would tell them anything about the man they were looking for. For gods sake if it had to be. He would be able to stand that too.
„Did I understand you correct, that you are looking for a man that rides a red motorcycle?" he asked them for confirmation.
Lassiter was surprised. Would he come straight to the point after all?
„Yes." Shawn said. „That is correct. He used to …"
In that moment Lassiter heard a sound behind him. Someone else was in this room with them and it was not just one person. Now he realized that this room had no windows and that it was also quiet shady. He had put that on the atmosphere in this shop in general but now he realized that it was intended to be that way. That way they couldn´t see who was hiding in the corners.
Spencer became nervous too. He looked around and when he looked at a point behind Lassiter, his eyes widened. That was the moment when Lassiter heard the sound of a gun being cocked. He threw a look at the shop owner´s face and knew that they had lured them back here, to get rid of them in silence. He cursed in silence over his own stupidity to fall for such a trick. It was a rookie´s mistake not to check the corner behind the door, for gods sake. But that didn´t matter any more. It had happened and now he had to deal with it.
Slowly he raised his hands as if to surrender. When he was at the level of his chest, he quickly pulled his own gun and swirled around. A lost course from the beginning. He had barely enough time to see that they were three. Their guns were all aiming straight at him, cocked and ready to fire. He hadn´t even spun around halfway, when the first of the three men pulled the trigger and shot him. He could feel the hot pain when the bullet ripped through his flesh and somewhere behind him Spencer was shouting his name. His own gun fell to the ground, completely unused.
