We Were Hoping for More Porky's than Shoot to Kill. Sorry!
The walk back to the safe house was more comfortable than Juliet had expected it to be. She could tell Shawn was still a little jealous, but it would pass. He'd given her permission, sort of, to keep going on with her life. Why he'd reacted so strongly was still unclear to her though. Maybe he and Abigail were having problems. Or rather their problems were more serious than he'd let on. Her stomach did a little flip, and her eyes slid to contemplate Shawn against her will. It would explain how emotional he'd been these last few days. Maybe taking his hand had been a bad idea.
"See anything you like?" It was the sudden movement of his smirking lips that startled her, rather than the pleasant flirtatious comment that accompanied them. Shawn wasn't even looking at her! But then she supposed he wouldn't need to, being the impossible psychic he was. Juliet turned her head to focus once more on the soon approaching house.
"No." She denied firmly, but still with that air of teasing. "Just thinking."
"Yeah, me too actually." He replied, just as vaguely. Though Shawn followed that up with a question of his own. "What is it with you and the F.B.I.?"
"Hey!" Jules warned him harshly. "Watch it. We may be square for now but I can take it right back!" Take what right back, she had no idea. But Shawn looked suitably chastised and wary, so with head held proudly Juliet firmly pushed the door open. They were met with identical prying looks from Gus and Bell. With a fake smile she asked "So what are the plans?" Quickly stepping into agent mode, Bell took the stand.
"The task force will descend on the area in the morning, when King will have a harder time hiding. Meanwhile they've blocked off all the exits so he can't escape. We'll move you as soon as he's in custody until we can find his partner."
"Boss." Juliet and Shawn corrected him as one. The man blinked before clearing his throat awkwardly.
"Yes, right. Well, we have food now, how about some dinner? We can have ravioli from a can, soup from a can, or... beans from a can." The entire room grimaced at the last option.
"I'm fine with ravioli," Jules piped up, "It's one of the few meals I can actually make. I pretty much survive on take out and microwavable 'food'." She finished with air quotes, forming a slightly reluctant smile on Bell's face. He was much less mad at her now, she noticed. The agent turned abruptly, as if cutting himself mid-thought she speculated slyly, to the oddly subdued friends. It was possible they had been having a silent argument, but what on earth could they be fighting over?
"What about you Mr. Spencer? Ravioli good?"
"No thanks man, Gus and I are beat." Shawn announced, to the apparent displeasure of his aforementioned best friend. "You two have fun, we'll just grab something and take it easy in my room." Juliet's nose scrunched up in suspicion. Shawn Spencer letting her have dinner alone with the handsome man he caught her making out with earlier? He might have said he was OK with it but this was taking a full 180! But she had no idea what he could be up to, so she supposed it was better to trust him.
"Alright, but Gus, don't forget you have the first watch." He sent Shawn one last resentful look before replying.
"Will do!"
~*~
"I can't believe you're making me do this."
"Really Gus? I thought you'd be used to me forcing you to sneak out by now. We did it enough in high school."
"And middle school... and elementary school!"
"So where'd this doubt come from again?"
"I just don't know anymore Shawn. I just don't know."
If it isn't obvious enough, Gus had been coerced into abandoning his sentry post by a certain quirky pseudo-psychic. The two friends were sitting in the clunker, on the dark road back to town.
"Remind me again why we can't turn on the headlights? Are you trying to get us killed, or do you just get your kicks making me shriek like a girl?" Gus asked, clutching the door handle for dear life as the car rumbled over another bump. Shawn looked completely at ease, the only concession to the treacherous conditions the fact he was actually driving within the speed limit.
"Dude, the whole point of this secret mission is to catch King stealthily so we don't scare off his boss. If we used the lights we might as well let the F.B.I. take care of him!" He finished with a scoff.
"Shawn, you just don't want Agent Bell to get all the credit. Admit it! You are so jealous!" Shawn faced his friend, blatantly ignoring the road ahead, to show his mock outrage.
"Gus, buddy, I'm appalled that you think I'd sacrifice our safety to impress Jules! Why, I'm—I'm just—"
"Turn!" Shawn jerked the wheel to the left to make the sharp turn into the town. Making it just in time, although Gus still screamed like a girl nonetheless, the two pulled to a stop right on the outskirts of civilization. The warehouse looked deserted, and smelled like rotten fish. It had to be an old fish processing or canning plant. They stepped out of the car cautiously, Gus breathing heavily all the way, and the investigators crept toward the doorway.
"What makes you so sure he's staying here?" He asked Shawn in a whisper.
"Because, logically it makes sense. Being the super-sleuth I am, I deduced he would have to stay somewhere isolated so his target wouldn't startle him, somewhere without witnesses, somewhere with easy access, and this was the best place!" Gus glared at him until Shawn relented. "OK, he dropped a card with the address by the pay phone." Gus grinned in triumph. His friend must love poking holes in Shawn's fantastic stories. No wonder he stuck around.
They reached the rusted metal door, and Shawn pursed his lips when he realized it would make an extremely loud noise when they tried to open it. Looking around the empty lot for another way in, he motioned to his partner to go around back. With a clearly angry look, Gus nodded, and started to make his way silently to the other end of the warehouse.
Shawn sneaked around the other way, trying to find some less compromising entrance. He froze as he heard rustling coming from a pile of black garbage bags. He sighed once a tabby cat shot out from the trash, scurrying away with a fish carcass in his mouth. Shawn drew closer to the pile, noticing a ridge behind the massive mound. Gingerly shifting the bags, he revealed a concealed door, this one looking fairly well-used. Pulling it open, he carefully slipped through. Shawn nearly walked straight into a standing shelf, the entire interior cluttered with boxes and mechanical pieces of old disused equiptment. The warehouse was dark, with only thin shafts of light from the boarded up windows penetrating the blackness. Those, and the sliver from a door directly opposite him.
"Gus." He whispered to the quiet. No answer. Shawn tried again, more plaintively this time. "Gus! Dude, answer me!" He tiptoed closer, deftly avoiding the junk surrounding him with his keen senses. Once he had nearly reached the wall, Shawn could only register a click of a switch before being blinded by the overhead lights bursting to life. Blinking rapidly, the scene he found made his heart stutter.
"Don't move." Oscar King ordered, .45 pressed against the temple of Gus' unconscious body. A seeping gash painting the dusty floor a deep sickening red beneath his very sensitive head.
Shawn Spencer felt bone chilling fear.