Gus was in the waiting room, taking the time to talk to the staff about how they liked some of the products and promoting some of the new products available when Shawn stomps his way toward the door. He excuses himself and followed his friend out only to be accosted as soon as the door closed.
"Tell me your weren't a part of it." Shawn was in his face. Gus had never seen his friend that angry before. The veins were popping out on his neck and his fists, which were clutching the collars of his shirt, were clenched in anger.
"I don't know what you're talking about. I was hanging out with because I'm your friend." Gus reasons. "And that's the reason I followed you here. I thought something had happened to your mom or dad."
Shawn glared at him before releasing his hold on him. "You'd better be telling me the truth."
Shawn…Shawn" Gus was following in his friends footsteps.…"You're in no shape to drive."
"Like he! I am." Shawn throws open the door to his car, and Gus, who wasn't going to have time to run back to his car and follow him, climbs in the passenger side.
"Slow down...please." Gus adds the last word after getting an angry look from the driver. "Where are we going?"
As if it was an omen, not only did the not hit any red lights as the car raced through town, they weren't stopped for speeding or wreckless driving.
Considering what happened next, Gus would rather have had been pulled over.
As they got closer Gus knew where they were headed.
Shawn hadn't said a word the entire drive and even now he threw the car into park right in front of the Santa Barbara Police Department and ran in.
Gus was in a tight spot, he knew where Shawn was headed and if O'Hara asked him to confirm his role in the matter, he would be sunk.
Gus jumps out, smiles and waves to a couple of cops he recognized who had seen the car pull up and the driver jump out and run into the station. "I'll move the car. He's in a hurry."
X
X
X
"STAY AWAY FROM MY FAMILY!" O'Hara looked up to see a very angry man running toward her. "DID YOU HEAR ME?"
""Shawn I don't understand I haven't - - - "
"Mr. Spencer, do we have a problem?" Chief Vick was standing in the doorway of her office. A couple of other cops standing nearby ready to take action when directed.
Shawn glared at O'Hara before the Chief spoke again. "Mr. Spencer, my office… please."
"What did you do?" Lassiter, walking up with a cup of coffee in hand, looks at her in disbelief.
"I didn't do anything." She mutters as they watch the scene inside the Chiefs office.
Shawn was pacing the floor, talking while using a lot of hand movements and finger pointing.
The finger pointing to outside the office.
The finger pointing in her direction.
"Anyway, whatever it is, Karen can handle it. You ready to go?"
"Go?" O'Hara blinks and tries to remember what he's talking about.
"We've got to interview the store manager from the attempted robbery." Lassiter answers as he puts his jacket on. "Remember you're the one who so insistent on talking to him this morning."
"Oh yea." She nods; maybe it was best that she be out of the office until Shawn had cooled down. Of course his "wife" would have twisted to story around to her advantage. Once O'Hara presented the cold hard facts to the Chief, and to him, he would understand…and change his tune.
"Just a lot of things going on."
A couple of hours later a very smug O'Hara and a not so satisfied Lassiter got back to the department.
She had trusted her gut instinct and asked a question that caught the alleged robbed manager off guard and turned the whole case upside down.
The manager had planned the whole "robbery" to impress his girlfriend. Only thing he didn't expect was that his girlfriend would be recording the whole thing and putting it on youtube with the caption "My Hero." Before calling the Corporate Office and the police department to report it.
"Write up the report and let me review it before it goes anywhere. " Lassiter grumbles.
"Where is my computer?" O'Hara exclaims as she stops dead in her tracks and looks at her desk. "Who has been through my desk?" She looks at the files that have been moved around, and from the size of the stack, some things have been removed.
"Ok I know we all like to play practical jokes.' She looks around the office. "But this is going too far."
Just as she notices that no one is making eye contact with her. The mood darkens when she hears Chief Vick. "Detective O'Hara, my office."
"Just O'Hara." Chief Vick clarifies as Lassiter started to get up to join his partner. He threw her a glance and quickly sits back down and continued to work on his report.
"Chief." O'Hara begins to talk as soon as she walks in. "My computer is gone and someone has gone through my desk and taken cases and files. This joke has gone too far. This isn't - - -"
"Close the door." Chief Vick interrupts her.
"Would you like to explain this to me?" Chief Vick asks as soon as the door is closed, motioning to a file in front of her.
The file she had shown Henry, and she was so flustered she didn't think anymore about it when he took it with him.
"You weren't supposed to see that."
"Oh I got that impression." Chief Vick stares at her. "I don't know what has gotten into you. You used to be so focused, so driven. Since Mr. Spencer has been in town you have been determined to undermine him and his wife."
"Chief I can explain."
"Did you not go to his hotel room this morning?"
"Yes. I just wanted to talk to her."
"Did you have a conversation with his wife about her past, a very heated conversation?"
"She's not who she claims she is. She's dangerous and Shawn needs to know."
"I will advise you to choose your words carefully; we have statements from hotel employees that were you rude and belligerent to her, even threatening her."
"That's not true; she said…." O'Hara begins to protests. "She paid them off! She paid them to say that. There was no one around when I talked to her…Did she call you personally make a complaint or did she have her father make the call? "
Before the Chief can answer there is knock on the door and O'Hara turns to see a man and woman, in suits, carrying briefcases open the door and enter the Chief's Office, closing the door behind them.
Internal Affairs.
So that's why everyone was avoiding eye contact when she came back to the office, that explains the strange call Lassiter got and why he got quiet.
He was told to bring her straight back to the office.
How much did he know ahead of time, she pondered.
"I can't disclose the nature of the complaint." Chief Vick answers her quietly. "You violated protocol and ethics by conducting an unauthorized and unwarranted research and harassing an innocent civilian. I spoke to Internal Affairs, who have decided there is enough to merit an investigation. Mr. Turner and Ms. Douglas who will be taking over and conducting the investigation."
"My - - "
"Your computer and files have been taken and will be reviewed." Mr. Turner interrupts. "Effectively immediately you have been relieved of your duties. Please turn over your weapon and badge to Chief Vick."
"Have you even bothered read what I found out?" O'Hara argues.
"We will consider the source of information during the investigation." Ms. Douglas answered. "Your weapon and your badge please."
With a heavy heart O'Hara turned over the two items as they go over the standard procedures. "Do not contact anyone in the department about the status of the review; do not come back to work unless you are requested to Internal Affairs personnel, etc."
"Go home. We'll be in touch." Mr. Turner opens the door for her. "You will only be able to remove your purse and keys from your desk. Would you like an escort to your car?"
She shakes her head and goes on her own walk of shame as she feels all eyes on her as she walks down the hallway, out the door and as she drives away.