3: Betrayed
Interim Police Chief Karen Vick sat back in her leather maternity chair as she stared at Gus from across her desk the next morning. A baffled expression was planted firmly on her face. "I'm trying to help you, Mr. Guster," she declared with a skeptical tone, "but I just don't understand where this sudden concern is coming from."
"It's not something you need to understand," Gus pleaded with frustration. "All I'm asking is that you take Shawn off of all of the cases he's on."
"Trust me," said Karen, "I would much rather protect the integrity of my department and do so, but he is helping. His abilities have solved every case put before him… and some that we haven't."
From outside the office window, Detective Carlton Lassiter stood by his desk sipping coffee as he stared at Gus intently inside of the chief's office. It was strange that only one of them was there this time, but not unexpected. His junior detective partner Juliet O'Hara strolled up to the desk carrying a box of files that her partner requested. Pausing, she noticed his distraction and glanced over into the chief's office.
"Is that Gus?" she asked in confusion.
"Yep," Lassiter declared with a smile.
Juliet glanced around, her expression brightening up. "Oh, is Shawn here?"
"Nope," Lassiter grinned mischievously. "He's here alone."
She blinked at him with an incredulous look. "What's that supposed to mean?"
"It means that I was right all along," Lassiter explained. "They had a spat. And now the other's here to turn his ex-buddy in."
"Turn him in for what?" Juliet declared with frustration.
Lassiter flashed his eyes at her. "For lying to the police and interfering with investigation!"
"Shawn's right, you know," Juliet scoffed. "What's it gonna take for you just believe that he's psychic?"
"Because he's not!" Lassiter harshly whispered. "What is wrong with all of you people? You, that idiot McNabb, that nutcase desk sergeant with the dead grandmother, even Karen—"
"Chief Vick," Juliet corrected.
"Everybody in here is playing along to the sound of his flute!" Lassiter complained.
"Well, I believe that there are some things that you just can't explain."
"I can explain them. And let me explain what's about to happen next. Now that the two of them are separated, they're both weak. Spencer will crumble and slip up on his lies now that no one's there to cover him."
Juliet shook her head with a disapproving frown, "Detective…"
He glanced over at her angrily as he snapped, "Eventually, Detective O'Hara, you have to grow up and realize there's no such thing as magic." He lifted his weight off of the desk and began to march towards Karen Vick's office.
Karen's hand was on her face with exhaustion. "Mr. Guster," she sighed, "Shawn Spencer volunteers his time; it's not like we can fire him."
"You have to keep him away from this stuff!" Gus pleaded with growing agitation.
"Maybe if I had some idea of what your concern is…"
"It's not something I can explain," Gus declared. "All I can say is that he's in trouble and it's not safe."
"You're darn right he's in trouble," Lassiter announced as he marched through the door.
Karen glared up at him. "Excuse me, Detective. Mr. Guster and I are having this conversation."
"Chief, we apologize," said Juliet and she rushed up to Carlton and yanked on his arm warningly. "We were just headed out on assignment."
"It's not safe for him!" Gus exclaimed.
"For Shawn?" Juliet asked with concern.
"Are you saying that Mr. Spencer is in some sort of danger?" Karen asked, desperately trying to make sense of his worries. "Has somebody made a threat?"
"I don't know," Gus tried to explain. "I mean, no… but…"
"How did you get this information, Gus?" Juliet asked. "Did Shawn have a vision?"
"Shawn doesn't know," Gus answered. He shook his head, "But you've got to believe me; he needs protection."
"We'll provide him with as much protection as we can," Juliet offered.
"Yes, Mr. Guster," Karen declared. "We are the police. That's what we do. There is no safer company."
"Are you sure he'll be safe with you?" Gus asked restlessly.
"We'll do everything we can," Karen answered, "if we have the right information. Now do you have any proof that something's going to happen?"
Gus rolled his eyes in agitation. "I can't tell you how I know I just know."
"So, what, are you a psychic now?" Lassiter laughed mockingly.
"That's stupid!" he snapped back as he glared at the detective in the doorway. Lassiter's brows rose as he glanced over at Karen who had an equally surprised expression. Gus immediately recognized the dangerous hole that he stepped in.
"Which part?" Lassiter pried.
"Shut up, Carlton," Karen threatened as she shot Lassiter a livid look, coming to a stand, "and let me handle this!" With a heated expression, he withdrew his bold attitude as he crossed his arms tightly and stood silently in the doorway. Karen's eyes burned on Gus, her temper slipping, "Mr. Guster, are you implying that you don't believe in psychics?"
"Not… exactly," Gus shook his head. "I-I mean, that's not exactly what I… I mean."
"Then what do you mean?" Karen demanded.
Gus stared at her like a deer in the headlights before he heard Shawn's voice from outside of the office, "I'd like to ask that same question." Lassiter and Juliet turned around to see Shawn standing behind them. Gus whipped around and viewed the look of confusion and betrayal that was slowly melting into burning anger.
"Shawn," Gus began, "we have to talk."
"I seem to remember that you're the one who didn't want to talk," Shawn replied bitterly. He glanced around the room. "And this more looks like a meeting that was called without me." He turned back to Gus with a stern look. "Why do I get the feeling that you're not planning my surprise birthday party?"
"You can't take any more cases," Gus flatly declared. He came to a stand and gazed at his friend with a deep concern. "I'm serious about this. Please believe me."
Nervously, Shawn glanced over at the chief who stood behind her desk, looking anything but amused. "Gus," he responded softly, trying to play it off, "you know that I have… a gift… which I should share for the good of the world. I need to use it to make the world a better place."
Gus stared at him as he considered his words, his friendship clashing with the horrifying visions of his nightmare. "I agree," Gus declared, then turned around and faced the chief with an expression of resolve. "Shawn's lying to you. He's been lying to you since the beginning." Shawn's jaw dropped as he continued, "He's not a psychic and he never was. He just has really good perception. Anybody could've come up with the clues that he found if they'd looked hard enough."
Gus glanced back at him and saw Shawn's hurt and livid expression.
"Shawn?" Juliet said with shock and betrayal. "Is that true?" He couldn't answer and could only stare at Gus motionlessly. Her eyes fell to the floor, feeling like some foolish school girl.
"They confessed!" Lassiter exclaimed with amazement. "My god, Chief! What else do you need to hear? Arrest him now!"
"Mr. Spencer?" Karen said, bewildered. Shawn's eyes came off of Gus for a moment as he gazed at the chief, not with another lie, but with a shamed expression. Karen's eyes fell to the table heavily, deceived and most of all, disappointed. Shawn glanced back at Gus who had his own saddened, apologetic expression.
"Get out," Karen whispered, her eyes on the desk.
"What?" Lassiter and Gus both exclaimed.
"Get out of my office, Mr. Spencer, and out of my building," Karen declared strongly as she lifted her head and crossed her arms.
In utter shock, Lassiter asked with amazement, "You mean you're not going to arrest him?"
"If you don't stop telling me how to do this job," Karen shouted in a snap of rage, "you can leave your badge and gun on the desk right now!" Lassiter was silenced for the final time. With heavy eyes, she glanced over at Shawn and bitterly explained, "You've made a terrible mistake, Mr. Spencer, but you did a lot of good while you were here. So consider this bit of common courtesy as a thank you. You walk away now and you stay away from my department. And if you so much as jaywalk I'll throw you away for a long time." Coldly, she added, "Do we have an understanding?"
Shawn looked away from her with guilt. "Yes, ma'am."
"Wait, I thought you said you were going to protect him," Gus protested.
"I am," she angrily declared to Gus. "Now get out."
Without another word, Shawn turned around and exited the office, not able to look at Juliet or Lassiter. He paused as soon as he got outside of the room and saw at least a dozen other officers listening and watching the scene which had just played out, including Officer McNabb and the desk sergeant that believed so deeply in Shawn's ability to communicate with her grandmother. All of them turned away from him in disgust, walking away with less respect for him than they would have given a common criminal.
Shawn walked through the room, dragging his crushed self behind him on a chain. "Shawn!" he heard Gus call from behind him. "Shawn, wait a second." He continued to walk in a straight line of shame towards the exit.
"What more do you want from me?" Shawn said with an icy tone.
Gus appeared next to him with a concerned, remorseful face. "Look, I know you don't understand, but there's a good reason—"
"I don't care," Shawn cut him off with acid on his tongue. Suddenly, the P.A. system in the police station came alive with the strident screeches of feedback. Gus froze in place with horror as he gazed up at the speakers as female voices began to sing, "Mr. Sandman… Bring me a dream… Make him the cutest that I've ever seen…"
A jarring crack filled the room and Gus jumped from the explosive sound. He glanced over at Shawn who was stopped and he slowly turned around. A stain of red filled grew on the left side of his chest, consuming the green in his polo shirt. Shawn stared down at the blood, watching it spread, and his head lifted as he faced Gus with crimson-tainted lips.
"Shawn!" Gus cried in horror.
In the blink of an eye, time had reverted back to just a few seconds ago. "What more do you want from me?" Shawn said with an icy tone. Gus, still walking beside Shawn, glanced down at his chest to see that the bullet wound was gone. He glanced around with wide, scared eyes, waiting for the horrifying song to start again, but it never came.
"Shawn, there's something I've got to—"
"I don't care," he said, cutting him off with acid on his tongue. Shawn sped up and walked ahead of his ex-friend, leaving Gus behind as he disappeared from the room.
Nothing had changed. It was still coming.