First a huge shout-out to Cupcake for all the great reviews. Hope you continue to enjoy the story.
Updated my profile to include the projects I'm currently working on.
This chapter is the longest of the whole story. Hope everyone makes it through it.
Side note: I had never seen the Breakfast Club until after I wrote this chapter.
Friday
"Shawn. . . Shawn. . . Earth to Shawn." Something came flying through the air and bounced off Shawn's forehead. He was sitting at his desk, head resting on his hand, looking at his computer screen. Glancing down, he saw a balled up piece of paper sitting on his keyboard. He raised his head off his hand and looked over at Gus. "Dude, what was that for?" he asked. He blinked. "When did you get here?" he asked in confusion.
"Five minutes ago," Gus said. "You were kind of zoned out staring at your computer screen. I couldn't get your attention." He looked at Shawn carefully. "You look like hell." He went over to his desk and sat down.
"Gee, thanks," he said sarcastically, rubbing bloodshot eyes. He hadn't gotten home until just before 3. He had tossed and turned for a couple hours before finally falling asleep. Juliet had woken him up around 8 to find out what had happened with Nikki. After that he had given up on sleep and come to the office. He could only imagine how bad he looked. He had made it a point to avoid all reflective surfaces that morning for just that reason. After four cups of coffee, he still felt sluggish. "Just didn't get enough sleep last night," he told Gus, giving a jaw-cracking yawn. "I'm gonna make some more coffee. Want any?" He struggled out of his chair and dragged himself towards the coffee maker.
"I'm good," Gus said. Shawn pulled out the bag of beans and plugged in the grinder. "What I wanted to ask you – " Gus was cut off as Shawn started the grinder. He waited for Shawn to finish before trying again. "I wanted to know – " The grinder started up again. He waited, less patiently this time. The grinder turned off. "I wanted – " The grinder turned on. "Shawn!" Gus yelled. "Do you know how bad that is for the motor?"
Shawn turned off the grinder. It was so much fun teasing Gus. "Sorry, buddy," he said. "But I like my coffee extra ground." He hid a grin as he heard Gus grumbling. He measured out the grounds, filled the reservoir and started the coffee maker. Soon the sounds and smells of freshly brewing coffee filled the office. He leaned back against the counter, facing Gus. "Now, what were you trying to say?"
"I was asking how things went with Nikki," Gus said. He had filled Gus in about the background check when he had borrowed the car the night before.
"Better than I thought it would," he said. "I was able to convince my dad to let her stay for awhile." The coffee had finished brewing. He poured himself a cup and held it up to his nose. He inhaled the sweet, sweet fragrance of this life-saving nectar from the gods.
"How did you manage that?" Gus asked. When he didn't answer right away, Gus's eyes narrowed suspiciously. "Please tell me you didn't agree to help him around the house. I got stuck doing most of the work last time."
He sat back at his desk, sipping his coffee. He hoped drinking it black would help wake him up faster. "No chores, Gus. Don't worry," he said. He picked up his phone, checked it, then put it back on his desk.
"Then how did you convince your dad to let Nikki stay?" Gus asked.
"I have my ways," he said mysteriously. Gus just looked at him. He sighed. "I explained what's going on with her and he agreed to let her stay. So just drop it, all right?" Gus seemed surprised by his tone. Shawn looked away. Gus meant well, but he wouldn't be able to treat Nikki the same if he knew the truth. She didn't deserve to have to face that every day. He checked his phone again, waiting for Gus's response.
"OK," Gus said, putting his hands up in surrender. "I'm just glad she has a place to stay."
"Me too," he said. "Now I can buy red vines again." He checked his phone, then took another sip of coffee. It was almost cool enough to chug. He noticed Gus watching him. "What?"
"Why do you keep checking your phone?" Gus asked. "The last time you checked it that often you got into a fight with Juliet." He looked accusingly at Shawn. "What did you do?"
"Nothing," he protested. "Jules and I are fine." He took another sip of coffee. Still too hot. "I spent the morning talking to the nurse who took care of Nikki's mom in Denver. She had some very interesting things to say." He sat back in his chair, turning slowly from side to side. "Apparently Sarah Peterson hired a private investigator shortly before her death." He paused for dramatic effect.
"A PI?" Gus asked. "Why would a dying woman hire a PI?"
"To find the father of a daughter about to be left all alone in the world," Shawn said, adopting a southern accent. He threw back his head and put the back of his hand to his forehead, like an old southern woman feeling faint. Gus just sighed. "One of her other nurses had arranged everything. This one only knew a few details. I was able to get his number but he wasn't in the office. So I left a message." He decided the coffee had cooled long enough. He downed what was left in one long gulp. He put the empty mug on his desk with a resounding clunk. "I'm waiting for him to call me back." He checked his phone again, in case he had missed the call while he was talking.
"How much coffee did you have this morning?" Gus asked. He was staring at Shawn's left hand as he asked.
He looked down. His hand was shaking. "Four cups," he said. "No, wait, five cups. I stopped at Starbucks on the way in." He moved his hand so it was out of Gus's view.
"When was the last time you ate anything?" Gus asked, eyeing him carefully.
"What time is it?" he asked, stalling.
Gus checked his watch. "10:30."
He pretended to think for a moment. "Then, around 7." he said. He saw Gus relax slightly. "Last night."
Gus stood up. "Come on, let's go."
"Go where?" he asked, confused.
"You need to eat something before you go into shock." Gus said. "Remember what happened the last time you drank that much coffee without eating?"
He winced. That had been while his dad was in the hospital with a gunshot wound. He had passed out next to his dad's hospital bed and woken up in one of his own. It had taken two hours to get the doctor to release him. "Fine, let's eat," he said, standing up. The room spun slightly for a minute, but he was able to keep his balance. He hoped Gus hadn't noticed. "Then we should stop by the station. Jules said they should have a positive ID on the body by this morning." He walked carefully to the door of the office.
Gus reached it first and held it open for him. He had noticed the shaking. "I worry about you sometimes," he said, following Shawn out the door. "I know you want to solve these cases, but your own well-being comes first." He held open the car door for Shawn.
"Why, thank you Jeeves," Shawn said, getting in the car. He buckled up as Gus went around to his own side of the car. "I didn't do it intentionally. I promised Nikki I would find her father. I can't let her down." He leaned back against the headrest, closing his eyes. He missed the strange look Gus gave him as they pulled away from the office.
The food seemed to have kickstarted his system and Shawn was finally feeling the rejuvenating effects of all that caffeine. He had a definite spring in his step as he entered the police station, Gus trailing along behind him. He knew he would pay for it later, so he tried to make the most of his wakefulness now.
He spotted Juliet at her desk, back to them. She seemed absorbed with the file in front of her. Never one to pass up an opportunity, he motioned Gus to stay back as he snuck up silently behind her. Once he was in position, he spoke quietly into her ear. "Hi Jules."
She shrieked and spun around. "Shawn!" she yelled, as he burst into laughter. "Don't do that!" She glared at him, face flush.
"You should have seen your face," he said through the laughter. Her expression of wide-eyed shock was priceless. Gus came up next to him. "Dude, did you see her face?" Gus elbowed him in the side. "What?"
"Shawn, I swear - " Juliet said, voice rising. A snort behind them made her pause. Her scream had attracted the attention of half the station. Shawn could see a few people hiding grins as they surreptitiously watched the drama unfold. She glanced around and her face got even redder. "Shawn," she said, lowering her voice. "Can't you sometimes act professional? Especially here?"
"Oh Jules, where's the fun in that?" he said. She turned back around to face her desk, ignoring him. He glanced at Gus. He just shook his head. Shawn walked around the desk to face Juliet. She looked pissed. He sighed. "I'm sorry I made you scream in front of the whole police station," he said sincerely. "Even if it was hilarious."
She looked up at him. He made sure to have his 'serious' face on. He knew she wished he would take things a little more seriously. Especially at work. And he knew how she hated to be embarrassed in front of her coworkers. He had crossed a line and she was right to be angry. "How about next time I make Lassiter scream like a little girl in front of everyone?" he asked, trying to coax a smile from her.
"That would immature," she said primly. Even so, he could see her trying to hide a smile at the thought.
"Are we ok?" he asked quietly.
She sighed. "Just don't do that again." She gave him a small smile.
"Promise," he said, grinning. He clapped his hands. "So, what can you tell us about the body from the park?" Gus came around the desk to hear what Juliet had to say.
"Before I tell you anything, you need to talk to the chief," she said, her tone all business. "She said she needed to talk to you as soon as you came in."
"How about you tell me about the body first, then I go see the chief?" he bargained. Getting called in to see the chief was like getting called to the principal's office in high school. He had enough experience in both situations to know to delay as long as possible.
"She was very clearly she wanted to see you right away," she insisted. She refused to meet his eyes, instead looking somewhere over his shoulder.
"Well, what she doesn't know won't hurt her," he said conspiratorially. Her eyes flashed to his for a second, then back at something behind him. "Of course, I would never disobey her wishes like that," he said hurriedly, realizing what she was looking at. "I'm going to go see her right now." He turned around and acted surprised. "Why Chief, I didn't know you were standing there. I was just coming to find you." He saw Gus roll his eyes.
"Mr. Spencer," Vick said with a grin. Shawn was instantly on guard. That grin always meant trouble. "If you're done chatting, I'd like to see you in my office."
"Why certainly," he said. He lead the way, Gus following him.
"Not you, Mr. Guster," Vick said, putting out a hand to stop him. "I'd like to speak to Spencer privately." Giving Shawn a stare, she starting walking towards her office.
Gus looked worriedly at Shawn, who rolled his eyes. "The chief probably just wants to congratulate me on my work recently," he said, feigning nonchalance. "If she did it in public, everyone else would get jealous."
Gus snorted. "Yeah right." But Shawn's relaxed attitude did seem to lessen his own worry.
"Mr. Spencer," Vick called from the office doorway.
Shawn saluted and headed towards her. He lead the way inside. Vick closed the doors before sitting down behind her desk.
"Have a seat," she said, indicating the chairs in front of her desk. He sat and tried to appear unconcerned. "We need to have a talk."
"We certainly do," he said, cutting her off. "The vending machine in the break room refuses to give me my Snickers bars. This is the third time I have paid for my delicious peanutty goodness and been left nutless. I demand satisfaction!" He thumped his fist on the armrest of the chair for emphasis.
Vick didn't comment on his antics. Not a good sign. "I have here a report from one of the officers at Howell Park yesterday," she said, tapping a file on her desk. "Apparently there was a disturbance at the crime scene involving you and a teenage girl?" She phrased the last statement as a question.
"That was my bad chief," he said, relaxing slightly. He had already established a cover story for Nikki; now he just had to convince the chief of it. "My new apprentice is still unclear on crime scene protocol. She was trying to follow the astral trail of the killer and we got separated."
"Psychic apprentice?" Vick asked, sounding skeptical.
"Yes Chief," he said. "I found myself with the yearning to pass on my years of psychic knowledge to the next generation. The next day, my apprentice arrived. She said she felt drawn to my office, a clear sign of psychic compatibility." He saw the chief about to interrupt but pressed on. He was just getting warmed up and didn't want to stop now. "She will be shadowing me, learning how a true psychic solves crimes. She needs to see what I see, hear what I hear, feel what I feel, taste what - "
"Enough Mr. Spencer," Vick said, cutting him short. "I just have one question for you."
"If it's who keeps leaving half eaten donuts in the break room, I think its Dobson. He always seemed like the type to leave things unfinished. That's a sign of a bad work ethic. You should talk to him about it." He knew he was babbling. But the expression on the chief's face was starting to make him nervous. "And who leaves the half eaten donut just sitting there? Do they honestly belief someone else is going to finish it? I know there's nothing I like better than someone else's slobbered on snacks..." He tapered off into silence. The chief's stare was really starting to unnerve him. And the silence was starting to get uncomfortable.
"What's her name?"
He tried not to tense up. She had asked the question quietly, almost curiously. It was a tone he had heard cops use in interrogations, when they already know the truth and just want to watch the perp sweat. Until he knew exactly where the chief was going with this, the less said the better. "Why do you ask?" he said, keeping his voice level.
"A girl trespasses at a crime scene full of cops, has a psychic vision, then leaves without anyone learning her name. This strikes me as a little odd. One might think someone was hiding her identity deliberately." The look she gave him told him that is exactly what she thinks.
"You know how the press are at the crime scenes. She's still new at this. I didn't want them to know her name until she's ready." He was almost proud of himself. That reason sounded legitimate and not made up 10 seconds ago.
"There's no press here now," Vick pointed out. She looks expectantly at him, waiting for an answer.
"Psychic-apprentice confidentiality." That one definitely sounded made up. But he was tired and his sluggish brain was slow to come up with foils to the chief's questions.
Vick watched him for a moment, then sighed, looking away. He thought for a moment he won, until she reached into her desk and removed a file. She placed it down carefully, then looked up at him. "In our system, a person becomes flagged if finding them is of the utmost importance. These people are usually high-profile criminals or missing persons. Especially missing children."
Crap. He had a pretty good idea where the chief was going with this.
She opened the file. "If an officer runs a name that is flagged, the chief of police is automatically notified. Detective O'Hara ran just such a name yesterday." She removed a single sheet from the file. "See if she looks familiar." She handed him the paper.
He took it, already knowing what it would show. Across the top of the page were the words 'Missing Child.' Underneath was a picture of Nikki and the information Juliet had shared with him yesterday. He looked at the chief. "Chief Vick - "
"O'Hara managed to convince me to speak to you before reporting this to the Denver PD," she said, cutting him off. She fixed him with a stern look. "Why were you at a crime scene with a missing child?"
"Look, I didn't know she was missing at the time," he said defensively. "I didn't even bring her to the crime scene. She snuck in on her own. You should probably talk to your boys about that. I would hate to think any member of the SBPD is slacking on the job." He cut himself off before he could say anymore. Making the chief mad wouldn't help anything. He was off his game today and if he wasn't careful, it would cost him. He couldn't afford to give away anymore information.
"Mr. Spencer, this is serious," Vick said, face turning red. She stood up and leaned over the desk to glare at him. "Now answer the question."
"I did," he said stubbornly. He planned to keep his answers as short as possible.
"Then why did she follow you to the crime scene?" she said with exasperation.
"I'm working on a case for her," he said tersely.
"What case?" she asked testily.
"I really can't say," he said evasively.
"This is serious," she said sharply. "Harboring a runaway is a criminal offense."
"Do you think I don't know that?" he asked sarcastically, his own temper rising.
"Spencer, give me one good reason why I shouldn't arrest you and bring her in my self," she snapped angrily.
"Because I promised I would protect her!" he yelled, jumping up. They stared at each other, breathing hard. Vick seemed surprised by his outburst. He couldn't blame her; he was surprised himself. He normally had much better control over his temper. He looked away first, tiredly running a hand over his face. He sat back down in his chair, resting his arms on his knees. He stared at the floor as he gather his thoughts. He heard Vick sit back down at her desk. Looking up at her, he started speaking. "She came by the office on Monday. She wanted to hire us to find her biological father. Her mom wouldn't tell her who he his, so she hoped I could. Gus was against it, but I decided to help her. We had no other cases, and I was tired of constantly beating Gus at video games. Besides, she reminded me of myself as a teenager. I know I didn't get along with my parents." He smiled wryly at her. "I didn't know how much she was like me until yesterday."
"When O'Hara did the background check," Vick guessed. He nodded. She folded her hand, looking at him intently. "Why didn't you want her to report Nikki?"
He leaned back with a sigh. "Contrary to popular belief, most teenagers don't follow through with their plans to run away. And those who do usually have a pretty good reason. She seems like a smart kid. I figured she had to have a good reason to run over a 1,000 miles to get here." He looked down, hesitant to go on. He had promised to keep what Nikki said to himself. He didn't want to tell the chief until Nikki was ready to face what happened.
"Did she give you a reason?" Vick asked quietly, after he was silent for a couple minutes.
"Yeah," he said bitterly. "And I promised her I wouldn't send her back to foster care." He took a deep breath before meeting the chief's gaze. "I just need a little more time to find her father."
Vick must have read something in his face, because she didn't ask anymore questions. "I can give you until Monday," she said briskly. "Then I'll have to report her to the Denver PD."
He let out a small sigh of relief. "Thanks, chief," he said gratefully. Given the distance to Denver, that would give him about a week before someone showed up in person. If the PI knew the name of her father, he hopefully could have things wrapped up by then.
"Your welcome. Now get back to work. And don't let me hear about your apprentice wandering around any more crime scenes." She gave him a stern look before gathering up the files on her desk.
Knowing a dismissal when he heard one, he got up and headed to the door.
"And Spencer?"
He turned. The expression on Vick's face had softened. "I know how important it is to find him, but try to get some rest. You look like hell."
He gave a weary salute. "Will do, chief."
She just shook her head as he left the room.
Heading back to Juliet's desk, he saw her and Gus conversing quietly. They stopped talking the moment he joined them. Judging by the guilty expressions on their faces, he had been the topic of conversation. "Don't let me interrupt," he said airily. "I'm sure you're saying all sorts of wonderful things about me." Looking around, he noticed Lassiter's desk was empty. He grabbed his chair and wheeled it back over to Juliet's desk. Sitting down, he leaned back comfortably in the chair with a sigh. "Please, continue," he said when the two just looked at him silently.
"What did the chief want to talk about?" Gus asked.
Shawn glanced at Juliet. She looked back guiltily. To Gus he said, "She had a few questions about my new apprentice." He looked around to make sure no one was listening. "And to ask if there was any connection to a missing girl from Denver," he added quietly.
"Shawn," Gus said, worried.
He waved away Gus's concern. "Don't worry, I bought us some time. She agreed not to contact anyone from Denver until Monday." He gave a yawn before continuing. "Plenty of time to find her dad." Ignoring Gus's doubtful look, he pulled out his phone. "So what did you find out about the body?" he asked while checking his voicemail. No new messages. Putting it away, he noticed Juliet looking at him with concern. Gus too. "What?"
She shared a look with Gus before speaking. "We're worried you're pushing yourself too hard with these cases. I know you haven't been sleeping well. And Gus told me about this morning."
He glared at Gus. "Traitor," he said. Gus just shrugged, still looking worried. He turned back to Juliet. "I'm fine. Just a little tired." He noticed she was staring at his left hand. Looking down, he saw his hand trembling again. He clenched it into a fist and covered it with his other hand. Meeting her concerned gaze, he grinned sheepishly. "I guess I'm still a little jittery from the coffee."
"Shawn - "
"Jules," he said, cutting her off. "I can handle it. There's nothing to worry about." Gus tapped him on the shoulder, but he ignored him, focusing on Juliet. He held her gaze steadily. "I'm fine," he repeated. He could see the moment when she gave in. He smiled brightly at her. "Besides, what would the department do without its head psychic detective?" he asked, leaning back in the chair.
She rolled her eyes. "We solve plenty of cases without you, Shawn."
"But you solve even more with me," he replied.
"Um, Shawn?" Gus said, trying to get his attention.
"In a minute," he said, dismissively. He leaned in closer to her desk. "Now, how about the prettiest detective in the department tells us about the latest victim?"
"Spencer!"
He barely managed to keep from jumping. Leaning as far back in the chair as he could, he looked up into the frowning visage of one Carlton Lassiter. "Hey Lassie!" he said brightly. He tilted his head. "You know from here, it looks like your smiling."
"Get out of my chair," Lassiter said slowly.
He spun the chair around to face Lassiter. "But it's so comfee," he whined. He slouched down into the chair, unwillingly to give it up.
"Spencer," Lassiter growled.
"Is this because I called Jules the prettiest detective here?" he asked, enjoying himself. It was so much fun to mess with Lassie. "Don't worry. I think you're pretty too." He bat his eyelashes at him.
Lassiter put his hands on the armrests of the chair and leaned right into his face. "Get. Up."
He smirked at Lassiter. "Make me," he dared.
"Shawn," Juliet said warningly.
Lassiter moved. Before he could react, Lassiter had spun the chair around and dumped him on the floor. He watched as Lassiter calmly wheeled the chair away. "That was uncool," he yelled after him. Lassiter just smirked as he sat at his desk.
Gus reached down and gave him a hand up off the floor. He brushed himself off while Juliet shook her head. "Can't you two ever get along?" she asked.
He gave her a grin. "Like I've said before, where's the fun in that?" He came around and perched on the edge of her desk. "Now; the body."
She sighed and pulled out a file. She handed it to him. "You were right. We were able to positively ID the body as Samuel Cooper. Woody was able to put time of death between 11 pm and 1 am Wednesday night. Cause of death was blood loss from the gash on the neck. Judging by the depth and angle of the cut, we know the killer is left handed and was standing behind the victim when he slashed his throat."
"Smart," he said, looking through the file. It contained the usual background info on the victim. No prior arrests or charges. No known association with any criminal elements. The roommate described him as a pretty easy going guy. There was nothing to explain why someone would want to kill him. "Cooper wouldn't have seen him coming and the killer would have avoided most of the blood splatter."
"Exactly," she agreed. "The acid used to burn his face and hands was a concentrated form of hydrofluoric acid. At that concentration, the most likely place it could have come from is - "
"A chemistry lab," he said, glancing at Gus. His hunch that the two bodies were related was right.
"We had CSI reexamine both labs," she continued. "They found traces of blood in Pratt's. We're waiting on lab results but we're pretty sure it's Cooper's. They also found a jug of hydrofluoric acid that looked like it had been recently used. They were able to lift a partial print. Nothing matched in the system, so we're checking everyone who had access to the lab storeroom."
He closed the file. Something about the case didn't add up. He felt like he was missing something. Why Pratt's lab? "What did Pratt have to say about all this?"
She shook her head. "That man is an insufferable jackass," she said with vehemence. "His lawyer managed to convince a judge that the fingerprints on the murder weapon were not enough evidence to charge him. Since his release, he has been threatening to sue the department for false arrest and defamation." She snorted. "I wish he was guilty just so I could have the satisfaction of throwing that smug bastard in jail for the rest of his life."
He was surprised by the outburst. He glanced at Gus and saw an equally surprised expression on his face. He rarely saw her so worked up over a suspect. Her face was flushed and she was breathing hard. This guy sure had a way with people. "Jules, honey, calm down. Take deep breaths." He took an exaggerated breath, motioning for her to copy him. After several such breaths, she seemed to calm down. "Don't let this guy get to you."
"I know," she snapped. She took another deep breath and smiled apologetically at him. "He just as a way of knowing exactly what to say to get a reaction out of you."
He nodded. He had noticed the same thing. "I sense he will get his comeuppance someday," he said mysteriously.
She looked at him hopefully. "Are you sure?"
"Positive," he said. He was rewarded by her happy, if slightly vindictive smile. He frowned as something she had said earlier occurred to him. "What about the hair?"
"What hair?" she asked, puzzled.
"The one found at the crime scene," he said. "You mentioned the lawyer got the fingerprints called into question, but not the hair."
She thought for a moment. "Right, that hair," she said suddenly. "I almost forgot about it, since the fingerprints were enough evidence to hold him." She flipped through a file until she found the right page. "Turns out the hair wasn't even human. The lab matched it to Felis catus."
"A house cat?" Gus asked. "What would cat hair be doing in a chemistry lab?" He looked over at Shawn as the psychic suddenly stood up. "Shawn?"
Something had clicked in Shawn's mind. The missing piece he had been looking for, or at least part of it. There had been a guy at the crime scene when he and Gus had been talking with Cooper. A guy with cat scratches on his hand. "Have you been able to track down everyone who had access to the supply room?" he asked Juliet urgently.
"Almost everyone," she said, surprised at his tone. "We're still trying to contact one or two."
He put his hand to his head. "I'm sensing one of those is our killer. Someone with the last name Newton." He saw Gus's eyes widen, recognizing the name.
She pulled out the list of suspects. "There is a Timothy Newton, one of Sanders' post doc students. We haven't been able to reach him."
"That's it! That's our killer," he said excitedly. He loved the feeling when the pieces started coming together. He still needed to figure out why Newton did it, but he was one step closer to solving the case.
"Are you sure?" she asked.
"He's right." Shawn turned. Lassiter was watching them from his desk. He had obviously heard what Shawn had said. "Sanders received a number of threatening emails from Newton in the week leading up to his death." He regarded their slightly shocked expressions. "What?"
Shawn cleared his throat. "Did you just agree with me? This is a first." He turned away to face the station. "Carlton Lassiter, the Carlton Lassiter, just agreed with Shawn Spencer," he announced to everyone.
Lassiter just rolled his eyes. "O'Hara, do you have an address for Newton?" he asked, standing up.
"Right here." she said, brandishing a sheet of paper.
"Let's go." Lassiter grabbed his jacket and headed out of the station. Juliet got up and followed him. "You coming Spencer?" he called back over his shoulder.
Shawn stared after Lassiter. "It's a sign of the Apocalypse. It has to be," he said.
"Maybe he's just starting to tolerate you," Gus said. "You have been working together for seven years. He was bound to warm up eventually."
"Spencer!"
"I'm betting pod people," he said. Gus shook his head. They hurried after the two detectives.
Lassiter's truce was short lived. He barely gave Shawn and Gus time to get in their own car before tearing out of the station parking lot. And he seemed determined to lose them as they followed behind the detective to the house. As a result, he and Gus arrived at Newton's place a few minutes after Lassiter and Juliet. The detectives were already out of the car and approaching the house. Lassiter turned as the guys headed up the path.
"About time Spencer," Lassiter said. "Did you get lost?" He smirked at Shawn, dodging Juliet's elbow to his side.
"The spirits seemed a little confused as to the exact location of the house," Shawn said. Juliet glared at her partner, aware that he had been trying to lose Shawn and Gus on the way over. "Luckily I was able to straighten them out." And luckily he had seen the sheet of paper with Newton's address on it at the station, or they never would have found the place.
"Well, now that you and your 'spirits' are here, you get a chance to watch a real detective at work," Lassiter said arrogantly.
"Great. While Juliet is working, what will you be doing?" He watched Lassiter's ears turned red.
"Guys! Focus!" Juliet snapped. "We're here to find a possible murderer."
"Just stay out of my way," Lassiter said, glaring at Shawn. He turned and headed towards the house. Juliet shook her head as she hurried to catch up with him. Shawn and Gus followed along at a more leisurely pace.
It was a blue, two-story house with a porch. It seemed in good repair but Shawn noticed the paint starting to peel. The yard was small but well kept. No weeds, and the grass looked like it had been cut recently. A path of paving stones led from the street to the porch. As he climbed the steps, he noticed faint muddy footprints leading up to the front door. There was a small, muddy spot near the door, as if something had been left sitting there.
"SBPD!" Lassiter called. "Open up." He knocked on the door. It moved inward slightly when he touched it. Motioning Juliet back, he pulled out his sidearm. Juliet followed suit. "You two stay out here." he said to Shawn and Gus. When Juliet was in position next to the door, he kicked it open. Gun outstretched, he checked all visible areas before cautiously entering. Juliet looked at Shawn and pointed to the porch, clearly telling him to stay put. She then followed Lassiter inside the house.
Shawn immediately started to follow Juliet inside. Gus grabbed his arm to stop him.
"Dude, we were told to stay here," he whispered, pulling Shawn away from the door.
"When have I ever listened to what someone tells me to do?" he asked quietly. He slipped out of Gus's grip and headed to the door again.
Gus jumped in front of him. "You promised Juliet you would stop putting yourself in dangerous situations."
"There are two cops in there with guns. I'll be fine." He tried to get around Gus and through the door.
Gus crossed his arms, not budging. "And how many times have you been threatened in just that situation?"
"Fine!" he whisper yelled, throwing up his arms. "We'll wait." He walked over to the porch rail and leaned back against it, glaring at Gus.
After what seemed like an hour (but was probably only a few minutes), Juliet appeared in the doorway. "It's clear. You guys can come in."
He started towards the door only to have Gus jump in front of him again. "Dude, we're allowed in now," he said in vexation.
"I know," Gus said calmly. "But remember the rules. I do not enter a place first or last." He turned to Juliet. "After you."
Shooting Shawn a confused look, Juliet led Gus into the house. Shawn brought up the rear, wondering why he let Gus make those stupid rules in the first place.
Once they were all inside the house, Juliet turned to them. "You can look, but don't touch anything." She stared particularly hard at Shawn when she said this.
"Come on," he scoffed. "When have I ever tampered with a crime scene?" She opened her mouth to speak. "Intentionally?" he added quickly.
"Don't worry, I'll make sure he behaves," Gus said.
Taking offense to that, he gave Gus a shove. Not one to let a shove go unanswered, Gus shoved him back, harder. He returned the shove, knocking Gus back a step. The two went back and forth a few times until Gus gave a particularly hard shove that knocked Shawn into an end table. He barely managed to catch it before it hit the ground. The picture that was on top of the table clattered to the floor but luckily didn't break.
Juliet watched the whole exchange with a frown on her face, arms folded. "Are you two children done yet?" she asked after he had righted the table. "We have actual work to do."
"He started it," he muttered.
"I did not, you started," Gus accused.
"Did not!"
"Did too!"
"Did not!"
"Did too!"
"Did not times infinity!"
"Did not times infinity plus one!"
"Boys!" Juliet yelled, interrupting them. "Seriously?" She glared at both of them. "You are two grown men. Act like it."
"O'Hara!" Lassiter yelled from upstairs. "Get up here!"
"Coming!" she called back. Turning to the guys, she gave them each a hard look. The look she gave Shawn was tinged slightly with disappointment. He looked away, unable to meet her gaze. "Try to behave yourselves." She headed up the stairs.
"Great," he said angrily, once she was out of earshot. "Now I'm in trouble with Jules." He glared at Gus.
"Don't blame me, Shawn," Gus snapped back. "You started the whole thing. You could have stopped at any time. It's not my fault you are incapable of acting like an adult."
He thought it was rich for Gus to say that, considering he had been acting just as childish as he was. But he was probably embarrassed he had acted that way himself. And Gus had a point. He knew Juliet wished he would act more mature and so far he was failing miserably. It wasn't Gus's fault. He sighed. "You're right. Sorry dude." He held out his fist.
Gus bumped it. "Apology accepted."
With the air clear between the two friends, he took a good look at the house. They were in a hallway that ran to the back of the house. There were stairs in front of them that led up to a second story. The room to their left appeared to be a living room; the room to their right a dining room.
The first thing that struck him was how clean everything was. The shoes were lined up neatly by the door. The mail seemed to be sorted into three piles; junk, bills, and personal. The personal pile only contained a single letter, from a James Newton. There were hooks for keys, with little labels for each one. The keys for 'house' and 'car' were missing. From what he could see of the other rooms, the rest of the house was just as tidy. The only thing out of place was the picture that had fallen off the table he had knocked over.
"This guy sure was a neat freak," Gus said. He glanced into the room on the left. "It almost looks like a showroom. You'd think the house was empty if it wasn't for all the DVDs on the shelves." He entered the room to get a closer look.
"Anything good?" he asked. He crouched down to pick up the picture on the floor. It showed two boys, one obviously Newton, at a cabin in the woods. There was a lake in the background that looked vaguely familiar. Looking past the picture, he noticed several red splotches on the otherwise immaculate carpet. He looked behind him. The splotches seemed to start at the front door. Following it with his eyes, he saw continued into the hallway and down to a door on the far right.
"Nothing we haven't already seen," Gus said, coming back into the hallway. He looked down at Shawn. "Did you find something?"
He handed Gus the picture. "Newton and what is probably his brother at a cabin in the woods. Might be a family place. It's a good place to start looking for him. It seems pretty isolated." He stood up, stretching his back. "There's also what appears to be a trail of blood going down the hallway." He pointed to the splotches on the floor.
"Blood?" Gus asked, putting the picture down. "Are you sure?"
"Let's find out." He followed the blood trail down the hallway to an open doorway. Going inside, he found himself in a small bathroom. The blood drops ended at the door. He started snooping around, looking for clues.
Gus stopped in the doorway. "What are you looking for?" he asked, watching Shawn scour the bathroom.
"This," Shawn said. He picked up a trash can and held it out to Gus. Inside was a lab coat, slightly damp, with blood on the left sleeve. "What would you bet that this is Cooper's blood?"
Gus waved the can away, looking slightly green. "OK, so we have established Newton is the killer." Shawn put the trash can back where he found it and joined Gus in the hallway. "The question is why."
"Cooper is obvious," Shawn said. He started down the hallway back towards the front door. Gus followed him. "He found out that Newton killed Sanders and had to be silenced. Cooper probably confronted him in the lab and he had to act quick. That's why this murder is messier than the first one." He reached the stairs and started up them to the second floor.
"Then why kill Sanders?" Gus asked.
"That's what we need to find out," he said, reaching the top of the stairs. He could hear voices coming from the second room on the left. "Let's see what Lassie and Jules found first." He went down the hallway and entered the room.
Lassiter and Juliet were conversely quietly in the corner. After a quick glance, he already knew several things. One; Newton had a weird obsession with the Incredible Hulk. The bedspread, posters, even action figures, showed the green hero. Two; Gus was becoming way too interested in said superhero memorabilia. And three - "I'm sensing Newton left in a hurry."
Lassiter snorted. "Tell me something I don't know." While the rest of the house was immaculate, this room was not. Drawers were left open. Clothing was strewn about on the bed. The closet was open and looked like it had been dug through, then had its contents thrown haphazardly back inside. A bare spot on the in front of a monitor with loose wires showed where a laptop once was. In short, even the most rookie cop could tell someone packed in a hurry. Still –
"Polar bears are left handed," he said.
Lassiter looked at him in confusion. "What does that have to do with the case?"
"You asked me to tell you something you don't know," he explained. "Did you know polar bears are left handed?"
"No – "
"Then there you go." He paused. "Although the killer was also left handed, so I guess it could have something to do with the case."
"Are you suggesting a polar bear killed Sanders?" Lassiter asked skeptically.
"Of course not," he laughed. "That would be ridiculous." He grabbed a notebook off of Newton's desk and threw it to Lassiter.
He just managed to catch it. "Spencer, what the hell are you doing?" he asked angrily.
"Check the handwriting. I'm betting Newton is left handed. Just like our killer." He gave Lassiter a smug look. "Or you could check the downstairs bathroom. I'm sensing there is a lab coat that may have traces of the victim's blood on it."
Lassiter passed the notebook to Juliet. "Let's check it out. If he's right, we'll call forensics." He gave Shawn a stern look. "Don't touch anything," he said forcefully before heading out the door.
"Good work, Shawn," Juliet said. She smiled at him as she headed after Lassiter.
"And like that, I'm back in Jules' good graces," he said, taking a bow. "I am just that good."
"You still need to figure out why Newton killed Sanders," Gus said.
He threw Gus a disgruntled look. "Can't you let me have my moment?" he whined.
"Your moment doesn't pay the bills," Gus answered.
"Fine," he sighed. "Well, Lassiter and Jules probably picked over this room pretty well. Let's go check out the others."
They went back out to the hallway. Shawn opened the door directly across from them. "Nope," he said after a quick peek inside. He went to the next one. "Nope." And the next one. "Nope." He had almost circled back to Newton's room before he found a likely candidate. It was locked. "Gus, open this door."
Gus came over and tried to turn the handle. "It's locked."
He rolled his eyes. "I know that. Pick the lock."
"I don't know how to pick locks," Gus said.
"I thought you had that subscription to a safe cracking magazine," he said, puzzled.
"That's for safes, not locks," Gus said. "Picking locks is illegal. Figuring out safe combinations is not."
He sighed. On to plan B. "Then go watch the stairs for Lassie and Jules," he said. He knelt down in the front of the lock and pulled a small packet from his pocket.
"Are those lockpicks Shawn?" Gus asked nervously. "Do you know how much trouble we'll be in if you're caught with those?"
"That's why I asked you to watch the stairs," he explained. "Now let me concentrate." Gus walked over to the stairs and worriedly looked down them. Shawn examined the lock. It had been a few years since he had done this, so he was a little out of practice. He selected his picks and got to work.
"Bingo," he said after a couple of minutes. He waved Gus over and entered the room.
It appeared to be a combination library slash laboratory. One half of the room contained a desk with bookcases lining the walls. The other half contained a table covered in lab equipment. The shelves along that side of the room were filled with more equipment and chemicals. Gus headed over to the table while Shawn went to check out the desk.
"This looks like a replica of Sanders' experiment," Gus said after a moment. "There's some notes here as well." He picked up a notebook, knocking a beaker on the floor in the process.
Shawn looked up from the desk at the sound of shattering glass. "Dude, Jules said don't touch anything," he complained. He walked around the desk and over to Gus.
Gus rolled his eyes at him and bent down to clean up the glass. He glanced under the table and fell back with a yelp.
Shawn peered under the table. Two yellow eyes stared back at him from the darkness. "It's just a cat," he said, looking at Gus with scorn. "Man up."
Gus looked at the cat. It hissed at him. "That thing is evil Shawn."
"Nonsense," he said. "He's just scared. He's been locked up all alone for hours and just wants company." His voice quickly dissolved into that cutesy tone used when talking to animals. He reached under the table towards the cat. Quick as a flash, it clawed his hand. "Son of a bitch!" he cursed, pulling back. Four claw marks covered the back of his hand.
"Told you," Gus said smugly. "You can never trust a cat."
"Well unless the cat wants to live under that table for the rest of its life, it has to come out," he said. He had always had a soft spot for cats. With Newton on the run, the poor thing needed someone to take care of it. The least he could do was bring it to a shelter. He reached cautiously toward the cat again. It waited until he was almost touching it before shooting past him out into the room. In the light he could see it was a gray tabby. It ran to Newton's desk and jumped on top. Sending papers flying, it scrambled across the desk and launched itself through the door.
Shawn and Gus just sat there a moment, absorbing what happened. "At least it's not under the table anymore," Shawn said at last. Ignoring Gus's disgruntled look, he took in the mess the cat had made. "Think Lassiter will believe the cat did it?"
Gus sighed. "I'll clean up the glass. You pick up the papers." He went to get a dustpan.
Shawn walked over to the desk and survived the damage. Nearly everything from the desk's surface had ended up on the floor. He couldn't help but feel somewhat impressed. The cat had caused maximum dispersion of the desk's contents in under three seconds. He distantly heard yelling and a loud thud downstairs. It sounded like Lassiter and Juliet had found the cat. Knowing he didn't have a lot of time, he started picking up papers. He frowned as he noticed that some of the pages looked familiar. He grabbed a handful and quickly started sorting through them on the desk. He soon had several separate piles.
"What are you doing?"
He looked up. Gus had finished cleaning up the glass and had come to stand in front of the desk. He handed Gus one of the piles. "Look at this."
Gus glanced at it. "It's a paper on a new plastic polymer," he said, puzzled.
"Now check the dates of the experiments," he said.
Gus flipped the pages. "May 2006 to April 2008." He looked up at Shawn. "So?"
"When I was doing research on Sanders, I looked at some of his recent research articles." He pointed to the article in Gus's hand. "This paper almost exactly matches one of his articles. Only the dates of the experiments were changed."
"Why would Newton have a research paper of Sanders' with different dates?" Gus asked, puzzled.
"He wouldn't," he said. "Unless the dates of the published papers were wrong. And this is the original." He pointed to the paper in Gus' hand. "Sanders is his advisor. I bet Newton gave him the paper to review before he published it."
"So Sanders stole one of his research papers?" Gus asked. He gave a low whistle. "That's cold."
"Not just one," he said. He gestured to the piles on the desk. "I'd say at least five, if not more. Probably all the recent papers he published he stole from Newton."
"That would make a guy pretty angry," Gus said, getting excited.
"And that, my friend, is motive," he said with satisfaction. He and Gus bumped fists just as they heard noises in the hallway. "Quick, throw the papers back on the floor." He swept the pages off the desk, scattering them on the floor.
"Why?" Gus asked. Shawn grabbed the papers from his hand and threw them on the pile. He pulled Gus to the other side of the room. "Can't you ever just tell them anything?" Gus asked, catching on to what Shawn was doing.
"What kind of psychic would I be if I did that?" he asked innocently. He quickly put his hand out and closed his eyes, adopting an expression of fierce concentration. Moments later Lassiter and Juliet entered the room.
Lassiter surveyed the wreckage of the room. "Spencer, I told you not to touch anything," he said angrily.
"It was not I who moved these objects," he said in a lofty voice, eyes still closed.
"I swear, if you say it was the spirits," Lassiter said. Shawn fought the urge to smile. He could imagine the shade of red Lassiter was turning.
"It was a cat," Gus said quickly, giving Shawn a nudge.
"You mean that poor gray tabby we saw downstairs?" Juliet asked in a soft voice. From her tone, Shawn could tell she was worried about the cat too.
"You mean that gray menace that tried to kill me," Lassiter corrected.
"It did not try to kill you," she said, rolling her eyes. "It was scared."
"It was on the attack," Lassiter said fiercely. "It tripped me into that table."
"Can we focus people?" Shawn asked, opening his eyes. "I'm trying to divine something here." He wasn't used to being ignored while having one of his 'visions.'
Lassiter leaned back against the doorframe. "Go ahead. Divine away." He looked at his watch. "You have 15 minutes until forensics shows up. Make it fast."
"So I was right about the lab coat?" he asked. He already knew he was right, but he just loved hearing it.
Lassiter nodded grudgingly. "The coat was where you said it would be, blood and all."
"We also found shards of glass in one of the pockets," Juliet added. "We're hoping it matches the shard found in Cooper's neck."
"So we have the killer," Shawn said. "Now we just need motive." He closed his eyes and pretended to concentrate. He gave a fake wince. "I sense the killer was here, hatching his plan. He replicated one of Sanders experiments, tried to determine how to make it go horrible wrong." Opening his eyes, he went over to the table, pretending to 'sense' the glassware. He stopped over the two beakers he remembered having the wrong chemicals in them. "Right here, he made a switch." He grabbed the notebook Gus had pointed out off the table and threw it to Lassiter. "All that is explained in here. But why did he do it?" He started licking his hand and rubbing his face. He got down on all fours and crawled over to Lassiter. "Meow," he said, rubbing against him.
Lassiter pushed him away violently. "Knock it off!" He looked over at Gus questioningly.
"He's channeling Newton's cat," Gus explained.
Shawn continued crawling around the room. He went over to the pile of papers next to the desk and started scratching at them. "Meow," he said, looking pointedly at Lassiter and Juliet.
She hurried over, while Lassiter followed reluctantly. As she started to pick up the papers, Shawn pretended to snap out of his trance. He got up off the floor and collapsed into Newton's desk chair, breathing heavily.
She spread the pages across Newton's desk. "These look like research papers." She started sorting them into piles, like he had done earlier.
Lassiter picked up one of the piles and leafed through it. "This paper looks familiar," he said.
She looked over his shoulder. "I'm pretty sure that's one of Sanders' research papers. I glanced through a couple when doing the background check. He published half a dozen papers in the last few months."
"I'm sensing something about the dates," Shawn said, squinting his eyes and putting his hand to his head. "The dates in these papers don't match the dates in the published papers."
"Why would Sanders change the dates of his experiments?" she asked. "It shouldn't matter when the experiments took place."
"It does if your rival is watching everything you do," he replied. "A rival that knows all the research you are pursuing. A rival that happened to take a sabbatical seven months ago."
"During which time no one was paying close attention to what work Sanders was doing in his lab," Lassiter said slowly.
Shawn nodded encouragingly. The detective was almost there. "Or if he was doing any research at all."
"Sanders was Newton's advisor," Lassiter said, putting it together. "He would have reviewed anything Newton was planning to publish." He looked over at Juliet as comprehension dawned on her face.
"Sanders stole Newton's research – " Juliet started.
" – And passed if off as his own." Lassiter finished.
"That seems like pretty solid motive to me," Shawn said, standing up. "Looks like my work here is done."
Lassiter was busy sorting the pages into separate papers. Juliet nudged him. He looked at her and rolled his eyes. He mumbled something.
"I don't think he heard that," she said coaxingly.
Lassiter cleared his throat. "Um, good work Spencer," he said gruffly. He never looked up from sorting the papers.
"Thanks Lassiepants," Shawn said. "Always happy to do – help you do your job." He changed his sentence midflow at a look from Juliet. She nodded approvingly at him.
After a moment of awkward silence, he said, "Time to go Gus." He grabbed his friend by the arm and pulled him from the room.
As they headed down the stairs, he noticed Gus grinning smugly at him. "What?"
"She owns you man," Gus said. "You and Lassiter."
"She does not own me," he said with great resentment. No woman told Shawn Spencer what to do. Well, except maybe in bed. But those were more requests than orders.
"So it was your idea to have that very touching moment with Lassiter?" Gus asked, grinning.
"I was just trying to make her happy," he said in defense. He moved aside to let the forensics people past before heading out the front door.
"So her happiness is more important than what you want?" Gus asked, still grinning.
"Yes. No. I don't know." He threw up his arms in frustration. "She does not own me."
"Whatever you say," Gus said, getting into the car.
Shawn joined him. "Just for that, you're paying for jerked chicken," he said, buckling up.
"We can't," Gus said. "I have a date tonight and you have dinner at your dad's."
He groaned. He forgot he was supposed to go over to his dad's tonight. Of course, Nikki would be there. He pulled out his phone. Still no calls. He sighed. "What am I going to tell her?" he asked quietly.
Gus looked at him seriously. "The truth. You're doing everything you can to find her dad. Sometimes it just takes time."
"But what if I don't find him in time? What if she has to go back to foster care?" He heard the slight panic in his voice. He didn't know when Nikki had become so important to him, but he could barely stand the thought of letting her down.
"You'll find him," Gus said with confidence. "You've solved harder cases than this one."
He was right. "Thanks man," he said.
"No problem," Gus said. He looked at the time. "I've got to hurry. Rachel likes me to arrive early for our dates so we have extra time to talk."
"Now who's owned by their woman?" he asked mockingly. He laughed at the glare Gus gave him. He was still laughing as they pulled away.
Shawn stared pensively out the window, sipping a beer. He was at his dad's place, standing in the kitchen. Henry was outside, grilling up some steaks. Nikki was upstairs, probably snooping around. With time to himself and nothing to do, his mind was free to wander. The blood on the lab coat was a preliminary match for Cooper's blood type. The glass shards matched those found in the wound, which the lab now surmised came from a broken beaker. They had enough evidence to charge Newton but still needed to find him. An APB was out on his car, but no one knew where he was heading. He should be trying to determine Newton's next move. Instead, his mind kept straying to the girl upstairs. He pulled out his phone. Still no calls.
"You should tell her."
He turned around. He had been so wrapped up in his thoughts that he hadn't heard his dad enter the kitchen. He had pulled his father aside soon after he arrived and filled him in on what was going on with Nikki's case. Including the meeting with Vick. "What, are you the psychic now?" he asked, leaning back against the counter.
Henry pointed to the phone still in his hand. "Just observant." He crossed to the fridge and pulled out a beer. He cracked it open and took a swig. "She's a tough kid. She deserves to know what's going on."
"I'll have a few extra days before the Denver PD can send someone down here," Shawn said, putting his phone away.
"Time you'll need to convince the father to take the kid," Henry pointed out.
"She's a great kid. Who wouldn't want her?" he asked, being deliberately optimistic.
"You know as well as I do that the world doesn't always work that way," Henry said. He put down his beer and crossed his arms, regarding Shawn seriously. "What are you going to do if he doesn't want to take her? Or you can't find him in time?"
"I'm not sending her back to foster care," he said stubbornly. "I promised I would help her and that is what I'm going to do."
"You can't save everyone kid. Fact of life," Henry said. He patted Shawn on the shoulder before leaving the room.
"I don't need to save everyone," he muttered to himself. "Just her." He picked at the label of the beer bottle. With the deadline looming, he had been wondering what would happen to Nikki if he failed. He couldn't send her back into the system. And she had no other family to go to. He had been vaguely toying with the idea of fostering her himself, if only as a last resort.
He heard someone pounding down the stairs. It gave him just enough warning to put a grin on his face before Nikki bounded into the room. "Hey Nikki."
"Hey Shawn!" she said. "Is dinner done yet? I'm starving." She was dressed in the same clothes he had first seen her in. A smudge of dirt stretched across one cheek, as if she had absentmindedly wiped her face while digging through some dusty old boxes. Like one was bound to find in an attic.
"First, you should probably clean that up," he said, tapping his cheek.
She touched her own cheek and noticed the dirt. She grinned sheepishly. "I can explain," she said quickly.
"Just wash it off and don't say anything to my dad," he said. He moved out of the way so she could reach the sink. "By the way, all the good stuff is in the far right corner," he added offhandedly.
She looked up at him. "I'll have to remember that," she said cheekily.
"Food's ready." Henry called from the back porch.
"Let's eat," she said. She quickly dried her hands and lead the way out the door.
They sat around the table on the back porch, helping themselves to corn on the cob and mashed potatoes while Henry dished out the steaks. As soon as she filled her plate, Nikki attacked the food with gusto. Shawn had seen wild animals attack their food with less ferocity. After a couple of minutes, she seemed to notice Shawn and Henry staring at her. She quickly swallowed the food in her mouth. "I'm eating too fast again, aren't I?" she asked Shawn.
"Just a little," he lied. He was still surprised at how quickly she could consume food. It didn't seem humanly possible. "It's not going anywhere. Remember to take time to chew your food. And breathing. That's important too."
She glared at him before turning to Henry. "The food is very good," she said.
"Glad you like it," Henry said, pleased. He pointed his fork at Shawn. "Shawn here never seems to appreciate my cooking. That's why he never stops by anymore."
"It's not the cooking, it's the lecturing," he corrected. "That, and the incident." He shuddered, remembering the time he had accidently walked in on his parents having sex.
"What incident?" she asked curiously.
"Don't ask," Shawn and Henry said together. They looked at each other, surprised they had managed to agree on something. Nikki just shrugged and continued eating.
They enjoyed a few minutes of comfortable silence, a rare event in the Spencer household. Put him and his father in the same room and a fight was bound to happen. Things may be peaceful now, but it wouldn't last for long.
"So," Nikki said slowly, her tone drawing his full attention. "Did you find out anything about my father?" She stared down at her plate, toying with her food.
"I did," he said. She looked up at him, hope mixed with caution in her eyes. "I'm waiting to here back from someone but if we're lucky, he'll know your father's name." He met his own father's gaze, shaking his head. He wasn't going to burden her with the rest. Henry seemed to disapprove but nodded.
She took a deep breath before asking the next question. "Do you think he'll want me?" Her voice was very quiet.
"Um." He looked at his father, unsure how to answer her question.
"No matter what happens, you'll always have a place here if you need it," Henry said.
"Thank you Henry," she said gratefully, giving him a warm smile.
He just stared at his father in surprise. Old age sure had changed him. He never would have opened his doors to a complete stranger like this before.
Henry noticed his stare and turned red. "I'm gonna get another beer," he said, standing up. "Anyone want anything?" Shawn and Nikki shook their heads. He walked around the table and into the house.
Nikki had finished off her first plate and was filling up a second one. Scooping up mashed potatoes, she asked, "How's the Sanders' case coming?"
He was still pondering his father's strange gesture of kindness and didn't answer right away. "It's going good," he said after she repeated the question. "Great in fact. We figured out who the killer is. And by we I mean me of course."
"What tipped you off?" she asked eagerly.
"We already knew the killer had to have access to the lab," he began. Henry came out of the house, beer in hand, and sat down at the table. "There was a gray cat hair found at the crime scene. I remembered one of the guys we talked to had a cat scratch on his hand. He knew Cooper and worked closely with Sanders. I convinced the police to check out his house." He paused to take a sip of beer.
"Should you be discussing the case with her?" Henry asked bluntly. "Remember what happened last time?"
"How was I supposed to know she was a reporter?" he asked. His dad just gave him a look. "Ok, so maybe I was a little drunk." A lot drunk, he corrected silently in his head. Vick had cut him off from cases for a month after that incident. "Besides, this is a completely different situation. She's my psychic apprentice, so I have to share cases with her." He regretted the words the instant they were out of his mouth.
"Psychic apprentice?" Henry asked sharply.
He winced. "It was a spur of the moment decision." One he had planned to never tell his father about. "She crashed a crime scene. I was trying to keep her out of jail." He looked defensively at Henry. "Was I supposed to let her get arrested."
"She wouldn't have been at the crime scene if she didn't already know about the case," Henry said shrewdly.
"Technically, she figured out the case on her own," he said, defending himself. This is why he hated discussing things with the ex cop. "Tell him Nikki."
"It's true," she said. Henry turned to look at her. She wilted slightly under the force of his glare. "I guessed what case he was working on and pestered him until he told me about it." Her voice grew more and more quiet until it was nearly inaudible by the end.
He turned his glare on Shawn. "You need to start acting more responsibly. You can't bring a kid into these kind of dangerous situations."
"It's not like I'm bringing her to drug busts or to chase down hostile suspects," Shawn said angrily. He wasn't that irresponsible. "We're just talking about the case. She's been a big help already." He looked at Nikki proudly. She gave small smile, still looking worriedly at Henry.
Henry stared at him silently for a moment. "Fine. But you're responsible if anything happens to her."
"Nothing's going to happen," he said with exasperation. Henry just grunted.
There was a moment of awkward silence. "Well, go on," Henry said at last. "What did you find in the house?"
He grinned. His father couldn't resist hearing about his cases. As much as he complained about Shawn coming to him for help, he loved being involved. "We found evidence to link him to both Cooper's and Sanders' murders. He had even made a replica of Sanders' experiment, complete with notes on possible ways to tamper with it. I also 'divined' why he did it, with the help of his cat."
"Was it a cute cat?" Nikki asked eagerly.
It looked like he had found another cat lover. He thought back to the glimpse he had had of the cat as it shot out of the room. "Yeah, sure," he said, absentmindedly rubbing the cat scratches on his hand. She sighed happily. He would never understand women's fascination with the cuteness of a cat. It was a fierce, proud animal, not a cuddly plaything. Whatever. Back to the case. "The reason he did it –"
"What color was the cat?" she asked, cutting him off.
"Gray," he said shortly. He saw his father smirking at him and chose to ignore it. "He did it because – "
"What will happen to the cat now?" she asked urgently. She seemed genuinely worried about the well-being of the cat.
He sighed. "I don't know. It will probably end up at the animal shelter." He thought about how wild the cat was. "If someone is able to catch it."
"Poor thing," she said sadly. He could see how upset this was making her. Truth be told, he wasn't happy about the cat's situation either. He didn't like the idea of it wandering the streets, cold and hungry. He wondered if there was a way he could catch it.
"No, Shawn," Henry said, interrupting his thoughts. "I know what you're thinking. No cats. Not in my house."
"I wasn't thinking that," he said irritably. But I am now. Nikki had been through a lot. She could use a small furry animal to keep her company. His dad was eyeing him suspiciously, so he decided to figure it out later. "Any more questions?"
"How did you 'divine' the motive?" she asked.
He grinned. "That was a combination of research and luck. The cat knocked over some papers on Newton's desk. While picking them up, I noticed they were identical to research papers Sanders had published recently."
"He stole Newton's work," Henry surmised.
He nodded. "He changed the dates of the experiments to cover his tracks. But otherwise he copied Newton's work word for word."
"Did you make up a vision to explain it to the police?" she asked curiously.
He noticed Henry frown at her words. He knew Nikki wouldn't tell anyone his secret and hoped he could convince his dad of the same thing. "Even better," he said, answering her question. "I pretended to channel Newton's cat. I basically crawled around, meowing and scratching at things I wanted them to pay attention to."
She grinned. "I would have loved to see that."
"You should have seen Lassie's face when I rubbed up against his leg," he said, laughing.
"You shouldn't antagonize him so much," Henry said. "One of these days he'll arrest you."
"Please, he already tried that once," he said dismissively. "I doubt he'll try it again."
"Why did he try to arrest you?" Nikki asked.
He smiled at her. "That is an interesting story." He recounted the tale of his first meeting with Detective Lassiter, and the events that led to the formation of Psych. He then went on to tell her about some of his more memorable cases. His dad, having lived through most of them, headed back inside the house.
Some time later, he noticed the sun about to set. "Well, that's probably enough for today," he said reluctantly. It was nice having someone he could discuss past cases with who hadn't been directly involved. Plus Nikki knew his secret, so he could tell her how he really solved them.
"There's something puzzling me about the reunion case," she said. "Who's Judd Nelson?"
"Who's Judd Nelson?" he asked in disbelief. "Haven't you ever seen the Breakfast Club?" She shook her head. He glanced at his watch. Juliet would probably be home late; the police were still trying to track down Newton. "Come on," he said, standing up and holding a hand out to Nikki. "I think my dad still has a copy lying around somewhere."
Henry turned a page in his book. He was sitting in the kitchen, having given up the living room to Shawn and Nikki's mini movie marathon. Shawn liked to give a running commentary to any movie he'd seen before, making it impossible to watch anything with him. They had started with the Breakfast Club, then gone on to Teen Wolf. They were halfway through Ghostbusters and he noticed it had gone suspiciously quiet.
Nikki came into the room and walked over to the fridge. "How's the movie?" he asked, looking up from his book.
She pulled out a soda and popped open the can. "Good," she said. She glanced toward the living room. "Shawn fell asleep about ten minutes ago. I came in here so I wouldn't wake him up." She walked over and sat down at the table.
He put his book down. "He was probably up late playing video games or some other nonsense." He had hoped being with Juliet would cause Shawn to finally grow up, at least a little. So far, that didn't seem to be the case.
"Maybe," she said doubtfully. She stared down at the can cupped in her hands. "Gus called during the second movie. Half the conversation consisted of Shawn saying 'I'm fine,' over and over again. I think Gus is worried about him." She looked up at him with concern.
"Mmm," he grunted. Gus usually didn't worry about Shawn without a good reason. Maybe he should have a talk with Gus, find out if anything was going on. He looked Nikki over. She sure was a perceptive kid. Speaking of which – "So you know he's not a psychic?"
She looked at him guiltily. "I promise I won't tell anyone. Shawn does good work and I wouldn't want to ruin that." She looked down at her soda again. "I only figured it out by accident," she said quietly.
"Go on," he said, intrigued. Few people had figured out the truth to Shawn's act over the years. He wondered what had given him away this time.
She fiddled with her soda. "The thing is – "
A knock on the door interrupted her. "Hold on a moment," he said. She nodded, looking slightly relieved. He made a mental note of her expression. It warranted further investigation. The knock sounded again. "I'm coming," he called, annoyed by the impatience of the knocker. People today were in too much of a hurry. He got to the door and opened it. "Juliet," he said with surprise. "Come in." He stepped back to let her into the kitchen. "What brings you here so late?"
"I'm sorry to bother you Henry, but I'm looking for Shawn," she said, glancing around the room. "Is he here?" Her gaze lingered on Nikki before she looked back at him. "It's for a case," she said apologetically.
"He's asleep in the other room," he said. "I'll go wake him up."
"He's asleep?" Juliet asked in surprise. She hesitated. "Maybe you should just leave him."
"Nonsense," he said briskly. "He has a job to do. He can sleep later." Ignoring her protests, he left the room to wake up Shawn.
Juliet looked after Henry, frowning. She knew Shawn wasn't getting enough sleep and hated to wake him. But they did need him for the case. She heard a sound behind her and turned. Nikki had gotten up from the table and stood looking at her cautiously. She seemed different than the she had at the crime scene, more wary. Given what she had been through, Juliet couldn't blame her.
"Hi," Nikki said, after a moment.
"Hi," Juliet said back. She held out her hand. "I'm Juliet."
Nikki shook it. "Nikki." The two stood in silence for moment, unsure what to say. "You work with Shawn?" she asked.
"Yes, at the police station," Juliet replied.
"And you're his girlfriend," Nikki said. It was a statement rather than a question. Juliet wondered how Nikki had been able to tell. She looked curiously at Juliet. "Is it hard, working with someone you're dating?"
"Sometimes," she admitted. She heard a muffled curse from the next room. It seemed Henry had succeeded in waking Shawn up. "But it's worth it, if it's the right guy."
Nikki nodded in understanding. "He's pretty great, isn't he?"
"He is," she agreed. The two shared a smile at the thought of the psychic. Seeing Nikki smile like that, Juliet could understand why helping her was so important to Shawn. They each had this same quality to them, this innate belief in the goodness of the world, no matter what they've been through. It was what had attracted her to Shawn in the first place. She hoped everything worked out for Nikki, for both their sakes.
At that moment, Shawn stumbled into the room, followed by Henry. He only looked half awake and she wondered again if it might have been better to just let him sleep.
"Jules," he said, surprised. "What are you doing here?" He tried, and failed, to smother a yawn.
"They found Newton's car at the bus station. The chief wants us to check it out." She noticed the dark circles under his eyes looked more pronounced then earlier. "Are you ok?" she asked quietly.
"Peachy," he said, giving her a warm smile. "Just need to give my brain a little time to warm up." He looked at Henry and Nikki. "We must be off!" He headed for the door, grabbing Juliet's arm along the way.
"It was nice to meet you Nikki," she said as Shawn dragged her out the door. "Good night Henry."
"Night Juliet," Henry called after her.
"Night Juliet. Night Shawn," Nikki said.
Shawn didn't let go of his arm until they reached the car. He opened the passenger door as she got in on the driver's side. She watched him carefully. He seemed to be having trouble buckling his seatbelt. "Are you sure you're ok?"
He finally got the seatbelt in. "Fine," he said, rubbing his face. The answer sounded more reflexive than anything. He smiled at her in reassurance. "Let's go."
With some misgivings, she popped the car into gear and pulled out of the driveway. Shawn was pushing himself to hard. When this was over she was going to make sure he got some rest.
Everybody make it? Let me know what you think.
