Saturday
"Here."
A cup of coffee was thrust into Shawn's face. He inhaled the bittersweet aroma, coming out of the stupor he had been in for the last hour. He grabbed the proffered cup and took a long sip. It was perfect, and just cool enough to drink. "Thanks."
"No problem," Nikki said. The two of them were in the Psych office. Shawn was slumped over at his desk, cradling the cup of coffee. Nikki stood opposite him, arms crossed. It was a warm day, so she was sans sweater, wearing what he recognized as one of his old t shirts. She was staring at him, a concerned look on her face.
He took another sip of coffee. "You know, that's really annoying." The end of his sentence dissolved into a huge yawn.
"Late night?" she asked quietly.
He nodded. "And an early morning." He yawned again, rubbing his face. The coffee was sure taking its time waking him up. He looked up at Nikki as a thought occurred to him. "How did you get here?"
"Henry," she stated. "He said he needed some supplies for a project and could drop me off on the way." She hesitated, a look of confusion on her face. "He also gave me the money for the coffee. Said if you're not going to sleep, at least you should be awake enough to get some work done." She looked to Shawn for an explanation. Apparently she had been around Henry long enough to know this was not normal behavior for him.
Shawn groaned, resting his head on the coffee cup. That was Henry's way of saying he was worried about him. He did not need his dad butting into his life right now. He could feel a headache coming on just from the thought of it. Or maybe it was the caffeine on top of too little sleep. "You can tell my dad I'm fine," he told Nikki, not looking up. "And to quit worrying about me."
There was a long moment of silence. "At least he cares," she said quietly.
He lifted his head. She was staring at the floor, shoulders slumped. Nice going Shawn he thought sarcastically. Here he was, complaining about his father being too interested in his life, when she had no one at all. "Nikki - "
At that moment, Gus walked into the office, carrying two smoothies. He stopped short, startled to see Nikki standing there.
She quickly adopted a cheerful grin. "Hi Gus," she said brightly.
"Nikki," Gus nodded. He looked at Shawn and sighed. "I thought we agreed no coffee," he said accusingly.
"Blame her," he said quickly, pointing at Nikki. "She gave it to me." She made a face at him. He made one right back.
Gus placed the smoothies on his own desk and walked over to Shawn. "Give me the coffee." Shawn shook his head, clutching it closer to him. Gus grabbed the cup and after a brief struggle was able to wrench it from his grasp. He looked at Shawn and shook his head, disappointment on his face. "You can't blame Nikki. You're an adult. You're responsible for your own decisions." He took the cup over to the sink.
He watched sadly as Gus dumped his coffee down the drain. "It was my decision to drink the coffee," he muttered. He turned when he heard Nikki sigh. She went over to Gus's desk and grabbed one of the smoothies sitting there. She brought it back to Shawn.
"Here," she said, placing it in front of him. "Stop whining."
"I wasn't whining," he said, a definite whine in his voice now. She just gave him a look. He ignored her and grabbed the smoothie. He took a sip and sighed happily. "Good old pineapple." He leaned back in his chair, propping his feet on his desk with a groan. He sipped his smoothie and closed his eyes, trying to will his headache away.
"Is he always like this when he's tired?" she asked Gus, a hint of worry in her voice.
"Pretty much," Gus said with a sigh. He heard Gus throw something in the trash, followed by footsteps. There was the creak of a desk chair, then the slurping sound of Gus drinking his own smoothie. "The more tired he is, the more infantile he becomes." He could hear Gus smirking.
"I call time out on the name calling," he said, eyes still closed. "At least until I'm awake enough to call them back." He heard something scrape across the floor. The noise stopped in front of his desk. Opening his eyes, he saw Nikki had dragged over a chair. She sat with her arms crossed, looking at him impatiently. "Can I help you?" he asked, raising an eyebrow.
"You never told me what happened last night," she said complained. He winced as her loud voice set his head throbbing. She noticed and continued more quietly. "Did you find out anything at the bus station?"
"Nothing," he said, yawning. The few sips of coffee were not enough to wake him up. "Newton was long gone by the time we got there. And none of the night shift workers remembered seeing him." They had spent hours checking the area for clues only to come up empty handed.
"And the car?"
"Clean. Not so much as a candy wrapper. Nothing that would tell us where he is going or what he is planning." And nothing he could use for a vision either. He had looked particularly useless last night, as Lassiter had been quick to point out.
"So last night didn't go well," she summed up. "How about his morning?"
He heaved a sigh. This morning had been the epitome of why cops need sleep. "Let's see. It started with the chief calling us in for a 7 am interview with Pratt. The bastard insisted he had to come in early. Said he had plans later in the day that could not be disrupted." He rubbed the side of his face tiredly. He and Juliet hadn't gone to bed until 4 am. The chief called at 6, saying she wanted both of them there to question Pratt. He learned a few new curse words from Juliet that morning.
Nikki watched his face carefully. "I'm guessing it didn't go well," she said slowly.
He snorted, shaking his head. Lassiter had also been called in and was in a similarly exhausted state. Tension had quickly mounted between the detectives and Pratt. "If by not well you mean Lassiter taking a swing at Pratt, then yeah, it didn't go well." He had had to help drag Lassiter out of the interrogation room after that, leaving Juliet to finish questioning Pratt. He almost thought Lassiter would take a swing at him before he calmed down. He had never seen the detective lose control like that. "He didn't even give us any useful information." He slurped down the rest of his smoothie.
"Lassiter really took a swing at Pratt?" Nikki asked, sounding surprised. He nodded in confirmation. "Wow." She sat silently for a moment, shaking her head.
He placed his empty cup on the desk, fiddling with it. "Luckily, we got a call from the bus station. One of the day shift ticket sellers remembered seeing Newton," He balanced the cup on its edge, trying to spin it with one finger. "Said he bought a ticket to Santa Maria." He knocked the cup over. It rolled across his desk and fell to the floor.
Nikki grabbed it before it could roll away and tossed it in the trash. She sat back down, a determined look on her face. "I don't think he's going to Santa Maria," she stated.
"Me either," he agreed. "But the police seemed to be convinced otherwise."
"Then why are you here?" she asked, looking at him in confusion. "Why aren't you out trying to track Newton down?"
Gus looked up as Shawn yawned widely. "That's why," he said. Nikki turned to look at Gus. "Juliet called me to come pick him up. He was practically dead on his feet." He glared at Shawn. "He's been pushing himself too hard. She wanted him to get some rest."
"I'm resting," he said stubbornly. He gestured to himself in the chair. "I have my feet up and everything."
"She meant you need to sleep and you know it," Gus said.
"I don't have time to sleep," he grumbled. He dropped his feet off the desk and sat up. "I need to figure out where Newton went." His statement was punctuated by another yawn.
"Well, does he have any family?" Nikki asked thoughtfully.
"Don't encourage him," Gus said sternly.
"If he's not going to sleep, we might as well help him," she said to Gus. She turned back to Shawn. "Any siblings?" she prompted.
"One brother," he said. "Jules checked him out yesterday, before we found Newton's car. He used to work for Mendorra Construction until they shut down. Now he works freelance. He's currently out of town on a job. They checked out his place already."
"Wasn't Mendorra the one working that building on State Street?" Gus asked.
He nodded. "They never found anyone to continue the project. It's been abandoned ever since." He yawned again, struggling to keep his eyes open.
Gus and Nikki exchanged a look. "Dude, maybe you should go lay down. You look exhausted," Gus said carefully.
"I'm fine," he said irritably. He wished everyone would quit asking him that. He just needed to figure out where Newton would go next. He yawned again.
"Nikki and I can work do some digging while you get some rest," Gus said. Nikki nodded in agreement.
"I said I'm fine," he snapped. They exchanged another worried look at his outburst. He sighed. Maybe they were right. It felt like his head was full of marshmallows, all gooey and delicious but not very good for crime solving. He rubbed his eyes with the heels of his hands.
"Shawn?" Nikki said softly. He looked up to see her looking at him carefully. "You really need to rest. Even if just for an hour."
He nodded reluctantly. "Yeah, I think you're right." He got up slowly, grabbing his phone. He yawned so wide he felt his jaw pop. "Let me know when you find something." Without waiting for a response, he stumbled to the back room.
When they had first started Psych, Shawn had put an old army cot and some blankets in one of the back rooms. It gave him a place to crash if he was working on a case all night. Or when he was between apartments, which had happened a couple of times in the early days. He moved some boxes out of the way and flopped down on the cot. Pulling a blanket over himself, he quickly drifted off.
His cell phone ringing woke Shawn up from an uneasy sleep. He grabbed it, peering blearily at the screen. When he saw who it was, he cursed. "What do you want, Dad?" he moaned into the phone.
"And hello to you too," Henry replied. "You got a minute?"
He sighed. He pulled the phone away from his head to look at it. Judging by the time, he had barely been asleep 20 minutes. He put the phone back to his ear. "Do I have a choice?" he asked sullenly.
"I'm replacing some of the old boards on the back porch. I need an extra set of hands." It sounded more like an order than a request for help.
"I'm in the middle of a case right now," he whined. "Can't you bother someone else?"
"I wasn't talking about you," Henry said. "Nikki's still there, right?"
"Yeah, so?" he asked, brain still fuzzy with sleep.
"So it's about time she starts earning her keep," Henry explained. "I'll see you in 10 minutes." He hung up before Shawn could reply.
He groaned, pulling the blankets over his head. He considered going back to sleep and forgetting the entire conversation. But his dad would just call back, and keep calling until he got Nikki over there. With a sigh, he threw back the blankets and got up.
Gus was sitting at his desk, looking at something on his computer screen. Nikki was standing behind him, looking over his shoulder. "What about this one?" Nikki said, pointing at something on the screen.
Gus shook his head. "None of the houses have the right view of the lake." He looked up as Shawn entered the room. "I thought you were sleeping."
"I was," he said irritably. He held up his phone. "My dad called. He wants help on some project of his."
"Tell him we're busy with a case," Gus said.
"He doesn't want us." He came around to look over Gus's other shoulder. On screen was a topical map of Santa Barbara and the surrounding areas. "What are you doing?"
"I remembered that picture in Newton's house, the one we knocked over," Gus said, looking at him. Shawn nodded. "Well, there was a cabin in the background. I'm trying to find it."
"It's a dead end," he said dismissively. "The family sold it 10 years ago. The police sent someone to check it out. The place looked abandoned."
"Oh," Gus said. He closed his laptop. "It would have been nice to know that earlier." He gave Shawn a disgruntled look.
"You didn't ask," he said simply.
Gus sighed in defeat. "So why did your dad call, if he doesn't want our help?" he asked, returning to the previous topic.
"He wants Nikki's help," he explained. He turned to Nikki with a grin. "Something about earning her keep."
She looked back in resignation. "I don't really have a choice in this, do I?" she asked.
"Nope," he said cheerfully, glad it wasn't him helping out for once. He rolled his eyes at her hopeless expression. "Relax. It won't be that bad."
"I'd rather stay and help you find Newton," she said dejectedly, looking down.
Shawn took pity on her. It wasn't easy working with his father, after all. "Alright, here's what you do," he said conspiratorially. "Pretend you have no idea what you are doing. Make him show you how to do everything. Wait until he gets really focused on the job, then say you have to use the bathroom. You can sneak off for a good 30 minutes, sometime up to an hour." Her expression brightened as he explained the plan. "But remember, you can only use the bathroom trick once per project, so choose your time wisely."
"Thanks, I'll remember that," she said, grinning. She looked more like her usual, bubbly self.
Gus glared at him. "Is that how I keep getting stuck doing all the work whenever we're helping your dad out?"
He winced. "It's not going to work anymore, is it?"
"Shawn," Gus said sternly.
"Ok, Ok," he said placatingly. "I promise: no more sticking Gus with all the work."
Gus looked slightly mollified at the statement. "When does your dad want us over there?" he asked.
He checked his phone. "About now." He looked at his two companions. "We should probably get going."
"OK," Nikki said. She looked slyly at Shawn. "Shotgun!" she called, before racing out the door.
"That's not fair," he complained. "I'm the psychic. You're the apprentice." He chased Nikki out the door, Gus following more sedately behind him.
Shawn walked into his father's house, Nikki behind him. "Dad! We're here!"
"You're late," Henry said, entering the kitchen. "I expected you 15 minutes ago." He was dressed in a ratty pair of shorts and an old t-shirt.
"Gus got stuck in the little boy's room," Shawn said. He sighed, shaking his head. "I told him those burritos looked funky."
Henry crossed his arms and looked disapprovingly at him. "You're 36 years old, Shawn. You shouldn't be relying on your friend to drive you everywhere."
"Did you want me to drive her over on my motorcycle?" he asked sarcastically. "Because that seems just a little irresponsible." He normally didn't let his dad get under his skin like this. But he was too tired to play nice and take his father's crap today.
"Irresponsible?" Henry snorted. "That's rich, coming from you. You haven't been responsible a day in your life."
"Hey, I run a business," he said, insulted. "I've been responsible loads of times." He could feel his temper starting to fray.
"Like when you got shot poking your nose where it didn't belong?" Henry asked accusingly.
"Like when I caught the guy who tried to kill you!" he snapped angrily. The two stood glaring at each other. Movement out of the corner of his eye made Shawn turn. Nikki stood in the corner of the kitchen, watching the two of them nervously. He had forgotten she was standing there. His anger dissipating, he started to feel embarrassed about the way he had acted.
He looked back at his father. "You're right, I'm irresponsible," he said, earning a surprised look from Henry. "So let's just drop it." He glanced at Nikki, than back at Henry. His father followed his gaze, taking in Nikki's discomfort with the situation.
"Fair enough," Henry said. He turned to Nikki. "Sorry about that. My son and I don't get along well at the best of times."
"It's ok," Nikki said, still a little subdued.
"Why don't you go upstairs and change?" Henry said gently. "I'll meet you out back to show you what we'll be doing."
"Ok," she said. She seemed glad to have an excuse to leave the room. She quickly crossed the kitchen and headed up the stairs.
Shawn rubbed his temples, feeling his headache coming back. He saw his father watching him. "I'm fine," he said, hopping to forestall a lecture.
Henry left the room. Before Shawn had time to wonder what he was doing, he came back with a bottle of Advil. "Here," Henry said, throwing it to him. He fumbled the bottle and nearly dropped it. Henry filled up a glass of water and placed it in front of him.
"Thanks," he said gratefully. He opened the bottle and popped out a couple of pills. He tossed them back along with the entire glass of water. Putting the glass down, he leaned on the counter, hoping they worked quickly.
Henry was still watching him closely. "I'm not going to tell you to take it easy or get some rest," he said after a moment. "You're too much like me. You won't rest until the case is done." He leaned against the counter next to Shawn. "But if you wear yourself out, you won't be any good to the police. Or Nikki."
He turned his head to look at his father. He was touched by the concern he could see on Henry's face. With all the fighting, sometimes he forgot how much his dad cared about him. "I'll keep that in mind." He pushed himself away from the counter. "I gotta go. Gus is waiting outside and I have a killer to catch." He walked over to the door.
"Be careful," Henry said gruffly.
He grinned. "Life's no fun if you're careful." Henry snorted as he opened the door and walked outside.
"Make sure you eat something," Henry called after him.
Shawn shook his head, pulling the door closed behind him. Worried Henry was almost as bad as mad Henry. At least mad Henry he knew how to deal with. He went over to the car and got inside.
"How'd it go?" Gus asked.
"Could have been worse," he said, buckling his seatbelt. He pulled out his phone and looked at the screen. He groaned in dismay.
"What's wrong?" Gus asked.
"My phone died," he said. "Between all the running around last night and this morning, I must have forgotten to charge it again." He had broken the charger at the office, so he would have to get the one at the house. He hoped he hadn't missed any calls. He turned to Gus. "Can we swing by my place to pick up the charger?"
"Sure," Gus said. "But only if we can also stop to pick up something to eat. I'm starving."
"Deal," he said. He closed his eyes against the bright sunlight as Gus pulled out of the driveway. He yawned, feeling drowsy. "Wake me when we get there." He settled back comfortably in the seat, dozing the rest of the way.
The first thing Shawn did when he got back to the office, after tripping over the pile of mail by the door, was plug in his phone. He sat at his desk, waiting impatiently for the phone to boot up. Gus collected the scattered bits of mail and brought it over to his own desk.
The phone beeped at him. 'One new voicemail' showed up on the screen. The number attached was for the PI in Denver. "Damn it." He pressed the button to retrieve the voicemail. Of course the guy would call the one time he didn't have his phone on.
Gus looked up from sorting the mail. "What is it?"
"I missed the call from the PI," he said with a sigh. Gus shook his head in sympathy. Shawn queued up the message. "But he left a voicemail." He put the phone on speaker before hitting play.
"Hello Mr. Spencer," the PI said. He had a slightly raspy voice and Shawn immediately pictured one of those classic noir detectives, complete with trench coat. "You called asking for information about Nicole Peterson's father. Interesting case. I have a name for you, but I would rather not leave it in a message. Let's say it's a complicated situation." He chuckled to himself. Shawn and Gus exchanged a look. "I'll be out of the office the rest of the day. I should be back by noon tomorrow. If you want the information, you can call me then." He left his phone number. "Good luck with the child." The message ended.
"I hope it's not too complicated a situation, for Nikki's sake," Gus said. He went back to sorting the mail.
"Me too," Shawn said, staring at his phone. The entire message had seemed a little weird. Like the detective was hiding something. Something he found very amusing. And the way he ended the message. 'Good luck with the child.' The phrasing of it struck Shawn as a little odd.
"Hey Shawn," Gus said, interrupting his thoughts. "What hospital was Nikki's mom admitted to?"
"University of Colorado Hospital," he replied. He looked over at Gus "Why?"
Gus held up an envelope. "Someone from there sent you this." He walked over and handed it to Shawn.
He put down his phone and grabbed the envelope from Gus. It was indeed from U of C Hospital. "Weird. I didn't use my real name when I talked to that nurse." He looked at the return address. He didn't recognize the person listed.
"Well?" Gus said impatiently. "Aren't you going to open it?"
"Patience, Gus," he admonished. He looked the envelope over one more time before carefully ripping it open. Inside was a folded piece of paper and what looked like a photograph. He was about to remove the contents when his phone started ringing. Glancing at it, he saw 'Papa Bear' on the screen.
"What does he want now?" he grumbled. He picked up the phone with his free hand and answered it. "Whatever it is, the answer is no."
"Where have you been?" Henry asked. He sounded anxious. "I've been trying to call you for the last half hour."
"My phone died. We stopped to pick up my charger and get some food." He looked up at Gus worriedly. His dad wasn't one to overreact. "Why, did something happen?"
"Nikki's gone."
He dropped the envelope on the desk. "What do you mean, she's gone?" he asked, almost shouting into the phone. He put the phone on speaker as Gus came over to stand next to him.
"She went inside to get a drink," Henry said, voice distorted over the phone. "When I noticed how long she had been gone, I went in to look for her. I figured she was trying to ditch work, like you always did." Shawn let the dig slid, too worried about Nikki. "I found a note on her bed next to a map of Santa Barbara."
"What did the note say?" he asked urgently.
Henry cleared his throat. "'Police wrong. Newton's still in town. Be back later.'" There was the sound of paper rustling. "On the back is a note to you. 'Shawn, think of the brother.' Do you have any idea what this means?"
"I'm not sure," he said slowly. It sounded like Nikki had figured out where Newton was hiding and had gone to check it out. He'd be impressed if he wasn't so worried. Newton had proved he was willing to kill to avoid getting caught. "Don't worry, I'll find her."
"You'd better," his dad said. "You got her involved in this case. It's on your head if anything happens to her." He hung up before Shawn could reply.
Shawn threw his phone on his desk. "Why didn't she just say something?" he asked Gus. "Why did she have to run off after him?" He ran his fingers through his hair in frustration.
"Why don't you ask yourself the same question?" Gus said. "You do it all the time."
"That's different," he snapped. He started pacing in front of his desk. "The police think I'm psychic. So I have to know things I shouldn't to keep them believing that." He glared at Gus. "I don't just run off into a dangerous situation without telling anyone, completely unprepared!"
"Really?" Gus asked sarcastically. Shawn gave him a murderous glare, causing Gus to put up his hands in surrender. "Sorry, not helping."
Shawn continued to pace, trying to get his tired mind to focus. "I just don't understand what she was thinking," he muttered.
Gus pulled him to a stop, forcing Shawn to look at him."You said she's been hanging around, watching you work." Shawn nodded. "I think she's trying to emulate you. Be like you." He explained at Shawn's blank stare. "You said yourself she has the same photographic memory. Maybe she's trying to see if she can be as good as you."
Shawn chuckled bitterly. "Just like a real apprentice." He sighed, anger fading into worry. "That doesn't help us figure out where she went."
"What about the clue?" Gus reminded him. "'Think of the brother.'" He looked at expectantly at Shawn. "What do we know about him?"
"James Newton, 32. Lives over in Summerland." he said, recalling the info he knew about the brother. "Worked for Mendorra construction. Now works freelance." He stopped as something clicked in his mind. "Didn't you say Mendorra abandoned a project on State Street?"
"Yes, the half finished building," Gus said. He went to his desk and pulled out a map of Santa Barbara. Shawn came over as he unfolded the map. "Here." He pointed to an area on the map.
Shawn studied the map closely. "That's not too far from the bus station where we found Newton's car." He looked up at Gus. "Certainly within walking distance." It was a long shot, but it was the best lead they had.
"You think that's where he's hiding?" Gus asked uncertainly.
"I'm pretty sure Nikki does," he said. "And Newton's smart. We assumed he would run, so the safest thing for him to do is stay in town." He pointed to the map. "That building is empty and we would never think to connect it with him. It's perfect."
"Then let's go," Gus said.
Shawn paused just long enough to grab his phone off his desk before running out the door.
The sun was setting when they arrived at the abandoned building. It had already fallen behind the surrounding structures, casting the entire area into shadow. From what they could see, most of the first floor appeared finished, minus doors and windows. The second and third stories were just framework in the open air. With the light growing dimmer by the minute, the whole thing had a distinct, horror movie feel to it.
Shawn and Gus sat in the car for a moment, staring at the building. "Creepy," Gus said with a shiver.
"Yeah," Shawn agreed. A missing girl in a building with a murderer. Two guys going in, unprepared, to find her. This had horror movie written all over it. He hoped it didn't end up like one. He shook his head to dispel that train of thought and turned to Gus. "Well, it's not going to get any less slasher movie-e. Shall we?"
Gus stopped him before he could get out of the car. "Shouldn't we call the police first?" he asked worriedly.
Shawn shook his head. "Not until we find Nikki. The police can't know she was here." He climbed out of the car before Gus could protest further.
They headed across the lot and cautiously entered the building through one of the open doorways. Inside it was already dark, the fading sunlight unable to penetrate that far. They stopped just inside the doorway, peering into the blackness.
He nudged Gus. "Dude, go get your flashlight out of the car."
"I can't," Gus said, turning to him. "You took it out of the glove compartment to make room for your candy."
"Sometimes I need a sugar boost while working on a case," he said defensively.
Gus rolled his eyes. "Didn't you download one of those flashlight apps to your phone?"
"I did," he said, patting Gus on the back. He pulled out his phone and quickly found the app. He tapped it and a bright light immediately shone from the phone. He waved it around, illuminating patches of the room. "Cool," he said, grinning.
Gus grabbed his arm, pointing the light towards the ground. "Are you trying to signal to Newton we're here?" he hissed.
Shawn winced. "Good point." He dimmed the light and angled the phone so it shone on the ground in front of them. They had just enough light to see where they were going. "Ready?"
Gus nodded. They slowly walked deeper into the building.
The rooms near the front were the most complete. The further back they went, the more debris and building supplies they saw. Eventually they reached an open space near the center of the building. Shawn turned up the brightness on his phone and shone it around. The area was piled high with a maze of old dry wall, lumber, and extra support beams.
Gus suddenly grabbed his arm. "Did you hear that?" he whispered.
Shawn listened carefully for a moment. "Hear what?" he asked.
"Sshhhh." Gus hissed. "Don't talk so loud."
"I don't hear anything," he said, making sure to whisper.
"I thought I heard something over there," Gus said, pointing to the right. Shawn started to head in that direction but Gus stopped him. "What if it's Newton?" he asked fearfully.
"What if it's Nikki?" Shawn countered. He shook off Gus's hand and carefully started making his way towards the right side of the room. He was halfway there when he heard a loud clang behind him. Whipping around, he saw Gus standing on one leg, holding his foot. "Dude, keep it down," he said, heart pounding.
"I tripped," Gus hissed. They froze as they heard a scuffling noise ahead of them. "That's what I heard before," Gus said, barely audible.
Shawn motioned Gus to be quiet and moved closer to investigate. He slipped between two piles of lumber, slowly approaching where the noise was coming from. Suddenly a dark shape darted in front of him. He fell back with a yelp, bringing the light up. He was just able to make out a small furry form, with a masked face and ringed tail, before it scampered off into the darkness.
He sighed in relief. "Just a raccoon," he whispered to Gus, peering after it. He got no reply. "Gus?" He turned around. No Gus. He retraced his steps back to where Gus had tripped. "Gus?" he called again, a little louder. Still no reply. "Where are you?" he muttered to himself. He was starting to get they should have called for backup. Hoping Gus had just gotten turned around in the dark, he pulled up his number on his phone. He was about to press send when he sensedsomeone behind him. Before he could turn around, something hit him hard on the back of the head. He collapsed to the floor, sharp spikes of agony ripping through his skull. His cell phone spun away, light still shining. He was vaguely aware of someone walking towards him. Definitely should have called for backup he had time to think before he lost consciousness.
First, there was pain, blotting out everything else. Shawn spent a few agonizing moments wishing he would pass out , the pain receded, allowing other sensations to come through. He sorted through them, taking stock of his condition. He was sitting upright with his back against something cool and metallic, legs stretched out in front of him. His arms were bent back around the metallic object, hands secured with what felt like rope. He had a throbbing pain in his head and various other aches throughout his good, but nothing seemed immediately life threatening.
He heard noises to his left. Harsh breathing, and the sound of someone moving. Head still fuzzy, he couldn't recall exactly what had happened. He teased at his memory, trying to piece things was looking for someone. Gus? Yes, and no. Someone else. Someone important.
His memory came in a rush. Nikki. An abandoned building. Gus going missing. Someone behind him, pain, then blackness. He opened his eyes and groaned as a blinding light sent sharp spikes of pain through his head. He squeezed them shut, contemplating living in darkness the rest of his life. It would be hard, but manageable. Like being blind, but voluntarily.
The sounds to his left stopped. "Shawn?" It was Gus. That answered one question at least. "Shawn. Can you hear me?"
He winced as Gus's loud voice caused his head to throb harder. "Dude, not so loud," he said, voice raspy. Deciding that the blind life was not for him, (how would he watch movies?) he tried opening his eyes again. This time the light was not so intense. After a few moments, his eyes adjusted and he got his first glimpse of the space they were in. The light was coming from a small electric lantern sitting on a barrel about 10 feet away. It lit up piles of lumber and old girders, leading him to believe they were still somewhere in that large central room. Looking up, he saw his arms were tied around one of the support beams for the floor above. "Shawn?"
Turning his head to the left, he saw Gus similarly tied up at the next beam over. Gus sighed in relief. "I was getting worried. You were unconscious for a long time." He looked over Shawn with concern. "Are you ok?"
He laughed, then winced as the combination of sound and movement increased the throbbing in his head. "Let's see, someone snuck up on me, knocked me out, then tied me to a pillar." He grinned wryly at Gus. "Yeah, I'm peachy." He looked more closely at Gus's face. He had a nasty bruise forming over his right eye and a split lip. "You look like you've been in a fight. Did you put up a valiant if fruitless struggle against our captor?"
"Not exactly." Gus looked embarrassed. "I heard something and tripped running away. Newton grabbed me while I was laying stunned on the ground."
Newton. Shawn had forgotten about him. He looked around the space. He didn't see any sign of another person. "Where is he?"
"I don't know. He said something about checking the perimeter. That was a few minutes before you woke up."
"Then we'd better hurry up and escape." Shawn started tugging on the rope binding his hands. If it was loose enough, maybe he could wriggle his hands free. Unfortunately, whoever had tied the ropes seemed to be an expert. There wasn't an inch of slack and the knots were nice and tight. He gave up after a couple minutes. "Hey Gus. Do you still have your phone?"
"Even if I did, how exactly would you propose I use it?" Gus asked. He nodded his head towards his own bound hands.
"Good point." Shawn racked his brain, but for the moment was drawing a blank. The two sat there quietly, waiting for something to happen. "Hey Gus?" he asked slowly.
Gus sighed. "Yes Shawn?"
"I have to pee."
Gus glared at him. "If Newton doesn't kill you, I will."
"He already tried once, what makes you think you'ddo any better?" he asked challengingly.
"I've known you longer," Gus said smugly. "I know your weaknesses. All I would need was a poisoned smoothie."
He gasped. "Sacrilege!"
Gus grinned. "And that's why I would succeed." His smile faded as his look turned more serious. "Besides, Newton wouldn't have gone through the trouble of tying us up if he wanted us dead. It wouldn't make sense."
"You are correct Mr. Guster."
Shawn turned his head. While he and Gus had been arguing, Newton had appeared from the surrounding maze and was walking towards them. He stopped next to the barrel. The light illuminated only half his face, giving him a sinister look. "If I wanted you dead, you would be." He studied them like they were lab specimens, ready to be dissected. "I see Mr. Spencer has finally woken up."
"Are you the manager?" Shawn asked. "Because I must lodge a complaint. These accommodations are simply awful. And the service leaves much to be desired." He could never resist messing with the bad guys. And if it threw them off their game, all the better.
Newton just looked at him blankly. "I may have inadvertently used too much force hitting you on the head. It appears I caused brain damage."
"He always talks like that," Gus said quickly. He gave Newton a fake grin. "Don't antagonize our captor Shawn," he muttered out of the corner of his mouth.
"I know what I'm doing," Shawn muttered back. "I've done this before."
"And every time the police showed up and rescued us," Gus pointed out. "What's the plan now?"
"I'm improvising," he said. "If we just had our phones. . . "
"I can hear everything you are saying," Newton said, glancing back and forth between the two of them. "I'm only 3.17 meters away."
Shawn looked at him blankly. "That's 10.4 feet for you simpletons," Newton explained with a sigh. "As to the cell phones. . ." He picked them up from the barrel and showed them to Shawn and Gus. "I already disabled them." Shawn saw that the battery was missing out of the back of both phones. Newton pulled something from his pocket. "Just so you don't get any ideas." Shawn realized it was the batteries before Newton turned and tossed them off into the room.
Shawn followed their path with his eyes, making a note of where they landed. "That seemed a little unnecessary," he said when Newton's attention was back on them. "At least give us a fighting chance and let us have the rest of the phone."
Newton shook his head. "I've had too many things go wrong already to let anything fall to chance." He went back over to the barrel and picked something up. Shawn was momentarily distracted by movement near where the batteries had landed. It could have been an animal. Or it could have been someone searching the area. "I had hoped to avoid this," Newton said. Gus gasped and Shawn refocused on Newton.
The thing he had picked up from the barrel was a gun. "Really? A gun?" Shawn asked, disappointed. "You're a scientist. Shouldn't it be some kind of death ray or other weird gadget?" He looked disapprovingly at Newton. "You're ruining the image of evil scientists everywhere."
"Shut up, Shawn," Gus hissed.
"I'm not evil," Newton insisted. "I was justified in what I did."
Shawn saw movement around the nearest pile of lumber. There was a flash of brown hair as someone peeked around the pile. "That's right," he said, earning him a surprised look from Gus. "Sanders stole your work." He needed to get Newton talking, keep his attention away from that pile.
"I spent years working on that research," Newton said, moving closer to Shawn. "Years of working in labs, spending my nights and weekends experimenting. Years of making sure my work was absolutely perfect. And for what? So some two-bit hack, jealous of my brilliance, can steal my masterpieces and claim them for his own." Newton's face was flush with anger and he was breathing hard. The distraction was working better than Shawn had hoped. He definitely had Newton's full of the corner of his eye, he saw Nikki cautiously peeking around the lumber again. He met her gaze and tried to direct her attention towards the barrel.
"What are you looking at?" Newton asked suddenly. He turned to look behind him as Nikki ducked back behind the pile.
"Nothing," Shawn said quickly, causing Newton to turn back towards him. "There is absolutely nothing there. Right Gus?"
"Right," Gus agreed, giving him a quick, worried look. He had seen Nikki too. "I certainly didn't see anything."
"I should check just to make sure," Newton said. He turned and started walking towards Nikki's hiding place.
Shawn and Gus exchanged a panicked glance. "Stealing your work must have made you mad." Gus said desperately.
Newton paused. Shawn jumped at the hesitation. "Not just mad, vengeful. Sanders was wrong and nobody stopped him." There was an anxious moment where Shawn wasn't sure if Newton would take the bait. He breathed a sigh of relief when Newton turned back towards them. Luckily, he appeared to be the type of villain who liked to explain his plan to his victims. Shawn was glad Santa Barbara seemed to have an inordinate amount of these chatty villains.
"I tried going through the proper channels," Newton said. "But it was his word against mine. And Sanders had friends on the review board. I didn't have a chance." He walked back towards Shawn. "You see why I had to kill him. I had no choice." He stopped in front of Shawn, looking at him intently. "You understand, right?" The hand holding the gun was trembling slightly.
"No choice at all," Shawn agreed. Newton was starting to lose it. He better tread carefully. "The way you did it was brilliant. I mean, sabotaging the experiment to make it look like an accident? Pure genius."
"That was easy," Newton said dismissively. "It was pinning it on Pratt that was the tricky part."
"How did you accomplish that?" Gus asked, drawing Newton's attention towards him.
"First I had to steal glassware from Pratt's lab, so it had his fingerprints on it," Newton said, moving closer to Gus. He started going into detail how he staged Sanders' death and Pratt's downfall.
Shawn meanwhile watched Nikki's hiding peeked around the pile, studying the situation carefully. He met her gaze and nodded. She slowlystepped out into the open and made her way towards the barrel. Gus kept Newton talking, keeping his attention away from Nikki. She was almost there when her foot scuffed against the dirt on the floor. She immediately dropped down behind the barrel, using it as cover.
"What was that?" Newton asked, glancing over.
"Rats?" Gus said hesitantly.
Newton didn't look convinced. He moved towards the barrel, gun held out in front of him. Shawn held his breath, praying he didn't see Nikki. He moved past the barrel, Nikki twisting to make sure it stayed between the two of them, hiding her. Apparently satisfied no one was there, he walked back towards Gus. Shawn slowly let out his breath. That was too close.
Newton looked at the two of them. "You both seem tense," he said suspiciously.
Shawn made a conscious effort to appear more relaxed. "Just anxious to hear more of your brilliance." Newton did not look convinced. "Tell us about Cooper," he asked quickly, trying to distract him.
Newton sighed. "Cooper was an unfortunate complication. He had seen me taking glassware from Pratt's lab the day before the accident. He confronted me while I was planting evidence for the police to find."
That explained why Cooper was killed in Pratt's lab. "Go on," Shawn encouraged. He saw Nikki reach carefully over the top of the barrel and grab one of the phones. Mission accomplished, she started making her way silently back to the safety of the lumber pile.
"I thought dumping the body far from the school would buy me enough time to get out of town ." Newton looked accusingly at Shawn. "I did not expect such a quick identification. I barely had enough time to put my plan into action."
"My bad," Shawn said, trying to appear contrite. He just needed to keep Newton talking a little bit longer. Nikki was just a few steps away from safety. At that moment, she tripped. She caught herself before she fell, but the noise attracted Newton's attention. She dived for the lumber pile but was just a bit too slow.
"There is someone here!" Newton shouted. He walked quickly over to the barrel, cursing when he noticed the missing cell phone. He turned to glare at Shawn and Gus. "Who is she?" he asked, pointing his gun at them.
"No one," Shawn said quickly. "Probably just some homeless kid looking for food." Gus nodded frantically, eyes on the gun.
Newton didn't appear to be listening. He took a deep breath, calming himself. "She took the phone. She might have the batteries. I should go after for her." He spoke to himself, as if Shawn and Gus weren't even there. He chocked the gun, earning a frightened yelp from Gus. He glanced briefly at them. "I'll be back as soon as I take care of this complication." He headed out into the maze after Nikki.
Lassiter was tired. The bus lead had been a bust. They had finally tracked down the bus driver of the route Newton bought the ticket for. He and O'Hara had had to drive out to Lompoc to talk to him. The driver had never seen Newton. Checking the security tapes collaborated his story. Newton had never boarded that bus. Lassiter had wasted the whole damn day on a dead end.
He glanced over at his partner. O'Hara was leaning against the window, staring sleepily at the scenery at it went by. It had been a hard few days for both of them. And what did they have to show for it? Nothing. He took the exit off the 101 for State St. Maybe he would swing by the bus station again, see if they had missed anything.
O'Hara glanced at the clock. "It's later than I thought. I should probably call Shawn before he starts to worry." She pulled out her phone and started dialing. "Hi honey, sorry I'm running late. I'm on my way back into town and should be at the station in 20 minutes. Love you." She hung up and frowned down at the phone.
"Something wrong?" he asked, glancing over at her.
"It went straight to voicemail. Shawn never shuts his phone off during a case." He could hear the worry starting to creep into her voice.
"Maybe he forgot to charge it again," he said logically. He had learned to trust her instincts in most matters. But her feelings for Spencer tended to cloud her judgment. "I'm sure he's fine."
She sighed. "You're probably right." She stared out the window, still frowning.
Lassiter turned back to the road. O'Hara had been worried about Spencer lately. She said he was pushing himself too had hoped she would be able to convince Spencer to drop the case. It would be nice to work without the interference. But he was like a terrier. Once he got his teeth in something, he wouldn't let go. It was what put him at odds with Spencer so often. He'd solve even the toughest cases in record time, leaving the police to play catch up. He had hoped to beat Spencer this time, but with the bus ticket being a bust and no other leads, it wasn't looking likely. Spencer had probably solved the case already.
His phone started ringing. "Speak of the devil," he muttered darkly. But when he glanced at the phone, he was surprised to see it was Guster calling. "That's strange," he said could count on one hand the number of times Guster had called him during a if Spencer couldn't use his own phone, maybe he had borrowed Guster's. That made need to pulled over into an empty parking lot.
"What's strange?" O'Hara asked. She leaned over to look at his phone. "Why is Gus calling you?" She looked up at him worriedly.
Her worry was starting to make him uneasy. "Let's find out," he said. He picked up the phone and answered it. "Lassiter."
There was a brief pause before someone spoke. "You have to get to the abandoned building on State Street right away." The voice was that of a young female, definitely not Guster. It sounded oddly familiar, but he couldn't place from where.
"Who is this?" he asked, immediately suspicious. "How did you get this phone?" He could see panic starting to form in O'Hara's eyes. He turned away, trying to ignore his own growing concern and focus on the call.
"That's not important," the voice said impatiently. "Newton's here and – " The voice cut off as a loud bang echoed through the phone.
Lassiter tensed. That sounded like a gunshot. He went into cop mode, pushing his personal feelings aside. He needed to gather as much information as he could. "Where in the building?" he asked.
"A large open room filled with supplies," the voice whispered. She sounded scared. Most people were when they were getting shot at. "It's not just him. He has Shawn and Gus tied up on the right side of the room."
He cursed. Of course Spencer was there. Find a mad man with a gun, firing at people, and the psychic was bound to be close by. "What's Newton doing now?"
"Looking for me." He heard the sound of something scraping on gravel. "I think he's close." She sounded panicked. He needed to calm her down, keep her focused.
"Don't move," he said, keeping his voice popped the car into gear and pulled back onto the road. He flicked his lights and sirens on. "We're about five minutes out. I want you to stay put. Don't draw attention to yourself."
"OK – " He heard another bang, then a cry of pain. The line went dead.
"Shit." Driving one handed, he tried calling Guster's phone. It went straight to voicemail. He grabbed the radio. "Car #42 to dispatch. We're heading to the abandoned building on State Street. Newton has been sighted in the area. Reports of gunfire." He glanced at O'Hara before continuing. "He may have hostages." He saw her freeze at his words. "Requesting backup. Over."
"Dispatch to Car #42. Two cars are being sent to meet you at the site. ETA 10 minutes. Over."
"Affirmative. Over." He put the radio back and looked at O'Hara. She was staring straight ahead, not moving.
"The hostages," she said quietly. "Shawn and Gus?" He nodded. "Drive faster."
He sped up, the girl's cry playing in his head. It sounded like Newton had already shot one person. He hoped Shawn and Gus weren't next.
As soon as Newton was out of sight, Shawn started tugging at his bonds again. Maybe if he twisted his wrist, he could reach one of the knots.
"Do you think she'll be ok?" Gus asked quietly.
"I'm sure she'll be fine," he said, concentrating on the rope. His wrist was bent as far as it would go but he still couldn't get a grip on the knot. "Damn it," he said, sagging against the pillar.
"Newton seemed pretty determined," Gus said, unsure.
"Nikki's smart," he said shortly. "She's just needs to get far enough away to call for help. Then she can hide until the police get here." He looked at the ground around him. If he found something sharp, maybe he could cut the rope.
"She didn't have much of a head start," Gus said worriedly. "And Newton has a gun."
"I know Newton has a gun," he said sharply. He saw a likely piece of metal with a sharp edge. He tried to drag it towards him with his foot.
"You don't seem very concerned," Gus accused. "She could get shot, trying to save us."
His foot slipped, sending the metal shard skittering away. "I know, Gus," he yelled, losing his temper. "She wouldn't even be here if I hadn't told her about the case. Or if I had been quicker in finding Newton. Instead I'm stuck here, helpless, while he chases after her with a gun." He glared at Gus. "But worrying about it isn't going to do anything. So help me figure out a way out of here."
Gus seemed taken aback. "Shawn – " He was cut off by the sound of a gunshot.
Shawn froze, heart pounding. He listened intently, hoping to hear something, anything that would tell him what had . He took a shaky breath, looking at Gus. He saw fear in his eyes, the same fear he himself was feeling. "It could be nothing," he said, voice trembling. "Shooting at shadows." Gus nodded, but didn't look convinced.
Another shot rang out, followed by a cry of pain. "Nikki!" he shouted frantically. Please don't be dead. He started tugging on his bonds again, drawing blood in his attempt to free himself.
He heard the sound of running footsteps, then Newton came into view. He was still holding the gun, now smoking slightly. "Who did she call?" he asked, advancing on the two of them.
Shawn exchanged a panicked glance with Gus. Neither of them knew what to say.
Newton held up Gus's phone. The screen was cracked and dark. "She dropped this after I shot her." Shawn's heart stopped beating. Oh god no. He was suddenly finding it very hard to breath. Shot doesn't mean dead he tried to convince himself. Newton moved in closer, reminding Shawn that his own life was in danger right now. He took a deep breath, trying to regain control.
"Who did she call?" Newton asked again. His eyes flickered between Shawn and Gus, waiting for an answer.
"We don't know," Gus said, panicking.
"Don't lie to me," Newton yelled angrily. The hand holding the gun was shaking. "I heard you call her name. You know who she is. Now, who. Did. She. Call?" He pointed the gun at Shawn, hand suddenly rock steady.
He swallowed hard. "She probably called the police." He watched wide-eyed as Newton crouched down in front of him.
"I just wanted him to pay for what he did," Newton said. He had a crazy look to his eyes. "Now everything has gotten out of control." He ran a trembling hand through his hair. "I need to think logically. The police will be here soon." He stood up slowly. "I should leave. But first I need to clean up this mess." He pointed his gun at Shawn's head.
"Wait!" he shouted desperately. But Newton was already pulling on the trigger.
Two shots rang out. He closed his eyes, waiting for the pain to hit. A strangled gasp made him look up. Newton was staggering back from him, two blood spots blossoming on his chest. He looked at Shawn in confusion.
"Freeze!"
Shawn whipped his head around and saw Lassiter and Juliet coming cautiously around a pile of lumber, guns pointed at Newton. Juliet glanced at him fearfully while Lassiter kept his full attention on Newton. "Drop the gun!" he shouted.
Newton looked at Lassiter, swaying. He started to bring his gun up. Another shot rang out and Newton dropped to the floor. He landed facing Shawn, eyes wide and confused. He took one last shuddering breath and went still. Shawn watched as his eyes slowly turned glazed and lifeless. He couldn't look away as Lassiter walked cautiously over and checked for a pulse. It wasn't necessary. Shawn could see he was dead.
"Shawn!" He tore his gaze from the body. Juliet was crouching down in front of him. "Are you ok?"
"Fine," he said, voice cracking. "I'd be better if I wasn't tied to this pillar." Juliet pulled out a pocket knife and moved behind him. She started cutting away at the ropes. Turning his head, he saw Lassiter cutting Gus free. Gus looked over at him, wide-eyed in shock.
"There." Juliet cut away the last of the ropes. He brought his hands in front of him, wincing as his cramped arm muscles protested. He flexed his fingers, trying to get the feeling back into his hands. "Can you stand?" He nodded numbly. She reached an arm down to help pull him to his feet.
The room immediately started spinning and he would have fallen if Juliet hadn't caught him. He leaned back against the pillar, closing his eyes. "Stop the ride. I want to get off," he groaned. He winced as his head started throbbing again.
When the floor felt more like solid ground and less like a ship at sea, he risked opening his eyes. This time the room stayed still. Juliet was watching him intently. "All good," he said, trying to grin reassuringly. He must look worse than he thought because she just looked more worried.
"What happened?" she asked quietly.
"Yeah, Spencer," Lassiter said. He walked over with Gus, giving the body a wide berth. "Care to explain how you ended up tied to a pillar with a crazed killer about to shoot you?"
"Quick question first," he said. "Did either of you see anyone else in the building?" He put his hand to his temple. "I thought I sensed someone else here." He didn't want to mention Nikki's name just yet. Maybe she wasn't hit too bad. Maybe she made it out before Lassiter and Juliet showed up. He hoped so. He didn't want to think of her out there, bleeding, unable to move. Maybe already dead. He shuddered, trying to suppress the thought.
"No sign of anyone else," Lassiter said slowly. He was watching Shawn carefully, as if trying to solve a puzzle. "I'll have backup do a sweep when they get here." Shawn nodded, careful not to jostle his head too much. "Now quit stalling and tell us what happened."
Shawn took a deep breath. This would take some creative storytelling. "I had sensed Newton was still in town," he began. Juliet nodded, having heard this already at the station. "I kept getting something to do with the brother, that his brother was the key." He gestured towards the building. "James Newton worked for Mendorra, the company that abandoned this building. No one was using it, or would think to connect it to him. It was the perfect hiding place."
"And instead of calling us, you decided it would be better to come down here and get yourselves kidnapped," Lassiter said mockingly.
"The link was weak. I needed to be closer to sense if Newton was actually here." He looked at Gus uncertainly. Until they knew for sure what happened to Nikki, he wanted to keep her involvement out of this."Unfortunately, something about the building blocked my senses. Newton was able to sneak up behind me and knock me out."
The radio on Lassiter's belt crackled to life. "Backup's here," he said. He walked a few steps away and started talking into the radio, directing the officers to search the building. Shawn listened closely, trying to make out what was being said over the radio.
"What about the phone call?" Juliet asked, jarring his concentration. "The one Lassiter got from Gus's phone."
He exchanged a look with Gus. So that was who Nikki called. "No idea," Shawn said at last. "Gus dropped his phone when Newton grabbed him. Someone else must have picked it up."
Lassiter rejoined them. "Preliminary sweep didn't pick up anyone else in the building." He grinned at Shawn. "Guess your 'senses' were off." Shawn couldn't hide a sigh of relief. Nikki couldn't be hurt too bad if she had managed to leave the building. Lassiter gave him an odd look before continuing. "Paramedics are outside." He looked Shawn and Gus over. "You two should probably get checked out."
"I'm fine," Shawn protested. He pushed away from the pillar. He made it two steps before the room started spinning again. This time Lassiter caught him.
"You probably have a concussion," Lassiter said, holding him upright. "Have them check you over, just to be safe." Shawn was surprised by the concern in his eyes.
"Aww, Lassie, I didn't know you cared," he gushed. Lassiter just rolled his eyes, struggling to keep him upright. Gus quickly came over to help hold him up.
"O'Hara, we have work to do," Lassiter said, once he was safely leaning against Gus.
Juliet looked at Shawn, torn. "Go," he said. "I'll see you later at home." He grinned. "How much more trouble could I possibly get into tonight?"
She looked at Gus. "Make sure he gets himself checked out."
Gus nodded. "Definitely." He patted Shawn on the shoulder. "Let's go, buddy." He started leading Shawn away from the scene.
"Just a minute," he said, pulling Gus to a stop. He turned around. "Hey Lassie!"
Lassiter was talking to McNab and Milton. He glanced over his shoulder. "Get out of here, Spencer."
"Come over here a minute," Shawn called.
Lassiter turned back to the officers. He gave them orders and they quickly walked off into the maze. He stalked over to Shawn. "What is it now?" he said irritably.
"I know we don't always get along, what with me being fun and you being boring," he began. "And we end up fighting every week until you eventually let me solve your case for you." Lassiter folded his arms, giving him a look of annoyance. "Forget that. What I'm trying to say. . ." He took a deep breath, looking away. "If you hadn't been here tonight, I'd be dead," he said thickly. He could still see Newton's finger tightening on the trigger. He cleared his throat and looked up, meeting Lassiter's eyes. "So, thank you."
Lassiter nodded. "Anytime."
"Detective!" McNab called.
"Good night Shawn," Lassiter said, nodding again. He turned and walked over to McNab. The two started conversing quietly.
Shawn stood there, watching him. "Did he just use my first name?" he asked Gus. "Or did I hallucinate that?"
"Yes, he did," Gus said. "Come on." He lead Shawn off through the maze.
Lassiter walked over to McNab. "What did you find?"
"Blood splatter sir," McNab reported. "About a dozen yards back." He pointed out which direction to Lassiter.
He remembered the girl who had called him. It had sounded like she had been hit during the call. They had swept the area and seen no sign of her. "Show me."
He followed McNab through the piles of debris until they found the blood. He crouched down to get a better look. Based on the splatter, whoever was hit was staying low to the ground. Like they were hiding from someone.
He stood up, turning to McNab. "Collect a sample. I want to run a DNA test. Make sure I get the results as soon as they come in." McNab nodded and turned to leave. "And McNab?" Lassiter said, causing him to stop and turn back. "Keep this between us for now." McNab nodded and left to collect an evidence kit. Lassiter looked again at the blood splatter. Someone had risked their life to save Shawn and Gus. Someone they were trying to hide from him. Someone whose voice he swore he heard before. "Who are you?" he muttered quietly.
The paramedics cleared Shawn and Gus, though reluctantly in Shawn's case. His balance had improved during the walk outside but they were still worried he might have a concussion. He managed to persuade them to let him leave after promising someone would check on him every couple hours and that he would take it easy the next few days. From there, the two wound there way through the flashing police cars to the edge of the lot, where the Blueberry was parked.
"When Juliet said to get checked out, she also meant to listen to the paramedics," Gus said with disapproval. "Not ignore their medical advise."
"Then she should have said that," Shawn stated. He yawned, feeling drained. It had been another long day. "Besides, the doctor at the hospital would have told me to do the same thing the paramedics did. And I didn't even have to wait around three hours."
"You could have brain damage," Gus said fretfully.
"I'm fine," Shawn said forcefully. They were almost to the car. He thought he saw someone moving in the back seat. He breathed a sigh of relief, knowing who it was.
"Thanks to Lassiter," Gus muttered.
Shawn stopped next to the car. "No, thanks to Nikki." He opened the back door. "You can come out now."
Nikki crawled awkwardly out of the back seat, cradling her left arm. "Hey Shawn, Gus." She looked down nervously. "So, how much trouble am I in?"
"Let me see your arm," Shawn said firmly. She turned, holding it out towards him. She had been hit in the upper part of the arm. When he pulled back her sleeve, he saw fresh blood well up from the injury site.
"That looks bad," Gus said worriedly. "You should probably go to the hospital."
"No," Shawn and Nikki said together.
"If she goes to the hospital with a gunshot wound, they'll put her into foster care for sure," Shawn explained. "And they'll probably arrest us." He examined the wound more closely. "It's not too deep. Gus, get your first aid kit out of the car." Gus opened the trunk and started digging through his pharmaceutical samples for the kit.
Shawn lowered his voice. "You called Lassiter?" he asked. Nikki nodded. "Why?" he asked, puzzled. "Why not call the police?"
"He was the most dependable person I could think of," Nikki explained. "You needed help fast. Based on the stories you told me, I knew Lassiter would come as quickly as possible." She looked seriously at Shawn. "He's a good friend. You should be nicer to him."
"We're not friends," Shawn scoffed. Nikki just raised an eyebrow, saying nothing.
Gus slammed the trunk of his car. "Found it." He hurried over with the kit. "I'll just wait over there," he said, pointing to the other side of the car. Shawn knew he hated the sight of blood. He nodded, grinning as Gus beat a hasty retreat. He opened the kit and started treating Nikki's arm.
"How did you make it past the police to Gus's car?" Shawn asked.
Nikki winced as he cleaned out the wound. "After Newton shot me, I ended up not too far from where you were tied up. I had a pretty clear view of what was happening. I hid there until Lassiter and Juliet showed up." She swallowed, looking away.
He realized she must have seen Lassiter shoot Newton. She had probably never seen a dead body before, let alone had someone shot and killed in front of her. That wasn't something you just walked away from unaffected. It must be hard for her. Hell, it was hard for him, even with everything he'd seen. "You ok?" he asked quietly. He grabbed a bandage and started wrapping her arm.
She nodded, taking a deep breath to calm herself. "Once I knew you were safe. I snuck out to the car right before the rest of the police showed up." She grinned wryly at Shawn. "I guess they're used to seeing Gus's car at crime scenes. They didn't even bother looking inside."
"There you go," he said, taping the last bandage in place. "Good as new. Well, eventually." He threw the supplies back in the kit. "Next time, try not to get shot."
"I'll try," she said huskily. He could see tears forming in her eyes. She blinked and looked away.
"Hey," he said worriedly. "You're ok now. Everything will be fine." He tilted her head up to look her in the eyes. "He's gone. No one's going to hurt you," he said seriously.
She gave a strangled sob and threw her arms around him. "I thought he was going to kill you," she said into his chest. She started crying softly, clinging tightly to him.
Shawn carefully wrapped his arms around her. He had been so focused on keeping her safe he hadn't considered she how worried she must have been about him. He could feel her trembling and held her tighter. "I'm fine, thanks to you," he said quietly. He remembered the terror he felt when Newton went after her and he heard those gunshots. He swallowed hard. "Just don't scare me like that again." He looked down at her. "I can't afford to loose my apprentice." She gave a short laugh, sobs slowly subsiding.
He stood there, holding Nikki, lit by the flashing lights of the police cars, relieved they had both made it through the night alive.
