(Disclaimer. Still don't own the show!)
(AN. I hope everyone enjoys this chapter and please don't forget to send a review and let me know what you think.
I have big plans and it looks like this may be lasting between 30 to 40 chapters, so excited!
Also a big thanks to my editor and biggest fan, Mom! Without her helping this probably wouldn't have been so awesome hahaha! Hurray for a family of writers :) )
Desirae was in a cab on her way to the Police station. She still hadn't found a car for herself. That fact was annoying whenever she wanted to go somewhere late at night or needed to get somewhere fast. At least texting Gus was safer this way.
Dez: omw 2 station. plan?
Gus: Srry running late! Wait 4 me there. Ill do the talking.
Dez: kk thnx!
When the cab stopped she paid the driver and climbed out. Though she knew Gus was running late she still couldn't help taking a quick glance around the station's parking lot, hoping to see the "Blueberry". No luck. Already she was feeling anxious about the case her and Gus might be given. Would she be able to find anything, just get in the way or worse, mess it all up. She paused for a second to pray that everything would go well.
Inside the station, Lassiter was at his desk immersed in paperwork. He didn't notice her. But Chief Vick apparently had and was headed toward her.
"Miss Spencer, what are you doing here?" As she talked the chief's hand rested on her swollen belly.
Dez was caught off guard, not expecting to be questioned so soon and had not worked out a backup plan in her mind "G-good morning Chief. I was just waiting for Guster…" her voice trailed off as she noticed the confused look on the chief's face.
"Is Shawn with you? He and Gus were supposed to be here."
Carlton had spotted her and was walking towards her as the chief continued,
"I have a potential case for them… that is, if Detectives Lassiter and O'Hara don't mind..." she had turned toward Lassiter and let the question hang in the air. To Dez the look on his face was answer enough but he didn't say it.
"Spencer?" Lassiter asked, to no one in particular, "Didn't he say something yesterday about leaving for a few days? Thank goodness!"
Shawn was away, on an errand to help Dez, and in her mind the fewer people who knew why, the better. 'Come on Gussie, hurry up.'
"Why would Mr. Guster show up for a case without Mr. Spencer?" It was apparent the chief didn't know about any of this. She looked confused.
Dez didn't want to have this conversation but she was stuck. She shot yet another glance at the entry but before she could respond she heard Juliet walk up beside her.
"What? Wait, isn't that why you're here?" Juliet looked at Dez who felt like a dear caught in the headlights.
"Sort of.." Was the only reply Dez could manage without an out-in-out lie.
Lassiter scoffed but smiled. "No offense, but how could she help?"
Chief Vick groaned out loud, then interrupted before more could be said.
"Ok someone tell me what's going on because I'm confused and I'm not loving it."
"Because she's a psychic too." Juliet's declaration sounded, to Dez,like a cannon going off.
The chief looked surprised and Lassiter's jaw clenched, eyebrows drawn together. "So you're a charlatan just like your brother?" Dez visibly flinched.
"Detective!" Chief Vick protested to Lassiter then turned back to Dez.
"Mr. Spencer has been a real help to the department. While his methods may seem a bit unorthodox" she glanced at Lassiter pointedly, "it doesn't change the fact he's helped to close several difficult cases. If Miss Spencer can be as useful, naturally, we will give her that chance. Won't we, Detective?" Again she looked at Lassiter, this time it was a challenge.
"I'm not as good as my brother…" Dez interrupted before Lassiter could respond. No choice now but to play along. Freeing herself was equal to outing Shawn.
She wasn't lying when she said she wasn't as good. While her and Shawn had many of the same natural traits, photographic memory and crazy attention for details, Shawn's talents had been honed and trained daily. To Dez, her abilities seemed more like immense obstacles than helpful tools.
"The uh… spirits don't speak to me as much because I ignored them most my life." She received a sympathetic pat from Jules, it only made her feel worse. Lassiter looked disgusted. The question of her being as crazy as her brother was apparently answered as far as Lassiter was concerned. "I understand Miss Spencer but any help you can be to us would be greatly appreciated."
Chief Vick handed her a few papers. "If you find out anything please give me a call. And Detectives?" The chief looked toward Lassiter and Juliet, "I'm sure you're both going to see that Miss Spencer gets acquainted with the rules and procedures of the Santa Barbara P.D." She then looked at Lassiter and added "And make her feel welcome, of course?" With that she headed back into her office.
Lassiter was practically growling as he turned on his heel and stomped to his desk, Jules said nothing as Desirae followed after him.
"Carlton?" Dez started… "Don't want to hear it Spencer!"
Ouch, getting the 'special' treatment most often saved for her brother apparently.
"Please, I'm sorry… It's not something I wanted brought up at all and I'm not too thrilled with being dragged into all of this either."
"Then why don't you come clean and admit that you and your brother are liars?" How could he speak with his jaw clenched so tightly? One of these days he was going to end up with TMJ or something. She was so not buying Shawn any smoothies!
"I'm not lying." That left such a horrible taste in her mouth.
"We're done here Spencer!" he took off, calling for Juliet, "O'Hara! Let's go, we have a murder to investigate", and the two left the building. All the way out Lassiter avoided eye contact with Dez, conversation over, as was the friendship that had just begun between them.
When Gus finally arrived at the station Desirae quickly pulled him to the side and boy did she look upset, her words hissed and hurried.
"I cannot believe I agreed to this and while this is partially my fault I'm totally going to agree with myself that my stuff is so not worth it and Shawn is a dead man!"
"Whoa! Calm down, what happened?" She waved the case papers in Gus's face. "Apparently Jules heard me and Shawn talk about our 'gifts' and spilled the beans to everyone and now I think Lassiter hates me!"
Gus looked unconcerned "Why would you care if he hates you? And how can you even tell?"
Her head was pounding and she could only pray it didn't turn into a migraine.
"He called me 'Spencer'…" Guster nodded his head. "Sounds like it."
"I mean, I don't know him all too well but we had a tiny little friendship going and… you know that I love making friends."
"True and I'm sorry for what your going through. Let's just try and help out with the case for now."
Leaning against his arm she sighed and followed Gus to his car, once in and buckled up she glanced over the papers. "Looks like a Dr. Blinn was killed in his office. Jules and Lassiter are heading there now to check it out, Chief Vick wants to see if I can get the spirits to tell me anything at the scene. That is, if Lassiter even lets us come anywhere near it."
"I think I remember Dr. Blinn, nice guy, a little chatty though. So you're able to do the same thing that Shawn does?"
Shrugging her shoulders she put away the papers and stared out the window. "Truthfully I'm not as good as he is. I can't control it, I never learned how. And when I left for San Francisco I taught myself to block it by dancing and doing my artwork."
"What do you mean you can't control it?"
"I can't control it, slow it down or filter it…. It all hits me at once and in the end I usually just get overwhelmed."
"So you see too much?"
"Not just that, all the smells, sounds, touch… all of it" Dez groaned as fear washed over her. At the thought of lifting those barriers she had built up. A warm hand covered hers and squeezed tightly.
Gus sounded assured. "It's sensory overload. Don't worry, Dez, I'll be here to help with you." Returning the gesture, she smiled at him. "Thanks Gussie."
Guster parked the 'Blueberry' down the street from the crime scene. As they walked up to the building Dez was trying to prepare herself. She needed to allow her senses to open, to receive, she was fighting years of practice. It was hard.
When they approached the police tape there were more and more officers. Dez looked at each face, instinctively picking up and storing details as they came to her. She noticed the smell their cologne, their soap, even the smell of shoe polish. She began to notice the various sounds their shoes made on the different surfaces, the squeak of the leather utility belts, the static and scratchy sounds coming from walkie-talkies. Each new sensation was a separate and distinct layer of information forever matched in her mind to each face she saw.
"Hey Desirae!" Called out Jules as she lifted the yellow tape to let her and Gus under.
"Dr. Blinn is in the back. Just don't touch anything… and try to avoid Lassiter."
As Jules led them into the office Lassiter stepped in front of Dez, blocking her path. So much for trying to avoid him.
He was so close. She could smell the coffee on his breath and… was that a hint of scotch?.
"The Chief may have asked you to come 'sense' out the place but I can tell you now that we don't need your help, so why don't you turn and leave… Now." If it was possible he was glaring even harder.
Her patience with Lassiter was wearing thin. How dare he lecture her! She'd never asked for this! "You know…" She leaned toward Lassiter as she spoke, lowering her voice so only he could hear, "if you keep making faces like that your face is going to freeze that way" Then raising her voice and stepping around him she snapped, "Think of the children!" He opened his mouth but nothing came out.
Dez found that strangely satisfying.
The wound on Dr. Blinn's head obviously caused by the pyramid shaped object beside him. The chewed toothpick on the carpet? Possibly fell from his mouth? She avoided looking directly at the body after that.
There wasn't much else to see in the room. It was clean and smelled of antiseptic, astringent, bandages… and what? Vomit, sickness, blood? She wanted to sit down but suddenly her Dad's voice popped into her mind
"Don't touch anything at a crime scene, Shawn."
"I can't get much here, the spirit are too faint." Dez almost whispered to Jules.
"Don't worry about it, Desirae, I'm sure you'll get something. Let's go on, okay?" But the racket in the next room was grating. Lassiter was yelling and ordering people around. She felt a headache coming on.
Gus could see the stress around her eyes. "We should probably get going, get out of your hair. We'll call you if she gets something." Gus said to Jules. His hand was on Dez's shoulder, guiding her towards the door.
"Good idea! Give the real detectives room to work." Lassiter barked out before Jules could respond.
She missed Lassiter, her jogging buddy. This new, angry, snotty Lassiter was not fun. She let Gus lead her out of the office as he mentioned something about sandwiches and pineapple smoothies.