Let me help you
„SHAWN!" Gus yelled running over the street. „Shawn what happened?"
Shawn had just managed to stand up again, after this very startling and very very disturbing experience of being threatened by Lassiter for real. His legs were still shaking. Gus took that as an effect from the event of a blown up car and even liftet him up so he could stand. Shawn noticed that Gus´ hands were shaking as well. That had to be the explosion it rushed through his head. There it was. The trauma. Good that he hadn´t been there when the car went off.
„Are you okay?" Gus asked and then noticed Lassiter for the first time. His worry was immediately replaced by total confusion about the detective´s appearance.
„Don´t worry, Gus." Shawn said with a shaking voice. „He was already wearing that before the explosion. It´s not an effect of the blast."
„And that is supposte to ease me?" Gus asked grateful for the opportunity to hide his shaking behind the joke.
Behind them horns approached very quickly and ten seconds later, two police cars and one beige car that had only one horn at the roof, stood in the street. Four officers jumped out of the black and whites and started to secure the street right away.
„Shawn!" Juliet cried when she saw them. Her voice was a mixture of worry and surprise. „We got a call that there was an explosion. Are you all right? What happened?"
When she recognized her partner in the third person, she reacted as irritated as Gus had done before.
„Don´t worry, Jules." Shawn said. „No one´s hurt. At least … none of us. The guy in the car … I´m not so sure."
„Did you see what happened?" she asked him, forcing herself not to stare at Lassiter anymore and failed.
„You can say that." Shawn threw a look at Lassiter, but the detective didn´t seem as if he wanted to say something.
„Well, what was it?" Juliet urged for an answer without noticing Shawn´s checking glance at her partner.
Shawn cleared his throat. „Well actually it´s quiet simple." he said. „Though it´s not very clear. At least not to me. Maybe I can get a vision later but right now I´m still a little shaken by the blast."
„Are you hurt?" she asked worried raising a hand as if to touch his head but not quiet doing so in fear she could hurt him more than help.
„No, I´m fine." he assured her smiling.
„Okay." she replied a little released and then looked over at her partner again and the worry was back. „What happened?" she asked again. „What did you see?"
„Well, I saw a man." Shawn said. „That ran down the street. To this car. And I saw that man. Pulling out a gun. And shooting at …" there he hesitated, wondering if he should say that it was Lassiter, the man had tried to shoot. But the detective took the decision from him.
„Me." he finished the sentence for him.
Juliet looked at her partner in shock. „Why?" she asked. „Did you … Did you shoot first? I mean … was he …?"
„No." Shawn took over again. „He didn´t shoot at all. Strange but true. The guy didn´t give him a chance to pull his gun. Though Lassie called after him to stop. That´s what I heard."
„Why did you do that?" Juliet asked her partner.
„I saw that he was carrying a weapon." Carlton answered as steady as he could. „When he noticed that I saw it, he ran. That was suspicious and I followed him."
Juliet nodded thoughtfully. Then she looked at him again with this confused and yet worried look from before.
„Carlton, is everything all right?" she asked him. „You called in sick this morning."
„That´s right." he quickly affirmed. „I just came from my doctor, when this incident occurred." He noticed that O´Hara had started to look him up and down with a weird look in her eyes. „What?" he asked.
„Nothing." she said with a brief shake of her head. Her eyes were still fixated on his cloths. „Just … nothing." She shook her head again.
„Maybe someone can explain to me why the car went off?" Gus demanded to get back to the point. His voice was shaking. „If it was no bullet of yours …"
„I sense something." Shawn interrupted raising his hand to his temple. „I see a clock. A ticking clock. No, wait. It´s a bomb. The car was booby trapped."
„Somebody wanted to kill that man?" Gus asked.
„Probably." Shawn agreed, very aware of Lassiter´s shocked face. „Who else was supposte to be in that car? I also sense, that he wasn´t quiet the person he appeared to be."
„Who did he appeared to be?" Juliet asked confused, totally unaware of the fact that these informations were not really meant for her.
„I´m not sure." Shawn said. „I´m just sensing … deceive. I see sleeves, that are too short. The suit he wore wasn´t his. He was dressed up as someone else. To pretend. Maybe he was just a bait … for someone."
„For whom?" Juliet asked. This time she noticed the look Lassiter and Shawn exchanged. It was hard to overlook it. Her partner´s face had turned even paler than it had been before.
„I don´t know." Shawn finally answered her question. „The vision I get is very unclear."
Juliet looked back and forth between Lassiter and Shawn, trying to figure out what that strange look had been about. So did Gus. Neither of them found the answer in that short moment. At last Juliet shook her head and turned to her partner.
„Carlton. Did you see any …?" In this moment his cell phone started to ring and he literally jumped out of his skin. He spun around as soon as he had it in his hands and walked off without a word to take the call. Juliet looked after him with a puzzled face. She wasn´t the only one who was startled.
„What the hell is wrong with him?" Gus asked quietly.
„Who knows." Shawn replied. „Maybe the wrong medics."
„Shawn. What is going on?" Juliet demanded to know.
„I have no idea." he said and that was at least half of the truth. „But I´m determined to find out." He looked around and spotted the bag Lassiter had dropped when the car went off. After what he had heard him call after that guy, he had a pretty good idea what was inside of it. Quickly he picked it up and handed it over to Gus.
„Here, dude." he said. „Have an eye on that, will ya? It´s Lassie´s."
„Shawn." Gus objected but his friend didn´t bother to explain himself. He was already on his way to follow Lassiter down the street. Juliet hold him back for a second.
„Is something going on?" she wanted to know. Her eyes said: Tell me, I want to help.
„I certainly think so." he replied in a tone that it could by no means sound serious. „But don´t ask me what, ´cause I can´t answer it. So let me check it out and I will report back at you as soon as possible, okay?" With that he turned around and followed Lassiter, before Juliet or Gus had a chance to take in these words.
„Okay." Juliet just said slightly confused and let him walk away.
Shawn hurried to the corner where he had seen Lassiter the last time. He tried to walk as slowly as possible so he wouldn´t raise his friends suspicion any further. He fought the urge to run, telling himself that Lassie was still near so he wouldn´t need to run. Ten feet from the corner he lost that battle. His sprint came to a sudden stop though, when he found Lassiter right behind the corner, leaning against the wall. He had just finished his call, Shawn could tell because he just lowered his hand that hold the cell phone. The expression on the man´s face was worn out, his eyes seemed to be on some other place. It was hard to see him that way. Shawn even found himself shaken by that sight. Though he fought the feeling back and forced himself to speak up straight.
„So now tell me." he demanded. „What can I do?"
„You can´t help me, Spencer." Lassiter replied without looking at him. His voice was thin and flat, it almost broke. He pushed himself off the wall and was about to pass Shawn as if he wasn´t there. But of course Shawn couldn´t allow to be ignored that way. He jumped into Lassiter´s way to stop him.
„I´m the only person who actually can help you." he said to get the detective´s attention back. It worked. Carlton looked at him and Shawn could see the desperation in his eyes.
„They told me if I tell anyone …" he started but got cut off again. „They told you if you went to the police." Shawn corrected him. „I´m not the police. Technically I don´t exist for their radar. Whoever they are." He looked up into that usually so stern blue eyes and couldn´t stand it any longer. They were supposte to stare people down and not to plead. „Come on, Lassie." he almost begged. „Think about it. You can´t do that on your own. Let me help you."
„I can´t." Carlton replied. He suddenly remembered something. „Where is my bag?" he asked full of fear that he could have lost it.
„Don´t worry." Shawn said. „Gus has it."
This information didn´t seem to ease Lassiter´s mind. Quiet the contrary. He tried to pass Shawn again but he still didn´t let him. „I said, don´t worry." he repeated. „Gus never looks into other people´s bags. Old habit. Something about other people´s privacy. It´s save until you go and get it from him." He looked into Lassiter´s eyes, trying to look stern himself for a change. „Now will you or will you not tell me, what happened?" he asked him. When he still got no reaction to his words, he added: „Or do I have to tell Jules about it?"
Now Lassiter´s eyes flashed. There was a warning in them but mostly fear. Shawn didn´t want to threat him but the detective left him no choice. „I can´t let you do that on your own." he explained as serious as he could. „You would put your life and hers in danger with that."
„Don´t pretend that you care for me, Spencer." Lassiter said hard.
Shawn didn´t respond to that. Nothing he could have said, would change the situation, he knew that. How was he supposte to convince this old stubborn guy that he did care anyway? He´d probably not done his best over the years to prove that particular part in their relationship.
„So will you tell me or not?" he repeated. „It´s your choice, Lassie. You have ten seconds before I go back and tell Jules." He looked at his not existing watch counting the seconds. Lassiter stared at him one last time, then he just hadn´t the strength any more.
„I got the call this morning." he started to tell. „Two thirty to the very second. They told me they had Victoria, let me talk to her. They claimed ten thousand dollars to let her go."
„Ten thousand bucks!" Shawn cried. „God! Where did you got that much money from?"
„I lend it from the bank." Lassiter explained. „Raised a credit. You know, that´s what people get when they treat their money reliable. It wasn´t easy to obtain a credit on such short notice but it helps to have a gold shield."
„I see." Shawn replied thoughtfully.
„What you said before." Lassiter picked it up. „That the man was just a bait … Are you sure about that?"
Shawn nodded. „His suit was much too short for him and the car … I don´t think it was his car either. He stopped when he recognized it, but he almost overlooked and passed it. Somebody described to him which car he should take. The guy was probably … a hobo or something."
Lassiter wiped his hand over his forehead and then over his head. „Then this whole thing was just a trap for me." he murmured. „They didn´t sacrifice one of their own. That was just a test. For me."
„A test?" Shawn repeated. Then he understood. „What did they say?" he asked and pointed at the cell phone with a motion of his head.
„They still want their money." Lassiter said. „I get another chance. The last one." His voice broke and he had to swallow.
„How?" Shawn went on asking.
„He´ll call again and tell me." Lassiter explained, his voice still choked.
„Okay." Shawn had to think for a moment. He looked at the corner, behind which he knew Jules and Gus were still waiting. How to go on now? He urged himself to think. Come on, think.
„Look." he finally said. „The best is … we meet in my office. I tell Jules that you didn´t feel good and had to lay down. As soon as I can, I´ll follow."
Lassiter´s gaze was glassily, the best indication to tell Shawn that the man was at the end of his strength. He nodded. He might have nodded at everything Shawn had suggested in this moment. That alone sent a thrill down his spine. It was scary. More than that. It was serious.
Shawn had no idea how this happened, but he watched himself reaching out a hand for Lassiter and padding his back in a gesture of comfort. Then he left, almost flew that situation, before it could become even more awkward. At the corner he haltet once more, when he remembered something.
„Oh, and I´ll bring the bag, too." he called over his shoulder. The look in Lassiter´s face told him that he had already forgotten that detail again. „Don´t worry." he added. But of course he knew that it was useless to say that.
...
The small blue Echo bowed around the corner, heading down the streets towards the beach promenade.
„Now would you mind telling me, what this whole thing was about?" Gus demanded to know. „Why do we keep carrying around Lassiter´s bag and why was he dressed that way?"
„Dude. If you would shut it for a sec I would tell you." Shawn snapped. Gus looked at him but kept his mouth shut. Shawn exhaled. Then he said: „His ex-wife has been kidnapped."
Gus´s mouth dropped open at this.
„They wanted him to pay ten thousand bucks to let her go." Shawn went on. „The money is in the bag."
Gus´ head rushed aside to have a brief shocked look at the bag. „Oh, my god." he gasped. „Why doesn´t he …?"
„They said, if he went to the police, she´d be dead." Shawn answered his question.
„That´s what kidnappers always say." Gus pointed out quiet rightly.
„I know." was all Shawn knew to say.
Gus exhaled. „So what do we do?" he then asked.
„We try to help him. Keeping this under the radar."
Gus nodded. „Gosh, he must be freaked out."
„Sort of." Shawn agreed. „He threatened to kill me if something happened to her."
„He used to threaten to shoot you at least once a week." Gus pointed out.
„Yes, but this was different. This time he really meant it."
„Boy." Gus exhaled. Then he frowned. „But why should he want to kill you?" he wondered. „What do you have to do with it?"
„I … kinda was the reason why the exchange didn´t work." Shawn explained. Gus threw him a shocked look and he winced a little at it. „It seems that I scared away the guy they sent for him. But that was a setup anyway so …"
„A setup?"
Shawn explained to him what he had concluded earlier already. Gus exhaled in awe. „You know." he said. „We better solve that case. Otherwise …"
„I know." Shawn cut him off. He didn´t even wanted to think about it.
„Where is he now?" Gus asked.
„In our office." Shawn answered. After a short consideration he added: „I hope."