The reasonable thing

„Shawn, you´ve got to go to the police with that." Henry said matter of factly.

„Are you kidden me?" Shawn replied. „He doesn´t want the police on it. I called you so I wouldn´t have to go to the police."

„You called me because of my experience with kidnapping cases." Henry corrected him. „And as someone that worked on more than just a few of these cases, I tell you that you don´t have any choice than to go to the police if you want the victim back alive. In 99 per cent of all the cases the police was kept out the victim ended up dead. Is Lassiter out of his mind?"

„Well, it´s about his wife, dad. Possible that he takes it a little more personal this time." Shawn massaged his throat saying that.

„Yeah, whatever." was all Henry said about that. „He should know better. And if he isn´t gonna accept that then you have to do it for him."

„What, you mean … go to the police behind his back?"

„Since when do you have a problem with doing something behind Lassiter´s back?" Henry barked.

„He saved my life by catching two bullets for me." Shawn recalled. „We literally looked into the abyss together. I think saving your son´s life counts for something."

„He didn´t save my house from being blown up." Henry argued.

Shawn rolled his eyes and sighed. The explosion a certain Senor Deras had caused four months ago, had done a pretty good job on his dad´s house but so had the explosion in his own office. In neither of them Henry had been involved. Shawn had been and Gus (he had almost died through it) and so had Lassiter. And still Henry was able to complain about it and change it into something he could hold against someone. He probably was just pissed that it had taken less time to rebuild the Psych office than it needed to rebuild a whole house. What was the man complaining about? The insurance had covered it all. He didn´t even had to go to a hotel. Shawn had had an appartement big enough for both of them – at least he had thought so, three months ago. He had had an appartement big enough for two people. And then his dad had moved in. After a week, the very day his office had been ready, Shawn had packed his futon and temporary moved into his office. It was just no living with this man. Therefor he´d even accepted that he probably wouldn´t recognize his own appartement when he went back. Until then Henry might have cleaned it up and maybe even refurnitured (the man was able to do even that) But that was something Shawn could stand. What he couldn´t stand was sharing the same place with his father for longer than an afternoons visit.

„If you don´t tell the police, I will." Henry said now. „Because somebody has to …"

„All right." Shawn almost shouted. „I do it. I´ll do it. Hold on a second." He hold his cell to his chest and took a deep breath. Then he managed it to give his orders to the taco-card guy. After that he took the phone back to his ear.

„Where is he now?" Henry wanted to know.

„Still at my office. But he won´t stay much longer. So will you do what I asked you to?"

„Of course I will." Henry said as if it was the most stupid question one could ask. „I don´t have much of a choice, have I? But you do as I asked too."

„I will." Shawn promised and tried desperately not to yell into the phone. After ten seconds of gritted teeth he was able to go on. „You´re probably right." he admitted reluctantly.

„This is not a usual kidnapper, Shawn." Henry lectured him. „He blew up a guy and I don´t think that he just did it because the exchange went wrong. He´d done that anyway."

„You mean, it wasn´t about the money?"

„You can bet your ass it wasn´t about the money. Unless this guy has no sense for math. 10 000 bucks is a joke for a kidnapper like that. Also, why is he kidnapping a cop´s wife? Lassiter isn´t that wealthy. It doesn´t make any sense. Unless …"

„Unless it´s something personal." Shawn finished the sentence.

„That´s what I guess. But I have no idea what it could be about otherwise." There was a brief silence. Then Henry said: „I get in my truck now. I´ll need … ten minutes tops."

„Okay."

„Call me on my cell phone." with that he hung up. Shawn looked at his own cell and shook his head. Of course he would call him on his cell phone. What else did he think he would do?

He took the tacos and went back to his office. He felt exhausted after this phone call. Though he managed it to smile when he came back into the office. He had to look confident or Lassie would notice that he was up to something. And if he wouldn´t, Gus would and maybe blow it by asking questions.

„Finally." Lassiter growled. „What took you so long?"

„Sorry. Many people seem to discover tacos lately." Shawn said. „Here you are. Oh, no wait. This is Gus´. You probably don´t want one with …"

„I don´t care." Lassiter snarled and took one of the three tacos from him completely randomly. He unpacked it and began to eat.

„You shouldn´t gobble that fast, Lassie." Shawn advised. „That´s not good for the stomach."

Lassiter didn´t listen. He was running around while eating, checking the trafic report again. After three minutes he was done with his meal and threw the paper on the already overfull wastebasket.

„Ahh, okay." Shawn stepped in his way when he tried to leave through the door. „Let´s check our watches." Lassiter truly looked on his wrist until he noticed that Shawn didn´t wear a watch. The fake psychic immediately looked at the clock that hung on the wall to make up for that. „It´s a quarter to eleven now." he said. „You´ll need an hour to get up there if everything goes right. Means you´ll be there around twelve. You´ll be in time."

„Copie. Anything else?" Carlton asked impatient.

„Ehm, let me think about it. No."

„Then I´ll go now." he said and shoved himself through the space between Shawn and the door.

„We´ll take care of everything else." Shawn cried after him.

Lassiter turned around once more and gave him a grim nod. Then he walked around the corner to his car that was parked at the curbside. Shawn and Gus followed him and watched him taking the key in and starting the motor. Then he drove away. The Crown Vick had just vanished around the corner, when a yellow pick up passed by, following him. When Gus saw who was sitting behind the wheel, he raised both eyebrows and turned to Shawn.

„So that´s what you had in mind." he said. „I should have known."

„He will follow him." Shawn explained exhaling in relief that his dad had made it in time. „If something should go wrong up there, he has some backup."

„And what do we do now?" Gus wanted to know.

Shawn dropped his gaze, finally looking away from the street where Lassiter and his dad had just vanished. „We go to the police." he said and shocked his friend even more with that.

...

It was a serious role reverse. It surely was. Carlton Lassiter going out on his own, breaking all the rules to do what was necessary and he, Shawn Spencer, the reckless guy of all time, trying to do the reasonable thing. What had happened? Most of all, how was it possible that he didn´t feel that wrong about getting the police in on this? It almost felt right to do it. He was almost grateful that his dad had made him do so. Considering the alternative, it was the only possible move. Because so far they had nothing at all to start an investigation. They would need help. Because if they didn´t do anything very soon, Lassie´s ex would not just be his ex but also go likewise. And that was not a nice scenario to imagine.

How did it happen that he acted that way, Shawn wondered. He wanted to solve this case but he wanted to do it right. It was almost the thing a grown up person would do. God, did this mean that he … No. Impossible. Just outrageous. This wasn´t different than any other occasions when he had asked someone for help. He wasn´t a megalomaniac that thought that he would never need anyone´s help with something. He wasn´t Lassie.

But that was the point wasn´t it? It seemed as if Lassie was turning into someone else in this case and so did he. Coincidence? Maybe, maybe not. Maybe he, Shawn, just felt that it was in his responsibility to take over the detective´s part, now that Lassie had refused to do so. God, he just hoped that it wouldn´t stick. Letting Lassie rub off on him would be too much to stand. But he owed it to him to do everything he could. At least that much. Even if it meant to get lassiterized for a while (of course he would do everything he could to avoid that though). What he had told Henry on the phone was true. Lassiter had saved his life and the other way around. Things like that didn´t happen without leaving their marks behind.

Gus was at the department´s front door first and opened it. Together they entered the police station, heading straight for the desk of a certain junior detective named Juliet O´Hara.

„Jules." Shawn greeted her, his voice undisguised out of breath.

„What is it, Shawn?" she asked looking up from her paperwork with asking eyes. When she saw the expression on his and Gus´ faces, she was alarmed.

„We have a problem." Shawn said. „Is the chief available?"

Without waiting for her answer he looked at the chief´s office and when he found her sitting at her desk, he immediately went over to it. Gus accompanied him and Juliet, startled over that much hurry, followed them. Chief Vick had just finished a phone call when Shawn appeared before her desk.

„What can I do for you, Mr. Spencer?" she asked in a slightly ironic tone.

„Chief, I want to report a kidnapping." Shawn said.

Karen Vick´s glance changed from a mocking smile to seriously concerned. „Who´s been kidnapped?" she asked.

„Victoria Parker Lassiter." Shawn said.

„Carlton´s ex-wife?" Juliet cried.

„When?" chief Vick wanted to know.

„As far as I know, somewhat around yesterday." Shawn said. „But it also could have happened earlier. If they needed more time to hide and to prepare."

„Slow down, Mr. Spencer." the chief demanded. „Prepare for what?"

„Calling and tell their demands."

„He had a psychic vision about Lassiter talking to the kidnapper on the phone." Gus chipped in.

„Right." Shawn agreed after a few seconds. He was so startled that it hadn´t even occurred to him to pretend his information would come from a vision. He had been so distracted with his thoughts on how this case had infected him, that he had completely forgotten about it.

„I got this vibes while talking to Lassie after this explosion." he explained. „I sensed that he tried to hide something but I couldn´t figure out what. Until I saw that conversation. He´s forced to keep the police out. Otherwise his wife dies. I called my dad the moment I knew what was going on. I … I saw where Lassie was going to drive and sent him after him."

„Where is he?" chief Vick wanted to know, already reaching out for her phone.

Shawn raised his hand to his temple. „The meeting point is supposte to be in the hills. On a field. I see a tree. A Larch."

„Lone-Larch." Gus said.

„I send some units up there." chief Vick decided.

„That would be a mistake." Shawn cried. „When the kidnapper notices that police is on the way, he´ll back off."

„And what do you suggest we do?" Karen asked, putting the phone back on the cradle.

„We need to find where they hide her." Shawn said.

„So you don´t think that she´s at the meeting point." Juliet assumed.

„No. I think they don´t intent to hand her over at all. Not that easy at least."

„How do you plan to find her then?" the chief wanted to know.

„Lassie records every call that comes in to him." Shawn explained. „I see an account. Somewhere in the intranet of the department. We need to get those recordings and do that stuff with them … what the guys do when they listen to recordings. To hear stuff out."

„Analysing it?"

„Yes. Maybe we hear something on it, Lassie couldn´t hear. Maybe I get a vision while listening to it. Maybe …"

„All right." chief Vick agreed. „I grant access to detective Lassiter´s account to get those recordings. O´Hara, you do that. Get those recordings out. I´ll order an analyst here."

„On it." Juliet said and was out of the door, closely followed by Shawn and Gus. Chief Vick took the phone again. After she´d made the call to get an analyst she put the phone down again. She was about to take her hand of it but then halted. After a moment of consideration she took it back up and dialed another number.

...

The street was deserted. The traffic had started to fade out soon after they had left the last buildings behind. From time to time a car would come from the other side and pass heading for Santa Barbara. But even that had stopped by now. It was as if leaving the real world and entering some sort of a Twilight Zone. It really felt as if there was no soul out here but him and the man in the car before him.

Henry knew that Lassiter was still there. He kept a save distance, even allowed that the Crown Vick drove farther than the nearest bend, out of his sight. He still knew that he could catch up with him if he would want to. After thirty years of being a cop and a great deal of observations that included followings like this one, he knew when the target was still there or if he was in danger of losing it. Besides, Shawn had told him the meeting point was the Lone Larch and there were only two ways to reach this place and it wouldn´t make much sense if Lassiter would leave the one he was on right now.

Slowly the woods started to prune. The place was close now. As far as Henry remembered it, it was like a plateau at the top of one of the central hills. A wide field surrounded by nothing but air until the woods took over again. There was nothing up there, save some stones and dry grass. It was like a desert. The only real plant there was this famous single larch, that gave the place its name and that stood right in the middle of it. It was supposte to be over a hundred years old. A perfect place for a secret meeting … or to get rid of a body, Henry thought gloomy.

Suddenly he felt worried. If it was true what he´d told Shawn, that these guys might not be interested in the money, Lassiter was about to bring them, then this meeting might have another reason. A trap maybe. But for what purpose? If they had wanted to kill Lassiter, they could have placed a sniper in the city where the first exchange had been set. But instead they had dressed a hobo as a business man, armed him and blew him up with a car bomb. What kidnapper did something like that? It didn´t make any sense. No, sir. Those people were not interested in money. They wanted something else. But what?

Lassiter was a cop. The head detective of the Santa Barbara Police Department. He had contacts and access to things and information about a lot of stuff. Maybe someone wanted him to do something for him. But if that was so, why the charade with the money? Why not forcing him to do those things from the beginning?

No, that made no sense either. Nothing of that made any sense. Were they just some insane murderers who enjoyed killing people after playing with them? Henry had heard about cases like that. There were not many but it definitely happened. Had Lassiter been that unlucky to be picked by one of those?

No, Henry made himself stop. Stop thinking like a paranoid idiot. Whatever this whole thing might be about, they would figure it out. They would find out who was behind all this and they would track him down. Just like good cops did. He just hoped that the woman would still be alive then. Lassiter and his ex-wife were separated for several years now. Henry´s divorce had been much longer ago but he had no idea what he would do if Madeleine would be kidnapped. The experience with the Yang case had been quiet enough for him to know how it felt like to see the woman he once loved in mortal danger. If anything should have happened to her back then … he didn´t know what he would have done. Lassiter wasn´t his favourite person in the world but he didn´t want him to experience the worst case scenario either. No one should.

Shawn wasn´t the only one who owed Lassiter. He had saved the life of his son. More than just once. Henry was well aware of that. He really owed him a great deal for that. On a certain point in his life, Henry had always known that his influence on Shawn and the way he lived his life – and put it in danger in the process – had been fading. On a certain point a parent just couldn´t do the things anymore they did to stop their children from possibly killing themselves. They could do that as long as they were still kids. But kids grew up and went away. They naturally started to reject the efforts of their parents to protect them from harm.

Henry had known that he couldn´t be there all the time to get Shawn out of the worst. Lassiter had been there instead. He had pulled his gun in the right moment and arrested the bad guys that had been about to harm this reckless overgrown boy. He had done what Henry hadn´t been able to do. Because he had been there and he still had had the authority to do those things. Henry was not jealous because of this. He had retired for a reason. But sometimes he had wished to still have this kind of authority. Maybe that had been one of the reasons why he had accepted Karen´s offer to rejoin the force. To protect him again. Sometimes it even felt as if he had the same kind of authority again, he had had when he was a detective. But he had not. Lassiter had it. And he did a good job of it. Henry appreciated that. The least he could do to pay him back, that he had kept his boy from getting himself killed all these years, was to help him to get his wife back. Unharmed and alive.

His cell phone rang. He flipped it open and answered.

„Shawn?" he asked.

„Henry it´s me." the voice of the chief of police said.

„Karen."

„Shawn told me what is going on." she informed him. „Where are you now?"

„I´m approaching the Lone Larch Plateau." Henry reported already seeing the last bend that led to the open field. There was a big rock, almost a wall right where the street ended. Just like he remembered it. „Hold on a second." he said and pulled over to stop his truck at the curbside right behind that rock. He turned off the motor and got out.

„What is it, Henry?" Karen asked a little worried.

„I just got out of the car." he explained. „I will climb up the rock at the edge of the field. That way I´ll be able to see what´s going on without getting detected myself."

„All right." Karen agreed and stood up from her desk. „Hold the line."

„I will." Henry promised.

He put the phone in his pocket without turning it off. It was interesting how easy it was to fall back into those old structures. He out here and Karen on the line, waiting for his report. Something he hadn´t expected to experience again so shortly after she had put him on suspension. But obviously the situation had put everything else on hold for a while. His own charges were less important now and so they would treat it. Now it wasn´t about him and what he had done, it was about Lassiter. Henry started to climb.

In the station Karen Vick went to the door of her office. „They are at the place now." she informed O´Hara and the others. The three of them looked up at her. There was a tension in their eyes that she had barely seen, especially in Shawn Spencer´s. The usual smirk was not on his face now. They were all worried about Carlton.

She hurried back to her desk to not to miss anything that Henry would have to tell. O´Hara, Spencer and Guster strolled over to her door, their movements slow and careful as if they were afraid of intruding. She had just picked up the receiver again, when they reached the door and peeked in.

„We got the recordings." O´Hara informed her, just because she felt that she should say something. „The analyst is on his way."

Karen nodded still listening for Henry to talk to her again. Eventually she realized what she was doing, took the receiver down and put the phone on speaker. It was tensing enough even without her being the only one who knew what was going on up there. Up until now they only heard the sounds of Henry climbing up the rock.

It wasn´t the easiest thing to do. The rock was ascending steeply and Henry was not a good climber. But somehow he managed it to get up in a steady speed. Still he felt that he was too slow. What if whatever was supposte to happen on this field, already happened while he tried to get up to his viewing point? He cursed and forced himself to climb faster. The top was just five feet or so ahead.

Finally he was there. In the distance he could see the lone larch. Lassiter´s car was parked in front of it but it was too far for him to see anything else.

„Karen." he said taking his cell phone out again. „I´m there. I can see it now. Wait a sec." Holding the cell phone between his shoulder and his ear he fumbled to get his binoculars out of his pocket.

„What do you see, Henry?" Karen wanted to know. „Can you make out the kidnappers? Is the hostage there?"

„Just a sec." Henry repeated adjusting the binoculars. He was about to raise it to his eyes but in this moment it had already happened. The explosion was far away but in the silence of this place and with the wind carrying the sound, it seemed so loud as if he was just a few feet away from it.

„Henry, what happened?" Karen Vick cried on the other end. Everybody in the room with her had tensed at the cruel sound they had heard. Henry´s next words didn´t help them either.

„Oh, my god." he gasped in shock.