Interrogation

Shawn and Lassiter left the building and went back to the still crowded square. Lassiter immediately went to his car, climbed in and started the motor. Shawn suddenly had a bad idea about what would happen after they reached the station with him in that mood. He could see it so vividly as if he truly had a vision. This could have been funny, if he had the time to laugh about it. But right now, he knew he had to hurry. More than that. He had to fly.

With burning soles he rushed back to Gus´ car. Though it had felt as if he´d spent much more time in that building, where Lassie´s wife had been hold only an hour ago, it now actually seemed as if it had been only some five minutes or so. Gus, who Shawn had seen last time when he´d helped to get the stretcher with the shot guy into the ambulance, was just coming back from that exact position. As if he had just finished the movement, Shawn had seen him doing before following Lassiter. What happened? Had time stopped for a moment? It truly felt like that. That was weird. But if it was true, maybe he could make that happen again to reach the station before Lassiter did.

„Gus!" he cried and waved for his friend to speed up. „Come on, dude. Hurry."

„What is it?" Gus asked, worried that something might have happened.

„Nothing." Shawn said already jumping over to the car. „We need to get back to the station before Lassie gets there. Come on, hurry. Dammit, we´re running out of time!"

Gus hurried around the car and opened it. „Why?" he asked while climbing behind the wheel.

After Shawn was in too, he said: „I explain it on the way. Now hit it, dude. Come on."

„That´s a company car, Shawn." Gus argued. „I can´t use it to race through the city."

„Hmpf. Dude." Shawn cried throwing his head backwards. „If Lassie reaches the station before we do, our spy will be mouse au chocolate."

„That doesn´t make any sense, Shawn."

„For gods sake, could you screw that and get going? Hit the jackal switch. I need you."

„The jackal is stealth not fast."

„Today I need it to be stealth and fast, dude." Shawn replied with a glowing in his eyes, that didn´t miss its effect on Gus. He entered the gear.

„Hold on to something." he told Shawn and then he shot out of the parking lot.

Soon Shawn was the one clinging to his seat, desperately trying not to let Gus notice that he actually was starting to sweat a little. Shit, he should have never called for that damn jackal. Did he never learn? How came it that he always forgot it? How?

Barely ten minutes later they came to a stop again, in front of the police station. Shawn needed exactly ten seconds to find his breath again. Then he jumped up in his seat. They had made it.

„Dude. That was great." he cried honestly impressed and happy. Though his happiness was inappropriately balanced between being happy that they had survived that race and the fact that they had in fact been faster than Lassiter. He unfastened his belt and jumped out. Right in that moment he heard squeaking tires. Lassiter´s car rushed into the parking lot even more fast and furios than Gus had done it. Shawn didn´t want to know how it would have been to drive with him. How could Jules do that day after day without going crazy?

For a moment the thought of Jules still lying in the hospital tried to distract him. But the look of Lassiter preparing to get out of his car (and soon into the station and the interrogation room) made him jump again.

„Gus." he cried while running for the door. „You need to stop him."

„Stop him?" Gus repeated almost shocked. „You must be out of your damn mind. How am I supposte to stop him? Calling for air support?"

„I don´t know." Shawn cried briefly stopping on top of the stairs. „Create a diversion. I need some time to save a life."

With that he was through the door and Gus left alone at the foot of the stairs. He turned around and faced Lassiter who already walked (no stormed) over the street to follow Shawn inside. Now he finally got an idea why Shawn was so afraid of Lassiter reaching the interrogation room in this mood.

Create a diversion. What the hell was that supposte to mean? What kind of diversion? Did he expect him to cry out and fall in front of Lassiter, pretending to have a heart attack? Lassiter would rather step right over him and yell for McNab to call an ambulance as soon as he was inside. Maybe he should try to tell Lassiter he couldn´t enter the station because all the sudden it got repainted. Did Shawn ever think of what he wanted from him? Surely not. If he would, he would have considered that this guy he wanted him to stop, was carrying a big loaded gun.

He stepped into his way so Lassiter couldn´t pass him without looking at him. No way to be ignored.

„Lassiter." he said. „Chief Vick wants you to come to her office."

„I have no time for that." Lassiter growled. „There is a spy in the interrogation room I need to strangle."

„Huuu But she said it is about just that." Gus walked backwards up the stairs still trying to block Lassiter´s way … and not to slip in the process. „And she said it is important that she speaks to you immediately." Lassiter paused for a second. „Now she also said that she needs your weapon." Gus went on and trusting an intuition, he quickly added: „Weapons. The hidden ones you have in your car, too."

Lassiter made a face and briefly turned around to throw a look at his car. „Why the hell does she need them?" he asked.

„I don´t know." Gus answered. „She just said, she wants you to bring them all to the ballistics. It seems to be important for the case. Especially for the interrogation of the spy. To make her talk, you know."

This finally convinced Lassiter. With a determined look on his face he turned around and walked back to his car. Gus exhaled but that didn´t mean that the tension was gone. He had won a few minutes for Shawn. Longer Lassiter wouldn´t need to get his guns to the ballistics and to notice that chief Vick wasn´t waiting for him in her office. And then he would head straight to the interrogation room. If he didn´t realize that Gus had reached the station barely ten seconds before him, that was. If he did, they wouldn´t even have that much time. It was a good thing the detective was distracted. Otherwise he would have known that Gus couldn´t have talked to the chief by any chance. Gus just hoped, whatever Shawn had in mind, he would be quick. Fooling with Lassie while he was in biting mood was not his thing.

...

Inside the station, Shawn had just reached the interrogation room. To his big surprise he found Jules standing there, waiting. There was a bandage around her head and her left cheek was red with a scratch. She had also some more bandages at her arms and plasters on her hands. But she was standing straight, almost as if nothing happened.

All the sudden Shawn´s hurry was forgotten and he stopped. „Jules!" he cried first surprised, then happy, then worried. „What are you doing here, out of the hospital?" he asked. „How are you?"

„It´s … nothing." she assured him waving away all her bandages and her tousled appearance with a smile. „I´m fine, really."

„Great." he said, still not really convinced. „No really, that´s great. I thought … After that explosion … I mean."

He didn´t find the right words and there was an awkward pause between them. Juliet filled it by asking him: „Where is Carlton?"

„Ehm. Outside." Shawn said while it slowly came back to him why he had come here in the first place. „Right outside." he said. „In fact … he is right behind me. Ehm … sorry, I … I need to go in there. Right now."

„What?" she cried and tried to run after him. „Shawn the chief is in there. She questions the mole."

„I know." he said reaching for the doorknob. Before opening the door he stopped once more and looked back at her. „I´m glad that you´re okay." he told her. „I really am."

With that he vanished through the door so fast she barely saw that he had opened it at all. And though she was still shocked about him crashing the chief´s questioning, she couldn´t help but smiled.

Inside the room, Shawn had put every thought about Jules and how glad he was that she was all right, away into the back of his mind. He needed to focus on what came now and he needed to be quick. When he suddenly stood in the room with her, the chief turned around and faced him with a look of disbelieve in her face.

„Mr. Spencer." she cried.

„It´s all right, chief. I take it from here." he said.

Karen was so startled that she didn´t know anything else to do but laughed about this as if it was a joke. „Mr. Spencer." she started to lecture him about police procedure and protocols but Shawn had already passed her and faced the spy.

„Oh Lucy, you have some explanation to do." he said with a shake of his head.

„Her name is Penny." chief Vick corrected him slightly confused.

„I heard it both ways." Shawn replied in his usual way.

„And when exactly did I ask for your help, Mr. Spencer?" Vick went on. „This is an official police interrogation and I am the one questioning this suspect." She threw a sharp glance at Pascaretti. „Especially since she is … was under my command."

Pascaretti just snorted about the chief´s anger. Karen made herself ignore it and turned to Shawn again.

„So if you don´t mind, I would like to go on and get some answers from her." she said.

„So she is talking?" Shawn asked.

There the glance in the chief´s eyes became unsteady. A look over into Pascaretti´s eyes told him the answer. No, she wasn´t.

„You have nothing you can use against me." she claimed.

„We have lots of evidence against you." the chief hit back with a triumphant yet disbelieving grin.

„And guess what." Shawn supported her. „I don´t even need those evidence. I know it was you, Lucy."

Pascaretti chuckled. „You do?" she asked.

„Yes, I do." Shawn replied with his hand on his temple.

„You don´t even know my name." she said.

Shawn frowned and looked at the chief. „Didn´t I just say her name?" he asked and shook his head in confusion. Chief Vick threw up her hands in exasperation and confused him even more. He decided to skip this part and turned back to Pascaretti. „Anyway …" he said.

„Save your breath." she interrupted him. „I won´t tell you anything."

Shawn looked at her for a moment and found that she probably really wouldn´t. He turned to the chief and whispered at her: „Did you offer her immunity?"

When she only looked at him confused he explained: „That´s a paper signed by the president … that promisses her …"

„I know what immunity means, Mr. Spencer." she cut him off. „And no. We don´t offer such things to our suspects."

„Well." Shawn shrugged. „I just thought … since we are a little short on time here …" he shrugged again. „It always works for Jack Bauer."

„This is not 24, Mr. Spencer." the chief informed him just in case he didn´t know.

„I know but …" Shawn whispered. „No? Okay."

The chief closed her eyes in exhaustion and shook her head.

„There is nothing you could offer me anyway." Pascaretti said behind him. He turned around, shocked that she had heard everything they had talked about. And he had tried to be so silent.

„I´m not so sure about that." he picked up his interrogation voice again. „I can offer you safety."

She snorted again. „I´m not in any danger." she said.

„I´m not talking about your gangster boss." Shawn replied. „The real danger for you … comes from another man. A man that is waiting right outside that door." He pointed at the door. „If I let him in here … I don´t think that you want to know that, Lucy. So you better talk to me, before he gets his gun to let it go on questioning you."

She threw a look at the door and it was obvious that most of her arrogance just flew out of the window. Then she faced Shawn again in a pathetic try to keep the arrogance up. It didn´t work.

„I don´t believe you." she claimed.

„You can believe it." Shawn chuckled. „He will come in here very soon and then you are so dead, man. Ehm, girl. Woman. Suspectress."

„Nice try." she said, now a little more secure again. „But that won´t happen. Do you really expect me to believe that Lassiter would kill me? The guy is a cop. He´d never do that."

„Before … I would agree with you." Shawn said. „But you helped to kidnap his wife. You put her life in danger. So I wouldn´t count on his good natured heart anymore if I were you. Now he´d shoot you in a dark allay and leave evidence that it was your gangster boss who did it." He blinked over this, thinking. „Actually that´s a pretty cool idea." he mused. When he realized what he just said he shook his head and tried to focus again. He held Pascaretti´s gaze, what was more and more insecure by now. But then she put herself together again, looking at him as stubborn as before.

„Think about it." Shawn tried to reason with her. „It´s your last chance. You should talk to me."

An almost evil smile appeared on her face, that said more than any word she could have used. Shawn´s facade was about to crack. He had already expected Lassiter to come through that door and blow his whole charade he was playing here. That it didn´t already happen was almost a miracle. But now it seemed his last chance was gone. This chick was such a tough nut to crack. And that since he was truly here to keep her from being accidentally killed in Lassiter´s interrogation. Why did people never appreciate it when he tried to help them?

„Go to hell." Pascaretti just told him and made him raise both brows. „You´ll hear nothing from me."

In that moment, as if it was on cue, they heard Lassiter´s yelling from outside the door, demanding to be let through. First it gave Shawn a fright when it came up so suddenly. But then he managed it to keep a steady face, looking at Pascaretti almost with regret.

„That´s really a pity." he said, shaking his head and stepping a little back in preparation. Even the chief cleared the space between the door and the table. Then the door flew open and Lassiter rushed in. His first look was at Shawn and the chief, but then his eyes had found Pascaretti and his anger increased until it had reached the state of fuming. The former officer ducked visibly down, facing that.

Shawn stepped back into her field of vision, shaking his head again. „I tried to warn you." he said. „But you wouldn´t listen."

„Did she tell you where Victoria is?" Lassiter demanded to know without looking away from her.

„Nope." Shawn answered. „Doesn´t want to."

Lassiter rushed forward, grabbing the edges of the table and leaning over it. That all happened so fast that Pascaretti thought he was about to really jump at her. She skipped back until her back hit the wall. Shawn was so impressed he almost forgot to keep the game up. But then he leaned sideways to look around Lassiter´s back and into Pascarretti´s face.

„Last chance, Lucy." he said.

This little piece almost broke Lassiter´s mask of anger, when a brief frown brushed over his features. But as soon as it had come, it went away and he looked as frightening as before. Maybe even more.

„Is that your real name?" he asked Pascaretti with a slight grin that almost looked like a snarl.

„My real name is Penny Pascaretti." she objected now insulted and faced Shawn with an angry look in her eyes. „Your little psychic here has some more issues to solve if he can´t even keep that in min …"

„I don´t care what your name is!" Lassiter suddenly yelled at her and shoved the table out of his way. Pascaretti got the biggest frightened eyes Shawn had ever seen in someone´s face.

Jules and Gus, who had been waiting in the door came running in now.

„Carlton!" Jules cried.

„Detective!" chief Vick tried to call him off.

„That was so cool." Shawn exclaimed. He was still stunned.

Despite the first two cries, who had been totally ignored, this one brought Lassiter back out of his rush. He stood up straight again and looked around at Shawn, frowning in confusion.

Chief Vick used the diversion and placed herself between Lassiter and Pascaretti. As soon as Lassiter noticed this, he remembered what he had been about to do just a second ago. But his flash of anger was broken and when the chief blocked his way, he stopped. She looked at him as threatening as she could. Though she was barely able to contain the compassion, that she still felt for his situation.

„Detective, you will leave this room." she ordered him.

Lassiter looked at her and then at Pascaretti again. One last time the anger flamed up in his eyes. Pascaretti had no way to overlook this. Then he turned around and went out.

For a moment there was a dead silence in the room. Gus and Juliet exchanged a worried glance and then looked over to Shawn and the chief. Karen gave them a nod as if to say: it´s all right, guys. We can handle that. The two of them accepted that and turned around to leave the room again. Shawn didn´t pay much attention to that silent communication. He was watching Pascaretti closely and he could tell that she was scared. Eventually he walked a few steps, swinging a little as if all of this was just a little chat they had had so far. He was smiling in an I-told-you-so way and finally he came through to her.

„I want a deal." she said.

Chief Vick started to laugh about that. „You will get nothing like that." she said matter of factly. It almost sounded like a promis when she added: „You´ll go to prison for what you did."

„But at least you will be safe there." Shawn added. „Save from Lassiter and your gangster boss. ´Cause let´s be honest, he will be quiet pissed too when he learns that you turned him over."

Chief Vick threw him a glance as if to ask: What the hell, Spencer? He immediately understood that this might not be the best way of convincing Pascaretti to betray her boss. But before he even could open his mouth to say something equally wrong to make it better, Pascaretti said: „All right. I´ll talk."

Chief Vick threw a glance at Shawn that said how positively surprised she was. Then she turned to the suspect again. „All right." she said. „I´m listening."

Shawn didn´t stay to listen though. He went out of the room to follow Lassiter. He just couldn´t stand it any longer. His legs were shaking and he didn´t want Pascaretti to see him crock up. He found Lassiter in the viewing room, along with Gus and Jules. The two of them had still the aftermath of the shock on their faces, Lassiter had caused all of them with his act in the interrogation room. The detective himself seemed to be oddly quiet now. He had his hand on the frame of the one-way mirror and was watching the rest of the show with a slight smile on his lips. When Shawn entered they all turned to him. But all Shawn could see was Lassiter´s unexpected calmness. He started to shake his head in amazement, when the realisation hit him.

„That was … just great." was all he knew to say.

Lassiter made a flattered face as if to say: Please. It was nothing.

Juliet looked back and forth between them, even more shocked now than she had been before.

„Wait." she cried. „That whole thing was a setup?"

„What?" Gus cried offended. „You planned this? Then why did you tell me to stall? Are you out of your damn mind? Shawn!"

„Easy, buddy." Shawn said and looked at Lassiter again, smirking. „Nothing of this was planned. And that made it even cooler. I had no idea that you could act so convincingly, Lassie. For a moment I really thought you´d kill her."

Lassiter stood up straight again, letting go of the mirror. There was an unreadable look on his face. „Who says I was acting?" he asked.