O'Hara's interlude.
Warning: language. Cover your eyes if you don't want to read swears.
Thanks again to invisalite. But Nayah, where'd you go? I thank you for reviewing and you disappear?
Okay, so I don't know where this came from, but Jules just hijacked the story!
Juliet put the bag down on her desk. She just had to finish her paperwork and then she could go and deliver the get well presents to her friends. Shawn was easy, a pineapple with a big red bow on it. Lassiter was harder to buy for. She'd decided to go with a few cans of chicken soup, and a bunch of grapes. Carlton struck her as a traditionalist.
She went down to the records room to pull some files to update her paperwork. As she looked through the filing cabinets, she thought to herself.
It's weird that Shawn didn't call me himself. And what was he doing hanging around with Lassiter, anyway? They aren't exactly the best of friends.
Normally, Shawn wouldn't have hesitated to call her himself. He revelled in the chance to flirt at every opportunity. She hoped he was okay.
And Lassiter was acting oddly as well. The man never took a day off. He'd come into work after signing himself out of the hospital AMA from a gunshot wound. He'd come into work with food poisoning. He'd even come into work after being told to take some time off after accumulating 3 years worth of vacation days.
And if both Lassiter and Shawn were acting odd... it probably meant something was up.
She got the files she needed and headed to the door. Her hand was on the handle, but then she heard something that made her pause, ear to the door.
"He looks to have finally got the message."
"Good, fucking fag. Probably got the job through sucking the Head Dick's dick."
"The way he dances around, all touchy feely, and sitting on people's laps."
"How he ever solves cases, I don't know."
"He's in bed with the devil. What he does? It's against God. Against the laws of nature."
"He makes a mockery of every police officer here."
"He makes a mockery of the law."
"Well, he hasn't been here in days. Maybe we got through to him."
"We'd better have. Or the freak's going down."
What was all that about? She opened the door a crack and looked through. Three uniform cops were standing around, one with a black eye, and a split lip. She considered going and confronting them, but she didn't have enough information. She didn't get a very good look at their faces. She couldn't help wondering who they were, and how they got to be cops. That level of hatred... It was something that the good natured detective just couldn't imagine. Not here in the heart of justice. Hate and bad guys were what the police were supposed to stop.
No, she wasn't that naive. She did know about crooked cops. She knew that hate is a weed that grows everywhere. But she couldn't help the growing feeling of wrongness. It was supposed to be safe here.
She heard them move on, but she didn't head out. She stood there, running the conversation back over in her head. It sounded almost like they were talking about Shawn. Of course, she could be wrong, but that's just what it sounded like to her. And they talked about him getting the message. Add to that, Shawn hasn't been around in a few days, and the lack of a personal phone call, and Juliet was worried. Screw paperwork.
She rushed back to her desk and grabbed the pineapple, and the bag with the chicken soup and the grapes in, before dashing out to her car. She would head over to Shawn's first. She just had a bad feeling in her gut that wouldn't go away.
Juliet drove straight to Shawn's apartment, and banged on the door. There was no answer. She knocked harder, the pit in her belly growing.
"Shawn? Shawn, are you in there?" she yelled, pounding harder. Still no sign of life. Now she was really getting worried. O'Hara took a breath, just to calm herself. "Shawn, open up! I come bearing pineapple!" If anything would get him to the door; that would. She didn't understand Shawn's obsession with the tropical fruit, but she knew it was for real.
There was still no answer. She pounded harder.
"Shawn!"
Now Jules really was worried. She pulled her cell phone from her pocket and dialled.
"The phone you are calling has been switched off or is out of network coverage. Please hang up and try again later."
She hung up with slightly more force than necessary and shoved her phone back in her pocket.
Carlton said Shawn was sick. What if he got worse? What if he's passed out in there? What if he's lying in a pool of his own vomit, unable to answer the door?
Juliet made up her mind. She was going to break into Shawn's apartment. For his own good of course. Shawn had an unsettling habit of taking his own health far too lightly. Like when he crashed his bike. He acted like it was no big deal, but he was quite badly hurt. She had to be sure he was okay.
Juliet went over to the window, cupping her hands around her eyes and peering through. She couldn't see any bodies, or pools of blood or anything, so that was a good sign. She tapped on the window.
"Shawn!"
But there was still no response. She went back to the door and pulled a bobby pin from her elaborate hair style. She'd decided to do it up today. She took the pin and split it open, then inserted it into the lock, twisting and manipulating it until there was a telltale click. The door swung open to reveal the front room. There was a pile of mail on the mat just inside the door. He hadn't been home at all today, at least. She picked it up and took it over to the table, unable to hide a smile at the variety of postmarks on the letters. They came from all over the world. Shawn really did know someone everywhere.
"Shawn? You in here? You okay?"
She did a walkthrough of the apartment, desperately resisting the urge to yell 'Clear!' in every room she'd checked. Shawn was nowhere to be found. Something wasn't right. Maybe Gus would... no, that's right, Gus was out of town. Shawn's father? No, even sick, Shawn wouldn't willingly go and stay with his dad. And wherever he was, he'd spent the night there, judging by the state of the place.
Lassiter! He was the last person to see Shawn! I was going over there anyway, to make sure he's okay, and to give him his get well presents. Juliet smiled to herself and went out to her car.
She drove over to Lassiter's carefully obeying the traffic laws, because if she didn't pay attention, she would speed the whole way. She was worried. It was a hard thing to admit, because Shawn was like an over exuberant puppy. He never seemed to be in trouble, until he was, and then it was deadly. And she didn't want to care about him, because he didn't love her. He'd made that clear. And he was perfectly capable of taking care of himself. He'd travelled all over the world. Worked more jobs than most people have haircuts. She shouldn't be worried. So why was that bad feeling getting worse? She pressed down, just a little more, on the gas pedal.
If those guys were talking about Shawn... What if they had hurt him? What if that's why he'd stopped coming in? Did Lassiter know? That would explain why Carlton was the one that called in for both of them. But why would Shawn tell Lassiter and not her?
O'Hara reached Lassiter's apartment in no time at all. She pulled up to the curb and jumped out, grabbing the bag of gifts as she shot out of the car and raced over to door.
"Carlton!" She called, banging on the door. "Carlton, open the door!"
Uh oh. What's Jules going to think when she find Shawn chained to Lassiter's bed!?
Reviews are like pineapples made of gold! Oh, RL may get in the way of posting. I have the next chapter nearly finished, but then I have 3 assignments to do. Upside? Easter break is in a week or so, so I'll have plenty of time then.
