I know, I know, I have a lot of other stories I should be working on. But I got bitten by a rabid plot bunny, to use a colloquialism, after bingeing on the first four seasons and part of the fifth of Psych, so I had to write this up. I promise, I will get to my other ones soon. And I hope Psych fans will like this one.
Shawn stared at his phone, trying to process what this meant for a moment. As soon as the shock wore off, though, his initial instinct was to call his father. But he understood the implications of the text well enough to know that Gus's life was being threatened if he did. Holy crap, Gus's life was being threatened! And he'd been so stupid not to figure it out sooner; that was undoubtedly why he hadn't been answering his phone, or why he hadn't even been in his apartment, and Shawn had just assumed he was hiding and sulking instead of putting the pieces together and realizing he was in danger, stupid stupid STUPID-
Okay, calm down. It's not the first time this has happened. And it's too late to worry about what you should or shouldn't have done. Just find the clues so you can go and rescue him.
Squinting at the text, Shawn focused in on the last sentence.
A bouquet of one dozen long-stemmed red roses…generally used as a romantic gesture, especially around Valentine's Day.
Is that an attempt to flirt with me?
Please, no. Not another Yang.
It might not be that, since it's the middle of June. I mean, they could still mean it as a romantic gesture, but I think it means something else. I think it's... a clue about the destination. I remember reading about something like that recently...
Shawn opened a new window on his computer, and began hurriedly searching Santa Barbara for any places that had to do with flowers.
It was too easy.
The Red Bouquet. A nightclub by the wharf, doubling as a restaurant that's popular for couples, because it has a Valentine's theme.
Well, I guess I know where I'm going. Even though it's probably a trap.
Who am I kidding? It's totally a trap.
But I'm going anyway, aren't I?
Of course I am.
The cashier smiled and asked if Shawn was seeing a lady friend tonight as she rang up the roses. Shawn just smiled, with a touch of brittleness, and said, "Possibly."
Then he rushed to the Red Bouquet.
It was twenty minutes until three; with any luck he could have some time to scout out the area, and maybe surprise the kidnapper. Though it was possible that the kidnapper had also anticipated this and was already lying in wait…
Once again Shawn wondered if maybe he should have gotten backup. But being Shawn, he kept going as he was (honestly, is anyone surprised?).