FIC: Two Dead Guys, a Girl, and a Psychic (7/18)
Title: Two Dead Guys, a Girl, and a Psychic
Author: moondragon25 (or moondragon23 on other sites)
Pairing: Shawn/Juliet
Rating: PG-13
Summary: Life is great for Shawn Spencer. He has a cool job, a smart, beautiful girlfriend, and gets to hang with his best friend all day. What more could a guy want? When he gets his next two cases, a dead chemistry professor and a girl looking for her father, it looks like business as usual. Too bad things never go that simply when Shawn is involved. REWRITE OF TWO DEAD GUYS AND A GIRL!
Disclaimer: I do not own Psych or any of its characters. All other publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. No money is being made from this work. No copyright infringement is intended.
Notes: Home sick today so I decided to post this early. I'm not sure how many people are actually reading this but I'll remain optimistic and continue to post. I know I'm not the best at remembering to leave reviews and I've been horrible at responding to them. But I do read and appreciate them.
Anyway, enjoy the story.
Flashback
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6: Another One Bites the Dust
Thursday
A muffled pounding woke Shawn up the next morning. Listening as the remnants of his last dream faded away (a cage match between Hacksaw Jim Duggan and a giant pineapple), he realized the pounding was coming from the front door. He groaned and curled up with the blankets over his head. “Go away,” he grumbled into his pillow.
The pounding continued. In addition, he could now hear what sounded like someone shouting his name. He peered blearily at the alarm clock, squinting until the time came into focus; 7:15. “It's barely morning,” he moaned, covering his head with his pillow. He never liked mornings, rarely rising before nine if he could help it. Besides, he had been up most of the night worrying about both his cases. He had no leads on Sanders' killer and no idea what to do about Nikki. The last thing he needed was someone waking him up at this obscene hour of the morning.
The pounding stopped. He cautiously poked his head out from under the pillow. When it remained quiet, he sighed in relief. Whoever it was must have given up. It couldn't have been that important anyway. If it was, they would have tried calling him by now. Deciding there was nothing pressing that required his immediate attention, at least for a couple of hours, he got comfortable and tried to fall back asleep. He was just drifting off when someone barged into his bedroom.
“Shawn!”
He let out a yelp and flailed in the sheets, trying to get free so he could face his attacker. The sheets proved to be on the side of his assailant, keeping him securely wrapped as he tumbled off the side of the bed. As he struggled to free himself from the death grip of the sheets, he heard familiar laughter coming from the doorway. Pausing in his battle, he looked up and saw Gus standing there, clutching his sides as he guffawed at Shawn's predicament. “Not funny, dude,” he said testily, still struggling to get out of one of the sheets.
“You’re wrapped up like a human burrito,” Gus wheezed between bouts of laughter.
Ripping off the sheet at last, Shawn climbed up off the floor and sat down on the edge of the bed. “How did you even get in here?”
“You gave me a key, remember?” Gus said, quieting down but still grinning widely.
“Right, yeah.” Shawn rubbed the sleep from his eyes, trying to kick-start his brain. He had been making copies of Gus's keys for years. It made it much easier to get into his friend's place while Gus was out. Recently, Gus had been demanding a copy of his key in return. It mostly sat unused, unless Gus was retrieving something Shawn had 'borrowed' with his own key. “Just don't tell Juliet you have a key. She would kill me.” At the thought of his girlfriend, he realized she wasn't in the room. “Where is Jules, anyway?”
“At the crime scene, where you're supposed to be.” Gus frowned at Shawn. “Don't you ever charge your phone?”
“I charged it.” Shawn reached over to the night stand and started digging through the mess on top. “See,” he said, holding the phone up for Gus. He pressed a button to wake it up. Nothing happened. He fiddled with the phone for a minute, then looked sheepishly at Gus. “I thought I charged it.”
“That's what Juliet figured when she couldn't reach you,” Gus said. “She called me to wake you up and bring you to the crime scene.”
Shawn vaguely remembered Juliet getting a phone call early that morning. Way too early. She had said something to him, but he had just mumbled and gone back to sleep. She probably didn't think at the time he was needed on the case, or she would have tried harder to wake him up. “Let me throw some clothes on and we can go.”
“I'll wait outside,” Gus said looking back over his shoulder. “Try not to get into any more fights with your sheets while I’m gone.”
Shawn glared after his friend as he left the room. He’d have to come up with something good to get Gus back for this morning. However, that would have to wait for later; right now he had a crime scene to get to. He threw the sheets back on the bed and quickly dressed. He made sure to grab his car charger for his phone before heading outside to meet Gus. It looked like it was going to be another long day.
“How much farther?” Shawn whined. He and Gus were traipsing across the damp fields of Howell Park, heading for the trail head. It hadn't seemed that far on the map, but it felt like they had been walking for hours.
“About thirty seconds less than the last time you asked,” Gus said irritably. He could tell his friend was getting annoyed by the question and grinned to himself. “I told you in the car. It's about a twenty minute walk.” Up ahead they could just make out yellow police tape cordoning off an area of the trail head. “We're almost there.”
“Finally!” Shawn cried dramatically. “Civilization! A beacon out of this horrid wilderness!” He fell to his knees, arms outstretched to the sky.
“Will you get up?” Gus snapped, pulling Shawn to his feet. “We're in a park. There are people right over there.” He pointed out a couple enjoying an early morning stroll with their dog. He shook his head. “I knew stopping for coffee was a bad idea. It makes you hyperactive.”
“And also more hyper-observanter. . . mega-observant? Is mega better than hyper?” Shawn wiped at the damp grass stains on his pants. “Either way, it means I'll notice whatever the cops missed even quicker.” He started walking again, bouncing slightly with each step. Coffee did make him more jittery than normal.
“How do you know they'll miss anything?” Gus asked.
He gave Gus a look. “They always miss something. Otherwise we would have been out of business years ago.” Gus didn't seem to have an argument for that. “Tell me again what Jules said about the body.”
“It was found soon after the park opened by a young couple on their morning hike,” Gus said. Shawn made a face. Who in their right mind wakes up that early to exercise? “The police thought he might be homeless until they saw the acid burns on his face and hands,” Gus finished.
“Acid burns?” Shawn asked, intrigued. That wasn't a common MO, especially if the victim was homeless. Acid strong enough to cause disfiguring burns wasn't readily available to most people either. There was also the question of why someone would want to burn a homeless man with acid.
Unless, of course, he wasn't really homeless and this was all to throw the police off track. If the killer worked in a chemistry lab, they would have easy access to a smorgasbord of dangerous chemicals to cause the burns. “Dude, I think this death is related to the Sanders' case,” Shawn said, jumping up and down in his excitement.
“Maybe that's why the police called you in,” Gus said. He grabbed Shawn’s arm to hold him still. “Will you calm down? You're acting like a hyperactive five year old.” They had reached the crime scene and he glanced around to see if anyone had noticed Shawn's antics.
“You're acting like a five year old,” he retorted, sticking his tongue out at Gus. He flinched at his friend’s glare. “OK,” he said placatingly. “I'll try to calm down.”
“Good,” Gus said. “You don't need another reason for Lassiter to block us from this case.” He nodded towards the detective visible behind the crime scene tape.
“Lassie-face,” Shawn called, waving to the detective. “Isn't it a lovely morning?”
“Spencer, how nice of you to join us,” Lassiter said sarcastically as he walked towards them. “It's only been what, an hour, since we called you?”
“Carlton, play nice,” Juliet admonished, coming up to stand next to her partner. She smiled at her boyfriend. “Nice to see you're finally awake Shawn.” She turned to Gus. “Thanks for getting him. Did he forget to charge his phone again?”
“Yes,” Gus said. “I had to pound on the door for ten minutes before he would even get up.” He shook his head as if to say 'That's Shawn for you.'
“He really doesn't like to wake up early,” she said in agreement. “When I get up for work, he usually just rolls over and goes back to sleep.”
“You should have seen him in high school,” Gus said. “He almost didn't graduate because of the number of times he was late for homeroom.”
“I'd believe it,” Juliet said. “Sometimes it feels like I'm living with a teenager.” Gus nodded sympathetically, causing her to smile.
Shawn watched this exchange with disbelief. “You do know I'm standing right here,” he said, causing both parties to look at him. “Right in front of you. Hearing everything your saying.” He held up his hand and waved it in front of Gus's face. “I haven't turned invisible, have I?”
Gus slapped his hand away. “We can see you Shawn,” he said. “But it would be nice if you were a little more responsible.” He gave Shawn a disappointed look.
“Enough talking about me,” Shawn said in frustration. “Shouldn't we be discussing the case?” He turned to the older detective. “Lassie, you hate personal stuff. Tell them to 'get back to work', or 'leave that crap at home,'” he said, using his best gruff 'Lassiter' voice.
“I don't know,” Lassiter said with an amused grin. “I think I might let it slide, just this once.” He grinned wider at Shawn's discomfort.
“Then I'll just investigate on my own,” he said, turning his nose up at them. He stormed off into the woods in a huff.
After a second, Juliet caught up with him. “We were just joking around,” she said soothingly. “Don't take it so personally.” When he didn't respond, she pulled him to a stop. “What's bothering you?” she asked, giving his face a searching look.
He gave her a weak grin. “Just didn't get enough sleep, I guess.” He couldn't tell her he was starting to feel a little overwhelmed. Both cases were becoming more complicated than he originally thought. He was almost glad for this new body, if it provided some insight into the Sanders' case.
He was also getting tired of the constant comments about his immaturity. He knew how his actions looked to others, but goofing around was how he coped with the stress the police cases brought on. If he started taking things too seriously, he'd probably snap. He had come close a few times in the past, particularly after his dad was shot.
He didn't want to come that close again.
A noise behind him broke his train of thought. Lassiter and Gus were walking through the woods towards them. “I'll be fine,” he said, giving Juliet a reassuring grin. She nodded, but still looked a little worried. He motioned Juliet to lead the way and continued heading through the woods.
Lassiter and Gus caught up with them just as they reached the clearing with the body. Gus took one look at it and started making those weird noises he did when he was trying not to throw up. “Excuse me,” he said, walking off into the woods. Shawn could see him stop about twenty feet away and lean against a tree, taking deep breaths.
Shawn moved closer to the body to get a better look. He couldn't blame Gus for his reaction. The victim was lying on his back, giving everyone a perfect view of his horribly burned face. The skin looked like it had almost melted. He also noticed the same burns on the victim's hands. The body was dressed in torn jeans and a ragged t-shirt. The victim was barefoot and Shawn didn’t see any dirt or cuts on his feet, proving the victim didn’t walk to this location. A jagged slash across the throat made cause of death clear.
“Victim appears to be in his twenties,” Lassiter said after a moment. All trace of humor was gone from his voice. “No ID found on the body and those burns will make a facial match or fingerprinting impossible.” He pointed to a path of disturbed leaves through the woods. “Victim was dragged here from the trail head. Tire tracks showed the victim was transported using one of the park's golf carts.”
“There are golf carts?” Shawn asked, looking up. “Dude, did you know there were golf carts?” he called to Gus. “We could have ridden one of those instead of walking here.” Gus waved weakly at him but refused to move closer to the body. He looked back at Lassiter. “Did anyone find the cart?”
“We did,” Lassiter said. “It was the only golf cart in the garage with mud on the tires. Forensics went over it, but didn't even find a fingerprint.” He shrugged. “They checked the other carts just to be safe. Nothing.”
“Lack of blood on the clothing suggests they were put on after death,” Juliet said. “CSU already went over the scene but the rain washed away any evidence the killer may have left behind. The victim is dressed like he's homeless, but we don't think he was.” She came up next to Shawn. “Is there anything you can sense about his identity?”
Shawn looked the body over again. The clothing was ill-fitting, probably because it wasn’t the victim’s own. The killer had removed any article covered in blood or that could contain any trace that could be linked back to him. It showed the killer was smart, which would make him that much harder to catch.
Crouching near the head, Shawn looked more closely at the fatal wound. He noticed a tiny sliver of glass, likely left behind by the murder weapon. He also noticed the edge of a familiar tattoo peeking out from under the stretched neckline of the shirt. “Your right, he wasn't homeless,” he said, glancing up at Juliet. “He has a home, and a job at the prestigious Santa Barbara University.” He stood up and faced the two detectives. “More specifically, he works in the chemistry department.”
“You're saying this is connected to the Sanders' case?” Lassiter asked skeptically.
Shawn hissed, putting his hand to his temple. “I'm seeing the victim and his killer. They're arguing about something. Tempers grow heated. The killer grabs something made of glass, smashes it, and uses it to cut the victim's throat.” He mimed slashing at someone, then clutched his own throat and started choking. He stumbled back a few steps. “The killer used some kind of acid to burn the victim's face and hands to delay identification.” He flinched and made sizzling sounds, as if something was burning him. “I'm melting. I'm melting,” he croaked, falling down to the ground. “Then he dressed him up like a homeless person and dumped him in the woods far from the school, hoping to lead the police off track.” He climbed back up to his feet and stood there panting as he looked triumphantly at the two detectives.
“We can pull up the list of students and techs working in the two labs, see if anyone is missing,” Juliet said to Lassiter.
“No need,” Shawn said. “I'm sensing if you check the victim's right collar bone, you'll find a tattoo of a Chinese character. Some say it’s the character for 'soup.' Others disagree, as if someone doesn't know what he is talking about.” He glared over at Gus.
Juliet pulled on the victim's shirt collar, exposing the tattoo. “He's right,” she called over to Lassiter.
“His name is Sam Cooper,” Shawn said. “A bright eyed college student we met yesterday who worked in both Sanders' and Pratt's labs.”
“O'Hara,” Lassiter said. “Have someone check on Cooper and see if he's really missing.” She called one of the other cops over and started giving him instructions. He turned to Shawn. “Good work, Spencer,” he said grudgingly.
“Always happy to help Lassie,” he said with a grin. He stepped back as Lassiter directed the coroner's men to remove the body. He was heading over to join Gus when he heard a commotion in the woods behind him.
“What's going on?” Lassiter asked. Shawn turned as McNab came out of the woods, dragging Nikki along behind him. He exchanged a quick, worried glance with Gus before moving closer.
“I found her sneaking around in the woods,” McNab said to Lassiter. “She said she was lost and didn't realize this was a crime scene.” Even McNab didn't look convinced by this story.
“Oh, really?” Lassiter asked, eyeing Nikki. She was wearing the ripped jeans and blue sweatshirt again. It made her appear older than fifteen, old enough that she might look like a college student to a certain detective. “Well, let's just see what your story is after you take a trip downtown.” He turned to McNab. “Bring her in. I'll question her myself after I finish here.” Shawn saw fear in Nikki's eyes as McNab started leading her away.
“Wait!” Shawn called. All eyes turned towards him. He heard Gus approach as he said, “She's with me.”
“What are you doing?” Gus whispered behind him.
“Improvising,” he hissed back.
“What do you mean, she's with you?” Lassiter asked suspiciously.
Juliet walked over and eyed Nikki speculatively. She glanced at Shawn, silently asking what was going on. He shook his head; the situation was too complicated to explain with a look. She frowned, but didn’t press it though he had no doubt she would be questioning him about Nikki as soon as she could.
He turned back to Nikki and met her pleading gaze. She may have gotten herself into this, but he wasn’t going to abandon her to Lassiter. “She's my psychic apprentice,” he said, remembering the conversation from yesterday. He saw the startled look in Nikki's eyes and hoped she would be able to pull this off.
“Then why was she wondering around in the woods alone?” Lassiter asked, raising an eyebrow.
“I asked her to check to see if she could sense the killer's astral trail,” he explained. He gestured at Nikki proudly. “She really is quite gifted.”
“Really,” Lassiter said doubtfully. He turned to Nikki. “Let her go McNab.” Once she was free, Lassiter said, “Alright, prove it.” He motioned to the body. “Tell me what you sense, 'psychic.'” He crossed his arms with a smirk, anticipating Nikki's failure.
Nikki glanced nervously at Shawn. He nodded encouragingly and gave her a thumbs up. Taking a deep breath, she approached the body. She looked over it quickly, then closed her eyes. She held her arms straight out over the body, as if sensing the flow of energy around it. Shawn approved, having used the same move himself only a couple of days ago. “I'm sensing this person is not what they seem. These clothes are not his; they are a disguise. Someone doesn't want you to know who this person is.” She frowned in concentration and rubbed the side of her neck. “I feel a burning on here. Some kind of mark that might identify the victim.” She moved her hands back and forth over the body again. “I'm also sensing the killer wore gloves, which is why there were no fingerprints on the golf cart.” She opened her eyes and looked over at him.
He nodded approvingly at her. She did good, confirming most of the details he had 'sensed' about the victim, though less showy then he would have done it. She had even figured out why they hadn't found any fingerprints on the golf cart. He guessed she had been spying on them, picking up what details she could about the crime, before she got caught. “Satisfied, Lassie?” he asked, grinning at the detective.
“Well. . .” Lassiter said, clearly not wanting to just let Nikki go. Juliet elbowed him in the side and gave him a look. Lassiter rolled his eyes. “OK, fine. She's free to go. Just keep her away from my crime scenes. The last thing I need is another psychic messing things up.” He noticed everyone standing around watching them. “Back to work people!” he shouted.
“OK, let's go,” Shawn said to Nikki as the crowd slowly dispersed. He quickly led the way away from the crime scene. “We need to talk,” he said quietly to her. She nodded, swallowing nervously.
“Shawn, a word please,” Juliet called out.
“Gus, take her to the car,” Shawn said quietly. Gus nodded. He turned back to Juliet as Gus led Nikki away. “What is it, my magnificent princess?” he said grandly.
Juliet frowned. “Who was that girl?”
“My apprentice,” he said. “I've been thinking of finding one so I can pass on all the wisdom I've accumulated over the years. Things like which food carts along the boardwalk serve the best snacks and the short cuts to take to beat Lassiter to a crime scene. She must have sensed I was looking because she showed up at the office and asked for the job.” His dad always said every good lie had a grain of truth in it. Nikki had shown up at the Psych office on her own, and had, sort of, asked for the job.
“You never mentioned an apprentice before,” Juliet said. She clearly doubted his story, even if she had sided with him against Lassiter.
“That's because she just started,” Shawn said dismissively. Juliet still looked suspicious. “Look, is something wrong?” he asked, switching to the offensive.
“I don't know,” she said, crossing her arms. “Is there?” She stared him straight in the eye, waiting to catch him in a lie. He stared straight back, keeping his gaze steady and confidant.
“O'Hara!” Lassiter called. “Fraternize later. We have work to do.” He glared at them from his position near the body.
Juliet looked away. “We'll talk later.”
Shawn watched her leave, her shoulders tight and back stiff. This complicated matters. He needed to deal with Nikki soon, before Juliet ran that background check and figured out she was his private case. It was time to get some straight answers from her and find out what she was hiding.
However, when he met Gus at the car, Nikki was nowhere to be seen. “Where is she?” he asked. He glanced inside the car, in case Nikki was hiding in there.
“She took off,” Gus said. He threw something at Shawn. “She said to give you this.”
It was his wallet. The cash was gone, but the fingerprint card and all everything else seemed to be in there. “Damn,” he said, pocketing the wallet. “I really needed to talk to her.”
“Did you know she stole your wallet?” Gus asked accusingly.
“Gus,” he said calmingly.
“I knew she was up to no good.” Gus pointed at Shawn. “I told you this was a bad idea. Why didn't you tell the police the truth?”
“Because I promised her I wouldn't,” Shawn said. “But if she's going to keep breaking into crime scenes, I don't know how much longer I can cover for her.” He rubbed his temples. The whole thing was starting to give him a headache.
“Maybe you shouldn't,” Gus said. “The police are going to find out sooner or later.”
“Yeah,” he said, thinking of the background check. “But I'll deal with that when I have to.” His stomach took that moment to grumble loudly. He looked over at Gus. “How about we grab some breakfast?” he asked, climbing into the car.
Gus followed suit. “Okay, but since you have your wallet back, you're buying.” He looked smugly at Shawn. “And don't think you can use my credit card to pay for it. I checked your wallet for anymore 'borrowed' cards.”
“Why Burton Guster, you sneaky bastard,” he said proudly. “You have been learning. As a reward, I will pay for breakfast.” He buckled up as Gus started the car. “Let's get out of here.”
Chapter 7
Author: moondragon25 (or moondragon23 on other sites)
Pairing: Shawn/Juliet
Rating: PG-13
Summary: Life is great for Shawn Spencer. He has a cool job, a smart, beautiful girlfriend, and gets to hang with his best friend all day. What more could a guy want? When he gets his next two cases, a dead chemistry professor and a girl looking for her father, it looks like business as usual. Too bad things never go that simply when Shawn is involved. REWRITE OF TWO DEAD GUYS AND A GIRL!
Disclaimer: I do not own Psych or any of its characters. All other publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. No money is being made from this work. No copyright infringement is intended.
Notes: Home sick today so I decided to post this early. I'm not sure how many people are actually reading this but I'll remain optimistic and continue to post. I know I'm not the best at remembering to leave reviews and I've been horrible at responding to them. But I do read and appreciate them.
Anyway, enjoy the story.
Flashback
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6: Another One Bites the Dust
Thursday
A muffled pounding woke Shawn up the next morning. Listening as the remnants of his last dream faded away (a cage match between Hacksaw Jim Duggan and a giant pineapple), he realized the pounding was coming from the front door. He groaned and curled up with the blankets over his head. “Go away,” he grumbled into his pillow.
The pounding continued. In addition, he could now hear what sounded like someone shouting his name. He peered blearily at the alarm clock, squinting until the time came into focus; 7:15. “It's barely morning,” he moaned, covering his head with his pillow. He never liked mornings, rarely rising before nine if he could help it. Besides, he had been up most of the night worrying about both his cases. He had no leads on Sanders' killer and no idea what to do about Nikki. The last thing he needed was someone waking him up at this obscene hour of the morning.
The pounding stopped. He cautiously poked his head out from under the pillow. When it remained quiet, he sighed in relief. Whoever it was must have given up. It couldn't have been that important anyway. If it was, they would have tried calling him by now. Deciding there was nothing pressing that required his immediate attention, at least for a couple of hours, he got comfortable and tried to fall back asleep. He was just drifting off when someone barged into his bedroom.
“Shawn!”
He let out a yelp and flailed in the sheets, trying to get free so he could face his attacker. The sheets proved to be on the side of his assailant, keeping him securely wrapped as he tumbled off the side of the bed. As he struggled to free himself from the death grip of the sheets, he heard familiar laughter coming from the doorway. Pausing in his battle, he looked up and saw Gus standing there, clutching his sides as he guffawed at Shawn's predicament. “Not funny, dude,” he said testily, still struggling to get out of one of the sheets.
“You’re wrapped up like a human burrito,” Gus wheezed between bouts of laughter.
Ripping off the sheet at last, Shawn climbed up off the floor and sat down on the edge of the bed. “How did you even get in here?”
“You gave me a key, remember?” Gus said, quieting down but still grinning widely.
“Right, yeah.” Shawn rubbed the sleep from his eyes, trying to kick-start his brain. He had been making copies of Gus's keys for years. It made it much easier to get into his friend's place while Gus was out. Recently, Gus had been demanding a copy of his key in return. It mostly sat unused, unless Gus was retrieving something Shawn had 'borrowed' with his own key. “Just don't tell Juliet you have a key. She would kill me.” At the thought of his girlfriend, he realized she wasn't in the room. “Where is Jules, anyway?”
“At the crime scene, where you're supposed to be.” Gus frowned at Shawn. “Don't you ever charge your phone?”
“I charged it.” Shawn reached over to the night stand and started digging through the mess on top. “See,” he said, holding the phone up for Gus. He pressed a button to wake it up. Nothing happened. He fiddled with the phone for a minute, then looked sheepishly at Gus. “I thought I charged it.”
“That's what Juliet figured when she couldn't reach you,” Gus said. “She called me to wake you up and bring you to the crime scene.”
Shawn vaguely remembered Juliet getting a phone call early that morning. Way too early. She had said something to him, but he had just mumbled and gone back to sleep. She probably didn't think at the time he was needed on the case, or she would have tried harder to wake him up. “Let me throw some clothes on and we can go.”
“I'll wait outside,” Gus said looking back over his shoulder. “Try not to get into any more fights with your sheets while I’m gone.”
Shawn glared after his friend as he left the room. He’d have to come up with something good to get Gus back for this morning. However, that would have to wait for later; right now he had a crime scene to get to. He threw the sheets back on the bed and quickly dressed. He made sure to grab his car charger for his phone before heading outside to meet Gus. It looked like it was going to be another long day.
“How much farther?” Shawn whined. He and Gus were traipsing across the damp fields of Howell Park, heading for the trail head. It hadn't seemed that far on the map, but it felt like they had been walking for hours.
“About thirty seconds less than the last time you asked,” Gus said irritably. He could tell his friend was getting annoyed by the question and grinned to himself. “I told you in the car. It's about a twenty minute walk.” Up ahead they could just make out yellow police tape cordoning off an area of the trail head. “We're almost there.”
“Finally!” Shawn cried dramatically. “Civilization! A beacon out of this horrid wilderness!” He fell to his knees, arms outstretched to the sky.
“Will you get up?” Gus snapped, pulling Shawn to his feet. “We're in a park. There are people right over there.” He pointed out a couple enjoying an early morning stroll with their dog. He shook his head. “I knew stopping for coffee was a bad idea. It makes you hyperactive.”
“And also more hyper-observanter. . . mega-observant? Is mega better than hyper?” Shawn wiped at the damp grass stains on his pants. “Either way, it means I'll notice whatever the cops missed even quicker.” He started walking again, bouncing slightly with each step. Coffee did make him more jittery than normal.
“How do you know they'll miss anything?” Gus asked.
He gave Gus a look. “They always miss something. Otherwise we would have been out of business years ago.” Gus didn't seem to have an argument for that. “Tell me again what Jules said about the body.”
“It was found soon after the park opened by a young couple on their morning hike,” Gus said. Shawn made a face. Who in their right mind wakes up that early to exercise? “The police thought he might be homeless until they saw the acid burns on his face and hands,” Gus finished.
“Acid burns?” Shawn asked, intrigued. That wasn't a common MO, especially if the victim was homeless. Acid strong enough to cause disfiguring burns wasn't readily available to most people either. There was also the question of why someone would want to burn a homeless man with acid.
Unless, of course, he wasn't really homeless and this was all to throw the police off track. If the killer worked in a chemistry lab, they would have easy access to a smorgasbord of dangerous chemicals to cause the burns. “Dude, I think this death is related to the Sanders' case,” Shawn said, jumping up and down in his excitement.
“Maybe that's why the police called you in,” Gus said. He grabbed Shawn’s arm to hold him still. “Will you calm down? You're acting like a hyperactive five year old.” They had reached the crime scene and he glanced around to see if anyone had noticed Shawn's antics.
“You're acting like a five year old,” he retorted, sticking his tongue out at Gus. He flinched at his friend’s glare. “OK,” he said placatingly. “I'll try to calm down.”
“Good,” Gus said. “You don't need another reason for Lassiter to block us from this case.” He nodded towards the detective visible behind the crime scene tape.
“Lassie-face,” Shawn called, waving to the detective. “Isn't it a lovely morning?”
“Spencer, how nice of you to join us,” Lassiter said sarcastically as he walked towards them. “It's only been what, an hour, since we called you?”
“Carlton, play nice,” Juliet admonished, coming up to stand next to her partner. She smiled at her boyfriend. “Nice to see you're finally awake Shawn.” She turned to Gus. “Thanks for getting him. Did he forget to charge his phone again?”
“Yes,” Gus said. “I had to pound on the door for ten minutes before he would even get up.” He shook his head as if to say 'That's Shawn for you.'
“He really doesn't like to wake up early,” she said in agreement. “When I get up for work, he usually just rolls over and goes back to sleep.”
“You should have seen him in high school,” Gus said. “He almost didn't graduate because of the number of times he was late for homeroom.”
“I'd believe it,” Juliet said. “Sometimes it feels like I'm living with a teenager.” Gus nodded sympathetically, causing her to smile.
Shawn watched this exchange with disbelief. “You do know I'm standing right here,” he said, causing both parties to look at him. “Right in front of you. Hearing everything your saying.” He held up his hand and waved it in front of Gus's face. “I haven't turned invisible, have I?”
Gus slapped his hand away. “We can see you Shawn,” he said. “But it would be nice if you were a little more responsible.” He gave Shawn a disappointed look.
“Enough talking about me,” Shawn said in frustration. “Shouldn't we be discussing the case?” He turned to the older detective. “Lassie, you hate personal stuff. Tell them to 'get back to work', or 'leave that crap at home,'” he said, using his best gruff 'Lassiter' voice.
“I don't know,” Lassiter said with an amused grin. “I think I might let it slide, just this once.” He grinned wider at Shawn's discomfort.
“Then I'll just investigate on my own,” he said, turning his nose up at them. He stormed off into the woods in a huff.
After a second, Juliet caught up with him. “We were just joking around,” she said soothingly. “Don't take it so personally.” When he didn't respond, she pulled him to a stop. “What's bothering you?” she asked, giving his face a searching look.
He gave her a weak grin. “Just didn't get enough sleep, I guess.” He couldn't tell her he was starting to feel a little overwhelmed. Both cases were becoming more complicated than he originally thought. He was almost glad for this new body, if it provided some insight into the Sanders' case.
He was also getting tired of the constant comments about his immaturity. He knew how his actions looked to others, but goofing around was how he coped with the stress the police cases brought on. If he started taking things too seriously, he'd probably snap. He had come close a few times in the past, particularly after his dad was shot.
He didn't want to come that close again.
A noise behind him broke his train of thought. Lassiter and Gus were walking through the woods towards them. “I'll be fine,” he said, giving Juliet a reassuring grin. She nodded, but still looked a little worried. He motioned Juliet to lead the way and continued heading through the woods.
Lassiter and Gus caught up with them just as they reached the clearing with the body. Gus took one look at it and started making those weird noises he did when he was trying not to throw up. “Excuse me,” he said, walking off into the woods. Shawn could see him stop about twenty feet away and lean against a tree, taking deep breaths.
Shawn moved closer to the body to get a better look. He couldn't blame Gus for his reaction. The victim was lying on his back, giving everyone a perfect view of his horribly burned face. The skin looked like it had almost melted. He also noticed the same burns on the victim's hands. The body was dressed in torn jeans and a ragged t-shirt. The victim was barefoot and Shawn didn’t see any dirt or cuts on his feet, proving the victim didn’t walk to this location. A jagged slash across the throat made cause of death clear.
“Victim appears to be in his twenties,” Lassiter said after a moment. All trace of humor was gone from his voice. “No ID found on the body and those burns will make a facial match or fingerprinting impossible.” He pointed to a path of disturbed leaves through the woods. “Victim was dragged here from the trail head. Tire tracks showed the victim was transported using one of the park's golf carts.”
“There are golf carts?” Shawn asked, looking up. “Dude, did you know there were golf carts?” he called to Gus. “We could have ridden one of those instead of walking here.” Gus waved weakly at him but refused to move closer to the body. He looked back at Lassiter. “Did anyone find the cart?”
“We did,” Lassiter said. “It was the only golf cart in the garage with mud on the tires. Forensics went over it, but didn't even find a fingerprint.” He shrugged. “They checked the other carts just to be safe. Nothing.”
“Lack of blood on the clothing suggests they were put on after death,” Juliet said. “CSU already went over the scene but the rain washed away any evidence the killer may have left behind. The victim is dressed like he's homeless, but we don't think he was.” She came up next to Shawn. “Is there anything you can sense about his identity?”
Shawn looked the body over again. The clothing was ill-fitting, probably because it wasn’t the victim’s own. The killer had removed any article covered in blood or that could contain any trace that could be linked back to him. It showed the killer was smart, which would make him that much harder to catch.
Crouching near the head, Shawn looked more closely at the fatal wound. He noticed a tiny sliver of glass, likely left behind by the murder weapon. He also noticed the edge of a familiar tattoo peeking out from under the stretched neckline of the shirt. “Your right, he wasn't homeless,” he said, glancing up at Juliet. “He has a home, and a job at the prestigious Santa Barbara University.” He stood up and faced the two detectives. “More specifically, he works in the chemistry department.”
“You're saying this is connected to the Sanders' case?” Lassiter asked skeptically.
Shawn hissed, putting his hand to his temple. “I'm seeing the victim and his killer. They're arguing about something. Tempers grow heated. The killer grabs something made of glass, smashes it, and uses it to cut the victim's throat.” He mimed slashing at someone, then clutched his own throat and started choking. He stumbled back a few steps. “The killer used some kind of acid to burn the victim's face and hands to delay identification.” He flinched and made sizzling sounds, as if something was burning him. “I'm melting. I'm melting,” he croaked, falling down to the ground. “Then he dressed him up like a homeless person and dumped him in the woods far from the school, hoping to lead the police off track.” He climbed back up to his feet and stood there panting as he looked triumphantly at the two detectives.
“We can pull up the list of students and techs working in the two labs, see if anyone is missing,” Juliet said to Lassiter.
“No need,” Shawn said. “I'm sensing if you check the victim's right collar bone, you'll find a tattoo of a Chinese character. Some say it’s the character for 'soup.' Others disagree, as if someone doesn't know what he is talking about.” He glared over at Gus.
Juliet pulled on the victim's shirt collar, exposing the tattoo. “He's right,” she called over to Lassiter.
“His name is Sam Cooper,” Shawn said. “A bright eyed college student we met yesterday who worked in both Sanders' and Pratt's labs.”
“O'Hara,” Lassiter said. “Have someone check on Cooper and see if he's really missing.” She called one of the other cops over and started giving him instructions. He turned to Shawn. “Good work, Spencer,” he said grudgingly.
“Always happy to help Lassie,” he said with a grin. He stepped back as Lassiter directed the coroner's men to remove the body. He was heading over to join Gus when he heard a commotion in the woods behind him.
“What's going on?” Lassiter asked. Shawn turned as McNab came out of the woods, dragging Nikki along behind him. He exchanged a quick, worried glance with Gus before moving closer.
“I found her sneaking around in the woods,” McNab said to Lassiter. “She said she was lost and didn't realize this was a crime scene.” Even McNab didn't look convinced by this story.
“Oh, really?” Lassiter asked, eyeing Nikki. She was wearing the ripped jeans and blue sweatshirt again. It made her appear older than fifteen, old enough that she might look like a college student to a certain detective. “Well, let's just see what your story is after you take a trip downtown.” He turned to McNab. “Bring her in. I'll question her myself after I finish here.” Shawn saw fear in Nikki's eyes as McNab started leading her away.
“Wait!” Shawn called. All eyes turned towards him. He heard Gus approach as he said, “She's with me.”
“What are you doing?” Gus whispered behind him.
“Improvising,” he hissed back.
“What do you mean, she's with you?” Lassiter asked suspiciously.
Juliet walked over and eyed Nikki speculatively. She glanced at Shawn, silently asking what was going on. He shook his head; the situation was too complicated to explain with a look. She frowned, but didn’t press it though he had no doubt she would be questioning him about Nikki as soon as she could.
He turned back to Nikki and met her pleading gaze. She may have gotten herself into this, but he wasn’t going to abandon her to Lassiter. “She's my psychic apprentice,” he said, remembering the conversation from yesterday. He saw the startled look in Nikki's eyes and hoped she would be able to pull this off.
“Then why was she wondering around in the woods alone?” Lassiter asked, raising an eyebrow.
“I asked her to check to see if she could sense the killer's astral trail,” he explained. He gestured at Nikki proudly. “She really is quite gifted.”
“Really,” Lassiter said doubtfully. He turned to Nikki. “Let her go McNab.” Once she was free, Lassiter said, “Alright, prove it.” He motioned to the body. “Tell me what you sense, 'psychic.'” He crossed his arms with a smirk, anticipating Nikki's failure.
Nikki glanced nervously at Shawn. He nodded encouragingly and gave her a thumbs up. Taking a deep breath, she approached the body. She looked over it quickly, then closed her eyes. She held her arms straight out over the body, as if sensing the flow of energy around it. Shawn approved, having used the same move himself only a couple of days ago. “I'm sensing this person is not what they seem. These clothes are not his; they are a disguise. Someone doesn't want you to know who this person is.” She frowned in concentration and rubbed the side of her neck. “I feel a burning on here. Some kind of mark that might identify the victim.” She moved her hands back and forth over the body again. “I'm also sensing the killer wore gloves, which is why there were no fingerprints on the golf cart.” She opened her eyes and looked over at him.
He nodded approvingly at her. She did good, confirming most of the details he had 'sensed' about the victim, though less showy then he would have done it. She had even figured out why they hadn't found any fingerprints on the golf cart. He guessed she had been spying on them, picking up what details she could about the crime, before she got caught. “Satisfied, Lassie?” he asked, grinning at the detective.
“Well. . .” Lassiter said, clearly not wanting to just let Nikki go. Juliet elbowed him in the side and gave him a look. Lassiter rolled his eyes. “OK, fine. She's free to go. Just keep her away from my crime scenes. The last thing I need is another psychic messing things up.” He noticed everyone standing around watching them. “Back to work people!” he shouted.
“OK, let's go,” Shawn said to Nikki as the crowd slowly dispersed. He quickly led the way away from the crime scene. “We need to talk,” he said quietly to her. She nodded, swallowing nervously.
“Shawn, a word please,” Juliet called out.
“Gus, take her to the car,” Shawn said quietly. Gus nodded. He turned back to Juliet as Gus led Nikki away. “What is it, my magnificent princess?” he said grandly.
Juliet frowned. “Who was that girl?”
“My apprentice,” he said. “I've been thinking of finding one so I can pass on all the wisdom I've accumulated over the years. Things like which food carts along the boardwalk serve the best snacks and the short cuts to take to beat Lassiter to a crime scene. She must have sensed I was looking because she showed up at the office and asked for the job.” His dad always said every good lie had a grain of truth in it. Nikki had shown up at the Psych office on her own, and had, sort of, asked for the job.
“You never mentioned an apprentice before,” Juliet said. She clearly doubted his story, even if she had sided with him against Lassiter.
“That's because she just started,” Shawn said dismissively. Juliet still looked suspicious. “Look, is something wrong?” he asked, switching to the offensive.
“I don't know,” she said, crossing her arms. “Is there?” She stared him straight in the eye, waiting to catch him in a lie. He stared straight back, keeping his gaze steady and confidant.
“O'Hara!” Lassiter called. “Fraternize later. We have work to do.” He glared at them from his position near the body.
Juliet looked away. “We'll talk later.”
Shawn watched her leave, her shoulders tight and back stiff. This complicated matters. He needed to deal with Nikki soon, before Juliet ran that background check and figured out she was his private case. It was time to get some straight answers from her and find out what she was hiding.
However, when he met Gus at the car, Nikki was nowhere to be seen. “Where is she?” he asked. He glanced inside the car, in case Nikki was hiding in there.
“She took off,” Gus said. He threw something at Shawn. “She said to give you this.”
It was his wallet. The cash was gone, but the fingerprint card and all everything else seemed to be in there. “Damn,” he said, pocketing the wallet. “I really needed to talk to her.”
“Did you know she stole your wallet?” Gus asked accusingly.
“Gus,” he said calmingly.
“I knew she was up to no good.” Gus pointed at Shawn. “I told you this was a bad idea. Why didn't you tell the police the truth?”
“Because I promised her I wouldn't,” Shawn said. “But if she's going to keep breaking into crime scenes, I don't know how much longer I can cover for her.” He rubbed his temples. The whole thing was starting to give him a headache.
“Maybe you shouldn't,” Gus said. “The police are going to find out sooner or later.”
“Yeah,” he said, thinking of the background check. “But I'll deal with that when I have to.” His stomach took that moment to grumble loudly. He looked over at Gus. “How about we grab some breakfast?” he asked, climbing into the car.
Gus followed suit. “Okay, but since you have your wallet back, you're buying.” He looked smugly at Shawn. “And don't think you can use my credit card to pay for it. I checked your wallet for anymore 'borrowed' cards.”
“Why Burton Guster, you sneaky bastard,” he said proudly. “You have been learning. As a reward, I will pay for breakfast.” He buckled up as Gus started the car. “Let's get out of here.”
Chapter 7