FIC: Two Dead Guys, a Girl, and a Psychic (11/18)
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: I want to give a huge thank you to Redwolffclaw for being an awesome beta. Her enthusiasm is what is keeping this story going when life keeps getting me down. Any mistakes left in this chapter are strictly my own.
Flashback
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10: Spencer Family Dinner
Shawn stared pensively out the window of his father’s kitchen, a barely touched beer in his hand. His dad was out back grilling up some steaks. Nikki was upstairs somewhere, probably snooping around. With time to himself and nothing to do, his mind was free to wander.
The blood on the lab coat was a preliminary match for Cooper's blood type. The glass shards matched those found in the wound, which the lab now surmised came from a broken beaker. They had enough evidence to charge Newton but still needed to find him. An APB was out on him and his car, but there hadn’t been any hits yet.
He should be trying to determine Newton's next move. Instead, his mind kept straying to the girl upstairs. He pulled out his phone.
Still no calls.
“You should tell her.”
Shawn turned around. He had been so wrapped up in his thoughts that he hadn't heard his dad enter the kitchen. He had pulled his father aside soon after he arrived and filled him in on what was going on with Nikki's case, including the meeting with Vick. “What, are you the psychic now?” he asked with a smirk, leaning back against the counter.
Henry pointed to the phone still in his hand. “Just as much as you are.” He grabbed a beer from the fridge and stood next to the island facing Shawn. “She's a tough kid. She deserves to know what's going on.”
“I'll have a few extra days before the Denver PD can send someone down here,” Shawn said, putting his phone away.
“Time you'll need to convince the father to take the kid,” Henry pointed out.
“She's a great kid. Who wouldn't want her?” he asked.
“You know as well as I do that the world doesn't always work that way,” Henry put down his beer and crossed his arms. “What are you going to do if he doesn't want to take her? Or you can't find him in time?”
“I'm not sending her back to foster care,” he said stubbornly. He looked down, picking at the label on his bottle. “I promised I would help her and that is what I'm going to do.”
“You can't save everyone, kid. Fact of life,” Henry said. He patted Shawn on the shoulder and grabbed his beer before heading back outside.
“I don't need to save everyone,” he muttered to himself. “Just her.” He took a sip of his beer and made a face. It had grown warm while he was thinking, the liquid flat and sour on his tongue. He dumped the rest of it in the sink and put the empty bottle on the counter. Then he picked it back up and started picking at the label again.
With the deadline fast approaching and still no idea who her father was, he had been wondering what would happen to Nikki if he failed. He couldn't send her back into the system, and she had no other family to go to. Maybe he could get someone he knew to agree to foster her to buy him time. She was already living at his dad’s place; they could just make it official. He would volunteer himself if he thought social services would agree to it. Unfortunately he wasn’t exactly a model of dependability or maturity. Though the fact he lived with a cop would certainly sway things in his favor.
The sound of someone pounding down the stairs gave him just enough warning to put a grin on his face before Nikki entered the room. “Hey Nikki.”
“Hey Shawn!” she said. “Is dinner done yet? I'm starving.” She was dressed in the same clothes he had first seen her in; jeans and a blue t-shirt. A smudge of dirt stretched across one cheek and more smudges marked her pants where she had wiped her hands.
“First, you should probably clean that up,” he said, tapping his cheek.
She touched her own cheek and noticed the dirt. She grinned sheepishly as she wiped her cheek and tried to brush the worst of the dust off her clothes. “I can explain.”
“Just wash it off before my dad sees it,” he said. He moved out of the way so she could reach the sink. “By the way, all the good stuff is in the back right corner and avoid any boxes with a skull and crossbones on it.”
She glanced over at him. “I'll have to remember that,” she said with a grin.
“Food's ready!” Henry called from outside.
“Let's eat.” Nikki quickly dried her hands and Shawn grabbed a fresh beer from the fridge before they headed out the back door.
They sat around the table helping themselves to corn on the cob and mashed potatoes while Henry dished out the steaks. As soon as she filled her plate, Nikki attacked the food with gusto. Shawn had seen wild animals eat with less ferocity. After a couple of minutes, she noticed Shawn and Henry staring at her. She quickly swallowed the food in her mouth and ducked her head in embarrassment. “I'm eating too fast again?” she asked Shawn.
Shawn exchanged a look with his father. “Just a little,” he lied, not wanting to make her more uncomfortable. He was still surprised at how quickly she could consume food though know he knew why she had developed that habit. “It's not going anywhere. Remember to take time to chew your food. And breathing. That's important too.”
She glared at him before turning to Henry. “The food is very good,” she said.
“Glad you like it,” Henry said, pleased. He pointed his fork at Shawn. “Shawn here never seems to appreciate my cooking. That's why he never stops by anymore.”
“It's not the cooking, it's the lecturing,” Shawn corrected. “That, and 'the incident'.” He shuddered, remembering the time he had accidentally walked in on his parents having sex.
“What incident?” she asked curiously.
“Don't ask,” Shawn and Henry said together. They looked at each other, surprised they had managed to agree on something. Nikki watched them for a moment to see if either of them would say anything else. When neither of them did, she went back to her food.
After that they enjoyed a few minutes of comfortable silence, a rare event in the Spencer household. Put him and his father in the same room and a fight was bound to happen sooner or later, usually sooner. He tried his best to enjoy the peace while it lasted.
“So,” Nikki said slowly, her tone drawing his full attention. “Did you find out anything about my father?”
“I did,” he said. She looked at him, hope mixed with caution in her eyes. “I'm waiting to hear back from someone but if we're lucky, he'll know your father's name.” He met his own father's gaze, and very slightly shook his head. He wasn't going to burden her with the rest. Henry frowned in disapproval but nodded back, showing he wouldn't go against Shawn's decision in this.
Nikki didn't notice the exchange. She was toying with her food, looking like she was debating asking the next question. She took a deep breath and glanced up at him. “Do you think he'll want me?” she asked in a small voice.
“Um. . . ” He looked at his father, unsure how to answer her question.
Henry reached out and patted Nikki's hand. “No matter what happens, you'll always have a place here if you need it.”
“Thank you, Mr. Spencer,” she said gratefully, giving him a warm smile.
He just stared at his father in surprise. Old age sure had changed him. He never would have opened his doors to a complete stranger like this before. Or maybe it was just that quality Nikki seemed to have that made people like her.
Henry noticed his stare and turned red. “I'm gonna get another beer,” he said, standing up. “You guys want anything?” When Shawn and Nikki shook their heads, he walked around the table and into the house.
Nikki had finished off her first plate and was filling up a second one. Scooping up mashed potatoes, she asked, “How's the Sanders' case coming?”
“It's going good,” he said. “Great in fact. We figured out who the killer is.” He puffed his chest out proudly. “And by we I mean me of course.”
“What tipped you off?” she asked eagerly.
“We already knew the killer had to have access to the lab,” he said. Nikki nodded. “There was a gray cat hair found at the crime scene. I remembered one of the guys we talked to had a cat scratch on his hand. He knew Cooper and worked closely with Sanders. I convinced the police to check out his house.”
Henry had rejoined them while he was explaining their latest breakthrough to Nikki and was now frowning at him. “Should you be discussing the case with her?” Henry asked bluntly. “Remember what happened last time?”
“How was I supposed to know she was a reporter?” Shawn asked. His dad gave him a look. “Okay, so maybe I was a little drunk.” A lot drunk, he corrected silently in his head. Vick had cut him off from cases for a month after that incident. “Besides, this is a completely different situation. She's my psychic apprentice, so I have to share cases with her.” He regretted the words the instant they were out of his mouth.
“Psychic apprentice?” Henry asked sharply.
Shawn sighed. “It was a spur of the moment decision.” One he had planned to never tell his father about. “She crashed a crime scene. I was trying to keep her out of jail.” He crossed his arms and narrowed his eyes. “I wasn't going to let her get arrested.”
Henry's face tightened but he let the comment pass. “She wouldn't have been at the crime scene if she didn't already know about the case,” he said shrewdly.
“Technically, she figured out the case on her own,” he said defensively. This is why he hated discussing things with the ex cop. “Tell him, Nikki.”
“It's true.” She wilted as he gave her his 'cop stare,' designed to make even hardened criminals flinch. “I guessed what case he was working on and pestered him until he told me about it.” Her voice grew more and more quiet until it was nearly inaudible by the end.
Henry nodded, evidently believing her story, before turning the stare on Shawn. “You need to start acting more responsibly. You can't bring a kid into these kind of dangerous situations.”
“It's not like I'm bringing her to drug busts or to chase down hostile suspects,” Shawn said angrily. Henry's stare didn't have the same effect on him as it had on Nikki but he still hated that his father thought he was that irresponsible. “We were just talking about the case. She's been a big help already.” He looked at Nikki proudly. She gave small smile but glanced worriedly at Henry.
Henry stared at him silently for a moment. “Fine. But you're responsible if anything happens to her.”
“Nothing's going to happen,” Shawn said with exasperation. Henry just grunted, shaking his head slowly.
A tense silence fell between them. “Well, go on,” Henry said at last. “What did you find in the house?”
Shawn hid a grin. His father couldn't resist hearing about his cases. As much as Henry complained about Shawn coming to him for help, his father loved being involved. “We found evidence to link Newton to both Cooper's and Sanders' murders. He had even made a replica of Sanders' experiment, complete with notes on possible ways to tamper with it. I also 'divined' why he did it, with the help of his cat.”
“Was it a cute cat?” Nikki asked eagerly.
It looked like he had found another cat lover. He thought back to the glimpse he had had of the cat as it shot out of the room. “Yeah, sure.” He would never understand women's fascination with the cuteness of a cat. It was a fierce, proud animal, not a cuddly plaything. He absentmindedly rubbed the cat scratches on his hand. Whatever. Back to the case. “The reason he did it -”
“What color was the cat?” she asked, cutting him off.
“Gray,” he said shortly. He saw his father smirking at him and chose to ignore it. “He did it because - “
“What will happen to the cat now?” she asked urgently. She seemed genuinely worried about the well-being of the now homeless animal.
He sighed. “I don't know. It will probably end up at the animal shelter.” He thought about how wild the cat was. “If someone is able to catch it, that is.”
“Poor thing,” she said sadly. He tell how upset this was making her. Truth be told, he wasn't happy about the cat's situation either. He didn't like the idea of it wandering the streets, cold and hungry. He wondered if there was a way he could catch it. Juliet had bought some humane squirrel traps to rescue some from Lassiter's attic before the detective shot them. Maybe they would work on cats too.
“No, Shawn,” Henry said, interrupting his thoughts. “I know what you're thinking. No cats. Not in my house.”
“I wasn't thinking that,” he said irritably. But I am now. Nikki had been through a lot. She could use a small furry animal to keep her company. His dad was eyeing him suspiciously, so he decided to figure out the details later. “Any more questions?”
“How did you 'divine' the motive?” she asked.
He grinned. “That was a combination of research and luck. The cat knocked over some papers on Newton's desk. While picking them up, I noticed they were identical to research papers Sanders had published recently.”
“He stole Newton's work,” Henry surmised.
Shawn nodded. “He changed the dates of the experiments to cover his tracks, but otherwise he copied Newton's work word for word.”
“Did you make up a vision to explain it to the police?” she asked curiously.
Henry frowned at her words. Shawn knew Nikki wouldn't tell anyone his secret and hoped he could convince his dad of the same thing. “Even better,” Shawn said. “I pretended to channel Newton's cat. I crawled around, meowing and scratching at things I wanted them to pay attention to.”
She grinned. “I would have loved to see that.”
“You should have seen Lassie's face when I rubbed up against his leg,” Shawn said, laughing.
“You shouldn't antagonize him so much,” Henry said. “One of these days he'll arrest you.”
“Please, he already tried that once,” Shawn said dismissively. “I doubt he'll try it again.”
“Why did he try to arrest you?” Nikki asked.
Shawn smiled at her. “That is an interesting story.” He recounted the tale of his first meeting with Detective Lassiter, and the events that led to the formation of Psych. He then went on to tell her about some of his more memorable cases. His dad, having lived through most of them, headed back inside the house.
Some time later, he noticed the sun about to set. “Well, that's probably enough for today,” he said reluctantly. It was nice having someone he could discuss past cases with who hadn't been directly involved. Plus Nikki knew his secret, so unlike most people he could tell her how he really solved them.
Nikki tilted her head. “There's something puzzling me about the reunion case,” she said. “Who's Judd Nelson?”
“Who's Judd Nelson?” he asked in disbelief. “Haven't you ever seen the Breakfast Club?” She shook her head. He glanced at his watch. Juliet would probably be home late; the police were still trying to track down Newton. “Come on,” he said, standing up and holding a hand out to Nikki. “I think my dad still has a copy lying around somewhere.”
Henry turned a page in his book. He was sitting in his kitchen, having given up the living room to Shawn and Nikki's mini movie marathon. Shawn liked to give a running commentary to any movie he'd seen before, making it impossible to watch anything with him. They had started with the Breakfast Club, then gone on to Teen Wolf. They were halfway through Ghostbusters when it dawned on him it had gone suspiciously quiet.
Nikki came into the room and walked over to the fridge. “How's the movie?” he asked, looking up from his book.
She pulled out a soda and popped open the can. “Good.” She glanced toward the living room. “Shawn fell asleep about ten minutes ago. I came in here so I wouldn't wake him up.” She walked over and sat down at the table.
Henry put his book down. “He was probably up late playing video games or some other nonsense.” He had hoped being with Juliet would cause Shawn to finally grow up, at least a little. So far, that didn't seem to be the case.
“Maybe,” she said doubtfully. She stared down at the can cupped in her hands. “Gus called during the second movie. Half the conversation consisted of Shawn saying 'I'm fine,' over and over again. I think Gus is worried about him.” She looked up at him with concern.
“Mmm.” Gus usually didn't worry about Shawn without a good reason. Maybe he should have a talk with Gus and find out if anything was going on he should know about. Gods knows Shawn wouldn't say anything himself.
Henry looked Nikki over. She sure was a perceptive kid. Speaking of which - “So you know he's not a psychic?”
She looked at him guiltily. “I promise I won't tell anyone. Shawn does good work and I wouldn't want to ruin that.” She looked down at her soda again. “I only figured it out by accident,” she said quietly.
“Go on,” he said, intrigued. Few people had figured out the truth to Shawn's act over the years. He wanted to know what had given him away this time.
She fiddled with her soda. “The thing is - ”
A knock on the door interrupted her. “Hold on a moment,” he said. She nodded, looking relieved. He made a mental note of her expression. She was hiding something that was related to his son's secret and it warranted further investigation.
The knock sounded again. “I'm coming,” he called, annoyed by the impatience of the knocker. People today were in too much of a hurry. “Juliet,” he said in surprise when he opened the door. “Come in.” He stepped back to let her into the kitchen. “What brings you here so late?”
“I'm sorry to bother you Henry, but I'm looking for Shawn,” she said, glancing around the room. “Is he here?” Her gaze lingered on Nikki before she looked back at him. “It's for a case,” she said apologetically.
“He's asleep in the other room,” Nikki said.
“He's asleep?” Juliet asked in surprise. She hesitated. “Maybe you should just let him rest. I'm sure we'll be fine without him.”
“Nonsense,” Henry said briskly. “He has a job to do. He can sleep later.” Ignoring her protests, he left the room to wake up Shawn.
Juliet looked after Henry, frowning. She knew Shawn wasn't getting enough sleep and hated to wake him, but despite what she said they did need him for the case.
She heard a sound behind her and turned. Nikki had gotten up from the table and stood looking at her cautiously. She seemed different than the she had at the crime scene, more wary. Given what she had been through, Juliet couldn't blame her.
“Hi,” Nikki said, after a moment.
“Hi,” Juliet said back. She held out her hand. “I'm Juliet.”
Nikki shook it. “Nikki.” The two stood in silence for moment, unsure what to say. “You work with Shawn?” she asked.
“Yes, at the police station,” Juliet replied.
“And you're his girlfriend?” Nikki asked. “Shawn told me,” she explained at her surprised look.
“Yes, Shawn and I are dating,” Juliet said.
Nikki titled her head, looking at Juliet curiously. “Is it hard, working with someone you're dating?”
“Sometimes,” she admitted. She heard a muffled curse from the next room. It seemed Henry had succeeded in waking Shawn up. “But it's worth it, if it's the right guy.”
Nikki nodded in understanding. “He's pretty great, isn't he?”
“He is,” she agreed. The two shared a smile at the thought of the psychic. Seeing Nikki smile like that, Juliet could understand why helping her was so important to Shawn. There was something about her that made the world seem a little bit brighter, a little more exciting. It was that same quality that had attracted Juliet to Shawn. Despite the horrible things he had seen, he managed to look on the bright side and belief things would work out in the end. Maybe it was naïve to look at life like that but without people like Nikki and Shawn the world would be a dull place.
She hoped everything worked out for Nikki, for both their sakes.
Shawn came stumbling into the room, followed closely by Henry. Her boyfriend only looked half awake and she wondered again if it might have been better to just let him sleep. “Jules,” Shawn said in surprise. “What are you doing here?” He tried, and failed, to smother a yawn.
“They found Newton's car at the bus station. The Chief wants us to check it out.” Juliet noticed the dark circles under his eyes looked more pronounced then earlier. “Are you okay?” she asked quietly.
“Peachy,” he said, giving her a warm smile. “Just need to give my brain a little time to warm up.” He looked at Henry and Nikki. “We must be off!” He headed for the door, grabbing Juliet's arm along the way.
“It was nice to meet you Nikki,” she said as Shawn dragged her out the door. “Good night Henry.”
“Good night, Juliet,” Henry called after her.
“Night Juliet. Night Shawn,” Nikki said.
Shawn didn't let go of his arm until they reached the car. He opened the passenger door as she got in on the driver's side. She studied him carefully as he struggled to buckle his seat belt. “Are you sure you're okay?”
He finally got the seat belt closed. “Fine,” he said, rubbing his face. The answer sounded more reflexive than anything. He smiled at her in reassurance. “Let's go.”
With some misgivings, she popped the car into gear and pulled out of the driveway. Shawn was pushing himself to hard. When this was over she was going to make sure he got some rest.
Chapter 11
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: I want to give a huge thank you to Redwolffclaw for being an awesome beta. Her enthusiasm is what is keeping this story going when life keeps getting me down. Any mistakes left in this chapter are strictly my own.
Flashback
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10: Spencer Family Dinner
Shawn stared pensively out the window of his father’s kitchen, a barely touched beer in his hand. His dad was out back grilling up some steaks. Nikki was upstairs somewhere, probably snooping around. With time to himself and nothing to do, his mind was free to wander.
The blood on the lab coat was a preliminary match for Cooper's blood type. The glass shards matched those found in the wound, which the lab now surmised came from a broken beaker. They had enough evidence to charge Newton but still needed to find him. An APB was out on him and his car, but there hadn’t been any hits yet.
He should be trying to determine Newton's next move. Instead, his mind kept straying to the girl upstairs. He pulled out his phone.
Still no calls.
“You should tell her.”
Shawn turned around. He had been so wrapped up in his thoughts that he hadn't heard his dad enter the kitchen. He had pulled his father aside soon after he arrived and filled him in on what was going on with Nikki's case, including the meeting with Vick. “What, are you the psychic now?” he asked with a smirk, leaning back against the counter.
Henry pointed to the phone still in his hand. “Just as much as you are.” He grabbed a beer from the fridge and stood next to the island facing Shawn. “She's a tough kid. She deserves to know what's going on.”
“I'll have a few extra days before the Denver PD can send someone down here,” Shawn said, putting his phone away.
“Time you'll need to convince the father to take the kid,” Henry pointed out.
“She's a great kid. Who wouldn't want her?” he asked.
“You know as well as I do that the world doesn't always work that way,” Henry put down his beer and crossed his arms. “What are you going to do if he doesn't want to take her? Or you can't find him in time?”
“I'm not sending her back to foster care,” he said stubbornly. He looked down, picking at the label on his bottle. “I promised I would help her and that is what I'm going to do.”
“You can't save everyone, kid. Fact of life,” Henry said. He patted Shawn on the shoulder and grabbed his beer before heading back outside.
“I don't need to save everyone,” he muttered to himself. “Just her.” He took a sip of his beer and made a face. It had grown warm while he was thinking, the liquid flat and sour on his tongue. He dumped the rest of it in the sink and put the empty bottle on the counter. Then he picked it back up and started picking at the label again.
With the deadline fast approaching and still no idea who her father was, he had been wondering what would happen to Nikki if he failed. He couldn't send her back into the system, and she had no other family to go to. Maybe he could get someone he knew to agree to foster her to buy him time. She was already living at his dad’s place; they could just make it official. He would volunteer himself if he thought social services would agree to it. Unfortunately he wasn’t exactly a model of dependability or maturity. Though the fact he lived with a cop would certainly sway things in his favor.
The sound of someone pounding down the stairs gave him just enough warning to put a grin on his face before Nikki entered the room. “Hey Nikki.”
“Hey Shawn!” she said. “Is dinner done yet? I'm starving.” She was dressed in the same clothes he had first seen her in; jeans and a blue t-shirt. A smudge of dirt stretched across one cheek and more smudges marked her pants where she had wiped her hands.
“First, you should probably clean that up,” he said, tapping his cheek.
She touched her own cheek and noticed the dirt. She grinned sheepishly as she wiped her cheek and tried to brush the worst of the dust off her clothes. “I can explain.”
“Just wash it off before my dad sees it,” he said. He moved out of the way so she could reach the sink. “By the way, all the good stuff is in the back right corner and avoid any boxes with a skull and crossbones on it.”
She glanced over at him. “I'll have to remember that,” she said with a grin.
“Food's ready!” Henry called from outside.
“Let's eat.” Nikki quickly dried her hands and Shawn grabbed a fresh beer from the fridge before they headed out the back door.
They sat around the table helping themselves to corn on the cob and mashed potatoes while Henry dished out the steaks. As soon as she filled her plate, Nikki attacked the food with gusto. Shawn had seen wild animals eat with less ferocity. After a couple of minutes, she noticed Shawn and Henry staring at her. She quickly swallowed the food in her mouth and ducked her head in embarrassment. “I'm eating too fast again?” she asked Shawn.
Shawn exchanged a look with his father. “Just a little,” he lied, not wanting to make her more uncomfortable. He was still surprised at how quickly she could consume food though know he knew why she had developed that habit. “It's not going anywhere. Remember to take time to chew your food. And breathing. That's important too.”
She glared at him before turning to Henry. “The food is very good,” she said.
“Glad you like it,” Henry said, pleased. He pointed his fork at Shawn. “Shawn here never seems to appreciate my cooking. That's why he never stops by anymore.”
“It's not the cooking, it's the lecturing,” Shawn corrected. “That, and 'the incident'.” He shuddered, remembering the time he had accidentally walked in on his parents having sex.
“What incident?” she asked curiously.
“Don't ask,” Shawn and Henry said together. They looked at each other, surprised they had managed to agree on something. Nikki watched them for a moment to see if either of them would say anything else. When neither of them did, she went back to her food.
After that they enjoyed a few minutes of comfortable silence, a rare event in the Spencer household. Put him and his father in the same room and a fight was bound to happen sooner or later, usually sooner. He tried his best to enjoy the peace while it lasted.
“So,” Nikki said slowly, her tone drawing his full attention. “Did you find out anything about my father?”
“I did,” he said. She looked at him, hope mixed with caution in her eyes. “I'm waiting to hear back from someone but if we're lucky, he'll know your father's name.” He met his own father's gaze, and very slightly shook his head. He wasn't going to burden her with the rest. Henry frowned in disapproval but nodded back, showing he wouldn't go against Shawn's decision in this.
Nikki didn't notice the exchange. She was toying with her food, looking like she was debating asking the next question. She took a deep breath and glanced up at him. “Do you think he'll want me?” she asked in a small voice.
“Um. . . ” He looked at his father, unsure how to answer her question.
Henry reached out and patted Nikki's hand. “No matter what happens, you'll always have a place here if you need it.”
“Thank you, Mr. Spencer,” she said gratefully, giving him a warm smile.
He just stared at his father in surprise. Old age sure had changed him. He never would have opened his doors to a complete stranger like this before. Or maybe it was just that quality Nikki seemed to have that made people like her.
Henry noticed his stare and turned red. “I'm gonna get another beer,” he said, standing up. “You guys want anything?” When Shawn and Nikki shook their heads, he walked around the table and into the house.
Nikki had finished off her first plate and was filling up a second one. Scooping up mashed potatoes, she asked, “How's the Sanders' case coming?”
“It's going good,” he said. “Great in fact. We figured out who the killer is.” He puffed his chest out proudly. “And by we I mean me of course.”
“What tipped you off?” she asked eagerly.
“We already knew the killer had to have access to the lab,” he said. Nikki nodded. “There was a gray cat hair found at the crime scene. I remembered one of the guys we talked to had a cat scratch on his hand. He knew Cooper and worked closely with Sanders. I convinced the police to check out his house.”
Henry had rejoined them while he was explaining their latest breakthrough to Nikki and was now frowning at him. “Should you be discussing the case with her?” Henry asked bluntly. “Remember what happened last time?”
“How was I supposed to know she was a reporter?” Shawn asked. His dad gave him a look. “Okay, so maybe I was a little drunk.” A lot drunk, he corrected silently in his head. Vick had cut him off from cases for a month after that incident. “Besides, this is a completely different situation. She's my psychic apprentice, so I have to share cases with her.” He regretted the words the instant they were out of his mouth.
“Psychic apprentice?” Henry asked sharply.
Shawn sighed. “It was a spur of the moment decision.” One he had planned to never tell his father about. “She crashed a crime scene. I was trying to keep her out of jail.” He crossed his arms and narrowed his eyes. “I wasn't going to let her get arrested.”
Henry's face tightened but he let the comment pass. “She wouldn't have been at the crime scene if she didn't already know about the case,” he said shrewdly.
“Technically, she figured out the case on her own,” he said defensively. This is why he hated discussing things with the ex cop. “Tell him, Nikki.”
“It's true.” She wilted as he gave her his 'cop stare,' designed to make even hardened criminals flinch. “I guessed what case he was working on and pestered him until he told me about it.” Her voice grew more and more quiet until it was nearly inaudible by the end.
Henry nodded, evidently believing her story, before turning the stare on Shawn. “You need to start acting more responsibly. You can't bring a kid into these kind of dangerous situations.”
“It's not like I'm bringing her to drug busts or to chase down hostile suspects,” Shawn said angrily. Henry's stare didn't have the same effect on him as it had on Nikki but he still hated that his father thought he was that irresponsible. “We were just talking about the case. She's been a big help already.” He looked at Nikki proudly. She gave small smile but glanced worriedly at Henry.
Henry stared at him silently for a moment. “Fine. But you're responsible if anything happens to her.”
“Nothing's going to happen,” Shawn said with exasperation. Henry just grunted, shaking his head slowly.
A tense silence fell between them. “Well, go on,” Henry said at last. “What did you find in the house?”
Shawn hid a grin. His father couldn't resist hearing about his cases. As much as Henry complained about Shawn coming to him for help, his father loved being involved. “We found evidence to link Newton to both Cooper's and Sanders' murders. He had even made a replica of Sanders' experiment, complete with notes on possible ways to tamper with it. I also 'divined' why he did it, with the help of his cat.”
“Was it a cute cat?” Nikki asked eagerly.
It looked like he had found another cat lover. He thought back to the glimpse he had had of the cat as it shot out of the room. “Yeah, sure.” He would never understand women's fascination with the cuteness of a cat. It was a fierce, proud animal, not a cuddly plaything. He absentmindedly rubbed the cat scratches on his hand. Whatever. Back to the case. “The reason he did it -”
“What color was the cat?” she asked, cutting him off.
“Gray,” he said shortly. He saw his father smirking at him and chose to ignore it. “He did it because - “
“What will happen to the cat now?” she asked urgently. She seemed genuinely worried about the well-being of the now homeless animal.
He sighed. “I don't know. It will probably end up at the animal shelter.” He thought about how wild the cat was. “If someone is able to catch it, that is.”
“Poor thing,” she said sadly. He tell how upset this was making her. Truth be told, he wasn't happy about the cat's situation either. He didn't like the idea of it wandering the streets, cold and hungry. He wondered if there was a way he could catch it. Juliet had bought some humane squirrel traps to rescue some from Lassiter's attic before the detective shot them. Maybe they would work on cats too.
“No, Shawn,” Henry said, interrupting his thoughts. “I know what you're thinking. No cats. Not in my house.”
“I wasn't thinking that,” he said irritably. But I am now. Nikki had been through a lot. She could use a small furry animal to keep her company. His dad was eyeing him suspiciously, so he decided to figure out the details later. “Any more questions?”
“How did you 'divine' the motive?” she asked.
He grinned. “That was a combination of research and luck. The cat knocked over some papers on Newton's desk. While picking them up, I noticed they were identical to research papers Sanders had published recently.”
“He stole Newton's work,” Henry surmised.
Shawn nodded. “He changed the dates of the experiments to cover his tracks, but otherwise he copied Newton's work word for word.”
“Did you make up a vision to explain it to the police?” she asked curiously.
Henry frowned at her words. Shawn knew Nikki wouldn't tell anyone his secret and hoped he could convince his dad of the same thing. “Even better,” Shawn said. “I pretended to channel Newton's cat. I crawled around, meowing and scratching at things I wanted them to pay attention to.”
She grinned. “I would have loved to see that.”
“You should have seen Lassie's face when I rubbed up against his leg,” Shawn said, laughing.
“You shouldn't antagonize him so much,” Henry said. “One of these days he'll arrest you.”
“Please, he already tried that once,” Shawn said dismissively. “I doubt he'll try it again.”
“Why did he try to arrest you?” Nikki asked.
Shawn smiled at her. “That is an interesting story.” He recounted the tale of his first meeting with Detective Lassiter, and the events that led to the formation of Psych. He then went on to tell her about some of his more memorable cases. His dad, having lived through most of them, headed back inside the house.
Some time later, he noticed the sun about to set. “Well, that's probably enough for today,” he said reluctantly. It was nice having someone he could discuss past cases with who hadn't been directly involved. Plus Nikki knew his secret, so unlike most people he could tell her how he really solved them.
Nikki tilted her head. “There's something puzzling me about the reunion case,” she said. “Who's Judd Nelson?”
“Who's Judd Nelson?” he asked in disbelief. “Haven't you ever seen the Breakfast Club?” She shook her head. He glanced at his watch. Juliet would probably be home late; the police were still trying to track down Newton. “Come on,” he said, standing up and holding a hand out to Nikki. “I think my dad still has a copy lying around somewhere.”
Henry turned a page in his book. He was sitting in his kitchen, having given up the living room to Shawn and Nikki's mini movie marathon. Shawn liked to give a running commentary to any movie he'd seen before, making it impossible to watch anything with him. They had started with the Breakfast Club, then gone on to Teen Wolf. They were halfway through Ghostbusters when it dawned on him it had gone suspiciously quiet.
Nikki came into the room and walked over to the fridge. “How's the movie?” he asked, looking up from his book.
She pulled out a soda and popped open the can. “Good.” She glanced toward the living room. “Shawn fell asleep about ten minutes ago. I came in here so I wouldn't wake him up.” She walked over and sat down at the table.
Henry put his book down. “He was probably up late playing video games or some other nonsense.” He had hoped being with Juliet would cause Shawn to finally grow up, at least a little. So far, that didn't seem to be the case.
“Maybe,” she said doubtfully. She stared down at the can cupped in her hands. “Gus called during the second movie. Half the conversation consisted of Shawn saying 'I'm fine,' over and over again. I think Gus is worried about him.” She looked up at him with concern.
“Mmm.” Gus usually didn't worry about Shawn without a good reason. Maybe he should have a talk with Gus and find out if anything was going on he should know about. Gods knows Shawn wouldn't say anything himself.
Henry looked Nikki over. She sure was a perceptive kid. Speaking of which - “So you know he's not a psychic?”
She looked at him guiltily. “I promise I won't tell anyone. Shawn does good work and I wouldn't want to ruin that.” She looked down at her soda again. “I only figured it out by accident,” she said quietly.
“Go on,” he said, intrigued. Few people had figured out the truth to Shawn's act over the years. He wanted to know what had given him away this time.
She fiddled with her soda. “The thing is - ”
A knock on the door interrupted her. “Hold on a moment,” he said. She nodded, looking relieved. He made a mental note of her expression. She was hiding something that was related to his son's secret and it warranted further investigation.
The knock sounded again. “I'm coming,” he called, annoyed by the impatience of the knocker. People today were in too much of a hurry. “Juliet,” he said in surprise when he opened the door. “Come in.” He stepped back to let her into the kitchen. “What brings you here so late?”
“I'm sorry to bother you Henry, but I'm looking for Shawn,” she said, glancing around the room. “Is he here?” Her gaze lingered on Nikki before she looked back at him. “It's for a case,” she said apologetically.
“He's asleep in the other room,” Nikki said.
“He's asleep?” Juliet asked in surprise. She hesitated. “Maybe you should just let him rest. I'm sure we'll be fine without him.”
“Nonsense,” Henry said briskly. “He has a job to do. He can sleep later.” Ignoring her protests, he left the room to wake up Shawn.
Juliet looked after Henry, frowning. She knew Shawn wasn't getting enough sleep and hated to wake him, but despite what she said they did need him for the case.
She heard a sound behind her and turned. Nikki had gotten up from the table and stood looking at her cautiously. She seemed different than the she had at the crime scene, more wary. Given what she had been through, Juliet couldn't blame her.
“Hi,” Nikki said, after a moment.
“Hi,” Juliet said back. She held out her hand. “I'm Juliet.”
Nikki shook it. “Nikki.” The two stood in silence for moment, unsure what to say. “You work with Shawn?” she asked.
“Yes, at the police station,” Juliet replied.
“And you're his girlfriend?” Nikki asked. “Shawn told me,” she explained at her surprised look.
“Yes, Shawn and I are dating,” Juliet said.
Nikki titled her head, looking at Juliet curiously. “Is it hard, working with someone you're dating?”
“Sometimes,” she admitted. She heard a muffled curse from the next room. It seemed Henry had succeeded in waking Shawn up. “But it's worth it, if it's the right guy.”
Nikki nodded in understanding. “He's pretty great, isn't he?”
“He is,” she agreed. The two shared a smile at the thought of the psychic. Seeing Nikki smile like that, Juliet could understand why helping her was so important to Shawn. There was something about her that made the world seem a little bit brighter, a little more exciting. It was that same quality that had attracted Juliet to Shawn. Despite the horrible things he had seen, he managed to look on the bright side and belief things would work out in the end. Maybe it was naïve to look at life like that but without people like Nikki and Shawn the world would be a dull place.
She hoped everything worked out for Nikki, for both their sakes.
Shawn came stumbling into the room, followed closely by Henry. Her boyfriend only looked half awake and she wondered again if it might have been better to just let him sleep. “Jules,” Shawn said in surprise. “What are you doing here?” He tried, and failed, to smother a yawn.
“They found Newton's car at the bus station. The Chief wants us to check it out.” Juliet noticed the dark circles under his eyes looked more pronounced then earlier. “Are you okay?” she asked quietly.
“Peachy,” he said, giving her a warm smile. “Just need to give my brain a little time to warm up.” He looked at Henry and Nikki. “We must be off!” He headed for the door, grabbing Juliet's arm along the way.
“It was nice to meet you Nikki,” she said as Shawn dragged her out the door. “Good night Henry.”
“Good night, Juliet,” Henry called after her.
“Night Juliet. Night Shawn,” Nikki said.
Shawn didn't let go of his arm until they reached the car. He opened the passenger door as she got in on the driver's side. She studied him carefully as he struggled to buckle his seat belt. “Are you sure you're okay?”
He finally got the seat belt closed. “Fine,” he said, rubbing his face. The answer sounded more reflexive than anything. He smiled at her in reassurance. “Let's go.”
With some misgivings, she popped the car into gear and pulled out of the driveway. Shawn was pushing himself to hard. When this was over she was going to make sure he got some rest.
Chapter 11