FIC: An English Werewolf in Santa Barbara (2/?)
Title: An English Werewolf in Santa Barbara
Author: moondragon25 (or moondragon23 on other sites)
Pairing: Shawn/Juliet
Rating: PG-13
Summary: A run in with a crazed gang member puts Shawn in a hairy situation. As he struggles to deal with the changes happening to him, he finds himself in the middle of a war between two rival werewolf packs. As the fighting escalates, he'll be forced to join a side in order to keep his friends and family safe.
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 tried to post this over here on Christmas but LiveJournal did not want to cooperate with me. I have some planning to do but hopefully will have the next chapter up soon.
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
“I will cut open your belly and feast on your entrails!”
Lassiter grimaced. He had received many threats in his years as a police officer but this one was more graphic then he was used to. “And how exactly to you plan to do that cuffed to a chair?”
Baker snarled and tugged on his chains. The cuffs he had originally been in had been quickly replaced with the sturdier manacles and chains soon after he entered the station. Somehow, he had managed to snap the cuffs and tried to attack a suspect in a B & E. They had barely been able to restrain him a second time. Whatever drugs he was on was making him much stronger than he had any right to be.
On the positive side, the B & E suspect had cracked right away when the arresting officer threatened to put him in a holding cell with Baker.
“Do you really think you should antagonize him like that?” O’Hara asked quietly.
“We haven’t been able to get anything out of him so far,” Lassiter answered quietly back. “Maybe if gets angry enough, he’ll let something slip.” He stood up and braced his hands on the table. “Look, you low-life scum. We have your DNA all over the victim’s body. You attacked a police consultant in front of two officers. You’re going away for a long time. Tell us who was with you and maybe we can make it so your life won’t be a living hell.”
Baker spat at him. “I would never betray my pack mates.”
It was an odd thing to call his fellow gang members. Maybe their leader had some kind of cult thing going on. That would just be perfect; he hated fanatics. “Your friends weren’t much help when we were chasing you down.” Lassiter smirked. “In fact, it’s almost like they left you to the wolves.”
That got more of a reaction than he was expecting. Lassiter took a startled step back as Baker lunged forward with a snarl, pulling on the chains hard enough the chair frame started to bend. “You don’t know anything about wolves. But you will, when my pack mates come to free me and tear out your throat in revenge. I’ll laugh while you’re bleeding out on the floor.” He threw his head up and howled at the ceiling.
The sound raised the hairs on the back of Lassiter’s neck and he fought to contain a shiver. “This is a waste of time,” he said, forcing his tone to sound bored. He deliberated turned his back on Baker, hiding his discomfort, and walked to the door. “Johnson, take him back to his holding cell and keep an eye on him.” He watched the officer walk over to Baker, who was starting to snarl again, and jerked his head at O’Hara. “Let’s go.”
As they headed back upstairs, O’Hara called to McNab. “Johnson might need some help with Baker,” she said, glancing towards the interrogation room.
“Sure thing, detective,” McNab said, giving her a grin before hurrying down the hallway.
They were both big, sturdy men. Even so, Lassiter hoped the two of them would be enough to restrain the psycho.
“That could have gone better,” O’Hara said when they reached his desk.
“Your approach didn’t work either,” Lassiter grumbled. Baker had ignored his partner, besides some disturbing comments about how she smelled. That may have contributed to his eagerness to take the tough cop approach.
“What should we do now?”
“We’re not going to be able to get anything from Baker until he comes down off whatever he’s high on,” Lassiter said. “You might as well head over to the hospital to check on Spencer.”
“Are you sure?” O’Hara asked. “I can try another search in the database. Maybe this time something will pop up.” He admired her for trying to be helpful but her tone and body language betrayed how much she wanted to leave.
“Go on. You’re no use to me if your mind’s on him instead of your work.” He sat down at his desk and opened the case file. “I’ll let you know if I find out anything.”
O’Hara hugged him, pulling away before he could protest. “Thanks Carlton.” She hurried over to her desk to grab her coat and keys. “I’ll let you know how he is,” she said as she rushed out the door.
Lassiter shook his head. He didn’t like Spencer much but he hoped the consultant wasn’t too badly hurt. This case was tricky enough without O’Hara being distracted. Not that he wouldn’t be the same if Marlowe was injured but he needed his partner at her best. And if he was being completely honest, they probably needed Spencer’s help as well.
Lassiter frowned. They had found the body of a young woman in a park near her house. She had been beaten, raped and had her throat ripped out by some kind of large canine. This was the fourth such attack this month and the first one with a DNA match. Eddie Baker had been in the system already for vandalism and assault but the other three DNA traces found on the bodies came up with no matches. They suspected it was the work of a new gang in the area, the Lupins.
After Baker’s comments earlier, he realized they were probably right. The Latin name for wolf was Canis lupis and it was likely what the gang name was derived from. Baker must have ditched the Aces and joined the new big bad group in town.
He just hoped his other hunch about it being some kind of cult was not also proven correct.
“Detective!” McNab ran up to him, his face pale. “Baker’s dead.”
“What?” Lassiter hurried down to the holding cells with McNab trailing behind him. He stopped short when he entered the room and slowly walked to Baker’s cell.
Baker was lying on the ground, eyes staring sightless upward, face contorted in rage. The line around his neck and the red spots in his eyes showed that he had been strangled.
Lassiter turned on Officer Johnson. “You were supposed to be watching him! Where the hell were you?”
“I only left the room for five minutes,” Johnson stammered. “Everything was fine, I swear.”
Lassiter turned away before he gave in to his urge to punch him. Freaking idiot. Baker was their only lead on these murders and now they had nothing. “McNab,” he barked. “Put the station on lockdown. The killer could still be in here.” He was a hit with a strong sense of déjà vu and hoped they weren’t looking at another murder committed by a cop. At least this time he wasn’t a suspect.
He exited the room and saw a crowd of officers already forming. “Ramirez, I want you to stand guard here. No one is to enter until forensics goes over the room.”
“Yes sir!”
“The rest of you, we are going to sweep this station from top to bottom.” He assigned groups to each area of the station and sent them out to search. He took a deep breath, running a hand through his hair. This was a complete disaster.
“Sir?”
Lassiter glared at Johnson, getting a vicious pleasure when he wilted under his gaze. “You had better have a good excuse for why a murder suspect was killed on your watch.” He cut him off with a wave of his hand before he could talk. “Wait in Interrogation Room A until I have time to deal with you.”
Johnson swallowed nervously and nodded before scurrying off down the hallway.
Procedure said Johnson was a suspect and Lassiter should have a guard assigned to watch him. His instincts and years of experience told him Johnson was innocent, of the murder at least. He was definitely guilty of leaving his post while on duty but it would be up to the Chief to decide on his punishment.
Lassiter groaned. He would have to call Vick about this and she would not be happy. He pulled out his phone, debating whether he should call her now or what until the search was done.
“Lassiter!” Dobson waved from the end of the hallway. “We found something!”
He shoved his phone back in his pocket and hurried over to him. Dobson led him towards the morgue, then took a sharp left. “Over here.” Dobson pointed to where Morris was guarding the open emergency exit.
Lassiter stepped cautiously out the door, making sure not to touch anything. The door opened onto the rear of the building, on the far edge of the parking lot. A small patch of trees separated them from the neighboring buildings and provided the perfect cover for a getaway.
“Stupid to have left that there,” he muttered. If he was Chief, he would have made sure there was an unobstructed view surrounding the station on all sides in case of just this situation. Looking up, he spotted a security camera pointed at the door. At least they had gotten that right.
“Have someone pull the security footage from this camera and the holding cells,” he told Dobson. “Hopefully, we caught the killer on one of them.”
Dobson nodded. “We also found this.” He led Lassiter a few steps towards the woods and pointed to something on the ground.
Lassiter took a pencil from inside his jacket and crouched down. He carefully lifted the edge of the piece of wire. “Looks like piano wire.”
“Commonly used for strangulations,” Dobson pointed out.
Lassiter stood. “Get forensics out here to check for clues once they’re done with the holding cell.” They headed back into the building where Morris was waiting. “Make sure nobody disturbs the scene until forensics gets here,” he told him.
“Yes sir.”
Lassiter sighed as he headed back upstairs. “Time to call Vick?” Dobson asked.
Lassiter glared at him. “Didn’t I give you an order?”
Dobson gave him a consoling pat on the back and headed for the security room.
Officers came up to him, giving negative reports of their searches of the building. He left Anderson in charge of collecting the reports. He was pretty sure the suspect had already escaped but he wouldn’t lift the lock down until everyone had reported in.
He retreated to the Chief’s office and closed the door. Time to face the music. He took out his phone and dialed.
“Chief. We have a problem.”
Juliet entered the ER and went up to the front desk. “Hi, I’m here to see a patient,” she said, showing her badge. “Shawn Spencer?”
“Let’s see.” She studied her computer screen. “Oh, you mean that Shawn. He’s such a sweet guy. The doctor’s in with him now, room 5.”
The girl seemed to be new; Juliet hadn’t seen her before on previous ER visits for her boyfriend. She was constantly amazed by how quickly Shawn made friends. “Thank you.”
Walking down the hallway, she found the room easily, Shawn’s voice echoing out into the hall. “Ow! Not so tight.”
Entering the room, she found the doctor bandaging up Shawn’s arm. Gus was standing next to his friend, pointedly not looking at the blood soaked bandages on the tray in front of the doctor.
Shawn smiled when she entered. “Jules! You’re here!”
She took in the slightly glassy look to his eyes and his exuberant smile. “How are the pain meds?”
Shawn’s smile widened. “Very nice. Ow!” He jerked his arm away from the doctor. “At least they are when Dr. Pokes-A-Lot isn’t jabbing my poor arm.”
“You’re lucky you weren’t here early,” Gus muttered. “He was singing while the doctor stitched his arm.”
Juliet raised an eyebrow. “I’m afraid to ask.”
“Scent and a sound, I’m lost and I’m found and I’m hungry like the wolf,” Shawn sang loudly. Gus elbowed him in the side. “Ow! Why is everybody hurting me today?”
The doctor finished taping Shawn’s bandage and stood to face her. “Detective, I’m Dr. O’Brien,” he said, holding out his hand for her to shake. “I understand you were present when Shawn was attacked.”
It was something she would never forget. Shawn had started screaming and her insides had frozen; she had been terrified she was going to lose him. When Carlton had held the gun to Baker’s head, part of her hoped he would be forced to shoot him. She forced all those emotions down and kept a neutral expression on her face. “Yes, I was.”
“Shawn told me a human bit his arm?” he asked.
She suppressed the mental image of Baker’s teeth digging into Shawn’s flesh, blooding dripping down his arm. “That’s right,” she said slowly.
The doctor frowned. “The wound has more aspects of a canine’s bite pattern than a human’s. Some of the punctures are almost an inch deep. Did the man have any unusual dental work?”
Juliet shook her head. “Not that I saw. Will that effect how you treat him?”
“The wounds themselves, no. But if it was an animal bite, I would recommend getting a rabies shot.”
“Trust me, doc, this guy was human,” Shawn assured him. “Crazy and on drugs, but human.”
“You never know, he could have been rabid,” Gus said. “There have been several rabid animals in Santa Barbara County in the past several years and the guy was part of a street gang. Maybe he was acting so crazy because he was infected.”
“There has never been a documented case of rabies being transmitted from human to human through a bite,” the doctor said. “Though I will have your blood tested for any other transmittable diseases to be safe.”
“More needles?” Shawn asked nervously. Her boyfriend really didn’t like pointy things.
The doctor shook his head. “We already took a sample earlier. We should have enough.”
Shawn sighed in relief. “Good. So can I go now?”
The doctor glanced at Juliet. “You’re running a slight fever. I would like to keep you overnight to make sure you’re not developing an infection.”
“Do I have to?” Shawn whined.
The doctor looked again at Juliet. “If you have someone to watch you tonight in case your fever gets worse, I can give you a course of oral antibiotics.”
“I’ll keep an eye on him,” she promised.
“Cool! Hey Gus, guess what?” Shawn asked excitedly.
Gus sighed. “What?”
Shawn threw out his arms. “Well I’m hot-blooded, check it and see. I’ve got a fever of a hundred and three.”
Gus groaned. “Not again Shawn.”
“I’ll get started on his discharge papers,” the doctor said, beating a hasty retreat.
Juliet’s phone started to ring. Glancing at it, she saw it was Carlton. “I’ll be right back,” she told Shawn, stepping out into the relatively quiet hallway to take the call. “Hey, Carlton.”
Shawn’s voice echoed loudly into the hallway as he reached the chorus until Gus quieted him down.
“What was that?”
“Shawn. The pain meds are putting him in a singing mood. They stitched up his arm and are giving him a dose of antibiotics to prevent infection. The doctor’s getting the discharge papers now, then I’m taking him home.”
“Good, good,” Carlton said, sounding distracted.
Juliet frowned. “What’s wrong?”
“Baker’s dead.”
“What do you mean, he’s dead?” A passing nurse gave her a reproving look and she lowered her voice. “How?”
“Someone snuck in and strangled him in his cell.”
She felt guilty for leaving when she did but realistically knew her presence at the station wouldn’t have prevented Baker’s death. “Do you want me to come in?”
Carlton sighed. “No. Stay with Spencer. I have forensics checking the room and body for clues and someone checking the security tapes. There is nothing you can do until we have more information.”
He was right, but Juliet still felt she should be there. “How did the Chief take it when you told her?”
Carlton paused. “Not well,” he said slowly. “She’s on her way in now.”
Juliet winced. Vick hated being pulled away from her family. “If there is anything I can do, call.”
“I will.” With anyone else, she would assume they were just being polite. With Carlton, she knew he would call if he thought she could help. “And O’Hara? Keep this from Spencer for now. Chief’s orders.”
“Got it.” She hung up the phone and became aware of how quiet it was. She turned around to see Shawn watching her. “Done singing?” she asked, dropping the phone in her pocket.
“Who were you talking to?” he asked.
“Carlton. He wanted to know how you are.” She tried to keep her face blank to avoid giving anything away.
Shawn stared at her for a moment, then broke into a huge yawn. “Okay. Can we go now?” he asked sleepily.
“In a minute,” she said. “Where’s Gus?”
“Right here,” Gus said, walking done the hallway towards them. “I turned in the discharge papers and got his prescription filled.”
“Thanks,” she said gratefully, taking the medication.
Shawn wrapped his good arm around her and rested his head against her shoulder. “Home now?”
Juliet patted her hand. “Yes, honey, we’re leaving.”
“I’ll see you tomorrow,” Gus said. “I’ll stop by to check on you after my route.”
“Thank you,” Juliet mouthed at him.
“No problem,” Gus said silently back
Shawn reached out and clasped Gus’ shoulder. “I love you man.”
Gus gently removed his hand. “I know. What about your girlfriend?”
Shawn looked up at Juliet and squeezed her tight. “I love you too. More than Gus because you do fun things with me in bed.”
Gus grimaced. “And that is my cue to leave.” He waved at her and headed quickly for the exit.
Juliet fought to keep from laughing. “Come on Shawn.” She carefully led her boyfriend through the ER towards the door.
As they passed by the front desk, Shawn suddenly stopped and turned around.
“What’s the matter?” Juliet asked.
“Nothing,” Shawn said, shaking his head. “I thought I recognized her from somewhere.”
“Who?”
“What?” Shawn asked, looking at her in confusion.
Juliet shook her head. “Never mind.”
Shawn was quiet on the way home. Juliet guessed he had reached the stage where the drugs made him more sleepy than anything. It was strange, having him in the car and not talking. She was tempted to turn on the radio just so there would be some noise but he looked so cute with his head lolling against the window she didn’t want to disturb him.
He was less cute when they got home and she had to struggle to get him inside and into the bedroom. She helped him undress and made sure he got the first dose of medication before tucking him into bed.
When she tried to move away, he grabbed her hand. “Stay?”
She smiled softly. “In a minute. Just let me get ready.” She took care of the cats and changed into her pajamas as quick as she could but Shawn was still asleep by the time she got back to bed.
She slipped carefully between the sheets and cuddled up next to him. His skin felt warmer than normal, though not too hot. Still, she wondered if it might have been better if Shawn had stayed at the hospital.
Her boyfriend rolled over in his sleep towards, whimpering softly as he tried to hold her using his bad arm. She shifted closer, smiling when he sighed happily against the back of her neck. No, this was better, for both of them. Shawn was happy and relaxed and she would be here if anything happened to him.
Nestling back against Shawn’s warm chest, she let out a happy sigh of her own as she drifted off to sleep.
Chapter 3
Author: moondragon25 (or moondragon23 on other sites)
Pairing: Shawn/Juliet
Rating: PG-13
Summary: A run in with a crazed gang member puts Shawn in a hairy situation. As he struggles to deal with the changes happening to him, he finds himself in the middle of a war between two rival werewolf packs. As the fighting escalates, he'll be forced to join a side in order to keep his friends and family safe.
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 tried to post this over here on Christmas but LiveJournal did not want to cooperate with me. I have some planning to do but hopefully will have the next chapter up soon.
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
“I will cut open your belly and feast on your entrails!”
Lassiter grimaced. He had received many threats in his years as a police officer but this one was more graphic then he was used to. “And how exactly to you plan to do that cuffed to a chair?”
Baker snarled and tugged on his chains. The cuffs he had originally been in had been quickly replaced with the sturdier manacles and chains soon after he entered the station. Somehow, he had managed to snap the cuffs and tried to attack a suspect in a B & E. They had barely been able to restrain him a second time. Whatever drugs he was on was making him much stronger than he had any right to be.
On the positive side, the B & E suspect had cracked right away when the arresting officer threatened to put him in a holding cell with Baker.
“Do you really think you should antagonize him like that?” O’Hara asked quietly.
“We haven’t been able to get anything out of him so far,” Lassiter answered quietly back. “Maybe if gets angry enough, he’ll let something slip.” He stood up and braced his hands on the table. “Look, you low-life scum. We have your DNA all over the victim’s body. You attacked a police consultant in front of two officers. You’re going away for a long time. Tell us who was with you and maybe we can make it so your life won’t be a living hell.”
Baker spat at him. “I would never betray my pack mates.”
It was an odd thing to call his fellow gang members. Maybe their leader had some kind of cult thing going on. That would just be perfect; he hated fanatics. “Your friends weren’t much help when we were chasing you down.” Lassiter smirked. “In fact, it’s almost like they left you to the wolves.”
That got more of a reaction than he was expecting. Lassiter took a startled step back as Baker lunged forward with a snarl, pulling on the chains hard enough the chair frame started to bend. “You don’t know anything about wolves. But you will, when my pack mates come to free me and tear out your throat in revenge. I’ll laugh while you’re bleeding out on the floor.” He threw his head up and howled at the ceiling.
The sound raised the hairs on the back of Lassiter’s neck and he fought to contain a shiver. “This is a waste of time,” he said, forcing his tone to sound bored. He deliberated turned his back on Baker, hiding his discomfort, and walked to the door. “Johnson, take him back to his holding cell and keep an eye on him.” He watched the officer walk over to Baker, who was starting to snarl again, and jerked his head at O’Hara. “Let’s go.”
As they headed back upstairs, O’Hara called to McNab. “Johnson might need some help with Baker,” she said, glancing towards the interrogation room.
“Sure thing, detective,” McNab said, giving her a grin before hurrying down the hallway.
They were both big, sturdy men. Even so, Lassiter hoped the two of them would be enough to restrain the psycho.
“That could have gone better,” O’Hara said when they reached his desk.
“Your approach didn’t work either,” Lassiter grumbled. Baker had ignored his partner, besides some disturbing comments about how she smelled. That may have contributed to his eagerness to take the tough cop approach.
“What should we do now?”
“We’re not going to be able to get anything from Baker until he comes down off whatever he’s high on,” Lassiter said. “You might as well head over to the hospital to check on Spencer.”
“Are you sure?” O’Hara asked. “I can try another search in the database. Maybe this time something will pop up.” He admired her for trying to be helpful but her tone and body language betrayed how much she wanted to leave.
“Go on. You’re no use to me if your mind’s on him instead of your work.” He sat down at his desk and opened the case file. “I’ll let you know if I find out anything.”
O’Hara hugged him, pulling away before he could protest. “Thanks Carlton.” She hurried over to her desk to grab her coat and keys. “I’ll let you know how he is,” she said as she rushed out the door.
Lassiter shook his head. He didn’t like Spencer much but he hoped the consultant wasn’t too badly hurt. This case was tricky enough without O’Hara being distracted. Not that he wouldn’t be the same if Marlowe was injured but he needed his partner at her best. And if he was being completely honest, they probably needed Spencer’s help as well.
Lassiter frowned. They had found the body of a young woman in a park near her house. She had been beaten, raped and had her throat ripped out by some kind of large canine. This was the fourth such attack this month and the first one with a DNA match. Eddie Baker had been in the system already for vandalism and assault but the other three DNA traces found on the bodies came up with no matches. They suspected it was the work of a new gang in the area, the Lupins.
After Baker’s comments earlier, he realized they were probably right. The Latin name for wolf was Canis lupis and it was likely what the gang name was derived from. Baker must have ditched the Aces and joined the new big bad group in town.
He just hoped his other hunch about it being some kind of cult was not also proven correct.
“Detective!” McNab ran up to him, his face pale. “Baker’s dead.”
“What?” Lassiter hurried down to the holding cells with McNab trailing behind him. He stopped short when he entered the room and slowly walked to Baker’s cell.
Baker was lying on the ground, eyes staring sightless upward, face contorted in rage. The line around his neck and the red spots in his eyes showed that he had been strangled.
Lassiter turned on Officer Johnson. “You were supposed to be watching him! Where the hell were you?”
“I only left the room for five minutes,” Johnson stammered. “Everything was fine, I swear.”
Lassiter turned away before he gave in to his urge to punch him. Freaking idiot. Baker was their only lead on these murders and now they had nothing. “McNab,” he barked. “Put the station on lockdown. The killer could still be in here.” He was a hit with a strong sense of déjà vu and hoped they weren’t looking at another murder committed by a cop. At least this time he wasn’t a suspect.
He exited the room and saw a crowd of officers already forming. “Ramirez, I want you to stand guard here. No one is to enter until forensics goes over the room.”
“Yes sir!”
“The rest of you, we are going to sweep this station from top to bottom.” He assigned groups to each area of the station and sent them out to search. He took a deep breath, running a hand through his hair. This was a complete disaster.
“Sir?”
Lassiter glared at Johnson, getting a vicious pleasure when he wilted under his gaze. “You had better have a good excuse for why a murder suspect was killed on your watch.” He cut him off with a wave of his hand before he could talk. “Wait in Interrogation Room A until I have time to deal with you.”
Johnson swallowed nervously and nodded before scurrying off down the hallway.
Procedure said Johnson was a suspect and Lassiter should have a guard assigned to watch him. His instincts and years of experience told him Johnson was innocent, of the murder at least. He was definitely guilty of leaving his post while on duty but it would be up to the Chief to decide on his punishment.
Lassiter groaned. He would have to call Vick about this and she would not be happy. He pulled out his phone, debating whether he should call her now or what until the search was done.
“Lassiter!” Dobson waved from the end of the hallway. “We found something!”
He shoved his phone back in his pocket and hurried over to him. Dobson led him towards the morgue, then took a sharp left. “Over here.” Dobson pointed to where Morris was guarding the open emergency exit.
Lassiter stepped cautiously out the door, making sure not to touch anything. The door opened onto the rear of the building, on the far edge of the parking lot. A small patch of trees separated them from the neighboring buildings and provided the perfect cover for a getaway.
“Stupid to have left that there,” he muttered. If he was Chief, he would have made sure there was an unobstructed view surrounding the station on all sides in case of just this situation. Looking up, he spotted a security camera pointed at the door. At least they had gotten that right.
“Have someone pull the security footage from this camera and the holding cells,” he told Dobson. “Hopefully, we caught the killer on one of them.”
Dobson nodded. “We also found this.” He led Lassiter a few steps towards the woods and pointed to something on the ground.
Lassiter took a pencil from inside his jacket and crouched down. He carefully lifted the edge of the piece of wire. “Looks like piano wire.”
“Commonly used for strangulations,” Dobson pointed out.
Lassiter stood. “Get forensics out here to check for clues once they’re done with the holding cell.” They headed back into the building where Morris was waiting. “Make sure nobody disturbs the scene until forensics gets here,” he told him.
“Yes sir.”
Lassiter sighed as he headed back upstairs. “Time to call Vick?” Dobson asked.
Lassiter glared at him. “Didn’t I give you an order?”
Dobson gave him a consoling pat on the back and headed for the security room.
Officers came up to him, giving negative reports of their searches of the building. He left Anderson in charge of collecting the reports. He was pretty sure the suspect had already escaped but he wouldn’t lift the lock down until everyone had reported in.
He retreated to the Chief’s office and closed the door. Time to face the music. He took out his phone and dialed.
“Chief. We have a problem.”
Juliet entered the ER and went up to the front desk. “Hi, I’m here to see a patient,” she said, showing her badge. “Shawn Spencer?”
“Let’s see.” She studied her computer screen. “Oh, you mean that Shawn. He’s such a sweet guy. The doctor’s in with him now, room 5.”
The girl seemed to be new; Juliet hadn’t seen her before on previous ER visits for her boyfriend. She was constantly amazed by how quickly Shawn made friends. “Thank you.”
Walking down the hallway, she found the room easily, Shawn’s voice echoing out into the hall. “Ow! Not so tight.”
Entering the room, she found the doctor bandaging up Shawn’s arm. Gus was standing next to his friend, pointedly not looking at the blood soaked bandages on the tray in front of the doctor.
Shawn smiled when she entered. “Jules! You’re here!”
She took in the slightly glassy look to his eyes and his exuberant smile. “How are the pain meds?”
Shawn’s smile widened. “Very nice. Ow!” He jerked his arm away from the doctor. “At least they are when Dr. Pokes-A-Lot isn’t jabbing my poor arm.”
“You’re lucky you weren’t here early,” Gus muttered. “He was singing while the doctor stitched his arm.”
Juliet raised an eyebrow. “I’m afraid to ask.”
“Scent and a sound, I’m lost and I’m found and I’m hungry like the wolf,” Shawn sang loudly. Gus elbowed him in the side. “Ow! Why is everybody hurting me today?”
The doctor finished taping Shawn’s bandage and stood to face her. “Detective, I’m Dr. O’Brien,” he said, holding out his hand for her to shake. “I understand you were present when Shawn was attacked.”
It was something she would never forget. Shawn had started screaming and her insides had frozen; she had been terrified she was going to lose him. When Carlton had held the gun to Baker’s head, part of her hoped he would be forced to shoot him. She forced all those emotions down and kept a neutral expression on her face. “Yes, I was.”
“Shawn told me a human bit his arm?” he asked.
She suppressed the mental image of Baker’s teeth digging into Shawn’s flesh, blooding dripping down his arm. “That’s right,” she said slowly.
The doctor frowned. “The wound has more aspects of a canine’s bite pattern than a human’s. Some of the punctures are almost an inch deep. Did the man have any unusual dental work?”
Juliet shook her head. “Not that I saw. Will that effect how you treat him?”
“The wounds themselves, no. But if it was an animal bite, I would recommend getting a rabies shot.”
“Trust me, doc, this guy was human,” Shawn assured him. “Crazy and on drugs, but human.”
“You never know, he could have been rabid,” Gus said. “There have been several rabid animals in Santa Barbara County in the past several years and the guy was part of a street gang. Maybe he was acting so crazy because he was infected.”
“There has never been a documented case of rabies being transmitted from human to human through a bite,” the doctor said. “Though I will have your blood tested for any other transmittable diseases to be safe.”
“More needles?” Shawn asked nervously. Her boyfriend really didn’t like pointy things.
The doctor shook his head. “We already took a sample earlier. We should have enough.”
Shawn sighed in relief. “Good. So can I go now?”
The doctor glanced at Juliet. “You’re running a slight fever. I would like to keep you overnight to make sure you’re not developing an infection.”
“Do I have to?” Shawn whined.
The doctor looked again at Juliet. “If you have someone to watch you tonight in case your fever gets worse, I can give you a course of oral antibiotics.”
“I’ll keep an eye on him,” she promised.
“Cool! Hey Gus, guess what?” Shawn asked excitedly.
Gus sighed. “What?”
Shawn threw out his arms. “Well I’m hot-blooded, check it and see. I’ve got a fever of a hundred and three.”
Gus groaned. “Not again Shawn.”
“I’ll get started on his discharge papers,” the doctor said, beating a hasty retreat.
Juliet’s phone started to ring. Glancing at it, she saw it was Carlton. “I’ll be right back,” she told Shawn, stepping out into the relatively quiet hallway to take the call. “Hey, Carlton.”
Shawn’s voice echoed loudly into the hallway as he reached the chorus until Gus quieted him down.
“What was that?”
“Shawn. The pain meds are putting him in a singing mood. They stitched up his arm and are giving him a dose of antibiotics to prevent infection. The doctor’s getting the discharge papers now, then I’m taking him home.”
“Good, good,” Carlton said, sounding distracted.
Juliet frowned. “What’s wrong?”
“Baker’s dead.”
“What do you mean, he’s dead?” A passing nurse gave her a reproving look and she lowered her voice. “How?”
“Someone snuck in and strangled him in his cell.”
She felt guilty for leaving when she did but realistically knew her presence at the station wouldn’t have prevented Baker’s death. “Do you want me to come in?”
Carlton sighed. “No. Stay with Spencer. I have forensics checking the room and body for clues and someone checking the security tapes. There is nothing you can do until we have more information.”
He was right, but Juliet still felt she should be there. “How did the Chief take it when you told her?”
Carlton paused. “Not well,” he said slowly. “She’s on her way in now.”
Juliet winced. Vick hated being pulled away from her family. “If there is anything I can do, call.”
“I will.” With anyone else, she would assume they were just being polite. With Carlton, she knew he would call if he thought she could help. “And O’Hara? Keep this from Spencer for now. Chief’s orders.”
“Got it.” She hung up the phone and became aware of how quiet it was. She turned around to see Shawn watching her. “Done singing?” she asked, dropping the phone in her pocket.
“Who were you talking to?” he asked.
“Carlton. He wanted to know how you are.” She tried to keep her face blank to avoid giving anything away.
Shawn stared at her for a moment, then broke into a huge yawn. “Okay. Can we go now?” he asked sleepily.
“In a minute,” she said. “Where’s Gus?”
“Right here,” Gus said, walking done the hallway towards them. “I turned in the discharge papers and got his prescription filled.”
“Thanks,” she said gratefully, taking the medication.
Shawn wrapped his good arm around her and rested his head against her shoulder. “Home now?”
Juliet patted her hand. “Yes, honey, we’re leaving.”
“I’ll see you tomorrow,” Gus said. “I’ll stop by to check on you after my route.”
“Thank you,” Juliet mouthed at him.
“No problem,” Gus said silently back
Shawn reached out and clasped Gus’ shoulder. “I love you man.”
Gus gently removed his hand. “I know. What about your girlfriend?”
Shawn looked up at Juliet and squeezed her tight. “I love you too. More than Gus because you do fun things with me in bed.”
Gus grimaced. “And that is my cue to leave.” He waved at her and headed quickly for the exit.
Juliet fought to keep from laughing. “Come on Shawn.” She carefully led her boyfriend through the ER towards the door.
As they passed by the front desk, Shawn suddenly stopped and turned around.
“What’s the matter?” Juliet asked.
“Nothing,” Shawn said, shaking his head. “I thought I recognized her from somewhere.”
“Who?”
“What?” Shawn asked, looking at her in confusion.
Juliet shook her head. “Never mind.”
Shawn was quiet on the way home. Juliet guessed he had reached the stage where the drugs made him more sleepy than anything. It was strange, having him in the car and not talking. She was tempted to turn on the radio just so there would be some noise but he looked so cute with his head lolling against the window she didn’t want to disturb him.
He was less cute when they got home and she had to struggle to get him inside and into the bedroom. She helped him undress and made sure he got the first dose of medication before tucking him into bed.
When she tried to move away, he grabbed her hand. “Stay?”
She smiled softly. “In a minute. Just let me get ready.” She took care of the cats and changed into her pajamas as quick as she could but Shawn was still asleep by the time she got back to bed.
She slipped carefully between the sheets and cuddled up next to him. His skin felt warmer than normal, though not too hot. Still, she wondered if it might have been better if Shawn had stayed at the hospital.
Her boyfriend rolled over in his sleep towards, whimpering softly as he tried to hold her using his bad arm. She shifted closer, smiling when he sighed happily against the back of her neck. No, this was better, for both of them. Shawn was happy and relaxed and she would be here if anything happened to him.
Nestling back against Shawn’s warm chest, she let out a happy sigh of her own as she drifted off to sleep.
Chapter 3