Sidekick No More

Gus looked around his surroundings.  The nighttime air was warm and humid; not unusual for a Santa Barbara summer night.   Wiping his brow, Gus moved swiftly and silently over the rooftops of downtown Santa Barbara. 

‘If Shawn knew what I was doing, he’d be shocked,’ Gus thought as he jumped over a gap between buildings.

Over the last few months, Gus had been leading a life that no one would believe.  During the day, he still worked his regular job, and for Psych, but at night, he took to the streets. 

He supposed it was because he felt like he was usually second banana to Shawn and his eidetic memory.  With the silly names Shawn created for him, the way Shawn would ‘divine’ the location of the murder weapon or finger the culprit with help from the ‘spirit world’, sometimes Gus would feel like the sidekick.

Lately, a gang of thieves and cutthroats were causing chaos within the city.  Even Shawn was having trouble pinning them down, since they hardly left any trace of evidence. 

Gus felt it was time to take manners into his own hands.  Especially since the thieves had targeted Gus’ girlfriend Rachel’s apartment and his own.  Nobody messed with his stuff except Shawn. 

So, one day when he was off his full time job, and Psych was in between cases, Gus grabbed his old wetsuit from the time he dated the thrill seeking woman and transformed it into a costume.  With a mask from an old Halloween costume and a Escrima stick, he went out into the night two weeks after the robberies. 

Within a month, the media had a name for the mysterious vigilante:  The Gray Spirit.  Gus felt it was fitting, since his wetsuit was gray and he hid after stopping crimes, although he was sure he could’ve come up with something a little…cooler. 

He stopped thinking about the past when he saw a small group of thieves moving toward an electronic store on the South East side of Santa Barbara.  Another hit.  Gus readied himself to attack . 

“Come on, let’s hurry this up!  I don’t like this part of town at night,” said one of the thieves. 

Gus smiled, knowing full well that the young kid meant The Gray Spirit would show up. 

“How right you are, young man,” Gus called, disguising his voice. 

The six young teens looked up at the sound.  They saw nothing, but none moved.  Gus walked into the light from the shadows and stood tall. 

“It’s him!  The Gray Spirit!” one teen said. 

“So what?  We can take him.  It’s six against one,” said a young boy about fifteen. 

“You really think you can, huh?  I doubt it,” Gus said with confidence.

“Get him,” the boy said.

Over an hour later, the SBPD was processing the scene.  Lassie and Juliet were among the others, searching for clues.

“They said they ran into the Gray Spirit.  That no good vigilante is showing us up, O’Hara!” Lassie said angrily.

“Carlton, The Gray Spirit is helping us.  He’s taken down three groups in the last week and a half alone,” Juliet said defensively. 

Lassie stopped for a beat to look at Juliet with a glare, then continued on his rant about the vigilante.  He had turned toward Buzz to continue on.

Juliet looked up and saw Shawn and Gus walking toward them.  She smiled wide at her boyfriend, the ‘pseudo-psychic’ that had solved so many crimes and his sidekick, who had helped with so much.

“Shawn, Gus.  I’m guessing the chief called you,” Juliet said.

“Indeed she has, Jules.  That and you leaving the bed earlier,” Shawn whispered in her ear.

Juliet blushed, then cleared her throat and began to go over the scene with Shawn.  Gus stayed back, observing the scene like he always had.  He smiled at the memories of earlier and the fight that led to the arrest of all six teens.

“It’s his calling card.  The Gray Spirit was definitely here,” Lassie said, holding a small card with the vigilante’s name printed on it.  Shawn took it, pretending to sense the identity of the wannabe hero.

Taking a closer look, Shawn tried to ‘see’ anything out of the ordinary.  Nothing was present that would’ve given away the vigilante’s identity.  He handed the card to Gus, who looked it over before handing it back to Lassiter.

“I got nothing,” Shawn said.

Gus smiled, but hid it before anyone could see, even Shawn. 

That was the hardest part of the past few months; keeping his identity secret from Shawn.  With his buddy’s hyper-observant gift, Gus had to make sure he kept everything out of sight at his apartment.  He dared not go to the Psych office to change into or out of the costume.  He never said a word about The Gray Spirit to Lassie, Shawn, Henry or Juliet, afraid to give anything away.

“Gus?  Are you okay?” Juliet asked.

“I’m fine, Juliet.  I’m just a little tired,” Gus replied, stifling a yawn in the process.

“Well, I’m not sure there is much else you and Shawn can do tonight.  Why don’t you guys go home and get some sleep,” Juliet said, turning to Shawn.

“I won’t be able to sleep until you’re there, Jules,” Shawn said sweetly.

“I’m sure we won’t be much longer, Shawn.  You go on home.  I’ll see you later,” she answered back, giving Shawn a quick peck on the cheek.  She walked away toward Lassiter, who was staring daggers at her.

“What’s Lassie’s problem tonight?  He’s crankier than usual,” Gus asked as they walked back to the Blueberry.

“I think he’s been worried about Marlowe.  She hasn’t been feeling well the last couple of days,” Shawn said.

“How do you know that?” Gus questioned.

“Hey, I’m his partner’s boyfriend, remember?” Shawn replied. 

They both buckled up and Gus drove toward Juliet’s house, listening to Shawn talk about how these cases were similar to when The Mantis was around.

“I mean, what if The Gray Spirit is like The Mantis and is only after the money these kids make from selling those hot items?”  Shawn asked when they pulled into Juliet’s drive.

“Let’s just talk about this tomorrow at the office.  I need my sleep, Shawn,” Gus said, trying to change the subject.

“Well, okay.  But you owe me some Jerk Chicken and a pineapple smoothie for lunch.  Deal?”

“Deal.  Goodnight, Shawn,” Gus nodded. 

Shawn shut the door and walked inside the house.  Gus watched until the door was shut before backing out of the drive to head back to his apartment. 

‘Now that Shawn is home, I can go back to tracking the next location those kids are going to hit,’ Gus thought. 

The next morning, Gus sat at his desk at CCP, looking over his route for the day.  He was back to the normal grind, for now.  Tonight, he’d go back to patrolling the streets as The Gray Spirit.  A small smile spread across his face.

A knock at his door made Gus look up.  It  was Shawn, holding a takeout box and a drink carrier.  The look on his face was pure and innocent.  Gus didn’t like it one bit.

“Gus, buddy!  Lunch time!” Shawn said, closing the door behind him. 

“You said yesterday it was my treat,” Gus said slowly.

Shawn set the food on Gus’ desk, “It is.  I used your card.”

Gus sighed and shook his head, “Shawn, how many times have I told you to say out of my wallet?”

“Like you won’t be happy with the rewards!” Shawn said, as he had said many a time before.

Shawn opened the box and pulled out two Styrofoam boxes.  He handed one to Gus and then pulled up a chair for himself. 

While they ate, Gus’ mind wandered to the previous night.  One of the kids had hinted toward a possible hit that coming weekend.  A really big one by the sound of it.  Gus was, in a way, wondering if he should give a heads up to the SBPD or just stake it out himself. 

‘Maybe I should just stake it out myself,’ he thought finally.

“Buddy?  Are you okay?  You kind of looked deep in thought,” Shawn asked with a mouthful of jerk chicken.

Gus took a sip of his smoothie before answering.  He thoughtfully put down his drink and turned to his best friend.

“I’m fine, Shawn.  I just have a lot on my mind,” Gus said truthfully.

“It’s this case, isn’t it?” Shawn asked.  

Gus blinked for a moment, thinking of what to say next.  In truth, that is what it was.  The case.  He was on the case as the Gray Spirit, too.  Obviously Shawn couldn’t know that.

“Yeah, in a way,” Gus said finally.

“Look, Gus, with us on the case, plus Jules and Lassie, we’re bound to find out who this Gray Spirit is,” Shawn said, taking a sip of his own smoothie after.

Gus looked at him funny, “The identity of the Gray Spirit?  I thought we were looking for the leader of the thieves?”

“That’s what the chief wants Lassie and Jules to find.  We were hired officially to find the identity of the Gray Spirit.”

Gus almost choked on his chicken.  He looked down at his computer screen and took a deep breath. 

“Are you doing La-mas again?” Shawn asked, amused.

“No, Shawn.  I’m merely taking a deep breath.  This is reminding me of the whole Mantis case,” Gus defended himself.

“Dude, I know!  We may have to pull out the old costumes again!  The Catch and Tap-Man!”

“Tap-Man and The Catch, Shawn,” Gus argued. 

“Come on, Son!” Shawn stated.

Gus tsked, then turned toward the window.  Shawn took this as a cue to start in on a movie quote-a-thon.  Just before he’d reached the B’s, Gus stopped him.

“Shawn!  I have to get back to work.  I’ll see you later at the Psych office, okay?” Gus said, throwing away the remnants of their lunch.

Shawn stood up, taking the hint.  “Gotcha, Buddy.  I’ll go back to Psych and do some research on the thieves.”

“Wait, you’re actually volunteering to do research?” Gus asked in astonishment.

“It’ll also give me a chance to research everything about the Gray Spirit.  Once I can find some evidence, figuring his identity won’t be difficult,” Shawn said.  He walked out right afterward before Gus could even move.

‘Thankfully, I don’t leave evidence behind,’ Gus thought, smiling as he watched Shawn walk away.

                                                *********************************************

Saturday had come, the day of the big robbery.  Gus, ever prepared, had his costume, his weapons and himself ready to fight.  His cell phone rang as he was getting the last of his equipment together.

“Hello,” he said.

“Hello, Gus,” came Rachel’s voice.  He smiled wide.

“Hey, my English Crumpet,” Gus replied.

Rachel’s laughter made him feel good inside. “Gus, I called to ask if you could watch Max tonight?  I need to work late and my usual nanny is out of town.”

Gus’ face fell.  If he didn’t watch for that robbery, who knows what would happen, “Oh, Rachel, I can’t!  I’m on a case with Shawn,” he lied.

Rachel sighed into the receiver, “Oh.  You can’t let Shawn do this on his own?”

“I’m sorry, Rachel.  We’re going undercover and he needs me to help him out,” Gus apologized.

He could hear Rachel say something to Max along the lines of ‘No, he can’t make it’.  She then turned back to the phone.

“Hopefully I can find someone.  I’ll talk to you tomorrow.  Goodbye,” she said, then hung up before Gus could get a word in.

Sighing, he hung up the phone and looked around.  He took a deep breath (he seemed to be doing that a lot lately) and grabbed his bag.  Just before he opened the door, his phone rang again.

“Hello,” he said.

“Hey, Gus!  I need a break from this case for a few hours.  Let’s go see the Back to the Future marathon at the Cineplex!” Shawn said.

“Shawn, I can’t.  I’m going to dinner with Rachel tonight,” Gus lied again. 

Shawn whined, “Guuuuss!  Please!  I need to see some Jennifer part duex.”

“Shawn, the first Jennifer was better.  And I can’t.  Why don’t you take Juliet?” Gus said.

For a moment, Shawn was silent.  “She can’t go, either.  I’ll…I’ll see if Dad wants to go.  Better yet, I’ll stay here at the office and watch it on Blu-Ray.”

“Blu-Ray?  We don’t have a player, Shawn!”

“We do as of today.  I went back to the electronics store for some research and the guy sold it to me,” Shawn said.

“You mean to me.  You used my card again, didn’t you?” Gus asked.

He heard a click and growled. 

“Shawn,” he said to the air. 

Shaking his head, he just walked out the door with his bag.  He would take care of Shawn later.  Right now, he had a duty to perform.

Shawn, meanwhile, was sitting in front of the TV, popcorn in his lap.  He had just put in the Blu-Ray when his iPhone rang.  He saw that it was his father.  Groaning, he paused the movie and answered.

“Dad!  To what do I owe this phone call?” he asked.

“Shawn, get down to the station. There’s been a break in the case,” Henry said gruffly.

“Isn’t there supposed to be a please in there somewhere, Dad?” Shawn asked.

“Stop goofing around and get down here!” Henry yelled and hung up.

“Oh, yeah.  Fun times at the SBPD today,” Shawn said as he grabbed his helmet. He headed out into the night, toward his Norton. 

‘I should call Gus,’ Shawn thought, taking his phone out.  Shaking his head, he put it back in his jeans pocket.

‘Nah.  I’ll let him have his date with Rachel,’ he thought, jumping on his Norton.  He revved the engine and headed toward the police station with the soundtrack of Back to the Future running through his head.

Lassiter was in his living room, pacing back and forth.  Marlowe was in the bathroom, again.   She’d been like this for a few weeks, really.  He’d finally told Juliet two days ago when she’d asked him how Marlowe was. 

“Oh, I really don’t feel well, Carlton,” Marlowe said, slowly coming out of the bathroom.  She looked slightly pale.

“I thought you felt better yesterday,” Lassie asked, escorting her to the bedroom.

“I did.  Most of today, too.  But just after dinner I felt sick again,” Marlowe said as she crawled into bed.

Lassie crawled in next to her, holding her close, “Maybe you should see the doctor tomorrow.”

“I suppose I will,” Marlowe said sleepily.  She yawned and lay her head on the pillow.

Lassiter’s phone rang then, which made him sigh.  He turned over and picked it up, not happy that someone was interrupting them.  He answered with an angry hello.

“Carlton,” Juliet’s voice said quietly, “I’m sorry to call you so late, but there’s been a break in the case.  The chief is gathering all of us, now.”

Lassiter already had his tie on, “I’ll be down there in ten minutes, O’Hara.”

Marlowe looked up at this statement, “You have to go into work?”

Lassie hung up his phone before answering Marlowe, “I’m sorry, but there’s been a break in the case.  I’ll call you later on and see how you are.”

He gave his wife a kiss on the forehead, noting she didn’t feel feverish, then went out to the living room to get his gun and badge.  He felt terrible for having to leave her when she felt sick, but he did have a duty to perform.

Juliet put the phone down and walked over to the chief’s office.  Henry was already inside, as was Shawn.  She had already asked about Gus, in which Shawn had responded he was out on a date with Rachel.  His eyes said he was sure there would be more than dinner and a movie.   She nodded and went to call Carlton about the case.

One of the teens had copped a plea to lighten his sentence.  He had given information on a few locations that were going to be hit in the next few days.  A few electronics stores, a car dealership and then two furniture stores were the list of victims.  Rumors that the Gray Spirit was part of this were running rampant.  Juliet knew better, but was worried.

Juliet knew that Lassiter would NOT be happy about that rumor.  She was, secretly, happy that someone was on their side.  Unlike the Mantis fiasco, which turned out to be a ploy to get the drug money.  Yes, at first she was smitten with the idea that a vigilante was present.  Juliet felt like she was in a comic book; especially when Shawn was in a case of mistaken identity. 

Shawn sat in the chief’s office, listening as Chief Vick discussed the case.  His dad sat nearby, looking at the file, which was getting thicker every week.  Frustrated with himself, Shawn stood up.

“Shawn, where are you going?” his dad asked, putting the file down.

“I’m not getting anything and it’s starting to wear me thin, Dad,” Shawn said, pacing in the office.

Henry sighed, “Shawn, come with me to the conference room.”

“What about the case?” Karen asked.

“We’ll be right back, Karen,” Henry said, walking Shawn out of the office.

Gus, at that moment, was watching carefully as a group of teens (and a few adults) began to make their way toward the biggest electronics store in Santa Barbara.  His eyes shined behind the mask, as did the smile on his face. 

The alarm sounded, signaling they had broken in.  Gus readied himself, knowing now would be perfect.  He stepped out of the darkness and into the light from a nearby security light.  He shadow covered a large area, which made the group take immediate notice. 

“I think we’ve got company,” said one of the adults.

“You’d be correct, Sir,” Gus’ voice rang out.

The fight began with Gus jumping down from his hiding spot and landing in front of about six teens.  He barely had time to adjust himself when one of them threw a punch. 

Gus dodged it in time, then dodged a metal pipe that was swung in his direction.  More suddenly came seemingly out of nowhere.  Gus realized, too late, that he was in trouble.  He started swinging and kicking in all directions, getting a few very lucky shots in.  A few teens fell, plus all of the adults before it happened.

A sound of something flying through the air took Gus by surprise.  He turned in time to see a brick flying toward him, but it was too late to duck out of the way.  It hit the right side of his forehead with enough force to knock him out cold.

“Come on, the cops will be here any time.  Grab what you can and go!” cried one of the group.

“What about the Gray Spirit?” asked another.

“Forget him.  He’s as good as dead,” said the first man.

Gus lay unconscious, his head bleeding.  The group hastily grabbed anything they could and took off.  They left the Gray Spirit behind to die.

Five minutes went by, then ten.  Gus’ eyes felt like weights to him as he slowly regained consciousness.  Stirring, he opened his eyes and looked around.  The pain registered right then, making him grab his head.  When his hand came back bloody, he momentarily panicked.

‘Okay, take it easy, Gus.  Just get up and get going before the cops get here,’ he thought to himself.

Grunting and groaning, Gus put his hands on the cement and did a push up to get into a crouched position.  For a moment, he breathed in and out, then pushed himself to stand up.  A momentary dizzy spell stopped him from going any further.

The sirens of the SBPD sounded suddenly, making Gus take action and hide behind the building.  Looking around, he found a way through the alleys to escape the police and head back toward his ‘hideout’. 

Gus’ ‘hideout’ was just an abandoned warehouse nearby.  He ran inside and shut the door; taking off his mask in the process.  He hissed in pain as the mask rubbed against the wound on his head. 

‘Okay, ouch,’ Gus thought.  He grabbed a small mirror to look at his head.  Wiping the blood away, Gus saw that it was a small, but deep cut about an inch from his eyebrow.  He sighed, knowing he would have to get stiches.  That wasn’t going to bode well.  He’d have to come up with an excuse.

“Just great,” Gus said aloud.  His voice echoed throughout the warehouse. 

He took a few minutes to change into his regular clothes and hide his costume in the duffle bag.  Noticing the blood on his wetsuit, he folded it gingerly and put it on the bottom of the bag. 

He heard the squeals of tires, signaling the SBPD had arrived at the electronics store.  He knew he could get through the back way and out of sight. 

Sneaking out the door, he took off away from the store.  Running, he stopped only to look behind him.  That’s when he saw someone following him!  Turning, he ran faster away from the crime scene.  He zigzagged through more alleys and managed to elude whomever it was; but ripping his shirt on an old, rusty nail protruding out of a wall.  He didn’t notice that the piece that ripped had a spot of his blood on it. 

Breathing heavy, he stopped for a moment to catch his breath.  The blood from his wound was dripping into his eye, so he took his sleeve and wiped it away.  Gus then ran around to the next street over and slowed down.  He was far enough away that he felt safe.

Lassiter stopped after running for what seemed like miles.  The last thing he saw was a tall, black shadow running from the abandoned warehouse on Third.  He pursued the criminal, but, unfortunately, the criminal managed to get away. While running, he cut himself on a piece of metal that was protruding from a garbage dumpster. He didn’t notice much and lost the criminal.  He sighed, swore and turned.  Something hanging on a wall caught his eye in the dim light from the street lights nearby.  A piece of fabric. 

Grabbing it, he spotted a red stain on the light blue fabric.  Blood.  Lassie smiled an evil grin.  He noticed the fabric was made of some sort of silk.  Taking a mental note, he stuffed the fabric in an evidence bag and put it in his pocket.  This was going to be his bust.  No offense to O’Hara, but he just wanted something.  He wanted to get the upper-hand on Spencer, too.  Finally finger the main suspect.  The leader of the ring of thieves. 

‘Or better yet, the identity of that vigilante,’ he thought with a wicked grin.

Adjusting his tie, Lassie walked back to the store, acting as if nothing happened.

Shawn was there, watching Juliet do her work.  She was surveying the crime scene, taking in all that surrounded the place.  He looked around, ‘seeing’ anything out of place.

There, in the shadows, was a brick.  Normally, not out of place (there was a construction site right next door) but what caught his eye was the shiny spot on the corner of it.  Instead of touching it, he walked up to Juliet.

“Jules, I found a clue,” he whispered.

“Where?” she asked. 

He walked her over to the brick and showed her the shiny corner.  With gloved hands, she gently touched the shiny spot and saw that it was blood.  Gasping slightly, she looked up at Shawn.

“Whoever was hit with this brick should have a pretty good gash somewhere on their body,” Juliet said to him.

Shawn nodded and went over to Lassie, who had just mysteriously appeared from the back.  Looking close, she saw something shiny on Carlton’s arm.  Blood.  He was bleeding from a cut on his arm.  She looked back at the brick, then back at her partner. 

‘No, it can’t be.  No way would Carlton…unless it was all a cover,’ she thought.  Getting up, she walked over to Shawn.

“Um, Shawn, I was wondering if I could talk to you for a moment.  Something you ‘divined’ earlier needs clarifying,” she said covertly. 

“Sure, Jules.  Give us a minute, Lassafrass,” Shawn said, taking a mental note of the cut he’d spotted on Lassie’s arm.

When they were alone, Juliet mentioned the cut. Shawn nodded in agreement. 

“I saw it too, Jules.  The minute he walked up.  A brick *could* make that kind of wound,” Shawn said.

Juliet shook her head, “Not just that, Shawn.  Carlton just showed up, and he looked like he was running and out of breath.  I know it seems out of the ordinary, but what if…nah, it sounds crazy.”

“What?  Sweetie, what is it?” Shawn asked, his eyes dancing.

“Do you think that maybe Carlton is the Gray Spirit?” Juliet finally asked.

Shawn looked at her with amusement, “Jules, we’ve been together long enough.  I’m starting to rub off on you.”

“What do you mean?”

“Simple.  I was thinking the exact same thing,” Shawn said with a laugh.

They looked at each other, then over at Carlton.  He was now processing the scene himself.  Where they stood, they saw Carlton find the brick, then hide it.  He kicked it back under the fence then nonchalantly walked away. 

Juliet gasped, and Shawn smiled. 

“Juliet, I think we just found our Gray Spirit,” Shawn said, making a fist.  Jules bumped it with a shocked expression on her face.

“I don’t believe it,” she said at last.

The next morning, Lassiter walked into the morgue, looking for Woody.  He found the ME  sitting in his office, eating something unrecognizable.  The doctor looked up at Lassie with wonder.

“Detective?  What can I do for you?” Woody asked, hiding the ‘whatever it was’ inside his desk.

Lassie took out the evidence bag that held the small piece of silk fabric.  The blood, now dried, shown brightly against the light blue.

“I want you to get a match from this.  The blood, that is,” Lassiter ordered.

Woody took the fabric with tweezers.  He looked closely, turning it over and over.  He looked up at Lassiter with questioning eyes.

“Where did you get this?” Woody asked.

“I found it.  Just analyze it and give the results to me.  Only me,” Lassie said.

“Does the chief know about this, Detective?” Woody questioned.

“Of course she does!  Now, get it as soon as possible.  Tell no one but me, got it?” he demanded.

Woody stood up and saluted, “Yes, Sir!”

Lassiter gave one last look to the ME, shook his head and left.  Woody looked carefully at the piece of fabric. 

“Well, I suppose I should find out whose blood this is,” Woody said to a dead body on the metal table. 

Lassiter, in the meantime, was now upstairs at his desk, writing out a report for the previous robbery.  He didn’t see two sets of eyes watching him. 

“He’s really good at this, isn’t he?” Shawn asked.

“What?” Juliet asked.  They were both sitting in the conference room, having gone over all ideas of how and why Lassie would be the Gray Spirit.

“This duel identity stuff.  I mean, all the evidence is pointing to him, Jules.  He has a cut on his arm, he hid evidence, which for Head Detective Carlton Lassiter is almost unbelievable, he’s showing up late to crime scenes out of breath, like he’s been running.  It all adds up,” Shawn surmised. 

“I know last night I was on board, but after sleeping on it, I wonder if we aren’t jumping to conclusions?” Juliet asked.

“Jules!  It makes perfect sense!  Of all the people, Lassie is the best candidate.  He’s an officer, he knows the laws,” Shawn started.

Juliet held up her hand, “Shawn, he hates vigilantes.  Why would he be one himself?”

“That’s the kicker!  What better way to throw someone off the trail?” Shawn insisted.

Juliet looked at Shawn for a moment, “Okay, I’ll go along with it.  What about Gus, though?  Shouldn’t he know?”

Shawn nodded, “I’m heading over to the Psych office now.  He’ll be on board, too.  I’ll be back later on.”

Shawn kissed Juliet and walked out past Lassie, smiling in his direction.  Lassiter looked up at that moment.

“What are you smiling about?” Lassiter asked.

“Nothing, Lassie-pants.  Later!” Shawn said, running off and out the door. 

“Idiot,” Lassiter whispered.  He went back to writing in the report, ignoring the pandemonium around him. 

Juliet sat back for a moment in the conference room, watching her partner.  Could it really be true?  Could Carlton, the head detective of the Santa Barbara Police Department; the man who followed the book, knew all the codes and gave criminals a run for their money, be The Gray Spirit?  She leaned forward, studying him carefully. 

His shirt covered his arm, but she could see the bulge of a bandage wrapped around it.  She really wondered about it.  Getting up, she walked out to him.  Juliet stared at him until the detective looked up.

“Yes, O’Hara?” Lassiter asked, looking up at her.

“Carlton, I…I…Oh, never mind.  I’ll just write my report for last night,” Juliet said, then walked away.

“Okay,” Lassiter said, raising an eyebrow.

Juliet sat at her desk, shaking her head.  Why couldn’t she get the question out?  Gathering her courage, she went back up to him.

“Carlton, how’d you get the cut on your arm?” she asked.

He looked up at her.  She swore that a momentary look of panic flashed before his eyes.  Clearing his throat, he answered.

“I got it this morning.  I banged my arm against the wall at home,” he said.

Juliet blinked.  She knew he had that cut last night, yet he just…lied to her?  No, this wasn’t the Lassiter she knew.  As crazy as it sounded, she realized that if he wasn’t The Gray Spirit, he wouldn’t of lied.  She now believed what she thought last night.  Her partner was the vigilante.  The Gray Spirit.

Shawn was back at the Psych office.  Climbing off his motorcycle, he spotted the Blueberry sitting in its usual spot.  Gus was inside and Shawn was bursting with the news.

“Gus!  You are not going to…whoa, what happened to your head?” Shawn said as he walked in.

Gus looked up, “I hit my head last night after getting home from my date.”

Shawn noticed a slight tremor from Gus’ mouth.  ‘Nah, he wouldn’t lie to me,’ he thought.

“Dude, you aren’t going to believe it.  Juliet and I figured out the identity of the Gray Spirit,” Shawn announced.

Gus dropped his flash drive he’d been holding. 

‘Oh, dear God,’ Gus thought, about to say something when Shawn spoke up.

“It’s Lassie!” he said happily.

Gus stared at Shawn with disbelief.  Lassiter?  They think Lassie is the Gray Spirit?  A smile spread on Gus’ face. 

“Lassie?” he asked. 

“Yeah!  All the evidence points to Lassie.  Juliet and I found a brick with blood on it, right?  Suddenly, there’s Lassie, out of breath like he’d been running and a huge cut on his arm,” Shawn started.

Gus’ eyebrows raised, ‘That’s who was chasing me!  Lassie!’

“…So next thing we know, we watch as Lassie-frass kicks the brick away from him, back under the fence to the construction site next to the electronics store.  He was hiding evidence!” Shawn continued.

Gus stood up and walked over to Shawn with a huge grin.  “Lassie is the Gray Spirit, huh?  You’re sure about that?”

“Yes!  It’s so obvious!” Shawn said.  Juliet walked into the office at that moment.  The look on her face was bewilderment as she looked up at Shawn and Gus.

“I asked Lassiter about the cut on his arm.  He said he got it this morning.  Shawn, he actually lied to me.  I…I think it proves what we said last night.  Lassiter is the Gray Spirit,” Juliet said.

Shawn and Gus nodded.  Gus was, deep down, laughing.  Outside, he was serious.  This was perfect, they were both convinced that Lassiter moonlighted as a vigilante. 

“Okay, we know the Gray Spirit’s true identity.  Now, let’s find out about the leader of the thieves, like who they are,” Gus said.

Shawn laughed, “Sounds like a plan.  Let’s go over what we know.”

The next day, the gang were sitting in the conference room.  A new break in the case brought them all together.  Shawn and Juliet were constantly sharing glances between them and looking at Lassiter with knowledge. Gus sat with a small smile on his face, safe in the knowledge that no one suspected him.  Henry sat nearby, watching the interaction between his son and Juliet. 

Lassiter, though he wanted to find out the leader of the gang, was anxious to get back to his desk.  Woody had just, covertly, delivered the results from the blood sample Lassiter had given him.  He kept looking at the manila envelope on his desk and back to Karen, who was going over the details.

“Aaron Conners, forty-seven from San Diego,” Karen said, handing a picture to everyone in the room, “This is the man believed to be the leader of the Spiders Nest.  They are a large group of thieves that live by the philosophy that anything they can steal is worth being caught.  They are claiming responsibility for the latest string of robberies here in Santa Barbara.”

Gus looked up at these words and nodded, “Chief, have they said anything about another robbery?”

“One of the teens we have already has indicated that another robbery is supposed to happen this weekend coming up.  That’s all he could say.  They choose the location hours before the actual heist to keep everyone in the dark.  Just enough time to gather a group and head over to the chosen target,” Karen answered.

Henry spoke up at that time, “Karen’s already got patrols on different, high end stores throughout Santa Barbara.  Shawn, what about the Gray Spirit?”

Lassiter and Gus both looked at Henry for a moment.  Shawn stood up and did his usual ‘finger to temple’ bit.

“I am sensing that our Gray Spirit is within the police department.  A name has yet to appear in my visions, Dad, Chief, but I’m sure that in time, we’ll have all the answers we need,” Shawn said dramatically.

“He’s a cop?” Karen asked. 

“Yes, that I know,” Shawn answered assuredly. 

“Didn’t you say that last time and it turned out to be a reporter?” Lassiter asked.

“Yes, but I did find out who it was and we brought them to justice.  This time, the vigilante is on our side!”

“He’s a vigilante.  He is not on our side,” Lassiter said affirmatively. 

“I don’t know, Lassie.  Shawn may be right.  The evidence is pointing in the direction of the Gray Spirit being on the force,” Gus added.

Lassiter looked at Gus with a question in his eyes.  He’d already asked about the wound on Gus’ head, to which he replied something about a date and hitting his head.  He turned back to Karen.

“Chief, I doubt it.  Right now, I say we bring in this Aaron for questioning.  Who knows, *he* may be the Gray Spirit.  Just to throw us off, he pretends to fight off his own gang,” Lassiter said.

To Shawn and Juliet, it sounded forced.  Shawn smiled, ‘Keep misdirecting us, Lassie.’

Juliet stood up, “I’m with my partner, Chief.  Let’s go get Aaron and bring him in.”

Shawn cocked his head, but saw Juliet wink.  He instantly knew that she was diverting everyone from going any further about the Gray Spirit. 

“Then let’s go.  Let me know what he has to say.  In fact, when you bring him in, I want to be there for the interrogation,” Karen said.

The four of them walked out of the room to different destinations.  Shawn, Gus and Juliet went to her desk to discuss what to do next.  Lassie said he needed some more coffee, so he went to grab it from the conference room.  On the way, he covertly grabbed the envelope.

Inside the room, he pulled down the blinds and set his coffee mug down quickly.  Hands shaking, he opened the contents of the envelope.  He read in silence; his eyes widening with every word.

Juliet was talking to Shawn about their next move, while Gus was carefully watching the head detective.  Well, he was until Lassie closed the blinds.  Gus instantly got suspicious.  He wondered what Lassie had in that envelope that was so important.

Excusing himself from the other two, Gus went into stealth mode and snuck over to the conference room door.  He tried the knob to find it locked.  That made him even more suspicious. 

‘What’s he doing in there?’ Gus thought. 

Taking a page from Shawn’s book, Gus walked just past the door and leaned against the glass nonchalantly.  He pretended to just hang out until Lassie walked out.

Inside, Lassiter paced.  The DNA results were 99.9% accurate.  He couldn’t believe what it said.  Woody had to have made a mistake somewhere.  He decided that was the case; so he put the papers back in the envelope, straightened his tie and opened the door. 

Outside he encountered Gus.  Lassie avoided his gaze and walked right back down to the morgue. He was going to set Woody straight.

Gus kept his eyes on that manila envelope as Lassie made his way down the hall and out of sight.  He knew where Lassie was going now.  Carefully, he followed the head detective.

Shawn’s interest was now focused on the envelope in Lassie’s hand.  Tilting his head, he saw it said Lassiter’s eyes only written on the front in Woody’s handwriting.  He turned to Juliet, not seeing Gus follow Lassie to the morgue.

“Jules, I think Woody’s in on the secret,” Shawn said.

“Uh, Shawn.  Woody can’t keep a secret if his life depended on it,” Juliet said.

Shawn contemplated this, but shook his head, “Either way, Lassie has an envelope that says for his eyes only.  He’s heading down to the morgue now.  Something’s fishy, Jules.”

“Well, let’s follow Carlton and see what Woody knows,” Juliet said.

The two got to their feet and went down to the morgue themselves.  Questions on both their minds.

Juliet was talking to Shawn about their next move, while Gus was carefully watching the head detective.  Well, he was until Lassie closed the blinds.  Gus instantly got suspicious.  He wondered what Lassie had in that envelope that was so important.

Excusing himself from the other two, Gus went into stealth mode and snuck over to the conference room door.  He tried the knob to find it locked.  That made him even more suspicious. 

‘What’s he doing in there?’ Gus thought. 

Taking a page from Shawn’s book, Gus walked just past the door and leaned against the glass nonchalantly.  He pretended to just hang out until Lassie walked out.

Inside, Lassiter paced.  The DNA results were 99.9% accurate.  He couldn’t believe what it said.  Woody had to have made a mistake somewhere.  He decided that was the case; so he put the papers back in the envelope, straightened his tie and opened the door. 

Outside he encountered Gus.  Lassie avoided his gaze and walked right back down to the morgue. He was going to set Woody straight.

Gus kept his eyes on that manila envelope as Lassie made his way down the hall and out of sight.  He knew where Lassie was going now.  Carefully, he followed the head detective.

Shawn’s interest was now focused on the envelope in Lassie’s hand.  Tilting his head, he saw it said Lassiter’s eyes only written on the front in Woody’s handwriting.  He turned to Juliet, not seeing Gus follow Lassie to the morgue.

“Jules, I think Woody’s in on the secret,” Shawn said.

“Uh, Shawn.  Woody can’t keep a secret if his life depended on it,” Juliet said.

Shawn contemplated this, but shook his head, “Either way, Lassie has an envelope that says for his eyes only.  He’s heading down to the morgue now.  Something’s fishy, Jules.”

“Well, let’s follow Carlton and see what Woody knows,” Juliet said.

The two got to their feet and went down to the morgue themselves.  Questions on both their minds.

Lassiter was down there in no time, looking for the crazy ME that thought aliens were the answer to most mysterious circumstances.  He wondered why he’d even asked Woody to check the blood sample.  Too late to change the facts, Lassiter looked around and finally found the doctor in the back room, cataloging some items taken off of victims’ bodies before processing.

“Woody, you made a mistake,” Lassiter said loudly.

Gus made it just in time to hear the conversation.  He hid by the metal table, much to his chagrin; since it still held a body on it from another case.

“What do you mean, Detective?  I can assure you that I didn’t,” Woody asked.

“Yes, you did,” Lassiter said, holding up the envelope.

“Oh, is this about my time in Botswana?  I can assure you that I didn’t know she was a prostitute and I didn’t know what rabies was back then,” Woody confessed. 

Lassiter gave him a blank look.  Gus shook his head from where he crouched.

“No, I meant the blood sample.  There is no way this is right.  Run the sample again and get it to me ASAP!” Lassiter said, throwing the envelope down on Woody’s desk and storming out. 

Shawn and Juliet hid before Lassiter saw them.  As he passed by, they looked at each other and moved toward the morgue themselves. 

Gus carefully moved from his hiding spot and went up to Woody, “Hey, Woody.  What’s up?”

“Guster, how are you?” Woody asked, grabbing the envelope and putting it in his drawer. 

“All right.  Listen, Woody, buddy; major question.  What’s Lassie up to?”

“Uh, I can’t tell you that.  It’s top secret between me and Lassiter,” Woody said.

Gus’ eyebrows raised, “Top secret?  Really?  Um,” Gus walked over to Woody and put his arm around the doctor’s shoulders, “can’t you tell me anything at all?”

Woody looked up at him, “I’m one-quarter lobster.”

Gus blinked and moved away from Woody.  “I mean, about what Lassiter’s up to.”

“Sorry, Guster, but no.  I have been sworn to secrecy,” Woody said.

“Woodster!  What’s up?” Shawn asked as he and Juliet and walked in.

Gus stood up straight, acting as if he had just came in himself. 

“Shawn, Detective O’Hara!  How are you both?”

“We’re good.  Just wondering what Lassiter was doing in here,” Juliet queried. 

“I’m sorry Juliet, but as I was telling Guster, I can’t relay any information about the blood sample Lassiter had me analyze,” Woody said.

The three of them looked at each other as Woody realized his folly, “Oh my.  You won’t tell Lassiter I said anything, will you?”

“Woody, you have nothing to worry about.  But since we now know, why don’t you tell us why?” Shawn said.

“Actually, Lassiter didn’t say.  He just said for me to analyze it, match the DNA and get it to him.  Now, he just asked me to redo it,” Woody replied, grabbing the envelope.

“Why don’t you let me see that, Woody?” Gus asked.  Woody handed him the envelope without hesitation.  Shawn and Juliet stood behind Gus’ shoulder.

Gus slowly opened the envelope and peered inside before pulling anything out.  There, on the very top, was his name with 99.9% match next to it.  His eyes widened.  He looked up at Woody.

“Woody, where’s the sample Lassie gave you?” he asked.

Walking over to his desk, Woody opened his top drawer and pulled out an evidence bag, “You realize I need this back to redo the DNA match.”

“I’ll hand it right back, Woody,” Gus said, taking the bag from him.  Inside, Gus saw a familiar colored fabric with blood on it.  It was the shirt he’d been wearing two nights prior as he was running from the scene.  Looking back at the envelope, he put two and two together.  Lassie was trying to find out who the Gray Spirit was. 

“Gus, don’t be Patrick from Spongebob Squarepants.  Give us the envelope,” Shawn said.  It earned him a look from Juliet and Gus.

“What?  We’re a team, aren’t we?” Shawn asked.

The phone rang at that moment.  Gus held onto the envelope while Woody answered.  Within a minute, he’d hung up.

“The Chief needs to see everyone.  Including me about the last robbery.  I guess they found a body.  Aaron Conners,” Woody said.

The gang looked at each other, the envelope temporarily forgotten by Shawn, Juliet and Woody.  Gus took the advantage and hid the envelope where he knew Woody wouldn’t find it; under his own shirt.  He thanked the heavens that he’d put on a dark shirt that morning.  Turning to leave, Gus ‘hit the Jackal switch’ and went out in stealth mode. 

Back upstairs, Lassiter stood in Karen’s office, wondering where the others were.  Last he saw, they were sitting at O’Hara’s desk, talking low.  When he got back upstairs, he’d noticed they weren’t there.  Shrugging, he had thought maybe they went to get some of that Jerk Chicken Spencer usually talks about.

Shawn, Juliet and Woody appeared from around the corner, with Gus a few feet behind.  Seeing this, Lassiter shook his head.  He couldn’t believe what that DNA matched with the blood was Guster’s.  That’s why he had Woody redo the test.  There had to be a mistake.  Guster was not exactly vigilante material. 

‘Although,’ Lassie thought as he watched Gus walk toward him, ‘he does look more muscular, like he’s been working out.  He does have a different posture than what he used to have.’

As Gus walked up, Lassie looked carefully at the bandage that covered the cut he had.  He thought back to the scene the other night and remembered the brick he’d ‘overlooked’.  One of the teens had said they threw a brick at the Gray Spirit after the fact.  Lassiter’s eyes flashed with recognition. 

‘Guster *is* the Gray Spirit.  Sweet Justice!’ he thought. 

With this knowledge now cemented in his mind, Lassiter turned toward Karen.  He’d talk to Guster after the debriefing; which, at the moment, was slightly more important than the identity of…

“Crap!” Lassiter suddenly said, making Karen look up in worry.

“What is it, Detective?” she asked.

“Nothing, Chief.  I just remembered something, is all.  No big deal,” he answered.

‘I may have to talk to Guster now,’ Lassiter thought as Gus walked in behind Shawn and Juliet.

“Okay, we have Aaron Conners’ body on its way here.  Woody, you’re to move his autopsy to top priority.  We need to know what killed him, how and when,” Karen said.

“You’ve got it, Chief.  Did you know that as a body decomposes, it gives off different fluids?  I can use what fluids are…” Woody began.

“Woody, please,” Juliet said, looking a little green.

“Sorry,” Woody said, dropping behind Shawn. 

“Psych, of course, is on this.  Shawn, Gus, work closely with the detectives and see what you can get.  The Gray Spirit is on the back burner for the moment.  He’s not forgotten, though.  We have reason to believe that he may have something to do with Mr. Conners’ death,” Henry said.

“No!” cried Gus and Lassie in unison. 

The rest of the team looked at them with confused expressions.  Gus and Lassie looked at each other then back to the chief, mumbling an apology.

“Well, that’s all we have for now,” Karen said.

“Wait!  There’s more to this story than meets the eye, Chief!” Shawn said, finger to his temple, “I am sensing that The Gray Spirit had nothing to do with this.  He’s as innocent as a newborn lamb.  Before they turn into those big lambs.”

“Sheep, Shawn,” Gun answered.

“I’ve heard it both ways,” Shawn said back. 

“Regardless, if what Shawn sees is true, then we have a murderer to find on top of finding the leader of the ring of thieves.  Now, go,” Karen said.

“Guster!  A moment of your time, please?” Lassiter said. 

Gus stopped and swallowed hard.  ‘This can’t be good,’ he thought.

Shawn and Juliet looked at each other with bewildered expressions.

Before another word was spoken, Lassie practically forced Gus into a conference room and shut the door.  He turned, locking it, then went around and shut all the blinds.  Turning again, he faced Gus with determination.

“Guster, you’re probably wondering why I wanted to talk to you alone?” Lassiter said, sitting down in one of the chairs.  He gestured for Gus to sit next to him.

Slowly and deliberately, Gus moved the chair and sat down, afraid of what Lassie wanted to say.

“Lassie, I’m sure whatever it is…” Gus started.

“I know your little secret, Guster,” Lassie interrupted.

Gus pretended that it wasn’t a big deal, “What would that be?”

Lassie leaned over and got right near Gus’ face, “I know you are the Gray Spirit, Guster.  I have the DNA proof.”

Gus laughed and pulled out the envelope from his shirt.  Lassie sat back as Gus spoke.

“Correction, I have the DNA proof.  And the blood sample,” Gus pulled out the evidence bag.

“Damn, Woody,” Lassiter said under his breath.  He then looked Gus straight in the eye, “I could go out there and tell everyone your little secret.”

“There’s actually a major problem with that, Lassie.  Shawn and Juliet out there think *you* are The Gray Spirit.  They would think you’re covering up the facts by placing the blame on me.”

Lassie sat back at this, thinking.  “Wait, Spencer and O’Hara think I’m the vigilante?  Why?”

Gus laid the envelope down and smiled.  He then explained the whole scenario as to why the psychic and Lassie’s partner thought the Head Detective of the SBPD was the vigilante. 

After a few minutes, Lassie’s face broke into a grin.  He then chuckled as Gus sat back.

“Okay, Guster.  Normally, I would book you and take no prisoners.  You’d been in the holding cells so fast it’d make you head spin,” Lassie said with force.

“Yet, I’m not.  Why?” Gus asked, somewhat worried about where this was leading.

“I know you.  You aren’t the kind of person that would kill anyone.  Considering you’ve been hanging around with Spencer and haven’t killed him yet, it tells me you have a will of iron,” Lassie stated.

Gus nodded in complete agreement.  Lassiter spoke up again. 

“So, here’s my idea,” Lassiter started, then explained what he wanted to do.

It did involve some stealth, which also played with the idea that Lassiter was The Gray Spirit.  They agreed to work together, undercover really, to take down the ring of thieves.  After they did, Gus would decide if he would continue the masquerade or not.  Until then, Lassie, shockingly would keep the secret.

“You’re really going to keep it a secret?” Gus asked in astonishment.

“Unless you step out of line, Guster.  You have to stay within the jurisdiction of the SBPD.  Understood?”

“You’ve got it, Detective,” Gus said, extending his hand.  Lassiter looked up at him, then shook it with a smile.

Lassiter opened the blinds, the door and walked out with Gus following right behind.  Shawn watched carefully as the two came out of the room with a shared look, then split into two separate directions.  Lassie went to his desk and Gus walked over to them.

“What were you two talking about?” Shawn asked his best friend.

Gus looked at him and smiled, “Just about the case.  I’ll fill you in as soon as Juliet gets back.”

Shawn nodded, but didn’t fully believe it.  Something in Gus’ voice registered as shaky.  Yet, no sweat on the temple, no nervous twitch; it seemed legit.

Juliet walked back from downstairs, grabbing files with Buzz.  They set a few down on her desk and Shawn started going through them, ‘seeing’ different things that may be important later on. 

Gus grabbed a couple of files and began to search through himself.  Halfway through one, Lassiter tapped him on the shoulder.

“Body’s down at the morgue.  Woody just called and told me,” he said. 

Gus nodded and stood up immediately.  Shawn tilted his head, wondering why his buddy, Mr. Can’t-stand-the-crime-scene-scent, was eager to go down to see the dead Aaron Conners.  He looked over at Juliet and shook his head.

“Um, we’ll be down in a few.  I just have to mark these files,” Juliet said, grabbing a row of labels. 

“No problem.  Guster can fill you in on what’s going on when you get there.  Come on Guster, let’s go,” Lassiter said. 

Shawn usually would’ve chimed in by now about how friendly Lassie was being to Gus.  He decided that maybe being a vigilante was the cause of this new and improved Lassie-opolis.

Of course, it seemed sudden.  He was his usual self until that private talk with Gus.  Shawn’s eyes widened. 

“Jules!  That’s it!  Lassie told Gus!” Shawn said suddenly.

Juliet looked at him, “What are you talking about?”

Buzz had left, and for the moment they were alone in the corner of the station.  Shawn took the chance to speak openly.

“Lassie and Gus went in the conference room with something in Gus’ shirt,” Shawn said, closing his eyes, “The envelope!  Gus had the envelope when we came back upstairs.  He must’ve still had it.  Lassie must’ve seen it and they shared information,” he finished.  His eyes opened and looked at Juliet.

“Shawn, why would Gus and Lassiter share secrets without us?” Juliet asked.

Shawn shook his head, “I don’t know, Jules, but I think we’d better keep a close eye on those two.  Lassie may have told Gus about the Gray Spirit.”

Without another word, Shawn and Juliet walked down to the morgue together. 

“…the stab wounds,” they heard Woody finish.

“Woody, do you think the Gray Spirit has anything to do with this death?” Karen asked, who’d been down there the whole time.

“There is substantial evidence that leads to him,” Woody said.

“What kind of evidence?” Gus asked, giving a look to Lassiter at the same moment.

“Well, for starters, his calling card was left there,” Woody stated, holding up a card. 

Gus tried to grab it, but Karen took it first.  She nodded, then handed it to Lassiter.  He looked it over before handing it directly to Gus. 

Gus looked closely at it, turning it over in his hands.  It was his card.  Someone had stolen his card and planted it on a dead body.  A dead body who just happened to be the leader of the ring of thieves that had been terrorizing the city for the last few months.

Shawn grabbed the card from Gus and glanced over it.  That’s when he saw a small dot of blood on it.  It was dry and old, so it could’ve been from Lassie or Aaron.  Shawn looked back at his friend and saw a worried gaze toward Lassiter.

‘Gus is worried Lassie’s going to be found out.  I won’t let that happen,’ Shawn thought.

Fingers went to the temple and Shawn closed his eyes, “I’m sensing that this card was planted.  The Gray Spirit did not murder this man.”

Karen looked at the pseudo-psychic, “Mr. Spencer, The Gray Spirit has motive.”

“No, the Gray Spirit is a pawn in this.  He doesn’t want to kill anyone; he just wants to help bring down these thieves,” Shawn said.

“Are you sure about that, Mr. Spencer?” Karen asked.

“Yes,” he said, his eyes darting to Lassie, “I’d stake my life on it.”

Lassie smiled briefly, but hid it before anyone could see.  Shawn saw it, of course, but said nothing.

“Then people we need to find a murderer as well.  Let’s go, we don’t have much time!” Karen said, leaving the morgue quickly.

Woody went to catalog the wounds of the body, which left the four others standing and looking at each other.  Shawn looked at Juliet and nodded.  Without a word, they left, heading back upstairs to get ready to head out. 

Lassie and Gus stood and looked at the body for a moment.  Lassiter was the first to speak.

“Guster, you need to go out there tonight.  You need to do some digging,” he said.

Nodding, Gus held the card that Shawn had dropped on the table, “No problem, Lassie.  The Gray Spirit will appear tonight.”

“Then let’s go.  We’ll go follow some leads, but later on we should go our separate ways.  I’ll meet you in the alley behind the old bar at ten o’clock,” Lassie planned. 

“Right.  Let’s go,” Gus said, heading toward the doors.  Lassie stopped him for a moment.

“Gus, I never thought I’d say this, but it is a pleasure working with you,” Lassiter said.

“You too, Lassie.  Hey, you called me Gus,” he replied.

“Let’s get upstairs and back to the electronics store. We have some people to question, and there’s a brick that needs to be found,” Lassiter suggested.

With that, they both headed back up, reveling in the knowledge they shared.

About an hour later, the four of them stood inside the store, talking to the manager and two employees.  The female employee had been the one who’d found Aaron’s body; and she looked frightened.  Juliet and Shawn took her to one side of the store while Lassiter took the manager to his office.  That left Gus to talk to the male employee.

“Now, what did you see when you came in this morning?” Gus asked.

“ I was here with the manager.  He and I walked in to hear screaming coming from the back.  Shelly has her own set of keys because she is a manager-in-training.  We both ran to the back to find her standing over that guy’s body, shaking and screaming like a banshee,” he said.

Gus nodded, noting that his eyes were steady and his voice was strong.  He was telling the truth.  He looked over where Shawn and Juliet had Shelly and watched her carefully.  Shelly was shaking, being that she’d been the one to find Aaron’s body.  There was something else, though, and he could see Shawn analyzing her. 

‘He’ll figure out what it is.  I’d better go check on Lassiter and the manager,’ Gus thought.

He walked over to the office when he saw something out of the corner of his eye.  He turned in time to see one of the teens that had escaped from the big job two days prior walking calmly through the store.  Gus hid behind a TV display and kept an eye on the teen. 

The boy walked carefully, looking up occasionally and glancing around the store. Every so often, he would take pictures of random items and of the ceiling, then go about his business.  Gus realized he was casing the store, even though they had already hit it once. 

‘Wait, they never hit the same store twice.  Something’s not right about this,’ Gus thought.

Pretending to look at a TV, Gus walked toward the office and stepped inside as if nothing was wrong.  Lassie acknowledged him then continued questioning the manager. 

After a few minutes, Lassiter let him go and turned to Gus when they were alone.  He could see Gus’ eyes darting back and forth from him to the main floor of the store.  Following his gaze, Lassie saw the teen taking a picture of a very expensive TV system.

“You see him?” Gus asked.

“Yeah.  Casing the place out.  That’s strange, they never hit a store twice,” Lassie said.

“I know.  You think it’s a trick?”

“Maybe.  Instead of the bar, meet me nearby tonight,” Lassiter stated.

“The old warehouse down the street.  That’s where I change into my costume.  Knock three times in rapid succession.  I’ll know it’s you,” Gus specified. 

“Roger that, Gus,” Lassie replied.

They all left the store, Shawn insisting that Shelly had a part in the murder.  Juliet concurred, which led to Lassie calling McNabb and another officer in to bring her in for questioning.  Gus and Lassiter exchanged knowing glances until Gus left the station around eight that night.  Shawn and Juliet went home just before, so Gus and Lassiter spoke once more about the plan.  They were ready for whatever happened that night; or so they thought.

An hour before, Juliet and Shawn arrived home, the whole way talking about the case and the fact that Lassie was a vigilante.  Shawn looked at his girlfriend as they entered the house with a huge grin.

“Jules, I think Lassie is just doing this because he wanted to take down the Spiders Nest.  After that, The Gray Spirit will vanish in the mist and we’ll never hear from him again,” Shawn stated.

“Shawn, right now, let’s eat.  I’m starving!” Juliet said, grabbing the take out boxes from Shawn’s hands.  She set them on the table and grabbed some plates from the cupboard.  She silently thought about how her partner could be the one thing he’d always said he hated; a vigilante.  It did make some sense to hide it.  She’d seen it with her own father, saying he hated con men and he was one.  Juliet looked over at her boyfriend and realized he’d been doing the same thing all along, too.  He was saying he was psychic, but in reality, he didn’t believe in them; but pretended to be one so he wouldn’t be charged with hindering an investigation.

“Jules?  You all right?” Shawn asked, already grabbing some noodles from one container. 

Juliet smiled, “I’m fine, Shawn.  Hey, save some of those for me!” she demanded playfully, catching Shawn as he tried to dump the whole box of noodles.

“Sorry, Sweetheart.  You know I love the noodles,” Shawn said, handing the box over to her.  A noodle hung over the side, which he grabbed and dangled in front of Juliet.

She took the ‘bait’ and put one end in her mouth.  Shawn did so with the other end, and just like Lady and the Tramp, they ate each side until they kissed.  They sat for a moment, just kissing each other.  Breaking apart for air, Juliet blushed and grabbed some of the noodles and some Jerk Chicken (Shawn’s request); then began to eat calmly.

A few bites in, Shawn turned on the TV to watch the Channel 8 news, keeping an eye on the outside world until time for bed.  He took a long drink of his pineapple juice and indulged once more in some Jerk Chicken.

After dinner, they did the dishes together, splashing each other in the process. Juliet shook her head, but was glad that she had Shawn.  Someone to take her out of ‘cop mode’ and be themselves around her.  Shawn was a special man, that was for sure.

Around ten thirty, the news interrupted The Mentalist (Shawn watched it for research) with a special report.  The Gray Spirit had been spotted at the electronics store just before it had been robbed again.  The media was speculating that the vigilante had something to do with the Spiders Nest and the string of robberies.  Juliet and Shawn looked at each other with worry.  They both knew Lassie wasn’t going to be happy about this; being accused of being a ring leader of a gang of thieves. 

When Shawn’s phone rang, they knew they were being called back in.  They got back into Juliet’s car and headed toward the SBPD, stopping only long enough at Psych for Shawn to grab a duffle bag of his own.  He wouldn’t tell Juliet what it was, only that it was essential to the case.

“Leader?” Karen asked. 

Lassie nodded, but said nothing.  Shawn stood up and walked over to the head detective; his features creased with worry for his best bud.

“How do you know he’s in trouble?” Shawn asked.

Lassiter blinked, not knowing what to say.  How was he going to tell them about Guster being kidnapped without giving away his identity as The Gray Spirit.  He sighed, knowing full well there was no way around it. 

‘Unless,’ he thought.

“Before The Gray Spirit accosted me, he told me that he’d been watching the Spider’s Nest for a while.  He said he’d seen a well-dressed black man being shoved into a blue Echo not too long before McNab, Dobson and I showed up.  He stated that he knew the leader’s name was the Black Widow,” Lassiter said.

“Wait, Gus was on stakeout without me?  He told me he was with Rachael!” Shawn said, looking hurt.

“I..I told him not to tell you.  That’s what the private meeting was about.  I knew if you were to go on stakeout, you’d dress up in one of your ridiculous get-ups and ruin everything,” Lassiter lied.

Juliet and Shawn looked at each other, both wondering whether to believe Lassiter or not.  Juliet turned to her partner with questioning eyes.

“And why wasn’t I told?” she challenged.

“Simple.  You would’ve told Spencer.  Look, ever since you two started dating, it’s like you’re an open book to him.  We couldn’t risk you telling Spencer or trying to stake out the place yourself,” Lassiter said.

Karen slammed her hand down on her desk, which made everyone jump.  She turned her eyes on Lassiter.

“Enough!  Detective Lassiter, while I’m furious you and Mr. Guster went out without O’Hara and Mr. Spencer, I’m more concerned with the fact that Mr. Guster has been taken by The Spider Nest and how we’re going to get him back.  We’ll discuss everything else after Gus has been rescued.  Now, where were you when The Gray Spirit got the upper hand?”

He sighed, knowing that later he’d be on the receiving end of one of Karen’s famous scolding’s.  He cleared his throat and began to tell them where he was and what had happened after The Gray Spirit was in his custody.

“Then he wacked me over the head with a brick, grabbed the keys and escaped.  When I came too, I heard my phone ringing,” Lassiter finished a few minutes later.

Shawn stood there in disbelief.  If he hadn’t seen it with his own hyper-observant eyes, he wouldn’t of believed it.  Lassie was *lying* to the Chief.  Well, not wholly, parts were true.  But he could tell Lassie was leaving out a bunch of details.  Something was up, and he was going to get to the bottom of it!

“Lassieface, could I talk to you a moment?” Shawn asked.

“I don’t have time for your antics, and neither does Gus,” Lassie said.

Lassiter walked away, keys to the Crown Vic in his hand.  Shawn looked at Juliet with a shrug.

“What is it?” she asked.

“He’s lying, Jules.  I could see it.  He had a twitch and sweat on his temple.  Not all of it was a lie, but he also left out details.  There are holes in his story.  Lots of holes.  Like that movie,” Shawn said.

“You mean Holes?” Juliet asked.

Shawn smiled at his girlfriend as they walked out to the Crown Vic.  Juliet looked up and groaned.

“He left without us.  Come on, we’ll take my VW,” she said, grabbing her keys out of her pocket.

Lassiter knew he’d be in more hot water for leaving Spencer and O’Hara behind, but he knew he had to figure out how to save Guster without revealing who he was.  He wasn’t sure why he was so intent on keeping Guster’s identity a secret.  After all, in any other circumstance, he would’ve booked Guster so fast his head would spin. 

Now he sped through the streets, heading back to the where the Echo had been parked.  Maybe there was a clue.

Lassiter slammed on the brakes, cursing.  As good as he was, the only other person capable of finding the finer details was Spencer.  As much as he hated to admit it, Spencer *was* good at what he did, even if it was by ridiculous means.

He took out his cell phone and called O’Hara.

Juliet was winding through the streets when her cell rang.  She didn’t want to grab it, afraid she’d miss a turn, so she asked Shawn to pick it up.

“Lassie!  What’s up?” he asked.

“Spencer, where are you and O’Hara?”

“Fifth and Main, why?”

“Get down to Madison Street.  I need you to look over where Guster’s car was last,” Lassie said.

“Madison Street.  Wait, that’s the warehouse district,” Shawn said.

“Yes, I know that.  Now get down here!” Lassie said, then hung up.

“Geez, he’s in a really good mood,” Shawn said sarcastically as Juliet rounded a corner onto Madison Street.

Juliet said nothing as they came to a stop behind the Crown Vic.  Lassiter was already standing outside his car, looking around at the scene.

Shawn bounded out, slamming the door behind him.  He took a quick glance and saw the tire tracks belonging to the Blueberry and two sets of footprints.  One were Gus’ (he could tell by the shoe style) but the other was female.  High heels, slightly more pressure on the left foot, as if she were favoring the right.  Stilettos, possibly.

He was about to put his finger to his temple when he saw Juliet shake her head.  She was right, this was no time for his usual ‘psychic’ move.  He had to be a detective.

“Lassie, look.  Footprints,” he said, pointing to the heels.

Lassiter walked over and knelt down by them, “High heels.”

“Slightly more pressure on the left foot.  Like she’s favoring her right,” Shawn said.

Lassiter raised an eyebrow and looked up at Shawn, “How in Sweet Justice can you tell that?”

“The spirits are telling me,” he answered, casting a sideways glance at Juliet. 

“Whatever,” Lassiter said as he stood up, “According to the pattern, it looks like Guster took off at a high rate of speed.  The Echo traveled down Madison, then turned left.  I don’t see any skid marks or any sign of it after.”

Shawn looked down the road, past the warehouses.  That’s when one door caught his attention.  He walked over to it; noticing the door was partially open.

Lassiter watched as Shawn went toward the warehouse Gus used as a hideout.  He walked up behind him, hoping there was a clue.

Shawn looked inside the door, at first seeing nothing.  He opened the door wider to let in the sunshine from outside.  That’s when he saw something flash. 

“Over there,” Shawn said, pointing. 

Lassiter walked in and saw a flash of silver.  He bent down to investigate and saw it was the key to the handcuffs he’d used on Guster last night.  He picked it up with gloved hands and showed it to Shawn and Juliet.

“It’s the key to my handcuffs,” he said.

Shawn tilted his head, looking carefully around the warehouse.  Nothing.  He could see nothing else inside.  He watched Lassie with interest, taking note of how the detective seemed to know the warehouse; as if he’d been inside before.

“You’ve been in this warehouse before, Lassie,” Shawn said, putting his finger to his temple.

Lassiter froze.  ‘How in the hell did he know that?’ he thought.

“Come on, Lassie!  It’s time to admit it!  Juliet and I know you’re The Gray Spirit!  You probably put Buzz up to telling that story so that we’d be thrown off track, didn’t you?”

“What are you talking about?” Lassiter asked. 

“Carlton, is it true?” Juliet asked, standing beside Shawn with a look of curiosity.

‘They’re still on that?’ Lassiter thought as his partner and her boyfriend stared at him.

“Of course not!  I told you, I believe vigilantes should be behind bars.  They trivialize police work,” Lassiter insisted.

Shawn watched him carefully.  Lassiter’s face twitched.  Something was off.

“Lassie, what’s going on?  You aren’t telling us everything.  The spirits are telling me your lying,” Shawn said.

‘How does he do that?’ Lassiter asked himself as he stared at Shawn.  He had to admit, to himself anyway, that if Shawn was a cop, he’d be really good at getting confessions out of criminals.  His interrogation tactics were unsurpassed.

“Carlton, are you The Gray Spirit or not?” Juliet asked.

He sighed, shaking his head, “No.  I’m not.  But,” he held up the key, “I know who is.”

“What’s that key have to do with it?” Juliet questioned.

Lassiter rubbed his face, thinking Gus would *not* like this, but it was necessary.  Lassiter needed Spencer and O’Hara.  They needed to know the truth.

“Guster,” he said simply.

“Gus?  What’s he got to do with the key?” Shawn asked.

“Gus is The Gray Spirit,” Lassie said.

Juliet and Shawn stared at him in skepticism.

“Gus?  The Gray Spirit?  C’mon, Son!  Gus, even though he’s awesome in so many ways, isn’t vigilante material.  I mean, the guy came up with Tap Man, for goodness sakes!” Shawn said finally.

“I’m telling the truth, Spencer.  The blood test I had Strode run?  It was 99.9% positive.  It was Guster.  He was the one hit with the brick that night; the one that caused that huge cut on his head.”

“What about the cut on your arm that same night?  The one you told me was from the next morning at home?” Juliet asked.

“I got it from a nail when I was chasing Guster down the alley right outside this warehouse,” he admitted.

“Did you know you were chasing Gus?” Shawn asked.

“No.  Not until I got those results back.  When Guster and I were talking in the conference room, we made a deal to capture the Spider Nest together, then he would decide if he would continue the whole Gray Spirit bit or fade into the mist,” Lassiter said.

Shawn thought about it for a moment.  Gus, a vigilante.  He closed his eyes, thinking back over the last few months.  He hadn’t exactly paid attention, but Gus *had* been getting more muscular, more physical lately.  He seemed to be making more excuses lately, too.  Saying he couldn’t go out to the movies or he’d be late to the office. 

His eyes flew open as he realized Lassie was telling the truth, “Jules!  Lassie’s telling the truth!  Gus *is* The Gray Spirit!”

“Wait.  Gus?  Carlton, if you knew, why didn’t you arrest him?” Juliet asked.

“We made a deal after he told me you two thought I was the vigilante.  I had to admit, I was shocked you would think that, O’Hara,” Lassiter said.

“Shawn convinced me,” Juliet said, giving Shawn a glance.

“I was so sure, too,” Shawn said with a shrug.

“Therein lies the problem, though.  If the Black Widow has Guster, that means they know the truth, too,” Lassiter said.

“How did you know she has him?” Juliet asked.

“Last night, before McNab showed up, Guster and I were staked out right by the electronics store.  We knew a robbery was going down.  We had radios and were communicating back and forth when McNab and Dobson doubled back after seeing Gus on the old laundry mat roof across the street,” he explained, “Later on, after I woke up, I tried to contact him.  She came on the radio.”

“Okay, I think I’m getting the picture.  How do we find the nest?” Shawn asked.

“That’s what I’m wondering.  Wait, maybe I could,” Lassie pulled out the radio and turned it on.

“This is the General.  Black Widow, do you copy?” he asked.

Shawn looked at Juliet and mouthed General.  She shrugged and looked back at her partner when a voice came over the speaker.

“Well, hello General.  What can I do for you?”  Black Widow asked.

“Tell me where you are!” Lassie demanded.

“Now, Detective,  you’re in no position to demand anything.  Especially when I’m holding someone close to you,” she replied calmly.

Lassiter’s eyes lit up.  She knew?  She called him Detective.  “What makes you think I’m a detective?”

“Simple, I can see you and those two others standing with you.  See, the warehouse that Gus, here, used to change is owned by the Spider Nest.  There are cameras hidden everywhere,” she said.  They could hear the smile in her voice.

As if they appeared from thin air, five big men were suddenly surrounding the three; guns drawn.

“Um, is it too late to go get my bag?” Shawn asked. 

Ignoring the comment from Spencer, Lassie pushed the talk button on the radio, “Listen, just let him go and we can talk about this.”

“Ha!” came the reply, “I know you, Detective Lassiter.  You see, I’m not going to take you anywhere.  Those two people you’re with?  They’re coming with my Spiders.  If you so much as breath wrong, they’ve been instructed to kill.”

Lassie watched in horror as the five burly men walked over and grabbed Spencer and O’Hara.  Spencer, though, moved quickly and dashed out before anyone could pull a trigger. 

“Well, it looks like I may have underestimated that psychic.  No matter.  Take the female detective,” Black Widow ordered.

The men pulled Juliet out of the building; while Lassie grabbed his gun.  He was about to shoot when he heard a scuffle outside the door.  Then two gunshots and O’Hara screaming.

Running outside, he saw the strangest site; O’Hara was holding the gun, two men were on the ground writhing in pain and Spencer was halfway down the alley running away from the scene.

“I thought I heard you screaming?” he asked Juliet.

“No, that was Shawn,” Jules said with a sideways glance at her boyfriend, who had now stopped running and was ever so slowly walking back.

Lassiter smirked when he saw what Shawn was wearing; his catcher’s gear, or at least part of it.  That’s what was in the bag Spencer was asking about.  His catcher’s gear.

“Well, well, well, lookie what we have here.  The Catch is back, or at least a reasonable facsimile of him.”

Shawn sighed, “They came out too quick.  I couldn’t get it all on.  One pointed his gun at me, which Jules grabbed and shot him and that other guy.  I, however, was being chased by a very angry bee.”

“A bee?” Juliet asked.

“Yes, Jules, a bee.  I may have spilled some pineapple juice on my gear last time we played,” Shawn said.

“Shawn, our last game was two months ago,” Juliet reminded him.

The groaning of one of the Spiders caught their attention.  Lassiter went over to him, picked him up and threw him against the Crown Vic. 

“Where is your base?” he demanded.

“I don’t know nothin’” he said.

Lassie pushed his hand to the guy’s throat, “Where is your base?” he asked in a seething tone.

“Two blocks up.  The old shoe store on State Street,” he choked out.

Lassiter let him go, watching as he sunk to the ground in pain.  He turned to find Spencer fully suited up in his catcher’s gear.

“Spencer, what in the hell are you doing in that, anyway?”

“Hey, if Gus can be The Gray Spirit, then The Catch can make a comeback.  Come on, let’s go save my friend!”

Shawn jumped into the back seat of Lassie’s car, and Juliet followed suit in the front seat.  Shaking his head, Lassiter got in, called for an ambulance and drove off toward the old shoe store.

“Shawn, you locked my car, right?” Juliet suddenly asked.

“Yeah.  I sure did,” Shawn said, annunciating his words.

“Oh, God!  You didn’t, did you?  You left my car open with two wounded criminals nearby?”

“Don’t worry.  They won’t get far.  Base, this is Detective Lassiter.  Keep an eye out for Detective O’Hara’s green VW.  Last seen in the alleyway behind Bert’s Electronics.  Possible theft,” he spoke into the radio.

“Copy that, Detective,” came Franny’s voice.

They arrived a few minutes later and Lassiter parked across the street.  His private radio crackled to life.

“Well, Detective.  I guess I’m just going to have to take care of you the hard way,” Black Widow said. 

They all heard a loud smack and Gus screaming in pain, “Hear that, Detective?” she asked.

Hearing a few more smacks, the three scrambled out of the car and started running across the street.  The sudden sound of gunshots had them running faster than they ever had. 

Shawn was the first to the door.  Without thinking, he busted in through the glass.  Memories of his dad being shot and the hell Shawn went through after made him even more determined as he crashed through like that of a TV vigilante. 

“SHAWN!” Juliet cried. 

He was already far ahead of them.  Juliet and Lassiter tried to catch up, only to be deterred by a few of the Spiders adult members.  Shawn moved ahead, looking around for his best friend and the woman who was beating him to a pulp.

Finally finding the room, Shawn burst in, ready to take down anyone in his way.  That’s when he got the surprise of his life; Gus was standing up, crouched in a fighting position, ready to pounce.

“Dude!” Shawn said.

Gus looked at him for a moment and eased up.  He did a double take when Shawn walked into the light.

“The Catch?  You were coming in here as The Catch?” Gus asked.

“Only to be partnered up with The Gray Spirit, Dude!” Shawn announced.

Gus took a moment and let that sink in, “You…you know?” he asked finally.

“Yeah, Lassie told us.  I guess he felt he had to since you were taken during that stakeout,” Shawn replied.

Gus stood there, staring past Shawn.  The faux psychic instantly knew trouble was present.  Slowly, he turned around and came face to face with a woman with long brown hair with blonde streaks.  Her eyes shined in the dim light coming from the windows.

“Black Widow, I presume?” he asked, his voice deepening slightly.

“Who are you?” she asked.

“The Catch.  An impenetrable wall.  No one gets past The Catch,” he said.

Black Widow shook her head, “Whatever.  Boys!  Catch The Catch!” she ordered. 

Twenty men and boys surrounded Shawn and Gus.  Most had some sort of weapon: bats, pipes, 2x4s, knives, one even had nunchuku. 

“Any ideas, Spirit?” Shawn asked.

“Yeah,” Gus said as he adjusted his mask, “Get ready to fight.”

Just outside the doors, Juliet and Lassiter had their own set of problems.  They, too, were surrounded by a few members of the Spiders.  Only, they had guns and had them aimed at the two detectives.

“What do we do, partner?” Juliet asked.

“Get ready to fight, O’Hara,” Lassiter said.

Inside the room, Gus stared down a few of the guys that were surrounding him and Shawn.  He looked over at his best friend in his Catch gear and smiled.  One thing was for sure, Gus knew he could count on Shawn to always have his back.  Even when he’d been keeping a huge secret from him.

One of the boys lunged at Gus, starting the fight.  Gus moved expertly out of the way, watching as the boy skidded to a halt and turned around.  The boys eyes gleamed in the dim sunlight.  He was ticked off.

Shawn had three on him, quoting what he believed to be vigilante type sayings.  One punched him in the chest plate, “Foul ball!” he cried.

Another kicked him in the shin guard three times, “Strike one!  Strike two!  Strike three!  You’re outta here!” Shawn said, punching the kid out.

A third guy, who looked to be an even match, did a roundhouse kick to Shawn’s unprotected side.  While going down, Shawn said, “Home run.  Round the bases.”

Gus watched as his friend fell in a heap, writhing in pain.  Gus looked back just as another guy came at him with a 2x4.  He ducked as the wooden board whizzed past his head, then jumped as the guy swung the board under him.  With a move Gus had perfected a month prior, he did a Tornado Kick right to the guy’s head, sending him reeling backward into the wall.

Gus turned, seeing Shawn surrounded by most of the rest of the group.  He launched himself into the air, screaming.

“YAAAAA!” he cried as he did a flying kick to one big burly guy, knocking the wind out of him and sending the dude sprawling onto the floor.

Shawn had recovered, somewhat, as he tried to get up off the floor himself and help Gus.  When he saw his best friend flying *over* him and doing a cool karate move, it fueled Shawn’s fire. 

“KEYA!” Shawn cried, posing like he was in The Karate Kid.  His hands were over his head, one leg up; the Crane position.

“What the heck is that?  Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon?” asked one kid, who looked no more than fifteen years old.

Shawn dropped his leg in disbelief, “Really?  It’s from Karate Kid!  You know, with Ralph Macchio?”

“Don’t you mean Jaden Smith?” asked the kid.

“That was the remake.  I’m talking about the original!” Shawn said.

“SHAWN!  A little help, here?” Gus called.

Shawn looked and saw his buddy was surrounded by the last four remaining men.  Admittedly, he was impressed with Gus’ fighting skills.  He turned back around as the kid swung a metal pipe at his head.  It connected with the mask, making a ringing sound, but no pain.

“You’re outta here!” Shawn said, making the gesture an umpire makes when ejecting a player or manager.  One swift punch and the kid was out.

Gus knew that these last four were trouble.  They’d survived the first round and now were back for seconds.  It was then he noticed that The Black Widow was standing and watching the whole fight.  A plan came to mind as he did a roundhouse kick to the four men and got out of the circle they had formed.

Outside, Lassie and Jules had their hands full.  At the start, they realized that they could be shot no matter what they did.  Lassiter thought about different scenarios; all coming up with the same conclusion.  They’d be killed.

A moment later, Lassie saw Spencer and Guster appear, holding the Black Widow hostage.  Gus held her tightly, making sure she didn’t escape.  She hadn’t been easy to grab, but thanks to some distraction on Shawn’s part (he started complaining about the smell the two month old pineapple juice was giving off) Gus grabbed her in surprise.

Lassiter watched the men surrounding them carefully.  A measured nod to Gus indicated he knew what the surprise vigilante was up to. 

“Drop your weapons or your leader gets it,” Gus warned loudly.

“Don’t listen to him.  Kill those two detectives,” the Black Widow ordered.

“If you kill them, she will die.  I can promise you that,” Gus said coldly.  It made even Lassiter shiver.

“He’ll do it.  This guy is dangerous when you mess with his friends.  Trust me on that,” Shawn said.

One of the guys scoffed as he was completely sure that the guy in The Gray Spirit costume wouldn’t do a thing. 

“You’re too chicken,” he challenged.

Gus grabbed Black Widow’s throat and squeezed.  She started gasping for air and grabbing at Gus’ hands.  The group of guys turned their attention to Gus, Shawn and their leader, who was gasping even louder.

One of them dropped his gun.  The others followed suit, dropping their guns on the ground in front of Lassiter and Juliet.

Gus began to let up on Black Widow’s throat when it happened.  One of the guys hadn’t fully dropped his gun.  He aimed and fired. 

Shawn went down like a ton of bricks.  Gus looked down at him, then back up at the guy with murder in his eyes.  He dropped Black Widow and lunged at the guy before he thug knew what was happening.

“Guster!” Lassie called.  Gus didn’t hear.  He started punching the guy’s face, his eyes flashing angrily. 

Juliet had run over to Shawn to check on him.  She looked up at Lassiter, who was trying to get Gus off the thug.  Finally, he pulled the vigilante off; but not until after the guy was pummeled. 

“Guster!  Gus!  Calm down, Spirit!” Lassiter said.

“He shot my best friend!  I’m not going to calm down!” Gus cried.

Black Widow was sitting on the ground, still recovering from her near death experience.  She looked over at the psychic who was dressed in catcher’s gear. 

“He’s not dead, you know,” she croaked.

Gus stopped fighting against Lassiter and looked over at Juliet.  She nodded in agreement with Black Widow’s statement. 

“Shawn?” he whispered, dropping to his knees.

“Dude, this gear is the best!  I told you spending the money would be worth it!” Shawn said happily, sitting up.

Gus laughed, smiling for the first time since the night before.  “Thank God you’re all right!”

“Fine, thanks to the gear.  And this,” Shawn said, showing them all he was wearing a bullet proof vest.

“Okay, how did you get that on?  When you and I got to the station, you didn’t have one on,” Juliet said.

“Remember when I left for a few minutes, saying I needed to use the bathroom?  That’s when I put this on.  You didn’t notice because I had my jacket on.  See, I had the plan all along to get my Catch gear on, whether or not you two were going to be here,” Shawn said with a grin.

Lassiter was cuffing the last of the gang, listening to every word Spencer was saying.  He stopped and turned, holding Black Widow against a wall.  He cuffed her before speaking.

“Wait, wouldn’t that mean you knew about this whole thing?”

“No.  Honestly, Lassie, I thought you were The Gray Spirit.  Gus, you are *good*.  You fooled me!” Shawn

After calling for backup, and within the time of their arrival, The Catch and The Gray Spirit had vanished, only leaving Shawn, Gus, Jules and Lassie saying what had happened.

Black Widow smiled as she was placed in the back of Buzz’s squad car.  Her eyes were fixated on Lassiter.  He stared right back, wondering what she was staring at.  Shawn walked up next to him, seeing the look she was sending Lassie’s way.

“She’s got the hot’s for you, Lassiefrass,” Shawn said. 

“Come off it, Spencer!” Lassie said.

“Seriously, she does!  I know that look!” Shawn insisted.

Gus walked up, “It’s true, Lassiter.  She told me after she tied me up.  She said she thought you were the sexiest, hottest man she’d ever seen.”

Lassie turned and glared at Gus.  He looked around and saw the three were alone for the moment, “Guster, remember our little deal?  Well, we’ve got the gang.  Now, about The Gray Spirit…”

“The Catch, too, Lassie,” Shawn interjected.

“Uh, no, Shawn.  The Catch is not part of the equation.  Everyone already knows about you, Dude,” Gus said.

Shawn tsked, “C’mon, Son!  The Catch and The Gray Spirit!  It’s perfect!”

“If it ever happened, it would be The Gray Spirit and The Catch.  But no, it won’t!” Gus retorted.

The two friends began to argue with each other, bantering back and forth about how The Catch and The Gray Spirit would (or wouldn’t) be the best vigilante team ever.  Lassiter shook his head, took a deep breath and shouted.

“KNOCK IT OFF!”

They fell silent, both looking at the head detective with confused looks.  He took the opportunity to speak.

“Spencer, Guster’s right.  Everyone already knows you’re The Catch.  Guster, a word alone, please?”

Lassiter dragged Gus away from the faux psychic.  Thankfully, Juliet had come over to them and distracted Shawn from following.

A safe distance away, Lassie spoke in a calm, normal tone.

“Gus, are you going to keep this vigilante business going?” he asked.

“I’ll admit, Lassie, I was seriously thinking about it.  I haven’t decided, though.  I’ll tell you my answer soon.  Let’s just get back to the station, so I can go home, get some rest and head out to see Rachael.  I miss my girl,” Gus admitted.

“Just remember, if you do stick with it, stay within the SBPD jurisdiction.  I won’t be responsible if you venture outside the city limits,” Lassiter said, extending his hand.

Gus looked down at Lassie’s hand, then back up at his face with a knowing smile.  He shook the detective’s hand.

“You’ve got it, Lassiter,” he said.

Epilogue

Gus was sitting down at his desk inside the Psych office.  Shawn was sitting in the chair in front of the TV, watching an 80s movie and chowing down on pineapple upside down cake.  Outside, the night sky held what looked like diamonds and a brilliant full moon. 

Gus looked up and out at the sky, thinking about the last few weeks since helping take down The Spiders’ Nest.  Since then, he’d been debating whether or not to continue being The Gray Spirit or to give it up.  He had weighed the options: continuing meant he could help catch more murderers, arsonists and thieves.  Stopping would mean he’d be the good, old Gus everyone was used to.  The sidekick to Shawn Spencer and pharmaceutical rep at CCP. 

“Gus?” Shawn asked, being cautious. 

“Yeah, Shawn?” he answered.

“You kind of looked spaced out for a moment.  Still thinking about The Gray Spirit?” Shawn questioned, now sitting in his desk chair.  He had rolled it over to face Gus.

Gus sighed and rubbed his head, “Yeah.  It’s harder than I thought.  When I first started, I figured I would catch the Spiders’ Nest and then disappear.  You, Juliet and Lassiter would never know.  Well, after everything that happened, I feel like this is something I’m supposed to do, you know?  It’s a little like you and this,” he pointed at the front window with the Psych logo. 

“What do I have to do with the sky?” Shawn joked.  He knew what Gus really meant.  He’d be lying to his family, his girlfriend and others around them.

“Shawn, if I continued donning the mask, you’d want to join in, wouldn’t you?” Gus asked with a serious expression.

Shawn sighed and got up from his seat.  He paced for a moment, squeezing that same damn frog he’d had since day one.  He stopped and turned toward his best friend.

“Yes.  Only because it’s awesome!  A duo of vigilantes!  Gus, think about it!  We could stop crimes as The Catch and The Gray Spirit,” Shawn said excitedly.

“Number one, my identity goes first.  Secondly, you would really have to change that.  The Catch is too well known by the SBPD.  Plus, everyone knows *you* are The Catch,” Gus listed.

Shawn stood there, head tilted.  He was thinking.  “You’re right, Gus.  I would have to.  That might take me a while, though.  I suppose, in the meantime, I could be like your eyes and ears?”

“Eyes and ears?” Gus asked in confusion.

“I’m the hyper-observant one, remember?  I could be a help in the fight, if there’s a need.  I mean, we’re really good together, anyway.  Psych is successful because of *our* teamwork,” Shawn insisted.

“Yeah, but you’re the ‘psychic’, Shawn,” Gus said, putting air quotes around psychic.

Shawn noticed the bitterness in his buddy’s voice.  “Dude, are you jealous?”

“A little,” Gus admitted.

“Well, that’s why I’ll help you when you’re The Gray Spirit.  I’ll help you keep watch over the city.  During the day, we go about our business.  At night, you take the lead.  I’ll be the…the,” Shawn stuttered.

“The Sidekick?” Gus asked.

“Yeah, that,” Shawn said with a thoughtful look on his face.

“Shawn, what are you thinking about?” Gus asked.

“The Sidekick.  No, that name isn’t scary.  How about The Electric Kid?  No, I’m not a kid,” Shawn continued on.

Gus heard the crackle of his small walkie talkie while Shawn went through name after name.  He answered in his radio voice.

“This is the Spirit,” he said.  Shawn stopped when he heard his buddy speak.

“Spirit, this is the General.  There’s activity at the pier.  Possible arms dealers,” Lassie’s voice said through the speaker.

“Spirit on the move.  Over and out,” Gus said, grabbing a duffel bag from under his desk.

“That’s it!” Shawn said as he grabbed his jacket.

Gus stopped, “What’s it?”

“I’ve got the perfect name,” Shawn said happily.

Gus was almost afraid to ask, “What would that be?”

“The Red Mist!” Shawn said.

Gus and Shawn walked out to the Blueberry.  Before speaking, Gus tossed his duffel bag in the car and turned to Shawn with an amused grin.

“You’re serious?  You want to help me?”

“Yes!”

Gus nodded, “We’ll stop at your place first, then.  After all, The Red Mist needs a costume.”

“Sweet!” Shawn said.

They hopped into the car and headed toward Shawn’s new apartment.  Shawn turned to Gus with a smile on his face.

“Now, I do get to say heroic lines, right?”  Shawn asked.

“Shawn,” Gus warned.

“Stop right there, fiends!  I am The Red Mist!  I will strike fear into your hearts!” Shawn decreed.

“Shawn,” Gus warned again.

“Three strikes and you’re out, thug!” Shawn exclaimed.

“SHAWN!” Gus shouted.