Hey there! Just want to say thank you for checking out my page and master post. I don’t have a regular posting schedule, but I do try to write as much as my time allows it. My ask box is always open! Have a great day!
A Fairy’s Journey
In a world where nymphs, sprites, and borrowers are known to exist, Sage Burton is the only known fairy still alive.
After a traumatic childhood, Sage is finally content with her life in the kingdom, The Hollow. She has earned the loyalty and respect from the nymphs as their commander and gained an excellent reputation around the forest.
However, a routine patrol for Sage turns into a fight for her life in the middle of a harsh blizzard, only to wake up in a giant house with two human brothers; Cade and Arthur, who have their own issues. Leaving Sage the difficult decision to trust the strange giants or escape.
Throughout the story, Sage learns that her happy life is not what seems. For better or worse.
Index (ongoing):
Chapter 1: The Ceremony
Chapter 2: The Blizzard
Chapter 3: Strange Company
Chapter 4: A Big Problem
Chapter 5: Escape
Chapter 6: Small Talk
Chapter 7: Fairy’s Best Friend
Chapter 8: Check-Up
Chapter 9: War
Pocket Detective
Like every other borrower, Tucker lives his life in the shadows, scavenging what he can to survive day by day. But when he witnesses a human’s murder, everything takes a terrifying turn. Especially when a certain pair of consulting detectives from an agency called Psych join the case.
This story is a fan fiction of the crime and mystery show called Psych (I love this show I highly recommend it!!). You don’t need to watch the show to read this series. If you have any questions feel free to ask!
Index (ongoing):
Short Story: No Tears Left To Cry
Case 1: A Not So Average Night, Definitely Not A Mouse, Witness To a Crime, Revelations, New Life Experiences, Part of The Team, Questioning, Bathroom Break, Paper Trail, Not Again.
We finally made it to the final chapter of Case 1! It’s a bit longer than I planned but I hope it’s worth it :) Thank you for reading this story. I do plan on writing more in the future since I love this little au!
First: A Not So Average Night
Pervious: Paper Trail
—————
Tucker was sprinting through the walls in an instant. The various jumps, crawls, and climbs he had to do along the path never slowed him down. The thuds were coming from the dining room and were becoming more frequent the closer he got.
He tried not to panic too much about it. Shawn had warned him on the drive up that cops would be coming in and out of the house. Still, he didn’t like having a potential threat walking around without any knowledge about it.
When he finally reached his peephole into the room, he was gasping for air. Sweat beaded his dark skin and Tucker debated on taking off his black poncho. He decided to drop his satchel against the wall since the bulky addition of the phone number paper was wearing him down even more. The borrower had decided to grab the paper last minute, although he doubted he’ll have to use it so soon. Better to be safe than sorry, especially if he had human friends willing to help.
With one last deep breath, he finally peered through the hole. It took a moment for him to find the right angle and spot who was making all the ruckus.
His eyes widened. It was the resident human Steven! What was he doing back at the house? The humans told him he’d only have to worry about the occasional cop for a while.
Steven appeared to be packing a large bag. He was moving some chairs and practically stomping around, causing the loud thudding noises. The man sniffled as he carefully lowered some fancy plates with some padding into the bag. It took Tucker a moment to recognize those plates as part of Kirstin’s collection. She displayed them on a shelf and he’d never seen them eat off the plates once. Not even when they had big holiday dinners with their family. Tucker wasn’t sure what was so special about them, but clearly they held value if Steven was packing them.
The borrower continued to watch as the human started to place some framed photos into the bag as well. Steven was crying even more now. Tucker quickly grew uncomfortable and decided to leave and let Steven grieve privately, even though the human already thought he was alone.
However, as Tucker swung his bag over his shoulders he heard a door creak open in the distance. That wasn’t right.
He quickly peeked through the hole again to see that Steven had perked up. The human’s shoulders hiked up and he looked nervously at the entrance to the dining room.
“I’m sorry officer, I know I shouldn’t be here. I just wanted to grab some of Kirstin’s favorite things for the funeral.” He zipped up the bag and rose to a stand. “I didn’t touch anything in the kitchen.” He promised.
Tucker could hear heavy footsteps in the distance. “Don’t worry.” A voice called back.
Tucker’s heart stopped beating. The brutal murder scene from the previous night flashed through his mind. The cold voice that answered Kirstin’s desperate pleas.
A tall man appeared in the doorway dressed in all black. A hood covered most of his pale face, but it didn’t hide the wicked smile. “I’m not worried about all that.”
“Who are you?” Steven asked, taking a step back from the stranger.
The man stood silently for a moment, just staring at the man inching away from him. “You don’t know?” His detached tone sent shivers rushing down Tucker’s spine. “You ruined my life and you don’t even know me?” The man’s voice turned more aggressive. He took a step towards Steven.
The resident male quickly dropped the backpack he was carrying and moved a dining room chair in front of him as a feeble barrier between them. “Josh. You’re Josh.” He whispered in shock.
Josh smiled, “good boy.”
Tucker watched in horror as Josh revealed a gun hidden in his waistband. He grabbed it, almost mockingly slow, and made something on the gun click. He pointed it at Steven.
The borrower was rooted in fear. His mind kept showing him images of Kirstin’s dead, bloody face lying just inches from where he hid. Her desperate, pleading eyes locking onto his small form as if asking him to do something. Anything.
But he couldn’t.
He cowered in the bag as he watched her die. He listened to Steven’s wails as he tried to wake his wife up, his hands quickly getting covered in the blood belonging to the love of his life.
Tucker couldn’t go through this again. He won’t let another human die in front of him as he watched and did nothing.
The tiny man raced through the walls towards the entrance to the kitchen. His heartbeat roared in his ears as he raced against time. Sawdust got into his mouth and eyes as he flew down the path, but all he was worried about was his end goal.
Tucker didn’t even check his surroundings as he burst through his hidden entrance on the kitchen counter. His leather boots squeaked on the marble surface as he quickly turned and raced to the phone. He can still hear Josh in the other room, his voice growing louder and louder as he ranted on about how Steven ruined his life. He hasn’t heard Steven yet, but he also hadn’t heard any gunshots ring out. Hopefully, Steven was staying quiet and buying his time with the psycho.
Tucker reached the large phone and immediately climbed onto the weird device it was placed on. With shaky fingers, he took the paper out of his bag and unfolded it. Gus gave him the smallest strip of paper he could write on, so it was just a bit shorter than him. The numbers were neatly written on the paper and Tucker quickly pressed the first matching number to call Gus.
The phone made a weird noise. The screen flashed a green screen along with some words he couldn’t read. Huffing, he kept pressing the buttons, dialing as fast as he could on a phone bigger than him. He expected Gus’ reassuring voice to sound from the device when he pressed the final number, but all the phone did was make angry noises and flash at him. Why wasn’t the stupid thing working!
The yelling was only getting louder and angrier. Tucker had to swallow down his growing panic as he thought over everything he knew about phones, particularly the one he was trying to use. Every time he saw the resident humans use it, they always took it off the base thing and carried it around.
His internally screamed in frustration as he realized what he must do. He quickly wrapped his arms around the clunky device as much as he can and tried to lift it off the base it was sitting on. Of course, the thing weighed a lot more than him and didn’t budge.
Tucker didn’t let this deter him from saving the human. If there was one thing his Pa taught him all those years ago, it was how to get creative. He took out his climbing line and wrapped it tightly around the phone. As the shouting continued in the background, he raced over to a very large, decorative vase nearby. He flung his hook over the vase and heard it clink softly when it landed on the other side of the counter.
After a quick check over his impromptu pulley system, he rushed over to his hook and tied the remaining length of string around his waist. With a steeling breath, he wrapped his hands around the string and yanked as hard as he could on the fishing line. His eyes squeezed shut and he grunted as he tried to achieve the impossible.
A loud thump and a pained shout from the dinning room only made Tucker work harder to lift the phone. His boots scrapped against the counter so hard he was worried the soles would fall right off. Finally, finally, he managed to take a few steps back as the pulley lifted the device in the air. It didn’t take long for the phone to lift off the base enough to tip and clatter onto the counter.
Tucker winced at the noise, but the yelling continued uninterrupted so he knew he was in the clear.
He untied his rope and coiled it as he ran over to the phone now lying (thankfully face-up) on the counter. Tucker grabbed the paper and quickly dialed Gus’ number again. There were no angry noises coming from the phone this time as Tucker pressed all his weight onto the buttons. Then, he pressed the green button on the top corner and the phone started to ring.
—————
Gus warily watched detectives Lassiter and O’Hara as they cleared the small abandoned roller skating rink. They disappeared through some doors and he frowned as they soon called out the all-clear.
“I thought you said he’d be here.” Gus whispered over to Shawn, holding a baseball bat as a weapon. Who knew what dangerous people were lurking in the shadows here. He wasn’t taking any chances.
His friend was shining a flashlight in all sorts of directions along the walls and floor. He seemed to be studying the room around them, probably trying to find a hidden passage or something. “He could be out grocery shopping or something,” he reasoned in defense of his deduction skills.
The building was very run down. Graffiti covered the walls, tables and chairs were tipped over, and the carpet had a bunch of mysterious stains on it. The wooden rink in the center of the building had numerous holes and dents in the floor, and the fun drawings on the walls were peeling off. He wondered if any borrowers ever lived here. It probably would have been a poor choice for a home with the crowds of people skating around.
“I wish Tucker got to see this place. I bet he’d be interested in an abandoned building like this.” Shawn murmured to his friend.
He couldn’t stop the small frown forming on his face. It’s only been close to an hour since they last saw him, but Shawn missed the little guy as if Tucker had been gone for months. He wasn’t sure how the feisty borrower wormed his way so fast into his heart. Hell, Tucker even stabbed him when they first met. But that didn’t stop Shawn from caring deeply about him.
Gus nodded solemnly beside him. “I wish I could feel him in my pocket right now, even if it was absolutely terrifying having him there.” He chuckled softly.
“Shawn! Gus! We found something!” Juliet called from what used to be a room for birthday parties, distracting the men from their missing small friend.
Both men rushed in to see Lassiter crouching over a bunch of blankets thrown together to make a little bed. Juliet stood nearby, shining her flashlight on a few cans of food and empty bottles of water.
“Someone’s been here recently,” Carlton mused as he moved some blankets with a gloved hand which noticeably lacked any dust or dirt.
Shawn perked up and stepped closer to the small set-up. Someone had clearly been staying here for at least a week if the number of cans were anything to go by. As he continued looking around the room, Lassiter got up with an annoyed huff.
“We have no proof these are Josh’s things. This can easily belong to some random homeless person. Thanks for wasting our time, Spencer.” He groused angrily.
Even Juliet looked annoyed at him. “Why did you tell us Josh is staying here?” The blond placed a hand on her hip as she glared at Shawn.
Gus shifted nervously next to him as he continued to study every little detail in the room. Then, something poking slightly from underneath one of the blankets caught his attention. He ignored everyone in the room as he carefully lifted the blanket up with his fingers.
“Because,” he began smugly, “Josh is staying here.” He moved to the side to reveal the small pile of papers to the rest of the room.
Both detectives walked over and Lassiter quickly shooed Shawn out of the way. The man gingerly picked up the papers and his blue eyes widened. Juliet gasped when she noticed the scarily accurate drawings of Kirstin.
“Do you know any other people who would keep creepy notes and pictures of Kirstin Blum?” Shawn asked knowingly, walking over to stand next to Gus.
His friend elbowed him lightly on the side. “You got very lucky there, Shawn.” He teased quietly.
The physic breathed a sigh of relief, “tell me about it.” He whispered back.
Heels clicked on the floor as Juliet rejoined them. “It’s Josh’s handwriting. You’re right Shawn, he’s been here.” She praised with a small smile. “How’d you know?” She asked curiously.
Shawn gave her his most charming smile, “I followed the creepy-stalker aura and it led me here.”
Gus nodded when Juliet glanced at him for confirmation.
“Okay then.” Was all she said as the head detective approached them.
“Call this in, I want this place locked down.” He ordered Juliet. He gave the tiniest nod of acknowledgment to the two consulting detectives before pushing past them with Juliet hot on his heels.
Gus smiled when fresh air finally reached his lungs. That building reeked of mildew and other things he didn’t want to know about. He walked over to the Blueberry, swinging his keys on his finger as Shawn attempted to speak to Lassiter. Probably trying to figure out the man’s next move.
He snorted when Lassiter placed a hand on the man’s face and shoved Shawn away from him. Before he could watch Shawn’s retaliation, his phone buzzed in his front pocket.
Gus quickly dug it out expecting it to be from his other job. When he saw it was an unknown number, he briefly thought about declining it. He was working a case right now, he didn’t have time for scam calls.
But… someone could have given a hot woman his number and now she was trying to get in contact with him.
At that thought, he quickly answered. “Hello,” he said smoothly.
“Gus?” A voice gasped.
His eyes furrowed. Either the connection was really bad or this person was far away from the phone.
“Can you hear me?” The voice hesitated, like they weren’t entirely confident about talking over the line. “It’s me, it’s Tucker!”
Gus almost dropped his phone in shock. “Tucker?!” He didn’t expect the borrower to call one of them so soon. “Why are you calling? Is everything-“
“Josh is here! He’s here and he’s attacking Steven!” Gus’ heart dropped. Tucker was in the same building as a psycho killer. The fear in the little voice made Gus want to reach through the phone and take him far away from the situation.
“You need to get somewhere safe. Go to the walls.” He ordered the borrower. Then he turned around, “Shawn! Get over here!” Gus yelled across the parking lot. “Someone stole my gummy worm!” He quickly added as he remembered the extra ears.
The urgency in his voice made everyone look at him, even Lassiter. Shawn was at his side in an instant.
“What’s wrong? Who are you talking to?”
“It’s Tucker! Josh is at the Blum house attacking Steven!” He whispered-yelled so the two detectives couldn’t eavesdrop. Gus can feel his breathing getting out of control. “We need to get there right now!”
Shawn’s eyes hardened in determination and he nodded. He immediately stumbled towards the two approaching detectives while holding his head.
“I’m- I’m getting a horrible feeling. It’s a matter of life or death,” he grimaced as he announced. He peeked up to see both Lassiter and Juliet watching him. Good. “We need to get to the Blum house right now!”
Juliet stepped forward. “What’s going on?”
“We need to leave now, Jules!” Shawn repeated as he sprinted to the car.
Thankfully, he’s worked with the SBPD long enough for the detectives to trust his instincts, however much Lassiter doesn’t want to.
Gus was already pulling out of the parking lot before Shawn fully sat down. He passed the phone to his friend so he can focus on the road.
“Tucker? If you’re there, I need you to get in the walls right now. Hide and don’t come out until it’s safe. We’ll be there was soon as possible!” He swore.
“He’s- he’s gonna kill him.” A small voice whispered.
Shawn’s heart bled for him. As much as Tucker insisted he wasn’t, he was still just a kid. “We’ll be there. Everything will be okay. I promise.” He wished he was able to comfort people as good as he can solve crime. “Get to the walls now.” He repeated gently but with no room to argue.
“He’s coming! How do I stop the call?!” Tucker hurriedly demanded.
“Tucker hide!” Shawn ordered before he hung up the phone. His heart stuttered when the line went quiet. He told himself it was for the best. If Josh found out someone was on the phone, he’d kill Steven and run before they get there.
He watched the buildings fly by as Gus sped down the road. It still wasn’t fast enough. Lassiter’s car quickly caught up and merged in front of them, clearing the way with his lights and sirens blaring.
Just hang in there, Tuck.
—————
“Now, I’m going to make sure your death is nice and slow for all the years you kept me from Kirstin.”
Tucker couldn’t stop the small whimper from leaving his lips at Josh’s words.
“Please- please don’t! Don’t kill me!” Steven begged uselessly.
“He’s- he’s gonna kill him.” He whispered to the phone with wide eyes. He needed the humans to be here now! Tucker didn’t want to listen to someone else die.
“We’ll be there. Everything will be okay. I promise.” Shawn’s words brought a tiny bit of comfort to the borrower. Even if he was speaking over a phone, it was nice to know he wasn’t truly alone here. Not like last time. “Get to the walls now.”
Tucker nodded, forgetting the human couldn’t see him, and glanced at the buttons. There was a green button but no red button. How was he supposed to end the call?
The yelling and the pleas filling the background suddenly stopped.
“Is that a voice? Is someone else here?” Josh questioned menacingly.
“N-no! There’s no one I swear!”
“Come on.” Josh said with some protesting from Steven.
Tucker’s blood ran cold when he heard two sets of footsteps coming down the hallway.
“He’s coming! How do I stop the call?!” He demanded as the footsteps got even closer.
Who knows what Josh would do if he found out another human was listening over the phone. He might even start searching the house for the caller. Tucker didn’t want to think of what would happen to him if he ended up caught in Josh’s hands.
“Tucker hide!” Shawn ordered before the phone made a weird noise and fell silent.
There was nothing he could do about the phone lying on the counter, so the borrower booked it to the large vase he used for his pulley. He just barely made it behind the decoration before a shadow fell onto the kitchen.
A harsh thud shook the counter underneath him. “Don’t move or try anything stupid.” Josh threatened.
Tucker pressed his back into the cool glass of the vase. He took out his nail and held it at the ready. Despite the hammering of his heart and the little oxygen his lungs were taking in, he forced himself to remain still. Even when a gloved hand reached for the phone sitting only a couple inches away. He watched with bated breath as the killer held the phone for a moment before placing it back onto the holder.
“Someone’s here…” his voice dripped with venom.
“I don’t know who else could be here.” Steven repeated with shaky breaths.
Josh hummed in thought then took a deep breath. “If you want this worthless home-wrecker to live, you’ll come out right now!” He yelled.
Tucker covered his ears and grimaced from the sheer volume.
“1!”
Tucker’s eyes widened.
“2!”
“I’m telling you no one else is in the house!” Steven argued.
“3!”
Tucker closed his eyes when the sounds of a struggle started, mentally preparing himself for more death. Surprisingly, no gunshot rang out after a few moments. He heard a loud crash from what sounded like the table breaking followed by more grunts of pain.
The borrower decided to be stupid and slowly poked his head out from behind the vase. The wooden table was shattered on the ground with Josh lying on top of its remains. Steven sat on top of his abdomen and fought for the gun still in the killer’s hand. Tucker winced at the beaten up state Steven was in. His whole face was turning black and blue with blood dripping out of his nose and lips. Before either man could get the upper hand, a huge crash sounded from down the hall.
“S.B.P.D.! Come out with your hands up or you’ll be shot!” A man shouted.
Steven briefly froze at the officer’s announcement, giving Josh the opening he needed to knock Steven onto his side. He shot up to his feet and dragged a dazed Steven up with him. The killer held the man in a headlock and pointed the gun at the man’s head. Josh used him as a living shield as they stumbled to the far end of the kitchen.
“I’ll kill him right now if you don’t back the hell up!” Josh yelled.
With the humans distracted, the borrower saw his chance and sprinted out of his hiding place and into the wall. But instead of heading towards the safety of his home, he began climbing up the support beams. He could hear the humans muffled shouts as he climbed higher and higher. Eventually, he stepped out of the wall and onto the high kitchen cabinets.
There were some pretty teapots and cups on display which gave him plenty of hiding places as he watched the tense exchange below him.
Josh hadn’t move from his spot, but he went from pointing the gun at Steven’s head to the kitchen entrance.
“If you come any closer, I will shoot!” He threatened.
“Josh, we don’t want to fight you! Just surrender and let us help you!” A female voice said. It took a moment for Tucker to recognize that as Juliet. The borrower perked up. She seems good at her job and both Shawn and Gus trust her.
Of course, she was with the scary detective. “Just put the gun down!” Detective Lassiter demanded.
This caused Josh to tighten his hold on his victim. Steven gasped as his airway was cut off even more. Tucker gripped his satchel nervously as Lassiter appeared in the kitchen entrance with his gun aimed at Josh.
“I said stay back!” He screamed desperately. “I’m gonna kill him if you don’t stop!”
“Hey, Josh!” A voice called out, sounding far too chipper for the situation they’re in. “Kirstin will be very upset with you if you kill Steven.” He warned.
Tucker knew who it was immediately and it took everything in him not to yell at Shawn to get out of the house and away from Josh. He thought his human friend would stay outside and let the cops stop Josh. The last thing he wanted was for Shawn to get shot cause Tucker told him to come here.
The killer’s hand didn’t waver from where it pointed at the entrance. “What are you talking about?” He demanded.
Unaware of the borrower’s feelings about this, he continued, “my name is Shawn Spencer. I’m a psychic detective. I can hear spirits from the beyond.” He paused for dramatic effect, “including Kirstin.”
Even with Shawn’s perfect lying ability, Josh still didn’t falter. Steven clawed weakly at the arm around his neck but quickly stopped when Josh tightened his hold on him. Tucker worried his lip. If they didn’t get Steven out soon, he was surely gonna pass out from the lack of oxygen.
“Bullshit!” Josh spat. Blood and spit flew out his mouth and dripped down his chin. It looked like Steven had a couple good hits on him.
“Well I can prove it if I can just-“
Tucker could hear Gus somewhere in the hallway berating Shawn for what he was about to do. Juliet’s heels clicked as she tried and failed to stop the man. Finally, Shawn shouldered his way past a protesting Lassiter and rounded the corner into the kitchen.
Shawn smiled and held is hands up to show he meant no harm. Tucker noticed his eyes quickly flick over to the phone before focusing back on Josh, who now had his gun aimed directly at him.
“Spencer get back here now!” Lassiter demanded angrily. His icy gaze never left Josh, but the tall man shuffled on his feet. It looked like he was about to pull Shawn back into cover himself.
“It’s alright, Lassie.” Shawn said calmly, “I don’t mind helping a man reconnect with the woman he loves.”
Josh’s soulless eyes narrowed. “Prove it.” He challenged.
The psychic chuckled. “I’ll try my best, but sometimes the spirits feel rebellious and don’t wanna listen.” He then closed his eyes and opened his arms. “Kirstin, if you are in here then give us a sign!” He called out.
It took a few long moments to remember that despite Shawn’s confidence, he really can’t connect with the beyond. Sure, the fake psychic is good at what he does, but he wasn’t sure if Josh would just believe the human’s words like everyone else. There had to be actual “proof” that there is a ghost in the room. Tucker glanced around for a way to help Shawn and grinned when his eyes landed on a small, green teacup. He hesitated briefly before shoving the teacup off the cabinet.
Tucker dove behind a teapot as the cup shattered all over the kitchen counter and glass spilled into the floor. He grimaced when he heard the surprised gasps coming from all the humans. Tucker swallowed nervously as he waited for a human to call him out after that stupid move, but it seemed the stand-off below him kept everyone distracted.
Shawn glanced up at the cabinets and smirked. As much as he wished the borrower was safe in the walls, he couldn’t deny he was grateful for the help.
“What?” Josh whispered in shock. His gun faltered a small fraction.
Shawn frowned as he pretended to listen to no one. He nodded a couple times and sighed. “She said that she loved that cup and didn’t want to break it, but you didn’t get the hint when she took the phone off the charger.” He tilted his head over to the phone on the counter. “Guess she really wants to get your attention,” Shawn added with a shrug.
Josh’s mouth dropped open as he stared at the phone he placed back on the holder. His grip loosened around Steven’s neck and the man was finally able to take a deep breath. The gun was now pointed at Shawn’s legs instead of his face.
Looks like he believes it, he thought proudly to himself. He honestly wasn’t sure if his “talk to Kirstin in the beyond” idea would work. Shawn just knew that Lassie and Jule’s hostage training was not helping their current situation. It was nice to know that he was right about Josh’s unstable mental state when it comes to Kirstin. He just has to play into it. Of course, some help from a certain tiny person also helped seal the lie.
Josh looked back at Shawn like he was seeing an entirely new person. His green eyes went from being cold and angry to desperation. “Is she talking to you now? What is she saying!” He demanded.
Shawn scrunched his eyes shut and held his fingers up to his temple as he pretended to listen to the beyond again. “She-oh wow this is tragic- she’s saying that she loves you and she’s sorry she couldn’t be with you.” Shawn tried his best to appear sad at the news no matter how much he hated saying that sentence out loud.
Steven’s eyes widened as he looked over at Shawn. He hoped the man knew he was lying to save his life, but Shawn couldn’t deny he was looking more psychic than usual today. It would be hard not to believe him.
Josh lowered his eyes to the floor, his gaze landing on the faint dried blood spots from when he murdered Kirstin. The others took that as their chance and carefully moved closer until Lassiter and Jules were standing inside the kitchen entrance, their guns steady as they aimed at Josh. Gus stood behind them as he warily gazed at the gun Josh still had pointed at Shawn.
The psychic wasn’t worried, however. He knew it’ll only be a few more seconds until Josh was in custody and everyone was safe and sound.
“This bastard ruined our chance of being happy together.” Josh’s voice quickly raised in anger. His arm tightened around Steven’s neck once more and the gun moved over to the man’s temple. “If I couldn’t have her, I definitely couldn’t let this guy keep her!” He smiled coldly and his next words sent shivers down Shawn’s spine. “I’m the last person who got to appreciate her pure beauty before her face got mangled. That’s a special gift.”
Apparently Shawn spoke too soon.
Steven whimpered and pleaded to the officers with his eyes. Another cup crashed onto the counter, but it didnt dissuade Josh.
“If you kill Steven, won’t that just reunite him with Kirstin? Isn’t that the one thing you don’t want?” Gus pointed out from behind the two cops. The nervous human took a small step away from the growing pile of glass on the floor. His brown eyes only briefly shot up to the cabinet before locking onto the gun pointing at Steven.
Juliet nodded along with his statement. “You’ll lose your chance with Kirstin if you kill Steven.” She reaffirmed gently, even when her gun was still pointing at Josh.
Shawn crossed his arms and nodded solemnly. “She said she can forgive you for killing her, but two murders is getting too close to serial killer territory.” He shrugged. “That’s just too sociopathic, you know?”
As if to confirm his statement, another teacup fell off the cabinet and shattered onto the counter and floor.
Everyone in the room held still as Josh thought it over. A few tense moments ticked by before Josh finally lowered his gun and let go of Steven. Lassiter and Juliet immediately closed in on Josh before he could try anything else. The head detective kicked the gun away and shoved the killer to the ground.
“You are under arrest for the murder of Kirstin Blum. You have the right to remain silent,” Lassiter began reading his Miranda rights as he quickly cuffed the man.
Shawn and Gus moved in to help get Steven out of the kitchen. They swung his arms over their shoulders as they guided him to the front door. There were already additional officers rushing by them and EMTS jumped out of an ambulance to assist Steven.
Shawn and Gus stood a few steps away as Steven was strapped to the gurney, ready to be taken to the hospital to check his injuries. That’s when Lassiter and Jules walked out of the house with Josh cuffed between them.
“Hey, Josh!” He quickly called out. He hid a smile when the detectives stopped to let Josh look dejectedly at him. “Just so you know: Kirstin never said those things. She hates your guts and she thinks you smell bad.” Shawn happily informed him.
He could see the a relieved smile on Steven’s lips from his words as he was wheeled into the ambulance. Even Lassiter smirked as he shoved a now crying Josh into the back of a police vehicle.
Tucker sat in the walls by his entrance to the kitchen. He idly fiddled with the hole in the sleeve of his gray shirt as he waited for Shawn and Gus to come talk to him. At least he hoped they would. They could’ve been dragged to the police precinct to tell the boss lady- he remembered her name was Chief- about the case.
He wasn’t sure how long he sat there. It was long enough that he ended up taking a raisin from the food bag he left there and munched on it as he waited. His butt was starting to hurt and his legs grew stiff the longer he stayed still. He hasn’t heard any noises coming from outside the walls.
Maybe they really did leave.
Footsteps shook the wall as they rushed into the kitchen, proving him wrong. He heard some muffled bickering and smiled, ‘cause who else would that be.
“Tucker?” Shawn whisper-yelled, “everyone is gone. It’s safe to come out!”
That was all Tucker had to hear before he launched himself out of the wall. Gus was the first to spot him and he eagerly stepped closer and crouched down.
“Tucker?” The relief was clear in his voice and the way his shoulders sagged down. The man slowly stretched out a hand when the borrower reached him. He cupped his hand gently around Tucker’s back without making contact with him. “Are you okay?”
Shawn crouched down beside Gus and leaned forward, no doubt studying every little detail on Tucker for anything wrong. The scrutiny no longer bothered the small man. Not when he knew they had good intentions.
Tucker shakily nodded his head to Gus’ question. In a move that would’ve shocked him not even 12 hours ago, he leaned back and put all his weight against the hand behind him. His eyes seemed to close on their own as the warmth enveloped his trembling body.
Neither human said a word about Tucker now initiating contact with them. They simply sat in a comfortable silence as they let the borrower finally relax after a stress filled day.
It took a moment for Tucker to recognize that he was actually falling asleep against the hand. He begrudgingly opened his eyes and leaned off of the hand, even when his body yearned for the comfortable warmth. He also had to stop himself from pouting when Gus drew his hand back.
“Is Steven okay?” He asked as he bit back a yawn. The human looked pretty banged up, but he doubted there was anything life threatening. Still, he wanted to know how the man turned out.
“The EMTS didn’t seem too worried about his injuries. He should be fine after a bit of rest. Physically, at least.” Shawn assured him with a shrug. “And Josh is officially in police custody and won’t ever hurt anyone again. We did it!” He declared.
“That’s good!” He replied happily. “I can’t believe it’s all over now…” he trailed off as he realized he truly had no reason to hang out with the two humans anymore. They’ll be off solving more cases that he will have no way to help them with.
Gus nodded. His mouth twitched as if he was about to say something but decided against it. Instead, he said, “I bet you’re tired after all this. Do you want us to leave so you can rest?” He questioned quietly.
Shawn shifted uncomfortably where he knelt and looked down at the counter. The borrower could read humans just as good as the physic. The hurt was easy to spot in his blue eyes.
Tucker thought back to his nest of fabric. It sounded really nice right about now. But it was also empty and cold. It’s weird. He lived most of his life alone. He thought he was used to the constant silence and his cracked vocal cords when he would utter something to himself. Tucker thought he could handle it.
But these humans- the humans who basically kidnapped him and pushed him to interact with them- quickly showed him that his way of life was not worth living.
He deserved more. He needed more.
“Some sleep does sound good,” Tucker began, “your pocket is comfortable. I should be able to get some good shuteye before we get back to the office.” He smirked.
Shawn and Gus’ eyes shot up at him at inhuman speeds. They both stared at him like he grew a second head, then at each other, then back down to him.
“Are you serious?” Shawn’s voice pitched higher than usual from excitement. An eager smile already formed on his face and he was practically bouncing in place.
Gus was no better next to him. He perked up so much that his back was as straight as a rod. “Please tell me this is for real!”
Tucker gave them a big nod.
The reaction was imminent. Both men hopped around the kitchen, fist-pumping the air and kicking their feet wildly. Tucker guessed they were dancing but it was honestly hard to tell. But that didn’t stop the huge smile on his face as the humans squealed excitedly.
He couldn’t help but take a step back as the humans rushed towards him again. Shawn’s hand swooped in and easily cupped him in his palm before Tucker could even think to react.
“Let’s get this party started!” Shawn cheered as he moved towards the door.
“Wait,” Gus gripped Shawn’s elbow and pulled him back.
The abrupt movement caused Tucker to topple over in the hand. He quickly picked himself up and settled into a seated position. He had to brace his hands against the thick skin underneath him as he glanced up towards Gus.
“Do you have anything here you want to bring with us? We won’t be able to come back after this.” Gus told him.
Shawn shrugged. “Well I’m sure we could figure out some way to get back in-“
Gus glared at him. “I’ve had enough of this cursed house, Shawn! We are not coming back.” He stated firmly which left no room for arguments. Tucker couldn’t help but agree with the man.
The borrower thought for a moment. All of his important possessions were already on his person. And he could always make a new nest with better and softer fabric, not to mention the few decorations he could easily recreate. He was about to tell the humans they could go to the car when he perked up.
Tucker pointed at his entrance to the wall. “The bag of food you gave me is right inside the entrance. Can you grab it?” He asked.
Shawn and Gus have him a weird look. “There’s plenty of food where that came from, Tuck.” The human holding him replied.
The borrower glared tiny daggers up at Shawn. “I’m not wasting perfectly good food.” He crossed his arms over his chest as he tried his hardest to look intimidating. He wasn’t sure how well that worked when he was sitting on a giant hand.
Shawn sighed. “Alright, Gus go grab it.”
“Wha- why me?”
“Cause my hands are full.”
“You can easily hold Tucker and dig through the wall!” Gus argued back.
“You said it yourself that I need to be more careful holding Tucker. He could fall while I’m occupied with the wall.” Shawn replied with a shit-eating grin on his face.
The humans silently glared at each other in a stand off. Tucker was about to tell them he could easily get the bag out when Gus’ shoulders dropped.
“Fine. But if I get bit by a rat then you’re paying my medical bills.” The man muttered as he approached the entrance he saw Tucker use earlier.
Both Shawn and Tucker bit back a laugh as Gus squeezed his eyes shut and his fingers disappeared into the wall. His hand was far too big to fit in the small entrance, so he was left awkwardly trying to get the right angle to pull the bag out.
Tucker laughed when Gus’ hand shot away from the wall and he jumped back with a squeal. “Something touched me something touched me!” He shook his hand in panic.
“There’s no rats in there.” He reassured him between chuckles. “The bag is on the right.”
Shawn grinned. “You heard him, Gus.” He cheered on his friend.
Gus grumbled under his breath as he reached back into the wall. With Tucker’s instruction, he quickly pulled the bag of food out and dropped it into his Jean pocket. He stubbornly refused to look at the two people snickering at him as he walked towards the door.
“You’ll have to go into the pocket. There’s still some stragglers outside.” Shawn told him as he lifted his hand up to his chest.
Tucker braced himself as the once flat platform became a steep ramp. Thankfully, Shawn lowered his fingers into the pocket so the drop wasn’t as high as the last time. Once he landed, he quickly tucked himself into the corner and held on as Shawn’s gait threatened to throw him around.
Specks of sunlight shone through the pocket and he could hear a few voices in the distance as Shawn ferried him over to the car. Once the car door slammed shut and the engine rumbled to life to drive them over to the office, he settled against the wall of muscle and heat behind him.
Tucker’s whole body vibrated as Shawn spoke excitedly to Gus about throwing a party for his first solved case. The borrower tried to listen, but his eyes quickly closed now that he was finally safe. The strong thumping of the heartbeat behind him lulled him into a much needed sleep.
We finally made it to the final chapter of Case 1! It’s a bit longer than I planned but I hope it’s worth it :) Thank you for reading this story. I do plan on writing more in the future since I love this little au!
First: A Not So Average Night
Pervious: Paper Trail
—————
Tucker was sprinting through the walls in an instant. The various jumps, crawls, and climbs he had to do along the path never slowed him down. The thuds were coming from the dining room and were becoming more frequent the closer he got.
He tried not to panic too much about it. Shawn had warned him on the drive up that cops would be coming in and out of the house. Still, he didn’t like having a potential threat walking around without any knowledge about it.
When he finally reached his peephole into the room, he was gasping for air. Sweat beaded his dark skin and Tucker debated on taking off his black poncho. He decided to drop his satchel against the wall since the bulky addition of the phone number paper was wearing him down even more. The borrower had decided to grab the paper last minute, although he doubted he’ll have to use it so soon. Better to be safe than sorry, especially if he had human friends willing to help.
With one last deep breath, he finally peered through the hole. It took a moment for him to find the right angle and spot who was making all the ruckus.
His eyes widened. It was the resident human Steven! What was he doing back at the house? The humans told him he’d only have to worry about the occasional cop for a while.
Steven appeared to be packing a large bag. He was moving some chairs and practically stomping around, causing the loud thudding noises. The man sniffled as he carefully lowered some fancy plates with some padding into the bag. It took Tucker a moment to recognize those plates as part of Kirstin’s collection. She displayed them on a shelf and he’d never seen them eat off the plates once. Not even when they had big holiday dinners with their family. Tucker wasn’t sure what was so special about them, but clearly they held value if Steven was packing them.
The borrower continued to watch as the human started to place some framed photos into the bag as well. Steven was crying even more now. Tucker quickly grew uncomfortable and decided to leave and let Steven grieve privately, even though the human already thought he was alone.
However, as Tucker swung his bag over his shoulders he heard a door creak open in the distance. That wasn’t right.
He quickly peeked through the hole again to see that Steven had perked up. The human’s shoulders hiked up and he looked nervously at the entrance to the dining room.
“I’m sorry officer, I know I shouldn’t be here. I just wanted to grab some of Kirstin’s favorite things for the funeral.” He zipped up the bag and rose to a stand. “I didn’t touch anything in the kitchen.” He promised.
Tucker could hear heavy footsteps in the distance. “Don’t worry.” A voice called back.
Tucker’s heart stopped beating. The brutal murder scene from the previous night flashed through his mind. The cold voice that answered Kirstin’s desperate pleas.
A tall man appeared in the doorway dressed in all black. A hood covered most of his pale face, but it didn’t hide the wicked smile. “I’m not worried about all that.”
“Who are you?” Steven asked, taking a step back from the stranger.
The man stood silently for a moment, just staring at the man inching away from him. “You don’t know?” His detached tone sent shivers rushing down Tucker’s spine. “You ruined my life and you don’t even know me?” The man’s voice turned more aggressive. He took a step towards Steven.
The resident male quickly dropped the backpack he was carrying and moved a dining room chair in front of him as a feeble barrier between them. “Josh. You’re Josh.” He whispered in shock.
Josh smiled, “good boy.”
Tucker watched in horror as Josh revealed a gun hidden in his waistband. He grabbed it, almost mockingly slow, and made something on the gun click. He pointed it at Steven.
The borrower was rooted in fear. His mind kept showing him images of Kirstin’s dead, bloody face lying just inches from where he hid. Her desperate, pleading eyes locking onto his small form as if asking him to do something. Anything.
But he couldn’t.
He cowered in the bag as he watched her die. He listened to Steven’s wails as he tried to wake his wife up, his hands quickly getting covered in the blood belonging to the love of his life.
Tucker couldn’t go through this again. He won’t let another human die in front of him as he watched and did nothing.
The tiny man raced through the walls towards the entrance to the kitchen. His heartbeat roared in his ears as he raced against time. Sawdust got into his mouth and eyes as he flew down the path, but all he was worried about was his end goal.
Tucker didn’t even check his surroundings as he burst through his hidden entrance on the kitchen counter. His leather boots squeaked on the marble surface as he quickly turned and raced to the phone. He can still hear Josh in the other room, his voice growing louder and louder as he ranted on about how Steven ruined his life. He hasn’t heard Steven yet, but he also hadn’t heard any gunshots ring out. Hopefully, Steven was staying quiet and buying his time with the psycho.
Tucker reached the large phone and immediately climbed onto the weird device it was placed on. With shaky fingers, he took the paper out of his bag and unfolded it. Gus gave him the smallest strip of paper he could write on, so it was just a bit shorter than him. The numbers were neatly written on the paper and Tucker quickly pressed the first matching number to call Gus.
The phone made a weird noise. The screen flashed a green screen along with some words he couldn’t read. Huffing, he kept pressing the buttons, dialing as fast as he could on a phone bigger than him. He expected Gus’ reassuring voice to sound from the device when he pressed the final number, but all the phone did was make angry noises and flash at him. Why wasn’t the stupid thing working!
The yelling was only getting louder and angrier. Tucker had to swallow down his growing panic as he thought over everything he knew about phones, particularly the one he was trying to use. Every time he saw the resident humans use it, they always took it off the base thing and carried it around.
His internally screamed in frustration as he realized what he must do. He quickly wrapped his arms around the clunky device as much as he can and tried to lift it off the base it was sitting on. Of course, the thing weighed a lot more than him and didn’t budge.
Tucker didn’t let this deter him from saving the human. If there was one thing his Pa taught him all those years ago, it was how to get creative. He took out his climbing line and wrapped it tightly around the phone. As the shouting continued in the background, he raced over to a very large, decorative vase nearby. He flung his hook over the vase and heard it clink softly when it landed on the other side of the counter.
After a quick check over his impromptu pulley system, he rushed over to his hook and tied the remaining length of string around his waist. With a steeling breath, he wrapped his hands around the string and yanked as hard as he could on the fishing line. His eyes squeezed shut and he grunted as he tried to achieve the impossible.
A loud thump and a pained shout from the dinning room only made Tucker work harder to lift the phone. His boots scrapped against the counter so hard he was worried the soles would fall right off. Finally, finally, he managed to take a few steps back as the pulley lifted the device in the air. It didn’t take long for the phone to lift off the base enough to tip and clatter onto the counter.
Tucker winced at the noise, but the yelling continued uninterrupted so he knew he was in the clear.
He untied his rope and coiled it as he ran over to the phone now lying (thankfully face-up) on the counter. Tucker grabbed the paper and quickly dialed Gus’ number again. There were no angry noises coming from the phone this time as Tucker pressed all his weight onto the buttons. Then, he pressed the green button on the top corner and the phone started to ring.
—————
Gus warily watched detectives Lassiter and O’Hara as they cleared the small abandoned roller skating rink. They disappeared through some doors and he frowned as they soon called out the all-clear.
“I thought you said he’d be here.” Gus whispered over to Shawn, holding a baseball bat as a weapon. Who knew what dangerous people were lurking in the shadows here. He wasn’t taking any chances.
His friend was shining a flashlight in all sorts of directions along the walls and floor. He seemed to be studying the room around them, probably trying to find a hidden passage or something. “He could be out grocery shopping or something,” he reasoned in defense of his deduction skills.
The building was very run down. Graffiti covered the walls, tables and chairs were tipped over, and the carpet had a bunch of mysterious stains on it. The wooden rink in the center of the building had numerous holes and dents in the floor, and the fun drawings on the walls were peeling off. He wondered if any borrowers ever lived here. It probably would have been a poor choice for a home with the crowds of people skating around.
“I wish Tucker got to see this place. I bet he’d be interested in an abandoned building like this.” Shawn murmured to his friend.
He couldn’t stop the small frown forming on his face. It’s only been close to an hour since they last saw him, but Shawn missed the little guy as if Tucker had been gone for months. He wasn’t sure how the feisty borrower wormed his way so fast into his heart. Hell, Tucker even stabbed him when they first met. But that didn’t stop Shawn from caring deeply about him.
Gus nodded solemnly beside him. “I wish I could feel him in my pocket right now, even if it was absolutely terrifying having him there.” He chuckled softly.
“Shawn! Gus! We found something!” Juliet called from what used to be a room for birthday parties, distracting the men from their missing small friend.
Both men rushed in to see Lassiter crouching over a bunch of blankets thrown together to make a little bed. Juliet stood nearby, shining her flashlight on a few cans of food and empty bottles of water.
“Someone’s been here recently,” Carlton mused as he moved some blankets with a gloved hand which noticeably lacked any dust or dirt.
Shawn perked up and stepped closer to the small set-up. Someone had clearly been staying here for at least a week if the number of cans were anything to go by. As he continued looking around the room, Lassiter got up with an annoyed huff.
“We have no proof these are Josh’s things. This can easily belong to some random homeless person. Thanks for wasting our time, Spencer.” He groused angrily.
Even Juliet looked annoyed at him. “Why did you tell us Josh is staying here?” The blond placed a hand on her hip as she glared at Shawn.
Gus shifted nervously next to him as he continued to study every little detail in the room. Then, something poking slightly from underneath one of the blankets caught his attention. He ignored everyone in the room as he carefully lifted the blanket up with his fingers.
“Because,” he began smugly, “Josh is staying here.” He moved to the side to reveal the small pile of papers to the rest of the room.
Both detectives walked over and Lassiter quickly shooed Shawn out of the way. The man gingerly picked up the papers and his blue eyes widened. Juliet gasped when she noticed the scarily accurate drawings of Kirstin.
“Do you know any other people who would keep creepy notes and pictures of Kirstin Blum?” Shawn asked knowingly, walking over to stand next to Gus.
His friend elbowed him lightly on the side. “You got very lucky there, Shawn.” He teased quietly.
The physic breathed a sigh of relief, “tell me about it.” He whispered back.
Heels clicked on the floor as Juliet rejoined them. “It’s Josh’s handwriting. You’re right Shawn, he’s been here.” She praised with a small smile. “How’d you know?” She asked curiously.
Shawn gave her his most charming smile, “I followed the creepy-stalker aura and it led me here.”
Gus nodded when Juliet glanced at him for confirmation.
“Okay then.” Was all she said as the head detective approached them.
“Call this in, I want this place locked down.” He ordered Juliet. He gave the tiniest nod of acknowledgment to the two consulting detectives before pushing past them with Juliet hot on his heels.
Gus smiled when fresh air finally reached his lungs. That building reeked of mildew and other things he didn’t want to know about. He walked over to the Blueberry, swinging his keys on his finger as Shawn attempted to speak to Lassiter. Probably trying to figure out the man’s next move.
He snorted when Lassiter placed a hand on the man’s face and shoved Shawn away from him. Before he could watch Shawn’s retaliation, his phone buzzed in his front pocket.
Gus quickly dug it out expecting it to be from his other job. When he saw it was an unknown number, he briefly thought about declining it. He was working a case right now, he didn’t have time for scam calls.
But… someone could have given a hot woman his number and now she was trying to get in contact with him.
At that thought, he quickly answered. “Hello,” he said smoothly.
“Gus?” A voice gasped.
His eyes furrowed. Either the connection was really bad or this person was far away from the phone.
“Can you hear me?” The voice hesitated, like they weren’t entirely confident about talking over the line. “It’s me, it’s Tucker!”
Gus almost dropped his phone in shock. “Tucker?!” He didn’t expect the borrower to call one of them so soon. “Why are you calling? Is everything-“
“Josh is here! He’s here and he’s attacking Steven!” Gus’ heart dropped. Tucker was in the same building as a psycho killer. The fear in the little voice made Gus want to reach through the phone and take him far away from the situation.
“You need to get somewhere safe. Go to the walls.” He ordered the borrower. Then he turned around, “Shawn! Get over here!” Gus yelled across the parking lot. “Someone stole my gummy worm!” He quickly added as he remembered the extra ears.
The urgency in his voice made everyone look at him, even Lassiter. Shawn was at his side in an instant.
“What’s wrong? Who are you talking to?”
“It’s Tucker! Josh is at the Blum house attacking Steven!” He whispered-yelled so the two detectives couldn’t eavesdrop. Gus can feel his breathing getting out of control. “We need to get there right now!”
Shawn’s eyes hardened in determination and he nodded. He immediately stumbled towards the two approaching detectives while holding his head.
“I’m- I’m getting a horrible feeling. It’s a matter of life or death,” he grimaced as he announced. He peeked up to see both Lassiter and Juliet watching him. Good. “We need to get to the Blum house right now!”
Juliet stepped forward. “What’s going on?”
“We need to leave now, Jules!” Shawn repeated as he sprinted to the car.
Thankfully, he’s worked with the SBPD long enough for the detectives to trust his instincts, however much Lassiter doesn’t want to.
Gus was already pulling out of the parking lot before Shawn fully sat down. He passed the phone to his friend so he can focus on the road.
“Tucker? If you’re there, I need you to get in the walls right now. Hide and don’t come out until it’s safe. We’ll be there was soon as possible!” He swore.
“He’s- he’s gonna kill him.” A small voice whispered.
Shawn’s heart bled for him. As much as Tucker insisted he wasn’t, he was still just a kid. “We’ll be there. Everything will be okay. I promise.” He wished he was able to comfort people as good as he can solve crime. “Get to the walls now.” He repeated gently but with no room to argue.
“He’s coming! How do I stop the call?!” Tucker hurriedly demanded.
“Tucker hide!” Shawn ordered before he hung up the phone. His heart stuttered when the line went quiet. He told himself it was for the best. If Josh found out someone was on the phone, he’d kill Steven and run before they get there.
He watched the buildings fly by as Gus sped down the road. It still wasn’t fast enough. Lassiter’s car quickly caught up and merged in front of them, clearing the way with his lights and sirens blaring.
Just hang in there, Tuck.
—————
“Now, I’m going to make sure your death is nice and slow for all the years you kept me from Kirstin.”
Tucker couldn’t stop the small whimper from leaving his lips at Josh’s words.
“Please- please don’t! Don’t kill me!” Steven begged uselessly.
“He’s- he’s gonna kill him.” He whispered to the phone with wide eyes. He needed the humans to be here now! Tucker didn’t want to listen to someone else die.
“We’ll be there. Everything will be okay. I promise.” Shawn’s words brought a tiny bit of comfort to the borrower. Even if he was speaking over a phone, it was nice to know he wasn’t truly alone here. Not like last time. “Get to the walls now.”
Tucker nodded, forgetting the human couldn’t see him, and glanced at the buttons. There was a green button but no red button. How was he supposed to end the call?
The yelling and the pleas filling the background suddenly stopped.
“Is that a voice? Is someone else here?” Josh questioned menacingly.
“N-no! There’s no one I swear!”
“Come on.” Josh said with some protesting from Steven.
Tucker’s blood ran cold when he heard two sets of footsteps coming down the hallway.
“He’s coming! How do I stop the call?!” He demanded as the footsteps got even closer.
Who knows what Josh would do if he found out another human was listening over the phone. He might even start searching the house for the caller. Tucker didn’t want to think of what would happen to him if he ended up caught in Josh’s hands.
“Tucker hide!” Shawn ordered before the phone made a weird noise and fell silent.
There was nothing he could do about the phone lying on the counter, so the borrower booked it to the large vase he used for his pulley. He just barely made it behind the decoration before a shadow fell onto the kitchen.
A harsh thud shook the counter underneath him. “Don’t move or try anything stupid.” Josh threatened.
Tucker pressed his back into the cool glass of the vase. He took out his nail and held it at the ready. Despite the hammering of his heart and the little oxygen his lungs were taking in, he forced himself to remain still. Even when a gloved hand reached for the phone sitting only a couple inches away. He watched with bated breath as the killer held the phone for a moment before placing it back onto the holder.
“Someone’s here…” his voice dripped with venom.
“I don’t know who else could be here.” Steven repeated with shaky breaths.
Josh hummed in thought then took a deep breath. “If you want this worthless home-wrecker to live, you’ll come out right now!” He yelled.
Tucker covered his ears and grimaced from the sheer volume.
“1!”
Tucker’s eyes widened.
“2!”
“I’m telling you no one else is in the house!” Steven argued.
“3!”
Tucker closed his eyes when the sounds of a struggle started, mentally preparing himself for more death. Surprisingly, no gunshot rang out after a few moments. He heard a loud crash from what sounded like the table breaking followed by more grunts of pain.
The borrower decided to be stupid and slowly poked his head out from behind the vase. The wooden table was shattered on the ground with Josh lying on top of its remains. Steven sat on top of his abdomen and fought for the gun still in the killer’s hand. Tucker winced at the beaten up state Steven was in. His whole face was turning black and blue with blood dripping out of his nose and lips. Before either man could get the upper hand, a huge crash sounded from down the hall.
“S.B.P.D.! Come out with your hands up or you’ll be shot!” A man shouted.
Steven briefly froze at the officer’s announcement, giving Josh the opening he needed to knock Steven onto his side. He shot up to his feet and dragged a dazed Steven up with him. The killer held the man in a headlock and pointed the gun at the man’s head. Josh used him as a living shield as they stumbled to the far end of the kitchen.
“I’ll kill him right now if you don’t back the hell up!” Josh yelled.
With the humans distracted, the borrower saw his chance and sprinted out of his hiding place and into the wall. But instead of heading towards the safety of his home, he began climbing up the support beams. He could hear the humans muffled shouts as he climbed higher and higher. Eventually, he stepped out of the wall and onto the high kitchen cabinets.
There were some pretty teapots and cups on display which gave him plenty of hiding places as he watched the tense exchange below him.
Josh hadn’t move from his spot, but he went from pointing the gun at Steven’s head to the kitchen entrance.
“If you come any closer, I will shoot!” He threatened.
“Josh, we don’t want to fight you! Just surrender and let us help you!” A female voice said. It took a moment for Tucker to recognize that as Juliet. The borrower perked up. She seems good at her job and both Shawn and Gus trust her.
Of course, she was with the scary detective. “Just put the gun down!” Detective Lassiter demanded.
This caused Josh to tighten his hold on his victim. Steven gasped as his airway was cut off even more. Tucker gripped his satchel nervously as Lassiter appeared in the kitchen entrance with his gun aimed at Josh.
“I said stay back!” He screamed desperately. “I’m gonna kill him if you don’t stop!”
“Hey, Josh!” A voice called out, sounding far too chipper for the situation they’re in. “Kirstin will be very upset with you if you kill Steven.” He warned.
Tucker knew who it was immediately and it took everything in him not to yell at Shawn to get out of the house and away from Josh. He thought his human friend would stay outside and let the cops stop Josh. The last thing he wanted was for Shawn to get shot cause Tucker told him to come here.
The killer’s hand didn’t waver from where it pointed at the entrance. “What are you talking about?” He demanded.
Unaware of the borrower’s feelings about this, he continued, “my name is Shawn Spencer. I’m a psychic detective. I can hear spirits from the beyond.” He paused for dramatic effect, “including Kirstin.”
Even with Shawn’s perfect lying ability, Josh still didn’t falter. Steven clawed weakly at the arm around his neck but quickly stopped when Josh tightened his hold on him. Tucker worried his lip. If they didn’t get Steven out soon, he was surely gonna pass out from the lack of oxygen.
“Bullshit!” Josh spat. Blood and spit flew out his mouth and dripped down his chin. It looked like Steven had a couple good hits on him.
“Well I can prove it if I can just-“
Tucker could hear Gus somewhere in the hallway berating Shawn for what he was about to do. Juliet’s heels clicked as she tried and failed to stop the man. Finally, Shawn shouldered his way past a protesting Lassiter and rounded the corner into the kitchen.
Shawn smiled and held is hands up to show he meant no harm. Tucker noticed his eyes quickly flick over to the phone before focusing back on Josh, who now had his gun aimed directly at him.
“Spencer get back here now!” Lassiter demanded angrily. His icy gaze never left Josh, but the tall man shuffled on his feet. It looked like he was about to pull Shawn back into cover himself.
“It’s alright, Lassie.” Shawn said calmly, “I don’t mind helping a man reconnect with the woman he loves.”
Josh’s soulless eyes narrowed. “Prove it.” He challenged.
The psychic chuckled. “I’ll try my best, but sometimes the spirits feel rebellious and don’t wanna listen.” He then closed his eyes and opened his arms. “Kirstin, if you are in here then give us a sign!” He called out.
It took a few long moments to remember that despite Shawn’s confidence, he really can’t connect with the beyond. Sure, the fake psychic is good at what he does, but he wasn’t sure if Josh would just believe the human’s words like everyone else. There had to be actual “proof” that there is a ghost in the room. Tucker glanced around for a way to help Shawn and grinned when his eyes landed on a small, green teacup. He hesitated briefly before shoving the teacup off the cabinet.
Tucker dove behind a teapot as the cup shattered all over the kitchen counter and glass spilled into the floor. He grimaced when he heard the surprised gasps coming from all the humans. Tucker swallowed nervously as he waited for a human to call him out after that stupid move, but it seemed the stand-off below him kept everyone distracted.
Shawn glanced up at the cabinets and smirked. As much as he wished the borrower was safe in the walls, he couldn’t deny he was grateful for the help.
“What?” Josh whispered in shock. His gun faltered a small fraction.
Shawn frowned as he pretended to listen to no one. He nodded a couple times and sighed. “She said that she loved that cup and didn’t want to break it, but you didn’t get the hint when she took the phone off the charger.” He tilted his head over to the phone on the counter. “Guess she really wants to get your attention,” Shawn added with a shrug.
Josh’s mouth dropped open as he stared at the phone he placed back on the holder. His grip loosened around Steven’s neck and the man was finally able to take a deep breath. The gun was now pointed at Shawn’s legs instead of his face.
Looks like he believes it, he thought proudly to himself. He honestly wasn’t sure if his “talk to Kirstin in the beyond” idea would work. Shawn just knew that Lassie and Jule’s hostage training was not helping their current situation. It was nice to know that he was right about Josh’s unstable mental state when it comes to Kirstin. He just has to play into it. Of course, some help from a certain tiny person also helped seal the lie.
Josh looked back at Shawn like he was seeing an entirely new person. His green eyes went from being cold and angry to desperation. “Is she talking to you now? What is she saying!” He demanded.
Shawn scrunched his eyes shut and held his fingers up to his temple as he pretended to listen to the beyond again. “She-oh wow this is tragic- she’s saying that she loves you and she’s sorry she couldn’t be with you.” Shawn tried his best to appear sad at the news no matter how much he hated saying that sentence out loud.
Steven’s eyes widened as he looked over at Shawn. He hoped the man knew he was lying to save his life, but Shawn couldn’t deny he was looking more psychic than usual today. It would be hard not to believe him.
Josh lowered his eyes to the floor, his gaze landing on the faint dried blood spots from when he murdered Kirstin. The others took that as their chance and carefully moved closer until Lassiter and Jules were standing inside the kitchen entrance, their guns steady as they aimed at Josh. Gus stood behind them as he warily gazed at the gun Josh still had pointed at Shawn.
The psychic wasn’t worried, however. He knew it’ll only be a few more seconds until Josh was in custody and everyone was safe and sound.
“This bastard ruined our chance of being happy together.” Josh’s voice quickly raised in anger. His arm tightened around Steven’s neck once more and the gun moved over to the man’s temple. “If I couldn’t have her, I definitely couldn’t let this guy keep her!” He smiled coldly and his next words sent shivers down Shawn’s spine. “I’m the last person who got to appreciate her pure beauty before her face got mangled. That’s a special gift.”
Apparently Shawn spoke too soon.
Steven whimpered and pleaded to the officers with his eyes. Another cup crashed onto the counter, but it didnt dissuade Josh.
“If you kill Steven, won’t that just reunite him with Kirstin? Isn’t that the one thing you don’t want?” Gus pointed out from behind the two cops. The nervous human took a small step away from the growing pile of glass on the floor. His brown eyes only briefly shot up to the cabinet before locking onto the gun pointing at Steven.
Juliet nodded along with his statement. “You’ll lose your chance with Kirstin if you kill Steven.” She reaffirmed gently, even when her gun was still pointing at Josh.
Shawn crossed his arms and nodded solemnly. “She said she can forgive you for killing her, but two murders is getting too close to serial killer territory.” He shrugged. “That’s just too sociopathic, you know?”
As if to confirm his statement, another teacup fell off the cabinet and shattered onto the counter and floor.
Everyone in the room held still as Josh thought it over. A few tense moments ticked by before Josh finally lowered his gun and let go of Steven. Lassiter and Juliet immediately closed in on Josh before he could try anything else. The head detective kicked the gun away and shoved the killer to the ground.
“You are under arrest for the murder of Kirstin Blum. You have the right to remain silent,” Lassiter began reading his Miranda rights as he quickly cuffed the man.
Shawn and Gus moved in to help get Steven out of the kitchen. They swung his arms over their shoulders as they guided him to the front door. There were already additional officers rushing by them and EMTS jumped out of an ambulance to assist Steven.
Shawn and Gus stood a few steps away as Steven was strapped to the gurney, ready to be taken to the hospital to check his injuries. That’s when Lassiter and Jules walked out of the house with Josh cuffed between them.
“Hey, Josh!” He quickly called out. He hid a smile when the detectives stopped to let Josh look dejectedly at him. “Just so you know: Kirstin never said those things. She hates your guts and she thinks you smell bad.” Shawn happily informed him.
He could see the a relieved smile on Steven’s lips from his words as he was wheeled into the ambulance. Even Lassiter smirked as he shoved a now crying Josh into the back of a police vehicle.
Tucker sat in the walls by his entrance to the kitchen. He idly fiddled with the hole in the sleeve of his gray shirt as he waited for Shawn and Gus to come talk to him. At least he hoped they would. They could’ve been dragged to the police precinct to tell the boss lady- he remembered her name was Chief- about the case.
He wasn’t sure how long he sat there. It was long enough that he ended up taking a raisin from the food bag he left there and munched on it as he waited. His butt was starting to hurt and his legs grew stiff the longer he stayed still. He hasn’t heard any noises coming from outside the walls.
Maybe they really did leave.
Footsteps shook the wall as they rushed into the kitchen, proving him wrong. He heard some muffled bickering and smiled, ‘cause who else would that be.
“Tucker?” Shawn whisper-yelled, “everyone is gone. It’s safe to come out!”
That was all Tucker had to hear before he launched himself out of the wall. Gus was the first to spot him and he eagerly stepped closer and crouched down.
“Tucker?” The relief was clear in his voice and the way his shoulders sagged down. The man slowly stretched out a hand when the borrower reached him. He cupped his hand gently around Tucker’s back without making contact with him. “Are you okay?”
Shawn crouched down beside Gus and leaned forward, no doubt studying every little detail on Tucker for anything wrong. The scrutiny no longer bothered the small man. Not when he knew they had good intentions.
Tucker shakily nodded his head to Gus’ question. In a move that would’ve shocked him not even 12 hours ago, he leaned back and put all his weight against the hand behind him. His eyes seemed to close on their own as the warmth enveloped his trembling body.
Neither human said a word about Tucker now initiating contact with them. They simply sat in a comfortable silence as they let the borrower finally relax after a stress filled day.
It took a moment for Tucker to recognize that he was actually falling asleep against the hand. He begrudgingly opened his eyes and leaned off of the hand, even when his body yearned for the comfortable warmth. He also had to stop himself from pouting when Gus drew his hand back.
“Is Steven okay?” He asked as he bit back a yawn. The human looked pretty banged up, but he doubted there was anything life threatening. Still, he wanted to know how the man turned out.
“The EMTS didn’t seem too worried about his injuries. He should be fine after a bit of rest. Physically, at least.” Shawn assured him with a shrug. “And Josh is officially in police custody and won’t ever hurt anyone again. We did it!” He declared.
“That’s good!” He replied happily. “I can’t believe it’s all over now…” he trailed off as he realized he truly had no reason to hang out with the two humans anymore. They’ll be off solving more cases that he will have no way to help them with.
Gus nodded. His mouth twitched as if he was about to say something but decided against it. Instead, he said, “I bet you’re tired after all this. Do you want us to leave so you can rest?” He questioned quietly.
Shawn shifted uncomfortably where he knelt and looked down at the counter. The borrower could read humans just as good as the physic. The hurt was easy to spot in his blue eyes.
Tucker thought back to his nest of fabric. It sounded really nice right about now. But it was also empty and cold. It’s weird. He lived most of his life alone. He thought he was used to the constant silence and his cracked vocal cords when he would utter something to himself. Tucker thought he could handle it.
But these humans- the humans who basically kidnapped him and pushed him to interact with them- quickly showed him that his way of life was not worth living.
He deserved more. He needed more.
“Some sleep does sound good,” Tucker began, “your pocket is comfortable. I should be able to get some good shuteye before we get back to the office.” He smirked.
Shawn and Gus’ eyes shot up at him at inhuman speeds. They both stared at him like he grew a second head, then at each other, then back down to him.
“Are you serious?” Shawn’s voice pitched higher than usual from excitement. An eager smile already formed on his face and he was practically bouncing in place.
Gus was no better next to him. He perked up so much that his back was as straight as a rod. “Please tell me this is for real!”
Tucker gave them a big nod.
The reaction was imminent. Both men hopped around the kitchen, fist-pumping the air and kicking their feet wildly. Tucker guessed they were dancing but it was honestly hard to tell. But that didn’t stop the huge smile on his face as the humans squealed excitedly.
He couldn’t help but take a step back as the humans rushed towards him again. Shawn’s hand swooped in and easily cupped him in his palm before Tucker could even think to react.
“Let’s get this party started!” Shawn cheered as he moved towards the door.
“Wait,” Gus gripped Shawn’s elbow and pulled him back.
The abrupt movement caused Tucker to topple over in the hand. He quickly picked himself up and settled into a seated position. He had to brace his hands against the thick skin underneath him as he glanced up towards Gus.
“Do you have anything here you want to bring with us? We won’t be able to come back after this.” Gus told him.
Shawn shrugged. “Well I’m sure we could figure out some way to get back in-“
Gus glared at him. “I’ve had enough of this cursed house, Shawn! We are not coming back.” He stated firmly which left no room for arguments. Tucker couldn’t help but agree with the man.
The borrower thought for a moment. All of his important possessions were already on his person. And he could always make a new nest with better and softer fabric, not to mention the few decorations he could easily recreate. He was about to tell the humans they could go to the car when he perked up.
Tucker pointed at his entrance to the wall. “The bag of food you gave me is right inside the entrance. Can you grab it?” He asked.
Shawn and Gus have him a weird look. “There’s plenty of food where that came from, Tuck.” The human holding him replied.
The borrower glared tiny daggers up at Shawn. “I’m not wasting perfectly good food.” He crossed his arms over his chest as he tried his hardest to look intimidating. He wasn’t sure how well that worked when he was sitting on a giant hand.
Shawn sighed. “Alright, Gus go grab it.”
“Wha- why me?”
“Cause my hands are full.”
“You can easily hold Tucker and dig through the wall!” Gus argued back.
“You said it yourself that I need to be more careful holding Tucker. He could fall while I’m occupied with the wall.” Shawn replied with a shit-eating grin on his face.
The humans silently glared at each other in a stand off. Tucker was about to tell them he could easily get the bag out when Gus’ shoulders dropped.
“Fine. But if I get bit by a rat then you’re paying my medical bills.” The man muttered as he approached the entrance he saw Tucker use earlier.
Both Shawn and Tucker bit back a laugh as Gus squeezed his eyes shut and his fingers disappeared into the wall. His hand was far too big to fit in the small entrance, so he was left awkwardly trying to get the right angle to pull the bag out.
Tucker laughed when Gus’ hand shot away from the wall and he jumped back with a squeal. “Something touched me something touched me!” He shook his hand in panic.
“There’s no rats in there.” He reassured him between chuckles. “The bag is on the right.”
Shawn grinned. “You heard him, Gus.” He cheered on his friend.
Gus grumbled under his breath as he reached back into the wall. With Tucker’s instruction, he quickly pulled the bag of food out and dropped it into his Jean pocket. He stubbornly refused to look at the two people snickering at him as he walked towards the door.
“You’ll have to go into the pocket. There’s still some stragglers outside.” Shawn told him as he lifted his hand up to his chest.
Tucker braced himself as the once flat platform became a steep ramp. Thankfully, Shawn lowered his fingers into the pocket so the drop wasn’t as high as the last time. Once he landed, he quickly tucked himself into the corner and held on as Shawn’s gait threatened to throw him around.
Specks of sunlight shone through the pocket and he could hear a few voices in the distance as Shawn ferried him over to the car. Once the car door slammed shut and the engine rumbled to life to drive them over to the office, he settled against the wall of muscle and heat behind him.
Tucker’s whole body vibrated as Shawn spoke excitedly to Gus about throwing a party for his first solved case. The borrower tried to listen, but his eyes quickly closed now that he was finally safe. The strong thumping of the heartbeat behind him lulled him into a much needed sleep.
Here it is!!! The long awaited chapter! Lots of feelings and emotions in this one, but don’t worry, there’s one more chapter coming before the case is closed! I’ll try to get that next chapter out a lot faster this time :)
First: A Not So Average Night
Pervious: Bathroom Break
Next: Not Again
————-
They arrived back at the Psych office in the late afternoon. Gus sat at the seat of his desk while Tucker settled on a thick book pushed off to the side. In the center of the desk was the brown box full of creepy notes, looking small and innocent despite its contents.
Gus reached over and flicked the two clasps open with his thumbs before slowly opening the lid like something would jump out at him. He frowned at the number of small, folded pieces of paper inside. It could have been hundreds. Maybe even more.
“All of these are from Josh to Kirstin?” He asked. Gus didn’t bother to hide the disgusted look on his face.
Shawn returned from the small kitchenette carrying two bottles of water and a bowl of trail mix. He carefully placed them on the desk and sat down opposite of Gus with a sigh.
“Unfortunately.” Shawn confirmed. “This guy definitely has issues.”
“Really? I didn’t notice. Thanks for the input, Sherlock.” Gus retorted sarcastically.
Shawn rolled his eyes as he reached over and grabbed a tissue, placing it near Tucker before pushing the bowl of trail mix closer to the tiny man as a silent offer.
At his conflicted look, Shawn gave him a small smile. “The person who finds the evidence gets to eat first. It’s tradition.” Tucker quirked up a brow and crossed his arms, so he added, “starting today.”
“Yep. You earned it.” Gus confirmed with a nod.
Tucker gave a sheepish nod of acknowledgment, but didn’t get up from his seat as his hands gripped the strap of his bag. He knew the humans didn’t mind sharing their food, it was just strange to take food with them right there. As a borrower, food was precious since it’s not only a necessity but something they risk their lives for. Being able to just give away food or throw it away like humans do is an absurd concept to him. Even taking offered food from fellow borrowers felt like a crime, how was he supposed to take food from humans?
Shawn and Gus stayed true to their word, however, and didn’t move to take any of the trail mix before Tucker grabbed some. Instead, Gus began dividing the notes between the three of them to start reading over. Shawn busied himself by pouring some water into a bottle cap and very carefully depositing it on the tissue.
With the two men distracted, Tucker quietly slipped off the book and stepped towards the trail mix. The green bowl was barely taller than him and he could just see the contents inside on his tip toes. There was an assortment of different nuts, raisins, and M&Ms all of which were covered in a layer of salt. He only knew what the raisins tasted like, so he opted to grab one of each food to give them a try.
Unfortunately, he eventually had to hook his armpits over the bowl’s rim and dig through the trail mix to reach a M&M. He could feel his ears burning since Shawn and Gus were definitely looking at him now and his sad attempts at reaching the red chocolate circle. He grazed his fingers on the smooth surface twice before finally getting a grip and tossing it onto the table with the rest of his prizes.
Tucker landed back onto the table and looked up to see four giant eyes quickly flick away from him.
This better be worth it, he grumbled to himself as he collected his snacks and sat on the tissue.
Gus cleared his throat. “Right, well now that we’re all ready, we should start looking through these.” He stated as he pushed a smile pile of notes towards Tucker followed by a large notebook. “You can use my notebook if you want to make note of anything, Tucker.” Gus said with a kind smile.
Tucker distractedly brushed the salt from his hands, not making eye contact with the human. How was he supposed to tell them he can’t read? How will they react? Reading is something all humans seem to be able to do, heck, Tucker is pretty sure babies can read better than him. Will they think he’s stupid and look down on him for not knowing something so simple?
He licked his now dry lips. “About that,” he paused to steel his nerves when the giants glanced down at him. “I can’t… read.” Tucker’s voice came out as a whisper.
Both friends frowned and leaned a little closer, tilting their ears towards the borrower.
“You’re gonna have to use your outdoor voice, Tuck.” Shawn stated.
“I can’t read.” He repeated. He looked down at his lap as the shame made his face heat up. “But I do know some words so I’m not a complete idiot.” He defended himself.
The silence, which only lasted for a few seconds, felt like an eternity. His heart rate picked up and his hands found the comfort of his bag once more.
“Oh, okay.” A voice said nonchalantly above him.
He glanced up in surprise as Gus slid Tucker’s note pile back over to him and Shawn.
“Damn, you’re lucky you don’t have to read these notes. They make me shiver.” Shawn complained.
Tucker simply stared at them in shock. At his lack of response, Shawn glanced back over to him. “What?” He asked innocently, his brows furrowing.
The borrower shrugged. “Just thought you two would be- I don’t know, more annoyed? Judgey?”
The two friends exchanged a look. “Why would we be?”
“Well, reading is a basic skill for humans. Even children can do it!”
Shawn chuckled as he plucked a cashew from the bowl. “Tucker, reading is a skill you learn and practice. It takes years of school and some still end up better than others.”
Gus nodded along with him. “Yeah, Shawn had to get extra help with reading in elementary school. It’s no big deal.” He ignored Shawn’s immediate outburst by picking a raisin out of the bowl.
“No I didn’t! I was in advanced reading.”
“Sure,” Gus drawled. “You know the teachers just tell you that so you don’t feel bad.”
“Yes, I actually was. I just didn’t tell you cause I didn’t want you to feel bad about your reading level.”
“I almost won the spelling bee, Shawn!”
“Yeah, almost.” The physic mocked.
Gus jabbed an angry finger towards Shawn. “You’re the reason I lost! I will never forgive you for that.”
Shawn shrugged. “But you got to stay in school with me. I’ll call that a win.” He gave his friend a shit-eating grin and held his hand out for a fist bump.
Gus defiantly turned his head away from the man and looked at Tucker again. “Since I’m the better reader, I can teach you. If you want, of course.” He offered. The usual politeness in his voice was back, but there was definitely a strong hint of stubbornness as he left Shawn’s fist hanging.
Both Tucker and Gus ignored Shawn’s protests at Gus’ statement. The borrower couldn’t help but perk up, “Yeah! That’ll be great actually.” Being able to read and predict when humans will be out of the house for events would be extremely helpful for any borrower. “How long will it take?” He asked eagerly.
Gus frowned slightly at that. “It’ll take longer than this case.”
Tucker nodded dejectedly at that. The case should be solved in a day or two once they catch Josh.
Then he’s back to living on his own.
He heard a huff above him as Shawn was forced to fist bump himself.
After that, the two humans began to read the various notes, often cringing and gagging at whatever was written on the paper by the hand of a psycho. Gus even fell out of his chair from sheer disgust at a certain note. Shawn read the same note next and soon followed him down to the ground, he even began crawling on the floor while groaning. What in the world could have been written down to get a physical reaction out of them?
Of course, Tucker asked what the note said. “We are not ruining that innocent little mind of yours.” Was the only response he got back on the subject.
While the humans were suffering, Tucker got to try each piece of the trail mix. The nuts and chocolate were hard and difficult to bite off, but the sweet and savory taste was a welcomed flavor for his taste buds. His favorite were still the raisins. You just can’t beat the classics.
Not even ten minutes had passed before a loud chime startled all three of them. Shawn quickly stood and dug in his back pocket for his phone. His blue eyes lit up when he read the caller ID.
“Hey Jules!” He greeted. He put his phone on speaker mode and held it at the center of the desk. Gus leaned in and Tucker took a few cautious steps towards the device.
“Hey Shawn. I just wanted to give you an update on our end of the case.” She stated. Even through the phone speakers, they can hear the sound of traffic in the background.
“You always have my attention.”
“The guy we’re after is Josh Allen, 32 years old. I’ll send you a picture of him. We checked his residency and his parent’s house but he wasn’t there. And his coworkers said he last clocked in five days ago.” She sighed, her voice becoming more frustrated. “The guy has been gone for days. I hope you’ve had better luck.”
Shawn pursed his lips at the new information. Clearly it wasn’t a spur of the moment kind of killing like he initially thought. This was planned. His mind flashed back to the brutal murder scene. Of all the ways to kill someone, why would he choose to bash the poor woman’s head in? Thats just loud, difficult, and messy.
What was he missing here?
“Unfortunately, I haven’t gotten any messages from the spirits.” Shawn began, “we did talk to Kirstin’s parents and they said Josh had been stalking her since sophomore year of high school.”
“And he apparently wrote her a bunch of creepy notes. We don’t know if she kept them though.” Gus chimed in easily.
Tucker glanced down at the mentioned notes littering the desk. Guess they’re keeping these a secret, he mused to himself.
“That definitely lines up with what we heard about him from his friends.” The detective confirmed. “Also gives us a potential motive since she was married to someone else-“
“O’Hara, we’re two minutes out. Get ready.” The stern voice of Lassiter cut through the background.
“I’ll call you if we find anything else.” She promised before quickly hanging up as Lassiter began grumbling about letting Shawn and Gus in on the case.
—————
It was getting to be early evening when the front door to the office swung open. Tucker barely saw the figure through the glass separating the lobby and the office when he was quickly grabbed into a fist. Vertigo slammed into him as the hand whisked him around. He could barely hear two chairs scrapping on the wooden floor through the roaring in his ears.
“Dad? What’re you doing here?” Shawn demanded, his voice pitching higher than usual.
“Hello to you too.” A deep, gruff voice replied in annoyance. “You haven’t answered my texts about dinner.”
The fingers surrounding him were gentle but firm enough that he couldn’t squirm around. Probably done on purpose so he couldn’t go for his weapon. He understood why Shawn grabbed him, and he tried his best to stay still, but that didn’t stop his nerves from spiking at the fact that he’s trapped again. He wanted to fight and yell to be let go, but that would only distract Shawn and surely get them caught.
The space was growing hotter and all he could hear was the new dangerous human nearby. He squeezed his eyes shut as the stranger’s voice continued to boom. This was a mistake this was a mistake, he said over and over again in his mind.
Outside of the fist, Shawn crossed his arms behind his back and leaned on the desk. Gus stood stock still behind him, eyes going everywhere but the hand hiding their tiny friend. There was no telling how his dad- Henry- would react to such an earth-shattering revelation like tiny people living in the walls.
“I swear I texted you back about it,” Shawn responded quickly in exasperation.
His old man looked unimpressed. He crossed his arms over his chest, stern blue eyes piercing through Shawn. His fun blue Hawaiian shirt did nothing to lessen the tension between the two Spencer’s.
“You didn’t.” He responded sternly without missing a beat.
Shawn sighed. “Well, we’re working on a case right now so let’s plan the dinner for Thursday at six. Sounds good? Great.” He said quickly, trying to end this conversation in record time. The small weight in his hand was all he could think about.
Henry held up a hand. “Why’re you acting like this?” He demanded. He gestured at Shawn, eyeing him suspiciously. “What are you hiding back there?”
In a move that made his own heart stutter, Shawn crossed his arms in front of his chest. He kept both fists sealed tight so it wasn’t obviously which one contained his friend. He could feel Tucker shaking against his palm and the temptation to just shove his dad out the door was growing stronger. He had to get Tucker out of his hand as fast as possible.
Gus shifted nervously on his feet, still refusing to look at Shawn. He stiffened when Henry’s gaze fell on him. “Gus? Everything all right?” He questioned knowingly.
“It’s just the case. Very creepy stuff, has us on edge.” Gus answered with a small sigh. He hoped the reason sounded believable to the retired cop.
Henry quirked a brow and glanced down at the desk, staring at the various little notes lying about. He only briefly stared at Shawn’s closed fists before returning to the notes.
“Stalker?” He guessed.
Shawn nodded. “A killer-stalker actually.”
The older man hummed to himself in thought. “You know who did it?”
Shawn nodded again, “Just need to find him.”
Henry sighed and uncrossed his arms, placing them on his hips. “I doubt he went very far,” he commented with a small shrug.
Gus tilted his head to the side. “What makes you say that?”
The old man had a solemn look on his face. “Stalkers, especially ones as obsessed as this guy supposedly is, are very sentimental.” He nodded towards the countless notes, “they won’t stop just cause their victim is dead. They’ll continue to try and connect with them.” At that, he turned around and strode towards the door. “Good luck on the case. See you on Thursday!” He called over his shoulder with a lazy wave as he exited the building.
The two men sighed in relief as they watched the red truck pull away through the window. Shawn quickly turned and opened his hand revealing Tucker curled up on his palm. A pang shot through his heart at how much tinier he looked like this.
“Sorry about that. I didn’t know where else to hide you.” He leaned in trying to see if he hurt the little guy.
Gus leaned in as well. “Are you okay, Tucker?”
The borrower nodded shakily and clambered into a seated position. His black poncho was tangled around his arm and his satchel was nearly off his shoulders. He reoriented himself before curling his fingers around his nail, although it seemed more of an instinctual action than out of ill intent. At least, Shawn hoped so.
“Don’t- I don’t need an apology. It was an emergency.” His voice wavered as he spoke. When the humans still didn’t back away he began making a shooing motion with his hand.
Shawn opened his mouth but quickly closed it again. After another moment of tense silence, he lowered his hand back to the desk where Tucker hurriedly hopped off.
“Your dad sounds pretty serious.” Tucker remarked in an attempt to change the subject as he stumbled on wobbly legs back to the tissue. Even just hearing him, he could tell the man ran a tight ship. It was weird to think that him and Shawn were related, especially considering he raised the man pretending to be psychic.
Shawn chuckled at that, but it didn’t sound like a real laugh to the borrower. “That’s what everyone says.”
Tucker hummed in thought, choosing not to comment on the laugh. He remembered the way Henry was able to correctly guess what kind of case they’re investigating. “Is your dad also ‘psychic’?” He asked, using his fingers as quotation marks.
Shawn shrugged as he plopped back onto his chair. “He taught me everything I know and has the skill to pull it off.” Then he grinned, “of course, he’d never be as good as me.” He stated proudly.
Both Gus and Tucker rolled their eyes.
“Well you can use that so-called skill of yours and start tracking down Josh.” Gus commented dryly. He took a seat and dragged over his notebook where he’d been occasionally jotting down some notes. “If Henry is right, then there should only be a few places Josh can hide for days with a connection to Kirstin,” Gus began as he tapped a pencil on the paper. “Lassiter and Juliet already searched his home, his parent’s house, and his work. And we know he’s not at Kirstin’s parent’s house.”
“And her house is covered in police tape with officers going in and out.” Shawn added.
The psychic leaned back in his chair in thought while Gus continued fussing over possible locations. This left Tucker sitting silently on the napkin to the side. The nagging feeling of being useless in a world far too big for him slowly drove out the terror from Henry’s surprise visit. He can’t help them look through the countless notes or possible locations, and he doubted he’ll have to look inside any more vents. Tucker is just an inconvenience for them now. They even had to go out of their way to hide him from the new human.
The borrower frowned as he tried and failed to come up with a reason to stay with the humans. At this point, he knew he was delaying the inevitable but maybe he can wait until they find Josh, no matter how close they are to catching him. He has to see if the dangerous human is off the streets anyways.
Tucker jumped out of his thoughts as Shawn practically fell out of his chair from sitting up too fast. “I think I know where Josh is!” He declared excitedly.
Gus perked up, failing to see the way Tucker’s shoulders tensed. “How?”
Shawn rustled through the notes and plucked out a few, laying them out on the desk. “All these notes have the same location written on them: Big Paul’s Rollerway.”
“That run-down roller skating rink that shutdown ten years ago?” Gus questioned as he looked over the notes his friend picked out. Sure enough, Big Paul’s was mentioned in each one. “Josh just keeps getting weirder and weirder. I mean, who actually liked that place enough to write about it this many times?”
Shawn smiled. “Well someone had to keep it in business that long. I bet Josh loved that cardboard pizza.” He joked. “It also has value to Josh and no one around to rat him out.”
“And you think he’s been hiding there?” Tucker piped up from his spot on the napkin. He did his best to control his resurfacing self-doubt, but his voice still sounded weak in his ears.
Shawn placed an arm on the desk and leaned down closer to Tucker. It didn’t feel intimidating like it should, which made the small man worry about his borrower instincts. Instead, it felt more like a friendly gesture to include Tucker in the conversation even as the human’s shadow covered him.
“Oh I’m 100% sure, and I bet two pennies he’s still there! On this note he said he wants to ‘take her hand and bring her to the center of the rink and-‘“
“Shawn!” Gus urgently interrupted. He pointedly gestured to Tucker by tilting his head. “Don’t read that out loud with young ears listening! What’s wrong with you?”
Tucker crossed his arms. “How old do you think I am?” He challenged.
“Like… fourteen?” He guessed.
“Nah, I think you’re closer to sixteen” Shawn replied.
The borrower balked at their answers. “I’m eighteen! How in the world do I look any younger?” He was no child! He’s been out borrowing since he was ten. He even killed a rat!
The two humans did an embarrassing amount of stammering as they both tried to get the other to talk first. At Tucker’s impatient foot tapping, Shawn finally relented.
“Well, you’re just so tiny and adorable it makes it hard to not see you as a child.” He admitted with a sympathetic wince. Of course, the fact Tucker was also severely underweight didn’t help make him look older, but he knew not to talk about other people’s weight. He had some manners.
Gus quickly chimed in when Tucker glared daggers at Shawn. “Don’t take it personally! Anything that’s small is considered cute. For the most part.” The man faltered when the borrower shot him a look. “You’re also very scary though!” He added, hiding his hands under the desk.
Tucker patted the nail (still coated in dry human blood) hanging by his side. “I’ve been lax with the no grabbing rule, but I’ll enforce it if you two keep calling me cute.” He threatened. He had to hide his smile when the two humans eagerly nodded in response. If only his family could see him keeping two giants in control.
Which is the only thing he can do, and even that can easily be taken away from him. It all depended on the two humans towering over him and whether they wanted to tolerate a man smaller than a finger. It served as a constant reminder he didn’t belong here no matter how much he wanted to.
Tucker’s brief victory soured almost immediately. “So is this it? Are you gonna catch this guy?” He asked quietly.
The consulting detectives shared a strange but brief look. “Yeah, we can head over there now. I’ll have to let Jules and Lassiter know about it though, but Gus’ pocket seemed to work out great last time.” Answered Shawn as he lowered a hand towards Tucker.
The living platform stopped inches from Tucker, who managed not to flinch this time. However, he still hesitated. Not because he was nervous about the giant hand, but for what he was about to do.
“Can you drop me off at my house before you get there?”
“What?” Shawn’s blue eyes widened.
Gus glanced up from his task of placing the notes back into the little box.
“I won’t be able to help you anymore. I’ll just end up getting in the way.” He stared at the large fingertips in front of him, idly tracing the prints with his eyes instead of looking up at the humans.
“But-you can’t just leave now! We haven’t even finished the case! Don’t you wanna see us catch Josh? Isn’t that want you wanted?” Shawn argued. His hand remained stubbornly in front of Tucker.
He wrung the strap of his bag as he uttered his next words, “I’ve seen too much for a borrower.” He swallowed the lump in his throat, “my place is in the walls. Not out here.”
The psychic tried to argue some more but was quickly shushed by Gus.
It was now time for the darker skinned human to lean down. His expressive eyes were full of concern as they landed on Tucker. “Are you sure? ‘Cause we really do enjoy hanging out with you, and you never know what can happen in the future. We might need your help to unlock a door or search for something.” He reasoned.
Tucker gave him a weak nod.
“Alright.”
“Gus! You can’t seriously be agreeing to this-“
“Shut it, Shawn! Tucker is an adult who can make his own choices. We’re not in charge of him.” The man scolded. The usual smoothness of his voice was now broken like he was genuinely hurt by the borrower’s decision. That’s weird.
It was clear Shawn wanted to argue more. His lips thinned and his brows furrowed as he glared at Gus. The humans seemed to have another one of their silent conversations as they stared at each other. Eventually, Shawn sighed, his outstretched hand moving a tiny bit closer to Tucker.
“The Shawn Express is heading for the Blueberry. All passengers should hop on now.” He jested, but his smile didn’t reach his eyes.
Tucker placed a boot on a large fingertip and stepped on. No matter how many times he’s been in a hand, he didn’t think he’d ever get used to it. Each breath Shawn took shook the hand and threatened to topple Tucker over. His balance wavered as he quickly made his way to the center of the palm and settled down. The warmth radiating off the human slightly eased the tension in his body.
He braced his hands on the thick skin under him as Shawn rose to a stand. The human brought his hand up to his chest as Gus stood and handed his friend the small box of notes.
“I gotta do a couple things first. I’ll meet you at the car.” He stated as he turned towards the kitchen.
“You better not try looking for my candy stash. You won’t find it!” Shawn teased as the man walked away.
Tucker could practically hear Gus’ eye roll. “I don’t need your candy stash. I have my own.”
Shawn perked up. “You do?” He asked eagerly.
“Get to the car, Shawn!”
“Yeah yeah, I’m going.”
Shawn tucked the box under his armpit so he could grab the keys with his free hand. A quick glance outside confirmed no one was around to see him holding a tiny person, but he still rushed to the car anyways. He placed the box under his seat and let his occupied hand settle on his lap.
The two sat in silence for a moment, but, of course, Shawn couldn’t stay quiet for long. “Why do you want to leave so badly? Did we do something wrong?” When Tucker looked all the way up at him, it seemed to spur the human on. “I mean- I know we had a rocky start and all, but surely we made up for it by now and-“
“Shawn!”
Two big blue eyes focused on him again.
Tucker comfortably patted the palm underneath him. “You and Gus have been great to me. Probably a little too good for a guy smaller than a finger.” He chuckled half-heartedly, “I simply don’t belong in your world.”
The human frowned, but thankfully didn’t say anything more. Soon, the driver side door swung open and Gus hopped in. The engine of the Blueberry roared to life and the Psych office quickly disappeared behind them.
—————
Gus parked the car and turned off the ignition all too soon. There were no other cars nearby and they didn’t see any creepy stalkers watching from the forest. The small blue house seemed to loom above them as the humans slowly walked closer to it. The broken police tape still covered the door, which remained unlocked from when they broke in that morning.
This morning, Tucker realized in shock. All of this happened in a span of one day!
The humans quietly stepped inside the abandoned home and made their way to the kitchen where they first met the borrower. The blood was now cleaned up for the most part, but the can still see the dark red stain it left behind.
Gus, who had the box of notes in his hand, ventured further into the house to hide the evidence. They couldn’t bring the box back to Kirstin’s parents house since that would look to suspicious, and definitely get them a beating from Mr. Nicholson. They figured letting the police find the box at this house would be a lot better.
The psychic strode further into the kitchen. Instead of placing him on the table, however, Shawn raised his hand up until Tucker sat right in front of his eyes.
“I’m not really good at goodbyes,” he began uncertainly, “but I’m really glad we got to meet you.” Tucker blinked in surprise as the large blue eyes in front of him showed nothing but sadness, a far cry from Shawn’s usual attitude. “Thank you for all your help with the case. I would’ve figured it out eventually, but you definitely sped up the process.” His voice cracked as he tried to joke.
Tucker’s lip quivered and he gestured to Shawn to bring his hand closer to his face. When he was barely an inch away and Shawn had to go cross-eyed to see him, he reached out and hugged his nose. It was awkward and Tucker doubted it brought comfort to the human, but he felt it was better than nothing. Shawn slightly flinched back in surprise but quickly brought his other hand up and placed it on Tucker’s back to reciprocate the hug as best he can.
“Thank you for treating me like an equal.” He smiled. He was glad the human couldn’t see the water building up in his eyes. “Eventually.” The borrower couldn’t help but add.
Tucker’s whole body shook as Shawn chuckled and slowly pulled his hand back. “Sounds like I still owe you for how I treated you.”
The borrower gave him a smug smile, “maybe.”
Footsteps approached from behind and Tucker turned to see Gus standing with tears in his eyes. The man reached out a hand and the borrower immediately hopped on. As soon as he was crouched in the center of his palm, Gus brought his hand to his chest and tilted it so Tucker leaned against him. This should have alarmed the borrower, but all it did was bring him comfort. It was warm and the thundering heartbeat behind the wall of muscle and flesh eased his mind and body. Tucker spread both of his arms out wide as he tried his best to hug Gus back.
They stayed like that for a long moment before the human carefully tilted his hand back so Tucker laid on his palm. The small man frowned as tears escaped Gus’ eyes and rolled down his cheeks, some even dripping next to him on the hand.
“Tucker, you are the most incredible person I ever got to meet. I’m so glad Shawn kidnapped you so we could meet you.” The words were barely coming out of his mouth through all the tears. “I’m- I’m gonna miss you so much!” He cried.
Shawn patted Gus’ shoulder. “Okay, it’s okay buddy. Let’s put Tucker down before you soak him in your tears.” He gently suggested.
The large hand slowly and carefully lowered Tucker onto the kitchen counter. He lightly patted the palm underneath him. “I’m gonna miss you too. Both of you.” He said earnestly before he stepped off the hand.
He thought that was the end of their journey together until Gus held up a finger. “One-,” he sniffled, “one more thing.” He dug into his Jean pocket and pulled out a small plastic bag, carefully lowering it next to the borrower.
Tucker’s eyes widened when he noticed it was filled with trail mix, orange slices, grapes, and even chocolate candy. That bag of food could feed a whole family of borrowers for months! His mouth opened and close like a fish out of water as he stared at the bag then up at the two humans.
“Is this all for me?” Tucker quietly asked. He knew what the answer would be, but hearing the confirmation from Gus made his eyes light up. His mouth already started to water just imagining having access to good and fresh food. He knelt down and ran a hand over the smooth plastic, already coming up with ways to repurpose the bag.
“That’s not all.” Gus smiled as he lowered a small piece of paper to Tucker. On the paper, there were initials and a bunch of different numbers.
Confused, he tilted his head to the side. “Uh- thanks?”
Gus laughed at his response. “These are phone numbers. The first one is mine and the second one is Shawn’s. You’ll just type these numbers in a phone to call us.” He explained.
“Do you have access to a phone here?” Shawn asked.
Tucker nodded and pointed to the far end of the counter. The phone sitting there looked different and more clunky than Shawn’s, but the resident humans used it the same way.
“Hmm. That’ll work for now, but I can give you my old phone so it’s easier to carry. I’ll just have to find it first.” He mused.
Shawn’s eyes found the clock hanging on the kitchen wall and frowned. They had to leave soon if they wanted to catch Josh. “Just- call us if you need us.” He told Tucker.
“For anything at all.” Gus emphasized.
Tucker smiled sadly, “don’t worry, I will.” He promised.
It took the humans a moment to begin walking to the hallway entrance. They looked back at the small man standing on the counter, waved, and then they were off to catch a killer.
Tucker waited until he heard the door shut behind them. Silence immediately took over the house, something Tucker would have to get used to again.
Dragging the plastic bag across the counter was cumbersome and extremely tiring. Even the extra energy from all the meals he had that day didn’t help. When he finally shoved the bag through the entrance to the wall, he opted to leave it there and make make multiple trips for the food. Right now, he just wanted to curl up in his cozy nest and finally get some shuteye.
His home wasn’t too far from the kitchen and he eagerly pushed the block of wood away to get inside. It only took him a few seconds to kick off his boots, drop his satchel to the floor, place the piece of paper against the wall, and flop onto his nest of fabrics. He was out the second his eyes closed.
Something woke Tucker up.
He wasn’t sure how long he slept, but he knew he didn’t want to be awake right now. Annoyed, he turned over onto his side and closed his eyes again. That’s when he heard a loud thump.
Then another.
And another.
He quickly sat up in his nest and listened. It was too loud to be a rat or any other animal intruder. It also wasn’t any noise he heard coming for the house itself.
Another muffled thud shook his little home. Tucker’s heart rate spiked.
It was coming from outside the walls. From the house that was supposed to be abandoned.
I hope everyone has been good! Apologies for the long awaited chapter, unfortunately I don’t have Gus’ skill when it comes with words :)
Our favorite detectives find some evidence for the case in a definitely not legal way.
First: A Not So Average Night
Previous: Questioning
Next: Paper Trail
—————
Shawn and Gus stepped up the white porch steps to the red door. Potted plants practically took over the small area giving them just enough room to stand in front of the welcome mat side by side.
The psychic pressed the doorbell and they heard the faint ring sound inside. Gus bit the inside of his cheek as he glanced over at Shawn, who was a little more alert than usual. He passed a glance to Gus, or more notably, the small lump in his pocket. It was just as unnoticeable in his pocket as it was in Shawn’s, but it was glaringly obvious to both men.
On the drive up to the house, they agreed that Gus should be the one hiding Tucker. Shawn’s psychic revelations were too intense and crazy for Tucker to be safe hiding with him, and Shawn was not about to tone down his performance.
And the only other person who could carry Tucker was Gus.
He had nothing against Tucker and was ecstatic that he was sticking around for a bit longer. He just didn’t want to be directly in charge of someone’s safety or life. The nearly 4-inch tall man was a massive responsibility that Gus did not feel ready for. But he couldn’t just leave him in the car. That would be rude and just as unsafe. What if Tucker fell off the seat or an animal got inside or the car blew up! Yeah, he was not leaving him unattended.
Gus held his breath as he felt Tucker bump into his chest as he placed himself in the corner of the pocket. Muffled footsteps could be heart making their way to the door, signaling when Gus will have to protect Tucker from the other humans. His heart rate began to spike and he shifted nervously on his feet.
Suddenly, he felt a gentle tapping against his chest coming from Tucker. Alarmed, he quickly propped the lip of the pocket open with two fingers to reveal the small man. The little guy gave him a tiny smile and a reassuring nod as he once again patted his chest right where his heart is.
Oh…. Gus’ cheeks grew hot as he realized Tucker could probably hear his frantic heart. Before he could dwell on it, Shawn quickly elbowed him in the side right when the door opened up. His hand shot down back to his side and he tried his best to be nonchalant.
An older woman stood at the doorway. Her eyes were red and puffy and her brown hair with strands of gray was in a unkept bun. Despite it being late afternoon, she was still in her pajamas.
“Mrs. Nicholson?”
“Are you with the church?” Her voice had a painful rasp in it. Even with how weak it sounded, he still felt Tucker tense at her voice.
Shawn gave a small shake of his head. “No, we’re consulting detectives with the police department.” Shawn, as insensitive as he could be at times, kept his voice professional and respectful. “My name is Shawn Spencer, I’m a psychic.” He placed a firm hand on Gus’ shoulder. “This is my partner, John Slade.”
Gus shot him an annoyed glare for the name but quickly dropped it to look at the woman. He gave his best sympathetic smile as if nothing happened. “We’re so sorry for the loss of your daughter.”
Mrs. Nicholson huffed and glanced down at her socked feet. “What else can you be.” She said quietly as she stepped to the side of the doorway. “Come in.”
Both men nodded their thanks and made their way inside. A couch and two recliner chairs were right to the left of them and both men immediately sat down on the green clothed couch.
The woman held up a finger and shuffled down the hallway. They could hear a faint conversation for a moment before an older man returned with Mrs. Nicholson. He was a big guy and clearly knew his way around a gym. His reddish face and stern eyes were the kind of things you would steer clear of on the streets.
“That’s Shawn Spencer, a uh-psychic, and his partner John Slade. They’re here to help us.” She informed the man.
“Did you catch the bastard who killed my daughter?” He asked harshly.
He knew the man was just grieving, but Gus couldn’t help but flinch back at his aggressive tone. He propped his elbows on his knees and leaned down to discreetly cover Tucker’s hiding spot a bit more with his arms. Gus could feel him press himself further into his chest and it took everything in him not to check on the little guy.
Shawn, of course, didn’t seem bothered at all. “Not yet, but we have a very likely suspect.” He informed the couple. “Do you recognize the name ‘Josh’?” He asked.
The wife flinched back while the husband’s face contorted into anger.
“Of course it was him! I’m gonna fucking kill him myself!” He bellowed, his voice carrying through the whole house.
Shawn’s eyes widened and Gus nervously glanced around the room. The door was basically right next to them if he had to get himself and Tucker out of there. He deeply regretted bringing the little man inside now. Not because of his nerves about protecting Tucker, but for how scary this must be for the guy. Gus can feel the small frame shaking in his pocket. He couldn’t blame him since Mr. Nicholson’s voice was so loud to even his ears.
Copying what he saw Shawn doing in the police department, he slowly covered the pocket with his hand in what he hoped was a comforting gesture. Tucker didn’t fight back or say anything about it in the car, so he assumed he was safe from the wrath of his weapon. Hopefully. Gus tried his best to make the action as natural as possible, but he could still see Shawn casting him a vaguely concerned look from his peripheral.
“I’m guessing you do know him.” Shawn chuckled nervously.
Mrs. Nicholson shuffled over to one of the recliners across from the couch and nudge her husband’s arm for him to do the same.
“We do.” She confirmed once they settled into their chairs.
“Good. We just need some more information on Josh that Steven couldn’t tell us-“
“How is Steven? Is he okay? We haven’t heard from him at all!” The woman interrupted, scooting to the edge of her chair as she dug her nails into the armrests.
“He’s been at the station all morning. He’s devastated, but he’s okay aside from that.” Gus reassured her. He was glad to see her relax ever so slightly at that.
“Right then,” Shawn clapped his hands together. “How and when did Josh and Kirstin meet?” He started.
It was silent for a moment as Mrs. Nicholson tried to fight through the tears to respond. When it was clear her emotions were starting to get the better of her, Mr. Nicholson answered instead.
“They had the same math class together during their sophomore year.” He glanced down at his lap as he spoke. His jaw was tense and his brows furrowed before he continued. “She helped him with his homework once. Once! And the creepy bastard thought they were soulmates! He became obsessed with Kirstin, stalking her, taking pictures, leaving notes all throughout high school.”
His voice grew louder and more fierce the more he talked until he was just fuming away in his seat and huffing. Mrs. Nicholson reached over and placed a shaky hand on his arm, and, thankfully, it seemed to comfort him when he gripped her hand back.
Gus uncomfortably shifted on the couch. The shaking in his pocket had seized once the yelling stopped. Gus had to clasp his fingers together to resist the temptation to check on Tucker. What if borrowers were like hamsters and died from the most random things? He remembered a girl at summer camp whose hamster died cause her dad sneezed too loud! If only he could hear Tucker’s heartbeat like how the little guy can hear his.
While Gus was too distracted to pay attention, Shawn went ahead with his questions. “What about that restraining order? When did she get that?” He asked calmly.
The couple exchanged a silent look for a moment.
“Restraining order?”
“Why do you think she got a restraining order?” Mr. Nicholson echoed his wife’s confusion.
Shawn whispered a quick “oh boy” under his breath. Just loud enough for Gus, and most likely Tucker, to hear. He folded his hands together and leaned forward. “Steven told us they got a restraining order against Josh. Do you not know about that?”
Mrs. Nicholson covered her mouth with her hand while her husband let out a few curses.
“No, she didn’t. She told us Josh stopped harassing her once she met Steven. She told us she was safe.” The old man confirmed, his voice losing the ferocity it once carried.
“She lied?” The poor woman’s voice cracked as she held back another sob.
Shawn replied a bit too casually for Gus’ liking. “My psychic senses told me Steven is telling the truth. It appears Kirstin had a bit of a rebellious moment and lied. All young people do it, so don’t take a personally.” He shrugged.
Mrs. Nicholson’s eyes widened and her husband opened his mouth, definitely about to rip Shawn a new one.
Gus shot him an icy glare before harshly stomping on Shawn’s sneaker, thankfully hidden by the coffee table in the middle of the room.
“Ow!” Shawn whispered and quickly pulled his foot away with a grimace.
Gus had mastered the art of ignoring Shawn when needed. “From what we’ve heard about Kirstin, she seemed like a very considerate young woman. She probably didn’t want you two to worry about her situation with Josh.” He looked her parents in the eyes, appearing as sincere as he could. “She did everything right and got a restraining order. She had no reason to believe it wouldn’t keep her safe.” He added sadly.
His words seemed to have kept the peace as the couple settled back into their seats. The room stayed quiet for a few moments, and Gus started to grow antsy. The faster they got out of the house and into the privacy of his precious car, the better.
“Looks like we got everything we need.” Shawn declared as he stood from the couch.
Gus sighed in relief and eagerly followed suit, turning towards the door before a hand on his shoulder stopped him. He glanced behind to see Shawn with a mischievous glint in his green eyes.
“Can Gus use your bathroom before we head out?” He asked innocently. “He drank a giant soda before this and has a weak bladder.” He whispered loudly with a grin.
Gus silently fumed next to him. Why did Shawn always feel the need to call him out like this? Especially when he has a little guy in his pocket who hasn’t moved around in a few minutes.
Mrs. Nicholson’s eyes looked from one man to the other. She was obviously confused, but either didn’t have the energy to ask or simply didn’t care. “It’s down the hallway to the left of the stairs.” She answered politely.
Shawn smiled widely, “perfect! Come on, Gus.” He said as he began walking down the hallway like he owned the place.
At the Nicholson’s taken aback looks, Gus sighed. “I think Shawn has to go too.” He stated as he followed behind his friend. Thankfully, neither of them decided to escort the two men down the hall allowing Shawn to enact whatever plan is in his head.
With a quick glance behind Gus, Shawn held out his hand palm up.
Gus didn’t move and only looked at the hand now offending his space. “What?” He asked quietly.
His friend huffed. “Give me the Gummy Worm.” He said urgently as he thrusted his hand closer to Gus.
He covered his pocket and took an anxious glance to the hall entrance. “Just what are you planning?” He asked suspiciously.
“Tuck- the Gummy Worm and I are gonna search for anything on Josh. You are gonna keep her parents distracted.” He stepped closer once again with his hand still expectantly waiting. “Now hurry up, my arm is getting tired.”
“Are you sure this is a good idea? Mr. Nicholson could snap both of us in half if he catches us.” He whispered as he anxiously looked behind himself for a third time.
Gus felt Tucker moving around in his pocket and froze. His eyes widened when he noticed a pair of tiny hands with even tinier fingers gripping the edge of the pocket. The humans watched as Tucker hooked an arm over the lip of the pocket and poked his head out.
“Finally, something to do. I’m getting sick of all the pockets.” He complained with a small grin and continued to casually climb his way out.
As the borrower lifted his leg over, Gus quickly cupped his hands underneath the little guy so he wouldn’t fall to the floor. Tucker only hesitated for a few seconds before dropping into his hands. Shawn was quick to swoop in and pluck him right out of his palm, seeming to forget Tucker’s earlier warning about grabbing.
The borrower let out a startled yelp, but kept his weapon sheathed. Although, a part of Gus kinda wished he would slash at Shawn. His friend has to learn some boundaries with the little guy.
Shawn had a shit-eating grin on his face. “Alright, I’ll let you know when we’re done.” He started to turn towards the stairs, keeping Tucker protectively tucked against his chest. “Good luck.”
Gus watched his friend quickly climb up the stairs and let out a dejected huff. He anxiously turned towards the entrance of the hallway one last time before walking to the living room. If his steps were a bit too slow and his face was full of nerves, that was Gus’ business and not anyone else’s.
—————
Tucker gripped Shawn’s fingers as he practically launched them up the stairs. They ended up in a small hallway with way too many doors. He curiously looked around as Shawn began opening all the doors with zero hesitation.
“Bingo,” he muttered as he opened the third door down the hall. He silently stepped inside and shut the door behind them before turning around to face a girl’s room.
The walls were lavender with tons of photos of different people taped to them. The room was decorated with fake flowers and what looked like posters characters from a show or movie. Kirstin’s room definitely looked a lot different from the one at the other house. He guessed this was all childhood stuff the humans never thought to throw out.
“Okay…. We need to find anything we can on Josh and Kirstin’s messed up relationship.”
“Anything?” He asked.
“Well, mostly things that show what Josh will do for Kirstin so we can understand his mindset and what he’s capable of.” Shawn answered. “Like maybe a diary Kirstin kept talking about how creepy he is.”
The borrower crawled closer to the edge of the cupped hand he was in to peer around the room. Sitting this high up, he could see everything. It was weird to think this was how humans viewed the world. He felt the large muscles under him tense when he leaned a bit further out of the palm, and turned to see Shawn watching him like a hawk. Did the human think he was going to try and jump out? Surely he knew they were past the escape attempts.
With a roll of his brown eyes at Shawn’s clear concern, Tucker sat back away from the edge to put the human at ease. He decided not to dwell on the fact he’s trying to make a human feel more comfortable and asked, “how do we know the letters will be in here?”
Shawn shrugged and stepped further into the small room. “Josh started stalking her when they were kids, and all her childhood things are in here. It’s a place to start.”
Tucker nodded and glanced around the room before zeroing in on the large bed. Well, the space underneath the bed. Humans love hiding things under there so he figured it’s a good place to start. He tapped one of Shawn’s fingers and pointed at where he wanted to go. The human only hummed in approval and dropped him off right on the carpeted floor next to a bed leg.
“Lemme know if you find anything.” Shawn said as he rose to a stand. Tucker couldn’t help but back up until he was only a few steps away from the darkness of the bed. His heart stuttered at the sheer height of the human. He barely reached Shawn’s ankle! He spent so long either on a table or in their hands he forgot just how massive they are. A shaking hand gripped the strap of his bag as he took another step back.
His voice got stuck in his throat, so Tucker could only nod up at the human. If Shawn noticed Tucker’s fear (he would be surprised if he didn’t), then he chose not to say anything. The borrower felt the ground beneath him tremble as Shawn stepped towards a white vanity on the opposite side of the room.
Tucker let out a breath he didn’t know he was holding and turned to face the familiar darkness his life revolved around. Every second of every day he spent hiding in the shadows, blending in seamlessly to his surroundings like it was second nature. Being invisible was in every borrower’s blood and being.
With no hesitation, he walked under the bed. His eyes took a second to adjust to the sudden darkness, but he was soon able to see perfectly. There were small (to humans) boxes, random knickknacks, papers, and some bags strewn about. His fingers practically itched to snag some of the supplies for himself, and he just barely managed to walk past some paper clips. Maybe he can get Shawn and Gus to give him some supplies as a reward for helping them before he goes back home.
As he trekked through clumps of dust and carpet fibers, he kept his eyes open for any papers that simply looked different. It was the only thing Tucker can really do since he can’t read, and he doubted the papers contained the select few words he knew like exterminator and poison. He figured any papers that didn’t contain Kirstin’s neat handwriting will be a safe bet for evidence.
Tucker was so focused on the various contents around him, he failed to pay attention to where he was walking. As he rounded the corner of a shoebox, he nearly jumped out of his skin when he was met with a large eye. He barely stifled a startled yelp and a hand immediately found his weapon as he launched himself back from the danger to create distance.
He looked up, ready to lunge forward with his nail, only to see a Barbie doll staring at him. It was nearly the same size as him even when it’s just sitting. Tucker scowled and cursed under his breath as he sheathed his nail. Still grumbling, he stomped over to the doll staring at him with a freakish smile and shoved at its face, making it flop sideways to the carpet.
Unfortunately, his triumph over the doll was short lived. Sudden movement caught the corner of his eye, and Tucker watched as black, hairy appendages creeped out from behind the downed doll. Eight black eyes gleamed menacingly as the spider fully revealed itself, stoping a few inches from Tucker.
The two stared at each other, unmoving. The spider only reached his thigh, but that didn’t stop Tucker from slowly grasping his weapon. He’d fought plenty of spiders in the past and there’ll be a lot more in the future, so his hand didn’t shake as he gripped the nail.
Luckily, the spider seemed to understand that this was a battle it wont survive. It quickly scurried away towards an air vent on a nearby wall and disappeared.
Tucker’s eyes widened at that. He didn’t even know a vent was right there. He hasn’t felt any air coming out of it, but he doubted the humans would just shut off all the cool air. Curiously, he walked closer.
A frustrated sigh could be heard coming from beyond the bed followed by drawers opening and closing. “Start making your way out Tuck, I don’t know how long Gus can keep the Nicholson’s distracted.”
Tucker ignored Shawn and pushed the horizontal bars of the vent wider with a squeak. He peered inside the dark, metal hallway and nearly jumped with joy at what he saw inside.
Immediately, Tucker started to sprint through the clumpy carpet fibers back to the artificial light of the room. They had very little time left before the resident humans start growing suspicious. Giant sneakers stood right where Shawn left him, waiting. Like a predator stalks and waits for its prey.
No, not a predator, just an oversized acquaintance. Tucker had to remind himself.
Right when the light caught his small form, Tucker wasted no time shouting up to the psychic. “I found something! There’s a box hidden in the vent!” Tucker pointed in the direction of the vent to emphasize his point. He hoped Shawn could even hear him from all the way up there.
Of course, he shouldn’t have doubted the human’s hearing. “Really? That definitely sounds like a hidden Highschool diary to me.” He said with a smile, quickly crouching down to peer under the bed.
Tucker shuffled to the side as Shawn pushed the various boxes and papers out of his way. When he deemed the path clear enough, he began to squeeze himself under the bed. The human’s back grazed the bed frame even when he was clearly sucking in his stomach. Shawn had to awkwardly shuffle and drag himself to get further under the bed, groaning and grumbling all the way.
Tucker failed to stifle his laughter at the absurd scene.
“Are you seriously laughing at me right now? I’m trying to get evidence for a very important case and you’re laughing? I can see where your morals lie, little guy.” Shawn complained, but Tucker can tell there was no malice in his words. It actually sounded like he was happy Tucker was amused by this.
The borrower had to catch his breath. “Careful there, I can’t drag your giant butt out if you get stuck.” He retorted, wiping tears from his eyes.
Shawn grunted again as he seemed to get stuck in place. His feet slid uselessly on the carpet as he tried to propel himself forward.
“Uh, please don’t get stuck. It’ll take me a while to grab Gus, and the other humans will definitely find out.” Tucker added, his voice now genuinely concerned.
The human chuckled, although he sounded a bit winded. “I’m fine, Tuck. I’m a skinny legend under all these layers.” The man joked.
A few moments later, coupled with the sound of metal shifting, Shawn whistled. It took some effort and even more awkward movement, but he eventually emerged from under the bed. Tucker snorted at the human’s messy hair and the clumps of dust clinging to his now wrinkly clothes. Shawn almost looked like a borrower with how dusty he was.
Sitting on his knees, the man revealed a small box to Tucker.
“Well, it’s definitely not a diary.” He hummed as he turned the box in his hands. He flicked two small clasps with his thumbs and opened the brown box.
At the humans wide eyes, Tucker stepped closer. “What is it?”
He didn’t answer him, instead opening a tightly folded piece of paper. At his continued silence, Tucker was about to climb up his leg to see the note himself. Surely, he’ll figure out what it says if he looks hard enough.
That’s when Shawn smirked and held up the small note in between his fingers. “You just found crucial information.” He turned the note to reveal messy scrawl that definitely didn’t belong to Kirstin. “All of these seem to be from Josh. They’re his notes.”
Tucker paused in disbelief. He actually helped the humans. He made an impact on something outside of his hidden world of walls and shadows. A sense of pride washed over him, so strong that it was nearly a foreign feeling.
He was snapped out of his inner celebration when a hand whisked towards him. He flinched back, bracing himself for a swift grab, when the hand stopped just a few inches in front of him.
“We should get out of here before Gus starts talking about the solar system.” Shawn quipped as he shoved the small box into his pant pocket. It looked a little suspicious, but could pass as a wallet loaded with cash. He thankfully ignored the borrower’s skittish reaction.
Tucker’s brown cheeks turned hot red from embarrassment. He climbed onto the palm with little hesitation and didn’t complain when he was quickly, and unceremoniously, dumped into the shirt pocket. It at least made the stairs a bit more bearable since he could fit his fingers through the thread and hang on.
That line of thinking gave him pause, however. Why is he kinda enjoying this adventure and the company of the two humans?
The rumbling voice behind him was simply background noise as Tucker sifted through these dangerous feelings.
————-
“So, did you guys hear about Pluto? That’s messed up, right?” Gus asked the couple, who were clearly getting annoyed with his ramblings.
Shawn and Tucker were sure taking their sweet time searching Kirstin’s room. He was starting to think Shawn found a bikini magazine and poor Tucker was stuck up there with him.
“How long is your friend going to be in the bathroom?” The man grumbled, crossing his arms.
Gus nervously shuffled on his feet. “It usually doesn’t take him this long. I guess that everything breakfast burrito really didn’t sit right with him.”
That caused Mrs. Nicholson to grimace.
“Don’t worry, I’ll make him clean up whatever mess he makes.” He assured her.
The man sighed and heaved himself up off of his chair. Gus gulped when the man stood a good foot taller than him. “We need you two to leave, now. We have to prepare for the funeral.”
Gus held up his hands, taking a nervous step back. “I’m sorry, I told him it’s rude to poop in other people’s bathrooms but he doesn’t listen.” He dropped his voice to a whisper. “Between you and me, I think it’s a medical issue.”
Mr. Nicholson was probably going to throw him out when movement down the hall caught their eyes. Shawn came strutting back into the living room with a confidence that no man should have after supposedly being in the bathroom for 8 minutes.
Ignoring the tense scene in front of him, his friend smiled. “Sorry about the wait, I just couldn’t hold it in anymore.” Shawn began walking to the door, Gus eagerly following behind him. “Don’t worry, the bathroom is so clean it looks like we were never in there.”
Gus practically shoved Shawn to the door. “Thank you for your hospitality. We’ll let you know if we find anything.” He said with a charming smile.
Before the couple can respond, the two detectives were out the door and in his precious blue car, the Blueberry.
Gus started the ignition and sped out of the driveway and down the street. “You better have found something. I was so close to getting beaten to a pulp.” He groused.
He chanced a look over to Shawn, and Tucker now poking his head out of the pocket. Both of them had giant smiles on their faces. Before Gus could ask, Shawn pulled out a small box.
“Tucker just found us our next huge piece of evidence.” Shawn replied with a proud grin.
The trio are officially getting involved with the case! Hopefully the only human witness has some answers….
First: A Not So Average Night
Previous: Part of The Team
Next: Bathroom Break
—————
The door to the interrogation room opened with a creak.
“Don’t worry Lassie, back up has arrived!” Shawn declared as he strode into the room with a shit-eating grin plastered on his face.
Tucker glanced around the small interrogation room from the hole in the pocket. The floor was dark grey concrete and the walls were two different colors; the lower half a dark blue while the upper half was tan. There was a steel table in the center of the room with a large mirror built into the wall next to it. The only light making it into the room was from the lonely bulb hanging from the ceiling.
The borrower spotted the resident male sitting across from the scary detective at the table. His hands cuffed and attached to a loop on the metal surface. His eyes were red and puffy from hours of grieving the loss of his wife. Tucker quickly noticed how tired Steven appeared with his disheveled blond hair and dark bags under his eyes. The man hardly seemed to care about Shawn and Gus’ intrusion.
The detective slowly turned in his chair, staring icy daggers into Shawn and Gus. Even though the human had no way of knowing Tucker was hiding in a pocket, it still felt like the glare was aimed at him too. Juliet stood by the door, looking between her two friends and her pissed off partner. Her body was tense as she seemed to brace herself for a confrontation.
“Detective O’Hara,” Lassiter began, his voice chillingly calm. “What are they doing here?”
“I know they were at the crime scene and I figured it wouldn’t hurt to have some extra help on this.” She explained. Her voice was firm and confident even as she addressed the scary man.
Lassiter rose to his shocking height and strode over to the two self proclaimed detectives. His blue eyes narrowed as he studied the two men for a moment.
Then, his gaze turned towards his partner. “I don’t need help on this case, especially from them. I have everything handled.” His voice was so low it rattled Tucker’s bones.
“I asked them to come over if they found something.” Juliet stated as she crossed her arms over her chest.
“What did they manage to find that a whole team of officers couldn’t?”
At that, Juliet pressed her lips together into a thin line and glanced helplessly at Shawn.
“I’m about to find us some evidence in...” Shawn glanced down at his watch, “about two minutes once I start talking to Steve.”
“Nah, I think five.” Gus countered.
They immediately eyed each other, creating a silent bet in their minds that Tucker wanted no part of.
Lassiter grumbled out a few curses and pinched the bridge of his nose. “Okay, get out now before I have you placed under arrest for interfering with a case.”
Shawn nodded, “Okay, we’ll leave-”
The detective’s eyes widened at how easily Shawn gave up. His shoulders relaxed minutely and he motioned for a now stunned Juliet to open the door.
The psychic moved around him and towards the metal table instead. “-Right after I speak to Steven.”
“No!” Lassiter protested and grabbed the back of Shawn’s shirt collar, effectively stopping him in his tracks. Shawn lurched back with a choked noise and Tucker was tossed against the hard wall of the chest behind him.
The human struggled against the hold for a moment causing the pocket to shake violently. Tucker fearfully gripped the cloth around him and tried his best to stay in the corner of the pocket. Images of him flying out of his hiding place and into the open with more humans flashed through his mind. He should have known this was a bad idea.
“Shawn!” Gus called out as a panicked warning.
Gus didn’t need to say anything else before Shawn abruptly stilled, almost unnaturally. Tucker felt the large muscles behind him tense up and a firm, but gentle, pressure covered him from the outside of the pocket as if checking on him.
Shawn allowed himself to be dragged towards the door, but his protests didn’t end. “We do this every time Lassie! We both know how this ends!”
“Yeah, with your ass out the door.” Lassiter retorted.
Juliet blocked their path with her hands up in an attempt to calm them down. “Guys! Stop acting like children in front of the victim’s husband!” She scolded in a whisper and gestured towards Steven with a frustrated hand.
Although it was doubtful Steven even noticed the scuffle in front of him. His eyes were still cast down at his hands with a deep frown.
“I’m not a child!” Lassiter argued.
“I’m not acting!” Shawn retorted at the same time.
Before anyone can do anything else, the door opened. Lassiter immediately let go of Shawn’s shirt collar, allowing the man to whirl around to face the newcomer.
Tucker practically tumbled over to the hole in the pocket to see the new human. It was a woman with stern brown eyes and blond hair cut into a bob. She wore a black blazer and pants with heels that made her petite form taller. She looked a bit older than the other humans in the room and had an air of authority around her as she evaluated the situation.
The woman crossed her arms over her chest and Tucker felt the muscles behind him slightly tense. Gus shifted uneasily from the side while Juliet and Lassiter both stood with their backs straight and watched her with attentive eyes.
“Everyone out. Now.” She ordered sternly.
“But-”
She held up a hand. “No buts Carlton.”
Tucker could hear the immature snickers from his human acquaintances as they moved out the room and into the hallway.
When all five humans (and borrower) stood in the hall, the woman’s eyes narrowed and her lips formed into a small frown.
“Who wants to tell me what the hell was going on in there?” She demanded.
Lassiter was the first to speak up. “Everything was going fine Chief, until these two bumbling idiots decided to interrupt my interrogation.” His voice was laced with annoyance as his head titled towards Shawn and Gus.
Tucker tilted his head at that. Chief? What a strange name for a human. He thought to himself.
“What interrogation? The poor man is too upset to even speak.” Shawn shot back with a roll of his eyes.
Tucker flinched back as the tall human whirled towards the psychic. Shawn must of felt his shaking as a hand gently patted the pocket twice. Thankfully, Chief interrupted before any more fighting broke out.
“And what are you two doing here, Mr. Spencer. I don’t remember assigning you to this case.” She asked calmly, but Tucker could still hear the threatening tone in her voice. He desperately hoped Gus would respond instead since that human seemed better with his words.
The borrower was never a lucky man.
“Fate pulled me to this case, but the spirits aren’t telling me anything. I figured meeting Steven might get my otherworldly acquaintances talking.” Shawn explained casually.
Tucker held his breath as Chief’s eyes narrowed. Even though Shawn told his lie with unnatural ease, it looked like the woman was seeing right through him.
Tucker held his satchel closer to his chest. What if she knows Shawn is a fraud? The human would be in so much trouble even if he’s helping. Tucker won’t be able to take the blame for getting the two humans on the right track on the case, therefore leading them to this exact moment. They’ll be caged because of him.
The chest behind him shook as the giants continued to speak outside of the pocket.
“C’mon Chief, you don’t actually believe Steven is the killer?” Shawn pointed out.
Chief remained silent for a moment longer before letting out a long sigh. “I’m giving you five minutes, Mr. Spencer.” She stepped closer and pointed a finger at Shawn’s chest, hovering right over Tucker’s hidden form. “But if you end up wasting our time, you’ll wish you never worked for this department. Understood?”
“Thanks Chief.” He replied with a toothy grin before walking right back into the interrogation room with Gus hot on his heels. The tiny man let out a breath of relief from the close call, allowing himself to relax minutely against the warm chest behind him.
Tucker could faintly hear Lassiter complaining as the door slammed closed, but none of the other humans followed them inside.
Steven’s watery eyes flicked up as Shawn and Gus stepped closer.
“Hello Steven, my name is Shawn Spencer. I’m the department’s psychic detective.” He gestured over to Gus with his hand, “this is my partner Lavender Gooms.”
To Tucker’s surprise, Gus just waved his hand in greeting with a small smile despite the nickname. Seems like it’s a reoccurring thing. He had stifle a chuckle at that thought as he wondered what other names Shawn has come up with.
When Steven didn’t say anything, both Shawn and Gus pulled out the metal chairs across from him.
“Can we sit down?” Gus asked politely.
The resident male remained silent. The two humans briefly glanced at each other before plopping into the chairs.
“We were at the scene last night. Usually my physic abilities paint a clear picture for me, but this case is more complex than most. I have a few questions. ” Shawn began. “Although, I can tell by your aura that you would never hurt Kirstin.”
At that, Steven eye’s shot up to Shawn. Tucker noted how his facial features shifted slightly into what resembled relief and hope.
“Yes, I love- loved her!” His brown eyes grew glassy. “You all are wasting your time on me! I didn’t fucking kill her!” Steven yelled angrily, glaring at the mirror to their right.
Tucker’s hands launched up to his ears from the volume as he flinched back. The heart beating against his back provided him a bit of reassurance that he was safe. Or as safe as can be with Shawn and Gus. He wasn’t exactly sure how well they can defend themselves against other humans. They even got scared of him, a 3.7 inch man, during their first encounter. Yeah… Tucker wasn’t hopeful in their fighting abilities. Hopefully the three officers would help them if things go awry.
Gus held up a hand. “We believe you, Steven. We just need a way to prove it. Is there anything you can tell us about last night?” He asked in a comforting tone, not unlike the one he used with Tucker back at the office.
Dejected, Steven hung his head down and shook it side to side. “Like I told the other detective; I just woke up to some noises.” His voice wavered. “Walked in to find my wife all- I’ve never seen anything like that.” He cried.
“Hey man, we’ll figure this out.” Shawn replied.
The psychic reached out a hand to pat Steven’s cuffed left one. Right when they made contact, Shawn’s hand launched back with a pained shout and he gripped his wrist with his other hand. He rose from the chair and dramatically paced around the room holding his left hand.
The other three detectives burst through the door and into the interrogation room with looks of varying concern. Juliet’s eyes assessed Shawn while the other two suspiciously eyed the stunned man at the table.
Tucker worried his lip. He didn’t see anything happen and there was no way Steven could hurt Shawn with the cuffs on. But the pocket gave him a very limited line of sight. It’s possible he just didn’t see whatever made Shawn so distressed.
However, Gus continued to sit at the table like nothing was wrong, only watching his friend with a quirked brow. That’s when the borrower realized this was another one of Shawn’s acts.
“Shawn are you okay?”Juliet asked urgently with a hand hovering over Shawn’s arm.
“Yeah yeah, my wrist just started hurting when I touched him. It’s a psychic thing.” He said through gritted teeth. He stopped his pacing and looked over at Steven. “Have you hurt your wrist recently?”
Lassiter rolled his eyes next to Steven who perked up. “Yeah, my left wrist. I- uh- only got out of the cast three days ago.”
“Really?” Shawn stopped holding his wrist and quirked a brow. “I imagine it would be pretty hard to kill someone with a newly healed wrist.” He gave Lassiter a pointed look.
“The wrist will still be sensitive and weak even when the cast is off.” Gus chimed in from his seat.
The head detective crossed his arms with a loud huff. “People have murdered with worse injuries. A broken wrist doesn’t mean anything.” He grumbled.
Tucker sucked in a breath as the scary man wrote off the new information. He clearly hates Shawn and Gus and despised the thought of even being around them, but the man seemed to be letting that get in the way of the case.
He wrapped his hands around his satchel and dejectedly leaned against Shawn’s chest. He wished he could just come out and tell everyone what he witnessed. That way, Steven will be released and can properly grieve Kirstin and Josh will be off the streets and locked away. But here he was instead, stuck in a pocket and forced to watch everything go on without him. It’s fine. He’s used to it.
In classic Shawn fashion, he never let Lassiter’s words phase him. Instead, he scrunched his eyes and held up a hand to the side of his head.
“I’m seeing something!” He announced. His other hand started writing something in the air. “I- I can’t make out what it’s saying!” His hand wrote the word more aggressively each time as if it had a mind of its own.
Juliet’s heels clicked on the floor as she stepped a few paces back from Shawn’s wild motions. Gus, however, stood up from the chair to get a better look.
Juliet tilted her head. “What’s the word? I can only make out the ‘J-O’ at the start.”
At this point, Tucker had to tightly hold onto the fabric around him as the writing motion violently shook Shawn’s entire body.
“It looks like it’s spelling ‘Josh’.” Gus answered with a frown, appearing to be thinking very hard about this. Tucker knew better.
The writing motions stopped as suddenly as it started. Shawn opened his eyes and perked up. “Yes! Yes it’s ‘Josh’!”He patted Gus on the shoulder, “what would I do without you, buddy.”
“You’d be in prison or six feet under.” Gus answered.
“Josh?” Chief asked from where she stood by the door. She didn’t seem phased at all by what she witnessed, unlike Juliet whose blue eyes were full of curiosity.
A low scoff stopped Shawn from responding. “You can’t seriously be considering this, Chief.” Lassiter stated.
Before any more words could be exchanged, Steven’s eyes widened. “You- you said ‘Josh’ right?”
“Yeah. Do you know a Josh?” Gus questioned.
The man nodded vigorously. “Y-yeah, Kirstin mentioned someone named Josh when we first started dating. She got a restraining order against him years ago.”
Lassiter strode to the opposite side of the table from Steven next to Shawn, crossing his arms over his chest as he seemed to study the husband for a moment. He took over the line of questioning. “Did she say why she got a restraining order against him?”
Steven frowned and shook his head, looking back down at his cuffed hands. “Kirstin hated talking about him. She just told me he’s crazy.”
“Would he know where you live?” Detective O’Hara asked from the side.
Steven adamantly shook his head again. “No, no we were always careful about revealing our address.” He sniffled a bit, “and our social medias were private so only family and friends can see our posts.”
“What’s his last name?” Lassiter questioned.
“I don’t know.”
“How would he have gotten into your house with no damage?”
Steven shrugged and looked down at the table once more. His eyes were glazing over and dissociating like how he appeared when they first walked in.
The humans continued to speak, their rumbling voices bouncing around the small room. But Tucker continued to stare at Steven from his hiding spot. It was just so strange seeing the usually lively resident-male acting this way. Josh might as well killed both Kirstin and Steven seeing the dead look in the man’s eyes.
So when Steven’s eyes widened a fraction and his body flinched minutely in realization, Tucker was quick to notice. He waited for one of the five detectives in the room to notice as well, but none of them strayed from their current conversation. Even Shawn didn’t say anything about it.
And Steven didn’t say a word. His chest heaved and his fists clenched as his eyes flicked around the room. The man was having a war in his own head but continued to keep his mouth shut.
Shit! Tucker thought in a panic. He had to tell the humans something changed with Steven! They could learn something!
But how? It’s not like he can just poke his head out and tell them what he saw.
With no other options, the borrower glanced at the wall of clothed muscle behind him. Steeling his nerves for what he was about to do to a human, Tucker wound his legs back and launched them into the chest with as much force as he can.
He felt the muscles tense the moment he made contact. Shawn froze in place which would have drawn unwanted attention to any other human, but everyone here seemed used to his weird behaviors.
“I need to powder my nose. C’mon Gus.” He interrupted as he reached over and began quickly dragging his friend out the room before he could even protest.
They walked down the hall, putting some distance away from the interrogation room before Shawn finally stopped and peered into the pocket.
“Are you okay? Did you get hurt?” He questioned as he snaked his fingers into the pocket.
Tucker yelped as two large fingers invaded his space. He slapped one of them but it didn’t stop them from gently pinching him around his waist and lifting him onto an awaiting palm.
“You hurt him? I knew it was a bad idea for you to carry him!” Gus accused as he stepped way too close to Tucker to look him over.
Tucker scrambled to sit up and resisted the strong urge to fight back. “I’m fine! I’m not hurt!”
That didn’t stop the humans from analyzing his body for any injuries. Shawn lifted a finger and carefully moved one of his arms to inspect it. Thankfully it was nothing like the first time he observed the borrower’s arm, but that didn’t mean he liked it any better.
“Then why’d you hit me? I thought you got smushed during my psychic revelation.”
The small man swat Shawn’s finger away. It took a moment, but the human eventually conceded and allowed his finger to be moved. “I was trying to get your attention!” Tucker huffed frustratedly. “I think Steven knows something but none of you humans noticed, so I took matters into my own hands.” He explained.
“Sorry for scaring you.” He sheepishly added after a moment.
Gus smiled and shook his head. “I think we deserved a little scare for what we did this morning.”
Shawn quirked a brow and briefly turned to glance down the hall at the closed door to the interrogation room. He stepped slightly to the left to better block Tucker from sight. “So why do you think he knows something?” He asked.
He shifted in his seated position on the warm palm. It wasn’t nearly as uncomfortable as the first few times and he found himself settling in as it took away the constant chill in his bones. Not that he would ever tell the humans that.
Tucker rolled his eyes with a grin, “human faces are like giant signs telling me how they feel. Even the smallest twitch is extremely noticeable.” He began to explain as the two human listened intently. He, of course, noticed the uncomfortable looks forming on their faces. “Steven’s whole demeanor changed after that detective asked how Josh got in the house without breaking anything.”
“Whoa, I think Tucker is a better psychic than you, Shawn.” Gus whispered with an amused gleam in his eyes.
Shawn pouted and looked away. “It’s impressive, but I would have spotted it too if I wasn’t busy.” He defended his ego.
“You mean trying to flirt with Juliet?” Gus shot back.
Shawn began moving his hand back up to his pocket and dipped his fingers in to create a slide. Tucker was prepared this time and held onto the creases in the giant hand, using them to slowly lower himself down the steep slope. His landing in the actual pocket was slightly more graceful than the first, but he still fell onto his rear from the unsteady fabric. He was starting to think it’s impossible to make dropping into a pocket look good.
“Let’s just get back to the room.” Shawn said instead of acknowledging Gus’ earlier comment. The man’s deep voice vibrated through Tucker once more.
Gus snickered as they entered the interrogation room again. Chief, Lassiter, and Juliet were huddled in the corner discussing something quietly. Steven stayed exactly as they left him.
“You’re not gonna believe what happened in the bathroom!” Shawn said excitedly as he entered the room.
The three detectives eyes turned to him, but Steven’s stayed glued to his cuffs. “We don’t wanna hear about your trip to the bathroom.” Lassiter groused.
“Oh you definitely do!” Shawn ignored the man’s huff. “As I was going number one, I had this weird tingly feeling. Not a pleasurable one but a psychic one.” He paused for a moment as if considering something. “Well it did feel kinda good.”
Gus flicked him in the back of the head.
“Ow!” He exclaimed as he held a hand up to his head. He glared at Gus for a moment who defiantly held his gaze with a look that said ‘don’t try me.’
Shawn smartly decided not to retaliate against Gus. Instead, he turned towards Steven. “That tingly feeling told me there’s something you’re not telling us.” His tone wasn’t accusatory, simply stating something.
That didn’t stop Steven from flinching hard from the stern glares shot from the three detectives.
“What are you hiding?” Lassiter demanded as he briskly stepped back to the table.
“I’m not hiding anything, I swear!”
“The spirits believe you know how Josh got into the house.” Shawn said.
Steven’s head hung down, his blond hair falling over his features. He took a deep, shaky breath before he began to speak. “He might have our extra house key.” His voice was quiet and full of shame. “We lost it years ago. What are the chances someone is able to find where a random key goes. ‘S why I didn’t say anything. There’s no way…” Steven trailed off.
“I’ve heard enough.” Chief spoke up from her spot by the door. When all eyes turned to her, she flicked her head towards the exit before walking out. Everyone obediently followed closely behind.
Tucker breathed a sigh of relief at the contemplative look in her brown eyes. Her words were of no surprise to him.
“Detective Lassiter, I want Steven released immediately. Make sure he doesn’t leave town.” She ordered then turned to Shawn and Gus. “Congratulations Mr. Spencer and Mr. Guster, you two are officially on the case.” Her tone was as stern as ever, but Tucker didn’t miss the hint of pride in it. At that, she immediately turned and disappeared up the stairs.
Lassiter stood completely dumbstruck while Shawn and Gus bumped fists next to him in celebration. Juliet had a smug smile on her face as she glanced at her detective partner.
“We’ll keep each other updated.” She nodded at the consulting detectives as she nudged Lassiter to get him moving. The man sighed in defeat but followed her out of the hallway anyways.
Tucker stood on wobbly feet and gripped the edge of the pocket. He scrambled to hook his arms over the cloth to poke his head out of his hiding spot. He immediately met Gus’ brown eyes who was giving him a curious look.
“Do you want us to bring you back home?” Shawn hesitatingly asked from above.
The borrower thought for a moment. His initial plan was to see what was happening with the resident-male then head back home. But he should also make sure Josh is locked away. The killer could come back to the house after all and catch Tucker by surprise.
“I suppose I can stick around for a little longer. Just to stay updated on everything going on.” Tucker quietly responded.
To his surprise, Shawn and Gus squealed like girls and hopped up and down in celebration. Tucker immediately tumbled back into the pocket with a few curses.
“Sorry! Sorry Tucker.” He could hear the smile in Shawn’s voice. “Just glad you’re still tagging along. Now let’s find this Josh guy.”
Feels good to draw these 2 yuppies again. I decided to tweak their designs a bit, which might be a work in progress still. The story as well, might even put that on the back burner. I honestly just want to draw cute interactions between the two of them. But if anyones new here and would like to know a little bit more about their first meeting and such, check it out here.
A Pocket Detective short story because I need to release something :)
This is a bit angsty and sad but don’t worry, he’ll meet his new friends in…. 8 years!
—————
Tucker watched from a hole in the wall as the two resident humans sat on the couch and debated on what they wanted to watch on the TV. The woman wanted to watch something called a romcom while the man practically begged her to watch action instead.
The borrower frowned as the woman laughed at something the man said as he wrapped an arm around her shoulder. She smiled and contently snuggled against his side as he began pressing buttons on the thing that somehow controls the TV.
“This movie better be good or you’re buying me dinner.” She teased.
The man rolled his eyes, “I pay for dinner every time, Kirstin.” He said lightheartedly.
The woman smiled, “and that’s why you’re my favorite boyfriend.”
“Favorite? Arn’t I your first boyfriend?”
“Maybe.”
Tucker tuned out the rest of their teasing and started making his way to the kitchen nearby. The humans were busy with each other giving him the perfect opportunity to get some much needed food. Hunger pains weren’t the only thing he was feeling on the inside, however.
He vividly remembered how his parents bantered in a similar manner as the resident humans. Bickering on what fabrics should be used to put more color in their home or the best ways to eat crackers. Tucker smiled when he thought of the time his dad found an ugly cat stamp on a borrowing trip. He thought it was hilarious while mom shook her head at the new picture on the wall. For the next weeks, his mom would hide the photo somewhere in or near their home and his dad would track it down and hang it right back up.
Tucker wished he was able to see how their competitive game ended. But he was stupid and everything went wrong and now he’s in this home by himself. He wondered how his parents reacted when he didn’t come home. How upset were they? Did they search for him? Or did they experience too much loss already and became used to having one less child under their roof.
Not now, he told himself stubbornly as he shook the depressing thoughts out of his head.
Tucker quietly slipped out of the wall and onto the cool kitchen counter. The lights were turned off giving him the perfect cover of darkness. Even though he’s only ten, his eyes were already well adjusted to the dark.
His large pupils wandered the counter’s surface until he spotted an abandoned bowl. The borrower immediately darted over to it, but it was far too high for him to be able to peer inside even if he was taller than his current 2.5 inches in height. Determined, he pulled out his paper clip and string from his leather satchel and aimed for the yellow rim of the bowl.
The paper clip harmlessly clunked off and sailed right back down to him. He was definitely better at climbing than aiming.
Huffing, he swung again and silently cheered when the paper clip caught onto the bowl. With a quick but hard tug to secure it, Tucker began his ascent and kicked a leg over the rim once he reached the top to sit on the edge.
His face dropped when he finally spotted what was in the bowl: pistachios.
He briefly debated on calling it quits since the nuts are difficult to get into, but Tucker really needs the food. He only just began going on borrowing trips with his parents when he got separated from them. It’s a lot harder (and scarier) when you’re on your own. His racing heart yearned to have the comforting presence of his dad watching their backs or the gentle but grounding touches from his mom.
But he’s on his own now. There’s no time to think like this, not when he’s trying to survive. He needs to grow up.
Steeling his nerves, he swung his string over to the other side of the rim and slid down. Tucker fought his way through the pile that reached his waist, creating more noise than he was comfortable with. His heart hammered in his chest as he searched for a pistachio with the biggest cracked shell so he at least had a chance of getting to the inside.
A gleeful gasp escaped his mouth when he spotted a nut that was practically already open. Tucker hoisted it up and stuffed it into his bag as best he can, but some of it still poked out at the top.
The weight of the nut only held him back a tiny bit as he scaled his string once more. The bag kept knocking into his side and made it difficult for him to lower his right arm, but he kept going just like his parent’s taught him. Tucker’s cloth shoes scrambled against the sleek side of the bowl as he finally pulled himself up and over.
The entrance to the wall wasn’t too far from where he stood and he hastily started making his way back.
“Oh Steven! Can you also grab the pistachios on the counter while you’re up.” A female voice called out in the distance.
“Yeah yeah.” A deeper voice rumbled in response, far too close for comfort.
Tucker nearly tripped over his own feet as he raced against a rapidly approaching behemoth. All he could hear was his own panicked breathing, but he pushed his legs to move faster and faster anyways. He wasn’t going to make it. He’s too small to reach the wall in time!
The counter shook more at each giant footfall until a large figure blocked the entrance to the kitchen. The young borrower dove behind a nearby flower pot and waited with bated breath for any sort of reaction from the human. Tucker clutched the strap of his bag, a new nervous quirk he picked up since being on his own, and crouched stock still. If worse comes to worse, he could use the tac he found to defend himself. Though it won’t do much against the man. Hopefully he’ll never have to see how much damage he can cause a human.
The too-large-being simply grabbed a few drinks from the fridge, plucked up the bowl of pistachios (that looked mockingly small in his hand), and wandered back into the living room.
Tucker stayed hidden for a few extra minutes until he was sure the human wasn’t coming back. His muscles hurt as he tried to relax out of his frozen position. Thankfully, he managed to get inside the walls with no further issues.
He gratefully breathed in the stale air and welcomed the encompassing darkness. Tucker expertly made his way through the countless tunnels in the wall as he tried to shake off the remaining adrenaline. Finally, he spotted the cardboard piece that made the entryway into his home.
It was a simple place; the room was small and only had enough space for one person. His growing nest of fabrics was situated in the far right corner of the room. To the left was where he stored his measly amounts of food and supplies on top of a tissue he found, and a small rectangular block served as his table in the center of the room.
Tucker quickly kicked off his boots and placed his bag by the door before beelining to his blue Lego table to show off his find with a bright smile. It was the riskiest borrowing trip he’d been on so far, but he did it! He even survived a close encounter with a human!
Oh right…. No one was there to share this moment with him.
His dad wasn’t there to give him a proud pat on the back with a “good job, son.” His mom wasn’t there to hug him so tight and lovingly scold him for not being more careful. His older sister won’t try to one-up him on her next trip, and his younger brother isn’t jumping around excitedly eyeing the food.
It’s just Tucker.
Tears were escaping his eyes and running down his face before he even realized it. He collapsed to his knees on the ground as he wailed and sobbed into his hands. He didn’t care how loud he was being. He just wanted to scream and let out all his sadness and anger. There’s no telling how long he sat there and cried, but eventually he ran out of tears.
Unsurprisingly, he lost his appetite and sulked over to his next of fabrics. Tucker tried his best to cover himself in as much cloth as he can to take away the depressing chill in his bones. Maybe it will feel like someone is snuggling with him. It’s been a while since he got to feel someone else’s touch. Or talk to someone.
Will the rest of his life be like this? Alone. Cold. Scared. Hungry. Alone. Alone. Alone.
Tucker squeezed his stinging eyes shut and tried his best to sleep the night away. Hopefully he’ll have a good dream tonight.
Me: Yesssssss I finally got this chapter out it’s over!!!
Also me: *stares at the brief outline of the next chapter realizing I have to start writing that now.*
(Jk I love this story :) )
First: A Not So Average Night
Previous: New Life Experiences
Next: Questioning
—————
"Guess who found some evidence!" Shawn shouted triumphantly from down the hall.
Tucker's eyes widened in surprise at how quickly Shawn was able to find something. No wonder he's a detective. Overtaken by curiosity, the borrower climbed into the hand waiting in front of him, doing his best to ignore the fact he is putting his life on the line for some human murder case. He quickly crouched in the center and did his best to avoid as much skin to skin contact as possible. He felt the muscles underneath him tense and the large fingers twitch slightly. Tucker warily looked up at Gus, whose lips were pressed into a thin line. He tilted his head in concern as the human met his eyes.
"It's good, it's all good. Everything is fine" Gus breathed. Whether he was trying to reassure himself or the tiny guy on his hand was a mystery to both men.
Extremely slowly, he lifted his hand off the table without breaking eye contact with Tucker. The feeling of tiny knees and feet shifting for balance made him forget how to breathe. It's fine it's fine, Gus told himself over and over again. Still, the small movements sent shivers down his spine. Oh my god I'm holding a tiny person... his breathing hitched as he truly realized the magnitude of this moment. One wrong move could ruin Tucker's whole life.
Gus very cautiously lifted his occupied hand up to his chest and cupped his free hand underneath to act as a barrier between the tiny man and the floor. He figured Tucker wouldn’t appreciate him completely cupping his hand over him. Plus Gus didn’t want to get stabbed, especially with the same nail used to stab Shawn. That is simply not sanitary. He moved his foot to begin walking but couldn't bring himself to move with his usual stride. What if Tucker falls out from being jostled too much? What if he gets scared from the speed?
After a few long moments, Shawn poked his head back in at the kitchen entrance to check on the two. He frowned as he watched Gus take the smallest steps known to mankind towards the hallway. "Dude, Tucker will be fine if you walk faster." He pointed out.
"Nope. We take care of our passengers on the Gus express!" Gus retorted, continuing with the smallest baby steps in the world. Tucker could probably reach the hallway faster than Gus at this rate.
Shawn ran a frustrated hand down his face, huffing impatiently. "He can handle going faster, he was completely fine with me." He pointed out.
"You came so close to dropping him." He accused. He kept up the same slow pace to the hallway, his white sneakers squeaking on the floor.
Tucker stayed silent and unmoving in the hand, scared of gaining their attention. The last thing he wanted to do was get involved in their bickering, which seemed to happen every second of the day. How they've managed to stay friends was beyond him. Although, he’s pretty much the cause of their argument this time…. along with others in the past. Is he the reason they’re arguing so much? What if they realize he's not worth the headache and get rid of him?
He clutched his bag in his hands and focused on calming his suddenly rapid heart. The heat rising from the hand started to feel suffocating and the loud voices above his head caused his ears to ring.
They could easily dispose of him right now. He has only caused them problems. Tucker is just a borrower, he’s supposed to be unnoticed and invisible. There’s no way he can ever be of use to the humans. His mind continuously spat out how weak and useless he is as his chest heaved and heaved and-
His eyes found Shawn still standing at the kitchen entrance. The world freezing for a moment as the many details on the giant face came to light. Even as he and Gus argued in circles with their voices growing louder and more frustrated, there was no anger on his face. It actually seemed like he enjoyed going back and forth without making any progress in the arguement.
The borrower glanced straight up to the human holding him finding that Gus was the same way. As much as he was chastising Shawn, there was still amusement on his features. The corners of his lips twitched into a small smile and his brown eyes seemed to light up at the challenge of arguing with a brick wall.
It was at this moment that Tucker realized he wasn’t causing them any additional problems. The two humans welcomed the opportunity to go in circles with each other. He wondered if most human friendships are like this, or even friendship in general. Unsurprisingly, Tucker never had many friends growing up. Finding himself in a completely new house with no other borrowers also didn’t help. Looks like there’s a lot he has to learn.
After what felt like an eternity of debating who is the best at holding Tucker, with the borrower who really had the only say staying quiet, Shawn and Gus reluctantly called a cease fire. They had more important things to deal with.
Shawn was quick to move on. "I'm just gonna bring the evidence back in here.” He grumbled as he disappeared around the corner once more. He returned a few moments later with a proud smile on his face as he brought in a…. picture frame?
Gus tilted his head, his eyes narrowing as he stared at the portrait as if he could spot a secret message on it or something. When all he saw was a normal photo, he caved in. “It’s a lovely picture, but how does this prove Steven is innocent?”
Tucker, who was also thoroughly confused, nodded in agreement. “We already know what they look like.” He added quietly.
Shawn’s confident walk wasn’t affected by their doubt as he went further into the room. There was an air around him that just screamed he knew something they didn’t. Tucker found himself inching forwards on the hand as his brain listed off crazy possibilities: Is there a confession letter or a hidden camera behind the frame? Or maybe there’s a photo inside of the photo that shows Josh! The borrower was practically bouncing on his heels in anticipation for the psychic’s crazy reveal.
The smug smile planted on the man’s face was making Tucker feel more entranced. He hung onto every movement and word, dying to see more of Shawn’s apparently not-real ability.
“Yeah, but did you know Steven broke his left hand a few weeks ago?” Shawn removed the photo from the frame and waved it around in his hand. Sure enough, there was a creme colored cast around the man’s wrist.
Is that it? The borrower’s shoulders slumped slightly. “Yeah, ‘course I knew that.” He muttered. It was one of his most important tasks to know what was going on with the humans. The weeks the resident-male was in the cast were some of his best borrowing trips since the human was too tired to stay up at his usual late hours. Tucker figured it had to do with the pills he was taking but never had a solid idea. If the human injuring his wrist was important he could have easily told the detectives himself.
Sensing the dissatisfaction in the small voice, Shawn stepped the last few feet towards the table and stopped to the right of the dark red circle on the floor. He placed the picture on the table. “Don’t worry Tuck, this will be worth your time.” He assured him with a knowing smirk.
The psychic looked up to Gus. “I need you to stand here,” he said as he pointed to the middle of the bloodstain now completely dried on the floor. “And you should probably put Tuck down so you can lay on the floor.”
The man visibly recoiled in disgust, protectively bringing the hand holding Tucker close to his chest. “Nope. There is no way I’m doing that.” Gus stated matter-of-factly with his nose pointed up to the ceiling, refusing to even look at where Shawn wanted him.
“Come onnnn Gus, don’t be exactly one half of an eleven pound Black Forrest ham. ” Shawn whined. “I need to visualize how she was killed. You just have to pretend to be Kirstin and get murdered.” He pleaded as if it were the most reasonable favor to ask for.
Gus stubbornly shook his head. “Not happening Shawn. These are expensive clothes and I refuse to get blood on them.”
“But you bought them during a clearance sale-”
“Use your imagination.”
“Ugh fine.” He pouted as he turned back to the scene of the crime. “Hopefully I can still get this right even if my partner refuses to do his job.” He complained pointedly to himself.
Shawn closed his eyes as he began reviewing the murder in his mind.
“I’m just using my rights as a worker.” Gus responded behind him wanting to get the final word. Shawn’s lips only frowned slightly in response. Gus’ attention was back on the psychic now that he made it clear he won’t be standing in bodily fluid.
The room went silent for a few moments until Tucker decided to pipe up. “If ya need t’know about the murder, I can just tell ya.” He reminded them. He was the unfortunate one who witnessed the gruesome scene in the first place.
Gus shook his head. “Shawn has a routine. He’ll just get annoyed if someone ruins it for him.” He informed him with a roll of his eyes. “You can always correct him when he’s wrong.” Gus added.
Tucker nodded and watched as Shawn’s fingers twitched at his sides and his head tilt slightly to the left. His brows scrunched together as he recollected the murder scene hours before. The borrower wondered what exactly was going through the man’s head during these moments. How much can he remember? How does he see everything?
After a few more seconds passed, Shawn opened his eyes and leaned down towards the table. His brown eyes critically examined the blood stain where Kirstin’s head was slammed.
“This Josh guy slammed her head hard enough to splinter the wood,” he began, “and the wound was on the left side of Kirstin’s head, the hair on her right side was all frizzy and tangled. Like someone grabbed it.”
Gus and Tucker watched as Shawn experimentally lifted his left hand into the air, his fingers curled like he was holding an invisible ball. Or in this case, a head. He brought his hand down to the table then back up again. Next Shawn repeated the same process with his right hand, his brows rising as something seemed to be confirmed for him.
“Based on the position of the body, location of her injuries, and blood splatter the killer would need to stand right here.” He stated as he took a small step to the right of the bloodstain. His lips quirked up into his usual confident smile. “Getting the correct angle and force with your right hand is impossible, Josh would have needed to use his left.”
Gus shifted on his feet moving Tucker along with him. “Okay…. and what about the pho-”
The man perked up in sudden realization. “Steven’s wearing a cast in the photo! On his left hand!” Gus declared excitedly as he frantically pointed at the picture, jostling Tucker in his palm. He quickly realized his mistake and slightly raised his fingers to create a higher barrier for the little guy.
Shawn visibly deflated and let his head fall back. “Dude. I was getting there.” He complained. He turned to look back at Gus, “if you’re gonna spoil it at least make it interesting.”
Gus scoffed. “I’m not doing this,” he said as he squinted his eyes and held his unoccupied hand to the side of his head mimicking Shawn’s psychic-pose.
“I don’t look like that.”
“You’re right. You look dumber.”
Tucker sighed as another little arguement hung over the horizon. He just wanted to watch the humans prove the resident-male is innocent so they can catch the killer! It was like someone paused a movie right at the best part.
Either he could wait for everything to resume on its own time, or he could go ahead and unpause it himself.
Taking a moment to steel his nerves, Tucker raised his voice as loud as he could. “Can ya focus on the case?!”
Unfortunately what is considered loud for him was nothing to the humans as their voices continued booming above.
Tucker huffed and patted the dark skin underneath him. The muscles tensed in response and the hand began rising just a few moments later. The borrower found himself leveled with eyes bigger than his head. The room went quiet as all the attention snapped back to him.
“I wanna know ‘bout the case.” He explained himself, nerves rising slightly.
“Right, sorry Tucker.” Gus responded politely, his tone not betraying the fact he was just in a pointless argument.
Shawn shot one more glare towards his friend before continuing. “What I was trying to say before I was rudely interrupted, is that it couldn’t have been Steven since his wrist was injured.” He lifted the photo and pointed at the date and location on the back. “This was taken three weeks ago so his wrist would have been too weak to do this kind of damage.” Shawn stated as he gestured to the splintered table with his head.
Tucker nodded along as he replayed the horrific events of the murder in his mind. Unsurprisingly, Shawn got all the details right. “So this will prove Steven didn’t do it?” He asked.
“No, but it might be enough to make Lassie second guess his top suspect.” Shawn replied.
“How’d you know to look behind the photo anyways?” Gus questioned.
Shawn’s head tilted towards the wall where a calendar with floral designs was hanging, covered in writing for different events. “They went to Florida earlier this month. The photo was taken in Florida. I just put two and two together.” He explained simply with a shrug. “It also says they were going on a nice date tomorrow. I noticed it last night and knocked Steven off the suspect list since most people don’t plan like that right before a bloody murder.”
“Great now we have two reasons the husband didn’t kill his wife for once. Can we go to the precinct now before someone walks in on us.” Gus piped up, nervously eyeing the crimson blood nearby.
Shawn fiddled with the photo with his fingers before placing it on the nearby kitchen counter and grinned, “yeah yeah, we got everything we need.” He closed the short distance between him and Gus, holding his hand out palm-up to act as a bridge for Tucker.
“What’s a precinct?” The borrower asked as he eyed the hand without making any moves to climb on. The last thing he wanted to do was end up in a potentially dangerous human environment all because he wasn’t careful. Just because these humans treat him nicely, didn’t mean he could just blindly fling himself into their hands. The least he could do was try and figure out where he will end up.
“It’s also called a police station. It’s the headquarters for cops.” Gus informed him.
The small man flinched slightly at that. Cops?! Right these humans mentioned they work with the police. Tucker reminded himself.
Out of all the dangerous types of humans in the world, cops were among the top. His mother used to warn him that the police work for powerful people who have the influence to turn him into a lab rat. Not to mention how officers are able to take down and hurt fellow humans. Ending up in their hands would be very painful, and Tucker was lucky the consulting detectives found him in the chips rather than actual cops.
And now the humans want to take him into extremely dangerous waters. Tucker shook just thinking about the heightened danger he would be in surrounded by people who look closely into everything.
The obvious, smart choice was to end his experience with Shawn and Gus and remain in the safety of his home like he’d been waiting for this whole time. The words ‘I’ll stay here’ were at the tip of his tongue, but something kept him from stuttering it out. He wasn’t sure why. Maybe he didn’t want to go back to his lonely life just yet, or, dare he even think this, he actually enjoyed Shawn and Gus’ company. Sure the giants are terrifying, but they are actually quite fun to be around once the three got over the ‘first meeting’ hurdle.
He quickly shook that train of thought out of his head. Nothing good could come from thinking that way. The many warnings from his childhood came flooding back into his head. Borrowers choose to live a difficult life in the shadows just to avoid humans. That’s how horrible their giant counterparts are. One wrong move or word can throw him into a cage along with the rest of his kind.
Tucker frowned and chewed the inside of his cheek. Thankfully he knew Gus was not going anywhere quickly while holding him and Shawn knew better than to grab him, giving Tucker time to think this through.
He can’t just go out again for the fun of it, but they’re going to check on the resident human. It’s a borrowers’ responsibility to know what’s going on with every human in the house after all.
Following this train of thought, Tucker finally addressed the humans again. “Only reason I’ll go is to see what’s goin’ on with Steven, y’know, to figure out if he’s coming back anytime soon.” He said nervously as he glanced down at the palm underneath him.
“Well you better hurry before the Shawn Express leaves the station.” The human quipped as he slightly wiggled the fingers of his awaiting hand.
Tucker hid a grin and he slowly rose to his feet. He stumbled a bit on the weird squishy-but-hard surface of the palm and carefully stepped onto Shawn’s hand. He immediately crouched and watched as the humans took him out of the home once again.
—————
The blue car pulled into the parking lot of a very large building with a red tiled roof and white concrete walls with big windows. The property was beautifully decorated with trees and bushes resting on dark green grass. A sign reading ‘Santa Barbara Police Department’ was sitting on the lawn surrounded by flowers.
The sun was rising high into the sky as the afternoon approached. Humans, most of which were wearing either suits or police uniforms, bustled around the parking lot and stepped up the concrete stairs and through the large wooden doors of the building.
Tucker was admiring the new sights when Shawn’s hand quickly whisked him away from the window and laid on his thigh. He grumbled quietly when he almost face planted onto the palm.
“So how are we gonna do this with the little guy?” Gus asked as he turned the ignition off. “It would be irresponsible for us to leave him in the car.” He pointed out as he glanced down at Tucker. He’s seen enough videos of bad parents leaving their children in the car to know that’s not an option.
“Of course he’s not staying in the car! Tuck’s going right to the front lines with us, this is his case too!” Shawn declared.
Tucker’s cheeks warmed up at that. He never thought he would officially be included in this case, he was honestly content with just quietly tagging along.
“I can’t exactly walk in though, ya humans stomp around too much. ‘Surprised you don’t cause more earthquakes.” Tucker said with a smile twitching at his lips.
His face went dead serious again when the humans stared down at him with wide eyes.
Shawn sputtered for a moment. “Did yo- did I hear the right?”
“I heard it too,” Gus confirmed next to him with a frighteningly serious tone.
The borrower swallowed nervously, his eyes flicking between the giants.
“You just said a joke!” Shawn exclaimed excitedly causing the hand to shake slightly. You would think he just won the lottery. “I knew you had it in you!”
Gus pretended to wipe tears from his eyes. “I am so proud of you Tucker! It feels like only yesterday you were giving us the silent treatment.”
“It was this mornin’ actually.” Tucker pointed out as he caught his balance. He smiled at the way their faces lit up even more. He was quick to wave them off, however. “Let’s get inside already!” He ordered with his newly raised confidence.
“Aw fine.” Shawn lightheartedly muttered above him. He gave the little guy a small poke in the side then pulled his hand away before Tucker could do anything. “You’re the tiny expert here Tuck, how should we do this?”
The small man swatted at the offending finger before assessing both humans closely. The jean pockets were an immediate no-go due to the possibility of getting squished. The shoulder seemed too exposed for his liking, especially if they’re going to a police station. This left the chest pocket on either Shawn or Gus’ shirts.
“The chest pocket should be fine.” He decided.
“Up you go then!” Shawn said as he began lifting his hand towards his chest.
“Wha-wait why you?”
“‘Cause you’ll be too slow and we need to get in there before midnight.”
“I’m not slow, I’m careful. There’s a difference.” Gus defended himself.
Tucker and Shawn exchanged a knowing look before glancing back at Gus.
“Fine whatever.” He begrudgingly replied as he climbed out of the car and shut the door.
At that, Shawn moved his hand until it was right in front of the pocket. He used two fingers on his free hand to prop the pocket open as wide as it can go. After hesitating for a moment, Shawn simply decided to tilt his fingers inside so Tucker can drop the last few inches.
As the fingers sloped underneath him, Tucker toppled head over heels into the pocket with a yelp. Although the landing was soft, he still had to untangle his limbs so he could right himself.
“All good in there?”
Tucker flinched as the voice rumbled all around him, vibrating every bone in his body. He pressed himself against the opposite side of the pocket to get away from the solid wall that he knew was the skin and muscle of Shawn’s chest. Tucker could hear a constant rhythm accompanied by a thud behind it, and his breathing stuttered when he realized it was a heart. The human’s damn heart! Obviously a giant would need a large heart to stay alive, but that made it no less humbling for the borrower. It was such a natural display of power that left him speechless. Tucker could probably live inside that heart and have room to spare.
“Yeah, just-yeah.” He stammered in response, hoping he could still be heard outside the cloth. He didn’t have the guts to tell Shawn off for dropping him so carelessly into the pocket. Not when he’s hitching a ride with the human. Maybe he should have gone with Gus instead.
Thankfully Shawn seemed to hear him. “Perfect, let’s not keep those guys waiting.” He said with a smile in his voice. He gently pat the pocket once before stepping out of the car.
Shawn immediately turned towards Gus who’s eyes locked onto his pocket. He watched as his friend’s face blanched.
“Is he noticeable?” Shawn asked with a frown. He really wanted Tucker to join them inside and experience the excitement of working a case. He will wear 100 jackets in the Santa Barbara heat if it meant the little guy will be completely hidden.
“Actually no. Even I can barely see him and I know he’s there.” Gus answered as he continued to stare at the little lump in the pocket.
Both humans stood quietly in the parking lot for a moment. It was just so surreal that an entire person could fit so easily in a pocket of all things. Tucker is just that tiny compared to them.
A sense of protection washed over both men. Usually any ounce of responsibility will chase Shawn away, but he just couldn’t turn his back on the little guy. Tucker has trusted both of them to keep him safe and they will fight as hard as knights protecting a princess to do so. An adorable, tiny, manly princess.
Slight shifting in his pocket brought Shawn back into the real world. He nodded towards Gus, “let’s get Steve outta there.”
The two finally started their short walk to the stairs. Tucker found himself clinging to the fabric around him to avoid getting shaken around. Each step Shawn took jostled the entire pocket and threatened to send the borrower face planting.
Although he couldn’t deny how comfortable the pocket was. The chill that always clung to his body melted from the heat coming off the human. The soft fabric of the shirt reminded him of his nest back home, and, for a moment, Tucker struggled to keep his eyes open. Experiencing a morning of terror definitely didn’t help his tired body.
The sound of doors opening and many loud voices suddenly appearing snapped him out of his short daze. Tucker huddled closer to the solid chest behind him as the human voices quickly started to overwhelm his senses. He couldn’t stop the tremor in his hands as he fearfully clutched his satchel.
Tucker jumped when a weight suddenly pressed him into the wall of the chest. It didn’t hurt by any means and only put enough pressure to ground him. The borrower decided to focus on the nice heat and the steady beat of the heart behind him instead of the busy human world outside of his little pocket of safety.
Gus gave Shawn a questioning glance as they walked across the long hallways with red flooring, no doubt seeing the awkward way Shawn held his chest. The many lights were dim and the dark yellow walls gave the stressful work environment a warm feeling. The two men weaved past cops and civilians and walked through an archway as they searched for their detective friend.
“The gummy worm was shaking.” He whispered, warily glancing at the people around them.
“Gummy worm? You’re calling Tucker a gummy worm?”
“Shhhhh! Do you want everyone to know about him!” Shawn whisper-yelled, “we need to use a code name for him.”
“I don’t think he’ll appreciate being called a food, Shawn.” Gus pointed out.
Shawn pouted. He thought the name was pretty good. However his attention was immediately thrown from the conversation when they found who they were looking for.
His hand dropped off his pocket and he smiled widely as he approached. “Hey Jules!”
Tucker was actually disappointed when the comforting weight of the hand was removed. Only because it added another barrier between him and the outside world, of course. There’s no way he would allow such a thing any other time. He couldn’t help but perk up with curiosity when he heard (and felt) Shawn say someone’s name.
He carefully crawled to the other side of the pocket. Tucker attempted to stand and peek over the edge but quickly lost his footing on the very unstable ground and toppled over. With a small huff he looped his fingers through the shirt’s stitching to keep steady, only then realizing an easy solution to his problem: Tucker hurriedly unthreaded a hole into the pocket with his fingers until it was just big enough for him to look through.
His brown eyes immediately locked onto the young human Shawn called Jules. She was standing at her desk as she shuffled through some papers. Her blonde hair was done up in a neat bun held by a black claw-clip, a few strands framing her slightly tan face. She wore a dark gray blazer and pants with a light pink shirt tucked underneath. Her blue eyes snapped over to Shawn and Gus as they approached. Tucker couldn’t deny the fact that she was beautiful, even though she’s a human woman.
She gave them a small smile. “Hey guys, any progress?”
Shawn nodded. “Yep! I finally reached level 37 on my farming simulator game. I’m saving up for a goat.” He announced triumphantly.
Juliet just rolled her eyes in response. “I meant the Blum case.”
“Oh, right,” he replied with a small frown. “Unfortunately I still haven’t heard anything from the other side.”
“Then why are you here?” She asked seriously, although her tone was not unkind.
“Well Gus had the bright idea to come here to talk to Steven and see if it would trigger any visions.”
Once again; Tucker was shocked at how easily the lies slipped out of Shawn’s mouth. Even next to his heart, he didn’t hear anything that hinted the man wasn’t telling the truth.
The detective mulled it over for a moment. “Carlton is with Steven now. He’ll be pissed if you go in there.” She warned despite knowing who she’s talking to.
“Nothing new there.” Gus replied with a shrug.
“Only pissed? Sounds like Lassie is in a good mood today, we need to take advantage of that before it’s too late.” Shawn stated as he turned to walk towards the stairs leading down to the interrogation rooms.
Juliet and Gus followed closely behind until they reached the gray door Lassiter and Steven were hidden behind.
Tucker winced as he could just vaguely hear the scary detective’s deep voice demanding answers. He could just imagine those icy blue eyes tearing into his soul. Tucker felt a bit of sympathy for his resident human trapped under his wrath.
“Try to turn the idiocity down a little in there?” Juliet pointlessly asked. Her hand was on the door handle ready to push it open.
“I’ll have you know Juliet; we take our job very seriously.” Shawn replied with a hint of sarcasm in his tone.
The detective let out a deep breath before opening the door for the two men, and the hidden third one.
Hii! I just gotta say that your Pocket Detective fic is an absolute gem and I absolutely love it ❤️
Are you planning on continuing it??
Hi!! Ahhh thank you so much it means a lot to me that you enjoy the story!
And yes I do plan on continuing the story but the next chapter has me stumped. I know what I want to happen but it never ends up how I want it, it’s a struggle lol (and school and work doesn’t help either).
I’ll be actively working on it the next few days to hopefully get something out soon! I have a lot of ideas for this story so even if updates are extremely slow, I’ll keep it going until I say otherwise :)
