William Rabkin - Psych: Mind Over Magic

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Table of Contents

IN THE DOGHOUSE

For a moment, there was silence.

And then the growling started again.

Gus tried not to let the images of feral hounds feasting on human flesh completely shut down the logic centers of his brain.

Anyway, we should look on the bright side, Shawn said.

Were about to be mauled to death and possibly eaten unless we come up with a magic word, and you think theres a bright side?

Theres always a bright side.

And in this case it would be... ? Gus asked.

That I was right and you were wrong, Shawn said.

Wrong about what?

You said that growling was a dog.

Gus could hear long nails clicking on the pathway below them. And I was wrong ?

Without a doubt, Shawn said. Thats at least four dogs.

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First Printing, July 2009

eISBN : 978-1-101-10410-1

Copyright NBC Universal Inc. Psych is a trademark and copyright of Universal Studios, 2009. All rights reserved.

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PUBLISHERS NOTE

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This one is for Carrie, too

Prologue

1988

T he criminal justice system was a farce. Millions of lawyers fought in thousands of courtrooms, and the result was almost always the same. Criminals walked free and victims were hurt all over again.

Henry Spencer had been fighting this realization for all the years hed been a member of the Santa Barbara Police Department. Hed had to, because if he had ever acknowledged it, hed never have been able to put on his blues in the morning.

But as of today, there was no longer any way to deny the truth. The court had jammed his face in it as surely as if he were a puppy that had left a mess on the living room carpet.

Six months Henry had been tracking a bunko crew. Six months he had interviewed the little old ladies whose life savings had been scammed away by these sleazebags. Finally hed been allowed to set up a sting and the creeps walked right into itcaught on tape, caught with the cash, caught with no doubt.

Except to the United States criminal justice system, that was. For them, there was plenty of doubt. Reasonable doubt, they called it, but it was only reasonable if you could bring yourself to believe that the crooks accidentally switched a bag full of scrap paper for the one holding their victims life savings, and then accidentally used her money to buy first-class tickets to Antigua.

Henry slammed through his front door and kicked it shut behind him. He should be at the station right now, finalizing the paperwork on a burglary case that was going to arraignment tomorrow, but what was the point? Even if he did everything perfectly, the defense lawyer would argue that the defendant thought he was entering his own house, and that he only crowbarred open a second-story window because hed misplaced his keys. And the idiot prosecutor would be unable to come up with a way to argue the point.

Henry tossed his gun in the safe and banged it shut, spinning the combination lock. He didnt want the feel of the weapon against his thigh; he didnt need any more temptationespecially since he had a sixer of Anchor Steam in the fridge and no one he needed to share it with.

He pushed his way through the swinging door into the kitchen and froze. Where he had left breakfast dishes scattered over the table, there now arose an enormous tiered edifice of white frosting with a small plastic bride and groom standing on top.

Shawn! he shouted. Get down here.

Two small faces appeared on either side of the wedding cake. Henry was pretty sure they belonged to his son Shawn and Shawns best friend, Gus, but both were so completely smeared with white, they could have been snowmen.

Hi, Dad, one of them said in Shawns voice. Want some cake?

I want you to tell me where you got this, Henry said. And then I want you to tell me exactly how much trouble youre in.

Its our cake, Dad, Shawn said.

Which Ill believe as soon as you show me the ring on Gus finger, Henry said.

Gus lifted both hands and waggled his fingers. No rings. We went into the bakery and Shawn asked for the biggest, best cake they had. And they had this, because someone had ordered it and never picked it up.

Poor Kathleen, Shawn said. If only shed listened to her father. He knew Steve was no-good, that lousy two-timer.

Henry could feel the blood vessels under his scalp constricting. His day had been bad enough already without having to deal with his own sons malfeasance.

Even accepting that this ludicrous story is true, Henry said, where could you have possibly gotten the money for a cake like this?

They gave us a big discount, Gus said. Apparently there isnt much of a market for used wedding cakes.

Im sure youre right, Henry said. But you went into the bakery and asked for the biggest, best cake they had. And I want to know where did you get the money for that?

Shawn shrugged innocently. Oh, you know, he said. Around.

Henry briefly considered his alternatives. He could get the gun out of his safe, but Henry had long felt that if the imposition of discipline required the threat of deadly force, youd probably lost the moral authority needed for good parenting. He played with the notion of putting Shawn across his knee and waling on him, but deep down Shawn was Henrys son, and physical punishment would only make him more stubborn.

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