Aria (a psych fanfiction)

Chapter 24

As always, thank you to everyone reading this, and enjoy!

Half an hour later, Shawn had nearly worn a hole in the floor in front of the desk. He was still pacing when Gus hissed at him. "Shawn!"

He ran to the desk. "Hello, Senator Greyson, my name is Shawn Spencer, and that was my partner, Pythagorean Theodore. We work for the Santa Barbara Police Department. We'd like to ask you a few questions about your daughter."

There was a long silence. Gus grabbed the phone. "Mrs. Greyson?"

"Mrs?" Shawn mouthed. Gus nodded, both of them craning their necks to hear the next words spoken.

"I-I...I'm afraid you must have a wrong number."

"Mrs. Greyson, we believe we may have information about what happened to Calliope after she disappeared."

Another pause. When the woman spoke again, her voice, already frail with age, shook heavily. "What do you care about my daughter's death?"

"It's...a long story. Would you be willing to meet us to discuss it in person?"

They heard rustling, other voices in the background, before another voice rose to prominence, that of a man. "My wife and I are available this Wednesday from twelve to one. Will that be sufficient time for you to travel to New York?"

"Yes. Yes, of course."

"Good. Call again once you have booked your flight. We'll have someone meet you at the airport. Safe travels."

The former senator was a tiny woman, her dark skin smooth save for a few wrinkles. The maid offered the two visitors tea, which they declined - although they accepted the cookies gratefully - as they listened.

"Callie had always been...a bit of a troublemaker."

"Really?" Shawn raised an eyebrow, speaking through a mouthful of chocolate chip. "How so?"

"She was extremely smart, but lazy. Never wanted to apply herself. She had so much potential, and to see her throwing it all away…" The husband squeezed his eyes shut, breathing deeply. "I pushed her too hard."

Mrs. Greyson rubbed his arm. "We both did. I was stressed about the elections, you were worried about layoffs - it wasn't a good time." She looked back up at Shawn and Gus. "We loved her. A lot. But that boyfriend of hers…"

"Was his name James Frederick?"

She wrinkled her nose in confusion. "No. Randy Freeman. He was a good kid, but she had gotten into the habit of disappearing with him after school. She wouldn't come home until early in the morning, if at all, but she'd always call us, telling us not to worry. As if that was possible." Her hand shook as it drifted up to play with a stray lock of hair. "One day, she didn't call. We waited two days before filing a missing persons report." Tears welled up in her eyes. "We should have known."

Gus waited for her to compose herself before speaking. "Do you by any chance have a picture of this Randy Freeman?"

"Hm? Yes." From a drawer in the coffee table, she pulled out an old high school yearbook, flipping through the pages. " Right there." Gus looked, but Shawn's attention was drawn to a different picture.

"Wait." He pointed. "Did Calliope know this man? Before her disappearance?"

The senator followed his finger with her gaze, scanning the photo. "I don't think so. Do you recognize him, darling?" Her husband shook his head, and she turned back to face the two "detectives." "I'm afraid not. Why? Do you know him?"

Shawn and Gus looked at each other. The young man smirking up at them from the pages of Calliope Greyson's yearbook was none other than a teenaged James Frederick.