Or, rather, he’d planned several possibilities. It all depended on how Gus reacted. If Gus seemed angry about Shawn spying on him, Shawn would have to be hurt by his friend’s lack of trust in him. If Gus claimed he was actually working undercover on a case and that the interview was part of his investigation, Shawn would keep pumping him for details until the lie fell apart under its own weight. If Gus claimed that he had no idea what he was doing in San Francisco and that all he remembered was going to sleep in his own bed last night and waking up on that street corner and being hugged by D-Bob, Shawn would insist that Gus check himself in for observation at the nearest mental hospital and refuse to leave him alone until he did.

But what Gus actually did was something that even Shawn had never thought to prepare for. As soon as the waitress had departed with their order, he leaned across the table and gave Shawn a warm smile.

“I can’t tell you how happy I am you followed me today,” Gus said. “Thank you.”

Shawn studied Gus’ words as closely as he studied the face across from him. Now matter which way he looked at them, they made no sense.

“You’re thanking me for spying on you?” Shawn said finally.

“Yes,” Gus said.

“For violating your privacy, breaking your confidence, and basically being a complete jerk?”

“Yes,” Gus said.

Now Shawn understood. His face tightened. “Because that just makes it easier for you to tell me to go to hell,” Shawn said. “It’s one thing to screw over a friend and colleague. But to do it to a creep-no big deal, right?”

Gus looked more surprised than hurt. “Because I’ve been looking for a way to tell you about this for weeks,” he said. “I never had the nerve. But you took the kind of bold action I was too chicken to try, and now everything is out in the open. Which just goes to show why you’re the best friend anyone has ever had.”