“You really think you’re man enough to step through that door?” Lassiter said.

“Shawn’s man enough for anything,” a female voice behind them said. They turned to see Tara coming up to the door, looking stern. “And he doesn’t like it when his masculinity is questioned.”

“Good thing he hired a hooker to defend his honor, then,” Coules said.

“I am not a hooker,” Tara said. “I just dress like one because Shawn likes it.”

“That’s absolutely untrue,” Shawn said.

“No?” O’Hara said, studying Tara’s tiny dress. “Didn’t you try to get me to wear an outfit like that when I went undercover at that convent?”

“First of all, that was a joke,” Shawn said. “And second-what I mean to say was that it’s absolutely untrue that I order Tara to dress a particular way. Not that it’s untrue that I like it.”

Lassiter shook his head in disgust. “I’m glad we cleared that up. Now why don’t you ask your friend to leave? In Santa Barbara, we don’t bring dates to crime scenes.”

“So for Lassie we can add crime scene to the list, along with restaurants, movie theaters, and the beach,” Shawn said. “As for Tara, she’s not my date. She’s my… new assistant.”

“I thought Guster was your assistant.”

“Hey!” Gus said. “I am no one’s assistant. Shawn and I are associates.”

“Really?” Lassiter said. “That must be why I always see you running behind Spencer, doing exactly what he wants.”

Gus wanted to argue, but words wouldn’t come. He knew there was a mistake in something that Lassiter had said, but he couldn’t find it.

“Can we get this over with?” Detective O’Hara said. “That body isn’t getting any fresher.”

Chapter Six

“ I confess!” Gus screamed. “I did it! I killed that man! Now please, please let me out of here!” No one moved to take Gus into custody. No one even looked at him. That was probably because Gus had only confessed in his mind. But another two minutes in the shack, and he’d admit to anything if it would get him one breath of sweet fresh air.