"In Lassiter's photo, there didn't appear to be a mark on that safe." Gus points out while the trio got back to the lobby. "I don't care how good you are. You don't crack a Hydra without leaving some sort of visible residue. We need to see that safe."

"That's going to be a little difficult. How close do you need to be?" Shawn questioned, noticing the officers surrounding the front desk with the safe behind it.

"Is there a secret back door through the kitchen?" Gus inquired, confused as he and Desiree followed Shawn through the kitchen of the hotel.

"No, we're going to take the air vents." Shawn admits. "Unfortunately, both of my access points are blocked by Santa Barbra's finest."

Desiree groans. "I thought I got out of having to use the vents."

"Sorry, Dezi. But it's the only way." Shawn told her as they got to the air vent. Desiree sighed heavily but nodded. She wasn't afraid of going in the air vent, she just rather would not get lost or get stuck somewhere in the hotel. Both were a possibility.

Gus stops, staring at Shawn with disbelief. "You think I'm going in there?"

"You know you want to." Shawn replied.

"Not in this suit." Gus sassily said.

"Okay, Gus, do you want to see the safe or not?" Shawn asks. "This'll be easy. We will take this dumbwaiter up to the grate, pop the screen, crawl right through the shafts. Three rights and a left. We check our progress through the vents." He opened the dumbwaiter, screaming and backing up immediately at what he saw. Desiree yelped as well, her and Shawn grabbing onto each other instinctively while Gus backed up with a scared look.

"Looks like we're not going to check out the safe room this way." Desiree commented. She noticed Shawn was glancing around the person, using his observant ability. She had done the same thing, noticing scratch marks on the wall, dried blood around the guy's ear, scuff mark on the shoe. And the name tag on the guy's suit said he was a manager there.

"Isn't it kind of weird how the body's just shoved in here?" Shawn questioned.

"Honestly, yeah. Like someone put him there on purpose." Desiree agreed.

"No, what's weird is there's a dead guy in a dumbwaiter and we're standing here and staring at it, waiting for somebody to find us. Let's go." Gus ushered.

"This is Lassiter's suspect." Shawn realized.

"Shawn, close the hatch and keep your voice down. I don't want to explain how we got in here." Gus nervously spoke.

"I just need to see one thing." Shawn said. The trio panicked when his phone suddenly started ringing. They frantically scramble to get the phone out of Shawn's pocket before someone finds out they were there. "You answered it." Shawn grumbles to Gus when he raised his phone up to his ear to talk. "Hello?" Desiree looks at him with surprise when he mentioned it was his dad calling. It was rare that his dad called. "Dad, hey! Going to have to call you back." He told him.

Desiree knew she shouldn't have, but she was curious and couldn't help but listen in on the conversation. "No, no, you were supposed to call me yesterday, you were supposed to call me the day before. We need to handle this now." His dad was saying, clearly getting irritated. Desiree raised her eyebrows, wondering what Henry meant by that. What did Shawn do that would cause his dad to get upset?

"Dad, I'm a little busy right now." Shawn pointed out.

"Shaw, just tell me when you're going to come by and pick up the box of trophies." Desiree couldn't help the small snicker that escaped her. That's what Shawn was getting fussed at for? A box of trophies in the way? She shook her head, amusement dancing in her eyes when Shawn glanced at her.

"Box of trophies? Seriously?" She mouthed to him, causing him to send her an unamused look.

"Really tough to be sure." Shawn replied to his dad as he tried to figure out how to get out of the phone call quickly.

"Last week you were all gung-ho about getting this stuff back. I went upstairs. I brought it down for you. It's sitting in the middle of my kitchen table. I need my kitchen table, Shawn." Henry told him, his patience clearly running thin.

"You're right. Can I please call you back, dad?" Shawn pleaded.

"How about you just give me an answer?" Henry suggested.

"Tonight." Shawn then quickly corrects himself. "Uh, no, tomorrow."

"Tomorrow. Wonderful. Otherwise, I am putting it outside and that's where it's sitting. Now, how hard was that?" Henry sarcastically asked.

Shawn rolls his eyes. "So easy, anything else?"

"No, unless, of course, you need something." Henry responded.

"No, I'm good-" Shawn pauses. "Actually, wait, I do have one question."

"Go ahead." Henry allowed.

"How long does it take before a dead body starts to smell bad?" Shawn asked hesitantly. Henry just chuckled in what Desiree guessed to be disbelief or maybe annoyance and then he hung up the call.

Desiree stood there, her eyes wide with surprise, a mix of amusement and concern flooding her expression. She followed the boys out of the kitchen after Shawn had closed the dumbwaiter. "Did you wipe our fingerprints off?" Gus asked nervously.

"Our?" Desiree scoffs, crossing her arms. "I didn't touch anything."

"Of course I did. We were never there." Shawn assured Gus.

"We need to call the chief soon. If Dietrich was a part of this, he's not anymore." Gus pointed out.

"Why is it the attorney general has to call me wondering why some civilian is wondering around, grilling his entire family?" Lassiter's angry voice spoke. Desiree winced and turned around, seeing the head detective storming over to them, followed by Juliet. Lassiter stood in front of Shawn with a glare, looking like he was ready to strangle the psychic.

"Wait a second, the attorney general has your number? What, are you guys tight?" Shawn curiously asks. "Give it up. What's the story?"

Desiree chuckled and rolled her eyes at Shawn's insatiable curiosity. She could always count on him to try to lighten the mood. "He also told me to keep you otu of here by any means necessary, which opens up an entire world of exciting possibilities for me peresonally."

"Ow!" Shawn calls out, pretending to be hurt and staggers away. Desiree chuckles, knowing he was pretending to be having a psyschic vision. He was always so dramatic when doing so. He staggers down the hallway, towards the kitchen, calling out to his best friends in a fake panicked voice. "Gus! Dezi, my fellow pyschic, help!"

Desiree follows, stiffling a laugh and shaking her head. "Oh, my gosh. This is bad. Something terrible has happened." She played along, pretending to panic and act as if she had seen a vision too. She wasn't as dramatic as Shawn though.

"Oh, it's too much! Too much!" Shawn cried out, stumbling into displays of food, heading towards the dumbwaiter.

"You're not going to shoot him, are you?" Juliet's worried question gained Desiree's attention and she turned back to her and Lassiter with surprise. Lassiter had actually drawn his gun out, pure annoyance and anger in his eyes. Desiree shared a look with Gus, realizing that Lassiter was probably actually considering it.

"I haven't decided." He muttered.

"Oh, my ear! Gus, Dezi, my ear!" Shawn cried out, holding onto his left ear.

"Oh, for the love of Mike, you are not going to escape, so will you just give it up?" Lassiter called out in annoyance, rushing over to try to grab him and stop him. He struggled trying to keep Shawn still, who kept staggering over to the dumbwaiter and acting as if he was having a vision. Juliet trailed behind, hesitant on what to do and concerned for what was going on. She glanced over at Desiree and Gus, wondering if they had any answers on what was going on, but Gus just shrugged though Desiree sent her a reassuring smile.

"Sometimes when he has visions, it takes him a while to calm down. Just let him work through it. He'll be okay." Desiree reassured the blonde, knowing she was still concerned for Shawn's safety.

"Check the dumbwaiter! Open the dumbwaiter, Detective O'Hara!" Shawn yelled out, trying to get out of Lassiter's grip. Juliet finally rushed over and opened the dumwaiter like Shawn said to do, gasping and stumbling back at the sight inside. She caught the dead body that almost fell out of the dumbwaiter, eyes in shock, disbelief, and panic. She called out for Lassiter's help and Lassiter stopped trying to get Shawn away when he saw the dead body.

Soon the forensics are there to work, Desiree stood by Shawn and Gus as the dead body is put in a bag and on a gurney before he was pushed out of the room. "Come on, you three. Out." Lassiter ordered, grabbing Shawn's arm and pulling him out of the room. Desiree shared a look with Gus as they both followed.

"Woah, don't we get to wait around for the autopsy?" Shawn frowned.

"No, we'll call you if we need you." Lassiter replied, but Desiree scoffed. She knew he was lying, they would not call.

"Detective." Attorney General Maxwell steps into the room, looking at Lassiter sternly, who nodded and greeted him with a 'sir'. He let go of Shawn and followed Maxwell into the room. "Shut this down. Keep it quiet. Nobody in the wedding party needs to know about this. They've been through enough."

Shawn smirks, crossing his arms. "Well, that should keep him busy for awhile."

****

In Lassiter's room, Shawn laid on the bed, shoes off and a basket of snacks nearby. Desiree had kicked her own shoes off to sit by him, leaning back against the pillows. She sighs in content, closing her eyes. "These are heavenly." She said, sinking deeper into the plush fabric.

Shawn hums in agreement. "Right? Here." He handed her some cookies that were from the gift basket. She perked up and took them happily, thanking him.

Gus stands nervously near them. "Can we at least watch the tape in another room besides Lassiter's?"

"But we just got comfy." Desiree pouted, gesturing to herself and Shawn.

"Yeah, and besides, he's not coming back." Shawn assured their friend.

"Are you sure about that?" Gus worried.

"Yes, didn't you check his message?" Shawn asks him, not gaining a response from Gus. "Are you going to have some cookies?"

"No." Gus rolls his eyes and crossed his arms as he leaned against the wall. "I want to leave."

"Gus, we're fine, calm down." Desiree reassured him, continuing to eat some of the cookies she had while watching the tape with the boys. The tape played the security footage ffrom the safe room when the ring was put up. She raised her eyebrows when she saw the best man was clearly drunk, stumbling around and almost falling.

"Look at the best man, he's smashed." Shawn points out. "And look at his hair. It's horrible."

The trio are confused when the tape ended, assuming there was more to it. Maybe they missed something. So Shawn played the tape again for them to watch, just as there was a knock on the door. "It's open!" Shawn called out.

Gus panics. "'It's open'? What are you doing?"

Dylan Maxwell enters with beer, glancing around curioisity before he smiles when he saw Shawn. "Oh, what, am I early?"

"Big Dyl! You're right on time." Shawn greets. He then gives out a mock gasp when Gus looked at him with disbelief and confusion. "Did I forget to mention that we're hosting the bachelor party? Oh, and that you're going to be a part of the bachelortte party." He added, glancing over at a confused Desiree.

"Are you kidding me?" Desiree complains, but she still got up and put her shoes back on. "Right when I was comfy." She pouts. "You owe me, Shawn." She told him. She would honestly rather not be a part of a bacherlotte party involving girls she didn't know, but she knew she had to go along with it.

"Sorry, Dezi." Shawn apologizes, sending her an apologetic look as he got up and led her to the door. "But really, this is a great way to get to know the bridal party more and find out who stole the ring." He murmured to her.

Desiree sighs, glancing back at the comfortable spot she'd just vacated on with a pout. She was really comfy. And the cookies were good too. But she couldn't deny that Shawn was right. So, reluctantly, she went along with it. "Fine, but only because I'm invested in this whole mystery now," She whispers back, shooting him a mock glare. "But you owe me."

"Of course, anything for my favorite fellow psychic." Shawn smiled, nodding.

"I'm your only fellow psychic, Shawn." Desiree reminded him with a smirk, causing him to shrug.

"Still my favorite." He told her, nudging her playfully, earning a roll of her eyes from the brunette, who bit back a smile before she left the room after Shawn told her where the bacherlotte party was held.

****

Desiree found the room the bacherlotte party was in, relieved to find out they were expecting her too. She wasn't sure how Shawn had gotten her invite without them questioning anything. She did her best to not stand out too much as she entered, keeping her posture relaxed as if she were meant to be there all along. Inside, the room was filled with lively chatter, laughter, and the occasional sound of clinking glasses along with upbeat music in the background. The room was brightly lit and had a lot of pink decor everywhere. She couldn't help but feel a bit out of place amid the sea of pastel pink and glitter, but she reminded herself that this was part of the job—blend in, gather intel, and don't overthink it.

She was relieved when the maid of honor and wedding planner, Lacey, noticed her and approached her. "Hey, Desiree! We're so glad you made it."

Desiree smiled warmly, putting on her best friendly demeanor. "Thanks! I was a little nervous, honestly," she admitted with a light laugh. "But it's such a beautiful setup. You all did an amazing job!"

Lacey beams, clearly pleased. "Thank you! We wanted it to feel special. After all, it's not every day one of us gets married! Here, take shots with us!" She suggested, handing her a shot glass as all the girls gathered together to cheer and toast.

Desiree hesitates as she takes the glass, she didn't plan on drinking tonight, especially since she had to focus and keep her wits about her, but she didn't want to stand out. Reluctantly, she raises her glass and takes a sip with the others, hoping it would be enough to blend in without compromising her focus. The liquid burned slightly as it slid down her throat, but she managed to keep a smile plastered on her face.

As the girls laughed and took turns sharing silly stories about the bride, Desiree listened intently, trying to pick up any hints about the missing ring and who might have stole it. Eventually, she managed to have time to chat with everyone in the room, making sure to not seem so obvious that she was intestigating while gathering information. She laughed at their jokes, chimed in on their conversations, and tried to pick up on any slip-ups or signs of discomfort among the bridal party.

By the end of the night, she felt pretty confident that none of the girls had stolen the ring. They seemed genuine and truly happy for their friend, and not one of them was acting suspiciously or gave her any red flags. No one in the room seemed like they were criminals...Well, besides Lacey. Honestly, she had been a bit hesitant with her the more she learned about her and the others. She felt like she needed to talk with her more to get a clearer picture. Lacey was charismatic and bubbly, but Desiree sensed an underlying tension or sense of annoyance maybe whenever she mentioned the bride or groom.

Desiree decided to approach Lacey directly. "Hey, Lacey, can we chat for a second?" She asked, trying to sound casual.

Lacey lookssurprised but nods and smiles, leading Desiree out to the hall. "What's up?" She asked, her voice a little more serious now.

Desiree takrd a breath, trying to phrase her question carefully. "I know this is a huge event for you, but I'm curious about the ring situation. Is the bride really stressed out about it?"

Lacey's expression shifts slightly, a flicker of something—annoyance, perhaps?—crossing her features before she masked it with a smile. "Of course she is! It's her engagement ring. I mean, who wouldn't be?"

Desiree nods, trying to keep the conversation going. "Right. I just wanted to make sure she's doing okay. I mean, it's a big deal." She pauses, deciding to change the subject. "So, um, you're the maid of honor and the wedding planner, right?" She asked, pretending to look surprised and imperssed. "I mean, that's a lot of responsibility! How have you been handling everything?"

Lacey's smile returns, but Desiree noticed a flicker of tension in her eyes. "It can be a bit overwhelming, really overwhelming honestly." She admits. "I mean, I've been working on planning this all day for awhile now. It has to be perfect. But there's always something that goes wrong. Just the other day, the florist bailed out at the last minute. And get this, we had to make them ourselves." She rambled, clearly getting annoyed just talking about it.

Desiree was surprised. That was certainly something worth looking into. Maybe this was the red flag she had been waiting for. "That must've been a nightmare." She empathizes, her tone sympathetic. "And with everything else, you've had to deal with, I can't even imagine..." She pauses when she realized they had stopped walking next to where bouquets are kept in a see through case. "Oh, are these the ones you made?" She asks, smiling after Lacey nodded. "Wow, they're beautiful."

"Please, it's subpar." Lacey scoffs. "I was rushed. I wish I could fix it." She sighed.

"Well, let's just open it and try. Maybe I can help." Desiree offered, already moving to open the case.

Lacey moves to her side, too quick Desiree noticed that made her feel like Lacey was worried. For some reason. She wore she saw panic flash in Lacey's eyes too before her face returned to a smile. "Oh, no, no. It's locked."

Confusion fills her eyes. "They lock up bouquets? Who does that?"

"Right? It's weird." Lacey chuckles. "It's a, uh, a security thing. And speaking of security, for some reason my dad got more security, I'm not sure why."

Desiree knew it had to do with the dead body she, Shawn, and Gus found in the dumbwaiter but pretended not to know. "Well, with the ring stolen, I'm not surprised." She tells Lacey. "I'm sure it's just a precaution."

Lacey nods, seeming to relax. "Yeah, maybe."

"So, speaking about the ring, do you have any idea on who could've done it?" Desiree asks casually, glancing at her curiously. "I'm assuming it had to be someone close. Maybe even a part of the wedding party."

Lacey seemed taken aback by the question. "You really think so? Well, I don't know. It could've been anyone, I guess." Her smile looked a little tense, a little forced. Desiree wondered if she was hiding something. "Anyway, I'm really tired. It's been a long day."

Desiree quickly tries to salvage the conversation. "Wait, before you go, can I ask you a question?" She asked, not wanting to let her get away just yet.

Lacey looks surprised and slightly uncomfortable, but she nods, smiling. "Uh, sure. What's up?"

Desiree takes a breath. This was her chance to dig a little deeper and hopefully get a straight answer. "It's just...You seem like you're not exactly the biggest fan of the bride or the groom." She said bluntly.

Lacey looks alarmed, but she seems to recover quickly, giving Desiree a reassuring smile. "That's ridiculous."

"Really?" Desiree pressed.

"Yes." Lacey affirms. "Dylan is my brother and Bethany is my best friend." She added firmly, but Desiree sensed a flicker of hesitation or a slight waver in her voice.

"Are you sure?" She asked, not buying it.

"Yeah, why would I plan this wedding otherwise?" Lacey questions her. "Why would I spend eighteen hours of every day to plan it and organize every last detail and make sure it was perfect?" She listed, sounding like she was starting to get a bit irritated.

Desiree notices and holds her hands up in defense. "No, I get that, and I respect your dedication and hard work. But it just feels like there's a lot of resentment here, like you're not entirely happy for them. Am I wrong?" She asked cautiously. She could see Lacey's emotions shifting rapidly beneath the surface.

Lacey's eyes narrowed slightly, her smile faltering for a moment. "Resentment? No, not at all. It's just... I want everything to be perfect for them, you know? And that pressure can be a bit overwhelming. It doesn't mean I don't love them both," she replied, her voice tight.

Desiree nodded, sensing that she was treading on delicate ground. "I understand. It's a lot to take on, especially when you care about the people involved. But I can't help but wonder if there's something more behind the stress."

Lacey took a step back, folding her arms defensively. "What do you mean?" she asked, her tone sharper now.

Desiree quickly backtracked, trying to soften her approach. "I just mean that planning a wedding is a huge undertaking, and sometimes emotions can run high. It's totally normal. But I did notice a bit of tension when you were talking about them."

Lacey looked like she was starting to get a little uncomfortable and was getting a bit frustrated with the line of questioning. Maybe looked to be a bit of worry or even panic. "Look, I appreciate your concern, but it's fine, okay? Nothing is going on. There's no drama. Everyone is happy. I'm just stressed. Thank you for coming, though." She smiled, but it didn't quite reach her eyes.

"Right. Well, thanks for talking to me." Desiree returned the smile, wanting to talk more, but she knew it was best not to push her luck. Lacey didn't seem like she was willing to talk any further, and Desiree didn't want to risk upsetting her or blowing her cover. "If you ever need anything, I'm here. I'll keep an eye on things." She assured her.

"Thanks, that's sweet. I'll see you at the wedding tomorrow." Lacey nodded, her tone friendly, but a little distant.

Desiree left, a frown etched onto her face. She had a feeling there was definitely something more going on. But she couldn't pinpoint exactly what. Though she knew it involved with Lacey somehow. She and Lacey parted ways and she met up with Shawn in the hallway. "Hey, Shawnie." She greets with a smile, then frowns when she saw Gus was gone. "Where's Gus?"

"He got upset we weren't getting any luck and he left." Shawn rolls his eyes. "We didn't find out much. Just that Dylan doesn't care the ring is stolen and is upset with his dad for interrupting his speech and makes the engagement about himself. Please tell me you got something." He Desiree sighed, running a hand through her hair. "Well, I didn't get a lot of concrete evidence, but I had a conversation with Lacey that left me with some concerns. She seems really stressed, and while she claims to be fully supportive of the bride and groom, there's an underlying tension there. It felt like she might be hiding something."

Shawn raised an eyebrow, intrigued. "Interesting. What do you think it could be? Do you think she's involved somehow?"

"Yeah, definitely. She seems the most likely suspect." Desiree nods. "Something tells me there's a lot more going on here than what meets the eye."

"Then I guess we have a lead to follow. Great job, Dezi." Shawn complimented her, grinning at her as he and Desiree did their handshake they made up when they were kids. Desiree smiled back, feeling a rush of pride at Shawn's recognition.

"Thanks, Shawnie. Hey, can I cash in that favor now?" She asked, remembering that he had owed her one.

"Sure. What is it?" Shawn shrugged.

"You're buying me dinner." Desiree smiled.

Shawn laughs and shakes his head. "Of course. Whatever you want, my dear fellow psychic." He told her, wrapping his arm around her shoulders as they walk out of the hotel together. Desiree grinned, leaning into his warm embrace and wrapping her arm around his waist. She felt a sense of comfort in their friendship, the kind that always lifted her spirits, even amid the chaos of the mystery they were navigating.