1986 (#8) - The trip to San Francisco and Shawn's past

Having eliminated all his enemies and the obstacles that divide him from Lauren, Shawn can now finally focus on his woman with the goal of making her fall in love with him. Shawn, then, back to being sweet, loving and seemingly understanding. Lauren, however, does not trust the man at all, and despite the man's gifts, promises, and surprises, she is increasingly convinced that he is dealing with a psychopath. Remembering the words of poor Tamra, Lauren is convinced that Shawn is suffering from some pathology that makes him mentally ill and schizophrenic, the reason for which is certainly to be found in his past. Confirmation of this, Lauren obtains it by observing the poor and childish relational skills of Shawn, who suffers from serious intimacy problems, showing himself to be completely impotent and unable to have any sexual intercourse. And when Lauren, pretending to be more and more in love with the man, asks him to tell him about her life and her past, Shawn immediately becomes vague and impetuous, specifying nothing more than having loved only one woman before her, her mother. Unwittingly, then, it is Shawn who lends a big hand to Lauren's investigation when, secretly canceling the concert in Tokyo during her Japan tour, Shawn is convinced that he has to make Lauren abandon her musical career so that she can have no distractions. Shawn thus plans to take her on a vacation to San Francisco, which is where Shawn comes from. Lauren realizes the great opportunity to discover Shawn's past and is excited about Shawn's sudden decision to take a vacation. From reading some old newspapers, Lauren discovers that Shawn never knew his father, Benjamin Garrett, having died when he was just two years old, and that his mother, Jody Conway, had died a few years earlier following a violent house fire. Taking advantage of the few moments without Shawn around, in San Francisco Lauren was able to find out much more, and unbeknownst to Shawn, Mark Wilcox, Shawn's mother's second husband. Mark confides to Lauren that he married Jody while Shawn was away at summer camp during that fateful summer, adding that he suspects, without being able to prove, that it was Shawn who set the fire. Upon learning that Lauren is seeing Shawn, Mark warns her to stay away from the man, being extremely dangerous and sick. Lauren then has no trouble understanding how Shawn associates her with her mother, who, like her, was a talented singer; and realizing the child, Lauren realizes that she is in grave danger if Shawn finds out about the pregnancy. At this very moment, Shawn finds a positive pregnancy test in Lauren's things, showing himself to be full of anger and ready for anything.