Detective Shane Marcette

Gregory Shane Marcette, Jr. (October 1, 1934 - ), better known by his middle name, is a former (as of the epilogue of book five) detective with the Haven Park Police Department. He was one of Carol Mathison's closest friends, and her admirer for many years. In addition, he was Brett Woodward's longtime best friend.

Early life:
Shane lost his father at an early age, and gravitated toward Stanley Rogers, former Haven Park police chief, as a father figure as a result. This meant that a young Shane spent a lot of time in the Rogers home and became very well acquainted with Stanley and Mona's youngest child Carol. Carol held quite the crush on Shane for years, and unbeknownst to her, Shane shared her feelings, but was careful to never act on them, out of respect for her parents.

Shane has never married, even into his early 30s, but he has dated a series of young ladies in town. Some notable former flames include Peggy, an obsessive and controlling woman that he still runs into on occasion, and Agatha, a woman who once asked if Brett would preside over her cat's wedding ceremony. Julia is always trying to fix him up, but he's yet to have a successful relationship. He is also known to be a very heavy drinker, what some might even call a functioning alcoholic, and though he's acknowledged in the past that it might be somewhat excessive, he's yet to admit that he might have a real problem with the bottle.

It was revealed in book three that Shane's mother, Jean (a former Miss Albany County, per book four), passed away five years ago, and that he despised being referred to by his given name, Greg.

Carol's death, aftermath and investigation:
On the morning of July 5, 1966, Shane discovered his good friend Carol's body in the park, and immediately presumed that Jeff was responsible. He hauled him in for interrogation, but was unable to hold him on anything. However, that did not stop Shane from publicly naming him, in a drunken state, as Carol's murderer. This, along with the run-in with Jeff at Carol's funeral, got him in a lot of trouble with police chief Elton Frazier, as well as Mayor Clayton Pierce.

On the ninth, they called Shane in to air their grievances, and Frazier revealed that he'd gotten a phone call from a lawyer, calling on Jeff Howard's behalf. That proved to be the catalyst to remove Shane from the case, and he spent the next day drinking away the ache. On the morning of the 10th, he was alerted to Lance Englund's brutal murder and at the crime scene, he first met Detective Michael Goldman, on loan from Laramie to consult on the murders. Shane erupted that Goldman is out of his jurisdiction, then left to notify Terri. Quickly, he realized that Terri was gone and paid a visit to Brett to hopefully shed some light on her sudden disappearance.

The next day, Michael shared his suspicions about Brett with Shane, and Shane was quick to discount the whole thing as nonsense, having known Brett all his life. Later that night, while Brett was drinking with Shane at Shane's home, Shane told Brett about what Goldman said. Brett admitted that he didn't even really remember what he told Michael, and then talk turned to Julia and her affair with Jeff. Shane was unwilling to believe it, at first writing it off as drunken nonsense, and even told Julia where Brett was when she called to ask about his whereabouts.

The next day, Shane made a major discovery about the man Haven Park knew as "Lucas Brady." He presented his findings to Frazier: Lucas Brady was really Caleb Hennessy, a fugitive from Cheyenne, missing since Christmas of 1965. Michael later shared his discovery that Jeff was at a motel the night his fiancee was killed, but Shane refused to consider he might be innocent, saying that he was convinced Jeff killed Carol.

Later that day, while Michael was questioning Terri, Brett and Shane talked about the night before and Brett sadly confirmed that Julia was in fact cheating on him with Jeff. Shane was speechless at first, then told Brett that he could stay with him if he wanted to. Before they could get much further, Michael interrupted, telling Shane that Terri wished to speak with him.

The next morning, an angry Caleb phoned the church and threatened Brett when he refused to tell him where Terri was. At Brett's request, Marnie phoned Shane, and he spent the whole rest of the day at the church. While he was there, Jeff came by to tell Marnie about the visit that he got from Michael, and (still convinced that Jeff killed Carol, and knowing that he's been sleeping with his best friend's wife) Shane angrily lashed out at him, before Marnie led Jeff outside so they could discuss the matter privately.

When Brett was stabbed later that night, Shane was the first officer on the scene, and saved his friend from choking on his own blood. Shaken, he was comforted by Stanley Rogers, but felt that his place is out there, getting the person he believed responsible, Caleb Hennessy. Later that night, when Caleb was captured outside of Terri's home, Shane delivered three swift kicks to his side, in anger for what he did to his friend and what he now believed he did to Carol as well.

Shane blamed himself for what happened to Brett, because he did not anticipate that Caleb would make good on his threat, and drank most of the next morning away, until he was told by Frazier to go home. Frazier told Shane that he was proud of the job he did, and Shane fired off that he'd done nothing to be proud of, because Carol was still dead and Brett was still gravely injured. He went home, unable to hold it together much longer, and passed out from both exhaustion and heavy alcohol consumption shortly thereafter.

A call from Julia awakened Shane, and she told him that Brett was awake and wanted to talk to him. Shane raced to the hospital, and ended up telling Brett what happened to him, instead of the other way around. He even confessed having roughed Caleb up, and Brett immediately disapproved, but refused to elaborate, only saying he was tired.

Shane and Marnie:
A few days later, Shane took refuge (as he often did) at the bar and found himself unexpectedly joined by Marnie. The more they drank, the more personal their conversation became. Shane confided how he wished he could have had his chance with Carol and asked a few pointed questions about her abrupt breakup with Evan. The evening culminated with Marnie perching onto Shane's lap and suggesting that they take the party somewhere a little more private. The next morning, Marnie awoke to find Shane on the phone with Michael. He asked her if she knew someone named Harold, which immediately put her on edge.

That same morning, Shane attempted to make Marnie feel better by telling her she was his dream girl. She argued that Carol was his dream girl, and that he'd said as much the night before, but he was quick to clarify that Carol was the one that got away, not the dream girl. He told Marnie that despite being hungover and feeling terrible, he could still die a happy man, because for once in his life, he knew what it was like to be with the dream girl. He'd hoped, of course, this would give her consolation for the way that Evan had deceived her, but it made it even worse.

Later that evening, Marnie came by Shane's house, to discuss just what Harold had told him. At first, Shane debated whether or not to talk with her about it, but he reasoned that if he didn't, Goldman would. He mentioned that Harold was of the opinion that Francine had some help getting into the water, and Marnie was quick to refute it. Her vulnerability appealed to Shane even more, and he made a move on her. Horrified, Marnie got out of the situation as quickly as possible, but not before berating him and reminding him that earlier that day, he'd told her that they were both adults and that he didn't want anything to be awkward between them. Shamed, he tried to apologize and convince her to stay, but Marnie left in a huff.

The next morning, Shane arrived at the church to give Brett the news about Caleb Hennessy's suicide, and Marnie was the first person to greet him when he walked in the door. He again attempted to apologize for his behavior the night before and when Marnie told him that the church was not the place to discuss such matters, Shane suggested they get coffee later. Marnie surprised him by taking him up on the invitation.

Later, Brett surprised Shane with both his knowledge of Caleb's suicide, and his abrupt decision to resign as pastor of First Baptist. Shane looked on helplessly as Brett broke down, unsure how to best help him. Evan showed up at the church, drunk and crazy, shortly thereafter, berating his wife in the church office. Shane and Brett intervened, with Shane telling Evan to get out and never come back. When Brett repeated the same, Evan made a very strange reference to how Brett had been stabbed weeks before, and that caused Shane to attack him. Shaken, Evan left and Shane did his best to calm Marnie down.

After Brett offered his public resignation to the church at large, Shane forgot all about his date with Marnie at Hazel's. Instead, he went back to Brett's home and attempted to offer support to Terri, who rather uncharacteristically, rebuffed his compassion. Later, Shane arrived at the diner, only to find that Marnie had gone. As Michael observed, he casually spoke with Val the waitress about Marnie and Jeff -- which told Michael that Shane, indeed, had been the one to hand over the report to Stan.

The Big Surprise:
A few minutes later, having heard gunshots outside, Shane went to investigate and found Evan standing over Goldman's body. He confronted Evan with his own gun drawn, demanding he drop the weapon, or he would blow his head off. Evan didn't seem concerned or worried about Shane's threats, preoccupied with carrying out the final part of his plan: suicide. He lifted the gun to his head, but found himself out of bullets, which enabled Shane to tackle and cuff him. Meanwhile, Evan noticed Michael's body twitching a few feet away and panicked, believing this to mean he was still alive, and struggled to break free. Emotionally, he insisted that Michael had to die, just like Harold (whom he'd shot earlier in the day), because he'd slept with Marnie -- an allegation angered Shane further.

Later, Shane went home, reeling from what he'd seen. Given that Evan's apparent motive for killing Goldman was his erroneous belief that he'd been the one to sleep with Marnie, Shane realized that the five bullets that felled him had, by rights, been intended for him and drank himself into a stupor. Later, a devastated Marnie paid him a visit, having heard the news, and they ended up spending the night together -- platonically. Shane was disappointed that Marnie was not beside him when he awoke, but wasn't given much time to dwell on it: Terri showed up shortly thereafter, saying she needed his help. Though reluctant, he felt obligated to let her in, and asked what happened. She told him the whole story: Brett taking way too many pills yesterday, her freaking out and flushing them, him freaking out and screaming at her and her concern that now that she wasn't there, Brett might try to get even more because she knew all-too-well what addiction to drive a person to do. Emotionally, she begged Shane to go talk to him, believing that Brett would listen to him, because he always did. Shane agreed.

Shane thought he saw Julia's car outside when he paid Brett a visit, but far more concerned about his friend's well being, he dismissed the idea. When Brett did not come to the door, Shane let himself in, and was surprised when he came out of the kitchen coughing and rubbing his nose. Brett seemed surprised to see him, too, asking if he'd come to arrest him. Shane denied this, saying he'd just come by to talk, but Brett didn't seem interested in that, telling him that he didn't need to be there and should leave. Shane persisted, especially when he noticed how infected Brett's wounds appeared, and asked point blank if he'd "done something." At first, Brett did not want to answer him, but finally affirmed that he did something bad. Assuming he meant some sort of suicidal gesture, Shane panicked, screaming at him that he knew someone and could get him help, because he'd gone through something similar five years prior, after the death of his mother. Brett insisted that it was too late, and that something was wrong with him, to which Shane, who still did not understand what he meant, told him nothing was wrong with him, there was something wrong with everyone else. He insisted that this was Jeff's fault and Julia's fault, and at the mention of his wife's name, Brett collapsed in tears on the floor, saying that she was dead because of him. Shane remembered Julia's car outside and finally put two and two together, asking where she was. After a brief hesitation, Brett admitted she was in the kitchen, and when Shane went in, he was shocked at the disarray. Julia's body shocked him the most, though, and when he touched her, he took a step back -- right into a puddle. Slipping, he fell to the floor, hitting his head hard against the tile and knocking himself unconscious.

A short time later, he awoke in a daze, unable to remember how he got there. He tried to get up, but found himself too weak and dizzy to do so, so he reached around him for something to hold onto. Finding what he believed to be a rope in the distance, he latched onto it, hoping that would be enough to pull him to his feet, but the rope unraveled quickly. When he lifted his head to find out why, he was shocked to find it wasn't a rope at all; it was Julia's hair. Horrified, he realized he was on the floor of Brett's kitchen, with Julia's dead body a few feet away, but did not recall that his friend was the one responsible for her murder, believing it to be someone else. Realizing that Brett would not be able to put up the same kind of fight that Julia had (evidenced by the debris in the kitchen), Shane struggled to stand, in the hopes he could help him. He was still too woozy, however, and hit the floor again, where the pieces began to slide back into place.

Dazed and injured, Shane dragged himself through the house looking for Brett, and when he fell outside the bedroom, discovered he was barricaded inside. Struggling to his knees, Shane tried to come in, but the door was locked, and Brett refused to open it, saying that he needed to leave. When pressed as to why, Brett admitted he had Shane's gun, and intended to make it stop, but couldn't do that in front of him, so he needed him to leave. Shane panicked, trying to force his way in, but found breaking down a door a lot harder than it looked in the movies. Desperate, he told Brett he didn't have to do it, because he could help him cover it up, but Brett seemed aghast he'd even suggest such a thing, saying he didn't understand what he'd done. Shane insisted that he didn't care what he'd done, but Brett dismissed that, again telling him to leave.

Unwilling to accept that, Shane tried to stand, but was too dizzy and was soon on the floor again. He felt himself on the verge of passing out and tried to stay conscious, but could sense his connection with the world around him wavering. Having heard the noise, Brett came out of the bedroom to investigate, horrified to find Shane semi-conscious on the floor. He knelt beside him and promised that he'd be okay, and that he'd call for help, but Shane was too disoriented to respond and passed out. When he came to, he could hear Brett speaking to someone about a seizure, but was unaware that he was talking about him. Shane tried to get up, but still found himself too woozy, and was soon joined by Brett again, who promised that everything would be fine and help was coming. It took a moment for Shane to remember the gun, but once he did, he panicked, asking Brett what he'd done with it. At first, Brett tried to dismiss his concern, but ultimately admitted that it was in the bedroom, and he'd put it down when he heard him fall. Though relieved, Shane asked for it back, and Brett obliged, crawling back into the bedroom to retrieve it. Shane noticed how badly he was hurt, and that the wounds to his side appeared to have been gouged open, and felt guilty for asking for the gun back, knowing how much trouble Brett had to go through to get it. He started to tell him not to bother, but an approaching siren cut him off mid-sentence.

At once, Shane understood that the siren was the help Brett referred to, realizing that once that help arrived and saw what he'd done to Julia, there were only two ways for Brett to leave this house: in the back of a squad car, or in the back of a hearse -- and he'd just sent him back in there for the gun. Desperate to reach him, Shane crawled on his stomach toward the bedroom, despite Brett screaming at him to stay where he was. Shane continued crawling, begging him not to do it, but Brett shot himself before Shane could reach him.

Post Haven Park:
In the epilogue of book five, Shane is shown as having quit the police force and moved to Laramie. It is implied that he still suffers from the physical effects of what happened the year before: residual headaches and some issues with short-term memory, though it's noted that the seizures stopped months ago, and he is now recovered enough, both physically, and otherwise, to start working again. He works nights, though his occupation is unclear, and is peeved when his elderly neighbor awakens him with a lawnmower, lamenting that he hasn't gotten a full day of sleep in a week. This, he believes, is directly due to the anniversary of Brett's suicide. Over the past few months, he admits that he's tried to compartmentalize Brett, and scrub his existence from his memory, then attempted to demonize him when that failed, putting him into the same category as Caleb Hennessy and Evan Blake. Shane is quick to reconsider that, though, believing Brett to be nothing like them, and that he'd killed Julia because she pushed him, seemingly unaware of the other murders Brett committed. Though his relationship with Marnie, and his analyst, have both helped him to move past the worst of the trauma of watching his best friend commit suicide, it still bothers him a great deal, though the book ends with Shane hopefully resolving that it would all get better with time.

The Lost Interlude: Another Place and Time:
In part one of the lost Another Place and Time interlude, taking place in the alternate timeline of 1981, Shane is running for mayor and living with Carol. He works rather closely with his ex-wife Marnie, which never fails to infuriate Carol -- as does the attitudes of Shane and Marnie's children: twelve-year old Courtney and nine-year old Trey. Shane calls Brett to give him a heads up that Elaine Pierce is looking for him, and they speak briefly about their respective relationships. Brett says that he doesn't know why Shane puts up with Carol, while Shane encourages Brett to become more involved with his girlfriend Tina's pregnancy. Abruptly, Shane announces that he has a campaign stop to make, but promises to call back later. He also warns Brett to "go easy on that shit" (referencing the cocaine Brett had been snorting before the phone call) and reminding him of what happened "last time."

Boulevard of Broken Dreams (the prequel):
Book 4.5 finds Shane coping poorly with the recent death of his mother, and turning, as he does in subsequent years, to alcohol to cope. After another bender, he awakens to find a strange young woman in his kitchen, and it takes him a moment to recall meeting her the night before. She introduces herself as Peggy, and Shane is struck by how at home she's made herself, long after their evening together. Peggy helps to fill in some of the gaps of the night before, revealing that they'd been unable to make love, due to his heavy alcohol consumption...and that he'd made her promise to never marry or get pregnant, relating how much it hurt when Carol did that to him. It's clear she intends to make good on their promise to try again in the morning but Shane, sensing her vulnerability and uncomfortable with the physical resemblance she bore to Carol, backs out of the situation. Peggy does not take this well, slamming her way into the bedroom and railing about how stupid she'd been to fall for a damned drunk, while Shane realizes that in some strange way, he'd been trying to replace Carol with Peggy, resolving that he would have to make his peace with her marriage to Dave and move on.

Later that evening, he drops by the bar, where Brett is having a few birthday drinks with Louie. It becomes obvious right away that Shane does not enjoy Louie's company, as he either ignores or rolls his eyes at everything he says. Soon, the tensions come to a head when Louie issues a well-intentioned but ill-advised warning to Brett not to "be a pussy", and to have another round. Shane takes great offense to this, and says as much, but Brett drags him out of the encounter before anything can come of it. At the pool table, Shane broaches the subject of Peggy, telling his friend about their encounter this morning and asking if he is crazy to feel the way he does. He later answers his own question with the words of his analyst: the reason he can't make a relationship work is he sees Carol as his gold standard, and no one else can measure up. Despite this, Shane later meets up with a blonde in glasses and leaves with her, continuing the cycle yet again.

Character conception and representation:
In the original version of the story, Shane was a family man, with a lovely wife named Patty and two small children. A great focus on his character was his relationship with Patty, and their desire to add another child to the family. Shane was also about five years younger in the original version, making him around 25-26.

In this version of the story, I found it more effective for Shane to be single, so the focus could go on the investigation and his personal feelings about the crimes. Shane is a good guy, but he often makes poor choices...most notably when alcohol is involved. He is fiercely loyal to and protective over whom he deems his closest, and he is driven by a very strong sense of what is right, even if he himself isn't always right about what that is.

During Independence Day 's webseries era, actor Robert Wagner served as Shane's visual representation.

Trivia:
Shane is the only character to go by his middle name.

The only reason that Michael exists is that my early webseries audience hated Shane! Their reaction to his character caused me to rethink a few things, and introduce another detective to level the playing field.