Poking a sleeping bear

"I have to say, you have given me one hell of a case."

Professor Francis took a sip from his coffee. "How so?"

Sid pulled a think file from his briefcase. "Here you go. The life of Samuel Winchester. I had some trouble digging all this up, but I have a friend who has a friend in the FBI and he got me most of this."

Professor Francis nearly choked on his coffee. "FBI? And they just gave you the file?"

"Not the entire thing, just bits and pieces. The guy figured it could do no harm, because Sam Winchester is dead."

Professor Francis inhaled sharply. "Dead?"

"Yes. He died in early 2008 when a police station exploded."

"What was he doing there? Was he a defence lawyer or something?"

Sid shook his head. "Not quite. But let me start at the beginning, alright?" He looked down at the file. "Samuel Winchester, born may 2nd 1983 to John and Mary Winchester in Lawrence, Kansas. He had one older brother named Dean, who also died in the explosion. When he was six months old, there was a fire in his house and Mary Winchester died. A few weeks after that, John Winchester and his two boys disappeared."

Professor Johnson leaned forward across the table. "How is that possible?"

"There was a police investigation. Official verdict was that John was mentally unstable and that he had taken his boys and left."

Sid flicked through the file. "Sam didn't really enjoy a regular education. He never attended the same school for more than a few months at a time. Still, he was a straight A student. How he pulled that of is beyond me. His father dragged his boys across the country, staying in motels and cheap apartments. As far as I can tell he didn't have a job, but he was accused of credit card fraud several times. That was probably his only source of income."

"And CPS never put a stop to this?"

"The guy covered his tracks. He was never in one place long enough to attract the attention of the authorities. Sam got himself a full ride to Stanford and enrolled here when he was eighteen. He was basically a model student, but you probably know that. He lived just a few blocks from here with a Jessica Moore. He had a lot of friends, was generally well liked, but he refused to talk about his family."

"I can see why."

"Definitely. Nearly five years ago, the night before his Law school interview, there was a fire in his apartment and Jessica Moore died. He never showed up for the interview. He left town to go on a road trip with his brother. Friends say he kept in touch for a while, but after a few months he stopped responding to e-mails and phone calls. He just dropped of the radar."

Sid turned another page. "Things get very fuzzy after that. The FBI gave me some details, but not nearly everything. It doesn't help that Sam and his brother have about a dozen aliases each. They apparently started travelling across the country together, committing crimes wherever they went. His brother was suspected of murder and presumed dead for a while, until he was arrested again about a year later, again on suspicion of murder. Sam was brought in as an accomplice, but they managed to Houdini their way out of that situation somehow and went on with their business. Breaking and entering, kidnapping, credit card fraud, the list goes on and on. You name it, these guys did it. Strangest of all? Grave desecration. Apparently, these two like to dig up coffins and set them on fire."

"That is disgusting."

"Couldn't agree more. A few months later they were involved in a high profile bank robbery in Milwaukee. Details aren't very clear, but from what I heard they killed several hostages and then slipped out right under the noses of the FBI. They took out two guys from SWAT and stole their clothes to sneak out. And get this, not a cent was stolen from that bank."

Professor Francis shook his head. "Then what was the point of the whole thing?"

"Not a clue. I got a feeling there is more going on here, but the feds won't give me any more than this." Sid looked down at the file. "They were arrested again for breaking and entering and spent a couple of days in prison before they wiggled their way out again. I swear, these guys are as slippery as a bar of soap in the bathtub. The feds were furious of course, but despite their best efforts the Winchesters were nowhere to be found. By this time, they were high on the most wanted list. Early 2008 they were arrested again and killed when the police station exploded. Gas leak they say."

He closed the file and pushed it across the table. "And that's it. The life and death of Sam Winchester."

"Wow." Professor Francis leaned back in his chair. "He was such a nice kid."

The PI smiled faintly. "The facts say otherwise unfortunately." He hesitated. "Though I have to say that it doesn't really add up."

"What do you mean?"

"I can't quite put my finger on it. But something feels off about the whole thing. Call it instinct." He shrugged. "But it doesn't really matter I suppose. Sam Winchester went up in flames."

"Yeah, I suppose." Professor Francis stood up. "Thanks Sid, you did a great job."

"Glad I could help. I'll be in town for a few months before I go back to the UK. Maybe I'll see you around."

The two men shook hands and left the small diner, their thoughts on the same person.

Sam Winchester.

Three weeks later Professor Francis practically ran to the same diner. The PI was already waiting for him.

"What is it? You look like you've seen a ghost."

"Maybe I have," said Professor Francis in a strained voice. "I saw Sam Winchester."