Dean and his brother donned the surgical apron and latex gloves. Around them were the most recent victims: Ray Harrison and his wife Georgina. The rest of the victims were tucked away in the lockers awaiting a second opinion.
The morgue was what most morgues looked like: depressing, cold and the stench of death covering them, but the room had not been in use for such a long time that a thick layer of dust covered the surfaces, the corners were homes for spiders and there was one working light that barely gave them enough to work with. They could see that desk lamps were placed on the slabs to examine the body. Even the lockers were a bit rusted from neglect, never mind that there were only three of them and the other two bodies covered in a thin sheet of green.
"Didn't he seem strange to you?" Sam said as he wheeled the surgical implements next to Ray Harrison.
"Who?"
"The Sheriff. He seemed kinda…I don't know…twitchy. Like he is hiding something."
Dean picked up the magnifying glass. It was true: something was off about the policeman. Maybe Jody knew him and could give something on his background.
He shrugged his shoulders. "I s'pose so."
Sam awaited an explanation, something added on to his previous statement, but Dean was silent as he started to examine the body.
"Are you alright, Dean?" Sam asked. He understood that his brother was struggling with this situation, but on that day, that day specifically, he was acting strange. More closed off than he would usually be; more nervous is probably a better word for it.
"Fine." Dean shrugged his shoulders again and gave a glace towards his brother that suggested that the conversation was over. Sam knew better than to push him.
The boys continued to work in silence, occasionally making a remark now and again towards the similarities between the victims, or asking to pass over a scalpel. Each of the five bodies were examined in great depth.
About an hour later, after bodies have had the usual supernatural once over to determine if something unhuman, like a vampire or a werewolf, killed them, and the coroner's report being examined, the two came together to identify the exact nature of the death.
"So far three of the five have gunshot wounds. Janie Addison and Byron Hughes, the newly engaged couple, both were shot with the same type of bullet, a .44 Magnum as the report says. Ray Harrison was killed with a shotgun as there were shells on the floor. The other two, Fae Smith-Pearson, wife to the woman currently in hospital, drowned and Georgina Harrison died by smacking her head on the table." Sam went around to each cadaver and pointed to the causes of death.
"Ok, so nothing unusual." Dean said.
"It is kind of unusual, Dean, especially since this town has had a reputation of being the most crimeless town in Kansas. They barely die here naturally, never mind murders. A coroner from the next town had to be sent here. And now suddenly six people were assaulted and only one of them survived."
Dean reluctantly nodded his head. Sam makes a good point, he thought. But it was not the fact that Sam was right that annoyed him: he had way gone past being annoyed by that. It wasn't even the thought of Mary and Jack now in a world in which they may or may not be alive. It was not that he wasn't currently looking for a way to help them out at that moment in time that frustrated it him. It was…
"Dean? Are you sure you are ok?"
Dean snapped out of his thoughts, remembering the case at hand.
"Yeah, sure. Maybe a bit tired." He rubbed his eyes.
"Alright, well we still have a few things to do before any sleep. In the case file of the suspects, there were no crimes recorded from any of them and they were well-respected citizens of the town. So, nothing in here has an actual cause for hate. We should speak to the locals. They are all gathered for the festival, so it might actually be easy for us."
"And tomorrow we check out Sadie Smith-Pearson, see how much she remembers."
Sam nodded. There was only so much one could do with forensics, they should know that. And alive witness would confirm if she recognised them or not. But all now they could do is too see how much the drunk locals in the centre of town were willing to spill. He wouldn't mind a drink of his own.
The brothers began to pack away the mess they made around them. As Sam covered up the body of Janie Addison, he accidently knocked over a tray with the surgical tools on it. With an annoyed sigh he bent down to pick up them, not knowing that as he reached for the tweezers picking them up, he knocked over the lamp next to him. With a clang, it hit the floor, blocking the lamp's light from the slab.
"Oh, my God, Sam!" Dean called out from across the room. The sound of his footsteps echoed across the room.
"I am fine, Dean. I just fell."
"No, I mean, oh my God Sam I think we got something."
Sam picked himself off the floor, leaving all of items scattered across the floor. He was face to face with a dimly lit Dean and body. His brother's face was one of shock and awe as he looked down on the chest of Ms Addison. And he had every right to do so.
Over her heart, just below the bullet wound, a golden swirl of letters dimly ebbed, as if it were the last remnants of her heartbeat. The letters were not English nor any language they had seen, maybe Enochian. It certainly did not seem of Earth.
"What is that?" Dean whispered.
"There is only one way to find out."
Sam picked up the scalpel off of the floor and cut into her chest. He gave her soul a silent apology, before reaching into the wet, squishy insides and picked out her heart. It wasn't difficult to find, since the glowing ebb grew stronger as the flesh was cut away.
Her heart resembled the one they found on that Valentine's Day all of those years back, yet it felt different. The heart that they found then was cold and dead, but this one still felt alive and strong.
Dean and Sam gave each other a look before running to the other bodies. Sam, of course dropped the glowing heart on the table as he went to turn off the lights. Dean did all of the smaller ones. One, by one, now each of the lights extinguished, the other body of Georgina lit up like a Christmas Tree, instead it was silver than gold. Byron Hughes was the same. Fae Smith-Pearson shone a bright gold. Ray Harrison was the only one without the symbols around his heart.
After the lights came on again, Sam gave his 'I told you so' look, with his ungloved arms crossed.
"Don't say it." Dean said. "Whatever you do, don't say it."
"Well, I suppose Cas will hear about it then. He would love to know that there is a rogue cupid around here."
Dean winced a little, but meeting Sam's curious eye, he decided to cover it with a "I banged my foot on the table."
Sam flipped open his phone and dialled his friend, while Dean hurried up with the last bit of packing away.
"Hey Cas…yes, it is Sam…no we are not in trouble, but back here we are doing a case where we think a rogue angel has been here. A cupid to be exact…yes…same markings and everything, except they glow in the dark and can be seen through the victims' skin…do you really think it is necessary to come back…? Oh, ok, I understand. See you tomorrow night then…ok…bye."
Sam switched off his phone and put it in his pocket. "It looks like Cas is interested in this as much as we are. He will meet us here tomorrow night.
A panic expression covered his brother's face. "Surely he should rather be staying and searching for the fruit instead of being with us. I mean, Mom's and Jack's lives are at stake here."
"I know, Dean, but he sounded quiet adamant over the phone. Angels have been dying in numbers since Lucifer touched this Earth, and, no matter how psychotic this cherub might be, he needs them. Heaven needs him. He just might be the extra fuel for our fire that we need, ok. Help us out in the long run, ok."
"Ok." Dean said. His voice sounded like he was restraining something, like an emotion or a sentence.
The silence was uncomfortable for a while until Dean said in one of his cheery voices. "Well, I suppose waiting for Cas here would be a bit useless. Why don't we go and see if there is a pie stand near us? I am frikken starving."