Supernatural: The Usual Suspects

A/N: Here's the next chapter, folks, and here's hoping that the BAU can help the Winchesters clear their names and find the real killer before it's too late.

Read, review, and enjoy!

Disclaimer: I don't own anything from Supernatural or Criminal Minds. I just own any and all characters that I just happen create.

CHAPTER TWO: DANA SHULPS

"Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain; for the Lord will not hold him guiltless that taketh his name in vain."

Exodus 20: 7

"Dana Shulps, Dana Shulps, Dana Shulps Dana, Dana Shulps…" Dean muttered, thinking of what the two words meant when the door opened, and he looked up, just in time to see Hotch, Morgan, and Reid enter. "Hey, guys. You made it."

"And it looks like you've gotten both yourself and Liz into some trouble, man," Morgan remarked, shutting the door. "Care to tell us what you guys are doing in Baltimore?"

Dean grinned sheepishly. "Funny that you should ask that…" and he quickly told them about the mysterious death of Anthony Giles, the recent death of Karen Giles, and the words "Dana Shulps". "And just here and now, I'm declaring that I didn't kill Karen Giles and that she was dead when I got to the house."

"We know you didn't kill anyone, Dean," said Hotch, "but you are in a tricky position right now, and there are those in St. Louis who still believe that you are responsible for torturing and killing those women; it's those people who are wanting you charged again, and we'll do everything that we can to keep that from happening."

"Thanks," Dean said honestly, and then held up his hands, which were still handcuffed to the table. "So, what do we do, Hotch? Seein' how I'm not goin' anywhere right now."

"Well, we could figure out what the words "Dana Shulps" means," Reid suggested, pulling out a pad of paper and a pencil from his bag as they joined Dean at the table.

"Good place as any to start," Morgan agreed.

Liz was also trying to figure what the words "Dana Shulps" meant, writing on the back of a folder that Diana had left on the table, and was now guessing that the words were probably an anagram when the door opened to let in Gideon, JJ, and Emily.

"Oh boy am I glad to see you, guys," Liz said, relief etching itself across her face as she stood to hug both JJ and Emily while Gideon picked up the folder and examined what she had written so far. "Nice to see you, too, Gideon."

"Liz," Gideon said vaguely and then held up the folder. "Dana Shulps?"

Liz sighed and she, JJ, and Emily sat down at the table. "Those words have been popping up right before Anthony Giles was killed and again before Karen was killed last night…" and she told them everything that she knew so far. "As to what happen to Sam…I have no idea."

"Where did you see him last?" JJ asked.

"Dean and I left him at Giles' office," Liz responded. "And yet when the cops went back there after arresting both me and Dean…there was no one there. Poof! Nothing."

"Until I joined the team and met you guys, I would say that it's impossible for someone to disappear into thin air," Emily remarked. "But now I know better than to say something like that."

Liz chuckled. "Spoken like a true convert." And then she glanced at Gideon, who was now pacing and mumbling under his breath, still examining the folder. "Have any thoughts to share, Gideon?"

Gideon didn't answer right away, still pondering the words, and then looked at them. "You're right, Liz, it's an anagram, and if we can figure it out, we'll be one step closer to finding the real killer. But first we need to get you out of here."

Liz raised her eyebrows. "Why just me? What about Dean?"

"He'll be safe here for the time being," JJ said reassuringly. "Especially with us here now, and if you can get out, then there's a good chance of you finding Sam and also the real killer."

"As long as there's no murder weapon, they can't pin this on Dean, Hotch will make sure of it," Emily added.

Liz didn't look convinced, but it was better than nothing. "All right."

Meanwhile, Dean was talking with Morgan, Reid was writing down all of the possible words that could be made out of "Dana Shulps", and Hotch had stepped out to call up a lawyer he knew to defend the Winchesters; a few minutes later he returned with a middle-aged man.

"Dean, this is Jeffery Kraus," Hotch informed the younger man. "He's with the public defender's office. He'll be your and Liz's lawyer for the time being."

"Oh. Thank god. I'm saved," Dean deadpanned and then smiled sheepishly at the reproachful look that Hotch shot his way. "Sorry, that's the stress talking."

"It's perfectly all right, Mr. Winchester," Kraus said as he took a seat at the table; Hotch had warned him about Dean's sense of humor, and that it was shared by his twin sister. "Anyway, the police haven't found a weapon yet. So that's good. But, uh, they got your prints. And literally blood on your hands. And with your police record-"

"Excuse me," Reid said, interrupting and pushed over to Kraus the paper he'd been writing on. "Could you see if you recognize any of these words; local names, places, anything like that?"

Kraus stared at Reid and then glanced at Hotch, who nodded; sighing, he looked at the words on the paper:

DNA SHULPS

DAN SHULPAS

LAND PUSHAS

SUPASH LAND

PUSH LANDAS

PLUSH DANAS

"Well, S-U-P, I don't know about that, but Ashland is a street name," Kraus told them, circling the word. "Not far from here."

"A street," Dean repeated and then borrowed Reid's pad of paper and pencil; he tore off several sheets of paper and began writing several notes, two of which he handed to Morgan and Hotch, and quickly wrote a third.

Kraus watched this for a moment and then cleared his throat. "Let's start with where you were the night Anthony Giles died."

"Can you get in to see my sister?" Dean asked, folding up the third note.

Kraus sighed in an exasperated manner this time. "Mr. Winchester, you could be facing the death penalty here," he pointed out.

"Hey, thanks for the law review, Matlock," Dean retorted. "But. If you want to help me…" he held up the folded note, "I need you to see my sister."

While Dean was trying to convince Kraus to deliver the note, both Morgan and Hotch stepped out to compare the notes and the merits of Dean's plan.

"Do you think this will work?" Morgan asked.

Hotch shrugged. "If we're going to help get these charges against Dean dropped, find the real killer, and even figure out what happen Sam, then it's our best shot."

Morgan had to agree with that. "All right, I'll let Gideon, JJ, and Emily know about the plan." And headed off while Hotch went back into the room.

There was a knock on the door, and the three feds and Liz all looked up when Morgan poked his head in. "Hey, Liz."

"Hey, Morgan, how's Dean?"

Morgan grinned. "Being his usual self," he responded. "Just so you know, a lawyer named Kraus will be in here soon with a note for you that Dean wrote. Gideon, JJ, Emily, I need to talk to you three real quick," he added.

"We'll be right back," JJ promised Liz before stepping out of the room to join her teammates. "What's going on, Morgan?"

Morgan showed them the note that Dean had given them. "Reid figured out what "Dana Shulps" most likely means and Kraus chose the most likely one, which is a street name; Dean has a plan of what to do next."

Gideon quickly read the note. "Smart kid. Morgan, in a couple of minutes, I want you and Emily to head over to Giles' office to see if you can find anything. Hotch and I will go to the Giles' house in a little bit. JJ, I want you and Reid to remain here with Garcia to keep an eye on things, and make sure that nothing happens to Dean."

"Okay."

While all of this was going on, Diana was writing an email at her computer. Suddenly the repeating string DANASHULPS started scrolling across the screen, no matter how many times she hit the delete key, and then it suddenly vanished; she looked around, nervous, but no one else had see, and she went to the room that Penelope was in, busy with her three computers, each of which had a colorful stuff animal sitting on top.

"Garcia, right?" she asked.

Penelope looked up from her work, which was going over the security footage of Giles' office from the night he'd died and was grossed out in more ways than one, and nodded. "That's right. Can I help you, sweetie?"

"Um, how well do you know the Winchesters?" Diana asked, unsure if she should mention what just happen or not to a complete stranger.

"Pretty well," Penelope responded. "Despite what you might've found in those records, they're a great family that's had a lot of rough times in their lives, and will provide help to anyone, no matter how hopeless it might seem."

Diana nodded, having suspected that to be a case after talking with Liz earlier. "Um, normally I wouldn't ask this of someone that I just met, but do you think you could look my computer over? It did something strange a few seconds ago that scared me."

"Sure," Penelope agreed. "What seems to be the problem?" and Diana quickly told her. "Weird," she commented. "Well, give me access and I'll see what I can do."

Diana smiled and told the blonde woman how to access her computer to do a full scan, and then headed off to find Sheridan and see how the case was progressing.

Kraus, after some convincing from Hotch, finally went to talk to Liz, and gave her the note.

Now Liz was looking at the note Dean sent her.

HILTS

IT'S A STREET

ASHLAND.

-MCQUEEN

"I hope that's meaningful," Kraus said, mildly annoyed. "But I'd like to discuss your case now."

Liz set the note down and gestured to the chair. "Sure thing, Matlock."

"You two really are twins, aren't you?" Kraus muttered as he sat down. "Now. As you know, the DA might be interested in…"

Just then, there was a knock on the door was quickly followed by Diana, who spoke directly to Kraus.

"We need you. With the other one."

Several others have crowded into the observation room outside where Dean was being held; across from his seat a digital camera has been set up, and both JJ and Reid were already in there. Diana and Kraus entered.

"Counselor? Your boy decided to confess," Sheridan informed them.

Kraus was alarmed by this news. "Mr. Winchester? I'd advise against that strongly," he said insistently and looked around for Hotch, but he wasn't there. "Where's Agent Hotchner?"

"He's gone with Gideon to examine the crime scenes, along with Morgan and Prentiss," JJ informed him.

"Quiet now," ordered Sheridan before addressing Dean. "Talk directly into the camera, first stating your name for the record."

Dean cleared his throat and leaned forward, looking into the camera.

"My name is Dean Winchester," he said and then smirked. "I'm an Aquarius. I enjoy sunsets, long walks on the beach, and frisky women. And I did not kill anyone. But I know who did. Or rather what did. Of course I can't be for sure, because our investigation was interrupted. But our working theory was that we're looking for some kind of vengeful spirit."

"Excuse me?" Diana asked, confused.

Dean glanced at her. "You know, Casper the bloodthirsty ghost?"

In the observation room, the spectators started laughing.

"Tony Giles saw it," Dean continued, facing the camera again. "I'll bet you cash money Karen did too. But see, the interesting thing is the word it leaves behind. For some reason it's trying to tell us something. But communicating across the vale, it ain't easy. You know, sometimes the spirits, they, they get things jumbled. You remember "REDRUM"? Same concept. You know, it's, uh, maybe word fragments…other times it's anagrams. See, at first we thought this was a name, Dana Shulps. But now we think it's a street. Ashland. Whatever's going on, I'll bet you it started there." And he spread his hands and smiled.

Sheridan wasn't amused. "You arrogant bastard," he growled. "Tony and Karen were good people, and you're making jokes."

Dean smirked at him. "I'm not joking, Ponch."

Sheridan looked ready to kill someone. "You murdered them in cold blood just like that girl in St. Louis." And raised a hand when both JJ and Reid were about to protest. "I don't care what your friends at the FBI say, you're a murderer."

Dean rolled his eyes and faced the camera again. "Oh, yeah. That wasn't me either," he added. "That was a shape-shifter creature that only looked like me." And he smiled at the camera.

At that exact moment, Sheridan lost his temper and hauled Dean up by the collar, and slammed him against the wall. Both JJ and Reid sprang forward, grabbing the enraged cop by his arms.

"Pete, that is enough!" Diana ordered sharply, partly to cover her shock at hearing Dean say the words "Dana Shulps" earlier.

Dean looked at Sheridan calmly as the two feds finally pulled him off. "You asked for the truth."

Sheridan pulled himself free and continued glaring at Dean. "Lock his ass up," he ordered.

Another cop took over, shoving Dean face-first against the wall and handcuffed him… again.

Sheridan stormed out of the room, closely followed by Diana, JJ, and Reid; he was halfway down the hallway when JJ surprised everyone by grabbing him by the arm, and forced him to face her.

"What the hell were you thinking back there?!" she demanded angrily.

Sheridan glared at her. "You and your team might think he's innocent, but he's guilty and I have enough proof to prove it, and the police down in St. Louis want him back, and I'll give him to them as soon as I can."

"Not while we're still around you won't!" JJ snarled, getting into his face. "We're gonna prove Dean innocent, along with Liz, and nothing you say or do will change that." And she stormed off, Reid quickly following.

Sheridan stared after them, stunned, and then faced Diana, who was looking uncertain. "Let's go talk to his sister."

Sheridan and Diana returned to find Liz gone; the coffee and the note were still on the table.

"What the hell? Where is she?" Sheridan demanded and went over to the window, which was open, and he looked out – it was a four-story drop with no visible fire escape nearby. Diana noticed the note on the table and picked it up. "What'd she do? The fire escape's way over…what?" he turned to look at Diana, who was now looking amused.

"These two guys," she remarked and she handed him the note.

Sheridan took the note and read it, not understanding. "Hilts and McQueen?"

"Hilts is Steve McQueen's character in the Great Escape," Diana explained.

While Sheridan began issuing orders to send out an APB on Liz and yelled at JJ, Reid, and Penelope, blaming them for Liz escaping, Diana entered the bathroom and the lights flickered, and she sighed.

As she approached the sink, it turned on by itself, and she recoiled. All the faucets started pouring out hot water, steam rising. In the fogging mirror the letters DANASHULPS were formed; panicking, Diana scrubbed them away to reveal the ghost. Her throat was slit deeply, her eyes deep red, and she struggled to talk as blood flowed from the cut and she advanced toward Diana, who backed away, scared.

Meanwhile, Morgan and Emily were driving to toward the building that held Giles' office, and he pulled the SUV to the side of the road once they were out of view of the police station.

"How long do we have to wait?" Emily asked; Morgan had told her about their part of the plan, and she was feeling nervous.

"Hopefully not too long," Morgan responded, checking the mirrors a few times until he saw something, and immediately unlocked the doors; seconds later, Liz emerged from the shadows and dashed across the road to the side of the vehicle, quickly climbing into the backseat. "Good timing." And he started the engine again.

"Thanks," Liz responded. "Dean can have insane ideas sometimes, but they do work out now and again."

Morgan chuckled and Emily smiled. "Good thing it worked this time. Now let's go find Sam." And they drove off.

Elsewhere, Hotch and Gideon entered the Giles' home and examined the crime scene.

"Look here," said Hotch holding up a piece of paper that had the words "Dana Shulps" printed on it and at least five other pieces of paper. "The ghost was definitely here."

Gideon nodded, visualizing Karen running up the stairs to get away from a possible intruder, calling for help, and then being killed in her own bedroom. "Yes, but whether the ghost killed her has yet to be determined."

"Sam once told me that they encountered a portrait that had two ghosts contained within it, one was the father who was trying to warn the people by changing aspects of the painting, and the ghost of a small girl was responsible for killing every person that bought that painting, slitting their throats much like how both Tony and Karen were killed," Hotch told him, examining the closest. "So a vengeful spirit is possible."

"Maybe," Gideon muttered, "but somehow I feel that there's more to this, and that the killer is more physical and less spiritual."

Hotch thought on that. "Possible, but then why is this ghost appearing and people dying the moment they see it?"

Gideon shrugged. "That's just another piece of an ever-growing puzzle, Aaron; once we have all the pieces, we'll know what the picture on the puzzle is, and we'll have our answer."

"Let's hope so."

A/N: I read The Shining once and so I figured out the reference that Dean made pretty quickly, and I was half tempted to have JJ punch the jerk, but I resisted…this time. R&R everyone!