Dean went to check out City Records to see if he could find out where either of the Nelson's had worked. Sam went to the local schools, the high school to try and talk to the coach and some of the running team students, and to the elementary school to see if he could find out more about the Nelson children. Dean was able to take the car, since the two schools were practically next door to each other. Dean glanced at the empty seat, and halfway wished that Castiel would suddenly pop in while he was driving like he did that one time.

City records showed that Mr. Nelson had worked at a small warehouse on the opposite side of town as the Kirski place. Dean drove there next, and confirmed with Nelson's previous supervisor that Nelson had left in a hurry, giving no notice, but saying that he was moving on and wouldn't be back the next day. The Boss Man also made sure to tell Dean that no way and no how was this guy going to get a good reference from him.

"Was there anything peculiar about him, other than his hasty departure?"

"Yeah. At the job interview, he seemed pretty normal. But that was the last time I saw him like that. Every time he showed up to work, he seemed kind of glassy eyed and distant. I wondered if he was on drugs. He didn't talk much to the other guys either. The one thing I could say about him, was that he did his job well."

"And what job was that?"

"This is a shipping and receiving center. We work with various products, but what Nelson worked with was hunting weapons and tools, particularly skinning knifes."

Ew, Dean thought.

"Thus the tight security outside, with the razor topped fence and security guards," the man continued.

"Wait a minute. If people here have to work with weapons, didn't Mr. Nelson have to pass a background check?"

"Yeah, he did. But now I am thinking he came up with a pretty good stolen identity, because he passed the test with flying colors."

Dean thanked the man and headed back out. He wasn't sure if he had gotten anywhere with this new information. The working with knifes might be important though.

Dean was hungry and remembered to order just a French fries and a large shake at a drive-thru. Bobby better fix this case up soon, he thought, or I am gonna starve.

--

Dean pulled up at the front of the elementary school right when Sam was about to call him to say he was done. Perfect timing, Sam thought. They worked pretty well as a team.

"The coach checks out," Sam said. "A couple of students confirmed what he told me himself, that he's been coaching here for years, grew up in this town, and has a wife and 2 kids. And a dog."

"A dog? Now we know he's sane. Okay, you find out anything else?"

"Yeah, some of the students knew Angela pretty well. They were pretty upset about what had happened, understandably. I asked them if Angela had gotten into anything unusual recently, like maybe Wiccan stuff, or even doing a Ouija board. I got some pretty weird looks. Their answer was no. They did tell me who Angela's best friend is though. We'll go see her tomorrow morning, since it is a Saturday."

"The Nelson kids get a little more interesting, though. The teachers thought it was odd that they left town all the sudden when they had only been there for two weeks. And the older kid, the boy, had made some pretty interesting artwork in class."

Sam held up his cell phone and showed Dean a picture. A finger-painting type thing with a lot of red wavy lines and several black circles with numerous details.

"Holy Moses. What was their painting assignment?"

"To close their eyes and draw the first thing that came to their minds."

"The first thing coming to my mind is that Bobby better get down here fast and explain this stuff to us," Dean said.

--

The motel room was a small comfort for the Winchesters as they arrived back. They could lie down and relax on the beds if they wanted, but Sam was wired up, ready to keep researching on his laptop. Dean took advantage of his bed though and spread out, clicking on the TV with the remote bolted to the end table. Dean wanted to find something to distract him from thinking of Castiel again. So far, the day had gone pretty well, they got some helpful clues, and being on a case made Dean felt normal again.

Now though, alone with his thoughts, he felt anything but normal. He realized he was having the kind of thoughts he would normally have about women. And he was having the kind of thoughts he'd had the last time he got serious with someone.

Looking forward to seeing her again. Hoping something would be said to confirm that a bond was getting deeper and more intimate. He'd allowed that only once before in his life, and the vulnerability scared the shit out of him. And this time, he was having these thoughts about a man. Dean looked up at Sam, hoping that Sam couldn't sense what a freak show Dean felt like.

Dean decided that he needed a shower. Nothing good was on TV anyway. He hoped that Castiel wasn't going to pop in this time, and seriously considered showering in his underwear just in case. No, he thought, he's already seen me once, what does it matter if he sees me again. Besides, he snickered inwardly, maybe he WANTS to see me naked.

And maybe I want him to see me naked? But he still hoped it wasn't going to be today. He wasn't ready for the confrontation he planned on with Castiel. Not today. Fortunately for Dean, his shower and drying off was quiet and uneventful. And it was a cold one. He needed it.