A/N: This is part 2 of 3. Out a little later than I planned because I did even more rewrites today. It's also rather short but ends at a good spot. Part 3 in a day or two. Enjoy!

Chapter 6

The Sheriff was a 6" 5', 230 pound man who displayed his Nebraska State Burger Eating Championship trophies, Years 2013 and 2016 on the same shelf as numerous hunting photos that showed him proudly standing next to various big game kills. He invited them to sit, asking 'his girl' Sadie- actually one of his deputies- to bring them all coffee. Dean had no trouble reading this guy and recognizing him for the giant pain in the ass that he was. He really wasn't in the mood to deal with a 'Sheriff Lobo' today.

"Thank you for seeing us," Sam started, knowing exactly what his brother was thinking, "We're investigating the circumstances surrounding the deaths of Dr. Katt and Robin Jasper…"

"Well, I'm sorry you wasted your time, boys," the Sheriff said, sounding anything but apologetic, "but I can't imagine what's left to talk about here. The Bennett County P.D. doesn't usually squander taxpayer money drawing out open and shut cases of accidental death." He paused, a smirk forming on his face that irritated the hell out of Dean. "Now, how 'bout you tell me what's got the F.B.I.'s panties in a twist over the death of two…"

"How 'bout you show some professionalism or at least some professional courtesy and help us out here." Dean's hostility made his brother grimace.

"…..What my partner's trying to say," Sam spoke over Dean, "is that there's been some suggestion that the death of these two people may be linked to Steve and Geoff Billdon's deaths and….."

Sheriff Raine's genial demeanor turned on a dime. "Are you talking about suggestions from Betty Jones or from Daniel Billdon? Because I think they're the only two people on God's green earth that can't accept the reality of this situation. Betty Jones is the town shit-stirrer, evil conspiracy theorist and the goddamned source of mosta my headaches. When she isn't staging one woman protests against Bell's Diner's use of non-Responsibly Grown and Fair Trade Coffee- and that's a term I know only 'cause that woman screamed it for 24 hours from the jail cell I threw her into when I charged her for disturbing the peace-, she's stirring up families grieving over the loss of their loved ones with talk of a dead child's ghost. Now Daniel Billdon, he's always been a real piece o' work. Didn't have the smarts, the looks, or the confidence of his brother. He was the family disappointment long before he got out o' wearing short pants, and he knew it too. Whatever clout or credibility his name may have given him in this town, died the day he slunk outta here with his tail between his legs. I ain't goin' into any details about it- you can ask anyone on the street and they can tell you why the coward ran, but I will say this. I oversaw all those cases personally- all of them, Agent. The Billdons are an important family in this state, so you can rest assured that our investigation was very thorough and done by the book. Now, I know we may not be some big city law enforcement team or anywhere near as advanced as you Feds down Langley way, but we still know how to work a case around these parts. Now, I take exception to you coming in here, with your Holier-than-Thou attitude, and questioning the integrity of my department and the work we do here…"

"Well, I hadn't quite gotten around to doing that yet, but now that you mention it…," Dean retorted through gritted teeth.

"We'd never suggest that your department operates with anything other than the utmost dedication, Sheriff. We're just hoping to clarify a few points and put some issues to rest. We've reached out to you because we were hoping you could lend us your expertise…," Sam interjected, placatingly.

"Now see," Sheriff Raine turned to the seething Dean, "That's how you blow smoke up my ass if you want me to do you a favour. You could learn a lot from Agent Bonaduce, here."

Thankfully, Dean remained silent and stone-faced while Sam managed to charm copies of all four reports from the Sheriff, even getting him to go through each case to fill in some of the finer details. After nearly 45 minutes, Sam was as close to satisfied as he was going to get. He thanked the Sheriff who dismissed them, waving them away like they were underfoot children. Sam glared at the back of Dean's head, as his brother stalked his way through to the station's front door.

"What was that?" Sam hissed once they reached the car, "I thought you were here to get proof for your theory not turn key witnesses against us? Especially when we're impersonating Federal officers and those witnesses are law enforcement! Do you think…?"

"That was all bullshit, Sam!" Dean fairly exploded, as if he'd just been waiting to clear the threshold before he let go, "That arrogant son-of-a-bitch probably cared more about losing valuable hunting time than investigating these deaths!"

"Well, despite your best efforts, Dean, I think we did actually manage to get what we came here for!" Sam barked, as they both got into the Impala, "We got the case reports we wanted, which were actually pretty thorough, and even when I went at him from different angles, the Sheriff didn't contradict himself- not once! Now, obviously the man arrogance makes him think he's the 'King of all he surveys' around here but this is a pretty small count. But having you attack him right off the bat was always going to get his hackles up…"

Sam paused for a moment looking at Dean's stubborn glower and sighing, "I know you're not going to like this, but after what we've heard today, I still think that 'vengeful ghost' is the most likely…..Dean….Dean?"

They turned into the motel parking lot but Dean kept the motor running. Sam looked at his brother in exasperation and turned in his seat to face him.

"It's still too simple, Sammy," Dean replied finally, "It doesn't sit right with me, none of it. I'm dropping you off then I'm gonna head out for a bit, see if I can get a handle on this thing, do some thinking…"

"Dean, don't go off half-cocked by yourself and do something stupid!" Sam knew that look on Dean's face and he wasn't liking it one bit.

"I'm not," Dean tried his best to reassure his brother (read: lie convincingly), "I just need to clear my head. I'll meet you at the cemetery, later. If I'm not going to make it in time, I'll text you, okay?"

Sam glared at Dean, not buying the look of fake innocence his brother had plastered on his face. "Now, all of a sudden, you're all for the Stevie, 'The Un-friendly Ghost' theory? "

When Dean stayed silent and looked askance at him, Sam huffed and got out of the car.

"Fine!" he grumbled, leaning back through the window as he noted the triumphant smirk on Dean's face, "Don't get yourself killed!"

Dean all-out grinned and started to back out of the driveway as Sam shouted at him to call for back up when he got into trouble.

"Agent?"

Dean turned in his seat at the booth to see the Deputy from earlier, Sadie standing next to his table.

"Uh," she started, looking nervous, "D…Deputy Sadie Gordon, we met earlier at the station? I, uh, brought you coff…"

"Yeah, I remember," Dean assured her. He was currently plowing through a bowl of loaded potato skins. He was sure he didn't look very intimidating though, wearing (self-consciously) a bib to protect his suit. You wouldn't have known it though, by the Deputy's demeanor. He pushed the food away and ripped off the bib, "How can I help you?"

"I'm sorry for disturbi…..can I talk with you a minute?" Sadie asked.

"Of course," he gestured to the other side of the booth, "Please, have a seat. Are you hungry? I'll call the waitress over, my treat?"

"Uh, maybe just some water," the deputy slid into the booth, thanking him with a small smile.

"Sure," Dean called the waitress over and, a few moments later, she brought one over to them.

Dean studied Sadie as she immediately drank half the glass in one go. She was young, maybe 26 or 27 with dark brown hair that she'd coiled into a messy bun at the nape of her neck and a pair of black, thick rimmed glasses that perfectly offset her crystal blue eyes. She looked up at him when she noticed him staring, pushing the frames up her nose when she put down the glass.

"Whatever it is, you can talk to me Deputy," he said mildly, trying to put her at ease.

She nodded and paused again. Then she asked, "So you're finished with your investigation then?"

"No," Dean answered carefully, "I'm just getting started." Something about the tone of the deputy's voice and the way she was looking at him made Dean pause. She was clearly conflicted and looking for an opening, some reason to trust him with whatever information she wanted to impart. He could understand her hesitance, given the jackass she was working for.

Sadie stared at Dean and he could see her searching his eyes. He stared back at her earnestly, hoping that she could find the assurances she was looking for.

"I just took a lunch break. I have 45 minutes but honestly, the Sheriff won't notice if I'm gone a little longer. I came looking for you, actually. I was very happy to see your car parked at this very outside-the-city limits diner…..sweet ride, by the way.." She was rambling now.

"You came looking for me….?"

"Yeah, I noticed that you weren't very, uh, impressed with the Sheriff today." she paused again trying to gauge his reaction.

"So you're happy that we're in an out of the way diner and your boss won't notice you're gone…?" Dean raised his eyebrows expectantly, realizing that he was going to have to help her out a bit.

"May or may not be a surprise to you, Agent, but once I get the Sheriff's coffee, or his dry-cleaning or his favourite donuts, I practically cease to exist in that office. Sometimes I'm surprised that he remembers my name."

"Yeah, I could tell he's missed the past few decades of the Women's Rights Movement," Dean quipped, wiping his hands with a napkin. They gazed at each other again and, just as Dean was about to be a little more forthright about his hatred for small talk, she began again.

"I've only been working at the Bennett County Department for the past 6 months. Before that, after I graduated from the Academy, I worked with the Denver P.D. for four years," Sadie took another sip of water, "I guess, some might consider me still a little green, but let's just say that even I know that this county's approach to law enforcement leaves a lot to be desired. Especially as it pertains to the Billdon family."

Dean shifted a little in his seat, his eyes reflecting his keen interest.

"How's that?" He threw the napkin on the table, giving her his undivided attention.

"Tell me…," she leaned forward on the table, "are you from a small town?

He nodded. Lawrence might be a pretty big city but only about 200 people called Lebanon, Kansas home.

"And have you had a chance to drive through Bennett County yet?" she asked.

Again he nodded, wondering where she was going with this.

"Did you happen to notice something about the businesses out on Main Street?" Sadie hoped he would stick with her as she led him through '20 questions'.

"There's a couple of liquor stores on either end?" Dean said with a smirk, grinning slightly when he saw Sadie's amused look. He thought about it for a moment and then replied, "Practically everything has the Billdon name slapped on it- the grocery store, the hardware store…"

"Precisely," she nodded relieved, then said quietly, "Off the record, Agent, my family may have moved to Colorado when I was two, but I'm Nebraskan, and I know a few unalienable truths. When you live in this state and your name is Billdon, your influence and money spreads far and wide- far enough to get certain Mayors re-elected multiple times and to have overweight, far 'past their prime' Sheriffs bending the rules for you and quickly shutting down any investigations that might shine a less than favorable light on your family and your multimillion dollar business; newspaper reports about suicides and embezzled company money don't help stock prices and they don't ensure big fat end of year bonuses either…"

"Are you saying there've been cover ups in your department?" he asked.

"I'm not saying anything at all, Agent," Sadie answered, her tone obviously meant to indicate that she was planning on denying this conversation had ever taken place, "On the record, you saw the official reports- there's no evidence to suggest that the deaths of Dr. Katt and Miss. Jasper were anything more than unfortunate incidents. Off the record, I'm also not saying that I was told in no uncertain terms by the Sheriff to back off when I suggested that it was too early to consider those cases closed after only a week. None of it smelled right to me so I've been looking into things….on my own."

The deputy finished her water, "These aren't the only cases that have made me question the way things are run in this town…."

"I'm all ears."

"I don't normally put much credence in innuendo and speculation, but I've heard a few things that, well….look, it seems that Geoff Billdon had been getting ready to divorce Jennifer Billdon before he died. Rumor has it that as soon as the honeymoon was over, she basically became a demanding shrew, spent his money like it grew on the trees at one of their nurseries and acted like an evil stepmother to his kids. On the surface, she appears to be nothing more than a gold-digger who found her sugar-daddy, but I think she's much smarter than people give her credit for…."

"Are you not saying that you think she had something to do with her husband's death?" Dean asked, gravely.

"I was practically persona non grata at the office for two days when I asked about the Geoff and Steve Billdon cases. You went through those cases too, right? The Sheriff handled them personally too. Said he didn't want to "draw out the inevitable" and, just like Dr. Katt and Miss. Jasper, he had the Billdon deaths all wrapped up practically while the bodies were still warm. The Sheriff apparently wanted to "bring a swift end the family's suffering." Mrs. Billdon had alibis for both of them, of course but once you dig a little deeper, some of the details just don't stand up. Like why two days ago, a car of a similar make and model to Jennifer Billdon's was spotted in the vicinity of Robin Jasper's accident. When it first came in, the team leader assigned me to her case but by the time anyone thought to tell me that, her car had already been towed and taken to the salvage yard. The Sheriff ran point in the meantime, apparently. When I asked to be brought up to speed, I was told I didn't need to see the photos of the scene because "he had it covered and as the new kid on the block, my job was to follow orders." I was patronizingly told "not to worry my pretty little head" about the details. In Dr. Katt's case, the Sheriff took one look at the vodka bottles next to his bed, put that together with the calls to his daughter, and that was that."

Dean grit his teeth but didn't make a sound. Everything Sadie had said thus far was royally pissing him off but he couldn't afford an outburst that would scare her off. He finally understood why she'd been so reluctant to confide in him at first. She was being smart; this was a pretty dangerous game she was playing, career-wise.

"In relation to the Katt and Jasper deaths, the Bureau's heard something a bit out of the ordinary; something about a ghost? Stevie's ghost….…?" Dean stopped when the waitress came to clear their table and give them the bill.

"Yeah, that tidbit. You've obviously read Betty's blog. I think you can imagine how the Sheriff reacted to that. Look, I know that a lot of people in this town think that Betty Jones is a kook but she's about the only person who's still willing to tell it like it is around here. Her family was screwed over in the worst way- they lost everything after the Billdons took their house. Betty was one of five children; the two oldest moved away, the other three, including Betty stayed to look after her father. Losing his home and his job broke him. Mr. Jones went into a deep depression and couldn't hold down any jobs after that. Betty and the other two were subject to the Billdon brand of polite institutional exclusion- missing out on potentially high-paying jobs that went to clearly less qualified candidates -no explanations given, repayments on the mortgage or the car weren't allowed to be more than a minute late before repo men weren't knocking on their door….The others moved away eventually, leaving Betty to take care of her father alone. She'd done well in English and Social Sciences in high school but because she dedicated her life to looking after her father, she never went to college to pursue journalism. Still, she took a chance and started a local newspaper- mostly general interest pieces to start. She made a modest living and it helped her care for her dad. Even after he passed on, she stayed here, enduring this town's prejudice. When she started printing stories that were more critical of the Billdons' hold on this town, they shut her down. Trying to silence her was a mistake; it turned a lot of people to her side and when she started her online blog years later, people started to support her." Sadie sighed deeply, "The point of all this, is that when Betty publishes anything on that blog, you can trust that you're getting well researched facts. Now about the ghosts….not that I think they exist, but I'm sure the doctor and Robin saw…something, something that scared them before they died."

Dean looked at her assessingly, "You seem to know quite a lot about Betty's history…"

"Let's just say that since I've been living here, truth has been in short supply. I've talked with her. Sure she's got reasons not to be objective where the Billdons are concerned, but it doesn't mean that what she writes isn't true." Sadie looked at her watch and then back at Dean apologetically, "I'm sorry Agent Cassidy, but I have to get back."

"Okay," Dean reached into his wallet and threw a few bills on the table. He was about to stand up when Sadie caught his hand.

Her voice was slightly pained, her blue eyes seemingly boring right though his with their intensity, "I want you to know that my coming to you with all this goes against every fiber of my being- I'm a cop; being a rat is not in my D.N.A., but I'm stuck. I….I can't trust anyone in the department and when I realized what you and your partners were investigating, well, it was like serendipity. I was gonna contact the Bureau once I got enough evidence, but now, with you here already…maybe we can finally clean up this town and get some justice…."

Sadie stopped herself, her passionate speech almost getting the better of her as she realized she'd been squeezing Dean's arm tighter and tighter as it had progressed. She let go of him suddenly, her face turning red with embarrassment.

"Here's my card, Deputy," he pulled out a business card and put it directly into her hand, "Call me any time, even if there are other things you can't say. I'm going to get to the bottom of this, I promise you."

Sadie gave him a radiant smile, her eyes piercing through his again then she sobered. "Thank you, Agent Cassidy."

Dean smiled at her and they headed out of the diner to their cars. Dean watched her drive back towards town before he got into Baby. He pulled out his phone and called Sam to share this latest information.

"Obviously law enforcement in this town is a joke but I still think that we're still dealing with a vengeful ghost here," Sam said to a frustrated Dean, "and to be honest, after what we've learned about these people, I'm just about ready to let Stevie do whatever he wants."

"Have you been listening to a word I've said," Dean asked tersely, wondering how his usually level-headed and intelligent brother was being so idiotic right now.

"Yes, Dean, I have. Look, we called the Doctor's daughter and Robin's sister. They're adamant that whatever their relatives saw must have been some kind of manifestation of guilt. Mom and I were actually about to go talk to Betty. I'll get back to you if we find out anything."

"Fine," Dean agreed grudgingly, "I'll talk to you later."

"Wait!" Sam called, "What are you….?"

When Baby pulled up to the seedy motel on the other side of town, Dean found himself suitably impressed. He and Sam had stayed at some real dives over the years but this one? This one made him want to take a shower in a gallon of that hand gel stuff that Sam liked to use. He walked up to the second floor landing and knocked on Daniel's door. A tall middle aged man, with a full head of grey hair, thick coke bottle glasses and a slight paunch opened the door almost immediately.

"Mr. Billdon?" Dean said, whipping out his badge, "Agent Cassidy, F.B.I. Thank you for agreeing to meet with me."

"No, no thank you for contacting me. Maybe now we can get somewhere," Daniel sounded a little manic as he ushered Dean into the room. There were papers strewn everywhere and old take-out containers with a lovely mix of aromas ranging from moldy to maggot-ridden. Daniel rushed to clear stacks of Manila folders off a chair and then offered the seat to Dean.

"Uh..thanks," Dean said. Yep, alcohol bath when he got back to the Motel6.

"You mentioned wanting to talk about my brother and nephew, Agent?"

"Yes Mr. Billdon. First off, I understand that you left Bennett County some time ago?"

"You've been talking to that bitch, Jennifer, haven't you?" Daniel spat venomously, "Left? I was run out of town by my brother because that woman convinced him that I'd gotten drunk one night and tried to rape her! She's a liar and a con-artist! She tricked my brother into marrying her one year after his wife, Trudy died from breast cancer. Jennifer was his personal assistant for almost 8 months but you could tell what she really wanted to assist him with. She threw herself at him every chance she got and Geoff was so blinded by her…charms that he believed every disgusting word she whispered in his ear about me. He engineered a hostile takeover of the company that we owned 50-50, in revenge. He gave me 700 grand and told me to leave or get nothing….. "

"And you didn't fight it, get your shares back….?" Dean asked.

"Oh I tried, believe me, but my brother and his battery of lawyers knew exactly how to get around the Company by-laws to make everything iron-clad and legal. So…I took the money and moved to Arizona. I'm not proud of it, believe me, but I didn't have a choice…I tried my hand at a few start-ups of my own but I made one too many wrong investments and lost most of it. I was bitter and angry for years. I didn't even come back when Stevie..." Daniel swallowed thickly, and looked away.

"Mr. Billdon, I understand that there's no love lost between you and Jennifer. If you don't mind, I'd like to switch gears for a minute because I need to ask you about your brother. I've been told that he may have been stealing money from the business because of a gambling addiction and that his suicide….."

"My brother would never have killed himself. He wouldn't have left Gracie, not for anything, and the company meant everything to him- more than his own brother! He may have been stupid about a lot of other things, but he was a genius with the company. He would never have compromised himself or the business, I don't care what that woman says. Even blinded by her lies, Geoff wouldn't have left Jennifer in charge of our father's legacy," Daniel had taken to pacing now, his irritation worsening, "Look Agent, my nephew died when I still hated my brother and I thought it would hurt him more if I didn't show up for the funeral. When Geoff died...I was still angry, but at myself. If I'd known I would never get another chance to make up with him, to apologise for not being there when his son…..I cut myself off from anything Billdon-related after Geoff and moved to Canada; tried to make a fresh start and find a way to deal with the guilt. Then Betty Jones tracked me down a few days ago and told me about Gracie being sick and something about sightings of Stevie's ghost; I had to come back. I don't believe much in the paranormal, but I have to do right by my niece, even if she doesn't have much time left. I can't leave her with that grifter anymore, Lord knows what…"

The hunter was getting an uneasy feeling. Despite his highly agitated state, Dean wasn't really getting the impression that Daniel had any screws loose or was just a greedy bastard looking for a payout. Dean started thinking back to his time with Gracie. Despite being very ill, the giggly, happy little girl, was ever present underneath all of the alarms and monitors. Dean closed his eyes for a moment, picturing her smiling face and the way her eyes shone brightly with love for her brother. He was sure he'd seen the same look in Emma's eyes when she stared up intently at him every time he held her. His heart clenched as it dawned on him why he'd been feeling so unsettled and short-tempered since he'd gotten to Nebraska. He missed his daughter. The realization gave him clarity and a memory suddenly came unbidden to his mind.

When that male nurse and Jennifer had walked into Gracie's room earlier, that happy little girl had shut down immediately and turned away from everyone in the room. Something was going on in that house and he didn't like what his gut was telling him. He needed real answers and there was only one place he was going to get them.