Chapter Thirty Seven
"What? Where? I've got maps and junk here somewhere-"
"Hush up for a minute and let me talk. It's in Bartlett, Tennessee, right outside of Memphis. I called around some-"
Dean paced around the room anxiously. "Bobby, that's great, she couldn't have gone far without the car-"
The older man sighed again. "Unless she got another. Which she did."
"What?"
"Look it up. Some poor schmuck sold his 67 Cadillac DeVille. All kinda local buzz about it; it was supposed to be his prized possession, and he sold it real cheap. Said the girl who bought must've just talked him into it. Last time anyone saw it was this morning, flying south on I55."
"You're kidding," Dean cursed under his breath. "How the hell did she get to Tennessee that fast?"
He could almost hear Bobby shrug and glare. "You're the one that keeps that Impala's engine tuned up. She must not have stopped."
"Guess not." Dean said. "So where's my car?"
"In a shop in Bartlett. It's in long term storage."
"So I have to steal back my own car."
"Nope. Shop owner says he's supposed to give it to Detectives Stark and Bailey, who'll be in town in the next week."
"Damn that girl."
"Don't get me started on that, boy."
"You don't like her, do you?"
Bobby chuckled. "If she weren't a dreamwalker, I would. But she is, so, no, not one damn bit."
Dean made himself stop pacing. "Then why are you even helping?"
"You love her, don't you? You idjit."
"Yeah, I do." Dean sighed.
"Well, I noticed. So that's why."
"Thanks, Bobby."
"Don't get all sappy on me. I can't have you start growin' lady parts."
For the first time that day, Dean let himself chuckle. "Alright. I'll call if anything comes up."
"Yep." Bobby hung up.
Dean sat down and just stared at his hands. He felt an ass, but at least he knew where she was headed. And what she was driving.
"At least she's got taste," Dean muttered under his breath. The thought of Lilly speeding down the interstate in a Cadillac was just a little amusing, but at the same time fitting.
Sam came into the motel room and slung his own duffel off his shoulder and onto the other bed. "You okay, Dean?" He asked.
"Just got a call from Bobby," Dean said, standing. "Lilly kindly decided to drop the car off in Tennessee, and take off again in a Caddy."
Sam's eyes widened. "Really? Wow."
"Yeah," Dean said sarcastically. "So looks like we're packing up."
"Wait, what? We've got a case, Dean?"
Dean glared. "Damn it, Sam, I only took this case because we didn't know where Lilly was. Now we do. And we know where the car is. So we're going to go get them."
"Dean, she could be anywhere by now. And the car isn't going anywhere."
Storming closer to Sam, and jabbing a finger into his chest, Dean's face clouded. "You were the one that wanted to rescue from that barn in Mississippi. You were the one who wanted to take her with us. You were the one who kept me from killing her when I found out about her being a dreamwalker. That was all you, Sammy. Now, I love her and I know you do, too, I'm not stupid, and you're just going to let her run? With who the hell knows what after her?"
"Dean, I told you what I think about-"
"Even if it's not Slade, think about what Michael, or Lucifer, would do to her if they could get her. Remember what Cas said? She's wanted as a weapon, and we're supposed to protect her. Bang-up job we're doing." Dean glared. "On top of that," he added, "isn't she the reason Michael and Lucifer haven't been riding our asses lately? Do you think they'd quit for no reason? They'll start back up as soon as they catch wind of it. Is that what you want? To be an angel meat suit?"
Sam shook his head.
"Then go get that pansy-ass car and head to Tennessee."
"Dean, listen to me for one minute, okay?" Sam said, folding his arms. Dean reluctantly nodded. "If Lilly were really in trouble, wouldn't Cas have told us by now?"
Dean didn't reply.
"And like I said before, she'll come back when she'd ready."
Dean threw his hands in the air and began pacing. "What the hell is your problem-"
"I talked to her."
"You what?"
"She called last night. She said she was fine, and just wanted some time. I said we'd leave her alone for a while, but asked her to come back. She said maybe if she decides it's worth it."
Dean was speechless. "And you decided to just not tell me about this? What's your damn problem, Sammy?"
Sam sighed. "She asked me not to."
Taking a step closer, Dean glared into Sam's eyes. "Let me explain something to you. We're family. We've been over this before, and we have to trust each other. How the hell can I trust you when you keep secrets, Sammy?" Sam started to open his mouth, but Dean cut him off. "Beyond that, you know what Lilly means to me. You know, or you should know, that I would die for her, and right now, I want her back more than anything. Do you understand?"
"Yeah," Sam said quietly. "Dean, I'm sorry," he said, and Dean thought he meant it.
"Whatever. Go get that piece of junk and bring it around; I'll check out."
( )
Twenty minutes later, they were back on the road. Dean was unhappily huddled in the passenger seat, staring at the map, ignoring Sam's protests to use the GPS.
"You need to get back on the highway, Sam," Dean said, studying the map intently.
"I'm trying. The only exits are headed north, and we need to go south."
"Uh-huh." Dean was utterly disinterested.
"Damn it," Sam said under his breath, scanning street signs. Dean glanced up, and saw a cheery sign welcoming them to Kokomo, Indiana. He turned to Sam.
"You son of a bitch," he said flatly.
Sam held up his hands defensively and failed to keep from grinning. "Dean, I swear, I didn't mean to-"
"Shut up," Dean griped. "If we're here anyway, may as well get this over with."
Sam shrugged his agreement and grabbed the file from the console, glancing at the address. Somewhat smugly, he entered it into the GPS, and got directions.
"See how easy this is?" Sam asked as he pulled into the driveway of a new-looking house.
"I see how much of a douche you are," Dean muttered. He stepped out the car, and looked down at himself. He was wearing jeans with a hole in the knee, biker boots, a t-shirt, a button-up shirt, and his leather jacket. Electrical repairmen seemed to be the best way to go.
Sam was already headed up the small stairs onto the porch. Dean caught up just as he rang the doorbell.
"Hi," A woman said tentatively from the other side of a screen door. She was middle aged, good looking but plain, and looked hassled. They saw why a moment later, when an energetic child flung himself at her leg.
"Mommy!" The small boy wailed. She told him to hush and to his room.
"Can I help you all?" She asked, sounding like she wanted nothing more than for them to go away.
"Yes, we're here from the electric company," Dean said, throwing in a fake smile.
"Oh, right, come on in," the woman said, opening the screen door. "I'm Mrs. Hamilton."
"Nice to meet you," Sam said absently as he glanced around. He looked at Dean and shrugged. The house looked and felt incredibly normal.
"We've been having problems lately," Mrs. Hamilton was saying, "And we're really just getting sick of it. With the kids in the house-" she gestured around her- "we can't let it go on. It's starting to scare them a little," She admitted quietly.
Sam pointed a vague finger at her, as though just remembering her. "You're the ones who've had some things go missing, too, right?"
The woman nodded, her blonde hair bobbing.
"Huh. What kinds of things?" Dean asked, trying to sound disinterested and innocent at the same time."
She shrugged. "It's strange. It's nothing valuable; mostly just junk. There was a little watch, and a few other knick knacks."
"That is odd," Dean agreed. "We need to look at your wiring, and circuit breakers, if you don't mind-"
"Sure, sure," Mrs. Hamilton said. "They're in the basement. And while you're at it, if you see any rats down there, let me know. There's been all kinds of scratching sounds and things like that."
Dean grimaced at Sam, and followed her down the hall to a door at the end. She opened the door for them, flicked on a light, and motioned down the stairs.
"It's a little musty down there, but I don't think there's anything too scary," She said, smiling. Dean smiled back weakly, and his smile faded into a worried frown as he glanced down the stairs.
Mrs. Hamilton was already walking away. "There's another light switch at the bottom of the stairs," she called over her shoulder.
Dean glanced at Sam, who was staring into the darkness at the bottom of the stairs, and shrugged. "Here goes," he grunted as he started down.
He flipped the light switch at the bottom, and saw what looked like a storage area, with boxes stacked haphazardly in corners. It was damp, and a little chilly, but didn't look menacing.
"Get out the EMF, Sammy," Dean said. He glanced around, looking in corners, glancing into a few boxes, and nudging others with the toe of his boot. Hearing the steady whir of EMF meter, he moved through the cardboard maze, looking for anything out of place. There was a skittering off to his right, and he wheeled around to follow the noise. Nothing was there.
"It's still normal," Sam said, waving the EMF over boxes, walls, and even the floor. Its buzz never changed. They searched the basement methodically, and found nothing unusual or supernatural.
"Could it be somewhere else?" Sam asked. Dean shrugged.
"Sure," he replied, still looking around the room.
"Hey, look at this," Sam called out. He had crossed the basement and was crouched by the wall. In one hand, he held a frayed electrical wire. Picking up the other end, he frowned, and looked at Dean.
"What the hell…?" Dean said. He hadn't known a spirit, or ghost, to ever actually mess with wiring. Their own imbalance did enough damage by itself.
"Poltergeist?" Sam suggested. Dean shrugged again. "I know this is a crazy suggestion," Sam said, "but maybe we should check the breaker box."
"Yeah," Dean said, still frowning at the frayed wire. The look was familiar, but he couldn't place how.
"It's over here," Sam said as he stood and motioned to a grey box a few yards away. Dean stood up, touched the butt of his gun that was covered by his jacket, and moved towards the box. There was the same skittering sound he'd heard earlier.
He motioned at the box to Sam, who nodded and soundlessly pulled a gun from behind his back. Dean lifted one finger, then two, then a third, and sprung the handle on the breaker box.
There was a screech, and then a decidedly womanish yell that Dean realized was coming from his own lips. He heard a hiss, and cursed.
Sitting inside the breaker box, clinging for dear life to the bundle of wires to one side, was a giant raccoon.
It bared its teeth, but didn't move. Dean exchanged a glance with Sam, unsure of how to proceed.
At the bottom of the box sat a purple watch, a small stuffed animal, and the remains of a bag of crackers.
The raccoon hissed again, and the lights flickered as the wires it was hanging onto swayed. Upon closer inspection, there was a hole in the back of the box that looked like it had rusted, then just been clawed through at the weakened section. The insulation in the wall behind it looked damaged as well.
Sam leaned closer to examine the wiring, and the raccoon hissed again. Dean grabbed the back of Sam's collar and hauled him backwards.
"Are you crazy? Those things are vicious. And they carry rabies."
Sam rolled his eyes. "I wasn't going to try to pet it, Dean."
"It could have gone for the throat."
"Dean-"
"It's a wild animal, Sam. You have to have a healthy respect for nature. Meaning you don't stick your face up next to it."
Sam rolled his eyes again. "Okay, Ranger Rick, how do we get it out?"
Dean thought for a minute. "How about we don't, and call animal control or an exterminator, or something."
"Sounds good," Sam agreed. He carefully shut the breaker box, and they both hurried up the stairs.
"That was fast," Mrs. Hamilton said as met them at the top of the stairs.
"You have a raccoon infestation," Dean blurted. Mrs. Hamilton's eyes went wide.
"Oh my God, well, do I need to get the kids out the house, what's going to happen-"
Sam stopped her with a hand. "Just call animal control, and they'll take care of it and tell you what you need to do."
"It's contained in the breaker box," Dean added. Sam gave him a look.
"You might want to call about redoing your insulation. We think that's how it got in." He started to move forward, and then stopped. "It also seems to like children's toys, and crackers."
Mrs. Hamilton paled.
Back at the car, Dean slid into the passenger seat and grumbled once again about the rental car, before glaring at Sam.
"We have to take this case, we can't just let it go," He mocked in a whiny voice. "We are never going with your idea again."
Sam just glared back. "Well, sorry. Now we know that in Indiana, there are basements haunted by raccoons."
"Whatever. Now drive this crap car to Tennessee and get me my baby back."
( )
Please review! I haven't heard much, but one of you all hit the nail on the head with where this is going… I didn't reply to it because I didn't want to give too much away. I'd love to hear thoughts!