Chapter 4
Bobby opened the door for his house and stepped inside. He sniffed the air and smelled something good coming from the kitchen.
"Boys, you around?" Bobby called out as he stepped into the living room and sat his bag down.
"Bobby!" Sam replied stepping from the kitchen to greet him. He waited until he was closer and gave him a brief hug and smile. "Dean's got dinner almost done, we're having Mexican night and yes, I made sure Dean toned it down on the hot stuff."
"It smells good son and good to see you."
"Bobby, my man!" Dean greeted him waving a spoon his way before turning back to stir the food he was cooking. "How'd the hunt go?"
"Monster taken care of and no one was seriously hurt," Bobby replied. He glanced at the table and saw it was set and had tortilla chips, salsa, and fixings for tacos sitting on it.
"Coffee's hot if you want a cup or we've got beer," Sam offered.
"Beer will be good."
"Go ahead and sit, it's almost ready," Dean told him as he took up the taco meat. "Sammy, sit those bowls on the table."
"Got it." Sam sat a bowl with Spanish rice and one with warm soft and hard taco shells on the table. He grabbed beers for everyone and took his seat at the table.
"Here we go, dinner is served," Dean announced proudly as he sat the bowl of seasoned meat on the table.
"Well, boys, this is a treat," Bobby praised them taking a couple of shells and filling them with meat before passing it on.
Everyone filled their plates and began to eat. They were too busy eating and enjoying the food to talk much. Nearly all the taco meat was devoured, along with the fixings and everyone was stuffed.
Dean moaned and pushed his plate aside as he patted his stomach.
"Man! I am stuffed."
"I told you not to have that last taco," Sam chastised him as he spooned the last of his rice into his mouth. He had better control of his eating and tried not to overdo it like Dean usually did. "So, are we done?"
"I think I am, I can't eat another bite," Dean huffed out.
They looked toward Bobby's office when a phone started ringing and Bobby pushed his chair from the table to go answer it.
"Better go see who's calling," he grunted shuffling off toward his office.
"You want to wash or dry?" Sam asked gathering up Bobby's plate, silverware, and his own.
"Wash," Dean answered moving slowly as he gathered his dishes to take to the sink. He went back to the table and gathered the bowls to put the few leftovers in the fridge for another meal.
spn
"What's wrong Bobby?" Sam asked when he saw the concerned frown on his face as he stepped back into the kitchen.
"That was a hunter friend of mine. He was supposed to be meeting up with another hunter to check a possible case, but the guy never showed," Bobby explained. "That's not like him. I've known Jacob for ten years and hunted with him numerous times. He shows if he says he's going to."
"Maybe he's just been delayed for some reason," Dean offered as he listened to the older hunter talk.
"I've tried calling him, but it goes straight to voicemail and I have his private number I tried, but still didn't get an answer."
"Could he have maybe found another hunt he's working before meeting up?" Sam questioned.
"He would have called Pete and let him know. You don't leave a hunter in the lurch when they need backup. I got a feeling in my gut something has happened to him."
"What can we do?" Dean asked drying his hands on a dishtowel.
"Let me put some feelers out and see what I can find out. I may need you boys to do some legwork for me."
"Of course, Bobby, anything," Sam assured him. "Do you have any idea where his last location might be? I can go online and see if I can find anything out."
"Thanks boys, let me make some phone calls and I'll get back to you." Bobby turned to head back to his office leaving the brothers in the kitchen to finish up.
"I'm going to get together whatever dirty clothes we've got and do a load in case we need to head out," Sam told Dean. "That way everything will be clean."
"I'll go change the oil in my Baby and look at those two cars for Bobby and then I'll check the weapon's bag to see if we need to restock anything," Dean replied.
"We need more salt. I'll see if Bobby has any in the basement."
"If you need me, you know where to find me." Dean headed into the living room and out the front door to move the Impala to the garage behind the house.
Sam headed upstairs to gather their dirty clothes to wash and he was going to see if he could help Bobby. No one took it lightly when a hunter went missing under mysterious circumstances. Every hunter knew the risks they took with each hunt they went on and knew it could be their last.
The hunters Sam had met over the years were hard core, tough as nails, cautious and knowledgeable. Sure, there were the green horns who played at being hunters that either got killed on their first hunt or gave it up when they saw how dangerous it really was and the thrill wore off. From what Bobby had said about Jacob, he was a seasoned hunter and had been doing it for years so that threw up a red flag. Sam hoped there was just a mix-up and he would show back up with a good story to tell, but that might not be the case.
spn
Sam poured a fresh cup of coffee and headed for Bobby's office. He thought he might need another cup and wanted to see if he had found any news about his friend.
"I brought you another cup of coffee, thought you might need it," Sam told the older hunter, sitting the cup on his cluttered desk. "Anything yet?"
"No, I talked to Pete again, he's got another hunter helping him. Jacob was supposed to meet him in Great Bend, Kansas and never showed."
"Did Pete know where Jacob was coming from?"
"He thought Stanberry, Missouri or somewhere around there. He said Jacob was checking out a possible case but didn't think he found anything and was heading his way."
"Why don't I check online and see if anything stands out around the area that Jacob might have been looking into?"
"Alright son, I've called Ash at the Roadhouse to see what he can find and asked Ellen to spread the word to be on the lookout for him. She's going to keep her ears open for any gossip."
"Okay, I'll go grab my laptop and will be in the kitchen if you need me."
"Alright, I've done about all I can do for now, I'm heading to the garage to see what Dean's doing."
"Okay Bobby," Sam said. "And Bobby, we'll find something out, don't give up hope."
"I'll try." Bobby moved around the desk to head out of the room and toward the front door.
Sam watched his surrogate father walk away and it hit him just how precious life was and how easily it could be taken away. Both the brothers knew this from the loved ones they had lost and the sacrifices they had made. He sighed heavily and went upstairs to get his laptop to begin searching the last known area Jacob had been at, hoping to find clues to his whereabouts.
Sam was still sitting at the table in the kitchen when Dean and Bobby came back inside for lunch. He had put some chicken tenders and rolls in the oven and some mac and cheese on the stove top for their lunch fifteen minutes before and got up to check them. He had opened a bag of salad and added a few more items to it for Bobby and him. He knew Dean would not want any.
"You cooking Sammy?" Dean asked going to the sink to wash his hands.
"Just fixing a little something for our lunch," Sam replied. He moved his laptop and set the table as the food finished cooking. "It'll be ready in just a second."
"What can I do?"
"Fix the drinks."
"Did you find anything Sam?" Bobby asked. He had gone to his bathroom to clean up before joining them in the kitchen.
"I'm not sure, but maybe. I'm running a search right now and it should be done by the time we finish lunch. I'm hoping it will give us the information we might need."
"Tea or coffee Bobby?" Dean asked as he filled two glasses with ice and poured tea for him and Sam.
"Tea will be fine."
"On it."
"Grab the salad from the fridge Dean, and the dressings."
"Okay Sammy, I swear one of these days you're going to turn into a rabbit."
"You know it wouldn't hurt if you'd eat a little healthier Dean. You're a heart attack waiting to happen," Sam sighed rolling his eyes at his brother's remark.
"Not going to happen bro, I'm as healthy as a horse."
"Keep telling yourself that."
"Boys, foods getting cold," Bobby butted in before it went any further. He knew how the brothers jabbed and teased each other and how it could get out of hand.
"Sorry, Bobby, salad?" Sam asked.
They ate lunch and cleaned the kitchen before getting back to the case of the missing hunter.
A/N: Thanks for going on this journey with me. Things are heating up and the search for the missing hunter gets intense. I do like reviews; they make my day. NC