A/N - Thank you guys SO much for the reviews and alerts. I am flattered beyond words. :D
Disclaimer: I don't own these characters or the universe. If I did, I wouldn't be here writing about them, I'd be living there, eating pie off of Dean's tummy. :)
Sam and Raven had continued talking during the ride to Ohio. The only time they were quiet was when one of them was sleeping. At one point, Raven had drifted off with her head in Sam's lap. They looked so comfortable together. Since he did the bulk of the driving, Dean decided to give the situation some thought. Was the sensation in his gut really about Raven or was it jealousy because she was becoming so close to Sam? A woman had never come between them before but this was different. The vibe he was getting didn't feel physical. It was something out of the ordinary and maybe that's what was bothering him. It wasn't just the Sam thing. Other men seemed to be drawn to her the same way Sam was. The guy behind the counter at the gas station stared at her so hard Dean thought his eyes were going to pop out of his head. She was hot and all but she wasn't a freakin runway model or anything. Dean just didn't see it.
They stopped at a place just outside the downtown area called the CeeRay motel. To call this place sleazy would have insulted actual places that were sleazy. Even Dean's skin crawled a little. To Raven's credit, she didn't even flinch. She asked Dean to take her to the rental car place they had passed on their way to the motel. She guessed that Dean wasn't going to allow her to use the Impala and she was absolutely right. That woman would never get behind the wheel of his Baby. Sam opted to stay behind and start the research, leaving Dean and Raven alone in the car for the short ride. Neither of them spoke and the silence was awkward. However, he had the radio on and she was softly singing along to "Ramble On" by Led Zeppelin, while staring out the rain streaked window. It was one of his favorite songs and he would have never pegged her as a classic rock fan. He had to admit that gave her a few points in her favor.
She rented a standard sedan and they were back to the motel within half an hour. Sam had already located the library and city hall to start the research routine. Raven offered to do laundry, which surprised Dean but he did not comment further. They split up and went to work, something they could actually agree on.
When the brothers returned, the room was clean and smelled fresh. All their clothes and even the sheets had been laundered. There was what appeared to be a home cooked meal waiting for them. She had even managed to scout out the crime scene and take some pictures. Dean was stunned and although he didn't want to admit it, impressed. They ate, cleaned up the dishes and went to bed, all of them tired. He was not surprised to see that Raven and Sam were sharing a bed. He was even less surprised to wake up and find her lying in Sam's arms.
Bedford, Ohio was just another small, uninteresting suburb of Cleveland. The only part of the little community that could be considered "attention-grabbing" was its downtown area, which was a strip of buildings running right through the middle of the town that housed everything from a donut shop to a store front that offered "spinning classes", whatever those were. Dean was unimpressed. It looked like a hundred other towns they have been to before. Sam and Raven, on the other hand, were geeking out over the architecture of the church next to the square. Dean tuned them out while humming Queen's "Fat Bottomed Girls".
Thinking it might be a good idea to get a feel for the town, Dean decided to park the Impala and walk to the scene of the last attack. He and Sam were in their typical FBI disguises, which consisted of cheap suits and fake badges. Raven had taken a slightly different approach and was acting as agent working with Homeland Security. Her identification was impeccably forged and her dark blue suit was tailored and obviously expensive, even to Dean who had no clue who Donna Karan was. He had to admit, Raven looked good. And her, "I am better than you are" attitude completely worked with the Homeland Security scam.
Burger World was still closed due to the blood stained sidewalk and crushed compact car in the parking lot. Apparently, the local PD was waiting on the State Police to come and inspect the scene. While
getting a closer look, Raven noticed a squad car stopped in the drive thru lane. A pudgy, middle aged officer climbed out of the car and walked over to them, suspicion written on his red, swollen face.
"Afternoon," said the officer, "Is there something I can help you with?"
Dean spoke first, "I'm Agent Perry. This is Agent Schon, "acknowledging Sam with an inclination of his head while pulling I.D. from his jacket pocket.
"And you are?" asked the officer, looking her up and down, slowly.
She replied quickly before Sam could step in, also pulling out I.D. "I'm Special Agent Wilson, Homeland Security."
The officer looked astounded, "What in God's name does this case have to do with Homeland Security?"
"An unidentified vehicle with the ability to crush a Ford Focus makes this our business," Raven laid the arrogance on extra thick, "Officer…?"
The officer blushed and replied quickly, "Sergeant Bower, Bedford P.D." He shook hands with all of them.
"Sergeant," Raven began, "Can you give us the run down on what you have discovered?"
"Well, to be perfectly honest, we have very little to go on. The victim was a 22 year old college student, Dakota Chandler. She was working the closing shift and as she was leaving, she was run down by… something."
"Something?" Sam asked with an eyebrow raised, "Has your Forensics Department made any determinations on what type of vehicle might have caused that level of damage?"
Bower rubbed his neck, at an obvious loss, "Our department isn't really equipped to handle something like this. We are waiting on the state police to come and look at the evidence further. But you guys are more than welcome to have a look for yourself. Maybe you will come up with something we missed."
Raven noticed that Dean wandered off while she and Sam were asking questions. He was squatting down examining the tire marks left in the grassy island located in the middle of the parking lot. So, she thought, it looked like bringing the camera along was a good idea. She excused herself as Sam was asking for copies of the police report and walked over to Dean. The beep of the camera caused Dean to look up. She turned to look at him while still looking through the view finder and her breath caught in her chest. His profile, illuminated by the climbing sun, was damn near perfect. Her finger acted on its own and snapped a picture of him. Luckily, he didn't notice.
"These aren't tire tracks." He stated rather matter-of-factly.
Raven had come to the same conclusion but was at a loss as to what vehicle they belonged to. "Got any ideas as to what might make imprints like these?"
Dean sighed, stood and brushed his hands off on his dress pants. "No clue. But we can do some digging on the internet. I think we should talk to some of the shop owners around here. Never know what they might have spotted."
Raven simply nodded. She had been thinking the same thing. Considering the prospect that their styles were not that different, she followed him back to where Sam was finishing up with Sergeant Bower.
They decided to split up to cover more ground. The area was small but the day was beginning to cloud over and none of them wanted to be canvassing in the snow. Sam observed Raven pinching the bridge of her nose or rubbing the back of her neck when she thought he wasn't looking. She was obviously getting a headache. She had slept alright last night. There wasn't too much thrashing around but her pallor disturbed him. He would have suggested taking her back to the room but she was just as stubborn as Dean, maybe even more so.
Sam smiled as he saw Dean come out of the donut shop munching on a chocolate custard filled doughnut. Of course, he had picked the side of the street with the most restaurants on it. Sam shook his head, put on his game face, and walked into the next storefront, an insurance agency.
Well, that was a complete waste of time, Sam mused. All the places he had gone into either closed early or were too far away from the intersection to have seen anything. Then, he looked up at the sign over the next door. The place was called Spirit Apothecary and from the window decorations, it was a store specializing in Pagan worship supplies. Taped to the door was a notice about the monthly absinthe parties hosted at the store. Sam smiled and looked around for Dean so he could say, "Yahtzee!" Instead, Raven happened to be coming out of the barber shop across the street and he waved her over. He pointed at the sign and she smiled in recognition. They both took a deep breath and walked through the door.
The place smelled of patchouli, cinnamon and vanilla. Sam didn't think it was a bad combination. There was some sort of Indian chanting music wrapping around the corners of the tiny space, welcoming and soothing all that entered. Lining the walls behind the counter were dozens of glass jars filled with spices, herbs and teas. The rest of the store was full of books, jewelry, candles and assorted ritual items. Sam loved it instantly. Looking down at Raven, he saw her shoulders relax as well.
A balding, middle aged man came out from the back room, smiled and asked, "May I help you?"
Sam spoke first this time and said, "I'm Agent Schon of the FBI and this is Special Agent Wilson of Homeland Security. And you are?"
"I am Matthew French, the owner of this establishment. It's quite nice to meet you both." The greeting was said with warmth. "Would either of you like some juniper tea with vanilla? I have a fresh pot in the back."
Raven merely shook her head and Sam replied, "No, Mr. French. Thank you for the offer. Do you have time for a few questions?"
He smiled again and said with humor in his voice, "Ask away. The only way to acquire information is to ask questions."
Sam answered the man's warm smile with one of his own, "Were you here on the evening of the 19th when the girl from Burger World was killed?"
"Yes, we were having our monthly absinthe party. The party was just winding down when we heard this awful screeching sound coming from the corner. Some of us ran out to see what was happening, myself included, and saw the girl's car being crushed and well… her being crushed."
Sam saw the regret in the man's eyes, "Did you see what crushed the car?"
Matt French simply shook his head, "No, but there were those among us that swear they felt something. When they tried to tell the police, they looked at us like we were nuts and dismissed any theories we offered because we had been 'drinking'. None of us were intoxicated to the point we wouldn't know if there was an energy at work there."
Raven spoke for the first time and said, "Mr. French, you will find us willing to consider whatever you have to say."
He instantly smiled more broadly and spoke with enthusiasm, "Well, my wife Mellissa, ran to the scene and swears she felt a presence there; an energy that she had felt before but not in that part of the area. She says she has felt that energy before, but nearer to the square. And all of us that ran out to look saw the lights inside the restaurant and in the parking lot flickering. There had to be something there that was not explainable by conventional means. It's the only explanation."
Sam considered his words and gave Raven a knowing look. "Is there anything else that you tried to tell the police about that night that was dismissed?"
Mr. French considered Sam's question, "The only other thing is that we told the police that we heard what sounded like metal on metal scraping. Like something needed to be oiled. It was a terrible sound that I hope to never hear again."
Sam nodded and fished a card out of his pocket. "If you think of anything else you think we should know about, please don't hesitate to give me a call. Thank you for your time, Mr. French."
"Wait a second," the shop owner said suddenly, "Please take this." He came around the counter and handed Raven two small glass bottles. "This one is peppermint oil," He said holding up the first vial. "Mix a few drops of it with this one," holding up the other vial, "and have your friend here rub the combination on your temples right before you sleep and it will help with the headaches. Unfortunately, they are going to get worse before they get better."
The look on her face told Sam volumes. She was astonished. "Mr. French, I appreciate the gesture but I think a hot shower and some pain reliever will work just fine."
"Please," he replied in earnest, "It's important that you feel well so you can continue on the path that has been chosen for you. I do not envy you but you do possess the strength to complete the journey. I am honored to meet you both. Blessed be."
The man then went into the back room without speaking another word. They left the store in stunned silence, neither of them acknowledging what had just taken place.
Dean was waiting on the corner, "Where were you two?" He gave them both a suspicious look.
Whatever response Sam was about to give fell off his lips when his eyes shifted past his brother and saw something he missed when they walked through the area earlier.
Both Dean and Raven followed his gaze. Sitting between the church and the train shed, Sam had been staring at a WWII tank.
A/N: Just so you guys know, I live in Bedford, Ohio. There is a Burger King aka Burger World in downtown on the corner. There is a store called Spirit Apothecary and Matt and Melissa do own it (Ichanged their last names), and there IS a WWII tank behind the church on the square. I had some of my wedding pictures made there. I couldn't make this up if I wanted to. I might post some pics. XD
If you are liking, please review! :)