Chapter 5

"So uh Sheriff, did Officer Stark say he saw anything?"

Sheriff Talbert looked at the young man in front of him. He said that he was with the forest service. He was rather skeptical about that since when did the forestry pay attention to a small town like Ellis? However they seemed to know their stuff and while what he thought what Stark said was pure nonsense, the fact that government officers were interested… maybe they knew something. He replied, "Stark said it was huge but we couldn't get much more out of him. Poor bastard started babbling and he needed treatment."

Dean took notes down since the sheriff was eyeballing him with a somewhat gimlet eye. He had dealt with the skeptical types before. The trick was to really sell the ID you assumed. Besides Sam and Angela would need notes to compare with when they met up later. He replied, "And what about Deputy Towers?"

"Towers was nowhere in sight but Stark did mention something about blood and we found blood inside the driver's side. You're welcome to take a look." Sheriff Talbert motioned over towards the car.

Dean turned to see Sam taking a look at it. "My partner is taking care of it. Now where did Officer Stark see the… thing?"

"He was patrolling the back roads to the mine searching for Deputy Russ."

"So Deputy Russ has been missing?"

"Since night before last. We found remains earlier that looked like an animal attack. We were searching to make sure the thing wasn't around. Anything else you forest boys want to know?"

Dean saw that he would need to trade carefully in order to not tread upon toes or get in trouble and get kicked out of town. He was seriously beginning to doubt that it was a spirit but then again stranger things have happened regarding vengeful spirits. He replied, "When Officer Stark is feeling up to it, we would like to talk to him."

"We can arrange it," Sheriff Talbert replied still scrutinizing Dean carefully. He still wasn't sure about him and his partner but they seemed to know what they were doing. They, well the guy talking to him, seemed interested in what Stark had to say. It wasn't that he didn't believe his man but they didn't see what he saw when he and Bob finally arrived to help Stark.

"Thank you Sheriff. We'll be in touch," Dean smiled as he shook the sheriff's hand.

"I'm sure," Talbert replied as he eyed the forest ranger with some trepidation before going over to where Bob was and finishing up. He would have to tell Nancy the progress and then there was the issue with Stark and Towers.

Dean kept up the pretenses of being polite until the sheriff's back was turned. It dropped to the look of seriousness he wore and headed over to where Sam was inspecting the car. As soon as he was close enough he said, "You can quit acting like one of those douches on procedural cop shows."

Sam had been looking around where the local cops had found one of their own babbling and bleeding to death. They were able to get the guy medical attention but it was not certain if he was going to live or not. To Sam it didn't strike him as being a typical vengeful spirit. The amount of blood all over the place and the broken brush nearby, he was thinking it was something else.

He started looking through the car to see if there was anything unusual. Aside from Stark's blood which was outside the car, there was blood inside but a smaller amount. It sounded morbid in his head but Sam wished that Angela was there to at least take a whiff of the blood. She could at least tell them if there were two or more individuals. Yet Dean had been adamant that she take it easy and that meant light duty; in other words, research and virtually vegetating in the room or amusing herself.

That had Sam a little worried since she was amused by the last bar fight she was in. It was like dealing with a ten year old with pent up energy. At least she had the cat to keep her company and it seemed to peter out the desire to drink. He could turn his attention to the job for now but he was going to have to talk to Dean about letting her do a little heavy lifting. It wasn't like she was crippled or anything and Sam suspected that Dean knew something that he didn't but he wasn't going to push on it right now.

Looking through the car, Sam spotted something that hit a little close to home. Pulling a pair of tweezers from his jacket he reached in and picked up what his eyes had spotted that probably the cops didn't see or didn't think too much of. It was a bunch of hairs and after the last case with the yeti he was certain that the hairs weren't human. He was looking at them when Dean came up and told him basically to stop by making some comment on procedural cop shows.

Sam threw a slight bitch face before standing up. He tucked the tweezers with the hairs into the folds of his jacket and replied, "Finished making nice with the sheriff?" He didn't have anything to come back with since his mind was on something else.

"Nice retort Sammy. Sheriff says that the guy heading to the hospital was the one that saw it. He kept babbling and called it a thing," Dean replied as he looked at his notes. When he looked up he saw Sam looking at him with a quizzical expression. "What?"

"You actually took notes?"

"Sheriff was giving me the look Sam. He probably suspects we aren't the real deal. I had to look part," Dean replied trying to justify what Sam would do. "Besides we need to compare with what Angie finds out." He motioned with his head slightly and started walking down towards the Impala.

Sam decided to bring it up, "Dean I don't think it was a good idea to make Angie sort of sit this one out."

"Sam, I done told you she needs to take it easy. It's only been a few days since you rescued her. Don't think that I haven't noticed the marks under her eyes or how she winces if she happens to move the wrong way."

"I know that," Sam began trying to hide his surprise that Dean was able to see as much as he did when they observed her. "I see it too but I've also seen that she's become a bit lethargic and drinking a lot more than you. Dean, I think she is bored. She is willing to go along with you but she's bored. I think she started the fight at the Podunk just to entertain herself."

They were in the Impala and driving when Dean responded. He knew what the word lethargic meant somewhat and he was his usual self when it came to Sam using that supernatural brain of his. He replied, "You know that she doesn't start them Sam. She finishes them."

"Not this time Dean," Sam replied as he looked out the window. He knew that she could argue semantics as well as the best lawyer in the world. Sometimes he could hardly believe that he had wanted to become a lawyer. He had planned a lot of things then but this was now.

Dean didn't like that Sam had become so quiet. The jokes he had ready for Sam's sudden acquirement of battle scars the night before didn't seem so funny now. His brother could definitely kill the mood when he really turned into a brooding emo. He took matters into his own hands and said, "At least she let them have it. I always did think and say that she had been beating off dicks with a stick long before she met us."

Sam looked from the window towards Dean. His expression said that he wasn't amused by that assertion. He looked back out the window before fishing the tweezers out. He said, "I don't think it's a vengeful spirit. I found some hairs in the patrol car."

"What we've got another yeti?" Dean asked as he maneuvered back towards the center of town. The road was long and windy and he had to keep his eyes on the road. "That's all the more reason to keep her out of this Sam."

"I don't think they are yeti hairs," Sam replied. "Too dark and too short."

"What?"

"Yetis are like Arctic weasels Dean. Their fur is brown in summer but in winter they are white and the fur is longer than this. This is a little wiry."

"Thanks for the lesson Professor," Dean replied. "But what about the fact that people say they have been seeing this Mad Eye Garrison at night?"

Sam shrugged his shoulders. That was another thing. They weren't sure if there was any truth to the stories since it seemed like the people said it was the kids looking for kicks. He and Dean would need to get closer to the mine and take some EMF readings and there were several ways to do this though he was certain that Dean would go with what he considered the easiest way and that was a B&E. Sam personally thought that if they could get the elusive Mr. Ellis to grant permission to set foot on the property, it would make their jobs a lot easier and they wouldn't have to explain what they were doing there if they were caught.

Sam continued to study the hairs. It was something that would interest Angela. He replied, "We need to check for EMF. There's supposed to be no power to the mine so we wouldn't have to worry about interference. Maybe Angie could talk to Ellis…"

"And what? Snow job him?" Dean considered the possibility but he had heard a little about the patriarch Ellis who was the great grandson of Gerald Ellis or something or other. He didn't like what it implied. "Ellis would be more distracted by her chest than by anything she had to say. I won't do that. I won't put her through the humiliation."

"How do you know that?" Sam looked up and peered at Dean. Normally he was the one who would get angry about guys looking at her the wrong way.

"People talk Sam."

"And it is probably just rumors too Dean. You know the owner of the motel? I've heard things about her too but some of the crap I heard is ridiculous. It's like doing research. You separate what is fact from crap."

"I know that Mr. Smarty-Pants but you know what it is about the big boys in town."

"No I don't but if you are so worried, why not just ask her if she'll be okay with it instead of bossing her around," Sam put forth. He didn't like the idea much either but he knew that she would rather be asked than told what to do if it was something that could be easily blown out of proportion.

"Big brother Sam."

Sam shot his brother a look that said that he was being ridiculous. "Dude, you know that doesn't work on her."

"Don't argue technicalities Sam. So far she's been agreeable to everything I've said."

"And she's bored out of her mind. She thinks a fist fight is fun and you know that she would just rather avoid them all together."

"She is keeping busy. She's doing research and getting to know the people," Dean replied trying to make it sound good when in fact Sam had just shot gaping holes in his logic. Well the holes had been there since he had noticed the drinking and that goofy happy look when she was beating the crap out of someone. Though he did have to admit that a genuine happy look appeared last night when she rescued him from that furry little monster that he knew she had stashed somewhere.

"It's not enough Dean."

"Well what do you want me to do Sam? She's hurt and I think she's not going to admit that she still doesn't feel good from being stuck in an outdoor freezer and nearly dying. What do you want me to do?" Dean looked over at his brother to look him in the eye before putting his full attention on the road. It was easier if it were Sam but because it was Angela, it was brand new territory and it had him nervous and worried but he wasn't going to allow it to show.

Sam was quiet. He knew there was one way but there was a problem with it. He could just anticipate the refusal and the arguments in his head. He glanced at his brother and knew that he was just doing what he thought was best. Sometimes though Dean could be a real pain in the ass with the mother henning and Sam remembered the last time he did that and it was just a little cold. "I don't know Dean."

Actually he did have an idea. He just needed to work it out before presenting it to her. He needed to make it somewhat palpable to her mind and maybe it might help. At least she had the kitten to keep her company. He actually looked forward to when they booked this town. His thoughts were interrupted when his phone rang and he grimaced slightly at the tune it was playing. He could tell Dean was amused as he answered, "Did you change my ringtone again, Angie?"

Angela sat on the porch holding her cup of tea. It was not bad actually. It was called rose tea and it happened to be Mama Jameson's favorite. The scent was pretty good and she was good at playing the good guest.

After breakfast and Dean decided once again that she should have restricted duty, she went about the town taking note of it. If she was going to do the research, she might as well do it right. She understood Dean's logic and in a way she was grateful since it was going to be slow for her to getting back to one hundred percent. However his assertion that because he was the oldest and he knew what was best was trying but she could admit that it was a good lesson in patience.

She made note of the buildings that held information on the mine and then began making a list of notes for each one. She had a thing about building rapport with people and had discovered that if you happened to know something or you knew about it but made a slight mistake, the person whose brains you wanted to pick was more willing to part with the information.

Since they were looking at ghosts and the fact that Garrison was a miner, it was best to start with the library and then historic society. Both would provide the basics on the mine and how the town started. The details would come when she quizzed the people. It was like doing research for a history project but since this was a mining town that was so small that it didn't exist on a map, she needed to know details and while it may bore the boys to death, they would appreciate the information. After all you had to know what you were hunting in order to kill it.

The library and the historic society took up most of the morning and it was rather interesting. She learned that the town had been founded in 1870 when Gerald Ellis struck it rich with his coal mine claim. He pulled out some of the best coal and built himself a little empire hiring workers and setting up the town by convincing merchants to set up shop. Most of the buildings around town were some of the original buildings.

Not knowing for certain, Angela printed up copies of the old town maps and the maps hereafter for reference. She knew this wasn't a report for a class but it seemed necessary to have maps of the town. They even had the layout of the roads including the back roads where the boys went to after they heard about the 'animal attack' on Officer Stark. She also printed a map of the mine itself. It was not very old and was in fact a newer one before it shut down.

The mine itself was a monstrosity of caverns that pushed up tons of coal every day. Then one day in January of 1995, Michael Ellis, great grandson of Gerald Ellis closed the mine. The official statement was that the coal being mined had petered out in quality and it was not worth the time or the money to dig it out. However there were some sources who said that the mine still had good quality and plenty of it. On the surface it could have been that Ellis had enough of the mining business but there was one account by a Lawrence Fitzgerald that the mine had something in it that scared Ellis and the miners.

Angela found that to be the most interesting of the accounts. The tale of Old Mad Eye Garrison was there too. Mining records showed that there was a miner named Garrison and he was instrumental in pushing forth better structure on the ventilation shafts into the mine. One of the stories was that he actually took volunteers to pretend to fall down the shafts. In the end Garrison died in one of those shafts that was improperly ventilating air and had poor structure. Since then people said they had seen his ghost wandering warning people about the shafts.

To Angela it sounded like an OSHA issue that was never addressed and Garrison paid the price for it. Then again many miners paid the price when they contracted black lung. That was a nasty way to go. It was somewhat like a bacterial infection from dirt that caused a constant cough that never goes away or something like that. It was the hazard of the job. Gold mining used mercury and that poisoned whole water systems if runoffs weren't built. Hell she could identify to a degree since she still was feeling off from the hypothermia.

It was a lot of information but Angela was able to sort it out and be able to contribute for later but that was just the tip of the iceberg. She couldn't explain it but she felt that she had to get more information from the people and in particular from those who remembered the mine closing or even those who used to work at the mine. That was why she was there at Mama Jameson's house.

She had presented herself as a history major that was looking up towns that were made and broken by the single major industry like steel mill towns or mining towns. The old lady bought it and invited her in. Angela had to compliment on the house and that got her invited to tea while the old lady talked about the town before it closed.

"Well there were a lot more people here before Young Ellis closed the mine. People came far and wide for the decent wages and a steady job under the Ellis family."

Angela smiled as she took a sip. "Sounds like you admired the Ellis family."

"They were the founders of our town and they took responsibility into maintaining its upkeep. Michael's father, Gerald Jr. was very strict on safety measures in the mine. After what happened to Mad Eye Garrison, he made sure that his mine was the safest one in the whole of Oregon. People thought that he would bankrupt the family with what he called necessary improvements."

"I can see that. Most businessmen are more familiar with the term of cost effective," Angela prompted. The old lady was willing to give anything if given the right push. "So the mine was made safer, did that affect the decision to shut it down in 1995?"

"Michael understood the need and supported it. Yet it seemed that he got the run of bad luck. The ore wasn't as good as it used to be and less was being able to be mines every day," Mama Jameson rattled on as she rocked in her chair and drank her tea. "He was more familiar with the term cost effective but he did everything he could to stretch funds to pay his miners."

"I heard that part of it was EPA. Is there any truth to that?"

"No just cost effective."

It sounded suspicious but without being able to go up into the mine, she wasn't able to tell whether or not Ellis was justified in shutting it down. The idea formed about going to see him and she toyed with it as she continued her conversation with Mama Jameson. "I see. So Mad Eye Garrison's death had nothing to do with it?" She molded her features to be the good inquisitive student. A plus was she had done many interviews before so she didn't have to stutter for a question or two.

"Mad Eye Garrison died before Gerald Jr. put in the improvements. That was before young Michael's time. They said that was an accident but his best friend and mining partner maintained that it was something else."

That piqued Angela's interest. The thing people seemed to talk about was Mad Eye's ghost and seeing it. She knew that vengeful spirits did their thing because it was related to their death. Of course there were some exceptions to the rule but those were rare. Thomas Wilkerson was one such spirit. Violent death by demon, well rather a spill on his horse Bordeaux, but still a demon nevertheless and he didn't harbor a desire for vengeance. She asked, "What did he say?"

Mama Jameson looked at the young lady sitting across from her. She liked her the moment she met her on her front porch. She was polite and she seemed very interested in the history of the town and mine. The girl asked very good questions and she sounded like a research student. She was surprised that anyone was interested in Ellis since this town was almost out of the way of everything. The young folks wanted to get up and leave and they did when they had the chance.

Mama Jameson was curious about why the young lady wanted to know about the mine closing and what happened that day Mad Eye Garrison died. It sounded like the young lady liked old ghost stories but this wasn't a story and Mama Jameson was comforted by the fact that the young lady wasn't treating this like a joke. She replied, "Well there were rumors that there were some tunnels that were declared off limits. Some people thought that it was part of an experiment or something. The elder Ellis, Gerald Jr. had some of his best miners seal off tunnels."

"Why would he do that?"

"Some say that it was because it went onto somebody else's property. That's hogwash since Ellis owned the whole area. He was criticized because there was some very good quality ore in those tunnels."

"So whatever the reason, by closing those tunnels, he effectively brought an end to the mine," Angela stated. She hoped that she was giving the impression that she was trying to piece things together. She certainly didn't want to offend the old lady.

"Maybe so but you were asking about Garrison's friend. Martin was there the day Garrison died. They were inspecting the ventilation shafts per their job."

"So Garrison was an inspector?"

"Yes and it was because he was diligent about the ventilation that he got on the campaign for better conditions. Anyway, they were inspecting and Martin turns his back for a minute and all of a sudden Garrison was screaming and something was pulling him down the shaft. They found his body badly mangled. They said it was because of the shaft but Martin said that he saw a clawed hand and heard growling."

Angela thought about it for a moment. The description was rather strange. She suppressed the shudder that threatened to go down her spine with the most obvious thought that came to mine. It was too soon to be dealing with that again. Maybe Dean was right in keeping her out of the action. It was rather illogical to think that he knew about this before she did but at the moment it seemed to make sense.

At that moment a little squeak sounded forth. Angela put her hand in her jacket pocket and apologized to the old woman. "Sorry. It was a stray I found in my room. I've been holding onto him all day." She pulled out Setna and cuddled him on her lap.

Mama Jameson had been watching the reaction of the young lady. She was scared of something and she suspected that it had something to do with what she was telling her. Whether or not it was a similar experience was something to be made known. At least she was visibly calming down with the stray cat she found. Maybe she should talk to her some more.

In reply, Mama Jameson said, "That's alright dear. Looks like the little fellow is hungry. I'll get some milk for him and it's about time for lunch too. Why don't you stay?"

"Um… if you don't mind."

"No. Stay there and I'll bring it out."

"Do you mind if I call my friends to let them know?"

"Whatever you want dear."

Angela raised her brow as the old woman went inside her house and she pulled out her cell phone. Setna stayed on her lap while she dialed the first number that came to mind with her. She was startled by Sam asking if she changed his ringtone again. She countered, "I was bored. Listen…"

A/N: Another deputy missing and one in the clinic and the boys are investigating that while Angie learns some interesting tidbits about Ellis, Oregon. Anyone still have a clue as to what lurks in the mines? Stay tuned for next time on Pack of Strays...