Chapter 4
Sam made his way down the sidewalk of the town of Salem, Missouri. The town looked pretty much like any other one he had been in over the years. He watched the people he passed on the sidewalk not feeling any strange vibes. He found a small café and went in to order a drink and sandwich. Sam took a table away from the order patrons and sat down.
He still had the newspaper from the bus station and turned to the classified ads to look at the help wanted ads. He knew he needed a job to blend in and find out more about the disappearances in the town. Sam was about to give up when he read an ad for help at a motel in town. It piqued his interest when it offered a room with the job.
After finishing his sandwich, Sam asked for directions to the motel and hoped the job was still available. He headed out and followed the directions across town to the motel.
"Hello, are you looking for a room?" a middle-aged man asked Sam when he entered the office.
"Actually, I was here about the ad for a job," Sam replied holding up the paper. "Is it still available?"
"It is," he told him. "I have to tell you it doesn't pay much, but I do throw in a room with the deal. The shift is from four pm to midnight. You will mainly be checking people in and taking payment, answering the phone, and dealing with any calls from the guests. Days off are Monday and Tuesday since the weekend is busier. If you need time off give me a week's notice. You will get paid on Wednesday and after three months there are some medical benefits. Are you still interested?"
"I'll take it," Sam quickly said. "I have to be honest with you, I'm not sure how long I'll be around, but I'll do a good job and try to give you a couple of weeks' notice before I leave."
"That's great! I'll have you fill out some paperwork and would it be possible to start tonight?"
"It's fine," Sam nodded. The hours were good. He could work the case during the day, work his job, and still get some sleep. He took the forms and began to fill them out, smiling warmly at the man.
"My name is Stu."
"Sam, Sam Winchester," Sam replied.
"It's nice to meet you Sam. The room is on the left side at the end." Stu held out a key for Sam when he finished the forms and handed them back to him.
"Thanks. After I drop my things off should I come back to be trained before my shift tonight?"
"That sounds perfect Sam. Take your time and I'll see you again shortly."
Sam nodded and picked up his bags, looking at the room number on the key and heading around back to the rooms. He walked down the walkway and found the room at the end. Sam opened the door and stepped into the room and looked around. There was a queen size bed, dresser, table and two chairs. On one side was a small sink and counter that held a microwave, coffee pot and hot plate for cooking. He opened a cabinet and saw dishes and pots. This was perfect for him. He sat his bags down and went to the bathroom first and used it. Then Sam headed back to the office to get some training before the shift that started at four pm.
Spn
"Alright Sam, things should be fairly slow this time of year, but if you have any problems, call me. My living quarters are in back and I'll come out," Stu told him as he handed the keys for the money drawer over to Sam.
"I should be okay," Sam told him. "You are a good teacher."
"That's kind of you to say young man. Oh, and I though you might need this," he said offering Sam an envelope.
"What's this?" Sam questioned looking at the envelope before opening it. He was surprised to see money inside it.
"That's a little advance on your first week's salary. I figured you might need some money for food, and other things."
"Stu, you didn't have to do this."
"Didn't say I did, but I wanted to. You strike me as a hardworking, honest, responsible person. Now, I'm going to go watch the news and warm up some dinner. If for some reason you need to leave the front desk, lock the front door and hang up the sign when you go out."
"Alright. Have a good evening." Sam moved the chair closer to the counter and straightened it up as he looked out the window at the passing traffic. He had gotten a local paper to see if there were any other articles about the missing people. Sam was trying to decide how to get information about the cases.
The time seemed to pass at a snail's pace as Sam checked in two couples and an individual during the first four hours and then there was no business. Sam locked the front door and put up the sign stating he would return in ten minutes, when he went down to the vending machines for a drink and something to snack on. He came back and found a sandwich waiting on him and a note from Stu saying he thought he might want something for dinner.
Sam made a note to thank him for his generosity and to ask him about the missing people. He wanted to get a feel for him first before broaching the subject and decided he was a decent, friendly man. Sam was sure he would talk to him about the incident.
The sandwich was good, and he enjoyed it with his snack and drink. When he was finished, he discarded the trash and went to the restroom before coming back and settled in for the remainder of his shift. When midnight rolled around, Sam locked up and put up the sign to ring the bell that was located by the door for service. He headed to his room ready to get some rest.
Spn
Three days had passed, and Sam liked working at the front desk. It was honest work and not hard to do. He enjoyed talking to Stu and got some additional information from him about the people who had gone missing. Sam also visited the local diner for a few meals and overheard talk from customers as they speculated on what had happened to the victims. He made mental notes on anything new to add to his notes.
A sadness filled his mind as he wondered why Dean hadn't come looking for him. He had started to call him several times but didn't because he had made this choice to distance himself from his family for a while. Maybe Dean was happy he was gone. He wouldn't have to look out for him and keep him safe. If he did show up, Sam wasn't sure what he would do. He pushed those thoughts back into the corner of his mind and was not going to let them bother him for now. He was going to see if there was a case here and work on it.
Sam was in a convenience store a couple blocks from the motel picking up some bottles of water when a guy walked in and started brandishing a weapon in the clerk's face. He quickly ducked behind some shelves and his instincts took over.
After grabbing a can of beans from the shelf, Sam made his way around the store to get in the right position before attacking.
"Hey!" Sam yelled at the gunman.
When the gunman swung around pointing the gun at Sam, he threw the can as hard as he could hitting him in the face. The gun went off, but luckily the shot went wild. As the gunman tried to recover, Sam rammed into him knocking him to the floor and disarming him.
"Call the cops," Sam told the clerk never taking his eyes off the robber. "I wouldn't try anything asshole," he growled at the robber. "I'm a good shot and don't miss."
The robber started whining and groaning about being hurt, as blood ran between his fingers from his bloody nose. He trembled in fright as he took in Sam's huge form and angry expression as his eyes landed on his gun being pointed at him. All the fight was gone out of him now, and he just lay there trembling and sniffing.
It wasn't long before a patrol car pulled to the front of the building and the sheriff got out heading for the front door.
"What's going on?" he asked as he took in the scene.
"It was awesome, Sheriff. That guy tried to rob me, and this guy stepped in and took him down," the clerk explained excitedly. "You should have seen it. He used a can of beans to take him down."
"Is that so young man?" the sheriff asked Sam. He reached down and jerked the robber to his feet and handcuffed him.
"I'm hurt, I need medical attention," the robber whined.
"It's just a scratch, you'll live," the sheriff barked back at him.
"Sir, you will probably want this now," Sam replied stepping to the sheriff and handing him the gun.
"That was mighty brave of you son. Not many people would have done what you just did."
"I don't like seeing people getting hurt or taken advantage of," Sam shrugged.
"I'll need to get a statement from you about what happened. Are you new in town?"
"Yes, just got in a couple of days ago and found a job at the motel working the desk in the evenings."
"Is that so?" the Sheriff hummed. He was friends with Stu, the owner of the motel, and had been told about his new help and that Sam was a hard worker and good person. "I know this might sound crazy, but how would you like to work for me as a temporary parttime deputy until I can find someone else? It looks like you can handle yourself pretty good."
"Umm…I don't…" Sam started surprised by the request.
"I'm shorthanded at the moment. I had one of my deputies retire and another has moved to another state. It wouldn't be for long, and you could work days, and it would not interfere with your other job. You'd really be doing me a huge favor."
"Okay, I'll help you out," Sam finally said thinking if he was a deputy, he could get access to the files on the missing people and decide if it was a case or not.
"That's great. Why don't you come with me down to the station and I'll get a uniform for you and have you fill out some paperwork. When does you shift start at the motel?"
"Four until midnight," Sam told him.
"I can work with that. Stu and I are old friends, so I know he'll be okay with it. He told me about hiring someone for the front desk and how impressed he was. How 'bout you come in at nine and work until say two or so. You'll get a patrol car to use and will need to be checked out and certified to use a gun on duty. It won't take but a couple of hours. I'm thinking you already have some experience in that department."
"Yes, my Dad taught me." Sam got into the passenger seat of the patrol car while the Sheriff put the robber in the back.
"How about a computer? You any good on one of them."
"I know my way around one."
"Excellent! Don't think I introduced myself. I'm Sheriff Watts."
"Sam Winchester."
"Well Sam. Thanks for helping me out here. There's not a lot of big crime going on here in my town, but we do get the occasional robberies, drunks, fights, that kind of thing."
"Did I read in the paper about some missing people from around here?"
"Yeah," the Sheriff sighed. "That one has me stumped. We didn't have a lot of clues and no bodies have turned up yet. I don't know if it was a random thing or something else."
"Maybe I could take a look at the cases," Sam offered cautiously. "You know, a new pair of eyes."
"I don't see why not. After I swear you in and show you around you can do that. You'll be patrolling part of the time and helping in the office the other time."
"I'm happy to help Sheriff Watts."
Sam smiled slightly to himself thinking the case just got easier now that he had access to all the files and the police resources.
A/N: Sam is now a real deputy and doesn't have to pretend. Will he find anything in the files of the missing people? When will Dean find him? Thank you for taking this ride with me. I do like reviews/comments. NC