"Well that's the Garthmobile." Dean said. "We must be in the right place."
"It's a lot nicer than the places we usually stay, a motel with an attached restaurant." Sam said, then cringed as the door to one of the rooms opened and a spindly large eared form appeared.
"Hey guys!" Garth was grinning from ear to ear as he hurried over and grabbed Sam in a bear hug. "You found it!"
"I swear he's part Cupid." Sam grumbled under his breath as Garth released him and grabbed Dean for a hug.
"Uh yeah. Kind of hard to miss since it's on the main highway into town." Dean said pulling away from the over enthusiastic hunter. "So we're here. That restaurant have pie?"
At Garth's nod Dean said "Let us get checked in and we'll meet you there in say 15 minutes? You can tell us exactly what you've got."
"I'll go get us a table while you get checked in." Garth said hurrying off to the restaurant while Dean went to check them in and Sam began unloading the car. A little less than 15 minutes later and the trio were sitting in a booth at the back of the restaurant.
"So a salt and burn?" Dean said as the waitress headed to the kitchen with their orders. "Why do you need us if you already know what it is?"
"I don't guess it's need so much as wanting someone to watch my back. This ghost is one bad mofo." Garth said. "He does a real number on his victims."
"Does a real number on his victims how?" Sam asked.
"Let's just say that none of them will be having open casket funerals." Garth said. "Their heads are all bashed in."
"I guess that qualifies as extremely violent." Dean said. "You're sure it's a ghost?"
"The EMF readings are off the charts, man." Garth said. "So high I thought my meter was broken, but it's not."
"It would help if we could see one of the bodies." Sam said.
"The last victim was buried about an hour ago." Garth said. "I guess we could dig him up if you want but I'd rather put this thing down now."
"Don't mind Sammy, he's just being a girl." Dean said. "You have copies of any of the autopsy reports?"
"Yeah, I hung on to them. Figured you guys would want to take a look at them." Garth said. "They're in my room. I'll give them to you when you get back and you can look them over."
"See Samantha he kept them for you. You can put your woman's intuition to rest now." Dean said as the waitress came back with Dean's Pie and a salad for Sam. "So eat sleep and then gank this ghost."
Jacob Pond sat outside the tent he had been living in. The demon he thought was named Gozer sat next to him. It never failed to amuse the demon that the child fell for that one. Pick the name of a Demon from the movie Ghostbusters and a human child falls for it.
Jacob thought that this was a simple crossroads demon who had grudge against Dean Winchester. The demon had presented itself as such. In reality Jacob had no idea who he had allied himself with. The demon's true name was Dagon and Dagon would soon drag this child to hell along with a couple of Winchesters. It was time to undo the damage these meddlesome Winchesters had caused and release Lucifer from the pit once and for all. With Dean and the child to use as an incentive, The master's vessel would soon say yes it only to spare the others. It was time to start the endgame.
"Jacob, Dean Winchester is here. You should eat. There's a man fishing down by the river. He'll do. I'll help you over power him and then we must place him to be found." Dagon said.
"Dean!"
Something soft hit him in his face waking him from a dream he couldn't remember. Dean let out a groan and rolled over with a mumble.
"Dean wake up! They found another body." Sam said as Dean sat up. "Same as the others. And I know what Garth meant by their heads bashed in."
"Definitely going to have to do this tonight Sam. We can't hold off on it." Dean said now wide awake. Dean saw that Sam was wearing his suit Fake FBI badge in his hand.
"Garth and I went to view the scene." Sam said as he laid the key to the room on the dresser and pulled off his tie. "Something is definitely off here Dean. I think we really should forget about the salt and burn and try to figure out what's going on."
"Look Sam, we do the salt and burn and then we worry about what else might be going on. I mean we know we've got a ghost so putting it down can only be a good thing." Dean said. "We go tonight just like we planned and you can worry about playing Nancy Drew tomorrow."
"Dean..." Sam started.
"Just shut it okay! Now I'm going back to sleep if I'm gonna have to dig up a grave in the middle of the night!" Dean rolled over and pulled his pillow over his head signaling an end to the conversation.
Sam stared at his brother's back for a few minutes before grabbing his laptop and stomping over to the table and plugging it in. He went to his e-mail and opened the attachments that Garth had sent to him earlier. There was something off about the crime scene photos but Sam just couldn't figure out what it was. There was something wrong with the crime scene he had just left also, but whatever it was he just wasn't seeing it.
Taking a different tack he decided to look into as much ghost lore as he could. He walked over to Dean's duffle and took out John's Journal then walked to his own and took out an old journal he had of Bobby's. He sat down at the table and threw himself into the research listening to Dean's soft snores.
"Dean I honestly don't think this is a ghost!" Sam said.
"Oh come on Sammy!" Dean said exasperated. "Are we going through this again? You spent all day on this and all you can come up with is it's not a ghost? Get in the car and let's go help Garth take care of this already!"
"Dammit Dean! For once will you just trust me!" Sam said.
"Sam, I trust you. Alright?" Dean said. "There's nobody else I trust to have my back during a hunt except maybe Cas."
"At your back, right." Sam said snidely. "You trust me as long as I play the good little soldier for you just like you played good soldier for Dad."
"What the hell is that supposed to mean?" Dean said.
"I made a mistake with Ruby, I trusted her." Sam said.
"Yeah you did. And look at where it got us." Dean interrupted.
"There, that's what I'm talking about. I make one mistake and now I'm so stupid that my life is just one huge mistake after another that you have to make sure that I don't make, right?" Sam said bitterly. "I guess you forgot that you made the mistake of trusting Ruby too."
Sam opened the door to the Impala and got into the passenger seat. "Well what are you waiting for? You're so sure this 'ghost' is behind everything you're not going to listen to a damned thing I say."
Sam closed the door and pointedly looked out the window as the engine rumbled to life.
"Sammy..."
"Let's just go get this over with and hope we don't get our asses handed to us." Sam said folding his arms and doing his best to ignore Dean as they followed Garth out onto the highway.
"Looks like you've got more faith in Dean than he deserves doesn't it Cassie? He just can't get his head out of his ass can he?" Gabriel said sadly. Walking over to the bed he looked down at Sam's unconscious form. "Sorry your brother has Acute Recto-Cranial Syndrome kid. At least it will all be over soon and you can rest kiddo."