Family in the Painting
"Let's look." The man started reading from the newspaper clipping. "People who know him described Isaiah as much as having a stern and harsh temperament." Sounded like most the people I've met. "Controlled his family with an iron fist." Nowadays I'd be more likely to hit someone if they tried that with me. "Wife, two sons and adopted daughter," he stopped to skim through the rest. "There were whispers that the wife was gonna take the kids and leave, which of course in that day and age so instead, old man Isaiah decided, well, he'd give them a shave." He made a motion with his hand across his throat like he was cutting his head off, and then laughing about it.
Personally, I didn't find it so funny but Dean sure did when he started laughing as well. He only stopped when I scowled and Sam gave him his standard bitch face. "Does it say what happened to the bodies?" Dean asked quickly.
The man looked down again. "Just that they were all cremated?"
"Wonderful." I muttered to Sam and Dean. I hated when they were cremated, meant more work for us and a higher chance of more people dying till we found what was needed to be burned.
"Anything else?" Sam asked the owner guy.
"Yeah, actually, I found a picture of the family." He started frantically flipping through the pages of the folder. "Here is it." He turned the book around and I straightened up surprised. The picture was near identical to the portrait that just wouldn't die.
"Thank you." I said only after he printed out a copy of an on paper version of the painting.
At the auction house, Sarah approached her dad angrily as he watched the movies put the painting into one of the crates. "Dad! You promised you wouldn't sell that painting!" It was just so tacky to her for them to sell a painting so soon after the last owners died.
"I know sweetie but Evelyn's offered a persuasive amount of money." Her father insisted, flipping through his check book.
Sarah rolled her eyes, any amount of money would be persuasive when it came to her father. "You're shameless, you know that?"
Her father smirked, "For that sort of money, I can afford to be."
At the same moment, I was sitting at the table in our motel room with Sam and Dean. "I'm telling you, I'm sure of it." Sam insisted not for the first time this afternoon. "The painting at the auction house, dad is looking down." He showed us the printed out version of the painting. "Painting here, dad's looking out." Well what do you know, I think he's right. "The painting has changed!"
I pulled the sucker from my mouth. "I think you're right about that, Sammy."
"So what, daddy dearest is trapped in the painting and handing out Colombian neckties like he did with his family?" Dean guessed.
"I seems like it." Sam agreed. "But if his bones are already dusted then how are we gonna stop him?"
"We find whatever else is holding him to earth." I stated. "But finding that is part is gonna be tricky."
"If Isaiah's position changed then maybe some other things in the painting changed as well." Dean suggested. "You know, maybe it could give us some clues."
"What, like a da Vinci code deal?" Sam guessed. I knew exactly what that was but Dean just stared blankly.
"Smaller words, Dean?" I guessed.
"Umm, no, of course not!" Dean insisted despite it was clear he didn't have a clue. "We should just, go back in and see the painting." He stood up, stepped over to the bed and threw himself on his back, crossing his arms over his chest. He decided to feel good about his self the way all older brothers did. Teasing his little sibling. "Which is a good thing cause you can get some more time to crush on your girlfriend."
"Sammy's got a girlfriend!" I sung teasingly. This was the kind of family bonding moments I've been missing all my life.
But Sam didn't find it funny at all. "Will you just stop already?" He demanded.
"What?" Dean demanded.
"I didn't do it." I said quickly before I would get chewed out.
"Ever since we got here, you've been trying to pimp me out to Sarah." Sam glared at Dean. "Just back off already!"
"Well you like her, don't you?" Dean asked forcibly. Sam rolled his eyes to the ceiling in annoyance. "You like her, she likes you, you're both consenting adults."
"What's the point!" Sam demanded. "We'll just leave, we always leave."
"The point is blowing off steam, we're not looking for you a wife." I butted in.
Sam grew agitated and frustrated. "What does it matter to anyone if I hook up?" He demanded.
And calm as can be, Dean said, "Cause maybe you wouldn't be so cranky all the time."
"Isn't that true." I agreed in a mutter. Sam huffed and turned around.
Dean sat up. "This isn't just about hooking up." He insisted. "I...I think this Sarah girl could be good for you." The mood turned timid as Dean started into what had become forbidden territory for whatever reason. "And I don't mean any disrespect but I'm sure this is about Jessica." Jessica, the woman Sam was so in love with before she burned to death pinned to the ceiling of their shared apartment just off campus. "Now I don't know what it's like to lose somebody like that," I wouldn't either. The only one I was close to that died was my mom and Brooklyn but I couldn't really remember my mom and I didn't love Brooklyn as more than a long time friend compared to Sam whose life seemed to revolve around this Jess girl. "But I would thing that she would want you to be happy." Sam looked like he was about to start crying, I could feel my own tears start to well up. "God forbid have fun once in a while."