Disclaimer: Don't own Supernatural
"I feel like I'm losing my mind," Ballard mumbled to herself. "I should be arresting the two of you right now."
Sam and John gave each other a sympathetic look for the woman. Sam tried to put her at ease. "Well, you can arrest the two of us later. After you live through this. But right now you need to tell us what you saw. Alright?" Ballard nodded silently.
John made a cup of coffee for the officer and handed it to her. The cop gratefully took a few sips before she took a steady breath to calm herself. "Now this... figure," John started making sure he didn't say the word 'spirit'. "What did she look like?"
"She was really pale. There was a deep cut on her throat. And had deep red eyes. It looked like she was talking to me but she couldn't get the words out."
"Sam, did you get the records of everyone who died on Ashland Street?" John asked. Sam got up and grabbed a pile of photos from one of the beds. John spread them out for Ballard to look at.
She was surprised at the information they had. "These are crime scene photos," she realized. "How did you get these?"
"You have your job, we have ours," Sam answered.
"Let's worry about that later," John said, going back to the photos. "Was any one of these her?"
It didn't take long for Ballard to find the photo. Sam found the corresponding file. "Her name is Claire Becker. She was twenty-eight years old and disappeared about eight or nine months ago."
"Do you know her?" John asked. Ballard shook her head and drank some more coffee.
The officer shook her head. "I've never met her before. Why would she come after me?"
Sam went back to the file. "Well according to this she was arrested twice for dealing heroin. Have you ever worked narcotics?"
"Yes, Pete, um Officer Sheridan and I worked there before switching to homicide," Ballard explained
.
"Either one of you arrested her?" John asked.
Ballard shook her head. "I don't recall and Pete never mentioned her."
John turned back to Sam. "Where was she last seen?"
"2911 Ashland Street. I'm guessing that's not a coincidence," Sam said.
"No it's not," John agreed before grabbing his coat.
"Wait where are you guys going?" Ballard asked.
"We got to find her body. Salt and then burn them. It's the only way to put her spirit to rest," John answered.
Ballard insisted on coming with them so the three made their way to Ashland Street. The address from the file was apparently for an abandoned warehouse. Once they got in John had Sam check upstairs while he and Ballard checked the lower levels. Things were quiet for a few moments until Ballard cried out in surprise, having seen something in the mirror. John looked for himself only to find nothing there. Regardless, he called out for Sam.
Sam rushed downstairs. "Did you find her?"
"No," John answered, shaking his head before nodding towards Ballard. "But she might have."
"She was reaching out to me," Ballard explained. "Over there by the window." Most of it was blocked by a shelf. Together the three of them moved it showing a label from the outside. Ashland Supplies.
Sam and John pulled out EMF readers and started scanning the wall which started to react. As the father-son duo dig out the corpse Sam admits something out loud. "This is starting to bug me."
"What is?" John asks.
"You mean besides the fact that you two are digging up a corpse," Ballard remarked.
"That's actually normal," John told her before addressing his son again. "Seriously Sam, what's eating at you?"
"Dad, when was the last time a vengeful spirit led us to their remains and then did nothing as we wasted them?" Sam questioned.
John started smacking himself for not even picking up on that. "So it's not a vengeful spirit we're dealing with here. More like a death omen."
"What do you mean?" Ballard asked. The Winchesters didn't answer as they had finished digging up the remains of Claire and were pulling her out of the wall. She was wrapped in a shroud and bound by the wrists. Sam cuts the ropes and Ballard holds her hands up to compare them to the corpse.
"Yeah they'd be bruised just like yours," Sam said.
"So what did you mean earlier when you said she was a death omen?" Ballard asked John.
"Well sometimes spirits don't want to take vengeance themselves. They just want to tell us who it was that killed them. Sometimes they'll figure out if someone else is a target and try to warn them. Just like she did with you," John explained.
Ballard examined Claire's body and discovered something around her neck. It was a necklace. "That mean something to you?" Sam asked.
"I have one just like it," Ballard said, showing them the necklace she wore. "It was supposed to be rare. Custom made on Carson street."
"Who gave it to you?" John asked.
Ballards eyes narrowed in anger as all of the pieces started coming together. "Pete. About a year ago, some heroin went missing from lockup. We knew it would be a cop but we never figured out who. But they would have needed someone to fence their product."
"So Pete got the drugs from Claire and when she wanted out he killed her," John said.
"But what does Tony and Karen have to do with it?" Sam asked.
"Tony was probably in on it and Pete would have been worried Karen might have known something about all this," John replied.
Ballard by this point had gone for her cell phone and was calling dispatch. "Hey Tommy, is Pete still at the precinct? He what? When? Really? Okay Tommy thank you."
"What's up?" Sam asked.
"Pete just left with Dean. Said the prisoner had to be transferred. Dispatch keeps calling him and he won't answer."
"If he's got a police radio then we can trace it," John said. The three raced off to find Pete before he could do anything to Dean.
They found the two right before Sheridan was about to shoot Dean. John could do nothing but watch helplessly as Ballard tried to take command of the situation. Sheridan admitted to the homicides and is planning on using Dean as a scapegoat. Thankfully Ballard was able to trick Sheridan by pretending to lower her gun. With his guard lowered he turns his attention on Dean and Ballard is able to shoot Sheridan in the stomach. Dean rolls out of the way and John rushes over to him.
Sheridan tackles Ballard to the ground and she loses her weapon. Sam tries to go for it but Sheridan gets to it first and points it at Sam. He then looks behind Sam in surprise. John looks and sees Claire right behind Sam. Claire makes brief eye contact with John before returning her attention back to Sheridan. Realizing what she wants him to do, John tosses his gun to Ballard while Sheridan is distracted and she shoots her old partner in the back. This time he doesn't get back up.
Morning breaks over as Ballard radios dispatch from her late partner's car. After looking over Sheridan's body one more time she approaches the Winchesters. "So what happens to Claire now?"
"She should be at peace," John answered.
"What about us?" Dean asked.
"Well, Pete did confess the murders to me and he screwed up your cases royally so I should be able to let you off. But the St. Louis murders? That's another story," Ballard said.
"What is that all about anyway?" John asked his sons.
"It's a long story involving a shapeshifter," Sam answered.
"You've got to be kidding me," John muttered.
"Yeah, well like you would have done any better with that," Dean yelled walking away from them.
"Dean, wait, come on," Sam called out trying to catch up to his brother. John wanted to follow but was concerned with what Ballard would do. To his surprise, her back was turned to him.
"You guys better leave before I turn my back around," Ballard said, still facing away from them.
John breathed out a sigh of relief. "Thank you. Um, about our car?"
"Impound yard on Roberson. But I wouldn't try it if I were you," Ballard said.
"Right," John said and rushed back to his sons.
They retrieved the Impala with surprisingly very little trouble. Dean was driving, John was sitting in the passenger seat and Sam was passed out in the back. The air between them was tense. John was at a loss of what to do. Dean was never mad at him. Or if he was he wouldn't show it. John gave a sigh, figuring he should at least say something.
"Listen Dean, I don't know what happened with that last case that made you finally resent me. But just know that I'm not the same person that I was three months ago. That day that Yellow Eyes possessed you I saw just what I had become. And I swore to be better. For you. And for Sam. I have a lot to make up for. But I don't know what I can do if you won't talk to me."
Dean was still silent but his face started to soften a little. Finally he spoke. "You know I never did like the way things turned out after Mom left. But I kept my mouth shut because I understood what you were going through. What I was going through. What I can't understand is why you would leave someone to die like that and not even bat an eye. Dad, I've always looked up to you and to hear you say something like that."
John nodded. "I know."
The two lapsed back into silence.