Carry On

“This seems suspicious,” Sam spoke up, looking over the top of the newspaper. Dean raised an eyebrow, waiting for his brother to continue as he sipped at his coffee. “A university student in Washington was murdered – no finger prints, hair, signs of forced entry or otherwise signs of a suspect.”

“So… sounds like our kind of case?” Dean asked for clarification. Sam shrugged, unsure by the details left in the newspaper article, but he had a gut feeling on this one. He’d just got his brother back after a long, painful year, and while they had agreed that they were going to be done with this life, old habits seemed to die hard. That, and they needed to close the gates of hell, once and for all.

“Could be; it seems like it’s got supernatural written all over it,” Sam concluded, closing up his laptop while Dean collected his jacket and their dad’s journal. The short walk to the Impala was nothing compared to the drive to Washington that loomed ahead of them.

“Yes sir, I’m Marshall George Whittaker, this is my partner Bobby, we’re going to need to speak to the officer in charge of the Denning’s case,” Dean smoothly flashed his fake ID to the secretary at the police station, who immediately ushered them in, offering him a shy smile and looking him over. Sam couldn’t help but roll his eyes at the attention Dean seemed to find no matter where he went or what he did.

“Thanks ma’am,” he nodded, and they soon found themselves face to face with the sheriff.

“So, you feds are getting involved? Seems a little strange,” he eyed the brothers curiously, but as usual Dean had no problem covering their tracks.

“We think this may be connected to a few other murders, so we’re just here to take a look; we won’t get too involved with your investigation or get in the way.”

“Sir, we need to know about the girl who was murdered,” Sam cut in, and the man gestured towards the chairs in his office before starting.

“Jill Dennings; she’s eighteen. Just started freshman year at CWU. Quiet, only child, good grades, never did so much as nick a five cent candy from the store,” Garth sighed, handing over a print of her file to Sam.

“What was she doing the night she was killed?” he asked, looking at the picture and skimming over the file. He would read it in detail later.

“They were at a party – all three of the girls who live in that house. Some welcome back to school thing; you know how kids are these days. Any excuse and they’ll start a party,” he managed a small chuckle before becoming somber once again.

“Any of the party-goers notice anything strange? Anyone following her?” Dean prodded, and the man shook his head.

“Nothing. She’s quiet – I guess her friends convinced her to go to the party in the first place, but according to Jenna and Jasmine the two left because it was getting late and Jill wasn’t feeling well,” he informed them, sitting down in his chair.

“I knew Jill’s parents, years ago. Haven’t had much to do with them the past few years since Sarge passed, but in a town like this everyone seems to know everyone else. Nice people, and the girl’s no different. We have no idea why someone would want her dead,” he admitted.

“So… it says there was no sign of a break in, or anything that would help start a search for a suspect?” Sam continued, and again the sheriff nodded.

“Absolutely nothing out of place. Not a hair, fingerprint, shoe print, nothing. It’s almost like a ghost did it.”

“And you’re sure the other girl who was home is innocent?” Dean asked. Sam gave him a kick, feeling he was out of place, but the sheriff didn’t seem to notice their exchange.

“Yes – she called 911. Woke up smelling something burning, and when she went to see if Jill was all right found her like that. Poor thing’s shocked as hell. They were like sisters, ever since they were kids; Jenna’s always looked out for Jill. Can’t imagine what she must be going through,”

“Thank you Sheriff – I take it the address and everything is in here if we need to ask Jenna any questions?” Sam asked, setting the tone that the meeting was over. The sheriff nodded and the brothers let themselves out, the receptionist giving Dean another grin as he walked past, although he ignored it. Lisa had really changed him for the better.

“So, I say we go check this place out, interview the girl, find out what kind of spirit we’re dealing with and then get back to finding out how to lock those gates up for good,” Dean decided, standing outside of the Impala with the door open. Sam nodded, tucking the file folder under his arm before getting into the car. Dean started the engine and let it run for a moment, allowing the air coming through the vents to warm up slightly before leaving the police station. For mid-September it was already fairly cold.

“I just have a weird feeling about this one is all… I can’t put my finger on it though,” Sam told his brother, who nodded, but didn’t admit that he had a similar feeling.