As It Was - Dean Winchester

Part 15

"Are you guys open?" The man asked as he took in the tense air.

"No!" "Yes!"

The two strangers stared between mother and daughter before giving each other a look.

"We'll just... check out the Arby's down the road." The man decided, and they were out the door again. The phone began to ring, and after a staring match between Jo and Ellen, the latter went to answer.

"Harvelle's. Yeah, Preacher," she sighed and turned her back on us to continue the conversation. Jo took her opportunity to hold out a folder to Dean.

"Three weeks ago, a young girls disappears from a Philadelphia apartment." Dean stared between her and the folder, not attempting to take it. Jo shoved it closer impatiently. "Take it, it won't bite."

"No, but your mom might," Dean stated, giving her a look. I rolled my eyes and reached for the folder, flipping it open. She had done some serious work already. Multiple news articles were raging back years and years, obituaries, missing person reports, and every other thing I would have thought to look for.

"And this girl wasn't the first. Over the past eighty years, six women have vanished. All from the same building, all young blondes." Jo explained as I flipped through the pages, Dean and Sam looking over my shoulders. "Only happens every decade or two, so cops never eyeball the pattern. So we're either dealing with one very old serial killer or —"

"Who put this together? Ash?" Dean interrupted her.

"I did it myself."

I noted the impressed look on Dean's face, "Hmm."

"I gotta admit. We hit the road for a lot less," Sam reminded Dean.

"Good. You like the case so much, you take it," Ellen said, walking back to us from her phone call.

"Jo and I could go..." I began to suggest but was cut off.

"Willow Wren Price, if you offer to take my daughter hunting again, you won't be let past that threshold one more time. Do I make myself clear?" Her eyes burned into mine, and for the first time in forever I backed down from the staring contest.

"Mom!" Jo protested when I held my hands up in defense. Ellen turned back to her.

"Joanna Beth, this family has lost enough!" Her eyes softened. "And I won't lose you too. I just won't."

---

It took us two days to drive out to Philadelphia. I was low on cash, having gone through all my savings the past year hunting with John, and had to continue to crash on the Winchesters motel room couch.

Usually, I got paid well to make someone disappear. I charged by the case, but John had been a favor, and the time had dragged out. I ran my hand over my braided hair at the thought of calling Liam. I could always go out and hustle some pool or play poker, but that money only went so far.

I snapped out of my head at the sound of doors slamming and realized we were at our destination. I got out to join Sam and Dean, and we made our way to the apartment.

"I feel kind of bad, snaking Jo's case," Sam mumbled as we got inside the shabby place.

"Yeah, maybe she put together a good file. But could you see her out here working one of these things? I don't think so," Dean answered, pulling out his EMF.

"I hope your kidding Dean. Jo would be a great hunter." My eyes landed on his EMF reader, and I held back a smile and pointed at it. "Did you make that yourself?"

He gave me an annoyed look. "Yes, actually, I did." I smiled at his words, and the brighter my smile got, the more sour Dean got.

"I'm actually impressed," I mused. "but uhm, does it work?"