Running Up That Hill Δ SPN [2]

011. POWDERED DONUT

The four Winchesters are at the police station and in town for a case.

"Thanks for your patience, agents. Coroner's report finally came in." The sheriff, Donna Hanscum, says, handing Sam a report.

"All right, thank you. All right, let's see. Did Wayne McNut really weigh 300 pounds just moments before our time?" Sam asks.

"316 to be exact." Donna states.

"And the official cause of death?" Sam asks.

"Cardiac arrest. But between you and me, that's just a guess. The vic suffered massive organ damage." Donna says. "Here you go, Jenny." She hands a report to a woman sitting at a desk. "Ruptured spleen, pierced liver, collapsed lung. Looked like everything was just sucked right out of him."

"Like he'd been hoovered?" Dean asks.

"Yeah. Yeah, you know, I got to be honest, fellas." Donna says, grabbing a powdered donut out of a box and she offers them to the four. Dean and Libby immediately walk over.

Dean grabs one and gives it to Libby, grabbing one for himself.

"We're stumped. This type of thing just doesn't happen in Stillwater." Donna states, taking a big bite out of her powdered donut, getting some of the white powder around her mouth and on her tie.

"Now, did Wayne have any enemies?" Sam asks.

"Hmm. More like an unfriendly rivalry." Donna says. Dean takes a giant bite out of his donut, white powder covering his lips.

Libby takes a bite out of her donut, as big as she can, white powder getting on and around her mouth, some getting on the tip of her nose.

"A guy named "Slim Jim" Morgan. Like Wayne, he was pretty well known in the competitive eatin' circuit." Donna says.

Sam looks up to the report seeing his brother and daughter's faces. He attempts to subtly motion for them to wipe their faces. Dean wipes the side of his mouth with a napkin, missing all of the powdered sugar.

Libby wipes her sleeve across mouth, getting some of the powdered sugar, though it still stays on her nose. Sam quietly sighs at the sugar that now rests on her sleeve. He watches her take another bite of the donut, more sugar getting on her face.

"Competitive eating circuit?" Sam asks. "Is that a big thing out here?"

"Oh, yeah. You betcha. Folks take it real seriously -- train for months. Eat all sorts of wackadoo stuff, you know, like, uh... baked beans, buff wings, butter."

"Butter?" Dean asks.

"Yeah. Sometimes deep fried." Donna says. "This year alone, Wayne won the Butter Bowl, the Wing Ding, and Shrimptasia. Anyhoo, point being, Wayne McNut was the only one Slim Jim couldn't beat in the whole Great Lakes region."

"So is he a suspect?" Dean asks.

"We checked him out, but Slim Jim was in the Hot Doggery at the time of Wayne's death, and we got 15 witnesses to prove it." Donna says.

"Really?" Dean asks.

"Yah." Donna nods. As the two exchange nods, Libby walks back over to her dad. Sam wipes his thumb over her nose, ridding it of the powdered sugar, but leaves the rest of her face, deciding to deal with it after she finishes the donut.

+++

The four are in their motel room and Dean is at the table and inspecting a hex bag.

"All right, so, we got what appears to be Wayne McNut's hair and... a bag full of weird." Dean says.

"In Romanichal culture, the pouch is called a putsi bag. It's used for hexes." Sam says.

"Okay, so, what? Mala's putting hexes on hubby's competition?" Dean asks and Sam shrugs. "I mean, what do we got ourselves? A "thinner" sitch here?"

"Slim Jim might not even know." Sam says and Dean hums. There's a knock on the door, making the four go silent. Dean gets up and gets his gun out, looking through the peephole. He shrugs and opens the door, revealing Mala.

"Hi." Dean greets.

"I believe you have something of mine." Mala says.

~ ~ ~

Dean gives Mala a glass of water.

"Kill Wayne? I loved him!" Mala exclaims.

"So... you were..." Sam trails off.

"Yes. Okay? We were having an affair -- for years, actually." Mala says.

"I don't mean to be rude, uh... but how is it that Wayne McNut is your type? I mean, you're married to a man who's barely a buck -- wet." Dean says.

"What can I say? Sometimes it's nice to feel a little give..."

"Oh. Yeah, I get that -- a little extra cushion for the, uh..." Dean awkwardly stops when Sam gives him a bitch face.

"Help me understand something. If you loved Wayne, why did you put a curse on him?" Sam asks.

"It wasn't a curse. Putsi bags are also used for blessings. I wanted Wayne to win. Plan was, take the prize money, get a quickie divorce, and then tie the knot in Orlando." Mala says. "Wayne used to call me his "Princess Jasmine."" She quietly says.

+++

Dean is sitting on his bed, his back resting against the headboard and he has his laptop on his lap. Ophelia and Libby are sitting on the other bed, both reading their own books.

"Hey." Sam walks in.

"Find anything at the morgue?" Dean asks.

"Yeah. Uh, so, Wayne was banged up pretty bad. But on the back of his neck, just below his hairline... suction mark -- identical to Carol's." Sam says.

"Okay, so, they both had marks, just like the hot trainer at Rollz." Dean says.

"But she was skinny... and alive." Sam says.

"And just recently lost a ton of weight. When I asked her about the mark she, uh... she clammed up, got all embarrassed. So, uh, I did some checking. And it turns out that she took a couple of "me" days last month and went here."

Dean shows Sam the laptop screen.

"Canyon Valley?" Sam asks.

"Hm. Yeah." Dean nods. He pushes play on a promo video for the place, it ending after a couple of minutes.

"How far away is that place?" Sam asks.

"Couple of hours." Dean answers.

+++

They're back at the bunker after the brothers finished the case and Libby is already in bed, and Ophelia is walking to the kitchen, wanting a snack.

"You are certainly willing to do the sacrificing as long as you're not the one being hurt." She hears Sam say from the kitchen. She stops just outside the entry, listening to them.

"All right, you want to be honest? If the situation was reversed and I was dying, you'd do the same thing." Dean says.

"No, Dean. I wouldn't." Sam says softly. "Same circumstances... I wouldn't." He states. "I'm gonna get to bed." She looks up when she hears his footsteps, looking up with a sheepish expression.

Sam awkwardly smiles at her before passing her. Ophelia peeks into the entry way, feeling her dad's devastation and shock radiating. She wants to go in and comfort him, but she stops herself, walking away.