Reckless and Brave

XCVIX. (99) Running Down a Dream

[The Third Man]

"Meet me in Easter, PA. Change of plans."

"Why are you in Pennsylvania?"

"Caught a case."

"A case? Sam, it's not even been two days."

"I like to work."

"Yeah. I gathered."

"Great. Let me know when you and Nate roll into town."

Sam hung up and Holly frowned at her phone. "Yes, sir, Captain Kirk."

She heard a knock on the door and opened it to see Dean. "You lovebirds ready?"

Nate nodded. "Yeah, we're set. Thanks for swinging by."

"Yeah, we gotta go."

They met up with Sam and drove to the police station. Sam briefed them. "Officer Gerald Hatch, 17-year veteran, found dead in the ready room three days ago."

Dean read the file, Nate reading along with him. "Whoa." Dean commented. "Somebody was over-hydrated."

Sam laughed. "Basically, yeah. The guy just...liquefied. Most of the meat, bones, dense tissues--they just turned to blood."

Dean frowned. "Okay, I don't get it."

"Nobody gets it."

"No. I mean, I get that. I'm saying, if the guy was a mop job, then what are we doing in the morgue? What's left of him to look at?"

"Not here to look at him. Here." He opened a drawer, revealing the boils-covered cop.

"Ooh. Bad news." Dean and Holly said.

"Officer Toby Gray. They just brought him in. Found him dead in his patrol car, sitting at a speed trap on the outside of town."

""Extreme allergic reaction."" Nate read.

Sam looked at him. "Yeah. Boils. Covered from head to toe."

Holly studied Officer Gray's throat and Dean read, "Yeah, on the inside, too. It says his airways are chock full of them. This startin' to look a little witchy to you guys?"

Sam shook his head. "That was my first instinct, but I found zero signs of hexwork anywhere. Far as I can tell, witchcraft was not involved."

"There's got to be some sort of link between, uh, skid mark and bubble wrap here."

"No question."

Holly raised an eyebrow. "Can we get a witness?"

"Yep. Uh..." He looked at the notes. "Officer Ex Colfax. Saw Hatch go from a solid to a liquid."

"Another cop?" Nate questioned.

"Hatch's partner." Sam replied pushing the body back into its drawer.

They got back in the car and Sam swung his car around a corner. Dean pulled out in front of Sam and was first to park.

Sam frowned. "Were you, uh...were you racing me?"

"No. I was kicking your ass." Dean smirked.

Holly grinned. "We were kicking your ass."

Sam frowned at his siblings. "Very mature."

They knocked on the door and Dean called, "Hello? Officer Colfax?"

The door opened to reveal Ed in full uniform and Dean said, "Whoa. Lookin' sharp, Kojak."