Rose Miller: Looking for truth

13 The Hound of the Baskervilles

Rose got a list of nineteen complaints about anything dog-like. One of the complaints is from Dr Silvia Pearlman. Dean, Sam and Rose approach a big white suburban house and knock. 'I swear if this is another freaking Pomeranian barking in the neighbour's yard....' Dean says but stops when a woman opens the door. 'Afternoon, ma'am.' He pulls out an ID: 'Uh, Animal Control.'

'Oh, someone already came yesterday.' She tells them.

'Oh, we're just following up.' Sam informs her: 'We're looking for Dr Sylvia Pearlman?' Rose smiles politely and listens to the woman's story.

'Lloyd's bar.' Rose says, looking over at a bar. It shows many signs of decay. The brothers get out of the car. Dean walks ahead. 'How are you?' Sam asks.

'Damon, he is a friend. He called because he found some of his stuff in my storage unit.'

'You have a storage unit?' He says: 'Why do you keep his things?' Sam asks.

'He doesn't think he'll miss these them. He'll be happy I kept them.' She can't throw these things away. 'He needs something from me.' She stops, not knowing what to say: 'Sam, he wants to free Katherine from her tomb. I cannot help him!'

'Who?'

'Someone he loves, but she's a vampire. A dangerous one.'

Dean calls over: 'Hey, you got to see this. See all those yellow flowers.' Dean says: 'You think someone planted these?

Sam looks around them: 'In the middle of all these weeds?'

'Yarrow flowers.' Rose mumbles.

'What?' Dean asks.

She picks one: 'Yarrow flowers, used for summoning rituals.'

'Heh. So, two people became sudden successes about ten years ago. 'When they were hanging out here at Lloyd's.' Dean says.

Sam adds: 'Where there just happens to be a crossroads. You think?'

'Let's find out.' Dean walks to the centre of the crossroads and looks around, measuring: 'This seems about the dead centre to you?'

'Should be it.' Rose says, not to confirm. She knows what he is going to find.

Dean digs a few inches into the hard soil and hits something solid. He stops: 'Yahtzee.' He drops the shovel and searches with his hands, pulling out an old, rusted box. He opens it. It contains, among other things, several small bones and a small, stoppered jar that Sam takes out: 'I'd be willing to bet that's graveyard dirt. And a black cat bone.'

Rose approaches them: 'It's used to summon a Demon and....'

Dean looks up right at her: 'Make a deal.' She nods, looking back.

Sam coughs.

'Uhm.' Dean looks down at the box: 'Crossroads are where pacts are made. These people are actually making deals with the damn thing. You know, because that always ends well.'

'They see dogs, all right. But not Black Dogs; they're seeing Hellhounds. Demonic pit bulls.' Sam realizes.

Dean nods: 'Yeah, whoever this demon is; it's back and collecting. And that doctor lady? Wherever she's running? She isn't running fast enough.'

'Now, let's find who made one.' Rose says: 'More overnight successes.'

'Great. So, we've got to clean up these peoples' mess for them? I mean, they're not exactly squeaky clean. Nobody put a gun to their head and forced them to play Let's Make a Deal.' Dean raises his eyebrows: 'Ok, Sam, what?'

'So, what, we should just leave them to die?'

Rose looks; he doesn't know: 'We can at least try.' She says and reaches for the box: 'In rituals like this, there is always a picture involved.' She shows them a small photo.

'This guy has to be involved then.' Sam says.

'Let's go and see if anyone inside knows him. If he's still alive.' Dean says he looks like he really doesn't believe that is a case worth solving now, not at this point when the deals are already made.

Dean and Sam stand in front of the door, looking at black powder on the ground: 'What is it? Pepper?' Dean asks Sam.

The door goes open: 'Who the hell are you?' He looks scared.

'George Darrow?' Dean asks.

'I'm not buying anything.' He answers and wants to close the door again.

'Whoa, whoa, whoa, looks like you went for the wrong shaker there. Heh. You usually go for the salt to keep something evil out.

'It's not pepper.' Rose tells Dean. 'You used Goofer dust, so you're doing hoodoo, am I right?'

'I don't know what you're talking about.' He answers.

Dean holds up the photo: 'Talking about this. You see that hellhound yet.'

'We want to help.' Sam says: 'Just five minutes.'

Inside the apartment. 'What, you boys think you know something about something but not Goofer dust?' he throws Dean a bag: 'The lady at least seems to know what she is talking about.'

'What does it do?' Dean asks, investigating the black dust.

'Hoodoo. My grandma taught me.'

'It keeps out demons.' Rose adds.

'Demons we know.' Dean says.

'How did you figure it out?' The man asks Rose.

'Followed the clues.' Rose says: 'You heard about the others?'

'I know.' He says: 'Listen. I get that you want to help. But sometimes a person makes their bed, they've just got to lie down in it. I'm the one called that demon in the first place.' The man sits down on his chair.

'Why did you do it?' Dean asks.

'I was weak. I mean, who doesn't want to be great? Who doesn't want their life to mean something? I just... I just never thought about the price.'

'Was it worth it?' Sam asks.

'Hell no. 'Course, I asked for talent. Should have gone for fame. I'm still broke and lonely. Just now, I got this pile of paintings don't nobody want. That wasn't even the worst. The demon didn't leave. Something I never counted on. After our deal was done, the damn thing stayed at Lloyd's for a week. Just chatting'. Makin' more deals. I tried to warn folks, but I mean, who's going to listen to an old drunk?'

'How many others are there?' Rose asks him.

'Uh, the architect, that doctor lady and that guy, he was nice. Hudson. Evan, I think.'