Debunked

Chapter 7

"I think I found a case," James announces, getting Castiel and Emma's attention immediately. "Guy kills his wife, claims he has no memory of it."

"So he's playing dumb," Emma deadpans. "What, you expecting him to just confess to murder?"

"That's the thing; he's not saying he didn't," James says. "Happened in public. There's video proof. There's a witness. Cops found him unconscious, holding the murder weapon. He's not trying to fight it. He's willing to accept he did it; he's just saying he doesn't remember it."

"Maybe he's going for the insanity plea," Emma suggests.

"Maybe," James allows, "but if he is, that's probably not gonna work, so he has a pretty shitty lawyer."

"It's worth taking a look," Castiel says. "Where is it?"

"Uh..." James scrolls through the article. "Looks like it was in Maine."

Emma groans dramatically. "But it's gonna take all day to get there."

"You're absolutely right," James deadpans. "We should just stay here and let other people die because driving takes too long."

"We don't even know if this is a case," Emma whines. "No one else is probably even gonna die."

"But this really looks like a case," James insists. "Castiel, tell her that this is a good idea."

"I do agree," Castiel says, "however, having been alive for thousands of years, a one day drive does not feel very long."

"Well, he still thinks it's a good idea," James says. "So it's two against one. We're going."

Emma groans dramatically. "Fine." She pushes herself to her feet. "But if we're gonna be stuck in a car all day, I'm wearing sweatpants and fuzzy socks and y'all can't stop me."

~~

Apparently, not everyone drives as quickly as Dean, because it really does take a combined total of about 24 hours to get there, with a nice break at the motel for a few hours that night. They don't get to Maine until late in the afternoon, when it's too late to do very much, so they stop by a motel for the night.

Emma heads straight to bed, though not to sleep — she just lies down and stares at her phone. Castiel had almost forgotten that phones could have games on them. He'd never played any himself, with the exception of a couple that Dean had tried and failed to teach him when he first got a cell phone. Dean never stopped playing them, though, even when everyone else was sick of them. He used to play Words With Friends with Mary —

Mary.

Castiel had tried not to think of her since she died. That really was the straw that broke the camel's back. Jack could have killed just about anyone, and Dean wouldn't have cared as much as he did that the kid killed Mary. Hell, Jack probably could have killed Castiel himself and Dean wouldn't have been as upset. For someone who claims family doesn't end in blood, he sure does put his blood relatives on a pedestal.

"Boop the snoot."

Castiel is brought back to reality by Emma tapping his nose. She and James burst out laughing, though whether it's at the so-called "boop" or the confused look on Castiel's face afterwards, he doesn't know.

"Physically, you are here," James says. "Mentally, you're on a vacation to the Bahamas, and I'm kinda jealous, not gonna lie."

Castiel cocks his head to the side. "But I've never been to the Bahamas."

Emma shakes her head, amused. "You're so accidentally entertaining and I love it."

"Thank you?" Castiel says uncertainly.