Miranda sits at the counter, an empty seat between her and Dean for Sam who went to the bathroom. The waitress walks over and leans down in front of Dean.
"Can I get you anything else?" She asks Dean who smirks. Miranda rolls her eyes.
"Just the check, please." Sam says, walking over and sitting between his brother and girlfriend.
"Okay." The nurse smiles, walking off. Dean's head drops.
"You know, Sam, we are allowed to have fun once in a while. That's fun." Dean says. "Now, you? You have your fun following you around. I gotta find mine elsewhere."
"You're disgusting." Miranda tells him.
"Here, take a look at this. I think I got one." Dean shows Sam the obit he circled. "Lake Manitoc, Wisconsin. Last week, Sophie Carlton, 18, walks into the lake, doesn't walk out. Authorities dragged the water -- nothing. Sophie Carlton is the third Lake Manitoc drowning this year. None of the other bodies were found either. They had a funeral two days ago."
"A funeral?" Sam asks.
"Yeah, it's weird. They buried an empty coffin. For, uh, closure or whatever." Dean says.
"You know, it's actually not that weird." Miranda remarks, giving Dean an annoyed look. Dean avoids eye contact.
"Closure? What closure?" Sam asks. "People don't just disappear, Dean. Other people just stop looking for them."
"Something you want to say to me?" Dean asks.
"You're an asshole." Miranda says.
"Not you." Dean glares at her.
"The trail for dad. It's getting colder every day." Sam says.
"Exactly. So what are we supposed to do?" Dean asks.
"I don't know. Something. Anything." Sam says.
"You know what? I'm sick of this attitude. You don't think I wanna find dad as much as you do?"
"Yeah, I know you do, it's just--"
"I'm the one that's been with him every single day for the past few years while you've been off to college going to pep rallies." Dean says.
"You mean, living in peaceful bliss until some loner came and fucked everything up?" Miranda remarks. Dean glares at her.
"We will find dad, but until then, we're gonna kill everything bad between here and there. Okay?" Dean tells his brother. Sam rolls his eyes. The waitress walks by, Dean watching her.
"All right, Lake Manitoc." Sam says. "Hey!" Dean looks at him.
"Huh?"
"How far?"
+++
They knock on the door to the Carlton house, Will Carlton answering it.
"Will Carlton?" Dean asks.
"Yeah, that's right." He nods.
"I'm Agent Ford. This is Agent Hamill and Agent Fisher. We're with the US Wildlife Service." Dean holds his badge up.
"She was about 100 yards out." Will states. "That's where she got dragged down."
"And you're sure she didn't drown?" Dean asks.
"Yeah. She was a varsity swimmer." Will says. "She practically grew up in that lake. She was as safe out there as in her own bathtub."
"So no splashing? No signs of distress?" Sam asks.
"No, that's what I'm telling you." Will says.
"Did you see any shadows in the water? Maybe some dark shape breach the surface?" Sam asks.
"No. Again, she was really far out there." Will says.
"You ever see any strange tracks by the shoreline?" Dean asks.
"No, never. Why? Why, what do you think's out there?" Will asks.
"We'll let you know as soon as we do." Dean says, heading for the Impala.
"What about your father?" Sam asks. "Can we talk to him?"
"Look, if you don't mind, I mean... he didn't see anything and he's kind of been through a lot." Will says.
"We understand." Sam says.
+++
"Now, I'm sorry, but why does the Wildlife Service care about an accidental drowning?" The sheriff, Jake Devins, questions the three.
"You sure it's accidental? Will Carlton saw something grab his sister." Sam says.
"Like what?" Jake asks. They walk into his office, Jake motioning to the three chairs. "Here, sit, please. There are no indigenous carnivores in that lake." The three sit down. "There's nothing even big enough to pull down a person, unless it was the Loch Ness Monster."
"Yeah." Dean laughs.
"Will Carlton was traumatized, and sometimes the mind plays tricks. Still, we dragged that entire lake." Jake states, sitting in his chair. "We even ran a sonar sweep, just to be sure, and there was nothing down there."
"That's weird, though. I mean, that's-- that's the third missing body this year." Dean says.
"I know. These are people from my town. These are people I care about." Jake says.
"I know." Dean says.
"Anyway..." Jake sighs. "All this... it won't be a problem much longer."
"What do you mean?" Dean asks.
"Well, the dam, of course." Jake says.
"Of course, the dam. It's, uh, it sprung a leak." Dean says.
"It's falling apart, and the feds won't give us the grant to repair it, so they've opened the spill way. In another six months, there won't be much of a lake. There won't be much of a town, either. But as Federal Wildlife, you already knew that."
"Exactly." Dean says.
There's a tap on the door, the four turning to see a young woman.
"Sorry, am I interrupting?" She asks as they all stand up. "I can come back later."
"Gentlemen, miss, this is my daughter." Jake informs.
"It's a pleasure to meet you. I'm Dean." He shakes her hand.
"Andrea Barr. Hi." She smiles.
"Hi." Dean smiles.
"They're from the wildlife service. About the lake." Jake says.
"Oh." Andrea hums. A young boy, probably around seven, walks in.
"Oh, hey there. What's your name?" Dean asks. The boy walks away without saying anything, Andrea following.
"His name is Lucas." Jake informs.
"Is he okay?" Sam asks.
"My grandson's been through a lot. We all have." Jake says. He stands up, going to the office door. "Well, if there's anything else I can do for you, please let me know."
The four walk out into the main room.
"Thanks. You know, now that you mentioned it, could you point us in the direction of a reasonably priced motel?" Dean asks.
"Lakefront Motel. Go around the corner, it's about two blocks south." Andrea says.
"Two-- would you mind showing us?" Dean asks and Andrea laughs.
"You want me to walk you two blocks?" She asks.
"Not if it's any trouble." Dean says.
"I'm headed that way anyway." Andrea says. "I'll be back to pick up Lucas at three." She tells her father before turning to her son. "We'll go to the park, okay, sweetie?" She kisses him on the head before walking out. Dean waves as he leaves.
"Thanks again." Sam says, him and Miranda following the other two out.
"So, cute kid." Dean compliments.
"Thanks." Andrea says.
"Kids are the best, huh?" Dean asks as they cross the street. Miranda gives Sam an incredulous look, the man trying not to laugh. They stop in front of the motel.
"There it is. Like I said, two blocks." Andrea says.
"Thanks." Sam politely smiles.
"Must be hard, with your sense of direction... never being able to find your way to a decent pickup line." Andrea tells Dean. Sam holds his laugh in and Miranda snorts.
"Enjoy your stay!" Andrea calls over her shoulder as she walks off.
""Kids are the best?" You don't even like kids." Sam says.
"I love kids." Dean argues.
"Name three children that you even know." Sam states.
Dean goes to list, but has trouble coming up with any. Sam rolls his eyes, waving Dean off, grabbing Miranda's hand, and walking to the motel.
"I'm thinking!" Dean follows them.
+++
"So there's the three drowning victims this year." Sam says.
"Any before that?" Dean asks.
"Uh, yeah." Sam answers. "Six more spread out over the past thirty-five years. Those bodies were never recovered either. If there is something out there, it's picking up its pace."
"So, what, we got a lake monster on a binge?" Dean asks.
"This whole lake monster theory, it-it just bugs me." Sam says.
"Why?" Dean asks.
"Loch Ness, uh, Lake Champlain, there are literally hundreds of eyewitness accounts, but here, almost nothing." Sam says. "Whatever it is out there, no one's living to talk about it." He scrolls through the article, Dean looking at it.
"Wait, Barr, Christopher Barr. Where have I heard that name before?" Dean asks.
"It's Andrea's last name. You know... another woman that's way out of your league." Miranda remarks, Sam snickering.
"Christopher Barr, the victim in May." Sam clicks on the link to the article. "Oh. Christopher Barr was Andrea's husband, Lucas' father. Apparently he took Lucas out swimming. Lucas was on a floating wooden platform when Chris drowned. Two hours before the kid got rescued. Maybe we have an eyewitness after all."
"No wonder the kid was so freaked out. Watching one of your parents die isn't something you just get over." Dean says.
+++
They get to the park and walk up to Andrea who is sitting on a bench.
"Can we join you?" Sam asks.
"I'm here with my son." Andrea points to Lucas who is at a different bench and coloring and has toy soldiers on the bench.
"Oh. Mind if I say hi?" Dean asks. He doesn't wait for an answer as he goes over to Lucas.
"Tell your friend this whole Jerry Maguire thing is not gonna work on me." Andrea says.
"I don't think that's what this is about." Sam says as he and Miranda sit next to Andrea.
"Lucas hasn't said a word, not even to me. Not since his dad's accident." Andrea says as Dean walks back over.
"Yeah, we heard. Sorry." Dean says, Andrea just nodding.
"What are the doctors saying?" Sam asks.
"That it's a kind of post traumatic stress." Andrea says.
"That can't be easy. For either of you." Sam says.
"We moved in with my dad. He helps out a lot. It's just... when I think about what Luas went through, what he saw..." Andrea says.
"Kids are strong. You'd be surprised what they can deal with." Dean says.
"You know, he used to have such life. He was hard to keep up with, to tell you the truth. Now he just sits there. Drawing those pictures, playing with those army men. I just wish--" She stops when she notices Lucas walk over. "Hey, sweetie."
Lucas hands Dean something he drew.
"Thanks. Thanks, Lucas." Dean says and Lucas goes back to his previous spot.
+++
Sam and Miranda walk into the motel room where Dean is sitting on his bed.
"So, I think it's safe to say we can rule out Nessie." Sam states.
"What do you mean?" Dean asks.
"We just drove past the Carlton house. There was an ambulance there. Will Carlton is dead." Sam informs, sitting on the other bed.
"He drowned?" Dean asks.
"Yep." Sam nods. "In the sink."
"What the hell? So you're right, this isn't a creature. We're dealing with something else." Dean says.
"Yeah, but what?" Sam asks.
"I don't know. Water wraith, maybe? Some kind of demon? I mean, something that controls water -- water that comes from the same source." Dean says.
"The lake." Sam says.
"Yeah." Dean nods.
"Which would explain why it's upping the body count. The lake is draining. It'll be dry in a few months. Whatever this thing is, whatever it wants, it's running out of time." Sam says.
"And if it can get through the pipes, it can get to anyone, almost anywhere." Dean says. "This is gonna happen again soon." He states, sitting at the table to put his shoes on.
"And we do know one other thing for sure. We know this has got something to do with Bill Carlton." Sam states.
"Yeah, it took both his kids." Dean says.
"And we've been asking around." Sam says. "Lucas' dad, Chris-- Bill Carlton's godson."
"Let's go pay Mr. Carlton a visit." Dean says.
+++
They get to the Carlton house and walk onto the dock where Bill is sitting.
"Mr. Carlton?" Sam asks. "We'd like to ask you a few questions, if you don't mind."
"We're from the Department--"
"I don't care who you're with. I've answered enough questions today." Bill says.
"Your son said he saw something in that lake. What about you? You ever see anything out there? Mr. Carlton, Sophie's drowning and Will's death -- we think there might be a connection to you or your family." Sam says.
"My children are gone. It's... it's worse than dying. Go away. Please." Bill tells them.
The three make their way back to the Impala.
"What do you think?" Sam asks.
"Aw, I think the poor guy's been through hell. I also think he's not telling us something." Dean says.
"So now what?" Sam asks. Dean freezes as he seems to notice something. "What is it?"
"Maybe Bill's not the only one who knows something." Dean takes the drawing Lucas gave him out, holding it up, the other two seeing that the kid drew the Carlton house.
+++
"I'm sorry, but I don't think it's a good idea." Andrea says.
"I just need to talk to him." Dean says. "Just for a few minutes."
"He won't say anything. What good's it gonna do?" Andrea asks.
"Andrea, we think more people might get hurt. We think something's happening out there." Sam says.
"My husband, the others, they just drowned. That's all." Andrea insists.
"If that's what you really believe, then we'll go. But if you think there's even a possibility that something else could be going on here, please let me talk to your son." Dean says.
They go up to Lucas' room and he's sitting on the floor and coloring. Sam, Miranda, and Andrea stay in the doorway while Dean goes to Lucas.
"Hey, Lucas. You remember me?" Dean asks, crouching next to the boy. "You know, I, uh, I wanted to thank you for the last drawing. But the thing is, I need your help again." He puts the drawing that Lucas gave him on the floor. "How did you know to draw this? Did you know something bad was gonna happen? Maybe you could nod yes or no for me."
"You're scared. It's okay. I understand. See, when I was your age, I saw something real bad happen to my mom, and I was scared, too. I didn't feel like talking, just like you. But see, my mom -- I know she wanted me to be brave. I think about that every day. And I do my best to be brave. And maybe your dad wants you to be brave too.
Lucas hands Dean a drawing of a white church, yellow house, and a boy with a red bike and wearing a blue baseball cap in front of a wooden fence.
"Thanks, Lucas." Dean says.
+++
"Andrea said the kid never drew like that till his dad died." Dean says as he drives the Impala.
"There are cases -- going through a traumatic experience could make people more sensitive to premonitions, psychic tendencies." Sam says.
"Whatever's out there, what if Lucas is tapping into it somehow? I mean, it's only a matter of time before somebody else drowns, so if you got a better lead, please." Dean says.
"All right. We got another house to find." Sam says.
"The only problem is there's about a thousand yellow two stories in this county alone." Dean says.
"See this church? I bet there's less than a thousand of those around here." Sam says.
"Oh, college boy thinks he's so smart." Dean remarks.
"He is." Miranda says. Sam hides his small smile.
"You know, um..." Sam starts after a few moments. "What you said about mom... you never told me that before."
"It's no big deal." Dean shrugs. "Oh, God, we're not gonna have to hug or anything, are we?"
+++
They found the house that's by the church and the elder woman let them in.
"We're sorry to bother you, ma'am, but does a little boy live here by chance? He might wear a blue ball cap, has a red bicycle." Dean says.
"No, sir. Not for a very long time. Peter's been gone for thirty-five years now." Mrs. Sweeney states. "The police never-- I never had any idea what happened. He just disappeared. Losing him, you know, it's... it's worse than dying."
"Did he disappear from here? I mean, from this house?" Dean asks.
"he was supposed to ride his bike straight home after school, and he never showed up." Mrs. Sweeney states. Dean picks up a picture off a mirror, the picture showing two young boys, one being Peter with the bicycle.
"Peter Sweeney and Billy Carlton, 1970." Dean reads off the back.
+++
"Okay, this little boy, Peter Sweeney, vanishes and this is all connected to Bill Carlton somehow." Sam says as Dean drives to the Carlton house.
"Yeah, Bill sure as hell seems to be hiding something, huh?" Dean says.
"And Bill, the people he loves, they're all getting punished." Sam says.
"Maybe he killed Peter." Miranda suggests.
"Peter's spirit would be furious. It'd want revenge. It's possible." Dean agrees.
They get to the house and knock on the door.
"Mr. Carlton?" Sam yells out.
They round the house to the lake and see Bill going out on the water in a boat.
"Mr. Carlton!" Dean yells, the three running towards the dock. The three keep yelling for Bill to turn back as they reach the end of the dock.
They helplessly watch as water rises, flipping Bill's boat over, both him and the boat vanishing.
+++
The three follow Jake into the police station.
"Sam, Miranda, Dean." Andrea stands up, putting the container and bag she has on her chair. "I didn't expect to see you here."
"So now you're on a first name basis? What are you doing here?" Jake asks his daughter.
"I brought you dinner." Andrea states.
"I'm sorry, sweetheart, I don't really have the time." Jake tells her.
"I heard about Bill Carlton. Is it true? Is something going on with the lake?" Andrea asks.
"Right now we don't know what the truth is. But I think it might be better if you and Lucas went on home." Jake says.
Lucas whines and jumps out of his eat, grabbing onto Dean's arm.
"Lucas, hey, what is it? Lucas." Dean says.
"Lucas?" Andrea asks.
"Lucas, it's okay. It's okay. Hey, Lucas, it's okay. It's okay." Dean assures as Andrea pulls Lucas away. She leads him outside, Lucas looking back at Dean until he isn't able to see him.
~ ~ ~
"Okay, just so I'm clear, you see... something attack Bill's boat, sending Bill -- who is a very good swimmer, by the way -- into the drink, and you never see him again?" Jake recounts.
"Yeah, that about sums it up." Dean says.
"And I'm supposed to believe this, even though I've already sonar swept that entire lake? And what you're describing is impossible? And you're not really Wildlife Service?" Jake lists, Dean giving a surprised expression. "That's right, I checked. Department's never heard of you three."
"See, now, we can explain that." Dean says.
"Enough. Please. The only reason you're breathing free air is one of Bill's neighbors saw him steering out that boat just before you did. So, we have a couple of options here. I can arrest you for impersonating government officials and hold you as material witnesses to Bill Carlton's disappearance."
"Or, we can chalk this all up to a bad day, you get in your car, you put this town in your rearview mirror, and you don't ever darken my doorstep again."
"Door number two sounds good." Sam says.
"That's the one I'd pick." Jake says.
+++
They're in the Impala and waiting at a red light. It turns green, but Dean doesn't move.
"Green." Sam states.
"What?" Dean asks.
"Light's green." Sam points out.
Dean takes a right turn.
"Uh, the interstate's the other way." Sam says.
"I know." Dean says.
"But Dean, this job, I think it's over." Sam says.
"I'm not so sure." Dean says.
"If Bill murdered Peter Sweeney and Peter's spirit got its revenge, case closed. The spirit should be at rest." Sam says.
"All right, so what if we take off and this thing isn't done? You know, what if we've missed something? What if more people get hurt?" Dean asks.
"But why would you think that?"
"Because Lucas was really scared."
"I just don't want to leave this town until I know the kid's okay."
"Who are you? And what have you done with my brother?"
"Shut up." Dean mutters.
+++
They get to the house and get out of the car.
"Are you sure about this? It's pretty late, man." Sam says as they reach the door, Dean ringing the doorbell. The door opens barely a moment later, a terrified Lucas standing there.
"Lucas?" Dean asks and Lucas runs up the stairs. "Lucas!" The three follow him. Water is pouring down the stairs, the group going as quickly as they can. Lucas pounds on the bathroom door until Dean pushes him over to Sam who holds onto him.
Dean kicks the door down and Sam runs in the bathroom and tries to pull Andrea out of the full tub. Soon, he's able to pull her out, the woman coughing up water.
+++
It's morning and Andrea, Sam, and Miranda are sitting at the table.
"Can you tell us?" Miranda softly asks.
"No." Andrea says. "It doesn't make any sense. I'm going crazy."
"No, you're not. Tell us what happened. Everything." Sam says.
"I heard... I thought I heard... there was this voice." Andrea says.
"What'd it say?" Sam asks.
"It said... it said, "Come play with me."" Andrea states before sobbing. "What's happening?"
Dean walks over and places a photo book down, pointing to a picture of a bunch of boys.
"Do you recognize the kids in these pictures?" Dean asks.
"What? Um, um, no. I mean, except that's my dad right there." She points out. "He must have been about twelve in these pictures."
"Chris Barr's drowning. The connection wasn't to Bill Carlton. It must have been to the sheriff." Dean says.
"Bill and the sheriff-- they were both involved with Peter." Sam says.
"What about Chris? My dad-- what are you talking about?" Andrea asks.
"Lucas?" Dean calls, seeing the boy staring out the window. "Lucas, what is it?" Lucas goes outside, the four adults following.
"Lucas, honey?" Andrea asks.
Lucas stops at some point and looks at the ground and then at Dean.
"You and Lucas get back to the house and stay there, okay?" Dean tells Andrea.
Andrea pulls Lucas away back to the house. The three get shovels and start to dig where Lucas stopped. Soon, Sam's shovel clanks against something. They finish digging with their hands and pull out a red bicycle.
"Peter's bike." Sam says.
"Who are you?" They turn to find Jake who is pointing his gun at them.
"Put the gun down, Jake." Sam says.
"How did you know that was there?" Jake asks.
"What happened? You and Bill killed Peter, drowned him in the lake and then buried the bike? You can't bury the truth, Jake. Nothing stays buried." Dean says.
"I don't know what the hell you're talking about." Jake says.
"You and Bill killed Peter Sweeney thirty-five years ago. That's what the hell I'm talking about." Dean says.
"Dad!" Andrea runs over.
"And now you got one seriously pissed off spirit." Dean says.
"It's gonna take Andrea, Lucas, everyone you love. It's gonna drown them. And it's gonna drag their bodies God knows where, so you can feel the same pain Peter's mom felt. And then, after that, it's gonna take you, and it's not gonna stop until it does."
"Yeah, and how do you know that?" Jake asks.
"Because that's exactly what it did to Bill Carlton." Sam states.
"Listen to yourselves, all three of you. You're insane." Jake says.
"I don't really give a rat's ass what you think of us. But if we're gonna bring down this spirit, we need to find the remains, salt them, and burn them into dust. Now tell me you buried Peter somewhere. Tell me you didn't just let him go in the lake." Dean says.
"Dad, is any of this true?" Andrea asks.
"No. Don't listen to them. They're liars and they're dangerous." Jake says.
"Something tried to drown me. Chris died on that lake. Dad, look at me." Andrea pleads and Jake looks at her. "Tell me you-- you didn't kill anyone." Jake looks away. "Oh, my God."
"Billy and I were at the lake. Peter was the smallest one. We always bullied him, but this time, it got rough. We were holding his head under the water. We didn't mean to. But we held him under too long and he drowned. We let the body go and it sank."
"Oh, Andrea, we were kids. We were so scared. It was a mistake. But, Andrea, to say that I have anything to do with these drownings, and Chris, because of some ghost? It's not rational."
"All right, listen to me, all of you. We need to get you away from this lake, as far as we can, right now." Dean states.
Andrea gasps making everybody follow her gaze to find Lucas walking by the lake.
"Lucas!" Jake yells. The five break into a run.
"Lucas!" Dean shouts.
"Lucas! Baby, stay where you are!" Andrea screams.
As they reach the dock, a hand pulls Lucas into the water. Peter's head is visible before he lowers under the water.
"Oh, my God!" Andrea screams as the three hunters dive into the lake, searching for Lucas. Andrea takes her jacket off, going to jump in.
"Andrea, stay there!" Sam tells her.
"No! Lucas!" She yells.
"We'll get him! Just stay on the dock!"
After a couple of minutes, all three are above water.
"Sam?" Dean asks. Sam shakes his head.
"Nothing." Miranda says.
"Lucas, where are you?" Andrea asks.
They go back under, desperately trying to find the young boy.
When they come up for air, they find Jake in the water.
"Jake, no!" Dean yells.
"Just let it be over!" Jake screams before he's dragged underwater.
"Daddy! Daddy! No!" Andrea screams.
They go back underwater. Sam and Miranda come up, both shaking their heads at Andrea who sobs.
Dean resurfaces, an unconscious Lucas in his arms.
+++
"Look, we're not gonna save everybody." Sam says as they pack their stuff in the Impala.
"I know." Dean says.
"Miranda, Sam, Dean." Andrea calls, her and Lucas walking up.
"Hey." Dean greets.
"We're glad we caught you. We just, um, we made you lunch for the road." Andrea says, motioning to the plate Lucas is holding. "Lucas insisted on making the sandwiches himself."
"Can I give it to them now?" Lucas asks his mom.
"Of course." Andrea smiles, kissing his head.
"Come on, Lucas. Let's load this into the car." Dean says, him and Lucas going to the Impala.
"How you holding up?" Sam asks.
"It's just gonna take a long time to sort through everything, you know?" Andrea says.
"Andrea, I'm sorry." Sam tells her, Miranda nodding.
"You saved my son. I can't ask for more than that. Dad loved me. He loved Lucas. No matter what he did, I just have to hold on to that." Andrea says.
"You take care of you mom, okay?" Dean tells Lucas as the other three adults walk over.
"All right." Lucas says. Andrea kisses Dean.
"Thank you." She tells him. Dean stays frozen for a moment.
"Sam, Miranda, move your asses. We're gonna run out of daylight before we hit the road." Dean says, going to the driver's seat. They bid goodbye to the mother and son as they get in the car and Dean drives off.