Deans POV
"So much for a low profile. You've got a warrant in St.Louis, and now you're officially in the feds database." Sam says as we sit at a table in a diner and Sam looks through his laptop. "Dude, I'm like Dillinger or something." I tell him grinning. "Dean, it's not funny. Makes the job harder, we've gotta be more careful now." Ana tells me and I shrug.
"What do they got on you two?" I ask Sam. "Well, Ana, yours is saying wanted for assault and mine...I'm sure they just haven't posted it yet." He mutters. "No accessory? Nothing?" I ask. "Shut up." Sam growls and I start to laugh. "You're jealous." I say. "No, I'm not!" Says angrily. "Uh-huh, alright. What do you got on the case there, you innocent, harmless young man, you?" I ask and Ana chuckles.
Sam shuts his computer, annoyed, and pulls out several pages of research. "Architect Sean Boyden plummeted to his death from the roof of his home, a condominium he designed." Sam says as Ana and I look through the pages. "Hmm. Build a high rise and jump off the top of it. That's classy. When did he call animal control?" I ask. "Two days ago." Sam replies.
"Did he actually say Black Dog?" Ana asks. "Yeah. A vicious, wild, black dog. The authorities couldn't find it, no one else saw it; in fact, the authorities are a little confused as to how a wild dog could get past the door man, take the elevator up, and start roaming the halls of the cushiest joint in town. After that, no more calls, he doesn't show up for work, two days later he takes a swan dive." Sam explains.
"Do you think we're dealing with an actual black dog?" I ask him. "Well, maybe." Sam shrugs. "What's the lore on the Hound of the Baskerville?" Ana asks and Sam chuckles as he passes some pages to us. "It's all pretty vague. I mean, they're are spectral black dogs all over the world, but...some say they're animal spirits, others say death omens. But anyways, whatever they are, they're big, nasty..." Sam says as I flip to a picture of a large black dog.
"Yeah, I bet they could hump the crap outta your leg, look at that one, huh?" I say as I hold up the picture and smirk. Ana snorts as Sam glares at us making my smirk slip. "What? They could." I say defensively.
******
In a posh, well-lit room, the three of us are wearing suits and interviewing a man about Sean Boyden. "So, you and Sean Boyden were business partners for almost ten years, right?" Sam asks him. "That's right. Now one more time, this is for...?" The man says suspiciously before Ana talks over him. "A tribute to Mr Boyden. Architectural Digest." Ana says and the man laughs.
"This funny to you?" I ask him. "No, it's...it's just, a tribute. Yeah. See, Sean always got the tributes. He kills himself, leaves me and his family behind...well, he gets another tribute." He says. "Right. Any idea why he'd do such a thing?" Sam asks. "I...I have no clue...I mean he loved a charmed life." The man replies.
"How so?" Ana asks him. "He was a flat-out genius. I mean, I'm capable, but next to him, I...it wasn't always that way either." The man replies. "No?" We say, questionably. "You wanna know the truth? There was a time he could even design a pup tent. Hell, ten years ago he's working as a bartender at this place called Lloyds. A complete dive." The man says.
"Right. So what changed?" Sam asks and the man shrugs. "You got me. But overnight, he gets this huge commission, and he starts designing...he starts designing the most ingenious buildings anyone has ever seen. It was like, the level of Van Gogh, and Mozart..." then the man cuts off abruptly.
"What?" I ask him. "It's funny. True geniuses, they seem to die young, don't they? To have that kind of talent? Why...why just throw it away?" The man asks us.
******
I exit the Animal Protection Agency, still wearing my suit. Ana and Sam are waiting in the car and I climb in the drivers side. "So." They say. "Secretary's name is Carly. She's twenty three, she, uh, she kayaks, and they're real." I say and Ana punches my arm, hard.
"Ow!" I exclaim as she glares at me. "Why were you flirting with her?" She asks angrily. "For the job. Don't be jealous baby." I say and she continues to glare at me. "You didn't happen to ask her if she's seen any black dogs lately did you?" Sam asks me as Ana looks away and out the window.
I hold up a page. "Every complaint called in this week about anything big, black, or dog like. There's nineteen calls all in. And, uh..." I say as I pull of a post it note. "I don't know what this thing is."
Sam takes it and reads it and laughs as he looks at me. "You mean her MySpade address?" He says smiling and Ana turns round sharply. "That's the same as her giving you her number." She grumbles annoyed. "Is that like some sort of porn site?" I ask with a smile. "Is everything in your world linked to porn?" Sam asks me annoyed and I smirk as I look at Ana. "When it comes to my girl, yeah." I say as Sam shakes his head and Ana rolls her eyes at me, obviously still pissed off.
******
After a while, we approach another white suburban door and knock. "I swear, if this is another freaking Pomeranian barking in the neighbours yard..." I grumble. "Aw, don't worry baby. I'll protect you from the little, bitty Pomeranian." Ana teases in a mocking voice and I playfully glare at her as the door opens to reveal a young woman.
"Afternoon ma'am." I say as we pull out our I.D's. "Uh, Animal Control." I tell her. "Oh, somebody already came yesterday." She says to us. "Oh, we're just following up. We're looking for Dr Sylvia Pearlman?" Sam asks and the woman lets us in.
"The doctor, well, she, I don't exactly know when she'll be back, she left two days ago." The woman informs us. "Okay. And you are...?" Ana asks. "I'm Ms. Pearlman's maid." She replies. "So where did the doctor go?" I ask. "I'm not sure. She just packed and went, she didn't say where. That stray dog, did you find it finally?" She asks us.
"Oh, not yet. You know, you didn't ever happen to see the dog yourself, did you?" Sam asks her. "Well no, I never even heard it." She replies as Ana looks around. "I was almost starting to think the doctor was imagining things, but she's not like that, so..." the woman continues and Ana turns to her.
"Hey, you know I read she was uh, chief surgeon at the hospital. She's gotta be what, forty two, forty three? That's pretty young for that job." Ana points out. "Youngest in the history of the place. She got the position...ten years ago?" The woman says.
"Huh. An overnight success. Ten years ago." Sam says as me and him walk up to Ana. "Yeah, we know a guy like that." I say as Ana looks at a photo. "Oh, look at this." She says as she holds up the photo and flips it over to show the writing on the back. "Lloyds bar." She reads giving us a knowing look.
******
We pull-up outside Lloyds bar and get out. As we walk towards the bar, I look to the side and stop in my tracks. "Hey." I say and they stop. "Yeah?" They ask. "That's weird." I say as I point at the yellow flowers that are growing on the side of the road.
"What?" Sam asks me. "Think someone planted these?" I ask. "Middle of all these weeds?" Ana says in disbelief. "These are, uh, what do you call 'em?" I say as I look at the flowers. "Yarrow flowers." Sam says and I nod. "Yeah. Used for certain rituals, aren't they?" I ask. "Yeah, actually. Summoning rituals." Sam replies.
"Heh. So, two people become sudden successes about ten years ago. Right around the time they were hanging out here at Lloyds." Ana says as we look around to see we're in the middle of a crossroad. "Where there just happens to be a crossroads." Sam says as he turns to us. "You think?" He asks us. "Let's find out." I say.
I walk to the centre of the crossroads and look around, measuring. "This seem about dead centre to you?" I ask them and they nod. "I dig a few inches into the hard soil and hit something solid. I stop. "Yahtzee." I say as I drop the shovel and dig with my hands, pulling out an old rusted box.
I open it, revealing that it contains several small bones, a picture and a small stoppered jar that Sam takes out. "I'd be willing to bet that's graveyard dirt. And a black cat bone." He says. "That's serious spell work. I mean, that's Deep South hoodoo stuff." Ana says. "Used to summon a demon." Sam says.
"Not just summon one. Crossroads are where pacts are made. These people are actually making deals with the damn things. You know, 'cause that always ends good." I say. "They're seeing dogs, all right. But not black dogs, they're seeing Hellhounds. Demonic pit bulls." Ana says and I nod. "Yeah, whoever the demon is, it's back and it's collecting. And that doctor lady? Wherever she's running? She ain't running fast enough." I say.
"So, it's just like the Robert Johnson legend, right? I mean, selling your soul at the crossroads, kind of deal?" Sam says and we nod. "Yeah, except that wasn't a legend. I mean, you know his music." I say to them. Ana nods but Sam shrugs. "You don't know Robert Johnson's songs?" She asks him and he shakes his head.
"Sam, there's...there's occult references all over his lyrics, I mean, Crossroads Blue? Me and the Devil Blues? Hellhound on My Trail?" I say and Sam frowns before I roll my eyes and Ana sighs. "The story goes, he died choking on his own blood, he was hallucinating, and muttering about big evil dogs." I explain. "And now it's happening all over again." Sam says. "Yeah." Ana and I nod.
"We gotta figure out if anyone else struck bargains around here." Sam says and I scoff. "Great. So we gotta clean up peoples messes for them? I mean, they're not exactly squeaky clean. Nobody put a gun to their heads and forced 'em to play Let's Make A Deal." I say annoyed.
"So what, we should just leave them to die?" Sam asks me. "Somebody goes over Niagara in a barrel, you gonna jump in and try to save 'em?" I ask him. "Dean." Ana and Sam say exasperated. "Alright, fine." I grumble. "Rituals like this, you've gotta put your own photo in the mix, right? So this guy probably summoned this thing. Let's go and see if anyone inside knows him. If he's still alive." I say holding up the photo and we head inside.
******
"What's this guys name again?" Sam asks as we walk up a set of wide, wooden stairs to the fourth floor of an apartment. "George Darrow. Apparently quite the regular at Lloyd's." Ana says as I look around. "Though this house probably ain't up on MTV Cribs, is it?" I say. "Yeah. So what we kind of deal he made..." Sam trails off. "Wasn't for cash. Oh, who knows. Maybe this place is full of babes in Princess Leia bikinis." I say and Ana stop suddenly, turning around to face me.
I smile up at her as she glares at me. "You are already on thin ice for flirting with blondie. Do you want me to push you down the stairs?" She asks angrily as Sam watches amused. "I'm only joking. You know you're the only woman I want to see naked or in a bikini." I tell her as she still glares before turning back around, walking up the stairs.
"How does her ass always look so good?" I ask rhetorically as Sam groans. "Dude, I don't want to think about my best friends ass." Sam grumbles as we walk up the stairs. "You better not be." I tell him firmly as we catch up with Ana.
"Hope this guy at least asked for something fun." I say as we reach the landing and stop in front of apartment 4C. The floor is dusted with a fine black powder. "Look at that." Ana says and we crouch down, touching it. "What is that, pepper?" I ask as the door opens to reveal a middle aged man, with greying hair, wearing a grimy T-shirt and open button-down.
"Who the hell are you?" He asks us in a threading tone. "George Darrow?" Ana asks him. "I'm not buying anything." He says as he starts to shut the door. "Whoa, whoa, whoa, looks like you went for the wrong shaker there. Heh. Usually when you want to keep something evil out you go for the salt." I say as George looks between the three of us.
"I don't know what you're talking about." He says. "Talking about this." I say as I hold up a small picture. "Tell me. You seen the Hellhound yet?" I ask and George stares at us. "Look. We want to help. Please. Just five minutes." Sam says to him. George looks at us for a moment before he opens the door and lets us in.
He shows us in and pours himself a glass of whiskey. The studio apartment is filled with paintings, completed and half finished, and a table that holds painting supplies. "So what is that stuff out front?" Ana asks him. "Goofer dust." He replies and we look at him blankly.
"What, you three think you know something about something but not goofer dust?" George asks us and tosses me a brown sack, tied close with twine and I catch it. "Well, we know a little about a lot of things. Just enough to make us dangerous." I tell him.
"What is it?" Sam asks him, nodding at the brown sack. "Hoodoo. My grandma taught me. Keeps out demons." George says. "Demons we know." I say. "Well, then. Maybe it'll do you some good." George says as he walks over to a chair. "Four minutes left." He tells us.
I glance at Ana and Sam before Sam takes the lead. "Mr Darrow. We know you're in trouble." He says. "Yeah, that you got yourself into." I say and Ana nudges me with her elbow. "But it's not hopeless, alright baby?" She says as she narrows her eyes at me.
"There's got to be something we can do." Sam says. "Listen. I get that you three want to help. But sometimes a person makes their bed, they've just got to lie in it. I'm the one who called that demon in the first place." George says.
"What'd you do it for?" I ask him. "I was weak. I mean, who don't want to be great? Who don't want their life to mean something? I just...I just never thought about the price?" George says. "Was it worth it?" Ana asks him. "Hell no. Course, I asked for talent. Shoulda gone for fame. I'm still broke, and lonely. Just now I got a pile of paintings don't nobody want. But that wasn't the worst." George says angrily.
"Go on." Sam says. "Demon didn't leave. I never counted on that. After our deal was done the damn thing stayed at Lloyd's for a well. Just chatting. Making more deals. I tried to warn folks, but, I mean who's going to listen to an old drunk?" He says. "How many others are there?" Ana asks him. "Uh, the architect, that doctor lady- I kept up with them, they've been in the papers. Least they got famous." He grumbles.
"Who else, George? Come on, think." I say. "One more. Uh, nice guy too. Hudson. Evan, I think. I don't know what he asked for. Don't matter now. We're done for." He says. "No. No, there's gotta be a way." Sam says. "You don't get it! I don't want a way!" George yells.
"Look, you don't-"
"I called that thing! I brought it on myself. I brought it on them. I'm going to hell, one way or another. All I want is to finish my last painting. Day or two, I'm done. I'm just trying to hold 'em off till then. Buy a little time." George says as he starts to get up, interrupting Sam. "Okay, kids. Time you went, go help somebody who wants help." He says.
"We can't just-"
"Get out! I got work to do." George yells. "You don't really want to die." Sam says firmly. "I don't? I'm...I'm tired." George says as he turns to his paintings. The three of us share a look before we leave George to his painting.