"Los Angeles, California." Dean said once we get out of the car and walk towards the Roadhouse. "What's in L.A.?" I asked him. "Young girl's been kidnapped by an evil cult." He said. "Yeah? Girl got a name?" Sam asked him. "Katie Holmes." Dean replies and Sam and I laugh. "That's funny. And for you, so bitchy." I said to him.
But from inside the roadhouse comes the sound of breaking glass and shouting voices. Dean turns to us. "Of course, on the other hand — catfight." Dean said and I rolled my eyes as we go inside of the building.
We enter cautiously to see Ellen and Jo shouting at each other. "I am your mother, I don't have to be reasonable!" Ellen shouts at her. "You can't keep me here!" Jo snapped back. "Oh, don't you bet on that, sweetie." Ellen growled.
"What are you going to do, are you going to chain me up in the basement?" Jo asked, angrily. "You know what, you've had worse ideas than that recently. Hey, you don't wanna stay, don't stay. Go back to school." Ellen said to her. "I didn't belong there! I was a freak with a knife collection." Jo said. "Yeah, and getting yourself killed on some dusty back road, that's where you belong?!" Ellen said then she turns to see us.
"Guys, bad time." She said. "Yes, ma'am." Sam and I said, in unison. "Yeah, we rarely drink before ten anyway." Dean said. "Wait. I wanna know what they think about this." Jo said just as a family of four come in the building. "I don't care what they think!" Ellen yells at Jo.
"Are you guys open?" The father of the family asked them.
"No!" Jo shouts just as Ellen said. "Yes!"
The family look around, nervously, before the father said. "We'll just...check out the Arby's down the road." He said and they leave. "Awkward." I muttered to the boys when the phone rings.
Jo glares at it, then at Ellen, who stalks over to answer it. "Harvelle's. Yeah, Preacher." Ellen answers and Jo turns to us. "Three weeks ago a young girls disappears from a Philadelphia apartment." She said as she shoves a file folder at Dean. "Take it, it won't bite." She said. "No, but your mom might." Dean said to her.
She pinches her lips, still holding out the folder, then he takes it reluctantly. "And this girl wasn't the first. Over the past eighty years six women have vanished. All from the same building, all young blondes. Only happens every decade or two so cops never eyeball the pattern. So we're either dealing with one very old serial killer, or—" Jo started to say when I look over the file and look up at her.
"Who put this together? Ash?" I asked her. "I did it myself." She said, proudly, and I give her a smile. "Impressive." I said to her and she smiles as I hand the file to Sam, who looks at it too.
"I gotta admit. We hit the road for a lot less." Sam said and Ellen comes over to us. "Good. You like the case so much, you take it." She said to us. "Mom!" Jo yells. "Joanna Beth, this family has lost enough. And I won't lose you too. I just won't." Ellen said and Jo walks off while the boys and I exchange looks before we leave.
"I feel kind of bad, snaking Jo's case." Sam said once we enter the apartment building in Philadelphia. "Yeah, maybe she put together a good file. But could you see her out here working one of these things? I don't think so." Dean said as we pull out our EMF readers.
"You guys getting anything?" Dean asked us.
"Nope." I replied.
"No, not yet." Sam said then once he runs his reader over the light switch, it purrs. He leans over. "What's that?" He asked. "What?" Dean and I said and he starts to touch black goo on the wall.
"Holy crap." Sam whispers as Dean and I touch the goo as well. "That's ectoplasm." I said, astonished. "Well, guys, I think I know what we're dealing with here." Dean said and we look over at him. "It's the Stay-Puff Marshmallow Man." He said and I roll my eyes then I wipe the ectoplasm on his cheek. "Oh look, he slimed you." I said and gives me a playful glare.
"Dean, I've only seen this stuff, like, twice. I mean, to make this stuff you have to be one majorly pissed off spirit." Sam said. "All right, let's find this badass before he snags any more girls." Dean said and we exit the apartment and walk down the hallway; hearing voices. We go and hide around a corner.
"It's so convenient." A familiar female voice said and I frown and look at the boys. "Yeah, it's a great building, fixed it up real nice. All the apartments come furnished, too." A male voice said and they come around the corner and to see a man and Jo walking. "It is so spacious. You know, my friend told me I absolutely have to come check it out, and I have to admit, she was right. You did a really good job with this place." Jo said and we step away from our hiding space.
"What the hell are you doing here?" Dean asked her and she smiles and walks up to him. "There you are, honey." She said and she grabs Dean around the waist. "This is my boyfriend Dean and his buddy Sam and Sam's girlfriend, (y/n)." Jo said to the man. "Good to meetcha. Quite a gal you've got here." The man said to Dean. "Oh yeah, she's a pistol." Dean said as he smacks Jo's ass, and she gives a fake laugh.
"So, did you already check out that apartment? The one for rent." Jo said to Dean sweetly while Sam and I exchange a look. "Yeah. Yes. Loved it. Heh. Great flow." Dean said and the man looks at him. "How'd you get in?" He asked Dean. "It was open." Dean replied.
"Now, Ed, um, when did the last tenant move out?" Jo asked the man. "Oh, about a month ago. Cut and run, too. Stick me for the rent." Ed replied. "Well. Her loss, our gain! 'Cause if Dean-o loves it, it's good enough for me." Jo said as she hugs up to him and I had to bite my lips. "Oh, sweetie." Dean said as he smacks her again.
Jo chuckles and smiles then she pulls out a wad of cash. "We'll take it." She said as she hands the money to Ed.
"I'll flip you for the sofa." Jo said once we got inside of the apartment. "Does your mother even know you're here?" I asked her. "Told her I was going to Vegas." She replied. "You think she's gonna buy that?" Dean asked her. "I'm not an idiot. I got Ash to lay a credit card trail all the way to the casinos." Jo said.
"You know, you shouldn't lie to your mom. Shouldn't be here either." Dean said to her. "Well, I am. So untwist your boxers and deal with it." Jo spat at him. "Where'd you get all that money from, anyways?" Sam asked her. "Working, at the Roadhouse." She replied. "Hunters don't tip that well." I said. "Well, they aren't that good at poker, either." She said just as Dean's phone rings and he answers it.
"Yeah." He said then his eyes widen a bit. "Oh, hi Ellen." He said and Jo looks at him, warningly. Then he holds his phone back to Jo. "I'm telling her." He said and she runs up to him and they have a furious, muttered argument.
"I haven't seen her." Dean said once he brought his phone back to his mouth. "Yeah, I'm sure. Absolutely." He said then he hangs up the phone; Jo grins, cheerfully.
Dean is pacing, Jo was sitting at the table with blueprints spread out. She begins flipping a small knife around while Sam and I sit on a couple of chairs. "This place was built in 1924. It was originally a warehouse, converted into apartments a few months ago." Jo said. "Yeah? What was here before 1924." Dean said, questioning. "Nothing. Empty field." Jo said.
"So, most likely scenario, someone died bloody in the building, and now he's back and raising hell." I said to her. "I already checked. In the past eighty two years, zero violent deaths. Unless you count a janitor who slipped on a wet floor." Jo said then she turns to Dean. "Would you sit down, please?" She asked and he sits down.
"So, have you checked police reports, county death records..." he said and she nods. "Obituaries, mortuary reports and seven other sources. I know what I'm doing." Jo said. "I think the jury's still out on that one. Could you put the knife down?" Dean asked her and she sets it down.
"Okay! So, uh, it's something else, then. Maybe some kind of cursed object that brought a spirit with it." said Sam. "Well, we've got to scan the whole building. Everywhere we can get to, right?" Jo said. "Right. So. You and (y/n), we'll take the top two floors." Dean said to her and I glance over at him.
"We'd move faster if we split up." Jo said. "Oh, this isn't negotiable." Dean said, firmly, then he looks at me. "Can we talk? Alone?" He asked me and I nod. Both of us get up and we walk away from Sam and Jo. "I need you to keep an eye on her." Dean mutters to me. "Yeah, sure. You can count on me." I said. "Okay, just...be careful, okay?" He said to me. "Of course. And you boys be careful as well." I said to him.
After while, Jo and I were walking down a dim hallway with EMF readers, I was walking real close next to her. "So. You gonna buy me dinner?" Jo asked me. "What are you talking about?" I asked her, confused. "It's just if you're gonna ride me this close it's only decent you buy me dinner." Jo said, sarcastically.
"Oh, that's hilarious. I hate to disappoint but I don't swing that way. You know, it's bad enough Dean had to lie to your mom, but if you think I'm letting you out of my sight...I don't know if you've noticed, but you're kind of the spirit's type." I said to her. "Exactly." Jo said.
"You wanna be bait?" I asked her. "Quickest way to draw it out and you know it." Jo said and I rolled my eyes. "Oh." I muttered. "What?" Jo asked. "I'm so regretting this." I said. "What? You afraid I'm gonna take your spot?" She asked me and I stopped in my tracks and turn to her.
"No. I'm not afraid you taking my spot. I'm afraid for you to get hurt. You're an amateur. You have no experience. What you do have is a bunch of half-baked romantic notions that some barflies put in your head." I said to her. "Now you sound like my mother." She said to me.
"Oh, and that's a bad thing? Because let me tell you..." I said but I stop myself. "What?" She asked me. "Forget it." I said. "No, you started this." Jo said to me and I scoff. "Jo, you've got options. No one in their right mind chooses this life. My dad started me in this when I was so young...I wish I could do something else. And John started the boys when they were young as well." I said.
"You love the job." Jo said to me. "Yeah, but I'm a little twisted." I said to her. "You don't think I'm a little twisted too?" She asked me. "Jo, you've got a mother that worries about you. Who wants something more for you. Those are good things. You don't throw things like that away. Might be hard to find later." I said and we approach a grating near the floor.
Seconds later, Jo turns around, gasping. "What?" I asked as I turn to her. "I'm not sure." She said and I got a whiff of a weird scent . "You smell that?" I asked her and she starts sniffing the air.
"What is that, a gas leak?" She asked. "No. Something else. I know it. I just can't put my finger on it." I said and Jo crouches by the grating then her EMF reader purrs. "Mazel Tov. You just found your first spirit." I said to her. "It's inside the vent." She asked as I crouch beside her, shining my flashlight. Then I hand it to her. "Here." I said and I pull out a screwdriver and unscrew the grating, pulling it off the wall.
"There's something in there. Here." I said and I reach my arm inside, feeling around. I felt something soft and I grabbed it then pulled my hand out, revealing I was holding a clump of blond hair. Jo makes a noise of disgust as we look at the hair. "Somebody's keeping souvenirs." I remarked.
The next morning, Sam and I woke up and decided to go get everyone coffee. Dean was still passed out on the sofa while Jo was sitting at the table looking through notes and blueprints. I smiled, softly, at Dean sleeping before I follow Sam out of the room
But we didn't get very far as we saw cop cars outside of the apartment buildings. We hid in the corner to hear Ed talking to some cops saying that another girl had gone missing. Sam and I exchange a look then we head back to the apartment and burst through the door.
Jo and Dean, who was now awake, look to at us in shock. "Where's the coffee?" Dean asked us. "There are cops outside. Another girl disappeared." Sam explained.
Later, Dean and I went to investigate the room and learn more about the missing girl while Sma and Jo stayed at the apartment to study the notes. Dean and I came back and he shuts the door behind us.
"Teresa Ellis, Apartment 2F. Boyfriend reported her missing around dawn." Dean said to the others. "And her apartment?" Jo asked us. "Cracks all over the plaster, walls, ceiling. There was ectoplasm, too." I said to her.
"Well, between that and that tuft of hair I'd say this sucker's coming from the walls." Sam said, shrugging. "But who is it? Building's history is totally clean." Dean said, annoyed, as Jo picks up a photograph. "Well, maybe we're looking in the wrong place." She said.
"What do you mean?" I asked her, confused. "Check this out." Jo said as she hands the photo to Sam. "An empty field?" He asked as he hands the photo to us. "It's where this building was built. Take a look at the one next door. The windows." Jo said and I look at it and noticed there was bars on the windows on the building.
"Bars." I said as Dean looks at the picture. "We're next door to a prison?" He asked, shocked.
"Thanks, Ash. And if you breathe a word of this to my mom... That's right. I will. With pliers." Jo said into her phone sometime later. Then she hangs up and turns to us. "Okay. Moyamensing prison. Built in 1835, torn down in 1963. And get this. They used to execute people by hanging them in the empty field next door." Jo said to us.
"Well, then, we need a list. All the people executed there." I said and she nods. "Ash is already on it." She said.
Minutes later, Sam was scrolling down a very long list of names on his laptop. "A hundred fifty seven names?" He said, shocked. "We've gotta narrow that down." Dean said. "Yeah." Sam mutters. "Or else we're gonna be digging up a hell of a lot of stiffs." I said and Sam scrolls down until I noticed a name that seemed familiar.
"Wait, Sam. Click on that name." I said and he clicks on the name. "Herman Webster Mudgett?" Sam said, confused. "Yeah?" Jo asked as I look at the boys. "Wasn't that H. H. Holmes' real name?" I asked him and both give me shocked look. "You've gotta be kiddin' me." Dean mutters and we started to research Holmes.
"Yep. Holmes was executed at Moyamensing, May 7, 1896." Dean said and I let out a chuckle. "H. H. Holmes himself. Come on, I mean, what are the odds?" I asked them. "I know, right?" Sam said.
"Who is this guy?" Jo asked. The term multi-murderer. They coined it to describe Holmes. He was America's first serial killer, before anybody knew what a serial killer was." Dean explains. "Yeah, he confessed to twenty seven murders, but some put the death toll at over a hundred." Sam said. "And his victim flavor of choice? Pretty petite blondes. He, uh, he used chloroform to kill 'em." I said as I nod towards Jo then I stopped as I realized something.
"Which is what I smelled in the hallway last night. At his place, cops found human remains, bone fragments, and long locks of bloody blonde hair." I said then Dean turns to Jo. "Boy, you sure know how to pick 'em." He said to her.
"Well, we just find the bones, salt 'em and burn 'em, right?" Jo asked. "Well, it's not that easy. His body is buried in town, but it's encased in a couple tons of concrete." Sam said. "What? Why?" Jo asked. "The story goes that he didn't want anybody mutilating his corpse. 'Cause, you know, that's what he used to do." Dean said and i start to pace and think.
"You know somethin'. We might have an even bigger problem than that." I said. "How does this get bigger?" Jo asked me. "Holmes built an apartment building in Chicago. He called it the Murder Castle. The whole place was a death factory, they had, uh, trap doors, acid vats, quick line pits... he built these secret chambers inside the walls. He'd lock his victims in, keep them alive for days. Some he'd suffocate, others he'd let starve to death." I explained.
"So Teresa could still be alive. She could be inside these walls." Jo said. "We need sledgehammers, crowbars. We've got to smash these walls, anywhere thick enough to hide a girl." Dean said and we nod.
Jo and Dean went to one end of the building while Sam and I went to the other end. Sam called Jo and told her we hadn't found anything but we kept looking around.
Sometime later, we walked down a hallway when Dean runs headlong into us. "Whoa." Sam and I said as Dean had a look of anger and annoyance and fear on his face.
"He's got Jo." He said, making Sam and I look at him, confused. "What?" Sam said. "How'd that happen?" I asked him. "I wasn't with her; I left her alone. Dammit!" Dean shouts as he turns his back and I walk over to him.
"Hey, hey, look, we'll find her, all right?" I said to him, firmly. "Where?" Dean asked. "Inside the walls." Sam said. "We've been inside the walls all night. None of the other girls were there, she won't be either." Dean said and we start to head back to the apartment room.