Dawson's Daughter | {BOOK 1}

34|Jo's Case

The Impala was back in peak shape thanks to Dean. Our next case dealt with vampires. We also met another Hunter named Gordon Walker. From the moment I laid eyes on him, I got a bad feeling about him. Not my gut thing, per se, but similar. However, Dean liked him for some God-damned reason, so I had to tolerate him for a while. As always, my instincts won out in the end.

Sammy got taken by the nest, but they didn't kill him. Instead they explained they weren't killing anyone. They were vegetarians, which explained the dead cows we found when we first got on the case. Anyway, Gordon didn't believe it, so he went after the nest himself.

He tied up and tortured one of the vamps, Lenore, and then tried to convince Dean that they were the same. That they both understood that the job had no shades of gray. He explained how he killed his own sister because she had turned into a vampire and then said Lenore was just like the rest of them.

Then, to prove his point, he grabbed me and made me bleed over Lenore. Dean was pointing his gun at Gordon the entire time, furious about what he was doing. Lenore controlled herself, and Sam got her and me out of there while Dean dealt with Gordon. We left him there, tied up in a chair.

After that, we had a case involving a zombie. It wasn't an actual zombie, it was just a guy who had used a spell to bring a dead girl he had had a crush on back to life and she was killing people.

After that, we met two more kids like Sammy. Psychics. They were twins who had been separated at birth. One of them, Andrew Gallagher, was nice. He did get Dean to give him the Impala for a little while, which was amusing. But it turned out his twin, Ansen Weems, was the bad guy compelling people to kill themselves. Andy wasn't quite strong enough.

It was actually pretty scary, because we ended up on this bridge and Ansen compelled me to nearly jump off the edge and Dean to turn a rifle on himself with the intention of killing himself, but then Andy saved us by shooting his brother in the back.

After that, we ended up back at the Roadhouse. Jo and Ellen were arguing because apparently Jo wanted to hunt and had even found a case, but Ellen didn't want her going.

"Three weeks ago, a young girl disappears from a Philadelphia apartment," Jo explained, shoving a folder at Dean. "Take it, it won't bite."

"No, but your mom might," he nodded at Ellen who was talking on the phone.

She pinched her lips tightly, still holding out the file. Dean sighed, taking it reluctantly. I looked at it over his shoulder while Jo continued.

"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 a very old serial killer, or-"

"Who put this together? Ash?" I interrupted.

"I did it myself," she informed me.

"Hmm," Dean hummed, impressed.

"I gotta admit, we've hit the road for a lot less," Sam pointed out.

"Good. You like the case so much, you take it," Ellen said, coming back over.

"Mom!" Jo protested.

"Johanna Beth, this family has lost enough. And I won't lose you, too. I just won't."

⁘

"I feel bad, snaking Jo's case," I said.

We were in the apartment where the most recent disappearance had occurred, scanning for EMF.

"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 scoffed. "Either of you get anything?"

"No, not yet," Sam shook his head and I murmured my agreement.

As Sam moved over by the light switch, however, his reader began to purr.

"What's that?" he leaned over.

"What?" Dean and I asked, coming over.

Sam touched some sort of black goo and I wrinkled my nose in disgust.

"Holy crap," he breathed.

"That's ectoplasm," Dean said, also touching the goo. "Well, guys, I know what we're dealing with here. It's the Stay-Puff Marshmallow Man."

I hit him upside the head as Sam rolled his eyes at his brother. Dean smirked down at me and I shook my head.

"Dean, I've only seen this stuff, like, twice," Sam continued. "I mean, to make this stuff, you have to be one majorly pissed off spirit."

"Alright, let's find this badass before he snags any more girls," Dean clapped his hands together.

We exited the apartment, heading down the hallway. Suddenly, we heard voices around a corner, and Dean and I exchanged a look when we realized one of the voices belonged to Jo.

"It's so convenient," she was saying.

"Yeah, it's a great building, fixed it up real nice," the landlord's voice replied. "All the apartments come furnished, too."

"It's so spacious. You know, my friend told me I absolutely have to check it out, and I have to admit, she was right. You did a really good job with this place."

Dean stepped out then, Sam and I a step behind him.

"What the hell are you doing here?" he demanded.

"There you are, honey," Jo smiled, wrapping an arm around Dean's waist.

I bristled slightly, and felt Sam's hand on my elbow. When I looked up at him, he shook his head subtly at me.

"This is my boyfriend Dean," Jo was telling the landlord. "That's his buddy Sam and his girlfriend Ellie."

"Good to meetcha," the landlord smiled. "Quite the gal you've got here."

"Oh yeah, she's a pistol," Dean agreed, smacking Jo on the ass.

"So did you already check out the apartment? The one for rent?" Jo asked.

"Yeah. Yes. Loved it. Heh. Great flow."

"How'd you get in," the landlord asked suspiciously.

"It was open," Dean lied.

"Now, Ed," Jo drew the landlord's attention back to her, "um, when did the last tenant move out?"

"Oh, about a month ago. Cut and run, too. Stick me for rent."

"Well. Her loss, our gain! Cause if Dean-o loves it, it's good enough for me."

"Oh, sweetie."

Dean smacked Jo again, and if Sam hadn't had a firm grip on my elbow, I was sure I would have lunged to claw her eyes out right then. Or to kill Dean. Probably both.

"We'll take it," Jo told Ed, pulling a wad of cash out of her bra.