Miss. Winchester ( volume one)

Chapter eight

Eliana found herself in the bathroom, a frequent need to pee driving her there. After finishing up washing her hands, she grabbed some paper towels to dry them off. Exiting the bathroom, she made her way to join her brothers.

Just in time, Eliana overheard Dean explaining the latest case he had found.

"Here, take a look at this, I think I got one. Lake Manitoc, Wisconsin. Last week Sophie Carlton, eighteen, 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," Dean explained.

"A funeral?" Sam questioned.

"Yeah, it's weird, they buried an empty coffin. For, uh, closure or whatever," Dean said.

"Closure? What closure? People don't just disappear, Dean. Other people just stop looking for them," Sam retorted, earning an eye roll from Eliana.

"Something you want to say to me?" Dean asked, his tone tinged with annoyance.

"The trail for Dad. It's getting colder every day," Sam replied.

"Exactly. So what are we supposed to do?" Dean asked in frustration.

"I don't know. Something. Anything," Sam answered. Eliana had had enough of the bickering. Standing up from her seat, she walked over to stand in front of Dean, holding out her hand. Dean understood and handed her the keys to the Impala.

Eliana then made her way out to the car, leaving her brothers to argue. Once inside, she got comfortable and looked down at her ring, contemplating what to do with it. After some thought, she reached into her backpack and opened her small jewelry container. Taking out a chain, she slipped her ring onto it, finding a secure place for it.

Sam and Dean eventually emerged and got into the Impala, and the trio started to drive, leaving the heated discussion behind.

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The Impala pulled up to the Carlton house, and the three Winchesters stepped out, making their way to the front door. Dean knocked, and a young man, Will Carlton, answered.

"Will Carlton?" Dean inquired.

"Yeah, that's right," Will replied.

"I'm Agent Ford. This is Agent Hamill. And Agent Smith," Dean said, holding up a badge. "We're with the US Wildlife Service."

Will led Sam, Eliana, and Dean around to the dock, where Bill Carlton was sitting. Dean continued the conversation.

"She was about a hundred yards out," Will explained. "That's where she got dragged down."

"And you're sure she didn't just drown?" Dean asked.

"Yeah. She was a varsity swimmer. She practically grew up in that lake. She was as safe out there as in her own bathtub," Will affirmed.

"So no splashing? No signs of distress?" Eliana inquired.

"No, that's what I'm telling you," Will replied.

"Did you see any shadows in the water? Maybe some dark shape breach the surface?" Sam questioned.

"No. Again, she was really far out there," Will responded.

"You ever see any strange tracks by the shoreline?" Sam continued.

"No, never. Why? What do you think's out there?" Will asked.

"We'll let you know as soon as we do," Dean said, and he and Eliana headed back to the car. Dean stopped to ensure Sam had finished talking too Will before they all returned to the Impala.

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The three Winchesters found themselves at the police station, questioning Sheriff Jake Devins about the mysterious drownings. As they walked down the hallway, Jake asked, "Now, I'm sorry, but why does the Wildlife Service care about an accidental drowning?"

"You sure it's accidental? Will Carlton saw something grab his sister," Sam replied.

"Like what?" Jake questioned.

They entered Jake's office, where he motioned for them to take a seat. "Here, sit, please. There are no indigenous carnivores in that lake," Jake explained. "There's nothing even big enough to pull down a person, unless it was the Loch Ness Monster."

"Yeah, right," Dean added. "Will Carlton was traumatized, and sometimes the mind plays tricks. Still..."

"We dragged that entire lake. We even ran a sonar sweep, just to be sure, and there was nothing down there," Jake assured.

"That's weird, though. I mean, that's the third missing body this year," Dean remarked.

"I know. These are people from my town. These are people I care about," Jake said, expressing concern.

"I know," Dean agreed.

"Anyway," Jake continued, "all this... it won't be a problem much longer."

"What do you mean?" Eliana asked.

"Well, the dam, of course," Jake said as if it was common knowledge. "It's falling apart, and the feds won't give us the grant to repair it, so they've opened the spillway. 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. I must have forgotten. You know, all the mess up," Eliana said, feigning forgetfulness. A young woman tapped on the door, and Jake introduced her as his daughter, Andrea Barr.

"Sorry, am I interrupting?" Andrea asked.

Dean, Sam, and Eliana stood up, and Dean shook her hand, introducing themselves. Andrea mentioned that she could come back later, but Jake insisted she stay. As they left the office, Andrea informed them about the dam situation and pointed them to the Lakefront Motel.

At the motel, Andrea led them to the entrance, and Dean, always the charmer, engaged in some light flirting. After getting directions, they bid Andrea farewell, and Sam teased Dean about his apparent interest in kids.

"Kids are the best'? You don't even like kids," Sam remarked.

"I love kids," Dean retorted.

"Name three children that you even know," Sam challenged.

"My future niece," Dean said, gently touching Eliana's stomach.

"Niece?" Eliana questioned, pushing his hand away. "It's going to be a girl, uncle intuition."

"That doesn't count. It's not born yet," Eliana argued.

Dean thought for a moment and came up empty. Sam walked into the motel, and Eliana followed. Dean scratched his head, trying to think of more kids he knew.

"I'm thinking!" Dean yelled after them.