kaleidoscope, sam winchester

08. shadow

"Alright, Dean. This is the place," Sam said, gesturing towards a nondescript apartment complex on the left side of the road.

"We look ridiculous," Charlotte muttered, pouting as Dean parked the car.

"Dad and I managed just fine without these silly costumes. I feel like a high school drama nerd..." Dean's face softened with a smile as a memory hit him. "Remember that play you did? What was it—Our Town. Yeah, you were good, it was cute," he teased Sam as the four of them got out of the car, dressed in their disguises.

They were supposed to look like maintenance workers for an alarm company.

"Look, do you want to pull this off or not?" Sam gave Dean a sidelong glance, shutting the car door behind him as Dean grabbed a toolbox from the trunk.

"I'm just saying, these outfits cost hard-earned money, okay?" Dean shot back at Sam.

"You do realize we look like people trying to pretend they're maintenance workers, right?" Karo raised her eyebrows at Dean. "No one is going to buy this."

"Yeah, yeah. Whatever," Dean grumbled, leading the way into the apartment complex.

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"Thanks for letting us look around," Sam said with a polite smile to the landlady as she led them into the apartment.

"Well, the police said they were done with the place, so..." she trailed off as they all walked further into the apartment.

Karo lingered behind to close the door.

"You guys said you were with the alarm company?" the woman asked, a hint of suspicion in her voice.

"That's right," Sam nodded, glancing at Karolyn as she rejoined them in the living room, where blood spots were scattered across the carpet.

"Well, no offense, but your alarm's about as useful as boobs on a man," she said, raising her eyebrows with a judgmental look on her face.

"Well, that's why we're here. To see what went wrong and stop it from happening again," Dean grinned reassuringly.

"Now, ma'am, you found the body?" Sam asked, his eyes scanning the room.

"A few days later. Meredith's work called—she hadn't shown up. I knocked on the door. That's when I noticed the smell."

"Any windows open? Any sign of a break-in?" Karo asked, a look of disgust lingering on her face as she took in the blood stains.

"No, windows were locked, front door was bolted. The chain was on the door, we had to cut it just to get in," the landlady explained.

"And the alarm was still on?" Dean glanced over at the woman.

"Like I said, bang-up job your company's doin'," the woman shook her head disapprovingly.

Karolyn and Sam walked over to the windows, pulling the curtains back slightly to see if they found anything suspicious outside.

"Mmhmm. Did you see any overturned furniture, broken glass, or signs of a struggle?" Char asked the woman, her voice steady.

"Everything was in perfect condition—except Meredith," the lady grimaced, her face contorting with the unpleasant memory.

Sam and Karolyn turned away from the window, their attention now fully on the landlady.

"And what condition was Meredith in?" Sam asked, his eyebrows knitting together in concern.

"Meredith was all over. In pieces. The guy who killed her must have been some kind of whackjob. But I tell you, if I didn't know any better, I'd have said a wild animal did it," the woman said, her voice firm with certainty.