Salt and Blood 17/25
Chapter 17
Dexter wasn't running for the hills the second Dean started to talk about ghosts so that was a plus in his book. But of course he didn't pull out something that had belonged to Doakes or had his blood on it, that would have been too easy.
So when Dean asked about what could possible tie Doakes to Dexter he had no idea what Dean was talking about.
"Honestly?" Dean waved his hands in frustration. "Before we knew about that ghost aura of yours we were pretty sure this case was a bust. We have found nothing which would bring Doakes back in the picture but he was our only candidate. But then …" He trailed off.
"But then Rita told me about Paul." Sam finished the sentence.
For a second Dexter looked confused. "You spoke to Rita about this? When?"
Sam cringed. "Earlier today." He admitted. "We needed to know if there is something in the house to what the ghost might be attached. Then she told me about her ex-husband. That he died in prison. I didn't tell her anything about ghosts whatsoever."
Dexter sat back in his chair with a sigh. "You know this is insane, right? And if you or your brother talk to her about this stuff again …"
"We won't." Sam hurried to say and Dean twitched on the edge of the bed he was sitting on. Nobody threatened his little brother. But then something occurred to him.
"Why would you think we are brothers?" They had said they where partners, journalists who wanted to write a book. Dean was pretty sure neither of them had mentioned that they were brothers.
Dexter's expression hardened and he looked Dean straight in the eye.
"I know who you are." He said and Dean's insides turned into ice. He could see Sam craning his neck to look out of the window to check if there were the police in sight. He didn't jump so there was probably nothing. Dean turned his attention back to Dexter.
"And that would be?" Dean played it cool, not revealing anything.
"Sam and Dean Winchester." Dexter stated the obvious with a shrug.
"You know?" Sam just had to ask. "Since when?"
"Your faces were familiar the second you two walked in the first day." His gaze was on Dean. "I looked you up right after that."
In Dean's mind scenarios started to play. Were they in danger? Should they run? What was Dexter up to?
Still an eye out to the parking lot Sam settled down a bit but Dean wondered where his nearest weapon was. Just in case.
"Why didn't you get us arrested?" Sam played his "I'm harmless and only here to talk" role but Dean could see the tension in his shoulders. They were both like springs, ready to snap, however, Dexter just sat there with that curious expression on his face. He was wary too but who could blame him? He was in the same room as some wanted serial killers and he'd just revealed that he knew that.
"I did my homework and I don't think the FBI got your case right." He smiled at Dean but it looked forced and didn't reach his eyes. "Hey, I let you date my sister."
"He has a point there." Dean relaxed a bit and looked over to Sam. They nodded in agreement, let's play this by ear was the message.
"Why do you think the FBI got the case wrong?" Dean asked. "Usually everybody follows the crowd and never questions the old cases. They only add new charges. Not that we actually can explain what's really going on." He spread his hand in a "What can you do?" way.
"What is really going on?" Dexter leaned forwards and seemed willing to listen. "I know you didn't kill the women in St. Louis, Dean."
"You know that?" Sam beat Dean to the question but that was probably good. It showed Dexter that Sam believed in his brother.
"Same handwriting every single time." Dexter started to explain. "But the one who did it was different. Different high, weight and strength. One was even left-handed." He shook his head as if he still didn't believe what he had found out. "And that girl in the bank? She shouldn't have been there. I'm not sure what happened there but I can tell you she didn't bleed like a human being. Honestly, that picture looked like something our of Hollywood to me."
Ah, Dean thought. That's what's going on. He found some facts he can't explain and he wants answers.
And it would be hypocritical for Dean to blame Dexter for seeking answers by breaking into their motel room. However, Dexter had found enough to ask question so that made it easier to convince him that he had a real ghost problem.
"Shapeshifters." Was Sam's answer to Dexter's question.
"Shape-what?"
So Sam explained the shapeshifter concept while Dean had a close eye on Dexter. He was willing to listen and seemed fascinated by the skin-shedding but something was off. Everything about Dexter was guarded, controlled like he had thought about every little gesture, every expression. Dean hadn't noticed it before and he doubted anybody would notice but this was an extreme situation. Dexter's world was flipping upside down right in this moment and he sat there and discussed shapeshifters with Sam as if it was daily business.
After they had covered the shifters and the life of a hunter in general Sam went over to the matter at hand. Ghosts.
"Salt and iron repel them. So you better keep something on you till we've solved this problem." He gestured around to the thick lines of salt at the windows and the door. "They can't cross a salt line."
Dexter's eyes flickered over to the door and something crossed his face for a second but Dean couldn't read that expression. He couldn't read Dexter at all and usually he was pretty good at reading people.
"So." Sam said. "Maybe it really isn't Doakes. Maybe it's Paul Bennett."
"Paul?"
"We know he died in prison." Dean entered the conversation. "But you are the new man in his ex-wife's life. You are the new daddy to his children. Sometimes that's enough." However, he doubted it. Rita and Paul had been divorced before Rita had even met Dexter. That was vengeful spirit material, yes, but to tie a ghost to a person like that? He wasn't so sure.
"Could you think of a reason he would blame you for his death?" Sam added maybe thinking along the same lines as he did.
Dexter paused for a second before he answered with a "no".
Before they could dig deeper Dexter's phone rang.
"Sorry, gotta go. Work." He looked from one Winchester to the other as if he dared them to hold him back.
"Keep this with you. It's salt." Sam handed him a flask which he took without farther questions. "And think about what could possible tie Paul to you." As an afterthought he added: "Or maybe it's somebody else. Somebody who was close to you."
Dexter promised to think about it and to be in touch. Then he left.
"What do you think?" Dean asked and settled back on the bed.
"I don't know." Sam chewed his bottom lip and glanced out of the window probably watching Dexter getting in his car. For a while they both sat there listening but there were no sirens coming their way. Yeah, as if the police would come with flashing lights and sirens to arrest them.
"He's hiding something." Dean stated and Sam just nodded. In their line of work people always hid something. Because of guilt or fear or they thought nobody would believe them. They had to find out which reason it was for Dexter. And what he hid, of course.
"He believed the shapeshifters, though." Sam leaned back on his chair and looked at the ceiling with its ugly starry sky of blue starfish. "I think. And he didn't turn us in."
"Okay, let's keep an open mind on this." Dean mentally went through the details they had. "Doakes and Dexter had some beef but nothing indicates that there was a level of hate that would explain him being tied to Dexter like this. Somebody would have noticed the burning cars and heated arguments and all that shit people do to each other in hate."
Catching the ball Sam continued. "No Dexter never expressed thoughts like that." He paused for a moment. "We should look into the relationship of Dexter and Paul Bennett, that looks more promising to me. You know, more emotional."
"Hmm." Something still didn't feel right. "What about Dexter?"
"What do you mean?" Sam looked confused and Dean couldn't hide the smug grin. Sometimes his oh so smart little brother missed the obvious.
"We were focused on Doakes and now this Bennett guy." He waved in direction of Sam's notes on the table. "But what do we really know about Dexter? For all we know he could have killed his prom date and is haunted by her ever since."
"He doesn't look the killing type, Dean." Sam joked but he was considering the option.
"Who does?" They had encountered little girls with an appetite for human brains, sweet old ladies who had their neighbors over for "dinner" and the nice gentleman next door who snagged your soul if you weren't careful. Looks meant nothing.
"Good point." Sam opened the laptop. "I'll see what I can find from here." He eyed Dean who had pulled his phone out. "And what are you doing?"
With a grin Dean showed him the display with Debra's name on it. "Hey, we have to use every source we have, right? Does the term pillow-talk mean anything to you?" Like before he had this uneasy feeling in his guts, like it was wrong to use Debra to get information, but you gotta do what you gotta do, right? And it wasn't that he wanted to harm anybody, this was to help her brother. Still, the feeling persisted. He shoved it back in the depths of his mind where he stored the other feelings he didn't want to have.
"Dexter has been called to a crime scene." Sam reminded him. "I doubt Debra has time for you."
"Nah, it's getting late. They'll do nothing more than what's absolutely necessary tonight and leave the rest for tomorrow." The phone rang. "Bet she'll be grateful if I offer her to rub her feet after a long day of work."
"Dude, too much information." With that Sam made a run for the bathroom to give his brother some privacy. How could somebody related to him be so prude, Dean wondered. Even their dad had been very tolerant about Dean's sex life he had developed at an early age. Or maybe he just hadn't noticed at first and later hadn't cared. Before Dean could explore that thought any further Debra picked up. Good timing.
Like he thought Debra was hesitant at first but when he offered to bring take out dinner and to rub her feet later, and everything else she wanted to get rubbed, she laughed and told him to pick her up in an hour.
"You can come back in, Sammy." Dean shouted at the bathroom door. "The adult talk is over."
Sam ignored him on his way back to his place at the window but something was bothering him, Dean could tell. But he waited patiently till his brother would start to talk, however, he was pretty sure he knew what was going on in that kid's mind.
"You sure this is a good idea?" Sam finally asked.
"What's a good idea?" Dean had flicked the TV back on and was zapping through the channels.
"Seeing Debra." Of course, what else. "She's a cop after all and if Dexter tells her …" Sam trailed off.
"Dexter hasn't told her the last few days. And like he said he didn't interfere when we met." Dean pointed out. "He doesn't seem to mind."
"Back then he had his own conclusion of the things they charge us for, charge you for. Now he probably thinks we're nuts. I'm not sure he really believed me." Sam was powering up that puppy dog eyes of his and Dean fixed his eyes on the TV. "Debra for sure will not believe him if he starts to talk about ghosts and shapeshifters but she will belive him if he talks about delusional serial killers."
"He won't." Dean assessed Dexter as somebody who could keep a secret. That much he had figured out about that guy. Question was what else did he keep secret? "Besides when I pick up Debra at the station I might get the chance for a little chat with that Detective Batista. He and Dexter are buddies."
Sam still wasn't fond of that idea but he dropped the topic with a "Be careful."
"I always am." With a grin Dean slipped in the bathroom to get ready for his evening with Debra. Speaking of careful he checked if he had enough condoms on him.
continue to chapter 18
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