Chapter 7
Los Angeles
Warner Brothers Studio
(14-Weeks)
Dean glanced down at his phone as he listened to Walter yell about the script being changed again. He had a new voicemail. He sighed. He’s check it later when he and Sammy got back to the motel. Right now they were working the job.
Dean looked up as Walter stormed off. He mumbled to himself.
“Walter’s a little testy for a P.A…”
Sam walked up next Dean and nodded in greeting.
“How’s it going in here?”
Dean grinned.
“It is going really good, man. Tara’s really stepped up her performance. I think it’s probably from all the sense memory stuff she’s drawing on.”
Sam frowned.
“Sense memory?”
“Yeah.”
Sam rubbed his head lightly.
“Dean, you know when I ask how it’s going in here, I’m talking about the case, right? We don’t really work here. You know, I thought you hated being a P.A.”
He shrugged.
“I don’t know. It’s not so bad. I kind of feel like part of the team, you know?”
Dean held out his plate of food to Sam.
“Taquito? They’re wonderful.”
Sam waved the food off and spoke with slight irritation in his voice.
“No. Listen, I conned my way into the morgue.”
“And?”
“News reports were right: Brad’s a doornail, no question.”
“I guess it’s a good thing we didn’t skip town.”
“Yeah.”
Sam was about to say something when Dean’s eyes went wide.
“Oh, come here. I want you to hear something.”
He spoke into his headset and Sam shook his head.
“Copy that. On my way.”
Dean walked Sam over to Dave, the sound guy for the movie. Dean jerked his head out in greeting.
“Hey, Dave. Can you play him that thing you were playing me earlier?”
“Sure.”
Dave took a pair of headphones and handed them to Sam. Sam took them and put them on his head. Sam listened closely as the audio from one of the scenes played in his ears. Midway through the dialogue, the sounds o the tape became staticky and distorted.
Sam’s eyes widened and he exchanged a look with Dean who nodded. They gave Dave back his headphones and they walked backstage together.
“EVP.”
“From the night of Brad's stage dive. All of a sudden, I’m getting electromagnetic readings up the wazoo. For some reason, it’s a legit haunting now.”
“Well, who’s the ghost, Dean? What’s it want?”
“I don’t know. I think we should take a look at Brad’s death scene.”
Sam nodded and they left the studio. Once they were outside Dean motioned for Sam to follow him into a trailer. They walked inside and Dean popped in DVD he’d been holding in his pocket. The unedited version of the scene that was being filmed when Brad’s body was found started to play.
“Hey, where’d you get this DVD?”
Dean grinned.
“They’re called dailies. I got it from Cindy. She’s kind of got this on-and-off thing going with Drew. He dubbed me an extra copy.”
Sam gave Dean a worried look before looking back at the screen. Sometimes his brother scared him. Dean was getting way to into this movie thing. Sam turned his attention back to the footage as Dean pointed.
“All right, here’s where the guy fell through the roof.”
“Right.”
“Here we go.”
The scene played out and Sam squinted his eyes. He saw something in the corner of the screen. He frowned.
“Wait, go back, go back.”
Dean took the remote and rewound the scene.
“Wait. There.”
Dean paused the frame and on screen, standing in the far corner of the set, was a ghostly white woman.
Dean shook his head and there was a slight tone of awe in his voice.
“It’s like Three Men and a Baby all over again.”
Sam gave him a look of confusion. Dean rolled his eyes.
“Selleck, Danson, and Guttenberg. And…I don’t know who played the baby.”
“What’s your point?”
“There’s a scene in the movie where people say that the camera caught a ghost on film. Apparently, in the background of one of the scenes, there was this boy that nobody remembers from set. Spirit photography.”
Sam looked at the screen with a frown.
“I’ve seen her before.”
Fifteen minutes later Dean was sitting at a table inside the studio, headset in place waiting for Sam to get back. He didn’t have to wait long, he glanced up and Sam was walking toward him. He pulled out a chair, sat down, and handed Dean a print-out of an article.
“Check this out.”
Dean pushed a button on his headset when he heard voices coming through.
“Yeah, go for Ozzy…No, I don’t have a 20 on Tara; I think she’s 10-100…Okay, copy that.”
He glanced at Sam.
“Sorry, what were you saying?
Sam pointed to the article and Dean glanced down at it. He skimmed through it as Sam explained.
“Elise Drummond -- starlet back in the thirties. Had an affair with a studio exec. He uses her up, fires her, leaves her destitute, so Elise hangs herself from Stage 9’s rafters, right into a scene they’re shooting.”
“Just like our man, Brad. So, what, she’s got it in for the studio brass?”
Sam nodded.
“Possibly. I mean, it’s a motive. And Brad’s death matches hers exactly.”
Dean looked up at Sam and grunted.
“We’re digging tonight, aren’t we?”
Sam grinned and Dean groaned. His phone beeped again and Sam rolled his eyes.
“Your phones been going off since close to three this morning Dean. Are you ever gonna answer it?”
Dean frowned.
“It’s been going off since that early? I thought someone called while we were on set. I was gonna check it when we left.”
Sam stood up.
“Well we’re leaving now.”
She nodded, took off his headset, and left it with the crew before following Sam out to the Impala as he took out his phone. He had three missed calls. Two from Ellen and one from Bobby. Dean stopped walking and frowned as his stomach fell.
Sam stopped when he realized Dean wasn’t walking with him anymore. He turned and gave Dean a frustrated sigh.
“What now Dean?”
Dean looked of and the irritation left Sam’s face. He could see worry covering his brothers face as Dean lifted the phone and started pressing buttons.
“I think something’s wrong Sammy…”
Sam watched his brother check his messages and when Dean’s jaw tensed and his eyes met Sam’s he knew something wasn’t right. The look on Dean’s face was a mixture of anger, guilt, and pain. He shut the phone and swallowed hard.
Dean could see Sam getting anxious as he waited for him to say something. Dean shook his head.
“We need to get back to the motel…I gotta call Ellen back.”
Dean started walking toward the Impala, but Sam blocked his way. Dean glared at his brother, but Sam didn’t back down.
“What’s going on?”
Dean hesitated for a second before sighing.
“It’s Madison Sammy…”
Sam’s breath caught in his throat…Madison…no…the only thing that kept running through his head was the memory of Jess stuck to the ceiling, leg broke, and blood dripping as fire consumed her from the inside out. He promised Madison she’d be safe…Sam gave his word…what if he was wrong…
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