SLIT THROAT

[ ☼ ]

ean is sharpening his blade on a whetstone, Sam is looking through some papers. "So she just handed the providences over to you." Dean says.

"Provenances." Sam corrects.

Haltingly, Dean speaks. "Provenances?" He says.

"Yes. We went back to her place, I got a copy of the papers..." Sam starts.

"And?" Dean asks.

"And nothing. That's it, I left." Sam says.

"You didn't have to con her or do any...special favors or anything like that?" Dean asks.

"Dean would you get your mind out of the gutter please?" Sam asks.

Dean laughs. "You know when this whole thing's done we could stick around for a little bit." He offers.

"Why." Sam asks.

"So you could take her out again. Obviously you're into her, even I can see that." Dean says. "Especially after Elena—"

"Hey, I think I've got something here." Sam diverts.

Dean comes over, Sam hands him the papers. "'Portrait of Isaiah Merchant's family, painted 1910.'" He says.

"Now compare the names of the owners with Dad's journal." Sam says.

Dean checks against the journal. "First purchased in 1912 by Peter Simms. Peter Simms murdered 1912. Same thing in 1945. Oh, Same in 1970." Dean says.

"Then stored, until it was donated to a charity aucton last month. Where the Telescas bought it. What do you think, it's haunted? Cursed?" Sam asks.

Dean gets up. "Either way, it's toast."

[ ☾]

eavy rock music plays as Dean leaps and easily scales the high metal gates and sprints into the mist. "Come on!" He yells.

Sam follows. Sam, wearing gloves, disarms the security alarm. "Go ahead." He says. Dean, also with gloves, picks the lock. They shine their flashlights around inside, quickly searching for the painting.

Dean spies it upstairs and they sprint up the spiral staircase. Holding his flashlight in his mouth, Dean flicks his switchblade and cuts the painting from it's frame.

They're in and out within a couple of minutes. The whole scene screams expertise and many years of breaking and entering. On a dirt road, the painting lays on the dirt, Sam holding the flashlight as Dean readies the matches.

"Ugly ass thing. If you ask me we're doing the art world a favor." Dean says.

He drops the match and the painting ignites. As it burns the camera switches back to the auction house and we see the painting reforming in the frame.

[ ☼ ]

ean rushes in from the bathroom. "We got a problem, I can't find my wallet." He says.

Sam packs his duffel. "How is that my problem." He asks.

"Cause I think I dropped it in the warehouse last night." Dean says.

Sam is horrified. "You're kidding right?" He asks.

"No. It's got my prints, my ID, well my fake ID anyway. We gotta get it before someone else finds it. Come on." He says.

t the Auction House, Sam and Dean hurry around, looking everywhere. "How do you lose your wallet Dean!" Sam yells. Dean throws his hands in the air and keeps looking. Sarah walks in and sees them.

"Hey guys!" She yells.

They both spin around, then try and act cool. "Sarah! Hey." Sam says.

"What are you doing here?"

"Ahh, we...we are leaving town and we came to say goodbye." Sam says.

Dean strolls over. "What are you talking about Sam, we're here for another day or two." Sam looks at Dean, confused. "Oh, Sam. By the way. I'm gonna go ahead and give you that $20 I owe you. I always forget, you know." Sam looks at him, disbelieving. Dean pulls out the cash, smiling. "There you go." Sam snatches the cash from Dean, glaring at him. "Well I'll leave you two crazy kids alone, I gotta go do something...somewhere." Dean says.

Dean leaves quickly. "So..." Sam starts.

"I had a good time last night." Sarah says.

"Yeah yeah I did too." Sam admits.

"Maybe we should do it again sometime." Sarah says.

"You know. I'd love to, I really would, but Dean, he was just screwing around. We really are taking off today." Sam says.

"Oh. Oh well that's too bad." She says.

Sam sees the painting being carried past. "OH MY GOD!" He yells.

"What?" Sarah jumps.

"The...that painting...looks so good!" Sam covers up his astonishment.

"If you can call that monstrocity good then...yeah." Sarah says.

"Sarah...what do you know about that painting?" Sam asks.

"Not much, just that it creeps me out. We sold it to the Telescas at a charity auction the night they were murdered." Sarah says.

Sam raises his voice. "Yeah, and now you're just going to sell it again?" He asks.

"As much as my Dad wants to, no, I won't let him. I think it would be in bad taste." Sarah says.

"Good. You know what? Don't. Make sure you don't, okay?" Sam asks.

"Why? Don't tell me you're interested in that?" Sarah asks.

Sam gets flustered and begins backing up. "No. No God, no. Not in buying it no. You know what, I gotta go, I gotta take care of something. But umm, I will call you back...I will call you, I'll see you later." Sam says.

"Wait, so you're...not leaving tonight?" Sarah asks.

"I guess not. I'll see ya." Sam says.

Sarah looks after him, confused. "O...kay." She says.

In the Impala, Sam and Dean sit in the front. "I don't understand Dean, we burned the damn thing." Sam says.

"Yeah, thank you Captain Obvious. All right, we just need to figure out another way to get rid of it. Any ideas?" Dean asks.

"Okay, All right. Well, in almost all the lore about haunted paintings it's always the painting's subject that haunts them." Sam says.

"Yeah. So we just need to figure out everything there is to know about that creepy-ass family and that creepy-ass painting. What were their names again?"

[ ☼ ]

"You said the Isaiah Merchant family right?" A proprietor asks.

"Yeah that's right." Sam says.

Dean approaches, smiling and flicking through an old book with pictures of guns. The Proprietor puts a huge book of newspaper clippings the table. "I dug up every scrap of local history I could find. So are you boys crime buffs?" He asks.

"Kinda. Yeah. Why do you ask?" Dean asks.

"Well..." The Proprietor starts.

He holds up a newspaper article. The lead story on the front page is "New Titanic Sinks, 1304 People Go To Watery Graves: Only 866 saved from 2,170 Aboard Liner Which Collides With Iceberg.

Disaster Proves To Be the Greatest in Marine History of the World." He points at a side article. It reads 'Father Slaughters Family, Kills Himself'.

"Yes. Yeah, that sounds about right." Dean says.

"The whole family was killed?" Sam asks.

"It seems this Isaiah, he slits his kids throats, then his wife, them himself. Now he was a barber by trade. Used a straight razor." The Proprietor says.

"Why'd he do it?" Sam asks.

The Proprietor looks at the clippings. "Let's look. Ahh..." He begins reading. "People who knew him describe Isaiah as having a stern and harsh temperament. Controlled his family with an iron fist. Wife, two sons, adopted daughter..." He skims on. "Yeah yeah yeah..."There were whispers that the wife was gonna take the kids and leave.." Which of course you know in that day and age...so instead, old man Isaiah...well he gave them all a shave."

He draws his hand across his throat with appropriate noises, laughing. Dean joins in but stops when Sam gives him bitchface.

"Does it say what happened to the bodies?" Dean asks.

"It says they were all cremated."

"Anything else?" Sam asks.

"Yeah. Actually I found a picture of the family. It's right here...somewhere. Right, here it is It's the picture of the painting." He says.

"Hey, can we get a copy of this please?" Sam asks.

"Sure."

[ ☼ ]

aniel Blake watches as the painting is packed into a moving crate. "Dad! You promised you wouldn't sell that painting." Sarah yells.

"I know sweetie, but Evelyn's offered a persuasive amount of money." Blake says.

"You're shameless, you know that?" Sarah asks.

Daniel smiles. "For that sort of money I can afford to be." He says.

am and Dean sit at the table. "I'm telling you man, I'm sure of it. The painting at the auction house, Dad is looking down. Painting here, Dad's looking out. The painting has changed Dean." Sam says.

"All right so you think that Daddy dearest is trapped in the painting and is handing out Columbian neckties like with his family?" Dean asks.

"Well yeah, it seems like it. But if his bones are already dusted how are we gonna stop him?" Sam asks.

"All right, well. If Isaiah's position changed then maybe other things in the painting did too. It could give us some clues." Dean says.

"What, like a Da Vinci Code deal?" Sam asks.

Dean gives Sam a totally blank look. "I don't...know. uhh...I'm still waiting for the movie on that one. Anyway, we gotta get back in and see that painting." Dean says. He rises and moves across to the bed, throwing himself onto his back and crossing his arms. "Which is a good thing cause you can get some more time to crush on your girlfriend."

"Dude. Enough already." Sam says.

"What?"

"What? Ever since we got here you been trying to pimp me out to Sarah. Just back off, all right?" Sam asks.

"Well you like her don't you?" Dean asks. Sam raises his arms and eyes to the ceiling. "All right, you like her, she likes you, you're consenting adults..."

Sam gets frustrated. "What's the point Dean, We'll just leave, we always leave. Like Elena." He says.

"Well I'm not talking about marriage Sam." Dean says.

Sam was now agitated. "I don't get it, why do you care if I hook up?" He asks.

"Cause then maybe you wouldn't be so cranky all the time." Dean says. Sam stares at him, then huffs out a breath and looks away. "You know, seriously Sam, this isn't just about hooking up, okay? I mean, I think that this Sarah girl could be good for you. Elena is gone, and she isn't coming back."

Sam sighs and scratches his head. Dean watches closely. "And...I don't mean any disrespect but I'm sure this is about Jessica, and Elena to some extent right? Now I don't know what it's like to lose somebody like that...but...I would think that they would want you to be happy." Dean says. Sam is quiet and listening now, tears in his eyes. "God forbid have fun once in a while. Wouldn't she?"

"Yeah I know they would." Sam gives a half smile, then sighs heavily. He thought about the time he called out to Jess. "Yeah you're right. Part of this is about Jessica. But not the main part."

"What's it about?" Dean asks. Sam refuses to answer. "Yeah all right."

Dean lies back again and crosses his arms. "Well we still gotta see that painting, which means you still gotta call Sarah...so..." Dean starts.

Sam picks up the phone, clearing his throat. Dean shakes his head and closes his eyes, settling in. "Hey, Sarah, it's Sam. Good. Good, yeah. What about you?" He asks. Dean opens one eye slightly, watching his brother. "Yeah good, really good." Sam says.

Dean whispers across the room. "Smooth..."

"So...so ah listen. Me and my brother, we were...uh...thinking that maybe we'd like to come back in and look at the painting again." Sam says.

Dean once more shakes his head and closes his eyes. "I think maybe we are interested in buying it...what!?" Sam yells.

At Sam's tone Dean snaps to attention. "Who'd you sell it to?" Sam questions. Dean rises up, listening closely. "Sarah I need an address right now."

[ ☾]

velyn, from the auction house at the start of the episode, sits reading in her lounge. The painting is on the wall above the fireplace. Isaiah turns his head, watching her. Evelyn puts down her book and places her glasses on top of it before picking up her cup of tea.

In her glasses we see a reflection of razor move past. Evelyn hears a shuffling noise and looks up, gasping in horror. At Evelyn's House later, The Impala roars up and the boys jump out. Sarah appears from the car waiting in the driveway.

"Sam what's happening." Sarah asks.

Sam runs past her. "I told you, you shouldn't have come." He says.

Dean joins Sam and they run up the stairs to the front porch. Dean starts banging on the door. "Hello, anyone home?" He asks.

"You said Evelyn might be in danger, what sort of danger?" Sarah asks.

"I can't knock this sucker down. I gotta pick it." Dean starts to pick the lock as Sam bangs on the windows, which are covered with metal security bars.

"What are you guys, burglars?" Sarah asks.

"I wish it was that simple. Look you really should wait in the car. It's for your own good." Sam says.

Dean gets the door open and Sam quickly follows him inside. "The hell I will. Evelyn's a friend." Sarah runs in after them. "Evelyn?"

"Evelyn." Dean calls out.

They enter the lounge, Evelyn sits half turned away from them. The painting has changed, Isaiah now looks at his daughter rather than straight ahead.

"Evelyn? It's Sarah Blake...Are you all right?" Sarah asks.

Sarah reaches to touch Evelyn's shoulder. "Sarah don't. Sarah!" Sam asks.

Evelyn's head tips back, exposing that her slashed throat. "Oh my God. Oh My God!" Sarah yells. Sam puts his arm around her and shepherds her out of the room.

ean sits at the bar with the laptop, Sam paces. There is a knock on the door. Sam opens it and Sarah storms past him. "Hey. You all right?" Sam asks.

"No actually, I just lied to the cops and told them I went to Evelyns, alone, and found her like that." Sarah admits.

Dean smirks while Sam looks relieved. "Thank you." Sam says.

"Don't thank me, I'm about to call them right back and tell them what the hell's going on. Who's killing these people!" Sarah yells.

Sam looks at Dean, who raises his eyebrows. "What." Sam says.

"What?"

"It's not 'who'. It's 'what' is killing those people." Sam says. Sarah looks at Sam like he's insane. "Sarah, you saw that painting move."

Sarah is agitated. "No...no I was...I was seeing things. It's impossible." She says.

"Yeah well, welcome to our world." Dean says.

"Sarah I know this sounds crazy...but we think that that painting is haunted." Sam says.

Sarah sniggers but with tears in her eyes. "You're joking." She says. She looks from one to the other of them. They both just stare at her. "You're not joking. God, the guys I choose to go out with."

"Sarah, think about it. Evelyn, the Telesca's, they both had the painting. And there have been others before that. Wherever this thing goes people die. And we're just trying to stop it. And that's the truth." Sam says.

Sarah takes a deep breath. "Then I guess you'd better show me. I'm coming with you." She says.

"What? No. Sarah no, you should just go home. This stuff can get dangerous and...and I don't want you to get hurt." Sam says.

"Look, you guys are probably crazy, but if you're right about this? Then me and my Dad sold this painting that got these people killed. Look I'm not saying I'm not scared because I am scared as hell but...I'm not going to run and hide either." Sarah strides to the door. "So are we going or what?" She walks out.

"Sam?" Sam looks across to where Dean is sitting. He points out the door after Sarah. "Marry that girl."