SuperPotter 2

Chapter 12 Nightshifter

In the jewelry store an attractive young woman comes out of the back with some papers in her hand. Dean turns to face her as she speaks. He is dressed in a dark suit.
'So what's it like, being an FBI guy?' The woman who's name is Frannie asks.
'Well, it's dangerous. And the secrets we've got to keep, oh. God, the secrets. But mostly it's, it's lonely,' Dean answers putting on his flirt charms.
'I so know what you mean,'
'Yeah,' Dean nods sagely. Elsewhere in the store. Sam, also dressed in a suit with slicked hair and Hermione also dressed in a suit. Are interrogating the manager, a middle aged man.
'Helena was our head buyer. She...she was family, you know? She said it herself, every year at the Christmas party. She said we were the only family she had,' The manager answers.
'So, there were never any signs that she'd do something like this?' Sam asks.
'No. Still can't believe it, even now. That night, Helena came back to the store after closing. Cleaned out all the display cases, and the safe. Edgar—our night watchman—he caught her in the act. He didn't know what to do, he'd known her for years. He called me at home,'
'And that's when she took his gun, right?' Hermione asks to be sure.
'She shot him in the face. I heard him die. Over the phone,'
'Any idea what her motive could have been?' Sam asks.
'What motive? It makes no sense. Why steal all those diamonds, all that jewelry, and then what? Just dump it somewhere, just hide it, and then go home and,'
'She killed herself?' Dean asks.
'Well, the cops said. She dropped the hair dryer in the bath and fried herself. They should know, right?' Frannie answers.
'Yeah. Well, thanks, Frannie, I think that's all I need,'
'Really? Because I've got more. You know,' Frannie looks around slyly. 'If you wanted to interview me sometime. In private?'
Dean eyes Sam and Hermione guiltily across the room. 'Yeah. Yeah, I think that's a good idea. You're a true patriot, you really are. Why don't you write your number down there for me, that'd be good,'
'So, you never saw that security camera footage yourself, then?' Sam asks.
'No. The police, they took all the tapes, first thing,' The manager answers.
Dean approaches them. 'Yeah, of course they did,' He waves Frannie's number at Sam. Hermione rolls her eyes.

Leaving the jewelry store, Sam, Dean and Hermione drive down a dark street and pull up in front of a small house.
'Five—this is it,' Sam points out.
'Friggin cops,'
'They're just doing their job, Dean,' Hermione tells him.
'No, they're doing our job. Only they don't know it, so they suck at it. Talk to me about this bank,' They get out of the car and approach the house.
'Uh, Milwaukee National Trust. It was hit about a month ago,' Sam explains.
'Same M.O. as the jewelry store?' Dean asks.
'Yep, inside job, longtime employee, the never-in-a-million-years type. Dude robs the bank, then goes home and supposedly commits suicide,'
'The guy Resnick, he was the security guard on duty?'
'Yeah. He was actually beaten unconscious by the teller who heisted the place,'
'God,'
'Yeah,' Sam knocks on the screen door. 'Mr. Resnick? Ronald Resnick?' A bright flood light turns on, Sam, Dean and Hermione shield their eyes.
'Son of a—' A youngish man comes to the door warily.
'FBI, Mr. Resnick,'
'Let me see the badge,' Ronald tells them through the screen. Sam, Dean and Hermione pull out badges and slap them against the screen door in unison. Ronald squints at them carefully. 'I already gave my statement to the police,'
'Yeah, listen Ronald, um...just some things about your statement we wanted to get some clarification on,' Dean tells him.
'You read it?'
'Sure did,'
'You come to listen to what I've to say?'
'Well, that's why we're here,'
'Well. Come on in,' Ronald opens the door and leads them through a narrow hallway to a cluttered room. The walls are covered with alien photos and conspiracy theory paraphernalia. 'None of the cops ever called me back. Not after I told them what was really going on. Uh, they all thought I was crazy. First off, Juan Morales never robbed the Milwaukee National Trust, okay? That, I guarantee. See, we and Juan were friends. He used to come back to the bank on my night shifts, and we'd play cards,'
'So, you let him into the bank that night, after hours,' Sam asks.
'The thing I let into the bank...wasn't Juan. I mean, it had his face, but it wasn't his face. Uh, every detail was perfect, but too perfect, you know, like if a dollmaker made it. Like I was talking to a big Juan-doll,'
'A Juan-doll?' Sam asks doubtfully.
'Look. This wasn't the only time this happened. Okay?' Ronald hands Sam a file folder. 'There was this jewelry store, too. And the cops, a—and you guys, you just won't see it!' Sam looks in the folder; it looks like a Hunter's profile of the jewelry case. 'Both crimes were pulled by the same thing,'
'What's that, Mr. Resnick?' Sam asks. Ronald picks up a copy of a magazine called ''Fortean Times'' and holds it to his chest. The headline at the bottom reads ''BIRTH OF THE CYBERMEN''.
'Chinese have been working on them for years. And the Russians before that. Part men, part machine. Like the Terminator. But the kind that can change itself, make itself look like other people,'
'Like the one from T2,' Dean responds smirking.
'Exactly! See, so not just a robot, more of a, a, a, a...Mandroid,'
'A Mandroid?' Sam and Hermione ask in unison.
'And what makes you so sure about this, Ronald?' Dean asks. Ronald holds up a finger, smiling a little wildly. He took Sam, Dean and Hermione towards his VHS player. He inserts a VHS tape labeled ''M.N.T. Camera 4- Juan'' into the player.
'See, I made copies of all the security tapes. I knew once the cops got them they'd be buried,' Dean nods. 'Here,' Ronald fast-forwards. 'Now watch. Watch. Watch him, watch, watch! See, look! Th-, th-, there it is!' He pauses the tape. 'You see? He's got the laser eyes,' Sam, Dean and Hermione move closer towards the screen. It shows Juan, facing the camera, with a light-flare in his eyes. Sam and Dean share a knowing look. 'Cops said it was some kind of reflected light. Some kind of ''camera flare''. Okay? Ain't no damn camera flare. They say I'm a post trauma case. So what? Bank goes and fires me, it doesn't matter!' Sam eyes him cautiously as he continues to rant. 'The Mandroid is, is still out there. The law won't hunt this thing down—I'll do it myself. You see, this thing, it, it, it kills the real person, makes it look like a suicide, then it sorta, like, morphs into that person. Cases the job for a while until it knows the take is fat, and then it finds it opening. Now, these robberies, they're, they're grouped together,' Robert gestures at a map on the wall. 'So I figure the Mandroid is holed up somewhere in the middle, underground, maybe. I dunno, maybe that's where it recharges its, uh, Mandroid batteries,' Dean nods, apparently impressed. Sam and Hermione stare intently. They stand up.
'Okay. I want you to listen very carefully. Because I'm about to tell you the God's honest truth about all of this,' Sam starts. Dean smiles, waiting to see what Sam says. Hermione on the other hand is a little more skeptic for what Sam is going to say. 'There is no such thing as Mandroids. There is nothing evil or inhuman going on out there. Just people. Nothing else, you understand?' Dean is mostly keeping a straight, but is clearly startled by Sam. He starts to say something.
'The laser eyes,' Ronald tries desperately.
'Just a camera flare, Mr. Resnick. I know it's hard to believe this and you would rather not. But your friend Juan robbed the bank and that's the end of the story,' Hermione ads.
'Get out of my house! Now!'
'Sure. First things first,' Dean frowns at Sam in further confusion.