The Other Winchester [ON HIATUS]

Dead In The Water

Third person

Will Carlton sits on the kitchen counter eating cereal, Bill Carlton at the table reading the newspaper. Sophie Carlton comes through the room.

Sophie kisses her father on the cheek.

"Morning, Daddy." She greets.

"Morning, sweetheart." Bill says.

Sophie goes to get something out of the refrigerator.

"All these workouts, Soph, I don't know. Guys don't like buff girls." Her brother, Will, teases.

"Yeah, well, girls don't like guys who still live at home."

Will drains the milk from his cereal bowl and slides off the counter.

"Ha ha ha." He says sarcastically.

"Ha ha." Sophie mocks. She opens the door to leave.

"Be careful." Her father says.

"I will." Sophie says as she closes the door.
~
Sophie stands on the dock, looking at the lake. Will watches from a distance as she dives in. She swims and comes up for air, looking around; she sees no one. She keeps swimming. She comes up for air again and looks around some more; still no one. Someone approaches her from underwater and pulls her under. Bubbles. Nothing.

*Emery*

There is a mostly empty plate in front of Dean, who is circling obituaries in a newspaper. He circles an obituary that reads:

Carlton, Sophie -The Carlton family is sad to announce the death of their beloved daughter in a tragic swimming accident. Sophie Carlton, 18, was having her [...] Lake Manitoc WI, an [...] suddenly [...]

A waitress, whose nametag says Wendy, approaches.

"Can I get you anything else?" She asks in a sweet voice.

Dean looks up and grins around the pen he's chewing on.

Sam begins to come over and sits down.

"Just the check, please." I say.

"Okay."

Wendy walks away. Dean drops his head, then looks at me.

"You know, Em, we are allowed to have fun once in a while."

Dean points to Wendy walking away; she's wearing short shorts.

"That's fun." I roll my eyes at my older brother.

Dean hands me the newspaper, place it between Sam and I.

"Here, take a look at this, I think I got one. Lake Manitoc, Wisconsin. Last week Sophie Carlton, eighteen, walks into the lake, doesn't walk out. Authorities dragged the water; nothing. Sophie Carlton is the third Lake Manitoc drowning this year. None of the other bodies were found either. They had a funeral two days ago."

"A funeral?" Sam asks.

"Yeah, it's weird, they buried an empty coffin. For, uh, closure or whatever."

"Closure? What closure? People don't just disappear, Dean. Other people just stop looking for them." Sam says.

"Something you want to say to me?" Dean questions. Oh god. Not this again.