had yelled for. Aldo—
who had hair as long as Manfred’s, but styled a little more carefully, and also still all dark brown—
came over with a big smile under a rather large nose. “Hey, what’s up?”
“Aldo, these are the friends’a Ash’s I was tellin’
y’about. Sam and Dean Winchester. These guys’re a coupla pistols.”
Grinning, Aldo said, “Thought Winchesters was rifl es.”
112 SUPERNATURAL
Dean gave that a sympathy chuckle. “Thanks.
And congrats, you’re the one thousandth person to make that joke.”
“Haw haw haw!” Dean almost recoiled from the powerful sound of Aldo’s guffaw. Next to him, Sam actually jumped in his chair. “That’s a good one.”
“Uh, thanks. Hey, listen,” Dean said, grateful for the ability to say this to the one member of the band for whom it wouldn’t be a lie, “you sounded fantastic tonight. You really nailed those licks.”
“Well, thank you very kindly, Sam.”
“Uh, I’m Dean, he’s Sam.”
“Right, s’what I said, Dean. So you guys know Ash, huh?”
“Yeah, he—”
“That is one
crazy-ass sumbitch,” Aldo said,
shaking his head. “Wouldn’t know to look at him he went to no MIT, now wouldja?”
Sam raised an eyebrow. “Yeah, we thought that was a little weird, too. Can’t imagine he fit in all that well there.”
“Hell, I can’t see him fi ttin’ in nowhere, Dean.”
“I’m Sam.”
“Right, s’what I said, Sam. Anyhow, look, I’d love to chat, but I got somethin’ to take care of, know what I mean?” He actually waggled his eyebrows.
“Long as you stay away from Janine,” Manfred said sternly.
Nevermore
113
“Yeah, yeah, yeah,” Aldo said, putting his hand in front of Manfred’s face and then walking to the bar, where he started talking with an older woman.
“Listen, I gotta go drain the lizard, m’self. You fellas need anythin’ at all, lemme know.” Before Dean could even consider a response, Manfred went off to the bathroom.
“So,” Sam said after a second, “what ever’s going on here, it’s staying hidden real well. I’m not picking up any EMF in the bar, and I’ve checked the walls and pillars and stuff. Nothing’s jumping out at me as being any kind of symbol or sigil.” Chuckling, Dean said, “You sure ‘Kilroy was here’ wasn’t a summoning?”
Sam returned the chuckle. “Probably not. It was a long shot anyhow—I’m pretty sure that this thing is tied to Manfred directly, even if it does relate to the music.”
“Well, we should cover all the bases,” Dean said before taking a sip of beer. After he gulped it down, he added, “If nothing else, we check everything tonight, we don’t have to come back tomorrow night.” Although, he thought, if Jennifer’s working again . . .
“By the way, Dean,” Sam said after a second, “I was thinking that tonight, after we deal with Manfred’s spirit, we go check the house on Webb.”
“Why tonight?” Dean asked. “I mean, we’re
probably gonna have our hands full with Casper 114 SUPERNATURAL
the Surly Ghost. Plus, who knows how long we’ll be out drinking and lighting up?” Sam gave him his earnest look and spoke in a whisper. “Dean, if we’re gonna break into a house, I want it to be as late at night as possible.” Dean considered arguing, but his brother was right. “Yeah, okay, fine, but let’s play it by ear with the spirit fi rst.”
“Sure. But I really hope we fi nd something,
’cause there wasn’t anything at Cambreleng. Oh, by the way, you owe me ten bucks.”
“For what?”
“You said I’d find something the cops didn’t. I checked, and the place was clean—too clean for a New York street. The NYPD got everything .” Dean picked up his beer. “Sam, I told you—”
“It’s got nothin’ to do with what they’re looking for, man. Remember what Frieda said at the zoo?
That they’d been talking to everyone from cops to reporters to university lawyers . Those were Fordham students who
who had hair as long as Manfred’s, but styled a little more carefully, and also still all dark brown—
came over with a big smile under a rather large nose. “Hey, what’s up?”
“Aldo, these are the friends’a Ash’s I was tellin’
y’about. Sam and Dean Winchester. These guys’re a coupla pistols.”
Grinning, Aldo said, “Thought Winchesters was rifl es.”
112 SUPERNATURAL
Dean gave that a sympathy chuckle. “Thanks.
And congrats, you’re the one thousandth person to make that joke.”
“Haw haw haw!” Dean almost recoiled from the powerful sound of Aldo’s guffaw. Next to him, Sam actually jumped in his chair. “That’s a good one.”
“Uh, thanks. Hey, listen,” Dean said, grateful for the ability to say this to the one member of the band for whom it wouldn’t be a lie, “you sounded fantastic tonight. You really nailed those licks.”
“Well, thank you very kindly, Sam.”
“Uh, I’m Dean, he’s Sam.”
“Right, s’what I said, Dean. So you guys know Ash, huh?”
“Yeah, he—”
“That is one
crazy-ass sumbitch,” Aldo said,
shaking his head. “Wouldn’t know to look at him he went to no MIT, now wouldja?”
Sam raised an eyebrow. “Yeah, we thought that was a little weird, too. Can’t imagine he fit in all that well there.”
“Hell, I can’t see him fi ttin’ in nowhere, Dean.”
“I’m Sam.”
“Right, s’what I said, Sam. Anyhow, look, I’d love to chat, but I got somethin’ to take care of, know what I mean?” He actually waggled his eyebrows.
“Long as you stay away from Janine,” Manfred said sternly.
Nevermore
113
“Yeah, yeah, yeah,” Aldo said, putting his hand in front of Manfred’s face and then walking to the bar, where he started talking with an older woman.
“Listen, I gotta go drain the lizard, m’self. You fellas need anythin’ at all, lemme know.” Before Dean could even consider a response, Manfred went off to the bathroom.
“So,” Sam said after a second, “what ever’s going on here, it’s staying hidden real well. I’m not picking up any EMF in the bar, and I’ve checked the walls and pillars and stuff. Nothing’s jumping out at me as being any kind of symbol or sigil.” Chuckling, Dean said, “You sure ‘Kilroy was here’ wasn’t a summoning?”
Sam returned the chuckle. “Probably not. It was a long shot anyhow—I’m pretty sure that this thing is tied to Manfred directly, even if it does relate to the music.”
“Well, we should cover all the bases,” Dean said before taking a sip of beer. After he gulped it down, he added, “If nothing else, we check everything tonight, we don’t have to come back tomorrow night.” Although, he thought, if Jennifer’s working again . . .
“By the way, Dean,” Sam said after a second, “I was thinking that tonight, after we deal with Manfred’s spirit, we go check the house on Webb.”
“Why tonight?” Dean asked. “I mean, we’re
probably gonna have our hands full with Casper 114 SUPERNATURAL
the Surly Ghost. Plus, who knows how long we’ll be out drinking and lighting up?” Sam gave him his earnest look and spoke in a whisper. “Dean, if we’re gonna break into a house, I want it to be as late at night as possible.” Dean considered arguing, but his brother was right. “Yeah, okay, fine, but let’s play it by ear with the spirit fi rst.”
“Sure. But I really hope we fi nd something,
’cause there wasn’t anything at Cambreleng. Oh, by the way, you owe me ten bucks.”
“For what?”
“You said I’d find something the cops didn’t. I checked, and the place was clean—too clean for a New York street. The NYPD got everything .” Dean picked up his beer. “Sam, I told you—”
“It’s got nothin’ to do with what they’re looking for, man. Remember what Frieda said at the zoo?
That they’d been talking to everyone from cops to reporters to university lawyers . Those were Fordham students who
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