Episode 4.06 Sides
Phobia
Int. Sherriff’s Station – Day
Sam and Dean are waiting on a couch in the station’s main room. A 20’s something goofy looking Deputy is manning his post at the desk and gives the boys a good natured grin. The door behind the deputy’s desk swings open and Sheriff Ed Britton, 40s, sticks his head out.
He’s about to ask the Deputy a question but sees the Winchesters and questions as to who they are. Deputy replies that they are federal agents and Ed demands to know why Deputy kept them waiting, and invites the boys in.
Int. Sheriff’s Office – Moments Later
Sam and Dean are about to enter, when Ed holds up his hand. He tells the boys to take their shoes off. Awkwardly Sam and Dean come to a hold, and hop around as they remove their shoes. Ed ushers them to the chairs in front of his desk, giving each a short handshake.
Ed introduces himself, grabbing a bottle of Purell off his desk and emptying some of the gel onto his hands, taking his time to wipe them clean. The boys take in the office as they wait on Ed to finish cleaning his hands. The office is lined with deer heads and lots of guns. Like a whole lot of guns.
Ed asks what he can do for Uncle Sam. Sam replies that they are looking into the death of Frank O’Brien and they know that some of Ed’s men found Frank’s body. Ed’s expression saddens and he tells the boys that he and Frank were friends, hell, Gamecocks together.
Dean lets out a snorting laugh at the gamecock remark and Ed shoots him a glare. Ed clarifies saying that its their softball team’s name and the gamecock is a majestic animal. Dean nods an apology.
Ed continues on, emotionally. He says that he knew Frank back in high school, and honestly, this morning was the first time he had enough strength to go see his friend’s body. Frank was a really great guy.
Dean agrees, saying Frank had a big heart. Sam leans forward as Ed composes himself. Sam asks if before Frank died, if Ed noticed him acting strange as if he was scared of something. Ed says hell yea, it started out jumpy but then just got worse and worse until Frank wouldn’t even leave his own house.
Sam asks if Ed knew what was scaring Frank so bad. Ed replies that he doesn’t. He’d tried to call Frank a couple times, but Frank quit answering his phone. Ed finally decided to send some men over to check on Frank, but they found him dead.
Ed coughs and then reaches for his Purell again, applying another thick coat to his hands while giving the boys a curious look. He asks why the Fed’s give a rat’s ass and asks if they think this is even a case. Dean replies saying that its probably nothing more than a heart attack.
Int. Day Room-Assisted Living Center – Evening
The large room is mostly deserted. John Garland, 60s but looks way older as he is very ill, is sitting alone at a table by the window. Dean and Sam catch sight of the man and walk straight over to him.
Sam introduces himself as Agent Tyler and Dean as Agent Perry of the FBI. He tells John that he’d like to ask him a few questions about his brother Luther. John stares up at the boys, suspicious, and asks to see some ID. Dean reacts as if Sam and his cover’s are blown, but Sam passes John his badge coolly. Dean hands over his badge too but he’s sweating, hands trembling slightly as he tells John that the badge is real.
Sam clears his throat, but Dean doesn’t take the hint and just continues saying that who’d pretend to be FBI agents, that’s just ridiculous. This time Dean’s rewarded with a stomp on his foot courtesy of Sam and shuts his mouth. John studies that badges then hands them back, asking what the boys want to know.
Sam places a work ID and a file folder on to the table. He opens it, and we see that its Luther’s file. Sam says that according to the file Luther died of physical trauma. John lets out a bitter laugh and tells Sam that’s one way to put it, ‘cause he’d call it murder.
Sam and Dean exchange a glance, and Sam presses asking why someone would kill Luther. John says it doesn’t matter what he thinks. Sam replies that they just want to know the truth about Luther.
John reaches out and taps Luther’s work ID, he tells the brothers that people said Luther was a monster.
Ext. Main Street- Day (Flashback)
Luther Garland is walking down the sidewalk, head down and hands in his pockets. Looking as if he’s hoping people just ignore him.
John’s voiceover is heard as he says that Luther was just too big, too mean lookin’…too different.
Int. Day Room- Assisted Living Center – Evening
John picks up the ID card, taking in the photo. He says that it never mattered that Luther was one of the kindest men he ever knew, didn’t matter that Luther would’ve never hurt someone. He sets the ID down, blinking back tears as he continues saying he was a widower with three kids and told himself there was nothing he could do. John’s regret is apparent as he tells the Winchesters that a lot of people failed Luther, and he was one of them.
Sam and Dean take in all the new information as John wipes tears from his eyes. John regains his composure and says that Ben Cassity took pity on Luther, gave him a job and a place to sleep. He never left after that, cause there was no reason to.
Sam pulls out a charcoal drawing Dean had snaked form the factory and asks if John recognizes the woman. John identifies the girl in the picture as Jessie O’ Brien, and goes on to say that Jessie’s man Frank, he killed Luther.
John says it like its fact and Sam asks just how he knows that. John returns that everybody knows they just don’t talk about it.
Int. Limestone Plant – Flashback
Jessie is at her desk, she drops her pencil, but Luther is there, picking it up for her. It’s a small kindness that’s rewarded with a warm smile. Luther smiles back shyly.
John’s voiceover tells us that Jessie was a receptionist at the plant, always nice to Luther and he in turn had a crush on her. It was harmless, but Frank didn’t like it.
Int. Day Room- Cont.
Dean steps forward, forgetting his fear momentarily. John is still talking and says that when Jessie went missing, Frank was so eaten up with worry and fear he thought Luther had done something. Monster steals the princess, you know?
Ext./Int. Limestone Plant – Night (flashback)
A pickup truck skids to a stop in front of the factory building. Frank climbs out, anger and a bit of fear in his eyes. John’s talking over the action again, saying that one night Frank drove out to the factory and confronted Luther. Maybe he was drunk, maybe sober…
Int. Day Room – Cont.
John flips the file closed and pushes it back toward Sam, he just can’t look at Luther anymore. John continues and tells the Winchesters that they found Luther with a chain wrapped around his neck, he’d been dragged up and down the gravel stretch outside the factory ‘til he was beyond dead.
Dean questions why O’Brien was never arrested. John says that he screamed to every cop in town, but they didn’t want to look at Frank, pillar of the community and all that while Luther was just a freak. John admits that there was nothing he could do but bury Luther out at Pinewood Gardens. Just him and a Pastor he had to pay double ‘cause of the short notice.
Sam gives John an empathetic look, he really feels for the guy. He comments that John must’ve really hated Frank. John admits that he did for a long time, but life’s too short for hate. He glances up at Sam and Dean lots of sympathy in his tone as he says that Frank just wasn’t thinking straight. His wife had disappeared, and the man was terrified. It’s a shame that Frank had to put Luther through the same, but that’s fear it just spreads and spreads.
Int. Sheriff’s Station – Day
The deputy’s intercom flares to life and Ed asks who was that earlier. He sounds pissed and the deputy flinches. Deputy tells him it was the FBI guys and that they had wanted Luther Garland’s file. There’s a long silence and the Deputy calls out to the Sheriff.
Int. Sheriff’s Office – Moments Later
Ed stands over the room’s sink, scrubbing his hands with steel wool, until they are bleeding. Ed looks both worn and panicked, dark red abrasions cover his arms. Ed’s in the throes of this Ghost Sickness. Ed moves to his desk, covered with guns, and picks up a .44, sliding round after round into the cylinder. A voice is heard in the room, it says that ‘they know’.
Ed whips around in the sit, bringing the gun to his own reflection twisted and distorted in the chrome desk lamp. Everything starts to shake under the fear hallucination. The reflection flashes an evil grin and Ed trembles. The Reflection says that they know what he did. They’re gonna make you pay.
Int. Hotel Room – Night
There’s a pounding against the door. Dean cowers back in his chair, raising his arms to shield himself as the door shakes, something rammed into it, almost knocked off its hinges. Dean’s scared out of his mind as the door splinters open to reveal Sheriff Ed, crazed and jittery with the .44 in his hand.
Dean asks what Ed’s doing. Ed ignores the questions and demands to know why the boys are looking into Luther Garland’s death. Dean backs into the wall, cornered. Ed advances and Dean sees the abrasions on the sheriff’s arms.
Dean points out that the sheriff is sick, but Dean reveals that he’s sick too. Dean holds up his arms, showing his scars. Ed pistol whips Dean, snapping his head to one side. Ed says that Frank was his friend and so what if he helped him cover it up.
Ed takes a deep breath, and levels the gun at Dean. He says that Dean’s not going to bust him over that. Dean knocks the gun from Ed’s hands. The sheriff stumbles back, stunned. Dean freezes a bit, startled by his own actions. Ed charges Dean, slamming him back into the wall, Dean recovers and gets a few hits in himself.
The two men continue to fight, right out brawl. It’s not controlled at all, but more as if these two men are fighting like cornered animals and fighting for their lives.
Finally, Dean manages to throw Ed through the room’s coffee table. The sheriff lies on the ground, spent and huddles against the wall telling Dean to stay away from him. Terror is evident in Ed’s face and Dean tells Ed to calm down. Ed screams for Dean to just get back.
Ed lets out an agonized moan and clutches his chest, then suddenly slumps over, dead.