Come morning, Dean and Allegra tackled the case again with renewed spirit and determination. Instead of going back to the expo grounds, they went over what they already had to find the missing link. Something connected the victims to each other, and they were certain it would be important to solving this mystery. 
Unfortunately, finding that link proved easier said than done. While Allegra called every person working the expo, Dean researched the victims. But he quickly found there wasn't anything that connected them. They weren't the same gender, or the same age, or from the same town. They didn't even work in the same department.
Since that proved a bust, he focussed on the curator, Mr. D. Jones. And to say something was off about him was putting it mildly. No matter where he looked, Dean couldn't find any records of him, except those that related to the traveling expo. But that had only been going around for three months. If D. Jones was human, he had to have a paper trail somewhere. If...

"Dammit." Allegra threw her phone on the table and ran her hand through her hair with a frustrated grunt. "Nothing. Nobody's talking. I threatened the last guy I'd arrest his ass for impeding in a federal investigation and he still wouldn't budge!"

"Um, you know you can't really arrest anyone, right?"

"Well, he doesn't know that, does he?"

"Hm, good point. Well," Dean sat back in his chair, "if it makes you feel any better, I've hit a brick wall, too."

"Oh, come on, there has to be something." Allegra sat beside him and pulled the laptop closer. "This isn't happening at random. These people were targeted, I'm sure of it. There has to be a link between them, apart from all being employed at the expo."

"Not this time. And until we know for certain what we're dealing with, I don't wanna set foot near that expo again."

"But it's only in town for another two days, and they're admitting visitors again," indicated Allegra. 

"I know that. But we can't fly blind and risk our necks on this one, Alley."

"So what, we sit back and watch people die?"

"No, of course not. We just... keep digging."

Allegra shook her head, sighing and pressing her lips into a thin line. Dean comfortingly rubbed her shoulder before he got up to get a refill on his coffee. Doing research was his least favorite part of going on a hunt, but it was necessary. He knew too many Hunters who'd gone in without knowing what they were up against, paying with their lives. 
Dean couldn't help but think this would go a lot easier if they had his father's journal. John Winchester had come across plenty of supernatural beings in his lifetime, and he wrote everything down for his sons. Even if he hadn't encountered the same creature, the diary had never failed the Winchesters in defeating the big bad. Unfortunately, that journal, most of their weapon, and his precious Baby were with his little brother. The last thing Dean wanted was to involve him. They just got Sam off their backs. Not to mention, he was out, living his life in a fancy neighborhood with his girlfriend. To pull him back into everything... No freaking way. 

Suddenly, the rock intro for Allegra's Phantom of the Opera ringtone resonated behind Dean. He turned to see his girlfriend pick up her phone. She cleared her throat and answered in a professional tone, using her moniker as FBI consultant. Dean hid his grin as he sipped his coffee. Though Allegra didn't quite do things the way his family did — she refused to pull credit card scams, still getting a paycheck from the Sioux Falls Sheriff's department, and always used her real name when introducing herself — she'd adapted to the Hunter's life really well. It was hard to believe she once feared Hunters. 

"Who was that?" asked Dean when she finished the call. 

"The coroner," answered Allegra. "She just finished the autopsy. There weren't any toxins, nor anything we didn't already know. The stink of the marine algae probably lingered in a similar way ectoplasm does sometimes."

Great, that didn't tell them anything at all. Dean raised his coffee to drink, but his hand halted mid-air when he suddenly saw a paper sticking underneath the door. Odd. Since when had that been there? Dean went to pick it up and looked it over. He had only seen this type of letter in movies. It was a piece of parchment, folded in such a way that it formed an envelope. 

"What's that?" asked Allegra.

"Not sure." Dean put the parchment on the table between them. "Maybe it's from someone who has information about the case?"

"A skull again." Allegra pointed to the red sealing wax. "If we take the color into consideration, it can represent the Jolly Roger of the red skeleton. It was used by the most brutal of pirates who gave no quarter and killed everyone during a raid."

Dean didn't even question how Allegra knew about all this stuff, but simply nodded at her explanation. If this was supposed to scare them off, whoever shoved this under their door had another thing coming. He broke the seal and unfolded the letter. There was nothing but a time, address, and the word 'parley'. The calligraphy was blotched in some places, as if the pen had been pressed too hard on the paper. Some lines were squiggly as well. Whoever wrote this had been nervous and trembling. 

"Parley, that means meeting, right?" 

"More or less," said Allegra. "It's from the French 'parler', which means to talk. With pirates, it means a discussion to settle on the terms of surrender."

"Surrender, huh?" Dean glanced up at his girlfriend. "You thinking what I'm thinking?"

"That this is a trap and we need to come up with a plan real fast."

"All right, let's get to work then."

***

Being so close to the expo so soon after their ghostly encounter didn't feel good at all. Allegra's skin crawled as she eyed the site across the street. So far, nothing bad had happened. Visitors were going in and coming back out, alive and in one piece. Everyone appeared to be having a good time, unperturbed by the death that had happened. 
The clock on the wall struck noon. Allegra turned her attention to the door of the diner. People kept coming in for lunch, but nobody came to their table. She shifted her gaze to Dean. His clenched jaw betrayed the tension in his body. He'd been like that since recognizing the car that raced off from their motel on the expo staff parking lot.

The words he spoke last night echoed through Allegra like a beating drum. She'd learned long ago Dean had a soft side, well hidden beneath his bad-ass, rebel-without-a-cause Hunter persona, but to have him break down like that, to hear him blame himself because she got hurt... It frightened her. 
Because if there was one thing she knew from hanging out with the Winchesters all these years, was that they moved Heaven, Earth and Hell for their loved ones. Dean even more than Sam, since he'd practically raised his little brother and has the instincts of a momma grizzly bear. Allegra didn't even want to think about what Dean might do if anything happened to her. 

But then again, what wouldn't I do for him? What didn't I already do? We're each other's strength, but... we're also each other's weakness. Anyone can take advantage of that. 

Allegra fiddled with the sleeve of her shirt as she let those thoughts invade her mind. Maybe it wasn't such a good idea to start a family with Dean after all. Not if it came at such a cost. Thank God she wasn't pregnant now. Dean probably wouldn't have let her leave the house.

"Alley."

His voice pulled Allegra out of her musings. She blinked, dispelling her concerns, and followed Dean's gaze. He wasn't looking at the front door, though. A young woman, early twenties and dressed in a pirate outfit, waved at them from the back entrance. She pointed to the restrooms. 
Before Allegra could ask Dean how he wanted to handle this, he was already casually walking to the same door the woman went through. Allegra counted to fifteen before going after him, leaving some money on the table for their drinks in case they didn't come back. Once she was inside the ladies' restroom, she locked the door behind her, ensuring they weren't interrupted. 

"Allegra, this is Casey, one of the employees you called," introduced Dean. "She's the one who wrote the letter."

"I'm sorry I didn't say anything before," said Casey, "but I'm risking a lot by talking to you both. I figured as long as I do things according to Jones' rules, I might not get caught."

"So the curator is the one responsible for the accidents and Mr. Stubbs' death?" asked Allegra. 

"Not directly. Jones has someone — something — acting on his behalf. I've only seen glimpses, and trust me, that's more than I care to see. It's like a pirate zombie ghost. Like from that first Pirates of the Caribbean movie."

Allegra exchanged a glance with her boyfriend. That description fitted the thing that attacked them yesterday. Fiction was getting mixed up with lore again. 

"Look, I know I sound crazy right now, but I swear it's the truth!" insisted Casey.

"Just tell us what you know, Casey," said Dean. 

"Jones has us all sign a pirate code of conduct. It looks like a regular temp-contract with some added pirate-style rules. They were weird, but he is too, so I thought nothing of it at first. But after what happened to Larry, Cora, Eddie, and Howard, I can't ignore it anymore. Here, I brought it for you."

She handed Dean a folded parchment. Allegra leaned in to read over his shoulder. First thing she noticed was the red skeleton seal at the top of the page. Next was the peculiar ruby shine in Casey's signature. 

"Casey, this may be an odd question, but were you bleeding when you signed this?" she asked. 

"Yes, the plume scratched my thumb when Jones handed it to me," answered Casey. 

Dean grunted in exasperation as Allegra balled her fists. Finally, they knew what they were up against. But knowing changed nothing about the danger they were facing. If anything, it only grew. Because when a frigging crossroads demon took the stage, the King of Hell was surely waiting in the wings.

***

With what Casey told them about the victims and with the info from Jones' strange contract, Dean and Allegra were able to puzzle some pieces together. The set designer, Larry, was a drunk and kept whiskey in a hipflask. Cora, the shop attendant, was a gambler and had been caught stealing from the cash register. Eddie had failed to help during an altercation with a typical Karen-mom. Why Howard Stubbs had been killed while the others were 'only' driven away through freak accidents was still a mystery, though. He'd brought in the other security guard, but always did good work. Then Dean recalled they found a sword near his body, and Casey mentioned that after what happened to Eddie, Howard had been thinking about leaving. 
Drunkenness, theft, cowardice, and either abandoning a post or mutiny — all offenses according to the code by Edward Low. Allegra remembered he was a pirate who used the red skeleton as his call sign, so that was another mystery solved. The skull and subsequent specter they encountered last night must've been Low. 

They waited in Not-Baby until the expo closed at seven pm and then made their way to the back of the site where Casey let them in. Though Allegra didn't feel like separating, she didn't want to leave Casey alone in case Jones decided she did something that went against his code of conduct. Dean reluctantly agreed to protect her, barricading themselves in the staff lunchroom where there was salt aplenty, while Allegra roamed the halls. 
The plan was simple. Summoning Crowley would lead to a lot of unwanted questions about Kevin, possibly even a face-off, but he was bound by his own word to save Allegra if she was in mortal danger. She'd let herself be attacked by Low, having added her name to Casey's contract so it would affect her as well, and wait for Crowley to appear. And if D. Jones made an appearance, Crowley could confirm their theory.

"Are you absolutely sure you wanna do this?" 

Allegra sighed as she heard Dean's voice in her mind for the fifth time since they parted ways fifteen minutes ago. How many more times was he going to ask that question? 

"We agreed it's better if Crowley doesn't know you're back," she said. "The deal I made with him protects me. You have nothing to worry about."

"It only protects you from death," argued Dean. "Look, Casey's doing all right, so I'll just come over and —"

"Don't you dare leave that girl alone, Winchester. You're on guarding duty, so you're going to stay put and let me deal with —"

Allegra's blood froze as the clear chiming of a ship's bell resonated through the hall. One by one, the lights died, until only the one above her remained. Standing in a circle of light amidst the sepulchral darkness, Allegra searched for the skull but couldn't find it anywhere. 
The bell sounded again, louder this time. It was getting cold. A sudden pressure pushed Allegra to her knees. She struggled to breathe as her chest tightened. Little waves reflected in the light. Then she felt gravity release her into... Too late did Allegra realize she was encased in a glass and iron container filled to the very brim with seawater. Bubbles floated up as she desperately tried to hold her breath. 

A pair of gleaming carmine eyes appeared before her. The skeleton dragged its hand over the glass, its piercing, cringing noise somehow sounding louder in the water. The third strike of the bell made the entire casket quiver, reverberating like an aftershock. Allegra pounded and kicked the sides with all her might. She wanted to reach out to Dean, to tell him to run and take care of himself and Casey, but she felt herself slip further away. 
Further. 
Further.
And then...

The glass shattered. Allegra's body was carried out of the container with the sudden flood, landing a few feet away on the floor. She coughed out seawater, every muscle contracting as she gasped and fought for much needed air to fill her lungs again. Trembling, Allegra pushed herself up and searched for Dean, believing he must've gotten to her in time. But her boyfriend wasn't the one who'd saved her. 

"Hello, love."

Crowley. Perfect timing. 

"What's going on here, then?" he asked nonchalantly as he helped her to her feet.

"Th-at's what... I wanna know. M-Missing a... minion?"

Allegra pointed past him to the skeleton. It was remarkably still, the underjaw barely hanging onto the rest of the skull. Crowley frowned a moment, then his expression changed to a mixture of recognition, annoyance, but most of all anger. 

"Bloody hell, not again!" he exclaimed. "Darwin! Get your blundering ass out here right now!"

A man wearing a tailored waistcoat appeared from the darkness behind the skeleton. On top of his dirty gray hair was a brown tri-cornered tattered hat, while his chest was richly decorated with gold jewelry. A leather belt with a sword in its scabbard was strapped around his hip. The whole character probably would've looked impressive on someone young and strong, but on the sixty-year-old man with the flabby turkey neck and beady black eyes Allegra recognized as the clearly possessed curator of the expo, it was just plain ridiculous. Wait... had Crowley just called him Darwin? 

"Come on, boss," said the demon. "I told you before not to call me that anymore. Davy fits my last name so much better."

"Dumbass fits it even more! What in blazes do you think you're doing? Did you forget our last little chat? We do not use ghosts to collect souls, and we do not use our contracts to enact our personal obsessions with bloody pirates! It took me an entire week to clean up the mess you made last time! You better not have killed anyone!"

"He did," said Allegra, finally having found her breath, but still trembling on her legs. "Security guard, a few nights ago."

"Tattletail." Darwin crossed his arms over his chest like a sulky six-year-old. 

"Shut it!" shouted Crowley. "There's only one rule, Darwin. Make a deal and keep it. You were there when I handled the last jackass who went rogue a year ago, and you still pull this crap after I specifically said I would obliterate the next idiot who tried this? And for what? A nonsensical fantasy game?"

"It's not —"

Darwin burst apart in an explosion of black smoke at the snap of Crowley's fingers. The ruler of all demons waved his hand to clear what remained of the vapor and then turned to the skeletal specter of Edward Low. Another snap, and the ghost disappeared instantly. The skull smashed to pieces on the floor. The fragments spontaneously combusted, burning until nothing remained, thus allowing the English pirate to cross over.

"There, that's settled," said Crowley. "Wanker. Couldn't even bother to get his history and movie facts straight. There's no working with that sort. My fault for giving a frat-boy with the mental capacity of a goldfish a chance to prove himself worthy for the big leagues."

"What about the contracts?" asked Allegra. 

A third snap. "Null and void."

"Thank you."

"Of course, love." The King of Hell pocketed his hands and glanced back at her. "Now, time to return the favor."

Why am I not surprised?

"What do you want?" demanded Allegra.

"I'm tired of playing 'hide and seek the prophet'," said Crowley. "Tell Kevin I'm willing to come to an agreement. A deal, yet without the soul-collecting."

"In other words, you want a parley."

"In a way, yes. You have twenty-four hours to get back to me on this. He declines, gloves come off, and I won't be so nice anymore. Tell him that. Oh, and give my regards to Squirell. Glad to see you two worked out. He was always my favorite."

Before Allegra could respond, Crowley vanished, leaving her alone in the hall. Hurried footsteps came up behind her. She turned to see Dean approaching, followed closely by Casey. The anxiety in his expression was replaced by instant relief as he pulled Allegra into a tight embrace. Unfortunately, the alleviation didn't last for either of them. The demon and ghost were defeated, but they had an even bigger problem now. 
How did Crowley know Dean was back?