( DISAPPEAR )

HOTEL LOBBY
[ ☼ ]

      "Hey." Sam says.

      "Maid found Jeb hanging from the ceiling fan. Police think it was a suicide." Dean pulls out another tarot card, this time of the hanged man. "I beg to differ. Pulled a little sleight of hand myself."

     "On Dexter's body?" Sam asks.

      "Yeah, so I'm thinking if this spell is a death transference, then these cards work like black-Magic targets." Dean says.

      "Any connection between the victims?" Elena asks.

     "Jeb was a total douche bag to Jay yesterday." Dean points out.

     "What about the first vic? Uh, Vance?" Sam asks.

      "Asked around. Apparently, Vance was heckling Jay at the bar the day he was killed."

      "Okay, so Jay sneaks a card into Vance's pocket, does the table of death..." Sam starts.

      "And Vance takes 10 swords to the chest." Dean finishes.

      "Then Jay slips a noose and Jeb doesn't. Hell of a trick." Sam says.

      "Yeah, I think it's time we had a little chat with Jay. Any luck tailing him?" Dean asks.

      "He slipped me." Sam says.

      "He's a 60-Year-Old."

      "He's a magician." Sam says.

      Sam, Elena and Dean follow Jay to his hotel room. "Up against the wall!" Dean yells.

      "God, who are you? What do you want?" Jay asks.

      "Now!" Elena yells.

      "We know what you've been up to." Sam says.

      "You been working some real bad mojo to jump-Start your act." Dean says.

      "What? I don't know what you're talking about."

      "Look, we know you put a spell on those tarot cards." Sam says.

      "Messing with real magic?" Dean asks.

      "'Real magic'? Come on, there's no such thing as real magic." Jay says.

      "Oh, is that so?" Dean asks.

      "Yeah, believe me. I've been around this stuff my whole life. It's all just-It's-It's illusions. It's tricks. It-It's all fake."

      "Jeb Dexter strung up-was that just an illusion?" Dean asks.

      "What? Something happened to Jeb?" Jay asks.

      "He was found hanged in his room. Right after you slipped the noose last night." Sam says.

      "I don't know what you're talking about. Please...Just let me go." Jay says.

      "Something's not right." Dean says.

      "Usually they're whipping some badass hoodoo at us by now." Sam says.

      Sam, Elena and Dean have tied Jay to a chair. "What do you want to do?" Dean asks.

      "All right, so, if it's not him, who is it?" Sam says.

      "Even if Jay's not working the magic, he's still getting the reward. His shows are selling out." Elena says.

      "All right. So, then, whoever it is, they're obviously in Jay's corner." Sam says.

      "All right, so we got Vernon and Charlie on the list. Anyone else?" Dean asks.

     "Uh...We could always ask him." Sam says. Jay has escaped from the chair and is gone.

      "Guess we should have seen that one coming." Dean says.

      "Come on. He couldn't have gotten that far." Sam says.

      The Gang leave the room, Jay peeks out of the closet. "No way he could outrun us." Sam says.

      "Maybe he vanished. I mean, he really is good." Dean says.

     "Or he found a back door." Sam says.

      Jay comes up behind them as the police come into the lobby. "That's them! Those are the three nut jobs that just broke into my room!" He yells.

BACKSTAGE OF THEATER
[ ☼ ]

      "They said my act is killing people. They said that I was using real magic, that I was casting spells on tarot cards." Jay says.

      "'Real magic.' Those guys are nuts. You're lucky to be alive." Charlie says.

      "You don't think..."

      "What?" Charlie asks.

      "Well, the things that I can do now-The cards."

      "You've been working the cards your whole life." Charlie points out.

      "Well, what about the escapes? I haven't been able to slip a pair of cuffs in 30 years. And then there was the way that-that patrick Vance died. And that Jeb Dexter." Says Jay.

      "Yeah, no great loss there."

      "Oh, Charlie, he didn't deserve to die." Jay says.

      "You had nothing to do with it." Charlie says.

      "He was hanged the same night that I performed the executioner." Jay says.

      "Wait a minute. Are you telling me that you actually believe those guys? That there was some kind of "real magic" involved?" Says Charlie.

      "No. I don't know. I don't know, maybe. I shouldn't go on tonight, Charlie."

      "Are you kidding me? You have a sold-out house out there. Sold out! When was the last time that happened?" Asks Charlie.

      "The other night...When I was doing the table of death, I was, um...I was gonna kill myself. And I have no idea how I got out alive." Jay says.

      "But you did. Somehow, you did. Jay...when you were in your day you were incredible. "The incredible Jay." You were the best I ever saw. And now you got it back." Charlie says. "I don't know how, but it doesn't matter. Just to see you at the top of your game again. Hell, it makes me feel young."

      "But-"

      "No buts, Jay. This may be mana from heaven, I don't know, but whatever it is, you don't throw it away." Charlie says.

THEATER STAGE
[ ☼ ]

      Jay lies on the table of death, Charlie lights the rope holding the plate of swords up, Charlie goes backstage to Vernon, Jay stands up unharmed. "Oh my god somebody gonna call 911." A Woman says.

      "I don't know..." Someone says.

      "What's the..." Jay finds Charlie covered in stab wounds.

HOTEL LOBBY
[ ☼ ]

      "Jay. Thanks for dropping the charges." Sam says.

      "You mind telling us why you did it?" Dean asks.

      "We have to talk." Jay says.

BAR
[ ☾]

      "I was just a kid when we first met. All I knew was how to cheat at cards. Charlie got me out of more scrapes than I can count. Hell, I would have been dead by the age of 20 if it hadn't been for him." Jay sighs. "He was more than my friend. He was my brother."

      "I'm sorry, Jay." Sam says.

      "Look, I should have listened to you guys when you told me that my show was killing people." Jay says.

      "Well, you weren't the one pulling the trigger." Dean says.

      "Yeah, but someone did, and I want to find out who did this to Charlie, so I'll do whatever you guys say. Just tell me what to do."

       "Jay, whoever's doing this...They like you. They're probably close to you. Did Charlie and Vernon get along?" Elena asks.

      "No. No, it's not Vernon." Jay says.

      "He's the only one that makes sense." Says Dean.

      "Charlie and Vernon were your family, Jay."

      "And now Charlie's gone." Dean says.

      "Yeah, but...they butted heads sometimes, but Vernon could never do something like this." Jay says.

      "See, the thing about real magic is it's a whole lot like crack. People do surprising things once they get a taste of it." Dean says.

      "You better be damn sure about this. Vernon's all I got left."

VERNON'S HOTEL ROOM
[ ☾]

      Vernon picks up phone. "Yeah? Yeah, okay. I'll be there in two shakes. I got something to tell you anyway." He says. After Vernon leaves, Sam, Elena and Dean enter Vernon's hotel room.

      "Wow. It's like a...magic museum." Sam says.

      "You must be in heaven. This guy doesn't travel light." Dean says.

      "He's been on the road his whole life. Probably everything he owns is in this room." Sam says.

      "Let's get started." Elena says.

THEATER 
[ ☾]

      "Just talked to the head of the convention. Headliner gig is yours." Vernon says as Jay turns around. "What? You don't want it?"

     "A day ago, if you told me I'd be standing on this stage...No, I can't do it, Vernon." Jay says.

      "What are you talking about?"

      "Charlie's gone." Says Jay.

      "Charlie would have wanted you to go on. This is your shot. It's our shot." Says Vernon.

      "Really? This is what Charlie would have wanted? Charlie's dead."

      "Hey, he was my friend, too, you know." Vernon says.

      "It's a hell of a way to treat a friend."

      "Again, what are you talking about?" Asks Vernon.

      "You killed him, didn't you? And for what? So that I-So that we could be back on top?" Jay asks

      "That's insane." Vernon chuckles. "no, you're scaring me."

      "First it was Vance, then it was Jeb . Even if you thought you were doing it for me, how in god's name could you kill Charlie?" Jay asks.

      "Oh, you are crazy."

      "You used me, and you used my act to do this to him. If you think-" Jay starts.

      "I wouldn't be so hard on him, Jay. He didn't do it." A Man says.

VERNON'S HOTEL ROOM
[ ☾]

      "This is just a bunch of old-Timey magic stuff-None of it magic." Elena says.

      "No herbs, no candles, and no tarot cards." Sam says.

      "I'll be damned." Dean says.

       "What?" Sam asks.

       Dean holds up poster. "Look like anyone we know?" He asks.

THEATER
[ ☾]

      "Sweet Mary and Joseph." Vernon says.

      "Charlie." Jay says.

      Charlie looks forty years younger. "It's really me, Jay." He says.

      "How the hell..." Vernon starts.

      "God, you forget what it feels like to be young. It's amazing." Charlie says.

      "How old are you?" Jay asks.

       "Oh, it depends on what you mean by "old." Right now, technically, about 28, but I've been around a lot longer than that."

      "How long?" Asks Jay.

      "Long enough to have shilled for Barnum. And he gave me something." Says Charlie.

      "What's that?"

      "The grimoire-A book of real magic. At first, I thought it was a scam, but then I tried one of the spells, and it worked. In fact, they all worked. So when I got to the end and there was one for immortality..." Charlie starts.

       "My god, Charlie." Vernon says.

      "And my show, the things that I can do." Jay says.

      "Different spell. But it gives you a little taste of what's possible." Charlie pulls out a deck of tarot cards. "Oh, no, I wouldn't touch those, Vernon. They're-They're still radioactive."

      "You killed Vance and Jeb Dexter." Jay realizes.

      "What, you think this is a parlor game? You were being humiliated by those punks." Charlie says. "A washed-up old man who couldn't even defend himself."

      "You used me to do these terrible things." Jay says.

      "I used them to give you a gift. And you wanted it, Jay. I saw it in your eyes."

      "No, I never wanted this." Says Jay.

      "You were ready to kill yourself. I saved your life."

      "Is that right, Jay?" Vernon asks.

      "I was there for you, like I've always been. Like I'll always be. Come with me, both of you." Charlie says. "You think the first time around was good? The second time's even better. All the know how, none of the aches and pain."

       "No, I won't do this. I won't." Jay says.

       "I've never made this offer before. But, then again, I've never had friends like the two of you before. Let me do this for you." Charlie says.

       "And who else has to die so that we can live forever? What's the price tag on immortality?" Jay asks. "This isn't right, Charlie, what you're doing. You know that. Somewhere, you know that."

      "I know I don't want to come back alone, to start all over, alone."

      "Jay...We can be young again." Vernon says.

       "The three of us together-Vital and alive...forever." Charlie says.

      "Not so fast! I ain't Guttenberg, and this ain't "Cocoon." Immortality. That's a neat trick." Dean says.

      "It's not a trick. It's magic." Charlie says. A noose appears behind Dean, drops around his neck and lifts him. Sam shoots Charlie, Charlie catches the bullet in his teeth. "Hey, bullet catch-Been working on that."

      "Get him!" Dean yells.

      "Let him go-Now!" Sam yells.

      "Just leave me and my friends alone. All right, I will give it up-The spells, the hexes. This is the last time. I promise." Charlie pushes Sam onto a the sword-table. Charlie clutches his stomach, where he is now bleeding. "Jay...You picked these strangers over me?"

       "You okay?" Elena asks Dean.

       "Yeah. Yeah, I'm all right."

BAR
[ ☾]

      "Hey, Jay. We wanted to thank you for what you did yesterday." Dean says.

      "I killed my best friend yesterday, and you want to thank me?" Jay asks.

      "Where's Vernon?" Sam asks.

       "Oh, he's gone. He said he didn't want to speak to me again after what I did to Charlie." Jay says.

      "Listen, Jay...you know Charlie was never gonna give up what he was doing. Ever. You did the right thing." Dean says.

      "Are you sure about that? You know, Charlie was like my brother. And now he's dead... because I did "the right thing." He offered me a gift, and I just threw it back in his face." Jay says. "So now I have to spend the rest of my life old and alone. What's so right about that?" He gets up and leaves.

      "Jay...your cards." The Bartender says.

      "Throw them away." Jay says and leaves.

      "Well, I don't know about you, but...I could go for a beer." Dean says and Elena nods.

      "I'm gonna take a walk." Sam says.

ALLEY
[ ☾]

      Sam opens the door to Ruby's car. "Okay. I'm in." He says.

      "What changed your mind?" Ruby asks.

      "I don't want to be doing this when I'm an old man."