Blood Vane

Its amazing how quickly one small word like murder can ruin a perfectly good buzz and wipe out two raging hard ons; Alistair Boot thought grimly as he glanced around the small infirmary of the Boot facility. At least it had definitely had that effect on both he and Royal Pope, who had unceremoniously dropped him off of his desk as soon as his secretary had burst in to screech her startling pronouncement.

Once Alistair managed to pick himself up off of the floor and get his pants fastened, they had both sprinted for the infirmary, leaving one gaping redhead standing there with her mouth hanging wide open.

They local police had arrived. The Salem police department was out in full force. All three of them. Salem, Georgia was a town with two red lights, a small café, Lullabelle’s cuts and curls for guys and girls and the local library, town hall and police station all housed in one building. The Sherriff and both Deputies were dutifully questioning everyone but so far had no clue as to what had happened or who had killed Peewee Bundy.

Thomas Vane and Roddy Malone had both sworn Bundy was already dead when they got there and the only other person in the room was an injured and unconscious boy. It didn’t make any sense, and Alistair’s head was really starting to pound just from thinking about it.

Florence Abigail was being questioned by a deputy, he heard the man tell her that the only fingerprints on the bedpan that had been used to beat Bundy’s brains in were hers and those of Seth Edwards. He watched Florence’s pale face as she nodded, “Y-yes… the young man needed to relieve himself earlier but was still too dizzy to make it to the toilet so I helped him to use the bedpan.”

The deputy politely wrote down her answer then said gruffly, “And did Mr. Edwards touch the bedpan at that time?”

Florence bit her lip as she seemed to concentrate on remembering, “I-I’m pretty sure he did yes…. Yes definitely.” she nodded.

Truthfully she couldn’t remember one way or the other if Seth had touched the thing or not but the poor boy had certainly been through more than enough in her estimation and he was undoubtedly too injured to have done the deed anyway if you asked her. She nodded again more emphatically, “Yes, I remember now. He positively did touch it.”

The coroner arrived and then everyone shuffled out of the way as he inspected and collected the body. Alistair felt a strong hand discreetly slip into his for just a moment and give a gentle squeeze. He smiled gratefully at Royal. Right now he could use all the support he could get.

Thomas “Blood” Vane and Roddy Malone stood to the side and watched as Peewee’s body was loaded onto a gurney. They had both already been questioned and then questioned again, though neither had been of much help. For once Blood had been happy that Roddy was with him though. At least no one could try to place the blame on him.

Out of the corner of his eye he noticed that Roddy was now deep in conversation with one of the Salem county officers. They both kept glancing at Seth and grinning and he saw the officer make an obscene gesture which Roddy seemed to find hilarious. Briefly he wondered what the hell a cop would be doing talking to a thug like Malone. Peering around Roddy he managed to see the name engraved on the mans badge; Lincoln Miles. Hmmmm…. Interesting.

Blood glanced across at the form of Seth Edwards, sitting huddled on the end of one of the hospital cots. It was really his first chance to observe the boy who was soon to be his new roommate. Well, his first chance to observe him conscious anyway. Seth was just a skinny, little blond thing and he seemed to be trembling underneath the blanket someone had been kind enough to wrap around him.

Blood couldn’t help the pity that seemed to overwhelm him as he watched the other boy. The poor guy really had had a rough time of it every since he had come to Boot Hill. First being attacked himself and now having someone murdered in the same room he was sleeping in.

Pity was what he felt and pity probably would have been all he felt if at that moment Seth Edwards hadn’t raised his head so that their eyes met from across the room. Blood found himself unexpectedly encountering the ice blue gaze of the other boy as a shiver raced up his spine.

He had definitely seen those eyes before; the only difference being that the last time he had seen them, they had been staring at him down the muzzle of a great white wolf.


From his perch on the end of a hospital bed, Seth Edwards clutched his thin blanket closer and nervously watched the chaos taking place around him. The smell of blood permeated the room long after the body had been removed. The police had half heartedly questioned him, but none of them seemed to suspect that he could have had anything to do with the guards death.

He noticed the judge that had sentenced him was in the room and spent a moment thinking on the strangeness of that before he was distracted by the intense hazel eyes of a tall, dark boy that stared at him from across the room.

He dropped his gaze back down to the carnage still covering the floor. He really couldn’t concentrate on any of it. The only thought that kept swirling through Seth’s brain was Sonny, Sonny, Sonny……


TBC...