Blood-Lines

Part 2

Once Poe returned with a fresh pot of coffee and several cups, only Crane and Devrow remained behind to enjoy it with him while the others made their way out to tend to other business.

With his own cup set aside while it cooled to a much less scalding temperament; Poe took the opportunity to quickly organize what little had been left to lie haphazardly across his desk.

As far as he'd become concerned of late, cleanliness was nowhere near as close to godliness as many may have otherwise tried to imply, but a clean desk was, well; simply put - still a clean desk.

Devrow patiently waited as he sat upon the other desk, while Crane sipped his coffee and leaned against the windowsill while he watched as the town come to life through the window.

Satisfied that his housekeeping chores were as done as they were going to get, Poe sat back in his chair and began to tell them of the bank robbery along with what little was known of the wounded man that Running-Deer had gone off to track.

It had become annoyingly clear that no one had managed to get a good look at either one of the two men who'd managed to ride off after the robbery other than to confirm that they'd been armed and wore bandannas to cover much of their faces.

"Sheriff ..." Crane began, "... there's been a growing problem of late among our more ... special friends who have apparently decided to organize much like the vampires have on a more national level, rather than the usual independent packs that they've long relied upon for support."

Poe took a slow sip from his cup as he considered Crane's words. "Nothing wrong with a little reorganization now and again or am I missing something Captain?"

Crane smiled as he turned to rest against the sill.

"The problem, as it were, comes when there are those who just can't seem to agree with either the new organization or that of the old, which usually also results in their being left out in the cold to become yet another problem of sorts; not entirely unlike the two who happen to be part owners of a brothel just up the street."

"I've yet to have any problems with Nadia or Mikhail. They seem to run a clean business, even if one were to consider that they also have vampires involved as partners; something that seems like a good thing to me as far as race relations are concerned hereabouts."

Devrow smirked and shook his head. "You still don't get it, sheriff. They are the ones out in the cold, nothing more than targets for others of their kind to pick on and abuse at their whim."

Crane moved forward to set his empty cup on the desk.

"Unlike their lycan cousins, vampires are well versed in this kind of thing as they've had rules governing much of their conduct for a very long time, while the concept of such high level organization is new and somewhat unsettling to many lycans, who for want of a better term, are used to the game in which they have always played an important part."

He folded his arms across his chest as he considered his next words carefully.

"As strange as it may sound most lycans are prone to act much like that which they change into. Those who are of a more social variety will prefer to group up in local packs rather than having to answer to someone who might want to rule them from afar."

Crane paced the floor as he spoke.

"They offer protection to those within their group and remove those who aren't."

He stopped at the gun rack as if he were admiring the long guns.

"Magic users have their cabals while witches form covens - each watching out for their own, although in that particular case it would appear that the men folk don't much care for their women of the craft and many times vise versa."

Poe waited with his arms rested upon those of his chair while his coffee cooled on the desk.

"The two men hunted by the Pinkerton agent were reported to have been possible rogue lycans who were considered to be among the many problems that the packs out east are dealing with as they combine and expand west, robbing various banks across the plains in order to build a war chest of some sort to empower the independence of their own more local packs; however from what you've just told us of the dead men found at this particular bank, that bit of information may not have been as true as it should have been otherwise."

Crane pulled a sharps rifle from the rack to look it over before he walked over and handed it to Poe.

From his pocket he pulled out a single bullet.

"The other two who escaped may or may not be the same sort of lycans like that the couple down the street, if they prove to be lycans at all." He held out the bullet. "Or they could be the ones that we'd been told about and were just late to their own robbery only to have been caught up in the cross-fire as it were."

Poe took the round and looked it over. He could see faint lines along the nose of the bullet.

"Mercury mixed with silver nitrate." Devrow informed him.

"One hit seems like nothing until it mixes in their blood. Floats through their body and when it hits their heart - one ugly boom and down they go. Human or not they won't survive for long."

Poe looked from Devrow to Crane. "I was under the impression they don't heal like vampires; why the special ammunition?"

"Not exactly true as we would like." Crane replied, as he removed a narrow box from his coat pocket that appeared to hold several more of the strange bullets that he set on Poe's desk.

"Take these and go find your deputy while we chase the other one down. However this plays out, these men may be directly responsible for over a half dozen deaths while they've been on this supposed bank robbery spree. We have our orders and now ... so do you."

Poe looked at the box as it rested upon his desk. "How many have chased them so far?"

"Not near enough, sheriff; it's imperative that you find your deputy before her blood is added to the long list that they've already spilled. I can send some men with you if that would help in any way."

Poe shook his head. "We can handle our end, you handle yours."

Devrow stood and moved toward the door.

"Suit yourself. Just choose your men wisely sheriff. If they hesitate for any reason, they will be lost."

Crane waited until Devrow was outside. "Your Indian woman ... how'd she learn to track?"

"She grew up Sioux and lived with a healer who trained her."

"Good, then she might just make it out of this; particularly if she brought her bow, which they won't see coming. Good luck with your search, sheriff." Crane extended his hand to shake Poe's before he left the office to rejoin his men.

Poe sat quietly as he studied the slender box before he rose to his feet and dropped it in his pocket.

After he spoke with Cat, they'd go find Deer.

He wasn't about to lose yet another entire posse.

This time they'd be prepared and ready with a proper blood trail to follow that could lead them right to the bad guy and they'd also have the ammunition that would put him down for good, if it came to that.

The only thing bad about this particular blood trail was that the animal on the other end would know they were coming.

And both sides would be spoiling for a fight.