House Arrest

August knelt down at the edge of the bay and picked up a small handful of dirt. The tiny pebbles scratched at his calloused hands as he allowed the sediment to fall gently through his fingers. The remnants of the crime scene around him invaded his thoughts. The consistent ebb and flow of the water reflecting a bright morning sun almost made him forget that he was there to somehow prove his sister didn't kill a man.

He took a deep breath as the final bit of dirt fell through his fingers and stood, dusting his hands on his blue jeans The crime scene had long been abandoned by the time he got there. A lonely piece of crime scene tape flapped in the gentle morning breeze as it hung tight on one end of a leaning telephone pole. From what he could tell, the small police department who had investigated the scene from the beginning made a muck of the area. Whatever had happened here, it was sloppy, and August was not hopeful that he would find something that would help him figure out who really killed Daniel.

As he spent most of the morning bent over picking through areas of interest, he was unfortunately turning up with very little evidence of any kind. The area where the body washed up was pretty open to just about anyone who happened to wander by, and by the reports that he read before venturing out here, that's sadly how he was found. A local fisherman was on his way to his boat down the dock when he saw the body. The medical examiner determined he'd been in the water for about two days but been dead for at least three. There wasn't much spectacular about the body other than the rope tied to his ankle and the three bullet holes that completely penetrated his chest.

August was able to look through the evidence once the initial investigation had finished but unfortunately there wasn't much on him in regards to being able to identify a suspect. He had old 1950's style watch on his left wrist, no wallet, no cell phone, some reassignment papers in his jacket pocket, and off course the rope found around his ankle that had probably been attached to whatever heavy object had kept him in the water. His clothes were washed of most of his blood and any physical DNA evidence of anything else from whoever killed him had long been compromised from being in the water so long. The murder weapon was never found and the stretch that was made to arrest Emma for the crime truly baffled August. They have her assault of him on file from last year as well as her more recent tantrum, but August had never seen a conviction solely on a previous threat. From past experience, August knew that these small town cops would arrest anyone for anything because they have very little overhead. The weirdest thing though, was the anonymous tip that came into the sherrifs station about seeing Emma and Daniel together the same week he turned up dead, but there was no lead on who made the call, and nobody saw her kill him. When it came down to it, there just wasn't much at all for August to go on, but even less for them to even have a chance to convict Emma. August really needed to find a weapon, and figure out who made that anonymous call.

August stood up and stretched his aching back. He wasn't surprised that he hadn't anybody come down to the docks this morning and that he found himself eerily alone still on the beach. He was sure anyone who wasn't a prepubescent boy, fascinated with crime scenes and dead bodies, would avoid this area like the plague until the heat of the case had faded. As his was thinking this, a familiar vehicle pulled up in the parking lot up above the beach where he was inspecting. It was Regina's silver mercedes, and after a minute or so, Regina emerged from the vehicle. His brows furrowed, wondering what she was doing up at the docks this early in the morning, and in this particular location of all places. She didn't seem to notice him, but in her defense he had wondered a bit from the original location of the body and was difficult to see from up in the parking lot. She pulled out a large cardboard box from out of her trunk and then casually headed down the dock. He didn't know why he felt this seemed suspicious enough to follow, but he followed his gut and decided to head up that direction to see what she was doing.

When he made it up to the wooden dock he loosely followed her so as not to draw attention to himself. There was no one else he could see out there with him so he knew if he was too obvious he would be easy to spot, the only noise covering the thud of his boots was the gentle rocking of the other boats docked around them. She continued almost to the last stall of the dock and boarded a small, very old looking boat that August was sure he wouldn't even have noticed if he had been walking by on his own.

When she disappeared below deck, he picked up his pace to catch up, listening carefully for movement down below deck. He stopped just short of the docking ladder and quickly checked his surroundings. He didn't want anyone else to think this was suspicious, but it was still too early for anyone to really be out and about yet, so he continued onboard.

His boots were silent as he slowly made his way up the ladder and stepped onto the dock of the boat. The wood creaked underneath him, but it creaked at every little movement it made in the water so he didn't figure he would set off any red flags for Regina down below. He definitely didn't give the boat much justice from a distance. It was solidly built, and seemed a bit bigger once you were onboard than just looking at it from the dock. However, it was definitely what he would describe as under construction and by his standards needed a lot more work before it would be safe to head out into the water. There were random pieces of wood and tools scattered around the top of the deck, cans of paint stacked nonchalantly near the helm, and piles of ropes nearby. He took a look around, all the while listening for Regina. He could hear her moving around below his feet, shuffling things, a couple of loud bangs that made him nervous. He found the door she had disappeared down, but he didn't want to scare or somehow be breaking in.

The longer he busied himself examining the deck the less he was paying attention to what Regina was doing, and in a sudden burst of the door that lead below deck, Regina emerged with the same cardboard box she had carried down with her, and as she turned to busy herself she caught August's large figure standing above her. She screamed out, throwing the box instinctively in his direction. He clumsily caught the box, but not before tripped over the pile of rope and crashing heavily down on the deck. The box tipped over onto him, and the sharp end of one of the tools caught him just above his eye. August instantly felt the cold rush of blood drip down his temple.

Regina screamed in the opposite direction, picking up a large nail gun and hiding behind the wheel of the ship. August tried to gather himself out from under the tools and untangle himself from the rope. When Regina had gained some courage and convinced herself she could use the nail gun if she needed to, she emerged slowly from behind the wheel. Regina couldn't see his face, only his large dark figure that looked like it could very easily overtake her if she got to close.

"Don't do anything stupid! I have a nail gun!" She yelled. The loaded nail gun shaking in her hand and pointed in his direction.

August held up his hands but still remained turned away from her. At this point, he wasn't sure how serious she was about hurting him right this moment. He almost found it comical the situation they had found themselves in but he swallowed the laugh. He didn't speak for fear of setting off her nerves and her accidentally getting trigger happy with the gun.

"Turn around." Regina ordered nervously.

August couldn't hide his smile as he slowly turned to face Regina. His fingers wiggled at her as her intensity level went from ten to two in a matter of seconds when she realized who he was.

"Dammit, August! What the hell are you doing here?" Regina dropped the nail gun at her feet and relaxed a bit, rushing over to help him get untangled. The ropes he had found himself in were like a snake and every time he tried to get them off they seemed to get tighter.

August laughed a little, reaching up to check his bleeding eyebrow. "Scaring the shit out of you apparently." He winced. "And I could ask you the same question." When they had finally got him untangled from the rope, August wrapped her in a bear hug. Just like she ones he used to give Emma.

When they let go, Regina examined his wound, the blood already drying down his cheek. "Looks like you might need stitches." She winced. "My bad. Come on down stairs, I have a med kit."

August followed her as they made their way below deck, his large frame barely fitting as easily as Regina down the hatch. Underneath seemed just as rough as above deck, and screamed a work in progress. This was definitely a huge project for whoever was working on this boat, and from what he'd seen this morning, he thought that person must be Regina.

"Who's boat is this?" August finally asked as he plopped down on a dust covered cushion as Regina rummaged through boxes and cabinets that littered the underside of the boat until she finally found the small kit she was looking for.

She set up the box on the table next August, pulling out some alcohol pads. "It's mine." She stated matter of factly.

"Seems… cozy." He joked. Regina pressed down hard on his wound with the pad and August twitched under the pain..

"It's definitely a work in progress. But I'm working on it." She explained, cleaning the side of his face of the dried blood. "Good news, the blood made it seem worse, so I don't think you'll need stitches."

August looked around once more as Regina exchanged her alcohol pad for a dry cloth. "So, you're just fixing up a boat… by yourself?"

"Is that so hard to believe?" She came back quickly.

"Uh… well no? I guess not?" August answered, very unsure of his answer. He honestly to his own fault didn't really know much about Regina, or her handywoman skills, or really who she was before Emma. Since he and Emma didn't talk as much as he would like, and they didn't share much about their personal lives, it was hard for him to really get a picture of who she was. Clearly, she was a woman with many talents, and a woman that August could hopefully learn more about as soon as he could get Emma out of trouble.

Regina shook her head at him. "Leroy has been helping me, but my father taught me a lot about boats and sailing. So don't worry, I promise I know what I'm doing." She smiled.

She taped a clean patch over his eyebrow and clicked the med kit shut, then after adjusting a few boxes and tools, she sat across from August. They both stayed quiet for a while. The boats gentle rock felt nice to August and he'd realized he never spent a lot of time on any boats. He was a solid ground type fellow and was okay with that. Anything off the ground made him feel sick.

Regina's leg bounced nervously, tapping on the floor of the boat. "Do you think she did it?" Regina asked quietly as she picked at her nails, not looking up at him.

August sighed and quickly answered shortly. "No."

Regina relaxed a little. "What are we going to do? Emma is going crazy." She asked.

August sat forward, the patch on his eyebrow moving with the concern on his face and he leaned over intently toward Regina. "Emma is in the best place right now. I convinced the judge to let me work on this and if I could find anything at all in favor of Emma not doing this then he will take her off house arrest. Until then, it's best that she is not out and about."

"I know. I just don't know how to make her feel better about it. I don't understand what she is going through. She is terrified of going to prison. She would lose her mind if she couldn't be around her son anymore." Regina vented. "And she hates it when I stay home with her because she doesn't want this to interfere with my life either, but I just feel awful when I leave her there by herself. I mean it's been weeks! I know she is getting cabin fever."

August could only imagine. Emma was not one to stay in one place for too long and for her to be stuck inside her house, he knew it was killing her. "I know it's hard. I can't tell you that it's easy for anyone I do this for, but she is my sister and I want you to know that I am going to do everything in my power to fix this." He smiled at her.

Regina smiled back but a hint of concern still hiding behind her eyes. "Thank you, August."

August stood suddenly, making his way around the room and inspecting all of the construction that Regina had been doing to this boat. "So, tell me about this boat." he changed the subject. "Did your family own it? Your dad?"

Regina laughed a little. "No, actually Emma bought it for me." She told him.

August gave her a strange look. "Emma bought you a boat?"

"She put a down payment on it last summer, yeah." She started. "But we never had a chance to work on it with everything going on." She nonchalantly brushed dust from the counter to the floor.

August chuckled. "I never pegged Emma for a girl who likes to be on the water."

Regina smiled. "She was trying to do something nice for me. So, here I am, trying to do something nice for her while she can't. She deserves more than this though." She admitted.

August stared at her for a moment. "Thank you for loving my sister." He told her bluntly and plainly.

Regina couldn't hide the smile that played across her lips. And then in a wave of emotion, tears escaped her eyes at the thought of how much she really did love Emma. Through everything, through the accident and recovery, through all of this now, she loved Emma more than life itself.

He took two large steps over to her and wrapped her in his arms. "Everything is going to be okay." He assured her.

She nodded in his chest. After they had gathered themselves August figured he needed to return to his work. He thanked her for the medical attention and told her to let him know if she needed help with the boat. He'd be in town for as long as it took to figure all of this out, and longer if needed. They exited the boat together while she thanked him, and with a small wave he went on his way back down the dock toward his car.

As he reached the last few boats a young man, probably in his mid 20's dropped down from one of the larger boats tied to it's wooden post, and startled August. He watched the boy as he checked a few ropes and gathered some material around his area.

"Afternoon." He greeted August politely.

August looked down at his watch to see he hadn't noticed the time was well past noon. "Afternoon." He had spent longer than he thought down here at the bay.

The boy went about his business checking and carrying some kind of equipment on board the boat. August watched him carefully, the boy finally noticing August had not left his presence.

In an effort to seem friendly, the boy dusted his hands off on his torn, stained jeans and headed over in August's direction. He was wearing an old white tank top, and he was quite fit from what August would tell. His military fade haircut and american flag tattoo on his right shoulder very heavily suggested he may have been from the base nearby, where Daniel was stationed and soon to be leaving according to the reassignment papers found on his body.

"You lost?" The boy asked, making sure not to get too close to August. He wiped a bead of sweat from his forehead with the bottom of his shirt.

"Uh, no sorry, I was just visiting a friend down the dock." August motioned casually from where he came from.

The boy looked down the dock where he could see Regina working away on the top of the deck. "Yeah, she comes here most days." The boy stated matter of factly. "She's done pretty good work with that boat." He shielded his eyes from the sun so he could see her more clearly. "Ain't she the wife of that girl they had locked up at county? I heard about the murder." He continued nonchalantly. He pulled out a rag from his back pocket and wiped what looked like grease off his hands and then shoved the rag back into his pocket.

August looked intently at the boy. He didn't like the boys interest in the case, but it was a small town so he figured everyone knew about everyone's business and when you are charged with murder of one of your own from town, news travels fast. What really made him uneasy was his particular interest in Regina.

"I, uh, didn't catch your name?" August took a few steps toward him turning the boys attention back to August.

He smiled politely. "Oh, it's Peter." He stretched out a hand.

August accepted it politely. "August." He stated bluntly. "Were you stationed at the base over here?" August eyed Peter's tattoo.

Peter glanced at his shoulder. "You know, I get that a lot. I really didn't think this would have given me away so easily when I got it. I might as well have tattooed "soldier" right across my forehead, right?." He joked. "Were you in the service?" Peter gave him a once him over.

"Marines. '85 to '90." August answered plainly.

"Got out as fast as you could, huh?" Peter joked again.

August nodded. "I guess you could say that."

A short awkward silence fell over them as August studied the nervy boy.

"Ah. Shit. My bad, a fellow soldier deserves a drink." Peter cut in. "Can I get you something?" He motioned toward his boat.

August declined politely. "I was actually wondering if I could ask you a few questions."

Peter wiped another bead of sweat from his brow, this time with the same rag he used for his hands, wiping a big black mark across his forehead. "Oh, I'm not sure what I did officer but I assure you… it wasn't intentional." Peter responded jokingly, smugly, resting his boot up on a crate next to him. August was getting annoyed with the attitude.

August cleared his throat. "You ever come into contact with Daniel Mills up at the base?"

Peter squinted his eyes. "Wait… you're that investigator the ladies hired from down in Boston?" He smirked and chuckled. "Well shit… you're practically a celebrity."

August took a deep breath annoyed at the pretty boy antics he was getting from Peter. "Alright, thanks for your time then." August had had enough.

"No wait, man I'm sorry. It's just the biggest scandal to hit this town since… well… ever." Peter admitted.

"Yeah, I'm not really here to play games. If you can't help me, I'd like to be on my way" August stated and motioned to leave.

"Alright, alright. I get it, man" Peter held his hands up in defeat and stood up normally. "Come on. I'll answer the questions."

August reluctantly returned back to the boy.

Peter started. "Daniel Mills. Yeah, I knew him from the base. He wasn't in my unit though. I'd seen him at dinner every now and then, but didn't know much about him other than his old lady." Peter motioned toward Regina. "Sucked about what went down you know. Hot though, if you know what I mean" Peter winked and smiled devilishly.

August rolled his eyes. It took all he had to not knock this kid in the teeth. Despite his presence being known in town, people actually didn't know he was Emma's brother, and August hoped that information would stay a secret, at least until the investigation was over, but to hear this kid getting his rocks off thinking about Emma and Regina, it made his blood boil. "Are you done?"

Peter nodded casually, readying himself for the next question.

"Did he have any enemies?" August asked his next question.

"Yeah, the Iraqis." Peter couldn't contain himself.

"Knock it the fuck off, man." August had finally had enough, and he lunged for the boy, grabbing a hold of his shirt and throwing him back. Peter kept his balance, but the smile had been instantly wiped from his face.

"Hey man, chill out. I'm just yanking your chain." Peter threw his hands up again, his confidence level zeroing out. "Look, we all had enemies. We were at war. Regardless of your feelings toward that there were a lot of people that wanted us dead. Why the fuck do you think I got out." Peter's tone changed. He sounded like a scared little puppy. "Man, when Daniel's body washed up there, I lost it man. I got out. Bought me the boat and I'm getting the hell out of this place. That's all I know, man."

August didn't like him, but he believed him. He wasn't wrong, all of these guys coming back from war had enemies abroad and at home. Some people didn't approve of the war, and some supported the hell out of it. But it proved that Emma may not have been Daniel's biggest enemy.

Emma paced the kitchen and dining room area in circles as was her routine in the afternoons. The ankle monitor felt like it dug into her skin more than most days. She hated it. It was everything that was torturing her and had been torturing her for the last two weeks. Every day she was locked in this house it got smaller and smaller. It only took her a couple of days to determine the boundaries the bracelet gave her around the house. She was allowed about ten steps off the porch all the way around the house, but that didn't give her much reason to go outside. Sometimes she sat on the porch with her cup of coffee, enjoying the early bite of spring, but once someone gave her a dirty look from the street she usually called it a day and headed back inside.

Regina and Henry were the only two people allowed at the house. Considering she was possibly a murderer, it took an act of God for the judge to grant her that much. Innocent until proven guilty was a joke. She felt everyone had already pegged her for guilty and she was going to have to prove herself innocent.

Emma called for August from the sheriff's station soon after she finished talking to her lawyer the night she was arrested. He was there within 24 hours but wasn't allowed to intervene in an investigation until the sheriff's station had officially finished with their own. Emma had missed the last two of Henry's basketball games in the weeks she had been under house arrest, but Regina was able to facetime her while at the game so she could watch on her phone. Emma cried as she watched them lose both games, and Henry, who was not playing like he had been before. Emma felt completely responsible. She couldn't imagine the pressure he was under at school.

They didn't talk much anymore when he was home from school, and it killed Emma. He stayed up in his room mostly and she has resorted to standing just outside of his closed door, her face on the cool wooden surface, listening to hear his music blaring through his headphones. She could smell his fresh cologne after his shower, and above all else she missed spending time with him.

As Emma made her thousandth pass through the dining room, Regina came through the front door carrying a couple bags of groceries.

"Hey babe! Let me help you!" Emma rushed over to her, helping in the minor way she still could. "What's for dinner?" She asked as Regina shed her coat and paint covered tennis shoes.

Regina proceeded into the kitchen, plopping a kiss on Emma's cheek and pushing the bangs from her face. "Lasagna. You're favorite!" She pecked one on her lips.

"Second favorite." Emma corrected her, pulling Regina back to her.

Regina looked puzzled at her. "What? Lasagna has always been your favorite." She stated matter of factly.

Emma wrapped her arms around Regina's waist. "You are my first favorite." Emma smiled and joined their lips back together.

Regina smiled in the kiss. "Well aren't you a bit of a romantic tonight. Maybe this house arrest thing has done you some good." Regina pulled back, pecked a small kiss on Emma's nose, and returned back to dinner.

Emma laughed. "So, what adventures have you been up to today?" Emma asked for the fourth night in a row seeing Regina come home with paint covered overalls and a sunburn.

Regina smiled. "I'm not telling you. For the last time it's a surprise!"

"You know you can't keep surprises from me." Emma teased her, pulling out some dishes for the lasagna.

Regina bit her lip to hide her smile. "Well there's always a first for everything. I did see August today though."

"Really? What did he say? Has he found anything?" Emma asked panicked.

Regina gathered the last ingredients from the fridge. "Babe, relax. He was just checking in. He said he was still working but he promised he'd have something soon, and he would let us know."

"Ugh!" Emma slumped down into one of the bar stools. "This sucks. I hate that I can't talk to him directly." Her head fell into her hands.

"I know." She brushed Emma shoulders as she worked on dinner around her. "But he is working so hard for us. He's going to figure it out." She assured her.

Emma laid the issue to rest as they continued quietly with dinner. Lasagna was actually Emma's favorite food and Regina's was absolutely one of a kind. Emma could eat a whole pan on command honestly.

"Henry! Dinner is ready!" Emma called from down in the dining room as she finished setting the table. Regina dished out a large scoop for the growing child and then one for Henry, and finally one for herself. Emma heard the familiar thudding of Henry's heavy feet come down the stairs. The music from the headphones around his neck got louder as he rounded the corner, and his basketball playbook still in hand. Without a word, he scooped up his plate and a fork and headed back to his room.

"Henry, we eat dinner downstairs." Emma called out. He didn't answer. And he didn't come back. Emma sighed in frustration and plopped down her napkin, pushing herself out of her chair.

Regina caught her before she stood all the way up. "Leave him."

Emma stared at her, anger creeping across her face. "Regina, are you serious? He just flat out ignored me." She pushed past Regina's hand on her shoulder and stood up. Regina stepped back a little.

"He's dealing with a lot." Regina tried to convince her. "He needs some space."

"Bullshit." Emma said loudly. "I am his mother."

"Emma… please don't…"

"Regina. He is my son. We are eating dinner… together… and that's final." She scooted her chair back aggressively and headed upstairs. "Henry!" She knocked on his door. He didn't answer. She knocked harder. "Henry, open this door, now!"

She was about to yell again when his door cracked open and his floating head appeared in front of her.

"What?" He asked plainly as if this situation was not abnormal.

"Open the door." She spoke hard and slow.

Henry stared at her. "It is open."

Emma was burning. "All. The. Way." She spit out.

He rolled his eyes but complied, turning away from her and plopping down on the bed and picking up his plate of lasagna, ignoring her presence in the room.

"Have you lost your mind?" She asked him standing in the middle of his room. His music was playing faintly through his headphones that were now sitting on his desk. His laptop open to youtube, and an eye catching pile of dirty clothes in the corner. "Earth to Henry!" She snapped at him.

"No, I haven't lost my mind." Henry answered as he shoved a piece of lasagna in his mouth.

Emma pinched the bridge of her nose in frustration. "Then why are we not down eating dinner as a family?" She pointed downstairs.

"Is that what we are calling this now?"

"Excuse me?" Emma was taken by his comment.

"You heard me." Henry placed his half eaten plate on his bedside table and avoided Emma's eye contact.

Emma's face went hot. "No, son, I don't think I did."

Henry ground his teeth. "This is not a family." His voice quivered. He raised himself up from his bed and stood over his mother. It wasn't until then that she really noticed how much taller he was getting. "Do you have any idea what I go through every day. I am a joke at school!" He yelled and started pacing the room. "All because of you!"

Emma remained quiet.

"Every day they call me names, they tell me I'm going to end up an orphan when you go to prison and some things I can't even repeat." He vented. "It's possible you're a murderer, you've had to facetime into my last two basketball games, you can't walk ten feet from the house, and you want to tell me that having dinner as a family is going to make up for it." He continued. "You're kidding yourself, mom. This is not normal, and no amount of family dinners is going to make this normal, despite what you may think. I can't do this anymore!" He slumped down on his mattress, his head buried in his hands.

Emma moved slowly and sat down next to her son. He was suffering, and it was her fault. Nothing about the last two years had been normal for him, and now realizing her error, she never really sat down and talked about it with him. He always just seemed so strong and he was her rock, but she didn't stop to think that he was still just a kid.

She placed a gentle hand on his shoulder blade. His white shirt was soft and clean. His hair was still damp from his shower. "Henry, I'm so sorry."

His shoulders bobbed as he cried, and she held onto him.

Regina had quietly made her way upstairs and sat down at the opening of Henry's room to listen. She felt awfully to blame as well. She'd been so busy busying herself that she made the same mistake as Emma and didn't check on Henry. She was selfish. All this time everything had been about her, now everything was about Emma, and nothing had ever been about Henry.

The dim light of August's hotel room lamp was all that kept him awake. He had been all over town the last few days and felt like he had gotten nowhere in this case. Sheriff Graham was up his ass trying to hold off the judge who wanted to see someone put away for this murder because an unsolved murder case looked bad in a small town, real bad.

August had been to just about everywhere except the base, but he knew needed special permissions to get in there. He couldn't just waltz in and start asking questions. He would need a warrant from the judge, and to get a warrant he needed probably cause, but he felt like asking would only make the judge more impatient. He was stuck between a rock and a hard place.

I heavy thud startled him on his hotel door. He checked the clock curiously, and after seeing it was well past midnight, he took caution in approaching the door. He brought his gun, but laid it on the table next to the door just in case. Another hard thud and a weird moan came from the hallway. When he cracked the door open, Peter wobbled in front of him before falling through the door frame. Luckily, August caught him before he hit the floor. His face was such a mess he couldn't tell what was actually bleeding. Bruising on his cheek bones had already spread to his eye, or maybe the other way around, August couldn't tell anymore.

"What the hell Peter!" August pulled him inside and dropped him on his bed. He ran back to the door, checking the hallway in case whoever attacked him had followed, but didn't see any sign of anyone else around, so he shut the door quickly and rushed back over to Peter.

Peter moaned at every movement of his body. August couldn't even imagine what the rest of his body felt like considering the look of his face. Someone beat the shit out of this kid,

"Hey, Peter. You gotta tell me what happened?" August tried to help him lay more comfortably on the bed.

"Wa… water." Peter mumbled.

August rushed into his bathroom and grabbed a glass of water, and by lifting his head up, helped Peter get a small sip of water. Peter winced and grunted as he sat up. He reached up to help steady the glass and when he did, August noticed gashes on his arms and bruises on his blood spattered knuckles. He was a tough kid, and fought back whoever did this to him, but he was no match for the guy and his weapon. Probably a knife from what August could tell by the gashes.

"Peter, who did this to you?" August tried again. "Peter?"

The boy dozed in and out of consciousness, but before he passed out completely he only managed one word. "Gold."