Bloodhound (Volume 1) with a cover date of June, 2005. It was published on April 13, 2005.
Synopsis for "Ashes to Ashes"
Travis grabs Saffron before the farm house explodes then explains his theory about who the Firebug is. Travis suspects that the boy in the fire who is being whipped by Huskey's Devil is the actual firebug and he is trying to burn away his rough childhood. Travis and Saffron head to city hall where they bump into Tammy who was just leaving. They asks Tammy for birth certificates because they need to know if Huskey had a son. Tammy reluctantly admits that her boyfriend Jay Stone is actually Jay Fowler Huskey, Charles' son. Sheriff Nichols overhears their conversation and makes his way to Kestrel, Alabama.
Travis and Saffron tell Tammy to stay behind while they head to Jay's trailer home in Kestrel. Travis speculates that each time Jay falls asleep and relives a brutal moment in his childhood in one of the houses that he lived in, his subconscious creates the two fiery figures before they explode. Travis fears that since Jay has burned down every home he ever lived in with his dad, the only thing left is to incinerate himself. They reach Jay's trailer home but Travis notices Nichols car coming up the road. Saffron agrees to talk down Jay while Travis deals with Nichols and his posse. Travis can hear Nichols saying that he handcuffed Reverend Hutto to a toilet and he intends to take Jay to the Springs so no one will disturb his posse as they exact their justice. Travis attacks Nichols and his posse one by one.
Jay confides in Saffron that he didn't murder his father. Jay found his father dead in the farmhouse but he didn't have any money to bury his father so he left his corpse in the barn. Saffron talks about the fires and the possibility that Jay is a metahuman. Jay doesn't believe Saffron and he tries to stay resolved by saying his alibi is he was never near any of those homes when they burned down. Saffron tries to comfort Jay by saying that he didn't intentionally want to start those fires but his erratic sleep patterns are responsible. Jay begins to feel guilty and upset that he inadvertently started those fires and those he killed are his burden to bare. Jay snaps at Saffron because she couldn't possibly understand the trauma of a father who was so cold to their child.
Saffron tells Jay that she knows exactly the kind of pain he is going through. Saffron sits Jay down and folds the hair on the back of her head which reveals a scar. Jay asks how it happened and Saffron explains that it happened to her when she was twelve. Saffron was kidnapped and her kidnappers demanded 20 million dollars from her father who was insanely rich. Saffron's father refused to pay the kidnappers and instead of contacting the police, he hired a band of mercenaries to track down the kidnappers. The mercenaries killed Saffron's captors and rescued her. When the mercenaries brought Saffron back to her father, Saffron ran to her father for comfort but her father whacked the back of her head with a paperweight. Saffron realized that her father went the cheap route to get his daughter back by hiring the mercenaries but he was angry with Saffron because she made him lose control of his world by allowing herself to get kidnapped in the first place.
Saffron knows Jay's pain of feeling helpless and she admits that the trauma may never disappear but one can build from it like when Saffron decided to become a part of the FBI. After hearing Saffron's story, Jay's subconscious creates three fiery devils that resemble his father and the demons surround the trailer park. Nichols is stricken with fear and takes aim with his gun. Nichols shoots and the gunshot frightens Jay which in turn cause the demons to attack the trailer park. Travis sucker punches Nichols and notices Zeiss walking around the trailer park. Zeiss tells Travis to back off because he has enough sedative to bring down Jay and end the fires. Travis figures that Zeiss' employer wants Jay to work off his father's debt since Huskey is dead.
Travis and Zeiss fight each while Saffron tries to comfort Jay because his fire demons are burning everything in the trailer park. Travis sucker punches Zeiss and as Zeiss tries to get back to his feet, Travis knocks out Zeiss with Nichols' patrol car. With Zeiss unconscious on the ground, Travis takes his sedative to use on Jay. Jay can't understand how he can bare the guilt of the people he hurt or killed but Saffron promises she will help him through it as will Tammy. Travis busts into Jay's trailer home and sticks Jay with the sedative. Jay starts to lose focus and falls asleep which causes the fire demons to fade away in a puff of smoke.
Saffron calls the DEO to take Jay into their custody and informs the agents that she will be accompanying Jay. Before she leaves, Saffron asks Travis a personal question. Saffron asks why Travis didn't take advantage of the situation when she intentionally left the door to her room open so Travis could walk in on her in the shower. Travis admits that he was considering it which would make his life much more simple but after talking to Patricia and hearing her offer to live with the Crosbys, he has been feeling conflicted. Saffron hands Travis the key to his collar, tells him that he should be with Patricia and be a father for Rachel and especially for Michelle. Saffron leaves with Jay while Travis takes a long walk to think things over.
Appearing in "Ashes to Ashes"
Featured Characters:
Supporting Characters:
Antagonists:
Other Characters:
- Jay Stone (Final appearance)
- Mister Bell (Flashback only)
- Tammy (Final appearance)
- Ted Nichols (Final appearance)
Locations:
- Georgia
- St. Christopher
Items:
Vehicles:
Notes
- This is the final issue of the series.
- Earliest chronological appearance of Saffron Bell. Contains flashback scenes, which take place prior to events chronicled in Bloodhound #1.
- Saffron Bell's father appears in a flashback, which takes place prior to events chronicled in Bloodhound #1.