Absolution - The First Book Of The Vampire Immortalis Trilogy by Elizabeth Mitchell

completed 12th grade at High School in June and decided to do some travelling before making my mind up what to do with the rest of my life. I have an aunt who lives in Melrose and so decided to pay her a visit.”
    “So how long are you here for?” asked Muckle.
    “No definite dates,” said Adam. “I'll know when it's time to go home.”
    “When your aunt's had enough of you, you mean,” said Muckle with a big smile on his face.
    “Hey, you're not the guy that strung up big Jim Scott, are you?” asked David jokingly.
    Adam shook his head and laughed in reply. “I've the perfect alibi. I only arrived from the States yesterday.”
    News of the murder of Jim Scott had been the talk of the town ever since he had been found hanging from the rugby posts by a woman out walking her dog. Journalists and camera crews had descended on Melrose as soon as the story broke, although the police statement regarding the murder investigation had omitted any mention of either the puncture wounds to the neck or the smell of toilet disinfectant. Key information that would be known only to the murderer is often withheld during the early stages of such an investigation and DCI Buchan was playing it strictly by the book.
    “I was just admiring your abbey,” Adam said. “Looks pretty cool all lit up at night.”
    “Aye, I suppose it does,” said David as if he was looking in its direction for the first time. “We see it that much you forget it is even there!”
    “Do you come down here a lot then?”
    “Most nights,” chipped in Heather. Although the same age as Lisa, she looked older because she was quite a bit taller, almost as tall as Adam in fact. “There's no' a great deal to do in Melrose as you'll soon find out. This bench is basically where it's at, I'm afraid.”
    “Cometh the hour, cometh the man!” Muckle had spotted Liam heading towards them.
    “Here we are, boys and girls,” Liam said as he pulled two bottles of Buckfast wine out of the plastic bag he was carrying.
    The Family were aficionados of this particularly tasty brand of fortified wine that is known throughout Scotland as Wreck The Hoose Juice. Their thinking was that if they were drinking so close to Melrose Abbey, it was only right and proper that they drank alcohol made by monks from another abbey, Buckfast Abbey. The fact that it was cheap, sweetened the deal. Interestingly, given recent events, Buckfast was once sold using the advertising slogan,
Three small glasses a day, for good health and lively blood
.
    Liam walked over to Lisa and kissed her.
    “How was work?” she asked.
    “Usual nonsense,” replied Liam. He worked at the Asda supermarket in Galashiels, stacking shelves mostly, and had come straight from work to the park. There wasn't much reason to go home. That morning, Liam had come back from buying some milk to find his Dad going through the pockets of his work clothes, looking for money to buy drink, and they'd had a blazing row about it. The irony was he could usually go days without exchanging so much as a word with his father, even when sat in the same room.
    “I see the police have cordoned off the toilets in Abbey Street,” said Liam, not wanting to dwell on the subject of work. “I wonder if that's to do with the Scott murder?”
    “No, it's just our Alan they're looking for,” said Muckle pointing at the youngest goth present. “He did a dump in there on his way down here and it's now a major crime scene. That's why they're all wearing those chemical suits. They think it might be one of those dirty bombs and are talking about evacuating the town! Just call him wee Osama!”
    Everyone was laughing, including a red-faced Alan, but Adam was less interested in what was being said and more so in the fact that, ever since Liam's arrival, the faint smell of vampire was unmistakable. It wasn't enough to suggest another vampire was present, but it did suggest that someone had come into contact with a vampire. Adam hadn't come across