Back away from him, Bluebeard. If I have to lay my hands on you, it won't end until one of us is dead on the floor. 
- — Bigby Wolf
Fables #3 is an issue of the series Fables (Volume 1) with a cover date of September, 2002. It was published on July 17, 2002.
Synopsis for "Blood Tells"
Bigby brings the Flycatcher and Boy Blue to Rose Red's Greenwich Village apartment. He provides them with plastic bags of blood and tells them that he wants them to recreate the crime scene in an adjacent apartment. He wants them to produce the exact same splatter marks so that he can determine exactly how much blood was found at the scene. After he acquires the results he needs, he further instructs them to clean up both apartments of all evidence and to be sure to avoid the attention of Mundy police officers.
Snow White meanwhile goes to the penthouse office of Mayor-for-Life King Cole at the Woodland Building. Cole tells her that Bluebeard called his office complaining about Bigby's brazen accusations. Snow recounts the events of Bigby's investigation and confirms that he did in fact accuse both Bluebeard and Jack Horner of murdering Rose Red. They even interviewed other potential suspects such as the Black Forest Witch.
Snow returns to her office and meets with Bigby. Bigby has commandeered Jack Horner's personal computer and wants Snow White to check the hard drive to see if there is anything linking Jack to Rose's disappearance.
Later, Bluebeard arrives at the Woodland building and manipulates the security guard Grimble into letting him into Jack's cell. Bluebeard is convinced that Jack is guilty and holds a knife to his throat. Bigby discovers what is going on and races down to the jail cell. Charging in, he transforms into his wolf form and warns Bluebeard to drop the knife. Bluebeard retorts, telling him that he has no intention of killing Jack, but he just wants to torture him a little. Bluebeard knows that he doesn't stand a chance in a fight against Bigby, but just the same, he is prepared to square off with him.
Snow White bursts into the cell attended by Grimble and Bufkin the winged monkey. All three of them are armed with medieval weaponry. Snow White herself is carrying the famed Vorpal blade. Bluebeard relaxes and tells them that he intends no further acts of violence.
Later that evening, Bigby goes over the information from Flycatcher and Boy Blue's crime scene recreation. He visits Snow White's office and regretfully tells her that in accordance with the amount of apparent blood loss, there is no way that Rose Red can still be alive.
Appearing in "Blood Tells"
Featured Characters:
Supporting Characters:
- Jack Horner (Flashback and main story)
- Bluebeard (Flashback and main story)
- Boy Blue
- Flycatcher
- Frau Tötenkinder (First appearance; unnamed)
- King Cole
- Prince Charming (Flashback only)
Antagonists:
Other Characters:
Locations:
- Homelands (First appearance) (Flashback only)
- New York City
Items:
- Vorpal Sword (First appearance)
Vehicles:
- None
Notes
- This issue is reprinted in Fables: Legends in Exile.
- Frau Tötenkinder is also known as the Black Forest Witch from Hansel and Gretel fame. Bigby makes several allusions to her peculiar dietary habits in this issue. Boy Blue made reference to her in issue #1 when he advised Beauty and the Beast not to discuss cassarole recipes with a "Black Forest Witch".
- Grimble is the security guard for the Woodland Luxury Apartments. He was first seen napping at his station in issue #1. Although he normally assumes a human guise, he can be seen in his true form towards the end of this issue.
- First appearance of the Homelands; seen in one-panel flashback cameo.
- First full appearance of all three of the Three Little Pigs; seen in flashback only. The "House of Straw" pig makes a cameo appearance in this issue.
- The Vorpal Sword is an item featured in the Lewis Carroll poem Jabberwocky.
Trivia
- This is the first time that Bigby is seen in his wolf form.
- King Cole can be seen with all three of his traditional possessions; his bowl, his pipe and three fiddles.