My Boyfriend is a Vampire Forever Knight, season 3, episode 6 Written by Phil Bedard & Larry LaLonde Transcribed by Marg Baskin Proofread by Nancy Warlocke Guest cast: Jerry Tate...................................Geordie Johnson Charly Hawkes......................Stephanie Louise Vallance Maggie Dwyer................................Brittaney Edgell Dr. Jennifer Joyce..........................Shelley Peterson Screed...........................................Greg Kramer Bourbon..................................Normand Bissonnette Jacinta..............................................Patrice Franceline.......................................Laura Adamo Julia.........................................Lucia Verrelli Maria........................................Chantale Nadeau Nuberg ..................................Ray Kahnert Hitman..........................................Bryan Thomas TEASER [SCENE: A TV studio, where "The Jerry Show"--a tabloid-TV talk show--is being filmed. Jerry Tate, the host, is introducing his guests for the episode.] Jerry: We're back, and talking about supernatural lovers. If you were amazed by Ralph's intimate encounters with ghostly nymphomaniacs-- [The video image is subtitled with "Seduced by Sex Starved Spirits" as it shows Ralph.] Jerry: --or Lavonda's accounts of phone sex from the grave-- [Lavonda's image is subtitled "Kinky calls from the dead."] Jerry: --wait till you hear this. I want you all to meet Maggie Dwyer. Maggie says her boyfriend is... Maggie: My boyfriend is a vampire. [Maggie's subtitle appears: "In love with a vampire."] Jerry: [earnestly] Now, Maggie, vampires don't really exist, do they? [CUT to the morgue, where Natalie is watching "The Jerry Show" on a small TV. As Jerry asks the question, she hastily puts down her cup of coffee and starts paying attention to what's going on.] Maggie: [on the TV] I used to think that, until he showed me. He grew his fangs, his eyes turned blood red, and he started to speak French. [Deciding that this is all a joke, Natalie starts to relax again.] Jerry: [on the TV] Now, Maggie--the burning question. Maggie, what's it like to love a vampire? Maggie: [on the TV] Oh, he knows so much about love, Jerry. He tells me about all the famous people he knew. All the great poets. [CUT to the studio, where a pan of the live audience shows Tracy among the spectators. She, too, is taking a focused interest in what's being said.] Maggie: He reads their love poems to me by candlelight. He's so romantic. [CUT back to the morgue, where Natalie is drawn back to full attention by Jerry's next question.] Jerry: [on the TV] I guess what we really want to know, Maggie... what's it like to have sex with a vampire? [The on-set audience greets the question with cheers and hoots.] Jerry: [on the TV] Shhh, come on. Maggie: [on the TV] I'm sorry, Jerry--that's between him and me. All I'll say is--he really knows how to please a woman. [Natalie's face shows disbelief, annoyance and various other mixed emotions at *that* comment.] Jerry: [on the TV] Dr. Jennifer Joyce, what do you make of all this? Dr. Joyce: [on the TV] Well, there are two kinds of love, Jerry. There's wellness love, which is good love, healthy love, love love. [Natalie stops flipping through the report she's reading and stares directly at the set, listening.] Dr. Joyce: It's characterized by respect and understanding--and great sex. [CUT to the studio audience, where Tracy, too, is starting to look thoughtful and uncomfortable.] Dr. Joyce: And then there's unwellness love, like Maggie's. People get involved in this kind of relationship to relieve their loneliness. They put up with abuse, neglect. [CUT to Natalie, frozen in place as she listens.] Dr. Joyce: [on the TV] They let their emotions get trampled and destroyed--all the while, fantasizing and rationalizing, in Maggie's case about a love that's unattainable. Not even real. Needless to say, Jerry, the sex is nonexistent. [Natalie reacts to that with fatalism.] [CUT to the studio. Jerry leaves his chair on stage, and starts to walk among the studio audience.] Jerry: Let's see what our audience has to say. Who's going to help me out here? [He wanders through the audience, bypassing several people who are trying to get his attention, then stops beside Tracy.] [CUT to Natalie, who looks at the TV set again just in time to see Tracy's image appear.] Jerry: [on the TV] How about this lovely young lady. What do you say to someone who says they're in love with a vampire? Tracy: [on the TV] Um... They should get help? [Approving hoots and catcalls from the audience.] [SCENE: Maggie Dwyer's home. Maggie is attacked by a figure dressed in black, wearing a ski mask and carrying a butcher knife. Maggie screams and tries to fend him off, hitting him with anything she can grab, but he stabs her repeatedly until she falls.] OPENING CREDITS [SCENE: Maggie's apartment. Nick, Nat, Tracy, Reese and forensics are on scene, working at various tasks.] Tracy: [recognizing the victim] Oh, my God... Natalie: ...Maggie Dwyer. They tell me the time of death was, oh, about two hours. Nick: A knife? Natalie: Uh huh. And by the looks of it someone was pretty motivated. [Tracy comes over to Nick.] Nick: Something? Tracy: She was on the Jerry show tonight. She claimed her boyfriend was a vampire. [Nick and Natalie each give her a peculiar look.] Tracy: [embarrassed] I was in the audience. I... watch the show from time to time, okay? It's just fun. [Natalie continues to look uncomfortable, but Nick is grinning.] Nick: [conspiratorially to Natalie] Her boyfriend was a vampire. Tracy: Like I said, it was just fun. Nick: Yeah, so's bowling. [Reese is holding up a wine glass, examining it.] Reese: Knight. Vetter. She live alone? Nick: Yeah. Her superintendent said she's got a boyfriend. Claimed he's a vampire. On "The Jerry Show." [If looks could kill, Tracy would have just murdered him.] Reese: [disgusted] Oh, great. Another Jenny Jones three-ring circus. A couple of days, this town's going to be lousy with media vultures. I'm going to move surveillance in next door so we can keep an eye on this place. We find this boyfriend fast, right? Nick: Right. [SCENE: the studio where they tape "The Jerry Show." Nick and Tracy walk in.] Tracy: Nothing on Maggie, except the vampire fetish. Seems to have led a fairly quiet life. A little on the lonely side. Nick: Except for the boyfriend. Do you buy it? The vampire angle? Tracy: What? Vampires? Okay, so she goes on television, says what she says, and then she's dead. Maybe her boyfriend thinks he's a vampire. Sick, you know. Maybe he did it to shut her up. Nick: You don't believe in vampires? Tracy: Of course not. [fishing] Do you? [They halt behind the bank of cameras and lightning equipment. Technicians are preparing to tape Jerry, who is standing on the set, facing a camera.] Technician: Everybody settle please. Tape's rolling. Jerry: [to the camera] Yesterday on the Jerry Show, a young woman, Maggie Dwyer, spoke of her incredible love affair with a vampire. We saw a woman genuinely, deeply in love. Misguided, perhaps, but in love. Last night, Maggie was murdered. All of us on "The Jerry Show" are saddened by this tragedy. It must be stated that Maggie's death was no way a result of her appearance on my show. This was a random act. I ask that Maggie's death not be made the subject of tawdry, sensationalized speculation. [slightly choked up] I ask this in Maggie's name. Technician: That's a keeper. Jerry: Good. [Dropping the cloying sincerity, he heads for the coffee machine, and pours himself a cup.] Nick: Mr. Tate--Detective Knight, Metro homicide. This is Detective Vetter. We spoke earlier. Jerry: Of course. Tracy: We've met. Jerry: Ah, yes, I never forget a pretty face. You, a homicide detective, of all things. Interesting. [He shakes Tracy's hand, holding it a second too long.] So, what did you think of the Maggie promo? Nick: Promo? Jerry: Yeah. We'll use it as a hook for the show tonight. Why don't you stick around? We're doing sexism in swimwear. [Jerry's producer, Charly Hawkes, rushes over to join them.] Charly: Jerry, that was fabulous. Jerry: Was it sincere enough? I think it was-- Charly: [speaking over his comments] Absolutely. Jerry: --Anything more, and it would have been insincere. Charly: Absolutely. You nailed it, as always. Jerry: [to Nick and Tracy] Charly Hawkes, my producer and biggest fan. Charly: [embarrassed] Oh, Jerry. Jerry: Detectives Knight and Vetter. Charly: How do you do? We're awfully sorry about Maggie. Please tell me this has nothing to do with her segment. I've just put my star's word on tape that it didn't. Tracy: Did you ever meet the boyfriend? The vampire--I mean, alleged vampire. Jerry: No. Nick: Did you get a name or an address? I mean, you must have interviewed Maggie before she was committed to the show. Charly: Well, of course we did, but vampires don't exist. Why ask for the name and address of a myth? Nick: You didn't check out her story? Her background? Her? Anything? Jerry: The story was really all that mattered, and the story was really her belief in it. Charly: Yes, all of our guests last night claimed to have supernatural lovers, but that wasn't what the story was about. Jerry: I wanted to look at what the need for love can do to people. Charly: Yes. Jerry: The lengths they'll go to, to feel loved. Charly: Absolutely. Nick: Oh, I see. It was a deep investigation of the human psyche. Charly: [laughing] Detective, this is television, we all know that. No illusions here. Jerry: We find that fine line between social relevance and entertainment. It's not as easy as it looks. [His attention drifts back to Tracy.] Jerry: Charly, remember that cute little idea you had--or was it mine, anyway, it doesn't really matter. It's a story about women in dangerous jobs. Traditionally male-dominated areas. [Tracy looks from Jerry to Nick, not liking what she's hearing.] Charly: Yes, yes--she'd be perfect. Tracy: No, no, no, no. I've never been on TV before, except for last night, and that doesn't really count. No, the Captain would never go for it. Jerry: I'll call him. Tracy: No. Jerry: Great! Charly will set it all up. Charly: Absolutely. Now, if there's nothing else? Jerry, you've got to get ready. Nick: Uh, thanks for your help. Jerry: Anytime. Charly: Jerry--come on. [She drags him away. He goes with her, but continues to stare back at Tracy until he's out of sight.] Nick: [grinning, whispering it as a secret] I think he likes you. Tracy: Get over it. Nick: Yeah, yeah. Listen, we should go. Natalie's waiting. Tracy: Oh, uh, I... forgot... I have a... plumber... coming by my apartment. I have to swing by and let him in. Nick: [amused, obviously guessing the identity of her "plumber"] A plumber? Tracy: Yup. Nick: [humoring her] No problem. [They both notice the guests filing in for the taping. First are a pair of male body-builder types, wearing skimpy bathing suits. Nick takes in Tracy's reaction to the pair.] Nick: Is that sexism? Or swimwear? [The next two guests are bikini-clad women. This time it's Nick's turn to react.] Tracy: Uh, sexism. [SCENE: A restaurant. Vachon and Tracy are sitting together at a table.] Tracy: What if it is a vampire? How do I explain something like that? People will think I was nuts. Nick especially. He is such a skeptic. Vachon: [sarcastically] Know him that well, do you? Tracy: Well enough. Vachon: My advice: Don't try to explain it. If it *is* a vampire and you find that out for sure... you'll probably be dead before you can tell anyone. [He grins at her pleasantly.] Tracy: [interpreting the comment as a joke] Right. Yeah, I'm probably just overreacting. It's probably just a big coincidence. Vachon: This killing is not all that's on your mind. Tracy: No... It's Maggie--the victim. She had a relationship... Or, at least, she thought she did. Vachon: [puzzled] Yeah, so? Tracy: So, sometimes it's hard to tell if you have a relationship or not. You think you have a commitment. You think you have a future. And then you realize the guy doesn't even realize there's a relationship going on to begin with... [suddenly losing momentum] I'm just saying this is true of some women. Vachon: [studiously dense] That happens, I guess. What can you do about it? Tracy: [exasperated] Nothing.... Men... Look, I gotta go. [She gets up, drops money on the table, and walks out. Vachon watches her leaves, then sinks into memory...] [FLASHBACK Spain, 1780s, a stable. Vachon, Screed and Bourbon enter with four young women. Vachon is carrying his companion. Bourbon has two with him. The women are wearing classic "tavern wench" clothes--peasant skirts, mob caps, and blouses that show off shoulders and cleavage.] Screed: Oh, yes. Fine gentlemen all! [Amidst much laughter, they sprawl out on the hay.] Screed: And when we've done doing the jigs at yer town square, Father, we'll be jigging the young cheenas in a far proper way. [Vachon stares at the woman with him, then withdraws from her and stands up again.] Vachon: Wait--stop! Have you no decency? Screed: Oy, watch your language, will we? There's ladies present. Vachon: Shut your mouths! [shouting] All of you. I'll kill the first one that dares to speak another word. [The others are all staring at him, confused and a little worried.] Vachon: My ladies, Screed and Bourbon are not gentlemen. Screed: [insulted] In a rat's crammy. [Bourbon gets to his feet, offended.] Bourbon: Mind your tongue, sir. Vachon: [ignoring him] Or they would know the proper way to treat a lady. A lady such as this. Her virtue pure as a mountain spring that bursts forth from the bedrock, rushing deep and fast toward the lush, fertile valley below. [Screed looks bored, Bourbon annoyed, but the girls are enjoying this.] Vachon: And we, as gentlemen, sail her waters, aboard her virgin ship. And we christen her Santa Maria, our Lady of the Valley. [Vachon is holding a bottle of wine. He upends it, and pours it over the woman beside him, staining her white blouse with scarlet trails. Then he drops down on top of her and takes her in his arms.] [CUT back to the present. Vachon, still sitting at the table, alone after Tracy's departure.] Vachon: Women. [SCENE: the morgue. Nick and Natalie are discussing the case. Natalie is distant, and obviously in a bad mood.] Natalie: Whether her killer is mortal or a vampire, Maggie is just as dead. Nick: And you don't know which? Natalie: Nope. On the other hand, if her boyfriend really is a vampire, and she went on the Jerry Tate show to tell the world, there's a motive. Nick: And he wouldn't kill her in the usual way, because that would be risking exposure. Natalie: Yup. End of discussion. [She gets up from the microscope where she's been working, and walks away.] Nick: All right, I'll bite. I'm in the dog house. You're angry with me, and I don't know why. Natalie: [testing the relevance of the word] Angry? Nick: Am I wrong? Natalie: It's just... uh... I don't know. I don't know... I don't even know what I'm looking for here. Nick: Nat, why don't we just take this one word at a time? Natalie: Maybe I'm feeling just a little teeny-weeny bit like Maggie Dwyer. Nick: What's that supposed to mean? Natalie: I saw the show, too. And as I was watching, I kept thinking "whoever this guy is, Maggie, he's using you." Nick: So that's the way you feel about me--about us, right? Natalie: Well... [Turning to confront him.] Have you stopped drinking blood? Do you, uh... I dunno. What about the medication? The prescriptions for your skin? Everything that I do, what is it for if you won't work with me. I mean, you say that you will, but you don't. You've just... You've just got to tell me.... [He puts his hands on her arms, stopping the flow of words.] Nick: [quietly] I don't know what to tell you, Nat. Natalie: Well, then, call me crazy, but what you're doing is hurting me. Nick: Well, that's not my intention. Natalie: Really? What is your intention? [He doesn't have an answer.] [SCENE: the surveillance post across the street from Maggie's apartment. Two cops are on duty, splitting a pizza while they watch the apartment through the window. Tracy joins them.] Tracy: Nothing so far, eh, guys? Cop #1: Well, we've counted eleven different kinds of bugs in this place. Big pepperoni fans. Tracy: [laughing] Well, as long as they don't eat the crust. [The cop is watching Maggie Dwyer's apartment through binoculars. He sees a flashlight beam play over the windows.] Cop #1: Wait a second, we've got something--there's movement in there. Tracy: Okay, wait here. And I mean it. [She turns and hurries out.] Cop #2: [calling after her] You got it, Tracy. [CUT TO Nick and Natalie at the morgue, still arguing. Nick's cellular phone rings and he answers it impatiently.] Nick: [into the phone] Knight. Cop #1: [on the phone] We've got movement in Dwyer's place. Nick: [into the phone] Don't move 'til I get there. Cop #1: [on the phone] Does that go for your partner, too? She's halfway across the street by now. Nick: [into the phone] What? [He hangs up the phone, and turns back to Natalie. He knows the interruption isn't going to help the situation, but he's mentally back on the case.] Nick: Surveillance team. Somebody's over at Maggie's apartment. Tracy's already on her way. If that guy really is a vampire-- Natalie: [wearily] Yeah, I know, I know. COMMERCIAL [SCENE: Tracy in Maggie's apartment. The lights are off. She has her gun out, and is moving silently through the rooms. Somewhere in front of here, there's a sudden disturbance--sounds of a struggle, and a man's voice, frightened and protesting.] Upton: Get off! Help! Tracy: Police! [She finds a switch, and flips it, flooding the apartment with light. Ahead of her in the kitchen, Nick and Vachon are holding a small, balding man--George Upton--between them. In tandem, they fling him face-down across the kitchen table, then stare at each other.] Upton: Ow, you're hurting me! [Tracy just stares at both of them.] Upton: [in panic] Let me up! [The two vampires pull Upton to his feet. Nick continues holding him, but Vachon pointedly retreats a few steps.] Upton: [staring from one to the other] Who are you? What do you want? Nick: Metro Homicide. Vachon: Well, actually, I'm not. Tracy: [putting her pistol away] Uh... no, he's an... acquaintance of mine. [She gives Vachon a dirty look.] Nick: And you? Upton: I'm an acquaintance of Maggie's. George Upton. Nick: Fine, Mr. Upton. Let's go somewhere and talk. [Still holding Upton in an armlock, Nick starts to lead him away. As he passes Tracy, he glances over his shoulder at Vachon, who is still lounging against the counter.] Nick: [to Tracy] Are we expecting anyone else, or can we go? Tracy: [flustered] Uh, yeah. [As soon as Nick is out of sight, she goes over to Vachon.] Tracy: What are you doing here? Vachon: You said, "Maybe a vam--" Tracy: Don't say that word. Look, I can handle this. I don't need your help. Vachon: Fine. I guess I'll be on my way, then. [He starts to leave.] Tracy: Wait. Is he a vam--? Vachon: [sarcastic but amused] *Don't* say that word. And I thought you didn't need my help? No, he's not a-- [He pantomimes nipping at her, grins and leaves.] [SCENE: the squad room of the 96th Precinct. Tracy and Nick walk in together.] Nick: Do you have a lot of people like Vachon hanging around, waiting to save you? Tracy: Very funny. Look, Vachon is just a friend who's trying to help. That's all. Nick: Hm. Who happened to see you on the street as you were heading to make the arrest. And being concerned for your safety, he decided to back you up? Tracy: Um, yeah. Sort of. Nick: That's quite a friend. By the way--did you get everything straightened out with that plumber of yours? [SCENE: an interrogation room at the Precinct. Upton is sitting in a chair, with Nick and Tracy standing over him to either side.] Upton: Maggie and I were dating. Nick: Dating? Upton: You know, an item. Nick: It says here you're married, Mr. Upton. Tracy: And not to Maggie. You were cheating on your wife. Upton: I wish you wouldn't say it that way. Look, it was just for fun. Maggie's a real kinky chick--you know how it is. Nick: Did you kill her? Upton: No. Tracy: Then why were you sneaking around in her apartment? In the dark. Upton: I had to make sure there was nothing there to connect her to me. I mean if my wife ever found out. [He pantomimes a stab.] She's fiery. Tracy: Any idea why Maggie claimed you were a vampire? Upton: I told her not to do that stupid show. We liked to pretend, you see? She said I look great in a cape. Look, if a great-looking chick like Maggie says she thinks you're a vampire, you go with it. Tracy: [disgusted] Especially if it gets you into bed with her. Upton: She's a little nutsy. What else can I say? Nick: Go home, Mr. Upton. Go home to your fiery wife. Upton: This... this won't get out, will it? I'd be a dead man. Tracy: Oh, no--not dead, Mr. Upton. Just... ssssssstt... [She pantomimes a cutting motion in the general neighborhood of his groin.] Tracy: ...a little less of a man. [SCENE: a few minutes later. Tracy and Nick walk into the squad room together.] Nick: [trying not to laugh] "A little less of man?" Tracy: [embarrassed] I know. I couldn't help myself. He deserved it. I mean, you can't get men to commit, and when they do, they don't. They cheat. They throw love right back in your face... Sorry--I can't imagine where this might be coming from. So you think he's telling the truth? Nick: [laughing] You think anyone would make up such a humiliating story? [Behind them, Reese has been having another unsuccessful try at getting some water out of the cooler.] Reese: Well, we ran a check on the wife. Susan Upton has been in Winnipeg for the last two weeks, at a science fiction convention or something. Probably learning to speak Klingon. [He looks at the empty water cup in disgust, crumples it and throws it away.] Nick: Well, that takes care of the jealous wife angle. Reese: What did you get from Romeo? Nick: Well, Upton says Maggie was a little nutty, but that's about it. Reese: A little nutty. Sounds more like a nut cluster to me. I mean, vampires. Tracy: Hey, well, maybe Maggie was really in love with Upton. And because he won't leave his wife, she's left loving this man that she can never have. So she starts making up these wild stories about him. Fantasizing about him. I can sympathize with that. Reese: Sorry, sometimes crazy is just plain crazy. Nick: So, Maggie's imagination was working overtime. Where does that go? Reese: It doesn't get us to a motive. Why does somebody stab her more than thirty times? [He indicates the videotape he's holding.] Reese: This is a tape of the show they sent over. Now I know why I stick to hockey and nature shows. I mean, people get on these talk shows, let their deepest, dumbest secrets be exploited for what? Ratings, and maybe five minutes of fame. And what possessed you on your time off to be in the studio audience? [Nick grins at her, waiting to see what answer she'll come up with.] Tracy: It's fun. Reese: You're worse than my wife. Denise won't shut up about "The Jerry Show." She goes on and on. It drives me crazy-- [conspiratorially to Nick] --but at least she doesn't watch it in person. [Reese walks away, to take care of a report a uniformed officer is bringing to him, but Nick catches his attention again.] Nick: [to Tracy, but for Reese's ears] Hey, have you told him yet that Jerry himself asked you to appear on the show? Go on, go on. Yeah. Reese: What? Tracy: Yeah. About women in dangerous, traditionally male jobs, and the crap they sometimes have to deal with. Reese: Hey, that little barb was aimed at me, wasn't it? Nick: [suppressing laughter] Oh, yeah. You know, I think she should do it. No, seriously, I mean if Maggie's death had something to do with her appearance on the show, this will give us a way in. Tracy: No. Nick, I was just making a point. And besides, the Captain would never go for it. Reese: Of course I wouldn't. Nick: [instantly] Sure you would. Reese: I wouldn't under normal circumstances. But since it is case related, consider it an order. Do the show. Tracy: Now, wait a minute. Reese: Now, just think of it as the crap you sometimes have to deal with. Break a foot. Nick: Leg. Reese: Whatever. [He walks away, leaving Nick grinning like an idiot, and Tracy looking annoyed.] [SCENE: LaCroix is on air as the Nightcrawler. His narrative plays over a mixture of images: LaCroix in the booth, with the crowd in the Raven visible through the one-way glass behind him; Nick, listening on the radio as he drives through town in the Cadillac. The third, most significant image thread is Natalie, in the loft. She's sitting in one of Nick's armchairs, staring blindly at the ceiling while she listens to LaCroix on the radio. She looks exhausted and miserable.] LaCroix: Love. How it toys with us. Makes utter fools of us. Clubs, whips... and spanks us. Listen to the voices of the unloved as they surge and retreat in the night... Whisper to empty rooms... And lonely beds. The hunger of love. Unattained. Rushing through our fingers. Unstoppable. Fleeting. Gone. And yet, when we touch this love, it burns us with its bright flame. It punishes and consumes. And yet we must have it. It rules us. Uses. Abuses. Misuses. And yet why do we always crawl back for more? [As LaCroix speaks the final sentence Nick comes up behind Natalie.] Nick: What's wrong? [She uses the remote to turn off the stereo, then stands up.] Natalie: I've been doing a lot of thinking. Nick: [reading her mood] Should I sit down? Natalie: No. No, this shouldn't take long. I never thought it would come to this, but I'm going to have to give up on you, Nick. I just don't have the strength anymore... I have to go. Nick: Natalie, please-- [She walks towards the door.] Nick: Natalie! [She looks back at him when she reaches the door, but leaves without a word.] COMMERCIAL [SCENE: the set of "The Jerry Show," which is in turmoil. A fight has broken out on-stage, and Jerry has been caught in the middle of it. He is holding a wadded-up cloth to a bleeding cut on his head.] Jerry: Cut this out! Stop! Where's security? Get in here! [Walking off the set in disgust] That's the last time we do "punks and monks." [As he moves away from the turmoil, Charly runs along beside him, apologizing profusely.] Charly: I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. I'm sorry. Jerry: All right. You're sorry. Charly: Get him so ice. Now! [She tries to help him, and he flinches away from her in annoyance.] Jerry: Charly. You're poking me. Charly: I'm so sorry-- [Tracy joins them.] Tracy: [wryly] Uh, is now not a good time for my background interview? Charly: No, no, no--it's not a problem. It's not a problem... Is it, Jerry? Jerry: Not compared to this. [SCENE: Jerry's office. Jerry is still holding the ice pack to his head. Charly fusses around, getting him a glass of juice from a nearby pitcher.] Charly: Look on the bright side, Jerry. Every time a TV talk show host gets punched on the air, the ratings go through the roof. [She tries to hand him the glass of juice. Jerry just looks at it dubiously.] Jerry: Orange? Charly: Carrot. [He proceeds to ignore the glass entirely until she takes it away.] Jerry: Well, yeah. Well, it won't the first time I took one for the show. [to Tracy] Now, talking about dangerous jobs, let's hear all about the life of a lady cop. Tracy: Oh, well, there's not much to tell, really. The usual Academy stuff. Jerry: Graduated first in your class, no doubt? Tracy: Well... Ninth, actually. Charly: Near the top--we don't need to get specific. [The door opens, and Dr. Joyce comes in, then sees that there are people with Jerry.] Dr. Joyce: Oh, I'm sorry. I'm interrupting. I just wanted to see if Jerry was all right. Charly: [annoyed] He's fine, Doctor. Jerry: Just a scratch. Charly: [coldly] Now, if that's all? [Dr. Joyce takes the hint and leaves.] Jerry: [to Tracy] So, after graduation? Tracy: Well, five years in uniform before I made detective. Charly: [enthusiastically] Meteoric rise to the top of her field. Unprecedented. Now, Jerry had another fabulous idea. Jerry: Yeah, you'll love it. We'll videotape you on the job, doing something exciting... edgy. Charly: Roll it in during the live interview. Jerry: I want to see you in action. Maybe a car chase, or something undercover in a bad part of town. A beautiful woman, on her own, getting the job done. Tracy: But, uh, usually homicide cops are called in after the fact. Most of the work we do is up here-- [She taps her forehead.] Jerry: Maybe we could stage something? Tracy: You mean fake a car chase? Charly: Well, Jerry, I, uh... that's not really in our budget. [to Tracy] Do you ever use informants? Maybe we could set up a meeting with a dangerous, mysterious character? What do you think, Jerry? Jerry: [disappointed] Well, it's not a car chase, but I guess it'll have to do. Charly: Tracy? Tracy: Well, there is this snitch I know-- Jerry: We need to get him on camera. Charly: That's okay--we could hide his identity digitally. Tracy: Yeah, I'm sure I could convince him. Jerry: I'll bet you could. [He pets Tracy on the arm. She stares at his hand very dubiously.] Charly: Now, about your make-over. Tracy: [appalled] My... my what? [SCENE: the kitchenette of Tracy's apartment. Tracy is sitting on a stool, leaning on the counter, looking distracted. Behind her, Vachon is pawing through the refrigerator, making a lot of noise. Tracy: It's just so unrealistic. I'll look goofy. Vachon: [not listening] You arrange this stuff alphabetically? Tracy: Hey, are you listening to me? Vachon: [closing the fridge] You're afraid you'll look stupid. Tracy: Well, won't I? I mean, I can just see it. They'll put me in this tight spandex dress, cut up to here. And then neckline somewhere down around my waist. Four-inch spikes. Leather. Babe- cop. [Vachon's eyes are still locked on her posterior, and with each additional comment, they widen a little and grow more interested.] [CUT to FLASHBACK the same scene as before, but a few minutes later. Vachon, Screed and Bourbon are in the midst of making their kills, and the women's laughter has turned to intermittent screams.] [CUT to Tracy, who finally glances at him, and discovers him staring at her rump.] Tracy: What are you looking at? Vachon: [startled out of the past] Hm? Tracy: You're staring. Vachon: Oh, just memories. A different time. A much different time. Tracy: [Her expression changes from annoyed to wheedling.] Care to share that memory? [Vachon mouths "No" silently.] Tracy: Okay, look... Now that I've expressly told you I don't need your help... [Again, her expression becomes wheedling.] I need your help. How'd you like to be on television? [Vachon's eyes widen in surprise.] [SCENE: the loft. Nick dials Natalie's number and listens to the answering machine message.] Natalie: Hi, this is Dr. Lambert. If this is an emergency, you can call me at 555-2269. If not, please leave a message after the beep. [Impatiently, he hangs up, blows out a candle and heads into the elevator.] [SCENE: Dr. Joyce leaves a building--presumably the studio--and climbs into her parked car. Her cell phone rings, and she answers it.] Dr. Joyce: Hello? [A masked figure begins to savagely attack her car with a crowbar, smashing the windows. Trapped inside, Dr. Joyce starts to scream.] COMMERCIAL [SCENE: same location, but later. Police and forensics are swarming around the battered remains of Dr. Joyce's car. Nick is interviewing Charly and Jerry.] Charly: I told her which shows we were going to need her on for next week. She said she was going to work late, and then... and then I left right after that. Nick: [to Jerry] And you were already home? Jerry: You don't think this is related to Maggie's murder, do you? Nick: We can't say yet. The officer will take your statements. Excuse me. [Nick leaves them to join Reese and Tracy nearby.] Reese: And? Nick: They're upset. Reese: Two people on your show murdered. I'd be wondering if I was next. Nick: I think we should check the security logs. See if they left when they said they did. Tracy: Nick! Nick: I don't think they did it, but, uh, I think we should check on them and anyone else that was in the building. Tracy: Captain, do you still want me to go through with taping that ride-along? [Nick sees that Natalie has finished examining the body, and is now writing up her notes. He heads over to talk to her.] Reese: Well, I guess. But I don't want you being the next victim. Tracy: I know--you're the one on the phone to my father if anything happens. I'll be careful. [In the background, Natalie pointedly brushes past Nick without acknowledging him and comes over to Reese to give her report.] Natalie: Brutal. I'd say a crowbar, or a baseball bat. TOD approximately two hours ago. [She heads off towards her car. Nick runs after her and intercepts her a few feet away.] Nick: Natalie. Natalie: Please, don't make this any harder than it already is. [She turns her back on him and walks away. Tracy, who has seen and overheard the exchange, intercepts her as she reaches her car.] Tracy: Nat... Hi... You know, you can tell me to shut up any time you like. Natalie: [more fatalistic than puzzled] Okay. Tracy: Um, you and Nick are friends, right? Natalie: Our relationship is... uh, complicated. Tracy: Nick seems like a really good guy. He's a really good partner. Respects me. He's even risked his life for me. Look, I think I may be stepping over the line here, but... Okay, let me put it this way. There's this guy I know--or, at least, I'm getting to know--who actually reminds me of Nick in a lot of ways. He has this mysterious side to him, just like Nick does. And quite a past. We have nothing in common, but I just want a relationship with him. The problem is, I really don't know if it's mutual. Natalie: Well, you can't force it. Tracy: Yeah, and so it ends up taking time. Maybe a long time. Natalie: [bitterly] I don't have the energy anymore to wait and see. Just between you and me, I feel all used up. Tracy: [earnestly] But that's part of any relationship, isn't it? Works both ways. Sometimes we use, and sometimes we get used. Natalie: I really appreciate you trying to help... I gotta go do some work. And about this man of yours... I really hope it works out. [Nodding, Tracy walks off. Nat gets into her car, but doesn't leave immediately, just sits and stars back at the crime scene.] [SCENE: a street, the following night. Tracy is loitering on the edge of the sidewalk, looking decidedly uncomfortable. She's dressed completely out of character, in a miniskirt and tight, bare midriff top, with her hair piled on her head. She's wired for sound, and wearing an ear mic which connects her to Jerry and Charly, who are parked nearby in an unmarked van with their cameraman, watching her on video camera, ready to tape her meeting with her "informant."] Charly: You look great, Tracy. That make-over worked wonders. Jerry: Not that you needed any help. Tracy: Well, I feel ridiculous... So, uh, he should be here any time. Charly: Remember, Tracy, let's try to push this guy. Jerry: Keep it hip, cool and cutting edge. Charly: Yeah. Tracy: [She thinks about the directions.] I'm not sure exactly what that means. [She looks down the street and spots Vachon approaching.] Tracy: Oh, uh, here he comes now. Charly: [to the cameraman] Try to move in close on him. Tracy: [very self-consciously] Hey, Vinnie--what's going on? Vachon: [perfectly deadpan] Looks like the deal went south. The fatman had his gunzel ice Thursby, then he took off with the bird. [Tracy looks at him in disgust, then glances over her shoulder towards the van, anticipating a reaction which is nothing like the one she actually gets.] Jerry: Great! This sounds so street. Charly: I don't know. To me it sounds familiar. [Tracy has no clue how to respond to Vachon's comments, but she keeps trying to play her part.] Tracy: Um, where's the bird now? Vachon: [smugly] On its way to Cairo. [Behind them, a man is approaching. He pulls out a knife. Vachon: Tracy, look out. [He pushes her out of harm's way, so hard that she falls to the pavement. Vachon grabs the thug, flips him in a spin that could be martial arts or vampire brute force.] Charly: Oh, my God! Jerry: Keep rolling. Follow the guy. [The thug regains his feet and runs for it. Instead of following immediately, Vachon goes to Tracy.] Vachon: Tracy-- You all right? Tracy: Yeah. [Impatiently] I'm fine, I'm fine. [She gestures towards the escaping thug.] Go! [Vachon starts after the man, pauses, about to take to the air, then remembers he's being videotaped and stops. The attacker is no longer in sight, and Vachon can't find him by human means.] COMMERCIAL [SCENE: Same location, later. Nick, Reese and several cop cars are on the scene now.] Nick: [to Tracy] Did you get it on camera? Tracy: [still limping and sore from the fall] I hope so. All I saw was a blur. [Reese is talking to Jerry, Charly and the cameraman, Dewitt, by the side of the van.] Reese: I'm confiscating that tape. The first one who argues spends at least one night locked up. Charly: Dewitt. [The cameraman hands the videotape to her, and she passes it on to Reese.] Jerry: This is crazy! What the hell is happening with my show? Reese: Damned good question. You know, you almost got one of my people killed with this stuff. Jerry: Believe me, Captain, we're as upset about this as you are. But there was no way to predict something like this. [Nick and Tracy are standing off to the side, waiting for Reese to finish with the others.] Tracy: Yeah, Jerry's right. It came out of the blue. Charly: If it wasn't for that snitch of hers, she'd be dead. Reese: Your snitch? Tracy: [wincing that this has come to his attention] We set up a little meeting. Reese: Well, where is the guy? Tracy: I don't know. He took off after the attacker, and he didn't come back. Nick: His name's Vachon. [Tracy stares at Nick in astonishment.] Nick: I used him a few times last year. He owed me, so when Tracy called, I suggested him. [Tracy looks both grateful and puzzled that Nick is lying for her.] Reese: Well, find him, Knight. Nick: I'll see what I can do. [SCENE: The Raven. Vachon is sitting at the bar, with a drink. He's swaying in place, keeping time to the music with his body even though he's sitting down. Nick enters and comes up behind him.] Nick: [Leaning over his shoulder.] So now you're Tracy's snitch. Vachon: She told you? Nick: She didn't have to. Did you get a good look at the attacker? Vachon: No, and with the camera on me, I couldn't do much more than was humanly possible to catch him, if you get my drift. Nick: Do you think it was planned? Vachon: [surprised] Planned? Nick: Mm. Vachon: Are you saying someone involved with that show arranged this? Nick: Well, right now, I'm willing to entertain any possibilities or theories. [Nick takes a seat at the adjacent bar stool. A couple of trashily dressed young women walk past them. Vachon's eyes follow them as they go around to the other side of the bar.] Vachon: [wistfully] Remember the days when you could see something like that pass by, and just take her, not worrying about the consequences? [LaCroix approaches in time to hear the final comments.] LaCroix: Regrettably times have changed, and poor, moping Nicholas has changed with them. And look what it's done to him. He's become so limited. So jejune. The modern female is so demanding. Isn't that right, Nicholas? They used to be so entertaining. So feminine. [CUT to FLASHBACK: the stable again, later. The women are dead, lying discarded in the hay. Screed gets up and rinses the blood off his face and hands in a watering trough.] Screed: Oh, now that was a right scrapple for that little bit of apple. [laughs] Bourbon: I prefer my women more docile. Screed: Ah, bollocks, mate. Can't get knackered unless she puts the boot in and bumps your mumps. Otherwise--kissing your sister. [Vachon is still seated beside the corpse of the woman he killed. His posture would better suit a lover. He brushes a hand across her shoulder, then turns to his companions.] Vachon: A chacon son gout, gentlemen. Screed: Knock off with the French, will you? Vachon: [stands up] I love women. Screed: Beats a bite a squeaker, I tell you. [Vachon goes over to the trough, dips his hand in the water and fastidiously cleans the blood from his mouth. He is standing behind the others, and his expression is troubled as he listens to their conversation.] Bourbon: Perhaps if mortal men knew there was a way to drink from their bounty, and suffer none of the consequences... Screed: Fidelity. Monogamy. Aye, bloody marriage. Sot you up with 'em crawlie-doodlers rest of your life and that's the game, my friend. [While Screed is talking, Vachon returns to the woman he killed, and knees down beside her.] Screed: Much better this way, eh? No latchy ball and chain this way, right? It's the life, I'm telling you. [To emphasize the comment, he throws an arm companionably around Bourbon's shoulders. Bourbon stares at it in disgust.] Screed: Only life there is for a man, being a vampire. [Bourbon pointedly removes Screed's arm off his shoulders. Meanwhile, Vachon is carefully rearranging the woman's body into a more natural, comfortable-looking position.] [CUT to the present. The Raven.] Vachon: Things were so much simpler in the old days. LaCroix: They need be no more complicated today, as long as we're true to our nature. Operate discreetly. [SCENE: the precinct. Reese, Nick and Tracy are reviewing the videotape of the attack. Reese runs one section back and forth a few times, then freezes it on the frame that shows the most details of the attacker's appearance.] Reese: Yeah, that's the closest we get to seeing his face. Nick: And Vachon wasn't worried about being identified? Tracy: No, they were going to hide his face electronically. [Nick's expression changes as he has a sudden thought.] Nick: Hide his face? [He backs the tape up a few frames, and replays the struggle between Vachon and the thug in slow motion.] Nick: Look at this. The attacker deliberately hid his face from the camera. Tracy: You're right. Reese: Wait a minute, that camera was hidden, wasn't it? Tracy: In the van, yeah. So how did he know where the camera was, to keep it from seeing his face? Nick: Somebody told him. Tracy: Jerry or Charly? [to Reese] Do we bring them in? Nick: All we have is circumstantial. Reese: [distracted] Maybe I should pay a little more attention to my wife. [Nick and Tracy exchange confused glances.] Nick: Pardon? Reese: If you wanted to hire a hitman, where would you look? Tracy: A hitman? Reese: Yeah. Yeah, look--Jerry and Charly were both in the van when you were attacked, right? Tracy: Yeah. Reese: That means they had to hire somebody to do it. Tracy: Okay. Reese: Yeah, well, a couple of weeks ago they did a show on hitmen who marry their intended victims. Denise mentioned it over breakfast the other day. Tracy: So we're looking for the guest list from that show. Reese: I'll make sure there's a search warrant waiting for you there. [Nick and Tracy start across the squad room. As soon as he turns around, Nick sees Natalie on the other side of the room, talking to someone.] Nick: Ah... I'll, um, meet you at the car. [Tracy nods and continues on her way. Nick follows Natalie as she starts to leave.] Nick: [calling after her] Natalie... Natalie! [He intercepts her in the corridor, and Natalie turns on him angrily.] Natalie: Why can't you just let this go? Nick: Because you're wrong, that's why. I'm not using you. I wish I could prove that to you, but I don't know how, all right? Natalie: Well, that's your problem, isn't it? [She tries to get past him, but he traps her against a wall.] Nick: [frantically] What am I supposed to say? What am I supposed to say to you? I don't know what to say. Tell me what to say. Natalie: I dunno. Maybe there's nothing left to say. [After avoiding Nick's eyes through most of the conversation, Natalie finally stares straight at him. She holds his gaze until he backs down. After a moment, he turns away and leaves her standing there.] [SCENE: "The Jerry Show"'s studio. Nick and Tracy enter. The place is empty and shut down. Tracy: Okay, I'll take the control room. Nick: Yeah. [Nick hands her a key, and they separate. Nick goes to Jerry's office, Tracy checks out the control room. While Tracy is going through a rolodex, Charly Hawkes comes up behind her and takes her hostage at gunpoint.] Charly: It's under the "G"'s. That is what you're looking for, isn't it? The name of the man I hired to kill you on the street? Tracy: Put the gun down. Charly: No. [She takes Tracy's gun.] Thanks. Unfortunately, it looks like I'll have to finish the job off myself. Just think of the ratings. The sexy cop investigating "The Jerry Show" murders gets killed on the job. Captured on camera, in our studios. [Charly begins turning on the lights, etc., bringing the studio area to life for taping.] Tracy: Two women killed, and the attack on me--for *ratings?* Charly: Much more than that. [SCENE: the same location, a little later. Charly has the camera taping, and all the lights are on. She and Tracy are seated on stage, while Charly talks into the camera. Charly: Tonight on Jerry, "Sex and the talk show host". With me is Detective Tracy Vetter, a guest whose indiscretions with Jerry will get her killed. Tracy: [appalled] What are you talking about? There's nothing between Jerry and me. [Charly turns towards the camera, and the empty seats behind it, addressing an invisible audience.] Charly: What do you think, audience? Is she telling the truth? I don't think so. [An unidentifiable sound from somewhere in the building causes Charly to panic, and fire a wild shot over Tracy's head. Nick hears it and rushes to the set.] Nick: Charly! [Charly leaps behind Tracy, using her as a shield.] Charly: Stay away. Nick: [hypnotic voice] Let her go. [Charly starts to go under, then shakes off the effects.] Charly: My problem is with her, not with you. Seems she can't keep her claws off my star. None of them can. I finally caught up with two of them. Nick: Maggie and Dr. Joyce. Charly: Sluts. What can I say? [Jerry Tate arrives on the set.] Charly: [excited] Jerry! Come see what I've done for you, sweetheart! Jerry: What the hell's going on? [to Nick] She called me--told me to come here. Charly: The ratings winner of the year. An execution--exclusive to "The Jerry Show." [She is holding the gun a few inches from Tracy's face. Tracy is frozen in place, staring down the barrel.] Jerry: Charly, you have a police officer at gunpoint. What are you doing? Charly: Think! I thought you loved me. At least that's what you said every time that you slept with me. I built this show with you. Our careers, side by side. Your success is... Your success is everything to me, because I love you. Jerry: You what? Charly, it was just sex. Charly: Well, maybe it was for you. All I ever wanted was for you to love me. You only love yourself, Jerry. I only ever take back seat to your ambitions. [steps closer to Tracy] And to your women. Jerry: My women? Nick: She thinks you were having affairs with Maggie and Dr. Joyce. Jerry: So what if I was? It's not like I'm married. Nick: And with Tracy. Jerry: What? Charly... You killed them? Charly: I couldn't take it anymore, Jerry. I've always been there for you. You've always been content just to have me at your beck and call. Jerry: Charly, I never told you I loved you. I have no obligation towards you. Charly: Yes, you do now. I saved this show by killing them. We're back on top, sweetheart. You and me together again. And I love you, Jerry. I'm going to prove it again and again until you understand. [As she gets more hysterical, she waves the gun wildly in Tracy's face. Tracy winces and closes her eyes, waiting for it to go off.] Jerry: Charly, this is crazy! You're crazy! Charly: Oh, my God! [to Nick] You see what I have to put up with? I kill for this man, and he calls me crazy. The only man I've ever loved walks all over my heart. He doesn't give a damn. Every minute of pain I've suffered, he caused... [Her face lights up suddenly with inspiration.] Charly: I don't know why I didn't think of this before. [She whirls, pulls the gun away from Tracy, and shoots Jerry instead. As Jerry slumps against the camera, Nick leaps forward, grabs Charly, and disarms her.] Charly: Jerry? Nick: [to Tracy] You all right? [She nods] Call it in. [Tracy heads off to find a phone.] Charly: Is that enough, Jerry? [to an invisible cameraman] Did you guys get that? Jerry... Jerry! [Charly is struggling so wildly that Nick eventually frees her, and allows her to run to Jerry, who hasn't moved.] Charly: Jerry? Jerry? COMMERCIAL [SCENE: the loft. Nick's large-screen TV is playing "The Jerry Show." Jerry is hosting, very much alive but with his arm in a sling. Tracy is on as his guest.] Tracy: [on the TV] Because of the horrors you sometimes see on the job, you have to learn to freeze out your emotions. Now, this can be harder for a woman than a man. Jerry: [on the TV] Is it for you? Tracy: [on the TV] Yes. It is a constant struggle, but I do the best I can. [Nick is watching the show, sipping from a wine glass. He turns away from the set as Natalie walks up behind him. She is carrying a huge bouquet of flowers.] Natalie: They're beautiful. And the card... Nick: [smiling] Well, I had to get you here somehow. Natalie: It worked. [awkwardly] So, what have you been up to this last little while? Nick: The usual. [She walks over to stand in front of the TV, watching the broadcast.] Natalie: Ah, the new and improved Jerry Tate show. Nick: It takes a major crisis to turn some people around. Natalie: You could have made something up. Nick: About? Natalie: That day in the precinct. The last time we spoke. You just stood there, speechless. It took me a while, but I figured it out. I saw more than you think I saw. I saw how much you cared, I just needed you to say it. [embarrassed] Oh, my God, if I start talking about "wellness" and "unwellness" love, shoot me. Nick: [grinning and hugging her] You can count on it. [serious again] I don't think you ever will understand how much I care. END CREDITS