From v4s@FKFANFIC.COMSat Dec 14 11:35:08 1996 Date: Sat, 14 Dec 1996 01:19:38 -0500 From: Virtual Fourth Season To: Multiple recipients of list FKFIC-L Subject: V4S: Of One Mind (6/9) Episode Number: Forever Knight Virtual 4th Season - Episode #4 Episode Title: "Of One Mind" "Air" Date: December 12, 1996 Author: Sorcha O'Faolain and TJ Goldstein Part 6 of 9 This story is based on characters and situations created by James Parriott and Barney Cohen and owned by Sony/TriStar. No infringement is intended. Copyright 1996 Sorcha O'Faolain and TJ Goldstein -------------------------- OF ONE MIND The dusting of snow crunched under the Caddie's tires as Nick and Adam drove up to where several black and whites with flashing lights were parked. Policemen kept onlookers from getting too close to the roped off crime scene. Nick frowned as he noticed Westwood parking next to them. ", looks like McGovern park is turning into a hot spot." He smiled at Nick innocuously as he brushed past him and headed toward the body lying near the base of Christine McGovern's statue. As he reached the statue, Westwood paused and touched its hands. "Two more fingers missing." He saw the questioning look on Nick's face. "You didn't think I'd work on the case without visiting the scene, did you? The vandalism is getting worse...or is it," Westwood trailed off, as he noticed the statue also had grafitti on it. He copied down the words in his notebook, ripped the page out and handed it to Nick. "This may be an important clue." Nick stuffed the paper into his pocket and bit back a growl, making more of an effort to be pleasant as he spotted Natalie getting out of her car. Officer Cathy Brill approached her conspiratorially. "Whoa, nice outfit! Have you got a date?" "No, I...don't." Natalie blushed and closed her coat over the burgundy sweater dress. Cathy smiled. "Well something's up. That's a new hairdo, isn't it?" Natalie sighed. "Yes, it is." Cathy's partner leaned over, smiling. "Maybe she's trying to catch somebody's eye." "Can't I change the way I look without everybody alerting the media?" Nick took a step towards her, but before he could take another Westwood was at her elbow. "I need you two to go search over by those trees." He waited a moment for them to leave, then put a friendly arm around her shoulder. "I think you look wonderful," he said, smiling. Natalie smiled back at him. "Thanks for rescuing me. So what are we looking at here?" She turned to face him and his arm fell to his side. Off in the trees, vampiric hearing heard Brill comment, "Boy, those two have gotten awfully tight lately. It looks like Knight's lost the inside track." Nick took a moment to gather his thoughts. There was no point in getting so upset about all this that it clouded his judgement with regards to the case. He stalked over to the corpse just as Adam had it turned over so the police photographers could get its face. Harold Mather. The gun that had apparently killed him was still in his hand. Officer Brill and her partner approached Nick. "Detective Knight, you better come and look at this. We've found another body besides him, and it's pretty bad. I've never seen anyone so horribly mutilated." "Where is it?" he asked. Nick noticed that Brill's face was ashen. "Over there, behind those bushes." He stopped abruptly when he spotted the body. The face was slashed beyond recognition and there were cuts and bruises over the rest of her. The victim's hands were tied behind her back and her legs were bound at the ankles. The body was fresh, one of those situations that took more control than usual for him to fight back the beast. Instead he took in every detail, trying to find some reason to the unspeakable violence. Nick was so absorbed, in fact, that he didn't notice Natalie and Westwood until they began to examine the body. Natalie didn't flinch. She had seen worse during her tenure as an ME, and she'd had time to prepare herself. She looked carefully at the victim's wrists. "She was somewhere between forty and fifty, and she hasn't been here very long. Not more than a few hours, I'd say." **** The door to the McGovern estate opened to reveal a very proper butler. "Can I help you gentlemen?" Adam raised his eyebrows, but Nick answered before he could say anything. "Detectives Knight and Sakai, Metro Police. We'd like to talk to you." The butler frowned. "To me, sir? Surely you mean the master of the house. Currently Mr. Mather is not at home. Shall I inform him that you came calling?" Nick smiled grimly. "I'm afraid that we're aware of Mr. Harold Mather's current whereabouts. Does Mr. Albert Mather live here as well?" The butler's eyes narrowed. "If you'll come this way, sirs, I'll find someone who can help you." He led them to a parlor and disappeared. "I didn't think you saw butlers like that outside of old movies," Adam said. An older woman in similarly traditional "domestic" garb entered the room. "You're from the police?" Adam stood. "Yes, ma'am, I'm Detective Sakai. This is Detective Knight." She nodded. "I'm Mavis Sterling, the head of housekeeping. I understand that you wish to speak with Master Albert." Nick could barely hear her above the pounding of her heartbeat. "Is everything all right, Ms. Sterling?" She turned her back on him, staring out the window. "That's what I'm wondering. Mr. Mather's missing, and here you are. It's bad news, isn't it?" "I'm sorry, Ms. Sterling, but you're right. Mr. Mather is dead." She sank slowly into the couch. "First Mrs. Foster, now Mr. Mather! He wasn't here for very long, but he tried ... he tried to do a good job." She dabbed at a tear. "I'm afraid that Master Albert--" "Master Albert will be happy to talk to the detectives, Mavis," Albert said as he entered the parlor. "Thank you. That will be all." Mavis hesitated, then practically fled the room. "Mister Mather. I take it you heard all that." Nick sat down opposite Albert. Albert looked up, took a deep breath. "Yes. It's quite distressing. I blame myself, really. I didn't believe he'd do it." "You didn't believe he'd do what?" Adam asked. "Kill himself. That is what happened, isn't it?" "We're still trying to settle that definitely, though that does seem to be the case," Nick said. "Are you saying that your uncle talked about shooting himself?" "Well, not about shooting himself, but about doing away with himself. He'd been talking about it for some time. I guess that's why I never believed he'd go through with it." He rubbed his already bloodshot eyes. "Did your uncle come with you to the benefit, Mr. Mather?" "No, he...said he was tired, that he had a lot to think about. I was worried about him, so I came home early, but he wasn't here." He stood suddenly. "You don't think it had something to do with those murders in the park, do you?" Nick eyed him. "Why would we think that, Mr. Mather?" "Well, it was my aunt's park, and he loved her so much. He's been so down about everything that's been going on there. He's been obsessed with it. Talked about it constantly, ever since I got here." "But the first murder wasn't discovered until the other night," Adam said. "I know; that's why I thought it was kind of weird. OK, so there's a few homeless people in the park. Big deal." He stood and looked away. "Detective, have you figured out when that first woman was killed yet?" "About three months ago." Albert hung his head. "Just after we got here." He turned back to Nick. "You don't think that maybe he found the body and didn't tell anyone? Maybe that's why he's been so obsessed with the park? It would explain so many things." "Such as?" "Such as when I was trying to convince him to get out of the house and go to the party tonight. He kept saying 'I should have stopped it. I should have called a professional to help.' But he wouldn't tell me what he meant." "Is that why you were late to the benefit?" "Yes, I kept trying to get him to come with me but he wouldn't. Finally he said he had come to a decision and he wanted to be alone. So I left." "And that was the last time you saw him." "Yes," he said, his voice cracking. "Listen, if there's nothing else, I'd like to be alone." Nick stood and motioned to Adam, then handed Albert a business card. "We'd like for you to come down to the station tomorrow night to fill out some forms." "Of course, officer, anything I can do to help." He scurried off. Nick and Adam headed for the Caddie. "You know," Adam said, "his uncle really was agitated about those people in the park. Do you think Albert knows something and he's covering for Harold to avoid any more of a scandal?" "I don't know what he knows," Nick said, starting the engine, "but it certainly warrants looking into." >>>>>> "...but it certainly warrants looking into, don't you think?" "I agree," answered the Star's editor-in-chief. "But what makes you think you'll have any luck when the best investigators in town haven't found anything after almost three years?" "Maybe they're not looking in the right place. Maybe it's not some insane derelict. Maybe it's a prominent person with enough money and resources to work in secret, without fear of being suspected." "I suppose this is that 'interpretive' style of journalism I've been hearing so much about. Is that what they teach you in college these days? You know, I've got a lot of veteran reporters here who aren't comfortable with you. The only reason I keep you on is because you work cheap and it's so damned hard to get good people on the night shift." Nick smiled. "If you say so, sir." "Now look, I've said go ahead with this, but if anybody calls my office to complain that you've been poking into people's business, I don't know you. You got that?" "Loud and clear, sir." Nick left the editor's office pleased that he hadn't had to whammy him into anything, but wondering if the man realized that when he'd said he wanted to investigate a possible cover-up among Cleveland's Finest that he meant Detective Theodore Mayfield. Probably not, he mused. Half an hour later, he was hurrying down Euclid Avenue with Sawyer Harding, the Star's most hard-hitting reporter. "So they've never gotten anything on him?" "Nope. Everyone knows Mayfield's dirty -- filthy -- but nobody can pin a thing on him. He brought a sterling silver rep to Cleveland from Chicago, and nobody can get past it. But I'll tell you, Nick, if you can get something on that unbreakable bastard you'll have _my_ respect." Harding took a drag on his cigar. "Which is to say that I don't expect it." He stopped his brisk walk and turned to face Nick. "But if you do...if you _do_, you watch your back. He's got people behind him, big name people. People who won't tolerate the scandal. So be careful." Nick wasn't particularly worried about danger from anyone who supported Mayfield. What could they do to him? *Well, they could arrest you at 1 o'clock in the afternoon,* he reminded himself. It wasn't long before he was sitting on the doorstep of the May Company's Public Square location, talking to a young woman. She began to shy away from him, until he handed her a bag. "Mikey told me you liked corned beef." "You're that reporter guy. From jail." Eileen opened the bag slowly, not taking her eyes off him. "He told me about you. Said you was real interested in the Butcher." "That's right. He told me some interesting things. I'd like to talk to him some more. Do you know where he is?" She sniffed the bag's contents and seemed satisfied. "No. He...he ain't been home all night." She snorted. "Right. Home." A man with bags on his feet eyed Nick from across the street and motioned to Eileen. She stood and picked up what was left of her belongings -- and the bag with the sandwich -- and hurried across the street. The vampire listened to them as the man said, "Elly, I don't...I don't know how to tell you this, but...it's Mikey. He's..." She began to pull away from him, but he held her arm. "No...not Mikey..." "They just found..." He couldn't finish. "He's dead, Elly." >>>>> "It's not getting any greener." Nick snapped out of it and realized they were sitting at a traffic light. "Right." He hit the accelerator and headed back to the precinct. (to be continued ...) -------------------------------------------- For more information or to participate in the Forever Knight Virtual 4th Season, write to V4S@fkfanfic.com. From v4s@FKFANFIC.COMSat Dec 14 11:35:15 1996 Date: Sat, 14 Dec 1996 01:19:44 -0500 From: Virtual Fourth Season To: Multiple recipients of list FKFIC-L Subject: V4S: Of One Mind (7/9) Episode Number: Forever Knight Virtual 4th Season - Episode #4 Episode Title: "Of One Mind" "Air" Date: December 12, 1996 Author: Sorcha O'Faolain and TJ Goldstein Part 7 of 9 This story is based on characters and situations created by James Parriott and Barney Cohen and owned by Sony/TriStar. No infringement is intended. Copyright 1996 Sorcha O'Faolain and TJ Goldstein -------------------------- OF ONE MIND Nick stood outside the door for at least a minute before knocking on the glass that still didn't have Westwood's name on it. "Come on in. It's open." Nick steeled himself and walked in. Westwood didn't seem to have a hint of smugness about him. "I need your profile on the killer." Westwood looked at him in surprise, motioning for him to sit. "Don't tell me you've changed your mind about my theory." Nick forced himself to maintain eye contact. "I need to know if Harold Mather could have been the killer." Westwood rubbed his chin. "Harold Mather," he mumbled to himself. "I hadn't considered him. It doesn't fit but I suppose anything's possible. Have you got anything on him?" "Right now all we have is his nephew's claim that he became despondent right around the time the murders started. Said he was obsessed with the park and what was happening with it, and that he'd talked about killing himself." "Hmmm..." Westwood looked at several files, then the photos of Mather's body. "If he is the killer, it would shoot my theory out of the water completely." Nick tried not to smile. "What exactly is your theory, Dr. Westwood?" "Well, it's not much so far." Westwood pulled a stack of reports from a file folder. "At first it wasn't clear, but he is leaving clues. Take the way that statue's been defaced. I'm sure those missing fingers have something to do with the victims. Don't be surprised if two more bodies show up. Then there's the grafitti; that's unusual for Toronto. I know it means something, we just have to figure out what." Nick wasn't buying it, but thought it best to humor Westwood at this point. "You could be right, I'll look into it, but do you know anything about the killer?" "This is what I've got on him so far. He's organized. He has time to kill his victims, and clean them up before he dumps them. Above average intelligence. He knows how to cover up evidence. He most likely appears to be very normal on the surface. That means he's socially competent." "Well, none of that discounts Mather." Westwood shrugged. "So far it could be a lot of people. But there's more. The murders are well planned and executed methodically. He doesn't pick his victims randomly; he stalks them. He enjoys instilling fear and submission into his victims. He lives to exert total control over them. In fact, he thrives on it. You see Nick, when he kills, he's acting out a fantasy situation. What's more, the fantasy is escalating." He picked up an autopsy report. "He's a very angry man, Nick. According to Dr. Lambert's findings, he kept shooting the first victim, even after she was dead, the same with the second, he kept strangling her long after she had died, and you saw for yourself what he did to the third victim." He picked up the most recent report. "The third body was mutilated. Badly mutilated. He's building a reputation for himself. He craves attention. He has a strong, driving need to feel important. He was probably neglected and abused as a child. Most likely, he's a quiet man. In public he would appear almost painfully shy. That doesn't sound like Mather to me. I can tell you this, though, whoever this killer is, he's not going to stop until we stop him." Nick bristled. "Well, that's great. So if it wasn't Mather, we not only don't have the killer, we may have another murder. If he didn't kill himself, is it possible he was killed by the same person?" "That is entirely possible. But I don't think he killed Mather for the same reason he killed the other victims." "Why is that?" "Easy. If Mather didn't kill himself, someone went to a lot of trouble to make it look like he did. It doesn't fit in with the deaths of those three women." "So the killer is trying to prove something with these murders?" "That would be my guess." Westwood paused, deliberating. "I'm not sure, but you might want to check out Christine McGovern's statue. Those missing fingers could really mean something. At any rate, I wouldn't overlook it as a possible lead." "Thanks, Dr. Westwood. Let's hope that helps." Westwood stared at him intently. "You're welcome. And if you ever need to talk to someone..." Nick laughed. "I know, I know, you're available." **** Adam felt bad enough coming to the Foster's house the first time, and now that he was back, he felt even worse. In fact, he felt downright awkward. This time around, the man looked tired, drawn, the slightest bit disheveled. "I've already told you everything I know about...Diane, Detective." "I know, Mr. Foster, and I'm sorry to bother you. I was just wondering if you had remembered anything else, or if you knew of anything...out of the ordinary that has happened in the last few months, say, around September?" "September?" Foster sighed. "This really has been a terrible few months. First Christine and David McGovern -- that really shook everybody. They were so involved with everything. Like that benefit for the Playhouse. It was Christine who started all that, years ago. Then right after that Marina Lohman took off --" "Hang on a second. Marina Lohman?" Adam began taking notes. "Yes, not too long after the accident, Marina took off for parts unknown. Her parents insist that she's visiting friends in the States, but everybody knows they have no idea where she is. The two families were very close. Christine always referred to her as 'the daughter she never had.'" Adam nodded and sighed. "Mr. Foster, you don't by any chance have a picture of Marina anywhere, do you?" He thought about it for a moment. "Hmmm... I might ... Our kids were the same age as theirs ..." He flipped through a photo album, stopping occasionally to longingly brush a picture here and there. "Christine always regretted not having children, I think." "Why didn't she?" "Career, mostly. She was a pretty big actress back when she was younger. She didn't have time for children. Besides, she was a bit of a sex symbol. Who wanted a pregnant sex symbol? Ah, here we go." Adam looked at the picture for a moment. She wasn't strikingly beautiful, but she wasn't hard to look at either, especially with that glowing red hair. Adam requested the picture and the Lohmans' phone number and address and hurried off. **** Nick sat at his desk waiting for Adam to return and hoping that Reese wouldn't chew him out for not being at Foster's with him. Again he tapped a pencil against his desk, this time lost in thought. Spread out across his desk were photos of the graffitti that adorned Christine McGovern's statue. Westwood was right, there wasn't much graffitti in Toronto, but even so, the graffitti itself wasn't typical. "I WAS YOUNG ONCE" "NO ESCAPE" "WHERE DID IT ALL GET ME" That last stuck in his head, bouncing around for a while, looking for a hook. Where had he heard it before? "Miller! Can you come here for a minute?" **** Natalie sat at her desk, biting her lower lip. "There's no point in putting it off any longer," she muttered, "better to just deal with it and get it over with." She stood up and headed towards the body on the autopsy table. Turning on the tape recorder, she turned to the body and began. "Decedent is Harold Mather, 62 year old Caucasian male. Initial investigation reveals a very clear abrasion ring and muzzle imprint on the right temple, with radiating fracture lines and heavy powder stippling." Natalie sighed and put her head down. She knew she had to get through this, but she wasn't sure how. It was then that Thomas Westwood chose to make his entrance, knocking first as he usually did. "Hey there. I came to ask you some questions. Is this a bad time?" "No, in fact, I'm very glad to see you. I've just started on Mr. Mather and I'm not handling it very well." He put a reassuring hand on her shoulder. "Because it's a suicide?" Natalie nodded. "It's been getting better, but still..." Westwood nodded as well. "Well, if you don't think I'd get in the way, how about if I keep you company?" She sighed. "Thanks." "Actually, I came in to see if you had any results on this case yet." "I guess it wouldn't hurt for you to hang around and wait, then." They didn't say too much throughout the procedure. Natalie worked, and Westwood mostly stayed out of her way. But it seemed to him that she welcomed his presence, and he wondered how much of that was due to the nature of the body. She was still dealing with her grief -- both of them had stopped going to their support meetings, using "too much work, not enough time" as their excuse -- and he knew that dealing with a suicide was difficult for her. So, he jumped when she became suddenly animated and shouted, "Now, here's a surprise!" "What is it?" he asked, approaching the table. "Look at this. He's got a goose-egg on the back of his head and it was there before the gun was fired." "Then he was murdered." Natalie nodded. "You got it," she said simply. "This was no suicide." (to be continued ...) -------------------------------------------- For more information or to participate in the Forever Knight Virtual 4th Season, write to V4S@fkfanfic.com. From v4s@FKFANFIC.COMSat Dec 14 11:35:30 1996 Date: Sat, 14 Dec 1996 01:19:50 -0500 From: Virtual Fourth Season To: Multiple recipients of list FKFIC-L Subject: V4S: Of One Mind (8/9) Episode Number: Forever Knight Virtual 4th Season - Episode #4 Episode Title: "Of One Mind" "Air" Date: December 12, 1996 Author: Sorcha O'Faolain and TJ Goldstein Part 8 of 9 This story is based on characters and situations created by James Parriott and Barney Cohen and owned by Sony/TriStar. No infringement is intended. Copyright 1996 Sorcha O'Faolain and TJ Goldstein -------------------------- OF ONE MIND Nick was staring intently at a TV/VCR when Adam arrived. "Any luck?" he asked, tearing his eyes away from the image of a woman cowering in a corner. A gunshot rang out onscreen. Then another. And another. They come in rapid succession until someone reloaded, then fired again. Adam raised an eyebrow. "What are you watching?" "A timeless classic called 'Beautiful but Deadly' -- starring the one and only Christine McGovern." "Never heard of it." "Neither had anyone else, apparently. She didn't exactly have a stellar career. But it would seem that all the graffitti on her statue comes from this one movie." He turned the machine off. "And it looks like she just bought it the same way the first victim did." Adam pulled two photos out of his jacket pocket and tossed them on Nick's desk as he sat down. "Speaking of which, I stopped by the ME's office and Dr. Lambert says it's likely that this is your Jane Doe. Well, Jane Doe Number One, anyway. Did you get an ID on victim number three?" "Evelyn Nathan. She was co-chair of the committee that set up the benefit last night. Never even made it to the party. Who's this?" "Marina Lohman. According to her parents, she's been missing since the opening party, like Westwood thought. But she wasn't in the missing persons files because they never reported her. Apparently they were sure she'd run off with a boy and they didn't want the scandal. Did you have any luck with the profile? Does it fit Mather?" "Not really. And I'm still waiting for the report on whether it was suicide or not. But in the meantime, I've been checking travel records and I've come up with something interesting. I've found Harold Mather's date of arrival, but he came alone. Albert's records are nowhere to be found. In fact, there's no record of him ever entering the country. It's possible he came in through the States but that seems awfully strange. There are plenty of flights directly into Canada from Europe." Adam shook his head. "Looks like there's enough scandal here to keep the _Intruder_ going for months. On top of all this, apparently Christine McGovern used to dote on Marina Lohman as the 'daughter she never had.'" "She couldn't have children?" "Well, I don't know if she could, but she didn't. Both Foster and the Lohmans figured it had something to do with her career. Foster also thought one reason Marina ran off might have been because she was so upset that Christine was dead." But Nick was off on a thought, typing furiously and tapping his fingers as he waited for the network to respond. "What are you looking for?" "Call it a hunch." After several more minutes, he found what he was looking for. "There it is." He pointed to the screen. "February 7, 1976, birth record for one Albert McGovern. Son of Christine McGovern, profession, actress." "Albert was her son? I don't get it." Nick typed a few more keystrokes. "We'd have to check paper records to be certain, but I can't find any other indication that he exists, or a death certificate showing that he died as an infant. But nobody seems to question the fact that he just arrived in town with Mather." "I still don't get it. What did they do, hide him in the basement for 20 years?" Nick stood and grabbed his coat. "I'd say that's what we need to find out." Miller caught them just as they were leaving. "Nick, this just came for you from the ME's office." She handed them an interoffice envelope. Nick opened it, scanned the report inside. "Mather's death was murder. Get a search warrant for the estate in process and meet me downstairs. They can call us when it's ready." **** Mavis Sterling didn't look like she'd been sleeping, despite the lateness of the hour. "We're sorry to bother you this late, Ms. Sterling, but --" "No, it's all right. I wasn't sleeping. Please come in." She led them quietly to the parlor and motioned for them to sit down. "I'm glad that you came, actually." Her hair and clothes were neat -- Nick got the feeling that she would rather be caught dead than anything less than immaculate -- but her hand absently traced across her wrinkled cheek, her dry lips. "I don't think I could ever sleep here again. You've got to stop him." Nick and Adam looked at each other for a moment. "Could you elaborate on that, Ms. Sterling?" Nick asked, listening for signs that Albert had been told of their arrival. "He's not right, Master Albert, that is. It's not his fault, the way they ignored him, kept him locked up all the time. He's just not ... well." "Not well." "No." Even in the dim light, the tears welling in her eyes glistened. "We tried to give him love, affection, anything. But Mrs. McGovern wouldn't have it. I tried when I could, but she made it clear that to do so was to risk being dismissed without references. She was very clear about what she expected from the help." "Let me clarify this. Albert is --" "No!" Albert stood in the doorway, his face pale, his eyes wide. "You can't tell them. You can't!" Nick had heard him approaching, and was already standing nearby. He tried to be as soothing as possible. "It's all right, Albert, we know already. You didn't come here with Harold, you were here already. Christine was your mother." Albert sank back against the wall. "Nobody was supposed to know. She didn't want anybody to know. It wasn't my fault." "What wasn't your fault, Albert?" "Everything. The parts she lost were because I wrecked her figure. If she forgot her lines it was because she had to worry about me." He sobbed softly. Mavis stood and put an arm around him. "Master Harold felt sorry for him and let him out of his room. He tried to help him adjust, took him to parties and introduced him to people. But he was shy. He was afraid of people. He didn't know how to act around them." "What happened to your uncle, Albert?" "We had an argument. He said he blamed himself for the way I was. Said he should have gotten professional help for me. Then he said he was going to put me away. I didn't want to go back to that." Nick was just a few steps away, but in the instant that Adam took a step foward it might as well have been a mile. Albert's eyes blazed and he twisted his body until he was behind Mavis. He held a .45 to her head, saying, "I can't believe you didn't know I had a gun behind me, just like a real live cop!" He backed away from Nick and Adam, screaming, "You can't stop me. Nobody can stop me! I'm the master of this house now! I can disappear like I never existed!" He dragged her to a nearby door and vanished. Nick could hear him dragging her down a flight of steps. Adam looked at Nick. "How's he going to disappear by going into the basement?" He shook his head. Nick shrugged. "Well, maybe there's an outside exit. In any case, be careful. We don't want to spook him." But finally, Nick knew he understood this killer's mind. >>>>>> Nick slipped into an open window on the top floor of the building where the Safety Director's office was housed. He listened at the door for a moment, then entered the empty room. After a brief search, he found what he was looking for: the file on the torso killings. It was a long shot, but if he could find something that everyone else missed, he might be able to find out why the police had been unable -- or unwilling -- to put a stop to the Mad Butcher's spree. The latest findings at the public dump had the police stumped and the public terrified. How could anyone manage to leave not one, but at least two bodies minutes from the heart of downtown Cleveland, a place that hundreds drove past every day? To top it off, it was in plain view of City Hall. The Safety Director had a clear shot of the area every time he glanced out of his window, Nick realized. It seemed to Nick that the killer must have done it to taunt the frustrated officials seeking to find him. Going over the report, Nick noticed that for the first time in more than two years, the killer had left the whole body of one of his victims. Never before did the police have so much to go on. Nick read the report on the second body. The probable description sounded familiar to him. Nick searched his memory. Where had he seen a short thin man in his thirties with long wavy brown hair and a broken nose? Nick smiled triumphantly. He realized that it sounded exactly like the chauffeur of a woman who had been known to be a close friend of Mayfield's. One more link to connect Mayfield to the underside of this mess. As he thumbed through the papers, Nick came across the police records for one of the first victims, Edward Andrassy. He was suprised to note that at one time, Mayfield had arranged to have the small time criminal's charges dropped and let Andrassy walk when there had been enough evidence to convict him. What did Mayfield and Andrassy have in common? Was this a personal vendetta to catch a friend's killer? He decided to check out Mayfield's home next. He was about to enter the house when he sensed the presence of another vampire. He rushed inside. "LaCroix, stop!" "I'm afraid you're too late, Nicholas." "Why have you done this?" Nick gestured toward Mayfield's lifeless body. "It was a necessity," answered LaCroix, adding, "and for pleasure, of course." "He was getting too close to the killer, wasn't he?" "You are a great disappointment to me, Nicholas," LaCroix snapped at him. "I cannot believe that you have slipped so far that you could not recognize that he _was_ the killer." Nick stared at him in stunned silence. "You were quite right, however, in assuming that the killer was a great deal like us. He would have truly appreciated the finer gifts of being one of our kind." LaCroix sighed. "But he was much too impetuous. Therefore I must be content with the knowledge that I shall savor his essence for quite some time. He is an exceptional vintage." LaCroix held up a basket with several dark green bottles in it. He shot a twisted smile at Nick. "You could have caught him much earlier, you know. If only you truly understood him. But then you didn't, did you? How could you when you don't understand your own kind...or what you truly are?" Nick stared at the bottles, and then at his master. "He belonged in a mental institution." "His family thought so too. They were planning to have him committed. That would have been a terrible waste. Perhaps you'd like to join me for a drink?" Nick shuddered. "No." "Then I am leaving. I suggest you do the same before you are discovered." He hefted Mayfield's limp body over his shoulder. "By the way, I can safely guarantee that _no one_ will ever find this body." LaCroix grinned smugly and flew off into the night. (to be continued ...) -------------------------------------------- For more information or to participate in the Forever Knight Virtual 4th Season, write to V4S@fkfanfic.com. From v4s@FKFANFIC.COMSat Dec 14 11:35:40 1996 Date: Sat, 14 Dec 1996 01:19:58 -0500 From: Virtual Fourth Season To: Multiple recipients of list FKFIC-L Subject: V4S: Of One Mind (9/9) Episode Number: Forever Knight Virtual 4th Season - Episode #4 Episode Title: "Of One Mind" "Air" Date: December 12, 1996 Author: Sorcha O'Faolain and TJ Goldstein Part 9 of 9 This story is based on characters and situations created by James Parriott and Barney Cohen and owned by Sony/TriStar. No infringement is intended. Copyright 1996 Sorcha O'Faolain and TJ Goldstein -------------------------- OF ONE MIND Nick picked his way down the stairs, careful not to let Adam see how comfortable he was in the darkness of the basement. The estate was quite extensive, and so was the basement. But it was definitely used for storage. Crates, boxes, rotting furniture claimed much of the floor space. "He probably knows this place like the back of his hand," Adam whispered. "Probably." The small amount of light that filtered down from upstairs only reached about a quarter of the way to the wall in any direction, and there were hundreds of places Albert could hide. "We can't just go looking for him. We're going to have to try and talk him out." "How?" Adam asked. "We don't know what he wants." Nick smiled, grim. "Actually, I think I know just what he wants." He listened once more but didn't hear anything helpful. The boiler, the furnace, something in the basement was drowning out everything he was listening for. "You can come out, Albert! We don't want to hurt you!" Nick began to quietly pick his way through the narrow corridors of junk. "You killed a lot of people, Albert! Nobody's going to forget that!" "And I'll kill more! Have you been watching TV? How about the papers? I've been all over them and nobody even knows it's me! You'll see, soon they'll want to make a movie about me, and then it'll be forever. Before I'm done everyone will know who I am!" Nick was able to pinpoint his general direction and began working his way towards it. "Why wait? You can come out now and everyone will know who you are. Just think about the scandal." "Uncle Harold wanted to cover it up! He wanted to put me away where nobody would ever find me! But now he's gone! I can make you go away too!" There was the flash of light of a gunshot and somewhere, in the back of his mind, Nick knew that if he hadn't had a vampire's reflexes, he'd have been wondering how he could convince Natalie to pull another bullet out of him. Nick spun around, heart in his throat, panicked until he saw that the bullet hadn't hit Adam either. Nick moved closer to Albert slowly, and paid no attention to Adam moving off to flank him, choosing instead to draw his attention. "That's what you want, isn't it, Albert? Another kill. It's the only thing that makes you feel really alive. The rest of the time you're a shell, reliving past kills, just waiting for the next prey, the next target, the next experience." He took a few steps more towards Albert's last location. "Then, when you've chosen your prey, you'll begin to feel the excitement mount. Life will have meaning for you again. You'll have purpose. You'll plan out exactly what you'll want to happen when you kill them." He could see Albert through the red haze of vampiric vision. He stood, entranced as Nick spoke. Nick watched as Adam got a little closer. "And then, that's when the real pleasure begins, isn't it Albert? That's when the excitement builds until it's almost unbearable. You obtain your prey and you begin the ultimate experience. Complete power over your prey. You are a god in those moments. You'll prolong it as much as you can for as long as you can. And then, at that moment, the thrill is the epitome of existance." "Yes..." Albert breathed, his body tense. Adam was close. Very close. Nick continued. "But then the kill is done and it's over. The moment is gone. There's nothing left but to begin the cycle again and anticipate the next kill. I can give you something with lasting value, Albert." "What can you give me?" "You come with me, Albert, and I guarantee your picture will be on the cover of every newspaper in Toronto. You'll be on the news. Everyone will know who you are. Think about how much your parents would hate that. Think about all the publicity of a trial." "Sure. And then what?" "And then you'll go down in history as the killer who had us all stumped, Albert. That's enough for them to want to make a movie about you, don't you think? People won't forget you. The park will always be famous for the bodies you left there. You'll be in people's memories forever. Why would you want to kill someone who was nice to you?" He could see confusion in Albert's eyes. "She's not just a toy like the other ones were. She's a real person, Albert. Think about it. If you were to kill her, you'd see her suffering. You know her. You can't detach yourself from those feelings. You'd have to feel it Albert, and you don't want that. Besides, you don't need to kill her. You've already got the other murders to relive. Four is enough." Albert laughed. "You forgot my 'beloved parents'. And I can add three more before I leave this room. You think I'm crazy. You want to lock me up. My parents locked me up. They wanted to forget I was ever alive. Now they're locked up forever. No one's ever going to lock me up again." It was the last thing he said before Adam grabbed him, knocking the gun from his hand and sending all three of them sprawling on the floor. With the distraction Nick was there in a moment, removing the gun from Albert's reach and helping Adam secure him. "I wouldn't count on that, Albert. I wouldn't count on that at all." "You know, Nick," Adam commented as he helped Mavis to her feet, "sometimes you scare me." **** It was only a small celebration party, but a party was a party. Nick did his usual job of avoiding the necessity of eating cake, but other than that he was trying to enjoy himself, and for the most part, he was succeeding. Albert had been found incompetant to stand trial and would spend the rest of his life in a psychiatric facility, in all probability. Westwood theorized that the six missing fingers indicated six bodies, and that there were no other murders they didn't know about. And he and Adam had worked together enough to keep Reese from lecturing them, which was always good. Natalie came by, as she usually did, and he stood up to approach her, smiling broadly, then stopped as he saw Westwood enter with her. The room erupted in applause. Reese personally shook both their hands. "Great job, you two. We couldn't have done it without you." Nick felt his anger growing and realized that unless he stopped himself, the vampire within was about to make itself known. He took a deep breath, and was back in control. He stiffened as he noticed Westwood approaching him, smiling. Westwood offered Nick his hand. "You're to be congratulated as well, detective." Nick took Westwood's extended hand and shook it briefly, then tried to let go. "Thanks." Westwood did not let go of Nicks hand. "Your hand is surprisingly cold." He stared at Nick with a confused expression on his face. "And it's pretty warm in here." "Yeah, mine too," Adam said, placing his hand on top of Westwood's. "We just came in, and it's freezing out there tonight." "Well, you know what they say doctor," Nick said, "'cold hands, warm heart'." Smiling at Westwood, he walked away. "Can I ask you a question?" Adam said. "Of course, that's what I'm here for." He pulled him aside and Nick had to listen carefully to hear them. "What does it mean when a guy kind of zones out all the time?" Westwood stole a surreptitious glance at Nick, who turned away before they could make eye contact. "It could mean a lot of things, Detective Sakai. My guess is that he's just a guy with a lot on his mind." -------------------------------------------- For more information or to participate in the Forever Knight Virtual 4th Season, write to V4S@fkfanfic.com.