Forever Knight (1992) s01e22 Episode Script
Love You to Death
[ .]
Take me to edge of darkness Follow the moon To its hiding place There is magic In the silence As I start My fall from grace There is no stairway To the light There is no answer Heaven knows Will there be music Left to write In my fantasy? Oh, whoa A white rose Start the masquerade Without me Take illusion and disguise When your only love's A stranger You scorn the truth You need the lies There is no stairway To the light There is no answer Heaven knows There is a flower [ .]
NARRATOR: He was brought across in 1228 Preyed on humans for their blood.
Now he wants to be mortal again To repay society for his sins To emerge from his world of darkness From his endless forever night.
Mm, mm, mm.
Hmm.
Here's the file.
Our missing person is now officially your homicide.
How long did you guys say you've been working on this case? Gee, I hope you get the chance to take a look at some of the other information in this file.
Yeah, I will, I will.
Hey, Nicky-boy, how you doing? Hollinger, and, uh Sorry, Bollinger and Freeman, Missing Persons.
Hey, guys.
Time for the Jane Doe slide show.
Who is it? This is Stephanie Donovan, number one on our active list.
Reported missing four months ago.
That's how we found her this morning on a bench in Toronto Island Park.
Asphyxiated.
It's weird.
You know, it almost looks like an ad.
We thought so too.
That's why we got these slides.
They're catalog shots.
We're going to compare them and see where the similarities take us.
It might mean something if that's how the killer wanted her to be found.
Or it could be an attempt to make her look alive so he could get away.
Stephanie Donovan Wasn't that a model or something? Wasn't she a model or something? Where have you been, Nick? Does Classy Intimates ring a bell? Oh, yeah, Classy Intimates, "the lingerie catalog for discerning tastes.
" Or so goes their motto, but lately they seem to be getting a little bit more risqué.
I don't know.
They used to be more conservative.
It's not that they're any less attractive.
It's just that they're a little bit more revealing.
It's gotten to the point that Myra doesn't even leave the catalogs around the house unless I make it to the mailbox first.
What? Like no one here's ever taken a peek.
Gee, Schanke.
I get them in my mail all the time.
It's just if I'd known, I wouldn't have thrown them away so carelessly.
Don't worry about it, Knight.
He's got a collection of back issues in his locker that would choke a whale.
What, like my belief in last-minute gift-giving preparedness makes me some kind of pervert? I think not.
Take it from the married man, Nick.
Quickest way to a woman's heart-- buy her underwear that fits.
Have we considered the stalker possibility? Could be, but we haven't found anything to substantiate.
No sick fan mail, no reports of her being followed, and everybody that worked with her checked out.
I mean, we've got Max Henkel, her photographer, his assistant, makeup artists, other models They all had alibis.
They all checked out.
Reminds me of what James Dean said about leaving a good-looking corpse.
Was that James Dean who said that? Uh, that's actually another thing.
Now, assuming that she was kidnapped, she didn't show any signs of any bodily harm.
In fact, quite the opposite looked like she was being well-cared for.
A happy hostage.
Then again, maybe she just ran away, chucked it all, and took off with her boyfriend.
That's when they had their fatal falling-out.
Who's that? Lucy Preston.
[ .]
Will you go backstage tonight? No.
Oh, Nicholas, this is getting so repetitive.
That's why you come here every night, isn't it? To see her? I wouldn't darken her doorstep with the stain of my shadow.
Lucy Preston, Knight.
Jeez.
Now maybe you'll be able to appreciate your junk mail.
She is the queen of lingerie.
Every husband's soft-core fantasy.
She is Classy Intimates.
Any mortician would envy the job that was done on her.
Mortician? She was bathed, dressed, coiffed, and made up after her death.
Right after she was suffocated? Oh, I'd say less than an hour.
She'd only been dead about three hours when they found her.
There is some bruising under the lips which would suggest perhaps a pillow was used, pressed down on her face.
Other than that, I can see no signs of physical abuse of any kind.
So where do you think she spent the last four months? I'd say in someone's lap of luxury.
About an hour before her death, she had a gourmet meal.
Pâté, caviar, washed down by very good champagne.
Lots and lots of very good champagne are you sure she was kidnapped? Yeah, that's the main assumption at this point.
There's nothing to suggest otherwise.
Well, I'm still waiting for the results of the chemical trace, but I'm not sure how long I can before There's that partner of mine.
Come on.
We're off to a lingerie photo shoot.
Guess where? Your friend's club, The Raven.
[SIGHS.]
Sometimes you've really got to love this job.
I'm calling Myra.
She's in Tampa with her mother.
I like that.
That's good.
Yes, now, hand off the neck.
Good.
Yes, demure.
Lovely.
Good, good.
Same.
Now, chin down.
Love it.
Beautiful.
You're gorgeous.
Let's do that again.
Perfect.
That's right.
Good.
Now, chin down.
Perfect.
Got to like it.
Okay, come on, now.
Wow, it's her.
Lucy Preston.
Hey, hey, hey.
No leering.
So much for Myra's airbrush theory.
Yes, give me more of that.
Smile Come on, let's see that smile.
Nicholas.
What a nice surprise.
Well, the surprise is all mine.
Yes, well, you see, they wanted something different for their Christmas catalog, and I just couldn't resist the irony.
Christmas, you know? And besides, I wanted to show off my new decor.
Do you like it? Yeah.
Where are they? Don't worry.
I've sent them out to play, and they won't start struggling back until dawn.
Look at that woman.
What do you think? Timeless beauty, no? Now, do I imagine it, or does she bear some resemblance to Poor smitten fool.
You are in a fog, aren't you? What is this? Our 17th performance? 18th? Do tell me what it is about her that has you so bewitched.
Something you wouldn't understand.
Purity.
Absolute purity.
[APPLAUSE.]
She's the closest thing to an angel that I've ever seen.
She's a model, that's all.
Oh, la.
One hundred years, and still you won't talk about it.
No, and I don't think I ever will talk about it.
MAX: Okay, folks, let's take a break.
I need to reload.
It's uncanny, though, isn't it? MAX: Take about 10, 15, okay? Relax.
Lucy, you can get down.
Max Henkel? Yeah.
What can I do for you? I guess we always knew there was a possibility she wouldn't be found alive.
You and Stephanie were very close.
I discovered her.
She was my protegé but now I don't know what to tell you.
If it's okay with you right now, I just need some time to digest this.
Right.
You think of anything else, give us a call, all right? Otherwise, if we find anything, we'll give you a call.
Okay.
Max? I'll be with you in a minute.
We'll do that silky kimono thing next.
They're still setting up for the next layout.
They told me to hang out here.
[LOUD CRASH.]
Oh, what the hell was that? Not another flash umbrella.
We can bend it back.
I swear, Charlie, I should be able to leave the room for two minutes.
Hi, I'm Nick Knight.
You're from Kitten Club? Kitten Club? That men's magazine.
Because if you are, I just want you to know that I haven't said yes yet.
I don't know what Max told you, but he gets over-enthusiastic sometimes before things are done deals, you know? I'm with the police department.
I'm sorry.
I thought Hmm, never mind what I thought.
I'm Lucy Preston.
Can we start again? Absolutely.
It's, uh, nice to meet you.
It's nice to meet you.
So, you're a cop? Detective? Yeah.
You're here about Stephanie, right? You're still looking for her, I hope.
You haven't given up? No.
No, we found her.
Uh, Stephanie's dead, Miss Preston.
Oh, my God.
How? You two were friends, right? Excuse me? Uh, Lucy, we're-- Just tell them I'll be right there.
I've got to get back to work.
UmYeah, we weren't really, really close.
I mean, we did shoots a few times.
Listen, if my partner and I need to get in touch with you to talk Yeah.
[PURSE UNZIPS.]
Here's my home phone number.
Anything that I can do to help.
Okay, thank you.
Thank you.
[POP MUSIC PLAYING.]
Well, thank you very much.
Keep in touch, huh? No new leads.
Nothing.
Nothing that hasn't been warmed over 30 million times in the missing person files.
Well, maybe Nat'll have the test results back, give her something to go on.
No, sweetheart.
Let it fall open.
I said, let it fall.
Murdich, adjust it for me.
Murdich, are you working here? Do you want to work here? It's a catalog, Max.
We're selling underwear.
And you can sell sexy clothes with no sex? I don't think so.
Stop frowning.
You'll get ugly wrinkles on your forehead, like my mother in the nursing home.
Feels like I'm walking on air Like I'm going to touch the sky When you get so close to me It's like a storybook love [ROCK MUSIC PLAYING.]
Bye.
Bye.
It's late.
Do you need a ride? No, I'm parked over there.
Okay.
[SIREN WAILING IN DISTANCE.]
Hey, where the hell have you been? I called your place about 90 times, left about I must have had the stereo turned up too loud.
What happened? Lucy Preston.
She's disappeared.
What do you mean, disappeared? I mean, her agent called up this morning and said that she didn't show up for a booking, so Bollinger checked it out, found her car parked behind the Raven Club.
No sign of her.
Kidnapped.
Well, missing, anyway.
AWOL.
Just like Stephanie Donovan.
Let's hope not.
Nicholas So this is where you work? Mm-hmm.
Very interesting decor.
Yes, but you know, I could send Alma over, because she did such a beautiful job on the club, you know? Would you please excuse us for a moment? Thanks.
You ladies want to come with me now, please? What are you doing here? Paying a parking ticket.
Picking up young men.
I'm serious, Janette.
They called me down for questioning.
Lucy Preston's disappearance? Mm-hmm.
Poor thing.
Do you have anything to do with this? You think that we Don't be ridiculous, Nicholas.
I'm not.
I'm serious.
You know how rarely any of us gets to feed on humans anymore not that isn't sometimes very tempting.
Look, they dragged me in here because I was one of the last people who saw the girl.
I'm actually sorry that I can't be of more help.
Oh, Officer Schanke.
May I please have permission to go? Detective Knight has succeeded in grilling a confession out of me, and I fully admit I had nothing to do with anything.
Yeah, yeah.
You're free to go.
We know where to find you.
Oh, by the way, thanks for coming down, Janette.
Oh, believe me, seeing Nicholas here in his element was all my pleasure.
[EUROPEAN ACCENT.]
"Nicholas.
" What is she, Hungarian or something? Among other things.
Have a seat, Mr.
Henkel.
Where the hell could she be? Sit.
At this point, she's still a missing person, so another department's handling it.
What we want to talk about is Stephanie Donovan.
Oh, my God.
My God.
Where am I? What is this? [HORN BLARING.]
What can you possibly hope to achieve, gazing at her from afar night after night? Go in there.
Go in there and introduce yourself.
I would only repulse her.
Purity is always repulsed by pure evil.
Purity is an illusion.
What's the allure? Something, perhaps, that I regret leaving behind me.
It's a feeling.
My humanity.
Now, look here, Nicholas.
There really are only three choices in this matter.
Try to love her as a human.
Well, we all know that's impossible, so let's move right along.
Continue, in this manner, to gaze at her over the balustrade like a love-struck mongrel, which would be a terrific waste of eternity, or consummate your intense love for her in the most intense way.
Take her.
Kill her.
Purity.
Purity? Where do you get these notions, Nicholas? She is a dancer.
She's an actress playing the part of an angel.
[CHUCKLES.]
In reality, she's a common whore.
How dare you? Go ahead, Nicholas.
Take her when it's your turn.
You might as well.
You want her so badly.
It is in keeping with your code of the last three centuries preying on criminals and derelicts, feeding off the useless and the impure.
[TIRES SQUEALING, HORN BLARING.]
Oh, you're full of surprises.
Something is troubling you.
I'm a homicide detective.
[DOOR CLOSES.]
I'm paid to be troubled by things.
Paid.
A quaint idea.
If only they knew how wealthy you really are.
Écoute No matter how deeply you try to bury yourself in this make-believe mortal world of yours, you cannot deny our connection.
We are both still the children of Lacroix.
The threads of that connection have been vibrating lately.
Are you sure you haven't been strumming them yourself? No.
You know what I'd give to have that power still.
I'm not playing the tune on this one.
I'm only hearing it.
What is it? Is it Lucy Preston? She's in grave danger.
I am I'm concerned about her.
That's not all, though, is it, my love? Sylvie Montrocher.
I knew it.
It concerned Lacroix, and it concerned you, therefore it concerns me.
I want to know what happened.
Please.
It's going to haunt you until you talk about it.
My whole life haunts me.
[THUMPING.]
Please, whoever you are, just tell me why I'm here.
[DOOR OPENS.]
Hello? Anybody here? Skin sample test.
It shows traces of vinegar on Stephanie Donovan's skin.
Vinegar? Well, actually, a chemical very similar to vinegar.
A photo developer.
Stop bath.
I thought she was a model, not a photographer.
Something else.
Turns out Mr.
Max had a closer relationship with Stephanie than he previously admitted.
What do you mean? Some of the other models talked.
They said that he threatened her before she was kidnapped something about her contract being up and her not wanting to re-sign.
She was a key member of his stable.
Stephanie made him a star photographer.
She was like his muse.
So what happens when your muse threatens to bolt? You tighten the reins.
See you.
Hello, anybody here? The darkroom.
Anybody there? Metro Police.
"I don't care what you do with my body.
"Dump it in Lake Ontario if you want.
"Leave me down there with Lucy.
I did what I had to do.
"Stephanie and Lucy were mine.
I created them.
They should never have tried to leave me," and on and on and on.
Suicide note.
So he admits to killing Stephanie.
Mm-hmm.
It sounds like Lucy too.
I found blonde hairs on his sweater.
Check them out against the hairs you found in Lucy's apartment.
Something isn't right about this.
Like what? I don't get it.
Why would he kidnap and kill Lucy if he was planning on killing himself? Maybe he wasn't planning on doing it.
Maybe he got tipped off we were on to him, or maybe it was just a murder-suicide of passion.
Obsession, possession, and distraction.
I don't know, maybe you're right, but, uh it's just too clean.
Well, you might not feel that way when Lucy Preston's body washes up on the beach in three days.
It's my size.
I want to go home! Do you hear me? Home! Charlie? Charlie, is that you? Tell me what's going on.
I didn't want you to see me yet.
Why, Charlie? Why? Where am I? You're safe.
Safe from what? Oh Is this Is this what happened to Stephanie? Nobody's going to hurt you.
Did you kill Stephanie? I didn't plan that.
I wanted to protect her.
She didn't know what I wanted.
Please, Charlie, don't hurt me, okay? I won't.
Then let me go home.
Why not? Why not? Someone has to protect you.
No, Charlie, please! Let me go! Charlie! She is a whore.
Don't ever say that again.
Love has made you stronger.
You're a simpering fool, Nicholas.
Take her.
I have no designs on her.
So you won't even take your place in line? They wait outside her dressing room, one by one.
Sometimes she even takes two at a time.
You're a filthy liar.
See for yourself.
If they took anything, it was theft.
Nick, what are you doing here? The sun's barely gone down.
I couldn't sleep.
I can see that.
I keep on thinking about the Lucy Preston/ Stephanie Donovan case.
I thought that one was about to be closed.
There's something wrong.
It doesn't make sense.
Why would Max take so much trouble to make up Stephanie Donovan? I mean, prepare her corpse so painstakingly, and then just dump Lucy Preston in the lake? Well, we don't know that he did that yet.
I mean, I've had divers out all day and nothing's turned up, although he didn't have as much time as he had with Stephanie.
A man planning to kill himself is-- But did he? Kill himself, I mean.
Someonehas to protect you.
She didn't know what I wanted.
Now you're ready to talk about it.
Poor Nicholas Tortured by a soul he hasn't got.
I was tricked.
Tell me.
Tell me about it.
No.
Excuse me.
I don't mean to appear rude.
I wanted to make sure Make sure? Of what? That you were unharmed.
I'm fine.
Those two men that were here Yes.
So many visitors tonight, Nicho las.
You know my name.
Yes.
I have seen you here on many nights.
I asked about you.
Are you in love with the ballet? I love to watch you dance.
She recognized me from all the performances I'd been to.
She recognized me.
You must have been very flattered.
No.
Her compliment went to a deeper place inside me.
For a moment I thought I was worthy and it was painful, knowing it was all an illusion.
Don't leave.
We should never have met.
I'm sorry.
I I will never see you again.
Please, stay.
No.
Why? I love you.
Yes, Nicholas.
I've been watching you as you've been watching me, knowing it would come to this some day.
Don't.
Don't love me.
How can you? The same way that you do.
It's not possible.
It isn't.
It is more than possible.
It's the truth.
How can you be anything but repulsed by me? Purity cannot tolerate evil.
How can it love evil unless it isn't purity? No.
Then I will take you.
I killed her for betraying my fantasy.
She was only a human woman, Nick.
I needed her to be more than that, and in the end, I condemned her to less.
[GROWLING.]
[CELL PHONE RINGING.]
Yeah? Nick? It's Nat.
I found something.
Max Henkel.
You ready for this? The chair he was standing on had no fingerprints on it.
He never touched it.
Yeah, some suicide, huh? I went looking for something else, and guess what I found.
Traces of chloroform in his sinuses.
There was no evidence of struggle in the darkroom, so he was murdered, right? By whom? I have an idea.
Oh, Lucy.
I'm wearing your present, the one that you gave me, because I wanted you to see it.
Do you like it on me? Does it look good? Is it what you imagined? Beautiful.
Why don't you come in here and have dinner with me in this beautiful room that you made for me? I'm waiting for you, Charlie.
I know that Stephanie didn't know what you wanted, but I'm different, Charlie.
I do, Charlie.
I do.
[RINGING.]
[CLICK.]
Schanke? Hey, Knight, where are you? Max's darkroom.
Have you heard from Natalie yet? Yeah, I did.
Seems like our open-shut suicide is open again.
Ready for this? I talked to someone over at the Kitten Club magazine.
Seems that Max abruptly backed out of the business deal some time ago.
A change of heart? Yeah, apparently.
Right before he allegedly decided to stretch his neck? Nick, the deal was worth a lot of money.
Yeah, well, I don't think Max changed his mind.
Whoever killed him changed it for him.
Someone who definitely did not want Lucy Preston in Kitten Club magazine.
You mean Lucy herself? No.
I have someone else in mind.
Charlie Murdich.
Max's lackey.
Do we have an address on him? Yeah, yeah.
Hold on.
I got it right here somewhere.
We brought him in for questioning the other night.
His alibi checked out, but I've got to tell you, the guy's a real schlub.
I'm not so sure.
Join me? I never knew that you felt this way, Charlie.
What's kind of neat is I always felt the same way about you.
You were always really quiet.
I never knew what you were thinking.
I was thinking they were taking advantage of you.
They were when all I wanted was to be with you.
No! Please, Charlie.
Make love to me.
It's okay, I swear.
No.
Don't say that.
It's not true.
You're not like that.
Please, Charlie.
Do it.
[MUFFLED SCREAMS.]
Don't come near me.
I wanted to protect you! I just wanted to save you from how they wanted to corrupt you.
Stay away! I'll kill you! Nick! Put it down, Charlie.
It's over.
I can kill you both.
She made a big mistake.
I just wanted to protect her, keep them from exploiting her.
They want to exploit her.
He killed Stephanie.
He was going to kill me.
Put it down, Charlie, now.
[DOOR CREAKS OPEN.]
It worked.
We have our Nicholas back again.
What have you done? We wanted you back, Nicholas.
She was innocent? She was in love.
You betrayed me.
I hate you.
Good.
Hate is a step in the right direction.
I never knew exactly what had happened.
I only knew that it was then that you withdrew from us, that you stopped killing.
In a strange way, he did me a big favor.
How? He made me realize the complete hypocrisy of killing only the guilty.
There's no distinction between guilty and innocent blood.
The truth is we are the guilty.
They are the innocent.
He stopped me from killing.
In fact, he stopped me from killing altogether.
So it was Lacroix and his little joke that backfired? But then again, I suppose you got your revenge.
Oh, yes.
I got my revenge.
[ .]
Take me to edge of darkness Follow the moon To its hiding place There is magic In the silence As I start My fall from grace There is no stairway To the light There is no answer Heaven knows Will there be music Left to write In my fantasy? Oh, whoa A white rose Start the masquerade Without me Take illusion and disguise When your only love's A stranger You scorn the truth You need the lies There is no stairway To the light There is no answer Heaven knows There is a flower [ .]
NARRATOR: He was brought across in 1228 Preyed on humans for their blood.
Now he wants to be mortal again To repay society for his sins To emerge from his world of darkness From his endless forever night.
Mm, mm, mm.
Hmm.
Here's the file.
Our missing person is now officially your homicide.
How long did you guys say you've been working on this case? Gee, I hope you get the chance to take a look at some of the other information in this file.
Yeah, I will, I will.
Hey, Nicky-boy, how you doing? Hollinger, and, uh Sorry, Bollinger and Freeman, Missing Persons.
Hey, guys.
Time for the Jane Doe slide show.
Who is it? This is Stephanie Donovan, number one on our active list.
Reported missing four months ago.
That's how we found her this morning on a bench in Toronto Island Park.
Asphyxiated.
It's weird.
You know, it almost looks like an ad.
We thought so too.
That's why we got these slides.
They're catalog shots.
We're going to compare them and see where the similarities take us.
It might mean something if that's how the killer wanted her to be found.
Or it could be an attempt to make her look alive so he could get away.
Stephanie Donovan Wasn't that a model or something? Wasn't she a model or something? Where have you been, Nick? Does Classy Intimates ring a bell? Oh, yeah, Classy Intimates, "the lingerie catalog for discerning tastes.
" Or so goes their motto, but lately they seem to be getting a little bit more risqué.
I don't know.
They used to be more conservative.
It's not that they're any less attractive.
It's just that they're a little bit more revealing.
It's gotten to the point that Myra doesn't even leave the catalogs around the house unless I make it to the mailbox first.
What? Like no one here's ever taken a peek.
Gee, Schanke.
I get them in my mail all the time.
It's just if I'd known, I wouldn't have thrown them away so carelessly.
Don't worry about it, Knight.
He's got a collection of back issues in his locker that would choke a whale.
What, like my belief in last-minute gift-giving preparedness makes me some kind of pervert? I think not.
Take it from the married man, Nick.
Quickest way to a woman's heart-- buy her underwear that fits.
Have we considered the stalker possibility? Could be, but we haven't found anything to substantiate.
No sick fan mail, no reports of her being followed, and everybody that worked with her checked out.
I mean, we've got Max Henkel, her photographer, his assistant, makeup artists, other models They all had alibis.
They all checked out.
Reminds me of what James Dean said about leaving a good-looking corpse.
Was that James Dean who said that? Uh, that's actually another thing.
Now, assuming that she was kidnapped, she didn't show any signs of any bodily harm.
In fact, quite the opposite looked like she was being well-cared for.
A happy hostage.
Then again, maybe she just ran away, chucked it all, and took off with her boyfriend.
That's when they had their fatal falling-out.
Who's that? Lucy Preston.
[ .]
Will you go backstage tonight? No.
Oh, Nicholas, this is getting so repetitive.
That's why you come here every night, isn't it? To see her? I wouldn't darken her doorstep with the stain of my shadow.
Lucy Preston, Knight.
Jeez.
Now maybe you'll be able to appreciate your junk mail.
She is the queen of lingerie.
Every husband's soft-core fantasy.
She is Classy Intimates.
Any mortician would envy the job that was done on her.
Mortician? She was bathed, dressed, coiffed, and made up after her death.
Right after she was suffocated? Oh, I'd say less than an hour.
She'd only been dead about three hours when they found her.
There is some bruising under the lips which would suggest perhaps a pillow was used, pressed down on her face.
Other than that, I can see no signs of physical abuse of any kind.
So where do you think she spent the last four months? I'd say in someone's lap of luxury.
About an hour before her death, she had a gourmet meal.
Pâté, caviar, washed down by very good champagne.
Lots and lots of very good champagne are you sure she was kidnapped? Yeah, that's the main assumption at this point.
There's nothing to suggest otherwise.
Well, I'm still waiting for the results of the chemical trace, but I'm not sure how long I can before There's that partner of mine.
Come on.
We're off to a lingerie photo shoot.
Guess where? Your friend's club, The Raven.
[SIGHS.]
Sometimes you've really got to love this job.
I'm calling Myra.
She's in Tampa with her mother.
I like that.
That's good.
Yes, now, hand off the neck.
Good.
Yes, demure.
Lovely.
Good, good.
Same.
Now, chin down.
Love it.
Beautiful.
You're gorgeous.
Let's do that again.
Perfect.
That's right.
Good.
Now, chin down.
Perfect.
Got to like it.
Okay, come on, now.
Wow, it's her.
Lucy Preston.
Hey, hey, hey.
No leering.
So much for Myra's airbrush theory.
Yes, give me more of that.
Smile Come on, let's see that smile.
Nicholas.
What a nice surprise.
Well, the surprise is all mine.
Yes, well, you see, they wanted something different for their Christmas catalog, and I just couldn't resist the irony.
Christmas, you know? And besides, I wanted to show off my new decor.
Do you like it? Yeah.
Where are they? Don't worry.
I've sent them out to play, and they won't start struggling back until dawn.
Look at that woman.
What do you think? Timeless beauty, no? Now, do I imagine it, or does she bear some resemblance to Poor smitten fool.
You are in a fog, aren't you? What is this? Our 17th performance? 18th? Do tell me what it is about her that has you so bewitched.
Something you wouldn't understand.
Purity.
Absolute purity.
[APPLAUSE.]
She's the closest thing to an angel that I've ever seen.
She's a model, that's all.
Oh, la.
One hundred years, and still you won't talk about it.
No, and I don't think I ever will talk about it.
MAX: Okay, folks, let's take a break.
I need to reload.
It's uncanny, though, isn't it? MAX: Take about 10, 15, okay? Relax.
Lucy, you can get down.
Max Henkel? Yeah.
What can I do for you? I guess we always knew there was a possibility she wouldn't be found alive.
You and Stephanie were very close.
I discovered her.
She was my protegé but now I don't know what to tell you.
If it's okay with you right now, I just need some time to digest this.
Right.
You think of anything else, give us a call, all right? Otherwise, if we find anything, we'll give you a call.
Okay.
Max? I'll be with you in a minute.
We'll do that silky kimono thing next.
They're still setting up for the next layout.
They told me to hang out here.
[LOUD CRASH.]
Oh, what the hell was that? Not another flash umbrella.
We can bend it back.
I swear, Charlie, I should be able to leave the room for two minutes.
Hi, I'm Nick Knight.
You're from Kitten Club? Kitten Club? That men's magazine.
Because if you are, I just want you to know that I haven't said yes yet.
I don't know what Max told you, but he gets over-enthusiastic sometimes before things are done deals, you know? I'm with the police department.
I'm sorry.
I thought Hmm, never mind what I thought.
I'm Lucy Preston.
Can we start again? Absolutely.
It's, uh, nice to meet you.
It's nice to meet you.
So, you're a cop? Detective? Yeah.
You're here about Stephanie, right? You're still looking for her, I hope.
You haven't given up? No.
No, we found her.
Uh, Stephanie's dead, Miss Preston.
Oh, my God.
How? You two were friends, right? Excuse me? Uh, Lucy, we're-- Just tell them I'll be right there.
I've got to get back to work.
UmYeah, we weren't really, really close.
I mean, we did shoots a few times.
Listen, if my partner and I need to get in touch with you to talk Yeah.
[PURSE UNZIPS.]
Here's my home phone number.
Anything that I can do to help.
Okay, thank you.
Thank you.
[POP MUSIC PLAYING.]
Well, thank you very much.
Keep in touch, huh? No new leads.
Nothing.
Nothing that hasn't been warmed over 30 million times in the missing person files.
Well, maybe Nat'll have the test results back, give her something to go on.
No, sweetheart.
Let it fall open.
I said, let it fall.
Murdich, adjust it for me.
Murdich, are you working here? Do you want to work here? It's a catalog, Max.
We're selling underwear.
And you can sell sexy clothes with no sex? I don't think so.
Stop frowning.
You'll get ugly wrinkles on your forehead, like my mother in the nursing home.
Feels like I'm walking on air Like I'm going to touch the sky When you get so close to me It's like a storybook love [ROCK MUSIC PLAYING.]
Bye.
Bye.
It's late.
Do you need a ride? No, I'm parked over there.
Okay.
[SIREN WAILING IN DISTANCE.]
Hey, where the hell have you been? I called your place about 90 times, left about I must have had the stereo turned up too loud.
What happened? Lucy Preston.
She's disappeared.
What do you mean, disappeared? I mean, her agent called up this morning and said that she didn't show up for a booking, so Bollinger checked it out, found her car parked behind the Raven Club.
No sign of her.
Kidnapped.
Well, missing, anyway.
AWOL.
Just like Stephanie Donovan.
Let's hope not.
Nicholas So this is where you work? Mm-hmm.
Very interesting decor.
Yes, but you know, I could send Alma over, because she did such a beautiful job on the club, you know? Would you please excuse us for a moment? Thanks.
You ladies want to come with me now, please? What are you doing here? Paying a parking ticket.
Picking up young men.
I'm serious, Janette.
They called me down for questioning.
Lucy Preston's disappearance? Mm-hmm.
Poor thing.
Do you have anything to do with this? You think that we Don't be ridiculous, Nicholas.
I'm not.
I'm serious.
You know how rarely any of us gets to feed on humans anymore not that isn't sometimes very tempting.
Look, they dragged me in here because I was one of the last people who saw the girl.
I'm actually sorry that I can't be of more help.
Oh, Officer Schanke.
May I please have permission to go? Detective Knight has succeeded in grilling a confession out of me, and I fully admit I had nothing to do with anything.
Yeah, yeah.
You're free to go.
We know where to find you.
Oh, by the way, thanks for coming down, Janette.
Oh, believe me, seeing Nicholas here in his element was all my pleasure.
[EUROPEAN ACCENT.]
"Nicholas.
" What is she, Hungarian or something? Among other things.
Have a seat, Mr.
Henkel.
Where the hell could she be? Sit.
At this point, she's still a missing person, so another department's handling it.
What we want to talk about is Stephanie Donovan.
Oh, my God.
My God.
Where am I? What is this? [HORN BLARING.]
What can you possibly hope to achieve, gazing at her from afar night after night? Go in there.
Go in there and introduce yourself.
I would only repulse her.
Purity is always repulsed by pure evil.
Purity is an illusion.
What's the allure? Something, perhaps, that I regret leaving behind me.
It's a feeling.
My humanity.
Now, look here, Nicholas.
There really are only three choices in this matter.
Try to love her as a human.
Well, we all know that's impossible, so let's move right along.
Continue, in this manner, to gaze at her over the balustrade like a love-struck mongrel, which would be a terrific waste of eternity, or consummate your intense love for her in the most intense way.
Take her.
Kill her.
Purity.
Purity? Where do you get these notions, Nicholas? She is a dancer.
She's an actress playing the part of an angel.
[CHUCKLES.]
In reality, she's a common whore.
How dare you? Go ahead, Nicholas.
Take her when it's your turn.
You might as well.
You want her so badly.
It is in keeping with your code of the last three centuries preying on criminals and derelicts, feeding off the useless and the impure.
[TIRES SQUEALING, HORN BLARING.]
Oh, you're full of surprises.
Something is troubling you.
I'm a homicide detective.
[DOOR CLOSES.]
I'm paid to be troubled by things.
Paid.
A quaint idea.
If only they knew how wealthy you really are.
Écoute No matter how deeply you try to bury yourself in this make-believe mortal world of yours, you cannot deny our connection.
We are both still the children of Lacroix.
The threads of that connection have been vibrating lately.
Are you sure you haven't been strumming them yourself? No.
You know what I'd give to have that power still.
I'm not playing the tune on this one.
I'm only hearing it.
What is it? Is it Lucy Preston? She's in grave danger.
I am I'm concerned about her.
That's not all, though, is it, my love? Sylvie Montrocher.
I knew it.
It concerned Lacroix, and it concerned you, therefore it concerns me.
I want to know what happened.
Please.
It's going to haunt you until you talk about it.
My whole life haunts me.
[THUMPING.]
Please, whoever you are, just tell me why I'm here.
[DOOR OPENS.]
Hello? Anybody here? Skin sample test.
It shows traces of vinegar on Stephanie Donovan's skin.
Vinegar? Well, actually, a chemical very similar to vinegar.
A photo developer.
Stop bath.
I thought she was a model, not a photographer.
Something else.
Turns out Mr.
Max had a closer relationship with Stephanie than he previously admitted.
What do you mean? Some of the other models talked.
They said that he threatened her before she was kidnapped something about her contract being up and her not wanting to re-sign.
She was a key member of his stable.
Stephanie made him a star photographer.
She was like his muse.
So what happens when your muse threatens to bolt? You tighten the reins.
See you.
Hello, anybody here? The darkroom.
Anybody there? Metro Police.
"I don't care what you do with my body.
"Dump it in Lake Ontario if you want.
"Leave me down there with Lucy.
I did what I had to do.
"Stephanie and Lucy were mine.
I created them.
They should never have tried to leave me," and on and on and on.
Suicide note.
So he admits to killing Stephanie.
Mm-hmm.
It sounds like Lucy too.
I found blonde hairs on his sweater.
Check them out against the hairs you found in Lucy's apartment.
Something isn't right about this.
Like what? I don't get it.
Why would he kidnap and kill Lucy if he was planning on killing himself? Maybe he wasn't planning on doing it.
Maybe he got tipped off we were on to him, or maybe it was just a murder-suicide of passion.
Obsession, possession, and distraction.
I don't know, maybe you're right, but, uh it's just too clean.
Well, you might not feel that way when Lucy Preston's body washes up on the beach in three days.
It's my size.
I want to go home! Do you hear me? Home! Charlie? Charlie, is that you? Tell me what's going on.
I didn't want you to see me yet.
Why, Charlie? Why? Where am I? You're safe.
Safe from what? Oh Is this Is this what happened to Stephanie? Nobody's going to hurt you.
Did you kill Stephanie? I didn't plan that.
I wanted to protect her.
She didn't know what I wanted.
Please, Charlie, don't hurt me, okay? I won't.
Then let me go home.
Why not? Why not? Someone has to protect you.
No, Charlie, please! Let me go! Charlie! She is a whore.
Don't ever say that again.
Love has made you stronger.
You're a simpering fool, Nicholas.
Take her.
I have no designs on her.
So you won't even take your place in line? They wait outside her dressing room, one by one.
Sometimes she even takes two at a time.
You're a filthy liar.
See for yourself.
If they took anything, it was theft.
Nick, what are you doing here? The sun's barely gone down.
I couldn't sleep.
I can see that.
I keep on thinking about the Lucy Preston/ Stephanie Donovan case.
I thought that one was about to be closed.
There's something wrong.
It doesn't make sense.
Why would Max take so much trouble to make up Stephanie Donovan? I mean, prepare her corpse so painstakingly, and then just dump Lucy Preston in the lake? Well, we don't know that he did that yet.
I mean, I've had divers out all day and nothing's turned up, although he didn't have as much time as he had with Stephanie.
A man planning to kill himself is-- But did he? Kill himself, I mean.
Someonehas to protect you.
She didn't know what I wanted.
Now you're ready to talk about it.
Poor Nicholas Tortured by a soul he hasn't got.
I was tricked.
Tell me.
Tell me about it.
No.
Excuse me.
I don't mean to appear rude.
I wanted to make sure Make sure? Of what? That you were unharmed.
I'm fine.
Those two men that were here Yes.
So many visitors tonight, Nicho las.
You know my name.
Yes.
I have seen you here on many nights.
I asked about you.
Are you in love with the ballet? I love to watch you dance.
She recognized me from all the performances I'd been to.
She recognized me.
You must have been very flattered.
No.
Her compliment went to a deeper place inside me.
For a moment I thought I was worthy and it was painful, knowing it was all an illusion.
Don't leave.
We should never have met.
I'm sorry.
I I will never see you again.
Please, stay.
No.
Why? I love you.
Yes, Nicholas.
I've been watching you as you've been watching me, knowing it would come to this some day.
Don't.
Don't love me.
How can you? The same way that you do.
It's not possible.
It isn't.
It is more than possible.
It's the truth.
How can you be anything but repulsed by me? Purity cannot tolerate evil.
How can it love evil unless it isn't purity? No.
Then I will take you.
I killed her for betraying my fantasy.
She was only a human woman, Nick.
I needed her to be more than that, and in the end, I condemned her to less.
[GROWLING.]
[CELL PHONE RINGING.]
Yeah? Nick? It's Nat.
I found something.
Max Henkel.
You ready for this? The chair he was standing on had no fingerprints on it.
He never touched it.
Yeah, some suicide, huh? I went looking for something else, and guess what I found.
Traces of chloroform in his sinuses.
There was no evidence of struggle in the darkroom, so he was murdered, right? By whom? I have an idea.
Oh, Lucy.
I'm wearing your present, the one that you gave me, because I wanted you to see it.
Do you like it on me? Does it look good? Is it what you imagined? Beautiful.
Why don't you come in here and have dinner with me in this beautiful room that you made for me? I'm waiting for you, Charlie.
I know that Stephanie didn't know what you wanted, but I'm different, Charlie.
I do, Charlie.
I do.
[RINGING.]
[CLICK.]
Schanke? Hey, Knight, where are you? Max's darkroom.
Have you heard from Natalie yet? Yeah, I did.
Seems like our open-shut suicide is open again.
Ready for this? I talked to someone over at the Kitten Club magazine.
Seems that Max abruptly backed out of the business deal some time ago.
A change of heart? Yeah, apparently.
Right before he allegedly decided to stretch his neck? Nick, the deal was worth a lot of money.
Yeah, well, I don't think Max changed his mind.
Whoever killed him changed it for him.
Someone who definitely did not want Lucy Preston in Kitten Club magazine.
You mean Lucy herself? No.
I have someone else in mind.
Charlie Murdich.
Max's lackey.
Do we have an address on him? Yeah, yeah.
Hold on.
I got it right here somewhere.
We brought him in for questioning the other night.
His alibi checked out, but I've got to tell you, the guy's a real schlub.
I'm not so sure.
Join me? I never knew that you felt this way, Charlie.
What's kind of neat is I always felt the same way about you.
You were always really quiet.
I never knew what you were thinking.
I was thinking they were taking advantage of you.
They were when all I wanted was to be with you.
No! Please, Charlie.
Make love to me.
It's okay, I swear.
No.
Don't say that.
It's not true.
You're not like that.
Please, Charlie.
Do it.
[MUFFLED SCREAMS.]
Don't come near me.
I wanted to protect you! I just wanted to save you from how they wanted to corrupt you.
Stay away! I'll kill you! Nick! Put it down, Charlie.
It's over.
I can kill you both.
She made a big mistake.
I just wanted to protect her, keep them from exploiting her.
They want to exploit her.
He killed Stephanie.
He was going to kill me.
Put it down, Charlie, now.
[DOOR CREAKS OPEN.]
It worked.
We have our Nicholas back again.
What have you done? We wanted you back, Nicholas.
She was innocent? She was in love.
You betrayed me.
I hate you.
Good.
Hate is a step in the right direction.
I never knew exactly what had happened.
I only knew that it was then that you withdrew from us, that you stopped killing.
In a strange way, he did me a big favor.
How? He made me realize the complete hypocrisy of killing only the guilty.
There's no distinction between guilty and innocent blood.
The truth is we are the guilty.
They are the innocent.
He stopped me from killing.
In fact, he stopped me from killing altogether.
So it was Lacroix and his little joke that backfired? But then again, I suppose you got your revenge.
Oh, yes.
I got my revenge.
[ .]