Forever Knight (1992) s03e09 Episode Script
Let No Man Tear Asunder
[GRUNTING.]
[BUZZING.]
I'm out of ink.
I'll be right back.
[THUD.]
[THUD.]
[.]
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.
[GROWLS.]
[INDISTINCT RADIO CHATTER.]
Butcher or baker? The former, I'm afraid.
Her heart was extracted.
There are also signs of blunt trauma to the head.
Looks like it might be a knockout blow.
A stolen heart, why? I have no idea.
It looks as if someone tried to remove it without damaging her.
You know, you could be right.
It looks like someone tried to keep the aorta and the connecting tissue intact.
This wasn't done out here in the street, that's for sure.
So it's not mutilation, it's open-heart surgery.
Covered the grounds.
No other evidence suggests that the murder took place here.
A homeless guy rooting around in the dumpster found her.
He said he comes here quite here frequently, and he didn't see anything.
And I found this about half a block away.
It's a match.
Cinderella has both her slippers.
Warm feet Cold heart.
[ELECTRICITY BUZZES.]
[GRUNTING.]
I swear, my dear Hans, it becomes more intoxicating with each session.
Call it a mortality cocktail, Nicholas.
The electrical charges catalyze the serum injections and stimulate production of normal blood cells.
And you will be cured.
Personally, I would give my fortune for your vitality, Nicholas.
[GRUNTS.]
So you would like to step into my boots would you, Hans? You'd have to give up the women, your lovely Veronica.
It would be easier to excise my own heart.
The voltage we're using can be quite brutal, even on your metabolism.
Fortunately, it's nothing that this shouldn't remedy.
A toast to your first day in the sun.
In anticipation of the fruits of our labor.
To you, my dear doctor.
Mm.
Andto Veronica, that magnificent diva who has so captured your soul.
And every other part of me as well.
NATALIE: Rare blood type, same as mine: AB negative.
I'd say it happened less than, oh, 18 hours ago and take a look at this.
Hm.
Nice work.
Not as ugly as some of the tattoos I've seen.
Freshly applied.
From the looks of it, I'd say the artist never got to finish his work.
Okay, so we take a picture of this with us and check out all the tattoo parlors in town.
Oh, well let me save the trip.
I think I know the place.
I'm a bit of an expert on the subject actually.
Hey, it's not what you're thinking.
I don't have one hidden somewhere.
It's a friend of mine.
He's really into tattoos.
And this is an Asian design.
I recognize the handiwork.
It's a place in Chinatown.
[CHUCKLES.]
What about the heart extraction? Expertly done.
Somebody knew what they were doing, knew what they wanted.
To maintain its usefulness in somebody else.
No, I'd say that's a long shot at best.
Even if the surgeon managed to deliver the organ safely it should have been declared unsuitable for transplant.
I found evidence of incipient hepatitis A in what little blood remained.
She didn't even know she had it yet.
So if someone needed her heart to replace theirs, they're outta luck.
Yeah, and back on a long waiting list.
My uncle, Sonny, needs a transplant.
He's just waiting for a donor.
That's gotta be tough on the family.
Yeah, the waiting's the hard part.
I, myself, am due to go under the knife as soon as my doctor can find an opening.
That's your bad knee, right? Okay, okay.
I know it's not as drastic as open-heart surgery but I understand the stress.
Yeah.
We're all praying for a miracle.
[.]
I didn't know your uncle was sick.
He was a cop, wasn't he? Yeah.
But his bad heart forced him to take early retirement.
It's getting pretty tense now.
Almost desperation time.
It's the waiting is just so hard.
You know, if someone actually stole another person's heart, as ridiculous as that sounds It would be a tremendously complex conspiracy, that's for sure.
I mean, obviously you could not condone something like that.
But if they did it for someone they really loved, it's almost understandable, isn't it? Almost.
[WOMAN SINGING OPERA.]
She's being wooed by every opera company in Europe.
It's no wonder with a voice like hers.
[WHISPERS.]
She's remarkable.
Yes, she is.
And I'll go with her wherever she goes.
Well, that would be some undertaking, moving a laboratory like yours to a new city.
I'll give it all up, and more, to be with her, Nicholas.
[APPLAUSE.]
Magnificent, Veronica.
Truly magnificent.
I was so nervous.
I've done better, I'm sure.
Never better.
You were superb.
With the baron's blessing, I may receive an appointment at the royal company in Hamburg next season.
And if we stay here a moment longer you'll have to do an encore and I have much work to finish before the night is done.
VERONICA: Good night, Hans.
Thank you for another wonderful evening.
Thank you, my darling.
And you, Nicholas, will you be staying the evening? No, I must really get back to the village.
[WHINNIES.]
Easy there.
Steady on that.
Steady.
I've never seen him so unnerved.
Easy.
Perhaps he's ailing.
[WHINNYING.]
Hans? [SCREAMS.]
HANS: Veronica! [VERONICA SCREAMING.]
Veronica! HANS: Oh, my god, Veronica.
Quickly, Nicholas, you must help me get her inside.
We must take her to a hospital.
No! No one is as qualified as I am to care for her.
Come.
Bring her to the laboratory.
If I remember correctly this is the place.
[MUFFLED CRYING.]
Nick? It looks like no one's home.
Someone's inside.
I think someone's in trouble.
Watch the front.
I'll go 'round the back.
[MUFFLED CRYING.]
It's all right.
Please, who are you? It's all right.
I'm a police officer.
You catch him, huh? You catch him.
All right.
Very bad man.
You okay? Drop it! [BOTH GRUNTING.]
[GRUNTING.]
You catch him.
Stay here.
I'll be right back.
Nick! Back here! Wow! Adrenalin.
Amazing stuff.
TRACY: Victim's name is Malora Willibee.
Pretty name.
24, recently moved here from Halifax.
According to the old man, she was a frequent visitor at his tattoo parlor.
The old tattoo guy's too shook up for questions now.
I sent him home with his daughter as soon as she got in.
Suspect's name is Mel Purdy.
He's on parole and was hired at the tattoo parlor just a week ago.
Big question: Do we think he grabbed the girl and for whom? Well, the old man thinks he did.
Purdy kidnapped her, all right.
Forensics found her blood in the back of his van.
And he's working for someone else.
He had 20 grand in a box under the floorboard in his truck and he didn't get it doing tattoos.
Why the hell did he go back to the tattoo parlor? He should be on his way to South America by now.
Maybe he's trying to cover his tracks.
I think he's a little bereft in the IQ department.
Come on.
Let's join this criminal genius in the barbie pit, shall we? I'll catch up with you.
Whew.
Malora's boyfriend? Yeah.
Poor guy, he collapsed in the morgue when he had to identify her body.
One minute she's everything he lives for and the next Anything I can do? Yeah.
Find the people responsible.
Is there nothing I can do? There is something you can do, Nicholas.
I've done what I can for her wounds but the injury has severely traumatized her heart.
It's weakening by the minute.
Her pulse is fading and irregular.
Bring her over.
Make her into what you are.
You must bring her over before it's too late.
Oh, she's slipping away.
Hans I cannot do that.
Do it now! I beg you.
I am losing her.
The choice to become what I am is Veronica's alone.
I cannot make that decision for her, Hans.
I will not inflict my condition on her.
I will not condemn her.
I have sworn against-- Sworn to whom? To a god that you have scarcely obeyed for centuries? You owe this to me, Nicholas.
To Veronica.
It was because of you, because of what you are that the horse reared and bolted.
She sensed what you are.
Bring her back to me.
Bring her back.
[Beeping.]
My savior beckons.
Dr.
Freeman, my orthopedic surgeon.
I guess she found an opening for me.
I should bite the bullet and get this over with.
I've been putting it off for years.
I suppose that means you'll be laid for up a bit? Oh, pbbt.
Couple of weeks.
The operation is no big deal, an out-patient procedure.
I've arranged to take some time off to recuperate.
Just let me know if you need anything after.
Some flowers? Yeah.
Seriously? I could use a ride home after the procedure.
It's a done deal.
I'll stop by after my shift.
Uh, just tell me where I have to be.
Dr.
Valerie Freeman, Mount Pleasant and Grover.
[SMOOCH.]
Don't worry.
I'm in the best possible hands.
Yeah.
Good luck to you.
Sure.
[SIGHS.]
[KNOCK AT DOOR.]
Okay, Mr.
Purdy, this is what you're looking at: Kidnapping, accessory to murder aggravated assault on a peace officer.
The best deal you're gonna get is life.
Help us out and we'll see if we can get you a room with a window.
[SCOFFS.]
Hey, look.
I was hired as an assistant at the parlor.
The old man's senile, can't remember anything.
He says he paid me for my work, but he didn't.
I just came back for my money.
That's it.
I showed up just before these two cops did.
He was already tied up.
He was okay, man.
I just wanted what he owed me.
TRACY: Why? We found $20,000 hidden in your van.
And, of course, you jumped Detective Vetter, here, because you thought she was a prowler.
Yeah.
You, being security-minded.
REESE: Let's get down to business here.
Why Malora Willibee? I don't know anything about her.
We found her blood in the back of your van.
Can you explain that? KNIGHT & PURDY: I don't know what you're talking about.
Look, don't I get a lawyer right about now? Too sick for me.
The idea of someone being kidnapped and murdered for their internal organs.
I cannot wrap my brain around that one.
Ah, shoulda known.
Well, what now? To start, I wanna look at a transplant waiting list.
Somebody on it might just be desperate enough to kill for what they need.
Nick, I have a contact, or a feeling someone I know can provide information.
If there is a black market for organ transplants operating in this city, he might know about it.
You trust this person? Well, not really.
But it's worth a shot, could save us some time.
All right, go for it and be careful.
Maybe I could someone to lead us to whoever hired Purdy.
Well, there's one thing that we know for certain: Somebody still has a desperate need for a human heart.
The one Purdy brought them isn't usable and I have a feeling they're not gonna stop until they get one that is.
Ooh, believe me, I am really happy to get this over with.
I'm glad you could fit me in.
Well, a cancellation came up.
I'm glad you could take it.
The latest x-rays we received show an additional complication.
I bet the pain's back and worse than ever.
Really? Well, not to worry.
And you are going to love the results.
We get minimal scarring with the laser.
Now, what did you say your blood type was? Uh, AB-- AB negative.
Hm.
Well, I can't wait to get this over with.
[CHUCKLES.]
I can videotape the whole thing for you if you like.
You can, uh, critique my handiwork after.
Wouldn't presume, doctor.
I know that you're the best in your field.
We'll give you a sedative and I'll start the IV drip as soon as possible.
Wait a minute.
You're going with a general anesthetic? Does that bother you? Well, I don't know.
I sort of figured it was a fairly non-invasive procedure, I thought maybe you'd go with an epidural.
Armchair quarterbacking now? You have a problem with going under? It's not my favorite thing in the world, no.
Well, it helps to keep the knee as immobile as possible, so I use the general.
Unless, of course, you'd like to do it yourself? No.
Sorry, doctor.
Well, let's do it then.
Yeah.
Let's get started.
Uhyeah.
Up.
Up we go.
Oh, there.
[EXHALES.]
VACHON: Black market what? Organ transplants.
Hearts, specifically.
I've heard of these things happening in China or Central America where, um organs are harvested for transplant from political prisoners.
So, what is this now? Every time you run across something really weird you run to your supernatural chum, Vachon for the inside dope.
Well, you're the only supernatural friend I have.
Look, all I'm asking is just keep an ear to the ground.
Just ask around.
What kind of friends do you think I hang around with anyway? Hey, I've met them.
Remember? Anyway, it's not really just a police matter.
It's my uncle.
He's in desperate need of a heart transplant and he's way down on the list for a donor heart.
Screed told me about something.
He said that he'd heard of a group of doctors that travel back and forth between here and Rio, and some of them have connections to us.
You know? Our community? Vampires? Anyway, they have a thing going.
Millions of dollars involved.
They prey on people's desperation.
I can understand that.
I see it more and more in my own family.
So they accelerate the process of procurement.
That's what Screed told me.
For a fee-- An astronomical fee, of course.
--they find you what you need and, uh, you know, take care of the particulars.
Find it? Where do they find it? Do you want me to draw you a picture? Hey, I don't have anything to do with this.
I'm just repeating what Screed told me.
Okay.
I'm gonna need, uh, names, places.
If you really think it's the only way to go.
You're that desperate.
[SIGHS.]
I think his name is Walters.
Tell him Enrique from the clinic in Rio sent you.
Tell him you'll pay him whatever he wants.
Okay? [.]
[WIND GUSTING.]
LACROIX: Do you suppose they celebrate death days on the other side? Will the day we give up the ghost be a cause for celebration in heaven, or are we just another log on the fires of hell? [ON RADIO.]
: The only extraordinary thing about birth, it seems to me, is that we are no longer dead, which we presume to be an inferior predicament.
How fiercely we struggle to avoid death.
How the death of our loved ones pains us.
How desperately we hold on.
Hold on for dear life.
[THUNDER CRASHING.]
[.]
Hans, what are you doing? I will not allow death to cheat me of my only reason for living.
She's almost gone, Nicholas, but I will bring her back.
I can reanimate her.
I've been able to sustain her dying heart with intermittent bursts of regulated voltage.
But the power is diminishing rapidly.
I need a human heart.
One that is still warm from pumping blood.
KNIGHT: For what? I believe that I can surgically replace it with a healthy one.
[ELECTRICITY CRACKLING.]
I want you to bring one to me.
You will help me, Nicholas.
Yes, you shall, or you will forfeit the reversal treatments.
Refuse to help me to bring life back to Veronica and you will live on interminably with blood thirst and fear of the sun.
Hans, you are mad with grief.
You have no choice.
I hold the key to your future, your only hope for a normal life.
Go.
Do as I say.
There is no time to waste.
This is insanity, Hans.
This is insanity, pure and simple.
I will not be a party to this.
How can you deny me? You come to me to restore your mortality, to give you life, but you draw the line when I beg you to help me.
What you are contemplating is murder.
Then bring me the heart of a murderer.
I don't care.
Look around you, Nicholas.
Hundreds to choose from.
Evil men and women who prey on the decent people of this city.
Criminals who kill for pleasure and profit.
I am not judge and jury.
What was Veronica's crime but her misfortune? She used her life to bring light to the world, to bring joy and beauty.
You are meddling where you should not.
You're interfering with the natural course of life.
And you never have? How many, Nicholas? How many lives interrupted to feed your bloodlust through the centuries? How much beauty lost? What have you ever brought to the world but pain and darkness? How many hearts stopped cold? How many fates interrupted, Nicholas? Or can you even count them? [.]
It's a fine evening, isn't it, sir? You look like you might use some company, or the comfort of a woman, perhaps? Please let me pass.
Yours, for a fair price.
Please, let me be.
All right, I'll have your gold, then.
[SCREAMING.]
[NECK SNAPS.]
[GASPS.]
[HORN HONKING.]
KNIGHT: Excuse me? Detective Knight.
I'd like to see the organ transplant waiting list if I could, please? Sure.
How are you feeling, Natalie? Okay.
Tired.
You're still not dressed, yet, huh? I guess we've-- We've got a while to wait? Not much longer.
[.]
[.]
This'll just take a moment.
Yes, here he is.
We've been waiting a long time for a donor and there is a question at this point about his survival.
I have all the particulars here.
We have access to the nationwide waiting list.
It's updated constantly and every prospective transplant recipient is on it.
Here he is.
"Vetter, Sonny.
" That's him, right? Yes, that's him.
Looks like a good candidate.
Your uncle was a police officer I see.
Yes.
Until his condition forced him to retire.
Miss Vetter, what exactly do you think we do here? Well, I was told that you can influence matters, so to speak.
That you can get my uncle to the top of the list.
Who told you that? My aunt.
She contacted a clinic, the Benitez Clinic in Rio? They specialize-- Miss Vetter, I understand the desperation that drives people to seek alternatives at the fringes of medicine to save their lives, to save the lives of people they love, but I can assure you, the work we do here is all strictly above board.
I'm sorry, but I think you've been misled by some unscrupulous people.
I feel for you.
I honestly do.
[.]
[THUNDER RUMBLING.]
HANS: Please.
Please, Veronica.
Come to me.
Come to me.
Please.
Please, Veronica.
it's done, then, Hans.
It's over.
Let it be.
Nicholas.
Nicholas, come here now.
Now, Nicholas.
She is alive.
She is alive.
Veronica.
Oh, my God.
Veronica.
Yes, it's me, Veronica.
Yes.
[SIGHS.]
Angie, I need to access background information on this patient, Sage Freeman right away, please.
Thanks.
Quickly, the medic-taxi will meet us on second-level parking.
Yes, doctor.
Now, move it, quick.
TRACY: I know you can do something.
Please? My family has more than adequate resources.
Let me take the matter under advisement, talk with the other members of the group.
Sometimes the situation changes by the hour.
It's not simply a matter of priority on the list, but suitability of the candidate, genetic characteristics of the donor.
Miss Vetter, you understand that to get a transplant donor that is suitable this quickly is Well, it's feasible, but requires a tremendous amount of special effort, which costs a lot of money.
Whatever it costs, my family will get it.
There's nothing that we won't do.
My uncle is a wonderful man.
We love him very much.
[INTERCOM RINGS.]
I'll be there in a moment.
[SIGHS.]
There's some forms in that folder on the table.
You can fill one out for me.
[.]
[MACHINE BEEPING.]
Mom, I feel so weak.
Don't know if I can make it through this.
Honey, honey, you listen to me.
They found a donor.
She's right here.
They're getting her ready right now in the other room.
I know you're just saying that.
Anything to make me do it.
I'm tired of all these operations.
This will be the last one, Sage.
The one we've been waiting for.
I love you, sweetie.
Hang in there.
[KISSES.]
[PHONE RINGS.]
Knight.
Nick, it's Tracy.
Listen, they've got Natalie.
[GUN COCKS.]
What? Who's got Natalie? [DIAL TONE.]
Did you find what you were looking for, Miss Vetter? Tell me.
What's your blood type? Come on, move.
Through there.
Go.
Move! KNIGHT: Got a call from Tracy.
She said someone's got Natalie, then the phone went dead.
I think they're both in trouble, cap.
I'm at Natalie's doctor's office.
Her car's here, but she's not.
The building's locked.
Where's Vetter? You know, I really wish you two would stay in sync.
Just put out an APB, I don't know where Tracy is now, but I know who she was with.
Nick? Nick? Nick? [DIAL TONE.]
I'm going to have to sit those two down and show them what the word "partner" means.
Dispatch? WOMAN [ON PHONE.]
: Go ahead.
Yeah, listen carefully.
WALTERS: Sit down.
I'd appreciate it very much if you'd stay put.
You might distract our doctors in the middle of a very difficult procedure.
I was just looking around.
And you saw the wrong thing.
Screed told me it's happening.
It's a clinic or something.
That's their cover.
That's as much as I know.
She went alone? Of course, she did.
Hey, look, I'm sorry.
I thought I was helping.
What else can I say? I'll come along.
No.
Thanks, thanks.
[ROCK MUSIC PLAYING ON SPEAKERS.]
[.]
Got a bit of a situation here, but I think we can turn it to our advantage.
That's right.
Twenties, seems to be in excellent health.
I can start a genetic profile, blood work immediately, if you like.
She may be a better option for a non-local case.
Uh-huh.
Sure.
I'll take care of everything from this end.
You make arrangements for disposal.
[QUIET CHATTER.]
Police! Everyone against the wall, now! Move against the wall! Do it! [PANICKED CHATTER.]
[GRUNTING.]
Stay right where you are.
I'm a police officer.
Against the wall! Faces against the wall! Natalie? [THUNDER CRASHING.]
We've done it, Nicholas.
We've actually done it.
This is so wrong, Hans.
It's all wrong.
Veronica.
[GASPING.]
You have been gravely ill.
You must rest.
HANS: Your voice will come back.
Veronica, give yourself time.
Veronica, you will be better.
You will sing again.
Hans! Veronica, no! [.]
My God.
[MUTTERING.]
I'm sorry.
Uh Nat? [COUGHS.]
My daughter, she needs help right away.
All right.
We'll get her to a hospital as quickly as we can.
But please, listen to me.
She's not going to make it.
Her heart.
She needs a new heart.
My child is going to die.
Don't you understand? Yes.
Unfortunately, I do.
I know what it's like when someone you love is in pain.
[SOBS.]
No.
No, please.
You You've got to do something.
[SOBBING.]
Oh, help me.
Help me, please.
My God.
What have you done? [GASPING.]
[.]
They doing anything interesting in there? Only if you like watching cellular mitosis as much as I do.
And people say that I'm a boring person.
Imagine that.
What do you have there, anyway? Hair follicles.
You can learn an amazing amount by looking at people's hair.
Exercise habits, sexual preferences, believe it or not.
No, I'm serious.
L'oréal, Dippity-Do, you name it.
A little something to speed your recovery.
Oh, that's awfully sweet of you.
Thank you.
How's your knee? It appears to have gone into some sort of spontaneous remission.
I think I'm gonna live.
Well, that's the best way, isn't it? Nature looking after everything on its own without man's intervention.
Aha.
Well, don't go all holistic and alternative on me.
We all know that medical science does occasionally still come up with the odd miracle now and then.
All I'm saying is I think I like your knee the way it is and I'm glad that you're in one piece.
Well, thank you.
Thank you from the bottom of my Oh, never mind.
Am I to take this to mean, then, that you idolize my knee? Oh, absolutely.
It's my personal choice for the body parts hall of fame.
[LAUGHS.]
Anything else? Everything.
Hmm.
I like the whole package the way it is.
[SIGHS.]
[.]
[BUZZING.]
I'm out of ink.
I'll be right back.
[THUD.]
[THUD.]
[.]
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.
[GROWLS.]
[INDISTINCT RADIO CHATTER.]
Butcher or baker? The former, I'm afraid.
Her heart was extracted.
There are also signs of blunt trauma to the head.
Looks like it might be a knockout blow.
A stolen heart, why? I have no idea.
It looks as if someone tried to remove it without damaging her.
You know, you could be right.
It looks like someone tried to keep the aorta and the connecting tissue intact.
This wasn't done out here in the street, that's for sure.
So it's not mutilation, it's open-heart surgery.
Covered the grounds.
No other evidence suggests that the murder took place here.
A homeless guy rooting around in the dumpster found her.
He said he comes here quite here frequently, and he didn't see anything.
And I found this about half a block away.
It's a match.
Cinderella has both her slippers.
Warm feet Cold heart.
[ELECTRICITY BUZZES.]
[GRUNTING.]
I swear, my dear Hans, it becomes more intoxicating with each session.
Call it a mortality cocktail, Nicholas.
The electrical charges catalyze the serum injections and stimulate production of normal blood cells.
And you will be cured.
Personally, I would give my fortune for your vitality, Nicholas.
[GRUNTS.]
So you would like to step into my boots would you, Hans? You'd have to give up the women, your lovely Veronica.
It would be easier to excise my own heart.
The voltage we're using can be quite brutal, even on your metabolism.
Fortunately, it's nothing that this shouldn't remedy.
A toast to your first day in the sun.
In anticipation of the fruits of our labor.
To you, my dear doctor.
Mm.
Andto Veronica, that magnificent diva who has so captured your soul.
And every other part of me as well.
NATALIE: Rare blood type, same as mine: AB negative.
I'd say it happened less than, oh, 18 hours ago and take a look at this.
Hm.
Nice work.
Not as ugly as some of the tattoos I've seen.
Freshly applied.
From the looks of it, I'd say the artist never got to finish his work.
Okay, so we take a picture of this with us and check out all the tattoo parlors in town.
Oh, well let me save the trip.
I think I know the place.
I'm a bit of an expert on the subject actually.
Hey, it's not what you're thinking.
I don't have one hidden somewhere.
It's a friend of mine.
He's really into tattoos.
And this is an Asian design.
I recognize the handiwork.
It's a place in Chinatown.
[CHUCKLES.]
What about the heart extraction? Expertly done.
Somebody knew what they were doing, knew what they wanted.
To maintain its usefulness in somebody else.
No, I'd say that's a long shot at best.
Even if the surgeon managed to deliver the organ safely it should have been declared unsuitable for transplant.
I found evidence of incipient hepatitis A in what little blood remained.
She didn't even know she had it yet.
So if someone needed her heart to replace theirs, they're outta luck.
Yeah, and back on a long waiting list.
My uncle, Sonny, needs a transplant.
He's just waiting for a donor.
That's gotta be tough on the family.
Yeah, the waiting's the hard part.
I, myself, am due to go under the knife as soon as my doctor can find an opening.
That's your bad knee, right? Okay, okay.
I know it's not as drastic as open-heart surgery but I understand the stress.
Yeah.
We're all praying for a miracle.
[.]
I didn't know your uncle was sick.
He was a cop, wasn't he? Yeah.
But his bad heart forced him to take early retirement.
It's getting pretty tense now.
Almost desperation time.
It's the waiting is just so hard.
You know, if someone actually stole another person's heart, as ridiculous as that sounds It would be a tremendously complex conspiracy, that's for sure.
I mean, obviously you could not condone something like that.
But if they did it for someone they really loved, it's almost understandable, isn't it? Almost.
[WOMAN SINGING OPERA.]
She's being wooed by every opera company in Europe.
It's no wonder with a voice like hers.
[WHISPERS.]
She's remarkable.
Yes, she is.
And I'll go with her wherever she goes.
Well, that would be some undertaking, moving a laboratory like yours to a new city.
I'll give it all up, and more, to be with her, Nicholas.
[APPLAUSE.]
Magnificent, Veronica.
Truly magnificent.
I was so nervous.
I've done better, I'm sure.
Never better.
You were superb.
With the baron's blessing, I may receive an appointment at the royal company in Hamburg next season.
And if we stay here a moment longer you'll have to do an encore and I have much work to finish before the night is done.
VERONICA: Good night, Hans.
Thank you for another wonderful evening.
Thank you, my darling.
And you, Nicholas, will you be staying the evening? No, I must really get back to the village.
[WHINNIES.]
Easy there.
Steady on that.
Steady.
I've never seen him so unnerved.
Easy.
Perhaps he's ailing.
[WHINNYING.]
Hans? [SCREAMS.]
HANS: Veronica! [VERONICA SCREAMING.]
Veronica! HANS: Oh, my god, Veronica.
Quickly, Nicholas, you must help me get her inside.
We must take her to a hospital.
No! No one is as qualified as I am to care for her.
Come.
Bring her to the laboratory.
If I remember correctly this is the place.
[MUFFLED CRYING.]
Nick? It looks like no one's home.
Someone's inside.
I think someone's in trouble.
Watch the front.
I'll go 'round the back.
[MUFFLED CRYING.]
It's all right.
Please, who are you? It's all right.
I'm a police officer.
You catch him, huh? You catch him.
All right.
Very bad man.
You okay? Drop it! [BOTH GRUNTING.]
[GRUNTING.]
You catch him.
Stay here.
I'll be right back.
Nick! Back here! Wow! Adrenalin.
Amazing stuff.
TRACY: Victim's name is Malora Willibee.
Pretty name.
24, recently moved here from Halifax.
According to the old man, she was a frequent visitor at his tattoo parlor.
The old tattoo guy's too shook up for questions now.
I sent him home with his daughter as soon as she got in.
Suspect's name is Mel Purdy.
He's on parole and was hired at the tattoo parlor just a week ago.
Big question: Do we think he grabbed the girl and for whom? Well, the old man thinks he did.
Purdy kidnapped her, all right.
Forensics found her blood in the back of his van.
And he's working for someone else.
He had 20 grand in a box under the floorboard in his truck and he didn't get it doing tattoos.
Why the hell did he go back to the tattoo parlor? He should be on his way to South America by now.
Maybe he's trying to cover his tracks.
I think he's a little bereft in the IQ department.
Come on.
Let's join this criminal genius in the barbie pit, shall we? I'll catch up with you.
Whew.
Malora's boyfriend? Yeah.
Poor guy, he collapsed in the morgue when he had to identify her body.
One minute she's everything he lives for and the next Anything I can do? Yeah.
Find the people responsible.
Is there nothing I can do? There is something you can do, Nicholas.
I've done what I can for her wounds but the injury has severely traumatized her heart.
It's weakening by the minute.
Her pulse is fading and irregular.
Bring her over.
Make her into what you are.
You must bring her over before it's too late.
Oh, she's slipping away.
Hans I cannot do that.
Do it now! I beg you.
I am losing her.
The choice to become what I am is Veronica's alone.
I cannot make that decision for her, Hans.
I will not inflict my condition on her.
I will not condemn her.
I have sworn against-- Sworn to whom? To a god that you have scarcely obeyed for centuries? You owe this to me, Nicholas.
To Veronica.
It was because of you, because of what you are that the horse reared and bolted.
She sensed what you are.
Bring her back to me.
Bring her back.
[Beeping.]
My savior beckons.
Dr.
Freeman, my orthopedic surgeon.
I guess she found an opening for me.
I should bite the bullet and get this over with.
I've been putting it off for years.
I suppose that means you'll be laid for up a bit? Oh, pbbt.
Couple of weeks.
The operation is no big deal, an out-patient procedure.
I've arranged to take some time off to recuperate.
Just let me know if you need anything after.
Some flowers? Yeah.
Seriously? I could use a ride home after the procedure.
It's a done deal.
I'll stop by after my shift.
Uh, just tell me where I have to be.
Dr.
Valerie Freeman, Mount Pleasant and Grover.
[SMOOCH.]
Don't worry.
I'm in the best possible hands.
Yeah.
Good luck to you.
Sure.
[SIGHS.]
[KNOCK AT DOOR.]
Okay, Mr.
Purdy, this is what you're looking at: Kidnapping, accessory to murder aggravated assault on a peace officer.
The best deal you're gonna get is life.
Help us out and we'll see if we can get you a room with a window.
[SCOFFS.]
Hey, look.
I was hired as an assistant at the parlor.
The old man's senile, can't remember anything.
He says he paid me for my work, but he didn't.
I just came back for my money.
That's it.
I showed up just before these two cops did.
He was already tied up.
He was okay, man.
I just wanted what he owed me.
TRACY: Why? We found $20,000 hidden in your van.
And, of course, you jumped Detective Vetter, here, because you thought she was a prowler.
Yeah.
You, being security-minded.
REESE: Let's get down to business here.
Why Malora Willibee? I don't know anything about her.
We found her blood in the back of your van.
Can you explain that? KNIGHT & PURDY: I don't know what you're talking about.
Look, don't I get a lawyer right about now? Too sick for me.
The idea of someone being kidnapped and murdered for their internal organs.
I cannot wrap my brain around that one.
Ah, shoulda known.
Well, what now? To start, I wanna look at a transplant waiting list.
Somebody on it might just be desperate enough to kill for what they need.
Nick, I have a contact, or a feeling someone I know can provide information.
If there is a black market for organ transplants operating in this city, he might know about it.
You trust this person? Well, not really.
But it's worth a shot, could save us some time.
All right, go for it and be careful.
Maybe I could someone to lead us to whoever hired Purdy.
Well, there's one thing that we know for certain: Somebody still has a desperate need for a human heart.
The one Purdy brought them isn't usable and I have a feeling they're not gonna stop until they get one that is.
Ooh, believe me, I am really happy to get this over with.
I'm glad you could fit me in.
Well, a cancellation came up.
I'm glad you could take it.
The latest x-rays we received show an additional complication.
I bet the pain's back and worse than ever.
Really? Well, not to worry.
And you are going to love the results.
We get minimal scarring with the laser.
Now, what did you say your blood type was? Uh, AB-- AB negative.
Hm.
Well, I can't wait to get this over with.
[CHUCKLES.]
I can videotape the whole thing for you if you like.
You can, uh, critique my handiwork after.
Wouldn't presume, doctor.
I know that you're the best in your field.
We'll give you a sedative and I'll start the IV drip as soon as possible.
Wait a minute.
You're going with a general anesthetic? Does that bother you? Well, I don't know.
I sort of figured it was a fairly non-invasive procedure, I thought maybe you'd go with an epidural.
Armchair quarterbacking now? You have a problem with going under? It's not my favorite thing in the world, no.
Well, it helps to keep the knee as immobile as possible, so I use the general.
Unless, of course, you'd like to do it yourself? No.
Sorry, doctor.
Well, let's do it then.
Yeah.
Let's get started.
Uhyeah.
Up.
Up we go.
Oh, there.
[EXHALES.]
VACHON: Black market what? Organ transplants.
Hearts, specifically.
I've heard of these things happening in China or Central America where, um organs are harvested for transplant from political prisoners.
So, what is this now? Every time you run across something really weird you run to your supernatural chum, Vachon for the inside dope.
Well, you're the only supernatural friend I have.
Look, all I'm asking is just keep an ear to the ground.
Just ask around.
What kind of friends do you think I hang around with anyway? Hey, I've met them.
Remember? Anyway, it's not really just a police matter.
It's my uncle.
He's in desperate need of a heart transplant and he's way down on the list for a donor heart.
Screed told me about something.
He said that he'd heard of a group of doctors that travel back and forth between here and Rio, and some of them have connections to us.
You know? Our community? Vampires? Anyway, they have a thing going.
Millions of dollars involved.
They prey on people's desperation.
I can understand that.
I see it more and more in my own family.
So they accelerate the process of procurement.
That's what Screed told me.
For a fee-- An astronomical fee, of course.
--they find you what you need and, uh, you know, take care of the particulars.
Find it? Where do they find it? Do you want me to draw you a picture? Hey, I don't have anything to do with this.
I'm just repeating what Screed told me.
Okay.
I'm gonna need, uh, names, places.
If you really think it's the only way to go.
You're that desperate.
[SIGHS.]
I think his name is Walters.
Tell him Enrique from the clinic in Rio sent you.
Tell him you'll pay him whatever he wants.
Okay? [.]
[WIND GUSTING.]
LACROIX: Do you suppose they celebrate death days on the other side? Will the day we give up the ghost be a cause for celebration in heaven, or are we just another log on the fires of hell? [ON RADIO.]
: The only extraordinary thing about birth, it seems to me, is that we are no longer dead, which we presume to be an inferior predicament.
How fiercely we struggle to avoid death.
How the death of our loved ones pains us.
How desperately we hold on.
Hold on for dear life.
[THUNDER CRASHING.]
[.]
Hans, what are you doing? I will not allow death to cheat me of my only reason for living.
She's almost gone, Nicholas, but I will bring her back.
I can reanimate her.
I've been able to sustain her dying heart with intermittent bursts of regulated voltage.
But the power is diminishing rapidly.
I need a human heart.
One that is still warm from pumping blood.
KNIGHT: For what? I believe that I can surgically replace it with a healthy one.
[ELECTRICITY CRACKLING.]
I want you to bring one to me.
You will help me, Nicholas.
Yes, you shall, or you will forfeit the reversal treatments.
Refuse to help me to bring life back to Veronica and you will live on interminably with blood thirst and fear of the sun.
Hans, you are mad with grief.
You have no choice.
I hold the key to your future, your only hope for a normal life.
Go.
Do as I say.
There is no time to waste.
This is insanity, Hans.
This is insanity, pure and simple.
I will not be a party to this.
How can you deny me? You come to me to restore your mortality, to give you life, but you draw the line when I beg you to help me.
What you are contemplating is murder.
Then bring me the heart of a murderer.
I don't care.
Look around you, Nicholas.
Hundreds to choose from.
Evil men and women who prey on the decent people of this city.
Criminals who kill for pleasure and profit.
I am not judge and jury.
What was Veronica's crime but her misfortune? She used her life to bring light to the world, to bring joy and beauty.
You are meddling where you should not.
You're interfering with the natural course of life.
And you never have? How many, Nicholas? How many lives interrupted to feed your bloodlust through the centuries? How much beauty lost? What have you ever brought to the world but pain and darkness? How many hearts stopped cold? How many fates interrupted, Nicholas? Or can you even count them? [.]
It's a fine evening, isn't it, sir? You look like you might use some company, or the comfort of a woman, perhaps? Please let me pass.
Yours, for a fair price.
Please, let me be.
All right, I'll have your gold, then.
[SCREAMING.]
[NECK SNAPS.]
[GASPS.]
[HORN HONKING.]
KNIGHT: Excuse me? Detective Knight.
I'd like to see the organ transplant waiting list if I could, please? Sure.
How are you feeling, Natalie? Okay.
Tired.
You're still not dressed, yet, huh? I guess we've-- We've got a while to wait? Not much longer.
[.]
[.]
This'll just take a moment.
Yes, here he is.
We've been waiting a long time for a donor and there is a question at this point about his survival.
I have all the particulars here.
We have access to the nationwide waiting list.
It's updated constantly and every prospective transplant recipient is on it.
Here he is.
"Vetter, Sonny.
" That's him, right? Yes, that's him.
Looks like a good candidate.
Your uncle was a police officer I see.
Yes.
Until his condition forced him to retire.
Miss Vetter, what exactly do you think we do here? Well, I was told that you can influence matters, so to speak.
That you can get my uncle to the top of the list.
Who told you that? My aunt.
She contacted a clinic, the Benitez Clinic in Rio? They specialize-- Miss Vetter, I understand the desperation that drives people to seek alternatives at the fringes of medicine to save their lives, to save the lives of people they love, but I can assure you, the work we do here is all strictly above board.
I'm sorry, but I think you've been misled by some unscrupulous people.
I feel for you.
I honestly do.
[.]
[THUNDER RUMBLING.]
HANS: Please.
Please, Veronica.
Come to me.
Come to me.
Please.
Please, Veronica.
it's done, then, Hans.
It's over.
Let it be.
Nicholas.
Nicholas, come here now.
Now, Nicholas.
She is alive.
She is alive.
Veronica.
Oh, my God.
Veronica.
Yes, it's me, Veronica.
Yes.
[SIGHS.]
Angie, I need to access background information on this patient, Sage Freeman right away, please.
Thanks.
Quickly, the medic-taxi will meet us on second-level parking.
Yes, doctor.
Now, move it, quick.
TRACY: I know you can do something.
Please? My family has more than adequate resources.
Let me take the matter under advisement, talk with the other members of the group.
Sometimes the situation changes by the hour.
It's not simply a matter of priority on the list, but suitability of the candidate, genetic characteristics of the donor.
Miss Vetter, you understand that to get a transplant donor that is suitable this quickly is Well, it's feasible, but requires a tremendous amount of special effort, which costs a lot of money.
Whatever it costs, my family will get it.
There's nothing that we won't do.
My uncle is a wonderful man.
We love him very much.
[INTERCOM RINGS.]
I'll be there in a moment.
[SIGHS.]
There's some forms in that folder on the table.
You can fill one out for me.
[.]
[MACHINE BEEPING.]
Mom, I feel so weak.
Don't know if I can make it through this.
Honey, honey, you listen to me.
They found a donor.
She's right here.
They're getting her ready right now in the other room.
I know you're just saying that.
Anything to make me do it.
I'm tired of all these operations.
This will be the last one, Sage.
The one we've been waiting for.
I love you, sweetie.
Hang in there.
[KISSES.]
[PHONE RINGS.]
Knight.
Nick, it's Tracy.
Listen, they've got Natalie.
[GUN COCKS.]
What? Who's got Natalie? [DIAL TONE.]
Did you find what you were looking for, Miss Vetter? Tell me.
What's your blood type? Come on, move.
Through there.
Go.
Move! KNIGHT: Got a call from Tracy.
She said someone's got Natalie, then the phone went dead.
I think they're both in trouble, cap.
I'm at Natalie's doctor's office.
Her car's here, but she's not.
The building's locked.
Where's Vetter? You know, I really wish you two would stay in sync.
Just put out an APB, I don't know where Tracy is now, but I know who she was with.
Nick? Nick? Nick? [DIAL TONE.]
I'm going to have to sit those two down and show them what the word "partner" means.
Dispatch? WOMAN [ON PHONE.]
: Go ahead.
Yeah, listen carefully.
WALTERS: Sit down.
I'd appreciate it very much if you'd stay put.
You might distract our doctors in the middle of a very difficult procedure.
I was just looking around.
And you saw the wrong thing.
Screed told me it's happening.
It's a clinic or something.
That's their cover.
That's as much as I know.
She went alone? Of course, she did.
Hey, look, I'm sorry.
I thought I was helping.
What else can I say? I'll come along.
No.
Thanks, thanks.
[ROCK MUSIC PLAYING ON SPEAKERS.]
[.]
Got a bit of a situation here, but I think we can turn it to our advantage.
That's right.
Twenties, seems to be in excellent health.
I can start a genetic profile, blood work immediately, if you like.
She may be a better option for a non-local case.
Uh-huh.
Sure.
I'll take care of everything from this end.
You make arrangements for disposal.
[QUIET CHATTER.]
Police! Everyone against the wall, now! Move against the wall! Do it! [PANICKED CHATTER.]
[GRUNTING.]
Stay right where you are.
I'm a police officer.
Against the wall! Faces against the wall! Natalie? [THUNDER CRASHING.]
We've done it, Nicholas.
We've actually done it.
This is so wrong, Hans.
It's all wrong.
Veronica.
[GASPING.]
You have been gravely ill.
You must rest.
HANS: Your voice will come back.
Veronica, give yourself time.
Veronica, you will be better.
You will sing again.
Hans! Veronica, no! [.]
My God.
[MUTTERING.]
I'm sorry.
Uh Nat? [COUGHS.]
My daughter, she needs help right away.
All right.
We'll get her to a hospital as quickly as we can.
But please, listen to me.
She's not going to make it.
Her heart.
She needs a new heart.
My child is going to die.
Don't you understand? Yes.
Unfortunately, I do.
I know what it's like when someone you love is in pain.
[SOBS.]
No.
No, please.
You You've got to do something.
[SOBBING.]
Oh, help me.
Help me, please.
My God.
What have you done? [GASPING.]
[.]
They doing anything interesting in there? Only if you like watching cellular mitosis as much as I do.
And people say that I'm a boring person.
Imagine that.
What do you have there, anyway? Hair follicles.
You can learn an amazing amount by looking at people's hair.
Exercise habits, sexual preferences, believe it or not.
No, I'm serious.
L'oréal, Dippity-Do, you name it.
A little something to speed your recovery.
Oh, that's awfully sweet of you.
Thank you.
How's your knee? It appears to have gone into some sort of spontaneous remission.
I think I'm gonna live.
Well, that's the best way, isn't it? Nature looking after everything on its own without man's intervention.
Aha.
Well, don't go all holistic and alternative on me.
We all know that medical science does occasionally still come up with the odd miracle now and then.
All I'm saying is I think I like your knee the way it is and I'm glad that you're in one piece.
Well, thank you.
Thank you from the bottom of my Oh, never mind.
Am I to take this to mean, then, that you idolize my knee? Oh, absolutely.
It's my personal choice for the body parts hall of fame.
[LAUGHS.]
Anything else? Everything.
Hmm.
I like the whole package the way it is.
[SIGHS.]
[.]