An Angel/Buffy the Vampire Slayer/CSI crossover. This story is a sequel to "Should Have Gone To Vegas...", which involved Angel, Riley Finn, and other characters from BtVS. It is set a few weeks later, towards the end of Angel Season 3, Buffy Season 6, and contains mild spoilers for Buffy seasons 3 through 6.
All characters are the intellectual property of their respective creators, film companies, etc.; this story may not be sold or distributed on a profit-making basis.
Thanks to everyone who has commented so far - I hope that this segment will answer some of the questions raised. I don't think any of the other BtVS characters will appear, but at least one will make her presence felt.
WORK IN PROGRESS - Expect at least one more segment, probably two.
Manhunters
By Marcus L. Rowland
II
"It makes a lot of sense when you think about it," said Nick, scanning through the missing persons database. "If you're a psychopath. Why risk your life hunting werewolves when you can just infect some poor sucker, keep him prisoner, and kill him at the full moon? I'm surprised he didn't think of it straight away. Hmm... here's a woman with the right blood group, but she only went missing two days before the full moon. How long does it take?"
"Week or two." said Oz.
"Not her, then."
"Probably."
"Damn it! How the hell am I supposed to identify her without more to go on? We've got a body that ought to be fully human, but it's totally unrecognisable. We can't reconstruct the face, we don't even know her real height or weight."
"Might be a way," said Oz, "it's dangerous."
"How?"
"She would be human again if she was alive. The magic that changed her may not be quite gone. If it's pushed it might just switch the body back."
"How would you do that?" asked Catherine.
"Reverse the spell I use to stop my change."
"So why is it dangerous?"
"I'll be part of the spell, might turn wolf."
"We can take precautions." said Nick "I know it's a lot to ask, but I can't see any other way to do it."
"Okay. Need some ingredients, mostly Chinese herbs, some candles, beads, things like that. And lab supplies."
"There's a Chinese grocery about ten minutes from here. The rest should be easy enough."
* * * * *
"I should apologise," said Oz, as Catherine drove him to the shop.
"What for?"
"Babbling. Usually I'm kinda laconic. Yesterday I was jet-lagged and on a caffeine high, haven't drunk coffee in nearly two years, think I'm still a little buzzed. I think I've said more since I got here than in the last year. Hope you weren't annoyed."
"No. I'm flattered you trusted me."
"Instinct. Goes with the wolf."
"Instinct?"
"Know you won't hurt me or my friends."
"Don't rely on that too much. If you told me about a crime I'd have to take action. That girl you mentioned, the werewolf you killed. With Riley involved I'm assuming that things were handled legally. Don't tell me if I'm mistaken."
"I won't."
"These friends of yours... do they really hunt monsters?"
"Oh yeah."
Catherine waited, but he said nothing more for the rest of the trip.
* * * * *
"He's been chanting for about half an hour now," said Grissom.
"He didn't really say how long it would take," said Catherine.
They'd moved the body to one of the interview rooms. Oz was squatting in a circle of candles, stripped to the waist, his wrists linked to the body by long leather strings of beads. Catherine, Grissom, Teri and Nick watched through the one-way mirror, with a view from the other side of the room via a video camera. Nick was wearing a bulky padded jacket and trousers, borrowed from the trainers at the police dog unit, and thick gloves.
"And I used to think spraying with superglue was a wacky technique," commented Nick.
"If it doesn't work we'll have to think again; maybe there's more to be got from the camper, or the place it was parked, by conventional techniques." said Grissom. "We've checked all nearby buildings for security cameras, but that end of the road seems to have been a blind spot. If he'd only driven on another hundred yards he would have been covered. That's probably why he parked there, for privacy."
"But he didn't," said Catherine. "Remember, the engine was seized, and our mechanic says it was running when it happened. He was driving somewhere along that road. He would have only had a few seconds to pull in to the side. Wait a minute..." she tapped into one of the computers for the scene of crime pictures. "See here, the way the body was tied up for skinning."
"What about it?" asked Nick.
"That's improvised. He's put the ropes through holes in the steel frame under the camper roof, one of them is frayed from a sharp edge. If he was doing it regularly he would have put grommets on the holes, or fitted eye bolts. I think he had to set that up in a hurry after the camper broke down."
"We've been idiots," said Grissom "He was transporting the body somewhere more suitable, to skin her and dispose of the carcass."
"Which implies that he might have driven that way before, or maybe in the other direction."
"If it was a month ago, around the last full moon, we're screwed," said Nick, "most security camera tapes are kept on a three week cycle. But it's possible it was earlier that day, or..."
None of them noticed the chanting stop, at first, until Teri interrupted: "Guys..."
There was a crash, and they turned to see the monster in the next room.
Catherine had thought of Oz as a skinny little guy. Now he was six foot six or so, furry, fanged, bestial, very male. And tearing the room apart.
"Oh crap," said Teri. Oz heard her, despite the soundproofing, and sprang at the glass, which cracked but didn't break.
"That's supposed to be bulletproof," complained Grissom.
Catherine said "He isn't shooting it," as Nick ran round to the door of the interview room and drew the dart gun. Teri picked up a camera and began to take pictures. Oz battered the glass again, then turned away, sniffing.
Catherine shouted "Nick, get in there now! I think he's going to try to eat the body."
Nick heard and went in. Oz leapt at him and tried to bite his arm, but his fangs hit the chain mesh under the padding. Before he could try again Nick shot him in the stomach.
* * * * *
Oz woke, and tried to work out where he was. Under a blanket on a reasonably comfortable mattress. Naked, and with a pain in his stomach. He peered out, and saw the bars of a prison cell. Memory returned.
"Hey!"
There was a pause, then Nick's voice said "You human again?" Oz looked around, and spotted an intercom sitting on a chair with his shirt and some other clothes.
"Yeah. Let me dress." He pulled on underwear and jeans - the waist was right, the legs were a little too long - and his shirt, found his protective beads and charms in a plastic evidence bag next to them, then said "Okay, let me out."
"Coming."
Nick came along the corridor, carrying the dart gun, and peered in from a safe distance.
"It's okay."
Nick looked doubtful, but unlocked the cell.
"Did I hurt anyone?"
"Not really. You took a bite at me, but the padding worked. Bruised my arm a little, but you didn't break the skin."
"Sorry. Thanks for the jeans."
"We always have some spare clothes here for emergencies. I'm afraid yours are ruined."
"Not surprised. It worked?"
"We think so, the body looks much more human. Still skinned though. Thery're working on it now."
"How long have I been out."
"All night. It's just after seven."
"What now?"
"Breakfast. And another meeting."
* * * * *
"Werewolves?" said Warrick Brown, watching the camera tape from the interview room.
"We need more manpower on this one," said Grissom. "I've been trying to keep the loop small, like the vampire case a few months ago..."
"Vampire?" asked Sara Sidle and Warrick, more or less simultaneously.
"...but I have a feeling that everyone is going to be needed. We're dealing with a serial killer. You two will have to get up to speed. Look, it's simple. Supernatural things happen, just like in the horror movies. We've known for a few months. Vampires, magicians, demons, werewolves. We've been keeping it to ourselves for now, at the request of the government agency that handles this sort of thing. I'm in the loop, so are Nick, Catherine, Greg, and Jim Brass. Now I've decided to add you."
"Government agency? Like in 'Men in Black'?" asked Warrick.
"It's primarily a counter-terrorism unit that specialises in supernatural threats, but there's a line in that film that pretty well sums up the situation. People on their own can be smart, people collectively are a dumb mob. You tell them they need to be frightened of monsters, and soon they'll suspect that everyone is a monster."
"Which gets people hurt." said Oz, entering the room with Nick and Catherine.
"Warrick, Sara, this is Daniel Osbourne, our technical consultant. Warrick Brown, Sara Sidle."
"Oz."
Sara recognised him from the tape, and said "And you're... a werewolf?"
Oz nodded.
"Okay, I know it's a lot to take in," said Grissom, "but there just isn't time for a gentle learning curve. Catherine, any progress on identifying the body?"
"As far as we can tell Oz restored her to her normal human form. This is what we've put together from bone structure, fat content, and so forth. Greg is checking dental records."
She showed them photographs, computer-generated models. A Caucasian woman in her late teens or early twenties, brown hair, with a slightly uneven jaw.
"You're sure she's white?" asked Warrick.
"Certain. At the same time that Oz changed the body, the sample of fur in the lab changed to human hair. There was still a little skin attached."
"Interesting," said Grissom. "I wonder if that happened to the rest of the skin."
"If it did our perp is going to be seriously annoyed," commented Warrick.
"How about the jaw?" asked Grissom.
"We may be showing it worse than it was. There was some atrophy of the jaw muscles on her left side, I'd say the result of a facial injury, several years old. My guess would be trauma from a blow to the face, possibly a car crash."
"I'm sure I've seen that face before," said Nick.
"Me too," said Sara.
"Any idea where?"
"Not long ago..." said Sara, typing at one of the computers. "Three weeks? Grace something. Bonnington? No, here she is, Bennington. Age twenty, secretary. Suspected rape, someone spiked her drink in bar, she woke in an alley. We found traces of Rohypnol in her bloodstream but no evidence of sexual contact. Just a gap of a couple of hours where she couldn't remember what had happened, and some scratches on her arm. We couldn't go anywhere with it, there was no useful evidence."
"That'd do it," said Grissom. "He stalks them, drugs them, infects them - I'd guess he uses blood from his previous victim - waits to see if they turn at the full moon, then kills them and skins the body. Catherine, Nick, check it out, makes sure it is her. Warrick, Sara, I want you to check for security camera footage showing that camper along the route it was taking, prior to it being abandoned."
"Wait a minute," said Teri, "we're missing something. I think we're agreed that no disease is a hundered percent infectious, but he's been getting pelts every month, and there was that month when he sold two. There has to be more than one victim. I think he infects two or three per month, probably living in the same area. He must have some way to keep tabs on them."
"So you're saying we might have two more werewolves at large?" asked Grissom.
"He's had a year or so to get things right. I'm guessing none, maybe one other. But I could be wrong."
"Okay, change of plans. Oz, you said you could smell other werewolves at a distance - what sort of distance?"
"Forty, fifty feet."
"How about Cain?"
"Few feet, maybe."
"Catherine, Nick, take Oz with you when you check on Bonnington. Oz, check out the area around her apartment, see if you come up with anything. Wait a minute - does Cain know you by sight?"
"No. Only saw the wolf."
"Okay. Be careful though, he may have some way to spot you. Warrick, Sara, check for similar attacks, anyone else that's been drugged under similar circumstances, especially anyone living in the same area, over the last six months. Try hospitals and doctors as well as police records. Also look for anyone who's dropped out of sight following this sort of incidentl. I'll check the security cameras myself."
Nick finished a phone call, and said "She hasn't been in work since Tuesday last week, the full moon was Wednesday, and there's no reply from her home. I think it's her."
* * * * *
The drive to Grace Bonnington's apartment was quiet. Eventually Nick broke the silence. "Oz, what do you think?"
"Worth a shot."
"I noticed... Grissom didn't ask you, he just took it for granted you'd help."
"Knew I would."
"Why?"
"To stop Cain. Get the weres to Tibet, maybe. At worse, get Riley to control them. Hope Cain hasn't made one that enjoys killing."
"I'm afraid I don't think that's going to be a huge problem," said Catherine. "Teri may be right, but our murderer seems to have planned this very carefully. My guess is we're looking for bodies, not werewolves."
* * * * *
Grissom met Brass on the way to his car and explained the latest developments.
Brass thought for a moment, then said "So your identification of the perp is solely dependent on the nose of this Osbourne?"
"For now, yes, but we've got some forensics if we can locate him. Hair, skin cells, that sort of thing. Nobody goes through this world without leaving something behind them."
"But until we locate him we have the word of a... a werewolf... who has every reason to hate this Cain."
"Believe me, I'm aware of the problem," said Grissom. We'll need solid evidence to nail him, and it'll have to be evidence that isn't dependent on the supernatural."
"That's not what I mean. He could be lying; he hates Cain, for all you know he could be the killer."
"Not unless he somehow got to Tibet between committing the murder and our call to Finn. I checked with Finn last night; he really was pulled out of a monastery to help us. I haven't run a records or immigration check on him, but I'm willing to bet that it would come out the way he tells it."
"All right, that still doesn't tell us what we do with this Cain, or whoever the murderer is, if we find him. Although I suppose that Finn could take him off our hands."
"You're suggesting that we have him locked away without a trial? Last time Finn was in hot pursuit of a prisoner who'd escaped from Federal custody in this state, which simplified things enormously. This time we've got to play it by the book. You'll notice that he hasn't sent in his men to handle this; that's because it's a matter for local law enforcement. I'm fairly sure that he only arranged for Osbourne to help us because he owed us for our help in that case. Osbourne is a civilian, so Riley doesn't risk exposing his own operation by involving him."
"What about Osbourne? Can we trust him?" asked Brass.
"He's unconventional, but we're not going to rely on his uncorroborated word. In fact I want to minimise his contribution to the final evidence."
"Which means that the defence will probably want to put him on the stand to mess up your case."
"That's a risk we're just going to have to take."
* * * * *
"Okay, what the heck is this site and why is it bookmarked?"
"I thought you were checking records."
"The records server is down - should be back in a few minutes. So I went on-line to see if there were any references to missing persons in the press, and found this site bookmarked in the browser."
Sara looked over Warrick's shoulder and read "'Demons, Demons, Demons.' You must have some weird hobbies."
"Not me. Come to think of it, Nick was using this PC, he must have forgotten to log out. I guess these are his bookmarks."
"Must be something to do with the case, or with the vampire case Grissom mentioned. See if it has anything about werewolves."
"Let's see... magical disease, no known cure, controllable by magic and meditation, yadda yadda. Okay, pretty much what Grissom told us. Any links there?"
"Mmm... Other lycanthropes, preventing infection - hey, that's been copied from the Surgeon-General's AIDS site, they just changed AIDS to lycanthropy, magical significance. Hmm, says werewolf pelts are used for 'dark magic' in Sri Lanka, wearers can voluntarily become werewolves if they use the right spell."
"Yuck. Explains why there's a market, I suppose. Does it say anything about sources?"
"No, just that they can be obtained through 'the usual channels' there. Hey, what's that?"
A new link appeared on the screen, 'Download order form'.
"I wonder why it didn't show at first," said Sara.
"Bad web design, I guess. Let's take a look, see if it gives us any leads. Okay, it's a Word file, we can open that."
Warrick clicked to open it. About ten seconds later Word opened to show a black page with the words "Rot in hell, you murderers" in large red letters. Before he could react the network crashed.
* * * * *
Grace Bonnington lived on the third floor of a modest apartment block. There was no reply from her bell, but another tenant on the floor below let them in when they explained what they wanted and showed their ID. As they went up the stairs Oz sniffed, seemed to stiffen, and said "It's here. Smell of wolf... and blood. I think Cain has been here, but I'm not sure."
The apartment door was locked, and nobody responded to Catherine's knock. She shone a torch around the lock and said "It's been picked. Scratch marks, I'd guess old-style button-hook style picks, examining the mechanism may tell us more. Nick, we have reason to suspect that a crime has been committed here, and reason to believe that the owner of the apartment can't give us permission to enter. Call it in, roust out the janitor and we'll see if there's any other route inside. Oz, you won't be able to come inside until we've done some forensics, take a look round the neighbourhood and see if you pick up anything else. Okay?"
"Suits me. I don't want to go in there." Oz and Nick went back downstairs. Catherine waited patiently, alone with her thoughts.
The first police car arrived five minutes later, and in ten Catherine and Nick went in through the service stairs. The apartment was a mess, with slashed cushions and bedding. A glass coffee table was reduced to splinters, and there were bloodstains on the carpet.
"Okay, easy to work this one out," said Nick about an hour later. "The perp picked the lock and shot her from the doorway when she came to investigate. She tried to leap forward but collapsed first - bloodtains and tears to the carpet where she went down. The damage to the apartment was done before she was shot; there are bloodstains overlying the broken glass and the carpet it's lying on, consistent with wounding after the table was broken. The slashes in the carpet look like claw marks. There are also stains where the body fell, and two cartridge cases. As for the perp, we've some gloved fingermarks, some strands of black hair, and three partial footprints, size nine or ten."
"Not exactly subtle," said Catherine.
"I know. Maybe he was simply a little late getting there, giving her time to do the damage before he broke in. Maybe he intended to kill her elsewhere, but something went wrong. Look around again, we may be missing something."
Twenty minutes passed, then Nick reached carefully into one of the torn cushions and said "Found it."
"What?"
"Hypodermic dart. Must have intended to drug her then take her elsewhere to kill her, but missed the shot. By the time he used his back-up gun the place was wrecked. Get photos, then I'll bag it and tag it. You never know, there might even be prints on it."
One of the detectives called Nick down to the back door of the block, which also had pick-marks.
Oz was waiting at the car when they got back outside. "Find anything?" asked Nick.
"No. You?"
"She died here. Looks like he tried to shoot her with a hypodermic, missed, and had to use a hand-gun to finish her off."
"Careless."
"Mmm... doesn't sound quite the mighty hunter we were expecting," said Catherine.
"Not sure it was Cain," said Oz. "Similar, but the smell is guns and clothes, not the man."
"But you said you smelled him in the camper," protested Nick.
"That was Cain. I think this wasn't."
"Damn," said Catherine, "Sounds like he's got an accomplice."
TO BE CONTINUED