The Face of Evil

February 21, 2003

Bo: What if Victor isn't dead?

Jessica: Oh, come on, uncle Bo. That's -- that's a little -- that's a little strange.

Viki: Yeah, yeah. I mean, that's impossible. Bo, my father has been dead for much more than 20 years. I would know if he weren't.

Nora: Ok, just go with us here a little bit. The one thing that Bo and I kept coming back to was the bottle of hair coloring.

Jessica: What?

Bo: What if Mitch is trying to pass Natalie off as Jess?

Jessica: But why? I don't --

Viki: Why in God's name would he want to do that?

*~*

Viki: Bo, come on. This is another one of Mitch Laurence's stupid, sick games that he's playing with us. He has kidnapped Natalie! It's that simple! Dragging my father's ghost into it is just another way he's manipulating us. He's trying to throw us off the track.

Bo: But I think there's a connection to Victor Lord.

Viki: Oh --

Nora: Bo's right. Viki, I know this sounds crazy, but you got to consider what we know. Mitch did have Victor lord's scarf. And victor's body was taken out of the morgue, sent to a private mortuary immediately, and then buried.

Viki: Nora -- Nora, decades later his body was exhumed. We were there. We were all three there. He was dead. He was suffocated. They found fibers lodged in his lungs. The body in the coffin was his.

Bo: But, Viki, I checked. See, that initial identification was treated like a formality. And when he was exhumed, we couldn't really tell for sure if that was Victor Lord.

Nora: Unless there was a D.N.A. Test.

Bo: Yeah, and there wasn't any because there was no reason to believe that the body wasn't his.

Viki: You know something? I can't even believe we're having this conversation. I mean, what does it prove?

Nora: Well, by itself, nothing. But if you put all the pieces together --

Jessica: Grandpa Victor and I have the same rare blood type, right?

Bo: Yes, and Mitch Laurence knows that from the medical files we found at his place.

Viki: Yeah, but what -- what possible connection could Mitch Laurence have to my father?

Bo: It may have something to do with your father's fortune. He owned half the state.

Todd: Whoa, whoa -- wait. What's going on here? Why are we all talking about the creepy, dead piece of slime?

*~*

Jessica: Do you think it's possible my grandfather could still be alive?

Viki: No, Jessica, it is not possible.

Todd: Sure, it's possible. Anything's possible when it comes to that dirt-bag.

Viki: No, it's not! This is something Mitch Laurence is doing to rattle us!

Todd: Yeah, well, seems to be working.

Nora: Ok, if we could just put the emotion aside -- I know some of the things that Victor Lord did, and I can imagine how you feel.

Viki: Oh, no, Nora. No, you cannot. I'm sorry.

Nora: It's all right.

Viki: I apologize. I'm really sorry. Anyway, the point is, we're getting away from what is important here.

Bo: Viki's right. This is about finding Natalie.

Viki: Yes! Look, even if it were possible that my father's alive, what in god's name does that have to do with what -- the fact that Mitch has Natalie? Why does he have Natalie? What does he want with her? My god, they -- we have no idea where on earth they are, and we're standing here debating ancient history!

Bo: Well, Viki, I've sent pictures of Mitch and Natalie to all the police departments in the neighboring counties. Somebody's going to spot them. And in the meantime, I'm going to look into the Victor Lord angle.

Viki: Oh, come on! It's a waste of time!

Bo: But -- whether he's dead or not, I think there's a connection. Nora, let's --

Todd: I'm going to go with you guys.

Bo: No, no, you're going to stay out of this.

Todd: I'm already inside this.

Bo: Manning --

Todd: Victor Lord was my father.

Bo: You've caused enough problems, all right? You interfere with this one, the only thing you're going to be inside of is a jail cell.

Jessica: Mom's right. We're getting way off track here. I still think the key is to find out why Mitch was so desperate to get Natalie. I'm going to call the hospital and see if she's contacted Cristian.

Todd: Hey, Cristian's -- he's doing all right now, right?

Jessica: Last I heard, yeah. I think he'll be ok.

Todd: So what? Guy cheated death. I mean, really, what's the -- cheated everybody when he was alive.

Viki: You shut up! Do you have to be flip about everything? Look, Todd, I mean -- it's not possible, ok? He's dead. I killed him. I took a pillow, and I held it down over his face. I smothered the man. He's dead. He wasn't strong enough to survive.

Todd: You know, you say that, but you don't believe it. You don't want to believe it. You -- you feel it, though, and I can feel it. This man who split your mind wide open and made me whoever it is that I am -- this freak show of humanity -- he could still be alive.

*~*

Nora: I'm telling you, you should go back to Mitch's house and search the premises again.

Bo: You're telling me and telling me. How many more times you going to tell me, Nora?

Nora: I'm going to tell you until you do it.

Bo: We searched Mitch Laurence's house.

Nora: Yeah, but this time you're going to go back there and look for a connection to Victor Lord.

Bo: I know how to do my job.

Hank: Yeah. Apparently, so does Nora. You know, I don't know what kind of argument you made to the judge, considering what we've got. But whatever it was, it worked. The judge just issued the arrest warrant.

Viki: Yeah.

Nora: It's for Mitch Laurence. I didn't think you'd want your hands tied when you found him.

Bo: This is great.

Nora: You're welcome.

Bo: Could you do another favor for me? Get into the county records office?

Nora: I don't know. It depends. What am I looking for?

Bo: Copy of Victor lord's will.

Hank: Victor lord's? Why?

Bo: Well, it may be nothing, but that will -- that's -- that lays out the distribution of his estate -- you know, who gets what. That's the final instructions of a dying man.

Nora: Yes, and if Victor Lord is alive, then that whole will is null and void.

Hank: Wait a minute. Victor Lord is alive?

[Knock on door]

Bo: Yeah?

Officer: We just got word. Cristian Vega's out of the hospital.

Nora: Wow, that was fast. He recovered better than I thought. He was discharged already?

Bo: Get me Det. Vega right away.

Officer: Det. Vega didn't report in today, sir. Nobody knows where he is.

*~*

[Knock on door]

Bo: Yeah?

Officer: Sorry, commissioner. Det. Vega still isn't answering, and one of our cruisers is unaccounted for.

Bo: Thank you. Antonio, what the hell are you doing?

Hank: Nora, there's not much more you can do on the Mitch Laurence case -- not until Bo makes an arrest. So just let it go.

Nora: So in other words, why don't you go back to your office and deal with your caseload that's building up there? Is that right?

Hank: Exactly.

Nora: Ok, what is it? No, no, you're doing that -- what is it? ---

Hank: I'm just a little concerned that you're thinking you made a mistake.

Nora: What, in joining the team? Are you kidding? I'm thrilled to be back in the middle of it.

Hank: Good. Then I hope you're not throwing yourself into your work just to cover up your feelings about what happened with Troy.

Nora: Troy who? Ok, ok. I admit, I would probably be a little insane if I didn't have this job. Ok, I'd be a lot insane. But I'm not. Because of you and Bo and friends and family who care about me, I'm moving on.

Hank: All right. Now, if you need anything -- anything --

Nora: I know. I do. Could you hold this, please? Thank you. I've got to go meet Sam. I got to go talk about a client list. He's taking over most of my cases.

Hank: I guess it's going to be kind of strange, you and Sam working on opposite sides of the court.

Nora: A little.

Hank: Mm-hmm. And then there's my buddy, the commissioner, and you. You seem to be getting along pretty well. I was expecting more fireworks.

Nora: Oh, really?

Hank: Yeah.

Nora: Give us time. Fuse has just been set. Thanks.

Hank: Bye.

[Phone rings]

Bo: Buchanan.

Antonio: Commissioner, it's Antonio.

Bo: Where are you?

Antonio: I'm at the Coleman clinic, Jason's landing.

Bo: Jason's landing?

Antonio: Yeah, it's about 15 miles outside of Harrisburg.

Bo: Is Cristian with you?

Antonio: Yeah. We're following a lead on Natalie and Laurence.

Bo: Did you find anything?

Antonio: Well, it turns out someone's been keeping a supply of Jessica Buchanan's blood here.

Bo: I'm on my way.

*~*

Bo: Mitch Laurence?

Antonio: Well, that's the thing. He says he doesn't know Mitch Laurence. Somebody else. He won't even give us his name.

Bo: Hmm. You know, Antonio, I can't really say that I approve of the way you went about this, but nice job -- really, both of you.

Cristian: Well, it still hasn't gotten us anywhere. We still don't why Mitch Laurence wants Jessica's blood.

Antonio: Yeah, and sanders says that Laurence has nothing to do with Jessica's blood being sent here.

Cristian: Yeah -- our mystery man.

Bo: You know, Mr. Sanders, I think that if you cooperate, we'll be able to keep you out of this, you know, entirely.

Dr. Sanders: You don't understand. He'll have me killed. You don't know him.

Bo: Oh, fact is, I do. Victor Lord, hmm? You tell us where he is, we'll protect you. You got my word on that.