Vice Cop Ch. 09

Previously on Vice Cop, Hudson and Lexa, working Homicide, went undercover chasing an elusive killer known as The Yellow Cab Killer, a taxi cab driver who murdered his passengers. The killer, disguised as a passenger, had Hudson drive him to the airport where he made his escape, teaching Hudson he couldn't always save the day.

This episode has a lot of plot/action and one sex scene you can find on SCENE FIVE. It involves a wicked and psycho rock star and his tryst with a devoted groupie in his luxury suite at the Plaza Hotel.

*

ONE

Lexa was summoned to Detective Mason Holmes' office. The previous night she had received a call from him telling her she was needed for an assignment involving bizarre murders in rock concerts. He hadn't been very specific and it was obvious to Lexa that he had just received the case himself and was not too sure about the details. He had not made an effort to contact her throughout the morning and it was now about one in the afternoon. Lexa had shared a lunch with a fellow officer and then went to the donut shop called Christie's which the cops in the precinct frequented. It was a small, old-time donut shop surrounded by a grove of trees. Glass windows surrounded the top sides of the place. When she went into the office, she found that Mason was sitting at his desk. He looked up at her with a big smile.

"Sit down, darling," he said.

She sat down and looked at his desk for a pack of smokes but found nothing. Mason usually kept some around, and more confidently owing to the fact that the Chief hardly ever came to his office. Mason looked at her knowingly and chuckled.

"No smokes today, I'm afraid," he said to her, "I'm trying to cut down. You should too you know."

"Well, it would please you to know I only smoke when we're alone. I don't have cigarettes at home."

He laughed.

Lexa loved his laugh. It was a joyous, deep manly laugh and when he smiled all his teeth showed and they were excellent, straight white teeth. She was beginning to enjoy being with him alone. He was so good to her and Lexa knew that such men were becoming rarer and rarer.

"I'm sorry if my phone call awoke you last night but it was urgent. I trust you got my message."

"I did. What's this about murders at rock concerts?"

"This is a new case for me as you might have already figured out. Homicide has received reports of murdered young men and women at various rock concerts in Europe and the US. While we can't do a thing about whatever homicides occur in Europe, when it happens here in our country, it becomes personal. Families are baffled and grieving. It's still shrouded in mystery but we're making speculations and forming theories as to what might have happened."

"Let me get this straight. Rock fans have been found dead in rock concerts? But how? How could a cold-blooded murder occur in such a crowded scene and when there' security present at those events?" Lexa said, quite baffled herself.

"The murders have taken place in out-of-the way places, hidden in corners, behind drapes, in the wings, in backstage areas, nowhere near the stage seats or "mosh pit" which the young call the sunken area right in front of the stage where the most number of folks are rocking out to the music. The murders were done in ritualistic manners, with the eyelids closed and marked with three 6's, or upside down crosses. Some murder victims were found with their tongues or eyes cut out and the female victims were evidently violated before being killed.

"My God, this is terrible. Is this the work of a serial killer who attends these rock concerts?"

"That, of course, was my first guess. But we are still investigating. It's not likely that one serial killer is methodically murdering these teenagers. It seems to be the work of at least two killers. There are two different patterns. According to the autopsy reports and FBI forensic anthropologists, the murders committed here in the States and those in Europe show that two killers were at work. One killer bites into the neck of the victims like a vampire would and drains them of their blood. The other assassin uses medieval weapons such as spiked clubs and swords. Of course, before we make any kind of public statement, we need to be absolutely certain we are correct. We know things can get wildly out of hand at these rock concerts and as you know, in most cases, illicit and harmful drugs are involved. Rock musicians and rock fans take drugs as part of their culture. It's possible this is the work of two drug addicts raising hell."

"What kind of rock music is this? I'm sure it's not like Paul McCartney right?"

"It's a new kind of underground heavy metal rock music. It has a growing fan base. In London, there is a new wave of Goth rock music. The music is dark, dismal and deals with dark subject matters like death, suicide, nihilistic philosophies and Satanism. It is a combination of heavy metal, "glam rock" and "shock rock" in the vein of Venom, Ozzy Osbourne, KISS, Alice Cooper and Iron Maiden, except with a more German and European attitude. The band we're following is called Darkness. The murders have occurred at their concerts."

"I've never listened to any of their music. What is it like?"

"Me either. I'm only a jazz fan and into older music. It's just heavily orchestrated and synthesized rock, basically with the lead singers screaming into the mic. It's loud, it's hypnotic, it's riotous and it sells. This particular rock group I'm talking about is quite new. The lead singer and his band are from Vienna, Austria and gained popularity in London, Sweden and Germany before making it to America. Here, let me show you an album --"

He retrieved an album from a large package. He had obviously ordered the album by mail as part of his research. He handed the LP album to Lexa. On the cover was a large portrait of the lead singer in a showy costume, with a long flowing blood-red cape, very long dyed red hair and two little fake horns over his head. He had a malicious look in his eyes which on the album were superimposed with tiny little flames. Surrounding him was a background of Hell, as depicted in the old sixteenth century European artist Hieronymus Bosch's paintings. Monsters, half-human, half-animal and demons tortured nude mortals in a dark, fiery pit.

"My God this looks Satanic," Lexa said, gasping.

"Well, I hate to tell you but today's music is getting weirder and weirder. Our investigation is still new but my guess is that this lead singer, stage name Siegfried Kroll, is either using the Satanic rock singer image to sell albums or is actually some kind of Satanist. If that really is the case that would explain the bizarre murders."

"You think this Austrian singer is murdering his own fans?"

Lexa's eyes fell on the album again, at the young man in the album, dressed like the Devil for shock appeal.

"It's only conjecture, Miss O'Neil but I intend to uncover the truth. It's a dangerous case, for we'd be exposing ourselves to the danger that has recently surfaced from these concerts. It has come to the point that many Right-Wing Christians are banning the albums, burning them in effigy and forbidding their teenage children from attending the concerts."

"Which of course only makes them go to the concerts a whole lot more times, right?"

"Exactly. The fact that these murders have been reported in the news only adds to the fame of this music group Darkness. The crowds still come, drunk on the music, loving the spectacle of it all."

"Spectacle? So it's like a show?"

"That has been the real attraction and ticket seller," Mason said, " the band Darkness performs a show, full of special effects, lasers, fog machines, dry ice, creative lighting, costumes, transformations on stage, and the like. But from what I've been hearing there is a lot of shock appeal. They have snakes and cobras on stage, burning crosses, upside down crosses with some people actually hanging on them, Medieval torture devices like the iron maiden, the Guillotine, and Sadomasochistic elements like floggings and whippings on stage, cadavers, zombies, monsters, beasts and lots of blood and gore. Lots of the shows resemble the set to a horror movie."

"This group sounds like one you can take the whole family to," Lexa said jokingly.

"Miss O'Neil, I don't like giving you these assignments but I'm afraid that we have no one better and available. You've proven to be a terrific undercover cop. But sometimes I fear that you....that you will get hurt and that we'd lose you....that I'll never see you again..."

"Oh, don't worry your head about that," Lexa replied, "I can take care of myself and no assignment is truly too dangerous for me. If it were, I'd let you know beforehand. I'm interested in this case. What do you want me to do?"

"I'm going to be with you the whole time. The first thing we have to do is actually listen to the music. I haven't listened to this album yet but it contains all their greatest hits. We have to listen to the lyrics and search for any hidden messages. As you know, music and lyrics are very powerful and hold influence over youth. If this guy is our killer, he may be issuing subliminal messages to his fans."

"Which would lead us to speculating that if he's not the killer, then some crazed fan, influenced by his music, has been killing other concert-goers?"

"That's right. We need to proceed carefully. Mr. Kroll is a highly public figure and he's a suspect without knowing he's one. We have yet to talk to him. He is on an American Tour and he'll be in New York in a week. I intend to interrogate him at his hotel room when he arrives here."

"And you want me to go undercover somehow?"

"At the concert next week. I'll go with you along with some back-up. Are you alright with all this Miss O'Neil?"

"Detective, wild horses couldn't drag me away."

TWO

"Do my ears deceive me or did you say that Miss Lexa O'Neil is living next door to you?" Professor Ezra Goldstein said in a tone of complete surprise.

Hudson had been coming to have tea with him in the evening and not at the official tea time, four o'clock, because Hudson had been having trouble sleeping at night. The Professor's chamomile teas always helped him to sleep better. On a record player, the Professor had classical music on in a recent album he had purchased of Tchaikovsky symphonies.

He had re-decorated his home, something he seemed to be doing about every six months. He would change the wallpaper; add a little framed photo or painting here and there, new flowers on vases and sometimes even new carpeting. Hudson wondered if he did this because his life was so marked by routine and dull that doing these little things was a way to keep him doing something, a way to keep his mind and mind active. He had provided the home with a Japanese-themed décor and he had lots of dark woods, "floating world" paintings, bamboo sticks and several miniature statuettes of characters from the Gilbert and Sullivan operetta The Mikado.

"That's right, I was surprised too," Hudson replied, "and I don't like it either. She keeps me up all night. It's distracting."

"Why would she distract you? It seems to me you are not telling me something. Miss O"Neil is a fine woman, just like her mother. But you seem to occasionally hint that you have some kind of attraction to her that doesn't sit well with you."

"No way, Professor. I don't find her attractive at all."

"You're lying."

"Alright so she's gorgeous. But not as beautiful as some women I know. The only reason I don't get along with her is that she's a feisty, willful and tough cop. I don't want a woman that's a cop. I want a non-cop woman. You know this."

"Alright, I won't mention Miss O'Neil again. Still, it's such a pity. She's so like you. It's the only reason you don't like her. She reminds you of you and sometimes we don't like to have others remind us of ourselves."

"What are you listening to on the record player?"

"Tchaikovsky's Fourth Symphony. I have all six symphonies on a single album. Do you like it?"

"I love it. It's so beautiful. You find the best classical albums, Professor, you really do."

"I do my best. They take me back....back to better times, when my wife Helen and I attended symphonies, ballets and operas, and traveled through Europe...each piece of music I hear is a memory.."

Hudson looked at a framed photograph of Helen Goldstein which stood next to the fireplace. She was in a straw sunhat with green streamers, looking radiant and smiling in a Hawaiian beach, seemingly enjoying herself when the photo was shot. When would her death stop haunting the poor old man? Hudson knew that the Professor lived on his memories, and in the past, and this was also getting depressing, so he changed the subject.

"What's with the Oriental theme in your house?" he said.

"Oh, you noticed."

"It's hard not to notice."

"Don't you like it?"

"It's a little too excessive, don't you think? Looks like you bought a bunch of kitschy junk from Chinatown."

"Well, that's just one person's opinion. Now tell me, have you been able to find a girl, a match, since you and Miss O'Neil didn't hit it off?"

"No. No girl in my life right now."

"Let's remedy that situation shall we. I hate to see how miserably single you are."

"Not miserable, please, Professor. That's such a strong word. I just feel frustrated is all, but not miserable."

"Well what do you say if I arrange another blind date?"

"Sure."

"This time I hope it works. What I'll do is find out more about the girl before getting her to go on a date with you. I'll ensure that she's not working with law enforcement in any way and that she is very drawn to police men like yourself."

"That would work great."

"Very well then, my boy. I think I know who I can get for you. She's the daughter of one of my older students."

"How old is the girl?"

"Twenty eight."

"Not bad. Is she pretty?"

"Yes I would say so. Her mother, Norma Dee, was once a country singer in Nashville, Tennessee. Her career was very short and many people didn't care for her singing because at the time Dolly Parton was the big star. She quit singing and she came to New York City to work as a choir instructor. Her daughter attends my class."

"I'd love to meet her. When can you arrange a date? I don't want to wait too long, Professor."

"Not to worry. I know how anxious and impatient you are. I'll see if I can get the girl to attend a production of The Mikado with you. It's playing at New York City Opera. It's the reason I decided to give my home a Japanese art theme."

"What's a Makado?"

"It's Mikado. It's an old English-sung opera by Gilbert and Sullivan, a satire about feudal-era Japan."

"Is the girl into that stuff?"

"No. She's into country western music like her mother but if she wants to get college credit, she needs to go to it."

"I see. Well, let's hope this works, Professor."

Lexa and Mason had done their share of research on Siegfried Kroll, the Austrian rock singer from the heavy metal band Darkness. His albums had sold countless numbers of copies and he had appeared on MTV more than once. His debut album "Inferno" was a collection of songs inspired by the 1300's Italian poet Dante Alighieri's epic poem of the same name, with a modern twist. In the album, which was more like a grandiose rock opera, Siegfried states that he is the son of Satan, the Anti-Christ. He lures the protagonist, a typical rock music fanatic, sung by one of his band members, into a web of debauchery and violence, after which he is dragged down the nine circles of Hell, finally reaching the Throne of Satan himself.

It was horrible to listen to, and Lexa and Mason felt sick after listening to it. There was no doubt the orchestration was amazing and inspired. Not only did it feature the classic rock instruments - electric guitars, bass and drums, but also electronic music, post-modern music, twelve-tone, and touches of symphonic instruments like violins, cellos, horns, trumpets and Baroque instruments like the harpsichord. He also made use of chorus. The lyrics used modern slang and also made references to the demonic monsters and characters in Dante's poems in addition to occult terminology. The music was dark, heavy, ominous, frightening; dramatically fatalistic but ultimately a sort of glorified satanic symphony.

"This music makes me afraid," Lexa said to Mason after they had both heard it, "how can this awful music sell?"

"I don't know," Mason answered, "his other albums are more mainstream, just heavy metal music with only a few lyrics. He shouts obscenities into the microphone, many of them are about twisted love and what the young today call "S and M" a lifestyle involving sexual domination with the use of bondage, pain and sometimes torture. He has recently composed another rock opera, with talk of being made into a movie. He's been spotted hanging around horror film directors and has already been to Hollywood to get the funding for the movie. It's called "Lucifer", about the war in Heaven between angels and demons and Satan's descent into Hell, inspired by the English poet Milton's Paradise Lost. But again he makes some changes to please modern audiences. The biggest change is that he doesn't make Satan the loser. He portrays him as victorious, and gaining unlimited power."

"Another rock opera with a satanic theme? How would that do in the box office if it was made into a film?"

"Well it would be a horror movie. The horror genre today has become very graphic and gruesome.

"Well, so far, there's nothing in the lyrics that seem to indicate he's brainwashing his fans or giving them subliminal messages to kill people."

"I didn't pick up any of that either. Maybe we should run the record backwards."

They shared a laugh.

"Still, the music is very ominous and hypnotic at times. Maybe it's not necessary for him to be saying anything in the music. The music speaks for itself and maybe urged some of his fans to kill at his concerts."

"Maybe. The concert is going to be held in an old movie palace that is no longer in use. The horror movie Lucifer will premiere there. He will be in town tomorrow. He will also perform his rock shows there and give a total of three concerts."

"Is it necessary to go to each one of the concerts?" Lexa said, not looking forward to attending even one.

"Well, what we can do is you and I will go to one concert and I can have some of my other detectives working Homicide to investigate and go to the other concerts."

"That works."

"Don't be scared, Miss O'Neil. If that guy's the culprit, we'll catch him. I would hate to see gruesome murders happen right here in Manhattan. The murders that happened in LA, San Francisco, Chicago and Cleveland were absolutely horrific. My guess is he intends to make his worst attack here in New York."

"You keep saying "he". Do you really feel that Siegfried is responsible for the murders?"

"Either he's committing the murders himself or ordering the murders to be done by his followers. There's a cult-like atmosphere surrounding his band Darkness. I will be talking to him next week. He's staying at a suite at the Plaza."

"So he spends money like a rock star too does he?"

"Oh, yeah. He lives a luxurious lifestyle. He owns a mansion in Vienna and always travels first-class. He jokes that he's as rich as the Devil. Alright, Ms. O'Neil, I'll see you after I have spoken with Mr. Kroll and then we can do our undercover job."

FOUR

The Plaza Hotel, Siegfried Kroll's Suite, 8pm

Mason Holmes had contacted the Austrian rock legend by telephone.

He said he was with New York City Police and actively investigating the murders linked to his concerts. Because he was in town, it was inevitable that the authorities would want to talk to him. Siegfried had not answered the phone. Instead, a personal assistant and receptionist had picked up the phone.