Betaed by Nicolas, who always has the correct details at his fingertips.





Murder








Report to the Watcher central bureau, NW Americas office, Seacouver:

Form 7845838A/nb, identification of new immortal.

First sighting by Angelou Vering, currently assigned to Hiram Scudder.

Location: Salt Lake City, U.S.A.

Check if first death was witnessed (attach documentation if any): X

Report:

June 5th 1992. Every so often, a Watcher is able to catch his immortal demonstrating an awareness of other immortals, a form of extra-sensory perception which has never been explained by science. This is one of those moments.

Yesterday evening I followed my assignment, Scudder, on his usual routine, circling Salt Lake City in what always seems to me to be an elaborate form of patrol. He drives past every hotel and covers the whole city in a grid-pattern. Salt Lake City is, of course, Scudder's personal territory and he is the only immortal within the city limits, a somewhat unusual situation but one which has been well-documented during the hundred and fifty-three years of the Scudder Chronicles. Any other immortals who come within his reach are challenged and beheaded. His pattern of behavior is long-standing and I believe that other immortals are well aware of it. During my years as Scudder's Watcher, he has patrolled constantly, and the only challenges he ever finds are young immortals, obviously inexperienced. The experienced ones all avoid Salt Lake City ...

Yesterday, Scudder broke pattern and parked at an RV camp, went out unarmed (another break from the pattern of his usual caution) and circled through the campground. I followed. His walk took him eventually to a camper with Maryland license plates. There was a family. Several of the children were of different race or appearance from the parents and had obviously been adopted. Scudder returned to his car, but I stayed behind to observe the family, and when they set out for the nearby MacDonald's, I followed.

A car came around the corner and deliberately ran them down. (See attached hospital and coroner's report.) Scudder was at the wheel; I recognized him. I hypothesize that he stole the vehicle from the adjacent shopping mall parkade.

The revival of one of the children--a girl--took place approximately eleven minutes after Scudder left the scene. I witnessed it. She had been thrown across the road and was clearly dead; I gathered with various bystanders and verified this, then began helping the father and other children. The mother was also dead. Scudder returned, in his own car, immediately after and removed the young immortal from the scene while she was still dazed.

Signed, Angelou Vering (assigned to immortal Hiram Scudder)





June 8th report:

He has the little girl in his basement.

I suppose 'little girl' is a misnomer. Her name is Sherylynn Wolpher and she is seventeen. My contact with the police department got me the report on yesterday's hit and run. She is considered kidnaped, and a search is underway. Though unless I interfere by sending an anonymous tip, they'll probably never find her.

The family comes originally from Baltimore and I have sent a notice to the Baltimore office and asked them to document S. W.'s origin and file a copy of her adoption papers. Her adoptive parents run a group home, and have fostered more than twenty children over the past eighteen years. They were driving cross-country to Disneyland. Two more of the children died in the hospital yesterday. I've started paperwork to have the family anonymously compensated under our Adoptive Home Support Program (form 26-IIA-30065).

Over the years I've worked out the angles which let me observe most of the interior of Scudder's house. She is not in any of the rooms on the ground or first floor, unless he's tied her up in the bathroom, but he spent most of today going up and down from the basement. If he leaves the house, I'll see what I can do about that.

Signed, Angelou Vering (assigned to immortal Hiram Scudder)





June 11th report:

Today for the first time since taking the girl, Scudder went out on his usual patrol. I entered the house with my duplicate key, and planted some bugs, not going into the basement for fear of letting myself be seen by the girl S. W.

The bug I planted at the top of the basement steps recorded a young female voice from below. She did not sound as if she was in distress.

Signed, Angelou Vering (assigned to immortal Hiram Scudder)





June 12th transcript:

HS: (garble) Mary.

SW: That's not my name!

HS: It is now. Here's the newspaper. (Pause) There's the article about your family. All dead, as you see.

SW: All dead! All dead. (Garble) I remember. The car. It . . . hit . . .

HS: Yes, Mary. But I'll take care of you now.

SW: No, you're a pervert! You probably ran them down yourself so you could get me! Stay away! Or I'll scream.

HS: Mary. Take this.

SW: I . . . No, I'm not afraid to use that--I'll kill you, here, I'm not-- Stay away. No. I--

HS: You see.

SW: That . . . isn't possible.

HS: It is. Those are the flesh wounds our kind laugh at, daughter. If you're wanting to kill, you must slice . . . here. Like that. Yes, through my neck. Do that and I'll die. I won't fight you.

SW: But . . .

HS: Didn't think you could.

(Fifty seconds of silence.)

HS: Keep it. Keep it with you always until the day you're ready to use it. Never let it out of your reach. Make it yours. Because that steel's what you'll live and die by ... daughter.

Signed, Angelou Vering (assigned to immortal Hiram Scudder)





June 22nd report:

Today I observed SW moving around Scudder's house free in his absence. She had his sword with her, keeping it always within arm's-reach. She also carried a folded newspaper. I was able to get a look at that paper with my telescopic camera (photo appended) and its letterhead is The Salt Lake Witness. No such paper is published here ... I assume Scudder printed it by means of computer, or else hired someone to do it for him. I'll check it out.

James? My reports should go directly to your desk. I'm requesting a transfer from Watching Scudder. His behavior disturbs me, more than it ought to, and I'd like to be assigned to another immortal. Who knows what he's up to with the little girl?

Signed, Angelou Vering (assigned to immortal Hiram Scudder)





June 29th transcript:

HS: . . . with weights. Build up your upper-body strength.

SW: Yeah, like I could take a grown man right now. Maybe when I'm bigger and older.

HS: And when will that be, Mary?

SW: ...

HS: You have to adjust to the change, girl. You'll never be older than you are today. Work on your speed. Work on upper-body strength. You've got the moves already, won't be long before you can handle the sword as easy as you handle a dance-floor. Rely on honing what you already have.

SW: It's not fair!

HS: It's the hand God dealt you, all you've got to take into the game, Mary girl.

SW: My name isn't Mary.

HS: Not yet, no. First we'll practice with these wands. Bokken is what they're called. When you're easy with cutting and parrying, we'll switch to those iron rods I showed you. They're weighted exactly the same as that sword of mine. Some would have you practice with rods heavier than the sword, so the sword seems light when you're in a real fight. That's not my way. A practice blade should handle exactly the same as the real thing. If it doesn't, you'll have to adjust your moves when you switch from one to the other. Means a split-second hesitation. Do that in a fight to the death, you're waving goodbye to your head.

SW: Still not ...

HS: ... fair? No, girl. The day you quit thinking that thought, you'll be ready to fight for your life.

Transcribed and verified, Angelou Vering (assigned to immortal Hiram Scudder)





July 1st transcript:

(Scudder enters the house, back from his routine patrol:)

HS: God, I'm tired.

SW: Did you ...

HS: Yes?

SW: Did you kill someone? Another immortal?

HS: No. Hunting's scarce, has been for decades. Here's some of that chow mein you like. Three kinds of mushroom, yeah? No, you got to come closer to get it. Hungry? Are you hungry? Huh?

SW: No--

HS: Starve to death then. It's a hard death for one of us, starving. You can do it as often as you want, doesn't get any easier with practice. Or you can take this. Well? (Sounds of a scuffle.) Ah ah ah, fooled you!

SW: Lemme go you're hurting me! Owww!

HS: You're not worth my time. Here's your damn food. Grovel for it on the floor.

(He goes into the basement.)

SW: ... I'll kill you some day.

HS: (from the basement) I hear you fine, girl!

Transcribed and verified, Angelou Vering (assigned to immortal Hiram Scudder)





July 3rd transcript:

SW: ... how old are you?

HS: Make a guess, I'll tell you hot or cold.

SW: Five hundred.

HS: Cold. I'm younger than that by quite a few years.

SW: One hundred?

HS: Warmer.

SW: Two hundred?

HS: One hundred ninety-one years. That's not all that old for one of us. I've heard of immortals who remember Roman days, though I've never met any myself who made the claim. Seems like we mostly survive about five hundred years, tops. Seldom get much older than that. Because of the Game.

SW: The Game. It's ...

HS: Unfair?

SW: I didn't say that. It's nasty and mean. And who started it, anyway?

HS: That's something I don't know. All's I know is the Game, and that's enough for any one man. Or woman. When I died from my mortal existence, the first immortal who ran across me told me what was what, showed me a trick or two. Since then I've been left alone. .... Never mixed with other immortals at all. We're not made to associate. We're put on earth to hunt and kill each other.

SW: But you're hiding something then.

HS: What? What did I just say, girl? Weren't you listening to me at all? There is no secret.

SW: No no no no no, you've got a treasure somewhere and you're guarding it, that's why you hunt and kill all the other immortals, you're guarding the money from a bank robbery or maybe a train robbery a hundred years ago.

HS: You haven't been listening. (Knocks her down.)

SW:That's not--

HS: Fair? You got it, girl. (Breaks her arm.)

SW: Some secret. Gonna break the other one?

HS: For your own good, yes. You have to learn to be tough. Are you daring me now, Mary?

SW: Yes. And my name isn't Mary. And I'm not your daughter!

HS: Nope. Mary's the name of a hard brave immortal, fit to put up a fight for her life. Mary's a girl who'll give other immortals a challenge. That's not you. But the day you take the name on, that's the day you'll be ready to stand up to me as an equal. That day, I'll quit calling you daughter.

Transcribed and verified, Angelou Vering (assigned to immortal Hiram Scudder)

(Jimmy? I'm attaching a formal Request for Transfer to today's report. I'd like to be assigned to Wolpher, since she currently lacks a Watcher. Here's hoping that you can send someone to replace me with Scudder stat. AV)





July 19th transcript:

HS: Parry in quinte. Feet braced, girl. Left foot forward three inches. Find your balance. We'll do the same parry till you've got it perfect, and then today we'll try it with real swords.

SW: Am I allowed to cut you?

HS: If you can. Which is doubtful. Again. Again. Again. Good. That's as good as I could have done any day. Don't you get cocky though! Pride will be your downfall if you let it. Pride makes you go slack. Every other immortal will have one trick in reserve you won't be expecting, and what good will pride do you that day? Always be ready for the surprise move. I pull a feint you haven't seen from me yet--

SW: Uhhh!

HS: --spank you with my bare sword for your pride, girl. Was that fair? Are you going to look at me and whine It's not fair?

SW: No!

HS: You are inside. I see it in your eyes. Two hundred repetitions of that parry and then you can call it a day. I'm going out for a drive. I'll bring back Chinese.

SW: ... could you bring more of the mushroom chow mein? Please?

HS: Could do. (Pause.) What?

SW: When you go out, are you hunting other immortals?

HS: Yes.

SW: You'll kill me too someday won't you?

HS: Why you think that, Mary? I'll tell you what I'm apt to do with you. The same as I'm doing now: give you a roof for your head, food for your stomach. My own sword to defend you morning and night, to have in your bed to sleep with, protecting you from all comers. And I'll protect you too, so long as you're under my care. And teach you honestly everything I know. Everything.

SW: ... I'm not your Mary.

HS: Ungrateful girl. I'll be back soon.

(He leaves.)

SW: (low voice) I'm not your Mary.

Transcribed and verified, Angelou Vering (assigned to immortal Hiram Scudder)







August 5th transcript:

HS: I was in St. Louis when I learned this one. See, your opponent extends himself too far, his front foot will slip a little, just a little. That's when you lunge, aim high. He'll bat your sword out of line and go for the riposte, but that puts his eye on the action, and you've got a hole in his guard. Put your elbow back and center of balance forward, that brings you toward him naturally, and down comes your foot like this--just outside of his--and then you throw your weight sideways and let your heel skid into his ankle. All your weight behind it, take his foot out from under him, see? A controlled fall. Do it just right, and you can jerk your edge up and catch him under the arm, and then the fight's over. You've made him fall onto your cutting edge.

SW: That's neat! Let me try--

HS: Aha! You changed it a little, Mary. Clever girl, almost got me there.

SW: Why, thanks.

HS: Almost. But not quite, just you remember. Getting creative with the live steel there, you never pull such monkey tricks on me when we're using the bo sticks. If you get the drop on me, going to try for my head?

SW: If it's a real try, you'll never know till I do it, will you? ... And my name's not Mary.

HS: Isn't it? Come at me again. ... Ah, even more clever! I do believe you deserve a round of applause on that one. (He drops his point, and claps. She lunges.) Ahhh! Thought you could take me that time. Getting more aggressive every day. Why, I declare that-- Arghhh!

SW: Seems like I'm your Mary after all.

HS: Get away from me getbackgirl getback I'll-- Uh! Uhhhnn.

SW: I should take your-- I ought to-- I can't-- (She bolts for the front door.) Keys! Where's the--

HS: Looking for these, Mary?

SW: You came back from the--

HS: Dead so fast? Yes I did. Gonna say it's not--?

SW: Fair? No. (She lunges.)

HS: At last. You're ready at last. Yes, come for me, my girl, my Mary-- Give me your best. It's finally showtime for us.

SW: But I don't understand! You taught me everything! And you taught me for real, I know it, so why--

HS: Stupid. If I hadn't taught you all my tricks, why this wouldn't be a fair fight would it? And there's no fun shooting chickens in a chicken-run. It's the real thing I want, Mary.

SW: Nooo!

HS: Over all too fast. (He picks up her fallen sword, moves to stand over her.) Too bad. The moment of truth flits by so quickly. Told you long ago, didn't I? Cherish the steel. Because this sword's ... what you'll live and die by in the end ... right now. Goodbye, Mary. I enjoyed fighting you. (Pause.) Uhh!

SW: Too bad I found your secret stash of butcher knives.

HS: I never--

SW: Bye-bye Hiram. And by the way? That fake newspaper didn't fool me for a minute.

HS: But I never-- (garble)

(Note: the tape ends with the electrical washing-out phenomenon typical of a nearby Quickening. I observed SW leaving the house immediately after. --Vering)

Signed, Angelou Vering (assigned to immortal Sherylynn Wolpher)





Report from the Watcher Tribunal, Seacouver agent:

It is with regret that I file Form 7768945b (execution of a Watcher convicted of murdering his/her own immortal) and report the death of Angelou Vering, formerly assigned to Hiram Scudder. How not to regret a fellow Watcher gone bad? I confess I didn't take her seriously when she asked to be transferred off Scudder's file. Her identification with the new immortal Sherylynn Wolpher and sympathy for Wolpher's plight seem to have been the motive for her killing of Scudder. The evidence is plain (Vering's fingerprints are on the knives in the "secret stash" at the back of Scudder's pantry) and Vering herself reported entering and moving freely through the Scudder house.

Wolpher's new Watcher will be assigned by the end of this week.

Vering's disappearance is arranged, and her family will be compensated as per the usual forms.

Our immortals are monsters, and they make monsters of those who Watch them.



Signed, James Horton, August 21st 1992.





(posted July 13th 2005)