- Grotesquely mutilated bodies keep turning up at Coreen's favorite Goth hangout leading Vicki into her assistant's darkly alternative lifestyle.
- Vicki agrees to investigate a number of strange deaths at a Goth club frequented by her assistant Coreen. She's certain that drugs are somehow involved but soon realizes that they're dealing with very specialized drugs that will lead to certain death. Coreen agrees to go in and see who might be behind it all. Henry meanwhile believes there is another vampire killing and feeding on his territory. He doesn't want to involve Vicki so he turns to Det. Mike Celluci for help, something that puzzles Vicki given their previous animosity to one another.—garykmcd
- When Gene Hanson, known in the Goth underground as "Dante", dies mysteriously in the alley behind the Underground Club, owner Lexia Chang hires P.I. Vicki Nelson to investigate. Since Lexia is a personal friend of Coreen Fennel, Vicki's office manager, Coreen talks Vicki into letting her help with the investigation. Realizing that Coreen might provide an "in" with the Goth underground, Vicki agrees. A visit to the morgue reveals that Dante died of anaphylactic shock from multiple insect bites and that there was an unknown substance in his blood. That night, Vicki and Coreen infiltrate the club. In full goth garb, Coreen works the customers, talking specifically to Dante's best friend Evan Crane, while mundanely-dressed Vicki talks with bartender Wynter, with Lexia's permission, of course. All they learn is that Dante was drinking absinthe the night he died. When Vicki asks Lexia whether she's selling drugs at the club, Lexia becomes angry, denies it, and storms away. Suddenly a scream is heard out back. Vicki and Coreen run out in the alley to find Evan slumped against a pile of trash, his arms and face swollen from the bites of hundreds of large bugs. While Vicki calls for an ambulance, Coreen has the presence of mind to capture one of the bugs in an empty cup.
Meanwhile, Henry has his own problems. While working on his drawings, he heard a thump outside his door. Cautiously opening the door, he found the body of a girl whose neck had been savaged and her body sucked dry by a vampire. Henry brought her body into his condo and then contacted TPD Detective Mike Celluci for help. After scolding Henry for moving the body and compromising evidence, Mike had the body picked up and delivered to the morgue. As he and Coroner Rajani Mohadevan examined the body, Vicki showed up for the toxicology report on Gene Hanson. Mike cleverly covered the body of the Jane Doe and even offered to accompany Vicki to the station and help run priors on Lexia. Vicki immediately smelled a rat and, when Henry abruptly hung up on her, claiming to be too busy to assist in the investigation of Gene Hanson's death, Vicki paid him a visit at his condo. Concerned that Vicki could be placed in danger if this vampire finds out about her, Henry told Vicki that he wants some time apart from her.
While Henry drives around Toronto looking for the vampire, Mike has IDed the dead girl. Gabrielle Clairmont was a model. Her agent reveals that she had a photo shoot three days ago and hasn't been seen since, so Mike and Henry go looking for the photographer, after Henry assures Mike that, if they meet up with the vampire, it will go for Henry first. Methods of killing a vampire include a stake through the heart and exposure to sunlight, but Henry prefers decapitation, he says, as he grabs his sword.
Coreen has given the captive bug to Rajani, who passed it on to an entomologist at the University. In the autopsy on Evan's body, Rajani found a puncture wound on his arm. "Drugs or bugs?" Vicki muses. Coreen suggests black magic, but Vicki has a hunch that the drug may contain some sort of chemical that acts like a pheromone for the bugs, such that they are attracted to the smell exuding from the body of a person who has taken it. Rajani concurs with that possibility but needs a sample of the drug in order to test it. Vicki promises to bring her one. Before she leaves the morgue, however, Vicki asks about the Jane Doe, and Rajani lets her name slip, along with the fact that her murder may have something to do with Henry Fitzroy.
Henry and Mike have searched the photographer's studio but found only a few photos of Gabrielle in the wastebasket and no evidence of foul play. As they are about to leave, however, Henry senses someone coming. Mike pulls out Henry's sword, but Henry hides it just as the door opens and Vicki walks in. "Who's going to tell me what's going on?" she asks, knowing that Henry and Mike's dislike for each other would preclude their working together unless something pretty big was going on. Unfortunately, neither Mike nor Henry will talk, so Vicki returns to her office to prepare Coreen for her solo performance.
It's going to be Coreen's job to infiltrate the Underground and get a sample of whatever drugs are being used. Vicki outfits Coreen with a transmitter and instructs her to say, "My mother's not going to like this," should she get into any trouble. Vicki stops by Henry's condo on her way to the club to ask him to come along as protection for Coreen but again he refuses, so it's just Coreen inside and Vicki standing outside, handing out pamphlets about the good news as her cover.
Coreen picks out a drug dealer and asks if she can score. "Angel Tears or Crow?" he asks. Vicki advises through the transmitter that Angel Tears is LSD and Crow is cocaine. "I'm actually looking for something a little different. Evan told me about it," Coreen says, then adds, "but I can't remember the name." "Venom," says the drug dealer and walks away. Moments later he returns and tells Coreen to go into the back room. Coreen makes her way to the back and is surprised to see Wynter there. Wynter shows Coreen the vial of Venom, but places it in her cleavage. Then she holds up her arms and stingers protrude from each one. She uses the stingers to inject the Venom into Coreen while blabbing about Vicki having a powerful enemy who has declared open season on Vicki.
Bugs instantly come pouring out of the walls, headed towards Coreen. She stomps on a few and manages to call to Vicki that Wynter is some kind of bug demon. Vicki runs to the club entrance but Wynter is already outside buzzing around quickly, trying to disorient Vicki. She taunts Vicki by telling her how she injects kids with her venom so that she can feed off them. Slurp slurp. Suddenly, a car barrels into the alley and runs right into Wynter whose slimy insides splatter all over the windshield. In the car, Vicki can see Henry. "Sorry I'm late," he smiles. Back inside the club, Coreen has used a fire extinguisher to send the bugs running.
Several hours and some antihistamines later, Coreen is feeling better albeit a bit contrite at allowing herself and Lexia to be used by Wynter to get at Vicki. While Coreen rests, Vicki lets Mike and Henry know that she's now available to help them find the vampire they're looking for, but Henry immediately tightens up and refuses their help, Mike's included. Henry has figured out who the vampire is and knows that she's much too powerful for either Mike or Vicki to go up against. I would prefer to work alone on this one, he says, and leaves Vicki's office.
"Christina," says Vicki.
"And who the hell is Christina?" Mike asks.
"Trouble," Vicki replies.
[Full synopsis by BJ Kuehl]
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