subplotkudzu | DTVS 1:4 Lone Wolves part 7 On the Hunt Again

At the Winterbourne home Helena produces the sketch she had been working on while Watkins had droned on and on; she was comfortable with its accuracy, and it displayed the wolf lying in a broken cage amidst stacks of shadowy square shapes. This, combined with her dream, indicates to her the hold of a ship. "Perhaps," Edwin nods, "But let's start with tracking from the last killing. The boy seemed to think he could track it from there. For now, you need to get ready."

He spends a half hour or so instructing Helena in the use of a crossbow before setting her to practice. Doris practices with a knife while Edwin performs the ritual he found earlier, successfully enchanting not just the bolts but also a silver dagger "he had lying around". Doris will wield that, while he and Helena would provide cover with the crossbows. As he looks over the sketch again Edwin fails to hear Roger and Leet, who have entered through his third story, slipped down stairs past the women (both of whom were struck silent by his slicked up appearance) and gotten to within three feet. "I am here. I am ready."

"Gah!" The watcher yelled, "I've been burgled!"

With heavy cloaks covering their weapons the quartet head for the site of the last murder, where Frost and Leet are able to pick up the trail - south southeast, towards the docks. He loses it shortly thereafter, but Doris recall's the beast's ability to leap and she and Roger are able to find the trail again on the rooftops. It does indeed lead to the docks, and the four contemplate their next move. Leet indicates that the beast's trail ends at the water - it apparently leapt in and swam to its lair. "It must be near a barge, so it can scramble up," Doris notes with impressive perspicacity. "Leet and I could scent every ship for it," Frost suggests, but a sweep of Helena's arm indicates the innumerable vessels in the active harbor.

Edwin herds them into a shadowed doorway and suggest an experiment: all of the targets were hunting alone - the vampire, the two beat walking police officers, the mugger. If Doris goes out alone with them covering her…? Roger is skeptical, but they give it a try. An hour or so later the worse she's encountered is an amorous drunk whom she lobs into the river. "We are here. She is not alone." Frost intones. "How can it tell?" Helena queries. "It's a spirit. It knows."[1]

That plan exhausted, Edwin leads them to the harbor-masters office, where he further instructs Doris on the fine art of lock-picking. Inside they look for ships coming south shortly before the murders began. The answer, when found, is obvious: the Denneval, captained by Jean Duhamel, is the ship that carried Watkins' expedition to the arctic[2]. Frost concedes that he was too disoriented (read: terrified) by the trip to have noticed anything, but Duhamel had requested that the travelers not go into the rear holds. He must have been carrying the beast back there. But why?

[1] In a TV show this whole bit would have been cut from the script immediately; they really should have known it wouldn't work.

[2] I was staggered that they hadn't twigged to this earlier.

To be continued.