Story description Spike: Old Wounds

an elderly man - former lapd detective mcneal - holds winifred burkle hostage , makes deep wolfram , hart. or thinks, intimidate giving up. angel grants him 5 minutes anyway. says s been working on unsolved murder decades: elizabeth short, case known black dahlia.

he explains had fingerprints taken letters killer wrote press, , eyewitnesses saw killer victim days before body found. suspect had vanished shortly thereafter, tipster has informed mcneal back, , somehow hasn t aged day. s more, suspect wolfram , hart employee. mcneal shows angel picture of suspect: spike. @ moment, spike arrives. angel questions him whereabouts in 1947. offended @ line of questioning, spike throws chair through window , leaps out after it.

later night, fred arriving @ apartment when spike approaches, asking help. says fred smarter is, , s not killer. fred replies believes him, , invites him inside apartment. spike begins tell doing in l.a. in 1947.

in aftermath of world war ii, spike decided europe should avoided , headed western united states, out of curiosity. hired head of large movie studio, norris lawrence, act sort of bodyguard. lawrence had taste young women poor end of town, , needed protection occasional angry mob of family members come after him. lawrence knew spike vampire, seemed not worried. spike enjoyed job great deal; well-paid, perform acts of violence came naturally him, , had access gorgeous women him kill. lawrence employed police officer name of emigh, job prevent lawrence being connected spike s victims.

fred shocked discussion of spike s murders, spike points out never claimed boy scout in days, , angel once killer too. adds, none o ever asked life, y know, luv. forgets that. do. spike resumes story.

as time passed, lawrence s habits became odder. began staging mock sacrifices, using actresses studio , prop knives. @ 1 of these events, emigh contacted spike, telling him meet next night @ office @ police station. @ meeting, emigh showed spike file containing blank sheets of paper, along flyer wrestling match. families of of people spike had beaten lawrence had called los hermanos numeros, mexican luchadores seen in cautionary tale of numero cinco. incredulous emigh think spike feel threatened band of mexican wrestlers, spike left. departed, spike attacked , soundly defeated los hermanos numeros. cornered, spike ran, , decided leave l.a. good.

spike , fred decide go mcneal s home speak him. when arrive, find door has been forced open, , spike can enter uninvited. inside, find mcneal has been murdered in fashion identical original black dahlia victim. fred notes mcneal must have been killed recently, when spike still @ apartment. searching clues, spike finds drawing of tattoo lawrence had on wrist in 1947. fred notes same marking found on elizabeth short s body. spike finds information on emigh. , fred learn emigh 97 years old , living in geriatric home. spike asks fred return wolfram , hart follow on tattoo lead while visits emigh. leave, spike notices letter in mcneal s trash , secretly pockets it.

at wolfram , hart, fred discovers tattoo not tattoo @ all, , rushes call angel help. spike, meanwhile, visits emigh , asks him come clear name. emigh replies s not going anywhere, , transforms demon. explains lawrence s tattoo brand signifies fealty; emigh had cast charm on lawrence making him attractive women. every once in while, emigh take 1 of women himself. lawrence got sloppier, emigh decided use spike scapegoat. wrote black dahlia letters press on blank papers spike had handled in emigh s office, thinking fingerprints of dead man perfect red herring. finally, emigh declares wants new host body; begins burn brand spike s chest , tells spike paralyzed soon. spike replies emigh s toxin have no effect on him since heart doesn t pump , poison won t travel; proceeds defeat demon. @ moment, angel, gunn, wesley, , lorne arrive, late join battle.

later, fred tells spike brand on chest beginning heal over. explains emigh kandarian predator demon, has live out host s full lifespan before can find another. spike promises fred come through in future.

eve enters angel s office, , finds spike sitting in angel s chair. spike reveals letter had taken mcneal s office tip mcneal had mentioned earlier. spike had threatened post office worker revealing letter s origin wolfram , hart. spike guesses senior partners worried spike s presence may interfere plans angel, , had hoped mcneal stake spike. spike tells eve leave him out of plans in future, driving home point knife thrown wall beside eve s head.

spike meets angel, wesley, , gunn in wolfram , hart offices. when wesley asks burn, spike berates group condemning him when mcneal made accusation, , tells them positions , wolfram , hart costing them souls. exits, says, redemption, eh?