"I'm Carl Kolchak." "Perri Reed." "And this is Jain McManus." "Perri is the senior crime reporter at this paper." " Senior crime reporter?" " I've been here four years." "Do you know how long I've covered crime?" "The two of you are expected to get along." "You have to wonder why he's been so interested in this case." "A man drawn to a story that so closely mirrors his own?" "All these strange deaths, they're like pieces in a puzzle, a puzzle I'm trying to put together." "But no one sees it, because no one wants to." "And when you get your answers?" "I'll print them." "Then they'll believe." "Then they'll have to." "[Carl] They're in the news every day." "Warnings about what you eat." "Drink." "Breathe." "Think." "In the modern world, fear of death isn 't a distant anxiety reserved for old age." "It's daily life." "The ordinary no longer offers comfort." "Not when death can come any time... from anything." "U h, that's dangerous, you know." "Your cell phone." "Static electricity could start a fire." "L-Look behind you." "[muttering] Some punk's sweatin' me... [continues talking]" "[whimpers] No!" "[cries in pain] [screams]" "[man] Someone call 91 1!" "[hubbub, voices on radio]" " Hey." " Hey." "What do you got?" " Got a story." "A good one." " A gas station fire?" "Not the fire, but how it started." "I overheard a witness telling the cops that it was another customer here." "The guy who died, Theodore Fogel." "Was he smoking?" "No." "He was burning up." "Literally." "A witness said that this man Fogel's body started the fire?" " Like some kind of human torch?" " Like Johnny Storm." " Flame on." " Witness might have been wrong." "A hundred things could've started this." "I don't think the fire's the story." " You read yesterday's paper?" " Of course." "Then you saw the front page." " The T errorMaker." " The Unabomber-type guy, right?" "Yeah, a homegrown terrorist who sent his victims wax figurines as calling cards." "So-called "burning men."" "They all died." "Burned by some kind of biological agent." "Yeah, one that seemingly burned his victims alive... from the inside." "No wax burning man was found." "It could've melted in the fire." "...and the TerrorMaker's dead, Kolchak." "How could he take a new victim when he died a year ago?" "That's what I want to know." "[telephone rings]" "I'm gonna go print these out." "Have you considered this might be a copycat?" "I have." "Bu that's not the story you're interested in?" "Not really." "Before he died, the T errorMaker denied he burned his victims with biological agents." "That's right." "He claimed he could summon "hellfire"." "Exactly." "Yeah, um, well, I read that, and, crazy me, I dismissed it as the ravings of a madman." "Well, maybe it is." "Maybe it isn't." "How long you been working here?" "Uh, about two months, I guess." "In that time, I have witnessed more freaky things than I've seen my entire life." "Thanks." "You know why you keep finding these things, Carl?" "Because I look for them?" "Because you want to find them." "Keep chasing monsters, one day they'll be chasing you." "[woman] Howard, welcome back." "Hey, there he is." "Hey, let me take the lead in this, OK." "I know how to handle him." "I don't want Gorn bigfooting us." "Howard Gorn covered the T errorMaker case for ten years." "he has a six-figure book deal about it." "The story's his." "Yeah, the story was his." "Now it's ours." " Enter." " Carl Kolchak, Mr. Gorn." "Yeah, I've heard about you." "Perri, how's the crime beat?" " Keeping you busy?" " Yeah, it's fine." "You know, I started out covering crime." "The first Pulitzer was for the Manson thing." "I got in tight with Bugliosi and Polanski and all those guys." "Crime is a great beat for beginners." "The public loves it." "Right." "So, what is it you need from me, sweetheart?" "Yes, "sweetheart." Why don't you tell Mr. Gorn?" "Well, I hate to bother you, but we were having an argument." " About?" " Your story you wrote yesterday talked about rumors that the fbi killed the wrong man." "That the real T errorMaker's still alive." " Yeah, and so is Elvis." " [chuckles]" "You're convinced this suspect, Robert Guttman, was guilty?" "Look, it'll all be covered in my book." "It was just bad luck, that's all." "The raid went bad when a tear gas canister ignited, incinerating Guttman and his wife, Margaret." "So there was no suspect to question." "And no smoking gun." "The biological agents he used to burn his victims," " they were never found?" " No." "Presumably, he stole them from some DOD lab he worked at." "And the theory is that they were transmitted by the figurines he sent to his victims." "So simply touching a figurine caused them to burn up?" "Within seconds." "Poof!" "You're dead." " That was the theory." " Yeah, right." "The biological agents disappear without a trace." "There's no hard proof, you get rumors, conspiracy nuts." "Good thing about rumors is they help sell books." "Hmm." "What about the T errorMaker's letters, claiming he killed these people with "hellfire"?" "What about it?" "Did you ever consider they might be true?" "Oh, you mean that God gave him the power to scorch human flesh?" "No." "This guy, Perri, he's a piece of work." "Your article also talked about an fbi profiler, Doug Panero." "Yeah." "Is he convinced Guttman was guilty, too?" "I suppose so." "It was his profile they were working off." "But Panero's not talking, so..." "Why not?" "Listen, these, uh, these questions..." "Are they a part of this argument that you two are having?" "No, no, we just got a little carried away." "Thank you for settling our debate, Howard." "Appreciate it." " Anytime, sweetheart." " It's been an education." "Right." "[knocking]" "Mrs. Panero?" "Hi, I'm Perri Reed." "This is Carl Kolchak." "We're with the Beacon." "Oh, I'm sorry, my husband doesn't give interviews." "We don't need to talk to Agent Panero." "If he could just look at this." "What is it?" "It's the file of a man who was burned to death last night." "We were hoping your husband could tell us if he fits the profile of a T errorMaker victim." "He was the fbi agent in charge of the case." "But the T errorMaker's dead." "Thanks to my husband." "Yes, we understand that." "If he could just take a look at this." "Our number's inside." "Thanks." "That's the last one." "T en years this guy's been killing people." "There's got to be more research in these files." "There is." "It's Gorn's story." "Most of it's up in his office." "Yeah." "For his book." "When you get to be as famous as he is, paper gives you latitude." "Yeah, well, that latitude's keeping us from finding out how this T errorMaker burns these people." "It's already been explained." "A classified biological agent that leaves no trace or residue?" " Right." " So top secret that no one's ever proven it even exists?" "Doesn't mean it doesn't." "What, just because it wasn't found doesn't mean it doesn't exist?" "Where have I heard that before?" "OK." "Let's say there never were any biological agents." "He burned these people with "hellfire"?" "The T errorMaker claimed that biblical wrath was on his side." "That these bioweapons were offensive to God." " And that makes sense to you?" " I'm only saying, admit that there may be more to this world than reason alone can explain." "Reason's all we have." "And if it's not enough?" " [rustling, rattling]" " What was that?" "[gasps]" "You haven't shown this to the fbi?" "Not yet." "So, we don't know if it's authentic?" " It could just be a hoax." " It may be." "Or it could be that the fbi killed the wrong guy a year ago and the T errorMaker's back." ""I'm Back" is written in the same blood-red ink he used in the past." "So, why send it here?" "Maybe he saw us at the gas station asking questions." "That is the "real-world" explanation." "That's where I live." "It's the explanation I'm looking for." "There could be others." "What does Howard Gorn think about all this?" " We haven't told him." " And why not?" "Because this is our story." "Jain found it." "T ony, it does not seem fair to just hand it over to him." "Howard Gorn is on the national desk." "He outranks all of us." "But we're the ones who put it together." "You haven't put anything together." "You don't know this is authentic." "You don't even know if the victim fits this lunatic's profile." "So, until you do..." "I don't see any reason to waste Howard Gorn's time with this." "Thanks for cutting us some slack, T ony." "Try not to hang yourself with it." "The fbi's position on this is that it's a fake." " Well, how can you be so sure?" " The T errorMaker's dead." "This has got to be a copycat of some kind." "Unless you're wrong, Agent Houck." "We've all heard the rumors, but Guttman fits the Bureau's profile to a "T"" "and the attacks stopped after his death." "Did you hear about the gas station explosion?" " Yeah, I heard about it." " Don't think it's connected?" " No, there's no evidence it is." " What does Doug Panero think?" "Howard Gorn covered this story for the Beacon for ten years." "Why aren't I talking to him?" "Well, Howard's the reason we're here." "All right, I'll have Quantico take a look." "I'll let you know." " [Jain] He's here." " Who?" "That, uh, fbi agent you wanted to see." " Doug Panero?" " Yes." "I had him wait in Photo so that Gorn wouldn't see him." "Agent Panero?" "I wanted to get back to you." "T o tell you that I checked out the man in this file." "Was he someone the T errorMaker would target for death?" "Every victim had some connection to biological weapons research, which he claimed to oppose on moral grounds." "I compiled a list of over 7,000 people that fit his criteria." "This victim at the gas station was doing bioengineering research at CSU, research the T errorMaker would've clearly found unacceptable." "You think he's alive?" "The T errorMaker?" "I didn't say that." "I said the victim fit his profile." "But we received a burning man figure last night wrapped in paper, with the words "I'm back"." " May I see it?" " We just gave it to the fbi." " They're analyzing it." " Then I can't help you." "Except to say it's plausible T errorMaker would have sent a burning man to the press to spread fear." "Agent Panero..." "why did you come here today?" "Because you asked for my opinion." "It's our understanding that you haven't spoken to anyone in the press since the raid." "The raid was a black mark on the Bureau." "Questions were raised about loss of innocent life." "Guttman's wife." "Even whether or not Guttman was guilty." "The whole episode has made me persona non grata at the Bureau." "But you still work there." "Not really." "I don't go to the office." "I-I still don't understand though why you came to us instead of the fbi." "Because if T errorMaker's still alive, if we did kill the wrong man, I want people to know about it." "And your old boss?" "Agent Houck?" "Let's just say the fbi doesn't need any more headlines." "I'll, uh, I'll show you out." "I thought you'd be excited." "Sounds like we have a story." "Yeah." "What is it?" "He's still got it in his eyes." "Fear." "[rock music plays] [doorbell]" "It's been an hour and a half." " Sorry." "Traffic." " Yeah, right." "Thank you." "Food's here." " Who's hungry?" " Come on and eat." "What's this, the toy surprise?" "Susan?" " Oh, God!" " [laughs]" "Don't do that!" "You scared the crap out of me!" "[woman mock-screams]" " Gary?" " What now?" " Are you OK?" " I'm fine." "No." "I mean it." "What's happening?" "What's happening to me?" "I'll get help!" "[agonized screams]" "Just got confirmation from LAPD." " A burning man?" " Found on the patio table." "Think it got delivered with the take-out dinner." "How did it get in there?" "Same way as with all the other victims." " Which is?" " Nobody knows." " You reach Panero?" " Not yet, but the victim's gotta be on the list." "He was an executive at a biotech company in Manhattan Beach." "I'll see if I can get a picture from personnel." "You want to work the phones or start writing?" "You write it." "I'll get you my notes." "I'll, uh, I'll take those notes." "The fbi called, it's... my story." "[noise of traffic outside]" " Howard." " I'm on deadline, T ony." "The story's theirs." "You're out of your bailiwick here." "This story belongs to national, not to city desk." "They found it." "They chased it." "They also pumped me pretty good for information about it, and they still don't even know what "it" is." "The T errorMaker's back." "T onight's attack proved it." "You see what I mean?" "Well, why don't you tell us then?" "You can read all about it in tomorrow's Beacon." "Well, you mean what your pals at the fbi tell you to write?" "That it's nothing but a copycat?" "This is the figurine you wanted the fbi to analyze." "The other... is from an attack that took place two years ago." "They look the same." "Well, they're not." "The fbi says the wax is different and so is the mold." "This one is a fake." "It's a copycat." "And I don't write what the fbi tells me to write." "I write the simple truth." "Like I always do." "Now I'll take those notes from you now... if there's anything in them worth reading." "[knocking]" "Good morning." "Is your husband in?" "What do you want?" "Did you read the news this morning?" "I read it." "I need his help." "He's done helping, Mr. Kolchak." "You should call the fbi." " People are dying." " Listen to me." "My husband has helped enough." "For ten years he's chased that monster." "He's paid enough." " It's OK, Lisa." " Doug..." "It's all right." "What is it that you need, Mr. Kolchak?" "Answers." "This is where it all happened." "Where I hunted the man down." "Lisa wants me to move past all this." "But you can't." "All those years chasing a phantom, imagining his every move." "I never met the man, but I got to know him better than my friends and my family." "The day that Guttman died, it was like my life ended, too." "The fbi didn't need or want me anymore." "You read about the death last night?" "The biotech exec?" "The fbi thinks he was killed by a copycat." "But you don't believe that." "Why do you say that?" "It doesn't fit with your theory about the agent the T errorMaker used to kill." "Well, I've seen the research." "Our government's working on all kinds of killer germs." "Biological warfare, it's the new combat." "But you theorized that Guttman stole them from a lab where he worked." "Yeah, that's right." "So, if that were true, how would a copycat get this same biological agent?" "I don't know." "It seems next to impossible." " What if it isn't a copycat?" " What are you talking about?" "Maybe Guttman was the wrong guy." "He fit the profile." "And he worked at a lab where he had access to biological agents." "That's based on the assumption that he killed these people with a biological agent." "So what?" "Your saying he burned them with "hellfire"?" "You've got to be joking." "You want to put this case behind you." "Let me help you do that, once and for all." " [telephone] - [Perri] Where you been?" "Why are you asking?" "You still working on the story?" "Who wants to know?" "You or Gorn?" "Vincenzo." "He got called into the managing editor's office this morning." "Ooh, he got his hand slapped?" "We all did." "Jain can stay on the story, but if either of us steps on Gorn's turf again, we'll be fired." "Uh, they're bluffing." "They don't trust us, Carl." "They don't think we know how to do our jobs." "Not like Gorn does." "We're the only ones trying to write this story." "The real story." "They don't care." "They want us to let it go." "Well, I care." "I'll take my chances." "You can't do that." "Vincenzo is being held personally responsible." "That's his problem, not mine." "He got you this job, Carl." "You cross the line again, it'll cost him his." "You need to back off." " [man] Freeze!" " [siren] [shouting, tires screech]" "Right down!" "Turn him around!" "Now." "[officer] Come on, get up." "A little lower." "Glenn Overton, formerly employed as a driver" " for a high-risk trucking firm." " Trucking?" "He transported biohazardous materials for the government." "Now how'd the fbi find him so quickly?" "According to Gorn," "Overton was on the Bureau's terrorist watch list." "They'd tracked him all along." "Yeah, they took us back to his room." "He had, like, a dozen figurines there, wax molds, the whole deal." "Well, what about this traceless biological agent?" "There was something there." "They made sure I got a picture of it." "It's being analyzed at Quantico." "I hate to be the one to say it..." " Then don't." " [telephone]" " Kolchak." " It's Doug Panero." "What kind of crap is this?" "You said you wanted answers." "Slow down, what are you talking about?" "The story in the Beacon." "Glenn Overton." "You got to be kidding me!" "The fbi says he's the copycat." "They even have proof to back it up." "Overton was on my suspect list for years." "He's a kook, a pretender." "He couldn 't burn a match." "Well, they found the figurines in his room," " the wax molds, the..." " So did I. Four years ago." "They're putting away a terrorist wannabe when you and I both know the real guy is still out there." "I'm off the story, Doug." "I can connect you to Howard Gorn." "Gorn 's a tool in the Bureau." "I'm not talking to him, Kolchak." "I'm talking to you." "I-l-I can't help you." "You let this story stand, more people are gonna end up dead." "You're telling me you're OK with that?" "[man on telephone] Let me know when you get a release on it." " l' ll call you back." " All right." "Kolchak!" "Carl!" "Where are you going?" "I'd prefer not to say." "T ell me you're not working on this story." " OK." "I'm not." " Carl." "Look, Panero says Gorn's story is a fraud." " Then let him tell Gorn that." " He doesn't trust Gorn." "Oh, so he's talking to you now?" "Where are you going to print it?" "That's right." "I forgot." "You don't care about the Beacon, just about getting the story for yourself." "What I care about is getting the story right, which you once told me you cared about, too." "[Gorn] Perri!" "I, uh, I just wanted to say that, uh, despite everything, there's no hard feelings." "Oh, of course, no hard feelings." "I never like to leave a pretty lady mad at me." "Right." "And, uh, about the way you tried to work me..." " I am so sorry about that." " No, don't be, don't be." "I admire that." "Manipulation is an essential quality in a good reporter." "As for your friend Kolchak, here..." "Uh, may I offer you a bit of advice?" "Be my guest." "He's a fanatic, driven by obsessions." "Even if he wasn't crazy... he's the kind of guy who will just drag you down." "Huh?" " Thanks for your advice." " Any time." " Hey, Howard." " Hmm?" "You know, I know this is your story, but I was wondering if... if I could help?" "You know, with research, calls, anything?" "I, I wouldn't expect to share a byline." "But just a chance to learn." "Why don't you let me think about it." "Thanks." "[elevator bell dings]" "This is my file on Overton, categorically dismissing him as a suspect." "They caught him red-handed," "leaving a burning man in someone's car." "Yeah, "someone." Who?" "They haven't released a name." "I guarantee you, whoever it is, he was not on the T errorMaker's target list." "You think he's still alive... this T errorMaker." "Lisa used to think it was just me." "That I couldn't accept that it was over." "But I'm sure now... it's not." "Well, well, well, look at this." "I was just doing a little organizing." "Your book research is here, your outgoing stories are over there." "Why don't we go get a drink, huh?" "I was just going to stick around here and get things in shape for tomorrow." "Well... all right." "You know, Howard," "I was wondering what was in this bottom drawer." "It's locked." "You don't need to worry about that." "See you tomorrow." " Have you seen Kolchak?" " No, why?" "I haven't been able to reach him all day." " Think he's working on the story?" " I know he is." "He's not the only one." "What are those?" "Oh, Gorn's files." "For his book." "Ones he kept out of the research library." "They left me with some questions." "About what?" "This so-called "traceless" biological agent." "Look, two instances of people burning up without ever having received a figurine." "Here, a case of a Wisconsin man who touched the burning man, didn't burn up." "These discrepancies have never been disclosed or explained by the fbi or Panero." "So you think that their theory about this pathogen is..." "Oh, God, it's weak at best." "Gorn is going right along with it, just spouting the company line." "In exchange for access to the fbi." " No doubt." " Why would the fbi lie?" "You know, why would Panero lie?" "They're not." "It..." "It's the only rational explanation they could come up with." "You're not saying that you believe that the T errorMaker killed these people with... "hellfire"?" "Do I look crazy to you?" "Huh?" "I'm just saying that the scientific explanation for these attacks... doesn't add up." "Doesn't add up at all." "Guttman kept taking the same toll road." "91 west to the Five." "Every month." "Where was he going?" "I don't know." "I don't know that it means anything." "Well, it says here he kept a locker in Bellflower." "Just off the 91 Freeway, isn't it?" "I was thinking the same thing, but I checked it out after he died." "The locker was empty." "I'm telling you, it's a dead end." "I haven't seen your wife tonight." "She took a drive." "She's not happy you're back into all this, huh?" "She wants our life back." "Whatever that is." "It's been so long, I don't even know anymore." "I get these pictures in my head and I keep thinking if I could put them together," "I can leave this all behind." "I could move on." "You understand what I'm talking about?" "Yeah." "I do." "Did Guttman have any relatives?" "No." "Why?" "That storage locker in Bellflower." "Someone's been paying to keep it open this past year." "Nineteen." "It's not locked." " [Kolchak] It's not empty, either." " No." " Did you touch one?" " No." " Is it the real thing?" " Sure looks like it." "There's wax molds." "Paraffin." "[exhales loudly]" "Look at this." "I think we just found your "hellfire."" "It's a hell of a story, isn't it?" "Yeah." "Writing it for the Beacon is another matter." "The fbi is not going to be able to deny this now." "This is proof the T errorMaker is still at work." "Guttman was a loner." "Only a certain amount of people he knew could have access to the locker." "I already know who had access." "What are you talking about?" "I've seen this ink before, Doug." "On the paper the T errorMaker wrote, that said "I'm back."" "That note?" "No one else knew we were on the story." "It's you." "You're the T errorMaker now." "Are you crazy?" "You couldn't accept Guttman was dead." "So you brought him back." "You hid what we found in that storage locker because if you hadn't, questions about this case would have stopped." "And your life would have been over." "You're saying I killed these people." "You had the list of the T errorMaker's victims." "You knew just who to target, and how." "You're lying." "I wish I was." "I'm the one who found him." "He found you." "You spent so long looking for answers." "When you found them, you lost yourself." "No!" "I can't let you say these things." "Doug." "Doug." "It's true, isn't it?" "I'm sorry." "I'm so sorry." " Doug!" " [sizzling]" "No!" "You seen this?" " Yeah, I've seen it." " It's completely bogus." "The fbi's got it all wrong, Gorn's reporting it as fact." "Vincenzo wants to see us." "Now." "Gorn is a total fraud." "He ought to be fired." "We'll back you up on this, T ony." "That won't be necessary." "I'm letting the story stand." "[Perri] The story's wrong." "That guy Overton didn't kill Panero or any of these other people." "This copycat was knee-deep in stolen biohazardous materials." "The fbi has a solid case against him." "I can't believe you're going along with this." "He is." "We all are." "You were there." "You saw how Panero died." "He touched a burning man from that storage locker!" "Yeah, that's how he died." "But that's not what killed him." "Panero spent ten years trying to catch a monster." "I think the monster finally caught him." "?" "Out of my head again" "?" "Into the fire" "?" "Faithless until the end" "[Carl] Doug Panero lived with a fear, he finally came to see." "A fear I know too well." "Of a question that holds a terrible answer." "Should I ever look into the eye of the monster I'm chasing?" "Whose face would I see?" "[unearthly sounds]"