The Ice Man
Episode 207 (#17) - October 30 1996
Amber Larkin is a college student at Rainier who does escort work to pay for school. Klaus Zeller is an international hitman after one of Larkin’s clients. Zeller meets Larkin in a hotel bar, and tries to get information on a man named Hank who comes to Cascade every few weeks. While in Larkin’s hotel room, Zeller spots Max Vaughn, the man Larkin does escort work for, on the balcony filming the meeting. Zeller kills Vaughn, but Larkin manages to escape.
Ellison and Sandburg track Amber down and try to talk her into accepting their help. She refuses until she returns home to find her roommate, Debra, has been killed. Ellison finds out Zeller, also known as the Ice Man, is wanted for several assassinations in Europe. Ellison plans to use Sandburg and Larkin as bait to capture Zeller before Zeller can kill his next target: Hans Gruenwald or Hank as he is known to Amber.
Zeller discovers Blair in disguise and shoots him twice in the chest before taking Amber and leaving. Blair is wearing a bulletproof vest, but still has injured ribs from the impact. Thinking that Amber will go back to a place she knows Ellison is aware of, Jim and Blair go to Max Vaughn’s club Pigalè where they arrive to find Gruenwald dead and Zeller gone.
Back at Jim’s loft, Amber finds a key that Hank put in her pocket before he died. While Jim is on the phone arranging for the FBI to take Amber, Larkin leaves. Jim and Blair trace the key to the Woodgate Country Club and discover Amber has already been and gone with a briefcase she removed form a locker.
Blair remembers Amber dreaming of going to Rome. They go to the airport in the hopes of getting her before she leaves. Amber calls Jim and tells them she couldn’t go through with the idea of leaving, but Zeller captures her and takes her to a luggage sorting area in the airport. Jim tracks Zeller with his sense of smell keying in on Zeller’s nicotine gum. After an exchange of blows, Jim arrests Zeller on a baggage carousel.
Episode Oddities:
- The opening credits list Zeller’s first name as Karl
Canon Tidbits:
- Blair has been to Sumatra
- Zeller drives a Mercedes with out of state plates
- Zeller tells Amber he’s from Munich
Main Cast:
- Detective Jim Ellison: Richard Burgi
- Blair Sandburg: Garett Maggart
- Captain Simon Banks: Bruce A. Young
Guest Stars:
- Amber Larkin: Meredith Salenger
- Karl/Klaus Zeller: Udo Kier
- May Vaughn: Nino Caratozzolo
- Bernie: Steven Dimopoulos
- Candy: Kate Luyben
- Hank/Hans Gruenwald: Laurie Murdoch
