| abstract
| - A woman is seen sitting on a rock. She is singing and playing a swan pattern harp. There is a noise in the distance. This woman calls out "Nicól". A horse nearby whines. Then the woman sees a man [his face is unseen to the viewers] with a sword and she starts to run. The man chases her. She runs to a river and flings the harp into it. The man with the sword then kills her. It is the present day, the swan pattern harp, from the Cusher's estate, is being auctioned. At this auction house, a man is speaking on a cell phone and asking what to bid for the harp. This man is a buyer's agent and representing a mysterious bidder. The buyer's agent and a woman start bidding against each other for the harp. When buyer's agent bids 30, everyone is quiet. In the back of the auction room someone bids 75. Everyone in the room turns to see the bidder--it is Nick. Meanwhile Schanke is driving around and talking with dispatch, he is looking for Nick. At the auction, only Nick and the agent continue to bid for the harp. Suddenly Schanke shows up at the auction, he wants Nick's help with a case. Nick tries to continue to bid but Schanke intercepts by taking Nick's bidding marker. The buyer's agent wins the bid for the harp. Back at the precinct, Nat questions where Nick was hiding. Schanke stated the "Auction house" and leaves to talk to Cohen. Nat asks Nick whether he got the harp. Nick stated he couldn't bid "ten years salary in one night" in front of Schanke. Nick tells Nat that the harp is important because it is related to his past -- even before he was a vampire. It is night time, Nick arrives at the auction house again. Nick questions the auctioneer, Sam Baskers, about the buyer of the harp. Baskers states it is confidential. Nick flashes his badge but Baskers still refuses to release the name of the buyer until there is a subpoena. After Baskers leaves, Nick returns to the auction house to look for the name of the buyer but is unsuccessful. Nick then decides to steal the harp. The next morning, Nat and Schanke are at the murder scene of Sam Baskers. Baskers was killed by someone breaking his neck. Schanke wonders why only the harp is stolen when there are more valuable objects in the auction house. Nat checks Baskers neck for any markings but she sees nothing. Meanwhile, back at the loft, Nick is admiring the harp and has memories of his past. Nat suddenly walks in. She scoldes Nick for stealing the harp and then leaves. Nick begins his night-shift. Schanke discusses with Nick about his suspicions that the person responsible for stealing the harp is the murderer. Schanke also mentions to Nick the name of the buyer's agent - Ted Haley - and the buyer of the harp - Hugh De Labarre, a.k.a Lord Carragh from Wales. At the Salsbury club, the concierge refuses to let Nick and Schanke in to talk to Lord Carragh. Nick hypnotizes the concierge into believing that Lord Carragh is expecting them. Lord Carragh says that the harp is a lost family heirloom from the 13th century. He tells Nick and Schanke that the harp contains the soul of the land. Schanke informs Lord Carragh of a blond woman bidding for the harp also. Lord Carragh thinks this mysterious woman knows where the harp is. When Nick and Schanke leave the Salsbury club, Nick states that someone is lurking around. The intruder tries to break into Lord Carragh's room via the window. Nick and Schanke catch the intruder - it is the mysterious woman. Back at the precinct, Schanke questions the woman. She is Johanna Shea and is an archaeologist. Nick observes Johanna and sees her resemblance to Gwyneth, the woman who was singing and playing the harp at the beginning of the show. Cohen informs the detectives of Johanna being connected to the deceased Ellen Cushner. Johanna states that Ellen Cushner agreed to donate the harp to the Carragh museum before Cushner's death. However, since it was a verbal agreement, Johanna has no rights to the harp. To obtain the harp, Johanna would have to bid at the auction. Johanna states that the harp contains the "soul and spirit of the land". Schanke talks with Nat about the case and the missing links. Nick walks in just as Schanke is on his way home. Nat tells Nick it would be impossible for him to kill Baskers. Nick tells the rest of the story about the harp to Nat. At the precinct, Nick is talking with Johanna. She states that she does not have a lawyer and knows no one in town. Nick finds Johanna a lawyer - Ted Haley. Haley visits Lord Carragh and tells how Miss Shea is released from custody. Haley also informs Lord Carragh that he is now Miss Shea's lawyer. Lord Carragh then askes where Miss Shea is residing. Johanna walks into her apartment and sees the harp in her room. When she holds the harp, she sees an image of Gwyneth in danger. Lord Carragh suddenly walks in. Nick and Schanke finds that Lord Carragh is only a Lord on paper. He actually is bankrupted. Also, the three previous owners of the harp all died at a premature age of 55 years old. All the owners were from the same family and named De Labarre. Nick then states that they need back up at Johanna's place. Lord Carragh says that the harp belongs to him because he paid for it. Johanna wants to wait for the police to come before handing over the harp to Carragh. Carragh becomes angry and tries to grab the harp but Johanna escapes his clutches with the harp. The images of Johanna escaping from Carragh intertwine with the images of Gwyneth running from her purser who turns out to be Sir Raymond. Johanna falls down the stairs and Carragh graps the harp from her. He almost kills her, but a stranger is yelling: "What's going on down there?" Carragh escapes and reaches outdoors. Nick corners Carragh in an alley. Carragh tells Nick that the harp has cursed his ancestors and he wants to destroy it. Carragh shoots at Nick. Nick punches Carragh and takes back the harp. He walks out of the alley and saunters toward Johanna. He gives her the harp. Lord Carragh appears again and tries to run toward Nick and Johanna but he is hit by a bus. At the precinct, Nat states that De Larre is the one who killed Baskers. Schanke also mentions that a mysterious bidder donated the harp to the Carragh museum. In the closing scene, Johanna is playing the harp like Gwyneth did at the beginning of this episode. Nick flashbacks to a time when he is a knight. He is riding a horse with Sir Raymond. He hears music. He searches in the direction where the music comes from. He sees a woman playing a harp -- he introduces himself as Nicholas Debough who serves Lord Delba. Nicholas develops a relationship with this woman, Gwyneth. They have discussions about religion and their beliefs. Gwyneth also tells Nicholas about her being the last person to play the harp and the belief that the harp contains a soul. Sir Raymond is not pleased with Nicholas developing a closer relationship with Gwyneth. Sir Raymond states that Nicholas and Gwyneth's relationship is only work and nothing more. Nicholas goes to see Gwyneth at night. She states that the "stones" tell her she will not share a destiny with Nicholas. In the morning, Gwyneth is calling out "Nicól" but sees a man with a sword and runs. At that moment, Nicholas awakes from his sleep and senses Gwyneth is in trouble. Nicholas desperately searches for Gwyneth and finds her lifeless body near the river. Suddenly the local people surround Nicholas. Nicholas is put in a dungeon and Sir Raymond comes to his rescue. Nicholas can only have his freedom on the condition that he fights in the holy land. The final scene indicates that Sir Raymond killed Gwyneth.
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