ROGER: Ah. Excuse me! Ah, is this Angel Investigations?

(The gang looks up to see a middle-aged couple standing on the landing just inside the front doors.)

WESLEY: Yes. Can we help you?

ROGER: I sure hope so. I'm Roger, and this is my wife, Trish. Ah, we're sorry to barge in on your... arsenal here, but - we really need to talk to you.

WESLEY: Of course. Please, step into my office.

(They all enter Wes' office.)

WESLEY: I'm Wesley Wyndam-Pryce. These are my colleagues, Cordelia Chase and Charles Gunn. What can we do for you?

TRISH: It's our daughter. She's missing.

CORDELIA: Oh, no. Kidnapped by evil fiends?

TRISH: We're not sure.

WESLEY: I see. Was your daughter involved in any kind of demon worship?

ROGER: Of course not!

GUNN: Could be a vampire. Hard luck tracking one of those in a city this big, but don't worry. We're detectives. We can find anyone.

ROGER: We already hired a detective.

WESLEY: And he couldn't locate her.

ROGER: He said she was staying here - in your hotel.

TRISH: Her name is Winifred Burkle. We call her Fred.

(Meanwhile Fred arrives unnoticed, spies her parents and runs upstairs)

GUNN: Fred's your daughter?

TRISH: Yes. You know her?

ROGER: Is she here? Is she alright?

WESLEY: She's fine and - out at the moment - with one of our associates.

CORDELIA: Who is not an evil fiend - or a vampire - because they don't exist. In - case you aren't familiar with our LA gumshoe detective slang.

ROGER: But what happened to her? It's been five years -- has she been with y'all this whole time?

WESLEY: No. Ah, we've only known Fred for a few months, really. - You see we found her in...

CORDELIA: Ah, a fit of depression.

TRISH: Fred was depressed? Over what?

WESLEY: She had recently relocated and was - having trouble adjusting. So, how did you come to find her again?

TRISH: Oh, about a month ago we got a letter from her in the mail.

ROGER: But she didn't leave her return address. In fact she said she was fine and we shouldn't bother looking for her, but...

TRISH: Five years of not knowing whether your daughter's alive or... Well, how could we just let it go?

ROGER: So we hired the private eye.

GUNN: And he tracked her down through an un-addressed envelope? We could do that.

ANGEL: (arriving) Wait til you guys hear what happened at Haagen Dazs! Ordinarily these things don't put up much of a fight, but this one? Hoo! I think I'm gonna have it...

(Angel walks into the office, carrying the Durslar's severed head. Sees Fred's parents.)

ANGEL: ...mounted. - Hello.

CORDELIA: Angel. you're -- alone. And - and you brought ... a prop! From your movie! (to parents) This is Angel. - *Angel* - makes - monster movies. - Angel, these are Fred's very *normal* parents.

ANGEL: Ah. - Fred has parents. Well it sure is - nice to meet you both.

ROGER: Ah. Son, you-your prop is dripping.

ANGEL: Oh, yeah. This (swings the demon head) - fake. You know, a little glue, paper machee...

(Angel tosses the head back behind himself without looking into the lobby - where we hear a big crash of glass as it lands.)

ANGEL: ...possibly some lead. So, Fred's parents - we've heard so - much... Well, uhm, sure is nice to meet you folks.

GUNN: No address anywhere on the envelope?

ROGER: No. None.

GUNN: Ah.

ROGER Do you know when Fred will be back?

ANGEL: Oh, me. Well, yeah, ah, I sent her right back here, right before I... picked up that - prop. So I'm sure she's - up in her room - right now.

(Fred's parents and the gang survey Fred's room - which is remarkably clean and organized.)

TRISH: Fred?

ROGER: She's not here.

(Angel picks up the crumpled ice cream cone wrapper from the floor.)

ANGEL: No. But she was.

(Trish looks at the walls.)

TRISH: This - it's her writing. But what does this mean? It's just crazy.

ROGER: (quietly to Trish) We might have to call them in sooner than we thought.

CORDELIA: (aside to Gunn and Wes) Guys - when was the last time Fred ever left the hotel by herself?

GUNN: A couple of weeks after never.

ROGER: We want our daughter.

WESLEY: So, what is she running from?

written by: Mere Smith; Original transcript anonymous. Edited and formatted for this site by me.. Full transcript at:
http://www.buffyworld.com/angel/season3/transcripts/49_tran.shtml