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Derrick Markham
Derrick Markham
Appeared in Highlander: The Raven; episode Love And Death
Statistics
Name Derrick Markham
Born 1550, London, England
First Death 1584, Son of noble killed with his parents, by thieves near London
Teachers Kevin Draper
Origin English
Watchers Patrick Salzer
Status Deceased, 1999 - Beheaded by Amanda
Occupation Kidnapping racket
Portrayed by  Stephen Billington

Derrick Markham was an Immortal who pursued a life of crime, his preferred high profit play was to kidnap people for ransom, rather than return them, however, he would kill his hostage to eliminate anyone that might bear witness against him.

In 1867, he was able to persuade another criminal Immortal, Amanda, to carry out a kidnap plot with him after they became involved. She helped him to extort a ransom for young Charlie Shavers, but she told Markham she didn't like it. They were tracked by the police, who had staked out the ransom drop. They managed to escape, in large part to Amanda using a smoke bomb. They returned to where the captive was being held, and Amanda had every expectation the young man would be freed, as that is what Markham told her would do. Instead, Markham shot him through the head with a derringer.

When he rejoined Amanda, she said she was very uncomfortable with the whole idea of kidnapping, that it was quite different than her preferred burglary. He then asked her to marry him. She said she didn't love him enough to marry him, he pointed out that a wife could not be compelled to testify against her husband, and that the only alternative would be that he take her head.

Weddingphoto

Amanda's Wedding 1867

When she discovered a few days later that her new husband had killed Charlie, she betrayed him to the police. Markham spent the next 30 years on a prison island, before he managed to escape.

In early 1999, Markham kidnapped, Svetlana, the girlfriend of a rock star. After receiving the ransom of half a million pounds, he instructed his men to eliminate the hostage as usual, but his base in Cumbria was stormed by Bert Myers' private security troops, including Nick Wolfe, before the order was carried out. Meyers rescued the woman, recovered the money and discovered a very old photo of people who looked like Markham and Amanda. Meanwhile, Markham and two of his men fled, a third was shot and died within days. For all this, Markham wanted revenge on Meyers.

He traveled to Paris on Meyers' trail, but in his house he found Amanda instead of Bert. Since the house was built on a Roman holy site, however, they didn't fight, but only talked.

When they later met elsewhere, the two fought and Amanda lost the advantage until the intervention of one of Meyers' men.  Amanda was given the chance to escape when Markham stabbed Meyer's agent, and was shot in turn.

Nick Wolfe, meanwhile, found one of Markham's men following him, and forced him to take him to Markham's place. There he ran into Meyer's who had also traced Markham to his lair. Unfortunately, working at odds with each other, they allowed the bad guys to escape.

Amanda and Nick decided to take Bert out to dinner and explaining the 'scam' that Amanda had been running, number 347 by her catalog, which would explain the 150 year old photo to him. Markham, however, ambushed them, shooting Meyers in the shoulder. While Amanda protected Bert with her own body, Nick shot Markham who fell from the overpass to the cobbles below. Meyers was satisfied Markham was dead until he saw him crawl into a waiting car.

Outside the hospital where they took Meyers, Markham waited for Amanda. The two headed off to fight while Nick handled his henchmen. As they fought across a switching yard, Markham was able to disarm and wound Amanda. As he gloated, she pulled a switch, crushing his foot between the rails. She retrieved her sword and took his head.

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