Kate Lockley - History

History

Kate first meets Angel while investigating a case undercover involving the brutal murders of several patrons of D'Oblique, a popular singles bar. After encountering Angel as he leaves the site of another murder, she instantly suspects him to be the killer, unaware that Angel had actually been attempting to stop the real killer (a parasitic demon looking for the perfect host). Angel escapes, and Kate becomes obsessed with finding him to the point that she searches the Angel Investigations offices without a warrant. After she is attacked by the real killer and saved by Angel, she helps him to bring the killer down. Kate subsequently clears Angel of all charges, and Angel offers his services to her whenever she needs them.

Kate's subsequent encounters with Angel lead her to trust him as a helpful stranger, and she, in turn, assists him, using her position on the police force to provide him with information about some of his cases. Furthermore, she finds herself attracted to the enigmatic private investigator, although she won't admit it, even to herself.

Kate was raised by her widowed father, Trevor, who is also a police officer, who taught her to put her emotions aside and to take care of herself at all costs. When she discovers that Angel is really a vampire, her black and white view of the world is shaken, and she delves into the darker side of Los Angeles. On one such investigation, Kate finds her father's lifeless body- completely drained of blood.

After her father's death, Kate struggles with her relationship with Angel; she undeniably has feelings for him, but blames him in part for failing to keep his fellow vampires away from her father (despite knowing about Angel needing to be invited into a dwelling by the resident). She subsequently becomes increasingly adversarial toward him by taking her newfound hatred of all vampires out on him. Obsessed with ridding the city of "his kind," Kate is the first to investigate any calls matching the "otherworldly" profile, even if it's out of her jurisdiction. She develops an intense dislike for Wolfram & Hart and the clients the law firm represents, but at the same time shows an equal resentment to Angel for exposing her to this world.

Her obsession with supernatural cases becomes her own undoing: after Angel attacks a cop who had brought back deceased police officers as zombies in an attempt to cut down on crime- unaware or unconcerned that the zombies use excessive force to deal with relatively minor crimes such as jaywalking-, she is eventually fired from the LAPD. Kate calls Angel and blames him for ruining her life, then attempts suicide by taking prescription pills with hard liquor. After he has his fabled epiphany, Angel goes to Kate's apartment. He breaks down her door and holds her under a cold shower. After her life is saved, she thanks him and then harshly orders him to leave.

That evening, Kate and Angel come to a reckoning and she forgives him, believing there is a higher power at work and they're not alone in the never-ending battle against the forces of darkness. When Angel asks her why, she replies that she never invited him into her apartment.

She never appeared again on the series, possibly due to Elisabeth Röhm joining the cast of Law & Order. However, in one episode soon after her last appearance Angel mentions to his friends that they no longer have a friend on the police force.

Kate reappears in the seventh issue of Angel: After the Fall, saving Connor from a group of demons. She is unaware that Connor is Angel's son. She established an antiquities business after her departure from the LAPD, and has been using her business connections to learn more about the supernatural and the occult. She has stocked her hideout with an arsenal of ancient to modern weapons. She is seen leaving to blow up a demon army. This actual event takes place the same night as "Not Fade Away."

Some time later, after L.A. was restored to normal, she once again encounters Angel and reopens Angel Investigations. However, there are several difficulties due to Angel's new fame status (since many clients are actually fans and admirers rather than people who need help), plus an upheaval in demonic activity. The current Angel Investigations consists of Angel, Kate, Connor and Gwen (although her status is questionable since Connor wants her gone due to her recent betrayal).