"But how else can we explain these terrible deaths?" "Von Ilse last night." "Five others before him." "That's six within as many weeks, Inspector." "Our friends, neighbors that we've known for years, drained of their life's blood, found dead in bed, likely skeletons of skin and bone." "Vampires are at large, I tell you, vampires!" "Yeah, malignant demons who issue forth from their graves in the dead of night to attack their victims and drink the blood from their veins." "Brr!" "God in heaven, Brettschneider, don't jest!" "Ah, that blood-sucking legend belongs in the same category with werewolves and all other peasant superstitions." "But the bats, man!" "The bats!" "God, yes!" "Big ones, so!" "Oh, now we're switching to bats again." "There was an epidemic of giant bats in Klineschloss in 1643." "And at the same time, there was an outbreak of vampirism." "Rot!" "Why, this record from the town archives proves it." "Says it, not proves it." "Well, I'll show you." "I'll show you." "Now, ah, here it is." ""And on this day was Von Hausmen hanged"" "from a gibbet in the public square after being convicted on a proven charge of vampirism." "And on this same day, there did occur the departure of the bats, thousands of horrible flying creatures which infested the town for weeks." "And on the night of this same day," "February 13 in the year of our Lord, 1643, was there a stake driven through Von Hausmen's heart" ""and his head cut off with a gravedigger's shovel."" "There." "Well, all the records in the world can't make me believe in vampires." "There are bloodsucking bats, yes, in South America, thousands of miles from here." "But not in Klineschloss." "But bats fly!" "They could fly here!" "You saw the bodies, all of them." "Two wounds on the neck, right at the jugular vein." "Two wounds on the neck, pierced and spread apart, just as if two fang-like teeth had bitten through the flesh and right into the veins." "And in every case, a blood clot, eight inches from the victim's neck, the mark of the feast, the devil's signature." "Does that appear the mark of a human being or a demon's?" "God save us, the devil's." "You ought to make a pretty fair meal for a vampire." "But let's be consistent." "Are these human vampires or... or bats?" "Vampires can take the shape of a human or a bat, just as they choose." "Oh." "They're magicians." "Well, it doesn't make sense to me." "The whole village is in terror." "We live in closed houses, behind locked doors and bolted shutters, not daring to close our eyes, fearful lest this unseen, silent death may find us in our sleep." "For it is then that it strikes, swiftly, silently, ghastly." "My room is tightly closed." "The windows are barred, nailed down!" "Nothing can get in, nothing!" "But they tell me vampires can go through stone walls, like that." "God save me, so they can!" "We've got to do something, I tell you!" "Klineschloss will become a deserted village." "Well, you might capture all the bats and drown them in the river." "Karl!" "Karl!" "While you're hunting for vampires and chasing bats," "I'm looking for a human being, a murderer, a thief!" "Well then, don't jest about it." "Do something!" "I'm trying to!" "Every hour, every day, every night since this thing started!" "Do you hear it?" "Yes!" "Yes!" "Night after night, lying awake until dawn, waiting!" "For what?" "I don't know." "That's what I thought." "Good night, gentlemen." "Don't let the vampires get you." "Are your kisses dynamite!" "Don't you like my kisses?" "Well, how's my mastermind this evening." "Well, if you want the truth, not so good." "The Burgermeister and his grand council still stick to the vampire theory, huh?" "Stick to it?" "Ha!" "They're quoting history to prove it." "I think you and Dr. Von Niemang are the only sane people left in the village." "And you?" "What about you?" "Hmm, me." "Well, I'm beginning to think I'm seven different kinds of a fool." "Murders are being done under my very nose." "I must be as blind as the bats themselves." "I can't find a single clue." "Oh, but you will, Karl, you will." "Well, I haven't." "Oh, Ruth!" "And here comes dear Aunt Gussie to spread good cheer and hope." "Just what I thought, slaving your life away in this awful place." "It hasn't got that nice, plain, wholesome smell of a hospital." "How are you, Karl?" "Oh, quite well, thank you." "Well, I'm not." "This clammy old place is bound to give me pericarditis, angicarditis, neuritis,..." "Well anyway, Ruth." "You want some coffee?" "No, no thank you, Frau Schappmann." "Well, just as well." "There's only two cups." "Here, dear." "Anything to chill out your bones." "Thank you." "Speaking of chills, Frau Schappmann, did you know the villagers are supposed to be infested with ghouls and vampires?" "Oh, Karl!" "Vampires!" "Pariahs among fiends, demoniacal creatures with huge canine teeth who bite deeply into the necks of their victims, to quaff and gorge on blood, warm human blood!" "There's no such thing as a vampire, Karl Brettschneider." "I don't believe in it." "You're just saying that to frighten me." "And I just won't be frightened." "I'm entirely too sensible to believe in such rubbish." "I beg pardon." "Oh, that was you." "I'm sorry if I frightened you." "Who said you frightened me?" "I'm not afraid of anything." "Could you tell me where Dr. Von Niemann is?" "Well, he drove to the village to see" "Martha, the old apple woman." "Thank you." "Is this what Dr. Hobb prescribed?" "Yes, sir." "She takes it in water." "Hmm." "Well, continue giving it to her." "Yes, sir." "It's stifling in here." "Open these windows." "Herman open windows." "Me do, me do." "Well, she'll sleep well now, poor soul." "It won't be necessary for you to stay here." "A good night's sleep will work wonders for her." "It was kind of you to come, Doctor." "Oh, Martha has sold me apples for many years, always the good, ripe, juicy ones." "Martha give me apples!" "I like!" "Shh!" "Oh, to think." "She wants her cross." "Herman get." "Herman get." "Here." "Here." "Now that for Martha." "There." "Oh!" "She won't let it out of her sight." "A terrible experience." "To be attacked by a giant bat is enough to shatter anyone's nerves." "She talks about it all the time, how it flew in her face and tried to sink its teeth in her throat." "No, no, no, no." "Bats no do!" "They soft, like cat." "They not bite Herman!" "See what you've done?" "There, there." "There, Martha, there." "Shh." "She'll be all right." "If she isn't, let me know." "Thank you for coming, Doctor." "That's all right." "Goodnight." "Goodnight." "Run along, Herman." "You can see Martha tomorrow." "Oh." "Ah, Dr. Von Niemann." "Ah, Kringen, how are you?" "Much better, thank you kindly sir," "Since you prescribed for me." "That's right." "Go to bed, Herman." "Go to bed!" "You shouldn't be filing around the streets." "It's dangerous!" "Oh." "I'm afraid." "Afraid?" "Afraid of what, Kringen?" "The bats, sir." "Big giant bats, with wings like an eagle." "You saw this bat, you say?" "I saw it swooping down the street." "It came directly for my throat, sir." "When was this, Kringen?" "Last night when they came to take Von Ilse." "It was a big, monstrous thing." "I saw it leap across the alley and into a window." "I ran just as fast as my legs could carry me." "You said nothing about this?" "There's enough fear in the village already." "Maybe I should." "Maybe I sh..." "I will." "I'll tell the Burgermeister." "Yes, Kringen." "That's the thing to do." "No!" "Bats... bats good!" "They not hurt Herman." "He plays with them." "You... you no tell!" "No." "No, no, no, go to bed, Herman." "Go on." "Go on, go to bed!" "You say he plays with bats?" "His garret is filled with them." "He makes pets of them." "That's odd." "Very odd." "Maybe... maybe he's it." "Herman prowls around the streets all hours of the night, just like an animal." "Maybe he's the vampire." "Now, don't start any gossip with that, Kringen." "Heaven only knows where it might end." "Goodnight." "Goodnight, sir." "There." "Now." "So nice." "There." "See?" "What did I tell you?" "Perhaps there's something in what Kringen says." "Seems strange that a human being should want to play with bats." "He isn't human, I tell you!" "He's in league with the devil!" "Put it on." "Put it on." "There." "Now, go to sleep." "You'll be all right in a few days." "The doctor says so." "Close the window." "Close the window!" "I'm afraid!" "The vampire!" "He said leave them open." "But I'd have them closed." "Do you want the light?" "Leave the light." "I'm afraid." "Well, I can't blame you for that, either." "I'll turn it down a little." "Goodnight." "If you want me, just pound on the floor." "I'll hear you." "All right." "Goodnight." "Goodnight, Martha." "Ohh." "Herr Brettschneider is here to see you, sir." "He's in the laboratory with Miss Bertin." "Oh, thank you." "Ah, here you are!" "Good evening, Doctor." "Good evening, Ruth." "How are you, Karl?" "Well, I'd feel a lot better if I could find the solution to these murders." "You don't believe in this vampire theory, then?" "Of course not." "Do you?" "There are many strange happenings, my boy, many mysteries beyond the power of the human mind to comprehend." "Have you a theory which might explain these deaths?" "Well, I'll be pleased to discuss it with you, but, uh, not now, now now." "I have some very important work to do." "Well, tomorrow then." "Tomorrow?" "Yes, perhaps." "Uh, we'll see." "Oh, this isn't so important, Miss Bertin, that you can't let it go till tomorrow." "All right, thank you, Doctor." "Oh, uh, how about Martha?" "Huh?" "Oh, nothing serious." "Just a case of nerves, after all." "Goodnight." "Goodnight." "Goodnight, Doctor." "Goodnight, Karl." "Name?" "Martha Mueller." "Age?" "I don't know." "Cause of death?" "Like all the rest." "A vampire." "Yes, yes, that's right." "When I said I was going to tell you, his eyes burned up like coals of fire." "His hand reached out toward me, as if he were gonna sink it into my throat." "And weigh this well." "He never works and never bathes, and yet he appears well fed always." "That's so." "He does." "Well, what does he live on, then?" "I'll wager it's as Kringen says." "And my was in Martha's room tonight, when Herman put a flower in her hand." "Strange business if you ask me, mighty strange." "I hate it when." "Yes." "After what's happened tonight I've locked myself in my room and prayed God to protect me from the devil!" "Dr. Von Niemann!" "Dr. Von Niemann!" "Well, what do you make of it, Doctor?" "Are these two wounds similar to those found in the other bodies?" "Dr. Hobb can answer that for you, sir." "Yes, they were the same in every case." "This is a strange condition, Karl." "So strange that I doubt the evidence of my eyes." "What was your conclusion, Hobb?" "I diagnosed the wounds as having been made by needle sharp teeth, punctures penetrating into but not beyond the jugular veins." "Do you mean to say that you also believe they could have been made by teeth?" "Frankly, I do." "Ha, you see, Brettschneider?" "What kind of teeth, Doctor?" "An animal of some sort." "It's hard to say." "The fangs of a wolf, perhaps." "A werewolf." "Could they have been made by, well, a bat, for instance?" "A certain species, yes." "There are vampire bats." "Dr. William Garrison, the perimeters of the upper Amazon, states that bloodsucking bats do exist." "He further asserted that the victims often become blood drinkers themselves," "Citing a case in which he saw a native by his tribe brothers." "They swore he had become a human bat." "And, states Garrison, he confessed it." "Do you mean to say that such a thing as a human vampire" "Is possible?" "Who can say." "Historic records would have us believe that an evil soul, assuming there is such, can take any shape it pleases." "So why not that of a human being." "Eh, Karl?" "Why not?" "Have you any literature on the topic, Doctor?" "Yes, I have many interesting volumes on my shelf that might prove very enlightening." "I'll be glad to show them to you." "I don't mind admitting that I'm up a tree." "Stumped." "Well, we'll see what can be done, my boy." "No, no, no, Herman." "This is no place for you." "Go in, my boy." "Go in." "Goodnight, John." "Goodnight, Doctor." "Goodnight, Hobb." "Uh, goodnight, Doctor." "In the morning, Karl." "Thank you, Doctor." "I'm sorry to have dragged you out at such an ungodly hour." "Oh, that's all right, that's all right." "Ah!" "Ahh!" "A child, fleeing in horror from the sight of death." "That was the vampire." "Arrest him!" "Lock him up!" "Kill him!" "Has the entire village gone mad?" "Herman wouldn't harm a baby, and you know it!" "I've walk the streets of this village for over 40 years, but tonight's the end." "He knows that I've told he plays with bats." "He knows that I saw him sneak into Martha's house just before midnight." "Perhaps he was taking her another flower, Kringen." "The boy brought her one this evening while I was there." "He killed her just like he did all the rest!" "And now he's gonna kill me." "Unless he's killed and a stake driven through his heart," "I'm a doomed man!" "He'll kill me!" "He'll kill me!" "I'm doomed!" "He'll kill me!" "He'll kill me!" "I'm a doomed man!" "He'll kill me!" "Good morning, Mr. Brettschneider." "What brings you to Klineschloss so early?" "You." "Fibber." "I heard the doctor tell Georgiana he expected you." "I knew there was something else." "You're a delightful prevaricator," "Karl, but not a very convincing one." "Oh, you don't mind me using your stethoscope, do you, Doctor?" "Not at all, Frau Schnappman." "What seems to be the ailment this morning?" "What's that?" "Oh!" "What seems to be the ailment this morning?" "Well, Doctor, I am positive that I have valvular disease of the aorta." "Or maybe it's the, um, the right ventricle." "Hm." "Well, there's something wrong with my heart." "I can hear it beat thump, thump, thump," "Thump, just like the book says." "Well, if you didn't hear it beating thump, thump, thump, just as the book says, I would say there is something wrong." "What?" "Without a moon?" "You have a heart of stone." "All right then, close your eyes." "Now." "Oh, so young lady!" "It's too early in the morning, Karl, much too early." "Oh, is it?" "Oh, there's Aunt Gussie." "Hmm, she would show up just at a time like this." "Oh, oh!" "Well, Aunt Gussie, what's the matter now?" "I have a palpitation of the auricular, ventricular, microvalves,..." "You mean your heart's beating." "Of course it's beating." "Dr. Von Niemann tried to assure me." "But I know, I know it's serious." "I'm liable to go just like that." "Did he prescribe for you, dear?" "Yes." "Chloric acid." "You mean salicylic acid, don't you?" "Well, silasalic or salicylic, it." "My heart is much quieter." "Hello, Karl." "Hello." "Oh, Karl." "You will be good to Ruth when I'm gone, won't you?" "Yes, of course I will, Frau Schnappman." "Well, I'm not gone yet." "And you can't marry her unless I say so." "Don't forget that." "Oh, my heart!" "There, Auntie, you'll be all right." "Just rest a while." "What you need is..." "Rest?" "Rest, dear, and quiet." "Aunt Gussie has a heart like a steam engine." "Karl!" "Here, kitty, kitty." "Kitty, kitty!" "Kitty-poo!" "Come on!" "Come on, kitty-poo." "Where are you, baby?" "Come on!" "Come on, kitty, kitty, kitty poo." "Come on..." "Ew!" "Nasty little beast!" "Oh!" "Don't you know it's wrong to steal?" "You'll cut yourself." "Blood." "Ew!" "Stop it, stop it!" "No hurt me." "No hurt!" "Oh, you poor thing." "Now, you wait right here, and I'll run in the house" "And get something for that finger." "A subcutaneous wound like that might easily result in a tetanus infection." "Tetan... tetan..." "Tetanus Lockjaw." "Not that you need be afraid!" "From the way you talk I think you've got it already." "Look, here's a nice juicy apple for you." "Mm!" "Ah, this is it." ""Traité sur les apparitions des esprits et sur les vampires", by Augustin Dom Calmet in 1746." "Huh." ""Let us suppose that these corpses do not actually" ""stir from their tombs, that only the ghosts" ""or spirits appear to the living." ""Wherefore do these phantoms present themselves" ""and what is it that energizes them?" ""Is it actually the soul of a dead man which has not" ""yet departed to its final destination?" "Or"..." "Now, how could a corpse buried under four or five feet of earth get out to do any such foolishness?" "I don't believe it." "It's a fair question, Doctor." "How could it?" "Well, according to accepted theory, the vampire dematerializes the body and reintegrates it outside the grave." "A good explanation if you can believe it." "And while I'm standing here listening to all this rubbish, there's a poor man in the garden in danger of a tetanus infection." "Now, what should I do for him, Doctor?" "Shall I apply or a tube saturation of?" "Well, either will do." "Get some gauze and some material from..." "Thank you, Doctor." "I'll wait here." "Difficult to believe, isn't it?" "It's impossible to believe." "And yet it would explain these deaths, wouldn't it?" "Ah, Brettschneider." "Pardon our intrusion, Dr. Von Niemann." "But after what you saw last night, you'll be interested in this as well." "What's happened?" "Kringen was found dead an hour ago, with the two punctures in his neck and not a drop of blood in his body." "And what's more, Herman Gleib has disappeared." "What?" "Now are you convinced that we were right and you were wrong?" "This ought to be proof enough for anybody." "Kringen said Herman would get him and he did." "Well, Brettschneider?" "I appoint you my deputy." "Organize a searching party and comb this countryside from one end to the other." "Find Herman Gleib and bring him in, but don't harm him." "You understand?" "What good will that do?" "He's a vampire." "There's only one thing for us to do when we find him, kill him and drive a stake through his heart." "Herman Gleib will be tried by a court of law!" "If the charge against him is proven true, the law will decide what to do with him, not you." "Now get your men together and do as I tell you." "That's a way to talk." "I'm going into town for a little while, Doctor." "Would you care to come along?" "Oh, I hardly believe so." "There's little to be done till they find the boy." "If you need me then, I..." "All right, thanks." "I'll let you know." "I feel as though I'm going to faint." "There, Auntie, there's nothing here to be afraid of." "Run along now and take care of that patient of yours." "Oh, heavens." "I forgot all about him." "Oh, my heart!" "Oh!" "Poor Auntie." "She's has every ailment in the book." "Your aunt, I'm afraid." "Particularly a palpitation of the auricular or the ventricular tricuspid and microvalve, Doctor." "Well, I had to tell her something to satisfy her." "There, there, you mustn't do that." "Now, where's that finger?" "You good like Martha." "She give me apples." "Herman like you." "Are you Herman?" "Me Herman." "You give me apple, Herman give you nice soft bat." "What is it, Georgiana?" "I just found this in Emil's room." "Well?" "It belonged to my friend, Martha Mueller." "Are you certain?" "I gave it to her myself." "Martha died last night." "I find her crucifix in Emil's room." "Doesn't that mean Emil is the one" "Herr Brettschneider was seeking?" "This amazes me, Georgiana." "It's impossible." "It rained the night Von Ilse died." "There was mud of Emil's shoes the next morning." "Have you mentioned this to anyone?" "I intend to tell Herr Brettschneider when he calls again." "I can't believe it." "Uh, leave this with me." "I want to talk to Emil before you say anything to anyone." "The Burgermeister should know at once." "Yes, all in good time." "Emil is going to be too for us to jump to conclusions." "Don't say anything until I tell you." "And send Emil to me." "Very well, Doctor." "That's for the muritis." "And the." "Is tougher than shoe leather." "And." "That'll help if I come into any harm." "And, uh, ginger..." "that'll warm my stomach." "Now, a little of soda." "Ooh!" "Ooh!" "Come on, men!" "We've got him!" "He can't get away from here now!" "Come on, he's around that way!" "If he tries to get past you, you know what to do!" "There he is,." "Here, boys!" "Herman?" "You're going back to the village with us." "Come on." "We won't hurt you." "No." "No, won't go!" "Herman afraid!" "Come on!" "You're going with us, Herman!" "No!" "You're going with us!" "No!" "Come on." "Come on!" "Get him!" "Come on, Herman, we won't hurt you." "Come on, Herman." "No!" "No." "No!" "Come, that settles him." "You've got to make certain." "I won't go down there." "Nobody asked you to." "I'll go myself." "Can you see him?" "He's on a ledge about 50 feet down." "I'll get a rope." "We've got to make certain, I tell you." "You must be careful, Emil." "Very careful." "No." "It must be." "It must be." "She's no better than the rest." "I've got to go on." "Oh, it's you, Doctor." "Good evening." "I'm sorry to have to disturb you, Doctor, but we simply couldn't make Georgiana hear the bell." "That's quite all right, my dear." "Georgiana's becoming careless, very careless." "Yes, I've noticed that too." "In my opinion, she has nagana." "That's sleeping sickness." "You know the symptoms, doctor." "At first I thought it was creeping paralysis, so I stuck a pin in her leg to see." "And there was a splendid reaction of the, uh, reflex motor." "Why, Auntie." "Ha, you're shocked." "So was she." "Won't you join me in some coffee?" "Yes, thanks Doctor, we will." "There are a few questions I'd like to ask you about." "About blood and murders and vampires, I suppose." "Yes, I'm afraid so." "Well, so am I. Well, goodnight." "If such a thing is possible I'm going to bed." "Won't you join us too, Frau Schnappman." "Coffee at this time of the night?" "No thank you." "I'm going to stick to my summer salad.." "Goodnight!" "What's the news in the village, Karl?" "Have they located Herman yet?" "No, not a trace of him." "I hate to think of that poor misfit being hunted down like a dog." "You know, I simply can't bring myself to believe in that vampire theory." "Uh, would you pour, Ruth?" "Certainly." "I know, Karl." "Common judgment tells us that such things can't be, and yet here, for instance, in this ponderous tome are cited 1,001 phobias and complexes that human beings are err to." "Some of them are strange, more untenable even than werewolves and vampires." "Uh, could I have some more, please?" "You drink entirely too much coffee." "It's my one weakness." "And also my excuse for tolerating Georgiana's laxity in other things." "She does know how to make good coffee." "Thank you." "She brings it to me every night at exactly 10 o'clock." "And when I've drunk it all, then I know it's time to quit." "Yes, and eat breakfast so you can have more coffee." "Oh." "Georgiana, you mustn't lie like that!" "You'll get yourself." "G..." "Georgiana?" "That was Auntie!" "Auntie!" "Oh!" "I'm all right." "I'm all right now." "Emil, help Frau Schnappman." "It's OK." "Don't be afraid." "The same two wounds, Doctor." "And my last words to her were angry ones, a petulant reprimand for being late with my coffee." "What time was that?" "About two or three minutes after 10:00." "She's been then about 45 minutes." "Bloodless, like the rest." "Passes all belief!" "Ruth's aunt saw Herman Gleib in the garden this morning." "Could it be that he...?" "You were the first one here." "What happened?" "I was in my room reading." "My door was open." "I must have dozed off for a minute or so, because I awoke to hear Frau Schnappman scream." "You say your door was open?" "Yes, my room was very poorly ventilated." "And you saw nothing?" "Heard nothing unusual?" "Nothing." "Karl." "What is it?" "This crucifix belonged to Martha." "See who it is, Emil." "Can you positively identify this as belonging to Martha?" "Without a doubt." "I saw it in her room the night she died." "How in the world did it get here?" "Herman Gleib was in her room." "He had that crucifix in his hands." "And Herman was here today." "Maybe here now, for all we know." "Who is it?" "Oh." "How is she?" "She's had a real shock this time, but she'll be all right." "I'm putting her to bed." "Leave her there." "Don't let her out of this room." "And don't you leave it, either." "Well, what do you mean?" "It looks as if Herman Gleib is the killer after all." "It's possible he may be hiding here in the castle." "What makes you think so?" "I'll tell you later." "Stay in your room and keep your door locked." "Don't worry about that." "I heard every word he said." "And I don't think there's any use of them searching for Herman." "They should look for a dog, a human-faced dog." "Auntie, the doors and windows are all locked." "There's nothing to be afraid of now." "Well, who said I was afraid?" "I'm not a bit afraid." "No, of course you're not afraid, but you must get some rest." "Rest in this awful place?" "With dog-faced Hermans and human-faced bats and bloods and murders and vampires!" "Find anything, Karl?" "There's an unbroken cup over in that window." "If Herman did it, he came through the door." "He must've." "And yet I don't understand how he could find his way up here without us hearing him." "Yet Emil was asleep, and I was in the library." "Yes, he could have done it." "The facts all point to it." "What was it, Emil?" "The Burgermeister." "He has news for Herr Brettschneider about Herman." "Huh." "Pardon the intrusion, Doctor, pardon the intrusion." "I knew Karl was here and I though you wouldn't mind if I ran in to tell him the news." "About Herman?" "Yes." "He fell into the Devil's Well in the cave." "He's dead?" "Dead as a doornail." "This ends our troubles, Karl!" "The vampire's dead!" "I can feel it in my bones!" "Hmm." "Well your bones may be wrong." "What time did this happen?" "Quite early, about 9 o'clock." "The cave is nearly two hours from here." "That's why we didn't hear it sooner." "Well, it may interest you to know that there's been another death, after your vampire died." "Who?" "Who?" "Dr. Niemann's housekeeper, right here in her own room." "Mother of mercy!" "What are we going to do?" "But a natural death wouldn't kill a vampire, Karl." "You know the expected theory, a stake driven through the heart." "Oh yes, that's the theory all right." "But... but... but..." "But what?" "But they did!" "They drove a stake through his heart!" "Good God, are we living in the Middle Ages?" "It wasn't through my sanction, Karl." "Sauer did it." "He told me so himself." "Well, that ends the vampire theory as far as I'm concerned." "Herman Gleib died in the accepted fashion for killing a vampire." "Oh no, there's some human agency at work here, Doctor, a madman who kills to satisfy some violent, sadistic urge!" "Yes, you're right, Karl." "I've been a fool, a superstitious fool!" "Did they leave his body in the cave?" "Yes." "Yes, they did." "Well, in view of what's happened, don't you think you owe him a decent burial?" "You're right." "In view of what has happened, we do owe him that, Karl." "I'll see to it at once, this very instant." "And I'll make arrangements for Georgiana's removal to the morgue." "Goodnight, Doctor." "Pardon the intrusion." "Goodnight, Gustav." "Pardon the intrusion." "Well." "Here I am, just where I started weeks ago." "There isn't a single theory that doesn't lead straight into a stone wall." "I've jested about this vampire business because my better judgment told me it was a lot of nonsense." "Then I reached the point where I was willing to accept even that, Because it seemed to satisfy the equation." "All of it a bit superstitious." "I don't know which way to turn, where to look, what to look for!" "Why should anyone want human blood?" "Why?" "Calm yourself, Karl." "Calm myself?" "Calm myself?" "With all these unsolved murders staring me in the face and no solution in sight?" "How much blood is there in a human body, Doctor?" "About six liters, approximately." "Can you think of any purpose for which that amount of blood might be used?" "No, not even in transfusions." "That's the point which stops me." "There isn't any other use for human blood." "Gah!" "Murderers leave clues!" "And these atrocities are murders, Doctor." "Those simple fools in the village can believe what they like." "But you and I are sane, thinking people." "And you know and I know, Doctor, that these are murders!" "The last one was done here, in this very house, right under this roof." "All right, I'll start here." "I'm going over every foot of this place, both inside and out." "Nobody, sane or insane, is clever enough to get away with murder without leaving a clue of some sort!" "And I'm going to find that clue!" "Come, come Karl, you mustn't let your nerves run away with you." "Here, these." "These will help to give you a good night's sleep." "If there are any clues, they'll be here in the morning when your nerves are calm and your... your mind is clear." "Take my advice and go home and rest." "I imagined a thousand demons were after me as I came down those stairs!" "Ruth, didn't I tell you to stay in your room?" "Yes, but I wanted the doctor to come up and quiet Auntie." "You know, it isn't her imagination this time." "Of course, Ruth." "I'll come right away." "Take my advice, young man." "Go home and go to bed." "Goodnight, Karl." "Goodnight, Ruth." "Goodnight, Karl." "Goodnight, Doctor." "If his lights are on, you must wait, Emil." "Wait until he has gone to bed." "Handle him as you did the others, Emil." "You are strong, very strong." "I am waiting for you, waiting for you to bring him to the laboratory." "You!" "You're the one!" "What mad thing are you doing?" "Mad?" "Is one who has sold the secret of life to be considered mad?" "Life!" "Created in the laboratory!" "No mere crystalline growth, but tissue, living, growing tissue, life that moves, pulsates, and demands food for its continued growth!" "Ha, you shudder in horror." "So did I the first time." "But what are a few lives being weighed in the balance against the achievement of biological science?" "Think of it." "I have lifted the babe." "I have created life, wrested the secret of life from life!" "Now do you understand?" "From the lives of those who have gone before," "I have created life!" "I'll tell Karl!" "You may, for tonight Karl's name will be added to yours, and all of those who misachieved within mortal lives." "I didn't take your sleeping tablets, Doctor." "Emil brought them here." "He's the one who murdered them!" "Stay where you are." "You'll have a chance to tell everything, Doctor." "I'll take care of Von Niemann!" "Get her out of here!" "You stay here." "Von Niemann and Emil." "Doctor!" "Dr. Von Niemann!" "Karl, she mustn't see them." "Where is Dr. Von Niemann!" "I must see him immediately." "Aunt Gussie, you can't." "He's... he can't be disturbed." "Oh, but I must see him!" "I simply must!" "That hydrous magnesium sulfate he gave me is, uh, affecting me most peculiarly." "You'll pardon me." "Hydrous magnesium sulfate." "Why, that's Epsom salts!"