"Hammond Hall at the turn of the century... when the age-old mystery of the Hammond monster was at last revealed to all England." "That mystery, which although by 1900 had become a legend... was, indeed, a real tragedy and constant threat... to the lives of all the seemingly doomed members of the House of Hammond." " Oh, Walton." " Oh, I beg your pardon, Miss Helga." "I didn't mean to startle you." "Oh, I must have fallen asleep." "It's cold." "Yes, it's a cold night, Miss Helga." " I'll put on another log." " Don't bother." "It's 12:00." "I'm gonna turn in." " My brother come in yet?" " Not yet." "He's very late." "He and Dr. Colbert probably got to puttering about the laboratory and forgot the time." "Don't worry." "He'll be along directly." "I was thinking those poachers... might be up to their tricks on a night like this." "Come on, Alex." "Long past your bedtime." "Charlie Clagpool was saying down in the village... he owed Mr. Oliver one for that thrashing he gave him last week." "What does he expect?" "Oliver caught him setting traps." "Come on, Alex." "Go on now, boy." "What's the matter with him?" "Sometimes dogs are smarter than folks." "Oh, nonsense." "He's just smart enough to prefer sleeping by the fire to the doghouse." "Go on to bed now and behave yourself." "Hurry up." "How big and bright the stars look tonight." "Aye, and there's frost on the ground too." "It was just such a night when Sir Magnus" "So that's what's worrying you." "Don't be silly, Walton." "I only hope that Mr. Oliver doesn't take the shortcut back" "That path by the edge of the cliff." "Why shouldn't he?" ""When stars are bright on a frosty night... beware thy bane on the rocky lane. "" "Surely you don't put any stock in that old legend?" "It's only 20 years ago since your grandfather was killed." " Grandfather killed himself." " After he'd seen it." "That's ridiculous." "There's nothing to that story about a monster." "Oh, I shall never forget that night... when I found your grandfather down there on that path by the edge of the cliff... after he'd met it, so horribly mangled..." " and that insane look on his face." " That's absurd." "A supernatural creature going about killing and sending its victims mad." "People don't believe in that sort of thing nowadays." "I'm sorry to worry you, Miss Helga... but I do wish Mr. Oliver were home." "All right, if it'll ease your mind, I'll ring up and see if he's left yet." "Would you please get me Southdown 236?" "Hello?" "Hello, Helga." "Oliver?" "No, he left not more than two minutes ago." "Yes." "He said he was going straight home." "That's all right." "Oh, I say, Helga, how about a ride in the morning?" "No, that's not professional advice." "It's purely social." "Fine." "About 10:00?" "All right, I'll see you then." "Good night." "He just left." "That make you feel better?" "Thank you, miss." " Good night, Walton." " Good night, miss." " It's probably a dog caught in a trap." " That's no dog." "Something is going on down there." "Miss Hammond, it's the monster, killing Mr. Oliver, most like." " Horrible it were, like a dog" " Get ahold of yourself, Will." " Sounds like a lost soul." " All right, let's find out what it is." " You're not going down there?" " Tell Strudwick to bring the carriage around." "Yes, miss." "Strudwick's got two bays harnessed." "Very well." "We'll have the gates opened." "Mrs. Walton, fetch me a coat." "Don't stand there gaping as if you'd seen a ghost." "But, Miss Helga, no Hammond ever ventures into the rocky lane on a frosty night." "You've been doing your best to persuade me my brother's ventured down there." " And if he has- - Then I'll go with you." " Thanks, Walton." "But you better stay and mind the house." " Yes, miss." " Tell Strudwick to bring the horses around to the front." " Yes, miss." " And get me Oliver's revolver." " Yes, miss." " Miss Helga, please don't go out tonight." " Don't worry, Mrs. Walton." "I'm sure there's some rational explanation for all this." "If there is anything out there tonight..." "I'd like to get a crack at it, and I'm a jolly good shot." " I'll drive them, Strudwick." "Get in." " But, Miss Helga" " Come on, Alex." "Good boy, Alex." "Maybe you can help." "Get in the back." "It came from along here somewhere, I'm sure." "Miss Helga, won't you please go back?" " Give me your lantern." " Yes, miss." "Let me have the lantern." "I'll go ahead." "Oliver!" " Ohh!" " It was only a rabbit." "Oh." "Is a bit scary down here." "Oliver!" "Oliver!" "Oliver!" "Alex!" " What is it?" " Mr. Oliver's dog." "His spaniel?" " Is he dead?" " Horribly." "His whole body is twisted and his hind legs have been" " Miss Helga, now won't you go back?" " Not until I find my brother." "Oliver!" "He's still alive." "Thank heaven." " Help me get him to the carriage." " Yes, miss." " What was that?" " Well, I don't know, miss." " Dr. Colbert's nurse." " Kate O'Malley." "Well, don't stand there like an owl." "Go and get some brandy." "Yes, ma'am." "Hello, Helga." "How'd I get into bed?" "I found you in the lane on the cliff and brought you home." "In the lane?" "But how did" "I don't re" "Yes, I do remember." "I was fighting the" "The beast got Kate." "Is she" "She's still unconscious." "We've done what we could for her." " It must have gone for her after I fought it off." " What" "What was it, Oliver?" "L" " I don't know." "L" "I didn't see anything." "Well, Oliver, I'm glad to see you awake and talking." "That's a good sign." " How's Kate?" " Still in a coma." " She may or may not come out of it." " But there is a chance?" "Microscopic." "But thanks to your quick actions, still a chance." "Well, you're a pretty good nurse, Helga." "There's nothing left for me to do but a - a little tidying up." "Hmm." "Now tell me... what happened exactly?" "I don't know exactly, Jeff." "As I was leaving your house, I" "I saw a glimmer of light on the pathway leading up to the cliff... so I went to investigate." "I thought perhaps it might be somebody setting traps-you know, the Clagpools- but it was Kate O'Malley." "She left a few minutes before I did, you remember." "I offered to see her to the village and... then suddenly I" " I felt something coming at us from all sides at once." "We heard it." "Kate screamed and dropped the lantern." "Then I-Then it-it-it closed in on me like- like a blast from a furnace." "Only it wasn't hot, it- it was" "It was simply horrible." "Kate screamed again and..." "then I was fighting it." "Fighting it in-in-in a darkness that-that went all- all red." "All dark red until a-a-a splash of fire split it up and put it out." "That must have been when I - when I pitched on my head." "Then I woke in-in a light and- and saw Helga." "You poor darling." "Helga, you're next." "You're the only Hammond left besides me." "If I die" "Now what a minute, old chap." "Who said anything about dying?" "The monster's never satisfied, Jeff, unless it kills its victim or" "Now steady, Oliver." "You mustn't excite yourself." "You needn't talk as though I were a scared kid or a lunatic." "I tell you there's something horrible out there." "Unless we destroy it, it'll destroy us." "Both of us." "Please try to put it out of your mind now, darling, and get some sleep." "Here, drink this." "Make you feel better." "Poor darling." "It must have been a shock for you, finding him like that." "It was awful." "I can't help feeling that I'm somehow to blame about Kate, at least." "She'd been working late and I should have seen her home, I suppose." "But it's hardly a stone's throw to the village through the shortcut past your place." "Jeff, there's something beyond all this that - that frightens me." "What is it?" "What is this thing that's been hanging over us for years?" "The village folk will insist that the Hammond monster has returned." "But... you don't believe in that superstitious rot, do you?" "Usually some basis for this sort of thing." "How badly is Oliver hurt?" "His wounds are deep but not serious." "Fortunately, he's got excellent recuperative powers." " What about his mind?" " It seems unaffected." "Most anybody might be liable to forget exactly what happened... after a blow like that on the head." "Haven't you any idea what sort of a creature made the wounds?" "Oliver and Kate are badly mauled." "But there's no distinctive mark to indicate exactly what attacked them." "It could have been a ferocious dog, of course." "Those poachers have a couple of huge, vicious hounds." "Look here, darling, why don't you forget about this tonight and try to get some sleep?" "I'll run along." "I'm sure by tomorrow the police will find out what it was." "I've done it, Bob." "It works." "Really?" "This must be our lucky day." "These tests turned out well too." "My dear boy, all London knows that you solved the Kensington murder... with your scientific tests when everything else had failed... but nobody's been able to do what I've done." " And what complicated formula, Christy, have you proved?" " Here, taste it." " Oh, no, thanks." " Go on." "It won't hurt you." "Oh, hello, Inspector." " Hello." " I was about to come up and see you." "We collated the final runoff tests on those bullets." "They were all fired from the same revolver." "Inspector Craig, have a piece." " What is it?" " Toffee." "A new recipe." "Don't tell me that you've been using our laboratory equipment to make toffee?" " Don't mind if I do." " Don't touch it." "Mr. Curtis, you may not think much of female detectives, but really." "It's simply delicious." "The best I've ever made." "Your pans" " You used that pan." " Well, why not?" "If making toffee isn't scientific" "But that's the pan that I used for the hydrophobia culture, and it turned out positive." "Hydrophobia- Hydro" "Ohh!" "Ohh!" "That'll fix her." "Here, Inspector, help yourself." "No, thank you." "She'll have her stomach pumped." "It serves her right." "She's a good detective, but she gets restless... unless something's happening that makes her blood run cold." "You know, her prime passion is dabbling in the occult." " Maybe the Hammond case would interest her." " What's up, Inspector?" "Nothing tangible yet, but I'd appreciate it if you'd look into it." "You might solve something there with these gadgets of yours... that's baffled us for a long time." "If those are orders, Inspector, I'm ready." "Christy and I could do with a weekend in the country." "I think it'll take longer than a weekend." "And it might turn out to be rather dangerous." "Well, if you're thinking about Christy, don't worry." " She thrives on goose pimples." " Don't laugh at me, Bob... but I sometimes think that there are some things... that can't be explained in the ordinary way." "And I want to warn you." "You had best be prepared to cope with something..." " perhaps supernatural. - Oh, but, Inspector Craig" "I know what you're going to say." "There's no such thing." "That from the viewpoint of science all phenomena have a material basis." "I've never yet met a case of ghostly interference that wouldn't stand investigation." "That's why you're the man for the job." " Miss Hammond is waiting in your office, sir." " Coming." "Here, read the report of the case and then come up." " I want you and Christy to look the Hammond girl over." " Right." "And that's all there was to it, Inspector." "Yes." "Yes, of course." "You must forgive me for asking you up to London." "Naturally." "But there's nothing more I can add that you don't already know." "You're sure there's nothing else you want to tell me?" "Ah, may I present Mr. Robert Curtis... chief of our laboratory staff... and his assistant, Miss Cornelia Christopher." " This is Miss Hammond." " How do you do?" "You don't look like the sort of girl who'd be mixed up in any trouble like this." "He said precisely the same thing to Miss Coulter, the Sashway murderess..." " before he sent her to the gallows." " Christy." "I'm sorry, my dear." "I didn't mean to shock you." "That's just my clumsy way of assuring you that we'll find the murderer." " But there's been no murder." " No murder?" "Then what am I doing here?" "My dear Miss Christopher." "The Hammond case has been in our files for a long time." "I knew your grandfather well." "He was a brave and gallant soldier." " I hardly remember him." "I was only a child when he" " Yes." "Yes." "I know, my dear." "It's always been hard for me to believe that such a fine man could kill himself." "Unless he had a very good reason." "Miss Hammond, Scotland Yard has no desire to pry into people's private lives... but we'd hope that you'd tell us about the-well, the monster." "A monster?" "Now we're getting somewhere." " There's no such thing." " But there is a legend." "Yes." "To the effect that centuries ago one of your ancestors sold his soul to the devil... and still lives in a secret room in Hammond Hall issuing forth at intervals... to make the sacrifice of a human life in order to prolong his own." "I didn't think you knew the story." "I'm sorry, Miss Hammond, to have to bring a matter... which I know must be painful to you out into the open" "But we've done nothing to merit having our name dragged through a newspaper scandal." "We'll keep the investigation strictly undercover." "Then there is to be an investigation." "I'm afraid there's nothing we can do about it." "That's official." "Very well then, I'll help you all I can." "Oh, that's odd." "We were thinking we were going to help you." "Thank you, but I'm sure I can take care of myself." "When should we expect you?" "Oh, but we're moving in with you." "And I warn you, I've got an appetite like a horse." "What a divinely gloomy old house." "Just the sort of place a reliable ghost would haunt." "It's one of the oldest inhabited houses in England." "We're coming to the shortcut." "Shall we stop?" "Right." "I'd like to have a preliminary look around." " Whoa." " Want to come along, Christy?" "No, if you don't mind." "It's much too early in the day to tax my poor brain." " Be a dear and run me up to the hall, will you?" " Delighted." "Do you think it's wise, Helga, to go down there?" "After last night, I mean." "Oh, don't worry." "When Bobby gets on the trail of a ghost... its haunting days are practically over." "Toodle-oo." "See you at lunch if not before." "Golly, I'm famished." "I do hope that bloodthirsty spook hasn't raided the pantry." "Oliver!" "Hello, Helga." "I say, old girl, don't look so startled." "I'm all right." "I woke before the scheduled time and even Jeff had to admit... there was no necessity for my staying in bed." "Oh, I'm sorry." "This is my brother Oliver." "Mr. Curtis from Scotland Yard." "Glad to see you, Mr. Curtis." "Oh, it's a bit late to do anything for poor Kate." " She's" " No, she's alive but still in a coma." "Even if we find the answer to this, it won't help her much, I'm afraid." " I see the local police are already on the job." " Yes." "They just got here." "Not even the constable would venture out in these parts until broad daylight." "I tell you it was those Clagpools." "No, no, Warren." "We can't jump to conclusions." "We haven't found any tracks, neither of them nor their dogs." "Constable, this is Mr. Curtis." "Oh, Mr. Curtis." "I've been expecting you, sir." "Well, I got your wire, sir." " And nothing's been disturbed." " Interesting case you have here, Constable." "I wouldn't exactly say that "interesting" is the word, sir." "What about those poachers, Constable?" "It could have been them, of course." "We're dealing with something more serious than a couple of poachers." " Have you examined the spaniel?" " We have that, sir." "No teeth marks or other clues as to nature of what attacked him, I suppose?" " No, sir." " Strange he didn't warn you of the approach of your assailant." "I know it sounds fantastic, but is there a possibility he didn't see it?" "Even a supernatural being would have to take on material form... in order to inflict such serious injuries." "I think perhaps we can find an explanation for all this without calling in spooks." " Could you tear a dog that size to pieces, Constable?" " Well, perhaps not." " Two men could between them." " Or perhaps a large animal." "I might say yes, but nothing that size has passed through here lately." "Now anything big enough to do a thing like this would have to leave tracks." "Not necessarily." "How about a big monkey?" "I suppose you've checked up to find out if one has escaped anywhere?" "There's no shows in the vicinity, sir." " There's a zoo about eight miles from here." " A monkey." "Seems a likely notion." "It's a possibility, of course." "Shall I check up on it, sir?" " Can't do any harm." " Right, sir." "Who's that fellow in the velveteens?" "That's Warren, Kate's fiancé." "They were to have been married." "Poor fellow." "He's all broken up." "You don't really believe that ape theory?" "No." "But it'll give them something to play around with..." " then they won't have time to worry about me." " Do you have any theory at all?" "It's too early to form an opinion yet... but we have to figure on something with almost superhuman strength... who tears with grasping paws and bites ferociously... whose approach even a dog can't sense... who comes and goes, heaven knows how, without leaving any tracks." " Find anything?" " Nothing of any importance." "Mr. Curtis and Miss Christopher will be stopping with us a few days, Walton." "Uh, yes, sir." "Oh, my dear, I do hope you will forgive me... but I prevailed upon your butler to serve luncheon in here." "So much cozier than that enormous, gloomy dining room." "I'm glad you did." "The fire feels good after that fog." "Miss Christopher, I want you to meet my brother Oliver." " How do you do, Miss Christopher?" " Why, you poor, dear boy." "What a ghastly experience that must have been for you last night." "Oh." "Oh, come and sit by me and tell me all about it." "You know, I'm awfully rude not waiting for you... but luncheon comes but once a day, and I thought it was a pity to spoil it." "I could do with a couple of those pork sausages myself." "I always make it a practice never to hunt down ghosts on an empty stomach." "You know, my dear, ghosts don't like nice, warm rooms." "There doesn't seem any point in tempting that spook of yours to barge in while we're eating." "Don't tell me you've already decided it's here in the house?" "Well, you can laugh if you want to, but there's something here." "Something strange." "Very strange." "I can feel it." "I should have warned you." "Miss Christopher suffers from an overdeveloped "supercalaphegalus. "" " A super-cala-what?" " Feminine instinct." "Good gracious!" "What was that?" "Door slamming, I imagine." "Wind's come up." "I thought I heard someone scream." "It's probably Millie, the new maid." "Her hair's been standing on end ever since last night." " Maybe you better go and see, Mrs. Walton." " Yes, miss." "Millie!" "What's the matter with you?" "The monster!" "It's here in the house!" " Are you out of your mind?" " I tell you it's here, in there!" "It slammed the door right in my face!" "Be quiet, girl." "You don't know what you're saying." " There's nothing in there." " Mr. Oliver didn't see nothing last night, either." "I tell you there's something in there." "Even if there ain't" " Ohh!" "What was that?" " I don't know." " What was that?" " Clanking chains." "What did I tell you?" "Seems to be coming from the direction of the crypt." " There's a crypt in the house?" " Yes." "Down in the cellar." "Sir Magnus is buried there." "Let's have a look around." "Splendid." "Maybe we'll catch the ghost with his shroud down." "Brrr!" "This place is colder than a tax collector's heart." " Everyone seems to be resting in peace." " By daylight, at least." "Who's the crusader?" "Sir Reginald Hammond." "He lived in King Richard's time." "Was killed in Palestine." "Is that supposed to be the monster?" "I told you there isn't any monster." "If that's a lapdog, I'm a canary bird." " Do you make anything of it?" " It might be meant for anything on four feet." "People have always bred the dog into fantastic shapes." "But that's no canine tail." "And those round paws" " Hmm." "It's rather curious." " Who's this beautiful specimen of manhood?" " Sir Oliver." "Now why would such a handsome man want to kill himself?" "It's a sort of a junior Westminster Abby, isn't it?" "Yes, Miss Christopher." "It's been the family burying place for 500 years." "Oh, Miss Hammond." "You admitted that there was a legend in the family." " Why not trot it out so we can all have a look at it?" " I've told you everything I know." "Well, you didn't tell us about all these ancestors of yours... who were killed by this so-called monster." "Or who killed themselves after meeting it." " Why do you insist on hiding" " Now look here, old man" "Is there by any chance a reason why you don't want this brought out in the open?" "Certainly not." "I'm only thinking of Helga." "She's had enough to worry her since the other night..." " and I see no point in upsetting her unnecessarily." " It's all right, Jeff." "I'm sorry, Miss Hammond." "I don't mean to distress you" "Exactly what is it you want to know, Mr. Curtis?" "What about this chap who sold his soul to the devil and is said to live in a secret room?" " That's nonsense." "There is a secret room" " But there's nothing in it." " How do you know?" " I've been in it." " Lately?" " I say, Curtis, this isn't a court of law, you know." "The room's been untouched for centuries." "We finally locked it up several years ago." "Mind if I have a look at it?" "Not at all." "I have the key right here." "Come along." " Coming, Curtis?" " Right." "They're going to the secret room." " That Christopher woman suspects something." " They won't find anything." " We shall see to it that they don't." " Shh!" "Would you add another crime to all the others?" "There are some things it's better not to know about." "Oh, I say, Alex." "What are you doing here?" "You rascal." "You scared us." "Wait a minute." "There's someone here." "Someone besides us." "Walton!" "What are you doing here?" "I beg your pardon, sir." "I didn't mean to startle you." "I was on my way to the cellar to get some wine for dinner." "I wish you'd stop sneaking up on people like that." "Can't you cough or sneeze or do something to let a person know you're about?" "Yes, sir." "I'm sorry, sir." "It's just an excuse to keep an eye on me." " Probably expects me to go out and hang myself at any moment." " Oliver!" "Don't worry, darling." "I'm much too fond of this old earth." "Creepy sort of a chap, that Walton." "He may seem odd to you, but he's really a very kind, fatherly person." " Has he been with the family long?" " Ever since I can remember." "He seems to have something on his mind." " It's here." " Uh-oh." "There goes that old "supercalaphegalus" again." "Be quiet." "Don't move." "There's something in the air." "Something out of the ordinary." " Something very strange." " Nonsense." "It's no ghost... or the dog would have noticed." "Your dog didn't notice anything last night either, did he?" " That's right." " Hmm." "That's odd." "I'd say that it rather neatly disposes of the supernatural." " It does, Doctor?" " I'd say so." "Well, that seems to settle it." ""When stars are bright on a frosty night... beware thy bane in the rocky lane. "" "Ha." "Pretty little ditty." "Someone ought to set it to music." "Sounds like a pretty definite warning to me... yet you ignored it last night." "To tell you the truth, I never took it very seriously." "Seems rather like flying in the face of fate..." " in view of what happened to your ancestors." " Superstitious rot." "Superstitions are often based on fact." "If you want to know more about it, there's a family history in the library." "Thanks." "I'll have a look at it." "How long did you say it was since anyone has been in this room?" " Three or four years, at least." " You're sure?" " I have the only key." " And you haven't been here recently?" "Not since Helga and I came here about three years ago when" " When what?" " We decided to lock up the room for good." " Why?" " For the simple reason we never used it." "I see." "And you haven't been here since?" "Frankly, Mr. Curtis, I don't see the necessity for this cross-examining." " If Helga and Oliver say- - Somebody's been in this room... within the last 24 hours." "Those are pretty hefty footprints, for a ghost." " I told you there wasn't a ghost." " Anybody could have made them." "Why, they could be mine, if I'd had a key to get in here." "Well, let's see if they fit, huh?" "Oh, I say, I am a clumsy ox." "Unfortunate, Doctor, that you had to pick... this particular moment in which to lose your balance." "The last time I lost mine I had one too many." "Well, I'm terribly sorry, old man." "Why don't you send this fellow Curtis packing?" "One doesn't send a Scotland Yard man packing, Jeff." "You needn't submit to this sort of thing, you know, this cross-examination." "We still have laws that protect a person's privacy." " You don't like him, do you?" " I'm afraid I don't." "Look, Jeff, you deliberately smeared those footprints." "Why did you do that?" "Don't you realize they might have been anybody's?" "Mine." "Walton's." "Oliver's." "Why should we let this detective involve innocent people... in an investigation that's entirely uncalled for?" "Mr. Curtis is trying to help us, and if we can help him" "Oh, Miss Hammond." "I'll run upstairs." "I want to look in on Kate." "He's pretty fond of you, isn't he?" "Dr. Colbert is one of my best friends." "That undoubtedly accounts for his aversion to me." "Do you always analyze everything, Mr. Curtis?" "Miss Hammond, if your brother were killed last night... you'd have become sole heir to the estate, wouldn't you?" " Why, I suppose so." "Why?" " Then someone who knew this legend of the monster... might have used it to get rid of your brother." " I don't follow you." " With Oliver out of the way, your husband- if you had one - would control the estate." "You mean Jeff?" "That's absurd." "Perhaps." "But why should a man of his ability... bury himself way up here in this little village... instead of practicing in London, where he belongs?" "Maybe you better ask him that." " Oh, Doctor." " Hmm?" "I wanted to get that book Mr. Hammond mentioned." "Do you know where it is?" "Why, yes." "In this bookcase, I believe." "Hmm." "That's curious." "Used to be right here." "I've seen it often." "Looks like somebody else is interested in the history of the Hammond family, eh?" "I may have been mistaken." "I thought it was there." "Perhaps you better look around." "Or perhaps that's just one more thing I'm not supposed to know about." "I remember now." "You practiced in London a couple of years ago." "Specialized in nervous diseases." "Yes, that's it." "You're a brain specialist." "I've had some little success in that line, yes." "Why did you leave London?" "Now, look here." "I resent your attitude." "My affairs happen to be my own business." "And I'll thank you to bear that in mind." "Sorry, Doctor, but whether you believe it or not..." "I'm trying to help Miss Hammond and her brother... and I have a feeling they'll need help." "The best way you can help them is to go back to London." "Dr. Colbert, I'll make a deal with you." "You tell me frankly what you know about all this... and I'll drop out." "I'm sorry." "I can't do that." "Have you any objection to telling me where you were last night?" " I was in my laboratory." " I see." "I talked with Helga on the telephone not two minutes before." " That's true, Mr. Curtis." " Are you positive it was only two minutes?" "Things happened pretty thick and fast about that time, you know." "You could have miscalculated." "Walton was right in the room with me." "He'll verify it." " I expect he would." " Dr. Colbert.!" "Dr. Colbert, come quick.!" "It's Miss Kate." "The girl's dying?" "I'm afraid so, sir." "Mr. Curtis, there's one thing I feel you ought to know." "Yes?" "The other night, Mr. Oliver and Miss Kate... were mauled and scratched, as if by some wild beast." " That wasn't everything." " Go on." "You know that Miss Kate hasn't come out of it... but she isn't just unconscious." "It's as if she was" "Well, paralyzed... or drugged." "Dr. Colbert tell you this?" "No." "I could tell by the look of her." "I know about such things." "But if you don't mind, sir, I'd rather you didn't tell anyone." "I won't unless I have to, Mrs. Walton." "And thanks." "From all I can gather about this wretched spook... you're not going to find it under that glass." "I'm not sure this wretched spook, as you call it, was responsible for what happened." "Neither am I. What about that doctor?" "He smeared up those footprints deliberately, didn't he?" "Don't tell me you had to rely on your feminine instinct to arrive at that conclusion." "Mmm." "He knows more about all this than he's telling." " That's the trouble." "They all do." " The girl too?" " All of them." " Oh, dear." "And here I thought you were... casting sheep's eyes at a pretty girl." "Well, that doesn't prevent me from knowing she's hiding something." " Whatever can it be?" " I've got an idea, but I need proof." "Would this interest you?" "I don't know." "Looks like a tuft of hair." " The dog's?" " I don't think so." "It's too coarse." "But what do you make of this?" "It looks like a scrap torn from a muffler." " That's what I made of it." " Whose, do you suppose?" "That, my pet, is for you to find out." "Do you mean that I've got to steal every woolen scarf in the neighborhood?" "And without anyone catching you at it." "A fine detective you're making me, turning me into a thief." "Good work, Walton." " I wasn't aware" " That you were being watched?" "You did a very thorough job, Walton." "You needn't look so guilty, you know." " You'd make a very poor accomplice." " Accomplice?" "Come now, out with it." "What were you burning?" "Waste paper." "We always burn it." "In this room?" "Uh-uh." "That won't do." "You went out of your way to burn something that you wanted to get rid of." "You chose this room because you thought you wouldn't be seen." " Yes." " It wasn't waste paper at all, was it, Walton?" " No, sir." " It was something you didn't want me to find... because you thought it might incriminate you." "That's not true, sir." "It was" "I'm sorry, sir, but I can't say." "You realize this puts you in a very serious position." "Walton..." "I'm sure that you've given long years of service to the Hammonds." "I know that you'd do anything in the world to help them." "Why won't you let me help them?" "Mr. Curtis, leave Hammond Hall." "Go back to London before it's too late." "Too late?" "What are you keeping from me?" "There are some things that are beyond the understanding... of us who live on this Earth." "You're not safe here." "Miss Christopher's in danger too." " Won't you go back?" " I'm sorry, Walton, but we've a job to do here... and I mean to see it through." "Very good, sir." "No one can say I didn't warn you." "Strudwick!" "Don't tell me you're doubling for the monster." "I don't know anything about the monster." "You surely didn't come here to say your prayers." "I don't see as it's any of your business." "You and Walton happen to be the only two members of the household... besides Miss Hammond who were up and about when the attack occurred." "Mr. Curtis, I don't know anything about the monster." "I swear I don't." "You better tell me what you're up to, Strudwick." "Oh, so that's what those ghost chains are all about." "It ain't got nothin'to do with the monster." "But it does have something to do with your being in the forest last night." " Is she- - Yes." "She's gone." "Her body will have to remain here... till the police complete their investigation." "We'd better tell the others." "Helga, what is it?" "Kate's dead." "I did everything I could for her." "She never regained consciousness." "We'll have to make a report to the constable, Helga." "There'll be an inquest." "Poor kid." "Why did it have to happen to her?" "I tried to save her from it." "I battled with all my strength." "Should have put up a better fight." "You mustn't blame yourself, Oliver." "I have the most awful premonition." "I'm sure it will strike again." "Let me advise the witnesses that they are under oath... and it is their duty to give the coroner's jury... all facts pertaining to this case." "Gentlemen of the jury, your verdict as to the cause... of the death of the deceased, Kate O'Malley... is to decide the future course of action in this case... by His Majesty's government." "Yourjudgment will be guided by the testimony of the witnesses." "And I wish to impress upon all witnesses... that perjury in connection with an official coroner's inquest... is punishable to the full extent of the law." "In the event of the jury rendering a verdict of murder... any witness withholding vital information... or giving false testimony... will be regarded as an accessory to the crime." "Now, will you take the stand, please?" " Your name?" " Charlie Clagpool." "The constable's report states that you and your brother Tom... were unlawfully setting traps... when the fight in which you received a broken arm occurred." "We was in the woods all right... but we didn't kill Kate O'Malley." "We was nowhere near her and Mr. Hammond." "You've not been accused of that." "Is it true that on several previous occasions you had words with Mr. Hammond?" "That's right." "What about it?" "That will be all." "Mr. Strudwick, take the stand." "Yes, sir." "Did you see the Clagpools on the night of the crime?" " I suppose I did." " Can't you be sure whether you did or not?" "Yes, I'm sure." "What were you doing in the woods at that time?" "I was settin' traps." "Strudwick!" "Oh, that's impossible." "I'm sorry, sir." "I needed the money, I did." "Why didn't you tell us?" "I couldn't." "I'd been gambling." "I had to cover me losses somehow." "I hid the chains in the chapel." "Oh, dear." "There go my lovely ghost chains." "As the attending physician then, you would say the cause of death was due to precisely what?" "Concussion of the brain and severe hemorrhage." "May I ask the witness a question?" "Of course, if the witness has no objection." "None at all." "Dr. Colbert, were there any contributing circumstances... other than those you just mentioned?" "I don't know exactly what you mean." "The deceased was in a comatose condition all the time prior to her death?" "Yes." "She never regained consciousness." "Could this have been caused by anything else besides a blow on the head?" "From a medical viewpoint that's possible, but hardly probable." " My examination" " I'm not questioning the competence... of your examination, Doctor." "I want to know if Kate O'Malley had been drugged." "Definitely not." "Thank you, Doctor." "That's all I wanted to know." "Have you reached a verdict, gentlemen?" "Yes, sir." "It is the opinion of this coroner's jury..." ""that Kate O'Malley died of injuries..." ""sustained during an attack..." ""by a person or persons unknown... or by a large, savage animal, species unknown. "" "There you are, Bob." "That's the verdict that's always been given in these Hammond cases." " What do you think?" " I think I'll be able to prove it's murder." " Curtis, we can't touch the body." " What body?" " Kate O'Malley's." " Those villagers are a superstitious lot." "They're convinced that there's something supernatural about it, and they won't budge." "But I've got to get a blood specimen." "Kate O'Malley's parents have a legal right to refuse permission for an autopsy..." " but perhaps Dr. Colbert" " No, no, not a chance." "He ascribed death to normal conditions." "Well, maybe it was a blind alley anyway." "However, here's something that will interest you." " Will you draw those blinds?" " Yes." "We traced down a bit of cloth from a missing scarf" " Oliver Hammond's." " I have a hunch that Walton destroyed it." " Walton?" "Why?" "That's what we're going to find out." " What did I do with that cloth?" " Here it is." "Oh, yes." "First, we take a sample of the thread." "Then we incinerate it, thus." "Place it in this tube." "Withdraw the air because the nitrogen and oxygen in air... interferes with the desired light bands of the spectrum." "Now we'll find out... if this came from the same muffler that Walton destroyed." " But if Walton destroyed" " Science doesn't recognize total destruction." "You can change the form of matter, but you can't actually destroy it." " You see those thick groupings of lines at the left end?" " Mm-hmm." "That indicates that the wool was dyed... with one of the coal tar dyes of the paramino complex." " Do you mean it's an unusual sort of dye?" " Precisely." "The phenylene dye is unstable and hard to handle." "That's why its use is generally avoided." "Actually, it's toxic." "Poisonous." " Is that why you asked if that girl had been drugged?" " On the contrary." "I'm positive this has no relationship with Kate O'Malley's condition." "I'm only trying to prove that this bit of cloth was torn from Oliver's muffler." "This contains a sample of a substance that Walton burned." "They're identical." "Then it was Oliver's muffler that Walton burned." " Yes." " I've seen that look of yours before, young man." "I'm willing to wager that you've about got your man." " I'm not convinced it is a man." " A woman?" "Animal, vegetable or mineral?" "It could have been a wolf." "Now, listen." "There have been no wolves running wild in England since the Middle Ages." "That's what stops me, but what do you make of this?" "I found this during my first investigation at the scene of the crime." "Obviously the hair of a large animal." "A dog, perhaps." "All right." "Get the spectrum slide of wolf's hair out of my case while I mount this." "That shows the spectrum analysis of wolf's hair." " And here's the one I found." " It's incredible." "Well, Inspector, that blows up your spook theory." "What's happened?" "I don't know." "It was sealed in this tube and vacuum." " It just couldn't vanish in vacuum." " Where's the rest of it?" " That's gone too." " It was here a moment ago." "It seemed to disappear when the light struck it." "Perhaps there are still some things in this world... that science hasn't found out about." "Everyone gone to bed, Walton?" "Oh, yes, sir." "Some time ago." " Mr. Curtis come back from London yet?" " Not yet, sir." "Miss Christopher said he would arrive on the late train." "Oh." "It's another bitter-cold night, sir." "Yes." "You're not going out, sir?" " Why not?" " There is frost on the ground." "Nonsense, Walton." "I'm only going down to see if the gate's locked." " Oh, but, sir- - Stop worrying, Walton." "I shan't go near the rocks." "I've no wish to precipitate another tragedy." "Don't move!" "Oh, hello, Doctor." "Come on in." "What the devil are you up to?" "Forgive me, old man, for breaking in this way." "I had to make a blood test." "There wasn't time to run down to my lab at Scotland Yard... so I took the liberty of availing myself of yours." " I could have shot you." " You could have, but you wouldn't." "You're pretty sure of yourself, aren't you, Curtis?" "Sure enough of myself to know the blood in this tube... contains cobra venom extract." "Really?" "That's interesting." "Whose blood is it?" " Kate O'Malley's." " What are you driving at?" "Quite a coincidence that this tube of yours... should also contain cobra venom." " And what can that prove?" " One of two things." "Either you injected the cobra venom into Kate O'Malley's veins... or you deliberately withheld the information... that venom was in the system at the coroner's inquest." "There was no reason for mentioning it." "Had no bearing on the case." "She didn't die from the venom." " But you did inject it into her veins." " No." "It could have gotten there through the scratches of whatever clawed her." " Possible." " It's not only possible, but that's what happened." "And you know what the monster is." " Yes." " You've known all along." " Well, aren't you going to tell me?" " I can't." "It's not my secret." "Good heavens, man." "There's been one murder." "There's liable to be others." "Came from the direction of Hammond Hall." "It's here." "It's in the house." "In Miss Helga's room." " Where is it?" " There!" " Christy!" " Oh, Bob." "For a moment I thought you were the monster." "Quick." "I saw it." "It's got Helga." " What?" " Yes." "Mr. Curtis sent for us." "He slipped past you." "You must have missed him." " Dr. Colbert!" " Come on." "I'm afraid you're too late, Doctor." "God rest his soul." "Amen." "From a medical point of view, it was a rare case." "You had hoped to cure him, wasn't that it?" "I'd been working on the theory that the shock of the cobra venom... would eventually straighten out the dreadful kink in his brain." " Which he had inherited from his ancestors." " Precisely." "Didn't he suspect that he was a victim of lycanthropy?" "No, no." "In cases like this, the patient must never know." "He thought he had a nervous affliction." "In the Middle Ages they called such men werewolves, didn't they?" " Now, Christy." " No, no." "She's quite right." "You could put that in the report." "It was a form of mania that caused its victim to imagine- consciously or subconsciously - that he was a werewolf." "That book telling the history of the family had a hint in it." "Oh, so you were the one who stole it." "Yes." "Yes, I'd hoped to keep you from finding out." "That their ancestors were balmy?" "Well, let us say, rather, that their ancestors... handed it down from father to son throughout the ages." "It appeared only in the men of the family... and only when the victim was out on a frosty night." "They guarded the secret very carefully." " But the butler knew about it." " We know that now." "That's why he burned Oliver's scarf." "It had been torn to shreds by his dog." "He was afraid we'd learn the truth, knowing that a faithful dog..." " never attacks its own master." " Hmm." "You know, Doctor, there were times when we were about to put the handcuffs on you." "Yes." "Yes, I had to take that risk." "I'll be running along now to see how Helga is." " You have all the information you need?" " Thank you, Doctor." " My report is complete." " Good-bye." " Good-bye." " Good-bye." " Good-bye." " Quite a fellow." " Oh, my goodness!" " Now what?" " I just happened to think." "I was sleeping in the next room the night that wolf-man grabbed his sister." "What if he'd grabbed me?" "Don't worry, Christy." "Wolves will never bother you."