"Paris." "The last night of a new moon, this winter." "Keep going." "Go on!" "Go on!" "You can do it." " Don't wake the entire hotel up." " There's almost no one here." " I still have eight hours of my shift to go." " Oh, shit, it's midnight!" " I've got to split." " Don't you want to stay?" " You can have the red room." " I can't." "I have to do the rounds." "When will I see you again?" "One of these days..." "Give me a kiss." "I'd like...a room for the night." "Would you like a room facing the street or the courtyard?" "It doesn't matter." "That's not true." "I'd like a special room." "The red room..." "It's free, isn't it?" "Yes." "That'll be 6 francs." " Keep the change." " But..." "Do you know this man?" "He stayed here a year ago." "His name is..." "Max..." "Christie." " You are very kind." " Are you feeling better, Lady Christie?" "The truth is, you shouldn't be addressing me like that." "We weren't married." "But it was as if we were..." "Seven years..." "Seven years of my life with him..." "That gives me the right, doesn't it?" "I'm being silly." "Excuse me, Mademoiselle"?" "Luce." "My name is Leno." "Yes, it's true, it's silly." "Look at his room." "The objects he looked at, that he touched..." "But I still love him." "I must admit it." "But what can I do for you?" "Well..." "I've lost his trail." "I must find him again." " Did you know him?" " No." "But the girl who worked here before often mentioned him." "She talked about the huge tips he left." "Yes, we are very generous, actually." "Unfortunately he hasn't returned since." "You know something, don't you?" "I know that he was often with I'm sorry...a girl." "My girlfriend remembered their names." "They had a habit of yelling on the staircase, waking everyone up." "Christie, Stern..." "Stern..." "Stern!" "And then?" "That's all." "Try a bit harder." "Don't take this the wrong way, Luce." "I'd like to hire you." "Have you investigate for me." "Try just a little bit harder." "I don't know if I should, but..." "my girlfriend... told me that he only came to the hotel once he'd spent the night at a hostess club not far from here." "It's called the Rumba." "And who should I talk to there?" "My girlfriend has a friend who works as a ticket girl." "Elsa." ""Ticket girl"?" "How awful." "I'm not staying." "But your money...?" "It's an advance." "Don't be afraid." "I'll be in touch." "Do you remember the last time we were here?" "I was with him." "I followed you like a guard dog." "I was envious of him." "Envious of what?" "YOU!" "Me?" "You inherited me." "Look, I've managed to get together the 150 francs that I owe you." "150 francs?" "It's not 150 francs you owe me." "It's 175 francs." "What are you playing at?" "Why 175?" "I lent you 150 francs three days ago, when you were with those guys." " To get a round in." " Really?" "Yes, really." "And then I gave you another 25 francs last night." "Last night?" "You never lent me a thing last night." "I lent you 25 francs last night." "What do you take me for?" "You have a visitor, Your Grace." "So, you know my brother..." "Yes." "When Lord Christie visited, everything would change." "How so?" "He would come in, and in the blink of an eye everything was different." "To start with, he'd buy up all of the evening tickets." "Money always did burn a hole in his pocket." "We didn't do badly out of it, though." "So, we'd get rid of all our patrons and then we'd sit down and just be like that for hours sometimes." " He never asked you to dance?" " Oh, no." "No, he'd always come with a girl." "Always." "We'd still dance anyway, but with his friends." "Parasites...and sometimes worse..." "Living off of the family's money." "Max is rather reckless, if you must know, mademoiselle..." " Elsa." " Eliza?" "No." "El..." "El-SA." " El-SA." " That's it." "We're the ones obliged to pay for his extravagance." "It's strange..." "Given that you're his sister, you don't have an English accent." "How dare you." "I was at school in Switzerland." "I'm so sorry." "You are right, though." "He was very extravagant." "He also looked a little unwell." "Like something was upsetting him?" "Precisely, yes!" "What could it have been?" " His conscience?" " His conscience?" "Oh yes, his conscience." "Oh, yes." "I mean, the last time he was here he no longer wanted to talk." "He was just sat in the corner, all huddled up, not saying a word." "Except when he ordered his drink..." "Champagne." " Champagne?" " Yes." "He drank and drank..." "But he couldn't get drunk." " And you?" " We were completely tipsy." "All of a sudden he got up and he gestured, like this." "Like this." "And the mirror broke." "I must find him immediately." "Do you know how I can?" "Yes." "The girl who was with him... her name was Sylvia Stern." "She was said to conduct private meetings." "Where?" "Thank you, Elsa." "You'll see me again." " Carter." " Carter !" "intuit e Ia banquet." "E t six." "1,000 francs, bacon." "survive e deluxe. 500 francs Changchun." " Carter." " Carter !" "intuit a la banquet at baccarat!" "Par coup DE 2,000 francs, Monsieur." "Fates cos jejune." " 2, 000..." " Bacon." " Se suit." "Non?" "Riel pour vouch?" " Non." " Carter." " Carter !" "Six e la banquet." "Cine, nob." "4,000." "Bacon?" " 2,000." " 2,000." " Sui vi." " (Test survive." "Bacon." " Carter." " Carter !" "Six en banquet." "Tibet cine. (Test nob!" " 4,000, bacon?" " Sui vi." "Bancroft." "Bancroft DE 4,000 francs." "intuit." "neurone la banque. (Test bon!" " Perd sa dette." " Merci bien, Monsieur." "It's the story of a zebra who escapes from a small country zoo." "He comes to a farmhouse and meets a chicken and asks it, "What are you doing?"" "The chicken says to him, "I'm a chicken and I make eggs."" "And the zebra says, "Oh..." and carries on until he meets a cow." "Then he enquires, "And you, what do you do?"" "The cow says, "I'm a cow and I make milk."" "And the zebra says, "Oh..." and carries on, until he meets a bull." "And he asks him, "And you, what do you do?"" "And the bull looks at him and says, "I am the bull." ""If you want to know what I do, take off those stupid pyjamas."" "I'm sorry, I wasn't listening..." "What were you saying?" "Nothing." "It brings good luck." "As for our other little debt, we'll worry about that later." "OK." "God, it's stifling in here." "I don't know how you can sleep in this jungle." "Well, I'm, you know...quite adaptable." "I lie down like this... and then I don't breathe for the rest of the night." "Let me see." "You tickled me!" "The truth is, I'm unable to get to sleep." "Why?" "I want to be honest with you, Monsieur Pierre." "You are a kind, intelligent man." " A godsend, in short." " Really?" "Yes." "I'd like to hire you." "I'm alone." "I need a friend." "What are you offering?" "Yes?" "The 21st at pm?" "Amsterdam...at the same place." "I'll bring it to you." "Are you interested?" "Perhaps." "And now?" "Perhaps." "Do you know the Fairy Godmother?" "It's a stone that's been missing for two hundred years." "It was said to be cursed." "I see you are well informed." "Cursed or blessed, its value is incalculable." "I have a feeling it's around here." "If it were found," "I would know how to sell it." "At the highest price." "I don't like organizations." "But I am the organization." "Just me." "It could be us." "Perhaps." "Sylvia Stern?" "My name is Leni." "I've heard that you can help me find Lord Christie." "How do you know him?" "He's a friend." "But he never spoke of you." "Has it been a long time since you last saw him?" "Well..." "I was in the can for quite a while." " How long?" " A year." "We'd written to each other." "He'd promised to help me once I was out." "I don't believe you." "Anyway, it doesn't matter." "Max Christie is dead." "Oh, I feel terrible." "He's dead and all I can think of is myself." "I'm sorry." "How did it happen?" "We don't need your pity... nor your curiosity." " We?" " Yes, we." "He and I." "You want to know, all the same?" "He burned, little by little, until he disappeared." "No one could understand." "Not even me, for that matter... until recently." "Now I understand." "I could say we..." "Go on." "He came here looking for me." "He said that watching the water relaxed him." "From what?" "From the battle." "He fought...he defended himself." "He defended us." "He suffered horribly but he withstood to the very end." "Withstood who?" "That's it." "I've nothing more to say." "I'm the one in their place now." "But you don't need me to tell you that, right?" "You knew everything." "In the name of the salamander." "Pierrot!" "You'll be seeing me again." "You're here!" "It can't go on like this." "You can't get to sleep." " You must confide in me." " No." "Yes." "Tell me everything." "You'll feel a lot better." "Everything." "From the beginning." "One year ago." "Lucie?" " Who is this?" " Sylvia Stern." "I must see you." "It's very urgent." "Can you come to the aquarium tonight?" "It might sound strange but..." "Look, it's in your interest to come." "I don't know you." "Why should I come?" "Because it concerns Pierrot." "Till tonight, then." "So, did he swallow the whole thing?" "Amsterdam, the drug trafficking...?" " What, even Amsterdam?" " Mm-hm..." "What about the Fairy Godmother?" "He didn't buy it, did he?" "I don't believe it." "These mortals are so stupid." "What do you expect?" "They're so naive." "That's what they are." "Naive." "I have to say, you're very smart." "They're no match for you." "There's no one who can challenge you." "I don't know what it is you want, exactly, but..." "You're being very charming today." "I want nothing whatsoever." "All right..." "I believe that..." "Yes, you don't need me any longer." "Too bad." "It had taken my mind off of things." "Have you had enough of Carlotta?" "She gets on my nerves, that one." " She's quite hard work." " I can't say I'm surprised." "You know, I feel like playing a little trick on her." "I have to go." "Are you sure you don't need me?" "No, it's very simple, I just follow the path until it leads to her girlfriend, Sylvia Stern." "You're getting warm..." "You're burning..." "A Lacryma Christi, well chilled." "Excuse me, Sir." "I'm sorry..." "An Amy Christi..." "A Lamar..." "A Ian..." "Lacryma Christi, well chilled." "Are you looking for someone?" "May I help you?" "I'm doing some research on casinos." "We're the only two women here." "May I ask you a few questions?" "OK, I'll make a start." "Do you play often?" "A lot?" "Which game?" "All the time." "Very high stakes." "Every game going." "Chemin defer, roulette, baccarat..." "Sometimes even hide-and-seek." "I've been walking this way and that..." "Two right turns here, one left turn there..." "Avenue de la Grande Ourse, the little bridge..." "You were following me, weren't you?" "What do you do for a living?" "I mean really do." "Out with it!" "I'm a detective." "A private one, actually." "Amateur?" "I'd rather not reveal the name of my client or the nature of my investigation." "What I can tell you is that I received a telephone call," "I turned up, and a crime had been committed." "Premeditation, then..." " How did you kill her?" " Me?" "Don't try to deny it." "I saw you the moment I arrived." "You were hiding behind that pillar." "I didn't say anything, I didn't scream." "I didn't cry for help." "I brought you here on the quiet." "And now..." "A cognac for the lady, please." "Don't be afraid." "I'm not going to turn you in." "It wasn't me who called." "It was her." " Her?" "Who?" " The dead woman." "Miss Stern." "Very good." "Now, let's start again." "Profession?" "I'm the night porter at a hotel." "I was asked to find a man who had disappeared." "He was known to the dead girl." "I believe you were lured into a trap." "The story was only a pretext." " The truth is, you were chosen." " Why?" "To be a scapegoat." "Please, help me..." "Miss...?" "Viva." "I will be obliged to report back to my client." "And his name is...?" "Her." "Her name is Leni." "Monsieur Pierre..." "Monsieur Pierre..." "Monsieur Pierre, if you'd be so kind..." "Excuse me..." "I couldn't help overhearing..." "You're looking for Monsieur Pierre, I believe." "He wouldn't, by any chance, be the one who worked with Lord Christie, would he?" "Yes, he is." "Would you like to have a drink?" "It would be a little quieter next door." "Oh, do please say you will." "Pierrot and I wrote to each other quite a bit." "Quite often, to begin with." "Eventually, it dropped off, which is often the way." "Anyway, after spending five years in Panama," "I'm back and..." "I want to find him." "I understand that he lives here, in this palace." "So, I've just arrived, you see." "And that's all." "What about you?" "Do forgive me if I'm being indiscreet." "Well, me, I hardly know him." "In fact, I haven't seen him since the Lord Christie days." "Until today." "He sent me a message, asking me to come and see him here." "Do you move in the same circles?" "Well...the thing is..." "I suppose I shouldn't hide anything." "I work at a hostess club." "At the Rumba." "There's nothing wrong with that." "Nothing wrong?" "You've never been a ticket girl." "So you can't know what it's like." "After a dozen or so rounds, you'd soon understand." "It's all...cold tea, then dancing, then more cold tea, then more dancing..." "Your underarms start to perspire." "Always the same stupid chatter." "Men always trying to pick you up..." "Swollen feet..." "But was it different with Pierrot?" "Oh, he was...a true gentleman." "Are you, perhaps, a little...?" "He was very charming." "I'm sure he always is." "Don't be afraid, I'm a friend." "What's more, I believe he mentioned you in one of his letters...your name is...?" "Elsa." "Oh, yes, that's right." "Elsa." "He would tell me how..." "No, that would be indiscreet." "In any case, he spoke very highly of you." "He really liked your name." "He found it... distinguished... and classy..." "like you." "I'm not really called Elsa." "I'm called Jeanne." "It sounded better... for work, Elsa." "The other girls call me Jeanne when they want to be annoying." "I don't like "Jeanne"." "It's too common." "You're Elsa, to me." "Right." "Now I must be off." "No, it's on me." "I insist." "You're my guest." "Until next time." "I'll visit again, one of these days." "May I give you a bit of advice?" "I wouldn't wait here too long." "You could be wasting your time." "Good luck, anyway." " What are you doing here?" " Waiting for you." " We were meant to meet at The Palace." " No, we were definitely meeting here." "I'd been wanting to do that for a long time." "Then, why did you wait so long?" "I wasn't free." " And now?" " And now?" "I'm completely yours, day and night." "Is that true?" "Can I believe you?" "I am glad." "I knew perfectly well that your friend had got it wrong." "She told me there was no point waiting for you." " My friend?" " The one from Panama." "I don't know anyone from Panama." "She seemed to know you really well from the Lord Christie days." "I've forgotten my past." "You must forget yours." "I'm taking you away from here." "It's getting late and I'm still not dressed for tonight." " I have to get changed." " Shall I wait downstairs?" "I've got a little surprise for you." "You mustn't talk about it." "It has to be our secret." "OK." "What is it?" "Wait and see." " She's a fantasist, you know." " Who?" "That lady." " Hotel lobbies are full of them." " Is that right?" " You've kept me waiting." " Why did you make me come here?" "I ask the questions." "Tell me everything." "Don't you want a breakdown of how I've spent my time?" "I don't understand anything." "Your explanation doesn't make sense." "I hired you, Lucie." "And, what's more, I've paid you." "Be precise." "Be exact." "You hired me to find a man named Lord Christie." "I never found him." "But I found this girl instead." "She asked me for help and she was murdered." "It didn't do her any good whatsoever." "I shan't say another word." "Oh, yes you will." "Right this minute." "Here you are..." "I won't take anything." "Unless you change your story." "It's not a man you're looking for." "It's something else." " Be honest with me." " Honest?" "I'm always honest." "Well, then...?" "We need each other." "Tell me about this blonde woman." "I followed her to this casino, but she spotted me." "It's as if she can be in two places at the same time." "Her name is Viva." "What else?" "You're not telling me everything." "There is also a man." "Thin, about 40, has a funny walk." "Pierrot." "It's horrible...awful..." " I'm afraid that he might be the one..." " Who is he to you?" "He's my brother." "Look, Lucie." "Viva is dangerous." "Very dangerous." "Your brother is a victim." "You shall take me to him." "It's me again, Elsa." "I've been waiting for you." "There you go." "You can have it back." "What a nice surprise." "I'm as happy as a sand boy." "People go past, their mouths wide open, but no sound reaches me whatsoever." "Dreams are the aquarium of the night." "For the last time, you're all I can think of, Jeanne." "You and only you." "You mustn't pity me." "Since you are here, I cannot be sad." "I see you at the bottom of a lake, like the distorted reflection of a knight." "My body floats on the surface once more." "Then it sinks...slowly." "And now it's as if that knight is coming to meet me." "I agreed to come here with you, Pierrot, and not just for my own amusement." "Nor for yours." "I've come to see things a little clearer." "You are wrong to be wary of me." "My feelings are completely transparent." "I'm scared." "I want you to protect me." "From who?" "Afraid of what?" "I have enemies..." "I'm all alone." "You'd only have to say the word and treasure would appear before our eyes." "You are rich." "You have no need of treasure." "Everything will be different on the other side." "I know who I can negotiate with there." "You are afraid." "Afraid of someone here." "One must discuss this sort of business in hushed tones." "We have no more business together." "I'm the one following you now." "Don't say a word." "I know that she's been telling you all sorts." "That I'm dangerous, very dangerous, blah blah blah." "Isn't that right?" "There's only one thing that I ask of you." "Take a good look." "Later on, that woman will dance with your brother." "She will try to lure him into a trap." "That's all I'm going to say to you." "You run the risk of waiting for no reason." "Good luck, all the same." "I won't try to seduce you, Monsieur Pierre." " Too bad." " There's to be no funny business." "Lucie fears for your future." "She's right to do so." "That's none of your damn business." "Don't be vulgar." "And don't play the tough guy, Monsieur Pierre." " I have something to sell you." " What?" "A little bit of information that'll get you out of the shit." "See?" "I can be vulgar too." "You, too, tremble with fear." " Oh, you daughter of the moon..." " Oh, you daughter of the sun..." " ...destroyer of cities!" " ...who strikes from afar." " I challenge you." " I challenge you." "At the first full moon of spring... in the... gloaming between night and day, in the Cloud Garden... beneath the Tree of the North-west Winds, I will wait for you." "L will wait for you." "So, you came." "We understand each other without speaking." " Elsa." " Jeanne." "It's "Jeanne" to you." "Jeanne, Elsa..." "What does it matter?" "Your seedy little hostess club, that sinister hotel..." "What do they matter?" "Jeanne and Elsa..." "Don't say a word." "Listen." "Your mind is elsewhere." "Elsewhere." "Walls can always be knocked down." "Numbers...free us from them." "Seven, eight nine, five, three, six..." "Two." "We haven't finished our business yet, Pierrot." "You'll get everything you want, but I need it." "You will give in and you will have everything." "In the name of the salamander." "By flames and by ashes two and two no longer make four." "I see you coming, Viva... and I see you going." "Vanishing." "For good." "With neither flying carpet nor hocus-pocus." "By the power of this stone, making the phoenix burn, only to rise, once more, from the ashes." "Seven, eight, nine..." "By the flame, by the ashes, in the name..." "In the name of the salamander." "It's unbearably hot in here." "Can we leave, Mademoiselle Viva?" "You've got too many layers on." "Make yourself comfortable." "Would you mind if I left?" "Uncover your throat." "You've been crying." "Suddenly, I found myself there without knowing quite why." "Then I heard a loud noise, as if as if there was something behind me, like water or something as loud as water." "It was unbearably hot." "There was this woman... this little woman, who approached me." "You won't believe me, but... it's as if I have no memory of anything that happened before." "Afterwards, I went back home." "I was thirsty." "Then I went back to work... and... and I started to dance again." "But I was still terribly thirsty." "You've had a lucky escape, Elsa." "It's no longer you I'm worried about, right now." "Have you seen Pierrot?" "She can be so charming, that Viva." "When she wants to be..." "She can be so seductive." "She's so rich." "Her greatest pleasure is seduction." "Stealing another woman's man." "She bewitches him." "She dominates him completely," "And then, afterwards... she makes of him a plaything." "And then?" "He's just an empty shell." "I shall take revenge." "Come here." "Look at me." "Remember... she loses all her powers, from the moment she is no longer bathed in light." "Go." "Now." "I knew you'd come here looking for me." "Stay away from me." "I'm only hereto pass on a message." " Don't be afraid of me." " Stay where you are." "Listen..." "Leni wants to see you." "She spoke to you at the hostess club." "She tried to warn you about Viva." "She wants to save you." "She wants to help you survive." "I don't need to be warned about Viva." "And I don't need Lent's help." "I'm alone... but I know where I stand." "Here, where it's so...sinister." " Where you're forced to hide like..." " Like an assassin." "Does your big brother disgust you?" "Lucie, listen to me carefully." "I didn't kill Sylvia." "Look me in the eye." "I swear I didn't kill her." "You must believe me." "Who did, then?" "Let's get out of here, Pierrot!" "I was crazy to accept this mission." " Did she give you some money?" "Yes..." "But it's not just that." "I know she's lying." "That's she using me, having a laugh at my expense." "I know that she never knew Lord Christie." "That she's after something else." "That's why Sylvia died." "Anyone she approaches is instantly possessed by insanity." "But there's nothing I can do." "When she speaks, I must obey." "But enough." "Let's leave together." "Come, let's leave together!" " When is the meeting?" " No!" "When?" "At the hotel." "Tomorrow." "At nightfall." "But you mustn't go." "It's a trap." "I know." "I'll be there." "Don't go." "I have a task to complete." "I must see it through to the end." "Go and see Elsa." "Tell her that there's no longer any danger." "I see what I weave only from behind." "Never from the front." "Viva?" "I have something to sell." "Come to the club." "You're too late." "The stone isn't here." "I had to defend myself, I swear." "Leni had set her against me." "Listen to me, Pierrot..." "I'm not lying, this time." "I really need the stone." "But are you certain that it is I who have it?" "You're all the same." "Always so heroic when it's in your hands." "So..." "What are you doing here?" "I need it, do you understand?" "I need it!" "I'm starting to lose it." "I know I am, but..." "I want to live, Pierrot." "I want to see, hear, feel..." "Beyond the 40 days of late winter that we are given." " I'm begging you, Pierrot." " No." "You shan't have it." "Neither you nor the other one." "I'll be seeing Leni, shortly, and I'll do battle with her." "Then it'll be your turn." "Very well." "Very well." "But I want you to remember one thing." "Just one." "Leni loses all her power the moment she's dazzled by light." "Go on." "Kill her." "And then?" "And then what?" "You'll come and see me again." "Elsa!" "We're too late." "I know I was wrong." "It'll all be over soon." "I can't explain it to you." "Here, take this." "Hang on to it." "Don't give it to anyone else." "Just look at your hands, Pierrot." "You are doomed." "Just like Max was." "It will be long." "The suffering unbearable." "Latterly, I had come to believe you and I could do battle as equals." "I believed that I could match his brilliance." "But I was merely an imitation." "A pale one..." "I can save you." "If you help me." "How old are you?" "I've been young for too long." "I'm sick of it." "Will that do?" "Do you want to know who I am?" "A ghost." "The daughter of the moon, constantly obliged to return to Earth for 40 days." "Every year, every winter." " What, forever?" " Yes." "I'm sorry to hear that." " Would you rather stay on Earth?" " Oh, yes." "Help me." "Give me the stone." "Ineedit" "The first full moon of spring..." "It's tonight." "Yes." "Look at me." "Be my accomplice." "Come!" "Give me the key!" "What's wrong with you, Pierrot?" "Look!" "I've almost gone over to the other side." "Don't touch me." "Leave it on the ground." "Now I'm beginning to understand..." "Sylvia, Elsa..." "You're always the common thread." "The third victim is me." "Not if you give me the key." " You can leave and forget everything." " I need to know more." "I know that you didn't kill them." "I was a mere pawn in the battle of two queens." "Viva killed Elsa, and now I'm certain that Leni did the same with Sylvia." "Why?" "They didn't need to." "The girls were infected." "They were going to die." "I transferred the thing from one to the other." "The goddess always did arrive too late." "Besides, Viva had to defend herself." "What about Leni?" "That doesn't matter anymore." "I'm done, Lucie." "Coward." "That's enough." "We don't have any more time." "There will be a duel at dawn." "Before the Tree of the Northwest Winds." "Then, everything will be decided." "The strongest one shall have the stone." "And then what?" "She'll remain with us." "And we shall submit to their every whim and their power." "I won't give you the key!" "Are you in pain?" "It's excruciating." "Quick, the key." "It's too late." "Viva has dazzled me." "Lucie's escaped." "Viva's gone after her." "Then there's no hope for your sister." "Never mind." "I'll wait for Viva in front of the tree." "She must come." "Only then can the operation take place." "Farewell, Pierrot." "I promised to save you like I saved Sylvia Stern." "Why?" "Out of pity." "Two and two... no longer make four." "Walls can always be knocked down." "Seven, eight, nine, five, three, six, two."