"I was on call, driving to a mountain lodge called "The Dead Mountaineer's Hotel" and it was quite a difficult drive." "THE DEAD MOUNTAINEER'S HOTEL" "Many years have passed now, but on dull shifts or sleepless nights, I often recall what happened," "and even now I cannot decide whether I was right or not." "What's strange is I can tell no one how it actually happened, not my wife, friends or the authorities." "Only I know the whole truth." "That's the mountaineer." "He was caught in an avalanche." "He was carried 500 meters to his death." "Hello!" " Welcome!" "I am Alex Snewahr, owner of the hotel, the valley and surrounding mountains." "Lell, loyal friend of the deceased." "I'm police inspector Peter Glebsky." "What happened here?" "Sorry?" " You called the police." " Me?" "Hello, captain, this is Glebsky." "Nothing's going on here..." "Yes, false alarm." "What?" "No, I can't come back today." "There is fog in the mountains." "What?" "Ah, wine?" "Well, OK." "I understand that one of my guests..." "Yes, it must have been." " My sincere apologies." "It's OK." "I'd be happy to spend the night and try your famous "Edelweiss"." "My wine cellars are at your command!" "Lell!" "Room seven!" "Great flying, wasn't it?" " Yes." "Well?" "Thanks, Lell, you can go now." "What beauties you have here!" "Just like Hollywood..." "Hi." "Yes, it's beautiful here!" "I am..." "Peter Glebsky, police inspector." "Hinckus." "Nice to meet you." "I just arrived." "Been here long?" "I have tuberculosis." "I need fresh air, doctors tell me." "I'm sorry." "Is that the dinner bell?" "Are you coming?" "I'll make it." "What are you doing up there?" "Need help?" "I'm Simon Simonet, commander of the cyber-forces." "Funny, isn't it?" "At ease." "Police inspector Peter Glebsky." "I am actually a physicist." "Four years without a vacation." "Project Midas." "Heard of it?" "Top secret." " Yes." "I'm here to climb." "But there's too much snow." "So I climb - the walls." "The doctors prescribed sensory pleasures." "May I present Inspector Glebsky." "This is my distant relative, Brun." "Next to her is Olaf Andvarafors." "How do you do." "Mrs. Moses." "I love policemen!" "Heroes, daredevils..." "Are you a daredevil, inspector?" "Alas, I am a common police officer." "Can't be." "A man of such looks cannot be anything but a daredevil." "Oh, really?" "How do you do, gentlemen." "Mr. Moses, I present our guest inspector Glebsky." " My pleasure." "Mr. Moses." "We were talking about aliens." "I completely share Mr. Däniken's opinion, that aliens have repeatedly visited Earth" "Your Däniken is a charlatan." "You are a physicist, Simonet, meaning you are a rationalist." "But this question is the stuff of poetry." "Inspector, what do you think?" "I'm a strong rationalist." "I'm a policeman" "Everything around me -pleasant hotel, nice owner, somewhat strange guests and amazingly beautiful mountains, everything boded for a pleasant evening." "I felt grateful to the captain who sent me." "Mr. Inspector, you are a real man." "Give Olaf a beating!" "Ah, Olaf, the police will make mincemeat out of you" "Mincemeat is food." "Then he will make food from you!" "Why?" " To eat!" "But we just had dinner." "It's impossible to talk to you..." "Why?" "It was a very good conversation." "But mincemeat is still a food." "And the inspector will not succeed in turning me into food" "A pleasure." " Mine too." "Let's go." " Let's go." "Bye." "Oh, Simonet, you're incredible!" "Just like a monkey!" "Excuse me, I'm being called." "I have to go." "What a woman!" "Drive you crazy." " Yes." "You dropped something!" " Ah, thanks." "Something wrong?" " No, don't worry." "What are you doing, Moses?" "You'll lose your rook in three moves." "And who is this Mr. Moses?" "Registered as a travelling businessman." "But I've no idea where he's travelling." "The road ends here; the only way is back." "Don't be a wallflower, Mr. Inspector." "Can I ask you to dance?" "What a beautiful view!" "Isn't it?" "Hinckus is still on the roof." "Poor guy." " Why?" "I don't like him!" "Mrs. Moses?" "You promised me a dance." "Simonet sobered me and..." "I got drunk." "Was it from the wine, Mrs. Moses, or something else, I do not know." "But I felt I had to get some air." "And I had to do something about the anonymous note thrust into my pocket." "It read." ""Hinckus is a dangerous gangster, a homicidal maniac called "Owl" he is planning a murder." "Do something."" "Hinckus!" "Hinckus!" "What?" "What happened?" "Olaf!" "You have no power, either?" "Quiet, gentlemen, quiet, please!" "The light will be back in two minutes." "Everything will be all right." "I will turn on our backup generator." "No sign of life in Hinckus' room." "It was as if he had vanished underground." "This was not a weapon of a criminal." "But why did he keep the toy in his case?" "Looked like he was being set up as a dangerous criminal." "But who?" "Kaisa, come here!" "Quick!" "Kaisa!" "What's wrong with him?" " Maybe hypothermia" "Who is he?" " Don't know." "Brandy, quick!" "You asleep?" "I'll fetch it myself." "Cold as ice." "Perhaps he is a friend of Mr. Hinckus?" "Mr. Hinckus?" " Yes." "I heard him dictating a telegram:" ""I am waiting for you, come quickly."'" "Yes, things look bad." "The telephone and power are gone." "The avalanche has cut us off completely." "It will take them a week to dig us out." "Not even a handkerchief." "Are you alone?" " He is weak." "Is somebody expecting you?" "Olaf." "Olaf Andvarafors." "Olaf!" "Olaf!" "Strange." "The door is locked from the inside." "My God..." "What's wrong with him?" "He is dead." "Is this his suitcase?" " Yes." "Is this all of his baggage?" " No, only this suitcase." "Don't tell anyone about this yet." "Check the garage - if any car is missing." "If you see Hinckus, try to detain him." "Now go." "The hand of the corpse was stretched out and almost touching a small suitcase." "Olaf's head was unnaturally twisted back" "What strength the killer must have had!" "Who did this?" " I don't know!" "Who tied you up?" " How should I know?" "What time is it?" " One in the morning." "One in the morning!" "One in the morning?" "Calm down!" "Calm down, Hinckus." "Who attacked you?" " I don't know." " When did it happen?" " Just before ten." "Do you suspect someone?" "No, no, no..." "I don't know!" "I don't know!" "From behind!" "I don't know!" "I don't know..." "Don't play dumb!" "I..." "I..." "I..." "I swear to you, I didn't kill this woman!" "She was already cold when I entered." " Wait a second..." "She..." "She was..." "Shut up!" "OK." "Now talk." "Tell me what happened." "Here's what happened." "She had been flirting with me." "But I didn't dare..." "But this evening..." "She was stone-cold dead." "I swear to you!" "Come with me!" " Where?" " To the cell!" "To solitary!" "To the torture chamber!" "Idiot." " Now." "Just a moment." "Put your trousers on!" "Please forgive me." "I swear to you, I swear!" "I was drunk, sure, but not that drunk!" "Look." "This should be related to your profession" "Very interesting." "Where did you find this?" " It's Olafs." "I don't get it." "Strange contraption." "No, not my line of work." "Something military, or outer space." "Be careful, this might be dangerous." "All right..." "Go to bed." "No, no... this is madness!" "That was all I needed- military or outer space, too..." "There we go..." "This is the safest place for it." "Take the key." "Alex." "Are you sure Olaf and Brun retired between 10 and 10:30?" "Yes." "Absolutely sure." " Thanks." "That is very important." "What the hell!" "You crazy?" " Turn it off!" "Three at night!" " Get the light off of me!" " Get out!" "What's your business here?" "Don't shout." "Tell me where and when you saw Olaf for the last time?" "And why do I have to tell you?" "Get out!" "Go to hell, goddamn cop!" "Stop it!" "There was a murder in the hotel and I am investigating it." "Who is the victim?" " I'll tell you later." "Now listen to me." "You left Olaf between 10 and 10:30?" "And then?" " I didn't hear from him again." "OK." "Perhaps you saw someone in the hall?" "Did somebody pass you?" "Mrs. Moses?" "No?" "Hinckus was walking down the hall." "Hinckus?" "Hinckus..." "Hinckus?" "After 10?" "How was he dressed?" "That silly fur coat of his." "Listen, Hinckus, I'm tired of you." "Why'd you lie about being accosted at 10?" "You were seen after 10?" "That's the thing, inspector." "They saw me in the hall... and I saw... me." "And I strangled... me." "I... me..." "Do you understand?" "I... me!" "Until then I hadn't made a single mistake." "No, I did make one key mistake." "I did not sense the danger." "I should have, must have realized something unusual." "But I did not." "I didn't know whom to suspect." "The women were ruled out, Moses, too." "Hinckus was tied up." "Maybe someone was disguised as Hinckus?" "I don't like it here." "I don't like your hotel!" "The interrogations, murders, avalanches, dogs, your cluelessness." "And as for the police, they break into my wife's room at night!" "How can you humiliate a man like this!" "My wife, in this case!" "I understand, Mr. Moses but still..." "I already know you won't rest until you get answers to your foolish questions." "Well, remember, only two questions." "Yes." "Thanks." "I'm investigating a murder, It's very important." "Oh, gentlemen!" "Wonderful night, isn't it?" "Please, take a seat." "I must apologize for intruding at night, but I did notice you were not asleep." "Tell me, did something awake you?" " Yes." "Indeed I was not sleeping." "But I cannot say anything woke me up." "You didn't hear anything?" " No, nothing." "And you did not hear the avalanche?" "Avalanche?" "What avalanche?" "Nothing terrible, I will tell you later." "Around 9:30 last night you left the dance hall for a bit." "Did you see anyone in the hall?" "It seems to me..." "Of course!" "On my way back, I saw Olaf and Brun." "Holding hands and talking as lovers do." "Mrs. Moses, you've been a great help." "The victim is..." "Olaf." "I know you were the last to see him alive You lied to me about parting at the door." "Where did you part?" "Where, when and how?" "What is it?" "Quick!" "Go!" "Go away!" "Go now!" "And I never saw him again." "I am sorry - you're on the wrong track." "Your professional experience is meaningless." "Like time at greater than light speed." "Alex, I like you." " I like you too." "But if you play with me, I'll suspect you." "That will mean a world of trouble." "Yes, of course." "What can we do..." "You are not ripe yet." "I'm so ripe I will fall off the tree soon" "Some tribes in Central Africa know how to revive their dead." "The phenomenon is called zombie." "Perhaps zombie is the third state of living organisms." "I was tired and at an Impasse." "I was listening to Snewahr talk about zombies and fell asleep." "What?" "What is it?" "What happened?" "Where did this come from?" "Did you bring it?" "There's only one possibility - that the gun was thrown from the roof." "Thus it was Hinckus stalking someone." "Inspector, I've been looking for you!" "The guy has regained consciousness!" "Where is Olaf Andvarafors?" "Excuse me, I need to ask a few questions." "What is your name?" "Luarvik." " And your first name?" " Luarvik." "Mr. Luarvik Luarvik?" " Yes." "Well." "Who are you?" "Are you a foreigner?" "Yes." "Foreigner." "Don't come in!" "Please leave immediately, Mr. Moses!" "Don't shout at me." "I'm leaving." "I must inform you that Olaf Andvarafors was killed tonight." "Killed?" "Dead?" "You don't really know." "I saw him myself, he is dead." " I want to see him." " Why?" "I have business with him." "Did he need to pass something to you?" " No." "I have to talk to him." "What about?" "To him." "To him!" "Listen, Mr. Luarvik." "I am investigating a murder." "Do you understand?" "Sooner or later you'll tell me everything This may result in a lot of trouble." "Why?" "You want to identify the body?" " Identify..." "Recognize..." "How can you recognize him, if you haven't seen his face?" " Why face?" "Get dressed." "This is Olaf Andvarafors." "Strange." "How did you recognize him?" " Recalled." "I have seen him." "And where did you see him?" " Elsewhere." "Not important now." "Are you looking for something?" "Maybe a suitcase?" "Where is it?" " I have the suitcase." "Good." "Bring it." "OK." "But first answer my questions." "Why questions again?" "I do not want questions." "I..." "I..." "I want to lie down." "Where can I lie down?" "What to make of this?" "I am almost convinced that Olaf, Luarvik and Moses belong to the same gang, which does not want publicity." "But Hinckus - this is his revolver." "He is also somehow connected to them." "And that's where I made my main mistake." "Linking Moses and Luarvik to the murder." "Are we holding Hinckus for no reason?" "Let's set him free..." "like a fox into the chicken coop." "Snewahr, make sure that everyone is at breakfast." "It's important." "Good morning, Simonet!" "Good morning, Brun!" " Hello." "Good morning, inspector." " Good morning." "How did you sleep?" " Good, thanks." "You don't look so good." "Well, did you find anything?" " It depends." "You know, I have a feeling, I sense the smell of death here." "Beautiful morning." "So warm and sunny..." "Poor Olaf didn't live to see it." "Good morning, gentlemen." "Let me present Mr. Luarvik Luarvik." "He arrived last night." "A pleasure." "Gentlemen, we are temporarily cut off from the rest of the world." "I understand." "We are all under pressure." "But don't forget the investigation is in inspector Glebsky's reliable hands." "Attention, please." "It appears some crooks selected this hotel as the place to settle their scores." "With the help of Mr. Snewahr I sent word to the police by pigeon." "A police helicopter will arrive shortly." "The criminals will get their just deserts I advise that criminal activity be ceased" "I'm warning you or else your position will be hopeless." "Thank you for your attention." "Ah, how interesting!" "Bandits among us?" "I wanted to scare them, but I knew that my pretend pigeons couldn't help." "We were cut off and I could count only on myself." "Wait!" "Wait, Hinckus." "We have to talk." " About what?" "Sit down." "Of course, police tactics..." "Part of the job." "Well, Owl, let's hear it A frank confession is your only chance." "You're confused, inspector." "What "Owl"?" " Is this yours?" "I don't understand." "What you do want?" "Think fast, it will be better for you." "Your friends will not come in time." "But the police will arrive at any second." "Got what you deserved!" "Inspector, where did he hit you?" "Your arm?" "You were lucky, inspector." "Very lucky." "Pour some water on his head." "He's coming to." "Well, Owl, should we talk now?" "Damn it all!" "I've had it with all this!" "Ask." "If I know how to answer." "Who are you?" " Have you heard of the hit squads?" "Well, I am one of them." "But this here!" "This is horrifying!" "Trust me, supernatural forces are at play" " Cut the crap!" "Get to the point!" "Half a year ago a guy approached us." "No one knew his name." "They called him Master." "They assigned the hardest jobs to him." "Remember the Second National Bank job?" "That's was his doing." "But then he quit working with us." "Oh yes." "He was always a bit eccentric." "Wouldn't let us kill hostages, or anyone." "He said we shouldn't." "That's why he had a fight with the Boss." "And then he disappeared." "With his assistant and wife." "I was ordered by the Boss to find him." "And you found them here." "Who are they?" "No." "You tell me who they are!" "What man could get the better of me, as if I were a kitten?" "But this one did." " What?" "Who?" " This woman." "Moses knew I would not let him live." "So he set his wife against me." "She was coming right at me." "You don't believe me, but I was approaching me!" "I don't know how I didn't lose my mind." "Who is Olaf?" "Is he also from your gang?" "Listen, I know nothing about Olaf." "I haven't laid a finger on him." "Now Moses won't kill." "He just can't do it." "That's why he didn't touch me." "Is the Boss coming alone?" " No, he always has three guys with him." "What will he do with Moses?" " Kill him, of course." "Simonet, could I ask you to..." "Simonet!" "Open up!" "Simonet!" "Where are you, Simonet!" "Simonet!" "Si... mo... net!" "Simonet had disappeared." "Moses had to be stopped at any cost." "Alex!" "Come here!" "Everything is quiet here." " Let's go." "Don't worry, inspector." "They cannot reach us by car." "But terrorists can have helicopters." "I'm surprised they're not here yet." "Let's go, Alex." "Don't be scared." "Against the wall!" "Don't move!" "Stop this goddamn hypnosis!" "Mr. Moses!" "You are charged with the National Bank robbery and the murder of Olaf Andvarafors." "Inspector!" "They are not people!" "They are aliens from another planet." "Yeah, they arrived directly from Venus!" "I don't know where they came from." "From another universe, or from another galaxy." "But they're in trouble and we have to help them." "Put away your weapon, inspector." "Mr. Moses arrived here as an observer." "He made a fatal mistake." "He should not have contacted humans." "Yes, this is true." "But when I saw how you live here, I broke the rule." "I wanted to help you so much." "But your life proved to be too complex for me." "Mr. Moses was deceived." "They enticed him to fight for justice but it turned out that these were gangsters." "He ran to this hotel so that he could leave our planet." "Here in the mountains is our launch pad." "But the avalanche destroyed the generator, which powered our robots." "Our pilot Luarvik was severely injured." "His spacesuit is torn." "He is becoming weaker every second." "Give them back Olaf's suitcase!" " Do not babble, Simonet!" "Olaf is not dead." "Olaf is a robot." "And Mrs. Moses is also a robot." "Do you recall, after the avalanche she was dead, and now, as you see, she is alive." "Because Mr. Moses turned on the backup battery last night." "Olaf's suitcase has one more, which feeds..." "Which feeds your sick imagination!" "Fantasy can explain every crime so everything is logical." "Glebsky, return the suitcase to them!" "Right in front of you they will turn on Olaf and then leave." " I don't buy this!" "But why?" "You are being offered proof!" "Why do you say nothing?" "You have nothing to say?" "I'm not a scientist, I'm a police officer" "I've heard too many lies about this suitcase." "Listen!" " Enough!" "Was it you who called the police?" "Yes." " And the note is also your doing?" "Yes." "I hoped that we would be rid of Hinckus." "And that you'd evade responsibility." "Clumsy piece of work." "An alien mask does not fit you, and the robots... are not robots at all." "Do you want to say that our robots are too much like humans?" "Let them say what they want, I thought." "If Olaf and this woman were robots, it's worse." "In the hands of terrorists they would be a terrible weapon." "Clearly I selected a poor mask for myself" "It's a pity I can't show you my real face" "I know your real face, Mr. Moses." "Your nickname is Master!" "I must turn you in to the law." "I stared at them, and for some reason I felt bad." "Very bad." "How I hoped for a miracle." "I wanted the phone to talk and give me orders." "What to do." "What to do?" "Inspector!" "Inspector!" " Yes, what?" "They say you can bring him back to life." "No one can be brought back to life, It's a fairy tale, Brun, a fairy tale." "No, please listen to me!" "I beg you, please revive him!" "If Olaf is an android, then maybe I am also an android!" "How could I know?" "I am totally alone." "Only you can help me." "Only you, inspector." "I beg of you!" "Yes, I understood that Brun is a foolish moody girl." "Hinckus - superstitious criminal." "Simonet is a half-wit physicist with crazy ideas." "Yet I felt they were right, not me." "My experience, my senses, rebelled against this truth." "Their truth seemed impossible, absurd." "In order to perform my police duties, I had to draw on my experience, conservatism and conformism that I had gathered in 40 years." "A sense of duty was all I had left." "The policeman's duty embedded into me." "Simonet!" "Go to the roof and watch the sky We'll stay here with Alex." "Luarvik is dying." "Moses said he has no more than an hour." "You will let him die." "Glebsky?" "I am a policeman." "It's not in my hands to punish or forgive" "The only thing I know is there is a law." "One law for all." "It says Moses is a criminal and killer." "My duty is to bring him before a court." "Here is an encounter between two worlds." "Just think, they arrive here from God knows where" "and first they meet terrorists, and then a police officer like you." "I don't believe in aliens." "If they are, what are they looking for?" "Or observers." "What are they observing?" "How are "observers" from abroad called?" "Simonet, I am a citizen of this country." "And not just a citizen like you, arcane chatterbox, but an officer with certain duties!" "You want another star on your uniform?" "You're just a pawn, a police pawn!" "This is the first and the last time when fate handed you an important decision and you behave like a complete idiot!" "The key is in his pocket!" "Be quiet!" "Lell!" " You too, Alex!" "Don't move, you'll hurt yourself!" "There is no such law..." "Goodbye, humans!" "Real contact is yet to come!" "They're coming!" "Damn it!" "We're done for." "I felt total indifference." "Only In the depths of my heart did I feel a cowardly relief." "The situation no longer depended on me." "Responsibility was taken over by others." "You see!" "You've got what you wanted!" "Policeman!" "Hero!" "God forgive us all." "Well?" "Why are you staring at me?" "No!" "I acted correctly." "I performed my duty." "Duty." "I didn't break the law, I held it sacred." "You say this entire strange crew died?" "Well, so what?" "Listen, let's be logical." "If they're people, then they're criminals and they got what they deserved." "If they are not criminals..." "then they are not people!" "Why should I care about nonhumans, anyway?" "Disguised as people!" "Is it logical?" "It is logical." "Then I am right?" "Then I acted correctly!"