"Come on, Bessy!" "Come on." "Come on." "Gotta sniff everything in sight, huh?" "Well, I can't blame ya, cooped up all day." "Yeah." "It feels good to get out, don't it?" "Yeah." "Eight hours behind a counter's no fun either." "Here." "Wanna get some exercise?" "My bones." "See this?" "Fetch it!" "Go on." "Take it." "Take it." "Attagirl." "Attagirl." "Bring it." "Come on." "Come on." "Good girl." "Good girl, Bessy." "That's my girl." "You ready?" "Go fetch it again!" "Go on!" "Look for it." "You find it?" "Huh?" "Take it." "Attagirl." "Good girl." "Now bring it here." "Come on." "Ah, I'm so proud of you." "That's it." "That's it." "You're such a good girl." "Lieutenant." "Here's your photo of the Brooklyn Bridge girl." "Pete, give me that file, will ya?" "Now glance casually over at the desk there." "Don't fall in love all at once." "That's the girl's landlady" "Mrs. Weissberger." "Mrs. Weissberger, I'm Lieutenant Williams." " This the girl?" " Oh, yes, Lieutenant." "That's her, all right." "Well, she doesn't look a bit like a" "What I mean to say is that in real life she was much prettier... a real doll." "Poor thing." "She was murdered, wasn't she?" "I'll ask the questions, if you don't mind, Mrs. Weissberger." "Uh, when did you last see this girl, Ann Linn?" "That was her name, right?" "No." "That's her working name- her "nomay" de "plumee" or whatever." "Good gracious." "If I was as beautiful as she was, I wouldn't mind people knowing my real name." "She was a model, you know." "Exotic poses and so on." "Um" "She had it all." "She was destined for the big time." "Well, I won't bend your ear any more, Lieutenant, but the last time I saw her was, um, last Friday." "That was, um, exactly six days ago." "Got an aspirin?" "Second drawer down." "She had left her apartment at 7:00." "I remember that because I had just turned on Dallas." "You know, that TV series about that family that has money... coming out of its ears." "Well, it was just 7:00, and she got this telephone call from this, um, person." "Strangest voice I ever heard." "Sort of like a duck." " Like a duck?" " Quack, quack, quack." "Just like that." "Not that he said "quack, quack, quack," but that was the tone." "And he made an appointment to meet her." "Yeah, huh?" "How come you heard the phone call?" "Well, um, my phone's on the blink, and sometimes it rings together with Ann's." "So I answer, of course, and happen to listen in." "Not that I pry." "God forbid." "God forbid." "Thank you very much, Mrs. Weissberger." "You've really been a great help, and I appreciate it no end." "Now, if we need you again, we'll call, okay?" "She was murdered, wasn't she?" "Eleven people a day are murdered here in Fun City, and over half of them are women." "Good-bye." "Good-bye, Mrs. Weissberger." "Goddamn it!" "Why can't you watch where you're goin'?" "I'm sorry." "I was thinking of Boston." "The bar only streaked it." "It'll rub off in a second." "You women should stay home where you belong." "You're a menace to the public." "And you've got the brains of a chicken." "And you're an asshole." "Ciao." "If they don't have a weight specifications slip, they don't board." "Period." "They say they've always been allowed on without it." "Well, then they can wait for a ferry..." " Morning." " ...where the captain doesn't care about regulations." "I do." "Three minutes late." "Well, he deserves it." "It'll wash right off with a little water." "Please." "You're not a police officer, are ya?" "I wouldn't think of, uh..." "Anyway, uh, my name's Rosie." "Yeah." "It's a lot more convenient when bicycling." "It's great on Staten Island." "Stupid." "Is that all you can think of?" "How about over here?" "Here we go." "Get that idiot down there at the end moving'." "You in that VW down there." "Get that car moving'." "Go on." "Get movin'." "Move!" "Go on." "Go on." "Barry." "Barry." "What?" "So, what's the good news?" "He used a blade." "He stuck it up her joy trail and slit her wide open." "He could've done a slightly better job... if he'd had more time." "But overall, it was, uh, good, efficient butchery." " Sex?" " Strange." "No trace." "Any ideas?" "I've seen hundreds of girls... in very bad shape, you know." "But this young lady..." " Dr. Barry Jones to hematology, please." "What's so special about her?" "You remember that- that girl that they found five or six weeks ago?" "That model?" "Ann Linn?" "Same exact style." "I'd bet my dentures she was- she was done in by the same guy." "A lefty... with a yen for slashing up young ladies." "Another." "Anyway, maybe I have something that might interest you." "I found traces of another blood group mixed with hers." "Probably our murderer's." "Sam." "Samuel, may I have the file with the..." "All right." "What the hell's the matter now?" " Hmm." " Well, well, well." "If it isn't the big chief person himself." "Hello, Fred." "Listen, Fred." "I want a word with you, and it's kind of hush-hush." "Uh, is there, uh, someplace we could talk without being disturbed?" "Sure." "How about the church across the street?" "Fred." "Fred." "Have you flipped out, or are you trying to give me an ulcer?" "A smart-ass coroner comes out, what with a little verbal diarrhea, and you immediately go around declaring there's a maniac loose in the city." "Yeah?" "So, what would you rather I say?" "A Boy Scout's been starting to whittle on little girls with his knife?" "For Christ's sake, don't get me wrong." "I don't want to cramp your style." "But could you use a little discretion when you say things?" "Papers follow up on this, it might start a panic, you know." "You don't wanna create another Atlanta, do ya?" "Try and see it my way, Fred." "Yeah." "All right, all right." "Hmm." "Well, let's hope this was just an isolated case." "Tell me, uh, why did you exclude the car owner?" "Do you expect a serious answer to your question, or do you wanna hear a funny story?" "You think that nerd who, when he found her, went to bawl in a men's room... could have ripped a girl's guts out on a crowded ferry?" " Calm down a minute, Fred." "At what point are you in the case?" "Well, I sent some of the murderer's blood down to the boys at the lab." "They put it through the hemo sniffer." "The answer they came up with is it could be any one of a million people." "What we do know is that he's, uh, between..." "Maybe." "Maybe he's between 28 and 30, and he's lived all his life in New York." "Hmm." "And do you have a plan of action?" "No, I do not know what I'm gonna do." "Maybe..." "Maybe I'll go to a shrink and get a psychological profile on this nut." "It may narrow the field a bit, and, uh, I may get a clue." "Yeah." "I'm sure that's probably a good idea." "The important thing though, Fred, is that New Yorkers believe we have the situation firmly under control, that the metropolitan force is an example of perfect efficiency." "Got it?" "Mm-hmm." "Keep in touch, will ya, Fred?" "Lieutenant." "Hey." "Somebody called for ya." " Yeah?" "Who?" " Guy with a strange voice." "He said he'd call back." "Sounded just like a duck." "Like a duck." "Where have I heard that before?" "Don't tell me you're thinking of beating me." "It's open." "Just a minute." "I'm looking for Dr. Davis." " What's the problem?" " Well, my problem is that I want to talk to Dr. Davis." "That one you've solved." "Yeah." "That figures." "You were expecting- an old coot with silver temples and a German accent." "How unimaginative you policemen can be." "It's about that maniac who loves to slash young girls to death, right?" "How did you guess that?" "I eat oodles of carrots." "Never mind." "Let's get to the point." "You want me to collaborate on the case, don't you?" "Yeah." "More or less." "I figure if I'm up against a maniac," "I might as well have some, uh, expert help." "Who's paying?" "Huh?" "It's a fine art- hedging." "The truth is I'm quite busy, and, um, the time I'd dedicate to you I'd have to take away from my other work." "I expect the administration will be able to raise enough money to meet your fee." "Got any idea what a genius costs per hour?" "No, no." "I just know what's in my paycheck." "Okay." "You let me have all the data, and... we wait for him to butcher another girl." " So you think he's gonna do it again, huh?" " If he's a serious nut, sure." "Live show." "Live show." "Fuck show?" "Take it, senor." "Beautiful girls." "Real fucking, huh?" "Best show in town." "Step right in." "Fabulous girls making love before your very eyes." "Sexiest show in New York." "See positions you never dreamed of." "Beautiful naked girls right here." "New York's top X-rated show." "Step right in." "Beautiful girls make love live on..." " How did it go?" " Eh." "That prick bastard Italian." "Joe." "Joe!" "Joe." "Goddamn you, Joe." "Oh." "This damn place." "Shit." "That fucking asshole, idiot Joe." "Joe?" "Come out of there." "Joe?" "Son of a bitch." " Hello." " Is Lieutenant Williams there?" "Huh?" "Is Lieutenant Williams there?" "What are you saying?" "Lieutenant Williams!" "Just a minute." "Hold on." "Hey, you." "Go away." "Oh!" "Yeah?" "It's for you." "Me?" "Are you, or aren't you Lieutenant Williams?" "Yeah?" "Am I bothering you, Williams?" "Who is this?" "Tell the truth." "You were shooting your load with that whore of yours, weren't you?" "Who the hell are you?" "Can't you guess, Williams?" "Now you got it, huh?" "Surprise!" "I gotta tell you somethin'." "It happened again." "It happened again tonight." "Oh, she was beautiful." "Too beautiful." "She asked for it, and I gave it to her." "But you wouldn't understand." "You could never understand." "You're too stupid." "Who was it?" "What a voice!" "Make me some coffee, will ya?" "Sweetheart, I'm a prostitute, not your wife." "You want coffee, you make it yourself." " Do you ever tell anybody I come here?" " What?" "Oh, don't be a dumb bitch." "You know what I mean." "Hey." "Easy does it, huh?" "I take my profession seriously." "My clients all remain anonymous." "I tell you a lot of things, but have I ever mentioned a name?" "Then how does that son of a bitch know that I'm here?" "Darling." "Yeah?" "I'm going out." "Do you mind if I take the Porsche?" "Go ahead." "Go right ahead." "I'm not working down at the hospital today." "In fact, uh," "I have to talk over some business with, uh, Charlie Robson." "We're having lunch at the club." "Enjoy yourself." "Thanks." "Jane." "Yes, darling?" "Make plans for tonight." "I'm sure you'll find something to do." "Sorry, but..." "I, uh" " I'll be busy." "Don't worry, darling." "I had a feeling." "I already have something going for the evening." "Don't work too hard." "Well," "I think by now..." "I know every one of these phone calls from your friend inside out." "So?" "And so I have come to three conclusions." "One:" "He's quite good at, uh, concealing his real personality, which means total self-control." "Two" "He wants to provoke you." "And, uh, that's probably got something to do with his motives." "And three:" "Our man, though a voyeur, a peeper, likes to be noticed." "Neurotic and egotistical." "Mm-hmm." "Ten million people in this city, that's a hell of a lot to go on, huh?" "Yeah." "I grant you." "But at least we know he's not content just to murder his victims at random." "And you can be quite sure that we're up against a very superior mind." "No, not so hard." "Try again." "Shit." "You gotta line your eye down the cue." "Wait." "I wanna show you something." "From here." "In the side pocket." "Right." "Watch." "Hey, Morales." "You ask me, they're pure silk." "Shit." "That pussy ain't got nothin' on." "No underpants?" "That ain't clean." "Who cares, man?" "When a twat is hot, it's more comfortable." "Wanna bet?" "Okay." "A beer." "One beer." "I was wrong." "Though she don't need nothin' on the pussy." "Got all that natural fur." "Senora, I tell you what." "I buy you a beer, and my friend take you for a ride." " You like it, huh?" " Not really." "Take" " Take- Take your foot away." "You like it, right?" "Hey, Chico." "She likes it." "Oh, yes." "You like it, baby." "You love it." "Hear that, Chico?" "She loves it." "Please stop it." "Stop it." "She loves it." "Please let me go." "She's not moving though, is she?" "Here." "Drink." "Toma, baby." "Si." "Oh, yes." "Tell me that you like it." "No." "Tell us, baby." "You love it." "You don't want me to let you go, do you?" "You want more." "More." "Open up." "Right." "Wide." "That's it." "Get nice and wet." "Morales got silver toes." "Didn't I tell you she loves it?" "Oh, you're beautiful, baby." "Tell me you love it." "You like it." "Go on." "Say it." "Say it." "Tell me you like it." "I like it." "I like it." " The lady likes it!" " Oh!" "Silver toes!" "Fay." "Fay." "Fay." "What's goin' on?" "Get up." "You've got your hat, don't you?" " I'm right here." " Whoo!" "Missed again!" "Oh!" "I got you, varmint!" "Keep your head down!" "Unhand me, sir." "Nurse Carter to the switchboard, please." "You have a phone call." "Nurse Carter to the switchboard." "Dr. Sanders to Operating Theater 2." "Wow." "Dr. Sanders to Theater 2." "Must have been a terrible experience." "Yeah." "But you'd be surprised how many people it happens to every day." "You're kidding." "Hello, darling." "For God's sake." "Well, tell me what happened." "It" " It was awful." "It was completely unreal." "God." "How's it possible?" "W" " Was he trying to rape you?" "I don't know." "My head is still spinning." "The police asked me a bunch of questions." "I thought I'd die, Peter." "How do you feel now?" "Were you injured at all?" "My legs feel sore." "I'm not sure." "The worst thing wa- about it was" "Shh." "Don't think about it." "No." "It's all over now." "No." "N" " No." "I've got to- got to tell you something." " Later." " No." "I've got to tell you now." "After I was attacked," "I must have had a- some sort of nightmare." "I was in this empty movie house, watching cartoons, but like hallu- hallucinations." "And then you came in and killed me." "Yes." "You were the murderer, darling." "What do you think?" "I don't know." "The girl is still pretty shook-up." "Sounded very confused." "I'll tell you one thing though, for what it's worth." "If the, uh, guy who attacked her is our friend who talks like a duck, well, he just committed his first big mistake." "Yeah." "Anyway, all five boroughs are on the watch." "We'll also hoot it over the radio stations." "Shouldn't be too hard to find a guy with two fingers missing on his right hand." " Want a ride?" " No, thanks." "I think I'll take a stroll." "Okay." "Keep in touch." "Mm-hmm." "I think I know why..." "I dreamt that you killed me." "Yeah." "Because of those... terrible things..." "I said about Susie." "I'm sorry, darling." "Forgive me?" "There's nothing to forgive." "Don't worry about it." "You're not just saying it?" "I've got to know that you believe me, Peter." "I'm so scared of what's going on inside me." "Well, of course I do." "But I also believe that reality is a hell of a lot more dangerous than a dream." "The truth is, you escaped from a crazy son of a bitch... who's murdered three women already." "You were very lucky." "What did the police have to say?" "They wanted to know all about the guy... who followed me in the subway." "What was he like?" "Oh, strange, weird." "Eyes that kind of- of looked through you, like" "And then he had two fingers missing on his right hand." "Mikis here." "Yeah, of course." "We're over here at my place." "I'm telling ya, this broad's more kinky than a circus freak." "Yeah, all packaged and ready to go." "Oh, yeah, she's, uh, right up your perverted alley." "This one?" "This one here?" "All right, sir." "There we are." "And a paper." "Here you go." "That'll be three dollars." "Have a nice evening." "I don't know if it's come out yet." " Oh, I don't wanna miss this!" " You want it?" "Take it." "Don't you dare touch that dial." "This is Big Phil Burrows, everybody." "I'm gonna cry, whip and wail, plus I got a thousand messages for y'all." "But first of all, I wanna ask that dude with two fingers missing on his right hand... a big question." "Man, why, baby?" "Please leave the ladies alone." "Ripper, leave 'em alone." "This is Big Phil Burrows with Night Sounds, and at 04:16 a.m. I wanna dedicate this next number to- to all of those young lovers who've, hey, got that conquest almost in the bag." "Maybe you made it, but ya just can't let that wild chick go." "I'm sorry if I couldn't give you any better welcome, Lieutenant." "Yeah, well, I quite understand." "I'm sorry to trouble you." "Tell me, Dr. Lodge, how well did you know your wife?" "Jane was an adorable wife, a perfect mate." "I knew her quite well, Lieutenant, and believe me, there'll never be anyone to take her place." "Nothing could fill the void." "My wife is dead, Lieutenant, and you ought to be intelligent enough to realize that" "that certain relationships are based on... on mutual trust and freedom." " My wife lived without any bonds" " Yeah, I know, I know." "Yeah, I heard all that before- without prejudice, uh, without taboos." "Your wife was free to live and free to die." "Anyway, thanks." "Thanks?" "Yeah, because of your little hobby here we now know the, uh, Ripper's identity." "Mikis Kalenda, a Greek." "The night clerk at the fleabag picked him outta the mug file." "Now it's your turn!" "Didn't realize you were so high-strung and emotional, Heather." "Paul, you're such an asshole sometimes." "You know that?" "You're snooping at my desk, and I'm the asshole, hmm?" "Listen, those profiles Jennifer asked for the other day, have you done anything about them?" "I stuck them in her fat little hands this morning." " For once, on time." "Does that rate me a relaxing lunch at Barney's?" " Relaxing?" "This New York Ripper case is taking up so much of my time, I've almost forgotten what eating is." "With the crummy teacher's salary I get, I have to moonlight." "It becomes a vicious circle." "Mmm, you're telling me." "Paul, tell me, how is it you picture this ripper?" "Well- young, intelligent, affable, undoubtedly from a good family." "He has only one minor defect." "And you know what?" "He hasn't chosen you to be a victim yet." "A real warning:" "Don't accept rides from anyone with two fingers missing on his right hand." "Okay?" "D47-8-9 here." "D47-8-9." "They still haven't answered the door, Mike." "Over." "Keep trying, and call in as soon as you've got something." "I don't know!" "I don't know where he is!" "The guy is always coming and going." "He does what he wants." "How the hell should I know where he is?" "Every time he comes in there's always some mess, some kind of problem." "He still owes me two months' rent, the son of a bitch, plus the $200 I lent him!" "I just can't take this anymore!" "You won't find anything here." "Why don't you just go and leave me alone?" "Yeah." "You have no right to- to bully a law-abiding citizen." "Look what you've done to my apartment." "God!" "I can't take any more!" "What the hell do you want from me?" "I haven't done anything!" "Why don't you leave me alone?" "Exhibit "A"... and Exhibit "B."" "Our friend really must be a weirdo, huh?" "Yeah, that's what Davis said." "Okay, sweetheart, when did you last see Nice Boy?" "What is it, you fellas all deaf or something?" "I've told you it was last Monday or Tuesday." "I don't recall." "He's out with a whore shacking up somewhere." "I don't know what the hell girls see in that guy." "Trouble is, they only get to see him once." "Careful, careful." "I couldn't take that hospital a second longer." "I was going out of my mind." "Yeah, hospitals are a real drag." "And besides, I kind of like the idea... of coming here to your house for a while... and being cuddled and comforted by you." "Well, if you don't behave and rest up your bones just a little, you'll never get back in shape." "I thought you wanted to win some gold at Los Angeles." "Eh, Miss National Champ?" "There's plenty of time yet." "Now I'll just take it easy and get some love and understanding." "You're pigheaded." "How many times do I have to..." "Look, you know darn well the problem is my leg, not my head." "The brain's fine." "It's the brawn." "It takes more than talent to win, honey." "You've got to have willpower." "Mmm." "Yeah." "You lack it." "In this country, if you're not good at something, at anything, if you're not the best, the smartest or the toughest, that's it." "You're screwed." "You won't get anywhere." "Well, how's your leg?" "Clinically it's healed, but I've got to tone up the muscles." "Uh, we were just gonna make coffee." "Care for some?" "No, thanks." "I won't be staying too long." "Mathematician?" "Physicist." "I'm doing research on entropy at absolute zero." "Hmm." "Interesting." "Good chess player too, I bet." "Now, why have I come here to bother you?" "Be nice to know." "Uh, are you absolutely certain... that the guy who attacked you was Mikis Kalenda?" "Why?" "What do you mean?" "You don't believe me?" "Just asking once more." "What do you mean, not now?" "Don't give me any of that crap, man." "You better just do what I ask." "I've got all the pigs in the city on my ass." "All right." "I'll be back in a little while." "You need anything?" "No, only you, baby." "Sometimes I wonder how a girl like you, with an I.Q. of 182, could be such a dummy." "It's you, baby." "Your overpowering touch shorts out my brain circuits." "Okay, see you in a flash." "It'd be better not to open the door to anybody." "You never know." "Don't worry." "I'll watch the property, and if anybody comes, I'll bark." "You know, I have so many doubts about Fay Major's testimony." "There's something fishy about it." "Too many gaps, as if, uh, she were holding out on us." "Come on, now, all we need to nail Mikis Kalenda in court... is that tape of his bout with Jane Foster Lodge." " Professor, could you sign this?" " Yeah." "It was his fourth victim, right?" "Yeah." "But look at this Kalenda character." "He's a guy who lives just for sex, a 42nd Street gigolo." "The phone calls, on the other hand" "Yeah, the phone calls indicate a very intelligent personality... with a refined cultural family background." "Come on." "We know he's our guy." "All the rest is malarkey shit, just for experts like you, not me." "Okay?" "However, to paraphrase Verlaine, in subtlety lies the essence of things." " Bullshit." ""Memorial Hospital"?" "Bitch!" "Oh, no!" "Why?" "Fay!" "You're a pretty lucky little lady." "I mean, that's the second time that the Ripper's missed you." "If it weren't for Peter though, this time I don't know." "And if you cops hadn't stopped me for a routine check, I would have been here a lot earlier." "Yeah, well, I'm sorry, but a lot of cops are out there day and night stopping cars, trying to catch that bastard." "Then again, it was you who said you'd take care of her, that she should stay here in your house where she'd be safer." "That's, uh" " That's what I thought." "But I had to go out." "Anyway, if anything else happens, you, um- you call me right away." "Okay?" "Good night." "To all units in sector 9-8." "To all units in sector 9-8." "R9-4-4 and 2-6." "R9-4-4 and 2-6." "This is a general for all units in sector 9-8." "Calling D47. 9-2-6 at 7-2-3." "I have a report of a car theft in zone 12." "Whoever is near it, please take it." "All D47's, clear out of 1-2-5." "Z" " M-X is green." "I repeat, Z-M-X is green." "E" " Z Zebra 104, we are airborne." "Radio link is operative." "What time he say he'd call?" "Quarter after 8:00, supposedly." "He say anything else?" "Did he!" "He said you were in for quite a surprise, Lieutenant." "I'll have a surprise for that son of a bitch if he ever does call." "You said it." "Lieutenant Williams, please." "Here we go." "Lieutenant Williams?" "Speaking." "What do you want?" "To dedicate a killing to you." "I'm gonna sacrifice a woman just for you." "Like the idea?" "The only thing I'd like- I'd really like- is to meet you face to face." "That'll happen sooner or later, but you'll have to recognize me." "In the meantime, allow me to make you this special offering." "We're just about there." "One minute more." "It's somewhere down on the Lower West Side, fifth sector." "Start moving in on the Lower West Side." " Yeah." " A cop getting a gift of this kind." "Thanks." "However, you disappoint me, Duck." "You throw a challenge my way, and you don't have the guts to let me get there to watch the goings-on." "You wait till it's all over." "For the moment you'll have to be content with seeing the results only." "In person though!" "E" " Z Zebra 104 radio link." "Proceed to sector docks 14." "Roger, Base." "We're on our way!" "I almost forgot the most important part." "A friend of yours says hello." "Right, Kitty?" "Kitty says right." "Got it!" "The harbor." "A phone booth sitting right near Pier 11!" "I'll get out the A.P.B.!" "Move, you bastard." "D47's 3-0-5 and 4-7-1, flush the south entrance to D-U-X 14." "E" " Z Zebra 104, proceed now!" "Yeah, I got it all!" "D-U-X 14 now!" "I've got the boathouse spotted." "Good." "Stay put." "D-47, 0-941." "Follow Lieutenant Williams's car!" "E" " Z Zebra 104 to Base." "How long do we have to stay up here?" " Can you hold on for 10 minutes?" " Make it five." "Okay, I'll get back to you in five minutes." "D473-0-5 and 4-7-1, plug up south entrance to D-U-X 14." "Seven minutes and 22 seconds." "Record time!" "Congratulations!" "Tell the truth." "You didn't really expect to find me in the booth, did you?" "Son of a bitch!" "Poor dumb cop!" "I'm not so infantile as to let myself get pinpointed by your stupid tracing machine." "And now you'll have to excuse me, Kitty's just's just dying to get started." "You should see her." "You don't know what to do, do you?" "You're not even sure if your little whore is with me." "Her skin is so warm... and soft." "Remember?" "You should know." "I feel sorry for you, Mr. Cop." "You'd like to make sure Kitty's with me, wouldn't you?" "Wanna hear her voice?" "Well, I think you have a right to!" "283 Fulton Street!" "Move, move, move!" "No!" "No!" "Checkmate." "You think according to fixed patterns, like a cop." "Nice work." "How's your heart?" "You wanna take a look at it?" "The doctor says I gotta give up smoking." "If I take it easy, I'll survive." "What can you tell me about him?" "Well, from the pulmonary exam, the cause of death was suffocation." "You know, the cellophane bag he had on." "Time of death?" "Well, that I have on the button:" "Tuesday the 10th, eight days ago." "Eight days?" "Bullshit, man." "That son of a bitch- he murdered Kitty four days ago." "He can't be dead for eight days!" "You're wrong!" "Come on, Barnaby." "How long have we known each other?" "Sixteen years or more, no?" "If I tell you the moment of death was eight days ago, it means it was eight days ago." "Sure, I" " I admit I could be a couple hours off, but no more." "Jesus Christ." "What's the matter?" "Oh, nothing." "Nothing." "It was not Mikis Kalenda." "Okay?" "So we're back to square one." "Well, we are and we're not." "Because by wiping out Kalenda, who was really just a procurer, it tends to bring us back to- to my original idea... of a person who has to blame the rest of society for his own shortcomings." "Let's say it's a woman." "She picks her victims because they're young, they're prettier... and a great deal more fortunate than her." "And if it's a man?" "Well, a man with a woman whom he's in love with... but who has something wrong with her, like she's frigid, can get very paranoiac." "In which case, he used Mikis to run around procuring his women?" "It would appear so." "No, Kalenda was a petty criminal who got caught in the middle." "Yes, he was a pervert who tried to assault Fay Majors, and when she fingered him he tried to kill her." "Found himself in a dead-end street, and knowing he would probably get blamed for all the other murders he put a bag over his head." "Dr. Richardson to Ward 5." ""Now, on Granny Duck's farm, there was a tiny pig," ""a baby pig just born," ""and when they saw it, they all jumped up and down with glee." ""Oh, they were excited!" ""'How sweet he is!" "How tiny, tiny!" ""I never knew piggies could be so cute and funny!" "I wish we could take him home!" "'" ""Granny said, 'Quack, quack." "You like him?" ""'He's a good little piggy." ""You can have him if you want, but you'll have to ask your uncle's permission.'" ""So lickety-split they called their uncle, who said, 'Quack, quack." "Harrumph!" "'" ""'But, Uncle, you said you had a puppy when you were little." "Can't we have one too?" "'" ""And their uncle went, 'Quack, quack." "Okay, okay." ""But it better not be very big or eat too much.'" ""'Oh, thanks, Uncle!" "'" ""So they picked up the piggy and took it home." ""And when the uncle saw it, he was mad!" ""'I think that was a nasty trick." ""'You didn't tell me you were talking about a baby pig." ""Quack, quack!" "Take him back!" "'" ""'Oh, please, Uncle." "He's so tiny.'" ""'Well, okay, quack, quack." "Just so long as he doesn't dirty-"'" "Well, I found out that Fay Majors is enrolled at the university, so I, uh..." "I went and I fished out her aptitude tests." "Apart from an incredibly high I.Q., there's also a note with five stars saying that she tends toward hallucinations... and quite often she has visions which to her seem reality." "Now, does that ring a bell?" "I'm just a stupid cop, right?" "So it may surprise you to know that I've had her followed since first thing this morning." "Is that you, Fay?" "Fay?" "Fay?" "Hi, honey." "Where have you been?" "Around." " What do you want to eat tonight?" " Anything you want." "Okay." "No one's come around to see her in months now." " How much time has she got left?" " Almost none." "Her entire lymphatic system is shot." "It's very sad." "A sweet, intelligent girl... just lying there day after day fading away." "A terrible process." "That's lymphogranuloma." "And here she lies with one parent off in Brazil." "And the other, you say, pays the bills and never visits." "No." "Her parents had her committed, but they only came to see her once after the amputation." "She'll never grow up to be a woman." "Now I understand." "Under that tent lies the motive." "Lieutenant, I'd have Peter Bunch's house put under surveillance immediately." "You really don't have much faith in us, do you?" "It already is." "Hello?" "This is the little duck." "How are ya?" "We haven't played in such a long time." "Did you call headquarters?" "Nah, they'd just make a mess." "Bye-bye." "Fay?" "Fay?" "Fay!" "Fay!" "Don't go in Susie's room!" "Stay out of Susie's roo" "You're like..." "You're like all the rest of them!" "Young and beautiful and healthy!" "While I rot to death in bed in a lousy, stinking hospital!" "What is it, Susie?" "You want to call your father up to play ducks again?" "That hallucination made me start to wonder." "Then the hospital bill, those marks on the wall by the movie house, the broken knife." "But I was sure of it when I heard Peter on the phone with his daughter... and he started to speak with a strange voice, telling her all about how the- how the world is unfair and" "And then he started talking about me... and how... how he planned to get rid of me!" "It's all over." "You know, it's strange, the brain." "The duck was what snapped in Peter's mind." "It's what happens when you want to erase guilt." "In putting all the onus on the duck, he wasn't the one who was responsible." "The duck became a kind of outside avenger for his daughter... who would never become like other women, and he never realized that a little affection is all she asked... for her to bear the tragedy of her condition." "Daddy, please don't leave me alone." "P" " Please." "Please answer." "Speak to me." "Daddy, please, please answer." "Daddy!"