"MYSTERIOUS HOMICIDE OF A YOUNG WOMAN" "THE THIRD IN A MONTH" "II Giorno, please." "Thankyou." "Bye." "The usual garbage." " Come on, Carlo." "It's late." " Relax, he'll wait." "Your study has been a great success with the experts." "They've already published it." "Isn't that exciting?" "Sam Dalmas... great hope of American literature, now writing manuals... on the preservation of rare birds." "Be funny if I won a prize for it." " How's Giulia?" " Fine." "She's been away a month working for a fashion magazine." "I think she'll be back tonight." " Do you still love her?" " Yes." "More and more." "I'm taking her to New York with me, day after tomorrow." "Really serious, eh?" "WILKINSON FOUNDATION" " Good morning, Professor." " Good morning." "The first thing I'll do when I get home is to look up a friend and thank him." "I was in a rough period." "I hadn't written a sentence in months." ""Go to Italy," he said, waxing poetic." ""You need peace and tranquillity." "It's your country... the country of poetry." "In Italy nothing happens."" "May he burn in hell!" "Me too for listening to him." "He convinced me." "I traveled around the country." "I saw every monument." "Then spaghetti, wine, the air of Rome." "Great!" "But I did not recover from my crisis." "And now I'm dead broke." "Wouldn't even have the plane fare home ifyou hadn't come along with thisjob." "Which you carried out beautifully." " Here's your check, Mr. Dalmas." " Thankyou." "Hey, Sam!" "Don't you want a copy?" "I don't need it." "I have this." "Hey, open the door!" "The door!" "Come on, open the door!" "I can't get in." "Come on, hang on!" "Come on." "Call the police!" "The police!" "Help me." "Her pulse is weak, but it doesn't appear to be too serious." "She hasn't lost too much blood." "Okay, go ahead." "Proceed." " Yes, sir." " Check for fingerprints." "Good evening." "I'm Inspector Morosini." " Tell me about it." " What's that?" "What happened?" "I want to know everything you saw and heard." "How is she?" "She'll be fine, thanks to you." " And what's your name?" " Sam Dalmas." " Are you English?" " No, American." "I was on my way home and as I walked by I saw the lights on." "I looked up and saw these two figures." "The woman and someone else." "Put her down carefully." "She needs a blood transfusion immediately." "Let me through!" "I'm the owner ofthe gallery." " Monica!" " You see" "Oh, my God." " What happened?" " Leave her alone." "Go now." " Is it bad?" " No, nothing serious,just a flesh wound." "Come along now." "Let go of me!" "I'm Alberto Ranieri, her husband." "Calm down, it's not bad." " Excuse me." " Monica, talk to me." " What happened?" " Please, you're tiring her." "Monica, my dear." "What happened?" "What?" "We don't know." "I hope your wife will be able to tell us." "By the way, what was she doing in the gallery at this time of night?" "She was going through the books and..." "I was supposed to pick her up." "Monica!" "Stand back!" "Let the stretcher through!" "Please, stand back." "So, where were we?" "There was something wrong with that scene." "It'sjust an impression." "I can't pin it down, but I have a definite feeling that something didn't fit." "Concentrate, try to remember." "I've tried, but it's not coming to me." "Let's see if I can help." "You saw someone run through this door, right?" "Yes, but it was so dark under here." "The door was almost" "Don't touch anything." "Try keeping your hands in your pockets, like us." "It's the only way not to leave fingerprints." "It will save us a lot ofwork." "On the mezzanine, there is the sculpture ofa warrior... a bronze on the wall, some sort of petrified tree branch." "On the first floor, an irregular trail of blood goes... from the service door to about 1 0 feet... from the front window." "Apart from the blood, there is no other sign ofstruggle." "So, according to you, he came down these stairs." "Not "according to me," he did." "In all, 39 feet, 6" "Let's measure from the window to the stairs." "Blood." "I've had it, I can't take anymore!" "We've been through the whole thing six times." "I've already told you all I know." "Every single detail." "I don't know that woman." "I'd never seen her before." "Okay, let's start over again." "Let's try to remember." "Describe this strange figure you sayyou saw running away." "I told you." "It was dark." "I was too far away." "I just saw two silhouettes." "Look, I'm tired." "I'm leaving for the United States the day after tomorrow." "I have a million things to do." " Really?" "Are all your documents ready?" " Yes." " Do you have your passport on you?" " Yes." "May I see it, please?" "Ofcourse." "Thankyou." " Hey." " What?" " My passport." " We'll keep it here for now." "You must bejoking!" "I can't leave without it!" "You won't be leaving." "You are too important to us as a witness." "You said yourselfthat you saw something vital that you don't recall." "Until this is all cleared up, you stay here." "What do you mean, "stay here"?" "You may not know, Mr. Dalmas, but in our city, during the past month... there have been three unexplained murders." "The victim in each case was a woman." "All committed without any apparent motive whatsoever." "It is quite clear to us that there is a dangerous maniac at large." "But what makes our investigation particularly difficult... and why we need your cooperation... is that we are fairly certain that this man is, as far as his appearance goes... quite sane." "In his daily life, he is a normal person who behaves like anybody else... even like you." " Me?" " Yes, you." "Why not?" "Let's suppose that you are the maniac." "You went in the gallery." "You attacked the woman." "And then, when you tried to escape... you were accidentally trapped between the glass doors." "You're out ofyour mind!" "You can'tjust grab a foreign citizen and accuse him of murder." "Nobody's accusing you." "Giving me the third degree, it's illegal." "I want to call the consulate." "Go ahead." "Call anyone you want." "Even the President ofthe United States." "A tough nut, eh?" "Just humor him." " Here's a copy of Monti's report." "TW A?" "I want to cancel a reservation." "Sam Dalmas." "Flight 1 21 to New York, the day after tomorrow." "Yeah, thankyou." "Watch out!" "Are you hurt?" "Can I help you?" "No, don't worry." "I'm okay." "Thankyou." "Sam!" "This is how you show up after a month?" "You look awful." " Hey!" "Aren't you coming to bed?" " Yeah." "Hard day at work, honey?" "No." "It's only that... in the span ofa few hours, I witnessed an attempted murder... the police gave me the third degree." "They withdrew my passport so we can't leave anymore... and, finally... someone almost beheaded me with an ax." "You know..." "the usual routine." "Ofcourse." "And now tell me what really happened." "It might sound strange, but it is what really happened." "Bring in the perverts." "Take a good look, Mr. Dalmas." "The murderer could have gone back to the gallery to see ifthe woman was dead... and seeing you had witnessed the murder, he assaulted you." "And we can't rule out the possibility that he is a pervert." "Aldo Sarti, 42 years old, eight convictions, sadomasochist." "Sandro Lorrani, 31 years old, exhibitionist, eight convictions." "Mario Zandri, 66 years old, sodomite." "Giacomo Rossi... 50 years old, three sentences for corrupting the morals of minors." "Rubatelli, Luigi, alias Ursula Andress..." " 26 years old" " No!" "Petrini!" "Yes, sir?" "What's he doing here?" "How many times do I have to tell you?" "Ursula Andress belongs with the transvestites, not the perverts." "I should say so!" "Put me with these pigs!" "Come with me, Mr. Dalmas." "I have something interesting to show you." "We have subjected this glove to a thorough microscopic examination... and have managed to come up with a few interesting facts." "The blood stains are ofthe same group as Monica Ranieri's... from which we can gather that the aggressor was wearing it during the attack." "See these grains?" "They're tobacco ash, proving that he smokes expensive cigars." "The traces oftobacco his fingers left on the glove... are characteristic of Havana cigars." "Now look at this." "It was our most exciting discovery." "Microscopic particles ofa cashmere made only in England." "We found it inside." "What it amounts to is this." "We now know with certainty that he is a man who smokes cigars... who dresses elegantly and who is, above all, left-handed." "We deduced this from the wear on the glove." "Then we put the glove under further tests... and processed all data in the computer." "Are the files here?" " All ready." " Come and see." "This is the outline ofthe aggressor... reconstructed with 90% accuracy." "And this is the first reliable personal data about him." "The same data could fit about 1 50,000 people in this city." "MALE" " APPROX. 40 YEARS HEIGHT 5'1 0" - 6' THIN" " BROWN HAIR - 1 65 POUNDS" "Ofthose, most ofthe them are already in jail." "CHARACTERISTICS REFERRING TO THE FOLLOWING FELONS" "Well, what are you waiting for?" "Do you think it's easy to check the alibis of 1 50,000 people?" "Look, I have nothing to go on." "It'sjust a hunch." "But I'm convinced that you really did see the murderer's face that night." "But I've already told you I didn't." "Try to concentrate, Mr. Dalmas." "Try to remember what you saw." "It's no use." "I've run through it over and over again." "I can't get it out of my head, but I can't pin it down either." "Monica Ranieri has left the hospital." "She's back at her house... number 35 Via Bruxelles." "Can I go now?" " Which floor?" " Fifth." "I'm terribly sorry, Mr. Dalmas, but my wife can't receive anyone." "She's in bed under sedation at the moment." "I'm sure you understand." "After all she's been through." "What did you want to talk about with her?" "Nothing special, really." "I just wanted to recall that night." "I might have seen something that could lead to the arrest ofthe killer." "But I don't really remember it... and so I thought that yourwife might help me out." "My wife has already told the police everything she knows." "I can see no reason for subjecting her to that ordeal again." "I understand." "May I askyou an irrelevant question?" " Ifyou want." " How tall are you?" "6'1 ", I think." "Why?" "Nothing." "I wasjust curious." " Do you need anything else?" " No." "No, and sorry for the inconvenience." "Are you looking foryour cigarettes?" "Here they are." "Good-bye, Mr. Ranieri." "I told you to bet on that horse." "Yes, I know." "Still, you can't win all the time." "First victim." "Salesgirl in an antique shop." "She left at the same time every evening." " Found dead in a park." " A park?" "It was a mile and a halffrom the shop in the opposite direction from her house." " Two questions." " What?" "Why so far away?" "And why in a park?" "Maybe she was going to meet a boyfriend." "Second victim." "A prostitute." "Murdered under the bridge where she used to go with her customers." "They suspected her pimp, someone by the name ofGarullo." "But he had an iron alibi." "Where can I find him?" "You can't." "He's in jail, or at least he was a month ago." "Good." " Okay, number three." " Number three." " A student." " Student." "She was killed on her way home from the movies." "Movies?" "Okay?" "And now?" "I would start from the first one, the antiques salesgirl." " Hello." " Hello." " Can I help you?" " Yes, please." "I see that you like china." "You have good taste." "These pieces are wonderful." "Rare examples." " I see." "How much is this one?" " 300,000 lira." "Ifyou are interested, we can come to an agreement." "Isn't this the shop where that girl worked?" " Excuse me?" " The girl that was murdered." "Poor girl." "What a horrible way to die." " What was she like?" " Very pretty." "But she was..." "a little unusual, you know?" "People used to say that she preferred women." "Not that I cared." "I'm not a racist, for heaven's sake." "I remember that night as if it were yesterday." "We hadn't made a sale all day." "Then,just before we closed we sold a painting that was in the window." "Did you sell it yourself?" "No, I didn't, the girl did." "I was checking the books." "And then she left without even saying good night." "Soon after..." "she was found dead." "What kind of painting was it?" "It was a strange primitive painting..." "very macabre, too." " Would you like to see it?" " Do you still have it?" "No, I only have a picture for the archive." "Certainly." "I would like to see it." "I'll show it to you." "Here it is." " Could I borrow this?" " Oh, no." "We don't normally allow that." "Hey." "What's wrong?" "Nothing." "What is it?" "The picture ofa painting strangely related to those murders." "Looks a bit perverted to me." "Do you think so?" "Oh, honey." "It gives me the chills." "Look." "Something wrong?" "No, nothing." "Good night." "Oh, no!" "Tell me." "Is it really necessary?" " What?" " Running around playing detective." "Isn't it slightly ridiculous?" "And dangerous, too?" "Thankyou." "Besides, I have a feeling I'm closer to the truth than either of us realizes." "What's happening to me?" "It has become an obsession." " Who is it?" " Morosini." "Hi." " How are you doing?" " Fine." "Come in." "For a minute there I thought I had the wrong address." " Nobody else lives in this building?" " No." "They'll tear it down soon." "My lease runs out next week so they let me stay." " A cup ofcoffee?" " Yes, please." "It's exactly what I need." "I had a terrible night." " Here." " Thankyou." "What happened last night?" "Here." " When?" " Last night." "A 28-year-old woman who lived alone." "The usual blank wall." "Not a single clue." "No traces." "The newspapers too are starting to think... that the four homicides are related." "Giulia, this is Inspector Morosini." "Pleased to meet you." "Pardon me." "But haven't we met before?" " No, I'm sure we have not." " Hey, look at this." "Oh, my God." "As you may have suspected, I came here so early... for a particular reason, Mr. Dalmas." "I would like to show you some pieces ofevidence I collected." " Why don't you just leave him alone?" " No, Giulia." " Calm down." " No, I won't!" "He isn't even Italian, and you put his life at stake." "Somebody already tried to kill him once." "What makes you think they won't try again?" "You're blackmailing him." "You won't give him his passport back... and you're taking advantage of his human instincts." "Shall we go?" " Sorry." " Bye." "I'm sorry." "Okay." "Fine." " So?" " Nothing." "I went over and over it." "Nothing at all." "I saw them fight on the loft." "I can still see it." "I can't think ofanything else." "But I know there's something." "Thankyou." "What are you going to do now?" "I think I'll stick around for a while." "Do you need any help foryour investigation?" " I thought I was being followed." " Oh, yes... but that's only to protect you." "I would like to speak with the pimp ofthe second victim." " That Garullo." " Oh, that's easy." "Inspector, they've arrived for the TV interview." "Great!" "Let's go and make fools ofourselves in front of millions of people." "What will you say?" "I don't know." "I'll make up some spectacular lie and some sage advice." "And all our forces are alerted." "This is the situation." "For the moment, I can only add that we have certain information... that I am sure will lead us to the murderer." "I urge all citizens to remain calm... and report anything suspicious to the police immediately." "Be very cautious and keep your eyes" "You go, and get back to me as soon as you can." "Yes?" "Inspector Morosini." "Hello?" "I really enjoyed your talk on television." " Who is this?" " Let me talk." "I'm the person you all are uselessly looking for." "Record the call on Morosini's direct line." "You haven't got a single clue." "No hint, nothing." "And to prove that your threats don't scare me, I announce... that you will have another murder to solve by the end ofthe week." "The fifth." "Hello?" "Keep it straight." "It's very heavy." "It's one ofthe best examples ofcosmic sculpture." "The aggression did not intimidate us." "In a couple ofdays... we will open a new show ofsculpture and bass relief." "You'll be changing everything." "Ofcourse." "These sculptures will all be replaced." " Mr. Ranieri." " Yes." "Would you please check the position ofthis panel?" "I'll be right there." "Will you excuse me?" "It's been nice to see you again." "My pleasure." "I would like to thank you again for what you did for me that night." "Without your help, that madman would have killed me." "My wounds have healed, but..." "I live in a state offear." " You saved my life." " Monica, excuse me." " Come here a moment." " Thankyou." " Not at all." " See you soon." "Look, what do you think of placing it like this?" "It's not perfectly straight but you can see it better from below... and the points catch more light this way." "Yes, you're right." "Yeah, she was my girlfriend." "Bye." "Where are you going?" "You said "bye."" "I always say that." "Otherwise I stutter." "Oh, I understand." "What do you want from me?" "I want to find the killer." "Good." "Fair enough." "Bye." "But I don't have anything to say." "They caught me three days after her death." "Poor girl." "And here I am in jail." "Those girls have to get along without me." "Who's protecting them with that monster loose on the streets?" "Bye." " What are you in jail for?" " For nothing." "I was framed." "They got it in for me." "Bye." "They say I'm aiding and abetting prostitution... but I'm innocent." "Look at me." "Do I look like a pimp?" "Honestly... do I look like someone who exploits women?" "Well, ifthey buy me presents..." " every now and then, I don't say no." " Sure." "Listen, what can you tell me about the killer?" "One thing I'm sure of, he is not from my scene." "We don't do things like that." "It must be a gentleman... someone with a lot ofdough." "They're the ones who get those kind of ideas." "You see, they have a kind of code of honor... which, compared to other" " That man's been following us for an hour." " Morosini sent him." "He's our bodyguard." "Anyway, that guy, "Bye," has a kind of harem, which is his livelihood." "Taxi!" " Oh, well." "I feel like walking." " Good foryou." ""Bye" has his own philosophy." "He expects everything from women and nothing from men." "Come on." "Run!" "Good." "I'll deal with it." "Here." "Stay here." "It's me they want." "As soon as you can, call Morosini." "Don't move." " Hey, someone is chasing me." " I don't see anyone." " Here he is!" " Who is he?" "Mrs.Johnson!" "Mrs.Johnson!" "Listen, have you seen a man with a blue cap and a yellowjacket?" " Yes, sir." " Where did he go?" "In there." "That black guy was tough, all right, but I gave his liver a good working over." "At the tenth round, I laid him out with a hook... laid him out cold." "Hey, listen, guys." "It's about time we talked about the problems we face." "Listen to me!" "There is the problem of insurance and ofallowances for permanent injuries." "Come on, listen to me or I'll leave." "First a jab, then a quick hook." "The officer died without regaining consciousness." "Fractured spine and skull." "Do you thinkyou could recognize him?" "It's impossible to forget a face like that." "I want every man at that convention tracked down." "I don't care where they are." "I want names, pictures, criminal records, everything." "Go, now." "Wait." "Send two ofour top men to cover these two." "They are to be watched night and day." "I'm sorry to have gotten you into this mess." "Take my advice:" "Go back to the United States." "Notjust now." "I feel I'm getting closer to the truth each minute." "The murderer's obviously ofthe same opinion." "And that's why he's trying to stop me." "The more he tries, the more he risks discovery." "Okay, Saturday and Sunday, we'll go out together." " I love you." " I love you, too." " Bye." " Bye, love." "What... a son ofa bitch!" "They wanted to kill you?" "Goddamn." "Yeah." "I have to find him." "Ofcourse I'll help you out, bye." "Wait a minute." "Yes, yes." "Got it." "I know the guy foryou." "He ain't cheap, but there's nothing he don't know." "It'sjust between you and me." "Understand?" "No..." " police." "Bye." " Don't worry." "Call the Caramba pool hall and ask for..." "Filagna." "Tell him Bye sent you." "An elevator." " Get an elevator." " Who are you?" " I'm Filagna." " Come on in." "Couldn't we have met at the bar downstairs?" "I walked up five flights ofstairs." "I'm dying." " Who's that?" " She's a friend." "We can talk." " Sit down." " No." "Let's get things straight." "I don't know anything." "I didn't see anything." "And I don't know anybody." " What do you want to know?" " The other night... at around 1 1 :00, a man tried to kill me." "Then he ran away and went inside the Hotel Palazzo." "What's the matter?" " This place bugged?" " No." "Come on, listen." "There was a boxing convention in that hotel." " He was wearing" " Do you want to send him tojail?" "Not really." "I just want to talk to him." "No way." "1 00." "1 00 what?" "1 00,000 lira." "Do you trust him?" "Here." "No, I can't." "Ten, twenty, thirty" " Hey, when are you going to tell me?" " Never." "Maybe tomorrow morning." "Hello?" "Yes?" "Listen to me, Mr. Dalmas." "Take my advice:" "Mind your own business." "And stop playing detective." "It could be dangerous." "That was a warning yesterday." "Wasn't it enough?" "What do you suggest I do?" "Go back to America." "Forget about the murders." "There is a limit to my patience." "Who is this?" " Is your girlfriend there with you?" " Yes." "She is young and very attractive." "Would you like to see her dead?" "Ifyou don't stop, I will kill her." "Go back to America." "Forget about the murders." "There is a limit to my patience." "Go back to America." "Forget about the murders." "Did you hear that squeaking?" "I want to know what it is." "What can make such a sound?" " It's all we have to go on." " I'll find out." "Well... what are you going to do now?" "I don't know." "It was simpler when it was only my life at stake, but now" "Damn painting!" "There's got to be a lead somewhere." "Maybe that woman looks like the first victim." "It's too roughly drawn." "It could be anybody." " Hello?" " Filagna here." "I couldn't find out anything." "But ifyou're interested, there's an ex-fighter named Needles." "Maybe he knows something." "He lives in a shed on the outskirts oftown." "39 Via Angiolieri." "Hello?" "Anybody home?" "Look at the oscilloscope." "To prove that your threats don't scare me, I announce... that you will have another murder to solve by the end ofthe week." "Very well." "Now let's hear the other phone call." "Go back to America." "Forget about the murders." "There is a limit to my patience." "Notice any differences between the tapes?" "Sure." "The waves on the first machine were different from those on the second." "Exactly." "See... every human voice, no matter how well it's disguised... has a characteristic pattern of harmonic intensities in the vowel sounds." "Now when we analyzed the vowel groups ofthese two voices... we found that whereas the first one... reaches level 5 on the lower range and 1 2 high... the second reading goes only from 4 to 1 0." "What does that mean?" "That the voices don't belong to the same person." " Are you sure?" " Absolutely." "That means there are two murderers." "It would seem so." "Unless... there's only one killer who's trying to confuse us with an accomplice." "And that would be the man who tried to kill you." "The one you found murdered." "And now, we'll listen to the sound you asked us to analyze." "We isolated the sound and compared it with hundreds ofsimilar sounds." "We've exhausted the field ofsounds produced by industrial machinery... factories, building sites, electric doors... slot machines, domestic appliances- The lot!" "But so far we've been unable to equate it." "So?" "All we can do is keep trying." "Okay." "Thank you." "So, we're back to square one." "What are you going to do?" "I'm leaving the day after tomorrow." "I've said that before, haven't I?" "Forty pages... offacts, frantic moments." "I rediscovered Fitzgerald." " The character got me going." " Glad to hear it." "It's broken me loose." "Pack this one, too." "I'm writing frantically again." "And did that thing that obsessed you come back to your mind?" "I couldn't remember it." "Listen to this." "This came over the telephone." "It would've been a great lead." "What do you suggest I do?" "Go back to America." "Forget about the murders." "There is a limit to my patience." " Who is this?" " Wait." "Play it again." " ...suggest I do?" " Go back to America." "Forget about the murders." "There is a limit to my patience." "Who is this?" " Is your girlfriend" " Well?" "I don't know." "It reminds me ofsomething." "No, I'm wrong." "What a pity." "Wait." "Stop it." "You know..." " I still can't believe it." " What?" "That we are leaving this evening." "Do you think I'll like it in the States?" " Hey, can I take the tape with me?" " I'm sure I'll like it." "Ifsomething new occurs to me... before you leave, I'll call you." "Bye." "Can you believe it?" "These are our last hours in this house." "Do you really love me?" "How much time have we got left?" " What?" " Before the plane takes off?" "Eight hours." " That may bejust enough." " Why?" "Wait a minute." "What do you want to do now?" "Sam!" "Who are you calling?" " hello." " Hello?" " Is this the antique shop?" " Yes?" "This is Sam Dalmas... the American who wanted the picture ofthat primitive painting, remember?" "I sure do." "The painting ofthe murdered girl." "Exactly." "Listen, could you tell me the name ofthe painter?" "Sure." "His name is Berto Consalvi." "Could you tell me where I could find him?" "Yes." "He lives in a small town not far away." " About an hour and a half by train." " What's the name of it?" "Aviano." " Thank you." "Thankyou very much." " You're welcome." "It's been a pleasure." "An hour and a half." "I can just make it." "I must talk to that painter." "The first girl was murdered after selling... a painting ofa girl being murdered." "There must be a connection." "I'll be back in four or five hours." "In the meantime, you finish packing." "No need to worry so long as you don't leave the house." "Two officers are patrolling the entrance." "Lock the door and don't open to anyone." "I love you." "I shouldn't have trusted you." "I'm so stupid!" "Bolt the door and ifyou need anything, call Morosini." "Ciao." "Thanks for the lift." "It would've been some walk!" "You're welcome." "Ifyou take my advice, you'll get out of here." "The man's crazy." "You never know what can happen." " Thankyou for the advice." " Follow it then." "Ifyou still want to go in, don't go crazy looking for the door." "He wailed up the whole first floor, doors, windows, the lot." "There's got to be some way of getting in." "Yes, there is, but it doesn't mean he'll let you in." "If he doesn't like your face, he'll leave you in the cold." "Consalvi!" "Berto Consalvi!" " What do you want?" " I want to buy one ofyour paintings." " What for?" " To hang it up." " Why did you wall up the door?" " To keep out the busybodies." "This way, nobody gets in unless I want." "But it's none ofyour business." "Who told you about me?" "Nobody." "I saw one ofyour paintings and liked it." "Which one?" "One about a murderer killing a girl." "I don't do that stuffanymore." "I'm going through a mystical period." "I only paint mystical scenes." "Why?" "Why, why?" "Because I feel mystical!" "Do you have a problem with that?" "Oh, no." "Not at all." "What was your inspiration for that painting?" "Do you want something to eat?" "Yes." "It's based on a real story that happened a long time ago." " Have something to drink." " Thanks." "How manyyears ago?" "About ten." "Down at the village, a maniac assaulted a girl." "He tried to cut her up." "She was rescued just in time..." "and he was put in an asylum for life." "That's better." "Hey, you want to buy a painting or not?" "Yeah, sure." "Come with me." "You'll love it." "Early Consalvi, very rare!" "Quick!" "Close the window!" "Quick!" "Here you are." "Gotcha." "Goddamn cats!" "Beasts!" "They always manage to find a hole to slip out of." "Why do you keep them in cages?" "The less they move, the fatter they get." "Why do you want them to get fat?" "So I can eat them." "What's the matter?" "Don't you like cats?" "Well, really..." " I never ate any." " Never, huh?" "This one's decent." " You can have this one. 200,000 lira." " Oh, no." " Too much?" "Okay, let's say 1 50,000." " No." "1 00,000, then." "50,000." " Hello?" " Are you still mad at me?" "Sam, where are you?" "Don't worry." "I'm coming home." " How did it go?" " I spoke to him, but I didn't get anywhere." "Listen, it's foggy and the trains are going slowly." "I'll be late." "Oh, no." "We'll miss the plane." "Don't worry." "I'll be back in time." " Everything okay?" " Yes." "Carlo called." "He wanted to talk to you." "He said he found out something interesting." " What?" " He didn't say." "I told him you'd left me here alone." "He said to call him as soon as you get back." "Okay, see you soon." "Bye." "Sam!" "Sam." "You won't leave this house alive." "Help!" "Help!" "Giulia!" "Call the police!" "Quick!" "Giulia!" "Sam?" "How do you feel?" "Fine." "Did they catch him?" "No, he ran away." "He must've slipped out through the cellar or something." "What time is it?" "4:00 in the afternoon." " Really?" " You slept quite a while." "Got a peeping Tom, eh?" "Sorry." "You were supposed to call me, you know." "I've got news foryou." "I forgot about it." "And the phone's out oforder." "What did you find out?" "I've figured out what that squeaking sound is." " It's really weird." " What is it?" "The call ofthe Hornitusnevalis." "A beautiful bird with silver plumage that looks like crystal." "What's so strange about it?" "The fact that it can only be found in the Caucasus Mountains." " Are you sure?" " Positive." "How about a drink?" "I've earned one." "In any case, the Nevalis rarely survives in captivity." "In Italy, only one specimen has survived." "Hey, what are you doing?" "Wait a minute." "You mean there's one here?" "That's what I'm trying to tell you." "It's practically a miracle that they're keeping it alive." " Where is it?" " Where would you keep a rare bird?" "At the zoo." "The cage is near the back ofthe zoo." "Over there." " There?" " Yes." "They have to keep it isolated." "It can't live with any other animals." "Over there." "But they'll have to move it." "It can't even stand the smell ofother animals." "Ranieri!" "He called from his house." "Now I remember." "The telephone is next to the window." " Come with me!" " Come on." "Let's go!" "Open the door!" "Step back!" "Give me the knife!" " Don't shoot." " Don't move." "There's no way out." "Give yourself up." "What do you want to do?" " No!" " Don't move!" "Drop the knife." "Drop the knife." "Keep away from me!" "Stop!" "What's going on?" "Where'd he get you?" "Giulia, come on!" "Help!" "Pull me up!" "Help me!" " I don't want to die!" " I can't!" "Help!" "No, I don't want to die!" "Don't let go!" "Please!" "Save me!" "I can't hold on any longer!" "Yes, it's true." "I am the killer." "I killed them all." "Look after my wife." "She wanted... to stop me." "I love her." "Poor devil." "I feel sorry for him." "This is Inspector Morosini." "Put me through to Homicide." "Did you see the girl I was with?" "She was behind us when we went inside." "Isn't she here?" "No." "And you didn't see her after that?" "Would you mind?" "I didn't pay attention." "Thankyou." "Have you seen a girl with long brown hair?" " Yes." "A while ago." " Are you sure?" " Yes." " Where did she go?" " She ran offthat way with two other people." " Thankyou." "His head busted open like a watermelon." "Excuse me." "Have you seen a girl go by with long brown hair..." " and a gray coat?" " Yes, I saw her." "Excuse me." "Have you seen a girl with long brown hair and a gray coat?" "Yes, she went in there." " In that door?" " That's what I said." "Thanks." " This one here?" " Yes." "Carlo!" "So it was you!" "What have you done to Giulia?" "Answer me!" "It was you!" "Now I remember." "Ofcourse!" "You were holding the knife!" "You were trying to kill your husband and he was trying to escape." "I can see it clearly now." "Help!" "You will die." "You must die... like the others." "Quick, come here!" "Here." "All together, come on!" "Come on." "How are you, Dalmas?" "How did you find me?" " Giulia?" " Yes." "She's hurt, but she'll be all right." "And you?" "Are you okay?" "Come on." "Let's go." "As Inspector Morosini... who carried out the investigation, has already told us... the curtain has finally been drawn over this tragic event... that had the whole city frantic." "Monica Ranieri is clinically insane and now resides in a mental hospital." "Her husband, who loved her so much that he became her accomplice... died while trying to keep her above suspicion." "Inspector Morosini... can you explain what moved this woman to commit such horrible murders?" "Good evening." "Excuse me." "Well, I believe that the most qualified person... to answer to these questions is Dr. Renoldi, the well-known psychiatrist... our consultant during the investigation." " Ifyou don't mind, Doctor." " Thankyou." "For the time being we can only say this:" "Ten years ago, Monica Ranieri, who was born with paranoid tendencies... was the victim ofan aggression, which traumatized her severely." "Her mental disturbance remained dormant for ten years... until she came across a painting that depicted the horrible scene... ofwhich she had been the protagonist." "Her latent madness came to life, violent and irresistible." "Strangely, she did not identify herself with the victim... but with the aggressor." "Maybe to rid herselfoffear." "In order to explain the behavior of her husband... who attempted murder on various occasions to protect his wife... we must assume that he suffered from an induced psychosis." "That is, he was influenced by his paranoid wife... to the point of becoming homicidally psychotic himself." "I can hear him saying it now:" ""Go to Italy." "It's a peaceful country." "Nothing ever happens there.""