" Why should any phenomenon be assumed impossible?" "The universe begins to look more and more like a great thought, than a great machine." "Yeah!" "Yeah!" "Go on!" "Go on!" "I need my mother." "Help me, warden." "He's not my mother!" " Attention all personnel, we have a patient attempting" "Not my mother." "No." " Dr. Scott, Dr. Scott." "Please report to the fifth floor." "He tried to bust out again." "Is he hurt?" "No, he's okay." "Arnold." "Arnold, this is nothing but a strong sedative." "" N0!" "No." "It's okay." "I gotta get outta here!" "Get the hell Off!" "No!" "No!" "No, no!" "Oh no." "Oh no." "No!" "He'll be out soon." "I don't get it." "Just when he seems to be getting so much better." "Why does he do that?" "I wish I knew." " I guess, tomorrow we'll have him in intensive behavioral management, where we bust in the guy trying to break outta here." "I don't know." "Maybe I brought him along too quickly." "I don't mean to" "It's too bad that we gotta put him in there." "Those others." "Oh, yeah." "Too bad." "You know, I talked to all the doctors and I tried to stop this," "but I figure that, if everything goes well, you should be back in my unit very soon." "Arnold," "I know that you can be helped." "I'm going to keep trying." "I didn't kill anyone." "And if I didn't kill anyone, then I'm not insane." "And I'm not going to confess to something I didn't do." "Arnold." "If you need anything, you get word to me." " I'm sorry about what happened the other night." "And I know that you'd help me if you could, but you can't." " Doesn't look crazy to me." "I don't like him!" "I don't like him in here!" " I don't wanna die in here." "I'm a lawyer." "I can get you out of here." "My lawyer got me fifteen to twenty." "I'm gonna kill the guy." "I'm waiting for a train." "Save a seat for me." "I watch from here every day." "One is due, soon." " That's a nice thing about trains, they're always going somewhere." "I killed my own daughter." "She had become a whore." "They say, maybe I'm crazy, but they do not understand an act of honor." "I didn't kill anyone." "My mother was sick for a long time." "I stayed with her and I took care of her." "This doctor was treating her." "Determined that she had a tumor." "The operation was expensive." "I couldn't afford to pay him." "We had no insurance." "Oh, there was a house." "An old house." "But my mother wouldn't sell that, no matter what." "The doctor refused to operate." "I argued with him." "I lost my head." "People in the office saw me cursing him." "I ran away." "But I came back." "I was going to beg him to reconsider." "He was on the floor, dead." "Iguess, when I reached for the scalpel," "I got some of his blood on me." "I ran to the police and I told them everything." "Because they needed a fall guy, because they took everything I said and they twisted it." "They charged me with murder." "My lawyer sold me out." "Trial was a joke." "What the hell is the difference?" "I believe you." " They said they'd have a nurse look after my mother." "But they didn't and she died." "For days that nurse had not been to see her in all that time." "They didn't tell me about it until six months after it happened." "Didn't tell me about it because they were afraid the shock would be too much for me." "Your train is late." "Maybe I can help you." "" How?" "The day before I die" "I shall kill the pimp that made my daughter into a whore." "The day after I die," "I shall help you find justice for yourself." "Emilio." "Emilio." "Emilio." "Where have you been?" "I went to look for a priest." "I found my man last night." "I carved my name in his chest and slit his throat." "What did the priest say?" "He denied me my last rights." "No." " State attorney called this morning." "They opened a letter Emilio had left." "He wanted you to have his stuff." "Thank you." "Thank you very much." "Yeah." "Well, Emilio doesn't have any next of kin, you know." "No, I didn't know that." "Yeah." "It's funny," "I got a letter for him just this morning." "No return address." "No note." "Just a newspaper clipping." "Hey, wait a minute." "Walter Johnson Black was found dead in his downtown apartment this afternoon." "Investigators say that the gruesome murder has all the earmarks of a ritual killing." "The victim's throat was cut and his chest severely slashed." "Johnson had a long police record going back" "H9)'" "Nothing." "Pardon me, pardon me." "_ okay" "How do you like that?" "Somebody sending something like that to somebody in a place like this." "Terrible." "You okay, Arnold?" "Yeah, I'm all right." "Just a little headache." "Want something?" "No, I'll be all right." "I'll be all right." " Okay, try to get a little sleep." "Yeah, yeah." "Man down!" "Subject, Arnold Masters." "Male Caucasian." "Age 33." "74 and a quarter inches." "179 pounds." "Time of dead, approximately 12:52 AM." "Cause of dead, to be determined." "Preliminary examination prognosis, shock." "Now, let's take a look at his heart." "I'm about to make an incision above the fourth rib, diagonally toward the lower abdomen." "We will bear the area of the heart." " That's the God damnedest thing I've ever heard." "You perform an autopsy on a patient that was still alive?" " Dr. Commanger, the man was medically dead when he was brought to" " If the papers get hold of this we're gonna look like a bunch of Frankensteins." " Dr. Commanger, may I point out" "Oh, George, just shut up." "You haven't killed anybody yet." "Get out of my office and try to keep your mouth shut." "Now what about the patient?" "What kind of shape is he in?" "As near as I can tell, he was in a deep state of shock over the death of another patient, which might explain" "Never mind that." "What kind of shape is he in today?" "Right now?" "He seems controlled, rational." "No outward stress." "_ okay" "Send Mr. Masters in here." "Yes, doctor." "Patients jumping over walls." "Autopsies performed on patients while they're still alive." "You have any idea what would've happened if we killed Masters before that paper came out?" " I'm sure Mr. Masters would've been justifiably upset." "Well, Mr. Masters." "And how are we feeling today?" "You certainly gave us quite a scare." "Have a chair." "Actually, I sent for you to come up here because I have some very good news for you." "The official word just came through." "A man came forward last night and confessed to the crime for which you are committed to this institution." "You're hereby released from this institution as all charges against you have been dismissed." "I really don't know how a thing like this ever could have happened, but after all, it's not the first time an innocent man has been unjustly accused." "We certainly hope that you'll take this in the proper spirit and go on and live a successful and happy life." "Please, don't hesitate to ask us to do anything in our power to help you in your efforts at rehabilitation from something that must have been a terrible ordeal for you." "Dearest Mom," "I really don't and have been for some reasons couldn't, now I find myself." "I'm feeling." "Please write." "I will always love you." "Arnold." "Come on, darling." "Nobody's gonna bite you." "Except me." "Why don't you start the fire, while I get us something to drink." "_ okay" "How're you doing, darling?" "I'm fine." "Paul." "Yes?" "Do you come here often?" " If you're asking, do I bring women here often?" "The answer is, no." "No, I wasn't asking that." "Why, of course you were and I expect you to." "That's why I'm such a good doctor and you're such a good patient." "It's because we understand each other." "Here, try some of this." "Nature's tranquilizer." "Let me give you a little free psychiatric advice." "You're cheating on your husband." "For the first time." "It's only natural that you feel a little tense in the beginning." "Paul." "Please, I'm not through." "You see, my dear, here you are, with your analyst, to whom you've transferred all your incestuous feelings you suppressed for your late father." "Stand up." "Beautiful." "Someone as sensual and beautiful as you shouldn't be wasted." "Oh, father, I love you." "I love you more than anyone." " I love you more than anyone." "Did you hear that?" "No, nothing." " I love you more than anyone." "What is it?" "Be quiet." " I love you, my darling." "Hear what?" "Beautiful." "Paul." "Come on, darling." "No one's gonna bite you." "Except me." "What is it, Paul?" " I love you, my darling." "What's the matter with you?" " Do you think you can make a fool out of me?" "Who is that out there?" "Paul, what is it?" " You don't hear anything, I suppose." "No, nothing." "Paul, are you all right?" "All right, who is it?" "Who's out there?" "Here I am, darling." "Follow me." "Here I am." "Over here." "No one's gonna bite you, except me." "All right, who is it?" "Who's out there?" " No one's gonna bite you, my darling." "Come on, darling, don't be afraid." "Come on, darling, don't be afraid." "Arnold Masters, although abnormally attached to his mother, and by nature, a recluse, an antisocial behavior, is emotionally a person who would" " You did not see anyone, is that right, Mrs. Turner?" "Would you answer the question, please?" "No." " And where were you at this time?" " I was on the floor." " What were you doing on the floor?" "He was kissing me." " ls that when he began to act strangely?" "What do you mean, strangely?" "Look forward, please." "He was lying on floor with a naked woman." "You were naked, weren't you?" "Would you answer the question, please?" "Yes." "Yes, what?" "Yes, I was naked." "So, you didn't hear anything?" "No." "How can you explain that?" "I can't." "You don't believe me." " I'd like to believe you, Mrs. Turner, but a man is dead and you were the last one to see him." "Well, I didn't do anything." "Somebody sure as hell did and you were obviously on intimate terms with Dr. Taylor." "Can I g0?" " Where was your husband during all this?" "I've told you everything." "I wanna go home." " Would you take Mrs. Turner home?" "Well, I don't get it." "He fired that shot gun at somebody." "There's no trace of blood or no footprints other than his." "And I know damn well she didn't do it because she's not big enough to break his neck the way we found him." "You sure about her old man?" "I checked him out." "He's been in Chicago that passed six months on a business deal." "He spent a lot of time away from home." "Now, Mr. Shaffer, are you having those bad thoughts again?" "It's just that these uniforms always shrink." "You don't know how uncomfortable they are." "Now, Mr. Shaffer, don't get any ideas." "It's just that this uniform is strangling me." "You're lucky to have me, Mr. Shaffer." "To massage your legs." "To clean up the mess you make in your bed." "I'm on my feet all day and I don't have anyone to take care of me." "I have to do it all by myself." "Most men don't know how to massage woman, you know?" "I bet you do, though." "I bet you were the most gentle man in the world." "And I can usually tell." "Well, let's see now, you're not due for another enema till 9 o'clock, so I think I'll relax and take a shower." "I'll be back in a few minutes." "Why don't you take a little nap?" "Dave." "Yeah, just a second." "Shower door's jammed and so are the faucet handles." " When was the last time you heard of anybody scalding to death in the shower?" "It's a new one, all right." " Two freak deaths in less than 12 hours." "Yeah, busy day." " Listen, I talked to the manager and I check out the water heater." "Everything's working all right." " The coroner said she had first degree burns." "That water had to be scalding." " Oh no, not out of that water heater." "I guarantee it." "Then I don't get it." "I just don't get it." "Look at it the other way, nobody else could've done it to her." "It's impossible." " Yeah, it looked like an accident all right." "It looks like." "Both doors locked from the inside." "The manager had to break the front door in when the water was running out into the hall this morning." "The old man she's taking care of is a terminal cancer case, strapped to his bed." "He sure as hell couldn't have done anything." "What about him?" "Did he see or hear anything?" "No, no." "This morning, when they found him, he was in a comma." "He only had a few days to live anyway." " Well, I don't know how she got burned so bad, but it had to be an accident." "What else could it be?" "Marv, go back to that cabin where Dr. Taylor was killed and walk through it again." "I've been all over that area." " Maybe we overlooked something, somewhere." "I was very careful." " Look, if you got some sleep at night instead ofjumping in and out of different beds you'd have some energy for police work." "Car 23, car 23." "Moving out the highway, up toward the Big Rock." "Car 23, received." "Marv, what's happening?" "We had a date for lunch today." " Yeah, well, the old man's got a hair, baby." "He wants me to check out the accident at the cabin ground yesterday." "He seeks foul play." "Christ, he sees foul play in everything." "Blow the whole damn day, running around out there in the woods." "You're a bastard." "You probably have some other woman stashed out there, somewhere." "Oh, I Wish I did." "Check you later." " Sowash, move your ass." "I want a report back here by this evening." "Talk to anyone that might have seen them." "And stop using police equipment to straighten out your sex life!" "Right, chief." "Son of a bitch is everywhere." "You stupid son of a bitch." "You'll be sorry when you catch me." "Maybe I better slow down and show that guy where to get off." "Help!" "Help!" "Help!" "Help!" "Help me!" "Help!" "Help!" "I can't control it." "Pull over." "I said, help!" "I can't slow down." "Oh, God help." "God, help me!" "Oh no!" "God!" " And you did have your siren going?" " Yes sir, but he just kept on going faster." " Now, you say here that when you pulled up along side of him to flag him, he was behaving strangely." "Yes sir." "What does that mean?" "Behaving strangely?" "Well sir," "I don't know how to describe it exactly." " Well, you sure as hell better find a way to describe it exactly because that man, who was acting strangely, was not only a policeman, but he was a friend of mine and now he's dead." "And I'm God damn well sure that I'm gonna find out how it happened." "Do you understand me, sergeant?" "Yes, sir." "I am sorry, sir." "I'm sorry too." "I shouldn't take this out on you." "All right." "Go ahead, continue with it." "Well, sir, when I finally got up along side of him, he turned to me and he was yelling." "Now, I couldn't hear what he was saying, but, well sir, it looked to me like he was yelling for help." " Is that when he side-swiped you?" "Yes sir." "It all happened pretty fast." "But sir, to me, it didn't look like, well it didn't look like his hands were on the wheel of the car." "Now, I could be wrong, I know." "Nah, you could also be right." "Okay, sergeant." "That's enough." "Yes, sir." "We've been all over the car." "As we can tell, there's no sign of any mechanical failure." "Well, we set the funeral for next Wednesday." "What's that?" "His personnel file?" "Oh yeah, yeah." "What're you looking for?" "A connection." "Between those three?" "That's right." " You think this is some kind of conspiracy?" "Dave, I don't know." "I'm just looking." "Listen, your upset." "So am I." " Dave, I got three dead bodies on my hands and not one God damn reason." "I gotta find one." "You want some coffee?" "Yeah, thanks." "Wait a minute." "I never realized that Sowash was the arresting officer in the Masters case." " You weren't around for that one." "You were in the FBI." "In the big city." " But he never mentioned that case to me." "Now, Masters just got released yesterday morning." " Well, he wasn't too proud of the case." "But anybody could have made the same mistake, even you or me." "Dr. Taylor, he was a court appointed psychiatrist on the very same case." " Is that the connection you're looking for?" " Go check out Martha Burnson's nursing registry." "See if she had any connection with this Masters." "What if she did?" "How could Masters have anything to do with any of this?" "I don't know, Dave, but I'm sure as hell gonna find out." "Excuse me." "Who are you?" "I didn't mean to startle you." "Are you Arnold Masters?" "I am and this is my home." "And who, may I ask, are you?" "I'm a police officer." "Lt. Morgan." "Good." "For a moment, I thought you might have been a prowler." "What do you want?" "I'd like to talk to you." "Come in, please." "Sorry about the condition of the house." "Got a little run down while I was away." "Oh, may I offer you a drink?" "Thanks." " I have milk, pomegranate juice and lemonade." "Milk." "There you are." "Thanks." "You're welcome." "I realize you been away." "Just got back yesterday." "I was wondering, have you had time to read any newspapers?" "Yes, yes I have." " You, by chance, read about the Taylor killing." "Yes, I did read about that." "Terrible, wasn't it?" " What about Martha Burnson's death?" " Oh, the woman who died in the shower." "Yes." "Your mother's nurse." "And Dr. Taylor, he testified at your trial." "Just what are you getting at?" "Your arresting officer." "He was killed this morning." " Yes, I heard that on the radio." "I see what you're getting at." "All those people were somehow connected with me, weren't they?" "That's quite a coincidence, isn't it?" "Lieutenant, I understand it's your responsibility to investigate every detail, no matter how remote." "But I understand that these were accidental deaths." "Looks that way." " Because there is no other logical explanation, is there?" "No." "Not yet." " Are you implying that I had anything to do with this?" "You said that." "Not me." " Because the police wouldn't want to unjustly accuse me of a crime." "Again." " Oh, you mean, like Sgt. Sowash did?" "Exactly." "Perhaps the good sergeant died of a guilty conscious." "He should have known better than to drive that fast." " Well Arnold, thanks for the milk." "Anytime." "I'll be seeing you." "Oh, and incidentally, the news reports stated that the sergeant was killed in a car crash, but it didn't say anything about speeding." " I'm a great believer in justice." "Perhaps justice found its way to these three." "I wonder." "I wonder if justice will find its way to any others." " Well, we'll just have to wait and find out, won't we?" "Dave, make up a list ofjudge, jury, prosecutor, witnesses." "Everybody connected to the Arnold Masters trial." "You on to something?" " No, just make up the list, will you?" "Morgan." "Yeah, I want Masters on a 24 hour surveillance." "No, I'll get an order for a phone tap, but I also want a mobile unit standing by." "I don't want this guy out of our sight for one minute." "Right." " I'm very impressed, lieutenant." "With what?" " With the way you're going after Arnold Masters, full speed ahead." " We're not going after Masters, Miss Scott." "Doctor Scott." "Doctor." "We're not going after him." "We're simply watching him." " You don't think the way you're doing it comes under the category of harassment?" " I told you that when I spoke to him last night he all but said that he had something to do with this and that he wasn't finished." "Forgive me, lieutenant, but your interpretation of Arnold's remarks may reflect more what you would like to believe than what Arnold actually meant." " Doctor, I didn't bring you down here to analyze me." "Yeah?" "We'll be right there." "Masters just left his house." "We're tailing Masters." "Would you like to come along?" " I had other plans for the weekend, but since I'm here, I'd be fascinated to see how small town law and order operates." "Just what did you bring me down here for, lieutenant?" "First, you can tell me." "When he was your patient, did he ever threaten revenge?" "No." "He maintained he was innocent, which he was, but I never heard any threats." " Okay, then I'd like you to talk to him." "See if you notice any changes." "Anything out of his normal behavior pattern." "Hold it a second." "Well, what'd he say?" "Nothing." "He bought three lamb chops for his cat, commented on how high the price of meat was going." "Said thank you very much and left." "Highly significant." "What do you mean?" " That he noticed the price of meat has gone up." "_ Very funny." "Let's follow him back to the stake out house." "Lt. Morgan, I am very tired." "I drove over 300 hundred miles since early this morning and I was looking forward to a little rest this weekend." "What do you see?" "A man feeding a pussy cat." " This morning, he sat in that chair for three hours and didn't make a move." "Maybe he was tired." "What's a matter?" "L think he" "Well, I'm not sure, but I think he's asleep." " Well, let's wake him up so you can talk to him." " Anything to help you with your obsession, lieutenant." " If you knew what my real obsession was, you might not be so obliging." " With my luck, it'll be necrophilia." "He's not answering." "Frank." "Check the tap on his phone." "It's ringing." "And he's not moving." "What do you want me to do?" "Let it ring." " Wrap it up, Ed, we got him cold." "Land deal doesn't have to be ratified by the state." "It implies sections 26, 54 A." "Article 43 of the tax code structure." "1937." "That's never been changed and challenged only once." "Dover versus Martindale and Dover lost." "Meaning, what's good for him is good for us." "That should make your client happy and a few sheckles to cut up between us?" "Oh hey, by the way, it wouldn't do any harm if we can get the contractors to cut us in for twelve percent of all future dealings in that area?" "He should go for that too, huh?" "Bye." "Christ, I gotta call my broker this afternoon." "Sanders here." "Get me CF." "CF, Sanders speaking." "I'll be there, at the doubles match, in fifteen minutes." "We should be able to beat these guys." "I know, but not too badly." "I wanna lock up the equity funding proxy sales at the same time." "Bye." "Stopping off at my building to check things out." "If I'm not there every minute, they screw everything up." "Shirley, make a note, tell the God damn contractor that I ordered early Roman lettering." "What did I get?" "Beverly Hills Imperial." "And he'll say I changed my mind, but if he'll reread the specifications, he'll find out that I can really stick it to him." "What he doesn't know from contracts, he doesn't know from buildings." "Read this back to me on Monday." "Shirley, tell Max to 86 the beige carpeting and swing over into royal blue, which should go nicely with the prints of the keen paintings that the kid at UCLA is hustling up for me." "Shirley, make a note to call Phil and see if I can make an under the table deal with Sam for those Louis the 14th telephones out of the Rothenberg foreclosure." "Shirley, I got it." "I got it." "Call the plumber first thing in the morning." "The reception will have an imitation Trevi Fountain cascading behind two of the most beautiful receptionists you've ever seen." "Next to you, huh?" "J' I love it all" "J' Every stick, every brick" "J'All of it mine" "He's waking up." "Hello." "Hello, Arnold?" "Who is this?" "Dr. Scott." "Oh, hello." "I'm in town, just for the day." "I wondered if I could come by and see you." "Oh, certainly, certainly." "Do you have my address?" "Yes." "15 minutes all right?" "Yes, yes, yes." "Sure." "Bye." "What's a matter?" " I feel a little like a police informer." "Look at it this way, if he's done nothing wrong, then you'd be helping him." "I suppose so." "Oh, keep him by the windows so we can see both of you." "If there's a problem, we'll be there fast." "That's hardly necessary." "He isn't dangerous." "Keep him by the window anyway." "Hello Arnold." "Hello." "Oh, won't you come in, please." "Sure." "Would you like to sit down?" "Thanks." "Oh, may I get you something?" "Oh, no thank you." "I just wanted to see how you were getting along." "Oh, fine, fine." "I'm adjusting." "Trying to get a job, you know." "About the nightmares?" "Oh, they're all gone." "Good." "Could I see that, please?" "No." "That was Emilio's, wasn't it?" "It's mine now." "What does that mean to you?" "Why do you wear it?" "I like it." "Why do you like it?" "I think I'll make some tea." "I make very good tea." "I don't want any." "Thank you." "I want you to be open with me." "The way you used to be." "Arnold, are you in some kind of trouble?" "Masters!" "Lieutenant." "Dr. Scott." "What is it?" "You better come with me." " Are you working with the police?" "Of course not." "I came here to see you." "I assume this is a real emergency, lieutenant." "It is." " Look, Arnold, I came here to see you because" " You don't owe me any explanation." "You better go with the lieutenant." "He has a real emergency." "Don't you, lieutenant?" "That's right." "That son of a bitch knows." "What're you talking about?" " You see the smile he just gave me?" "Well, he knows." "Knows what?" " A crane, unattended, mysteriously drops a cornerstone on Harvey B. Sanders." " If that crane was locked up and nobody was there, how could it have killed him?" " That's what's driving me crazy." "If you'e pardon the expression." "I know what you mean." "Getting interested, doc?" "Yep, I guess I am." "And it's Laura, lieutenant." "Then it's Jeff, doc." "Dinner?" "Where?" "' My place?" "Sure." "You're not a bad cook for a cop." "Purely self defense." "And self taught." "Your wife didn't educate you?" " I didn't say anything about being married." "Well, you didn't have to." "I looked around your bedroom and I saw her picture." "With a little boy." " Doc, that's an invasion of privacy." "Probably." "Where are they now?" "Phoenix." "She remarried." "She always wanted to be in the same place, you know?" "Have everything organized." "I went away to become an FBI man." "I thought it would be exciting." "It wasn't." "So, when I had enough of that" "I came back here to be with her." "Just a little too late." "She already found somebody else." "Flaughs)" "Doc, I'm beginning to sound like a patient." "I was just curious about you." " Yep, and I was doing all the talking." "Well, now it's my turn to be curious about you." " Oh, I come from a small town in Arkansas." "You probably never even heard of it." "Blytheville." "Blytheville?" "Flaughs)" "The only trouble was that everybody always watched everybody else there." "Nobody every did anything very interesting." " Well, what brings you out here?" "I mean, to that hospital." "I did my residency there." "Well, I wanted a private practice for awhile, but I suppose what really interests me the most is helping people who are on the outer fringes." "So I went back to the hospital." "Everybody's always got his eye on you there too." "Well," "I'm sure tomorrow is gonna be a very long day." "So rather than waste a whole lot of time fencing around, why don't we just go to bed?" "I'll meet you there." "As soon as you're finished." "I'm finished." " I didn't come here to hurt you." "I wanted to see you." "Why?" "You were my only friend." " Come out here, so I can see you." " I can see you and that's enough." "Should I be afraid of you?" "Not you." "Did you kill those people?" " All the time I was in the hospital," "I thought about you." "About how beautiful you are." "I've been watching you all evening." "How could you do that?" " I watched you make love to him." "I wish it had been me." "Laura?" "Laura?" "What's the matter?" " I wanna go to where you're watching Arnold's house." "And I wanna go right now." " He hasn't moved out of that chair all night." "Was he asleep earlier?" "Yeah." "Up until about 15 minutes ago." "Uh huh, uh huh." " What the hell is this all about?" " Look, I'm telling you that I saw him." "I saw him as clearly as I see you right now." "That's impossible." "I am a trained psychiatrist." "I've spent four years of medical school, four years in internships" "I don't care." " I have worked at the same mental hospital for the last seven years of my life." "I've been psychoanalyzed by the best doctors in the whole world." "I am not insane." "I was not sleepwalking and I know a hallucination when I see one and I am telling you that I saw Arnold Masters in your apartment" "Where you going?" " I am going to see an old professor friend of mine." "He's at Redlands University." "If I leave here right now, I can be there by nine oclock." " If I drive you there, we can be there by 8:30." "All right." "Now, what you're seeing is energy" "energy" "Every object has an energy force, an aura around it." "Now, this was suspected for many centuries." "As a matter of fact, many artist claim to have seen this aura and painted it as a halo around their figures." "But it wasn't until 1939, when the Russian couple" "Semyon and Valentina Kirlian succeeded in actually photographing this, that we had any scientific evidence of its existence." "Now, this aura is not static." "It varies, which is very interesting." "And we, in this university, at this time, are experimenting with certain types of mental and physical disorders to see if we can find any practical application of this principle." "Ah ha!" "Do you recognize this slide?" "Huh?" "It happens to be the one we took just a half hour ago, of each of your hands." "If I may say so, by the amount of energy visible on that film, yours is a relationship definitely worth cultivating." "If we learn nothing more, we will at least have a lucrative mate matching or marriage counseling business here." " Well now, doctor, this is all very interesting." "But does any of this relate to Arnold Masters?" "I can't say, precisely, but many of us in parapsychology believe that the energy force in any human can be controlled." "And it's conceivable that this energy can be projected, propelled." "What we call an out-of-body experience." "Then you're telling me that that could explain how Arnold Masters killed people while he, or rather as you say, his body, was miles away?" "It could explain it." "But I don't want to jump to conclusions." "I'm merely suggesting certain avenues that you might be wise to explore." "You know, in our enlightened days, we know of only four types of energy." "Gravitational, electromagnetic and the weak and strong nuclear forces." "But the existence of nuclear forces was not even suspected before this century." "Now, I'm not prepared to say with any degree of certainty that we have found every force in nature." "Are you?" "There must be at least one more force, operating on a physical level, which would tend to support psychic phenomenon." "There must be." " Could you spell it out, doctor, in layman terms, just how he killed them?" "If he did." "If he did." "It's possible that Mr. Masters has so learned to control the art of releasing energy from his living body and that this energy, or spirit, if you will, is malevolent, mean, angry." "And this spirit goes out to murder those whom he thinks have done him harm." " That's what I thought you meant." " Well, it's not that incredible, lieutenant." "I venture to say, that even you have, at one time or other, experienced some psychic phenomenon." " Well ifl have, I sure don't remember it." "Well all right, let's see." "Have you ever thought of a dear friend you hadn't seen in years and suddenly there is a phone call?" "Or did you ever experience doing or saying something in a certain place once before, in precisely the same way?" "Have you ever had a stab of anguish for a dear loved one and the very next day, a fateful telegram?" " Doctor, I'm sorry to be so slow getting into this, but this is so far off for a small town cop." "So were those four deaths." "You're not alone." "There are many extremely intelligent people who are simply unwilling to accept this." "I have been teaching and studying physio phenomena for 35 years, but I can understand your reluctance." "Still, if I could observe Mr. Masters, first hand, perhaps I could tell you more." "_ okay" "Let's go." "He may be in a trance." "Sorry, I really can't tell from so far away." " Then let's go get a closer look." "Masters." "Masters?" " Lieutenant, I know the laws of your department, but don't we need a search warrant or something?" " Look, doc, we came by here to see him." "When there was no reply, we became concerned." "We found the door opened and we came in." " That's just the way it happened." "No pulse." "No breathing." "No heart beat." "No corneal reflex." "No nothing." "He was in this same state when they found him in his cell at the hospital." "When they pronounced him dead." " In a strict sense, he is medically dead." " Doctor, did you notice the amulet around his neck?" "Yes." "I wonder what it might represent." " He got it from another patient." "The man left it for him after he killed himself." "All right, what do we do now?" "Wait for him to return." "Wait?" "Isn't there something you can do to pull him out of this?" "No." "You might notify all of the potential victims, if you wish." " I already have, if that will do any good." "I doubt it." "Prices, prices, prices." "Up and up." "The government tells me how to run my business." "You tell me how to run my business." "What's a man to do?" "I'll tell you what to do." "Try living on welfare with food stamps to feed your children." "Well don't blame me." "I didn't vote for him." "Oh yes you did." "You just don't want to admit it right now." "Well, what's the difference?" "We're all a bunch of thieves." " Will you put some meat in this package?" "That's what I'm paying you for." " Carbohydrates good for the kids." " I'm gonna report you to the food and welfare people." " Do me a favor and take your business somewhere else?" " I will report you to the NAACP." "Report, report." "One of these day, I'm gonna give it up and go to Florida." " In the meantime, will you take your hands off the scale?" "How much do I owe you?" "Four, twenty-two." "Jesus." " Jesus lived on bread and water for 40 days and 40 nights." " It was not Jesus, it was Moses." "Food stamps?" "A man can't pay his bills with food stamps." " You'll take them damn food stamps or I'll report you." "Report?" "Report?" "Don't you come back here." " I'll come back here if I want to come back in here." " And give my regards to the kids." "He's coming back." "He's almost back to normal." "What're you doing here?" "I'm Dr. Gubner." "We came to make sure that you're all right." " We were very worried about you, Arnold." "That's very thoughtful of you." "Were you very worried?" "Nmabl" "Why not?" "Because the doctor, here, tells me that you have some sort of psychic way of getting out of your body and committing murders." " That's a very interesting theory you have there, doctor." "But you best keep it to yourself or else these good people just might have you committed." "_ H€Y" "You can stop pretending." "Cause I know you're doing it." "Somehow." " But what do you think you can do about it?" " Oh, I can put you back in that hospital." " Or maybe I'll put you were you belong." "Do you really think you can challenge me?" "Yeah." "Because I'm not afraid of freaks like you." "You're all hung up on mom, aren't you Arnold?" "That's your big problem." " You can't provoke me, lieutenant, and I'm not stupid enough to give you an excuse to shoot me." "But we'll meet again sometime, when you're alone." "All alone, except for me." " Mr. Masters, I'm not a detective." "I'm a parapsychologist." "You are not capable of dealing with what's happening to you." "Perhaps Dr. Scott and I can help you." " Arnold, let us help you, please." "Get out." "Oh, lieutenant." "I think you'll find some real bargains tonight at Lemonowski's butcher shop." "I understand he has some choice cuts available." "Fresh." "Lemonowski." "Lemonowski." "Dave." "Dave." "Help." "Lemonowski." "Lemonowski." "Hey, Lemonowski." "Oh my god." "My god." " Well, doctors, what do we do now?" "Wait for him to kill somebody else?" " We can try having him committed and we might be able to work with him, but that would take weeks." "Months." "I hate to disagree doctor, but it will take more than weeks and months." "More likely, years." "And even then, lieutenant, there's no guarantee that we will know more than we know now." " But I've got five dead people on my hands right now and I don't know when the hell this thing is gonna end." " The end will be a major breakthrough for science and mankind, if we succeed." " What about the next poor guy who gets his throat cut?" "Or maybe hacked up in some butcher shop?" "He's not gonna give a damn about your theory." " I'm sorry, I can't be tied down to your set of values." "You are a police lieutenant and I'm a practical scientist." "Wait a minute." "Didn't you tell me that when the energy force leaves his body, he is clinically and medically dead?" "Clinically and medically, yes." "Thank you very much, doctor." "I won't be needing your services any longer." " What are you thinking, Dr. Scott?" " I'm thinking the lieutenant is planning to kill Arnold Masters." "Exactly what I'm thinking." "We can't let him do that." "How can we stop him." " We must persuade Masters to come under our protection." "We tried that once." "And we must try again." "He's dead." "There's no doubt about it." "Everything seems to be in order." "What're you doing here?" "I think the question might be, what are you doing here?" "This is none of your business." "I don't want you to get involved." " Lieutenant, do you realize what you're doing?" " Yes, I'm acting as judge, jury and executioner, but I don't want you to become involved." "Either of you." "Why?" " Because it will make me feel better." "The medallion." "He wasn't wearing the medallion." " Dr. Gubner, what are you doing?" "It'll still be in the house." "Dr. Gubner?" "Dr. Gubner?" "Dr. Gubner." "Search the other side." "Don't overlook anything that might have meaning." " Dr. Scott, come quickly." "I found something!" " He shouldn't have come into her room." "I tried to keep it so nicely." "My mother never hurt anyone." "All I ever tried to do was help her." "But they wouldn't let me and now it's late." "So very, very late." "What can I do now?" "Of course, Arnold." "Everybody knew that you loved her." "Everything I love dies."