"THE BIRD WITH THE CRYSTAL PLUMAGE" "YOUNG WOMAN MYSTERIOUSLY MURDERED!" "THIRD IN LITTLE OVER A MONTH!" ""Ll Giorno", please." "Thanks." "The usual garbage!" " Come on, Carlo, we'll be late!" " Relax!" "They'll wait." " The thing you wrote was a success with the experts." " I'm glad." "Sam Dalmas, great hope of American literature, now writing manuals on the preservation of rare birds." " Be funny if I won a prize forit." " How's Giulia?" " Fine." "She's out of town on a modeling job." "She'll be back tonight." " How are things going?" " Very well." " I'm taking herback to the States with me." " Really serious." " Looks like it." " Good morning. - 'Morning." "Back home I'll look for a friend of mine to return a favor." "I was going through a bad period, a little short on inspiration." ""Go to Italy", he said, "you need peace, tranquility, that's Italy"." ""Inspiration'll come to you." "Nothing everhappens in Italy!"" "May he roast in hell!" "Anyway, I came." "I believed it!" "Saw the country and the monuments, then spaghetti, the atmosphere..." "Great!" "Only I'm dead broke!" "And I haven't written a line in 2 years." "I wouldn't have the plane fare home if you didn't give me this job." "Which you carried out beautifully!" "Here's your check, Mister Dalmas." " Hey, Sam, don't you want a copy?" " Who needs it?" "I have this!" "Hey!" "Open the door!" "Hey!" "Hey!" "How do I open the door?" "I can't get in!" "How do I open the door?" "Hang on, just hang on!" "Open the door!" "Call the police!" "I called the police!" "Herpulse is weak but it wouldn't appearto be serious." "She hasn't lost too much blood." " Okay, get on with it." " Yes, sir." " Check forfingerprints." " Okay." "Good evening." " I'm inspector Morosini." "Tell me about it." " What's that?" "What happened?" "I want to know everything you saw and you heard." " How is she?" " She'll be alright, thanks to you." " What's yourname?" " Sam Dalmas." " Are you English?" " No, American." "I was walking in front of the gallery and I saw these lights." "I looked up here and I saw these two figures struggling." "Put her down carefully." " She was so good." " Let me through I'm the owner of the gallery." "Monica!" "Monica." "Monica." " What happened?" " She's in no state for questions." " Is it serious?" " No, nothing serious, just a flesh wound." " Monica." " Come on." " Let go of me." "I'm Alberto Ranieri, she's my wife." " Excuse me." " Speak to me, what happened?" " You're tiring her." " Dear, who did it?" "Who?" " We don't know." " I hope yourwife may be able to tell us..." " Right, we'll go." "What was she doing in the gallery at this time of night?" "She was going overthe books, I was supposed to pick herup." " Monica!" " Go ahead!" " Stand back." "Let the stretcher through." " Poor girl!" " Stand back now, please!" " Right, that's it." " Where were we?" " There were something wrong with that scene." "Something odd." "I can't pin it down, but I have a feeling that something didn't fit." " Think about it." "Isolate it." " I've tried, I can't pin it down." "Let's see if I can help." "You saw someone run out through this door." "Yeah." "But it was so dark underhere, the doorwas almost..." "Don't touch anything!" "Try keeping yourhands in yourpockets." "Just to avoid temptation." "It saves time and trouble." "On the mezzanine was noted a statue of a warrior, a bronze on the wall and a sculpture resembling a branch of a petrified tree." "On the ground floor an irregulartrail ofblood stains from the service door at the rear to within 10 feet the front window." "Apart from that there's no other sign of a struggle." "You got that?" " According to you, she came down these stairs." " She did." "Now we'll measure from the window to the stairs." "Blood." "I've had it, I can't take anymore!" "We've been through the whole damn thing six times!" "I've told you everything, every detail..." "I don't know that woman, I'd never seen herbefore." "Let's start over again, maybe there's a detail you've forgotten." "Let's go back to this strange figure you saw, describe it." "It was dark, I was too far away, it was nothing but a dark figure." "I'm tired, I leave for America in two days and I got a lot to do." " Really?" "Have you made the reservation?" " Yes." " Have you yourpassport on you?" " Yeah." " May I have a look at it a moment?" " Yes." "Thank you." " Hey!" " Hey what?" " My passport." " We'll take care ofit." " You're kidding!" "I can't move without it." "We don't want you to." "You're too important to us as a witness." "You saw something which, though you can't recall it, is clearly vital." "And until this point is cleared up, I can't allow you to leave." "I didn't mind coming here, but..." "During the past month there have been three unexplained murders." "The victim were women, three crimes without any apparent motive." "It's clearto me that there's a dangerous maniac at large here." "What makes the inquiry difficult, as far as we're concerned, and it's forthis reason we require your cooperation, it's I'm certain this man is, as far as his appearance goes, sane." "In his daily life he's completely normal, like anybody else." " Even like you." " Me?" " Yes, like you, why not?" "Let's suppose you're insane:" "You entered there and attacked her." "But when you tried to escape you're casually trapped between the doors." "You're crazy!" "You can't grab a foreigner and accuse him of murder." " No one's accusing you." " Giving me the third degree." "It's illegal!" "I want to call my consulate!" "Go ahead." "Call anyone you want." "Call the president of America." " Atough nut." " Just humorhim..." " Here's a copy of Monti's report." "TWA?" "I want to cancel a reservation." "Sam Dalmas." "Number one twelve, New York, day aftertomorrow." "Yeah, thank you." "Look out behind!" " Are you hurt?" "Can I help you?" " Don't worry, I'm okay." "Thanks." "Wow!" "That's the most enthusiastic welcome I've everhad." "Hey!" "It's been a month now." "You had a hard day at the office, dear?" "No, I just witnessed an attempted homicide." "I was given the third degree by the police," "I had my passport confiscated, so we can't leave, and just now I had my head nearly decapitated by a meat cleaver." "You know, the usual." "Now you just tell me all about it." "Funny thing it's this is the truth." "Bring in the perverts." "Look at them and see if you recognize anyone." "The murderer'd have gone back to the gallery to see if she was dead and we can't rule out the possibility that he is a pervert." "Aldo Sarti, age 42, eight convictions." "Sandro Larrani, age 35, exhibitionist, twelve arrests." "Mario Zandri, age 66, four convictions." "Giacomo Rossi, age 50, three convictions for corrupting minors." "Rubatelli Luigi, alias Ursula Andress." " No!" "Petrini!" " Yes?" " What's this character doing here?" "How many time did I tell you Ursula belongs with the transvestites?" " I should hope so!" " Come, I have something interesting to show you." "We have subjected this glove to a microscopic examination and we came up with a few interesting facts." "The blood stains are of the same group as Monica Ranieri's from which we deduce the murder was wearing it at the time." "These grains are tobacco ash from which we can tell he smokes cigars." "The traces of tobacco on the glove are peculiar of Havana cigars." "This was our most exciting discovery." "Microscopic particles of a type of fibermade only in England." " We found it inside." " That's a good start anyway." "That means that we now know he's a man who smokes cigars, who dresses with elegance and who is left handed." "We deduced it from the wear on the glove." "Now we feed what we discovered into the computer and get the result." " Have you done that, yet?" " Yes." " Good, then we'll have a look." "This is an outline of the man we are after, reconstructed with an accuracy of plus orminus 10%." "In a moment will follow the first personal data." "Statistically speaking, the description could fit about 150.000 inhabitants of this city." "Of those, most of the ones we feel are the most likely, are in jail." "What're you waiting for?" "Do you think it's easy to check the alibi of 150.000 people?" "I've got nothing to go on." "It's only a hunch." "But I'm sure that you really did see the murderer's face that night." " But I told you..." " Concentrate, Mr. Dalmas, please!" "Try to rememberwhat you saw." "No, it's not use." "I've run through it over and over again." "I can't get it out of my head, but I can't manage to pin it down." "Monica Ranieri has left the hospital and returned to her apartment in the via Bruxelles, number35." "Can I go now?" " What floor?" " Third." "I'm really sorry, Mr. Dalmas, but my wife can't see anybody." "She's under sedation at the moment." "You understand afterwhat she's been through." "What did you want to speak to her about?" "Nothing much." "I just wanted to talk to her about that evening." "I'm convinced I saw something that may lead to the attacker's capture." "I wanted to check what I remember with what yourwife remembers." "My wife has already told the police everything she knows several times." "I can see no reason for subjecting herto that ordeal again." "I see." " May I ask you a question?" " Certainly." " How tall are you?" "Six feet one, I think." "Why?" " Nothing, just curious." " Anything else?" " No." "I apologize if I've disturbed you." "Looking foryour cigarettes?" " Yes." " Here!" "Be seeing you, Mr. Ranieri." " Didn't I tell you not to bet that horse?" " Yes, I know." "One's no good, you gotta get two orthree to..." " First victim." " Right." " Sales girl in an antique shop." " She left at the same time and was found murdered in a park." " Park." "It was a mile from the shop in the opposite direction from herhome." " First question." " What?" " Why so far away and in a park?" "She could have gone to meet herboyfriend." "Second victim." "Atart, she was killed under a bridge where she took her clients." "They suspected herpimp." "His name's Garullo, but his alibi is ironclad." "Where can I find this Garullo?" " You can't, he's in jail." "At least he was a month ago." " Great." " Okay, numberthree." " Numberthree." " That was a student." " Student." " She was killed on her way home from the movies." " Movies." "Okay?" "Enough?" "Okay, we start with the first one, that antique shop." " Good morning." " Good morning." " Can I help you?" " Yes, I'd like to see something..." " You're interested in porcelain." "You have marvelous taste." "These peaces are beautiful." "Simply divine." " How much is this one?" " Three hundred." "But I won't be unreasonable about it." "Not with you." "My goodness." " Isn't this the shop where that girl worked?" " Pardon me?" "The girl who was murdered." "The poor, poor girl." "What a terrible way to end." " What was she like?" " Lovely girl." "But a little unusual." "Yes, it was said that she preferred women." " I couldn't care less." " Of course not." " I'm not racist!" "I rememberthat night as ifit 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 make the sale?" " No, the girl did." "I was checking the books." "And then she went out without even say goodnight." "Soon after, they found her." " What was the painting?" " It was strange." "Naive but macabre at the same time." "Would you like to see it?" " You still have it?" " I've only a copy, we took a photo." "I would like to see it." "I will show you." "Let me see, here it is!" " Can I borrow it?" " No, we don't normally allow that." " Please?" " Hey, what's wrong?" " I don't know, that painting." "It bothers me." "What is it?" "It's a photo of a painting that somebody mixed up in the murderers." "Looks a little perverted to me." "Darling!" "It gives me the shivers." " Thanks, sergeant." " Forget it." " Look!" " Something wrong, Miss?" " No, nothing, thanks." " Good night." " Good night, Miss." "No!" "No!" "No!" "No!" "No!" "No!" "Tell me something." "Is it really necessary?" " What?" " Running around playing the detective?" "Isn't it slightly ridiculous and rather dangerous too?" " Nah!" " Thank you." "I feel I'm closerto the truth than either one of us realizes." "What's happening to me?" "This damn thing is turning into an obsession." " Who is it?" " Morosini." " Hello." "How are things?" " Fine, come in." "For a minute out there I thought I'd got the wrong address." " Doesn't anyone else live in this building?" " No." "They're going to tearthe building down soon." "My lease doesn't run out till next week, so I'm staying on." " Care for a coffee?" " Thanks I would." "In fact it's just what I need." "I've been up all night." "Thanks." "How come?" "Here." " When?" " Last night." "A blonde, 28, lived alone." "The usual blank wall." "No clues, no tie in with the otherthree." "The press is putting two and two together." "They think they see a link between the fourmurders." " Giulia, this is inspector Morosini." " Good morning." "Excuse me, I think we've met somewhere before." " No, I'm sure we haven't." " Hey, look at this." " Not another." "As you may've suspected, there is an ulteriormotive formy visit." "I would like you to come down to headquarters with me." " Why don't you just leave him alone?" " No." " Let me finish." "He isn't even Italian and you're making him risk his life." "They tried to kill him." "What makes you so sure they won't try again?" "You're blackmailing him, you're hanging onto his passport and at the same time you're appealing to his humane instincts." "Shall we go?" "Take care, won't you?" "I'm sorry." " Alright, now then." " Now then, nothing!" "I've gone over and over, absolutely nothing." "I saw them struggling on the mezzanine." "That's as far as I get." "I can't think of anything else." "But I know there's something." " Thanks." " What are yourplans?" "I think I'll stick around for a while." "Need any help foryourinvestigations?" " I thought I was being followed." " Foryour own protection." "Yes, I would like some help." "I'd like to see that pimp Garullo." " That's easy." " They've arrived forthe television interview." "I'll make a fool of myselfin front of millions television viewers." " What'll you say?" " I don't know, I'll make up some spectacularlies." "That briefly is the situation." "Forthe moment I can only say that we have certain information which I am sure will soon lead us to the murderer." "I urge all citizen to remain calm and report anything suspicious to the police immediately, thank you." "Get back to me as soon as you can, let me know if you need anything." "Inspector Morosini?" " Hello?" " I wanted you to know how much I enjoyed yourtalk on TV." " Who's this?" " Who, but the person you are so anxious to find." " The unknown the city fears!" " Tape the call on Morosini's line." "You got no clue." "Not a suspicion, you know that and so do I." "It isn't right to trick the public." "I'm not scared, you'll have a 5th murderbefore the end of the week." "Hello?" " Careful, it's heavy!" " It's one of the best example of cosmic art." "But we never stand still, in some days we're opening a show of sculptures and bass reliefs." " You'll be changing everything." " We'll replace everything." "Yes." " Mr. Ranieri?" " Yes?" " Would you take a look to check the position?" "Yes, I'll be with you." "Will you excuse me?" "Nice seeing you here." "Nice to see you, too." "I want to thank you forwhat you did forme that night." "They said if you hadn't been there that madman would've killed me." "I'm betternow, but..." "It was so frightening that I don't think I'll ever quite forget it." " Please, come here." " Thank you." " Not at all." " Good-bye, thanks." "What do you think of placing it like this?" "It's not perfectly vertical, but from below you can see it better." "Yes, of course, you're right." "Yeah, she was my girl so long." "Where are you going?" " You said "so long"." " I always said that." "If I don't I stutter." " I see." " What do you wanna know?" "I'm trying to help the police find the killer." "That's good, so long." "But I don't know what to tell you." "They picked me up a week after Rosita was murdered, poorkid." "There I am in jail and those girls have to get along without me." "No protection, with that monster loose on the streets." " What've they got you in for?" " Nothing." "I was framed." "They got it in forme." "They say I'm aiding and abetting prostitution." "But I'm innocent." "Look at me, do I look like a pimp?" "Look me in the eyes, do I look like a guy who exploits women?" "I got nothing against accepting present every now and then, right?" " Sure." "Can you give me any help?" " It wasn't nobody in my bunch." "We don't play those games." "It must've been some rich guy." "You know, a gentleman." "They're the ones who get those kind ofideas." "These guys have a particular code ofhonor, which is very different from anything anybody else has." " And this particular..." " That man's been following us forhours." "He's Morosini's man, he's ourbodyguard." "It would appearthat this guy "So long" has got kind of a harem..." " Hey, taxi!" " Well, I feel like walking." ""So long" expects everything from women and nothing from men." "Stop!" "No!" "Run!" "Run!" "All right, you wait here." "Go in there, it's me they're after." "When you get away, call Morosini." " There's a guy with a gun afterme." " I don't see anyone." " There he is!" " Who is he?" "Mrs. Johnson." "Excuse me, have you seen a man with a yellow jacket and a blue cap?" " Yes, sir." " Where did he go?" " In there." "I gave his liver a good working over." "To the tenth I laid him out." "Yeah, I rememberthat." "It's about time we began talking about some of the problems we face." "Pipe down, will you?" "There's the problem of the insurance coverage." "The indemnity forpermanent disability..." "Listen to me!" "He had a glass jaw!" "He died without consciousness." "Fractured spine and skull." "Do you think you could recognize him?" "I didn't see his face clearly." "I want every man at that convention tracked down." "I want pictures, criminal records, every particularyou can dig out." "I want two of ourtop men detailed to coverthe two behind us, they're to be watched day and night." "I'm very sorry to have got you into this mess." "Take my advice, go back to the United States." "I feel that I'm getting closer to the truth every minute." "The murdereris obviously of the same opinion." "That's why he's trying to kill me." "The more he tries, the more he risks discovery." "Stop, let's see your driving license." " We had great fun." " I'll arrange things so we can stay together." " I love you." " Me too." " Bye!" " Bye, Gina." "The sons ofbitches, they really tried to get you, so long." " Yeah." "And I wanna find him." " Sure, I'll help you, so long." "Let me think." "Yeah, that's it." "I know the guy foryou?" " Who?" " He ain't cheap, but there's nothing he doesn't know." " Okay." " Hey!" "This is strictly between you and me." "No police, so long." "Don't worry." "Call the Caramba pull hall and ask for Faina." "Say "So long" sent you." "Elevator, get an elevator..." " Who are you?" " I'm Faina." "Faina!" "Come on in!" "I couldn't just made five flights." "I gotta work out." " Who's that?" " She's a friend, you can trust her." " Here, sit down." " No, thanks." "Now get this straight, I don't know anything, I don't know anybody." "And I don't see anything!" "What do you want to know?" "The othernight a man tried to kill me with a pistol and a silencer." "He got away and went to the Lux Hotel..." " What's the matter?" " This place bugged?" " No, now listen to me." "There was a convention of ex prize fighters." "He was dressed like one." " You want to turn him in, right?" " No, I wanna talk to him." "Can't help you..." "Hundred." " Hundred what?" " Hundred thousand." " Oh, yeah!" "Oh, come on!" "Here." "No, keep it." "Ten, twenty, thirty... hundred." " When will I hearfrom you?" " Never." "Maybe tomorrow morning." "Hello?" "Yes?" "Get smarter, Mr. Dalmas." "Take my advice, mind your own business." "Stop playing detective." "It's not healthy." "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's speaking?" " Is the girl there with you?" " Yes." "She's young and very beautiful, would you like herto die?" "Because if you don't drop everything I will kill her!" "Go back to America." "Forget about the murders." "There's a limit..." "Did you hearthat creaking sound?" "I want to know what it is." "What makes a sound like that?" "It's all we have to go on." "I'll find out." "Well." "What are you gonna do now?" "I don't know." "It was simplerwhen I only had myself to think about." "Damn painting." "There's got to be a lead somewhere." " Maybe the first victim looks like the woman." " Too roughly drawn." "It could be anybody." " Hello?" " This is Faina, I couldn't find out anything." "But if you're interested there's an ex-fighternamed Needles." "He might know something." "Lives not farfrom yourplace." " Via Angiolieri, 39." " Via Angiolieri, 39." "Hello?" "Anyone home?" "Now look at it on the oscilloscope." "I wanted you to know how much I enjoyed yourtalk on TV." "Right." "Now we'll listen to the other one." "Be smart, take my advice, mind your own business." "Notice any difference between the tapes?" "The waves on the first machine are different from those on the second." "Exactly, every human voice, no matterhow well it's disguised has a peculiarpattern ofharmonic intensities in the vowel sound." "When we analyzed the vowel groups of each of these two tapes, we made an unexpected discovery." "The first registered at 5 decibels on the lowerrange and 12 high, while the second reading it only barely registered to 4 and 10." " The explanation?" " The voices don't belong to the same person." " Are you sure?" " Absolutely." " That means there are two killers!" " It would seem so." "Unless it's one trying to confuse us by dragging a partnering." "In that case, he was no doubt the one who tried to kill you." " The one you found murdered." " Now we listen to the sound you gave us." "We isolated the sound and compared it with hundreds of similar ones." "We've exhausted the field of sounds produced by industrial machinery, factories, demolition sites, through to electric doors, cranes, coin operated machines, domestic appliances." "But so far, we've been unable to equate it." " What now?" " All we can do is keep trying." "Okay, thank you." " Sorry I won't be around forthe finish." " You're leaving?" "Day aftertomorrow." "I've said that before, haven't I?" "Forty pages in the last days." "This adventure started me writing again." " Glad to hearit." " It's broken me loose." "Here, pack these too." "I'm writing frantically again." " Whateverhappened to those leads you were following up?" " Nothing." "Listen to this." "This came overthe telephone." "It'd have been a great lead if we could've figured out what it was." "Go back home." "Forget the murders." "There is a limit to my patience." " Is the girl there with you?" "She's pretty..." " Hold it!" "Let me hearit again, will you?" "Dalmas!" "There's a limit to my patience." " Is the girl there with you?" "She's very..." " Well?" "I don't know, it reminds me of something." " I guess I'm wrong." " Great!" "Wait a minute." "Leave it, I'll do it." "I don't believe it!" " I just can't believe it." " What?" " That we're leaving." "Listen, why don't I take the tape?" "If I think of anything I'll call you." "I'll call you." "So long!" "These are the last few hours in this house." "Do you really love me?" " Sure." "How much time have we got?" " How much what?" " How long till the plane leaves?" " Eight hours." "Why?" "That may be just enough." "What do you want to do now?" "Sam!" " Hello!" "Is this the Trouvaille?" " Yes." "I'm Dalmas, I borrowed the picture of the painting of that murder." " Yes, I remember you were so charming." " Yes." " Can you tell me the name of the artist?" " Sure, Berto Consalvi." "Berto Consalvi." " Where can I find him?" " He lives in a town not farfrom here." " It's about an hour and a half by train." " What's the name ofit?" " Aviano." " Thank you very much." " You're welcome, it's a pleasure." "I can just make it, I've got to talk to that painter." "The first girl was murdered just afterhe sold that painting." "There's gotta be a connection." "I'll be back in 5 hours." "Finish packing." "There's no need to worry so long as you don't leave the house." "Two detectives are watching the door." "Bolt it and don't open it." " I love you." " I never should have believed you." "I'm a fool!" "If you need anything, call Morosini." "You know the number." "No!" " Thanks forthe lift." "It would've been some walk!" " You're welcome." "Get out ofhere, the man's crazy." "You neverknow what'll happen next." " Thanks forthe advice." " Follow it!" "If you wanna carry on, you don't need to go looking forthe door." "He'd been walled up, the whole building, doors, windows." " There's got a way to get in it." " It doesn't mean he'll let you in." "If yourface ain't right, he'd tell you what you can do with it!" "Consalvi?" "Berto Consalvi?" " Go to blazes." " I want to buy a painting." " What do you want it for?" " Formy house." "Hey!" " Why did you wall up yourhouse?" " To keep out the busybodies." "Nobody gets in here unless I want them to!" "Besides there are cats." "Who told you about me?" "Nobody, I saw one of yourpaintings." "I liked it." " What was it?" " It was one about a murdererkilling a girl." "I don't do that crap anymore." "I'm going through a mystical period." " I only paint mystical scenes." " Why?" "Why?" "Because I feel mystical." "Lfit's any of your damn business." "No, no, it's not." " What was yourinspiration for that painting?" " You wanna eat?" "Yeah." "That was a real story a long time ago." "Thanks, that's fine." " How long?" " Ten years, more orless." "A maniac got hold of a girl I knew." "He tried to cut herup." "I just stopped him in time." "They put him in an asylum forlife." "Genius!" "Hey, you want to buy a painting ornot?" " Do you?" " Yeah." "Sure." "Come with me." "I got just the thing." "Early Consalvi, very rare!" "Hey!" "Shut the window!" "There you are!" "Got you!" "Naughty Theodore." "Blasted cats, crafty creatures." "They always manage to find a hole to slip through and they're always away in a flash." " Why do you lock them up?" " The less they move the fatterthey get." " Why do you wanna them to get fat?" " Why?" "I eat them." " Oh, no!" " What's the matter?" "Don't you like cats?" "I don't know." "I never ate any." "Never, huh?" " Here, take this one." "Two hundred thousand." " Oh, no!" " No?" "Alright, one hundred and fifty." " Oh, no!" " A hundred!" " Oh, no!" "Fifty thousand!" "Get lost!" " Hello?" " You still mad at me?" " Where are you?" " I'm at the station in Aviano on my way home." " How did it go?" "I talked to him, but I didn't go anywhere." "There's a railway strike, I'll be about an hour and a halflate." " What about the plane?" " Don't worry I'll be there in time." " Everything okay?" " Yes." " Carlo phoned." " He discovered something." " What?" " He didn't say." "I told him you had left and you'd call him as soon as you get back." "Sam..." "Sam." "Sam?" "You won't leave this house alive." "Help!" "Help!" "Help!" "Help!" "Help!" "Giulia?" "Giulia!" "Giulia!" "Sam?" " How do you feel?" " Alright." "Did they get him?" "No, he must've slipped out through the cellar or something." "What time is it?" "Just after 4:30." "You slept around the clock." "Peeping Tom, huh?" "So sorry!" "You were supposed to call me, you know?" "I've got news foryou." "The phone's been out of order." "I think I've finally figured out what that cracking sound is." " It's peculiar." " What is it?" " The call of the Hornitus Nevalis." "A magnificent bird with long white feathers that look like glass." "What's so strange about it?" "The only place in the world that bird can live is Northern Siberia." " Are you sure?" " Positive." "How about a drink?" "I deserve one." "It's almost impossible to keep one of those birds alive in captivity." "There's only one specimen in Italy and that has to be kept..." " What's the matterwith you?" " Wait a minute." " You mean there's one here?" " That's what I try to tell you." "It's practically a miracle but they're managing to keep one alive." " Where?" " Where else would you keep a rare bird?" "The zoo." " The cage is nearthe back of the zoo." " It's quite a walk." "It's not farnow." "They have to keep it isolated." "It doesn't get along with the other animals." "They have to move it." "It can't even stand the smell of them." "There it is!" "Ranieri!" "He called from his flat." "I remembernow." "The telephone's right next to that window." "Monica!" "Come on, Giulia!" " Open the door!" " Right, leave it to us!" "Give me the knife!" " Don't shoot." " Let her go." " There's no way out." "Give yourself up." " You can't get away." " Drop the knife." " No!" " Don't move." "There is no way out." " No!" "Drop the knife!" "Keep away from me." "Keep away!" " That's enough!" " What has happened?" " Where'd he get you?" " Giulia!" "Come on!" "Save me!" "Please!" "I don't want to die!" "Help me!" "I don't want to die!" "I can't hold him." "Yes, it's true, I'm the murderer." "I killed all of them." "Please, take care of my wife." "She tried to stop me." "I loved her." "Poor devil, I feel sorry forhim." "Morosini here, put me through the homicide." " Have you seen the girl I was with?" " No, she was behind us." " Isn't she here?" " No." "Have you seen her since then?" "No, I haven't." "Thanks." " Have you seen a girl with blond hair?" " She came down a while ago." " Sure?" "Which way did she go?" " She ran offing that direction." " With two others." " Thanks." "His head busted open like a watermelon!" "Excuse me, have you seen a girl go by in that direction with blond hair and a gray raincoat came down to about here?" "Sure." "Have you seen a girl with blond hair and a gray raincoat?" " I saw her going there." " In that door?" " That's what I said." "Thanks." " This one here?" " Yes." "Carlo!" "Oh, my God!" "What have you done with Giulia?" "Answerme!" "It was you!" "It's the otherway around." "Like a knife in yourhand." "You were trying to kill yourhusband." "It was the otherway around." "That's what I knew I've seen!" "Help me." "Help me." "Now you're going to die!" "You're going to die!" "You're going to die!" "Like all the others." "Right, come on, quick." "Now, one at each end." "That's it, now lift!" "That's enough, hold it!" "No, I'll pull you." "That's it." "Are you alright?" " How did you find out?" " Giulia." "Giulia?" "Yes, she'll be alright." "And you'll be alright too." "Come on, I'll help you up." "As inspector Morosini, in charge of the investigations, had told you, the final curtain fell on what kept the city in a state of shock." "Monica Ranieri is in custody at the psychiatric hospital." "Herhusband lost his life in a last attempt to turn suspicion on him." "What lead this unbalanced creatures to commit horrible murders?" "Good evening." "Sorry." "The person best qualified to answer this question is Professor Renoldi, the well known psychiatrist who was our consultant during the inquiry." " Please, would you explain?" " Certainly." "Forthe moment we can only make conjectures." "Ten years ago Monica Ranieri, who had evident paranoid tendencies, was brutally attacked and suffered a severe trauma." "Still, she recovered sufficiently to return to a normal life." "Hermental disturbance remained dormant forten years." "Until she came across a painting which depicted the horrible scene." "Herlatent madness came to life violent and irresistible." "She didn't identify herself as depicted, but with her attacker." "In orderto explain the behavior ofherhusband, who attempted murder to protect his wife, we must assume that he suffered from an induced psychosis." "He was influenced by his wife to become homicidally psychotic." "I can hearhim saying it now: "Go to Italy it's a peaceful country"." ""Nothing everhappens there.""