"[ Whistling ]" "Among the philosophers, the great thinkers and the common joes of this world, no question is more controversial than truth." "Remarkable as it may seem, I can attest... that the following events did occur... whether you believe them to be true or not." "Monday, September 22." "One of the brightest spots... in professional football was Lenny Strayhan, maybe the best linebacker in the history of the game." "Lenny played with fractures, sprains, torn ligaments and bone chips." "They said he had the biggest heart in the NFL." "But on September 22, some maniac cut out that big heart with a very dull knife." "[ Siren Wailing ]" "Wednesday, September 29." "Staff Sergeant Anderson, D.S.C.," "Purple Heart, Silver Star, was leaving the Federal Building." "He'd already proved himself a match for a platoon of Vietcong, so you'd figure he'd be at least half safe in a downtown Chicago building." "[ Flute, Distant ]" "[ Flute Continues, Louder ]" "[ Kolchak Narrating ] There was a publisher's convention at the Sherwood Hotel, and my boss, Tony Vincenzo, was buttering up some potential subscribers." "He wanted me to help with the buttering up, and I promised I'd show up with a haircut, a new hat and a pressed suit." "But I lie a lot." "I told him 8:00." "Now, what time did you tell him?" "8:00." "8:00." "I've got 9:1 5." "What time do you have?" "9:1 7." "Lobby clock says 9:1 8." "You want me to call the time?" "Oh, we can be even more precise and contact the Greenwich Observatory." "How about that?" "[ Sighs ]" "You don't smoke, Ron." "My friends think it gives me a thoughtful look, interested in people, foreign correspondent image." "They're wrong." "I bet he didn't get his suit pressed." "Well, we'll give him the benefit of the doubt." "[ Woman On Scanner, Indistinct ]" "As usual, Carl, a day late and a dollar short." "[ Man On Scanner ] 2 1-Bravo-Niner. 2 1-Bravo-Niner." "1 87 reported at the Federal Building." "Third floor, Code 3." "Carl?" "Come back here!" "Listen, Tony, I'll see you later." "I gotta check out this homicide." "There'll be a homicide right here if you don't come back here!" "Kolchak, come back here!" "[ Voices Overlapping ] Ladies, gentlemen, please." "Look, I've always been fair with you, but I cannot let you into the investigation site." "Now, wait a minute." "Hold on." "There are certain facts... that we must prevent from being published on this one." "Now, we cannot let you in." "Please, understand our reasoning." "We're gonna get 40, maybe 50 confessions on a crime like this." "How can we discredit the phony ones if you publish all the facts?" "Looks like the heart was cut out with a dull blade again." "Pretty messy." "Yeah." "Yeah, you know, it's been seven days since the football player got it." "And now" "You notice?" "The heart is seven steps below the body." "That-That could mean something." "Hey, what are you doing up there?" "Come on down here!" "I'm sorry." "I beg your pardon." "I'm looking for the press conference." "I must've lost my way." "Could you tell me where it is?" "Excuse me." "Could you tell me where it is?" "It's down the hall." "Thank you." "Thank you very much." "Kolchak, no pictures.!" "No, no, no." "Did you take any?" "No, no, no." "I- [ Stammering ] Give me that thing." "Wait- Keep your hands off!" "." "You can't!" "Carl, I'm warning you." "One warning." "Whatever you heard here, you keep in that fat head of yours." "Now, look, we're dealing with psychotics here." "No!" "Really?" "What sane person cuts out human hearts?" "Of course, it was a psychotic, plural." "How many do you think it was?" "Huh?" "I mean, it'd take more than one... to hold down a Green Beret in order to cut his heart out, wouldn't it?" "And tell me this." "If Chicago Bears and Green Berets aren't safe in the streets of Chicago, who is?" "Carl, you're full of good questions today." "Yeah, you know what you're full of?" "Ah, come on!" "[ Chattering ]" "Carl?" "Carl, come here." "Carl, come over here!" "Come on!" "I'm on a big story like you won't believe." "Carl, will you keep quiet?" "Quiet!" "Carl?" "Uh, folks, I'd like you to meet one of my team." "Carl Kolchak, this is TillieJones, Public Relations for the hotel." "Mm-hmm." "How do you do?" " Hello, hello." " Uh, take your hat off." "What?" "Take your hat off!" "." "She's also our coordinator for the convention." " This is Captain Timmons." " Hello." "And, uh, Major Taylor there." "Uh-huh." "How do you do, sir?" "Carl, you missed a very, very fine speech by Captain Timmons." "Well, it wasn't that fine, Mr. Kolchak." "Oh!" "I wish you'd take the trouble and give a text to Carl here so he can use it in a story." "Oh, that's, uh" " Sorry, but I don't- I don't do P.R. work." "Uh, solid idea, Mr. Vincenzo." "You see, Mr. Kolchak, Captain Timmons and I are here... to drum up publicity for the air force." "You see, the opportunities for women in today's air force" "They're practically limitless, believe me." " They're better than they were, but I wouldn't say" " Captain Timmons, you see, has been highly decorated." "And she's also expected to be the first woman qualified for combat." "Imagine.!" " That hasn't happened yet." " With all those qualifications, she's deserving of a feature from you." "Mm-hmm." "Captain Timmons is living proof that a woman can make it in this highly competitive world today." "Then why don't you two let her finish a sentence for herself?" "Thank you very much." "I'm sorry, Miss Jones." "I'm very sorry." "Tillie." "Tillie." "Call me Tillie." "Tillie, I'm sorry." "I didn't mean to" "Hey, man." "How's everything on the tram?" "They treating you all right?" " I beg your pardon?" " Mr. Torres, this is Major Taylor of the air force." "[ Chuckling ] Oh, right, man." "I'm sorry." "I saw the suit, and I thought you were Leo, the dude that drives our airport shuttle tram." "Don't he look like Leo from the side?" "[ Woman ] Well- The hair?" " Hi." " Hello." " You're very beautiful." " Thank you." "You know, I think that the reception for Charles Loder of the Times is about to begin." "I'm sure you journalists don't wanna miss that." "I can dig it." "Enjoy your stay at the Sherwood, people." "Major, I- I'm sorry about that." "Tillie, who was that fella?" "The comic in the lounge?" "No, he's one of the vice presidents of the hotel." "That harebrain?" "This way, Captain." "Well, let's go, Carl." "Carl?" "[ Flute, Distant ]" "[ Continues ]" "[ Screaming ] No!" "[ Kolchak Narrating ] 1 2:30 a.m. I should've tuned out my police radio... and tuned in some Duke Ellington." "[ Man On Scanner] One-George-63, disturbance in Grant Park." "Neighbors report woman screaming." "[ Siren Wailing ]" "[ Chattering On Police Radio ]" "[ Man ] Tim, there's something moving through the bush.!" "Holy" "[ Capsule Snaps ] [ Sniffs ]" "[ Mutters ] Just lie still." "Whoa!" "Whoa!" "Let's see" "You look like you've got a concussion." "I think we're gonna need some X-rays on that." "No, no." "No X-rays." "No pictures." "No, I got things in there I don't want seen." "Dark thoughts and evil plans." "Think you're gonna be all right?" "Yeah, I'm fine." "You just go on back to your meat wagon there." "What do you think of this, Tim?" "I don't know." "I found it near the body." "What'd you find?" "None of your business." "Uh, the officer said that you arrived almost as soon as he did, Carl." "How come?" "I wanted to be first in line for a skull fracture." "All right." "Now, what happened?" "What do you think" " I got hit!" "What do you think ""what happened," you dum-dum?" "Listen, uh, what step was the heart on this time?" "Okay." "Now, let's see." "I got here after midnight." "That makes it the ninth day." "Let me guess." "Was the heart on the ninth step down?" "As a citizen, it is your responsibility to answer my questions." "Now, what hit you, Carl?" "Well, I turned around, and there was a great, big, red and yellow chicken." "I didn't see a thing." "[ Kolchak Narrating ] 1:1 5 a.m." "My head was pounding." "It probably should have been x-rayed like the medics ordered, but I knew the police would be all over the Sherwood Hotel... as soon as they connected Madge Timmons to the place." "I was one step ahead of them, and I wanted to keep it that way." "It didn't work out." "Ah, ah, ah!" "No, no, no." "Carl Kolchak, I.N.S. See?" "No, that's the problem." "No press." "What do you mean, no press?" "You can't keep the press out of here, Lyons!" "You" " Lyons?" "I know you." "I was at the ceremony where you were awarded the medal of valor, right?" "You wasted two bank robbers, right?" "But you're not gettin' in." "And it was three bank robbers." "Yeah, well, I know it was three." "I just, uh" "I thought maybe I could do an article on you." "A series of articles." "Maybe a two-parter?" "You're still not gettin' in." "[ Whistling ]" "Imagine, a girl abducted from the hotel, then murdered, right with the convention goin' on below." "It's tragic." "All these out-of-towners are gonna get the impression... that Chicago's filled with nuts." "Carl?" "Carl?" "Tony, shut up." "Carl, what are you doing with that?" "Will you shut up?" "Terrific." "You just blew my cover." "Here." "He works for you, doesn't he?" "Uh, who?" "That busboy?" "Nah!" "Uh-huh." "Blueberry muffins." "[ Dings ]" "[ Dings ]" "I know you're in here, Kolchak.!" "Is something the matter, Officer?" "Have you seen a redheaded guy in a busboy's jacket?" "No, I haven't." "Come on now, Kolchak." "I know you're in here.!" "You want me to dig you out?" "I'm sorry." "You can't go in there." "Well, what's in there?" "Dead storage." "[ Grunting ]" "[ Straining ]" "Aah!" "Let me out!" "Somebody, let me out!" "Anybody!" "Hey!" "Okay, okay." "All right." "Just don't-don't-don't get that anxious, all right?" "Will you wait a- Just take the hands off" "Thank you, Officers." "Miss Jones, if you wanna file trespass charges against this man," "Officer Lyons will get you extra speedy service." "Uh, no." "No, I don't see that he's done any harm." "But what I would like to know is why you find it necessary to carouse in our basement?" "He also stole a busboy's jacket and some food." "I did not!" "You want me to write that up?" "Come on." "I borrowed it." "No, I don't think that's necessary." "Look, Mr. Carlchak- Uh, Kolchak." "Kolchak." "Yeah." "Carl." "Carl, if you're hungry, let me order you a Reuben sandwich or something." "If something's bothering you, why-why don't you share it with me?" "I mean, after all, I am Public Relations." "[ Chuckles ] Yeah." "Uh, thanks." "Thanks, but, no, thanks." "No, there are certain things that I don't share with certain people." "Oh, that's our loss, eh, Lyons?" "I understand." "Well, thank you, gentlemen, for coming up here, taking the time to bring this problem." "But I think it's been solved, don't you?" "Good night, Webster." "Good night, Carl." "I got a lot of work to do." "[ Stammering ]" "Listen, can you tell me who's in charge of the storage rooms downstairs?" "[ Chuckles ] Custodian, I suppose." "Why?" "Custodian?" "Come on!" "What about that vice president across the hall?" "What is he in charge of?" "Mr. Torres?" "Isn't it obvious?" "He's in charge of the flute." "No, no, I'm serious." "Now, what's a bright, attractive, intelligent girl like you doing in a lesser job than that pinhead across the hall?" "No comment." "You've already made one, downstairs in the lobby." "You intimated, very strongly, that you didn't like him very much." "Oh, you're gonna lose me my job." "Would I do a thing like that?" "Yes, you would." "I wouldn't." "Off the record." "Off the record." "Just for my own information." "That man is a monumental dummy." "I mean, really.!" "That man makes one goof after another, and I'm supposed to smooth things over, or I'll get canned." "Do you know that I can cross a senator or I can cross the governor, but I cannot cross pretty boy?" "Around here, he gets what he wants." "Anything, anytime." "Why?" "I mean, how long has he been here?" " Oh, about a year." " Where'd he come from?" "I don't know." "One day, he just appeared out of the blue with the boss's blessing." "[ Ringing ] With the" "Excuse me." "Yes?" "Who?" "What suite?" "Good-bye, Carl." "Yes, I'll handle it." "[ Identical Tune ]" "Hey, that's very interesting music you're playing." "When we met downstairs in the lobby, I didn't realize that you were a flautist." "I mean, that's remarkable that a guy, a take-charge executive like you are, should also be an artist." " We met?" " Yeah." " I don't remember." " You don't remember?" "Oh, yeah, yeah, sure." "The people in the air force down there, and the pretty girl in the blue uniform." "The one that got killed?" "You don't remember?" "Well, maybe your, uh, uh, friends here remember." " You like my staff?" " Staff?" " Lona, she's my" " Secretary." "Hi." " Nina." " Art department." "Hi." " Ah." " And Vicky." " Executive assistant." " Sure." "I, um, think he's talking about the young lady who was in the lobby... when you were trying to decide on the new carpeting." "New carpeting?" "For the whole lobby?" "I mean, that's your decision?" "Wow." "You're responsible for that too, huh?" "Do your duties ever take you down to the basement?" "I mean, is the storage room down there part of your responsibilities?" "Friend, you're bending my mind off my music." "[ Stammering ] Oh, I'm sorry about that." "Mr. Torres thanks you for your time." "You do?" "[ Kolchak Laughing ]" "[ Door Closes ]" "Oh, yes, Antonio." "That's one of my better specimens." "Of museum quality." "Mmm!" "It would take a rather massive fireplace to display it properly." "Yes." "It wouldn't fit in my joint." "Are you interested in anything in particular?" "Mammals?" "Invertebrates?" "Piscatorial?" "Informational, yes." "Carl Kolchak, see?" "I.N.S." "Get out!" "I know the attitude of the press towards taxidermy." "Always ridiculing us, always using the term ""stuffed animals,"" "as if we make toys for children to drool on!" "Drool" " No, no, no." "You have exactly the wrong attitude." "That's not what I think at all." "If you were a wild creature, Mr. Kolchak, would you rather end up like this- glorified, eternal- or be dumped on some trash heap?" "But there's no question about how I'd like to end up- like this!" "Perhaps you're an exception." "Well, I certainly hope so." "I do try to be." "Then I apologize." "It's perfectly all right." "I simply get wrought up about my profession and what I consider demeaning attacks upon it." "You see, we taxidermists trace our roots back thousands of years." "Some consider that the work of Egyptian mummifiers is the highest expression of our art." "Their efforts, I'm happy to say, are enshrined in museums and are never ridiculed." "Yes, yes." "But they stuffed- preserved human beings, didn't they?" "Undertaking is a corollary line of our art." "Though the materials differ." "Ah, yes, yes." "Well, what can I do for you, Mr. Kolchak?" "Well, I thought that you might be able to identify these, uh, feathers for me." "Oh, yes." "[ Chuckles ]" "These are the zygodactyl of the order Psittaciformes." "[ Mumbling Name ] Certainly." "Yes." "Yes, of the family of cockatoos, macaws, lovebirds, parakeets, et cetera." "This is from a rather common variety of parrot," "Uh-huh." "native to southern Mexico." "Really?" "I believe I have one right here." "Ahh." "Ah, yes." "Here we are." "Superb specimen, eh?" "And a steal... at $250." "Look- 1 25, and it's yours." "No, no, no." "It's not a matter of price, sir." "It's a matter of size." "Do these things get any bigger?" "How much bigger?" "About six feet?" "Very droll." "Good day." "No, no, I'm serious." "All right, let's just drop that." "About southern Mexico, a parrot country, do they ever mummify human beings there as they did in Egypt?" "I'm all out of free information." "Free." "Oh." "Well, of course..." "I would be expected to buy... something." "All right." "You see, climatic dryness was a great ally of the Egyptians." "However, humidity and dampness, it led to a faster deterioration in the New World." "Still, as you can see, the Incas, Mayas, Aztecs... did some rather fair work among their priests, aristocracy and royal families." "Yes!" "Yes, so I see." "[ Gasps ] Yes." "How much?" "2 4.75." "You get half a dozen live ones for that amount of money." "Just sign the voucher, will you, Tony?" "Please?" "Just sign the voucher." "[ Sighs ]" "Thank you very much." "Now here's the story." "There it is." "It's all there and exclusive." "Now the bird that hit me dropped parrot feathers." "Now parrot feathers are from Mexico." "Now Mexico means Aztecs, and heart sacrifice was a big part of Aztec religion." "I think the last census showed Aztecs in short supply in Chicago." "Oh, yeah?" "Well, that hotel chain is owned by a guy named Andrews." "Pepe probably has something on him, maybe murder." "Anyway, that's how he keeps his job." "So I sent wires off on the telex... to newspapers in each one of the cities that the chain has a hotel." "Now this one here- this one's from Mexico City." " Oh, it says here the Andrews family changed their name from Arguello." " Mm-hmm." "And they're from- [ Mispronounces Word J Jalisco, and the hotel chain started in Veracruz." "It's Ha-lisco, Tony, notJa-lisco." "Oh, excuse me,Jose." "I don't care if they came from Hersey City, New Hersey!" "There are Mexicans there, too, but none of them are Aztecs." "Here." "This one is from the paper in Veracruz." "Five heart murders there about a hundred years ago." "Never solved." "They opened their first hotel in the United States about 52 years ago in Atlanta, Georgia." "Five more murders, all heart murders, never solved." "Fifty-two years ago and a hundred years ago?" "Mm-hmm." "You know, Carl, I think I understand you." "It's not only that Andrews is an Aztec, but he's also part Spanish, which naturally follows that he's related to Ponce de Leon." "So he drinks the water from the fountain of youth, and that not only controls the telltale gray, but also allows him to commit murders a hundred years ago, right?" "You're so busy being sarcastic." "You've never heard of psychoses that run in a family?" "Carl, why don't you tell all this to the police?" "I did." "I tried." "Webster wouldn't take my calls." "You see why credibility is so important to a newsman?" "And your credibility is zilch!" "Well, you see, Tony, that's-that's where you come in." "You see, credibility-wise, Tony, you are a rock within our industry." "If you will just go down- Oh, no." "No, no." "I'm not walking into any precinct... with a lot of iffy charges against a major hotel owner." "Well, then just put the facts on the wire." "Let 'em catch up with us." "Sneak it in." "No, no, no, Carl!" "I will not!" "These allegations are against a respectable, important businessman.!" "You're gonna need a lot more documentation." "Businessman?" "What businessman keeps a mummy in the basement and a dummy in a key staff position?" "Carl, you yourself said that the mummy vanished, right?" " Yeah." " Look, you had a terrible hit on the head, and you saw things." "And as for having dummies in key staff positions, I'm as guilty as the next." "Thanks a lot." "The mummy was there, the facts are here!" "What are you gonna do about it?" "I'm asking you to get rid of this." "Get this out of my office, now!" "All right." "[ Sighs ]" "[ Gasps ]" "Gracias." "Yeah, Mr. Consul," "I'd like a little information on one of the facets of Mexican history." "I-I am not the consul, Mr. Kolak." "Uh, K-Kolchak." "Oh, Kolchak." "Kol-chak." "I'm the commercial attache." "The cultural attache is vacationing, so I am filling in for him." "I see." "I see." "Well, maybe you can help me anyway." "I was wondering about the ancient Aztec religious custom of cutting out human hearts." "Well, yes, I understand they did a lot of that." "Well, I think they're still doing it." "[ Chuckles ] Yes." "Well, uh, history is not my forte." "The modern is my bag." "Like, for instance, perhaps you could do a story on this." "Oh, yeah." "Handblown glass from Durango." "It's very pretty." "Or, the obvious- tourism." "It's the second industry in the republic." "Acapulco." "Yeah." "Puerto Vallarta." "Uh-huh." "Cozumel." "Yeah." "Taxco." "Uh-huh." "Cuernavaca." "Yeah!" "Beautiful, beautiful." "All garden spots, all." "But I'm not planning a trip." "Now, what about the Aztecs and the hearts?" "Uh, the industrial Mexico." "Steelmaking in Monterrey." "Oil in Campeche." "Uh, mining in Baja." "Tell me, when'll the cultural attache be back?" "[ Chuckles ] October the first." "October 1 ." "Well, would he have any books on the subject that I might be able to borrow?" "[ Sighs ] No." "Thanks a lot." "You've been a big help." "Now, wait a minute." "Who's he?" "[ Chuckles ] How would I know?" "Well, where would I find out about him?" "This is some kind of exhibit on the myths and mysteries... of ancient Mexico by Professor Rodriguez." "Oh, Rodriguez?" "Oh, at the university!" "Oh!" "Thank you very much." "[ Kolchak Narrating ] 8:20 p.m. While the police department plodded along in their usual fashion, one officer, Medal of Valor winner Earl Lyons, was worrying about a speech he had to give to a high school class." "Lyons was shy about his Medal of Valor." "He didn't know what to say about it." "What seems to be the problem, ma'am?" "I don't know." "It just stopped running." "[ Kolchak ] His worry was all for nothing, however." "He would never give that speech." "That very Medal of Valor would end up getting him torn apart." "[ Chattering ]" "Uh, could you please tell me which one is Professor Rodriguez?" "Thank you." "Professor Rodriguez?" "Yes?" "My name's Carl Kolchak." "I'm with the I.N.S., you see." "I'd like to ask you a few questions, if you don't mind, about ""Tezcatlipoca"" "I'll have my secretary send you a catalog of my courses." "and ""Nanautzin"" "And I'll be glad to have you in my class." "Excuse me." "No, no!" "Wait, wait." "That's" "I heard you were a newsman." "You could be a big help to the Physical Services Department." "I mean, they gutted our budget this year, and you know how politicians bow to pressure from the media." "Yeah, they're terrible." "Uh-huh." "Excuse me, Professor." "I tell you." "This is imperative." "Would you excuse me?" "Yes, of course." "Mr. Kolchak, you're cramping my style." "We can do it in my office, if you'd like." "I've got tons of figures there." "It's disgraceful how the social sciences- I understand that." "We'll get together and have lunch someday and talk about the whole thing and thrash it all out." "Now, Professor, could you please tell me what this is all about?" "I'm very informed- interested." "The eternal triangle." "Uh-huh." "The beneficent god Quetzalcoatl fights the evil god Tezcatlipoca." "Yeah, but which one won?" " Draw." " What is- What's his name?" "Na" " Nau" " Nanautzin." " Yeah, how does he fit in?" "Warrior head of the cult ofTezcatlipoca." "He lost his last major battle against the Spaniards, so he had himself mummified until the millennium." "The millennium?" "I wasn't aware we were due for a millennium." "This particular millennium we don't need, Mr. Kolchak." "Be thankful it's only a myth." "You see, the Aztec empire fell in 1 507..." "Uh-huh." "after lasting 520 years." "520. 1 0 times 52." "That's right." "Yeah." "Now the millennium, or Aztec rebirth, is supposed to begin in 2027, which, by the way, is 52 years from now." "That's right." "Yep." "Now everything in this calendar- months, years- is based on 52." "Aha!" "Well, there were five deaths 52 years ago, and there were five deaths also about a hundred years ago." "It is said Nanautzin will rise and lead that new era under Tezcatlipoca, the evil god." "It's also said that Nanautzin will rise in intervals every 52 years along the way, but only to obtain sustenance from participating in heart sacrifice." """Fifty-two years." Well, that's about now." "What about the good god, Quetza- [ Stammering ]" "What is his position in all of this?" "The planet Venus, the third part of the triangle." "Ally of Quetzalcoatl." "When it rises as the morning star, it's a danger to warriors like Nanautzin." "Dark deeds were not permitted within sight of Venus." "Uh-huh." "Now, these heart sacrifices, there were always five victims, right?" "No, Mr. Kolchak." "[ Clears Throat ]" "That is to say, there were always five sacrifices, but only the first four were true victims taken against their will." "All brave, young warriors without blemishes." "You mean like a fullback, a Green Beret, a lady pilot, and a- and a cop?" "You're great at parties, Mr. Kolchak." "What about the fifth sacrifice?" "You mean, he didn't go against his will?" "The last sacrifice went willingly, Mr. Kolchak." "But then he had great physical beauty and, for a year, was treated like a god, given women, wine, peyote, money, taught to play the flute, the sacred instrument, three beautiful women given for his enjoyment... named after the goddesses of the wind" "Vixtociotl, Xilonina, Atlatonan." "Wait, wait, wait, wait." "Will you take those last names just a little slower, please?" "Vixtociotl," "Xilonina," "Atlatonan." "Vicky, Nina and Lona." "That's right, Mr. Kolchak." "Pepe." "Ah!" "Hi, Tony." "Hi, Carl." "What are you doin' here this late?" "Well, New York called, and I had to finish up some things." "What are you doin'here?" "I went over to the Sherwood Hotel." "Andrews is gone." "So is Pepe." "I thought I told you to stay away from that hotel and let Mr. Andrews alone." "What are you doing with my personal phone directory?" "Come on, Tony!" "I gotta have that!" "I gotta look up a number!" "Tonight is the night that Andrews is going to have Pepe Torres as his last sacrifice to Nanautzin." "You see, according to the Aztec calendar," "Nanautzin- that's the mummy- will rise tonight and cut out Pepe's heart." "You see, that is Nanautzin's role in this religious pageant." " Religious pageant?" " Yeah." "First this vanishing mummy of yours is cluttering up somebody's basement." "And now he's gonna march in the St. Patrick's Day parade?" "Tonight, Nanautzin rises, and he makes one sacrifice." "Then he goes dormant again when Venus comes out from behind the moon." " Behind the moon?" " That's right." "At 1 2:1 0 tonight, Venus appears." "I already checked with the observatory." "But after 1 2:1 0, it's all over." "Because then Nanautzin will be dormant for another 52 years." " Of course." " What's the highest staircase in Chicago?" "What?" "The highest flight of stairs." "You see, all these accidents, these killings, have happened on taller and taller staircases." "Seven, nine, 1 3- They're all magic numbers for the Aztec." "Now tonight's the big one for Andrews, so I have to have the name of your friend, that big mucky-muck in the building department." "What's his name?" "Charlie Burns?" " Charlie Burns!" "That's it." " You're gonna reach Charlie Burns at this hour at his home?" "Burns." "Nothin' doin'!" "Tony, come on!" "Nothing doing!" "I think that the sports arena is the highest staircase in Chicago." "But I don't know." "I gotta check with Charlie Burns to find out." "Over my dead body!" "And you get your body out of my chair!" "You know what your problem is?" "You know what your real problem is?" "You're just not cooperative!" "Get out." "Go." """Get out." "Go." Get out!" "Get out!" "[ Flute ]" "[ Continues ]" "[ Door Opens ]" "[ Stops ]" "Hey, Pepe, how ya doin'?" "How'd you get here?" "Well, I just followed you birds south." "So they got you doped up, huh?" "I'm straight." "Clear, beautiful." "I've never been so turned-on in my life." "Uh-huh." "I'll be cool when I drink that." "Yeah?" "[ Sniffs ]" " Kills the pain." " How did you agree to a deal like this?" "I gave my word, and they gave theirs and did everything they said they would." "I don't think a contract like that would hold up in court." "What am I giving up, Kolchak?" "I probably would've gotten wasted by the cops before I was 25 anyway." "I had it all." "Ayear treated like a god, anything I wanted." "Money, women- name it." "You're smarter than me, Kolchak." "Ever had a year like that?" "[ Chuckles ] No, I've never had a year like that." "Nope." "What am I saving myself for?" "Another job as a box boy, living with the old lady?" "I got the year everybody wants." "And my mother, she'll have all the bread she needs... for the rest of her life." "Mmm." "If they live up to the contract after you're gone." "[ Door Opens ]" "[ Shouts In Foreign Language ]" "You blew it, man." "I can protect you as long as I'm alive." "Should've gone north." "Watch-Watch the knife, will you?" "Just watch the blade." "Who says you have to be a box boy?" "To hell with it!" "[ Grunting, Groaning ]" "Ow!" "[ Groans ]" "Holy" "[ Screams ]" "It must've been slow." "Well, officially, the case was closed." "They never found Andrews or Pepe." "Though I did hear that Pepe was working in a supermarket downstate." "Nanautzin was dormant again, and I urged that he be destroyed." "Without his fifth sacrifice, will he still rise up 52 years from now?" "The police who found me didn't seem to understand what I was talking about." "They felt that Nanautzin was a valuable museum piece and nothing more." "Just dead antiquity." "Well, all I know... is I won't be around 50 years from now for the millennium." "Will you?"