"Hey." "Hey you there." "I told you to stay away from this light." "I meant it." "Now go on beat it." "Never saw anything like it in my life heads ripped clean off." "What do you think, constable?" "I don't know what to think." "They're as white as sheets." "They don't look like they got a drop of blood left in them." "We'll know better after an autopsy." "I bet old Sturges knows more than he'll tell." "The Rinaldi brothers always fished out at the point." "The boat could've drifted back." "How about it, Matson?" "Suppose you let me do the thinking." "You take these bodies over to Kochek's and I'll have Doc Jorgenson take a look at them." "Ah, I still think Sturges ought a tell us what he knows." "Maybe he don't know nothin." "Ya wanna bet?" "All right, now quit your grumbling." "Get 'em out of here." "Okay, folks, you go on home now will ya." "This is not a Roman holiday please." "I need some supplies." "Did you see what happened to the Rinaldi brothers?" "I didn't stop." "It was me that found them." "I went out on the pier to look at my lobster traps, when I see the boat way out over there by the breaker line, but it was low in the water and looked like it was empty." "But I did not pay much attention until it drifted near the pier." "Then I seen them like slaughtered steers." "Their throats cut clean." "Funny thing though not much blood around." "Did the lens cleaner I ordered come in yet?" "That'll be in next week." "You know the constable has the idea that they got caught in that squall we had last night, and couldn't keep off the rocks." "But if that was the case I say they would still be on the rocks and nothing left of that boat at all." "Let me have a pound of liver and two of bacon." "You wanna know what I think?" "It ain't rocks and it ain't squalls." "It's something living that did it." "Kochek, you talk too much." "That's what they said two years ago when that couple came down from the east to go fishing." "They found nothing else but some debris washed up on the shore." "Anything else?" "Just my week's meat scraps." "You know if this had happened when I first came here there would be nobody said nothing about rocks and squalls." "It would be the monster of Piedras Blancas." "I'm not so sure they would not be right." "You know we should pay more attention to these legends." "It would explain many things that have happened in the last thirty years." "Kochek, you're a bigger fool than I thought." "Now where's my meat scraps?" "You did not show up yesterday, so I gave them to Bert for his hogs." "You knew I'd be in." "I'm getting tired of keeping these meat scraps for you." "Besides Bert paid for it." "You idiot." "You'll be sorry for this." "That'll be $3.00." "Where we put them?" "Wait a minute I'll open up the ice room." "Now don't forget we're burying the Rinaldi brothers in the morning." "First class funeral better not miss it." "What's burning him?" "I didn't save the scraps for his stupid dog." "I understand Doc Jorgenson's coming to look them over." "I've got my own idea's of what happened come on." "Good morning, dad." "You left early this morning, Lucille." "I had to open up." "I got the supplies so you won't have to shop." "Thanks." "Be home before dark." "I'll have supper ready." "Oh, I've got to work tonight, dad." "Mrs. Matson isn't feeling too well." "I got some nice liver you always like that." "I'm sorry I can't help it." "I don't like you coming home after dark." "Oh, I'll be all right." "Fred will bring me." "Don't be late understand?" "Yes, sir." "Oh, Mr. Sturges, can I have a word with you?" "Aye, yeah." "Thought maybe you might be able to help me." "Now I know the Rinaldi boys always fished out at the point," "I thought you might have seen them." "Um, what time did the squall hit out there last night?" "About midnight." "What time do you start the fog horn?" "I blew from 11:30 til dawn." "And you didn't see anything unusual all night?" "If I had I'd tell ya." "Well, just that I knew they always fished out there." "I've told them plenty of times it's dangerous this time of year." "Never can tell when a blows coming up." "But they wouldn't listen." "Nobody listens." "They'll learn someday" "What's aching him?" "He is the most unfriendly man I ever knew." "Oh, I'm sorry, Lucy." "I didn't mean that." "This business has got me upset I guess." "That's all right, Mr. Matson." "I know the town isn't very fond of dad." "I'll go see what Doc's found out." "I don't imagine there'll be many people in for lunch today so take the afternoon off if you like." "Eddie here can take care of things." "All right, I'll see." "All right." "Your dad and the town always been at odds with one another?" "No, not always." "What happened?" "Don't wanna tell me?" "Some other time." "Hey, lady, you gonna let a customer die of thirst?" "I don't know why I let this upset me?" "Oh, it's natural." "Dad isn't really like that." "Look, I'm sure he isn't." "Hey, I've got a good idea." "What's that?" "Well, I've gotta go out to the Point and pick some specimens why don't you come along," "Gee, I'd like to, but I haven't had a chance to clean this place all day." "You might not get another offer." "All right." "Maybe the town's people won't be hungry today, but I bet you will." "I'll make some sandwiches and we'll take them with us." "There you see I knew there was some reason" "I wanted you to come along." "I'm not sure it's me or my cooking you're falling for." "Well, I always try to keep them guessing." "Oh, you do, do you." "Well, what happened, Doc?" "What'd ya find?" "Well, the jugular veins, the carotid arteries, the esophagus, the trachea were cut straight across." "There was a complete transection of the spinal cord." "In short the heads were severed from the trunks." "Death was instantaneous." "Well, how could it have happened?" "I don't know, George." "If we were living in the 19th century," "I'd say they were victims of the guillotine." "You mean they were murdered?" "That's your department not mine." "I thought maybe it was an accident." "Well, maybe it was, but I doubt it." "The manner of death was identical in both cases and it had all the earmarks of a conscious act." "Looks to me like the work of some inhuman beast." "Oh, that's a pack of nonsense, Kochek." "You haven't been here as long as I have, constable." "Have you not heard of the legend of the monster of Piedras Blancas?" "It's an old wives's tale and you know it." "Yes, of course it is." "Now it may have been a freak accident or we may have a lunatic on our hands." "Have there been any reports of strangers in the vicinity, George?" "No, I haven't heard of any." "I can check with the constable over at Windswept." "Yeah, let's go over to the office." "Look, Kochek, the whole town's upset." "Now keep your stories to yourself until we get this cleared up." "Do you really think you will?" "Let's try this." "You fix the grub, ma'am." "You sound like a drugstore cowboy." "Flattery will get you nowhere." "I've noticed." "The town's people don't know what they're missing." "Neither does Mr. Matson." "Well, it isn't gonna bankrupt the Wings." "Oh, I left a dollar in the till." "I feel like a kept man." "Don't you worry I'll get it back several times over." "Remember, you're taking me to the Windswept Saturday night." "Oh, was that this Saturday night?" "You know darn well it was." "Oh, that's right next Saturday night's Marjorie." "And the following Saturday, Imogene." "Imogene?" "Kochek's prize Holstein." "Thank you very much." "Now can I have a pickle?" "Help yourself." "Fred, why did Mr. Matson question dad about the Rinaldi brothers?" "Just a shot in the dark, I guess." "He couldn't think dad had anything to do with it." "Well, I'll ask George, but I think he was just looking for a clue." "I guess so, but it worries me." "I know the whole town's against dad and all he wants is just to be left alone." "Well, sometimes in a small town that's asking too much." "Oh, I gotta get going or I'll never get any specimens." "Oh, I love it here." "I wish I never had to go back to town." "No no, back in the house, Ring." "Go on, get in there now." "I don't know Doc there aren't any leads from Windswept." "I haven't got one thing to go on except two mangled corpses and a busted up boat." "I wish I could say I thought it was an accident, George so you could close the books, but it just doesn't add up." "You know there was something I didn't mention to you in front of Kochek." "Oh, what was that?" "Do you remember when I told you that the heads were severed from the trunks almost as if by a surgeon's scalpel?" "Yeah." "And yet the main arteries were distended several inches." "It appeared as if something had been attached to pump out the blood." "I don't understand what you mean, Sam." "Generally, when a person is killed the heart stops pumping almost immediately." "There's always some blood left in the body." "You mean that there wasn't any blood left in them?" "Essentially none." "Sam, you don't think we got a monster on our hands now do you?" "No, no, no, I don't." "I think that there's a logical explanation that we just haven't found yet." "But if I were you, I'd ride hard on Kochek." "Rumors won't help now." "If you take my advice you'll lock the doors and stay in the house tonight." "Thanks, Mrs. Wilson." "Don't forget what I said." "What can I do for you, constable?" "You can do what I asked you to." "I was only telling Mrs. Wilson what I thought." "Well, that's the trouble with you you're always telling people what you think." "No crime in that." "In the past no maybe not but this time you got the whole town upset." "They got reason to be." "About the Rinaldi brothers, yes, but not about some monster." "You know as well as I do, those two were not murdered by any ordinary human." "I didn't say anything about murder." "You giving out that bunk about an accident." "Until I'm sure that's the official theory." "And you better remember it." "Any two year old can tell that was no accident." "You should look up the history of this village." "Look, Kochek, I'm not gonna argue with you." "Now, I'm ordering you to stop the rumors and if you don't stop spreading them" "I'm going to lock you up for attempting to incite riot." "You can't do that." "You try me." "What's the trouble?" "Oh, I don't know why people don't mind their own business." "Who, Kochek?" "Yeah." "He's got the whole town in a state of nerves." "He's a great talker." "I told him if he didn't quit it," "I was gonna have him thrown in jail." "You can't do that." "No, I know that but I don't think he does." "Come inside for a minute will you, Fred." "I wanna talk to you." "Come on have a cup of coffee." "That Kochek's an idiot." "If he'd spend half as much time tending to business as he does gossiping we'd be better off." "I ordered that cleaner a month ago." "Next week, he says." "I'll bet we don't get it this time next month." "I don't see why they can't leave us alone." "We do our job." "There hasn't been a wreck on this point since we been here then those two brothers go fishing next thing people asking questions prying into our business." "They ought a keep away from the point." "That's what the lights here for." "I wish that girl wouldn't work nights a lonely place to get to after dark." "Come on, Ring." "Come on, boy." "I'd invite you in but it would only upset dad." "He's gonna have to get to know me sometime." "Let him get used to the idea of us going together first." "Has he always been like that?" "When I was a child he was lots of fun." "What happened?" "I remember it was just before my 9th birthday father hadn't been feeling too well that afternoon." "There was a ship in trouble off the coast and daddy had to stay in the tower." "Mother got worse but wouldn't let me call him until early morning." "He phoned for the Doctor, but they refused to come out in the storm." "When they returned mother was dead." "I'm sorry." "They were so much in love." "When daddy was first transferred here he wouldn't have anything to do with anybody." "Shortly after I was sent away to boarding school." "It's just been in the last two years that I've even been home during summer vacations." "He must be a very lonely man." "He is." "He lives in a world all of his own." "Sometimes I can't even get through to him." "How's he gonna take me?" "All right I think." "But it's going to be slow." "Well, we've got the rest of the summer." "It's a beautiful night." "It's almost too nice." "I haven't got a parlor I can invite you into, but I've got the best beach rocks on the coast." "Let's take a walk." "I'd love to, but if I don't get those specimens prepared" "I collected this afternoon, our trip will have been for nothing." "Well, you're very flattering." "I'm sorry, now you know I didn't mean it that way." "I forgive you." "I'll be all right." "See you tomorrow." "Night." "Lucy." "Lucy." "You're late, Lucille." "I'm sorry." "Did I hear you drive up a while back?" "Uh, huh." "It was a beautiful night." "You've been swimming." "How many times have I told you not to go swimming on that beach at night alone?" "Daddy, you wouldn't have wanted me to swim with anybody." "I forgot my suit." "I don't know what they teach you in college these days, but it certainly isn't modesty." "Independence, daddy, independence." "All the same this is a wild and desolate coast and no place for a young lady" "or anyone else for that matter to be out alone at night." "All right I won't do it again." "Tonight I had the strangest idea that I had a visitor." "What do you mean?" "Nothing really I guess." "I just had the feeling that somebody was watching me." "You go swimming alone again at night and I'm gonna ship you back to that fine school of yours before vacations over." "Daddy, you're not serious." "Yes, you bet I am." "You're really angry." "Better get to bed it's getting late." "I'm sorry, dad." "Goodnight." "Goodnight." "Jimmy, you don't have to come to the cemetery." "Okay, mom." "Mr. Kochek." "Mr. Kochek." "Hey, Mr. Kochek, where are ya?" "Mr. Kochek." "Mr. Kochek." "Mr. Kochek." "Mr. Kochek." "We lay these brothers to rest with this promise that their untimely end shall not go unaccounted for." "As we put them to rest in the good earth of their native village I shall read these words for they were men who lived and died by the sea." "Oh, most powerful and glorious Lord God, at whose command the winds blow lift up the waves of" "Murder, murder, murder." "Mom, someone's been murdered." "Mom, someone's been murdered." "Who is it, Jimmy?" "Mr. Kochek he's dead." "He looks awful." "Where, son, where, where?" "I went his store to buy some candy and he was in his office dead and, mom, he didn't have any head." "Doc, can you hold them here for a few minutes till I get back to town?" "Ya, ya, sure." "Come on, Eddie, let's go." "We're not through here yet, folks." "Let us repeat the Lord's Prayer." "Our Father who art in Heaven" "This is no place for women and children." "I'll send them home." "Come on please go on home until the Doc has looked at the body." "We'll give you a report." "Go ahead now." "Eddie, put the body in the counter cloth." "How'd it happen?" "You'd better have a look." "Eddie, you better get outside and get yourself some fresh air so you feel better." "Okay." "Yeah and poor little Jimmy had to see a thing like this." "Is that Kochek?" "Yeah." "Same way?" "A complete transection of all the veins and arteries, plus the esophagus, the trachea, and the spinal cord." "I couldn't have done a cleaner job myself." "And no blood again, Doc?" "No, pumped dry." "All right that does it." "Now let's have a look around and see what we can find." "He must have been killed last night or early this morning." "Now look this blob of ink here it's completely dry." "Now I'd say that much ink wouldn't dry in less than four hours, Doc." "What do you think?" "Yeah, I say four hours would be minimum." "Yeah, I drove by here about 10:30 last night." "The door was open so I stopped in to see if everything was all right." "Kochek said he had to work late." "It was hot in here and he left the door open to get some air." "It must have happened between 10:30 and 4:00 this morning." "Well it's difficult to tell with a body in that condition." "I'd say about 1:00 or 2:00 am." "Yeah, well, I'll settle for that." "Fred, did you find anything?" "No, nothing yet." "Fred, come here a minute." "What do you make of this?" "I don't know." "It looks like a fish gill but it's too big." "Well, maybe something he picked up on the beach." "Well, could be but I've never seen anything like it before." "Well, let's take it over to my office." "We can run some tests on it and look at it under the microscope." "Might as well." "Doesn't seem to be anything else around here." "Let's go." "Are you all right?" "Yeah." "Take the body in the ice room, Eddie." "Lock the place up and stay here and keep an eye on things." "I'll send a relief over later." "Sure, did you find anything?" "No." "Maybe it was Kochek's monster." "Now, none of that." "We got enough trouble the way it is." "You two scientists have been dipping that thing in the solution for the last hour looking at it this way and that." "Now what is it?" "Our good constable doesn't seem to realize that scientific investigation is a slow and tedious process." "Sometimes taking years." "Oh, fine we haven't even got days." "Oh, relax, George." "I'll be through here in a minute." "Fred, hand me that comparative slide." "Fred." "Come here and take a look at this." "What do you think?" "There's no doubt about it the two structures are similar." "What's similar?" "The structure of the specimen we found in Kochek's store is essentially the same as that of the Diplovertebron only larger." "What is a Diplovertebron?" "It's a prehistoric amphibious reptile thought to be extinct." "Fossilized specimens have been found about a 100 miles north of here." "But this is living tissue." "Living tissue?" "I thought you said they were extinct." "This is not the scale of a Diplovertebron." "I simply said they were similar." "Well, what is it then?" "I wish we knew that and how it got into Kochek's store." "What he's always roaming up the coast fishing it's probably something he found and brought home with him." "Well, maybe, but I still want to run a few more tests on this, yeah." "I think so." "And in the meantime I'm no closer to solving my problem." "Well, that's about it until we can make positive identification one way or another even then it may not help." "I can't do any good here." "I might as well get back to the cafe." "Mr. Matson." "Mr. Matson." "Mr. Matson." "Oh, Mr. Matson, I've been looking all over for you." "What's the matter, Lucy?" "It's dad." "What happened?" "I don't know exactly." "I found him at the bottom of one of the caves." "He's hurt I can tell he's unconscious." "All right just take it easy." "We'll go right out." "Here, Lucy, here take one of these." "You'll feel better in a minute." "All right can you make it?" "All right let's get going come on." "Here you are, Doc." "Thanks." "Lucy, you stay here." "Doc." "Yeah." "How is he, doctor?" "Has a bad gash in his right arm and his leg is hurt." "I can't tell how badly until I examine him more carefully." "Help me get him to his feet." "Be careful that arm is hurt real bad." "That's it." "George, you get my bag will you please." "All right." "Let's get him to the lighthouse so I can give him a more thorough examination." "In there." "Easy." "Would anybody like some coffee?" "Yes." "Why don't you get some." "I'll be a minute." "She's taking it pretty well." "She a fine girl, Fred." "Yeah, I know." "Doc, how is he?" "He's had a bad fall, but he's the wiry type." "Doctor?" "No, no, later, Lucy, thank you." "Will he be all right?" "Well, he'll need rest take some time for this arm to heal and he'll have to be careful no infection sets in." "What about his leg?" "Well, fortunately it isn't broken." "There's a just a sprain and a bad cut." "I'll tape it up." "Thank goodness." "Honey, do you have any idea how this might have happened?" "Nothing more than I told you." "I went to bed about 11:00." "I thought I heard him go out but I'm not sure." "Was he alone?" "Probably Ring went with" "That's strange." "What?" "In all the excitement I hadn't noticed." "Ring hasn't been around all morning." "You know I've never seen those two apart." "They never are except when dad goes into town then he locks him up." "I'll call him." "Ring." "Here, Ring." "Ring." "Come here, Ring." "I don't know where he's gotten to." "He usually comes when I call him." "Oh, he'll show up." "Lucy here now he'll probably sleep for quite a while." "When he wakes up give him one of these." "If the pain is bad one every two hours otherwise one every four hours is often enough." "Would you take him to my room please?" "Oh, sure." "Boys, would you help him?" "I think he'll be more comfortable in bed." "You bet." "Easy now." "All right." "Can he have something to eat when he wakes up, Doctor?" "Yes, if he feels like it but don't force him." "I'll be back later to have a look and if there's any change you can call." "Thank you." "I wish he'd had felt like talking maybe been able to tell us something." "Well, it shouldn't be to hard to figure out, George." "There was a broken lantern on the beach beside him." "Now, he must have gone out last night when Lucy heard him." "He went down by the rocks and fell." "That still doesn't explain where the dog is." "He's probably out on the moors chasing rabbits." "Maybe so." "We better get back to town." "Yeah, yeah." "Look take my Jeep." "I'm gonna stay with Lucy for a while." "You can come back and pick me up later." "All right, Fred." "Perhaps he'll be able to talk then." "Thanks for everything." "Anytime, Lucy." "You look bushed." "Sit down I'll get you a coffee." "I don't know how dad's going to take this." "He's never been sick a day in his life." "Well, he's just gonna have to get used to it and take it easy for a while." "You don't know dad and his lighthouse." "I'll come out and give you a hand." "Maybe it'll give me a chance to get to know him a little better." "Lucy?" "He's awake." "How do you feel, dad?" "I don't know." "What happened?" "We found you on the beach at the bottom of one of the big cliffs." "The doctor says you'll have to stay in bed." "But I can't." "You've got to." "I've got to tend the light." "I'm sorry, sir, those are orders." "What are you doing here?" "He helped get you up from the beach." "Oh." "Would you like something to eat?" "Maybe some broth." "I suppose you won't leave me alone until you get your own way." "It'll be good for you." "Watch him will you, Fred." "I'll be right back." "Thank you." "That's all right." "Do you have any idea what happened?" "I'm trying to think." "Well, you must have gone out last night." "Lucy said she heard you and there was the broken lantern on the beach." "Yes, that's right." "After she went to her room," "I took the lantern and started down toward the cove." "Why?" "She'd been swimming again and I'd forbidden it." "She's headstrong and last night she had the feeling she was being watched." "I went down to see what I could find." "Did you see anyone?" "No." "There's been another murder." "Who?" "Kochek we found his body this afternoon." "He talked too much." "Mr. Sturges, you've been around a long time what do you know of the legend?" "Piedras Blancas?" "Oh, the coastal currents off this point are very treacherous." "The rocks on the seaward side are covered in white with gull dropping." "In bad weather they're almost impossible to see and many a ship was lost on those rocks before this light was built." "There's not a record of any survivors." "With the coast and surf like that that isn't surprising." "No, but people would rather start a legend." "Some of the earlier settlers claimed a monster lived in the rocks below this point." "Do you believe it?" "Of course not." "Has anyone ever had a look in those caves?" "It's government land nobody's allowed." "Do you mind if I have a look?" "There's nothing there." "Well, then it won't hurt to have a look." "I don't want you on those rocks." "It's dangerous." "All right." "Are you sure that you don't remember anything that happened last night?" "If I did I'd tell you." "Look." "Where'd you find her, Will?" "Will?" "I understand how you feel we all do." "But if we're ever gonna stop this wanton killing you got to try to help us." "You got to tell me whatever you can." "Will, where was she going?" "Her mother sent her to the store." "Thanks, Will." "Come on, let's go check with Eddie see if she ever got there." "His broth will be ready in a minute." "What's the matter?" "Oh, nothing." "I can tell." "Now what is it?" "Is your father often gone from the lighthouse any length of time?" "Why do you ask?" "You said after your mother died that he changed." "Yes." "And that after you moved out here he wanted to be left alone." "He even sent you away to school, wouldn't let you come home during vacations." "What are you getting at?" "How long was it after you moved here that he sent you away to school?" "About two months." "Did anything unusual happen before he sent you away?" "I don't think so." "But you said he seemed better for a while." "He was." "Then why did he send you away?" "Some thing I did." "It wasn't anything just kid's stuff." "Now go on." "Oh, when we lived up north he he let me play around the rocks and go to the beach alone." "But shortly after we moved here he refused me the privilege." "He said it was too dangerous." "The cliffs never seemed any bigger than the ones up north." "So I sneaked away one day and got caught in one of the caves by the tide." "When he found me it was dark and he was furious." "I'd never seen him like that." "He sent me to bed without supper and the next morning I was packed off to boarding school." "I didn't see him for almost ten years." "And he didn't give you any reason at all?" "I never questioned him." "You've heard of the legend White Rocks?" "Sure." "But you've never been in those caves?" "Think I'll have a look." "What for?" "Your father's keeping something from me." "Isn't that a little unfair?" "I don't think so." "He as much as ordered me not to go in those caves." "Well, this is his light." "He's responsible." "Look, that's not quite the point." "Three people in the last 24 hours have met with violent deaths." "I don't think there's anything to the legend, but I've gotta be sure." "Even if it means disobeying my father?" "I'm not his son-in-law yet." "I thought you trusted him." "I do." "If you did you wouldn't go to the caves." "I'm sorry." "I don't think you'd better come here again." "Eddie." "Eddie." "Eddie." "That's funny I told him to stay here until I sent a relief." "Let's look outside." "I can't understand where Eddie's disappeared to." "You look in the office and see if Kochek's body's still there." "I'll try the ice room." "But, George, I just looked there." "George, you all right?" "Go get him." "No, no, not now." "Him, him." "Is he dead?" "He's got a broken collar bone and his back may be injured." "We better get him over to my office." "Look." "Sam." "It's the same?" "Take it easy." "Why it's identical." "Then I guess we found our killer" "Or he's found us." "Can you handle things here?" "I better go get Fred." "All right, George, now be careful." "Lucy." "Lucy." "Lucy, I've got to see Fred." "What's happened?" "There've been two more murders." "Oh, no." "Who?" "Eddie and Will's little girl." "How did it happen?" "I haven't got time to tell you now." "I've got to get Fred and go back into town." "He went down to the cliffs." "All right." "Oh, look" "Now remember one thing you keep the place locked and don't come out until we call you." "Now there's a creature loose around here someplace." "He's not headed this way, but don't take any chances." "All right." "Now remember." "All right." "You gave me quite a fright." "I'm sorry, Fred." "What's the matter?" "We found our killer." "What is it?" "It's inhuman." "He's nearly seven feet tall." "He's got tremendous strength." "You know that scale, that scale you found that was part of it." "He's killed two more people and escaped." "Where'd he go?" "South along the beach." "We've got to track him down." "I'll tell Lucy." "No, no, no, no." "I've already warned her." "They're in no danger." "We'll go after him so come on." "Daddy, do you want some broth it's ready?" "All right, wait a minute, men, wait." "Now look Fred and I will cover the beach along the rocks." "Merit, you take two men and cover the cliffs from the top." "Jake, you try the moor." "Now don't get divided and don't try to take him for yourselves because you're no match for him." "Now fire three signal shots in case you come in contact with him but don't get too close." "Wait til the rest of us get there." "You understand that?" "Yeah." "All right, let's go." "Look at the size of those prints." "Want me to signal?" "No, no, no." "Let's wait until we're sure that he's cornered." "You know some of these caves come out on top of the cliff." "Come on." "Come on he must have gone out through the top." "Come on." "Over here." "Merit's dead." "We'll have to get Mike back right away and patch him up." "We'll all have to go back." "We'll need reinforcements." "Well, come on, let's go then he needs medical attention." "Yeah, now look men we'll start the hunt tomorrow morning at daybreak." "Bring Merit's body, boys, will you?" "Let me help you." "Dad, you're feeling better." "You slept most of the day." "This is good and warm." "It'll give you strength." "No, I've got to get up to the light." "Eat this and we'll talk about it." "You don't understand." "Yes I do." "There that's better." "Dad?" "Yes." "Why didn't you want Fred to go to the caves?" "It's dangerous." "Is that the only reason?" "What's between you and Fred?" "I'm in love with him." "I don't want you to see him again." "Two more people have been killed in the village." "Do you know anything about the killings?" "The people in the village think you do." "They're fools." "Daddy, the last person killed was a child a little girl." "Maybe I'm responsible I don't know." "What do you mean?" "Do you remember the long walks I used to take when we first came here?" "You'd say they helped to keep you from brooding about mother." "Yes." "Well there were many caves along the cliffs that I" "I was sure had never been explored." "I noticed one in particular at low tide." "One day when the tide was at full ebb" "I waded out through the opening and walked through it" "I walked for what seemed miles and until" "I saw a light ahead." "I climbed up to it and and found a narrow fissure opening at the mouth of the big cave below the lighthouse." "It wasn't big enough for me to get through so I had to go back." "Just before I got to the entrance" "I realized the tide had closed me in." "Suddenly, I" "I had the strangest feeling that I was being watched and I heard sounds like heavy breathing." "I dove through the opening and swam out." "The next day I went back to the mouth of the cave below the light and left some fish I'd caught." "The following morning they were gone." "Is that why you packed me off to boarding school?" "I knew it wouldn't be long until you'd you'd find that opening and squeeze through." "I couldn't take a chance, Lucy." "After you left I was even more lonely." "Strange but I got to worrying about that poor creature in the cave." "I fished every day and left my catch." "Finally, I" "I just couldn't catch enough sol" "I got meat scraps." "It wasn't long before the fish was refused and I had to get more" "I had to get more meat." "And last night when you mentioned that you had the feeling someone was watching you" "I had to go down and see." "I must have slipped on the rocks or" "I don't know." "I'm sorry, dad." "Can you remember anything else that happened last night?" "I just had the feeling somebody was watching me that's all." "Dad, do you mean to tell me you've been feeding this whatever it is all these years?" "Until Kochek gave my scraps away the other day." "I'd have paid him for them if that's what he wanted." "I'm sure he didn't do it spitefully." "So you see if there is a monster maybe in a way I am responsible." "Don't say that, dad." "You had no way of knowing." "But I should have guessed." "I should have guessed and told the sheriff." "But somehow I had a" "I had a protective feeling like it was my own." "After you left it was very lonesome, Lucy and it seemed less lonesome knowing that there was some living creature nearby." "I know it's stupid but" "I never got along with the townspeople." "It was something to hang on to." "I understand." "Dr. Jorgenson says you'll have to stay in bed." "I've got to tend the light." "I'll turn it on when it's time." "But the prisms need cleaning and it's got to be oiled." "One night won't hurt." "Lucy, you've got to help me." "It's going to be a clear night." "You don't have to worry." "But suppose the legend is true?" "You could kill yourself going up there tonight." "I could do less, I can't." "It's my responsibility." "Oh, all right let me get you something warm." "Lucy, you've got to help me." "If a ship were to ground tonight and he was out there hunting there wouldn't be a single survivor." "Let's rest awhile." "All right, now?" "Yeah, let's go on." "I'll be all right, now." "You can go down." "Are you sure?" "If I need you I'll call you." "Better bolt the door and windows." "Now go." "All right." "What's that for?" "Because I love you." "Look, Doc, can I give you a hand?" "No, I'm almost finished now, George." "Well, how bad is he?" "He'll be all right had a bad blow on the head, he's suffering from shock, mashed hand but I can't find much other damage." "Look, I don't know what good all this snooping around does." "Now that we got a monster on our hands let's go out and get it." "You saw what happened this afternoon." "We're no match for him yet." "All right I'm sorry." "I'm just jumpy." "Well, what did you find?" "It's definitely a member of the Diplovertebron family but a peculiar derivation." "Where'd he come from?" "Well, from the description you and the doctor gave me and a careful analysis of these two scales" "I'd say he was created at the bottom of the sea." "No, I don't understand it." "Well, it's obvious from the structure of this scale that he's capable of sustaining tremendous pressures the likes of which you'd only find at great depths still he seems equally capable of living out of water." "This leads me to believe perhaps he's from a subterranean cave." "Well, then you think he's some kind of fish?" "No." "But he bears a marked resemblance to the reptilian family." "Like a crocodile, huh?" "That's right." "Of course, we have no idea where he came from or how he got here and I'm just guessing but I'd say he's a mutation of the reptilian family." "Well, this is what we've got to decide before we go after him in the morning." "Does he have a brain that's capable of rational thinking or is he just a beast?" "If he can think we're in real trouble." "Okay, Mike, you take it easy for a while." "Thanks, Doc." "What do you think, Doc?" "I think we'd better try to establish a pattern from his actions." "You'll buy the reptilian theory then?" "It accounts for the blood lust all right." "Also explains his appearance." "Did you notice anything about his vision or hearing?" "Not much." "It all happened too fast." "Off hand I'd say he operates primarily on the sense of smell." "Why do you say that?" "We didn't discover him until George surprised him by going into the ice room." "Now either he's very clever knew we were there and was hiding or else he didn't sense the danger until we were right on top of him." "Well, he might have been asleep." "If his hearing was any good he would have awakened long before that." "I don't think he just happened to go into Kochek's store." "I think he smelled meat, went in, found Kochek, finished him off, and then went into the ice room in search of more food." "And then poor Eddie walked right into the death trap." "You think he either sensed or knew that if he remained there he'd be fed." "Then we have a thinking monster." "I'm afraid so." "I'd like to take him alive." "Why we wouldn't stand a chance." "Besides I couldn't allow that." "I'm responsible for the welfare of the people of this town." "Now we've got a monster on our hands and it's my job to see it's destroyed." "George, it may be the safest way to get him." "You're, you're siding with him?" "Now look it won't be easy to kill this thing even if we want to." "You saw what happen to the meat cleaver when it hit him." "Now maybe we can kill him with a gun I don't know." "But I do know that our greatest advantage is our brains." "All right then let's use them and not take a chance." "Listen to me a minute." "We'll get a net and we'll put it at the base of the cliff with a side of beef in the middle of it." "When he comes to get the meat we drop the net and close in on him." "Believe me, George, it's the safest way." "If you try to corner him there's no telling how many men he will kill before you get him." "Besides that Fred is right." "He may answer a lot of our questions on evolution." "As well as putting our town on the map." "I suppose you two will get your own way." "If I didn't believe it was right," "I wouldn't even suggest it." "All right then let's get into town." "I want to see that the streets are all cleared by dark." "Then we'll go to the garage and get on this net business." "Well, see you later, Doc." "Call me if you need me." "I'll be here." "Here, Ring." "Ring." "Here, Ring." "Ring." "Come here, Ring." "Come on, boy." "Hi." "Hi." "How's Mike?" "Well, he'll be all right." "Look, Jake, Fred wants a rope net." "What for?" "Well, I've got an idea of the safest way to catch the monster is to trap him." "Now if we can get a net about 10x10" "I think we can do it." "You got one?" "I think so we'll take a look." "All right, I'll be back shortly." "I have to go over to the office" "Take the Jeep." "Oh, thanks." "Dad." "I'll be right there just changing." "I thought I'd come over and see how things are going." "We could use another hand." "Well, fine what do I do?" "Help tie this together." "What are you gonna do with this thing if you do catch it?" "Ship it to the university." "What are they gonna do with it?" "Finding a living link in the evolution of any species could clear up a lot of unanswered questions." "I guess so but it ain't getting this net built." "Fred." "Fred, I'm worried." "What's the matter?" "Well, as I drove over from the office," "I noticed the light wasn't on." "You better phone Lucy and see if everything is all right." "Go ahead." "There's no answer." "Did you use the right number?" "761." "Try it again." "Something's wrong I better get out there." "All right, you go ahead." "Now, I'll round up some men and I'll follow as quickly as I can." "I'll go with you." "Lucy." "Lucy." "Lucy." "Dad." "Ring." "Lucy, go back you can't do anything." "Run, Lucy, run." "I'll go for help." "Hurry the monster's in the lighthouse with dad." "Stay there." "He's in the tower." "Barricade the front we'll have him trapped" "I'm all right, Lucy." "He'll never get through the steel door" "Look, we'll use the net to block the entrance off." "Good you brought some extra rope." "Is there any clothes line?" "In the back." "All right I'll get it." "Can you get a line up to me?" "I'll throw one up and we'll rig it to the tow rope make a boatswain's chair." "Look out, Look out." "No, hold your fire you might hit Sturges." "Get back, darling." "Keep him in the light." "Lucy, turn on the light." "Fred."