"Give me your hand!" "Ouch!" "You said no more aches or pains." "This darn corset binds." "No three-way stretch?" "Very un-chic." ""Ntilever" You know those... police department doctors:" "No style." "Well, anyway, tomorrow'll be the day." "What's tomorrow?" "The corset comes off tomorrow." "I'll be able to scratch myself tomorrow." "I'll throw this miserable thing out the window... and be a free..." "a free man." "Midge, do you suppose many men wear corsets?" " Mm-hmm." "More than you think." " Really?" "Do you know that from personal experience?" "Please." " What happens after tomorrow?" " What do you mean?" "What are you going to do now that you've quit the police force?" " You sound so disapproving." " No, it's your life." "You were the young lawyer that decided he'd be chief of police someday." " I had to quit." " Why?" "Because of this fear of heights I have, this acrophobia." "I wake up seeing that man fall from the roof." "I try to reach out to him." " It wasn't your fault." " I know." "Everybody tells me that." " Johnny, the doctors explained to you..." " I know." "I have acrophobia, which gives me vertigo, and I get dizzy." "Boy, what a moment to find out I had it." "You've got it." "There's no losing it." "There's no one to blame." "Why quit?" "You mean, sit behind a desk, chair-borne?" " Where you belong." " What about my acrophobia?" "Suppose I'm sitting behind the desk, and a pencil falls to the floor." "I reach down to pick up the pencil." "Bingo." "My acrophobia's back." "Oh, Johnny-O." "Well, what do you do?" "I'm not gonna do anything for a while." "Don't forget, I'm a man of independent means, as the saying goes." "Fairly independent." "Mm-hmm." "Well, why don't you go away for a while?" "You mean to forget?" "Don't be so motherly." "I'm not gonna crack up." "Have you had any dizzy spells this week?" "I'm having one right now." "Midge, the music." "Don't you think it's sort of, um..." "What's this doohickey?" "It's a brassiere." "You know about those things." "You're a big boy now." "I've never run across one like that." "It's brand new." "Revolutionary uplift." "No shoulder straps." "No back straps." "But it does everything a brassiere should do." "Works on the principle of the cantilever bridge." " It does?" " Mm-hmm." "An aircraft engineer down the peninsula designed it." "He worked it out in his spare time." "Kind of a hobby." "Do-it-yourself type thing." "How's your love life?" "That's following a train of thought." "Well?" "Normal." "Aren't you ever gonna get married?" "You know there's only one man in the world for me." "You mean me." "We were engaged once, though, weren't we?" "Three whole weeks." "Yeah, good old college days." "You were the one that called off the engagement." "You remember?" "I'm still available." "Available Ferguson." "Do you remember a fella in college named Gavin Elster?" " Yeah." "It's a funny name." " You'd think I would." "No." "Had a call from Gavin today." "He dropped out of sight during the war." "He went East." "I guess he's back." "It's a Mission number." "Isn't that Skid Row?" "Could be." "He's probably on the bum and wants to touch you for a drink." "I'm on the bum." "I'll buy him a couple drinks and tell him my troubles." "But not tonight." "Let's go out for a beer." "Sorry, old man." "Work." "Well then, I think I'll go home." "What did you mean, there's no losing it?" "What?" "The acrophobia." "Oh, I asked my doctor." "He said only another emotional shock could do it, and probably wouldn't." "You're not gonna dive off another rooftop to find out." " I think I can lick it." " How?" "I have a theory." "I think, if I can get used to heights just a little bit at a time..." "Just a little..." "Like that." "Progressively, you see?" "I'll show you what I mean." "Here." "Show you what I mean." " We'll start with this." " That?" "Do you want me to start with the Golden Gate Bridge?" "Watch this." "Here we go." "There." "Now I look up." "I look down." " I look up." "There's nothing to it." " You're kidding." "Wait a minute." " Here." " That's a girl." "I can use that." "Put it right there." "All right." "Here's the first step." "There." "Okay, now step number two." "Step number two, comin' up." "There we are." "See?" "I look up." "I look down." "I look up." "I'm going right out and buy myself a nice, tall stepladder." " Take it easy now." " All right, here we go." "No problem." "There." "This is a cinch." "I look up." "I look down." "Oh, Johnny." "How did you get in the shipbuilding business, Gavin?" "I married into it." " Very interesting business." " No." "To be honest, I find it dull." "Well, you don't have to do it for a living." "No, but one assumes responsibilities." "My wife's family is all gone." "Someone has to look after her interests." "Her father's partner runs the company yard in the East." "Baltimore." "So I decided, as long as I had to work at it, I'd come back here." "I've always liked it here." " How long have you been back?" " Almost a year." "You like it, huh?" "Well, San Francisco's changed." "The things that spell San Francisco to me are disappearing fast." "Like all these." "Yes." "I should have liked to have lived here then." "Color, excitement, power, freedom." "Shouldn't you sit down?" "No." "I'm all right." "I was sorry to read about that thing in the paper." "And you've quit the force." "Is it a permanent physical disability?" "It means that I can't climb stairs that are too steep or go to high places... like the bar at the Top of the Mark." "But there are plenty of street-level bars in this town." " Would you like a drink now?" " No, I don't think so." "It's a little early in the day for me." "Well, I guess that just about covers everything, doesn't it?" "I never married, I don't see much of the old college gang..." "I'm a retired detective and you're in the shipbuilding business." "What's on your mind?" "I asked you to come up here, Scottie... knowing that you'd quit detective work... but I wondered whether you'd go back on the job as a special favor to me." "I want you to follow my wife." "No, it's not that." "We're very happily married." " Well, then..." " I'm afraid some harm may come to her." " From whom?" " Someone dead." "Scottie, do you believe that someone out of the past... someone dead, can enter and take possession of a living being?" "If I told you that this has happened to my wife, what would you say?" "Well, I'd say take her to the nearest psychiatrist or psychologist... or neurologist or psycho..." "or maybe just the plain family doctor." "I'd have him check on you too." "Then you're of no use to me." "I'm sorry I wasted your time." "Thanks for coming in." "I, uh..." "I didn't mean to be that rough." "No, it sounds idiotic, I know." "And you're still the hardheaded Scot, aren't you?" "Always were." "Do you think I'm making it up?" "I'm not making it up." "I wouldn't know how." "She'll be talking to me about something." "Suddenly the words fade into silence." "A cloud... comes into her eyes, and they go blank." "She's somewhere else, away from me, someone I don't know." "I call to her, she doesn't even hear me." "Then with a long sigh, she's back." "Looks at me brightly." "Doesn't even know she's been away." "Can't tell me where or when." "Well, how often does this happen?" "More and more in the past few weeks." "And she wanders." "God knows where she wanders." "I followed her one day... watched her coming out of the apartment... someone I didn't know." "She even walked a different way." "Got into her car and... drove out to Golden Gate Park, five miles." "Sat by the lake... staring across the water at the pillars that stand on the far shore." "You know, portals of the past." "Sat there a long time without moving." "I had to leave, get back to the office." "When I got home that evening, I asked her what she'd done all day." "She said she'd driven out to Golden Gate Park... and sat by the lake, that's all." "Well?" "The speedometer on her car showed that she'd driven 94 miles." "Where did she go?" "I've gotta know, Scottie, where she goes and what she does... before I get involved with doctors." " Have you talked to doctors about this?" " Yes, but carefully." "I want to know more before committing her to that kind of care." "I'll get you a firm of private eyes to follow her for you." " They're dependable, good boys." " I want you." "Look, this isn't my line." "I need a friend, someone I can trust." "I'm in a panic about this." "I'm supposed to be retired." "I don't want to get mixed up in this darn thing." "Look, we're going to an opening at the opera tonight." "We're dining at Ernie's first." "You can see her there." "Ernie's." "Tell me something." "That lady sitting in there..." "Who's the woman in the painting she's looking at?" "That's Carlotta." "You'll find it in the catalog." " "Portrait of Carlotta."" " May I have this?" " Yes." " Thank you." "Yes?" "What can I do for you?" " You run this hotel?" " Oh, yes." "Would you tell me who has the room on the second floor... in the corner, that corner?" "I'm afraid we couldn't give out information of that sort." "Our clients are entitled their privacy, you know." "And I do believe it's against the law." "Of course, I don't think any would mind." "But still, I..." "Oh, dear." "Has she done something wrong?" "Please answer my question." " I can't imagine that sweet girl..." " What's her name?" " Miss Valdes." "Spanish, you know." " Carlotta Valdes?" "Yeah, that's it." "Sweet name, isn't it?" "Foreign, but sweet." "How long has she had the room?" "Oh, it must be two weeks." "Her rent's due tomorrow." "Does she sleep here ever?" "No, she just comes to sit two or three times a week." "I don't ask questions, you know, as long as they're well behaved." "I've wondered..." "When she comes down, don't say I've been here." "But she hasn't been here today." "I just saw her come in five minutes ago." "No, she hasn't been here at all." "I would have seen her, you know." "I've been right here putting olive oil on my rubber plant leaves." "And there." "You see?" "Her key is on the rack." " Would you please go up and look?" " To her room?" " That's right." " Yes, of course, if you ask." " But it does seem silly." " Thank you." "Mr. Detective?" "Would you like to come and look?" "Her car's gone." "What car?" "Who do you know that's an authority on San Francisco history?" "That's the kind of greeting a girl likes." "None of this "Hello, you look wonderful" stuff." "Just a good, "Who do you know that's an authority on San Francisco..."" " Want a drink?" " No, thanks." "Well, who do you?" "You know everybody." "Professor Saunders over in Berkeley." "No, I don't mean that kind of history." "I mean the small stuff, people you never heard of." "You mean the gay old Bohemian days of gay old San Francisco... juicy stories, like who shot who in the Embarcadero in August, 1879." " Yeah, that's right." " Pop Leibel." " Who?" " Pop Leibel." "He owns the Argosy Book Shop." "Why?" "What do you want to know?" "I want to know who shot who in the Embarcadero in August, 1879." "Wait a minute." "You're not a detective anymore." "What's going on?" " You know him well?" " Who?" " Pop Leibel." " Oh, sure." "Let's go." "I want you to introduce me." "Get your hat." "I don't need a hat." "What's it all about?" "Hey, wait a minute." "Oh, yes, I remember." "Carlotta." "The beautiful Carlotta." "The sad Carlotta." "What does an old wooden house at the corner of Eddy and Gough Street... have to do with Carlotta Valdes?" "Oh, it was hers." "It was built for her many years ago." " By whom?" " By, uh..." "No." "The name I do not remember." "A rich man, a powerful man." " Cigarette?" " No, thank you." " Cigarette, Miss?" " No." "It is not an unusual story." "She came from somewhere small, to the south of the city." "Some say from a mission settlement." "Young, yes." "Very young." "And she was found dancing and singing... in a cabaret by that man... and he took her... and built for her the great house... in the Western Addition." "And there was a child." "Yes, that's it." "The child." "I cannot tell you... exactly how much time passed... or how much happiness there was." "But then he threw her away." "He had no other children." "His wife had no children." "So, he kept the child and threw her away." "You know, a man could do that in those days." "They had the power and the freedom." "And she became the sad Carlotta... alone in the great house... walking the streets alone... her clothes becoming old and patched and dirty." "And the mad Carlotta... stopping people in the streets to ask..." ""Where is my child?" "Have you seen my child?"" " Poor thing." " And she died." " She died." " How?" "By her own hand." "There are many such stories." " Well, thank you very much." " You are welcome." " I appreciate it." "Good-bye." " Good-bye." "Hey, wait a minute!" "Good-bye, Pop." "Thanks a lot." " Now then, pay me." " For what?" " For bringing you here." "Come on." "Tell." " There's nothing to tell." " Tell or you'll be back in that corset." " Come on." "I'll take you home." "Here we are." " You haven't told me everything." " I've told you enough." " Who's the guy, and who's the wife?" " Out." "I've got things to do." "I know." "The one that phoned." " Your college chum, Elster." " Out, please." "The idea is that the beautiful, mad Carlotta has come back from the dead... and taken possession of Elster's wife." "Oh now, Johnny, really." "Come on." "I'm not telling you what I think." "It's what he thinks." " What do you think?" " Well, I..." " Is she pretty?" " Carlotta?" "No, not Carlotta." "Elster's wife." "Yes." "I guess you'd consider that she would be..." "I think I'll go take a look at that portrait." "Good-bye." "Midge, you..." "You've done well." "You're good at your job." " That's Carlotta Valdes." " Yes." " There are things you didn't tell me." " I didn't know where she'd lead you." " But you knew about this." " Oh, yes." "You notice the way she does her hair?" "There's something else." "My wife, Madeleine, has several pieces of jewelry that belonged to Carlotta." "She inherited them." "Never wore them." "They were too old-fashioned." "Until now." "Now when she's alone, she takes them out and looks at them... handles them gently, curiously... puts them on and stares at herself in the mirror... and then goes into that other world, is someone else again." "Now, Carlotta Valdes was what?" " You wife's grandmother?" " Great-grandmother." "No, the child who was taken from her... whose loss drove Carlotta mad and to her death, was Madeleine's grandmother." "And the McKittrick Hotel is the old Valdes home." "That explains it." "Anyone could become obsessed with the past... with a background like that." "She never heard of Carlotta Valdes." "She knows nothing of a grave out at the Mission Dolores?" "Or that old house on Eddy Street?" "The portrait at the Palace of the Legion of..." "Nothing." " When she goes to these places..." " She's no longer my wife." "How do you know all these things?" "Her mother told me most of them before she died." "I dug out the rest for myself here." " Why wouldn't she tell her daughter?" " Natural fear." "Her grandmother went insane, took her own life." "Her blood is in Madeleine." "Boy, I need this." "Yes?" "No, it's all right." "Yeah, I'll call you back." "Yes." "You all right?" "Oh, you'll, uh..." "You'll want this." "Come here by the fire where it's warm." "What am I doing here?" "What happened?" "Well, you fell into San Francisco Bay." "And I tried to dry your hair as best I could." "Your things are in the kitchen." "They'll be dry in a few minutes." "Come by the fire." "Here, I'll get you some cushions." "There you are." "Would you like some coffee?" "Here." "Have some." "Or perhaps you'd like a drink." "I fell into the bay, and you fished me out?" "That's right." " Thank you." " You don't remember?" "No, I..." "Do you remember where you were?" "Why, yes." "Of course I remember that." "Then I must have had a dizzy spell and fainted." "Where were you?" "At Old Fort Point... out at the Presidio." "Of course I remember." "I often go there." "Why do you go there?" "Because I love it so." "It's beautiful there... especially at sunset." " Thank you for the fire." " Where were you before?" " When?" " This afternoon, I mean." "Wandering about." "I know, but where?" "Where were you just before?" "Downtown, shopping." "Here, you'd better have some coffee." "I think it's still warm." "You're terribly direct in your questions." "Oh, I'm sorry." "I didn't mean to be rude." "You're not." "You're merely direct." "What were you doing at Old Fort Point?" "Oh, just wandering about." " Oh, you like it too?" " Yes." "Where had you been just before?" "I'd been to the Palace of the Legion of Honor, the art gallery." "Oh, yes." "That's a lovely spot, isn't it?" "I've never been inside... but it looks so lovely driving past." "It's lucky for me you were wandering about." "Thank you." "I've been a terrible bother to you." "No, you haven't." "Oh, when you, uh..." "There were some pins in my hair." "Oh, the pins, yes." "Right in here." "I'll get 'em for you." "And my purse, please." " Here you are." " Thank you." "You shouldn't have brought me here, you know." "Well, I didn't know where you lived." "You could have looked in my car." "But you didn't know my car." "No, I knew which one it was." "It's right outside." "I didn't think you wanted to be taken home that way." "No, you're right." "I'm glad you didn't take me home." "I wouldn't have known you." "Thank you." "I don't know you, and you don't know me." " My name is Madeleine Elster." " My name's John Ferguson." "Good, strong name." "Do your friends call you John or Jack?" "Oh, John, mostly." "Old friends call me John." "Acquaintances call me Scottie." "I shall call you Mr. Ferguson." "Oh, gee whiz, I wouldn't like that." "Oh, no." "And after what happened this afternoon, maybe you'd call me Scottie." "Maybe even John." "Well, I prefer John." "There, that's done." "And what do you do, John?" "Oh, wander about." "That's a good occupation." "And you live here alone?" " One shouldn't live alone." " Some people prefer it." "No, it's wrong." "I'm married, you know." "Will you tell me something?" "Has this ever happened to you before?" "What?" "Falling into San Francisco Bay." "Oh." "No." "It's never happened before." "Oh, I've fallen into lakes out of rowboats when I was a little girl." "I fell into the river once, trying to leap from one stone to another." "But I've never fallen into San Francisco Bay." "Have you ever before?" "No." "It's the first time for me too." "Here, I'll get you some more coffee." " Hello?" " What happened?" "She's not home yet." "No, she's all right." "She's still here." "I'll bring her home soon." "Well, what happened?" "She went into the bay." " Hello?" " Did she hurt herself?" "She's going to be fine." "Don't worry." "But she doesn't know." "Now, do you understand that?" "She doesn't know what happened." "Scottie, Madeleine is 26." "Carlotta Valdes committed suicide when she was 26." "Hold on a minute, Gavin." "Well now, Johnny-O." "Was it a ghost?" "Was it fun?" "That for me?" " Yes." "Hello." " Hello." "I worried about you last night." "You shouldn't have run off that way." "Well, I suddenly felt such a fool." "I wanted to drive you home." "Are you all right?" "Oh, yes, I'm fine." "No aftereffects." "I remember, the water was cold." " It sure was." " What a terrible thing for me to do." "You were so kind." "It's a formal "thank-you" note and a great big apology." " Well, you've nothing to apologize for." " Yes, I do." "The whole thing must have been so embarrassing for you." "Not at all." "I enjoyed..." "Talking to you." "Well, I enjoyed talking to you." "I'll get my mail." " Would you like a cup of coffee?" " No, thank you." "Oh, I couldn't mail it." "I didn't know your address, but I had a landmark." "I remembered Coit Tower." "It led me straight to you." "That's the first time I've been grateful for Coit Tower." " I hope we will too." " What?" " Meet again sometime." " We have." "Good-bye." "Where are you going?" " Oh, I don't know." " Shopping?" "Well, anywhere in particular?" "No." "I just thought that I'd wander." "Oh." "That's what I was going to do." "That's right." "I forgot." "It's your occupation, isn't it?" "Well, don't you think it's kind of a waste for the two of us..." " To wander separately?" " Uh-huh." "Ah, but only one is a wanderer." "Two together are always going somewhere." "No, I don't think that's necessarily true." " You left your door open." " Be right back." " How old?" " Some 2,000 years or more." " The oldest living things." " Yes." " You've never been here before?" " No." "What are you thinking?" "Of all the people who've been born and died while the trees were living." "Their true name is sequoia sempervirus." " Always green, ever living." " I don't like them." " Why?" " Knowing I have to die." "Here's a cross section of a tree that's been cut down." "Somewhere in here I was born... and there I died." "It was only a moment for you." "You took no notice." "Where are you now?" " Here with you." " Where?" " The tall trees." " Have you been here before?" " Yes." " When?" "When were you born?" " Long ago." " Where?" "When?" "Tell me." "Where do you go?" " I can't tell you." " What takes you away?" "When you jumped into the bay, you didn't know where you were." "I didn't jump." "You told me I fell." " Why did you jump?" " I can't tell you." "What was there inside that told you to jump?" " No, please." " What?" "Please don't ask me." "Take me away from here." "Shall I take you home?" "Somewhere in the light." "Promise you won't ask again." "Promise me that." "Why did you run?" "I'm responsible for you now." "The Chinese say that once you've saved a person's life... you're responsible for it forever." "I have to know." "There's so little that I know." "It's as though I were walking down a long corridor... that once was mirrored." "And fragments still hang there." "When I come to the end of the corridor... there's nothing but darkness." "I know that walking into the darkness... will kill me." "I've always come back before the end." " Except once." " Yesterday?" "And you didn't know what happened until you found yourself with me... or where you were." "But you remember the small scenes, the fragments of the mirror." " Vaguely." " What do you remember?" "There's a room... and I sit there alone." " Always alone." " What else?" "A grave." "Where?" "I don't know." "It's an open grave... and I stand by the gravestone looking down into it." "It's my grave." " How do you know?" " I know." "Is there a name on the gravestone?" "No, it's new and clean and waiting." "What else?" "This part is a dream." "There's a tower, a bell and a garden below." "It seems to be a village in Spain." "Then it's gone." "A portrait?" " Do you see a portrait?" " No." "If I could just find the key, the beginning... and put it together, I..." "And explain it away?" "There's a way." "If I'm mad, that would explain it." "I'm not mad!" "I don't wanna die." "There's someone within me, and she says I must die." "Don't let me go." "I'm here." "I've got you." "I'm so afraid." "Don't leave me." " Stay with me." " All the time." " Did you get my message?" " I did." "I'll get you a drink." "Since when do you go around slipping notes under men's doors?" "Since they stopped calling me back." "For a man who has nothing to do, you've been busy." "Where do you go?" "Just wandering." " Where?" " Around about." "What was this desperate urge to see me?" "All my note said was, "Where are you?"" "Not very desperate." "I detected a little undercurrent." "I thought if I gave you a drink and dinner... you'd be grateful and take me to a movie." "Fair enough." "What'll we talk about at dinner?" "This and that." "What I've been doing?" "If you want to." "Naturally, we won't discuss anything you don't want to." "Naturally." "What have you been doing?" "Wandering." "What have you been doing?" "Having a wonderful time." "I've gone back to my first love, painting." "Good for you." "I always said you were wasted in the underwear department." "It's a living." "But I'm excited about this." "Is it a still life?" "No, not exactly." " You wanna see?" " Yeah." "In fact, I thought I might give it to you." "It's not funny." "I just thought..." "Let's make that movie some other night." "Marjorie Wood, you fool!" "Idiot!" "Stupid!" "What's the matter?" "What time is it?" "I should have phoned, but I wanted to be with you." " What's happened?" " I had the dream." " It came back again." " It'll be all right." "I'll get you some brandy." "Drink this." "Just like medicine." "There now." "It was a dream." "You're awake." "You're all right." "Can you tell me?" "It was the tower, the bell and the Spanish village again." "So very clear for the first time, all of it." " Tell me." " It was a village square... and a green with trees and a whitewashed Spanish church with a cloister." "Across the green was a big gray wooden house... with a porch, shutters, a balcony, a small garden... and next to it a livery stable with old carriages inside." "Go on." "At the end of the green, there was a whitewashed stone house... with a lovely pepper tree at the corner." "And an old wooden hotel from the old California days?" "And a saloon?" "Dark, low ceilings with hanging oil lamps?" " Yes." " It's all there." "It's no dream." "You've been there." "You've seen it." "Never." "A hundred miles south of San Francisco, there's an old Spanish mission." "San Juan Bautista." "It's been preserved... exactly as it was a hundred years ago as a museum." "Think hard, darling." "You've been there." "You've seen it." "I've never been there." " What is it?" " Think hard." "Go on about your dream." "What frightened you?" "I stood alone on the green searching for something." "Then I started to walk to the church... but the darkness closed in and I was alone in the dark... being pulled into the darkness, and I fought to wake up." "You're going to be all right." "You've given me something to work on." "I'm taking you to that mission today." "When you see it, you'll remember it from before." "It'll destroy your dream." "I promise." "All right?" "Come on." "I'll take you home." "No, I'll be all right." "Come back around noon." "Where are you now?" " Here with you." " And it's all real." "It's not just like a hundred years ago... or a year ago or six months or whenever you were here before." "Think of when you were here." "There were not so many carriages." "There were horses in the stalls... a bay, two black and a gray." "It was our favorite place... but we were forbidden to play here." "And Sister Teresa would scold us." "Look at this." "Here's your gray horse." "Have a little trouble getting in and out of the stall without being pushed." "You see?" "There's an answer for everything." "Try." "Try for me." " I love you." " I love you too." "Too late." "No, we're together." "It's too late." "There's something I must do." "There's nothing you must do." "No one possesses you." "You're safe with me." "No, it's too late." "It's not fair." "It wasn't supposed to happen this way." "We're in love." "That's what counts." " Let me go!" " Listen to me." " You believe I love you?" " Yes." "If you lose me, you'll know..." "I wanted to go on loving you." "I won't lose you." "Let me go into the church alone." "Why?" "Mr. Elster, suspecting his wife's mental instability... took the precaution of having her watched by Mr. Ferguson... lest any harm befall her." "You have heard that Mr. Elster was prepared... to take her to an institution... and put her mental health into the hands of qualified specialists." "Mr. Ferguson, being an ex-detective, would have seemed... the proper choice for the role of watchdog and protector." "As you have learned, it was an unfortunate choice." "However, I think that no blame can be attached to the husband." "His delay in putting his wife under medical care... was due to the need for information as to her behavior... which he expected to get from Mr. Ferguson." "He had taken every precaution to protect his wife." "He could not have anticipated that Mr. Ferguson's weakness... his fear of heights... would make him powerless when he was most needed." "As to Mr. Ferguson... you have heard his former superior..." "Detective Captain Hansen, from that great city to the north, testify... as to his character and ability." "Capt. Hansen was most enthusiastic." "The fact that once before, under similar circumstances..." "Mr. Ferguson allowed a police colleague to fall to his death..." "Capt. Hansen dismissed as an unfortunate incident." "Of course, Mr. Ferguson is to be congratulated... on having once saved the woman's life when... in a previous fit of aberration, she threw herself into the Bay." "It is a pity that, knowing her suicidal tendencies... he did not make a greater effort the second time." "But we are not here to pass judgment on his lack of initiative." "He did nothing... and the law has little to say on the subject of things left undone." "Nor does his strange behavior... after he saw the body fall... have any bearing on your verdict." "He left the scene of the death." "He claims he suffered a mental blackout and knew nothing more... until he found himself in his apartment in San Francisco hours later." "You may accept that or not." "Or believe that having once again allowed someone to die... he could not face the tragic result of his own weakness and ran away." "That has nothing to do with your verdict." "It is a matter between him and his conscience." "Now, from the evidence of the state of mind... of Madeline Elster prior to her death... from the manner of her death and the postmortem examination of the body... showing the actual cause of her death... the decision should not be difficult." "Gentlemen, you may retire if you wish." " We've reached a verdict." " Thank you." ""The jury finds that Madeline Elster committed suicide... while of unsound mind."" "Your verdict will be so recorded." "Dismissed." "Let's go." "May I speak to him for a minute?" "Go ahead." "Sorry, Scottie, that was rough." "He had no right to speak to you like that." "It was my responsibility." "I shouldn't have involved you." "No, there's nothing you have to say." "I'm getting out for good." "I can't stay here." "I'm going to wind up her affairs and mine... get away as far as I can." "Europe, perhaps." "And I probably never will come back." "Good-bye, Scottie." "If there's anything I can do for you before I go..." "They can't understand." "We know who killed Madeline." "Come on." "Let's get outta here." "It's Mozart." "Wolfgang Amadeus." "I had a long talk with that lady in Musical Therapy... and she says that Mozart's the boy for you." "The broom that sweeps the cobwebs away." "It's what the lady said." "It's wonderful how they have it all taped now." "They have music for dipsomaniacs... music for melancholiacs... and music for hypochondriacs." "I wonder what would happen if somebody got their files mixed up." "I brought other things, and you can see what you like." "It shuts off automatically." "Oh, Johnny, please try." "You're not lost." "Mother is here." "Time?" "I'll be in again." "You want me to shut that off?" "Oh, John-O." "You don't even know I'm here." "But I'm here." "Could I see the doctor for a moment?" "Doctor, Miss Wood?" "Go in, please." "Yes, Miss Wood?" "How long is it gonna take to pull him out of this?" "It's hard to say." "Six months, perhaps a year." "It depends on him." " He won't talk." " No." "He's suffering from acute melancholia... together with a guilt complex." "He blames himself for what happened to the woman." "We know a little of what happened." "I know he was in love with her." "That does complicate the problem." "Another complication is that he still is." "You know something?" "I don't think Mozart's gonna help." ""One way"" " Where'd you get this car?" " I beg your pardon?" "I bought it from a man who used to live here." "Mr. Gavin Elster." "I bought it when he moved away." "You knew him and his wife!" "The poor thing." "I didn't know her." "Is it true she really..." "I'm sorry." " Good evening." " Good evening." "Scotch and soda." "What is it?" "Can I ask you some questions?" " What for?" "Who are you?" " John Ferguson." " Is this a Gallup Poll?" " No." " I wanted to ask..." " Do you live here?" "No." "I saw you when you came in so I thought..." "I thought so." "A pickup." "You've got a nerve following me inside and up to my room." " You beat it." " I just wanna talk to you." " I'm gonna yell in a minute." " I won't hurt you." "Honest." "Please." "Just let me talk to you." " What about?" " You." " Why?" " Because you remind me of somebody." "I heard that one before too." "I remind you of someone you were madly in love with... but she ditched you for another guy... and you been carrying a torch ever since." "Then you saw me and something clicked." "You're not far wrong." " It's not gonna work." "You'd better go." " Please let me in." "You can leave the door open." "I just want to talk." "Please." "I warn ya." "I can yell awful loud." "You won't have to." "You don't look like Jack the Ripper." " What do you wanna know?" " Your name." " Judy Barton." " Who you are." " Just a girl." "I work at Magnin's." " How did you end up living here?" "It's a place to live." " You haven't lived here long?" " About three years." " Where did you live before?" " Salina, Kansas!" "What is this?" "What do you want?" " To know who you are." " I told you." "My name is Judy Barton." "I come from Salina, Kansas." "I work at Magnin's, and I live here." "You want proof?" "Here's my Kansas driver's license." ""Judy Barton, number Z296794." "425 Maple Avenue, Salina, Kansas."" "See this address?" "It's this place right here." "A California license issued May 25, 1954." "You wanna check my thumbprints?" "Satisfied?" "Whether you're satisfied or not, you can just beat it." "You have got it bad, haven't you?" "Do I really look like her?" "She's dead, isn't she?" "I'm sorry... and I'm sorry I yelled at you." "That's me with my mother." "That's my father." "He's dead." "Mother married again, but I didn't like the guy... so I decided to see what California is like." "Been here three years." "Honest." " Will you have dinner with me?" " Why?" "I feel I owe you something after all this." " You don't owe me." " Will you for me?" " Dinner and what else?" " Just dinner." "Because I remind you of her?" "Because I'd like to have dinner with you." "Well, I've been on blind dates before." "To be honest, I've been picked up before." "I'll get my car." "I'll be back in half an hour." "You'd better give me time to get fixed up." "An hour?" "Dearest Scottie." "And so you found me." "This is the moment that I dreaded and hoped for... wondering what I would say and do if I ever saw you again." "I wanted so to see you again just once." "Now I'll go, and you can give up your search." "I want you to have peace of mind." "You've nothing to blame yourself for." "You were the victim." "I was the tool... and you were the victim of Gavin Elster's plan to murder his wife." "He chose me because I looked like her." "He dressed me up like her." "He was safe because she lived in the country and rarely came to town." "He chose you to be the witness to a suicide." "The Carlotta story was part real, part invented... to make you testify that Madeline wanted to kill herself." "He knew of your illness." "He knew you'd never get up the tower's stairs." "He planned it so well." "He made no mistakes." "I made the mistake." "I fell in love." "That wasn't part of the plan." "I'm still in love with you, and I want you to love me." "If I had the nerve, I'd stay and lie... hoping that I could make you love me again... as I am, for myself... and so forget the other and forget the past." "But..." "I don't know whether I have the nerve to try." "Here." "I'll do it." "There you are." " Thanks again." "Good night." " Can I see you tomorrow?" "Tomorrow night?" "No, tomorrow morning." "I have to go to work." "I've got a job." " Don't go." " And live on my oil wells in Texas?" "Let me take care of you, Judy." "Thanks, but no thanks." " You don't understand." " I understand." "I've been understanding since I was 17." " The next step is..." " No." "No?" "Then what?" "We could just... see a lot of each other..." "Why?" "'Cause I remind you of her?" "That's not very complimentary." "And nothing else?" "That's not very complimentary either." "I just want to be with you as much as I can." "Well..." "I guess I could phone the store in the morning and... make some excuse." "I like that one." " That?" " Yes." "It's beautiful." "There we are." "We'll get this, then buy you those clothes." " Honest?" " Right over there's Ransohoffs." "Nothing but the best." "How much?" "Fifty cents." "Thank you." " You don't have to." " I want to." "No, that's not it." "Nothing like it." "You said gray, sir." "I want an ordinary, simple gray suit." " But I like that one." " No, it's not right." "The gentleman seems to know what he wants." "We'll find it." " What are you doing?" " Trying to buy you a suit." "But I love the second one she wore." " And this one." "It's beautiful." " None of them are right." "I think I know the suit you mean." "We had it sometime ago." "Let me see." "We may still have that model." "Thank you." "You want the suit she wore." "You want me to be dressed like her." "I want you to look nice." "I know what would look well on you." "I won't do it!" "It can't matter so much to you." "I just want to see..." "I don't want anything." "I want to leave." " Do this for me." " Here we are." " That's it." " I thought so." " I don't like it." " We'll take it." "Will it fit?" "It might need alteration but it's madam's size." "We'll have it for you to try on in a moment." " How long will the alterations take?" " Well..." " May we have it tonight?" " If it's necessary." "It is." "Now we'd like to see a dinner dress... short, black, with long sleeves and a square neck." "My!" "You do know what you want, sir." "I'll see what we have." "That's it." "Do you have them in brown?" " Yes." " Fine." "Drink this straight down, just like medicine." "Why are you doing this?" "What good will it do?" "I don't know." "No good, I guess." "I wish you'd leave me alone." "I wanna go away." "You can, you know." "You wouldn't let me." "And I don't wanna go." "I tell you this." "These past few days... have been the first happy days I've known in a year." "I know because... 'cause I remind you of her." "And not even that very much." "It's you too." "There's something in you that..." " You don't even want to touch me." " Yes, I do." "Couldn't you like me, just me, the way I am?" "When we first started out, it was good, fun." "And then you started in on the clothes." "I'll wear the darned clothes if you want me to... if you'll just like me." "The color of your hair." "Please." "It can't matter to you." "If..." "If I let you change me, will that do it?" "If I do what you tell me... will you love me?" "All right." "I'll do it." "I don't care anymore about me." "Come on." "We'll sit by the fire." "It's going to take several hours." "She thought you'd like to go home." "She'll follow as soon as she's finished." "Tell her I'll go to her hotel and wait." " You're sure about the hair color?" " Yes." "It's easy." " All the rest of the..." " Yes, we know what you want." "Thank you." "Well?" "It should be back from your face and pinned at the neck." "I told you both that." "We tried it." "It just didn't suit me." "Please, Judy." " Where shall we go for dinner?" " Anywhere you like." " Ernie's?" " You have a thing about Ernie's." "After all, it's our place." "Hello, my love." "Like me?" " Is that the best you can do?" " Come here." "Oh, no." "You'll muss me." "That's what I had in mind." "It's too late." "I got my face on." "I'm suddenly hungry." " Would you rather go somewhere else?" " No, Ernie's is fine." "I'm gonna have one of those big, beautiful steaks." "Let me see." "To start I think I'll..." "Help me, will you?" "I have it." " How do you work this?" " Can't you see?" " There you are." " Thank you." "I'm almost ready." "I just need to find my lipstick." "Where did I put it?" "I had it a minute ago." "I wonder if it's here." "Here it is." "I'm ready." "But first muss me a little?" "I do have you now, don't I?" "How about someplace out of town for dinner?" " Maybe a drive down the peninsula." " If you like." "We're going awfully far." "I just feel like driving." "You terribly hungry?" "It's all right." "Where are you going?" "One final thing I have to do... and then I'll be free of the past." " Why are we here?" " I told you." "I have to go back into the past once more." "Once more for the last time." "Why here?" "Madeline died here." " I don't wanna go..." " No, I need you." "Why?" "I need you to be Madeline for a while." "When it's done, we'll both be free." " I'm scared." " No, I have to tell you about Madeline." "Right there." "I kissed her over there for the last time." "She said, "If you lose me, you'll know that I love you... and wanted to keep on loving you."" "I said, "I won't lose you." But I did." "Then she turned... and ran into the church." "And when I followed her, it was too late." "I don't wanna go in there!" "It's too late." "Scottie, I..." "I couldn't find her." "Then I heard footsteps on the stairs." "She was running up the tower." "Right here." "See?" "She was running up the stairs... and through the trap door at the top of the tower." "I tried to follow, but I couldn't get to the top." "One doesn't often get a second chance." "I want to stop being haunted." "You're my second chance." "Take me away!" "You look like Madeline now." "Go up the stairs." "I'll follow." "This was as far as I went, but you went on." "Remember?" "The necklace, Madeline." "That was the slip." "I remembered the necklace." " Let me go!" " No, we're going up the tower." "You can't!" "You're afraid!" "We'll see." " This is my second chance." " Please!" "You knew that day that I wouldn't be able to follow you." "Who was up there?" "Elster and his wife?" "And she was the one who died." "The real wife, not you." "You were the counterfeit, weren't you?" " Was she dead or alive when..." " Dead!" "He'd broken her neck." "Wasn't taking any chances." "When you got up there, he pushed her off the tower, and you screamed." "Why?" "I wanted to stop it." "I ran up to stop it..." "Why did you scream, since you tricked me so well up to then?" "You played the wife very well." "He made you over, didn't he?" "He made you over like I did, only better." "Not only the clothes, the hair, but the looks, manner and words... and those beautiful phony trances." "You jumped into the Bay!" "I'll bet you're a wonderful swimmer." " Aren't you?" " Yes!" "Then what did he do?" "Train you?" "Rehearse you?" "Tell you exactly what to do, what to say?" "You were a very apt pupil, weren't you?" "Why did you pick on me?" "Your accident!" "I was the setup, wasn't I?" "I was a made-to-order witness." "I made it." "What are you going to do?" "We're going up and look at the scene of the crime." "Come on." "This is where it happened." "You both hid there and waited for it to clear... then sneaked down and drove into town." "Then you were his girl, huh?" "What happened?" "Did he ditch ya?" "With all of his wife's money and freedom and power... he ditched you." "But he knew he was safe, that you couldn't talk." " Did he give you anything?" " Some money." "And the necklace." "Carlotta's necklace." "That was your mistake." "You shouldn't keep souvenirs of a killing." "You shouldn't have been..." "You shouldn't have been that sentimental." "I loved you so." "I was safe when you found me." "There was nothing you could prove." "But when I saw you again, I couldn't run away." "I loved you so." "I walked into danger... and let you change me because I loved and wanted you." "Please." "You loved me." "Now keep me safe." "It's too late." "There's no bringing her back." "I heard voices." "God have mercy." "Give me your hand!" "Ouch!" "You said no more aches or pains." "This darn corset binds." "No three-way stretch?" "Very un-chic." ""Ntilever" You know those... police department doctors:" "No style." "Well, anyway, tomorrow'll be the day." "What's tomorrow?" "The corset comes off tomorrow." "I'll be able to scratch myself tomorrow." "I'll throw this miserable thing out the window... and be a free..." "a free man." "Midge, do you suppose many men wear corsets?" " Mm-hmm." "More than you think." " Really?" "Do you know that from personal experience?" "Please." " What happens after tomorrow?" " What do you mean?" "What are you going to do now that you've quit the police force?" " You sound so disapproving." " No, it's your life." "You were the young lawyer that decided he'd be chief of police someday." " I had to quit." " Why?" "Because of this fear of heights I have, this acrophobia." "I wake up seeing that man fall from the roof." "I try to reach out to him." " It wasn't your fault." " I know." "Everybody tells me that." " Johnny, the doctors explained to you..." " I know." "I have acrophobia, which gives me vertigo, and I get dizzy." "Boy, what a moment to find out I had it." "You've got it." "There's no losing it." "There's no one to blame." "Why quit?" "You mean, sit behind a desk, chair-borne?" " Where you belong." " What about my acrophobia?" "Suppose I'm sitting behind the desk, and a pencil falls to the floor." "I reach down to pick up the pencil." "Bingo." "My acrophobia's back." "Oh, Johnny-O." "Well, what do you do?" "I'm not gonna do anything for a while." "Don't forget, I'm a man of independent means, as the saying goes." "Fairly independent." "Mm-hmm." "Well, why don't you go away for a while?" "You mean to forget?" "Don't be so motherly." "I'm not gonna crack up." "Have you had any dizzy spells this week?" "I'm having one right now." "Midge, the music." "Don't you think it's sort of, um..." "What's this doohickey?" "It's a brassiere." "You know about those things." "You're a big boy now." "I've never run across one like that." "It's brand new." "Revolutionary uplift." "No shoulder straps." "No back straps." "But it does everything a brassiere should do." "Works on the principle of the cantilever bridge." " It does?" " Mm-hmm." "An aircraft engineer down the peninsula designed it." "He worked it out in his spare time." "Kind of a hobby." "Do-it-yourself type thing." "How's your love life?" "That's following a train of thought." "Well?" "Normal." "Aren't you ever gonna get married?" "You know there's only one man in the world for me." "You mean me." "We were engaged once, though, weren't we?" "Three whole weeks." "Yeah, good old college days." "You were the one that called off the engagement." "You remember?" "I'm still available." "Available Ferguson." "Do you remember a fella in college named Gavin Elster?" " Yeah." "It's a funny name." " You'd think I would." "No." "Had a call from Gavin today." "He dropped out of sight during the war." "He went East." "I guess he's back." "It's a Mission number." "Isn't that Skid Row?" "Could be." "He's probably on the bum and wants to touch you for a drink." "I'm on the bum." "I'll buy him a couple drinks and tell him my troubles." "But not tonight." "Let's go out for a beer." "Sorry, old man." "Work." "Well then, I think I'll go home." "What did you mean, there's no losing it?" "What?" "The acrophobia." "Oh, I asked my doctor." "He said only another emotional shock could do it, and probably wouldn't." "You're not gonna dive off another rooftop to find out." " I think I can lick it." " How?" "I have a theory." "I think, if I can get used to heights just a little bit at a time..." "Just a little..." "Like that." "Progressively, you see?" "I'll show you what I mean." "Here." "Show you what I mean." " We'll start with this." " That?" "Do you want me to start with the Golden Gate Bridge?" "Watch this." "Here we go." "There." "Now I look up." "I look down." " I look up." "There's nothing to it." " You're kidding." "Wait a minute." " Here." " That's a girl." "I can use that." "Put it right there." "All right." "Here's the first step." "There." "Okay, now step number two." "Step number two, comin' up." "There we are." "See?" "I look up." "I look down." "I look up." "I'm going right out and buy myself a nice, tall stepladder." " Take it easy now." " All right, here we go." "No problem." "There." "This is a cinch." "I look up." "I look down." "Oh, Johnny." "How did you get in the shipbuilding business, Gavin?" "I married into it." " Very interesting business." " No." "To be honest, I find it dull." "Well, you don't have to do it for a living." "No, but one assumes responsibilities." "My wife's family is all gone." "Someone has to look after her interests." "Her father's partner runs the company yard in the East." "Baltimore." "So I decided, as long as I had to work at it, I'd come back here." "I've always liked it here." " How long have you been back?" " Almost a year." "You like it, huh?" "Well, San Francisco's changed." "The things that spell San Francisco to me are disappearing fast." "Like all these." "Yes." "I should have liked to have lived here then." "Color, excitement, power, freedom." "Shouldn't you sit down?" "No." "I'm all right." "I was sorry to read about that thing in the paper." "And you've quit the force." "Is it a permanent physical disability?" "It means that I can't climb stairs that are too steep or go to high places... like the bar at the Top of the Mark." "But there are plenty of street-level bars in this town." " Would you like a drink now?" " No, I don't think so." "It's a little early in the day for me." "Well, I guess that just about covers everything, doesn't it?" "I never married, I don't see much of the old college gang..." "I'm a retired detective and you're in the shipbuilding business." "What's on your mind?" "I asked you to come up here, Scottie... knowing that you'd quit detective work... but I wondered whether you'd go back on the job as a special favor to me." "I want you to follow my wife." "No, it's not that." "We're very happily married." " Well, then..." " I'm afraid some harm may come to her." " From whom?" " Someone dead." "Scottie, do you believe that someone out of the past... someone dead, can enter and take possession of a living being?" "If I told you that this has happened to my wife, what would you say?" "Well, I'd say take her to the nearest psychiatrist or psychologist... or neurologist or psycho..." "or maybe just the plain family doctor." "I'd have him check on you too." "Then you're of no use to me." "I'm sorry I wasted your time." "Thanks for coming in." "I, uh..." "I didn't mean to be that rough." "No, it sounds idiotic, I know." "And you're still the hardheaded Scot, aren't you?" "Always were." "Do you think I'm making it up?" "I'm not making it up." "I wouldn't know how." "She'll be talking to me about something." "Suddenly the words fade into silence." "A cloud... comes into her eyes, and they go blank." "She's somewhere else, away from me, someone I don't know." "I call to her, she doesn't even hear me." "Then with a long sigh, she's back." "Looks at me brightly." "Doesn't even know she's been away." "Can't tell me where or when." "Well, how often does this happen?" "More and more in the past few weeks." "And she wanders." "God knows where she wanders." "I followed her one day... watched her coming out of the apartment... someone I didn't know." "She even walked a different way." "Got into her car and... drove out to Golden Gate Park, five miles." "Sat by the lake... staring across the water at the pillars that stand on the far shore." "You know, portals of the past." "Sat there a long time without moving." "I had to leave, get back to the office." "When I got home that evening, I asked her what she'd done all day." "She said she'd driven out to Golden Gate Park... and sat by the lake, that's all." "Well?" "The speedometer on her car showed that she'd driven 94 miles." "Where did she go?" "I've gotta know, Scottie, where she goes and what she does... before I get involved with doctors." " Have you talked to doctors about this?" " Yes, but carefully." "I want to know more before committing her to that kind of care." "I'll get you a firm of private eyes to follow her for you." " They're dependable, good boys." " I want you." "Look, this isn't my line." "I need a friend, someone I can trust." "I'm in a panic about this." "I'm supposed to be retired." "I don't want to get mixed up in this darn thing." "Look, we're going to an opening at the opera tonight." "We're dining at Ernie's first." "You can see her there." "Ernie's." "Tell me something." "That lady sitting in there..." "Who's the woman in the painting she's looking at?" "That's Carlotta." "You'll find it in the catalog." " "Portrait of Carlotta."" " May I have this?" " Yes." " Thank you." "Yes?" "What can I do for you?" " You run this hotel?" " Oh, yes." "Would you tell me who has the room on the second floor... in the corner, that corner?" "I'm afraid we couldn't give out information of that sort." "Our clients are entitled their privacy, you know." "And I do believe it's against the law." "Of course, I don't think any would mind." "But still, I..." "Oh, dear." "Has she done something wrong?" "Please answer my question." " I can't imagine that sweet girl..." " What's her name?" " Miss Valdes." "Spanish, you know." " Carlotta Valdes?" "Yeah, that's it." "Sweet name, isn't it?" "Foreign, but sweet." "How long has she had the room?" "Oh, it must be two weeks." "Her rent's due tomorrow." "Does she sleep here ever?" "No, she just comes to sit two or three times a week." "I don't ask questions, you know, as long as they're well behaved." "I've wondered..." "When she comes down, don't say I've been here." "But she hasn't been here today." "I just saw her come in five minutes ago." "No, she hasn't been here at all." "I would have seen her, you know." "I've been right here putting olive oil on my rubber plant leaves." "And there." "You see?" "Her key is on the rack." " Would you please go up and look?" " To her room?" " That's right." " Yes, of course, if you ask." " But it does seem silly." " Thank you." "Mr. Detective?" "Would you like to come and look?" "Her car's gone." "What car?" "Who do you know that's an authority on San Francisco history?" "That's the kind of greeting a girl likes." "None of this "Hello, you look wonderful" stuff." "Just a good, "Who do you know that's an authority on San Francisco..."" " Want a drink?" " No, thanks." "Well, who do you?" "You know everybody." "Professor Saunders over in Berkeley." "No, I don't mean that kind of history." "I mean the small stuff, people you never heard of." "You mean the gay old Bohemian days of gay old San Francisco... juicy stories, like who shot who in the Embarcadero in August, 1879." " Yeah, that's right." " Pop Leibel." " Who?" " Pop Leibel." "He owns the Argosy Book Shop." "Why?" "What do you want to know?" "I want to know who shot who in the Embarcadero in August, 1879." "Wait a minute." "You're not a detective anymore." "What's going on?" " You know him well?" " Who?" " Pop Leibel." " Oh, sure." "Let's go." "I want you to introduce me." "Get your hat." "I don't need a hat." "What's it all about?" "Hey, wait a minute." "Oh, yes, I remember." "Carlotta." "The beautiful Carlotta." "The sad Carlotta." "What does an old wooden house at the corner of Eddy and Gough Street... have to do with Carlotta Valdes?" "Oh, it was hers." "It was built for her many years ago." " By whom?" " By, uh..." "No." "The name I do not remember." "A rich man, a powerful man." " Cigarette?" " No, thank you." " Cigarette, Miss?" " No." "It is not an unusual story." "She came from somewhere small, to the south of the city." "Some say from a mission settlement." "Young, yes." "Very young." "And she was found dancing and singing... in a cabaret by that man... and he took her... and built for her the great house... in the Western Addition." "And there was a child." "Yes, that's it." "The child." "I cannot tell you... exactly how much time passed... or how much happiness there was." "But then he threw her away." "He had no other children." "His wife had no children." "So, he kept the child and threw her away." "You know, a man could do that in those days." "They had the power and the freedom." "And she became the sad Carlotta... alone in the great house... walking the streets alone... her clothes becoming old and patched and dirty." "And the mad Carlotta... stopping people in the streets to ask..." ""Where is my child?" "Have you seen my child?"" " Poor thing." " And she died." " She died." " How?" "By her own hand." "There are many such stories." " Well, thank you very much." " You are welcome." " I appreciate it." "Good-bye." " Good-bye." "Hey, wait a minute!" "Good-bye, Pop." "Thanks a lot." " Now then, pay me." " For what?" " For bringing you here." "Come on." "Tell." " There's nothing to tell." " Tell or you'll be back in that corset." " Come on." "I'll take you home." "Here we are." " You haven't told me everything." " I've told you enough." " Who's the guy, and who's the wife?" " Out." "I've got things to do." "I know." "The one that phoned." " Your college chum, Elster." " Out, please." "The idea is that the beautiful, mad Carlotta has come back from the dead... and taken possession of Elster's wife." "Oh now, Johnny, really." "Come on." "I'm not telling you what I think." "It's what he thinks." " What do you think?" " Well, I..." " Is she pretty?" " Carlotta?" "No, not Carlotta." "Elster's wife." "Yes." "I guess you'd consider that she would be..." "I think I'll go take a look at that portrait." "Good-bye." "Midge, you..." "You've done well." "You're good at your job." " That's Carlotta Valdes." " Yes." " There are things you didn't tell me." " I didn't know where she'd lead you." " But you knew about this." " Oh, yes." "You notice the way she does her hair?" "There's something else." "My wife, Madeleine, has several pieces of jewelry that belonged to Carlotta." "She inherited them." "Never wore them." "They were too old-fashioned." "Until now." "Now when she's alone, she takes them out and looks at them... handles them gently, curiously... puts them on and stares at herself in the mirror... and then goes into that other world, is someone else again." "Now, Carlotta Valdes was what?" " You wife's grandmother?" " Great-grandmother." "No, the child who was taken from her... whose loss drove Carlotta mad and to her death, was Madeleine's grandmother." "And the McKittrick Hotel is the old Valdes home." "That explains it." "Anyone could become obsessed with the past... with a background like that." "She never heard of Carlotta Valdes." "She knows nothing of a grave out at the Mission Dolores?" "Or that old house on Eddy Street?" "The portrait at the Palace of the Legion of..." "Nothing." " When she goes to these places..." " She's no longer my wife." "How do you know all these things?" "Her mother told me most of them before she died." "I dug out the rest for myself here." " Why wouldn't she tell her daughter?" " Natural fear." "Her grandmother went insane, took her own life." "Her blood is in Madeleine." "Boy, I need this." "Yes?" "No, it's all right." "Yeah, I'll call you back." "Yes." "You all right?" "Oh, you'll, uh..." "You'll want this." "Come here by the fire where it's warm." "What am I doing here?" "What happened?" "Well, you fell into San Francisco Bay." "And I tried to dry your hair as best I could." "Your things are in the kitchen." "They'll be dry in a few minutes." "Come by the fire." "Here, I'll get you some cushions." "There you are." "Would you like some coffee?" "Here." "Have some." "Or perhaps you'd like a drink." "I fell into the bay, and you fished me out?" "That's right." " Thank you." " You don't remember?" "No, I..." "Do you remember where you were?" "Why, yes." "Of course I remember that." "Then I must have had a dizzy spell and fainted." "Where were you?" "At Old Fort Point... out at the Presidio." "Of course I remember." "I often go there." "Why do you go there?" "Because I love it so." "It's beautiful there... especially at sunset." " Thank you for the fire." " Where were you before?" " When?" " This afternoon, I mean." "Wandering about." "I know, but where?" "Where were you just before?" "Downtown, shopping." "Here, you'd better have some coffee." "I think it's still warm." "You're terribly direct in your questions." "Oh, I'm sorry." "I didn't mean to be rude." "You're not." "You're merely direct." "What were you doing at Old Fort Point?" "Oh, just wandering about." " Oh, you like it too?" " Yes." "Where had you been just before?" "I'd been to the Palace of the Legion of Honor, the art gallery." "Oh, yes." "That's a lovely spot, isn't it?" "I've never been inside... but it looks so lovely driving past." "It's lucky for me you were wandering about." "Thank you." "I've been a terrible bother to you." "No, you haven't." "Oh, when you, uh..." "There were some pins in my hair." "Oh, the pins, yes." "Right in here." "I'll get 'em for you." "And my purse, please." " Here you are." " Thank you." "You shouldn't have brought me here, you know." "Well, I didn't know where you lived." "You could have looked in my car." "But you didn't know my car." "No, I knew which one it was." "It's right outside." "I didn't think you wanted to be taken home that way." "No, you're right." "I'm glad you didn't take me home." "I wouldn't have known you." "Thank you." "I don't know you, and you don't know me." " My name is Madeleine Elster." " My name's John Ferguson." "Good, strong name." "Do your friends call you John or Jack?" "Oh, John, mostly." "Old friends call me John." "Acquaintances call me Scottie." "I shall call you Mr. Ferguson." "Oh, gee whiz, I wouldn't like that." "Oh, no." "And after what happened this afternoon, maybe you'd call me Scottie." "Maybe even John." "Well, I prefer John." "There, that's done." "And what do you do, John?" "Oh, wander about." "That's a good occupation." "And you live here alone?" " One shouldn't live alone." " Some people prefer it." "No, it's wrong." "I'm married, you know." "Will you tell me something?" "Has this ever happened to you before?" "What?" "Falling into San Francisco Bay." "Oh." "No." "It's never happened before." "Oh, I've fallen into lakes out of rowboats when I was a little girl." "I fell into the river once, trying to leap from one stone to another." "But I've never fallen into San Francisco Bay." "Have you ever before?" "No." "It's the first time for me too." "Here, I'll get you some more coffee." " Hello?" " What happened?" "She's not home yet." "No, she's all right." "She's still here." "I'll bring her home soon." "Well, what happened?" "She went into the bay." " Hello?" " Did she hurt herself?" "She's going to be fine." "Don't worry." "But she doesn't know." "Now, do you understand that?" "She doesn't know what happened." "Scottie, Madeleine is 26." "Carlotta Valdes committed suicide when she was 26." "Hold on a minute, Gavin." "Well now, Johnny-O." "Was it a ghost?" "Was it fun?" "That for me?" " Yes." "Hello." " Hello." "I worried about you last night." "You shouldn't have run off that way." "Well, I suddenly felt such a fool." "I wanted to drive you home." "Are you all right?" "Oh, yes, I'm fine." "No aftereffects." "I remember, the water was cold." " It sure was." " What a terrible thing for me to do." "You were so kind." "It's a formal "thank-you" note and a great big apology." " Well, you've nothing to apologize for." " Yes, I do." "The whole thing must have been so embarrassing for you." "Not at all." "I enjoyed..." "Talking to you." "Well, I enjoyed talking to you." "I'll get my mail." " Would you like a cup of coffee?" " No, thank you." "Oh, I couldn't mail it." "I didn't know your address, but I had a landmark." "I remembered Coit Tower." "It led me straight to you." "That's the first time I've been grateful for Coit Tower." " I hope we will too." " What?" " Meet again sometime." " We have." "Good-bye." "Where are you going?" " Oh, I don't know." " Shopping?" "Well, anywhere in particular?" "No." "I just thought that I'd wander." "Oh." "That's what I was going to do." "That's right." "I forgot." "It's your occupation, isn't it?" "Well, don't you think it's kind of a waste for the two of us..." " To wander separately?" " Uh-huh." "Ah, but only one is a wanderer." "Two together are always going somewhere." "No, I don't think that's necessarily true." " You left your door open." " Be right back." " How old?" " Some 2,000 years or more." " The oldest living things." " Yes." " You've never been here before?" " No." "What are you thinking?" "Of all the people who've been born and died while the trees were living." "Their true name is sequoia sempervirus." " Always green, ever living." " I don't like them." " Why?" " Knowing I have to die." "Here's a cross section of a tree that's been cut down." "Somewhere in here I was born... and there I died." "It was only a moment for you." "You took no notice." "Where are you now?" " Here with you." " Where?" " The tall trees." " Have you been here before?" " Yes." " When?" "When were you born?" " Long ago." " Where?" "When?" "Tell me." "Where do you go?" " I can't tell you." " What takes you away?" "When you jumped into the bay, you didn't know where you were." "I didn't jump." "You told me I fell." " Why did you jump?" " I can't tell you." "What was there inside that told you to jump?" " No, please." " What?" "Please don't ask me." "Take me away from here." "Shall I take you home?" "Somewhere in the light." "Promise you won't ask again." "Promise me that." "Why did you run?" "I'm responsible for you now." "The Chinese say that once you've saved a person's life... you're responsible for it forever." "I have to know." "There's so little that I know." "It's as though I were walking down a long corridor... that once was mirrored." "And fragments still hang there." "When I come to the end of the corridor... there's nothing but darkness." "I know that walking into the darkness... will kill me." "I've always come back before the end." " Except once." " Yesterday?" "And you didn't know what happened until you found yourself with me... or where you were." "But you remember the small scenes, the fragments of the mirror." " Vaguely." " What do you remember?" "There's a room... and I sit there alone." " Always alone." " What else?" "A grave." "Where?" "I don't know." "It's an open grave... and I stand by the gravestone looking down into it." "It's my grave." " How do you know?" " I know." "Is there a name on the gravestone?" "No, it's new and clean and waiting." "What else?" "This part is a dream." "There's a tower, a bell and a garden below." "It seems to be a village in Spain." "Then it's gone." "A portrait?" " Do you see a portrait?" " No." "If I could just find the key, the beginning... and put it together, I..." "And explain it away?" "There's a way." "If I'm mad, that would explain it." "I'm not mad!" "I don't wanna die." "There's someone within me, and she says I must die." "Don't let me go." "I'm here." "I've got you." "I'm so afraid." "Don't leave me." " Stay with me." " All the time." " Did you get my message?" " I did." "I'll get you a drink." "Since when do you go around slipping notes under men's doors?" "Since they stopped calling me back." "For a man who has nothing to do, you've been busy." "Where do you go?" "Just wandering." " Where?" " Around about." "What was this desperate urge to see me?" "All my note said was, "Where are you?"" "Not very desperate." "I detected a little undercurrent." "I thought if I gave you a drink and dinner... you'd be grateful and take me to a movie." "Fair enough." "What'll we talk about at dinner?" "This and that." "What I've been doing?" "If you want to." "Naturally, we won't discuss anything you don't want to." "Naturally." "What have you been doing?" "Wandering." "What have you been doing?" "Having a wonderful time." "I've gone back to my first love, painting." "Good for you." "I always said you were wasted in the underwear department." "It's a living." "But I'm excited about this." "Is it a still life?" "No, not exactly." " You wanna see?" " Yeah." "In fact, I thought I might give it to you." "It's not funny." "I just thought..." "Let's make that movie some other night." "Marjorie Wood, you fool!" "Idiot!" "Stupid!" "What's the matter?" "What time is it?" "I should have phoned, but I wanted to be with you." " What's happened?" " I had the dream." " It came back again." " It'll be all right." "I'll get you some brandy." "Drink this." "Just like medicine." "There now." "It was a dream." "You're awake." "You're all right." "Can you tell me?" "It was the tower, the bell and the Spanish village again." "So very clear for the first time, all of it." " Tell me." " It was a village square... and a green with trees and a whitewashed Spanish church with a cloister." "Across the green was a big gray wooden house... with a porch, shutters, a balcony, a small garden... and next to it a livery stable with old carriages inside." "Go on." "At the end of the green, there was a whitewashed stone house... with a lovely pepper tree at the corner." "And an old wooden hotel from the old California days?" "And a saloon?" "Dark, low ceilings with hanging oil lamps?" " Yes." " It's all there." "It's no dream." "You've been there." "You've seen it." "Never." "A hundred miles south of San Francisco, there's an old Spanish mission." "San Juan Bautista." "It's been preserved... exactly as it was a hundred years ago as a museum." "Think hard, darling." "You've been there." "You've seen it." "I've never been there." " What is it?" " Think hard." "Go on about your dream." "What frightened you?" "I stood alone on the green searching for something." "Then I started to walk to the church... but the darkness closed in and I was alone in the dark... being pulled into the darkness, and I fought to wake up." "You're going to be all right." "You've given me something to work on." "I'm taking you to that mission today." "When you see it, you'll remember it from before." "It'll destroy your dream." "I promise." "All right?" "Come on." "I'll take you home." "No, I'll be all right." "Come back around noon." "Where are you now?" " Here with you." " And it's all real." "It's not just like a hundred years ago... or a year ago or six months or whenever you were here before." "Think of when you were here." "There were not so many carriages." "There were horses in the stalls... a bay, two black and a gray." "It was our favorite place... but we were forbidden to play here." "And Sister Teresa would scold us." "Look at this." "Here's your gray horse." "Have a little trouble getting in and out of the stall without being pushed." "You see?" "There's an answer for everything." "Try." "Try for me." " I love you." " I love you too." "Too late." "No, we're together." "It's too late." "There's something I must do." "There's nothing you must do." "No one possesses you." "You're safe with me." "No, it's too late." "It's not fair." "It wasn't supposed to happen this way." "We're in love." "That's what counts." " Let me go!" " Listen to me." " You believe I love you?" " Yes." "If you lose me, you'll know..." "I wanted to go on loving you." "I won't lose you." "Let me go into the church alone." "Why?" "Mr. Elster, suspecting his wife's mental instability... took the precaution of having her watched by Mr. Ferguson... lest any harm befall her." "You have heard that Mr. Elster was prepared... to take her to an institution... and put her mental health into the hands of qualified specialists." "Mr. Ferguson, being an ex-detective, would have seemed... the proper choice for the role of watchdog and protector." "As you have learned, it was an unfortunate choice." "However, I think that no blame can be attached to the husband." "His delay in putting his wife under medical care... was due to the need for information as to her behavior... which he expected to get from Mr. Ferguson." "He had taken every precaution to protect his wife." "He could not have anticipated that Mr. Ferguson's weakness... his fear of heights... would make him powerless when he was most needed." "As to Mr. Ferguson... you have heard his former superior..." "Detective Captain Hansen, from that great city to the north, testify... as to his character and ability." "Capt. Hansen was most enthusiastic." "The fact that once before, under similar circumstances..." "Mr. Ferguson allowed a police colleague to fall to his death..." "Capt. Hansen dismissed as an unfortunate incident." "Of course, Mr. Ferguson is to be congratulated... on having once saved the woman's life when... in a previous fit of aberration, she threw herself into the Bay." "It is a pity that, knowing her suicidal tendencies... he did not make a greater effort the second time." "But we are not here to pass judgment on his lack of initiative." "He did nothing... and the law has little to say on the subject of things left undone." "Nor does his strange behavior... after he saw the body fall... have any bearing on your verdict." "He left the scene of the death." "He claims he suffered a mental blackout and knew nothing more... until he found himself in his apartment in San Francisco hours later." "You may accept that or not." "Or believe that having once again allowed someone to die... he could not face the tragic result of his own weakness and ran away." "That has nothing to do with your verdict." "It is a matter between him and his conscience." "Now, from the evidence of the state of mind... of Madeline Elster prior to her death... from the manner of her death and the postmortem examination of the body... showing the actual cause of her death... the decision should not be difficult." "Gentlemen, you may retire if you wish." " We've reached a verdict." " Thank you." ""The jury finds that Madeline Elster committed suicide... while of unsound mind."" "Your verdict will be so recorded." "Dismissed." "Let's go." "May I speak to him for a minute?" "Go ahead." "Sorry, Scottie, that was rough." "He had no right to speak to you like that." "It was my responsibility." "I shouldn't have involved you." "No, there's nothing you have to say." "I'm getting out for good." "I can't stay here." "I'm going to wind up her affairs and mine... get away as far as I can." "Europe, perhaps." "And I probably never will come back." "Good-bye, Scottie." "If there's anything I can do for you before I go..." "They can't understand." "We know who killed Madeline." "Come on." "Let's get outta here." "It's Mozart." "Wolfgang Amadeus." "I had a long talk with that lady in Musical Therapy... and she says that Mozart's the boy for you." "The broom that sweeps the cobwebs away." "It's what the lady said." "It's wonderful how they have it all taped now." "They have music for dipsomaniacs... music for melancholiacs... and music for hypochondriacs." "I wonder what would happen if somebody got their files mixed up." "I brought other things, and you can see what you like." "It shuts off automatically." "Oh, Johnny, please try." "You're not lost." "Mother is here." "Time?" "I'll be in again." "You want me to shut that off?" "Oh, John-O." "You don't even know I'm here." "But I'm here." "Could I see the doctor for a moment?" "Doctor, Miss Wood?" "Go in, please." "Yes, Miss Wood?" "How long is it gonna take to pull him out of this?" "It's hard to say." "Six months, perhaps a year." "It depends on him." " He won't talk." " No." "He's suffering from acute melancholia... together with a guilt complex." "He blames himself for what happened to the woman." "We know a little of what happened." "I know he was in love with her." "That does complicate the problem." "Another complication is that he still is." "You know something?" "I don't think Mozart's gonna help." ""One way"" " Where'd you get this car?" " I beg your pardon?" "I bought it from a man who used to live here." "Mr. Gavin Elster." "I bought it when he moved away." "You knew him and his wife!" "The poor thing." "I didn't know her." "Is it true she really..." "I'm sorry." " Good evening." " Good evening." "Scotch and soda." "What is it?" "Can I ask you some questions?" " What for?" "Who are you?" " John Ferguson." " Is this a Gallup Poll?" " No." " I wanted to ask..." " Do you live here?" "No." "I saw you when you came in so I thought..." "I thought so." "A pickup." "You've got a nerve following me inside and up to my room." " You beat it." " I just wanna talk to you." " I'm gonna yell in a minute." " I won't hurt you." "Honest." "Please." "Just let me talk to you." " What about?" " You." " Why?" " Because you remind me of somebody." "I heard that one before too." "I remind you of someone you were madly in love with... but she ditched you for another guy... and you been carrying a torch ever since." "Then you saw me and something clicked." "You're not far wrong." " It's not gonna work." "You'd better go." " Please let me in." "You can leave the door open." "I just want to talk." "Please." "I warn ya." "I can yell awful loud." "You won't have to." "You don't look like Jack the Ripper." " What do you wanna know?" " Your name." " Judy Barton." " Who you are." " Just a girl." "I work at Magnin's." " How did you end up living here?" "It's a place to live." " You haven't lived here long?" " About three years." " Where did you live before?" " Salina, Kansas!" "What is this?" "What do you want?" " To know who you are." " I told you." "My name is Judy Barton." "I come from Salina, Kansas." "I work at Magnin's, and I live here." "You want proof?" "Here's my Kansas driver's license." ""Judy Barton, number Z296794." "425 Maple Avenue, Salina, Kansas."" "See this address?" "It's this place right here." "A California license issued May 25, 1954." "You wanna check my thumbprints?" "Satisfied?" "Whether you're satisfied or not, you can just beat it." "You have got it bad, haven't you?" "Do I really look like her?" "She's dead, isn't she?" "I'm sorry... and I'm sorry I yelled at you." "That's me with my mother." "That's my father." "He's dead." "Mother married again, but I didn't like the guy... so I decided to see what California is like." "Been here three years." "Honest." " Will you have dinner with me?" " Why?" "I feel I owe you something after all this." " You don't owe me." " Will you for me?" " Dinner and what else?" " Just dinner." "Because I remind you of her?" "Because I'd like to have dinner with you." "Well, I've been on blind dates before." "To be honest, I've been picked up before." "I'll get my car." "I'll be back in half an hour." "You'd better give me time to get fixed up." "An hour?" "Dearest Scottie." "And so you found me." "This is the moment that I dreaded and hoped for... wondering what I would say and do if I ever saw you again." "I wanted so to see you again just once." "Now I'll go, and you can give up your search." "I want you to have peace of mind." "You've nothing to blame yourself for." "You were the victim." "I was the tool... and you were the victim of Gavin Elster's plan to murder his wife." "He chose me because I looked like her." "He dressed me up like her." "He was safe because she lived in the country and rarely came to town." "He chose you to be the witness to a suicide." "The Carlotta story was part real, part invented... to make you testify that Madeline wanted to kill herself." "He knew of your illness." "He knew you'd never get up the tower's stairs." "He planned it so well." "He made no mistakes." "I made the mistake." "I fell in love." "That wasn't part of the plan." "I'm still in love with you, and I want you to love me." "If I had the nerve, I'd stay and lie... hoping that I could make you love me again... as I am, for myself... and so forget the other and forget the past." "But..." "I don't know whether I have the nerve to try." "Here." "I'll do it." "There you are." " Thanks again." "Good night." " Can I see you tomorrow?" "Tomorrow night?" "No, tomorrow morning." "I have to go to work." "I've got a job." " Don't go." " And live on my oil wells in Texas?" "Let me take care of you, Judy." "Thanks, but no thanks." " You don't understand." " I understand." "I've been understanding since I was 17." " The next step is..." " No." "No?" "Then what?" "We could just... see a lot of each other..." "Why?" "'Cause I remind you of her?" "That's not very complimentary." "And nothing else?" "That's not very complimentary either." "I just want to be with you as much as I can." "Well..." "I guess I could phone the store in the morning and... make some excuse." "I like that one." " That?" " Yes." "It's beautiful." "There we are." "We'll get this, then buy you those clothes." " Honest?" " Right over there's Ransohoffs." "Nothing but the best." "How much?" "Fifty cents." "Thank you." " You don't have to." " I want to." "No, that's not it." "Nothing like it." "You said gray, sir." "I want an ordinary, simple gray suit." " But I like that one." " No, it's not right." "The gentleman seems to know what he wants." "We'll find it." " What are you doing?" " Trying to buy you a suit." "But I love the second one she wore." " And this one." "It's beautiful." " None of them are right." "I think I know the suit you mean." "We had it sometime ago." "Let me see." "We may still have that model." "Thank you." "You want the suit she wore." "You want me to be dressed like her." "I want you to look nice." "I know what would look well on you." "I won't do it!" "It can't matter so much to you." "I just want to see..." "I don't want anything." "I want to leave." " Do this for me." " Here we are." " That's it." " I thought so." " I don't like it." " We'll take it." "Will it fit?" "It might need alteration but it's madam's size." "We'll have it for you to try on in a moment." " How long will the alterations take?" " Well..." " May we have it tonight?" " If it's necessary." "It is." "Now we'd like to see a dinner dress... short, black, with long sleeves and a square neck." "My!" "You do know what you want, sir." "I'll see what we have." "That's it." "Do you have them in brown?" " Yes." " Fine." "Drink this straight down, just like medicine." "Why are you doing this?" "What good will it do?" "I don't know." "No good, I guess." "I wish you'd leave me alone." "I wanna go away." "You can, you know." "You wouldn't let me." "And I don't wanna go." "I tell you this." "These past few days... have been the first happy days I've known in a year." "I know because... 'cause I remind you of her." "And not even that very much." "It's you too." "There's something in you that..." " You don't even want to touch me." " Yes, I do." "Couldn't you like me, just me, the way I am?" "When we first started out, it was good, fun." "And then you started in on the clothes." "I'll wear the darned clothes if you want me to... if you'll just like me." "The color of your hair." "Please." "It can't matter to you." "If..." "If I let you change me, will that do it?" "If I do what you tell me... will you love me?" "All right." "I'll do it." "I don't care anymore about me." "Come on." "We'll sit by the fire." "It's going to take several hours." "She thought you'd like to go home." "She'll follow as soon as she's finished." "Tell her I'll go to her hotel and wait." " You're sure about the hair color?" " Yes." "It's easy." " All the rest of the..." " Yes, we know what you want." "Thank you." "Well?" "It should be back from your face and pinned at the neck." "I told you both that." "We tried it." "It just didn't suit me." "Please, Judy." " Where shall we go for dinner?" " Anywhere you like." " Ernie's?" " You have a thing about Ernie's." "After all, it's our place." "Hello, my love." "Like me?" " Is that the best you can do?" " Come here." "Oh, no." "You'll muss me." "That's what I had in mind." "It's too late." "I got my face on." "I'm suddenly hungry." " Would you rather go somewhere else?" " No, Ernie's is fine." "I'm gonna have one of those big, beautiful steaks." "Let me see." "To start I think I'll..." "Help me, will you?" "I have it." " How do you work this?" " Can't you see?" " There you are." " Thank you." "I'm almost ready." "I just need to find my lipstick." "Where did I put it?" "I had it a minute ago." "I wonder if it's here." "Here it is." "I'm ready." "But first muss me a little?" "I do have you now, don't I?" "How about someplace out of town for dinner?" " Maybe a drive down the peninsula." " If you like." "We're going awfully far." "I just feel like driving." "You terribly hungry?" "It's all right." "Where are you going?" "One final thing I have to do... and then I'll be free of the past." " Why are we here?" " I told you." "I have to go back into the past once more." "Once more for the last time." "Why here?" "Madeline died here." " I don't wanna go..." " No, I need you." "Why?" "I need you to be Madeline for a while." "When it's done, we'll both be free." " I'm scared." " No, I have to tell you about Madeline." "Right there." "I kissed her over there for the last time." "She said, "If you lose me, you'll know that I love you... and wanted to keep on loving you."" "I said, "I won't lose you." But I did." "Then she turned... and ran into the church." "And when I followed her, it was too late." "I don't wanna go in there!" "It's too late." "Scottie, I..." "I couldn't find her." "Then I heard footsteps on the stairs." "She was running up the tower." "Right here." "See?" "She was running up the stairs... and through the trap door at the top of the tower." "I tried to follow, but I couldn't get to the top." "One doesn't often get a second chance." "I want to stop being haunted." "You're my second chance." "Take me away!" "You look like Madeline now." "Go up the stairs." "I'll follow." "This was as far as I went, but you went on." "Remember?" "The necklace, Madeline." "That was the slip." "I remembered the necklace." " Let me go!" " No, we're going up the tower." "You can't!" "You're afraid!" "We'll see." " This is my second chance." " Please!" "You knew that day that I wouldn't be able to follow you." "Who was up there?" "Elster and his wife?" "And she was the one who died." "The real wife, not you." "You were the counterfeit, weren't you?" " Was she dead or alive when..." " Dead!" "He'd broken her neck." "Wasn't taking any chances." "When you got up there, he pushed her off the tower, and you screamed." "Why?" "I wanted to stop it." "I ran up to stop it..." "Why did you scream, since you tricked me so well up to then?" "You played the wife very well." "He made you over, didn't he?" "He made you over like I did, only better." "Not only the clothes, the hair, but the looks, manner and words... and those beautiful phony trances." "You jumped into the Bay!" "I'll bet you're a wonderful swimmer." " Aren't you?" " Yes!" "Then what did he do?" "Train you?" "Rehearse you?" "Tell you exactly what to do, what to say?" "You were a very apt pupil, weren't you?" "Why did you pick on me?" "Your accident!" "I was the setup, wasn't I?" "I was a made-to-order witness." "I made it." "What are you going to do?" "We're going up and look at the scene of the crime." "Come on." "This is where it happened." "You both hid there and waited for it to clear... then sneaked down and drove into town." "Then you were his girl, huh?" "What happened?" "Did he ditch ya?" "With all of his wife's money and freedom and power... he ditched you." "But he knew he was safe, that you couldn't talk." " Did he give you anything?" " Some money." "And the necklace." "Carlotta's necklace." "That was your mistake." "You shouldn't keep souvenirs of a killing." "You shouldn't have been..." "You shouldn't have been that sentimental." "I loved you so." "I was safe when you found me." "There was nothing you could prove." "But when I saw you again, I couldn't run away." "I loved you so." "I walked into danger... and let you change me because I loved and wanted you." "Please." "You loved me." "Now keep me safe." "It's too late." "There's no bringing her back." "I heard voices." "God have mercy."