Charlie Chan at Treasure Island Page #7

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- That's the spirit.

[Rhadini] Stand wherever you wish, Doctor.

- Now, ladies and gentlemen,

before I continue- - ~~[Ends]

I want to say in fairness

to our distinguished guest...

that I do not intend in any way to

ridicule his faith in the supernatural.

But I will prove that I can

duplicate anything he does...

with the same old bag of tricks that

have been mystifying gullible humanity...

- since the first magician laid an egg.

- [Laughter]

My initial endeavor will be to nullify

the law of gravity through levitation-

an art practiced by the holy men ofTibet...

who are credited with being able to

project their bodies through space.

- Thank you.

- ~~[Resumes]

Now watch Miss Cairo and

particularly the table.

We are under observation by a

supercritical jury of witnesses.

Nothing below, a beautiful lady above.

No wires connected to the

table, no mechanical devices...

yet, unless your eyes deceive you,

the table and the young lady...

are rising into the fourth

dimension of space...

supported by nothing but thin air!

Levitation was a religious rite of the

ancient world, known to the priests of Chaldea-

a guarded secret in the temples of Babylon-

a fearsome ceremony of the pagan

gods who cried for sacrifice...

and before whom victims

vanished and disappeared!

~~[Ends]

- [Applause]

- [Screams]

[Applause Fades, Crowd Murmuring]

[Pete] Eve!

[Kilvaine] An arrow!

Stuck directly in heart. Death instantaneous.

Boy, what a finish for

Dr. Zodiac. Who is he, Pop?

[Rhadini] It's the Turk!

[Kilvaine] Wait a minute. Houselights!

Everybody stay right where you are.

No one is to leave this theater.

[Whistle Tweeting]

Have everybody go back to their seats!

Please, remove body out there.

- Back to your seat, lady.

- You've no right to keep me here. Let me by.

Look! Somebody threw this bow in here.

Get bow, please.

This is what he was shot with, all right.

Gee, Pop, l-I didn't mean to do that.

No matter. Accident proves

arrow not shot from bow.

Weather-beaten wood too old to

put driving force behind bowstring.

Why, that's from my exhibit in

the lobby. It's the Pygmy bow.

Problem number one then: How was

arrow which killed Turkish gentleman...

projected into his body?

- [Rhadini] Someone must've been close enough to stab him.

- It must've been from the stage.

Maybe, maybe not. The lights

were out long enough...

for anyone to come up on the stage

and then gotten back to their seat.

Makes problem more difficult

- takes in entire audience.

Suggest confining selves to one who could

have been within striking distance of victim.

- When did you leave stage, Mr. Rhadini?

- As soon as the lights changed.

I follow the table down the aisle. I'm

at the back when Eve makes her entrance.

Rhadini must have been in the

aisle. He dropped this wand...

beside my seat in the second row.

- Hello, Stewart. What are you doing here?

- Kilvaine.

- Say, do you know him too?

- Sure. Charlie, I want you to meet Stewart Salsbury...

the investigator for the

Granville Insurance Company.

Then he is a detective?

But now his name's Salsbury.

That's why the insurance company

didn't know anyone named Gregory.

May chalk up one error

against blundering parent.

Mr. Salsbury, you were sitting in second row?

I was interested in watching you work. I

knew you were on the stage for a purpose.

I wanted to be nearer to you and Dr. Zodiac.

Thank you so much. May see wand, please?

This is wand used in floating table illusion?

Yes. I guess I dropped it in the

aisle as I ran back to the stage.

Silver-tipped wand more

prolific than silkworm.

- You're stealing my act, Charlie.

- [Audience Laughs]

Perhaps have extra one

handy? Up sleeve maybe?

Say, I shouldn't have let

you watch me so closely.

- An orchid for you, Charlie.

- Thank you so much.

Miss Cairo, please, just when you

cease to float on flying table?

I wasn't on the table, Mr. Chan. I was

in the wings waiting for my entrance.

Not on table? Very mysterious.

Just a minute, Charlie. You don't mean to

say that Eve had anything to do with this.

Please, I'm merely trying to place

positions of people on stage...

to get clear picture of crime.

Well, I don't quite get you, Charlie.

Let's place 'em in the positions they

were in before the lights went out.

[Charlie] Very excellent suggestion.

Would request, Mr. Rhadini,

you start act all over again...

from point where Miss

Cairo is placed on table.

- Right.

- [Crowd Murmuring]

Now, you people in the audience

please settle down and be patient.

- We're going to stage Rhadini's act again.

- [Exclaiming]

We want all the cooperation you can give us.

The person sitting next to you might

be the murderer we're looking for.

Will need volunteer to take place of victim.

- You will oblige?

- What? Me be the murdered man?

- But I ain't a good subject, Mr. Chan, I ain't.

- Hmm. No.

Can request you assume

humble position, Mr. Lewis?

- To break a story, I'd do anything, Charlie.

- Thank you so much.

Miss Cairo, it will be necessary

for you again to take place on table.

- No, no, I can't do it.

- What's the matter, honey?

I wouldn't advise you to use Eve.

She's different from the rest of us-

high-strung, nervous temperament,

sensitive to things like this.

One moment, please. Have thought.

Will not be necessary to use young lady.

Uh, let everyone assume original positions.

You, Miss Cairo, were in wings.

Mr. Rhadini, you were on platform, please.

- Who's gonna ride on the table?

- Number two son.

He long have weakness for

displaying histrionic ability.

Here is opportunity to disguise

self as Sleeping Beauty.

Who, me? Take a ride on that table?

- Oh, but flying makes me seasick, Pop.

- Go.

All right, Jimmy. Come on. Come on. Hop up.

You're gonna get a lot of

surprises. Okay, Charlie?

- Lights!

- ~~[Resumes]

[Rhadini] Watch Miss Cairo

and particularly the table.

We are under observation by a

supercritical jury of witnesses.

Nothing below-

No wires connected to the

table, no mechanical devices.

Yet, unless your eyes deceive

you, the table and the lady...

are rising into the fourth

dimension of space...

supported by nothing but thin air!

Levitation was a religious rite of the

ancient world, known to the priests of Chaldea-

a guarded secret of the

ancient temples of the-

Mr. Chan, something's wrong.

Rhadini didn't finish his speech!

Lights! Lights! Turn on the lights! [Screams]

[Crowd Clamoring]

- How did that happen?

- Do something.

[Kilvaine] All right, folks. All

right. Take your seats and be quiet.

[Man] Get him to his dressing room!

Why, he's wounded! Get him to his

dressing room and call a doctor.

Now, keep calm, folks!

Joe, get everybody out of that aisle.

Lady! Lady! Sit down,

lady. Be calm, be collected.

Don't get excited. That

won't get you anything.

Take his coat off. He's bleeding.

Come on. Come on. Get

him to his dressing room.

Well, if this don't send me back to Billy

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