I, Madman Page #3

I need 1,000 copies of East Of Edith

by Friday or I'm finished with this business!

Yeah, but look,

have the wrappers been printed yet?

Look, check the warehouse.

We got a load of that western title

that didn't sell.

Yeah, Long In The Saddle.

Yeah, just switch the covers.

Mel, nobody's going to know the difference.

Nobody gives a sh*t, believe me!

Look, I got someone in the office.

I'll call you back.

-Are you Sidney Zeit?

-No. I'm Nelson Doubleday.

What can I do for you?

Well, actually, sir, if you don't mind...

-I have something I'd like to show you.

-I only publish smut.

I would love to chat with you,

but I've got a lot of work to do.

Did you publish this book?

So my moniker's all over it.

-What is it to you?

-I want to know about Malcolm Brand.

I wasn't married to the guy.

I just published a couple of his books.

Please.

You doing a paper or something?

College?

I don't know what to tell you.

The books speak for themselves.

The guy was a lunatic.

Spent the last year of his life

in a rubber room.

That's where he wrote the last one.

One day he just took a powder.

Walked right out through the gate.

Nobody paid any attention.

Found him nearly a week later.

Said it was exposure,

but they couldn't be sure.

Why not?

Because by the time they got to him,

his body was ripped apart...

by some animals.

Probably a pack of hungry dogs.

He was a weirdo, all right.

I remember once...

-right after his first book....

-Much of Madness, More of Sin.

Yeah, that's the one. Did pretty well.

And even had a bit of a following.

Anyway, I got him an assignment.

A short story. Esquire, kiddo.

And we're talking about the mainstream.

And they wanted him.

So Malcolm started working on her

right away.

Two months later,

he returns the advance money...

and tells me he can't finish the story.

And get this:
claims the characters

were talking back to him.

Refusing to do what he says.

One even chased him out of town

for a couple of weeks.

The monster from the first book.

You know, the jackal boy.

Claims he had hated him.

Was hunting him down.

Some return of evil for evil.

-You published this book as nonfiction.

-Both books were nonfiction.

Malcolm insisted.

Claimed they were confessions.

He was a ranting schizophrenic.

Of course, nobody believed

anything he said.

So this stuff in the book,

about what he did to himself....

Oh, yeah.

He messed himself up pretty bad, all right.

Yeah.

Okay. You got the coroner on three

and your girlfriend's on one.

All right,

just call me if you find anything else.

Dr. Price, could you hold on for

just one minute? I appreciate it. Thank you.

Why didn't you wait for me downstairs?

Where are you?

Listen, you're never going to believe this.

-I know where he's going.

-What are you talking about?

There's going to be another killing, tonight.

Another guy.

A Mediterranean type.

Olive skin with a strong Roman profile.

Brand's going to follow him home

from a bar downtown on Grant.

I can't talk about this now.

The phones are ringing,

I've got two murders to solve--

Richard, listen to me!

I'm telling you, it's Brand.

He's back to finish what he started,

what he wrote about in the book!

I'm telling you that I don't believe in ghosts!

Just hold on for a minute, all right?

Dr. Price, thanks for.... Oh, sh*t!

F***!

-Waiting for a bus, little girl?

-Jesus Christ, Lenny.

Hey, I'm sorry.

-Are you waiting for someone?

-No.

Well, yes, actually.

I was waiting for an old friend.

That's something about Collette.

-It's a terrible thing.

-It's horrible.

I was thinking of picking up

a pizza and going home.

You're welcome to join me.

I mean, if your friend doesn't show up.

Thank you, but I'll just wait here

for a little while longer.

Thanks, anyway.

Okay. Sure.

-Some other time, then?

-Okay.

-I'll see you in acting class.

-Okay. See you later.

54-1. 54-1. Advise for code four.

-Evening, Lieutenant.

-Evening.

-Okay, what do we got here?

-Another mutilation, sir.

He got the nose this time.

-I understand we have a witness?

-Yes, sir. She's right over there.

Oh, hell.

-Sir?

-Nothing.

-Where's Channing?

-He's on his way.

Come here.

-Virginia? Thanks, I've got it. It's okay.

-Richard!

Richard, do you know who that is?

That's Lenny, from my acting class.

-What are you talking about?

-I knew this was gonna happen!

It's word for word out of the book.

The bar, the alley.

I couldn't do anything!

I couldn't make it stop.

It's okay. Just come over here

and tell me what happened.

Damn it, where were you?

Why didn't you listen to me?

-Why did you hang up the phone?

-I didn't hang up on you, okay?

It was crazy when you called.

-I just hit a button and--

-And you just couldn't deal with it, right?

You couldn't deal with it. That there might

be some truth in what I'm saying!

I'm sorry, okay?

Maybe I should have looked

into this thing a little more than I did.

Garber had us running down other leads.

He's my boss, what am I supposed to do?

You should just read the book,

Richard, please!

And then we'll talk about it.

Okay, all right,

I admit there are certain similarities.

I'll even go as far as to say...

that maybe there's

some copycat killer out there.

Somebody who's read the book

and is getting off on the gore. I don't know.

That's fine, but it doesn't explain

Malcolm Brand showing up in my apartment.

Let's stick close to earth

for the time being, all right?

We have to figure out when this maniac

is going to strike next.

It's right here. It's here in Chapter 8.

"I watched her before.

"Perched behind her desk,

lonely lady librarian, love-starved swan.

"How I imagined her sweet, full lips

burning passionately against her pillow...

"late at night when the stone-cold cats

ceased standing guard over her lust."

He means the library.

I mean, it's all right here.

Right down to the stone-cold cats.

He means the lions

outside the steps of the main branch.

Do you see?

So what happened in the end?

To the girl, I mean, Anna.

You don't want to know.

Yes, I do.

He cuts out her heart with his scalpel,

and he wears it around his neck.

Like a crucifix.

Close to his own heart.

-Hello?

-Looks like we're in luck.

Garber's letting us go for it,

and throwing in some uniforms.

That's great news, Richard.

It took some doing, but he's desperate.

And if we're wrong....

We're not wrong. I'm positive about this.

He'll be there tonight.

All right, the library closes at 8:00.

Can you be there in half an hour?

In half an hour?

Okay, I'll be there.

Mona, I'm gonna leave work

a little early tonight. All right?

Fine.

Okay.

-Mona, is there something wrong?

-No, nothing.

Nothing's wrong. You've walked

around here like a zombie all day.

You haven't said two words to me

since you got here.

I'll be stuck here doing your work

while you run all around fighting crime.

It's the estate sale stuff.

I forgot to unpack it.

The least you can do is let me in

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