Silver Streak Page #4

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He was shot in the head.

I knew that I had been drinking,

so I went to see the professor this morning

and I found this little weasel

of a guy in his room.

- Edgar Whiney.

- That's him. How did you know that?

Oh, I know. I just know.

Go on, go on.

Well, then, this huge mountain

with a gold mine stuck in his gums

picked me up and threw me off the train.

- But you never saw the professor, huh?

- No, I saw him. I saw him this afternoon.

- Where?

- In Hilly's compartment.

See, the man I saw last night

was a hallucination.

- What did he look like?

- Who?

The professor that you saw this afternoon.

Like his picture.

- Did he say anything to you?

- Why are you asking me all these questions?

- Did he say anything?

- Nothing. Nothing.

He was tired and wanted to have a Scotch.

You don't have any ice in your drink.

That's it. Scotch.

Listen, see, you didn't have a hallucination.

The professor's been murdered.

The guy you saw this afternoon is a fake.

- Oh, no.

- Yeah.

Listen, I talked

to the real professor last night.

I mean it. He didn't want

anything to do with Mr Devereau.

Besides, he's a health nut.

Doesn't touch alcohol.

Oh, Bobby, just because

you're a vitamin salesman?

My name is Stevens. I'm a federal agent.

We've been working on this case

for two-and-a-half years.

Why are you tailing the professor?

I am not tailing the professor.

I am tailing Devereau.

- Come on, let's go.

- Wait a minute. Wha... What about Hilly?

They won't kill her till we get to Chicago.

They won't try to kill you till then.

Come on!

Devereau's men must have brought

the professor here after nine last night.

- How do you figure that?

- Because I left him at nine o'clock,

and this is the easiest way to the roof.

Somehow he must have escaped.

He got out on this ladder, then ran

back down the train before they shot him.

You're not going up there, are you?

Yeah. The Blainard Tunnel is up ahead.

Come on up and keep a lookout, will you?

All right, I'll try.

- What did you find?

- It was hooked on a protruding bolt.

Then I was right. I did see him.

I'll bet Devereau has already got the body

picked up and placed in cold storage.

Too bad. He was a sweet old guy.

But why did he have to kill the professor?

He was going to be embarrassed

by the findings in the professor's book.

Two of the Institute's Rembrandts,

both bought and authenticated by Devereau,

were going to be proved forgeries.

The professor had the proof

in his possession.

I asked him last night, "What was the proof?"

He told me I was going to have to

"wait for his lecture".

- And Devereau wasn't going to wait.

- No.

I think the idea was to

kidnap the professor, then kill him,

and then, you know,

substitute some phoney lookalike

who would botch the lecture

and discredit the book.

- We've gotta find the proof.

- But they have the proof! They have it.

That's what they were looking for -

the Rembrandt letters.

They said that they found them

in the professor's trunk.

They're lying. That's the first place they'd

look before turning his room upside down.

No. No, the professor hid them someplace -

somewhere simple -

as a precaution when he found out

Devereau was on the train.

My God, I know where they are!

Come on, come on.

The Rembrandt letters.

Holy Toledo, I think you found it!

This is the genuine article,

penned by the old boy himself, huh?

- Rembrandt Harmenszoon van Rijn.

- Yeah.

My guess is there's some kind

of a date in all this

that proves the charges

in the professor's book.

Push the button for the porter. I wanna get

the conductor to radio ahead to the next town.

It's difficult to believe

that a man was killed over those.

This is the tip of an iceberg. You know that

plane crash in Cologne, Germany last year?

That was a Devereau special.

100 people got killed in that one.

It was to cover up his involvement

in the Metropolitan Gallery scandal.

We knew he was responsible,

but we couldn't pin it on him.

These letters are gonna blow his

multimillion-dollar operation in art sky-high.

That's why she was so distant.

- They must've had her in a corner.

- Remember, your neck is on the line, too.

You told them you saw the professor shot.

Yeah, I did.

- So what do I do now?

- You be responsible for Hilly.

- Get her to safety. I'll take care of Devereau.

- Here's the tunnel.

We'll make our move at Dodge City tonight.

It's appropriate, huh?

Gunsmoke at the OK Corral.

What happened?

Bob, what happened?

Put 'em back! Go on, now. Do it.

Get my gun. Take my gun.

Take my gun. Go on.

Get the girl off the train, OK?

Go on!

I got a funny feeling

this bullet was meant for you.

Shoot! That man's dead!

- Holy moly, you shot him!

- I di... No!

- You...

- No, wait a minute!

He's been shot! A man's been shot!

Santa Mara! The rapist! Ay, Dios mo.

I didn't shoot him!

Hey, you're not...

Hey!

He's not dead!

Hold it! Don't move or I'll shoot!

Argh!

Son of a b*tch!

Hey! Hey!

Wait a minute!

Wait!

Wait!

Hello!

Hello! Hello! Please, wait a minute!

Wait a minute! Wait... Please, stop!

Please stop!

Thanks a lot, Eddie.

That's it, boys!

Blow those babies' heads off!

Excuse me.

Just a minute.

Jeez, would you look at that!

Bam! Bam! Bam!

Whoo-hoo, that boy's something, ain't he?

# Plop, plop, fizz, fizz

- Oops. Commercial.

- # Plop, plop, fizz, fizz

# Oh, what a relief it is

- What can I do for you?

- I want to report a murder.

- Huh?

- A murder.

A man's been shot on the Silver Streak.

A girl is in great danger.

We have to stop the train.

- Wait a second. You say a man's been shot?

- Yes.

Jumpin' jiminy!

We've never had a murder before.

Sit down. Have a cup of

coffee. Help yourself.

Now, let's get the facts.

- What'd you say your name was?

- Caldwell. George Caldwell.

I'm from Los Angeles.

LA. OK.

- Who was shot?

- Actually, there were two.

- Two?

- Yes.

The first was Bob Sweet.

He was a federal undercover agent.

- A fed. No sh*t?

- Yes.

And the second was a man

by the name of Reace. I shot him.

- You shot him?

- Yes. He shot Sweet.

- Cos he was a fed?

- No. He thought Sweet was me.

- Reace shot Sweet and you shot Reace?

- Right.

With a spear gun.

With a what?

You see, I took Sweet's gun, but I

dropped it, so I had to use a spear gun.

Don't you... Can't we call someone?

- Wait a second. You shot Reace with a spear?

- Yes. He was going to shoot me.

- With a spear?

- No. With a bullet. He shot the professor.

- Who shot the professor?

- Reace!

- Reace shot Sweet!

- And the professor.

Makes three.

Oh, I'm sorry. I forgot.

The professor was shot last night.

- Can't we just do all of this later?

- Was there anyone else?

- Anyone else what?

- Shot!

No, no. But there will be soon,

if we don't stop the train.

Please, just pick up the phone

and call your superiors.

Tell them I have the Rembrandt letters.

That's why the professor was shot.

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