The Beast with Five Fingers Page #5

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more comfortable in my office... please come.

What for?

Merely to ask a few questions,

Signor Conrad.

May I be so bold as to ask

where you got all of that money?

Francis Ingram gave it to me.

Oh... he did?

Why?

I asked him for it.

After all, he owed it to me.

Sometimes I can't help but wonder why

a man of your education and background

chooses to bury himself

in our little village.

Well you can stop wondering,

Commissario.

I was just on my way to get

an exit visa from you.

Thank you.

Signorina... after Signor Ingram

was stricken in New York...

he brought you along

to take care of him?

Yes. Mr Ingram had the choice

of many nurses.

I am not surprised that he chose you,

signorina.

I would have done the same,

believe me!

But recently Signorina asked for

her exit permit, too.

And now she seems

to change her mind?

No, I've decided to leave here

as soon as possible.

I see.

Did you know that the signorina,

after little more than a year

in Signor Ingram's service,

would have the good fortune

of inheriting all of his wealth?

Of course not.

Then why do you want

to leave with her?

Has this something to do

with her sudden inheritance?

What's the reason

for these questions?

Well, when a man picks up his living,

as you do, collecting so-called antiques...

One is naturally a bit curious.

Is that not so?

Have you a match, please?

Where were you the night of the accident,

Signor Conrad?

I told you... Horatio can testify

that I was at the inn.

And the night the lawyer

was murdered?

In bed. Horatio brought me

a hot drink.

May I have your passport,

signorina?

Thank you.

What does that mean?

It is merely routine.

In the meantime I suggest

that you stay at the villa.

I shall be there too.

I have no doubt we shall see

a great deal of each other.

Please come.

Still working, I see.

Yes, I am.

Well, it's after midnight.

Then why aren't you asleep?

Tell me, Hilary...

Just what do you expect to find?

The law that changes the conception

of unknown fate into very predictable fact.

Sounds like a lot of nonsense

to me.

Why don't you let me finish?

Applying that knowledge

to your life

I think I can foretell the exact

circumstances of your death.

What a charming thought.

And what's going to happen?

You were born on

the 15th of August, 1882... right?

So they told me.

That is under the sign of Leo,

Libra in the ascendance.

Now you should take the trouble to read the

life story of one Gottla Minate and Aurelio Versace

They were born on the same day

you were.

Only, a few hundred years ago.

But then they're the same constellation.

Come on, just give me

the cold facts.

Well, they both died

a death of violence.

Poison? Shooting? Hanging?

No, they were choked to death.

Well, I'm glad to know

what to expect.

I hate surprises.

Why don't you go to bed?

Not a good time.

I just wondered...

Abracadabra... here it is!

How did you know about that safe?

When I was a boy, no higher than that,

Uncle Francis opened it for me.

He pretended it was magic,

and I never forgot it.

You know that this

house belongs to Julie.

Everything in it is hers.

Everything, do you hear?

I'm not so sure about that.

There's another will in the safe that might

change that picture considerably.

Uncle Francis taught me a jingle

to remember the combination.

How did it go again?

It escapes me.

Get out of here!

Good night.

Don't work too much.

What is it?

Donald... and the Commissario.

What happened to Donald?

The hand... it tried to strangle him.

The hand?!

I saw it with my own eyes.

What happened to him?

Please help me take him

to his room.

He's finally fallen asleep.

I'm holding you responsible,

Commissario.

Well that would round out the mystery nicely...

accusing a Commissario of murder.

You're forcing us to stay here

where our lives are in danger.

It's a conspiracy... a device

to get rid of us.

Are you accusing

anybody in particular?

I'll answer that question

the moment I've left this house.

Tomorrow morning I'm going to call

an ambulance, and take Don away from here.

I don't think you son

can be moved in his condition.

I'll take a chance on that.

And nothing can stop me.

Nothing... neither ghosts nor police.

There's a possibility of brain fever.

It's very dangerous, Mr Arlington.

When I want medical advice,

I'll call a doctor.

The Devil's haunting this house.

The Devil...

It's in Signor Ingram's hand!

Quickly before it catches up

with us.

You're always imagining things...

The night your grandmother died,

you heard skeletons rattling.

Well, if you don't believe me,

why are you running away?

Well, it can't hurt

to be on the safe side.

There they go...

Giovanna, Antonia and Clara.

They're more afraid of ghosts

than of the law.

The law doesn't like it

too much either.

If I were not the Commissario,

I would be right with them.

I wonder what the Commissario

would think of all this packing.

He really can't keep us here

for ever, can he?

It depends on the ghost

of Francis Ingram.

Oh Bruce... let's get away from here...

we're not under arrest.

What can they do

if we just disappear?

Nothing... there's a bus that

crosses the border at Chiasso.

We can be in Lugarno tomorrow

and in Zurich before the Commissario

even knows we've left.

Well, let's leave...

why do we stay?

Perhaps I'm a bit curious.

Conrad!

Conrad!

What's the matter?

The hand!

Tell me... what is it?

The hand's in the library...

the hand, it crawled on my desk.

It picked up the ring...

I saw it with my own eyes.

It's alive.

I tell you, it's alive!

The desk...

What are you talking about?

It's gone... it was in here...

I threw it in here myself!

Although I think of death,

I don't anticipate it yet.

That's what Mr Ingram

said to me at dinner that night.

Isn't this your handwriting, Hilary?

It's Ingram's... his hand wrote it...

Don't you see... the hand...

It must be here!

Find it!... It must be somewhere!

- You must help me find it!

- Calm down!

You must help me... find it!

There's no hand Hilary...

It's only in your mind.

But I saw it... It moved.

Listen to me...

there's nothing here I tell you.

The note?

YOU must have written it...

unknowingly.

- Try to think!

- I couldn't have written it...

I didn't.

Bruce... please take me to my room.

What's he on with down there?

He's a sick man.

Mentally sick.

Have you ever heard him

play the piano?

No, not that I can remember.

Are you sure he CAN'T play?

No, but I'm sure only Francis Ingram

could have played that thing I wrote for him.

Good night, Julie.

And... don't forget

to lock your door.

I caught it... I caught it...

I locked it up.

That's fine.

The horrible hand

can't escape any more.

Now it can't get out.

Can't.

Of course it can't...

Now go to bed.

Dad...

Yes?

8 bones has the carpis,

5 the metacarpis...

14 the phalanges...

All in all... 27 all in all!

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