The Mad Magician Page #6

I think it was a mask.

Alice.

A face, I mean. The face of ormond.

That must have been his secret.

How else could he have made

those quick changes in his show?

I don't believe it. It is too incredible.

But I'm convinced of it. So convinced that

I'm going to lieutenant Bruce right now.

Alice, I forbid it.

My dear, don't be ridiculous.

Karen should be here soon.

I'll be honest with you, Mrs. prentiss.

Lt's my job to follow up every lead I get,

but I'm afraid your theory is going

to steer us right up a blind alley.

I was worried about it myself,

until you told me that the fingerprints

of ormond and Rinaldi

were one and the same.

Doesn't that mean

they were made by one man?

Yes, it does

and it could be gallico, but...

I'll find out about

that before this night's over.

- Hello, Karen.

- Hello. Now, look here, Alan...

Honey, I'm sorry to have

to drag you down here at this hour.

I should think you would be sorry.

What you told me on the phone

about Mr. gallico is simply impossible.

Why, he's the kindest,

sweetest man I've ever known.

What he told you on the phone

was my theory, not his, Karen.

Well, how can you even

think such a thing?

L'm sorry. I like Mr. gallico, too.

Now, listen to me, Karen.

When gallico impersonated

other magicians in his show,

what method did he use

to make himself look like them?

Well, I don't know. He always kept it a

secret from the rest of the company.

He always changed

in his dressing room.

Do you think he used a mask?

No. How could he even talk

or move his face with a mask on?

It would have to be

a special kind of mask.

What of it? Suppose he did use one?

He never killed anybody.

He couldn't do such a thing.

Mrs. prentiss thinks that gallico might

be in there right now on the stage

impersonating Rinaldi.

That's utterly ridiculous.

I hope you're right.

Let's go take a look.

You know gallico better than I do.

Better than any of us.

Tell us... What do you think?

Well?

I don't understand it.

He does some things

very much like Mr. gallico.

Mrs. prentiss may be right.

Now, if gallico's prints should match

those of ormond and Rinaldi...

I'm going to gallico's studio.

May I go with you? Well, don't you

think I've earned that reward?

Karen, do something for me.

Wait at the stage door

till Rinaldi comes out.

Then talk to him.

Say anything you can think of,

but keep him as long as you can.

In case he is gallico.

Come on, Mrs. prentiss.

Oh, don. don.

Why, hello, Karen.

What are you doing here?

Why, I was waiting for Mr. Rinaldi.

L'm... l'm looking for a job.

You see, I haven't done very much work

lately, except a little modeling.

So I thought there might be

something in this show.

Oh? Well, that's too bad.

I came here to see

Rinaldi myself, but he's gone.

Oh, I didn't see him leave.

No, they told me that he came out

through the front.

- Can I drop you some place, Karen?

- Oh, no. No, thank you.

Well, I'm going straight home,

and you live near my place.

It's much better

than waiting here for a bus.

Come on. Get in.

Well, you're not afraid of riding

with me, are you, Karen?

What's your address?

29 palisades Avenue.

29 palisades Avenue.

How's our friend the detective?

Alan? Oh... He's all right.

He's having a little trouble

finding his murderer, isn't he?

Considerable trouble.

Looks all right.

A matter of opinion.

Come in. That's the door

to gallico's apartment.

See if there's a rear exit.

We may have to get out of here in a hurry.

L get you.

- Well, thanks for the lift, don.

- That's all right.

Go to bed now

and get a good night's rest.

I shall. Thanks.

Good night, Karen.

Good night, don.

457 rensselaer drive.

Yes. Mm-hmm. Sure.

Well. Mm-hmm.

Good evening, miss Lee.

Hello.

I knew it.

- Thank you.

- Thank you, sir.

Hello.

This is Karen. Gallicds on the way to

the studio. He'll be there any minute.

You'd better hurry

and get out of there quick.

All right, Karen. L'll tell Bruce.

Well, lieutenant?

L'm sorry, Mr. gallico.

I decided to get fingerprints from

all those who had known Mrs. ormond.

I asked Rinaldi for a set of his.

What did he say?

Oh, he was very angry.

I was afraid I might get

the same reception from you.

You policemen don't trust anybody.

Why, lieutenant, I haven't the slightest

objection to giving you my prints.

That's very nice of you.

Do you have an ink pad here?

Yes. Yes, of course.

Here you are.

And here's some paper.

Anything else you want?

We'll take your left hand first.

Just roll it on the pad,

then make an imprint on the paper, so...

I'm glad to help you, lieutenant.

I... I want you to solve this case.

Next, the index finger of the left hand.

You know, I have

a high regard for you, lieutenant.

I'll always have a high regard for you.

Even though we should have

a slight misunderstanding.

You shouldn't have

come here, lieutenant.

L'm afraid I'll have to dispose of you.

Ah, lieutenant,

so you're with us again.

It's a pity I had to deal

with you the way I did,

but one must be firm with policemen.

Give them an inch

and they'll take a mile.

Gallico, you'll get

the chair for this.

They'll give me the same voltage for killing

four as they would for killing three.

Ormond. His wife. The great Rinaldi.

You should have seen how neatly

this machine disposed of him.

In no time at all

he was a handful of ashes.

Karen. Karen. Up here.

Bruce is hurt.

I'm afraid gallico will kill him.

- I'll go and get a policeman.

- No, no, there isn't time for that.

Go to the front of the studio.

Bang on the door.

Anything to get

gallico's attention.

Hurry! Hurry!

You shouldn't have come nosing

around here, lieutenant.

Takes a little time

for a job like this,

but I set the machine

at 3500 degrees fahrenheit.

When it nears that point,

this door will open.

When it is fully opened,

the machine will roll you in.

Actually,

there will be very little pain.

Such a blast of heat

brings instant oblivion.

Can you hear it sing, lieutenant?

It has the voice of a mad bull.

As you can see, my crematorium

is more than an illusion.

You haven't seen it work, have you?

But you will. You'll be in it.

Gallico, you don't know what you're doing.

Yes, I know. They'll say

I'm mad, quite mad.

They'll lock me in jail for life, put me

in a padded cell with a straitjacket.

No, thank you.

I'll take the chair.

Who's there? Who is it?

What do you want?

Mr. gallico, please!

Mr. gallico, please open the door!

I can't see you now.

Get away from here.

I'll get the police!

Please open the door!

You don't know what you're doing!

Help! Police!

Help! Help! Help! Help!

Bruce, are you all right?

Oh!

They are remarkable likenesses,

but l'll never believe a man

could get away with such a thing.

You didn't believe

the fingerprints either.

You confused me.

You told me that ormond's

and Rinaldi's prints were the same.

They were. Because they

were both made by gallico.

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