The Oxford Murders Page #4

So, even in your world|of mathematical purity,

there are things|that can never be proven.

Yes, but that is not the case here.

There is a gap,

there is a gulf between|what is true and what is provable.

We can never be sure

of all the facts about a phenomenon,

and to lack just one, could change|everything. Even if we know

that the murder

took place in the dining room|with the knife,

and that Miss Scarlet was there|at the exact moment of the murder,

and that her fingerprints

were on the knife,|we can never

affirm with absolute certainty|that she committed the crime.

Oh, come on! It's|99% probable, for f***'s sake!

That's not absolute certainty,|that is an opinion.

We could have absolute certainty

if we trusted the word|of an eye-witness,

or we saw it with our own eyes.|I trust my own eyes.

No comment.

Things are here, under our noses.

These paving stones. They exist!

Or do you refute that|as well? You can't.

Are you sure? Heisenberg|wasn't quite as certain.

The physicist?

Yes, well, he tried to make|an atom bomb for the Nazis,

but he wasn't famous for that.

What is this? An exam? Heisenberg's|"uncertainty principle".

Bingo! Miss Scarlet|is now an electron, okay?

And you're looking at her|through a keyhole,

or a particle accelerator,|as you wish.

And every time you look at her,

Miss Scarlet will have|changed her appearance or...

her position.

Because the very fact|that you observe her

alters her atomic state.|How about that?

Don't try to confuse me with tricks.

Beth is not an electron,|and neither is Mrs. Eagleton.

So, do you really think|that criminal investigation

is more reliable|than physics or mathematics?

There are evident,|irrefutable facts.

For Christ's sake,

can you turn that bloody thing|off for a minute?

Unfortunately, the police|were unable to find the note.

Consequently, we have|no material evidence whatsoever.

Not a thing!

Imagine if that bloody psychopath

gets the wind up|and decides not to kill again...

Beth will be declared guilty.

I'd love to know|who it is you hate so much.

Myself.

I read the news in the papers.|You're not to blame for anything.

The worst thing is...

This is embarrassing...

Thanks to that|poor woman's death,

I've just had lunch|with Arthur Seldom.

Before, he didn't|even know I existed, but now...

I'm sorry about what

has happened but at the same time,|I swear I can't help feeling happy.

Never, in my life, have I|enjoyed myself so much.

One hour with Seldom is like|a lifetime with anybody else.

Well, you know,

there's nothing embarrassing|about sincere feelings.

Are you sure about that?

Spend an hour with me?

You have something to drink?

- No.|- Great.

- Are you okay?|- Yeah, are you okay?

What's wrong?

Nothing, it's... Sorry.

It's Seldom.

Just strange that you should|have read this book too.

- A nurse interested in mathematics.|- Well, not really.

It was the author who interested me.|He gave it to me.

- You know Seldom?|- Of course I do.

- See him almost every day.|- What?

He visits a friend|at the hospital,

a terminal patient.

One day we began to chat and...

And what?

And he gave me the book.

- That's all?|- You're jealous?

He could be yourfather... Your|grandfather, come to think of it.

Yeah.

I just like mystery novels,

he was here for a while,|we had a laugh,

I gave him a couple of my books|and he gave me his.

- Is that a crime?|- No... Of course not.

Can you get him out of your mind,

please?

I just don't understand why|you didn't tell me to begin with.

What do you want?

A list of all the people|who have passed through here?

- No.|- Good.

Everything you read|in the papers is a lie.

Did you know that?

No, uh...|I don't pay much attention.

- Have you read the Bible?|- Not all of it.

Jesus died on the cross|and then rose on the third day.

But in body and soul,

at least so they say.

He ate fish and spoke to Peter.

That's how he spent forty days.

Forty days!

He must have been green,|and have stunk to high heaven.

Hey, wait, wait.

Jesus was a terrorist.

All his life.

A revolutionary who kicked|money changers out of the temple.

Do you know why|he came back from the dead?

- No, theoretically...|- Jesus

came back to life to avenge|himself on his murderers.

Like in a horror movie.

Of course, that's not nice.|That's not interesting.

You can go in now,|your daughter

- is expecting you.|- All right.

What are you doing here?

I had the urge to see you,|that's all. Do you mind?

You're lying.

How do you know?

I didn't, I do now.

You're here to see|Seldom's friend, aren't you?

You should have seen the look|on your face when I mentioned him.

And how are you going to explain|what you're doing here?

I'll tell him I came to see you.

You swine.

Who is that guy?|He's nuts.

Well, you would be too|if your daughter needed a transplant

and you couldn't find a donor.

There were two people|that could have been compatible,

but their families refused.

Now I get it.

You know, he thought|of committing suicide

in order to give her his lungs.

That's ridiculous.

Giving your life for someone|you love is ridiculous?

His name is Kalman,

one of my most brilliant students.

He was quick in his conclusions,

clear in his exposition.

He designed intelligence tests.|I initiated him

into the study of logical series.

He was meticulous,|to the point of obsession.

He marked the tests himself,

one by one, and discovered

something really curious:

some of the tests were perfect;|the majority had a few mistakes.

But there was a third group.

The answers were absurd,|incomprehensible,

illogical, random,

the sort of thing|that a lunatic would write.

Kalman interviewed

the pupils of this third category.

The answers that|he had considered absurd

were, in fact,|another possible solution

and perfectly valid

to continue the series,

only with an infinitely|more complex justification.

The intelligence|of these pupils

went beyond|the conventional solution and was

much more far-reaching.

It was then that I had|to break the bad news to him.

Wittgenstein's paradox|concerning finite rules.

Kalman found in practice

what Wittgenstein|discovered decades before.

The series 2, 4, 8,

could obviously be followed

by 16, but also by 10

or 7004.

It's always possible|to find a rule,

a justification which allows

a series to be continued|by any number.

It all depends on|how complicated the rule is.

Suddenly, he realized|that he couldn't even trust

the two times table.

His whole life was being|sucked into a whirlpool

of meaningless numbers.

Normal thought seems to be|guided by certain grooves

etched into our brain

which impede|our leaving that track

and jumping it like the chosen few

who are able to think|without limitations.

Kalman decided|to take a strange path.

He began to try out his tests

in psychiatric hospitals,|on lobotomized patients.

There was a remarkable similarity

between those symbols

and the results of the tests

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