The Undying Monster Page #6

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- What body?

- Kate O'Malley's.

- Those villagers are a superstitious lot.

They're convinced that there's something

supernatural about it, and they won't budge.

But I've got to get a blood specimen.

Kate O'Malley's parents have a legal right

to refuse permission for an autopsy...

- but perhaps Dr. Colbert-

- No, no, not a chance.

He ascribed death

to normal conditions.

Well, maybe it was

a blind alley anyway.

However, here's something

that will interest you.

- Will you draw those blinds?

- Yes.

We traced down a bit of cloth from a missing scarf

- Oliver Hammond's.

- I have a hunch that Walton destroyed it.

- Walton? Why?

That's what we're going to find out.

- What did I do with that cloth?

- Here it is.

Oh, yes.

First, we take a sample of the thread.

Then we incinerate it, thus.

Place it in this tube.

Withdraw the air because the

nitrogen and oxygen in air...

interferes with the desired

light bands of the spectrum.

Now we'll find out...

if this came from the same

muffler that Walton destroyed.

- But if Walton destroyed- - Science

doesn't recognize total destruction.

You can change the form of matter,

but you can't actually destroy it.

- You see those thick groupings

of lines at the left end? - Mm-hmm.

That indicates that

the wool was dyed...

with one of the coal tar

dyes of the paramino complex.

- Do you mean it's an unusual sort of dye?

- Precisely.

The phenylene dye is

unstable and hard to handle.

That's why its use

is generally avoided.

Actually, it's toxic. Poisonous.

- Is that why you asked if that girl had been drugged?

- On the contrary.

I'm positive this has no relationship

with Kate O'Malley's condition.

I'm only trying to prove that this bit

of cloth was torn from Oliver's muffler.

This contains a sample of a

substance that Walton burned.

They're identical.

Then it was Oliver's

muffler that Walton burned.

- Yes.

- I've seen that look of yours before, young man.

I'm willing to wager that

you've about got your man.

- I'm not convinced it is a man.

- A woman?

Animal, vegetable or mineral?

It could have been a wolf.

Now, listen.

There have been no wolves running

wild in England since the Middle Ages.

That's what stops me, but

what do you make of this?

I found this during my first

investigation at the scene of the crime.

Obviously the hair of a

large animal. A dog, perhaps.

All right. Get the spectrum slide of wolf's

hair out of my case while I mount this.

That shows the spectrum

analysis of wolf's hair.

- And here's the one I found.

- It's incredible.

Well, Inspector, that

blows up your spook theory.

What's happened?

I don't know. It was sealed

in this tube and vacuum.

- It just couldn't vanish in vacuum.

- Where's the rest of it?

- That's gone too.

- It was here a moment ago.

It seemed to disappear

when the light struck it.

Perhaps there are still

some things in this world...

that science hasn't found out about.

Everyone gone to bed, Walton?

Oh, yes, sir. Some time ago.

- Mr. Curtis come back from London yet?

- Not yet, sir.

Miss Christopher said he

would arrive on the late train.

Oh.

It's another bitter-cold night, sir.

Yes.

You're not going out, sir?

- Why not?

- There is frost on the ground.

Nonsense, Walton. I'm only going

down to see if the gate's locked.

- Oh, but, sir- -

Stop worrying, Walton.

I shan't go near the rocks. I've no

wish to precipitate another tragedy.

Don't move!

Oh, hello, Doctor. Come on in.

What the devil are you up to?

Forgive me, old man, for breaking in

this way. I had to make a blood test.

There wasn't time to run down

to my lab at Scotland Yard...

so I took the liberty of

availing myself of yours.

- I could have shot you.

- You could have, but you wouldn't.

You're pretty sure of

yourself, aren't you, Curtis?

Sure enough of myself to

know the blood in this tube...

contains cobra venom extract.

Really? That's interesting.

Whose blood is it?

- Kate O'Malley's.

- What are you driving at?

Quite a coincidence that

this tube of yours...

should also contain cobra venom.

- And what can that prove?

- One of two things.

Either you injected the cobra

venom into Kate O'Malley's veins...

or you deliberately

withheld the information...

that venom was in the system

at the coroner's inquest.

There was no reason for mentioning it.

Had no bearing on the case.

She didn't die from the venom.

- But you did inject it into her veins.

- No.

It could have gotten there through

the scratches of whatever clawed her.

- Possible.

- It's not only possible, but that's what happened.

And you know what the monster is.

- Yes.

- You've known all along.

- Well, aren't you going to tell me?

- I can't. It's not my secret.

Good heavens, man. There's been one

murder. There's liable to be others.

Came from the direction

of Hammond Hall.

It's here. It's in the house.

In Miss Helga's room.

- Where is it?

- There!

- Christy!

- Oh, Bob.

For a moment I thought

you were the monster.

Quick. I saw it. It's got Helga.

- What?

- Yes.

Mr. Curtis sent for us.

He slipped past you.

You must have missed him.

- Dr. Colbert!

- Come on.

I'm afraid you're too late, Doctor.

God rest his soul.

Amen.

From a medical point of

view, it was a rare case.

You had hoped to cure

him, wasn't that it?

I'd been working on the theory

that the shock of the cobra venom...

would eventually straighten out

the dreadful kink in his brain.

- Which he had inherited from his ancestors.

- Precisely.

Didn't he suspect that he

was a victim of lycanthropy?

No, no. In cases like this,

the patient must never know.

He thought he had a

nervous affliction.

In the Middle Ages they called

such men werewolves, didn't they?

- Now, Christy.

- No, no. She's quite right.

You could put that in the report.

It was a form of mania that

caused its victim to imagine-

consciously or subconsciously

- that he was a werewolf.

That book telling the history

of the family had a hint in it.

Oh, so you were the one who stole it.

Yes. Yes, I'd hoped to

keep you from finding out.

That their ancestors were balmy?

Well, let us say, rather,

that their ancestors...

handed it down from father

to son throughout the ages.

It appeared only in

the men of the family...

and only when the victim

was out on a frosty night.

They guarded the

secret very carefully.

- But the butler knew about it.

- We know that now.

That's why he burned Oliver's scarf.

It had been torn to shreds by his dog.

He was afraid we'd learn the truth,

knowing that a faithful dog...

- never attacks its own master.

- Hmm.

You know, Doctor, there were times when

we were about to put the handcuffs on you.

Yes. Yes, I had to take that risk.

I'll be running along

now to see how Helga is.

- You have all the information you need?

- Thank you, Doctor.

- My report is complete.

- Good-bye. - Good-bye.

- Good-bye.

- Good-bye.

- Quite a fellow.

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