- 3 months ago
Category
🎥
Short filmTranscript
00:00:00¶¶
00:00:30¶¶
00:01:00¶¶
00:01:11This is the Oaks, a house in the country which I rented for the summer.
00:01:16As an author, I write tales of mystery and murder.
00:01:20But the things that happened in this house were far more fantastic than any story I've ever had published.
00:01:26I brought a staff of servants from my city apartment,
00:01:30and my maid, Lizzie Allen, who had been with me nearly 20 years.
00:01:38Lizzie?
00:01:41Yes, Miss Cornelia?
00:01:43Is the car ready?
00:01:44It's out the door.
00:01:46Look, Miss Cornelia, them servants you brought from the apartment are talking about walking out on us.
00:01:52Really?
00:01:53Really?
00:01:55Well, I know they don't like it here, but I didn't think it was that bad.
00:01:59Well, they've been hearing things about the killer that the police call the Bat,
00:02:03and the murders that he committed here this past winter.
00:02:07Now people are saying that he's back again.
00:02:10Well, how can they be sure of that?
00:02:12Has he committed another crime?
00:02:13No, not yet, but that ain't saying that he won't.
00:02:16Here's something else.
00:02:18You've heard about the bats they have here.
00:02:21Animal bats, the kind that fly?
00:02:23Yes, yes.
00:02:24Look what it says in this magazine.
00:02:26This is a report from the State Health Department, and it says some of them bats is rabid.
00:02:32Well...
00:02:33And that ain't all.
00:02:34Now there's a rumor going around that it was the bat himself, the killer I mean, that released the rabid bats in this neighborhood.
00:02:42Oh, that's ridiculous.
00:02:44Well, the housekeeper, the cook, the butler, and the upstairs maid don't think so.
00:02:50Well, I can't help what they think.
00:02:53If hysterical nonsense like that can scare them out of their good jobs, it's their loss, not mine.
00:02:59Come on, Lizzie, I've got to get to the bank.
00:03:07Drive directly to Zenith Bank, Warner.
00:03:10I'm afraid we'll have to hurry. It's near closing time.
00:03:12I'll get you there, Miss Van Gorda.
00:03:27Thanks again.
00:03:29Miss Van Gorda.
00:03:30How you do, Mr. Barry?
00:03:31How are you?
00:03:32Very well, thank you.
00:03:33You remember Lizzie Allen?
00:03:35Of course. Hello, Miss Allen.
00:03:36How do you do?
00:03:37So you're spending the summer with us again?
00:03:39Yes, yes. I've leased the Oaks.
00:03:41The home of your bank president, John Fleming.
00:03:43I heard you had. I was surprised.
00:03:45Why? Is there something the matter with them?
00:03:47No.
00:03:48I was surprised because Mr. Fleming said he would never rent it.
00:03:51Oh?
00:03:52Well, I rented it from his nephew, Mark Fleming, who has the real estate office here.
00:03:57He said his uncle would be gone the entire summer.
00:04:00That's right.
00:04:01Mr. Fleming's in the Northwoods now with his physician, Dr. Wells.
00:04:05Oh, pardon me.
00:04:07Dale.
00:04:08I want you to meet my wife.
00:04:09We were married at Christmas time.
00:04:10That must have been nice.
00:04:12Believe me, it was.
00:04:13Oh, here she is.
00:04:14My wife, Miss Van Gorda, Miss Allen.
00:04:16How do you do, Mrs. Bailey?
00:04:18How do you do?
00:04:19Cornelia Van Gorda.
00:04:20Yes.
00:04:21Oh.
00:04:22Well, I've read every murder mystery you've ever written.
00:04:25I just adored that weird one, the private morgue of Dr. X.
00:04:28Even though it gave me the shivers.
00:04:30Only the shivers?
00:04:31Scared hell out of me.
00:04:33Oh.
00:04:34Well, I really mean that Miss Corny killed them off in that one.
00:04:38When you refer to my books, please don't call me Miss Corny.
00:04:41Pardon me, Mr. Bailey.
00:04:42Mr. Hines is here to see you.
00:04:43Oh, yes.
00:04:44Excuse me, please.
00:04:45Don't be strangers now.
00:04:46No, no, we won't.
00:04:47I should say not.
00:04:48Oh, so you're a bride.
00:04:49Well, not quite.
00:04:50Not since Christmas.
00:04:51No, I'm sure I've seen you.
00:04:52Well, I used to be my husband's secretary here in the bank.
00:04:55Of course I remember.
00:04:56May I welcome our most distinguished visitor back to Zenith?
00:04:58Oh, that's very charming, but, um...
00:05:01Lieutenant Anderson.
00:05:02Lieutenant Anderson, of course.
00:05:04Chief of Detectives of the Zenith Police Department.
00:05:07This is Miss Allen.
00:05:08Miss Allen.
00:05:09How do you do?
00:05:10No.
00:05:11No.
00:05:12No.
00:05:13No.
00:05:14No.
00:05:15No.
00:05:16No.
00:05:17No.
00:05:18No.
00:05:19No.
00:05:20No.
00:05:21No.
00:05:22No.
00:05:23No.
00:05:24I wish I could tell you you do.
00:05:25Lieutenant Anderson is one of our favorite citizens.
00:05:27He's on the bank's board of directors.
00:05:29Huh.
00:05:30Not bad for a policeman.
00:05:31You must've made a good thing of it.
00:05:33Oh.
00:05:34Well, I saved the money if that's what you mean.
00:05:36It's near closing time.
00:05:38And I've got some business in the Safe Deposit Vault.
00:05:41Please come and see me, Mrs. Bailey.
00:05:43Oh, I'd love to.
00:05:44And you, Lieutenant.
00:05:46Goodbye.
00:05:47Goodbye.
00:05:48Nice to meet you.
00:05:49My, what a charming woman.
00:05:50She moved into The Oaks just the other day.
00:05:53That house is a proper setting for a writer of mysteries.
00:05:56Oh, it certainly is.
00:06:00Vic, what's the matter?
00:06:03Come in here, both of you.
00:06:11Andy, we're in trouble.
00:06:13Wendell Hines came in to pick up $350,000 worth of bonds
00:06:16that we were holding as collateral for a loan.
00:06:19They were kept in our special vault.
00:06:21Mr. Fleming and I are the only officers of the bank
00:06:24who have access to that vault.
00:06:25So?
00:06:27The Hines bonds are gone.
00:06:29That's not all.
00:06:31Other negotiable securities are missing.
00:06:33From what I can gather, short of a careful check,
00:06:36the bank has been looted of over a million dollars worth of securities.
00:06:40You'll have to notify Fleming.
00:06:42I wish I could talk to him.
00:06:45Unfortunately, he and Dr. Wells are deep in the woods.
00:06:48They can't be reached by phone.
00:06:51He's living in the woods.
00:06:53Now, I have no hope for him.
00:06:54I have no hope for him.
00:06:55What is it?
00:07:12I thought I heard someone on the path coming from the lake.
00:07:15Had an idea it might be that guide of ours.
00:07:17Oh, Sam won't show up until morning.
00:07:18It's a 20-mile canoe trip from here to civilization.
00:07:22Five will get you ten.
00:07:23Sam has a message for me.
00:07:25I thought you told them at the bank not to bother you.
00:07:28I did, but they'll bother me.
00:07:33Doctor.
00:07:34Yes, John.
00:07:36What would you do for half a million?
00:07:40Anything short of murder.
00:07:42Why not murder?
00:07:44Too messy.
00:07:46Too great a risk?
00:07:47For half a million, yes.
00:07:50I pinched a million from the bank.
00:07:52Well, I'm not kidding.
00:07:56I embezzled it.
00:07:58Not that I think you wouldn't do it if you thought you could get away with it.
00:08:03I got away with it.
00:08:05I'm not talking about currency.
00:08:08I took negotiable securities that could be converted into cash.
00:08:11I have the cash in tens, twenties, and hundreds.
00:08:17Well, I'm your doctor, not your lawyer.
00:08:18Why tell me this?
00:08:20You'll find out why.
00:08:23Who's going to take the blame for the robbery?
00:08:25Bailey, the cashier.
00:08:27They'll never suspect me.
00:08:28I like Bailey.
00:08:29Well, so do I.
00:08:31I love the guy.
00:08:32I gave him his first chance.
00:08:33He has a lovely little wife.
00:08:34Charming girl.
00:08:35Who's the best man?
00:08:36Where's the million?
00:08:38In my family's tomb, in Zenith.
00:08:39In the crypt, with my father's casket.
00:08:43I don't buy that charm.
00:08:45No?
00:08:47No.
00:08:49You forget that I had you in charge when you were a very sick man.
00:08:51When you raved in delirium.
00:08:53And I heard you talk about a hidden room.
00:08:55Now, where else could you put a hidden room except in that mansion you built?
00:08:59That white elephant you called the Oaks.
00:09:01Look.
00:09:03Everyone knows I have a bad heart.
00:09:05Now, who would doubt it if you wired the bank directors
00:09:07that my heart had failed?
00:09:09No?
00:09:11No?
00:09:13No?
00:09:14No?
00:09:16No.
00:09:18You forget that I had you in charge when you were a very sick man.
00:09:19The bank directors that my heart had failed.
00:09:22That I had fallen from a great height here in the woods.
00:09:25And that I was badly smashed up.
00:09:28You could ship the body back for burial and instruct them not to open the casket due to the condition of its contents.
00:09:36Well, you realize, of course, that we'd have to have a body to put in that casket,
00:09:41which means that we'd have to deal with an undertaker at this end.
00:09:44Of course.
00:09:46Well, where do we get a body?
00:09:48Couldn't we provide one of our own?
00:09:51How about Sam?
00:09:53Sam? Our guide?
00:09:55Sam weighs about as much as I do.
00:09:57He's practically a hermit.
00:09:59He wouldn't be missed for a long time.
00:10:03The local undertaker would know him.
00:10:05Not if we made him look as if he'd been a serious accident.
00:10:08But if Bailey's gonna take the blame, why do you have to do this?
00:10:12A jury might acquit him. In that case, I'd be a logical suspect.
00:10:17I could disappear, of course, but it's safer if they think I'm dead.
00:10:21What if I don't go for this deal?
00:10:29In that case, it would be too bad.
00:10:33Too bad.
00:10:38You mean you'd kill me?
00:10:40What else could I do?
00:10:42Now that I've told you about the million, I'd say you were shot in a hunting accident.
00:10:47Now, look, doctor.
00:10:49If you can find another body instead of Sam's, it's all right with me.
00:10:53There's half a million in it for you.
00:10:55I'll do my best.
00:11:00I smell smoke.
00:11:02So do I. What's that noise?
00:11:08Look, doctor. The woods are on fire.
00:11:11It's coming this way.
00:11:12We've got to get out of here.
00:11:14Out the back way.
00:11:16We will.
00:11:18As soon as I provide that body we were talking about...
00:11:25We will.
00:11:47Lizzie, is that you?
00:11:49Yes, Miss Cornelius.
00:11:51I see a storm coming up and it's gonna be a snorter.
00:11:55It blew the door off its hinges.
00:11:56Well, that noise blew my game higher than a kite.
00:11:59I think I've lost some of the cars.
00:12:00Oh, I'll get them for you.
00:12:02Oh, I see you found the paper.
00:12:04Oh, drop that paper, boy.
00:12:05Scootin' by on his bicycle.
00:12:07Just chucked it into a clump of bushes and let it go at that.
00:12:12For land's sake.
00:12:15Mr. Vic Bailey's been arrested.
00:12:17Oh?
00:12:18I bet.
00:12:19Victor Bailey, vice president and cashier of the Zenith Bank,
00:12:26was arraigned before United States Commissioner Alvin Fielding,
00:12:29charged with the embezzlement of over a million dollars.
00:12:32I can't believe Vic Bailey had anything to do with that robbery.
00:12:37Oh, well, I see our landlord is home again.
00:12:42Landlord?
00:12:43Mr. Fehring.
00:12:45Oh.
00:12:46Dr. Malcolm Wells is back in town
00:12:48with the body of John Fleming,
00:12:50president of the Zenith Bank,
00:12:51who was killed in a forest fire.
00:12:53Mr. Fleming will be laid to rest in his family's tomb on Friday.
00:12:58And I hope he stays there.
00:13:00Well, why shouldn't he?
00:13:01Well, this is his house.
00:13:03And ever since he died, some funny things have happened here.
00:13:07For instance?
00:13:09The housekeeper, the cook and the butler,
00:13:11said that they heard strange noises at night.
00:13:14And the upstairs maid swore that she met a man without a face coming up the back stairs.
00:13:21Oh, so that's why they quit and left me to run this place without a staff.
00:13:27They didn't tell you, Miss Corny, but the truth is they were scared to stay.
00:13:32But you're still here, Lizzie.
00:13:33Haven't you seen anything?
00:13:35No.
00:13:36No.
00:13:37And even if I had, I ain't afraid of ghosts.
00:13:40They're afraid of me.
00:13:42Honest, Miss Corny,
00:13:44a spiritualist told me once that ghosts was allergic to me.
00:13:51But, but this bat feller they keep talking about in the paper,
00:13:56I, I guess he'd be different.
00:13:58No, I don't think you'd have the same effect on him.
00:14:03Oh, dear.
00:14:05Oh, dear.
00:14:06What are they trying to do?
00:14:08Drive people away from this part of the country?
00:14:11Why, what does it say about the bat?
00:14:14His specialty seems to be killing women.
00:14:18My goodness, two of them in one night.
00:14:22All his victims died the same way,
00:14:25like their throats had been ripped open with steel claws.
00:14:31That's a charming little caper.
00:14:33I'll have to try it sometime.
00:14:37In a book.
00:14:44That ain't nothing, just something bumping against the house.
00:14:48That's just the wind banging a door.
00:14:54Pay no attention to it.
00:14:56Listen to this.
00:14:58One of his victims,
00:15:00who lived for a moment after she was found,
00:15:03described the bat as a man without a face.
00:15:07Honest, Miss Corny,
00:15:08I think that woman must have been exaggerating.
00:15:10That's just that heavy tapestry at the top of the stairs.
00:15:20I know, I know.
00:15:21I've heard it before on a windy night.
00:15:26That sounds as if there was someone on the stairs.
00:15:29I know there isn't.
00:15:31At least there shouldn't be.
00:15:33There ain't.
00:15:34Them's just the noises you hear in any old house on a windy night.
00:15:38It says here that the bat never leaves no fingerprints.
00:15:43That's understandable.
00:15:45Having no face, he probably has no fingers either.
00:15:50Nithy!
00:15:57The bat, I suppose, is the cat dropping its dentures.
00:16:00No.
00:16:02No, I don't think so.
00:16:04But I think it's something should be looked into.
00:16:13Now, who chucked him down here?
00:16:15The wind, I hope.
00:16:17There must be a window open up there.
00:16:20No, Nithy!
00:16:21Let him lay.
00:16:22Nithy!
00:16:23Let him sleep it off.
00:16:25I hope the power lines don't go down, put the lights out.
00:16:31Now, we'll check the windows in the living room
00:16:34and draw the curtains, and then we'll go to bed.
00:16:36Yes, ma'am.
00:16:47I won't be a minute.
00:16:48Oh!
00:16:48Oh!
00:16:49Oh!
00:16:50Oh!
00:16:51Oh!
00:16:52Oh!
00:16:53Oh!
00:16:54Oh!
00:16:55Oh!
00:16:56Oh!
00:16:57Oh!
00:16:58What was that?
00:16:59Oh!
00:17:00I went to get the paper.
00:17:02I turned the latch off.
00:17:04I forgot to turn it on again.
00:17:06He's out there.
00:17:08He was coming in.
00:17:10He might have got you.
00:17:12Oh, but he didn't, and he's still out there, thanks to you.
00:17:16Now, you hurry now, and we'll call the police.
00:17:19No, no.
00:17:20I won't leave you, Miss Corny.
00:17:22Are you okay?
00:17:24Yes, ma'am.
00:17:25I'm...
00:17:26I'm okay.
00:17:28Okay.
00:17:38Operator.
00:17:39Give me the police department, please.
00:17:41Zena's police department.
00:17:43This is Cornelia Van Gorder.
00:17:45I'm living at the Oaks.
00:17:46We know about that, Miss Van Gorder.
00:17:48Just a moment ago, a man tried to force his way into this house.
00:17:53You're not alone there, are you?
00:17:54What about your servants?
00:17:55Well, I have none except my chauffeur, and he's away.
00:17:58He won't be back until the morning.
00:18:00Now, there's only two of us here tonight,
00:18:02and we're going to lock ourselves in my room.
00:18:04Now, if any of your men see anything, will you have them call me?
00:18:10I'll send officers over there right away.
00:18:12Oh, thank you very much.
00:18:15Come on, Lizzie.
00:18:16We're going to sleep in my room.
00:18:28Well, nothing can get at us in this room now, I think.
00:18:34This door seems good and solid.
00:18:36Like the door to a tomb.
00:18:48Uh, I think that couch will be comfortable.
00:18:50There's some extra bedding, you know.
00:18:52Yes, please.
00:18:53Closet.
00:18:54I see now.
00:18:55Oh.
00:18:56Oh.
00:18:57Huh?
00:18:58No bolt.
00:18:59Well, that's not so good.
00:19:00Oh.
00:19:01Oh.
00:19:02Oh.
00:19:03Oh.
00:19:04Huh?
00:19:05No bolt.
00:19:06Well, that's not so good.
00:19:07Oh.
00:19:08Oh.
00:19:09Oh.
00:19:10Huh?
00:19:11No bolt.
00:19:12Well, that's not so good.
00:19:21Oh, what's that for?
00:19:23That, my good woman, is a booby trap.
00:19:26If anybody tries to open this transom, this will be knocked off,
00:19:29and we'll hear it fall.
00:19:59Oh.
00:20:06Oh, fiddlesticks.
00:20:08I forgot my night things, my robe, my gown, and my slippers.
00:20:11I'll go get them now.
00:20:12Now, wait a minute, Lizzie.
00:20:15I'll go with you.
00:20:16Now, don't you bother, Miss Cornelia.
00:20:18My room's just down the hall.
00:20:19Lizzie, I told you to wait.
00:20:22It's all right.
00:20:23I'll only be a second.
00:20:27Get here, get here.
00:20:28Yes?
00:20:40Yes?
00:20:41Miss Van Gorder?
00:20:42Yes?
00:20:43Zenith Police Department.
00:20:44There's a police car just outside your house,
00:20:46and the officers in it have reported that there's no sign of a prowler anywhere on the grounds.
00:20:51Well, the man's inside now.
00:20:53He's in the hall, just outside my bedroom.
00:20:55Have your men break through the kitchen door and search this place from top to bottom.
00:21:00Okay, Miss Van Gorder.
00:21:01Sit tight.
00:21:02I will.
00:21:03I have a gun, and I know how to use it.
00:21:06Oh, relax, relax, Lizzie.
00:21:17The police did a good job.
00:21:19They couldn't find anybody in here.
00:21:21But we both saw him, Miss Cornelia.
00:21:24All right, all right, so he got away.
00:21:28But there are men on guard outside, so just try and get some rest.
00:21:33There's nothing can get at us here.
00:21:36There are a lot of men here.
00:21:39Mm.
00:21:45Oh, oh, oh, oh, Miss Cornelia, Miss Cornelia.
00:22:12What's the matter? Oh, nonsense. You've had a nightmare.
00:22:17Maybe I did, but there was a battery and it bit me.
00:22:21What? It flew in that closet.
00:22:23Oh, good gracious, Lizzie, you're right.
00:22:28Oh, oh, oh, oh.
00:22:31Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh.
00:22:41Operator, operator, will you get me Dr. Malcolm Wells' office, please?
00:22:47No, I don't know his number and I have no phone book up here, but this is an emergency.
00:22:50Will you connect me with his office, please?
00:22:51Oh, dear, oh, dear. I'm going to get the rabies.
00:22:54Hello?
00:22:55Hello? Dr. Wells' office?
00:22:57This is a call service. Dr. Wells is out at the moment.
00:23:00But if you'll give me your name and number, I'll try to locate him.
00:23:03Well, this is Miss Van Gorder of the Oaks.
00:23:05My maid has just been bitten by a bat that may be rabid,
00:23:08and she must have treatment as soon as possible.
00:23:10And I was told that Dr. Wells was the nearest physician.
00:23:12I'll try to find him for you.
00:23:14And if I can't, I'll send you another doctor.
00:23:16Oh, well, thank you very much.
00:23:18Oh, he's out on a case.
00:23:19Oh, I hope it's not a delivery.
00:23:22A baby, I mean, they can be terribly complicated.
00:23:24It never bothered me none.
00:23:26Oh, Lizzie, you never had a baby.
00:23:28Of course I didn't. That's why they never bothered me.
00:23:30Oh, does it hurt, huh?
00:23:31A little.
00:23:56Oh, my God.
00:24:06Oh, my God.
00:24:18Oh,iera.
00:24:21Oh, my God.
00:24:52Dr. Wells? Are you there, Dr. Wells?
00:25:00Are you there, Dr. Wells? This is the operator.
00:25:03Your call service is on the wire. It's an emergency.
00:25:10This is Dr. Wells.
00:25:12This is your call service, doctor.
00:25:14Oh, hello. I was just doing an experiment. I left the receiver off.
00:25:18That's what I thought, but I kept trying.
00:25:20Miss Van Gorder at the Oaks called and said that her maid had been bitten by a bat.
00:25:24And she's afraid it might be a rabbit.
00:25:26What? Oh, all right. Tell her I'll be right over there.
00:25:50I'll be right over there.
00:25:52I'm sorry.
00:25:54Oh, let's go.
00:25:56Oh, my God.
00:25:58Oh, my God.
00:26:00Oh, my God.
00:26:02Oh, my God.
00:26:04Oh, my God.
00:26:06Oh, my God.
00:26:08Oh, my God.
00:26:10Oh, my God.
00:26:12Oh, my God.
00:26:14Let's go.
00:26:44Who's there?
00:27:06Dr. Wells.
00:27:08Come in.
00:27:09Good evening.
00:27:11Oh, I'm so glad they found you, doctor.
00:27:13Well, I reached my office shortly after you called.
00:27:16How is your maid?
00:27:17Is she in any pain?
00:27:18No, no, she doesn't seem to be.
00:27:20Did the bat get away?
00:27:22No, I believe it's still in my bedroom.
00:27:25Good, I'll want to examine it.
00:27:27There you go, Miss Allen.
00:27:28Now you'll feel better.
00:27:30Doctor, have I got the rabies?
00:27:32Well, I can tell you better after I've examined the bat's brain under a microscope.
00:27:36That thing's got a brain?
00:27:38Oh, you'd be surprised.
00:27:40Well, where is it?
00:27:42Well, I think the little darling is in that closet.
00:27:44Oh.
00:27:46You know, it's a pity you leased this house, Miss Van Gorder.
00:27:49Why a pity?
00:27:51Well, my dear lady, I don't want to alarm you, but...
00:27:54Oh, well, after tonight, nothing can alarm me.
00:27:56Yes, I understand.
00:27:58It must have been terrifying.
00:28:00So many unexplainable things have happened here.
00:28:04There's something about the place.
00:28:06Your servants must have sensed it when they walked out on you.
00:28:11An apprehension of disaster.
00:28:14Well, let's see.
00:28:15There he is, all right now.
00:28:21Take it easy.
00:28:22Nobody's going to hurt you.
00:28:24Quiet now.
00:28:25Quiet.
00:28:32He looks quite normal.
00:28:33Doesn't seem to be sick at all.
00:28:35Oh, ain't that nice.
00:28:37I've been worried about him.
00:28:39Well, you should be.
00:28:41From his appearance,
00:28:43I'd say that he doesn't have any infection.
00:28:46In which case,
00:28:48you've had a narrow escape.
00:28:51Now, you take one of those tablets I left for you,
00:28:54and I'll guarantee you a good night.
00:28:56And I'll drop in on you tomorrow.
00:28:57Oh, thanks for everything, doctor.
00:29:01Now, don't worry.
00:29:02I can find my way out.
00:29:03Oh, I know you can, but do let me help you.
00:29:05Oh, don't forget that once I'm gone,
00:29:08you'll have to climb those stairs alone.
00:29:09Oh, I'm all right.
00:29:11I'm armed now.
00:29:13Can you, uh, shoot one of those things
00:29:15without shutting your eyes?
00:29:16Oh, doctor, there are guns in every book I've ever written.
00:29:20I don't write about things I'm unfamiliar with.
00:29:23Lock the door, Lizzie.
00:29:24Good night.
00:29:25Yes, ma'am.
00:29:25Good night, doctor.
00:29:29Accident?
00:29:29No, no, the wind blew him down.
00:29:31Oh.
00:29:32I think.
00:29:33Oh.
00:29:34Did you know that young Mark Fleming leased you this house without notifying his uncle?
00:29:39No.
00:29:39No, I didn't.
00:29:41Well, it doesn't matter now.
00:29:42John Fleming is dead and Mark's his heir.
00:29:45But if John were alive, he would warn you to leave here, Miss Van Gorder.
00:29:48Really?
00:29:49Yes.
00:29:50It's been a tragic place for anyone who ever lived in it.
00:29:53Well, good night.
00:29:54Good night, doctor.
00:29:56Who's out there?
00:29:58Nobody you need to worry about, doctor.
00:29:59Oh, it's Andy.
00:30:00That's right.
00:30:01Oh, good evening, Miss Van Gorder.
00:30:02Good evening, lieutenant.
00:30:04Is somebody sick here?
00:30:06My maid was bitten by a bat.
00:30:08Oh.
00:30:10A rabid bat?
00:30:11Well, I'll know for sure when I get to my lab, I... I caught the bat.
00:30:16It happened indoors?
00:30:17In my bedroom, yes.
00:30:19How'd it get in?
00:30:20Well, there are many ways a bat could get in a house.
00:30:22You ought to know.
00:30:24I, uh, I spotted this hole in the window the minute I got here.
00:30:28Why?
00:30:28That's where the two-legged bat got your door open.
00:30:35Miss Van Gorder told me that she, uh, phoned headquarters at Zenith.
00:30:39Yes, I phoned twice.
00:30:41The second time was after the prowler got in the house.
00:30:44Weren't you at headquarters, Andy?
00:30:46No, but they contacted me.
00:30:47An officer came and searched the house from top to bottom, but they couldn't find the bat.
00:30:51You better have this window fixed tomorrow.
00:30:53Oh, yes, I certainly shall.
00:30:54Listen, I'd better be going.
00:30:56I'm due in surgery at 8 o'clock in the morning.
00:30:58Good night.
00:30:59Good night, doctor.
00:31:00There will be a man patrolling the grounds all night, Miss Van Gorder.
00:31:02Oh, thank you.
00:31:02And nobody inside, Andy?
00:31:05Why should there be?
00:31:06Well, how do you know but what the bat is hiding somewhere in the house?
00:31:11I'm quite sure he isn't in the house, doctor.
00:31:14Not now.
00:31:18Good night.
00:31:19Good night.
00:31:19Hi, Andy.
00:31:39Hello, Mark.
00:31:40Well, congratulations.
00:31:45Real estate business must be big enough.
00:31:47New office, new furniture.
00:31:49New deal.
00:31:50How do you like it?
00:31:51Well, it looks expensive.
00:31:53Are you squandering your inheritance?
00:31:55Oh, I haven't got it yet.
00:31:57Well, the paper says John Fleming left his entire fortune to you.
00:32:00Funny thing about that entire fortune is that we can't find it.
00:32:03No kidding.
00:32:04Well, all Uncle John had in his bank account was a couple of hundred dollars.
00:32:08And his safe deposit box was empty.
00:32:11If we don't find that missing million, mine will be empty, too.
00:32:14How come?
00:32:15Well, all my savings were invested in Xenius Bank stock.
00:32:19The examiners won't certify the bank is solvent
00:32:21until those stolen securities are found.
00:32:24So the stockholders have voted an assessment that will wipe some of us out.
00:32:27It's a sense those securities have been converted into cash.
00:32:32And if I can't find that cash, I'm sunk.
00:32:35Well, where are you going to look for it, Andy?
00:32:37Here in Xenius.
00:32:39Your uncle wouldn't take a million on a hunting trip, would he?
00:32:43You suspect Uncle John?
00:32:46Why, Andy, he founded the Xenius Bank.
00:32:49That'd be like robbing the family tomb.
00:32:52You think he wouldn't?
00:32:53Well, besides, Vic Bailey's fingerprints are all over the vault.
00:32:58Now, they didn't find any of Uncle John's fingerprints.
00:33:01Because he wiped them off.
00:33:03Can the defense prove that?
00:33:05They'll try to.
00:33:07Judy Hollander, Bailey's secretary, is a defense witness.
00:33:10And they believe her testimony will have a powerful effect on the jury.
00:33:14Oh, well.
00:33:16She has a powerful effect on me.
00:33:18Judy's a doll.
00:33:20Here's the book you mentioned, Judy.
00:33:22It's your newest one.
00:33:23Yes, it's just been published.
00:33:25You can have that copy, if you wish.
00:33:26Oh, it's a first edition, and you've signed it.
00:33:29Yes, of course.
00:33:30Thank you so much.
00:33:34May I serve tea now, Miss Angorder?
00:33:36Yes, please do, Warner.
00:33:40And I see you've engaged new servants.
00:33:42Yes, of course.
00:33:43Well, how did you persuade them to live in this house?
00:33:46Well, Jane Patterson, my new housekeeper, knows this house better than you do, doctor.
00:33:50She worked for John Fleming.
00:33:52And Warner was my chauffeur.
00:33:56Chauffeur turned butler.
00:33:57Yes, incredible.
00:33:59He can play any part at a moment's notice.
00:34:01Did you get a plumber, Warner?
00:34:04No, we can't get a plumber for three days, madam.
00:34:07What about that leaking pipe?
00:34:09The basement will be flooded in three days.
00:34:11The pipe is no longer leaking.
00:34:13You mean it's dried up of its own accord?
00:34:16No, not quite.
00:34:17I packed the elbow where the water was coming out.
00:34:20Packed the elbow?
00:34:21Oh, where did you learn how to do that?
00:34:24Well, into each life, a little rain must fall, and a careful man learns to keep himself dry.
00:34:29Now, is there anything else that you require, Miss Angorder?
00:34:31No, not at the moment, Warner.
00:34:33Thank you, madam.
00:34:36Now, there's a character.
00:34:39How long did you say that he worked for you as chauffeur?
00:34:42About three months.
00:34:44Well, I hope he doesn't have a police record.
00:34:46My dear Dale, it may interest you to know that the last night of his life,
00:34:52John Fleming told me that he loved your husband like a son.
00:34:56If Fleming were alive today, he would be fighting to prove Vic's innocence.
00:35:02Could Mr. Fleming prove his own innocence?
00:35:05Miss Van Gorder, can there be any doubt about it?
00:35:09There will be when Miss Hollander testifies at Vic's trial.
00:35:14Oh?
00:35:14You know something that we haven't heard yet, Judy?
00:35:19Something I saw with my own eyes.
00:35:23She's not permitted to say what it was.
00:35:25My dear girl, I wouldn't think of asking her.
00:35:28But let's assume for a moment that Fleming did steal the million.
00:35:31Now, what would he do about it? Where is it?
00:35:34Hidden someplace where he could lay his hands on it without getting caught in the act.
00:35:39Now, if I was writing this, instead of living in the middle of it,
00:35:43I'd hide it right here in this spooky old house.
00:35:47Under a loose floorboard or upper chimney?
00:35:49If Mr. Fleming had the nerve to steal a million, he'd make his plans well in advance.
00:35:59I'd say he'd prepare a place to hide it.
00:36:03Possibly when this house was being built.
00:36:05I rented this place for Mark Fleming, his nephew.
00:36:10I wonder...
00:36:11I wonder if he'd have the floor plans.
00:36:14I'll ask him.
00:36:16Yes.
00:36:17Lizzie, will you bring Mrs. Bailey the phone?
00:36:20Oh, you ask him now.
00:36:23His number is Summit...
00:36:24Summit 7537.
00:36:26Oh, thank you, Lizzie.
00:36:29Summit 7537.
00:36:35Not bad, eh, Andy?
00:36:37That means new business.
00:36:40Now, you see?
00:36:41Somebody wants to buy a house.
00:36:44Mark Fleming speaking.
00:36:46Oh, hello, Dale.
00:36:50Well, hang on a minute, honey, while I see if I have him.
00:36:52It's Dale Bailey, all excited.
00:36:55Miss Van Gorder wants to know if I have the floor plans of the Oaks.
00:36:59Now, what would she want with the floor plans?
00:37:02Well, she suggested to me that your uncle might have hidden the bank loot there.
00:37:06Are the plans here?
00:37:10Somewhere in the house itself.
00:37:14Wait a minute, there is a place where Uncle Johnny might have kept those blueprints.
00:37:18What place?
00:37:19Well, I heard him talk about it a good many years ago.
00:37:21Well, I can't be sure of the exact location.
00:37:25Anyway, I don't think the old boy had the guts to steal a million.
00:37:28But if I find those plans, I'll let you know, Andy.
00:37:32Hello, Dale.
00:37:34Look, honey, I haven't seen those plans since I was a kid,
00:37:36but I'll come over tonight and maybe we can find them.
00:37:39Thank you, Mark.
00:37:40We'll expect you.
00:37:44He seems to think they're here in the house somewhere.
00:37:46He's coming over tonight.
00:37:47Well, that's good.
00:37:48Dale and Judy are my house guests for the weekend.
00:37:52Would you like to have dinner with us tonight?
00:37:54Oh, no, thank you.
00:37:55I couldn't.
00:37:56I still have a few calls to make.
00:37:58You know, if Judy's testimony is going to clear Vic Bailey
00:38:01and implicate John Fleming,
00:38:03others may get the idea that there's buried treasure in this house.
00:38:06Don't even mention your testimony until you're actually on the stand.
00:38:10Oh, I won't.
00:38:11That's a smart girl, Judy.
00:38:13And a very lovely girl.
00:38:14Well, good afternoon, ladies.
00:38:16Goodbye, Dr. Will.
00:38:17Come on, girls, let's go.
00:38:18Come on, girls.
00:38:48So many unusual things have happened to you.
00:39:06The more I think about it, the more I realize I should be putting them down on paper.
00:39:13Uh, weren't you your husband's secretary, Dale?
00:39:18Yes, I was.
00:39:19Do you take shorthand?
00:39:20Mm-hmm.
00:39:22Well, my dear, if you'd like to have your mind occupied,
00:39:24I want you to work with me while I write the story of this fantastic criminal,
00:39:32the bat.
00:39:32Come on.
00:39:41Okay.
00:39:46Come on.
00:39:54Hello.
00:39:55Let's go.
00:40:25It's really nice.
00:40:27It's a good dinner, Izzy, as usual.
00:40:29Wonderful.
00:40:31Oh, what a lovely piece of silver.
00:40:34It's an original, isn't it?
00:40:36Yes, they still use them in England for the day of breakfasts.
00:40:44You should keep us hot your sausages and your scrambled eggs.
00:40:48Interesting. It's very useful and really nice.
00:40:55That clock hasn't struck the hour in the last ten years,
00:41:05if I'm to believe what Mark Fleming told me.
00:41:08Why is it angled away from the wall like that?
00:41:10I don't know. Somebody must have moved it.
00:41:13Izzy very likely when she was dusting.
00:41:15Wait a minute.
00:41:17Did you know there's a door in this family?
00:41:19No, no, I didn't.
00:41:20Oh, my gracious, so there is.
00:41:23Maybe it opens to a secret passage.
00:41:25Well, certainly to a secret something.
00:41:27Who knows, girls?
00:41:28We'll be about to stumble on that missing minion.
00:41:31Oh, this is horrible.
00:41:32There's a panel. There must be some gimmick to it.
00:41:35There always is.
00:41:36Yes, it moves.
00:41:37Move, move, move.
00:41:38Oh, look.
00:41:40Oh, look.
00:41:41Oh, look.
00:41:50Calling car 11.
00:41:52Calling car 11.
00:41:53Proceed to the Oaks in Zenith Township immediately.
00:41:58A homicide has been reported.
00:42:00Okay.
00:42:02Proceeding to the Oaks.
00:42:05Notify the county coroner, Dr. Warehouse.
00:42:07Tell him to come to the Oaks at once.
00:42:19Horrible.
00:42:20As if his throat had been torn by some creature with fangs or claws or...
00:42:26That's his sign.
00:42:28We found it on the others he killed.
00:42:30I had hoped those reports that he was up to his old tricks again were pure imagination,
00:42:35but...
00:42:37Apparently they're based on fact.
00:42:40He's come back.
00:42:42Back to the scene of his kills.
00:42:46Yes, that's who I mean.
00:42:48That's who did this.
00:42:51The Bat.
00:42:53Who found Mark?
00:42:55We all did.
00:42:56And it's Dale and Judy and I.
00:42:58Lizzie was in the dining room.
00:43:00This is my new housekeeper, Jane Patterson.
00:43:03You know, she worked for John Fleming.
00:43:05I know her.
00:43:06Where were you, Mrs. Patterson?
00:43:08In the kitchen.
00:43:09Cleaning up.
00:43:11I cooked the dinner tonight.
00:43:13Did you know that the secret closet was here?
00:43:16No.
00:43:17It was behind the grandfather's clock.
00:43:19Well, it was I who found it, really.
00:43:22Noticed the clock had been moved and the door wasn't quite closed.
00:43:26I'll get it.
00:43:33Who is it?
00:43:50Mark Fleming.
00:43:52Hmm.
00:43:53This coroner, you saw the same wounds on the others.
00:43:55How long has he been dead?
00:43:57Oh, I'd say about a half an hour.
00:44:00Do you believe it was the Bat?
00:44:02That's the Bat's trademark.
00:44:04Hmm.
00:44:05Perhaps he's still in the house.
00:44:07That's possible.
00:44:12Why should he be?
00:44:14Because he's looking for something.
00:44:15And like you, he believes it's here.
00:44:18And he's a persistent killer.
00:44:19I would advise you to get out of this house as quickly as possible.
00:44:23Notwithstanding our expert police protection.
00:44:26Have you called the morgue?
00:44:28They're on their way here.
00:44:29Oh, good.
00:44:30I want to examine the body before they get here.
00:44:32Uh, may we take it into another room?
00:44:34Yes, to the sunroom in the back.
00:44:36Give me a hand.
00:44:37Excuse me.
00:44:38Oh, Warner, where have you been?
00:44:51Well, madam, it was...
00:44:53Has it been an accident?
00:44:55There's been a murder.
00:44:58Mark Fleming, the young man from whom I leased this place,
00:45:00was killed here tonight.
00:45:03They know who did it?
00:45:04Well, they... they believe it was the Bat.
00:45:06I'm sorry I had to use the front door, Miss Van Gorder.
00:45:09But I forgot my keys and I rang the bell at the kitchen door.
00:45:12There was no response.
00:45:13Oh, uh, this is Warner, Lieutenant.
00:45:15He's my butler.
00:45:16He was my chauffeur.
00:45:18Why did you promote him?
00:45:19Well, it's very difficult to find a butler.
00:45:21They don't like service in the country.
00:45:24Have you been a butler before?
00:45:26I've served in many capacities, sir,
00:45:27but this was my night off and I forgot my keys.
00:45:30I heard that part.
00:45:32What time did you leave the house tonight?
00:45:33Oh, about 6.30.
00:45:34I had dinner at Wiley's Roadhouse.
00:45:37Mm-hmm. Can you prove where you spent the rest of the evening?
00:45:40I can try.
00:45:41Try hard.
00:45:43And don't leave the house. I'll get to you later.
00:45:45Very good, sir.
00:45:47I shall be in my room, Miss Van Gorder, if you need me.
00:45:50Yes, Warner.
00:45:54Surely you don't think he's...
00:45:55Warren and I've met before.
00:45:58I can't recall where or when.
00:46:02But I will.
00:46:10There'll be a crew here shortly from headquarters,
00:46:12dusting for fingerprints, taking photographs.
00:46:14But in the meantime,
00:46:16Mrs. Patterson, you aren't leaving the house tonight, are you?
00:46:18No, Lieutenant.
00:46:20Don't. I'll talk to you in the morning.
00:46:22Good night.
00:46:23Good night, sir.
00:46:25Good night, Miss Van Gorder.
00:46:27Dale.
00:46:29I was with Mark Fleming this afternoon when you talked to him about the floor plans of this house.
00:46:33I heard him tell you he was coming here tonight.
00:46:35Dale called him at my request.
00:46:38She told me he was coming.
00:46:40Who else should I tell you that?
00:46:42Judy.
00:46:44Lizzie.
00:46:46And that nice Dr. Wells.
00:46:48Dr. Wells.
00:46:52There are a few killers who kill for the fun of it.
00:46:55But that very likely is a mental case.
00:46:57And I'm convinced that his crimes are motivated by his mania for personal gain.
00:47:02There's a million dollars at large.
00:47:04And he's going to keep on hunting for it until he lays his hands on it.
00:47:06Now, these young ladies are staying here tonight?
00:47:09Yes, they're my house guests.
00:47:11Well, when my crew arrives, we'll be busy for a while.
00:47:14So I'd suggest that you...
00:47:15That we go to our rooms?
00:47:16That's a very good idea.
00:47:18Come on, girls.
00:47:23What about a police guard for this house tonight, Lieutenant?
00:47:26You've got one.
00:47:28I'm going to cover this place tonight from the attic to the basement.
00:47:31If the bat makes another call, I'll have a little surprise for him.
00:47:36Who, uh...
00:47:38Who is he?
00:47:39Have you any idea?
00:47:46He could be anybody.
00:47:47So far, there are clues to his identity, but nothing we could take before a jury.
00:47:53I am afraid we must look higher than the criminal world.
00:47:56He may be a merchant, lawyer, doctor, scientist.
00:48:00One of the pillars of his community.
00:48:01Ladies, lock your doors tonight. Stay behind them.
00:48:07I promise you, you'll be safe.
00:48:09Good night.
00:48:10Good night, you dear.
00:48:11Good night.
00:48:31Good night.
00:48:45Poor Mark.
00:48:46Yeah, it's a pity.
00:48:48So young.
00:48:50Well, doctor, do you agree it was the bat?
00:48:53In my report, I shall say the death was caused by the same technique used in the other killings.
00:48:57A paralyzing blow to the throat, followed by severe lacerations of the jugular, resulting in excessive hemorrhage.
00:49:06In a layman's language, he didn't know what hit him.
00:49:10Oh, he knew.
00:49:12But he didn't have time to think about it.
00:49:23Are you staying here tonight, Andy?
00:49:25Until I check the doors and windows, but I'll be back bright and early in the morning.
00:49:29Neither snow nor rain nor heat nor gloom of night stays these couriers from the swift completion of their appointed rounds.
00:49:38A lot of people are due for a shock when I close this case.
00:49:42Yes, I'm sure they are.
00:49:44Good night, Andy. Don't get hurt.
00:49:48Good night, doctor.
00:49:59You know, I think we'd better let you get some sleep.
00:50:05Oh, well, Lizzie and I share this room for mutual protection.
00:50:09You know, one night, a storm blew the wires down, put the lights out, and I went out the next day and bought a half a dozen of these things.
00:50:15You better take one with you, Dale.
00:50:16Oh, thank you.
00:50:18We'll go across the hall now.
00:50:21Are you sure? There's nothing else you need.
00:50:23Oh, no. Quite sure. We'll be all right.
00:50:24Well, if anything bothers you, you just sing out and two strong women will come to your rescue.
00:50:30Oh, nothing will bother us. Not with Andy on the job.
00:50:33Well, good night. Good night.
00:50:35Don't worry. Everything will be all right.
00:50:37No, we won't. Good night.
00:50:39Come on.
00:50:54Oh, I don't think I'll sleep tonight.
00:51:06Me neither.
00:51:08All I can see is poor Mark Fleming staring at us.
00:51:13I thought that when people died, their eyes closed, as in sleep.
00:51:18Don't think about it.
00:51:20I'll bet you're thinking about it.
00:51:22No, I was thinking of my poor husband sleeping in jail tonight.
00:51:27Oh, Judy, I love him so much.
00:51:52I love you.
00:51:54Shh!
00:51:57Mm-hm.
00:51:59Shh!
00:52:02ucky.
00:52:04Shh!
00:52:06Shh!
00:52:08Shh!
00:52:09Shh!
00:52:11Shh!
00:52:12Shh!
00:52:14Shh!
00:52:16Shh!
00:52:17Shh!
00:52:19Shh!
00:52:20Shh!
00:52:21Let's go.
00:52:51Let's go.
00:53:21Let's go.
00:53:51Let's go.
00:54:21Let's go.
00:54:51What's that noise?
00:54:55Oh, I don't know.
00:54:57I kind of fell half asleep.
00:54:59For a moment I thought it was something from a dream.
00:55:01It's somewhere in the house.
00:55:02Yes, on the floor above.
00:55:04Not directly over us.
00:55:06Probably a room overlooking the driveway.
00:55:08Should we call Miss Van Gorder?
00:55:38She'll hear it.
00:55:38How can she help but hear it?
00:55:41Besides, we don't want her to think we're a couple of hysterical women.
00:55:44Well, I'm about to be coming.
00:55:46I've had it for one night.
00:55:47Dale, you're not going out in that hall.
00:55:49I want to know what's happening up there.
00:55:51But Lieutenant Anderson said if we stayed behind our locked doors, we'd be safe.
00:55:55Vic isn't safe locked up in that jail.
00:55:57Oh, but suppose that stolen money is in this house.
00:55:59Mark Fleming seemed to think it was.
00:56:01Maybe that's what somebody's looking for.
00:56:07Oh, for heaven's sake.
00:56:09Don't you hear that awful noise up there?
00:56:12Now, Lizzie, you've just got to stay awake.
00:56:16The house phone and the outside phone wires have been cut, and we can't get help.
00:56:21Where's that policeman?
00:56:23Oh, I don't know.
00:56:24Something must have happened to him.
00:56:26Now, go on.
00:56:26Get on your robe.
00:56:27Oh, Dale, please don't go up there.
00:56:29I've got to.
00:56:30Think what it could mean to Vic.
00:56:31Now, you stay here.
00:56:32Oh, no.
00:56:33If you go, I go.
00:56:55You stay here.
00:56:56No, no, I won't let you go up there alone.
00:56:58You wait here.
00:56:59I'm going to see what it is.
00:57:00Oh, please let me go with you.
00:57:01Judy.
00:57:01Will you warn me if anyone comes?
00:57:03I'll only be a moment.
00:57:05Now, wait.
00:57:31Oh, my God.
00:57:48What are you doing?!
00:57:52Oh, no!
00:57:53Hold on!
00:57:55Oh, no!
00:57:56I'm going to do it.
00:57:57Hold on, do it to us.
00:58:01It's got it, John.
00:58:01No, no, no.
00:58:02What are you doing?
00:58:03Hold on.
00:58:05No!
00:58:06No!
00:58:07No!
00:58:07No!
00:58:08Go on!
00:58:09Go on!
00:58:09No!
00:58:10Hold on!
00:58:11I'll do it to us.
00:58:12It's a very funny story.
00:58:14I'll do it to us.
00:58:15I'll do it to us.
00:58:16Why?
00:58:17Judy!
00:58:19Judy, no!
00:58:20Judy, no, no, not Judy!
00:58:24Give her to me.
00:58:25I'll look after you.
00:58:26I'll look after you.
00:58:36Poor baby.
00:58:47Judy.
00:58:58The bat.
00:58:59Yes, the bat.
00:59:00He caught her at the head of the stairs.
00:59:02We saw him rushing down the stairs as we came out of the room.
00:59:06I hurled that after him.
00:59:08I hit him, I believe.
00:59:11I'm going to cover this place from attic to basement, you said.
00:59:14Well, what were you covering when that poor child was murdered?
00:59:17Where were you?
00:59:18I saw a man outside in the grounds.
00:59:21I went out there and hunted him.
00:59:23I heard him in among the trees,
00:59:25and so I followed the sound of him as far as the brook down near the back road.
00:59:28And then I lost her.
00:59:30I'd rather give my own life than have this happen to Judy.
00:59:34But I told you to stay in your rooms and lock your doors and stay there.
00:59:38What was she doing at the head of those stairs?
00:59:41That was my fault.
00:59:43They heard a strange noise.
00:59:45Heavy pounding in one of the rooms on the third floor.
00:59:47We all heard it.
00:59:48I wanted to see what it was.
00:59:49Judy, would you wish she wouldn't let me go out by myself?
00:59:52I made her stay on the balcony.
00:59:54What about your new butler?
00:59:56Oh, well, he's in his room, I suppose.
00:59:58Oh, Mrs. Patterson.
01:00:00Oh, yes.
01:00:01Did you know what happened to you?
01:00:02No, sir, but I heard the screams.
01:00:05I went to call Warner.
01:00:07We have rooms on the same floor, but he wasn't in his room.
01:00:10His bed hasn't been slept in.
01:00:13If Mrs. Patterson heard the screams, Warner could certainly hear them.
01:00:16You're quite right, sir.
01:00:17I heard them.
01:00:18Oh, you did.
01:00:19And where were you?
01:00:20Outside, in the grounds.
01:00:22Miss Holland has been murdered.
01:00:24No.
01:00:25Oh, so you're surprised.
01:00:28Shocked.
01:00:29Well, I've seen better performances.
01:00:32I remember you now.
01:00:35Your name's not Warner.
01:00:37I've got a circular in my office with your picture on it.
01:00:39The Chicago police not so long ago were hunting for you in connection with the robbery.
01:00:43You're right again, sir.
01:00:44And they found me, and they tried me, and I proved my innocence, and I was acquitted.
01:00:48That could have been a lucky break.
01:00:51Where were you when this child was killed?
01:00:53I told you before, sir.
01:00:54Outside.
01:00:55What were you doing there?
01:00:56I was following you.
01:00:57I saw you leaving the house, and it seemed that you were hunting someone.
01:01:00I thought you might need some help.
01:01:02Oh, yes, sir.
01:01:03I followed your flashlight down through the trees.
01:01:05Then it disappeared.
01:01:06And then suddenly, as I was staring out into the darkness, I was struck by something on the back of the head.
01:01:12The next thing I knew, I was lying on the ground.
01:01:14I realized I'd been knocked out.
01:01:17I wish you had been knocked out.
01:01:19But then we'd have found you with your mask still on your face.
01:01:22You were hit here in this house with this poker as you were rushing down those stairs after that child was killed.
01:01:26Oh, no, sir. You can't pin this on me.
01:01:28I'm not the bat.
01:01:29I've never killed.
01:01:30I could kill.
01:01:31I won't take the rap for this.
01:01:36Well, Doctor,
01:02:05we have another case for the County Coroner.
01:02:08You see, the bat came back.
01:02:11Why did you come back, Doctor?
01:02:15Well, I had an accident about a mile down the road.
01:02:21The right rear wheel of my car came off, and I plunged into the ditch.
01:02:25This was the nearest house, so I came here to call for help.
01:02:29I thought I'd find you around, Andy.
01:02:33Physician, heal thyself.
01:02:38You must have been hit by something on the back of your head.
01:02:44I told you I had an accident.
01:02:46So you did, Doctor.
01:02:47So you did.
01:02:48I could be wrong.
01:02:52I could be wrong.
01:02:53But maybe I'm not.
01:02:55We shall see.
01:02:57All right, dear.
01:02:58Let's start a new chapter.
01:03:00For days, the murders held the headlines.
01:03:04Lieutenant Anderson grilled us and ransacked the house from top to bottom.
01:03:13Warner was not placed under arrest, but his every move was watched.
01:03:18At night, except for a detective on guard in the house, the police and the reporters left us alone.
01:03:26And on one of those nights, without telling Lizzie or anyone else, I pursued a secret investigation of my own.
01:03:35It was in an empty room on the third floor where we kept our trunks and other things.
01:04:19Let's go.
01:04:49Let's go.
01:05:19Let's go.
01:05:49Put him up, Pat.
01:05:58It's a bright idea to kill me in my own lab and let people think that I'm the bat.
01:06:03But you had to kill me first.
01:06:05What was it to be? Ambush?
01:06:06And clever as you are, you're not smart enough to do that.
01:06:11Nor were you smart enough to find the money, though you came quite close to it.
01:06:15But I know where it is.
01:06:17And when you're dead with that sign pinned on your chest, I'm going to collect it and live happily ever after.
01:06:23He destroyed himself.
01:06:27How true that will be.
01:06:30Well, goodbye, Bat.
01:06:32Here's a serum that will heal you whether you're a rabbit or not.
01:06:35Here's a serum.
01:06:48Here's a serum.
01:06:53Here's a serum.
01:06:55Let's go.
01:07:25Let's go.
01:07:55Let's go.
01:08:25Let's go.
01:08:27Something's wrong.
01:08:37This Cornelia?
01:08:39This Cornelia?
01:08:49Now, where would she be going at this time of night?
01:09:01Well, for land's sake!
01:09:15Oh, I never...
01:09:25Mr. Davenport!
01:09:31Mr. Davenport!
01:09:33Oh, a fine thing!
01:09:35The door unbolted the chain off,
01:09:37and you asleep on the job.
01:09:39Wait till Lieutenant Anderson hears about this.
01:09:41Come on, wake up!
01:09:43What's the matter with you?
01:09:45I don't know. I don't know.
01:09:47That hurts. My whole body's numb.
01:09:49Here. Here, take a sip of this.
01:09:51Try to snap out of it. I'll be back in a minute.
01:09:53Hurry, will you? It's Lizzie!
01:10:09I'm terribly worried.
01:10:11I can't find Miss Cornelia anywhere,
01:10:13and something's happened to the policeman.
01:10:15I don't know what.
01:10:17Get Warner. Bring him to the drawing room.
01:10:19Tell him we need him!
01:10:21Okay.
01:10:25Are you all right now?
01:10:26Yeah, I'll be all right in a minute.
01:10:28I remember now.
01:10:29I took a drink of wine from that decanter there.
01:10:31Miss Van Gorder told me to help myself.
01:10:33She wouldn't put nothing in it?
01:10:35Well, somebody did.
01:10:36Somebody who knew I was on duty here.
01:10:38Then it was somebody that got Miss Van Gorder.
01:10:41I can't find her anywhere upstairs,
01:10:43downstairs, or in the basement.
01:10:44I told the housekeeper to get warmer.
01:10:46Lieutenant Anderson will want to know about this.
01:10:48Hello.
01:10:49Hello.
01:10:50Yeah, this is Davenport at the Oaks.
01:10:52We've got trouble here.
01:10:53Well, for one thing, I was drugged.
01:10:56Yeah.
01:10:57But I must have been knocked out
01:10:58because a maid tells me Miss Van Gorder is missing.
01:11:01Well, you better call Anderson and let him know.
01:11:04He's not at home.
01:11:06Well, where is he?
01:11:07Not on a case. What case?
01:11:10Dr. Wells.
01:11:12What else did they tell you about it?
01:11:14Oh, hurry, will you?
01:11:16We've got to find Miss Cornelia.
01:11:18Okay.
01:11:20Okay.
01:11:21Lieutenant Anderson is out on a case.
01:11:24Dr. Wells was found dead in a room next to his garage.
01:11:27Murdered.
01:11:28Dr. Wells?
01:11:30There's something queer about the killing of Wells,
01:11:32but headquarters won't talk about it.
01:11:34Lizzie, one isn't in his room.
01:11:36There's no kind of him anywhere.
01:11:37I was supposed to keep an eye on that guy.
01:11:39Where's Miss Cornelia? That's what I want to know.
01:11:42Wait a minute.
01:11:43Didn't you say that the chain and the bolt were off at the front door?
01:11:46I certainly did.
01:11:47Well, maybe Miss Van Gorder went outside.
01:11:49Oh, she never would.
01:11:51We better look.
01:11:53I can't... I can't breathe.
01:11:56There's no help.
01:11:58Miss Cornelia.
01:11:59Oh, Miss Van Gorder.
01:12:00Miss Cornelia.
01:12:01Miss Cornelia.
01:12:02Miss Cornelia.
01:12:03Miss Cornelia.
01:12:04Miss Van Gorder.
01:12:05Miss Van Gorder.
01:12:06Look.
01:12:07There's a light in that room on the third floor.
01:12:08Were you up there tonight?
01:12:09Well, of course I was.
01:12:10But I turned the lights out before I came downstairs.
01:12:11Miss Cornelia might have turned them on again.
01:12:12That's why we're going to look first.
01:12:13Come on.
01:12:14Miss Van Gorder.
01:12:16Miss Van Gorder.
01:12:17fewnap or two- sins.
01:12:19I think I'll get the things split.
01:12:20You keep going once.
01:12:21Wow.
01:12:22There's a blue light in that house.
01:12:23Somewhere usually look the light off at the third floor.
01:12:25You came from there indeed.
01:12:27Pero no.
01:12:28Miss Van Gorder.
01:12:29Girl that is hooking you.
01:12:30Miss Van Gorder rallfill.
01:12:32She put her two to the glass sink.
01:12:34There's not much proof of, 여러분.
01:12:37You live.
01:12:39Here's all things.
01:12:40Here, my daughter.
01:12:41Miss Cornelia, Miss Cornelia, Miss Cornelia.
01:12:56Yes, Lizzie, I'm here.
01:13:01Right here.
01:13:03Come, come to the mantle, please.
01:13:08Here we are, Miss Van Gorda.
01:13:09What do we do now?
01:13:11Over the mantle.
01:13:12There are five panels.
01:13:14Strike it with your hand.
01:13:22Which panel did you say, Miss Van Gorda?
01:13:24Oh, I can't.
01:13:27Miss Van Gorda, which panel?
01:13:29We couldn't hear you.
01:13:30She said strike it.
01:13:32What difference does it make which panels?
01:13:34Strike them all.
01:13:36Look.
01:13:52Oh, it's all right now.
01:13:55It's all right, dear.
01:13:57Lizzie's here.
01:13:59Feeling better?
01:14:00Yes, much better.
01:14:01We'll take you to your room.
01:14:02Oh, no, you won't.
01:14:03I'm going to stay right here.
01:14:04I'm quite all right.
01:14:05Oh, how blessed it is to breathe without an effort.
01:14:06You know, no one knows how sweet the air can taste until someone shuts it off for a moment.
01:14:11That room is just like a box.
01:14:12When the mantelpiece closed, it seemed like all the air was drawn out of it.
01:14:14Look, there it goes again.
01:14:15Let it close.
01:14:16I can open it from in here.
01:14:17There's a control panel behind this blueprint.
01:14:20Electric motor under the trap door here.
01:14:22Once the door is open, you can keep it that way.
01:14:24I believe that the fire is in there.
01:14:25No one knows how sweet the air can taste until someone shuts it off for a moment.
01:14:28That room is just like a box.
01:14:29When the mantelpiece closed, it seemed like all the air was drawn out of it.
01:14:31Look, there it goes again.
01:14:32Let it close.
01:14:33I can open it from in here.
01:14:35There's a control panel behind this blueprint.
01:14:38Electric motor under the trap door here.
01:14:40Once the door is open, you can keep it that way.
01:14:43I believe that the fireplace in this other room opens the same way.
01:14:49And it does.
01:14:51For goodness sake.
01:14:53I tried to find this, but I couldn't find it.
01:14:55Yeah, it's back at this blueprint here.
01:14:57It's quite a setup.
01:14:59Too bad we can't open that safe in the same way.
01:15:02Take an expert to crack this box or a shot of nitro.
01:15:06Maybe that's what the bat had in mind.
01:15:09Could be.
01:15:10Seems he's on the prowl tonight.
01:15:12Miss Van Gorda.
01:15:13Warner has disappeared.
01:15:14Really?
01:15:15And Dr. Wells has been murdered.
01:15:17Dr. Wells?
01:15:18Lieutenant Anderson's on that case right now.
01:15:21Does he know what happened here tonight?
01:15:23They got word to him.
01:15:24He'll be here any minute.
01:15:25What's that noise?
01:15:26Miss Van Gorda.
01:15:27The garage is on fire.
01:15:28Scott, look at that.
01:15:29Miss Abe, put that light on the other room.
01:15:30Now, where are you going?
01:15:31To report the fire.
01:15:32Well, you've just stayed right here.
01:15:33Miss Van Gorda, the garage.
01:15:34Well, let it burn.
01:15:35You watch the stair.
01:15:36Can't you see that fire was set to get us out of the house?
01:15:37Out of the house?
01:15:38Are you talking about the...
01:15:39Yes.
01:15:40Yes, I'm talking about the bat.
01:15:41Now that the lights are out, he'll think his trick has worked and we've gone.
01:15:43He'll be here any minute.
01:15:44So will Lieutenant Anderson.
01:15:45I hope so.
01:15:46But the bat will be here first.
01:15:47And he'll kill again if we're in his way.
01:15:48We've got to be as clever as he is.
01:15:49So will Lieutenant Anderson.
01:15:50I hope so.
01:15:51But the bat will be here first.
01:15:52And he'll kill again if we're in his way.
01:15:53We've got to be as clever as he is.
01:15:54We've got to be as clever as he is.
01:15:55So will Lieutenant Anderson.
01:15:56I hope so.
01:15:57But the bat will be here first.
01:15:58And he'll kill again if we're in his way.
01:15:59We've got to be as clever as he is.
01:16:24Let's go.
01:17:24But you'll be safer downstairs.
01:17:26I'll take care of you.
01:17:26Well, the others can go, but I'm going to stay right here.
01:17:29All right, but get out of sight.
01:17:54Let's face it, ladies, and get it over with.
01:18:00Others have seen my face before they died,
01:18:02but I'll have to deny you that pleasure.
01:18:05This would make a good scene for your book, Miss Van Gorder,
01:18:08but I'm afraid you'll never write it.
01:18:10Now, that is Warner.
01:18:17I could care.
01:18:22You misjudged me, Miss Ellen.
01:18:25What?
01:18:28I don't like being a murder suspect, Miss Van Gorder.
01:18:32I was headed for a plane, but halfway to the airport,
01:18:34I changed my mind and came back.
01:18:38I'm glad that I did.
01:18:52Why, it's Lieutenant Anderson.
01:18:54Yes, it was Anderson.
01:19:04He discovered the secret of the hidden room
01:19:06and was waiting to get into it
01:19:07and open up the safe.
01:19:11We found the money in it,
01:19:13a little over a million in tens and twenties and hundreds.
01:19:15Good old Andy.
01:19:22With all his ill-gotten gains invested in bank stock,
01:19:27it's rather a clever way to hide stolen money,
01:19:30in the open, as it were,
01:19:32and so respectable.
01:19:35But don't try it.
01:19:38No matter how clever you are,
01:19:42you can't hide murder.
01:19:45Well, that's it, Dale.
01:19:57That's the end.
Be the first to comment