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- Some cream? - Thanks.

ETERNAL ENIGMAS OF THE UNIVERSE

A FEW WORDS ABOUT THE SUN ON THE OCCASION OF TODAY'S ECLIPSE

R.I.P. FRANCISZEK ADAMCZYK RETIRED CAPTAIN & BANDMASTE

ANTICIPATED DATE OF DEATH: OCTOBER 2, 1933

It's correct.

- You've established contact. - Yes.

Good morning. Your ticket, please.

- He's controlling a few people. - At the same time?

Yes.

Miss...

Rychtel isn't writing, only smoking a piece of glass.

Why is he controlling them?

He is... ill.

Terminally ill.

Three people are heading towards him

from different directions.

Where are these people?

One of them

is now in the street.

- What street? - I couldn't read the name.

Who is it?

A man,

40 to 50 years old,

wearing a hat, light trench coat, beard...

I can see a house.

Does the house belong to the medium

you've established contact with?

Yes.

He entered the house.

Follow him.

I can't.

The medium won't let me in.

Where's the second person?

The second person is on a train.

What station is it?

Zoppot.

Where's the third person?

The third person is in a museum.

It's a woman.

Miss!

Miss!

Something abrupt has happened.

Is he dead?

Either dead or unconscious.

Try to reach him.

It's impossible.

Excuse me, sir, what city is this?

Sir!

I'm very sorry.

Miss, miss!

You've left it on the bench.

Thank you.

I don't know who he is.

Nor what he wants.

All I know is that

he is an exceptionally powerful medium.

It stopped bleeding.

Hold on.

Thank you.

Who did this to you?

I don't know.

Damned city.

If you don't like our city, why have you come here?

Precisely. Why?

Have I been here before?

It's the first time I see you.

Are you sure?

Yes.

I won't leave until I've found an answer.

It's unacceptable for a teacher to abandon her classroom.

You've got no excuse.

Hans claims this isn't the first time.

Good morning, Inspector.

I see you've made your choice,

Krank.

It's not a question of convictions, Inspector.

Reason demands that I side with the strongest.

Hurry, while you still have the chance.

- Anything new? - No.

Not really, except a phone call.

- Who called? - Miss Liever, from the museum

- on Königstrasse. - What did she want?

A woman stole a costume from the exhibit.

- What costume? - A valuable dress, half a century old.

That is indeed a very interesting matter...

- ...for the homicide division. - There is indeed something

very interesting about this affair, Inspector.

Because this woman had stolen this dress several

times, and then put it back in its place.

If you're interested in such matters, transfer to the vice squad.

Every day you'll be dealing with fetishists,

exhibitionists, prostitutes.

- Excellent company for your kind. - Excuse me?

If Miss Liever needs help, send a squad to the museum,

but don't bother me with nonsense.

- Is that all? - Yes.

At noon, there will be a total eclipse, Inspector.

They say that the phenomenon triggers acts of aggression.

- They're hungry. - It's not my fault. It's empty.

Orwicz's store, still closed.

Nine o'clock, Inspector.

- Krank! - Yes?

My shirt.

He drinks every day.

And besides, is late to work.

- Is that all? - No, Gauleiter.

I suspect that Inspector Selin is mixed up in a scandal.

- In what? - I don't know what exactly, yet.

I just know he hasn't been spending nights at home.

- Where, then? - On the beach, in a wicker chair.

He was seen there even today.

He comes to work unshaven, changes his shirt,

breeds goldfish, buys fish food

in Alexander Orwicz's pet shop.

He's also a citizen of Polish origin...

That's enough, Krank!

I need hard facts to get rid of him,

and not a load of rubbish.

- Incredible - Is anything the matter, Krank?

No, now I can understand Orwicz.

In his place, I wouldn't let anyone in here, either.

- Out of jealousy. - Nah...

He's not so much jealous as afraid.

He believes that their destinies are bound together.

- Orwicz's and the turtles'? - Yes...

One of them. He claims he's going to die

the same day one of the turtles drops.

Thank you.

- It should do for the quarter. - Inspector...

No one's picking up at the shopkeeper's house.

- Perhaps he went out? - Mr. Orwicz would have let us know.

He'll be back, I'm sure he'll be back.

- He's terminally ill. - What's wrong?

- Diabetes. - Diabetes?

Yes, it's hereditary. After his father.

- Is it serious? - Deadly serious.

- I'm very worried about him. - I didn't know diabetes could kill you.

- Is that what Orwicz senior died of? - He didn't make it that far.

- He was murdered. - Murdered?

Krank, you've got such a face,

as if murder, too, were hereditary.

The turtles are in great shape.

- I don't even know where Orwicz lives. - Sopot. Lindenstrasse, 11.

Stay here.

Krank, watch out!

Enough!

Inspector Selin speaking.

Please send an ambulance right away to Lindenstrasse, 11.

Yes, I'm waiting.

Name.

My name is Netz, Jerzy Netz.

I'm a bank clerk

I'm married, two children

I was born on January 18, 189...

...6

- Where do you live? - In Berlin.

Sonnenstrasse, 17.

- Where are you staying? - At the Grand Hotel.

Check it out.

It's not your lucky day, Mr. Netz.

And all because of my

goldfish.

I don't understand.

Inspector, I really didn't do anything wrong.

So why were you running away?

How did you get in here?

Just like you.

The front door was open.

- You had an appointment with Orwicz? - No, no...

Why did you come to see him?

I don't know.

I don't know him at all, Inspector.

- You're aware of the consequences? - No.

The doctor's asking for you. To have a word.

He arrived yesterday, at 4 PM.

He left the hotel around 11 PM.

Came back this morning, went out again.

It's not his first visit.

Strange case, inspector. No injuries.

- Will he regain consciousness? - I don't know. It might be the heart,

or a stroke, something sudden.

- He had diabetes. - Diabetes...

I haven't thought about it.

I'm taking him to the hospital.

Go with them.

But these are all my own things,

look, there's nothing here. I didn't steal anything.

- You slept in this bed? - Yes, I slept in this bed.

Why not at the hotel?

I don't know.

What else do you remember?

Afterwards, I woke up...

and I was sitting over there.

- I was sitting over there. - Sit down.

- Sit down? - Yes, please.

- You write poetry? - No, not at all.

"I feel rapture and pain when I see you"

"and it seems I am filled with love,"

"and it seems I am full of loathing. I could curse you,

and surrender my soul."

- It's your handwriting... - Yes, but...

What happened next?

Next, what?

I heard the doorbell.

Right, right. I heard the doorbell and...

I left the room.

I went downstairs, right,

This way...

And I went through this door.

Through this door, into this room.

Yes, it was in this room.

He was sitting on the sofa.

Could you show me how he was sitting.

Show you?

- Yes, please. - Show...

So, well, I don't know...

He was sitting something like this.

That's how...

Are you sure that is how he was seated?

Yes.

Yes, I am sure...

- Please continue. - Well, then...

I came over to this display case...

and from this drawer...

I took out a phial, here it is...

and a syringe

I filled the syringe

Like this. I drew the content into the syringe.

And I went over to the other one...

and gave him a shot.

What other one?

The one seated in the chair.

- There was someone else here? - Yes...

It was happening all at the same time, Inspector.

They both had an attack.

- Who was it? - I don't know.

Please show me how he was seated.

Well, he was seated.

Like this.

He was seated like this.

- Would you recognize him? - No, probably not.

He had a hat pulled over his eyes,

I saw a beard...

light trench coat...

I gave him a shot

in his right hand.

- What medication is this? - I don't know.

And then?

Then he got up.

He got up and...

And started towards the exit, but walked

very strange, as if he were blind.

He knocked over this chair.

And left. I picked up the chair,

put it back in its place...

Then?

Then I started to be terribly afraid.

What I am doing here?

Before me was seated a man whom I didn't know,

moreover unconscious.

In my hand, I was holding a syringe.

But I don't even know how to give a shot.

I put the syringe back.

Replaced it in the drawer.

I even wanted to call the ambulance,

but I thought that I would get involved.

I decided not to.

I ran away.

- Where? - To the hotel.

- So why did you come back? - Because of the suitcase.

I realized at the hotel that I'd left my suitcase behind.

Inspector, I must leave this place. Immediately. Please let me go.

You won't be going anywhere.

Then please arrest me.

And put me behind iron bars, so nothing could break me out.

You understand?

I've no reason to arrest you.

You'll go back to the hotel.

Please stay in your room.

You take interest in this subject?

Yes, a little bit.

I've got something for you.

A rare volume.

"Key to Arcane Knowledge"

These prophecies are unverifiable.

The people concerned are already dead.

I also have a book of horoscopes for people presently alive.

It foretells the future.

Dates of death aren't listed.

That can't be published.

But the author of the book, Wagner, knows them.

He keeps them in sealed envelopes.

In his office.

He lives in this building on the third floor.

With his sister.

Where were you born?

In Warsaw.

Please give me your exact date of birth.

November 17, 1902.

- Time? - Six... in the morning

Six o'clock?

Yes...

- Does it matter? - Every minute may change things.

If you want to obtain precise results, you need to

clock in the moment of birth.

I advise it to all parents.

Parapsychology is like mathematics.

Some think that a parapsychologist should have

a cat,

a crystal ball,

some Egyptian divinity, a stuffed crocodile, and...

the walls painted black.

While everything is contained within the brain.

In the brain resides the secret of whether one

will become a great mathematician,

politician, or a composer.

Those letters everywhere.

If he wanted to reply to every single one,

he'd go through his whole pension.

After all, one must have something to live on.

- Will you take sugar or preserves? - Preserves, if I may.

Good choice.

I made them myself.

Most letters come from madmen.

Or those who ask for a horoscope.

You must have come for the same reason.

Yes, as a matter of fact.

I've never let him do my horoscope.

- And I would advise you against it. - But why?

Anticipated date of death

Today.

Be careful.

He may be one of the people controlled by the medium.

It's excellent.

If you drink the whole cup, I'll make you some more.

Why have you come to Gdansk?

I don't know.

I can't remember leaving the house.

I can't remember boarding the train.

I regained my consciousness only here, at the train station.

Is this the first time this has happened to you?

No, I had taken off several times before.

But I can't remember anything from my previous journeys.

Have you ever talked to anyone about it?

I've seen a doctor.

He claims I suffer from blackouts.

These aren't blackouts.

You are in a trance.

You are being controlled by someone who

has hold of your will. You are entirely in his power.

- No, that's impossible. - He can make you do anything.

If your brain receives the order: "Kill him",

you will kill me.

I can't stand it.

It would be horrible.

If they used him,

he'd become a terrible weapon in their hands.

- Who is he? - I don't know.

I don't know who it is.

All I know is that

he's an exceptionally powerful medium.

Medium?

Yes, he lives in the city.

Am I in any danger?

Mortal danger.

You must leave Gdansk immediately.

Before the eclipse.

Catch a train, and leave the city right away.

You must get out of here. It's your only chance.

The last stage of diabetes, Inspector: coma.

You really intend to investigate this matter?

I would just like to know the cause of this disease.

Diabetes is caused by insulin deficiency in the organism.

It's a hormone excreted by pancreas.

To stave off the disaster, we administer it orally

or by injection.

At regular intervals.

This means that if the patient

doesn't get his dose of insulin on time...

This is the result.

Nurse! Excuse me.

- You look beautiful. - Doctor!

This could be a way of killing him.

Diabetics have a choice:

either to remain in the hospital for the rest of their lives,

or attend treatment sessions

at appointed hours.

Orwicz,

like most patients, belonged to the second category.

And...?

He didn't show up last night.

You haven't tried to find out why?

Orwicz is not the only one. We've got hundreds similar cases.

He was aware of the consequences.

Besides, he started treatment too late.

Diabetes had already damaged his kidneys.

Complications from TB,

atherosclerosis.

Incurable.

- Did he know that? - Yes.

I had informed him.

Could this be suicide?

That's what I'd like to talk to you about.

- This way. - I'll be there in a second.

- I'll be in my office - Thank you.

Check out all information concerning Orwicz.

Everything available. Do you understand?

In the archives, you'll find his father's files. Check them out.

- Along with photos. - Understood.

Be careful.

- Does this mean, Inspector... - It doesn't mean anything. Be careful.

- All files concerning this case are lost. - How is that possible?

- Possible, possible. - Have you checked everywhere?

If you don't trust me, see for yourself.

Gone.

There was the war.

Some documents were lost in the fire.

Others were simply misplaced.

Is this your first case?

The first.

Orwicz.

Where did I...?

A woman was the reason behind the whole tragedy.

Her name was Zofia.

If I'm not mistaken.

You know, I used to have an exceptional

memory for names.

Unfortunately, at present...

But...

Where could I have read about it, what do you think?

I don't know.

Please try to remember, it's very important to me.

Very.

Unfortunately, I can't recall.

It's not your lucky day.

Goodbye.

Just a minute!

I seem to recall something.

The murderer's name was Victor.

- Victor? - Victor Arlt.

Why are you playing cat and mouse with me?

Nothing of the sort. Please, sit down.

Arlt went mad.

What triggered it?

Ah! And how can a woman

drive a man mad?

Mr. Krauze, can you imagine how many madmen we'd

have if every man were driven mad like that.

There is love, and then there is betrayal.

To some, betrayal doesn't mean much.

- But to others... - I pity them.

Mr. Krank...

This is at times the cause of great tragedies.

If you don't believe me,

- you can go and read about it. - But where?

Over there. Just above your head.

Go ahead and find

Gazeta Gdanska,

year 1897.

October.

Remember, Krank,

newspapers are a treasure trove of knowledge

for future generations.

And they have the advantage

of being printed in a great number of copies.

It will never be possible to destroy every last one.

Found it!

MURDER WEAPON: AXE

CRUEL MURDER IN HOUSE OF STEFAN ORWICZ

I'm sorry.

The braggart stood facing the corner,

and sung her own praise:

"I am clever beyond belief"...

Stefan Orwicz built it

in 1891 for his wife.

Total confusion of styles:

Italian Renaissance exterior, and Gdansk interiors.

- Who was he? - A banker.

An affluent banker.

He traveled extensively.

Orwicz's only son, Aleksander, was born precisely

on March 27, 1893.

Zofia Orwicz was 22 when their son was born.

- And Stefan Orwicz? - 46.

When the boy was 2, Stefan Orwicz fell ill.

He was diagnosed with diabetes.

The patient's state was considered critical.

At the beginning of 1897, he went blind.

- Repeat. - He couldn't see.

Dr. Malicki moved in with the Orwiczes.

He lived in this room.

Dr. Malicki watched over Stefan Orwicz

at Zofia's request.

And in his spare time, became her lover.

Correct.

Stefan Orwicz continued to live,

so they decided to get rid of him.

Simple.

No, Inspector.

It gets more complicated.

Because, you see, they were all...

...murdered.

Yes.

Mr. and Mrs. Orwicz, and Malicki were murdered by

Victor Arlt.

Stefan Orwicz's assistant and personal secretary.

Yes.

He murdered them out of jealousy.

Yes.

Fiery woman...

the husband, two lovers...

No, one.

Arlt was madly in love with her.

But it was Platonic love.

They always say that.

- To make things look better. - But it's true.

Inspector, she was a very beautiful woman.

Whereas Arlt had a deformity.

- What? - He was a hunchback.

Do you have his photograph?

No, but I transcribed a poem.

Because he wrote her poetry, Inspector.

Here you go.

I feel rapture and pain when I see you

and it seems I am filled with love...

For there is love and there is betrayal.

To some, betrayal doesn't mean much. To others...

Inspector,

At times, this is the cause of real tragedies.

Listen...

Where did they die?

In Mrs. Orwicz's bedroom.

And Stefan Orwicz...?

Stefan Orwicz died in this chair.

How did he die?

They all died the same way.

From axe blows.

- Axe? - Yes. On the head.

Arlt was in frenzy. He went mad.

When did it happen?

October 3, 1897.

Dr. Malicki's watch

stopped

at 1:09 pm.

That means...

that in an hour it'll be the 36th anniversary.

What happened to Arlt?

He committed suicide.

But I see that you are familiar with the story.

I'm looking for the Orwicz family grave.

The main alley.

With a white statue of a woman.

ZOFIA EMILIA ORWICZ née Hoffman aged 27 died 3.10.1897

STEFAN JERZY ORWICZ aged 51 died 3.10.1897

Open up. Police!

He went mad.

I'm not mad!

- Can I help you? - Leave me alone.

- Can I help you? - No.

No one can help me.

Sir, Inspector Selin has sent me.

We need your passport.

Please give it to me, or I'll have to force my way in.

Inspector...

Did you get it?

Netz barricaded himself in his room,

tied himself to a chair.

He must have gone mad.

No, he's not crazy.

He's afraid.

What's he afraid of?

Sit down.

Here. Have a drink.

To your health, Krank.

You drink, Krank, like a bird.

When were you born?

In 1909, Inspector.

Let's say you wanted to be in 1913.

What for?

To be once more four years old.

- What would you need? - Memory, Inspector.

OK, true, Krank.

But let's assume that you have limitless possibilities.

Time is not a filing cabinet, Inspector.

How do you know it's not?

I had never been in Orwicz's house.

But I know the house by heart.

Krank, perhaps we are traveling through time.

Perhaps time is a form of space.

If there were someone...

Drink, drink...

It's October, 1913.

The time is... twelve...

twenty seven.

You're walking along the pier.

With your mother, father, your sister, your brother...

What do you need to go back there?

People who accompanied me then.

Yes. Very good, Krank.

The same people as back then.

What else?

Well, the place.

Good, good, Krank.

- Now, do you understand? - No.

Krank, you are blind, obedient, and lack imagination.

You'll make a good cop.

- Why don't you understand? - Because these people are gone.

My father and brother are dead, my mother is an old woman,

and my sister got married, and has her own kids.

And besides, she grew fat and got ugly.

- Krank, those people can be replaced. - How?

With their doubles.

Zofia Orwicz.

Doctor Malicki.

Arlt, Victor.

The hunchback.

Inspector, these really are doubles.

He had been looking for them. Since the day

he learned he was terminally ill.

He brought Arlt's double from Berlin,

and Malicki's, we don't know yet where from.

Zofia Orwicz's double probably lives in Sopot.

And Stefan Orwicz's double?

Also lives in Sopot.

What does he look like?

I don't know. I don't have his photo, yet.

Do you really suppose that

that everything is going to repeat?

That the crime will be committed again?

- That's precisely it. - But why, what for?

So that Aleksander Orwicz

could once again become a four-year-old boy.

Tell me, where was he during the murder?

In the playroom.

Nobody could explain why Arlt had not killed him.

The playroom.

I once heard about the eye of the hurricane.

All around, the storm is raging, killing everything,

but whoever finds himself in the eye of the storm

is completely safe.

They say that those who once were in the eye

of the storm, dream of returning there.

Inspector, that means

that Aleksander Orwicz uncovered the secret of immortality.

The secret of immor...

That's absurd.

Absurd, Inspector.

This is a case for Wagner, and not for the homicide division.

Say that name again.

Wagner. Occultist and parapsychologist.

Member of the London Lodge of the Theosophical Society.

Of world renown.

This is the best piece of information I ever got from you.

- Wagner... - He's a charlatan.

His name is Orwicz.

Aleksander Orwicz.

He lives in Sopot.

On Lindenstrasse, 11.

He's the owner of a pet shop.

Diabetic.

This morning, he lost consciousness.

At this moment, he's in a hospital, in Dr. Mincel's ward.

First floor, room no. 2.

Do you believe history may repeat itself?

Does it matter to you if I believe or not?

The worst thing is that I can't help you.

Nothing can stop this?

Yes, but it would be necessary to kill Orwicz

or one of the people he controls.

Let's be realistic. If you do it,

you'll be declared clinically insane,

and locked up in an asylum for the rest of your life.

Or yet, what's more likely,

tried for murder.

A nice prospect for a police inspector.

I could try.

Orwicz won't let you kill him.

There was a moment when it was possible,

but then we had no idea who he was.

These pictures are the best evidence

that he made a mistake.

He hadn't foreseen he'd be in a coma.

- He's still in a coma. - Now it's too late.

His brain is functioning normally.

How do you know?

I advise against trying.

He is an exceptionally powerful medium.

Medium.

Another medium.

What did you say?

We must find another medium

who will neutralize Orwicz with his power.

OK, but where to find such a medium?

I don't know anyone as powerful as Orwicz.

A duel of mediums.

- It's our last chance. - And even if I did know...

I'd never allow such a duel.

Why not?

Orwicz will destroy the brain of anyone

who should attempt to oppose him.

He's fighting for his life.

So am I.

You must help me.

My God!

Greta!

Deputy Krank.

She came here again.

- Who? - That woman.

She took the dress.

Grand Hotel?

Room 420.

This is a once in a lifetime chance.

No change.

Strange.

Faster, I beg you.

Damn it!

I must make it...

I saw the ball of wool roll under the bed.

Don't be afraid.

Everyone is watching the eclipse.

Nobody is going to come in.

What about him?

He's in a coma.

Son of Satan! These are the times of Satan!

Beautiful.

I have bad news.

The doctor is leaving.

You're lying.

He's packing.

Why should I care?

- Where's Alex? - In his room. Sleeping.

Anyway, Malicki's a coward.

He has courage to see you only at night,

when everyone else is sleeping.

You've told my husband about it, you snitch.

No.

If I had, your husband would be dead.

I feel rapture and pain

when I see you,

and it seems I am filled with love,

and it seems I am full of loathing:

I could curse you,

and surrender my soul.

Plunged in the silvery blue of your eyes,

I could cast my life at your feet,

and yet a mad desire swells in my chest

to slay you with a single glance.

For I would rather see you wed to death

than intertwined in another's arms.

Beautiful.

- Did you write it for me? - Yes.

God, you're burning up.

He's having an attack.

Don't go.

You mustn’t get up.

Please sit down.

I'll call the doctor.

Hurry...

Is there anyone?

I dreamt...

that I could see

and walk.

Perhaps some other doctor knows a

miracle cure for diabetes, but I don't.

I'm leaving.

Don't.

You won't leave.

He fired me.

I love you, you coward.

Get dressed.

I won't!

You're afraid?

Those in love have nothing to hide!

The hunchback will rat on us.

That's good.

If he rats on us

he won't survive it.

God! Help!

Marvelous.

You're wonderful.

The eye of the hurricane.

Where's the boy?

Where is the boy?

He was murdered just like Stefan Orwicz.

Selin was his double.

Dr. Mincel's expert opinion.

Diabetes.

Dr. Mincel had examined Selin two hours before his death.

He was in good health.

- Dr. Mincel might have been wrong. - This did happen.

This really did happen.

Aleksander Orwicz disappeared from the hospital.

Now he's four years old.

Here's a proof that he is alive.

Take this away.

Gauleiter,

this is not just a matter of immortality.

With the help of this boy, we'll be able to

control people remotely,

kill without leaving a trace.

He's a weapon of limitless possibilities!

I know how to catch him.

This would be a wonderful gift for our Führer.

He's been sitting with the turtles for 6 hours.

He must have gone crazy.

Take me there.

It's long past midnight.

And the turtles are still swimming.

It's the best proof that Orwicz is alive.

That's enough, Krank.

- Go home. - No.

I can't leave this place. Can't.

I am certain he is going to come.

Their destinies are bound together.

I got him.

Take him away.

Let me go! He's going to come! I told you!

He's a total weapon! Let me go!

That is little Orwicz!

Let me go!

These are limitless possibilities!

Orwicz!