Chapter 12 Ghost Tree Mystery
Dr. Sam Hawthorne poured some brandy from the bottle and sat back in his chair. "The summer of 1927 is a period I particularly remember, because at that time someone came to North Hills to make a sound film. And it was also when a man was apparently strangled to death by an old oak tree. But I That's a long way to go. First I should tell you something about the films of that time, especially the sound films."
Back then we didn't see many movies in North Hills (continued Dr. Sam) because there were no movie theaters.To see the silent films that were popular at the time, one had to drive to Springfield or Hartford, or even Boston.A few people had traveled all the way the year before to see Don Juan, starring John Barrymore, the first movie ever to have synchronized sound effects.And people are already talking about The Jazz Singer and Al Jolson.The New York premiere is set for a few weeks later in September, and pre-release teasers say it will feature recorded songs, as well as spoken dialogue for the first time on film. So it's no surprise that filmmakers across the country are jumping on the wave of sound movies.And it is not surprising that some people want to make pilot movies. The silent film "Iron Wings" released in August was both popular and popular, and later won the best picture at the first Academy Awards. Records are still commonly found in news reports. That's why Granger Newmark is coming to North Hills—to make the first sound film featuring a pilot, not a World War I air combat hero like in Iron Wing, but Be an aerobatic pilot, putting your life on the line for a few bucks at the county fair or on a rural weekend.Granger Newmark is a typical Hollywood product. Those big studios were in New Jersey in the early days, and now they are gathering in Hollywood.When he arrived at my clinic on the first afternoon, wearing breeches, leather boots, a zippered jacket, and a white silk scarf around his neck, I confess that I didn't know what to do with him at first. "Is there something wrong?" I asked, asking him to sit down. "A sore throat?" "No! I came here because they told me you were the only doctor in this poor country." "good." "I'm producing and directing an aerobatics movie shot around here, you probably recognize my name." I've heard about this movie, that's all. "I have been too busy to read the papers this week, Mr. Newmark, and you must forgive me." "I see." He sighed, pulling out a thin black cigar, "Uh. I guess I've got to educate you, I'm making the first-ever sound film about aerobatic pilots. We We needed a rural setting for outdoor scenes, so we chose Beishan Town." "Why?" I asked really curiously. "I drove by here last year and loved the area. There's a lot of open land on the north side of town that's perfect for a small runway. I've got the landowner's permission to use it." "Which piece of land is it?" "Gates' farm. A guy named Hay Gates rented us the land, and it was the perfect place for Wings of Glory." I nodded.Hay Gates was the unworthy son of a moderately accomplished farmer who died a few years ago.With a broken marriage and alcohol problems, Hai is always looking for ways to make money that doesn't take much effort.The idea of making a film on his disused land certainly appealed to him. "What do you want me to do?" I asked. “Some of the stunts in this movie are dangerous. There’s a skydiving scene, and there’s one where the plane rolls over on its nose as it takes off. I wanted a doctor on the scene, and we didn’t bring one.” "Hey. I have my own patients to take care of. I can't leave them to watch your movie." "I only need to use you for a few days. When shooting stunt scenes, I will pay you a lot of money. In case of emergency, they can come and pick you up." I have to admit that business was so bad this past week that only two farmers wives had babies.There was no real reason why I couldn't take his job, especially since I knew that my nurse, Aibo, was taking care of the clinic and notifying me in case of need. "Okay," I finally decided, "but I can only have three days at most." "Okay! I'll need you on Wednesday morning, outside Gates' farm, at nine o'clock sharp!" Granger Newmark was gone before I noticed he didn't say how much he would pay me, but by then I was hooked.
On Wednesday morning, I let Aibo run the clinic.Tell her how to find me, and drive over the bumpy road in my six-year-old Snap Arrow convertible to Hay Gates' farm.It was not yet nine o'clock.It's already busy there, and it's true—there's an airplane at the end of that long field. Newmark greeted me cordially and explained that the plane was a DH Sixty Moth.It is a two-cockpit, single-engine biplane.Looks like the planes from WWII as I remember them though.He told me that it was developed only two years ago by a British officer, Colonel Geoffrey de Havanan. "It would be perfect for a movie," he said eagerly. "It looks like an old fighter jet that a normal aerobatic guy flies, but this one is much safer and has a Silos in it." Brand new sixty-horsepower engine. Best of all, we can put the wings back up and tow it on the road, so it’s easy to move around while we’re filming.” When I looked straight down the grassy runway to the distant woods, I suddenly remembered a scenic spot worth mentioning. "That haunted oak," I said aloud. "what?" "That old oak tree—the one that's partly dead. Some here say it's a ghost tree. It's said to have been planted a hundred and fifty years ago on the grave of a Revolutionary traitor. I doubt that tree, though. The tree is really that old." Granger Newmark looked at the tree in the distance, alone some distance away from the woods. "It's ugly," he agreed, "but I can't think of a way to put it in the script. Did that tree kill anyone?" Although the question was asked a bit jokingly, my answer was serious. "A boy fell off it a few years ago and broke his neck. That's enough to trigger all the old superstitions for people around here." At that moment a tall, handsome man in a flying suit approached. Before he had been introduced, I recognized him as the popular silent film star Rob Rains.Newmark made an introduction, and Raines shook my hand firmly. "I hope I don't need your services, doctor." "Did you hear his voice?" the director asked triumphantly. "By the time women all over America hear it, we'll have a big star! About half of all silent film stars will be out of a job after the audience hears their nasty voice." Raines smiled childishly at the compliment. "It's just the voice God gave me, and I'm using it to the best of my ability." "Are you going to skydive?" I asked.I noticed the parachute on his back. "We use stuntmen to do the jump," Newmark explained, "and we can't risk our big stars on something like that." "No one should take that risk," I said. "If his umbrella doesn't open, I probably can't fix it." "Don't be an idiot!" Newmark said, spitting. "There was a skydive before there was a plane. It's absolutely safe." What he said sounded so improbable that I admit I laughed a little.I looked it up later and found out that he was right - there were people parachuting from hot air balloons before 1800.I quickly learned that Granger Newmark can rarely go wrong. At this time, a young man dressed exactly like the star came. "This is our stand-in," Newmark said, "Charlie Penn." Peng's rough, angular face was nothing like the star's handsome features, but I could tell they were similar in height and build.The camera showed that the figures jumping off in the distance couldn't tell each other apart. "How are you?" Peng asked me.Before I could answer, his interest had already turned elsewhere. "See those clouds coming this way? There might be trouble." "My camera is ready to shoot," said the director, "and we're going to do a shot where you two climb into the plane and take off. Charlie, you skydive as soon as you can, and Raines will bring the plane back. " "Can you fly a plane?" I asked the star. "Oh, of course, I'm much more comfortable flying a plane than flying a plane. But some of our stunt shots are done by other people, and I don't do stunts." I watched the two walk away side by side, and Granger Newmark explained the scene to me. "In the movie, Peng plays the pilot, and Raines is his stunt partner. Raines is going to skydive, even though a doctor warned him that the thin air would temporarily render him unconscious." He smiled apologetically. . "Sorry. The doctor scene is already filmed, or we could have used you, doctor." "I'm not good at acting." The two flying people had already arrived in front of the biplane, and another young woman with dark hair in a long floral dress came. "Who is that girl?" "Angela Lord. Our heroine, this is actually her first movie, but I think she's going to be a big star." I watched her adjust the star's scarf.Just like a princess would do before her knights go off.Then the two men got on the plane, waved, and the director yelled, "Get ready! Go! First shot!" Raines waved from the front cockpit. The plane taxied into position, then took off, and the photographer followed along.Then I noticed that Hay Gates was watching too, standing a little behind me. "Hi, doctor," he said when I turned to him, "never thought they'd be making a movie on my farm." "I hope you get a lot of money. Hey," I said to him, "these studios have money." "Don't worry, doctor," he spat tobacco juice on the ground, "They can't handle me, Lao Hai, my father taught me a thing or two about business before he passed away." I doubt very much that anyone can teach Hay Gates anything, but I don't dispute it. "Are you all right here by yourself, Hai?" I asked.The plane circled over our heads after takeoff. "It's pretty good. I've been hoping for Dolly to come back, but I don't think there's much hope." Dolly was his wife who left him after he started drinking.The last word she heard was that she was going to live with her sister in Maine. "Maybe she'll read in the paper that they're making a movie on your farm," I said. "Well, maybe." Granger Newmark is standing next to the photographer. "Watch out for that plane! Don't miss anything! By the time they're in the clearing again, he's going to parachute." The biplane, with its two roofless cockpits, had climbed to a height convenient for a skydive, leaving only a tiny black speck in the sky.Just as I was looking up from the ground, secretly glad I wasn't there, Angela Rhodes walked over. "Isn't that dangerous?" she asked Newmark. "No more dangerous than falling out of bed." I saw a little black dot detach from the plane and start to fall, and then a white cloud drifted behind that just as the parachute opened.The falling figure seemed to be suspended below by a slowly descending big mushroom, and began to slowly float towards us. "Perfect!" Newmark exclaimed. "He should land right on the field in front of the camera." But the clouds that had accumulated on the horizon were now moving this way, and the wind increased.Just as the parachute was approaching the ground, we saw that the parachute and the person drifted away from the original route and floated towards the old oak tree at the edge of the field. "Why didn't he control the direction?" Angela asked, "He's going to hit that tree!" "Charlie!" the director yelled, but his voice must have been blown away by the growing wind.The parachute landed on the top branch of the tree and was entangled in some dead branches stretching towards the sky. Underneath, suspended by the straps about ten feet above the ground, was the limp body of the stuntman Charlie Peng. "Get him out of there!" I yelled, leading the others toward the tree, not caring at all if I ruined the scene.Something wrong with that limp body hanging under the parachute made me take action. "Somebody get the ladder," I called to them, running to the tree before the others. Hay Gates ran for the barn while I tried to climb the lower branches of the tree.I could already see Peng's face turning blue, his tongue half sticking out of his mouth.I tried to climb high enough to take his pulse, but there was no pulse. "What's wrong?" Granger Newmark called from the ground below. "What happened?" I climbed a little higher in the tree and reached for the white scarf wrapped around his neck.But then I touched something else and pulled my hand back.I climbed down the tree just as Hay Gates came back with a ladder. "Untie him carefully," I directed, "and put him on the ground here. I've got to call Sheriff Lens." "My God, you mean he's dead?" "Yes, Mr. Newmark, he is dead. There was a wire tied around his scarf, and he was murdered." I called Sheriff Lens from Gates' ranch home and walked back to the body.All the cast and crew huddled in a circle, watching as Newmark figured out how to untie the wire from Charlie Penn's neck. "You'd better leave that to the sheriff," I advised. "It won't do anything to Peng now." "But—but how could such a thing happen?" I looked up at the old oak tree. "I'd be surprised if I knew." The biplane circled the field until Newmark waved it down.I think we're all wondering what Rob Rains will say when he sees that body.Because we know we've witnessed a murder for which there is only one possible explanation.Charlie Penn was strangled to death on the plane before skydiving - there's no other way of saying it, and the only person on the plane with him was Rob Rains. We watched as Raines ran toward the large circle, pushing past others to squeeze in to see the body. "What happened to him?" he asked. "He's dead," I said, "strangled with a wire around his neck." "Strangled? Underground here?" "Before he hit the ground, his parachute got tangled in a tree and by the time I climbed up to untie him, he was dead." He stared at me in disbelief. "But he was alive when he jumped! He must be alive to pull the parachute." "That's true," agreed Granger Newmark, "I hadn't even thought of that." I saw Sergeant Lens arrive in his car, and I decided to get this over with as soon as possible. "It could be that you strangle him with a wire and throw him out of the plane — and then use another wire or rope to pull the line after the body has left the plane to allow the parachute to open." Raines strode up to me, arms akimbo.Standing so close, he was menacing. "Is that so, doc? I was sitting in the front cockpit, remember? Tell me, how can I strangle a man in the back cockpit? He's a few feet behind me, and the plane is flying In the air. Then I have to tie a rope to his paracord and throw the body out of the plane. Come on, you tell me!" I forgot about those two cockpits, now that I remember he was telling the truth.I remember him waving from the front seat as the plane took off.He was right - there was no way he could have strangled Charlie Peng. But no one else could strangle him. It's an impossible crime.
Sergeant Len Si is not so easy to fool. "You mean the fucking tree killed him, doctor?" "No, I'm not telling you that the tree killed him. Trees don't strangle people with a wire—not even haunted trees." "Okay, so—who did it? He sure didn't kill himself." "No." I agreed, "One can kill oneself with a gun, a knife, or poison, but it is impossible to strangle oneself, because before the goal is achieved, one will pass out first." "Unless he hanged himself, what do you think of that? Doctor—the wire was attached to the parachute, and when the parachute opened, the wire tightened and strangled him." "Great theory, except that the wire is not attached to the parachute right now. I just checked his neck under the scarf and there is no evidence of pressure coming from above. As you say, it would almost split his head from his body , will leave evidence." "So how is that done? Doctor, you're an expert on these impossible crimes." However, I vaguely remembered something, and I went to find Granger Newmark.Sergeant Lens will investigate carefully around the oak tree and wait for my return.I found the director, with his star, Angela, and I think you could say he was comforting her.When he saw me passing, he took his hand off her shoulder.frowning at me. "What's the matter now, Dr. Hawthorne? Will you be paid for your services?" "My service isn't over yet, I'm thinking about the plane Raines and Peng were on." Newmark looked out at the moth biplane parked on the field. "What happened to that plane? We're not going to reshoot that scene, are you thinking about that?" "I was wondering if that plane had some kind of autopilot I'd read about in a book." This made the director laugh. "In this way, my big star can be set up, and then crawl along the fuselage to the back to strangle Peng? Impossible! There is no automatic pilot device on the plane, and this kind of trick is used. Raines is scared to death .” I learned later that although the autopilot was invented in 1910.However, it was not widely used on aircraft until after the 1930s.Newmark was telling the truth - there was no autopilot on that Moth.Another one of my great ideas gone. "Why are you so interested in who killed him?" Angela Lord asked me. "It's none of your business." "I was hired to deal with injuries and I failed at that, and failed badly." Newmark smiled, "We won't blame you." "What about the video you shot? Can it be developed? Maybe it can give us a clue." "The film is sent to New York for processing, and you have to wait days to see anything. Do you think we carry a darkroom with us?" I could see that they were treating me unkindly, as if Charles Pang's improbable death was all my fault.Maybe that's true—I do seem to be getting more and more murderous these past few years. Sergeant Lens is busy questioning Hay Gates about a possible motive for the murder, and I think it's a smart thing to do.It would be fruitless to think hard about how it was done, but it might be more rewarding to investigate the cause. "He lives in your house, doesn't he?" asked Sergeant Lens, who were in the tool shed near the barn. Hay Gates nodded.I smelled his breath and knew he was drinking again.For all I know, I'm afraid he's been drinking a lot. "That's right, I have three bedrooms upstairs, and it's a waste to be empty. I'm waiting for Dolly to come back, and it looks hopeless, so I rent it out to a couple of cast and crew, Peng and the guy named Zidler cameraman, and an extra." "Is there any trouble between him and anyone else?" asked the sheriff. "I don't see any trouble." "No fights, no drinking?" "Damn it, they just got here this week," but Gates was being sly, like he didn't tell everything. "Let's go to your house," I suggested, "to see Peng's room." The sheriff walked a little ahead of us, and Hay Gates lowered his voice. "I've got something you'd like to see. But I don't want Sheriff Lens to see it." After we entered the house, I asked the sheriff to go and see Peng's stuff while I stayed behind.What Hay Gates took out was a somewhat tattered scrapbook filled with newspaper clippings and materials, apparently belonging to the deceased. "See? I got it from his room." "You stole it?" His face fell. "I found it when I was cleaning this morning. But I know old Lan Si will say I stole it. Look at this!" During most of the 2000s, Charlie Peng appeared in many silent films. According to press clippings, he often appeared in popular comedies and thrillers about two books in length. The old man in "Buried Alive", and the actor Edward Stapleton in "Buried Alive".There were also news clippings of him as a stuntman and stuntman, and a gravure photo of him with Rob Reiss.They wore identical pirate costumes in the 1925 blockbuster Captain Iron. "Interesting, but I don't see—" Hay Gates reached out from behind me and pulled out something from behind the picture in Captain Iron, a very blurry picture of a man and a woman naked on a bed. "Porn photos." He said proudly, "Look at the reverse side." There was a line of words on the back of the photo, which was hastily crossed out after writing: remember this?If you don't want me to-- Hay Gates took out several photos hidden in the book again, probably all of them were similar.At least it looks like it's the same couple, in different poses.All of the photos were blurry and underexposed to make it clear who was taking them, and the rest of the photos had no writing behind them. Charlie Peng is blackmailing someone, but who? The man in the photo is probably Rob Raines. Or his stuntman. The woman was probably Angela Lord, but her face was not clearly visible in any of the photographs. "Do you want to come up, doctor?" Sergeant Lan Si called from the bottom of the stairs. "Come right on," I pocketed a few photos and told Gates to put the book in a safe place.Then I went upstairs to the sheriff. Charlie Peng's room contained nothing but a bed, a mirrored wardrobe, and a chair.He also seemed to have only taken out a small part of the clothes, most of which were still in the open box on the chair. "There's nothing here," said Inspector Lens, "take a look." I looked quickly at his suitcases and wardrobe drawers, but found nothing extraordinary.Hay Gates must have searched it, and thinking about it, I can't help but wonder, when will he have time to do it?Was it while we were waiting for the sheriff to come? Or did he already know Peng was going to die before then?Had he tampered with the actor's clothing, looped the wire around his scarf? But what is the motive?Charlie Peng is clearly not blackmailing Hay Gates. When I went downstairs, I met the photographer named Zidberg going upstairs to and from his room next to the deceased.I think he's one of the suspects too, but I've got to trust someone. "Give me a moment, please? I'll show you something." We went into his room, and I pulled out the pictures that Hay Gates had found. Zidler snorted and scratched his bald head. "It's blurry, looks like it was blown up from a film reel. There's this yellow stuff everywhere - erotic movies. Rented out to guys' clubs and stag parties." "Do you recognize the star inside?" He narrowed his eyes at the two vague figures. "No, I can't say I recognize it." "That man could be Rob Raines." "Reigns? Damn, no! He's a big star, he can't do this." "He wasn't born to be a big star either." "I don't think it's him," Zidler said, handing the pictures back to me. "Where did you get these pictures?" "Found it." I replied vaguely, "Thank you for your help." "Have you ever thought about how Peng was killed?" "I'm looking into it." I went back outside and walked to the old oak tree.The bodies had been removed and most of the people had dispersed.Zidler's camera is set up on a tripod, with the lens facing the sky.Several children from nearby farms were playing next to the plane, but no one came to chase them away.The cast and crew just left their stage.Think somewhere else about Charlie Peng's bizarre death. I saw something under the oak tree, and stooped to pick it up.It was a hard rubber ball, I don't know if it belonged to some kid who was playing next to the plane, I was about to throw it at them, then changed my mind and put it in my pocket.I saw Angela Lord walking towards me. "Hello, Dr. Hawthorne," she said, "we haven't had a chance to get to know each other properly." "I'm afraid there won't be any chances. If Granger Newmark continues to make this movie, he will definitely find another doctor to come to the scene." "Why? You didn't kill Charlie, did you?" "But I didn't save his life. Tell me—how long have you known Charlie Penn?" "I only knew Granger last month when he was looking for a cast for this film. But Rob has known him for years. Charlie was his stand-in for a stunt scene in Captain Iron." "Who do you think killed him?" She didn't answer right away, looking up at the tree, then at the plane, where a nearby child was climbing onto one wing. "Someone on the plane must have done it before he jumped." "The only one up there is Raines." "I know." But is it him? I suddenly thought of something and ran towards the plane, leaving Angela Lord standing there alone. "Come on, boys—come down," I yelled, pushing them away.Then I climbed into the back cockpit, where Peng sat when the plane took off.Was it possible that someone small enough to hide in the cockpit he was in - the one who strangled him and threw his body out of the plane?This idea was a bit whimsical from the beginning, but once I sat in the cockpit, I knew it was actually impossible.Not even a midget could squeeze into that cockpit with Peng.My legs were bent and he was much bigger than me. But when I braced myself to get off the plane, I saw Angela standing in the distance again, with a finger sticking out of her smooth throat.I remembered that she had been in this position before.She touched another person, and adjusted a person's scarf before the plane took off.Looking back now, it seems to be Raines' scarf, but it may also be Peng's scarf. human memory.Just playing this damn trick with you! "Doctor Sam!" I turned around and saw Aibo - my nurse hurrying towards me. "What's the matter? Aibo—is there a problem with any of my patients?" "No, Dr. Sam, the body is in town and they want you to sign the death certificate. The phone has been dead." "Okay. I'll go right now, there's nothing to do here anyway." I told Newmark I was leaving, and he just waved me away.It doesn't make sense to ask him for a reward, I really haven't earned it.
They took the body to the local funeral home, where Jude Miller was waiting to perform what in those days was a forensic autopsy. "I can't use the knife without your signature, doctor." I glanced at the corpse on the embalming table, and turned my eyes away. "Where are his relatives?" "They said he didn't have any relatives. I guess he's going to be buried here." "He was strangled without question?" "Oh, I'll check his internal organs, but it looks to me strangled, no other trauma, just a bruise on the temple, probably when they unhooked him from the tree." "Yeah." I agreed, and walked over to have a look, "It's just that dead people don't have such bruises. He was still alive when he hit it." "Perhaps it fell on a tree." I started talking, not so much to Jude Miller, but to myself. "He was strangled either before the jump, during the jump, or after landing. Those are the only possibilities. Raines couldn't touch him before he jumped, and there's no way he could be hiding in the cockpit. It is impossible for someone to touch him in the middle of the skydive. If there is a device connected to the parachute, and that device is effective, the result will not be like this, so there is only one possibility left: he is He was strangled after landing on that old oak tree." Jude Miller chuckled and took out the embalming device. "It's definitely not some haunted tree that strangled him. Most likely, the first person to get to him did it before the others. I've read a novel like this before." "The only problem with this is that the first person who got to him was me." "what." I signed the death certificate and went back to my clinic very upset.I feel like I'm close to figuring it out, but somehow I just can't figure it out.The only thing I am sure of is that it was not the oak tree that strangled Charlie Peng, the murderer was an individual, and the motive is also inseparable from human nature. Aibo hasn't come back yet, and I'm alone in the clinic.I sat down behind my desk and reached into my pockets for another look at the pictures.My fingers touched the hard rubber ball I had picked up earlier. Will the answer be that? Am I making a mistake no doctor should make? I stood up just as the outside door opened and Granger Newmark walked in. "I'm looking for you. Doctor." "I'm glad you can come here, and I can qualify for your money. I know how Charlie Peng died." "Really?" "I did a terrible thing this morning, Mr. Newmark." "What's the matter?" "I declare a man dead while he's still alive." Granger Newmark smiled, and drew a small pistol from his pocket. "You're smarter than I thought. Now give me the picture you got from Hay Gase."
I raised my hands slightly, but didn't show him the photo.Once the photo is in his hands, I know I'm going to be a dead man. "Can we talk about this? The picture is in a safe place." "I don't have time to play games with you, doctor, the whole thing is messed up," he gestured with a gun. "Because of Hay Gates? I guess you didn't expect him to mess with the dead man's stuff and find the pictures before you could get your hands on them. Charlie Pang is blackmailing you, right? Reminds you of being a Hollywood The tycoon of yours has made small films before, and now you're on the verge of a big hit with sound, this kind of news can kill you. Charlie Peng knows this stuff because he's one of those erotic films you make So you killed him in a very clever way. But when you went to find his enlarged photos from porn film negatives, you found that Hay Gates had found them first." "Even got a few for you," Newmark said. "Did you kill Gates?" "Not yet. He gave me the rest of the pictures and didn't know what it was. But you're different, doctor. You know too much." "You need a dumb country doctor to do your project, that's why you didn't bring a doctor from the city. Charlie Peng was alive when he landed in a tree, he was just playing the part of a dead man, like he used to be Same character in "Things of the Heart" as in "Buried Alive". I guess that's his specialty too. He uses make-up to make his face blue before skydiving and wraps that wire around his neck. A scarf so he doesn't really cause some damages. "He pressed a hard rubber ball into the armpit to stop the pulse. Maybe one in each armpit, and then he stuck out his tongue a little bit, pretending to be a strangled person. "The parachute got tangled up in that oak tree. It's even better for you because I'm going to have to climb the branches to check on him. Then, while I'm running to call the sheriff, you go up and help him out of the tree Untie it, quickly punch him on the temple, knock him unconscious, and then you're in front of us as if you're untying the wire from his neck, literally strangling him. All of course They all thought that Peng was already dead, so even if they saw you accidentally bumping into his temple, they wouldn't feel anything wrong." "It's amazing," Newmark said. "Now give me the picture." I ignored his request for now. “我唯一的问题是，你怎么说服彭来做谋杀他自己的共犯。我猜你告诉他这是给电影做宣传的表演。宣告死亡的特技演员在十分钟后复活，这类的消息会成为几家报纸的头条新闻，至少你可以用这个来说服彭。因为有演员和工作人员在场，所以他以为自己很安全。” “又说对了，”他举起了枪，“可是我们的话也说够了。” “一旦我把橡皮球和彭在电影里演死人的事凑在一起，我就知道是怎么做的了。也许就是他在《活埋》里的演出才让你想到这个点子。而知道怎么做之后，我就知道凶手一定是你。只有这部电影的制片兼导演才能说服彭做那样的特技表演。然后我记起你弯着腰在他身上拉扯他脖子上的铁丝——” 纽玛克身后的门打开，爱玻走了进来，很开心地叫道：“你们好！” 我一直拖延时间，等的就是这一刻。纽玛克半转过身去看她，在那一刹那，我扑向他，把他拿枪的手扭到一边。 事情就那么简单。
“呃，”山姆·霍桑医生总结道，“那就是我和拍电影有过的一次经验。纽玛克认了罪，在牢里关了很久。《光荣之翼》终究没有拍成。那棵老橡树吗？第二年被闪电打中，就倒掉了。 “如果你不久以后再来的话，我会跟你讲有个福音派的传教士来到了北山镇，开始在一顶帐篷里用老式的奋兴布道会来治愈我的病人，还有我怎么会成为后来发生命案主要嫌犯的经过。在你走之前，再来一杯——呃——喝的吧？喝了再上路？” Notes:
Back then we didn't see many movies in North Hills (continued Dr. Sam) because there were no movie theaters.To see the silent films that were popular at the time, one had to drive to Springfield or Hartford, or even Boston.A few people had traveled all the way the year before to see Don Juan, starring John Barrymore, the first movie ever to have synchronized sound effects.And people are already talking about The Jazz Singer and Al Jolson.The New York premiere is set for a few weeks later in September, and pre-release teasers say it will feature recorded songs, as well as spoken dialogue for the first time on film. So it's no surprise that filmmakers across the country are jumping on the wave of sound movies.And it is not surprising that some people want to make pilot movies. The silent film "Iron Wings" released in August was both popular and popular, and later won the best picture at the first Academy Awards. Records are still commonly found in news reports. That's why Granger Newmark is coming to North Hills—to make the first sound film featuring a pilot, not a World War I air combat hero like in Iron Wing, but Be an aerobatic pilot, putting your life on the line for a few bucks at the county fair or on a rural weekend.Granger Newmark is a typical Hollywood product. Those big studios were in New Jersey in the early days, and now they are gathering in Hollywood.When he arrived at my clinic on the first afternoon, wearing breeches, leather boots, a zippered jacket, and a white silk scarf around his neck, I confess that I didn't know what to do with him at first. "Is there something wrong?" I asked, asking him to sit down. "A sore throat?" "No! I came here because they told me you were the only doctor in this poor country." "good." "I'm producing and directing an aerobatics movie shot around here, you probably recognize my name." I've heard about this movie, that's all. "I have been too busy to read the papers this week, Mr. Newmark, and you must forgive me." "I see." He sighed, pulling out a thin black cigar, "Uh. I guess I've got to educate you, I'm making the first-ever sound film about aerobatic pilots. We We needed a rural setting for outdoor scenes, so we chose Beishan Town." "Why?" I asked really curiously. "I drove by here last year and loved the area. There's a lot of open land on the north side of town that's perfect for a small runway. I've got the landowner's permission to use it." "Which piece of land is it?" "Gates' farm. A guy named Hay Gates rented us the land, and it was the perfect place for Wings of Glory." I nodded.Hay Gates was the unworthy son of a moderately accomplished farmer who died a few years ago.With a broken marriage and alcohol problems, Hai is always looking for ways to make money that doesn't take much effort.The idea of making a film on his disused land certainly appealed to him. "What do you want me to do?" I asked. “Some of the stunts in this movie are dangerous. There’s a skydiving scene, and there’s one where the plane rolls over on its nose as it takes off. I wanted a doctor on the scene, and we didn’t bring one.” "Hey. I have my own patients to take care of. I can't leave them to watch your movie." "I only need to use you for a few days. When shooting stunt scenes, I will pay you a lot of money. In case of emergency, they can come and pick you up." I have to admit that business was so bad this past week that only two farmers wives had babies.There was no real reason why I couldn't take his job, especially since I knew that my nurse, Aibo, was taking care of the clinic and notifying me in case of need. "Okay," I finally decided, "but I can only have three days at most." "Okay! I'll need you on Wednesday morning, outside Gates' farm, at nine o'clock sharp!" Granger Newmark was gone before I noticed he didn't say how much he would pay me, but by then I was hooked.
On Wednesday morning, I let Aibo run the clinic.Tell her how to find me, and drive over the bumpy road in my six-year-old Snap Arrow convertible to Hay Gates' farm.It was not yet nine o'clock.It's already busy there, and it's true—there's an airplane at the end of that long field. Newmark greeted me cordially and explained that the plane was a DH Sixty Moth.It is a two-cockpit, single-engine biplane.Looks like the planes from WWII as I remember them though.He told me that it was developed only two years ago by a British officer, Colonel Geoffrey de Havanan. "It would be perfect for a movie," he said eagerly. "It looks like an old fighter jet that a normal aerobatic guy flies, but this one is much safer and has a Silos in it." Brand new sixty-horsepower engine. Best of all, we can put the wings back up and tow it on the road, so it’s easy to move around while we’re filming.” When I looked straight down the grassy runway to the distant woods, I suddenly remembered a scenic spot worth mentioning. "That haunted oak," I said aloud. "what?" "That old oak tree—the one that's partly dead. Some here say it's a ghost tree. It's said to have been planted a hundred and fifty years ago on the grave of a Revolutionary traitor. I doubt that tree, though. The tree is really that old." Granger Newmark looked at the tree in the distance, alone some distance away from the woods. "It's ugly," he agreed, "but I can't think of a way to put it in the script. Did that tree kill anyone?" Although the question was asked a bit jokingly, my answer was serious. "A boy fell off it a few years ago and broke his neck. That's enough to trigger all the old superstitions for people around here." At that moment a tall, handsome man in a flying suit approached. Before he had been introduced, I recognized him as the popular silent film star Rob Rains.Newmark made an introduction, and Raines shook my hand firmly. "I hope I don't need your services, doctor." "Did you hear his voice?" the director asked triumphantly. "By the time women all over America hear it, we'll have a big star! About half of all silent film stars will be out of a job after the audience hears their nasty voice." Raines smiled childishly at the compliment. "It's just the voice God gave me, and I'm using it to the best of my ability." "Are you going to skydive?" I asked.I noticed the parachute on his back. "We use stuntmen to do the jump," Newmark explained, "and we can't risk our big stars on something like that." "No one should take that risk," I said. "If his umbrella doesn't open, I probably can't fix it." "Don't be an idiot!" Newmark said, spitting. "There was a skydive before there was a plane. It's absolutely safe." What he said sounded so improbable that I admit I laughed a little.I looked it up later and found out that he was right - there were people parachuting from hot air balloons before 1800.I quickly learned that Granger Newmark can rarely go wrong. At this time, a young man dressed exactly like the star came. "This is our stand-in," Newmark said, "Charlie Penn." Peng's rough, angular face was nothing like the star's handsome features, but I could tell they were similar in height and build.The camera showed that the figures jumping off in the distance couldn't tell each other apart. "How are you?" Peng asked me.Before I could answer, his interest had already turned elsewhere. "See those clouds coming this way? There might be trouble." "My camera is ready to shoot," said the director, "and we're going to do a shot where you two climb into the plane and take off. Charlie, you skydive as soon as you can, and Raines will bring the plane back. " "Can you fly a plane?" I asked the star. "Oh, of course, I'm much more comfortable flying a plane than flying a plane. But some of our stunt shots are done by other people, and I don't do stunts." I watched the two walk away side by side, and Granger Newmark explained the scene to me. "In the movie, Peng plays the pilot, and Raines is his stunt partner. Raines is going to skydive, even though a doctor warned him that the thin air would temporarily render him unconscious." He smiled apologetically. . "Sorry. The doctor scene is already filmed, or we could have used you, doctor." "I'm not good at acting." The two flying people had already arrived in front of the biplane, and another young woman with dark hair in a long floral dress came. "Who is that girl?" "Angela Lord. Our heroine, this is actually her first movie, but I think she's going to be a big star." I watched her adjust the star's scarf.Just like a princess would do before her knights go off.Then the two men got on the plane, waved, and the director yelled, "Get ready! Go! First shot!" Raines waved from the front cockpit. The plane taxied into position, then took off, and the photographer followed along.Then I noticed that Hay Gates was watching too, standing a little behind me. "Hi, doctor," he said when I turned to him, "never thought they'd be making a movie on my farm." "I hope you get a lot of money. Hey," I said to him, "these studios have money." "Don't worry, doctor," he spat tobacco juice on the ground, "They can't handle me, Lao Hai, my father taught me a thing or two about business before he passed away." I doubt very much that anyone can teach Hay Gates anything, but I don't dispute it. "Are you all right here by yourself, Hai?" I asked.The plane circled over our heads after takeoff. "It's pretty good. I've been hoping for Dolly to come back, but I don't think there's much hope." Dolly was his wife who left him after he started drinking.The last word she heard was that she was going to live with her sister in Maine. "Maybe she'll read in the paper that they're making a movie on your farm," I said. "Well, maybe." Granger Newmark is standing next to the photographer. "Watch out for that plane! Don't miss anything! By the time they're in the clearing again, he's going to parachute." The biplane, with its two roofless cockpits, had climbed to a height convenient for a skydive, leaving only a tiny black speck in the sky.Just as I was looking up from the ground, secretly glad I wasn't there, Angela Rhodes walked over. "Isn't that dangerous?" she asked Newmark. "No more dangerous than falling out of bed." I saw a little black dot detach from the plane and start to fall, and then a white cloud drifted behind that just as the parachute opened.The falling figure seemed to be suspended below by a slowly descending big mushroom, and began to slowly float towards us. "Perfect!" Newmark exclaimed. "He should land right on the field in front of the camera." But the clouds that had accumulated on the horizon were now moving this way, and the wind increased.Just as the parachute was approaching the ground, we saw that the parachute and the person drifted away from the original route and floated towards the old oak tree at the edge of the field. "Why didn't he control the direction?" Angela asked, "He's going to hit that tree!" "Charlie!" the director yelled, but his voice must have been blown away by the growing wind.The parachute landed on the top branch of the tree and was entangled in some dead branches stretching towards the sky. Underneath, suspended by the straps about ten feet above the ground, was the limp body of the stuntman Charlie Peng. "Get him out of there!" I yelled, leading the others toward the tree, not caring at all if I ruined the scene.Something wrong with that limp body hanging under the parachute made me take action. "Somebody get the ladder," I called to them, running to the tree before the others. Hay Gates ran for the barn while I tried to climb the lower branches of the tree.I could already see Peng's face turning blue, his tongue half sticking out of his mouth.I tried to climb high enough to take his pulse, but there was no pulse. "What's wrong?" Granger Newmark called from the ground below. "What happened?" I climbed a little higher in the tree and reached for the white scarf wrapped around his neck.But then I touched something else and pulled my hand back.I climbed down the tree just as Hay Gates came back with a ladder. "Untie him carefully," I directed, "and put him on the ground here. I've got to call Sheriff Lens." "My God, you mean he's dead?" "Yes, Mr. Newmark, he is dead. There was a wire tied around his scarf, and he was murdered." I called Sheriff Lens from Gates' ranch home and walked back to the body.All the cast and crew huddled in a circle, watching as Newmark figured out how to untie the wire from Charlie Penn's neck. "You'd better leave that to the sheriff," I advised. "It won't do anything to Peng now." "But—but how could such a thing happen?" I looked up at the old oak tree. "I'd be surprised if I knew." The biplane circled the field until Newmark waved it down.I think we're all wondering what Rob Rains will say when he sees that body.Because we know we've witnessed a murder for which there is only one possible explanation.Charlie Penn was strangled to death on the plane before skydiving - there's no other way of saying it, and the only person on the plane with him was Rob Rains. We watched as Raines ran toward the large circle, pushing past others to squeeze in to see the body. "What happened to him?" he asked. "He's dead," I said, "strangled with a wire around his neck." "Strangled? Underground here?" "Before he hit the ground, his parachute got tangled in a tree and by the time I climbed up to untie him, he was dead." He stared at me in disbelief. "But he was alive when he jumped! He must be alive to pull the parachute." "That's true," agreed Granger Newmark, "I hadn't even thought of that." I saw Sergeant Lens arrive in his car, and I decided to get this over with as soon as possible. "It could be that you strangle him with a wire and throw him out of the plane — and then use another wire or rope to pull the line after the body has left the plane to allow the parachute to open." Raines strode up to me, arms akimbo.Standing so close, he was menacing. "Is that so, doc? I was sitting in the front cockpit, remember? Tell me, how can I strangle a man in the back cockpit? He's a few feet behind me, and the plane is flying In the air. Then I have to tie a rope to his paracord and throw the body out of the plane. Come on, you tell me!" I forgot about those two cockpits, now that I remember he was telling the truth.I remember him waving from the front seat as the plane took off.He was right - there was no way he could have strangled Charlie Peng. But no one else could strangle him. It's an impossible crime.
Sergeant Len Si is not so easy to fool. "You mean the fucking tree killed him, doctor?" "No, I'm not telling you that the tree killed him. Trees don't strangle people with a wire—not even haunted trees." "Okay, so—who did it? He sure didn't kill himself." "No." I agreed, "One can kill oneself with a gun, a knife, or poison, but it is impossible to strangle oneself, because before the goal is achieved, one will pass out first." "Unless he hanged himself, what do you think of that? Doctor—the wire was attached to the parachute, and when the parachute opened, the wire tightened and strangled him." "Great theory, except that the wire is not attached to the parachute right now. I just checked his neck under the scarf and there is no evidence of pressure coming from above. As you say, it would almost split his head from his body , will leave evidence." "So how is that done? Doctor, you're an expert on these impossible crimes." However, I vaguely remembered something, and I went to find Granger Newmark.Sergeant Lens will investigate carefully around the oak tree and wait for my return.I found the director, with his star, Angela, and I think you could say he was comforting her.When he saw me passing, he took his hand off her shoulder.frowning at me. "What's the matter now, Dr. Hawthorne? Will you be paid for your services?" "My service isn't over yet, I'm thinking about the plane Raines and Peng were on." Newmark looked out at the moth biplane parked on the field. "What happened to that plane? We're not going to reshoot that scene, are you thinking about that?" "I was wondering if that plane had some kind of autopilot I'd read about in a book." This made the director laugh. "In this way, my big star can be set up, and then crawl along the fuselage to the back to strangle Peng? Impossible! There is no automatic pilot device on the plane, and this kind of trick is used. Raines is scared to death .” I learned later that although the autopilot was invented in 1910.However, it was not widely used on aircraft until after the 1930s.Newmark was telling the truth - there was no autopilot on that Moth.Another one of my great ideas gone. "Why are you so interested in who killed him?" Angela Lord asked me. "It's none of your business." "I was hired to deal with injuries and I failed at that, and failed badly." Newmark smiled, "We won't blame you." "What about the video you shot? Can it be developed? Maybe it can give us a clue." "The film is sent to New York for processing, and you have to wait days to see anything. Do you think we carry a darkroom with us?" I could see that they were treating me unkindly, as if Charles Pang's improbable death was all my fault.Maybe that's true—I do seem to be getting more and more murderous these past few years. Sergeant Lens is busy questioning Hay Gates about a possible motive for the murder, and I think it's a smart thing to do.It would be fruitless to think hard about how it was done, but it might be more rewarding to investigate the cause. "He lives in your house, doesn't he?" asked Sergeant Lens, who were in the tool shed near the barn. Hay Gates nodded.I smelled his breath and knew he was drinking again.For all I know, I'm afraid he's been drinking a lot. "That's right, I have three bedrooms upstairs, and it's a waste to be empty. I'm waiting for Dolly to come back, and it looks hopeless, so I rent it out to a couple of cast and crew, Peng and the guy named Zidler cameraman, and an extra." "Is there any trouble between him and anyone else?" asked the sheriff. "I don't see any trouble." "No fights, no drinking?" "Damn it, they just got here this week," but Gates was being sly, like he didn't tell everything. "Let's go to your house," I suggested, "to see Peng's room." The sheriff walked a little ahead of us, and Hay Gates lowered his voice. "I've got something you'd like to see. But I don't want Sheriff Lens to see it." After we entered the house, I asked the sheriff to go and see Peng's stuff while I stayed behind.What Hay Gates took out was a somewhat tattered scrapbook filled with newspaper clippings and materials, apparently belonging to the deceased. "See? I got it from his room." "You stole it?" His face fell. "I found it when I was cleaning this morning. But I know old Lan Si will say I stole it. Look at this!" During most of the 2000s, Charlie Peng appeared in many silent films. According to press clippings, he often appeared in popular comedies and thrillers about two books in length. The old man in "Buried Alive", and the actor Edward Stapleton in "Buried Alive".There were also news clippings of him as a stuntman and stuntman, and a gravure photo of him with Rob Reiss.They wore identical pirate costumes in the 1925 blockbuster Captain Iron. "Interesting, but I don't see—" Hay Gates reached out from behind me and pulled out something from behind the picture in Captain Iron, a very blurry picture of a man and a woman naked on a bed. "Porn photos." He said proudly, "Look at the reverse side." There was a line of words on the back of the photo, which was hastily crossed out after writing: remember this?If you don't want me to-- Hay Gates took out several photos hidden in the book again, probably all of them were similar.At least it looks like it's the same couple, in different poses.All of the photos were blurry and underexposed to make it clear who was taking them, and the rest of the photos had no writing behind them. Charlie Peng is blackmailing someone, but who? The man in the photo is probably Rob Raines. Or his stuntman. The woman was probably Angela Lord, but her face was not clearly visible in any of the photographs. "Do you want to come up, doctor?" Sergeant Lan Si called from the bottom of the stairs. "Come right on," I pocketed a few photos and told Gates to put the book in a safe place.Then I went upstairs to the sheriff. Charlie Peng's room contained nothing but a bed, a mirrored wardrobe, and a chair.He also seemed to have only taken out a small part of the clothes, most of which were still in the open box on the chair. "There's nothing here," said Inspector Lens, "take a look." I looked quickly at his suitcases and wardrobe drawers, but found nothing extraordinary.Hay Gates must have searched it, and thinking about it, I can't help but wonder, when will he have time to do it?Was it while we were waiting for the sheriff to come? Or did he already know Peng was going to die before then?Had he tampered with the actor's clothing, looped the wire around his scarf? But what is the motive?Charlie Peng is clearly not blackmailing Hay Gates. When I went downstairs, I met the photographer named Zidberg going upstairs to and from his room next to the deceased.I think he's one of the suspects too, but I've got to trust someone. "Give me a moment, please? I'll show you something." We went into his room, and I pulled out the pictures that Hay Gates had found. Zidler snorted and scratched his bald head. "It's blurry, looks like it was blown up from a film reel. There's this yellow stuff everywhere - erotic movies. Rented out to guys' clubs and stag parties." "Do you recognize the star inside?" He narrowed his eyes at the two vague figures. "No, I can't say I recognize it." "That man could be Rob Raines." "Reigns? Damn, no! He's a big star, he can't do this." "He wasn't born to be a big star either." "I don't think it's him," Zidler said, handing the pictures back to me. "Where did you get these pictures?" "Found it." I replied vaguely, "Thank you for your help." "Have you ever thought about how Peng was killed?" "I'm looking into it." I went back outside and walked to the old oak tree.The bodies had been removed and most of the people had dispersed.Zidler's camera is set up on a tripod, with the lens facing the sky.Several children from nearby farms were playing next to the plane, but no one came to chase them away.The cast and crew just left their stage.Think somewhere else about Charlie Peng's bizarre death. I saw something under the oak tree, and stooped to pick it up.It was a hard rubber ball, I don't know if it belonged to some kid who was playing next to the plane, I was about to throw it at them, then changed my mind and put it in my pocket.I saw Angela Lord walking towards me. "Hello, Dr. Hawthorne," she said, "we haven't had a chance to get to know each other properly." "I'm afraid there won't be any chances. If Granger Newmark continues to make this movie, he will definitely find another doctor to come to the scene." "Why? You didn't kill Charlie, did you?" "But I didn't save his life. Tell me—how long have you known Charlie Penn?" "I only knew Granger last month when he was looking for a cast for this film. But Rob has known him for years. Charlie was his stand-in for a stunt scene in Captain Iron." "Who do you think killed him?" She didn't answer right away, looking up at the tree, then at the plane, where a nearby child was climbing onto one wing. "Someone on the plane must have done it before he jumped." "The only one up there is Raines." "I know." But is it him? I suddenly thought of something and ran towards the plane, leaving Angela Lord standing there alone. "Come on, boys—come down," I yelled, pushing them away.Then I climbed into the back cockpit, where Peng sat when the plane took off.Was it possible that someone small enough to hide in the cockpit he was in - the one who strangled him and threw his body out of the plane?This idea was a bit whimsical from the beginning, but once I sat in the cockpit, I knew it was actually impossible.Not even a midget could squeeze into that cockpit with Peng.My legs were bent and he was much bigger than me. But when I braced myself to get off the plane, I saw Angela standing in the distance again, with a finger sticking out of her smooth throat.I remembered that she had been in this position before.She touched another person, and adjusted a person's scarf before the plane took off.Looking back now, it seems to be Raines' scarf, but it may also be Peng's scarf. human memory.Just playing this damn trick with you! "Doctor Sam!" I turned around and saw Aibo - my nurse hurrying towards me. "What's the matter? Aibo—is there a problem with any of my patients?" "No, Dr. Sam, the body is in town and they want you to sign the death certificate. The phone has been dead." "Okay. I'll go right now, there's nothing to do here anyway." I told Newmark I was leaving, and he just waved me away.It doesn't make sense to ask him for a reward, I really haven't earned it.
They took the body to the local funeral home, where Jude Miller was waiting to perform what in those days was a forensic autopsy. "I can't use the knife without your signature, doctor." I glanced at the corpse on the embalming table, and turned my eyes away. "Where are his relatives?" "They said he didn't have any relatives. I guess he's going to be buried here." "He was strangled without question?" "Oh, I'll check his internal organs, but it looks to me strangled, no other trauma, just a bruise on the temple, probably when they unhooked him from the tree." "Yeah." I agreed, and walked over to have a look, "It's just that dead people don't have such bruises. He was still alive when he hit it." "Perhaps it fell on a tree." I started talking, not so much to Jude Miller, but to myself. "He was strangled either before the jump, during the jump, or after landing. Those are the only possibilities. Raines couldn't touch him before he jumped, and there's no way he could be hiding in the cockpit. It is impossible for someone to touch him in the middle of the skydive. If there is a device connected to the parachute, and that device is effective, the result will not be like this, so there is only one possibility left: he is He was strangled after landing on that old oak tree." Jude Miller chuckled and took out the embalming device. "It's definitely not some haunted tree that strangled him. Most likely, the first person to get to him did it before the others. I've read a novel like this before." "The only problem with this is that the first person who got to him was me." "what." I signed the death certificate and went back to my clinic very upset.I feel like I'm close to figuring it out, but somehow I just can't figure it out.The only thing I am sure of is that it was not the oak tree that strangled Charlie Peng, the murderer was an individual, and the motive is also inseparable from human nature. Aibo hasn't come back yet, and I'm alone in the clinic.I sat down behind my desk and reached into my pockets for another look at the pictures.My fingers touched the hard rubber ball I had picked up earlier. Will the answer be that? Am I making a mistake no doctor should make? I stood up just as the outside door opened and Granger Newmark walked in. "I'm looking for you. Doctor." "I'm glad you can come here, and I can qualify for your money. I know how Charlie Peng died." "Really?" "I did a terrible thing this morning, Mr. Newmark." "What's the matter?" "I declare a man dead while he's still alive." Granger Newmark smiled, and drew a small pistol from his pocket. "You're smarter than I thought. Now give me the picture you got from Hay Gase."
I raised my hands slightly, but didn't show him the photo.Once the photo is in his hands, I know I'm going to be a dead man. "Can we talk about this? The picture is in a safe place." "I don't have time to play games with you, doctor, the whole thing is messed up," he gestured with a gun. "Because of Hay Gates? I guess you didn't expect him to mess with the dead man's stuff and find the pictures before you could get your hands on them. Charlie Pang is blackmailing you, right? Reminds you of being a Hollywood The tycoon of yours has made small films before, and now you're on the verge of a big hit with sound, this kind of news can kill you. Charlie Peng knows this stuff because he's one of those erotic films you make So you killed him in a very clever way. But when you went to find his enlarged photos from porn film negatives, you found that Hay Gates had found them first." "Even got a few for you," Newmark said. "Did you kill Gates?" "Not yet. He gave me the rest of the pictures and didn't know what it was. But you're different, doctor. You know too much." "You need a dumb country doctor to do your project, that's why you didn't bring a doctor from the city. Charlie Peng was alive when he landed in a tree, he was just playing the part of a dead man, like he used to be Same character in "Things of the Heart" as in "Buried Alive". I guess that's his specialty too. He uses make-up to make his face blue before skydiving and wraps that wire around his neck. A scarf so he doesn't really cause some damages. "He pressed a hard rubber ball into the armpit to stop the pulse. Maybe one in each armpit, and then he stuck out his tongue a little bit, pretending to be a strangled person. "The parachute got tangled up in that oak tree. It's even better for you because I'm going to have to climb the branches to check on him. Then, while I'm running to call the sheriff, you go up and help him out of the tree Untie it, quickly punch him on the temple, knock him unconscious, and then you're in front of us as if you're untying the wire from his neck, literally strangling him. All of course They all thought that Peng was already dead, so even if they saw you accidentally bumping into his temple, they wouldn't feel anything wrong." "It's amazing," Newmark said. "Now give me the picture." I ignored his request for now. “我唯一的问题是，你怎么说服彭来做谋杀他自己的共犯。我猜你告诉他这是给电影做宣传的表演。宣告死亡的特技演员在十分钟后复活，这类的消息会成为几家报纸的头条新闻，至少你可以用这个来说服彭。因为有演员和工作人员在场，所以他以为自己很安全。” “又说对了，”他举起了枪，“可是我们的话也说够了。” “一旦我把橡皮球和彭在电影里演死人的事凑在一起，我就知道是怎么做的了。也许就是他在《活埋》里的演出才让你想到这个点子。而知道怎么做之后，我就知道凶手一定是你。只有这部电影的制片兼导演才能说服彭做那样的特技表演。然后我记起你弯着腰在他身上拉扯他脖子上的铁丝——” 纽玛克身后的门打开，爱玻走了进来，很开心地叫道：“你们好！” 我一直拖延时间，等的就是这一刻。纽玛克半转过身去看她，在那一刹那，我扑向他，把他拿枪的手扭到一边。 事情就那么简单。
“呃，”山姆·霍桑医生总结道，“那就是我和拍电影有过的一次经验。纽玛克认了罪，在牢里关了很久。《光荣之翼》终究没有拍成。那棵老橡树吗？第二年被闪电打中，就倒掉了。 “如果你不久以后再来的话，我会跟你讲有个福音派的传教士来到了北山镇，开始在一顶帐篷里用老式的奋兴布道会来治愈我的病人，还有我怎么会成为后来发生命案主要嫌犯的经过。在你走之前，再来一杯——呃——喝的吧？喝了再上路？” Notes: