Chapter 17 Chapter Seventeen

This is the tragic end of William Stolitz.Although the Rothlich family no longer has to worry about him, but will the situation become more unmanageable because of his death? Here's what we've decided: The most urgent thing at present is to inform the police chief so that he can take the necessary measures. Captain Haralan was only slightly injured, and he went home to inform his father. In all haste I went to the city hall and told the chief of police what had happened. Lieutenant Almgard remained in the garden, guarding the body. We split up, Captain Haralan walked towards Daikeli Street, and I hurried through Pial Street to the city hall.

Mr. Staplek received me at once, and when I described the strange duel, he said, in a voice full of wonder and suspicion: "So William Storitz is dead? . . . " "Yes...Captain Haralan pierced his chest." "Dead... just like this?" "Come with me, Mr. Staplek, and you can see for yourself..." "I gonna go see?" Mr. Stapler must be wondering if I'm sane.I added: "One cannot remain invisible after death. As blood flowed from the wound, William Stolitz emerged in human form." "Did you see it?" "Just like I saw you, you can go and see!"

"Come on!" said the police chief, and ordered that the squad leader take a detachment of policemen with him. As I said before, there have been very few pedestrians on Daiquiri Street since the destruction of Storitz's house.No one has passed by since I left.It can be seen that the news has not yet spread, and of course, the Razi people do not know that they have got rid of a demonic figure. Mr. Staplek and his men, plus me, clambered over the fence and through the rubble and ash, and Almgard met us. William Storitz's body was lying stiff in the grass, slightly to the right, his clothes were spattered with blood, and the blood oozed from his chest, which had already clotted into lumps.His face was pale, his right hand was still holding the lieutenant's saber tightly, his left arm was slightly bent - this zombie was too suitable for a grave.

Mr. Stapler looked at the body for a long time, and said: "It's him!" As the detectives approached with fear, they, too, recognized the villain.Still unable to believe what he saw, Mr. Stapler groped the body for confirmation. "Dead...dead indeed!" I said. He asked Lieutenant Algard again: "Nobody came?" "Nobody's been here, Mr. Stapley." "You heard no noise in the garden... any footsteps?" "No." There is reason to believe that William Stolitz was alone in the ruins when we caught him by surprise. "What now, Mr. Stapler?" asked Lieutenant Almgard.

"I sent someone to carry the body to the city hall..." "Send it in public?" I asked. "Send it in public," replied the Constable, "and all the Raz must be told that William Storitz is dead, and they will not believe it until they see his body!" "Only after burying him," continued Lieutenant Algard. "If he's going to be buried!" said Mr. Staplek. "If you want to bury him?" I couldn't help repeating. "Mr. Vidal, we need to conduct an autopsy first...who knows?...Maybe by examining the organs and blood of the deceased, we may find some unknown things...Material properties that can produce an invisibility effect..."

"The secret must be destroyed!" I exclaimed. "In my opinion," continued the Chief Constable, "it would be better to burn the body and scatter the ashes in the wind, just as they did with wizards in the Middle Ages!" Mr. Stapler sent for a stretcher, and after Lieutenant Almgard said goodbye to me he went back to the doctor's. Captain Haralan told his father exactly what happened.In view of Mrs. Rothlich's present condition, he was careful not to tell her.William Storitz's death does not pay her daughter back! My brother didn't know anything either, and we sent for him to the doctor's office.

After he heard the news, didn't he feel the pleasure of revenge?He just wailed and cried out in despair: "He's dead! . . . you killed him! . . . he's dead, without telling where Meera is! . . . It's her time!" What words could calm the outbursts of pain in his heart? ... I tried to comfort him as I would comfort Frau Rotelich later.No, one should not despair...we don't know where Mira is...whether she is imprisoned in some house in the city...whether she left Raz...but one knows...he must know...William Storlitz's servant...that Helmen...the police will catch him...even if he escapes back to Germany, the police will dig him out! ... It's no good for him to keep his master a secret! . . . he would tell it. . . would force him to tell it. . ... Mira will be back, back to her family, her fiancé ... her husband ... with good care and lots of petting, she will regain her senses! ...

Mark can't hear anything...he doesn't want to hear anything...for him, the only person who knows Mira's whereabouts is dead...he shouldn't be killed...he should be forced to tell the secret! ... I don't know how to calm him down.At this time, there was a noise outside, which interrupted our conversation. Captain Haralam and Lieutenant Almgard rushed to the window facing the corner of the boulevard and Patyaniti Bank and looked out. What happened again? ... In our present state of mind, I believe that nothing will cause us a great deal of fuss, even if William Stolitz is dead and resurrected!

It turned out that the funeral procession passed by.The body of William Storitz was lying on a stretcher, carried by two detectives, followed by the rest... the whole town of Raz would know that William Storitz was dead, and the era of terror came to an end ! The procession of the funeral procession walked along the Embankment of Batiani to the Avenue Ottienne I, then passed through the market of the Porte de l'House, passed through the various downtown areas, and finally stopped in front of the city hall. In my opinion, they shouldn't have passed the Rothlich house! My younger brother also rushed to the window and screamed in despair when he saw the bloody corpse.How he wished to revive the man on the stretcher, even if it cost him his own life!

Men, women, old and young, citizens, farmers in Puwangtao all cheered enthusiastically!Had William Storitz lived, he would have been torn to pieces by an angry crowd!Now that he was dead, his body was spared.But as Mr. Staplek said, the crowd did not want him to be buried in a holy cemetery.He should have been burned in the square, or thrown into the Danube, and let its waters wash him far away into the abyss of the Black Sea. The shouting in front of the window lasted for half an hour before calm was restored. Captain Haralan told us that he went to the Governor's Palace immediately.He wanted to consult with the Viceroy about the search of Hail Gate.Berlin, the Austrian embassy must be informed, the German police must be urged to act immediately, to cast a net...Newspapers can help too...a reward is offered for the capture of Helmen, the only one who knows the secret of Wilhelm Storlitz; he may bring Mira .

Captain Haralan went upstairs to visit his mother and left the house accompanied by Lieutenant Almgard. I stayed with my brother and shared the painful time with him!I couldn't calm him down, his over-excited emotions were still rising, it was trembling!He avoids me, I can feel it, I'm afraid he won't be able to bear this mental crisis! ...he's going crazy! ...He wanted to leave, to go that night, to Spremberg...Hellmen would be recognized in Raz...Why didn't he go back to Spremberg with Mila...? Helmen may be in Spremberg.But it doesn't make sense to say that Mira was there too.She disappeared the night before.William Storitz was still in Raz the next day...I prefer to believe she was taken to the outskirts...some room where Storitz kept poor delirious her, and he probably didn't let She's back in shape! ... If this is the case, who can guarantee that she will be found? ... Mark would neither listen to me nor quarrel...he had only one idea...one obstinate idea...to get off to Spremberg! "You come with me, Henry," he said. "Well, poor man," I replied.I really don't know if I can get him to cancel this useless trip! I finally managed to get him to agree to leave the next day... I had to see Mr. Staplek and beg him to call the Spremberg police and tell Lieutenant Almgard to come with us. Near seven, Lieutenant Almgard and Captain Haralan returned.The governor assured them that he would immediately organize manpower to search the entire city and its suburbs. He believed, and I also believed, that Mira must be in Haiermen's hands. Dr. Rothlich was with his wife.There were only two officers in the living room, my brother and four of us. The shutters are closed.The servant brought in the lamp and put it on the candlestick.We waited for the doctor to come downstairs to eat together. The clock had just struck half-past seven, and I was sitting next to Captain Haralan, about to tell him about the trip to Spremberg.At this time, the door of the flower hall opened suddenly. Probably a draft from the garden had blown the door open.Because I didn't see anyone coming in, but what was even more strange was that the door closed automatically again. At this time - no!I will never forget this scene! A voice rang out...not the gruff voice that insulted us by singing "The Hate Song" at the engagement party, but a sweet, cheery voice, a voice everyone loved!Mira's voice! ... "Mark... my dear Marco," she said, "you, Mister Vidal...you, brother?...Hello, it's time for dinner!...Papa and Mama were not informed?...Halalam, Call them, we are seated first... I am starving!... Are you coming, Almgard?" It's Mira...it's her...Mira back to sanity, Mira healed!It can be said that she came downstairs as usual!It's Mira, she can see us, but we can't see her! ...an invisible Mira! ... We were all stunned, nailed to the chairs, neither daring to move nor speak, let alone go up to the side where the sound came from... Where is she from? ...from the hijacker's house? ... She tricked the astute Hailemen, crossed the city, and fled back home?But the door was closed tightly, and no one ever opened the door for her! Won't.Her arrival will soon solve the mystery...Mira emerged from her boudoir, where William Stolitz left her behind after being invisible...We thought she was taken out of the house, but in fact, she never Leaving the bedroom... For 24 hours, she has been lying on the bed, motionless, speechless, and unconscious! ... No one would have thought she was in bed, seriously, how could we have thought of that! William Stolitz didn't take her away at that time, maybe because he had other important business, but if Captain Haralan didn't finish him with a knife this morning, he would come back to finish that crime sooner or later! Mira in front of her has regained her sanity, probably because Storitz gave her the invisibility potion.Mira, oblivious to the events of the week, stood in the living room, talking to us and looking at us.She stood in the dark, not knowing that she could not see herself. Mark stood up and opened his arms as if to grab her... She added: "What's the matter with you, friends? . . . I'm asking you . . . why aren't you talking? . . . You seem surprised to see me. What happened? . . . Why isn't mother here? . . . Is she sick? " Before she could finish speaking, the door opened again, and Dr. Rothlich walked in. Mira jumped on it at once—at least that's what we guessed—because she yelled: "Ah! Dad!... What's the matter? Why didn't mother come?... She's sick?... I'll go to the room to see her..." The doctor was stunned at the door, and he immediately understood what was going on... But Mira was already close to him, hugged him, and kept saying: "Mommy mommy!……" "She's not sick! . . . " stammered the doctor, "she'll be downstairs in a moment... stay here, child, stay here." At this time, Mark also touched Mira's hand, and he gently pulled her, like holding a blind man. But she is not blind, those of us who cannot see her are blind! Mark keeps her by his side... She stopped talking, probably freaked out by everyone's odd reactions.Mark's voice trembled, and he whispered something that she couldn't figure out: "Myra... Dear Meera!...Yes!...It's you...I feel you near me...Oh! I beg you...my dear...don't leave me..." "Dear Mark...why do you look so frightened...all of you...you scare me...Dad...answer me! What the hell happened?...Mum...Mum!..." Mark felt her stand up, and he took her gently... "Mira... Dear Meera... Speak... Speak!...Let me hear your voice...You...You...Mine?...My dear Meera!...' We sat there, horrified to think that the only one who could reveal Mira had taken his secret to the grave!