"13th February
"All is finished. Oh, dear death. Come swiftly, come silently."
Oh, no you don't. I'm not going to let you get away so fast this time...
- Really, dear, I have to. - Stay a while.
Love isn't love without a little cuddling after.
What is it, darling?
Can't you hear it calling?
What?
it was a squonk.
Oh, it was, huh? What's that?
What's a squonk?
Well, for your information it's a dark coloured creature.
Oh, Frank. Why do you do that?
its skin is covered with moles.
it's equipped with long claws and strong teeth.
Clever little beast, but it's still very easy to find.
it gives itself away because a squonk never stops squimpering.
Do you know what it does when captured?
- Dissolves into tears. - Leave me here with a broken heart.
That makes you happy.
Some of its other peculiarities are sulkiness,
diffidence and possessiveness.
All of these are highly inconvenient tendencies for a personal secretary.
- Or should I say for a partner? - Please do.
in an affair as important as ours.
You could at least tell me where you're going.
- To the bay. - I thought you were going to wait
a little longer. What made you change your plans,
if you don't mind sharing such information with a lowly secretary?
There you have a prime example of diffidence in a squonk.
The police first suspected the Countess' husband, but he's disappeared.
Looks like they're willing to accept that she killed herself.
- Because of the suicide note. - Obviously.
All I need is that signature.
Bye. I'll call you as soon as I'm through.
No, wait.
- Frank. - Yes?
- Take me with you. - You'd better stay put for now.
Please be a good girl.
Maybe you can come tonight.
But call me first.
Goodbye...
Bye, sweetheart.
Bye... squonk.
Give them here.
One of these days, you'll die of a heart attack.
Still running after that insect?
How do you know it's always the same one?
Because it's the only one that managed to escape you.
No, it's certainly not the only one.
But I must admit, he is a very particular fellow.
He still remembers me from Last fall,
when I caught him and put a ring around one of his feelers.
- Then I let him go. - Why?
So I could study his movements.
And see how much suffering it could take.
Man should live and let live, and without any interfering.
Even that poor squid was free once, Simon.
I study coleopteras because I love them.
Sure, but the squirming little creatures still end up under your microscope.
Yeah, he's dead all right. But at least I eat my squid.
But I don't kill as a hobby like you do.
Good Lord, Simon. You make me feel like I'm a murderer.
I'm not saying that, Mr Fossati.
But if you kill for killing's sake, you'll become a monster.
But man isn't an insect, my dear Simon.
We have centuries of civilisation behind us, you know?
No, I don't know. I wasn't there.
- You've changed, you know? - Why?
Since the Countess was murdered.
It was suicide, Mr Fossati.
Suicide, the police said suicide.
Of course, I'm sorry. It was a slip.
No need to worry, Your Honour. I assure you that by tonight
the rightful heir will have signed the property over to us.
Of course, Your Honour.
I don't foresee any trouble. The offer was convincing.
- What about the crew? - We can start blasting in three weeks.
- But I'll need the permits. - I'll get you the permits.
- isn't it too soon after her death? - No.
I doubt anyone's suffering over the Countess' suicide.
- Let me know how things go. - I'll call later.
- When? - Around 2:00.
- Make sure you've kept me out of this. - Certainly, sir. Don't worry.
Goodbye.
- What's the damage? - Four and a half.
- Keep the change. - Thank you, sir. Pleasant trip.
- Here's one! - Oh, wait.
- Here. - Hey, I can't see!
- That's it. Hold on, higher. - Got it!
How about I give you a chance, Brunhilda?
You're tickling me!
Hey, this is wild. Robert, coming here is fantastic.
Oh no, I want to go to the sea. Come on. You promised.
- In March? - Come on, it's off to the sea we go.
- Do it again! - No, no.
Here we go! Let's stop here. It's a good place.
Oh, stop that. That's all you think of.
Yeah, like you.
Brunhilda, at your service.
Hey, those tanks are open. Brunhilda, you'll fall in.
You'll fall in. Don't be such a sissy.
- Where are you going? - To the water, come.
What do you want her to do? Put it in writing? Go on!
- I want to show you something. - Not again!
Oh look, Bobby!
Come!
- Bobby! - Yeah?
- Come on, let's go in. - What is it?
It's a nightclub! Bobby, there's a nightclub in here.
It's even got a dance floor.
- At Least we can dance. - Give us your cassette, schnitzel baby!
Here you are.
Here, pour toi, Mademoiselle. Let's have a little music.
You are full of hotdogs and Cadillacs. You have no music in your soul.
This is music - Sibelius, Mahler, Bach.
Ludwig van Beethoven. Now, get your ass up here.
Get up!
Oh, Look a real dance floor. Come, Bobby. We do the shake.
Jawohl. I do the tango with Madame Fandango.
- How stupid! - Robert, the Lady first.
Come on, Bobby.
Go, Matahari!
Formidable.
A veil of fear or the unique feel for nothing.
The lines of air, fire and water
and all the earth are now complete.
Paolo, Paolo!
You Live in a much saner world than mine.
Paul.
You see, what did I tell you?
Your females are queens, Ferdinando. Not babbling fortune tellers.
Must you always oblige me to come into that verminous insect hive of yours?
Answer me!
Paul! The Least you could do is to answer when I call.
Stop shouting. You're disturbing little Ferdinand.
You little hateful Ferdie.
It would be absurd to pretend that you were capable of Loving something.
Me? I love many things. But you could never understand.
We can't understand anything. Right, Ferdinando?
The clouds are swirling. There will be tears shed over the bay.
Oh, good Lord! Just think of that Ferdinando. Now what?
The Aleph appeared at the end of the Line offire.
The Ahriman was suspended between the waters and the air.
The sickle of death is about to strike.
Good Lord, but your cards sometimes...
Last week, the Aleph came up first.
And a gust of joy was about to blow over the bay.
And yet someone strangled poor Federica instead!
You're even more insensitive than your coleopteras.
Can't you sense the rattled breathing of death?
The only thing I sense is that Lecherous Ventura holding orgies in his cottage.
You hate Ventura for the exact same reason, dear,
you hated Federica's husband.
He knows how to enjoy Life
- and you don't! - Careful, you'll spill the acid.
The only reason I hate him is because he wants to transform the bay
into a sea of cement.
But I won't let him, even if I have to...
You're really good, you know?
Danke, Bobby. Come on!
You're tickling me!
- Let's Leave them alone. Come on. - Be a good boy. No, stop it!
Go, Hilda!
- Come on! - No, I'm not ready yet.
Let me go.
- You'll never catch me. - Like hell.
Can you catch me?
- Here I am, fraulein, at your service. - Oh, danke!
Come here, there's a swimming pool!
Come, Bobby!
Oh, look. There's a slide.
Come on, it's slippery. You might fall in.
- I'm going to dive in. - Hilda!
Here I come.
Are you crazy?
It's filthy.
Hey, the Duke found what he was Looking for.
- I'll go swim in the bay then. - If it isn't typhus, it'll be pneumonia.
- It'll be freezing. - Not in the bay, Let's go.
- Robert. - What do we need him for?
Get out of here.
Come on, Bobby. Don't Leave me alone with this animal.
Hilda?
Let's go faster!
Stop busting. Go take a swim, huh?
- It's too cold to swim now. - Come with us.
She's used to the cold, Like the Vikings!
- Can't you push it in? - Yeah, just call me Hercules.
Come on, this is private property. We can't break in. it's against the law.
- What are we going to do? - Never say die.
Where there's a will there's a way. Wait there.
It takes more than a door to stop the Duke!
- I'd better get back. - No, it's better to stay together.
Wait there.
Bastard, you'll get a spear in your ass if you don't watch out.
You did it, formidable!
Come, you're invited too, Robert.
Where do you think you're going? You said you'd take the kraut girl.
Get out of here.
Hey, Look. Denise, take a Look inside there.
They got all the comforts you were Looking for. He'll come Later.
Look, these two broads are Leaving tomorrow so will you stop fussing?
I got the French one, you got the Viking. Here.
Hey, I found the...
- Huh? - Where's Bobby?
What do we care where Bobby is?
- Let me go! - Not a chance!
Oh, be nice. Be careful!
Bobby!
Robert!
Robert, is that you?
Please, Bobby. You must answer me.
There's a dead man in the bay!
Please, Bobby. Come out.
Bobby!
The thirteenth ace.
Paul?
Paolo.
- Are you coming or aren't you? - Quiet, you'll wake the kids.
It took me a half hour to get them to sleep.
- Why didn't you turn the Light off? - The children are afraid of the dark.
- You'll spoil those kids yet. - I'd rather that than Leave them alone.
If you'd Listened to me, they'd be at their aunt's right now.
In that case, they're better off alone.
Children should stay with their parents.
Don't start that again.
Think about what we should ask the Fossatis.
Me, huh? I thought I was the one who didn't know how to think.
Hell, it's the truth. We wouldn't be in this place, otherwise.
Good evening, Mr Fossati. I'm Filippo Donati's daughter.
I'd Like to have some information about my father.
He hasn't been heard from ever since my stepmother Countess Federica died.
May we come in?
Of course, Filippo Donati's sudden disappearance
threw a very peculiar Light on our dear Federica's death.
Suicide, the police called it. What a farce!
- Suicide, her? - You mean that she...
I knew her well. Very well.
She clung to life... and her money. She clung to that even more.
Then what you mean is that Federica didn't commit suicide.
Well, the point is... Excuse me, Madam, if I'm frank.
Easy, Ferdinando. You Like milk? He's my Little friend.
Drink, Ferdinando. Drink!
As I was saying, your father wasn't exactly beyond reproach.
He was vice ridden.
- Vice ridden? - Women, gambling...
- He was an enterprising sort of man. - Any sort of vice. Yet his idea
to transform the bay into a fashionable resort was doomed to fail from the start.
Also because, Madam, the bay is full of insects.
It's obviously a place for the two of you.
You should get along here perfectly well.
My husband, poor dear, feels that even insects have a soul.
On the other hand, if Filippo Donati has a soul,
then I'd say insects also do.
What Rennie meant is that you settled here because of the natural Life.
Natural life or unnatural life.
I think that anyone would murder his wife
if with her wealth he could enjoy his Life to the hilt.
I really came to find out about my father's disappearance,
not to hear moral judgment passed on him.
I don't understand what you're getting at.
Nothing, my dear Lady.
I only hope you don't intend reopening any nightclubs,
gas stations and the other devilries installed by your father,
if you manage to inherit the bay...
Remember what hell that was, Ferdinando?
- Ferdinando doesn't. - Ferdinando doesn't remember.
No. Inheriting isn't always so easy.
Maybe Federica's will Leaves everything to her illegitimate son.
Her illegitimate son?
Your stepmother did have her brighter moments.
Didn't you know that Simon is the offspring of her secret affair?
Who is this Simon?
He's a fellow who lives here in the shack on the bay.
He's part watchman, part fisherman.
- And even part petty thief. - Anna!
He's a good soul really. Just recently he's come up with weird notions.
Federica kept him hidden until he was 16
and then she had him build that silly cabin.
She kept him there Like a wild animal,
right under her nose. A constant reminder of her weak flesh.
Perhaps he knows something about my father.
I doubt that. He always avoided him.
He never approved of your father's marriage to Federica.
We can still speak to him and find out if he knows anything.
I think Frank Ventura could help you.
He's an architect. He owns the cottage next to ours.
He knows your father very well.
The cabin's right on the bay?
It doesn't pay to go down by car, it takes too Long.
There's a path right there, see?
It'll take you straight down in two minutes.
I can just picture Simon with those two.
What happened to your hand?
I cut myself with my penknife.
As if your father's disappearance wasn't enough, now there's an illegitimate son.
- We're worse off than before. - if you cut out complaining
and use your brain, you'd find the solution.
The truth of the matter is that there's no way out of this situation.
There you go, giving in already.
What's the matter?
There's only one obstacle between us and that inheritance.
Nothing.
AII right, Simon. We'll settle tomorrow.
Hey.
Go, see who they are.
Are you Simon?
They told us we could find you down here.
Everything's fine. Tomorrow we'll celebrate.
Be a good girl, please.
There's a slight complication.
Nothing serious.
That's all taken care of.
No, no.
No, don't start that again.
What? I signed everything.
Simon was even Less trouble than I thought.
Did you get those air tickets? Good.
OK. Goodbye, squonk.
- No. - You can't remember the last time
- you saw Filippo Donati? - No.
You must have had some contact with him. You've lived here for years.
- My father practically owns the bay. - Countess Federica did.
- Well, he was her husband. - You don't strain yourself
when it comes to talking, do you?
- So you don't know anything? - No.
Albert, it's my father.
You didn't know anything, huh?
- Albert, it's horrible. - Easy, Rennie. Don't Look.
All right, Simon. Talk and make it quick.
I found him in the sea.
Albert, I feel ill.
You can take her to Ventura's cottage there.
- You'll find it right on top of the hill. - Come on, easy.
Mr Ventura.
Sit here.
Easy now.
Just sit here a while.
Mr Ventura.
Anybody home?
Mr Ventura.
Looks Like there's nobody around.
What do we do now?
Hurry up, get the Mercedes. Please go.
Sir, I was sure I heard your wife screaming.
We found Filippo Donati's body.
Her father's body... Where is it?
In Simon's boat.
- Have you seen my wife? - She was heading towards the bay.
Anna!
Albert, is that you?
Yeah. Did you see what they did to Ventura?
- I did it. - You're kidding.
What did you expect me to do?
There's no time to Lose. I'll explain Later.
Hurry, before he calls the police.
Stop him before he ruins everything, Albert.
- I can't just... How am I going to...? - Go on, move. Go!
Hello, police. Is this the police?
Pardon?
Oh, and I'll need some gas.
- Do you have a phone? - As soon as you get in, to the Left.
- You want me to check the oil? - Yes, please.
Give here.
Rennie, I did it.
Stop shouting, are you crazy?
I killed him.
Those two could have saved their Lives if they'd minded their own business.
At Least now there are no more witnesses.
You mean the wife too?
Oh, Albert. Will you stop being such an old maid?
You have to rely on instinct in certain situations.
But, Rennie. What in God's name are you talking about, old maid?
I just killed a man. Let's get out of here, Rennie.
Things are going to turn out bad. I know it.
If you're such a coward as to want to dump the whole thing on my shoulders,
go right ahead, but I've no intention of losing the bay right now,
when it's ours for the asking.
- But how? - You still don't understand.
Simon. AII we have to do is get rid of Simon.
There was a girl in there.
- So? - What if she saw us?
- What happens then? - What happened to the others.
Frank?
Frank, darling!
Frank!
- Laura! - Frank, oh my God! What happened?
Simon, quick! Find Simon.
- You're hurt. - Simon!
Go get Simon. Bring him here.
Hurry, go. Go on!
Simon!
Simon.
Simon?
Simon, are you...?
Simon, Ventura's been wounded. He's Losing blood.
- Why did you close the latch? - You finally came back to the bay, huh?
- What do you mean? - You and Ventura convinced Donati
- to murder my mother. - Your mother?
I don't know what you're talking about.
Don't you play innocent with me, you no good filthy whore.
- Listen, Simon. - You made Donati kill her.
- No. - You wanted to marry him, you slut!
You were even ready to screw Ventura.
- Simon, you've got it all wrong. - Shut up, you bitch!
You thought you could take my mother's place, didn't you?
- I'm going to kill you Like I did Donati. - I have nothing to do with it.
I was forced into it. You've got to believe me, Simon.
- He would have killed me otherwise. - Who?
It was Ventura. Honest, it's the truth. I'm telling you the truth.
It was all Ventura's idea.
I only met your mother once but I Liked her immediately.
Ventura wanted to buy the bay but she wouldn't sell it to him.
I've already told you, Mr Ventura, I do not wish to sell the bay.
I'm afraid you're misinterpreting our intentions, dear Countess.
With a property as interesting as the bay,
we'd feel obliged to improve on its natural beauty.
- We could make it into a paradise... - Of bricks and reinforced concrete
and sewer pipes. No.
I don't feel the obligation you speak of, social or otherwise,
to improve on nature's innate sense of beauty.
I have no greed for property but I was born to this Land.
You cannot coerce me into selling it, nor usurp it. The bay is my little acre.
Why do you object to enhancing its natural character?
Would increasing its value be that immoral?
I'm afraid we're considering different values, Mr Ventura.
Whereas I do not necessarily censure your motivations for developing the bay,
I have suffered enough because of an earlier attempt
at, as you put it, increasing its value.
But your husband did plan to...
He's a vulgar and unprincipled little man.
Not another word.
Would raising the sale price help you to reconsider?
Not for one moment.
A sincere gentleman would not have insisted to that extent, Mr Ventura.
I'm Late for my nap. Good day, young Lady.
And to you, Countess.
You give up too easily.
Listen to this.
"January 8th.
"AII is doomed. Filippo is a complete stranger with me.
"I was against his promoting of the bay.
"I was mad to think that had anything to do with us.
"The romance was already passed."
That crippled old wench!
I wonder why Donati hasn't fixed her for good.
This is interesting.
It ended with them on 13th February.
She says, "His heart is barren. AII is finished.
"Oh, dear death. Come swiftly, come silently."
Poor thing. She's very romantic, I must say.
Who would have thought it?
Read that Last part.
"AII is finished. Oh, dear death. Come swiftly, come silently."
I thought you weren't interested.
"February 13th."
Listen a minute.
Donati once took a Liking to you, didn't he?
Don't be absurd. I saw him once or twice in his club.
You were the one who brought me there.
If you're going to play up to your Little sweetheart, it might prove interesting.
I don't think that would be very hard for you.
And I know the rules of the game?
You just read them.
They're in here.
The Countess speit it all out for us.
I can't read the spelling.
The noble Lady desired death to the point of suicide.
- Suicide. - Right.
This coming February 13th we'll bring her old diary up to date.
On 13th February, Donati will kill his Contessa.
A page from this diary, her suicide note,
will be found near the body.
Donati eventually becomes owner of the bay and sells it to me.
And you expect me to convince Donati.
You've got exactly two weeks.
You'll do it, no trouble, darling.
It's the truth, I swear it.
Ventura wanted to buy the bay but Federica refused to sell.
It was his idea. He wanted me to seduce Donati.
I was being forced
to make a play for him.
But I didn't know that they were going to kill...
You Lying bitch!
You knew damn well what they were going to do.
You killed her Like they did
and now you want me to help you?
You want to get me in your filthy, dirty game.
- No, Simon. - You murdered her.
And now I'll kill you!
- No, you don't know... - I'll kill...
- Help! - Nobody's going to hear you.
You Lied!
No, only on one condition.
You know that I Love you. You can't do this to me. Laura.
I don't Like just being your Lover, you know that.
If you get rid of Federica, then...
Then...?
it's not that easy. We discussed it already.
What if it fails?
It won't fail.
- You should have called me first. - There was no time!
If one of them saw Donati's body, they'd have called the police.
That complicates matters. Put them all in one room for now.
Tonight you can dump them in the bay.
You'll have to disappear for a while. Take a trip, anywhere.
- Keep out of sight. - How can l? I don't have the money.
I may be able to help you out.
If you sign a statement where you sell the property you'll inherit to me,
I can probably get a loan from the bank.
But to facilitate things, I'll have to have a copy of her will.
- OK. - Good.
Here you are. Sign.
Tomorrow then, you'll get your money as planned,
your tickets and your passport.
Thank you.
Let's go, Albert.
There are two things to be done yet. Let's go.
We've got to find that document.
I'll Look in the bedroom.
Renata!
We've got it, Rennie.
Albert, Look out!
Rennie, anyone here?
Answer me.
Are you in here?
Answer, Rennie.
Renata.
No!
Albert...?
Albert?
- Albert. - Yes, dear?
I really never thought you had it in you.
It was the least I could do for my family.
Let's hurry. We've got to clear out of here.
We'll come back and the whole bay will be Legally ours.
- Just think, darling. - Let the police clean up the place first.
- You have changed. - For the better or the worse?
Lucky we found my father.
Now nobody can accuse him of being a murderer.
All's well... that ends well.
Right.
Mummy, Daddy!
They're good at playing dead, aren't they?
Hey, Let's go down to the bay.