Original subtitles

INSPECTOR REX

THE PURSUlT FOR ETERNAL LlFE

The Great Hall is the heart of the Austrian National Library.

Here alone are housed 200,000 books,

including our latest acquisitions,

a few of which are on display.

These are the works of Count Egon Reichenberg,

a nineteenth-century globetrotter and botanist.

For decades his papers were thought missing

but recently they were found and donated to us.

The count had a first-class reputation as a botanist

and is said to have obtained an elixir

which greatly lengthens human life.

Various documents confirm

that the count lived to be 1 50 years old.

He perished in the First World War.

Sadly, we found no reference to this elixir in his books

but we haven't yet studied the material in depth.

My name's Nordegg, Felix Nordegg.

I'm a distant relative of Count Reichenberg.

I'm Dr Jungwirth. How may I help you?

I'd like to know when I can see the books.

In principle, at any time.

But we haven't yet looked through all of them,

that is, catalogued them.

- It will take us a while. - Thank you. I'll be in touch.

Thank you, ladies and gentlemen.

Booklets are available for purchase.

We will be closing shortly.

Thank you for your visit.

We re-open tomorrow at 9.a.m.

Mr Brandtner.

Yes.

Rex...

Rex!

It's not that bad.

Come on.

You guessed correctly.

He's definitely got tonsillitis.

No wonder he wouldn't eat.

Of course not. It hurt him.

He needs rest and warmth.

And a few days at home.

I've never left him. Can I take him to the office?

If it's quiet and warm there.

It's warm but it's not always quiet.

I'll give you some antibiotics.

- Mr Lutz! Are you busy? - Must it be right now?

Yes, I want to show you something.

- Can you come down? - I won't be long.

Does anything strike you?

The books have been moved.

The lock's scratched. Someone tried to force it open.

This case should have been wired to the alarm as well.

We should put these books in the stack with the others.

But then, nothing's happened.

And people are so interested.

Since the story in the paper on the elixir of life,

everyone wants to see them.

Dr Jungwirth...

will you take responsibility if anything happens?

It's not really my job but you have a point, Mr Lutz.

- Mind Rex, will you? - Will you be long?

I'm just going to the chemist's.

Don't worry, Rex. He won't be long.

He's fetching something for your throat.

- Throat? It's his tonsils. - You think Rex cares?

See! You've driven him away with your talk.

I didn't know he'd understand.

He doesn't. He knows your tone of voice.

This would happen to us.

Who else is here, Kunz?

There. Your medicine.

31 4 schillings, please.

I said I'd be straight back.

I'm back. Did anything happen?

- Well, actually... - Not much.

- Where's Rex? - It's like this...

Wrong, quite wrong.

Rex pushed a chair in front of the door...

- B�ck got in my way... - You have been busy.

Brandtner, Homicide.

Yes. All right, thanks.

They've found a corpse in a chest at the goods station.

They do say a train's the way to go.

You beat us to it again.

Yes, I make good speed.

By the way, Alex,

your radar fellows have booked me a few times.

Can you deal with it?

I guess the coffee was to mask the smell.

There are a few methods. You can find them in books.

- Looks like a massive fracture. - Yes, of the skull cap.

As that's the hardest part of the skull,

something heavy was involved and a big impact.

An accident cover-up?

The hat brim rule suggests otherwise.

The box fell off the forklift.

No one can remember who brought it here.

The sender's address doesn't exist.

- Hat brim what? - Hat brim rule.

Injuries found below the brim of a hypothetical hat

are due to falls or accidents.

Above it, they're the result of blows.

It looks as if the fracture goes right across his skull.

Meaning?

The murderer must have been a metre taller than the victim.

It's all most bizarre.

- Goodbye, Alex. - Bye, Leo.

Moscow. To await collection.

It could have waited for ever before anyone noticed it.

Everything's been removed. Even the labels on his clothes.

They must be tailor-made or there'd be no point.

Take one of his shoes off.

Bingo! Hand-made. The shop will have records.

The murderer overlooked that.

Better safe than sorry.

Now all the count's books are back together.

Maybe we'll find a reference to the elixir of life.

Then what?

It'd be a big step forward for science... for humankind.

I think it would just end up

with someone making a lot of money.

The prof could make a fortune in the pharmaceutical industry.

I don't know why he bothers to give lectures.

Coming?

You shouldn't have killed him.

He'd never have given us the slip of paper.

You want to make big bucks, or end as a lab hand?

You think it'll be easy now?

All I know is, he was ahead of us

and he was related to him.

- Don't you want to do good? - Do good!

The formula will change human life for ever.

People could live to 1 50

- Think of it! - I'm thinking of the money.

Anyone who can afford it will buy it.

It's worth millions. Viagra's got nothing on it.

We'll never find the formula now.

I've read up on Reichenberg.

I know half the National Library by heart.

I'm sure the Latin numerals are volume numbers.

The ones we need weren't on display,

so we'll have to find them in the stack.

I'm not going back there.

Are you chickening out?

Mr Coffee Bean is on his way to Moscow.

Thanks to the way I masked the smell, no one will find him.

What if someone does?

If someone finds him, they'll never know who he is.

Do you recognise these?

May I ask why you're inquiring?

Yes. I'm from the police. My name's Kunz.

They were on a male corpse. I must establish his identity.

Poor Mr von Nordegg. Did he die in a coffee house?

Von Nordegg? Titles have been abolished in Austria.

In Austria, but not here.

Baron Nordegg is one of our best customers.

Not any more. Can you give me his address?

Naturally. The baron lives in the vicinity.

You mean nearby?

As I said, in the vicinity.

Do you know where Mr Nordegg was yesterday?

No.

We didn't discuss his private life.

- Did he have a girlfriend? - No.

He had a lot of relatives but he lived a secluded life.

- What was his profession? - He was a translator.

He spent most of his earnings on expensive clothes.

That's why he had debts.

How long have you been here?

Since he was a child.

I come for two hours a day and run the house for him.

He always said he'd be rich one day,

so he could live befittingly.

There are two sets of discolouration.

That means that he was moved within 1 2 hours of his death.

So he wasn't put in the box straight away? Anything else?

Yes.

In the wound we found traces of gold paint, linen and glue.

However that type of glue was last used

in the nineteenth century.

Okay... your theory says he wasn't hit on the head

because nobody's 3 metres tall.

Correct.

All I can suggest

is that the murderer dropped a heavy object on his head.

Yes, that's possible. But what?

Yes, what?

Linen, glue, gold paint.

Linen...

Linen, glue...

gold paint.

Turn round.

Be careful. It's a wonderful book.

Stomach Contents and the Time of Death.

- Now what? - You'll see.

Do you want to kill me?

I'm trying to see how it happened.

Do be careful.

Don't worry. There's a doctor in the house.

Very funny. I'm in stitches.

Keep still.

It could have been like that.

The traces in the wound suggest

the murder weapon was a heavy book.

Yes.

Yes, you could be right.

A pretty mysterious case.

The handle... the handle!

What are you up to? Put those books back.

Stop! Stop!

Stop! Stop!

Stop!

- Come on. - You're mad.

Come on!

Mr Lutz?

Mr Lutz?

Mr Lutz!

Your theory with the book is interesting

but we don't have any record of it as a method of murder.

I thought as much.

Brandtner, Homicide.

Yes, thanks. We'll be straight over.

A murder at the National Library.

Hi, Leo.

Alex, I can tell you exactly how it happened.

Let me guess. He was crushed, right?

From both sides,

with great force and at great speed.

With great force and at great speed?

Aren't the handles too far apart for one person?

There were two people.

There are two different sets of footprints

which must have been made after the murder.

He almost certainly died of ruptured organs

and internal bleeding.

Alex!

He was Friedrich Lutz, the library archivist.

He was found by Dr Alexandra Jungwirth.

She's in shock and can't be questioned yet.

Yesterday we had a victim hit by a book,

today someone crushed by bookshelves.

And two perpetrators, who must be somewhere.

Rex!

See if you can find the trail.

Let me see.

Yes, sure.

Of course. As agreed.

No problem.

About 1 50 of them.

I'll bring them to the disco.

They're in production.

Yep, that's good.

Stop eating the merchandise.

After what happened, I need an upper.

If you can't cope, stay at home next time.

Besides, we've nearly cracked it.

You reckon? Then explain it. Go on!

Once we've got the formula, we'll synthesise it.

You think it'll be that easy to sell?

No one will know it's Reichenberg's formula.

Money is all the firms care about, anyway.

You haven't cracked the code yet.

These things take time.

Reichenberg was in the army. They used complex ciphers.

What a mine of information you are!

Stop popping pills and come here!

Come here!

Perhaps we can find a clue in his books.

Go through that one.

I can't believe Mr Lutz is dead

and his death is linked to the Reichenberg books.

A couple of them were on display here.

- The ones that were stolen? - No, others.

The books on display weren't stolen.

Someone had a look but none were taken.

They were after something they found in the stack.

Can you think what it was?

Yes, it would have to be the formula.

What formula?

Count Reichenberg found a drug that extended human life.

He discovered it on a journey to Tibet.

Let me see, Rex.

- How do we get up there? - The stairs are through there.

Well done, Rex.

What are you doing?

Just a second.

We're coming down.

Someone was murdered here.

My God! Who?

It was probably... Just a minute.

Are you looking for me?

You gave me a fright! Yes, I am.

My name's Brandtner, Homicide. May I ask why you're here?

I read in the international press

about the exhibition of Count Reichenberg's works.

I assume you want the formula.

It's ours. I want to return it to its rightful place.

- How will you find it? - I won't. It will find me.

- I hope no one gets there first. - Taking from others is wrong.

Michael!

Wake up. I'm onto something.

What?

I put the numbers in a different order and noticed something.

What?

They're telephone numbers.

- Have you rung them? - Yes, but no one answered.

You're out of it. Beat it. I want to sleep.

Could such a drug exist?

Some companies are desperate to find one.

A few are even looking for plants in the Amazon.

Count Reichenberg is said to have lived to over 1 50.

Yes! And Saint-Germain a lot longer still.

It was claimed he'd found the elixir of eternal life too.

What would such a drug be worth?

Judging by what the search is costing, vast amounts.

Have you got anywhere on the Nordegg case?

Not really.

I heard he had a relative in the country he visited a lot...

Dreadful business with Felix.

I hadn't seen him for quite a while.

He was interested in the Reichenberg exhibition.

I haven't seen it yet.

Felix was probably on a quest for the formula.

It looks as if he was murdered because of it.

I always thought it would bring unhappiness.

After all Reichenberg stole it, the old scoundrel.

- In Tibet? - Yes.

He either stole it or bought it from a thief.

- Do you know where it is? - No idea.

When war broke out his wife was in Monte Carlo.

He hid his books, the formula and other valuables

and sent his wife a coded message.

Felix's grandmother inherited a few things.

- Maybe the formula too. - You're not after it?

Without the books you can't decipher the code

and they were missing for decades.

- Any idea what it looks like? - No.

They say it's in a sandalwood box

but nobody knows where that is.

Perhaps we should add up the numbers.

Crap! The first number is the number of the volume.

The other three all refer to the books too.

But there's no system, and one number on its own.

Let's give up, Michael.

Suppose the second number is the page number.

All right. Volume 3, page 331.

What do we find? Some description of his trip.

You didn't think you'd find the formula?

Besides, what about the other numbers?

I don't know. You're the brains round here.

Where are you going?

- Where are you going? - I'm off. I'm finished.

You're staying here.

We're in this together, that was the deal.

So sit down, shut up and let me work.

- Okay? - Yes.

Hmm, sandalwood. Smell, Rex.

Good, isn't it?

Do you want it? Go and get it then.

If you fall for it, you have to look for it.

Seek!

I haven't got it any more, Rex.

Neither have l.

Good boy!

Here you are...

Here are the things from the count's estate.

You haven't inspected them?

Books are our main interest. We went through them first.

We're obliged to give the public access to them.

Rex, look at this. Seek!

What are you hoping to find?

If the sandalwood box is here, he'll sniff it out.

Nothing.

- Too bad. - A pity.

Is any of the estate elsewhere? Maybe being restored?

No. We were given the books and these things here...

Ah yes, the globe. It's in the globe room.

- Would you like to see it? - Please.

The oldest globe in Austria dates back to 1 535.

- Is that the count's globe? - Yes.

Good boy, Rex.

Have you had a globe that can be opened?

Not to my knowledge.

Then this one... may be the first.

Not a bad hiding-place.

I'll leave it. The murderers will turn up sooner or later.

We'll have this room watched.

I know the numbers by heart.

Volume 3, page 331...

volume 1 2, page 444...

word 4, line 5.

It doesn't make any sense. Damn it all!

The numbers have to refer to volume, page, line and word.

Trouble is, the words are meaningless.

That single number must be the key.

Great. Just great! And how does that work?

Perhaps you add it to the others.

Yes...

Wait.

"According to the natives

"there is an oasis we can reach by nightfall."

What's the eighth word?

"There."

It could be part of the code.

Let's try it with the other volumes.

- The next word is "centre". - I've found "is".

Plus "earth".

And "secret".

And the word "the".

And "at".

There, centre, earth, of...

secret, the and at.

- The secret is there... - At the centre of the earth.

What the hell is that supposed to mean?

The murderers may have the code and the books.

But they may not be able to break it.

And if they break it,

they may not know where the globe is.

That's why I've given them a clue in the interview.

It's on.

We're talking to lnspector Brandtner

and Dr Jungwirth from the Austrian National Library.

Mr Brandtner, how far have you got in your investigation?

There is new evidence in the Lutz murder case.

I can't say more at this stage. I hope you'll understand.

Now what? Are you going to dig to the centre of the earth?

Don't talk crap. You talk nothing but garbage.

She's from the library.

We won't be displaying the books

but we will exhibit other items from the estate,

for example, this valuable globe,

papyrus rolls, maps...

At the centre of the earth!

It's in the globe.

Do you want to steal the globe?

I'll think of something.

It'll also be on the radio and in the evening papers.

We can wait here for them to fall into our trap.

Wrong, we'll be there. I've got just the job for you.

I don't like the sound of that.

- Mr Nordegg! - Yes?

- Oh, it's you. - You found time after all?

Yes.

- Do you need me? - No. Did you find anything?

The books interest me most but they're not on display.

Goodbye.

I hope nobody noticed.

Don't shit yourself.

Once they've locked up, we'll examine the globe.

And how are we going to get out of here?

We'll stay here. We'll leave first thing tomorrow.

It seems to have worked. Two guys are in there.

I pretended to lock the door. Smart move, eh?

There. This must be it.

We did it.

Police! Don't move!

That way, Rex.

Dead?

The formula was probably poisoned to protect it.

Rex!

Where is he?

Rex!

Rex!

Rex!

No, no. Please! Rex!

Thank you! Thank you!

The box has gone.

After a share of the family fortune?

- I can't move my hand. - Did you open the box?

- No. - Count yourself lucky.

You can let go, Rex.

It may help some live longer, but not everyone...

The formula should go back where it belongs.

- Thank you. - My pleasure.

You simply handed it over?

People were killed for it.

Yes, I know...

but he said something that made me stop and think.

Every living creature has a predetermined time on earth

and no one has the right to interfere with that.

And you? What do you think?

You're always right, aren't you?