- (Woman) 'Bernard?' - Yes.
'Where are you? I've been waiting.'
I can't see you now. I'm going away.
'Don't go away without seeing me once more.
'You owe me that much at least.'
It's useless.
'No, it isn't. But what you're planning to do is useless.
'Stay here.'
No.
'Why won't you at least see me?'
It's better this way.
There isn't any point in just talking about it anymore.
Understand?
'Do you think seeing her will help you?'
Listen.
I love you.
I really must love you, I know, but I can't...
'But, Bernard, listen.'
I... I really don't know what to say.
I don't feel anything anymore.
I'm completely finished with every...
- 'Don't say that!' - I don't understand.
I've got to... I must see her.
'You've made up your mind?'
Yes.
'Then what more is there to say?'
(She sobs)
Forgive me, Claudia.
Claudia.
I'm sorry.
(Bernard) 'How different it all looked in the wintertime.
'It made me wonder if Tilde too was different now.
'Perhaps she no longer worked for the English family that owned the hotel.
'Maybe she'd forgotten me.
'We knew each other so little, really.
'Perhaps going back was a mistake.
'Perhaps what I hoped to find was something that had never existed at all.
'But I had to see her and find out.'
(Bell buzzes)
Signor Bernard. It's a long time since we had the pleasure.
Enrico. Yes, it is.
Frankly, we weren't expecting you to arrive until tomorrow morning.
But during the off season the hotel is empty,
so I can give you any room you'd like.
Perhaps one of the rooms overlooking the square?
I wanted to have the same one I had last year.
Oh, that's not so pleasant, but as you wish.
Uh... number 29, wasn't it?
I don't know.
It was down a corridor and overlooked the yard.
Yes, number 29. I remember.
Let me help you with those. You look tired, if I may say so.
I notice you had the front of the hotel painted.
- Are you planning to...? - Yes.
We're going to modernize the whole place.
You are? I'd hate to see that happen.
Not everybody feels that way.
If I had the money, I'd tear this hotel down and build a new one.
And if only I had a little more time,
I'd tackle the job myself and enjoy doing it.
Your tastes, Signor Bernard, are different from our usual clientele.
They would like to see this place completely clone over. And so would l.
This is the room you had last year, isn't it?
Yes.
It's a quiet room, if you've come here to work.
Those used to be the stables.
My boy Mario uses them now for storing meat.
He got married to a pretty girl from Vienna just last Thursday.
Oh, really?
Yes, they're on their honeymoon in Sorrento.
It's a good thing for Mario.
And for the rest of us too.
My daughter Emma has just too much to do.
She can use the help of another woman,
someone to brighten the place up.
I really wouldn't mind getting married myself if I were a little bit younger.
But then... Ha!
You think I'm past it, I'm too old, eh? Ha-ha!
You're extremely active for a man who's at the beginning of middle age.
Must be this wonderful fresh air.
Is that it? I'm glad you think so.
Ha-ha!
If you need the maid, the bell's right there.
- Thanks. - Not at all.
(Bernard) 'She worked as a maid in the hotel,
'though she didn't belong there.
'Without someone to help her, she might have to stay there for the rest of her life.
'After so long, I was afraid the face in the photographs
'only reflected my dreams,
'instead of showing me Tilde as she really was.
'In a moment I would know.'
(Bell buzzes)
(Knocking)
A van ti.
Yes, did you ring, signore?
Uh...yes.
Some mineral water, please.
That's all you'd like?
Yes, I'd like to know...
Bring a large bottle, please. I'm very thirsty.
At once, signore.
(Bernard) 'I recognized Tilde's coat.
'It reassured me that she still worked in the hotel.
- Welcome back, Signor Bernard. - Emma.
Were you... were you looking for something?
Yes, I was looking for the stairs. I got lost.
These corridors are a bit confusing.
Yes, I'm sure at first they're a little confusing for everybody.
But you will get your bearings. Won't you follow me?
Thank you.
- And how are you? - I'm not complaining.
There's always plenty to do.
It's never boring here, even in the winter.
- Are you staying long? - Twenty or thirty days.
Just time to do some work and take a rest.
Really? It's quiet here in the winter.
You'll be able to get plenty of rest. There are the stairs.
- Until dinner. - See you later, Emma.
(Bernard) 'I didn't ask Emma about Tilde,
'because I didn't want her to know why I had come back.
'I had to find her myself,
'even if it meant waiting a little longer to see her.'
(Knocking on window)
(inaudible speech)
Well, what's happened to me lately?
Nothing ever happens around here.
Nothing worth writing down, my friend.
I've been around here for years now, and for what?
It's silly. I'm a journalist that hasn't any news.
Oh, uh... you think that's superficial?
Out in that desolate countryside,
there are hundreds of fascinating mysteries.
I'll let you find them.
Yes, perhaps there's a story that you haven't heard about the countryside.
Did you know at the bottom of the lake are the ruins of an Etruscan city?
Yes, I know that, Doctor.
When I was a boy, I used to look for it from a boat.
Oh, I thought maybe this was the first time
you'd ever visited our small town.
No, no.
I used to come up here many times when I was a boy
with my parents and usually my cousins.
Oh, you know the lake?
But in your books you actually haven't described it, have you?
On purpose. I don't want to write anything autobiographical.
Ah, yes, it's very hard to be your own critic, yes.
But don't you believe a writer has to face his past?
I honestly do.
That's the reason that I came here.
An author's memory is an integral part
of every book he writes, whichever way you look at it.
The real book actually never gets down on paper.
Will you excuse me?
Where are you going?
Tilde!
(Shop bell rings)
Yes?
Francesco, don't you remember me?
Signor Bernard, what a surprise.
Nice to see you again. When did you get here?
Last night.
Have you taken a room at the lakeside hotel?
Yes, I did.
Ah. And you've come back to write a novel?
- I hope so. - Oh, I want to compliment you.
That was an important prize you won in Paris.
Hm. Well, and what did you think of my book?
You read it?
I certainly did, Signor Bernard. It was interesting.
But, to be honest with you, I wasn't entirely convinced.
It seems to me that you relied a little too much
on your imagination.
That may be.
Anyway, if you want, I'd be very happy to talk about it.
That would be very interesting.
I've always had the strangest kind of feeling for lakes,
but I find this one very interesting.
(Francesco) Don't you recognize him?
It's Mario, the son of Signor Enrico who owns the hotel.
He has a very beautiful wife.
(Francesco) An Austrian girl. Her family was killed in the war.
Very wealthy.
(Bernard) 'I waited all day, hoping to see Tilde.
'I began to wonder if something could have happened to her.
'Where was she?
'And why was that girl wearing her coat?'
(Laughs)
The stories you hear in a small town, Signor Bernard, are the end.
They're just too absurd to be true.
- Is your dinner alright? - Yes, thank you.
If you'd like something special, I'd be happy to get it for you.
A particular wine. A special dish of some kind.
Tilde, that pretty girl who was with you last summer.
Is she still here?
No, Signor Bernard.
Tilde, I'm sorry to tell you, is dead.
What did you say?
They said it was an accident, but it wasn't.
Everybody knows she committed suicide.
But why? For what reason?
No one's been able to find a motive.
My own daughter couldn't have been closer.
Papa, it's getting late.
Excuse us.
I hope you still take your usual cup of coffee.
Anything else I can get you?
No, thanks.
Nothing.
(Bernard) 'I was too late, too late to save her
'from the life which had somehow destroyed her.
'But what had driven her to suicide?
'I had no answer, and suddenly I realized that I had hardly known her,
'her problems, her character.
'I couldn't leave until I found out why she had done it.'
(Man) Damn you all!
You took her away from me!
Where is she? Give her back to me!
I'm not afraid of you!
I'm not afraid!
(Coughs and sobs)
Everybody knows what kind of people you are!
They know! My daughter found out, didn't she?
(coughing)
Tilde... She found out.
Good morning. Up bright and early this morning, aren't you?
What was the idea of not telling me Tilde was dead?
But I believed you knew she was dead.
It was in all the papers, Signor Bernard.
No one tried to keep quiet about it.
But why did you keep quiet about it?
Signor Bernard, I wasn't planning to mention it.
We have a lot of people around here who enjoy circulating rumors about the incident.
I myself prefer to mind my own affairs
and let other people spread rumors.
What sort of rumors?
Well, how she died, for example.
She committed suicide, I heard.
That was the official explanation.
What's that supposed to mean?
It means the police said it was suicide when it wasn't.
The police said that her body contained a large quantity of cyanide.
But I saw her body at the side of the lake
immediately before they called an ambulance to take her away.
There were plenty of other people who saw it too, Signor Bernard.
Her throat had been cut from ear to ear.
That's horrible. Enrico didn't tell me about that.
So, he's the one who finally had to tell you about it, eh?
Yes, yesterday. I was asking him yesterday.
I wanted her to have some photographs I'd taken of her last summer.
I didn't know anything.
Just why was she murdered?
They haven't a single clue as to what really happened,
or why anyone would want to kill her.
But I want to show you something.
A picture of Tilde.
I impress upon you, Signor Bernard,
that no one must know that I have this in my possession.
Although you may not believe that it settles anything conclusively.
See for yourself.
No one else has seen it.
Shortly after Tilde's death,
some friends of hers came and left this film here
and when they came back, I said I hadn't yet been able to develop it.
- Which one is she? - The one in the center.
It's quite plain, isn't it?
She's leaning back awkwardly.
Look here, Signor Bernard.
It's obvious she's pregnant.
You're right.
She may have been pregnant.
Yes, several months.
It's evident to anyone who looks at her.
Maybe it's just the way she was photographed.
It could be just the pose she's taken or else the way she happened to stand.
In fact she's pregnant, and we can see it quite clearly.
And you want me to think that's the reason why she was murdered?
I wasn't the only person in town who suspected it.
That didn't come out in the investigation.
Signor Enrico kept all of it quiet and paid to do so.
Do you think maybe he was behind it?
I don't say that he was or he wasn't.
I'm as ignorant as you are.
But the story would make more sense,
as far as Signor Enrico and Tilde are concerned,
if we had any evidence that they'd been lovers.
I know. That sounds like a dirty rumor, doesn't it?
But it's not too hard to believe if you'd seen them together.
What about the police and the investigation?
Yes, they had a very thorough investigation.
They said they found nothing suspicious. Just another suicide, that's all.
Nothing more. Like a hundred others.
(Laughs)
The autopsy even proved without a doubt that Tilde was a virgin.
It's nice to have money around, because it can buy anything.
She wasn't a virgin.
Do you say that because of what you've just seen in that photo?
No.
Then maybe you think that there's another reason.
One night last year at the hotel, I got up and went to get a drink.
Through a small opening in the doorway, I saw her making love to someone.
Did you see who the man was?
No, I didn't get a look at his face.
But I don't think it was Signor Enrico. No, I'm sure it wasn't.
I can't tell you who she was with.
What did he look like?
I could only see his hands and his shoulders.
He seemed young and strong to me. Oh, it could have been anybody.
Somebody she met in a bar around here.
Or it could have been any of us who stopped at this hotel.
She found all kinds of men attractive.
Didn't she have any parents?
Only her father.
He was usually too drunk to care what happened to Tilde.
And now he lives for weeks way up in the country.
An old vagabond.
He always tries to make a scene whenever he comes back in town.
Some evenings, he stands out there, screaming.
I've got to see him.
I won't be happy until I've had a word with him about the girl.
You came back here to see her, didn't you?
Yes.
It was for her.
(Laughs)
What is it? ls something the matter?
The signore says it isn't fresh.
Oh, Signor Bernard.
Well, it just doesn't smell quite right to me.
Oh. Oh, smells alright to me.
Take it away. It was caught in the lake this morning.
Can I get you something else?
You eat it. I haven't any appetite.
I'm sorry, Signor Bernard, very sorry.
(Bernard) 'I took a dislike to the man.
'Something about him disgusted me.
'I refused to believe that Tilde had ever let him make love to her.'
Signor Bernard?
I'm sorry about your dinner this evening.
I want you to understand that for me, for almost any proprietor of a hotel,
this is an important thing.
Unfortunately, the fishermen are sometimes dishonest.
It's alright. I should be excused.
I don't feel very well. I have no appetite.
It might be the change in climate or the atmosphere.
We're high up here. It often happens to visitors.
Would you like something sent up to you?
I've heard that Tilde was engaged to be married.
I don't know. I minded my own business.
I was hoping to see her.
Yes.
She was very pretty.
Goodnight.
(Bernard) 'As he spoke about Tilde,
'Enrico confirmed what Francesco had said.
'The thought of her with Enrico made me sick.
'What had made her do it?
'Why? Why?'
(Sobs)
For me...
...there is no peace here now.
It's impossible for me to rest.
(Sobs)
Destroyed, destroyed. There's nothing left.
All our hopes and dreams destroyed.
We were so proud.
And now what use is there going on?
It's not my father's fault she died. I know it wasn't.
It couldn't have been.
There's something evil in our blood, something cruel,
destroying our family, our home.
No one comes to the hotel any more.
People in town avoid us with their eyes.
This town that we built, that belongs to us.
What right have they to charge us?
We have always had an honorable name.
But they have tried to drag it down.
It wasn't our fault. It was her fault.
I was the one who...
I was the one who found her.
Our name! Our name has been dishonored!
Oh, please, please don't hurt us! Don't destroy us!
Our name! Our name!
(Striking outside)
(Bernard) 'The hardest thing for me to accept was Tilde's death.
'But I couldn't deny the evidence in the cemetery.
'Standing by her grave,
'I wondered if everything I had been told about her was true.'
(Till rings)
(Bernard) 'At first, I didn't recognize her.
'Then I was certain. It was Adriana, Mario's wife.'
Signor Bernard, there's some mail here for you.
Thanks.
Well? Are you enjoying your visit?
'Come on Sunday without fail.
'I've discovered something. A writer ought to keep informed.
'You'll enjoy fishing in the lake. Francesco.'
Did you say something?
Can you tell me how long you'll be staying?
No, I can't.
You're welcome to stay as long as you wish, Signor Bernard.
She's better.
It's Adriana, my daughter-in-law.
She hasn't been well. Hm.
It's one of these crises that women have
when they've just come back from their honeymoon.
Besides, she isn't a native of these parts.
But... I suppose she'll settle down.
Here's your key, Signor Bernard.
Oh, thank you. Goodnight.
Sleep well.
(Thunder rolls)
- Why are we waiting here? - Don't be impatient. You'll see.
There, look for yourself.
You mean you brought me out here just for that?
But can't you see the significance of a man who lets his young wife go for long...?
Take me back to shore, because all this mystery is nothing more
than foolish intuition and imagination.
We can't leave it like this.
You and I started to discover something, and now we're going to finish it.
I know you want to give up. Alright, I can't stop you.
But I insist you keep trying, if you ever loved Tilde.
Maybe she committed suicide
and the reason is something we'll never figure out.
You just want to avoid the unpleasant truth.
Can't you realize that?
Now take me back to shore again.
All you want to do is to push people far enough off the right track.
From now on, I want to be left in peace. Won't you leave me in peace?
Huh? Now take me back to shore again.
Ha! I'm afraid you're only as weak as I am.
And now you are mad, because you can't put any of this sordid tale together.
But you're a writer of fiction. You're an artist.
Everything is simple to deal with,
until you're faced with reality and then you can't stand it.
(Laughs)
PLEASE COME TOMORROW I FOUND EVERYTHING
A WRITER CAN'T IGNORE THE PLEASURES
OF FISHING IN THE LAKE! FRANCESCO
I put in that bit about going fishing just as an excuse.
I did it simply to avoid any suspicion about our seeing each other today.
- We must be prudent, believe me. - Why?
Why? Because I have to go on living in this town.
This investigation doesn't make much sense to me anymore.
I think you put me on the wrong track with that photograph you showed me,
the one that made Tilde look pregnant.
But, Signor Bernard, I was only showing you
what I thought was a piece of valid evidence,
and, as for this investigation, you're doing what you wanted.
It isn't I who insisted.
Excuse me. I didn't mean to sound like that.
You should learn what you can about Tilde, in order to find out the truth.
People around here are afraid to ask questions about Tilde
or even about Mario's wife.
Nobody sees her in the daytime.
But she takes long walks at night by the lake.
You've seen her too?
I heard the men in town speaking about it.
It's really incredible
how Mario can put up with a wife who doesn't sleep with him.
Everyone in the village is against her.
In a community like this,
one of the popular topics of scandal is a failed marriage.
I just don't understand Mario.
He never made an attempt to be friendly, not even last year.
He's very hard to know. It's a mess when he loses his temper.
He's violent. Not much further to go now.
That's the place.
Tilde's father lives there.
I'm not especially looking forward to seeing him.
Hold on.
It's Mario. He came to see Tilde's father.
What have those two got to talk about?
- (Bernard) That's him? - (Francesco) Yeah.
The old man's drunk.
Saveflo.
It's me, Francesco.
This gentleman has some questions he wants to ask you about Tilde.
He's a friend of mine.
Can you talk to him?
Why does he want to talk to me? I don't know anything.
She's dead. Leave her alone.
Yes, she's dead. She was murdered.
Who did it?
There was a visitor here before us.
Did he threaten you?
Have you ever asked Mario to come here?
Saverio, talk. Don't be afraid. Tell the signore about Tilde.
I can't tell you anything.
Why do you all come here?
I don't know anything.
Well, did you hear that?
You might as well be asking questions from a dead man, Signor Bernard.
I never thought they could buy Tilde's father.
Let's get moving.
Thank you.
Oh, good morning.
Go ahead, eat it.
- Better eat that. - Come on, Adriana.
Your food is getting cold. Ha-ha-ha!
Hey, Adriana, eat.
Take a look at the way he's stuffing his food down, will you?
(Bernard) 'The presence of Adriana in the dining room
'did nothing to diminish my doubts about her marriage.
'Even though the others pretended nothing was wrong.
'There obviously was.'
Here are today's papers. They've just arrived.
Thank you.
She's pale, but she's looking better.
We've been encouraged, these last few days, me and Mario.
I must tell you, Signor Bernard,
this has not been a fortunate marriage for Mario.
She's never had perfect health.
She should have told my son she had these, uh... problems
before she married him.
Don't you agree?
How have you been lately?
Getting adapted to the climate?
When you arrived, you looked poorly.
I know. I felt strange yesterday.
And today I have a little temperature.
You could have caught a bit of a cold in the mountains this morning.
You must take care not to remain out in this weather.
Would you like me to have Elsa bring you a thermometer?
Don't worry, I have one in my suitcase.
As you prefer.
(Bernard) 'I waited for her a long time that night,
'wondering what could have been in the note.
'It was bitterly cold.'
Adriana?
(Bernard) 'Why didn't Adriana want to talk to me?'
'Did she have something to tell me about Tilde?
'Or about herself?'
It's just a touch of influenza, nothing else.
You need to stay put at least for a couple of days.
I'll give you a prescription.
The most important thing is to stay in bed and keep warm.
I'll speak to Emma about your diet.
(Bernard) 'I don't know how long I was ill.
'I lost all sense of time,
'and Emma was my only contact with the world outside my room.'
Signor Bernard? I have to speak to you.
Haven't you got the courtesy to knock when you enter?
Police, signore.
I must ask you to excuse me,
but I'd like you to come down to the station.
Are you able to get up?
I'm afraid not.
How can I be of any use to you? I'm very sick. You can see that.
I must ask you to co-operate if you can with the police, signore.
I have something that's most pressing, believe me.
Can't you at least tell me what it's about?
I'm sorry. That's not possible. Regulations won't permit it.
We'll expect you out in the corridor.
I appreciate your co-operation.
You know who she is?
Yes.
It's Mario's bride, Adriana.
The body was found last night in the lake.
Please come with me.
I have a few questions to ask.
And please excuse us, Signor Bernard.
I realize you're not feeling well, but this is just a formality.
All the same, it's not what you'd call pleasant.
Have a seat.
Now, then.
I've had some witnesses testify that they saw the woman alone at night,
supposedly strolling by the shore of the lake.
And two witnesses said they had seen you there as well,
and perhaps you could answer some questions.
Naturally, I hoped to find out
if there is anything you're able to add to what we know.
Tell me, Signor Bernard...
...do you recall ever having seen her after dark?
Yes, I remember.
I would like you to tell me how many nights you've seen her.
It must have been two or three times. I don't remember when.
You see, it's not my habit to go to bed early every night.
Was it the dead girl you saw?
Well, I'm not sure it was or it wasn't Adriana.
Possibly it wasn't.
But I remember a girl being there at night and alone.
Well, it struck me as pretty strange.
Did you ever speak to her?
No, never.
Did you ever notice anything
that was particularly strange or unusual about her?
Well, I would say she was always a little bit strange to me.
She seemed to be... absent.
I can't say. It looked as though she was just taking a walk.
Not waiting for anybody in particular.
It was just an impression, of course.
Ah, I've heard people say she could've been in a trance or sleepwalking.
I wouldn't know anything about that.
I've never even heard that she could sleepwalk.
But very likely there is a strong possibility.
Well, you can't exclude that, but after we met...
I mean, it just seems quite fantastic to me.
No, it isn't. It's impossible.
Thanks, Signor Bernard.
I hope we won't disturb you again.
Maybe... there's something else.
What is it?
No, it's nothing.
If you're feeling ill,
perhaps you'd like someone to take you back to the hotel.
No, no. Thanks, anyway.
I just need some air.
You know where to find me if you want anything. Goodbye.
Goodbye, Signor Bernard.
(Bernard) 'I don't know why I didn't mention the note Adriana had written.
'Perhaps I knew the story wasn't finished,
'and that I wanted to be a part of it up to the very end,
'to answer the questions that haunted me about Tilde.
'And now about Adriana.'
(Thunder rolls)
'I was startled to see Adriana's white fur.
'Why wasn't she wearing it the night she died?'
IT'S ABSOLUTELY NECESSARY THAT...
ABSOLUTELY...
(Man sobbing)
Tilde.
Tilde, it's all your fault.
Why? Why?
(Bernard) 'Why had he left the funeral procession?
'And what drove him to Tilde's room?
'I couldn't hide the truth about Tilde from myself any longer.'
Pregnant?
So, that's it, is it?
Yes, I am. You or your son did it.
And now one of you has got to marry me at once.
Decide which of you is gonna do it, because, you see, I'm gonna stay.
Why should we?
Because you'll do as I tell you.
I'll be the owner. You'll make me the boss here.
Or you'll both land yourselves in a pile of trouble.
I'm gonna tell how one of you got me pregnant.
(Laughs)
(Rings)
- (Woman) 'Number, please.' - Give me 5-6-3-3, please.
- 'Francesco speaking. Who is it?' - It's me, Bernard.
(Francesco) 'Oh, I heard you were sick.'
I'm better now, though. I've something important to tell you.
'Where are you?'
At the hotel. I must see you, Francesco, please, right away.
'I'm sorry, but I can't today. I've got too much work to do.
'I... I couldn't possibly make it.'
I'm desperate, Francesco.
I've come to some conclusions.
'Have you found new evidence?'
No, but I have to see you as soon as possible.
'Listen, Signor Bernard, I don't want to get mixed up in this.
'You're looking for a good story. You're gonna write a novel about all this.
'But it's different for me.
'I have to live in this town.
'Besides, I have my own problems.
'Signor Bernard, you're getting too involved
'in something that's none of your business.
'I have to go now. I'm late. Please forgive me.'
Have you been threatened by someone?
Francesco?
Answer me.
Francesca!
ls there something wrong with the telephone?
I knocked on your door a while ago,
to see if you happened to want anything.
Uh... I was talking to the photographer.
I gave him some negatives and I just thought that I would go and pick them up.
Are you really in the mood for leaving the hotel in this weather?
You'd better stay inside. If you want, I'm free to go for you.
Thank you very much, but I've recovered my health.
Wait a minute, Signor Bernard. You must listen to me.
How are you feeling, Signor Bernard?
Better, thank you.
Much better.
Good. I'm glad to hear it. Would you like to have lunch now?
Mario, go and see if anything is ready.
Please don't bother. I have to go out.
Signor Bernard?
You'll have to excuse us if we...
...don't seem to have time for you anymore.
It's too bad that we can think of nothing but this disaster.
We've lost most of our business.
I've had to dismiss all the hotel personnel.
And now I must help my father and Mario.
They're both tired.
They can't stand the scandal. The gossip will destroy us.
All of our neighbors hate us.
They're destroying our family.
Some people always like to gloat over the misfortunes of someone else.
What right have they to judge us? We built this town.
Signor Bernard,
we've no choice but to board up this place and leave town right away.
Our hotel's brought so much unhappiness.
We're all leaving,
and I must ask you, if you're feeling better, signore,
to tell me when you'll be leaving.
Please.
Fine. Just as you please. I'll pack right away.
Thank you.
I'm sorry this had to happen. I...
Francesca!
'Signor Bernard,
'I must speak to you about something important before you leave.
'I'll wait for you in the courtyard. Mario.'
(Bernard) 'And now Mario too wanted to see me,
'to tell the whole story at last?
'To confess?'
Thank you, Signor Bernard.
I knew you'd come.
Please, close the door. No one must know we're here.
(Door creaks)
I wanted to speak to you alone.
There is so much that has to be explained.
But I was afraid.
Now there's no one else for me to turn to.
We've suffered too long over this, me and my father.
Please listen.
I never wanted to kill the poor girl.
My father demanded that I should marry her...
...and I objected.
After that, I couldn't go on sharing her any more...
...and the child might have been his.
But Tilde threatened us.
(Screams)
It was her fault it happened, Signor Bernard.
My wife's death wasn't my fault either.
One night, in a moment of weakness,
I went to my wife and confessed it.
In her madness, she would've given us away.
She even tried to tell you.
But I didn't want her to be killed. She wanted it.
- 'She did it! She!' - (Adriana screams)
(Gasps)
Emma.
What's the matter?
- Did you do it? - Nobody.
- Emma! - Don't betray me now.
- Betray you? - Nobody.
Alright, I did it.
- Let me go! Let me go! - Emma! Emma!
I killed her!
- She dirtied our name! - Emma!
She tried to take my place in the family and I cut her throat!
Let me go! I want to die too! Let me go!
- I killed them all! - Stop it!
- You're hysterical! - That bitch foreigner too!
- Listen to me! - I put on her fur coat!
What are you talking about? You don't know what you're saying!
- And you followed me! - Come back!
- She didn't love them! - Come back!
Those women didn't love them, not the way I did!
And I've saved our name! No one can hurt us now!
We're saved! We're saved!
Here, Signor Bernard. Your statement.
If you'll be good enough to put your signature here...
That's fine. Thank you.
All this is merely a formality.
There's nothing more the police can do.
Do you think you'll ever find her?
There's a fair chance if the corpse is where we think.
Still, it's deep water where she drowned.
She might be hard to find.
The vegetation at the bottom is very thick.
The only thing we found was her fur coat by the shore.
Our divers are still searching. That's all I can do.
Except to thank you, Signor Bernard, for your assistance.
Your account will remain as evidence.
I thank you very much for the trouble you've taken.
Too late, unfortunately.
We'll never know the truth about these murders apart from what you've written.
Yes, the truth of this sordid tragedy will always remain a mystery.
But I mustn't detain you any longer, Signor Bernard.
(Bernard) 'For me, Tilde's story was finished.
'It was not the story I'd wanted to write for her,
'but it was the truth.'