"First, it was my sister, Helena, then it was my friend Henri Nadeau and all the others, all the same, and they were blaming me but they didn't understand. It was all a game and I was stuck in it. It wasn't me. They were wrong. I just can't prove it and now, HE stole my file, everything I had on him," he laughed frenziedly but stopped himself, continuing his incomprehensible ramble. "And this time, the first time ever, I caught him, I saw him. The Shadow-Killer. He was leaving with my file under his arm. I saw him in the mirror, the door was open, and he, he was me, he was me, ha-ha-ha, he was me, can you believe it? Ha-ha-ha, what a perfect trick." He broke into another crazy laugh and his head fell to his chest.
The moment his eyes dropped, I took off running, knowing exactly where I was going, thanks to Coulter's map. I had never broken any speed records before but, at that moment, I felt as if I was a train, barrelling non-stop across the landscape, increasing my momentum and distance with every second. His pistol barrel was too short for any type of accuracy. If he wanted to shoot me, he would have to catch me and I wasn't planning to give him the chance!
Coulter kept scrolling the map on the screen, showing me where I had to go, cheering me on all the while. Norton yelled and I risked a single glance backwards. He was hobbling after me at a decent pace, using his cane to lop forward, his pistol waving around with every step.
He appeared angry.
I heard some car doors slam and more screaming in the distance. The two Vallin brothers were in the parking lot, running all out toward Norton. They were both brandishing bats and waving them madly. I kept going, aiming directly for the cleft, sliding on one foot, dangerously out of control. Norton was closer than I would've liked.
"Watch it, you're going to lose it, you're going to lose it. No, you're fine, doing good, now be careful, here's the stairs," Coulter yammered in my ear, keeping a running commentary. I came to a desperate stop, right above the rusty steps. They were clogged with silt and sand. Signs warned tourists off and bars blocked the staircase.
"Just go for it, Norton's right behind you," Coulter screamed.
Incredibly, Norton was coming down fast, using his branch to balance himself, still holding his gun.
I scrambled over the bars and dropped my feet down on the railing and, pushing myself off, careened down the railing at a precipitous pace. A mound of dirt blocked the bottom of the staircase and I jumped off, landing in the soft sand below. Not stopping for a second, I ran towards the Needle. Norton shot once but his bullet missed by a mile. He bellowed in frustration, hurrying down the stairs. A glance upwards showed me the Vallins at the top of the steep slope, still waving bats. The hunter was about to become the hunted. I redoubled my speed and neared the Needle, intent on rejoining Etretat's main beach beyond the arch.
Unfortunately, the tide was in and the area around the arch was flooded. I didn't hesitate for a second and jumped in the channel water. It was cold but I felt nothing, the adrenaline numbing the shock. Norton, let go another bellow and shot once more, uselessly, still too far away.
Despite my situation, I resisted shooting back. I just couldn't convince myself to do it. Coulter had other concerns. "Try not to get the glasses wet, they're waterproof but I'll probably lose reception and I don't want to miss a second of this."
"I am trying to get away, you know," I answered back, too breathless to sound sarcastic. Wading in to my neck, I started swimming, barely keeping ahead of the undercurrent.
"You gotta turn your head back. I want to see how close the Vallin brothers are... Darn, go, man, go. Norton's about to shoot again," Coulter shouted.
Norton was ranting, his words reaching me faintly. "You just won't listen. Well, I'll make you listen."
I dove underwater, soaking the glasses and losing Coulter, just as Norton emptied his gun. I felt a wallop in my shoulder.
I was hit.
Right away, I knew it wasn't bad. I had been underwater and the bullet was robbed of its momentum. I might be sore but I wasn't dead! With renewed vigour, I kicked with my legs, propelling myself forward a fair distance, coming back up to the surface. I turned around to face the beach, lifting my gun above the water in defence.
I had nothing to shoot at.
I fell back into the water, my glasses miraculously still glued to my face. Norton had been forced to jump into the water in an attempt to escape the approaching Vallin Brothers. He was swimming towards me in earnest, his face contorting in agony every time his damaged foot moved through the water. Soon, he was sinking more than swimming. I pulled away, easily outdistancing him in his debilitated condition.
A look of intense frustration appeared on his face. Unfortunately, his body was completely worn out and his foot was hurting him tremendously. I swam a big circle, heading back towards the shore. The Vallin brothers reached the water and waded in knee deep to help me out of the water. I checked for Norton, finally spotting him.
He was in trouble, sinking under the heavy waves, unable to keep his head above the water any longer. I had an impulse to save him despite all he had done but I was too exhausted. Ives Vallin headed off into the waters valiantly in my stead but Norton went under long before he could reach him.
He never resurfaced.
A Selection from the Weissmuller Manuscript
Meeting Hitler
I first met Hitler while in Vienna in 1908. Several years later, he renewed contact, intent on involving me in a new scheme.
At first, I was not very interested. All I knew from before was that he painted for food money. I couldn't imagine what such a man could have to offer. I tended to work alone. However, something had changed about him. This Hitler was different, brimming with energy, his eyes glowing with conviction.
Slowly, over supper, he exposed the most unbelievable discovery: a complex of caves hidden near a small town in France. He admitted to killing a man, named Leblanc. He also spoke of gold and jewels, some of which he had taken.
He admitted feeling guilty for several days following the murder. The guilt was eventually replaced by a growing sense of rightness: he had been justified to take ownership of the caves, said he, they were his by right of conquest. He had begun dreaming about what he could do with such a lair at his disposal. He had perceived a path laid out in front of him, revealed by Destiny itself. The caves were his to take.
He had bricked up the entrance and left the body of Leblanc entombed in them. No one would ever find him. Then the impossible happened. Leblanc was seen returning home. He was not dead and had somehow escaped from the caves. Hitler was convinced he had killed the man. There was something going on in there, something he desperately wanted to investigate.
I wasn't sure about his claims. It was hard to kill a man, particularly if you didn't know what you were doing and why he was admitting all these things to me? Hitler wasn't done with his explanation.
Baffled by Leblanc's supposed return to life, Hitler returned to the town, hoping to finish the job. Upon his arrival, he was horrified to discover the entrance into the caves had been completely destroyed. Learning about the involvement of a local man named Vallin, Hitler took him prisoner.
He tortured Vallin for several hours but either the man was a true drunken idiot, or he was devoted to his cause, because he never spoke a word. Frustrated, Hitler took Vallin to the destroyed fort and threw him into the hole, leaving him there to die. Returning to Vienna, Hitler realized his plans would have to become much more complex. He could no longer return to take control of the caves. Worse yet, Leblanc had free access to them, stealing the gold Hitler believed to be his by right. Hitler was convinced other secrets rested in the caves, more important than all the gold in the world.
Despite his wild claims, the inner energy animating him was strong. This was a man not easily thwarted once set upon a path. I still didn't know why he was talking to me. I didn't have long to wonder when he launched into a different type of history: my own.
Apparently, he had been impressed during the time we had s
pent in Vienna. He had felt something was different about me. In that, he was, of course, absolutely correct. Then he amazed me, by talking about a particular incident that happened while I was still in school.
For the first time in many years, my heart jumped and I almost felt worry. Hitler had somehow uncovered the one event where I had made the slightest of mistakes in my experiments. With this dangerous information in his hands, I wondered if perhaps Hitler himself ought not participate in one of my experiments. I had been thinking of a new approach lately. However, these interesting thoughts were banished when he pulled a thick folder from a paper bag, saying it was a gift.
Opening it, I found three complete copies of the file concerning the incident. They were the ones I had not been able to remove from the school's records. At the time, I was not gifted enough to succeed in this necessary task. Hitler had gone back and done what I should have done.
I had finally met a kindred spirit. One with whom I could share my thoughts. Unlike me, he had purpose. I was wandering through life, trying to understand why I looked at things the way I did. Here was a man who was telling me it did not have to be like that. If I joined him in his quest, acting as his lieutenant, I would be able to continue my experiments, but this time I would have a reason for them. The thought appealed to me mightily.
Then, his timing perfect, he pulled out a small leather purse, full of gold coins. At that very moment, I decided to do it. I would join him and with me at his side, we could not fail.
***
We left Vienna to find a place to use as a home base. During the trip, Hitler revealed his deeper thoughts and ambitions. This was no mere whim. Although he was obsessed about the caves, he had other aspirations, political ones. They were still nebulous, unclear but, somehow, he knew the greatness he was destined to achieve. He had chosen me with care, after reviewing all those he had encountered, knowing he needed help of a special nature.
He admitted noticing something special about me. The thought bothered me, because I had believed my outer shell, the 'skin' others saw, had become smooth enough to escape detection. He calmed my concerns by stating he was also different. He spent much time indicating the exact points which had alerted him, helping me greatly in designing a better skin.
As he revealed what he expected me to do, I grew more and more amazed. It was as if he had read my mind and selected a task designed specifically for me. I was to start by becoming completely invisible. No one was to be left alive who might know my true nature. I was to refine the art of camouflage, until it was a science, until I could hide myself in the skin of others quickly and easily, learning to hide in plain view.
Once that was done, I would begin my assigned task. Hitler wanted me to achieve two things at the same time. First, I was to assemble all available information about the caves into a coherent format, and, second, I was to erase the caves from recorded history. Such a task appealed immediately. It would provide the freedom I needed to continue my experiments. I could explore putting on different skins, learning to become anyone and then vanish.
As for those with the information I sought, they were to be eliminated. This final requirement was the most wonderful. Hitler understood my passion for experiments. Now he had provided me with a format in which I could continue.
I truly did not care about the caves. I only cared about the opportunity to follow my life's ambition, this time structured with exquisite planning. From past experience, I knew structure was the only thing keeping me from prison. Without the care taken to perfect my skins, without the extreme attention to detail, I would be arrested before I could even begin.
As for Hitler's claims, I would reserve judgment. His wilder statements did not truly matter. Who was I to say whether his beliefs were justified or not? I was happy doing his bidding, as long as it continued to fit with my own goals.
***
We parted ways soon after. He would contact me by sending messages to our home base. In the meantime, I had much to do. He was adamant about my achieving complete invisibility. The best way to do this would be to return to the neighborhoods of my past and eliminate every shred of evidence concerning my existence. In being absolutely thorough, I would reach true invisibility. The exercises would double as training for future investigations.
I selected my first step as the eradication of my family. They were aware of some of my animal experiments. As well, if I 'killed' myself along with them, anyone investigating my trail would come to an abrupt end. Using my father's birthday as a reason to get together, I prepared the end of my beginning. That morning, I selected a man of similar build, knocking him out just as he was about to enter his house. Tying and gagging him securely, I lay him down in the woodshed behind my rented house, covering his body with a tarp and a few planks of wood.
The evening went as planned. My family arrived early and we ate the meal my mother had brought. They all enjoyed the cake I had prepared. Shortly after ingestion, I noted the oncoming of the cramps, caused by the large quantity of strychnine I had added to the recipe. I put the 'concerned' look on my face and pretended to help. Soon they were unable to move, due to the increasing severity of the cramping.
After drawing the drapes, I dragged their cramping bodies into the living room, to watch them die together. I had to muffle their screams with napkins stuffed in their mouths, watching as the strychnine-induced spasms increased, until the slightest noise sent them into paroxysms of pain. I looked deep into their eyes to see what they were seeing, what they were feeling. Once more I failed. The bodies collapsed and I saw no evidence of souls. Just bodies.
I resolved not to use strychnine again. It was too slow a poison. I went to the woodshed and retrieved the bound man, still hidden under the tarp. His eyes were wild as I lifted him over my shoulder and carried him into the house. I dropped him down next to the rest of my family. He wriggled as hard as he could, perhaps getting an inkling of what was coming.
I ignored him for the time being, busying myself by staging the bodies around the dining table. My mind flashed back to the meal and my mouth salivated. I would miss my mother's cooking.
I placed my father on the ground, his left arm reaching for the door. My mother was at the table. My two brothers lay behind her, lying on the floor, entwined as if they had tripped over each other in their haste to leave the room. Finally, all bodies were arranged in the right position.
I picked up a large pillow from the couch and sat down on top of the bound man, straddling his chest. He was unable to utter a single sound, his eyes darting left and right frantically. If I used the pillow, I would be unable to see his eyes as he died, so I put it down. He took this to mean he was getting a reprieve and relief appeared in his eyes. Whatever it was disappeared when I bent down, lying flat on top of his body, my face centimeters from his. Using an extended index finger from both hands, my arms slowly moved in on his face from each side, closer and closer to his nose. He redoubled in his efforts, trying to throw me off, to spit out his gag. I moved my legs, locking myself over him, and brought both index fingers against his flaring nostrils, pushing them hard together.
His air supply cut off, he fought wildly but I kept my position, holding his nostrils shut tight. He would get no further reprieve. This was the moment I had chosen for him to die, the moment of my experiment. It happened suddenly. One moment, he was fighting, the next he was gone. Nothing left him.
I placed him near 'his' mother as if he had been trying to save her, a loyal son to the end. I grabbed two kerosene lanterns and threw the first on the dining table. Flames exploded, engulfing my mother instantly, the fire spreading rapidly. Before exiting out the back door, I threw the second lantern near my two brothers. Both fires joined, consuming the living room and my family.
I walked away from the house, already planning the next step.
My classmates and teachers. They all had to go!
CHAPTER 14
A Surprise from my Friends
I was resting, my s
houlder still sore from its encounter with a bullet. Raymonde brought supper with her and confirmed no one had seen Norton, nor had his body been found. He had vanished. However, Coulter had dug up some of Norton's high school records. He had been captain of the swimming team and had once been considered for the Olympics. His survival was a distinct possibility.
I was still not sure what to make of Norton's attack. Why was he after me and not the Shadow-Killer? Why was he so stuck on the letters 'HN'? The man seemed demented, speaking in circles.
Despite the circumstances, I was troubled by his disappearance. Had I been responsible somehow? Perhaps I should have told him what he wanted to know. However, going down that route might have been far worse. Norton was not listening to me anyway. His ramble made sense only to him.
Raymonde's hand on my shoulder pulled me out of my reverie. "I still can't believe the video Coulter sent me. I'm amazed by what you did. That was incredibly brave."
Her words made me feel better but I knew fear had made me fleet of foot. Bravery had little to do with it. Had I been in my right mind, I would never have contemplated such a reckless course of action. Hugging her as she sat down on the bed, I explained how I felt, "These last few days have been a whirlwind, as if time were being compressed. Just a few days ago, I had no idea what was waiting for me. Today, I am holding the hand of the woman I love, on a roller-coaster of a ride, with death, danger, and mystery all around. After reading the Leblanc journal, when I saw your mother crying so hard, I didn't know what to say to you. I'm worried you might be upset with me for bringing such turmoil to your mother's life, to your life."
Her arms tightened, her eyes shining with warmth. "My mother's tears were good tears. She finally knows what happened back then and can lay those ghosts to rest. I don't regret a single instant since you arrived here. These are things we were meant to go through, I can feel it. Besides, it allowed us to find each other."
The Caves of Etretat: Part One of Four Page 20
