THE BLACK BELLY OF THE TARANTULA
Yes?
Signora Zani? She's getting a massage.
Okay. One moment, I'll check.
Yes?
Yes.
- Signora? - Yes?
It's Mr. Zani. He says it's urgent.
Fine.
- Thank you. - You're welcome.
Look, I don't want to talk to you. And anyway, I can't right now.
I told you I can't right now! Why don't you stop by my place later on tonight?
Good. All right. Just don't start with all those insults.
Cut it out.
So why am I a nymphomaniac? I knew it would end like it always does.
A nymphomaniac!
A filthy whore! That's what you are!
Why did you send me this picture?
- To blackmail me, huh? - No, not me. I have nothing to do with it.
- I don't know anything about it. - I won't let you ruin my life...
my work, my reputation.
What does your work have to do with any of this? What do you want from me?
The truth is you're jealous.
Maybe you had this picture taken.
I bet it's just a dirty trick. I would swear to it.
- It's a dirty trick, that's what it is. - I want to know who it is.
Give it to me.
You coward!
- What are you going to do now? - Leave me alone!
That's enough now. Come on, let's go.
That's enough!
That's good, huh?
Who's there?
The room, comma, rectangular in shape, comma...
nine meters by six, comma...
four meters high...
is lit by a glass door...
made up of three sections... Made up of three sections...
located on the front wall, comma...
that opens onto the garden, period.
No traces of blood are evident, comma...
No, that is period.
Around the room, on the right, a bookcase...
with eight shelves, period.
On the left, comma...
a small glass table, comma...
a metal saint, period.
The room shows signs of a struggle...
A violent struggle, period.
So, do you have any suspects?
What? Oh, I'm sorry. No, no suspects.
- Were you separated for long? - No, thank you. Four months.
And how was your relationship?
Good.
- Can I have it now? - What?
The cigarette.
Here you go. We can always talk it over again in my office.
Listen...
after the personal details, we'll do from right to left...
and from top to bottom and then everything in between.
For the pictures, please, I need them on my desk by this evening.
Thank you.
- Why did you split up? - We had our reasons.
Sir, I found this.
Get the couch for me, too.
Get one from this side, too.
Do you know that your wife was having relationships with other men?
No.
Were you jealous of your wife?
- That's my business. - Oh, yeah?
What do you do?
Insurance agent.
And did your wife, by any chance, have life insurance?
- What are you insinuating? - Nothing, nothing.
Nothing for the moment.
When did you last see your wife?
10 or 12 days ago.
Where did you spend the evening yesterday?
- At a friend's house. - What's his name?
Gianfranco...
Carlini. 5B Viale Medaglie d'Oro.
Fine. We'll check it out. You can go.
- Have you finished with the fingerprints? - Just a moment, Inspector.
Please, let's try to hurry.
- But don't go anywhere. - Of course.
Oh, God! My God!
- Who can I speak with? - The Inspector is here.
It's all my fault. I'll never forgive myself.
Did you kill her?
Huh? Are you kidding?
I meant to say that it's my fault because she called me yesterday evening.
She was upset. Are they going to want to take my picture?
I wouldn't want to be in the papers, you know? My hair is a mess and...
No, it's okay. They're not taking a picture of you.
Let's get this straight. I don't want to hold up the investigation.
Well, if you think it's necessary...
Why was she upset?
Why, because she'd just argued with her husband.
- Where? - Well, here, you see.
I never should have waited until this morning.
If I had come, he never would have killed her.
Husband of murdered woman nowhere to be found
Anna?
Anna.
Hello.
- You said you wouldn't be late. - And...
Look. 600,000 lira.
- But-- - I sold it all. Just like you wanted, right?
- What? - The furniture.
Now we can redecorate.
We've been wanting to do it for a long time. Right or wrong?
Of course. Oh, right, yeah.
- Did I get ripped off? - No, no.
No, because I can cancel. I can do it.
No.
Yes. I can see it on your face. I got ripped off.
Or you changed your mind. You didn't want to do it anymore.
No. It's fine with me.
When your furniture is old, you change it, right?
You're tired.
- I'll make you something to eat. - Wait.
- Eggs again tonight? - No, chicken.
Oh, chicken!
- Oh, yeah. If it's not eggs, it's chicken. - So? How did it go today?
Well...
Come on, tell me. What happened?
- I got a nude woman. - Oh! Pretty?
Dead. Murdered.
The truth is, I don't think I'm cut out for this kind of work.
It's not the right job for me.
And I don't understand anything.
The more people I talk to, the more confused I am.
- We're here for the furniture. - What? Now?
That's what they told us, ma'am. We don't decide on our own. We're workers.
- Anna. Just a minute. - Excuse me.
Where do we sleep tonight?
Look, don't worry. Go in there and I'll take care of everything, huh?
- Come on. - Okay.
I can't make my husband sleep on the floor!
- But we came with the truck. - You can leave the same way you came.
- Okay, ma'am, but-- - When he loses his temper...
He's a police inspector, you know.
Well, then, good night. That means we'll be back tomorrow.
There you go. All taken care of.
- Have they gone? - Yes. I made up a story...
so they would come back tomorrow.
You know what really impressed them?
- I told them you're a police inspector. - Imagine that!
Well, it impressed them.
Cat!
Kitty cat.
What do you want, huh? Come here.
Are you hungry?
- Does he run around loose all day? - At night, too.
You didn't hear him last night...
but he came scratching at the glass at 2:00, the scamp.
These are the victim's fingerprints.
We found them all over, even on the water bottle.
Here we have the fingerprints of the maid, Dina De Filippo.
The only other prints found in the house, in fact, in the living room...
- Are the husband's. I understand. - Yes.
First of all, find out if he took out life insurance on his wife.
Yes, sir.
No, that's not the husband's hand.
And what is that?
We can't tell.
Maybe by enlarging the detail...
In two days, I can find him.
Just give me the green light.
- That's why they call me Catapult. - Excuse me?
Catapult.
And with the means at my disposal...
it's easy.
I'll call you the day after tomorrow.
Unfortunately, it's broken.
But if the telephone doesn't even work, how do you proceed? Keep in touch?
Better.
I use the telephone at the cafe.
In fact, write down the number.
831-736.
- And who answers? - Whoever answers, answers.
Just say, "ls Catapult there?"
And I'll catapult over.
FURS
Let's move.
Take the cocaine to narcotics.
Okay, sir. I'm almost done.
Turn the victim's house upside down, too.
Maybe we'll find drugs there as well.
Make way! Make way!
Let me through! Let me through!
There's nothing to see.
Here it is. Here's the whole file...
the statements, the autopsy report, the crime lab report.
We even have the narcotics squad's report.
Drug trafficking.
Ah, yes. We're talking about a large quantity of cocaine.
So in summary...
the first was a nymphomaniac.
The furrier was dealing drugs.
The modus operandi, though, is always the same.
It looks like the two women had nothing in common, but something might turn up.
- Of course. - As for the furrier...
we have to identify her suppliers.
Let's start by checking with some of the names in her book.
She was obviously only a middleman.
While we're on the subject, anything new on that needle they found in her neck?
Ah, yes. Come on. It's all clear.
There.
See this?
It's an acupuncture needle.
The murderer uses it to paralyze his victims.
The victim, therefore, is perfectly lucid while she suffers those atrocities...
without being able to move at all.
Since the cases are so similar, are you investigating or am I?
No, no, no, no! It's your turn, sorry.
You started your investigation first.
Go on, go, and go with God.
Get out.
Get out!
Is that it?
Yes, Inspector.
I know this area very well.
You could say I was born here. I saw him. He was going inside.
Are you sure it was Zani?
Very sure. In fact, in person...
He's even better.
- Even better than what? - Than the face that was in the papers.
Whose house is it?
I think some kind of doctor.
He's strange.
Why strange?
Because he never comes here.
That's why I realized right away that someone was there.
Oh!
I'm not going anywhere. I'm minding my own business.
I'm an agnostic.
Inspector, I found a button.
It could be Zani's.
It's yours.
He may not come back. You stay anyway.
Put everything back the way it was, please.
You don't seem like just any patient.
I'm not.
I could charge you with being an accomplice.
An accomplice?
To what?
Until yesterday, Paolo Zani was hiding out at your house at the seaside.
But that house is semi-abandoned.
Last year I even found a vagrant there.
Paolo Zani is not a vagrant.
You know him very well.
And you knew his wife, too.
And what does that mean?
Well, it means, for example...
that you may have taught Zani how to use these needles.
To do what?
To kill.
Don't move!
Put the revolver on the seat.
You're making one mistake after another.
I came to ask for your help.
I'm innocent.
- So why don't you turn yourself in? - No.
I don't trust you police. You'll just lock me up.
As long as I'm free, I can look for the murderer my own way.
I'm not joking.
A policeman's life is valuable.
- Is this how you try to get help? - No.
Leave me alone.
Hold still.
I'll do what I have to.
Don't move.
Why should I believe you?
For the very fact that I'm here.
I could have called you...
without running any risks.
Yes. The tarantula is a terrible animal.
It has only one enemy capable of killing it.
Pepsis formosa, commonly known as the Tarantula Hawk Wasp.
As you can see, it's always the wasp that attacks first.
And, between the two, the wasp is the one that always wins the battle.
The tarantula has no way out.
Here. Observe carefully. See?
The wasp won.
The tarantula has been stung. It's been paralyzed by the wasp's sting.
The wasp then disembowels it to deposit its larva...
in the tarantula's stomach.
The tarantula, paralyzed, lives on while the larvae feed on its flesh.
The tarantula is unable to do anything to defend itself...
despite being aware of being disemboweled and, little by little, eaten alive.
Ah, I understand.
I wanted you to see the similarities this has to the way the furrier was murdered.
Thank you, Professor. It was very interesting.
But you still haven't told me what your relationship was to Mrs. Zani.
Simply an acquaintance.
Nothing more.
However, Inspector, if there's nothing else, I have some things to attend to.
Where did you say they send them from?
From the Orient.
- Be careful. They're very dangerous. - Don't worry.
The boxes aren't sealed...
but naturally, no customs officer in the world...
would even dream of sticking his hand in there.
And why should he?
Because this is not sand.
Open this box and take out the spider.
- But, Inspector, I-- - Don't waste my time.
This is for narcotics.
There's enough to get half the city high in there.
Go away.
Hi. Want some coffee?
No, no, no! Watch out. I just finished painting that. Did you get any on you?
No.
What is this stuff for?
Ah, it's for the sofa...
but naturally, it's only temporary.
Isn't it a little hard?
- No. The cushions are missing. - Oh, yeah.
In any case, I promise you it'll be beautiful.
I tried it at the store. I did a window and it was a big hit. Remarkable!
Sorry, but with the 600,000 lira from the old furniture that you sold...
-what did you buy? - Well, I bought the bed...
the lamp, and those two things over there.
Any hope of getting a plain old table?
- Yes, of course. They're lending it to me. - Who?
That Swedish furniture representative that the store deals with is lending it to me.
I have to take care of a window for him...
and he's lending it to me.
I don't like him at all.
- What are you doing? - Going back to bed.
It's Sunday and it's nice to stay somewhere soft.
- Should I make you some coffee? - I wish.
Come on. Come on, kitty.
Go on. Go take a walk.
Signore ?
Here's your coffee.
Confess, you'd love to have a waitress like me, wouldn't you?
Now?
- Now. - But I have to paint.
I have a lot of things to take care of.
- I'll help you afterwards. - Yeah, right, you'll help me.
You'll help me with this.
Hello?
That picture.
Wait before you send it.
- Wait for what? - Do what I tell you. I'll be right there.
What's that noise? I can't hear you. I can't hear you.
It's a plane about to land.
We've finally resolved the problem.
Calculating the angles, is it possible...
to tell which house it was taken from?
We can try. I think so.
THURSDAY 6:00 P.M. CAFE DE PLATANI
Here you go, sir.
- There! Over there! - Where?
That way.
They jumped the fence. Hurry up.
Inspector. Inspector!
I'm the one that found Zani. Inspector!
Remember me! Catapult.
This is patrol car two. The Inspector is following two men. Over.
Stop, Zani!
Have it developed. As quickly as possible.
Inspector, the red car, the one from the crime, belongs to that young guy.
Oh, okay. Fine. Fine. The usual, please.
I'm done here. See you tomorrow.
AMERICAN STYLE CAFE AI PLATANI
- Sir? Sir, the check. - Oh, yeah. Right.
- Here you go. - Thank you.
Mrs. Valentino.
I'm Inspector Tellini.
Open up.
Open up. I know you're there.
What more do you want from me?
I've already given you everything I had.
Go away. Please, just go away.
Calm down, ma'am. Here you go.
You see? I'm Inspector Tellini from the police.
I don't know. I don't know. I don't know about this kind of thing.
Please leave.
Okay. I can't... I can't force you.
But at least take this back.
- What is it? - Your money.
Please, ma'am, let me come in. I need to talk to you.
I know that you're being blackmailed for some pictures...
taken...
while you were with a young man.
That young man has been killed. Now you're in danger, too.
As you saw, I had to play the blackmailer's part...
to make you confess the truth or else you would have denied it.
Ma'am, you're our only link to the murderer. You have to tell me everything.
No. No, I can't.
I can't.
- Too many things... - You have to!
It's just a matter of working up a little courage.
I promise you there won't be any scandal. I give you my word.
Yes.
Yes, okay. I'll tell you everything, but...
But not now.
I'm tired now.
I'm very tired.
I'm sorry but I really can't.
Tomorrow, if you'd like, huh? Come see me tomorrow morning.
At any time, whenever you want.
Leave now.
Please, leave.
Go away, please. Please, I'm exhausted.
Please...
And this is the movie found in the dead man's house?
Yes, sir.
- Should I stop it, boss? - No. Wait.
Maybe something will come up.
Good. Good man, Tellini. Looks like an in-depth investigation.
What are you doing here?
- Checking up on you. - Come on, don't joke about everything.
Has something happened?
I've decided to quit.
But why?
Because I can't do it. That's why.
I'm not cut out for it. Even last night I didn't know how to save a woman.
And there's something else even worse. Our private life is mixed up in it.
You and me.
And I don't want that.
You shouldn't be involved. You, no.
If you don't explain yourself...
Yes, I've always told you to drop it, it's true.
But now, you're not giving up.
Not now.
And I don't really care about the movie.
If they're out to get you, it means the murderer is afraid of you.
It means you know what you're doing. He's afraid of you.
But I didn't order anything.
Come on, come on. Eat, Mrs. Fluzzi. I know you want to.
Big is beautiful.
Come on, cover up, ma'am. You'll catch a cold.
And I don't care. It doesn't matter to me. Look, I'm going. Right away!
- Don't get hysterical. - You're the hysterical one!
But can't you see we're in trouble?
- The police-- - Shut up!
Stupid.
Is everything okay, Mrs. Massari?
I think she's asleep.
He can't see, but as for understanding, he understands.
Well, silly.
What's happening now?
What's happening is that I'm afraid. Afraid of everything.
Even of you, Laura.
They all met the same end: Zani, Ricci and Valentino.
- And now Mario, too! - Oh, no, my dear. That's too easy.
When it was about putting money in your pocket...
-you weren't so difficult. - You want to know something?
I've had enough. Especially of you.
When it's like that...
I'd rather go to the police myself...
and tell them everything.
I'm not worried about that.
You have too much to lose.
Maybe, but I'll save my neck.
Do what you want.
But let me give you a little advice.
Be careful.
- Very careful. - What's that supposed to be?
- A threat? - Take it however you want to.
I still haven't found a place to sleep.
Just for tonight. After that, I'll manage.
Thanks.
Thanks. You're being so nice.
What's wrong? What do you want?
Come on, don't waste time, ma'am.
Don't you know, a hairy woman is a happy woman?
I don't know what you think, but I would have liked to see what they were like.
They say that in Turin, prostitutes are in second place for earnings.
Right after Fiat.
Net earnings, no taxes.
Here you go. Here you go.
Ginetto? A cigarette.
Voilà, madame. Higher. Higher.
Sorry. I'm sorry.
- Where is Laura? - Miss Unisex?
I just saw her in the Panthermal sauna.
Ma'am, the police are here.
You beat me to it.
- I was just coming to you. - To say what?
To talk about Jenny. She used to work for me.
The girls that work here are sort of under my protection.
It seems like Jenny was more than that for you.
More and less are things that have to do with my private life.
And your partner?
What partner?
Your partner in blackmail.
You were blackmailing some of your clients...
and those clients have been killed.
If you've come to accuse me of blackmailing some of my clients...
-you'll have to explain why I killed them. - I didn't say that you killed them yourself.
I'm only investigating. And to start with, I'd like to talk to all your employees.
But there are clients here. Please, Inspector.
Send them to me in here, one at a time.
I've worked here for three years.
Why did you hand in your resignation?
I found a job with better hours...
and I like it better, even though I'll be earning less money.
Oh, yes. Of course.
Have a seat.
May I?
- What do you do here? - I'm the waiter.
- And what's your name? - Gino Pallotta.
But they call me Ginetto.
- Married? - Dear God, no!
Okay. Thank you. You can go.
Take your glasses off, please.
Of course.
Okay, thank you. You can go.
- But... - Oh, I'm sorry. I'll take you.
Beatrice.
Inspector.
I think I can find the murderer.
But, in exchange, I'm asking you to look the other way regarding...
some minor things that only you and I know about.
Ma'am, if you know something, you'd better tell me.
It's in your best interests.
I'm only asking you to wait until tomorrow.
Enough time to get my hands on the proof.
Hello?
Inspector, I have the proof.
Come to the institute right away.
Please, don't waste any time.
- I'm afraid. I'm afraid. Hurry! - What's going on?
Nothing, nothing.
Hello?
Listen, if you're going to be home late, call me.
That way I won't have to worry.
- Bye. - Bye.
Come on.
You have to come to.
If you don't, I won't enjoy it.
You have to be aware of what's about to happen to you.
Stop!
Anna.
Your wife's condition is not serious. She'll be fine.
The murderer confessed. He's a psychopath that became paranoid.
He was impotent and his wife used to laugh at him. She cheated on him.
The abnormal personality of the subject...
turned decidedly pathological.
In a moment of cold, clear anger, he kills his wife...
a crime committed five years ago and never discovered.
He then decides to fake blindness...
so he can move freely among women.
Then he meets Maria Zani...
a nymphomaniac that likes to provoke him...
humiliate him, heightening his paranoia.
The subject feels like he's standing in front of his wife...
and so...
he turns to murder again, first one, then another, and another...
I'm sorry, you know, but...
I can't do it anymore.
We'll talk about it later.
Don't worry about your wife. Everything is fine.
She'll make a complete recovery.
- Can I-- - Not now. She needs to rest.
You should go get some rest, too. You need it.