01x03 - The Number of The Wise Man

[bunniefuu]

- I'll undermine every alibi of yours.
- Shame won't let you do that.

She is my alibi.

ERINYES
Goddesses of Vengeance

Chapter 3
The Number of the Wise Man

As I bring home
Its three blood-sodden members

The mother and her sons:
A glad sight for the Erinys

Eurypides
The Phoenician Women 1502–1503

What do you mean by alibi?

I did not k*ll these women,

but I predicted their deaths.

It is encoded in the magic squares
that you have deciphered.

You are a mathematician.

And since I predicted that,

I also predicted
that I would be the suspect.

Thus I established my alibi,

and if you wanted to undermine it,
you would have to prove

that Miss Sperling is lying.

What is he talking about, Ms. Sperling?
What is this alibi?

I accompanied Leon Bójko
throughout the day on April 7

and at the night between April 7 and 8.

Also throughout the day and night
between April 27 and 28.

On the ground.

I fell in love with you
when I was a middle school student.

I dreamed of your strong hands,
of your lips.

I wrote letters to you,
which I later burned.

I sneaked out at night
to stand outside your windows.

I could not make you
fall in love with me.

I did not know how to do it.

You were an inaccessible
Polish professor,

and I was a Jewish orphan,

alone in this cursed city,

humiliated by the teachers,
hated by my fellow dormitory girls.

And now you've gained
some bedroom wisdom, huh?

Count Bekierski is not just a pervert,
he is a sadist.

I fled to Lviv and begged you to find
the countess, but you refused.

I got a call and learned
that the Count was planning

a two-day political rally
of nationalists in Stratyn.

I knew that I could then
return to get my things,

that nothing bad would happen to me.

On the way, at the train station,
I met you, and you know the rest.

And then you took her?
That's exquisite.

I returned to Lviv, to Linde Street.

One day Bekierski showed up.

Marianka Stolecka
had once worked in Stratyn

and had long been his kept woman.

I knew nothing about their affair.

Even friends keep dirty secrets
from each other.

Only you could help me.

And instead you shoved your hands
up my dress.

The beloved teacher turned into
the hated count.

I met him in Stratyn the day before
the Countess disappeared.

I heard him through the door
talking about her with Bekierski.

On his way out, he surreptitiously
left his business card

and told me to call him if I wanted
to talk about the Countess.

The business card had an address.

Zadworzańska Street.

And then she came, a fearful maiden,

a girl desperate and a bit seductive.

This creep said
he knew where the Countess was,

that he would help me find her,
but on one condition.

I would give him an alibi.

I spent only one sleepless
night here, alone.

You believe she didn't bed me?

Want me to prove that she's been
f*cking with me like a b*tch?

Do you know what she likes?
When you shove it--

Edward, don't push me away.

After all, I am yours.

I won't provide that alibi for him,
I'll give you whatever you want.

You already gave me.

Syphilis from Luba Bajdyk
via Leon Bójko.

Someone else also has

identical magic squares
of Lija Kochowna and Luba Bajdykowa.

Who?

Sasha, give some champagne
to my college friend.

We'll drink, and then I have to say
goodbye to you, my nightingale.

I'm busy.

I would like to offer you,
my dear colleague,

something that will
make you feel like God.

But I often feel like God.

Be brief

and answer with one single sentence.

I need your money.

What for?

To create a counting machine.

And what will it count?

Hebrew letters in the Bible.

What will be the result
of these calculations?

The result of these calculations
are magic squares which--

One

single

sentence.

In those magic squares

there is a code for Charon's numbers.

For what?

I called them that.

Do you remember

how Charon was tricked by Orpheus?

Orpheus played the lyre so beautifully
that Charon was stupefied

and let him through to Hades.

The sounds skillfully
put together by Orpheus

stripped Charon
of his power over souls.

The numbers nullified
the power of the Gods,

they besmirched death.

In my view, they became a pass to

the knowledge given only to God.

The number sequence I discovered
and called Charon's numbers

allowed me to know
the date of a person's death.

Where did you take the sequence from?

From here.

That's enough.

Enough.

You found only two people whose deaths
you matched through their squares.

Both have a gematria of 68.

It could be a mere coincidence.

I will answer you

in the words of the greatest writer
of mankind, Fyodor Dostoyevsky.

Please, forgive me,
but we don't run such business.

Sasha.

I lied.

I discovered two more squares
in the Bible.

One relates directly to me,
and the other to you.

Hey!

The name is Chaja Lejbach.

Do you know it?

No, you don't,

you don't know it

because now it is

Hanna Countess Bekierska.

Do you think

your guests from the National Party
would be interested to know it?

Do they know

that their parliamentary candidate is

Jewish?

He kept me in the basement
for several days,

searched my apartment

and stole my research.

Who m*rder*d Luba Bajdyk
and Lija Koch? You or Bekierski?

Does it matter, Commissioner?

Arrest Bekierski,

you will find magic squares
in his office.

That's evidence of the crime.

You will have the evidence,

which means the m*rder*r,
right, mon chér?

Why shouldn't I arrest you, heh?

You'll leave me alone,

and in return I'll teach you
how to code Charon's numbers.

Maybe I'm not interested in that?

Let's think,

let's think.

Situation A.

Bekierski is convicted of m*rder,

fame and glory descends on you

and you rejoin the police force.

Situation B.

I get convicted
and the exact same thing happens.

So A equals B,

except that situation A has
a certain advantage, let's call it C.

You are introduced to a theory

that will change your life.

You don't have to worry
about syphilis,

I never slept with Bajdykowa.

To your inequality
A plus C greater than B

I add D, D for revenge.

What kind of revenge?

"Look, Count,
this mug is asking for a brick."

I don't understand.

Then you also won't understand
that there is E.

E for 5 thousand zlotys.

Lija Kochowna revealed to me

that she had a horoscope
arranged by your mother.

So I went to see her
and gave her flowers.

They put her in a good mood.

At first she teased me a little,

but then she was ready
to do anything for me.

I didn't even have to sleep with her,

it was enough to hug her.

Your mother knew
that she would die soon.

She asked me to shorten her suffering.

I k*lled out of love.

Who else but me could have transported
her more safely to the other side?

The man she loved most on this earth.

This is how Charon looks like.

- Good morning, Hanna.
- Good morning, sir.

I'm going back to the police force.

And then it will be the right time

to pay a surprise visit to Bekierski.

Mr. Bajdyk is calling.

He must be a little drunk,
I told him--

I'm coming!

Put the receiver down
on the table, do you hear me?

On the table! Not on the cradle.

Hello?

That, what's-his-name,
damn it, that Bójko--

He died like a dog.

I don't know how it happened.

Did he confess?

Yes, he k*lled them both--

Complicity.

I have to save myself.

I have to deliver
another k*ller to the court.

I told you, some drunken ne'er-do-well.

Dear God!

You've left wet footsteps
all over the floor.

You double the fee.

Yes, boss. Ten thousand.

And then even more,
much more, you understand?

It costs a lot
to save your neck from the rope.

As much as you want.

I'll be right there, don't go anywhere.

her name is Ghaja--

- Here you are.
- Thank you.

Well, well, well,
what an unusual sight.

I was surprised to hear--

What are you typing?

Not a love letter, I hope.

Beautiful Renatka deserves something
more than a soulless typewriter.

- Let her know your character.
- I'm not writing to Ms. Sperling.

- Sorry, it's none of my business.
- No, I'm sorry.

I can feel the darkness
thickening around us.

It's demanding a blood sacrifice,
but I will never approve of it.

Jerzyk and you
are the most important to me,

and I will do my best to protect you.

--Lejbach

Oh, there he is!

Count, how would you comment
on the latest press reports?

Will your political career
in the National Party turn to dust?

For what reason?

The false count is a Jew
from a Jewish mother.

Countess Bekierska's name
is Chaja Leibach

according to Mr. Leon Bójko, a former
official in the Lviv records office,

who has studied all the records there.

What impact could this have
on the political career of her son,

a member of the anti-Semitic
National Party,

who is preparing to run for parliament?

Come in!

As advised by His Lordship,

I had all telephone calls noted down.

Dr. Zygmunt Kopiczyński announced

that in these circumstances

he is revoking
his participation in the rally

and all contacts with
His Lordship, the Count,

until this regrettable matter
is successfully clarified.

Dr. Kopiczynski
also regrets to announce

that all participants
of tomorrow's national rally

have made a similar decision.

Dr. Samuel Hersztal, attorney at law,

kindly informs us
that he would be happy

to represent you in court,

if Mrs. Hanna Bekierska
a.k.a. Chaja Lejbach

happened to be the heiress
to the estate of the Leibach family,

the last representative of which,
Mr. Heindrich Leibach,

probably died childless
in Vienna last year.

I apologize to His Lordship
for saying these words,

because they are disrespectful,

but another caller asked me to tell you
this very thing, which is as follows.

How are you feeling?

Like me in your basement?

You still have a chance
to avoid disgrace.

I'm waiting for you
only tonight on Zadworzańska.

I dream of nothing more
than to ask you, Count,

what it feels like
to humiliate another man,

but don't worry,
we will talk about humiliation later.

And we will do this

when I visit you in prison,

where you will be in the company
of rabble who hate aristocrats.

Day after day washing the socks
of your cellmates,

squeezing pimples on their ba*ls,
wiping their hairy asses.

You mangy dog,

one call from me and you are finished.

I know you k*lled Leon Bójko
out of mercenary motives

to have power over people,

just as you had power over me,
back then--

You are telling stories, you scoundrel.

I didn't k*ll anyone!

Faster, faster.

There.

I managed to knock him down
and tie him up.

I didn't manage to save Bójko.

ONE YEAR LATER

District Court in Lviv

When did you meet the defendant?

On April 15th, 1938.

- Where?
- At his estate in Stratyn.

What were you doing there?

At the request of a lady,

I wanted to ask Józef Bekierski

what happened
to his mother, Hanna Bekierska.

Please, reveal the name of this lady.

I refuse.

Your Honor,
please instruct the witness.

This lady is a very important figure
in the whole case.

Please, answer the defence's question.

Renata Sperling.

Have you had or are you maintaining

an intimate relationship
with Miss Renata Sperling?

I do not want to disrecpect
an unmarried woman,

thus I will not answer
this question either.

The witness should answer the question.

I loved her, but she left me.

I don't know where she is now.

Did the witness know that the defendant

Joseph Bekierski showed her affection?

Yes.

Did Miss Sperling tell you about this?

Yes.

Could you then,
being in love with Miss Sperling,

consider the defendant
Count Bekierski your rival?

- No.
- Why?

Because Miss Sperling hated him.

What was the first meeting between
the witness and the defendant like?

I was severely beaten by Mr. Bekierski
and his Russian praetorians.

Did he also humiliate you
in any other way?

No.

The question I am going to ask

will be shocking
to the audience present here,

especially the ladies,
whom I hereby ask for forgiveness.

So I ask the witness if the defendant,

after beating you, urinated on you?

No such thing happened.

I assure you that I realize

that for a male nature
such humiliation can be severe.

However, I ask the witness to admit

that he was the object
of this heinous act.

I deny it.

Is it true that
catching Bójko's m*rder*r

would result in your reinstatement
in the police force?

That is not true.

Didn't you have
a verbal agreement on this matter

with the Voivodship Commander himself?

My reinstatement in the police force
was to be determined

by the extent to which
I would be helpful

in solving the m*rder
of Luba Bajdyk and Lija Koch.

I have evidence
that their m*rder*r was Bójko,

but the mere detection
of Bójko's m*rder*r

would have given me nothing,

since I was not employed
by the police for this case.

But you won't deny that Bójko's death
was convenient for you?

Bójko did not confess to the murders,

so now you can put
all the blame on a corpse

that has no way
of legally protecting itself.

Bójko's death made your life easier,
Mr. Popielski, did it?

You did not answer my question.

Indeed,

thanks to Bójko's death,
getting to the truth was faster.

So it made your life easier.

Yes, in that sense, yes.

I point out three motives
that may have guided Popielski.

Revenge for the humiliation,

which this honorable man
prefers to keep quiet about.

The desire to get rid of a rival

and to facilitate his career.

Your Honor, these are the three motives
for Mr. Popielski to blame my client.

What more could you want?

Evidence!

Silence!

When the Count slipped out
of the palace,

butler Wiącek immediately
telephoned me

worried that Bójko's life
was in danger.

Unfortunately, I was not at home

and learned about it
only in the evening.

I ran as fast as I could
to Bójko's apartment

and found the dead host
and Bekierski, soiled with oil.

You're lying, scumbag!

It's all faked.

I pissed on you like a horse,
and now you're taking revenge!

Silence!

Defendant, remain silent! Counselor.

Here is the proof.

The third magic square,

found in Count Bekierski's office
during the search.

After two days, after two days!

Since the arrest.

I ask the witness
to explain the square.

Are you unwell, sir?

You'd feel that way too

if you drew Hebrew squares all night.

Gloves.

The third magic square encodes
the name of the m*rder*d,

the reason for death and the tool
with which it was inflicted.

Abyss, Hades,
oil container, Leon Bójko.

That is the name, the weapon,
and the main reason.

The underworld, Hades,

which the victim wanted
to visit with impunity like Charon.

Let's also add that
the gematria of the deceased's name

and the gematria of his
determining phrase, wise man – chkm,

both equal 68.

So, as you can see,

the third magic square was
identical with the previous two.

It was found
in Joseph Bekierski's home.

Bójko blackmailed Bekierski
and compromised his political career.

Bekierski decided to take revenge.

He knew about the existence
of the square describing Bójko.

The victim himself showed it to him
when he tried to extort money.

And that's when Bekierski came up
with a plan for the perfect crime.

He decided to k*ll Bójko

in the manner described
in the magic square

and then send this square
to the police.

The police would then be convinced that
the perpetrator of all three murders

is one and the same person,

and then

the police would be looking
for some nonexistent Hebraist

until the end of the world.

Either way, the third magic square
is the signature of the m*rder*r.

The one who had it last is the k*ller.

It was found at Bekierski's,
ergo he is the m*rder*r

quod errat demonstrandum!

You will die, you pig!

Who calculated it for you? Who?

My people will get you,
you'll see! You'll see!

Get him out!

Silence, silence!

In Stratyn, Renata Sperling
gave birth to your b*stard child.

I'll kick the wh*re and the spawn
out into the pigsty.

I know you recognize me,

Baldy.

I was in Stratyn at the time.

I saw

what Bekierski did to you.

I thought you were weak,
but you beat him.

You are good

and have a terrible reputation.

I like that.

My name is Zygmunt Hanas.

I know who you are,

a deserter, smuggler, and bandit.
What do you want?

They kidnapped my daughter,

Elżunia.

She has--

something with the mind,

trusts everyone,

will hug anyone.

Help me find her,

and I will return the favor.

It is not usual that in one day

you get out from under axe

and find out
that you have become a father.

Why didn't I try to find her?

Will Renata accept my apology
along with the proposal?

And will she do so
driven by affection or calculating?

- Where does Ms. Sperling live?
- In the stable.

Will you become my wife?

At least tell me
if I have a son or a daughter?

I love you

and would marry you,

but you are about
to withdraw your proposal.

My master,

the elder Count Anthony Bekierski

once made me swear on a crucifix

that I would never abandon you.

I swore that I would
always protect you.

I remembered this oath

when you beat me with a whip

and when you ran after Ms. Renata,
forcing her

to kiss you on your bare genitals.

I was keeping my oath,
but in the end I broke it

because I loved Renata all the time.

Now I, unworthy perjurer,
can only leave Stratyn

to salvage what's left of my honor

and avoid looking
into the old lady's eyes.

I should sh**t myself in the head,
but I lack courage.

Goodbye, master.

This letter was found in
Joseph Bekierski's cage,

where he hanged himself last night.

Can you explain this to me?

Or perhaps you and this Wiącek
are connected by something more

than just love for Ms. Sperling.

I will refute any accusations
Commander,

- even a reinvestigation--
- Shut up.

No one wants a reinvestigation.

The important thing is that

you have put the right man in,
and he has been punished.

Commissioner Popielski,

get out.

Yes, sir.

Lodzia.

Lodzia?!

Jerzyk?

Hania?!

It's me.

What happened?

Madam-- she is not here--

If you want to see your cousin,
keep quiet.

Not a word to the police.

Tomorrow at seven in the evening
in the market square by Diana.

for Gosia

THE SERIES IS AN ADAPTATION
OF MAREK KRAJEWSKI'S BOOKS:

Erinyes, Charon's Numbers, The Rivers
of Hades, In the Depths of Darkness