Monday, September 22. Lenny Strayhan, a linebacker, is killed, his heart cut
out with a dull knife. Wednesday, September 29, Staff Sergeant and Green Beret
Rolf Anderson is leaving his office after hours when hears an eerie flute
playing in a stairway. He goes to investigate and several costumed figures grab
him, rip open his shirt, and cut out his heart.
Kolchak is at a publisher’s convention at the Sherwood Hotel to help Vincenzo
butter up the publishers but shows up late. Just as he gets there he hears a
report of a murder at the Federal Building. Captain Webster is briefing the
reporters and Carl quickly ducks aside and gets to the stairway where the
coroner notices the heart is seven steps below the body on the stairs. They
notice Carl and Webster takes his tape recording of the coroners. Carl notices
there were multiple assailants and connects Anderson’s death with that of
Strayhan.
Carl returns to the Sherwood where Vincenzo introduces Carl to Tillie Jones,
the PR head of the hotel, and Captain Madge Timmins with the Air Force. Tony
tries to get Carl to do a story on Jones, who is supposed to be the first woman
certified for combat. A Pepe Torres barges in, accompanied by three attractive
women, and notices the attractive Captain Timmins. Torres is a bit of a bore
and after he leaves Tillie Jones apologizes and explains he’s one of the vice
presidents. Carl has snuck off to avoid the speeches. Later in the hotel,
Captain Timmins is preparing for bed when she hears a flute and the same
costumed figures barge in.
12:30 a.m.--Carl is on the streets when he gets a report of a disturbance in
Grant Park. The police arrive and find Timmins laid out on a flight of stairs,
dead. Carl arrives seconds later when the police spot someone in the bush. Carl
is taking photos and notices the heart lying down the stairs when a man dressed
in a feathered costume comes barging through and knocks Carl to the ground. The
medics wake up Carl, who managed to grab a handful of feathers from the
costume. Webster interrogates him but doesn’t believe Carl’s (true) story of
being attacked by basically a giant red-and-yellow chicken. Carl notices the
connection that it’s the ninth day of the murder and the heart is nine steps
below the body.
Carl returns to the hotel to beat the police to Timmons’ room, but they’re
already there. Officer Lyons, who received a medal for killing three bank
robbers, keeps Carl out. Undeterred, Kolchak grabs a waiter’s outfit to sneak
by but Tony seems him and blows his cover. Lyons chases Carl into the basement
and hides in a room marked “No Admittance.” One of Pepe’s women from earlier
locks the door and tells Lyons there’s nothing in there. Carl puts on his suit
and notices a picture of a man wearing the same feathered costume as the man
who assaulted him. After taking some pictures, Carl prowls around and finds a
crate holding a gold sarcophagus. Inside that he finds a mummy. Breaking for
the door, he finds it locked and yells for someone to let him out.
The hotel security take him to Mrs. Jones, who is meeting with Webster and
Lyons. Jones refuses to press charges and Carl asks to speak with her in
private. After the police leave, Carl wants to know who is in charge of the
storage room and wonders what Pepe’s connection is to it. Mrs. Jones finally
admits off-the-record that Pepe is a dummy who keeps screwing things up, and
she has to cover for him or get fired. She reveals he gets whatever he wants
and that he’s been there about a year with the boss’ blessing. She’s
interrupted before she can say anything further and Carl goes across the
hallway to meet with Pepe…who is practicing the flute. Pepe introduces the
three women as Nina, Lona, and Vicky, his “staff.” When Carl starts to ask him
about the storage room, Pepe dismisses him and he’s escorted out.
Carl goes back down to the basement and makes his own entrance into the locked
storage room with a fire axe. The picture and the sarcophagus are gone but Carl
discovers another feather. He visits a taxidermist, Mr. Eddy, who after some
initial antagonism comes around and identifies the feathers as from a parrot
native to Southern Mexico. Carl asks him about mummification procedures in that
area of the world and after some haggling, Mr. Eddy briefs him on Incan and
Aztec mummification processes.
At the INS office, Tony contemplates the stuffed mouse Carl was forced to buy
and then has to contemplate Carl’s story about Aztec heart sacrifices. Carl has
determined that the owner of the Sherwood hotel chain owner, Andrews, has a
branch in Mexico City and were originally Argello and changes their names. The
hotel chain started in Veracruz, and there were five heart murders there
approximately 100 years ago, and 52 years ago there were five more murders in
Atlanta, the site of their first American hotel. The police don’t believe Carl,
but he’s hoping that Vincenzo will go to the police or at least put the story
out. Vincenzo insists that Carl gets more documentation and suspects he’s
hallucinating. Carl takes his stuffed mouse and leaves (although not before
leaving it in Ron’s in-box).
Next, Carl meets with the Mexican commercial attaché who is not surprisingly a
bit reluctant to talk about Aztec heart sacrifices, and would rather talk about
tourism, industry, and handblown glass. As he’s leaving, Carl notices a picture
of an Aztec headpiece similar to that on the sarcophagus, and the attaché
directs him to an exhibit by Professor Rodriguez at the university.
That night in a quiet part of town, one of Pepe’s women is waiting besides her
car, with the hood up. Officer Lyons comes to her assistance but the feathered
men attack and kill him while the woman looks on calmly.
Carl arrives at the art exhibit reception and talks with Professor Rodriguez.
Rodriguez talks about Nanautzin, the warrior head of the cult of the evil god Tezcatlipoca.
After he was defeated by the Spaniards, Nanautzin had himself mummified until
the millennium. The Aztec empire fell in 1507, and the Aztec millennium is 520
years, 10 times 52. So the Aztec rebirth is to begin in 2027, 52 years in the
future. In the new millennia Nanautzin is to rise and lead the new era on
behalf of his dark god, and that he will rise every 52 years along the way and
obtain sustenance from heart sacrifices. Rodriguez says how dark deeds are not
permitted within sight of Venus, and that there must be five deaths, but only
four victims. The first four must be brave warriors without blemish, while the
fifth must be attractive and receives whatever he or she wants for a year. The
“perfect victim” was taught to play the flute, and given three women named
after the goddesses of the wind--Vixtociotl, Xilonina, and Altaonan. Or as Carl
figures out, Vicky, Nina, and Lona. It’s clear that Pepe is the “perfect
sacrifice.”
At INS, Carl sneaks into Tony’s office and Tony interrupts him. Andrews and
Pepe are both gone and Carl is going through Tony’s personal phone directory.
He’s determined that Nanautzin will claim the last heart and then go back into
dormancy when Venus comes out from behind the moon at 12:10 that night. Carl is
looking for the highest flight of stairs in Chicago and needs to contact Tony’s
friend in the building department. Tony refuses and Carl heads for the sports
arena.
Carl finds the place seemingly abandoned with only 23 minutes until Venus rises
at 12:10 a.m. But he hears flute music and investigates to find two of the
feathered men bringing out a wheeled stretcher-trolley. Carl goes back the way
they came and finds Pepe in ceremonial garb, with his consorts playing the
flute and preparing him for the sacrifice. He gives each of them a gift and
then they depart. Carl confronts Pepe who admits he gave their word and so has
Andrews and his cult. He is happy with the deal rather than his life as a box
boy, and his mother will have all of her needs provided for. Carl suggests they
might not live up to the contract, but then the cult members arrive. Pepe
orders them to keep Carl alive…but they’ll only obey him while he’s alive.
Pepe drinks the drug to kill the pain then he goes out to the arena with Carl
led by the cultists. The high priest is waiting for Pepe along with the
sarcophagus holding Nanautzin. Pepe lies upon the sacrificial altar with only
six minutes left. At the last minute Pepe reconsiders the deal, leaps off the
altar, and runs off. The guards go after him, shoving Carl down the stairs
where he sprains his ankle. Nanautzin rises from his bier, grabs a sword, and
comes down the stairs after Carl. Carl just notices the approaching mummy and
tumbles down a few more stairs. He turns to see that Nanautzin has vanished. However,
it’s only 12:08. Carl hobbles down a few more stairs…and Nanautzin appears
behind him. He misses with one final swing and collapses on top of Carl--Carl’s
watch is slow.
Carl is at Rodriguez’ exhibit considering the Nanautzin mummy and talking about
how Pepe is working as a box boy downstate. Carl is left to wonder if Nanautzin
will rise in 52 years since he didn’t get his fifth sacrifice.
Written by Gadfly on Apr 24, 2017