Episode 6 | Darkness Rising Part 2

Now I'm delighted to introduce Brother Stanislav from Heilig Krone Abbey.

Isaak: He's a bigot, a dangerous fanatic.

Isaak Krongold, you're under arrest for murder.

I need your friendship more than ever today, Max.

Jonas' brother is in trouble.

My dear friend, I feel so sorry for what's happened to your family.

You plead with me for weeks and months to go out with you, and when I finally agree, you change your mind.

I'll make it up to you.

I promise.

Let me in, Father.

I can no longer permit you to enter.

What if someone were to pose as one of the brethren?

No.

Brother Maxwell, welcome.

Is there any other way into the sacristy?

No, only through the chapel.

Oskar: What's that?

Max: Enemy.

In which language?

Hebrew.

The police are here again.

Stay silent.

♪ [Watch ticking] ♪ [Camera shutter clicks] ♪ [Fluttering] [Bell tolls] ♪ ♪ ♪ Saskia.

Fräulein Weiss.

♪ [Sighs] Jonas.

What's happening?

Why is everyone leaving?

Things are moving fast, Clara.

I can't afford to keep them.

Is it really that bad?

Killing a man in holy orders.

The bank is mired in scandal.

Nobody wants to do business with us.

Max can be very helpful, talking to the police for us.

I am... very grateful to him, but I don't want to drag anyone down with us.

♪ Clara: What?

What is it?

I remember... not so long ago Max was drowning in a scandal of his own, and I was less than generous.

Maybe I deserve what's happening to me.

No.

♪ No, no, no.

♪ [Knock on door] [Door opens] Herr Krongold?

What?

He's here.

Show him to the boardroom, would you, Saskia?

[Door closes] ♪ Somebody made me an offer to buy the business.

You're not thinking of selling up.

Why didn't you talk to me first?

♪ [Gasps] Forgive me intruding again, Brother.

You want something from the infirmary?

Actually, I...

I wanted to talk to you.

I'm curious.

Did Stanislav have enemies?

Blessed are you when men revile you.

Stanislav was different from the others.

Different how?

He had a very rare gift.

A gift?

I am a healer, Brother.

I use God's blessings to minister to the sick.

When Stanislav was at death's door last winter, I tried to save him, but I failed.

Then... how did he recover from his sickness?

I am unable to explain it.

Stanislav believed that he was touched by a power that came directly from Heaven.

A power?

The sacristy.

He believed there was power there greater than you or I could ever imagine.

I grind herbs to make medicine, but it's no miracle.

You're saying Stanislav was touched by a miracle.

Jesus was led into the wilderness and tempted.

The devil, dressed in his finery, said, "Show me a miracle."

Excuse me, Brother.

♪ [Unlocks door] ♪ ♪ A magic trick?

The body was somehow smuggled down into the sacristy.

I need architectural plans.

Do you maybe...

I don't have those sort of records in the archives.

What about the city museum, Department of Iconography.

Of course.

200 years old, designed by Hilder Brandt.

This is a plan of the building that houses all of the icons.

There must be a way inside that we don't know about.

[Chuckles] Churches are some of the richest institutions in the empire.

Heilig Krone Abbey has many priceless treasures in its vaults.

Believe me, it's impregnable.

You knew Brother Stanislav.

A little.

I invited him to talk to the historical society.

His views were extreme, to say the least.

Do you think he was a man who made a lot of enemies?

Are you a Catholic, Inspector?

Lapsed.

Religion is less and less fashionable, it seems.

I spent my life studying religious icons, but most of them no longer have any real potency.

Stanislav was a man of deep and unshakeable faith.

It's bound to have made him unpopular in a world filled only with rationalists.

There's something here.

A sacristy was sometimes designed with a watching chamber, a secret room to keep watch over the treasures.

A watching chamber?

Mm-hmm.

Only the sacrist would know about it.

It wouldn't be in the architectural plans.

It would just be a secret passed down between the generations.

It's not much to go on, but it's the best that I can do.

I visited the sacristy again.

I have something for you.

Stanislav burned some papers.

This is all that was left.

This bit of gilding.

Hmm.

From a letterhead.

He kept all his correspondence.

Why burn that one?

You need to find the owner of that crest.

♪ ♪ What are you doing?

Why are you following me?

I'm sorry.

It was you.

I heard you pacing outside my room.

What are you trying to find?

He asked me to watch out for you.

Who asked you?

Your friend.

Inspector Rheinhardt.

He said you often get into trouble.

[Sighs] He mentioned something about the Ferris wheel.

[Knock on door] Mm-hmm.

Ahh, Rheinhardt.

You wanted to see me, sir?

The Korngold business has been sold to new owners.

Yes, I read about it.

Well, I've just been contacted by them.

They discovered this... in their private papers.

A document in Hebrew.

I've had an expert translate it.

[Speaks Hebrew] A Hebrew curse.

Recognize the name that follows?

Stanislav.

It was hidden in their private safe.

Evidence of some ancient Jewish ritual.

We have to charge Korngold at once.

What's the matter, Rheinhardt, you're not convinced?

There is some kind of conspiracy at the monastery.

What?

So I sent someone in undercover, disguised as one of the brethren.

Who's the officer?

Dr. Liebermann.

[Sputters] Liebermann?

He was willing to assist.

And you let him?

Sir.

A Jew in a monastery?

A personal friend of the accused?

What if the papers got ahold of this?

Commissioner.

You're a fool, Rheinhardt.

They're all bound to stick together.

They?

How can we trust a word that Liebermann says when the accused is another Jew?

♪ Killian: What is it you're looking for this time?

The answer to a riddle.

We don't have much time.

[Knocking on wood] What is it?

I'm not sure.

Maybe nothing.

[Grunts] [Mice squeaking] ♪ ♪ Dear God in Heaven, look at the blood.

Stanislav's final journey.

You didn't know this place existed?

No.

♪ There's two lines in the dust.

The body was dragged by someone.

♪ [Birds chirping] Mystery solved.

No magic trick.

We found it, Oskar.

We found the blood trail.

Brother, will you hear my confession?

Uh, forgive me.

But... [Speaking Latin] ♪ [Knocking] Max: We found it, Oskar.

We found the blood trail.

The footprints in the dust lead only one way.

Whoever dragged his body stayed within these walls.

You're telling me it was one of the brethren?

And I think I know who, Oskar.

Brother, I need to talk to you.

Not now.

Not here.

I believe Stanislav's body was dragged into the sacristy.

Perhaps by the same man who attacked him.

You can't believe that I'm responsible.

Or perhaps by someone who discovered him marked and believed a miracle might cure him.

You told me it was a place of miracles.

Meet me in the infirmary after nightfall.

[Speaks Latin] [Singing in Latin] You were right, Miss Lydgate.

The watching chamber fed right under the monastery.

Extraordinary.

Someone dragged him back inside.

We suspect that the infirmarian knows more than he's telling.

Killian: Murder!

Murder!

♪ ♪ Another corpse?

You can no longer bar me from your doors, Father.

Multiple stab wounds.

Rather unusual weapon.

Saint Cassian.

Another martyr's death.

Who happened?

Who discovered him?

He was found by Brother Maxwell here.

Oskar: Perhaps Brother Maxwell and I can speak in private.

Excuse us, please.

Brother Maxwell.

You think David was involved?

I think David dragged the body back inside into the sacristy, hoping for a miracle.

Stanislav believed that place had special powers.

And I think David had begun to believe it, too.

♪ Oskar, I've been so stupid.

He tried to tell me what he'd witnessed.

The devil dressed in his finery said, "Show me a miracle."

He saw someone in the park that night.

He saw the killer.

Have you examined the gilding?

Yeah.

And?

No matches yet.

Why?

Someone wrote to Stanislav.

A letter he subsequently burned.

Why write to a sacrist?

Someone wanted access to one of the treasures inside.

There's something in that vault that has the power to make men kill.

We need to find what's missing.

Haussmann: Inspector.

I think you need to see this.

♪ So you want to go on a damn treasure hunt.

Stanislav had access to the vaults.

That might be a motive for murder.

We already have our motive.

Sir?

The curse.

Korngold's hatred of the monk.

It all adds up.

The ritualistic murders.

Christian martyrs killed by their enemies.

The Hebrew runes left by their bodies.

Some sort of Jewish ritual.

♪ Isaak Korngold is behind bars, sir.

He couldn't possibly have done the second murder.

He had an accomplice.

Someone else returned to kill the witness.

Dr. Liebermann believes-- Liebermann was in the monastery.

He must be considered a suspect.

♪ And the warrant to search the sacristy?

If one of the treasures has been stolen, we'll look like fools if we missed it.

♪ I need the help of experts.

We're going into the vault.

What are you trying to find, Inspector?

A miracle.

Where's Max?

He didn't tell you where he was going?

A woman in a monastery.

You're permitted in very few places.

[Door opens] ♪ I assume this is just a hobby?

Otherwise you and I won't have much of a future.

♪ [Light buzzes] ♪ Priel: Extraordinary.

These treasures shouldn't be left up here in the dark.

They belong in a museum.

Are you seriously expecting the Catholic Church to surrender all its secrets?

[Chuckles] So nothing is missing, everything as it should be.

Here's something.

♪ Oskar: The lock is scratched.

It's been opened recently.

Sanguis et aqua.

Blood on water.

♪ Miss Lydgate.

Do you mind?

Thank you.

♪ Please be careful with it.

♪ [Click] ♪ Nothing mentioned in the inventory?

No.

Still, something obviously has been taken.

Do you know what it is?

Mm-mmm.

I do.

I recognize the impression.

Max: Look here.

No, it can't be.

The holy lance.

The lance that pierced the skin of Christ, hidden here in the sacristy.

Is it believable?

There's course of such relics all over the world.

I'm not convinced by its authenticity.

It would most likely be a fake one.

It doesn't matter if it's real or not.

All that matters is what people believe.

That's what gives it its power.

If someone thought it was here, if they thought it was real, what would they do to gain possession of it?

We found our motive.

The gilded letter.

Someone wrote to Stanislav eager to see this relic.

He smuggled it out to show them.

Jesus tended in the wilderness.

But he made a grave mistake.

Yes, he was killed.

And the relic was stolen.

We have our answer, Inspector.

[Sighs] I think it's time we went to confession.

[Organ playing] [Organ playing] Father, my name is Liebermann.

Max Liebermann.

If this is some sort of trick.

Dr. Liebermann was sent here under the supervision of the Leuipolza Police.

Thank you.

Brother, you vouched for him personally.

Killian: Yes, but I was eager to find Stanislav's killer.

I helped Brother Maxwell live here among us.

You don't need to call me brother anymore.

No, I think I'll use it in the foreseeable future.

You brought an imposter into God's house.

I was determined to find the truth, Father.

Stanislav deserved no less.

You have disobeyed me.

You have disobeyed your vow.

Yes.

And I truly beg your forgiveness.

We need to know about the lance, Father.

The holy lance that pierced the flesh of Christ.

The monastery was in possession of it.

You kept it a secret all this time.

Who knew that it was here, other than you and Stanislav?

You don't understand, Inspector.

There are hundreds, thousands of so-called religious artifacts-- bones claiming to be the fingers of our Lord, wood from the cross, nails that pierced his skin.

All over the world, people's faith is being exploited by charlatans.

You don't believe in its power?

Unusual for an abbot.

Its power it to make innocent man into fools.

Worshipping false idols.

Oskar: So you ordered it to be hidden.

And you prevented us from investigating a murder within these walls.

I knew you had someone in custody.

I thought that it was over.

I never dreamed that the killer was still out there.

Stanislav didn't agree with your appraisal.

Father: He fell ill some months ago.

Brother David was unable to help him, and then Stanislav went into the sacristy one night and... Max: Was apparently healed by a miracle.

[Organ playing] After that, after he was cured, he was convinced of its authenticity.

He preached about the miracle to everyone that would listen.

Some of the brethren were persuaded.

Even David.

But not you, Father?

I...

I ordered it to remain locked away.

Didn't want the sepulcher turned into a circus.

He disobeyed you.

Broke his vows.

Shared the secret with someone on the outside.

That's why Stanislav was killed.

He left himself vulnerable to someone else's greed.

That relic has a power, yes.

But not for good.

♪ Sir.

What have you got for me?

May I?

[Speaks Hebrew] The Jewish curse found at Korngold's office.

What if it wasn't real?

What if it was all fabricated?

There's dozens of cases in history of Jews being wrongfully accused.

It's called a blood libel.

Jews falsely charged with murdering Christians, unjustly executed.

Medieval crimes that have been stage managed, just to frame someone.

Look at the evidence.

So you think our killer is a historian?

[Scraping] [Door opens] This dagger's a fake.

A good one, though.

How can you be sure?

Amelia: Very few layers of dirt and corrosion.

I'll write to the museum in Graz and tell them.

Well done, Miss Lydgate.

Oskar: What's on your mind, Max?

I'm thinking about the profile of the killer.

Someone naïve enough to believe in the power of miracles.

Someone who in this cold, rational world still clings on to the notion that God is mightier than man.

Uh, I'm late.

I promised Amelia I'd take her out tonight.

My penance for taking holy vows.

She's very punctual.

Forgive me, Oskar.

Good night.

Good night, Brother Maxwell.

[Bells clanging] Man: Ladies and gentlemen, the museum is closing.

Please make your way to the exit.

The museum is closing.

Ouch.

Aye.

♪ What's this?

Something very precious to me, Miss Lydgate.

♪ Sorry, the museum is closed.

It's only two minutes passed.

No, no, no.

Well, I'm here for Miss Lydgate.

The museum's closed.

Try the staff entrance.

♪ Do you want to know what I'm planning for you?

Is he mad enough to kill me?

[Whimpers] I suppose there is a kind of madness that took hold of me.

♪ The holy lance that pierced the skin of Christ.

[Whimpers] The spear of destiny that brought forth blood and water.

♪ But on science is a terrible scourge.

We have become a nation of rationalists.

I've devoted my entire life to the study of religious relics, always hoping, always wanting to believe that they were more than just folk tales and fairy stories.

Then I met the monk.

Stanislav.

He swore to me he had found a true miracle.

I wrote to him asking to see it.

[Groans] I'll tell you, I was powerless in its presence.

[Grunting] I had to possess it.

I suppose you can call it a kind of religious fervor.

Is it madness?

But Liebermann would doubtless have a name for it.

[Both grunting] I didn't mean to kill him.

I pushed him.

He tripped and...

It happened in the moment.

And now I...

I have no choice but to run away.

♪ Now you know.

♪ Perhaps before I do, together we could find out the truth.

Can we turn our backs on the chance to witness a miracle, Miss Lydgate?

When I cut your flesh, the holy water will spring forth.

[Muffled scream] Max: Priel.

Get away from her.

Not a chance.

Don't you dare touch it!

Ahh!

♪ [Gasping] ♪ I'm fine.

Get him.

Go after him.

♪ ♪ Uhh!

♪ Max: Priel!

I didn't mean to kill him.

I swear!

And Brother David?

I'm not responsible for that.

♪ Priel: I absolved myself.

I confessed my sin.

To who?

Who did you tell, Professor?

Professor.

Max: No!

Aah!

[Thud, lance clangs] Max: Priel told someone else about what happened with Stanislav.

Someone else is-- You're not telling me we've got the wrong man.

Someone else was involved, Oskar.

[Sighs] Who else benefitted?

♪ Who had an opportunity to leave the Hebrew letters?

Max: If you thought you'd killed someone, who would you tell?

A mentor, a friend.

David told me who he saw that night.

The devil dressed in finery.

Oskar, only one person had the opportunity to plot that curse in Korngold's office.

♪ ♪ [Knock on door] Gentlemen.

How can I help you?

Good evening, Herr Strobl.

Good evening.

You've taken over the business.

[Chuckles] I'm now the major shareholder.

It's a pity the Korngold brothers' reputation must suffer, but I was able to take on their debts.

You mean you've capitalized on their losses.

Why not?

This is business.

He came to you, didn't he?

Excuse me?

Priel.

He came to you as his patron, as his... closest friend.

When he thought he'd killed the monk, he came to you that very same night and confessed it all.

And it was so easy for you.

You remembered the threat Isaak Korngold had made, and in that moment... [Crowd gasps] you conceived of a plan to make it look as if Korngold was responsible instead of your friend.

What did you do?

Go back to the park and take a stone and make it look exactly like the stoning that Korngold threatened to inflict on him?

You scratched the Hebrew letters into the rock to lead us straight to Korngold.

And of course, you let your good friend Priel believe he was the killer, but you finished Stanislav off, just so you could lay your hands on this business.

Heh.

And of course, you were told there had been a witness.

You knew you had to act.

Good evening, Brother David.

[Grunts] ♪ [Grunts] ♪ ♪ This is absurd.

You have no proof of any of this.

We have the document you forged, the blood libel, and we have a scientist who can extract evidence of the author from any parchment.

♪ Uhh!

[Grunting] You tried to stab me, all right.

[Grunting] Your hat.

♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ Inspector.

♪ [Door slams] ♪ I'm sorry to intrude, Max.

I shouldn't really be here.

No, it's fine.

I was just on my way out.

I'm meeting someone for dinner.

I won't keep you a moment.

I just...I...

Isaak was released from custody today.

My carriage just seemed to steer its way over here.

I had to see you alone one last time.

I... Um...

There's no need to thank me.

I was happy to do it.

Well, not happy.

♪ Jonas doesn't know I'm here.

And he wouldn't have wanted me to come.

♪ ♪ [Carriage approaching] ♪ Drive.

[Horse whinnies] ♪ ♪ ♪ Oskar: Apparently, you've been busy.

Max: I assume it's a case.

Yes, it's a case.

Are you going to tell me?

To order Vienna Blood on DVD Visit SHOP.PBS.ORG Or call 1-800-PLAY-PBS This program is also available on Amazon Prime Video Max: How can I help you?

Oskar: Hypothesis.

Amelia: Hopefully, we can extrapolate some information.

Oskar: She's dead Max Max: May I visit the scene?

Oskar: What exactly do you mean?