Red Scharlach is the villain in the story Death and the
Compass by J.L. Borges. Seeking retribution for the death of his brother,
Scharlach lures Erik Lonnrot, a cunningly logical municipal detective (and
the killer of his brother), to his death in the villa of Triste-le-Roy.
Full text of the story is available here:
http://textz.gnutenberg.net/textz/borges_jorge_luis_death_and_the_compass.txt
Red Scharlach has been portrayed by Christopher Eccleston
in Alex Cox’s film of Death and the Compass produced originally for
television, but expanded for release in theaters and DVD.
Alias:
Scharlach the Dandy