The Mousetrap and Other Plays (76 page)

MYERS
. Did he speak about the blood?

ROMAINE
. He said, “Damnit, there's blood on them.”

MYERS
. What did you say?

ROMAINE
. I said, “What have you done?”

MYERS
. What did the prisoner say to that?

ROMAINE
. He said, “I've killed her.”

LEONARD
. (
Rising; frenzied.
) It's not true, I tell you. It's not true.

(
The
WARDER
rises and restrains
LEONARD
.)

JUDGE
. Please control yourself.

LEONARD
. Not a word of this is true. (
He resumes his seat.
)

(
The
WARDER
remains standing.
)

JUDGE
. (
To
ROMAINE
) You know what you're saying, Mrs. Heilger?

ROMAINE
. I am to speak the truth, am I not?

MYERS
. The prisoner said, “I have killed her.” Did you know to whom he referred?

ROMAINE
. Yes, I knew. It was the old woman he had been going to see so often.

MYERS
. What happened next?

ROMAINE
. He told me that I was to say he had been at home with me all that evening, especially he said I was to say he was at home at half past nine. I said to him, “Do the police know you've killed her?” And he said, “No, they will think it's a burglary. But anyway, remember I was at home with you at half past nine.”

MYERS
. And you were subsequently interrogated by the police?

ROMAINE
. Yes.

MYERS
. Did they ask you if Leonard Vole was at home with you at half past nine?

ROMAINE
. Yes.

MYERS
. What did you answer to that?

ROMAINE
. I said that he was.

MYERS
. But you have changed your story now. Why?

ROMAINE
. (
With sudden passion.
) Because it is murder. I cannot go on lying to save him. I am grateful to him, yes. He married me and brought me to this country. What he has asked me to do always I have done it because I was grateful.

MYERS
. Because you loved him?

ROMAINE
. No, I never loved him.

LEONARD
. Romaine!

ROMAINE
. I never loved him.

MYERS
. You were grateful to the prisoner. He brought you to this country. He asked you to give him an alibi and at first you consented, but later you felt that what he had asked you to do was wrong?

ROMAINE
. Yes, that is it exactly.

MYERS
. Why did you feel it was wrong?

ROMAINE
. When it is murder. I cannot come into Court and lie and say that he was there with me at the time it was done. I cannot do it. I cannot
do
it.

MYERS
. So what did you do?

ROMAINE
. I did not know what to do. I do not know your country and I am afraid of the police. So I write a letter to my ambassador, and I say that I do not wish to tell any more lies. I wish to speak the truth.

MYERS
. That
is
the truth—that Leonard Vole returned that night at ten minutes past ten. That he had blood on the sleeves of his coat, that he said to you, “I have killed her.” That is the truth before God?

ROMAINE
. That is the truth.

(
MYERS
resumes his seat.
)

SIR
WILFRID
. (
Rising
) When the prisoner went through this form of marriage with you, was he aware that your first husband was still alive?

ROMAINE
. No.

SIR
WILFRID
. He acted in good faith?

ROMAINE
. Yes.

SIR
WILFRID
. And you were very grateful to him?

ROMAINE
. I was grateful to him, yes.

SIR
WILFRID
. You've shown your gratitude by coming here and testifying against him.

ROMAINE
. I have to speak the truth.

SIR
WILFRID
. (
Savagely.
) Is it the truth?

ROMAINE
. Yes.

SIR
WILFRID
. I suggest to you that on the night of October the fourteenth Leonard Vole was at home with you at nine-thirty, the time that the murder was committed. I suggest to you that this whole story of yours is a wicked fabrication, that you have for some reason a grudge against the prisoner, and that this is your way of expressing it.

ROMAINE
. No.

SIR
WILFRID
. You realize that you are on oath?

ROMAINE
. Yes.

SIR
WILFRID
. I warn you, Mrs. Heilger, that if you care nothing for the prisoner, be careful on your own account. The penalty for perjury is heavy.

MYERS
. (
Rising and interposing
) Really, my lord. I don't know whether these theatrical outbursts are for the benefit of the Jury, but I do most respectfully submit that there is nothing to suggest that this witness has spoken anything but the truth.

JUDGE
. Mr. Myers. This is a capital charge, and within the bounds of reason I would like the defence to have every latitude. Yes, Sir Wilfrid.

(
MYERS
resumes his seat.
)

SIR
WILFRID
. Now then. You have said—that there was blood on both cuffs?

ROMAINE
. Yes.

SIR
WILFRID
.
Both
cuffs?

ROMAINE
. I have told you, that is what Leonard said.

SIR
WILFRID
. No, Mrs. Heilger, you said, “He told me to wash the cuffs. They had blood on them.”

JUDGE
. That is precisely my note, Sir Wilfrid.

SIR
WILFRID
. Thank you, my lord. (
To
ROMAINE
.) What you were saying is that you had washed both cuffs.

MYERS
. (
Rising
) It is my friend's turn to be inaccurate now, my lord. Nowhere has this witness said she washed both cuffs, or indeed that she washed even one. (
He sits.
)

SIR
WILFRID
. My friend is right. Well, Mrs. Heilger, did you wash the sleeves?

ROMAINE
. I remember now. It was only one sleeve that I washed.

SIR
WILFRID
. Thank you. Perhaps your memory as to other parts of your story is equally untrustworthy. I think your original story to the police was that the blood on the jacket came from a cut caused while carving ham?

ROMAINE
. I said so, yes. But it was not true.

SIR
WILFRID
. Why did you lie?

ROMAINE
. I said what Leonard told me to say.

SIR
WILFRID
. Even going so far as to produce the actual knife with which he was cutting the ham?

ROMAINE
. When Leonard found he had blood on him, he cut himself to make it seem the blood was his.

LEONARD
. (
Rising
) I never did.

SIR
WILFRID
. (
Silencing
LEONARD
) Please, please.

(
LEONARD
resumes his seat.
)

(
To
ROMAINE
.) So you admit that your original story to the police was all lies? You seem to be a very good liar.

ROMAINE
. Leonard told me what to say.

SIR
WILFRID
. The question is whether you were lying then or whether you are lying
now.
If you were really appalled at murder having been committed, you could have told the truth to the police when they first questioned you.

ROMAINE
. I was afraid of Leonard.

SIR
WILFRID
. (
Gesturing towards the woeful figure of
LEONARD
) You were afraid of Leonard Vole—afraid of the man whose heart and spirit you've just broken. I think the Jury will know which of you to believe. (
He sits.
)

MYERS
. (
Rising
) Romaine Heilger. I ask you once more, is the evidence you have given the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth?

ROMAINE
. It is.

MYERS
. My lord, that is the case for the prosecution. (
He sits.
)

(
ROMAINE
stands down and crosses to the door up
L
.
The
POLICEMAN
opens the door.
)

LEONARD
. (
As
ROMAINE
passes him.
) Romaine!

USHER
. (
Rising
) Silence!

(
ROMAINE
exits up
L
.
The
POLICEMAN
closes the door. The
USHER
resumes his seat.
)

JUDGE
. Sir Wilfrid.

SIR
WILFRID
. (
Rising
) My lord, members of the Jury, I will not submit to you, as I might, that there is no case for the prisoner to answer. There
is
a case. A case of very strong circumstantial evidence. You have heard the police and other expert witnesses. They have given fair, impartial evidence as is their duty. Against them I have nothing to say. On the other hand, you have heard Janet MacKenzie and the woman who calls herself Romaine Vole. Can you believe that their testimony is not warped? Janet MacKenzie—cut out of her rich mistress's will because her position was usurped, quite unwittingly, by this unfortunate boy. (
He pauses.
) Romaine Vole—Heilger—whatever she calls herself, who trapped him into marriage, whilst concealing from him the fact that she was married already. That woman owes him more than she can ever repay. She used him to save her from political persecution. But she admits no love for him. He has served his purpose. I will ask you to be very careful how you believe her testimony, the testimony of a woman who, for all we know, has been brought up to believe the pernicious doctrine that lying is a weapon to be used to serve one's own ends. Members of the Jury, I call the prisoner. Leonard Vole.

(
The
USHER
rises and crosses to the witness box.
LEONARD
rises, crosses and goes into the witness box. The
WARDER
follows
LEONARD
and stands behind him. The
USHER
picks up the Bible, hands it to
LEONARD
and holds up the oath card.
)

LEONARD
. I swear by Almighty God that the evidence that I shall give shall be the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth. (
He puts the Bible on the ledge of the witness box.
)

(
The
USHER
replaces the oath card on the ledge of the witness box and sits
R
.
of the table.
)

SIR
WILFRID
. Now, Mr. Vole, we have heard of your friendship with Miss Emily French. Now I want you to tell us how often you visited her.

LEONARD
. Frequently.

SIR
WILFRID
. Why was that?

LEONARD
. Well, she was awfully nice to me and I got fond of her. She was like my Aunt Betsy.

SIR
WILFRID
. That was an aunt who brought you up?

LEONARD
. Yes. She was a dear. Miss French reminded me of her.

SIR
WILFRID
. You've heard Janet MacKenzie say Miss French thought you were a single man, and that there was some question of marrying you. Is there any truth in this?

LEONARD
. Of course not. It's an absurd idea.

SIR
WILFRID
. Miss French knew that you were married?

LEONARD
. Yes.

SIR
WILFRID
. So there was no question of marriage between you?

LEONARD
. Of course not. I've told you, she treated me as though she was an indulgent aunt. Almost like a mother.

SIR
WILFRID
. And in return you did everything for her that you could.

LEONARD
. (
Simply.
) I was very fond of her.

SIR
WILFRID
. Will you tell the Jury in your own words exactly what happened on the night of October the fourteenth?

LEONARD
. Well, I'd come across a kind of a cat brush—a new thing in that line—and I thought it would please her. So I took it along that evening. I'd nothing else to do.

SIR
WILFRID
. What time was that?

LEONARD
. Just before eight I got there. I gave her the cat brush. She was pleased. We tried it out on one of the cats and it was a success. Then we played a game of Double Demon—Miss French was very fond of Double Demon—and after that I left.

SIR
WILFRID
. Yes, but did you not . . .