The Mousetrap and Other Plays (42 page)

GERDA
. No, I'd been up for about three-quarters of an hour. I'd been outside. Sir Henry was very kindly teaching me how to shoot—but I did it so badly I couldn't hit the target at all.

(
LADY
ANGKATELL
and
MIDGE
exchange looks.
)

Then I walked round a little—for exercise—came back to the house for my leatherwork bag, went upstairs, came down and then—as I told you—I heard a shot and came in here—and there was John dead.

HENRIETTA
. (
Coming down the steps up Centre
) Dying. (
She moves to the drinks table, puts down her cup, takes a cigarette from the box on the table and lights it from the one she is smoking.
)

(
They all look at
HENRIETTA
.)

GERDA
. I thought he was dead. There was the blood and the revolver. I picked it up . . .

INSPECTOR
. Why did you pick it up, Mrs. Cristow?

(
There is a tense pause. All look at the
INSPECTOR
.)

GERDA
. I don't know.

INSPECTOR
. You shouldn't have touched it, you know.

GERDA
. Shouldn't I?

(
MIDGE
takes a cigarette from the case in her bag.
)

INSPECTOR
. And then what happened?

GERDA
. Then the others all came in and I said, “John's dead—somebody's killed John.” But who could have killed him? Who could possibly have wanted to kill him?

(
SIR
HENRY
strikes a match suddenly and lights his pipe.
EDWARD
looks at him for a moment.
)

John was the best of men, so good, so kind. He did everything for everyone. He sacrificed himself. Why, his patients all adored him. It must have been some sort of accident, it must—it must.

MIDGE
. Couldn't it have been suicide?

(
MIDGE
feels in her bag for her lighter.
)

INSPECTOR
. No. (
He crosses below the sofa to Right of it.
) The shot was fired from at least four feet away.

GERDA
. But it must have been an accident.

INSPECTOR
. It wasn't an accident, Mrs. Cristow. (
He takes his lighter from his pocket and lights
MIDGE
's cigarette.
) There was no disagreement between you?

GERDA
. Between John and me? No.

(
MIDGE
rises and crosses above the sofa to the steps up Centre.
)

INSPECTOR
. Are you sure of that?

GERDA
. He was a little annoyed with me when we drove down here. I change gear so badly. I—I don't know how it is, whenever I'm in the car with him, I never seem to do anything right. I get nervous.

INSPECTOR
. There was no serious disagreement? No—quarrel?

GERDA
. Quarrel? Between John and me? No, Inspector. No, John and I never quarrelled. He was so good, so kind. (
She starts to cry.
) I shall never see him again.

(
MIDGE
moves to Left of the sofa.
)

(
The
INSPECTOR
nods and moves up Right.
)

MIDGE
. Yes. Come and have a rest. You'll feel better.

LADY
ANGKATELL
. Tell Simmonds—a hot-water bottle.

(
MIDGE
leads
GERDA
to the door Left and they exit together.
)

(
To the
INSPECTOR
.) She adored him.

INSPECTOR
. Just so. (
He moves down Right.
) Now, I should like to talk to you all, one at a time. Perhaps, Lady Angkatell, you wouldn't mind . . . ?

LADY
ANGKATELL
. (
Delighted
) Oh no, of course not, Inspector. I want to do everything I can to help you. (
She eases to Left of the sofa.
) I feel that we must all be very very cooperative.

INSPECTOR
. That's certainly what we should like.

LADY
ANGKATELL
. (
Confidentially
) Actually, this is my first murder.

INSPECTOR
. Indeed?

LADY
ANGKATELL
. Yes, an old story to you, of course. I suppose you're always rushing about here and there, arresting people, sending out flying squads?

INSPECTOR
. We're not quite so dynamic as all that.

SIR
HENRY
. My wife is very fond of going to the pictures, Inspector.

INSPECTOR
. I'm afraid in real life it's much more boring than on the screen. (
He crosses below
LADY
ANGKATELL
to Left Centre.
) We just go on asking people a lot of rather dull questions.

LADY
ANGKATELL
. (
Radiantly
) And now you want to ask
me
a lot of questions. Well, I shall do everything I can to help you. As long as you don't ask me what time anything was, or where I was, or what I was doing. Because that's something I never remember—even when I was quite tiny.

SIR
HENRY
. Don't discourage the Inspector too much, my dear. (
He moves to the door Left and opens it.
) May I come along, too?

INSPECTOR
. I should be pleased, Sir Henry.

SIR
HENRY
. My wife's remarks are sometimes rather hard to follow. I can act as interpreter.

(
LADY
ANGKATELL
crosses and exits Left. The
INSPECTOR
and
SIR
HENRY
follow her off.
HENRIETTA
moves on to the terrace up Centre and stands in the window.
EDWARD
watches her in silence for a few moments. She pays no attention to him.
)

EDWARD
. It's not so warm as yesterday.

HENRIETTA
. No, no—it's cold—autumn chill.

EDWARD
. You'd better come in—you'll catch cold.

HENRIETTA
. I think I'll go for a walk.

EDWARD
. I shouldn't.

HENRIETTA
. Why?

EDWARD
. (
Crossing to the fireplace and putting his cup and saucer on the mantelpiece
) Well, for one thing it's going to rain—and another—they might think it odd.

HENRIETTA
. You think a policeman would plod after me through the woods?

EDWARD
. I really don't know. One can't tell what they're thinking—the whole thing
seems
obvious.

HENRIETTA
. Gerda, you mean?

EDWARD
. After all, who else is there?

HENRIETTA
. (
Moving to Right of the armchair Left Centre
) Who else had a motive to kill John Cristow?

EDWARD
. Yes.

HENRIETTA
. Did Gerda have a motive?

EDWARD
. If she found out a few things—after all, last night . . . (
He breaks off.
)

HENRIETTA
. John and Veronica Craye, you mean?

EDWARD
. (
Slightly embarrassed
) Well, yes. (
Impatiently
) He must have been crazy.

HENRIETTA
. He was. Adolescent passion unresolved and kept in cold storage and then suddenly released. (
She crosses to the coffee table and stubs out her cigarette in the ashtray.
) He was crazy all right.

EDWARD
. She's a remarkably good-looking woman in a rather hard, obvious sort of way. But I can't see anything to lose your head about.

HENRIETTA
. I don't suppose John could—this morning.

EDWARD
. (
Turning to face the fire
) It's an unsavoury business.

HENRIETTA
. Yes. (
She crosses to Right of the sofa.
) I think I will go for a walk.

EDWARD
. Then I'll come with you.

HENRIETTA
. I'd rather be alone.

EDWARD
. (
Moving below the sofa
) I'm coming with you.

HENRIETTA
. Don't you understand? I want to be alone—with my dead.

EDWARD
. I'm sorry. (
He pauses.
) Henrietta, I haven't said anything—I thought you'd rather I didn't. But you do know, don't you, how sorry I am?

HENRIETTA
. Sorry? (
With a bitter smile
) That John Cristow's dead?

EDWARD
. (
Taken aback
) I meant—sorry for you. I know it's been a great shock.

HENRIETTA
. (
Bitterly
) Shock? Oh, but I'm tough, Edward. I can stand shocks. Was it a shock to you? (
She crosses above the sofa to Left of it.
) I wonder what you felt when you saw him lying there? Glad, I suppose. (
Accusingly
) Were you glad?

EDWARD
. Of course I wasn't glad. Cristow and I had nothing in common, but . . .

HENRIETTA
. You had me in common. You were both fond of me, weren't you? But it didn't make a bond between you—quite the opposite.

EDWARD
. Henrietta—don't speak so bitterly. I do feel for you in your loss—your grief.

HENRIETTA
. (
Sombrely
) Is it grief?

EDWARD
. What do you mean?

HENRIETTA
. (
To herself
) So quick. (
She crosses to the fireplace.
) It can happen so quickly. One moment living—breathing—and the next—dead—gone—emptiness. Oh, the emptiness. And here we are eating sandwiches and drinking coffee, and calling ourselves alive. And John, who was more alive than any of us, is dead. (
She moves Centre.
) I say the word, you know, over and over again to myself. Dead—dead—dead—dead—dead.

EDWARD
. (
Moving in to
HENRIETTA
and taking her by the shoulders
) Henrietta. Henrietta, stop it—stop!

HENRIETTA
. (
Regaining control of herself; quietly
) Didn't you know I'd feel like this? What did you think? That I'd sit crying gently into a nice little pocket handkerchief while you held my hand? That it would all be a great shock for me, but that presently I'd begin to get over it?

(
EDWARD
drops his arms.
)

And you'd comfort me very nicely? You are nice, Edward—(
She crosses below him and sits on the sofa at the Left end of it
) but it's not enough.

EDWARD
. (
Deeply hurt
) Yes, I've always known that.

HENRIETTA
. What do you think it's been like here today? With John dead and nobody caring but me and Gerda. With you glad, and Midge upset, and Henry worried, and Lucy enjoying, in a delicate sort of way, the
News of the World
come from print into real life. Can't you see how like a fantastic nightmare it is?

EDWARD
. (
Moving up Right
) Yes, I see.

HENRIETTA
. At this moment nothing seems real to me but John. I know—I'm being a brute to you, Edward, but I can't help it, I can't help resenting that John, who was so alive, is dead . . . (
She breaks off.
)

EDWARD
. And that I—(
He turns above the sofa
) who am half dead, am alive?

HENRIETTA
. (
Rising quickly and turning to face
EDWARD
) I didn't mean that, Edward.

EDWARD
. I think you did, Henrietta.

(
HENRIETTA
makes a hopeless gesture, turns and exits Right, leaving the window open.
EDWARD
looks after her like a man in a dream.
MIDGE
enters Left.
)

MIDGE
. (
Moving Left Centre.
) Brrr! It's cold in here.

EDWARD
. (
Absently
) Yes.

MIDGE
. Where's everybody?