The Mousetrap and Other Plays (79 page)

MAYHEW
. (
Horrified
) Good Lord! Do you mean . . . ?

CARTER
. (
Enters and closes the door behind him.
) Excuse me, Sir Wilfrid. A young woman is asking to see you. She says it has to do with the case of Leonard Vole.

SIR
WILFRID
. (
Unimpressed.
) Mental?

CARTER
. Oh, no, Sir Wilfrid. I can always recognize that type.

SIR
WILFRID
. (
Moving above the desk and picking up the tea-cups
) What sort of a young woman? (
He crosses to
C
.)

CARTER
. (
Taking the cups from
SIR
WILFRID
) Rather a common young woman, sir, with a free way of talking.

SIR
WILFRID
. And what does she want?

CARTER
. (
Quoting somewhat distastefully
) She says she ‘knows something that might do the prisoner a bit of good.'

SIR
WILFRID
. (
With a sigh
) Highly unlikely. Bring her in.

(
CARTER
exits, taking the cups with him.
)

What do you think, John?

MAYHEW
. Oh well, we can't afford to leave any stone unturned.

(
CARTER
enters and ushers in a
WOMAN
.
She appears to be aged almost thirty-five and is flamboyantly but cheaply dressed. Blond hair falls over one side of her face. She is violently and crudely made up. She carries a shabby handbag.
MAYHEW
rises.
)

CARTER
. The young lady. (
CARTER
exits.
)

WOMAN
. (
Looking sharply from
SIR
WILFRID
to
MAYHEW
) Here, what's this? Two o' yer? I'm not talking to two of yer. (
She turns to go.
)

SIR
WILFRID
. This is Mr. Mayhew. He is Leonard Vole's solicitor. I am Sir Wilfrid Robarts, Counsel for the Defence.

WOMAN
. (
Peering at
SIR
WILFRID
) So you are, dear. Didn't recognize you without your wig. Lovely you all look in them wigs.

(
MAYHEW
gives
SIR
WILFRID
a nudge, then stands above the desk.
)

Havin' a bit of a confab, are you? Well, maybe I can help you if you make it worth my while.

SIR
WILFRID
. You know, Miss—er . . .

WOMAN
. (
Crossing and sitting
L
.
of the desk
) No need for names. If I did give you a name, it mightn't be the right one, might it?

SIR
WILFRID
. (
Standing
C
.) As you please. You realize you are in duty bound to come forward to give any evidence that may be in your possession.

WOMAN
. Aw, come off it! I didn't say I knew anything, did I? I've
got
something. That's more to the point.

MAYHEW
. What is it you have got, madam?

WOMAN
. Aye-aye! I was in court today. I watched the—that trollop give her evidence. So high and mighty about it too. She's a wicked one. A Jezebel, that's what she is.

SIR
WILFRID
. Quite so. But as to this special information you have . . .

WOMAN
. (
Cunningly.
) Ah, but what's in it for me? It's valuable, what I've got. A hundred quid, that's what I want.

MAYHEW
. I'm afraid we could not countenance anything of that character, but perhaps if you tell us a little more about what you have to offer . . .

WOMAN
. You don't buy unless you get a butcher's, is that it?

SIR
WILFRID
. A butcher's?

WOMAN
. A butcher's 'ook—look.

SIR
WILFRID
. Oh, yes—yes.

WOMAN
. I've got the goods on her all right. (
She opens her handbag.
) It's letters, that's what it is. Letters.

SIR
WILFRID
. Letters written by Romaine Vole to the prisoner?

WOMAN
. (
Laughing coarsely
) To the prisoner? Don't make me laugh. Poor ruddy prisoner, he's been took in by her all right. (
She winks.
) I've got something to
sell
, dear, and don't you forget it.

MAYHEW
. (
Smoothly.
) If you will let us see these letters, we shall be able to advise you as to how pertinent they are.

WOMAN
. Putting it in your own language, aren't you? Well, as I say, I don't expect you to buy without seeing. But fair's fair. If those letters will do the trick, if they'll get the boy off, and put that foreign bitch where she belongs, well, it's a hundred quid for me. Right?

MAYHEW
. (
Taking his wallet from his pocket and extracting ten pounds
) If these letters contain information that is useful to the defense—to help your expenses in coming here—I am prepared to offer you ten pounds.

WOMAN
. (
Almost screaming.
) Ten bloody quid for letters like these. Think again.

SIR
WILFRID
. (
Crossing to
MAYHEW
and taking the wallet from him
) If you have a letter there that will help to prove my client's innocence, twenty pounds would I think not be an unreasonable sum for your expenses. (
He crosses to
R
.
of the desk, takes ten pounds from the wallet, returns the empty wallet to
MAYHEW
, and takes the first ten pounds from him.
)

WOMAN
. Fifty quid and it's a bargain. That's if you're satisfied with the letters.

SIR
WILFRID
. Twenty pounds. (
He puts the notes on the desk.
)

(
The
WOMAN
watches him and wets her lips. It is too much for her.
)

WOMAN
. All right, blast you. 'Ere, take 'em. Quite a packet of 'em. (
She takes the letters from her handbag.
) The top one's the one will do the trick. (
She puts the letters on the desk, then goes to pick up the money.
)

(
SIR
WILFRID
is too quick for the
WOMAN
and picks up the money. The
WOMAN
quickly retrieves the letters.
)

SIR
WILFRID
. Just a moment. I suppose this is her handwriting?

WOMAN
. It's her handwriting all right. She wrote 'em. It's all fair and square.

SIR
WILFRID
. We have only your word for that.

MAYHEW
. Just a moment. I have a letter from Mrs. Vole—not here, but at my office.

SIR
WILFRID
. Well, madam, it looks as though we'll have to trust you—(
He hands her the notes.
) for the moment. (
He takes the letters from her, smooths them out and begins to read.
)

(
The
WOMAN
slowly counts the notes, carefully watching the
OTHERS
meanwhile.
MAYHEW
moves to
SIR
WILFRID
and peers at the letters. The
WOMAN
rises and crosses towards the door.
)

(
To
MAYHEW
.) It's incredible. Quite incredible.

MAYHEW
. (
Reading over his shoulder
) The cold-blooded vindictiveness.

SIR
WILFRID
. (
Crossing to the
WOMAN
) How did you get hold of these?

WOMAN
. That'd be telling.

SIR
WILFRID
. What have you got against Romaine Vole?

(
The
WOMAN
crosses to the desk, suddenly and dramatically turns her head, swings the desk lamp so that it flows on to her face on the side that has been turned away from the audience, pushing her hair back as she does so, revealing that her cheek is all slashed, scarred and disfigured.
SIR
WILFRID
starts back with an ejaculation.
)

WOMAN
. See that?

SIR
WILFRID
. Did
she
do that to you?

WOMAN
. (
Crossing to
C
.) Not her. The chap I was going with. Going with him steady, I was too. He was a bit younger than me, but he was fond of me and I loved him. Then she came along. She took a fancy to him and she got him away from me. She started to see him on the sly and then one day he cleared out. I knew where he'd gone. I went after him and I found them together. (
She sits
L
.
of the desk.
) I told 'er what I thought of 'er and 'er set on me. In with one of the razor gangs, he was. He cut my face up proper. “There,” he says, “no man'll ever look at you now.”

SIR
WILFRID
. Did you go to the police about it?

WOMAN
. Me? Not likely. 'Sides it wasn't 'is fault. Not really. It was hers, all hers. Getting him away from me, turning 'im against me. But I waited my time. I followed 'er about and watched 'er. I know some of the things she's bin up to. I know where the bloke lives who she goes to see on the sly sometimes. That's how I got hold of them letters. So now you know the whole story, mister. (
She rises, thrusts her face forward and pushes her hair aside.
) Want to kiss me?

(
SIR
WILFRID
shrinks back.
)

I don't blame yer. (
She crosses to
L
.)

SIR
WILFRID
. I'm deeply sorry, deeply sorry. Got a fiver, John?

(
MAYHEW
shows his empty wallet.
)

(
He takes his wallet from his pocket and extracts a fivepound note.
) Er—we'll make it another five pounds.

WOMAN
. (
Grabbing the note
) 'Oldin' out on me, were yer? Willin' to go up another five quid. (
She advances on
SIR
WILFRID
.)

(
SIR
WILFRID
backs towards
MAYHEW
.)

Ah, I knew I was being too soft with you. Those letters are the goods, aren't they?

SIR
WILFRID
. They will, I think, be very useful. (
He turns to
MAYHEW
and holds out a letter.
) Here, John, have a butcher's at this one.

(
The
WOMAN
slips quickly out of the door.
)

MAYHEW
. We'll have a handwriting expert on these for safety's sake, and he can give evidence if necessary.

SIR
WILFRID
. We shall require this man's surname and his address.

MAYHEW
. (
Looking around
) Hullo, where has she gone? She mustn't leave without giving us further particulars. (
He crosses to
C
.)

SIR
WILFRID
. (
Crosses and exits hurriedly. Off, calling
) Carter! Carter!

CARTER
. (
Off.
) Yes, Sir Wilfrid?

SIR
WILFRID
. (
Off.
) Carter, where did that young woman go?

CARTER
. (
Off.
) She went straight out, sir.

SIR
WILFRID
. (
Off.
) Well, you shouldn't have let her go. Send Greta after her.

CARTER
. (
Off.
) Very good, Sir Wilfrid.

(
SIR
WILFRID
enters and crosses to
L
.
of
MAYHEW
.)

MAYHEW
. She's gone?

SIR
WILFRID
. Yes, I've sent Greta after her, but there's not a hope in this fog. Damn! We must have this man's surname and address.

MAYHEW
. We won't get it. She thought things out too carefully. Wouldn't give us her name, and slipped out like an eel as soon as she saw us busy with the letters. She daren't risk having to appear in the witness box. Look what the man did to her last time.

SIR
WILFRID
. (
Without conviction
) She'd have protection.

MAYHEW
. Would she? For how long? He'd get her in the end, or his pals would. She's already risked something coming here. She doesn't want to bring the man into it. It's Romaine Heilger she's after.

SIR
WILFRID
. And what a beauty our Romaine is. But we've got something to go on at last. Now as to procedure . . .

CURTAIN

Scene II