SCENE ONE
(In the questioning room Zandra and Mr Smith are both seated looking into each other’s eyes with a straight face. On the table Mr Smith has placed a tape recorder and a docket)
MR SMITH: I’m pretty sure you had time to process the conversation we had.
ZANDRA: (nods)
MR SMITH: Should we start?
ZANDRA: (nods)
MR SMITH: (presses the tape recorder and shouts) Are you ready to tell me the truth?
ZANDRA: Yes Sir.
MR SMITH: Start talking!
ZANDRA: Soon after finding out that Alex was cheating on me with Selina, I made him to choose between me and her. He chose her, he chose Selina. I accepted that Alex no longer loves me. It was evident that he never loved me because Selina was not the first girl to cheat on me with, there was Casey. With Casey I ordered him to dump her. He listened and dumped her.
MR SMITH: Continue
ZANDRA: I accepted the defeat. He had chosen Selina and I, on the other hand had no choice but to move on as well. (sighs) I moved on quickly. There was this bad boy in high school who was obsessed about me. Every time he would try his luck and I would tell him that I had a boyfriend. This other day he came and everything changed. I told him I’m officially single and I agreed to be his girlfriend. I never loved the guy. It was just for revenge and to prove to Alex that I can get any man I want.
MR SMITH: (rolls eyes) You still haven’t told me anything.
ZANDRA: You said you want the truth. Unfortunately that’s where everything starts (sighs) Uhm then we dated, I mean me and this bad guy. I told him everything Alex has put me through. He told me I should get revenge. I asked him how. He said he will take care of everything.
MR SMITH: Who is this bad guy we are talking about here?
ZANDRA: (looks down) Tom.
MR SMITH: Interesting! Continue
ZANDRA: One night he came with black roses and plenty cards. I asked him why be bought those. He said he wants to make Alex’s life a living hell for breaking my heart. He was hundred percent behind me. It didn’t sit well with him that he wanted me all these years and the person who denied him that opportunity was actually mistreating me. He told me to write notes on the cards.
MR SMITH: He told you to write what exactly?
ZANDRA: “You cheat you die”, “You have broken my heart into pieces, here is your special delivery” I don’t remember some of the notes.
MR SMITH: What was going on in your mind when you wrote those notes? You knew Tom would kill Alex right?
ZANDRA: (shakes head) Oh, Tom is such a smooth talker. He made it seem like it’s a game. In my mind we were trying to frighten him, that’s all. I didn’t know he planned such evilness.
MR SMITH: Take me to the day Alex was murdered.
ZANDRA: On the 29th of October morning he told me that he was going to deal with Alex. I thought maybe he was going to confront him for hurting me, He was so mad that morning. He really loved me, no actually he was obsessed.
MR SMITH: He would do anything to protect you? To win your heart?
ZANDRA: Yes, he knew the space I was in. He knew I was hurting. He knew that I loved Alex. Killing him was minimising the competition because Alex was the love of my…
MR SMITH: (clears throat) Then what happened?
ZANDRA: Tom left my apartment that night. He took the cards and the black roses along. I was watching a series on TV then I passed out on the couch. Tom came back around 01:00 bloodied saying he took care of everything.
MR SMITH: And?
ZANDRA: I asked what he has done, He told me everything. He stabbed him to death in his apartment. Moved the body to the river. He threw the body there.
MR SMITH: The phone and the knife?
ZANDRA: I don’t know where the knife is but he told me that he threw the phone in the River with Alex.
MR SMITH: And the diary?
ZANDRA: (cries) After finding out what he has done I dumped him. He was nothing else but a rebound. I told him I never loved him then he got super mad. He took out a diary in my drawer and said I should write as if I had killed Alex. He then said that he killed Alex because of me and if I think I will dump him just like that I should forget about it. Its either he has me or he gets me arrested.
MR SMITH: Okay, then?
ZANDRA: (still crying) He told me what to write word by word. He told me that he will go to the police with the diary and have me arrested if I dump him. He reminded me of the notes I wrote on the cards. It was pretty clear that I was not going to win the war. I surrendered. Every kiss and every touch was torture (crying out loud) He said he will kill me. He said he will have me arrested if I speak the truth.
MR SMITH: (hands her a tissue) Hiding the truth didn’t help because look at you. You are in the very situation you were trying to escape from.
ZANDRA: (wipes tears) I’m innocent detective. Trust me.
MR SMITH: So Tom framed Casey? Tom delivered the black roses in Casey’s apartment and home? Correct?
ZANDRA: Yes. He said that if we redirect the attention to Casey the police will never find out what he did. He then went to plant black roses in Casey’s room. Everything was going according to plan until Casey fought to clear her name.
MR SMITH: Lets go back to the night you were arrested.
ZANDRA: Oh, Selina and Casey found out the truth. They thought I killed him.. their stupid research suggested that but I don’t blame them I had a motive. Little did they know that the master mind behind all of this is Tom.
MR SMITH: Mhmm plus that night we found him pushing a dustbin ready to do what he is best with. That’s enough for today. Thank you for your honesty. Me and the rest of team will look close to this case.
(stops the tape recorder, takes his belongings and stands at the doorway blinking one eye to Zandra)
SCENE TWO
(Casey and Bob walk in the Dine Restaurant. Bob pulls a chair for Casey to sit on the vacant table. He also sits down facing her)
CASEY: (placing her handbag on top of the table) Magnificent place!
BOB: Yeah. First time coming?
CASEY: Yes. This place is expensive and it’s always fully packed. I wonder where people get the money.
(Bob smiles and rises a hand to signal they want to order. A waitress comes sprinting with two menus)
WAITRESS: (places two menus before them) Good Evening, please do let me know when you are ready to order
BOB: Okay. Thank you. (Picks up the menu and looks at it) What are you going to eat?
CASEY: (looks at the menu) Uhm.. I have no idea.
BOB: Fleur burger? Oysters? Fugu? Iberico ham? or Wagyu beef?
CASEY: (laughs) You should have stopped on Fleur Burger. What the hell is Fugu? And the other one’s? And wait what is this Fleur Burger? The only name I recognise is “burger” (shakes head) Don’t they have chicken burger or something.
BOB: (laughing out loud) I’m glad it’s both our first time here. I’m very cautious when it comes to money. To tell you the truth I don’t recognise any meal here on the menu.
CASEY: (laughs) Lets take Fleur burgers
(The waitress comes back to take the menus)
CASEY: So tell me about yourself. Come to think of it I don’t know anything about you while on the other hand you know everything about me. The only thing I know about you is that you can hack.
BOB: (smiles) What’s there to know about me. I’m just a computer nerd
CASEY: That’s not enough. I want to know everything, your parents, siblings, your ex and where you work.
BOB: (smiles) Okay! I’m a software developer. I work for this big company which at this moment I can’t mention. I was raised by my mother. I don’t really know my father. Every time I ask about him Mom changes and becomes angry. So yeah I don’t know my father. I have a younger sister she is doing her first year, Engineering Studies.
CASEY: Wow nice! Your younger sister got all the brains from you
BOB: (laughs) I suppose.
(The waitress comes back with their meals and they eat. After the main course is done, Bob calls the waitress again to order dessert)
Waitress: Is everything okay Sir?
BOB: Can you please get us Dessert Menus
WAITRESS: No problem Sir I will be right back.
CASEY: (whispers while biting her lower lip) Are we not going to eat dessert at your place?
BOB: I have no dessert at my place (pauses and laughs) Oh you mean that dessert? Are you sure?
CASEY: Let’s get out of here
BOB: Uhm I don’t want us to rush things. There are few things I want to say to you before we move to other departments
CASEY: (Biting lower lip and moves a finger in circular motion around the empty wine glass) Can we skip the talking. I want to get physical
BOB: Remember that day at the park when I told you how I feel about you. I was serious. I meant every word I said. I love you Casey. I have never felt like this before. Please allow me in your life.
(Casey stands up and places a finger on Bob lips. She then calls the Waitress and without saying any word Bob takes out a wallet and pays the bill, the waitress stands still looking at Bob and Bob takes out few hundreds and the waitress takes the money nodding. Casey and Bob both disappear in the exit door of the Dine Restaurant)
SCENE THREE
(Mr Smith and David are inside Mr Smith car. The car is parked in the dark cold forest)
MR SMITH: I was able to implement the plan
DAVID: Tell me about the plan.
MR SMITH: Tom killed Alex
DAVID: (nods) Nice! Do all the dots connect?
MR SMITH: Zandra made it all possible. She is genius! I didn’t have to tell her what to say. It’s like she knew what I needed to hear
DAVID: (nods)
MR SMITH: I have presented all the information Zandra gave me to the superiors. Now it’s all up to them to release her or not. My job is done.
DAVID: I like your plan but I’m not sure about something. All this mean that she will go to court and stuff?
MR SMITH: Most likely. You know how the law is.
DAVID: Hmm but I trust you.
MR SMITH: Making the docket disappear will be hard now. The commander is looking into this case especially now that Zandra has come forward with the truth.
DAVID: Forget about the docket. As long as my baby is out I’m okay. All will fall to place. Her mother is also a fighter.
MR SMITH: Zandra really impressed me today. I t was like I handed her a script. She left no stones unturned.
DAVID: (smiles) She did well