Murder in the Park
Cast
Katie
Rob
Place: A park outside a train station.
(KATIE is sleeping on a park bench, it is approximately 4 o’clock in the morning. She is wearing an ugly sweater with a wide neck; one of the sleeves is obviously, ridiculously longer than the other. ROB approaches wearing a police uniform, carrying a big flashlight and shakes KATIE awake)
ROB: Excuse me for waking you, miss. Can I ask you what you are doing in this park at this hour?
KATIE: Ugh! I just barely fell asleep! What time is it?
ROB: (HE pulls out his cell phone.) It’s 4:17 in the morning. I’m Officer Rob Garn.
KATIE: 4:17? I guess I’ve been sleeping almost 4 hours then. My name’s Katie.
ROB: Katie, what are you doing in the park so late at night? The curfew is in effect to help our citizens, you know. Are you homeless?
KATIE: No. I’m not homeless. I got off the train after midnight; we had some delays, it was running slow so we got here late. I think it was something about someone losing their tie on the track. (Yawns) Seems silly they’d stop so long for something like that, but it took forever. By the time I got to this town, the last train had already left, and the station is closed until seven. I didn’t know what to do, I was so tired. Then I saw this cute little park and it looked friendly, so I just lied down. (Yawns) Anyway, I’m not actually from around here, so I didn’t know about the curfew. Am I in trouble, officer? Are you going to arrest me or something? Do I need to call my dad, because he wouldn’t be happy about me waking him up?
ROB: No, ma’am. How old are you anyway?
KATIE: I’m nineteen, that’s definitely old enough to be travelling alone. If you must know, I’m on my way back home. My Granny is getting senile and my mom thought she needed a babysitter for the summer. She lives in this one small town, Coalcreek; it’s even smaller than this one! (Yawns) I hate trains, but this will be the last one before I get back to my hometown, and then my daddy’s picking me up at this one station tomorrow in the city. I texted him to tell him the train wasn’t coming, or at least I wasn’t on it, but I don’t know if he got it. You got cell service out here?
ROB: It’s hit-and-miss. Heck, half the time we don’t even have internet.
KATIE: That’s horrible! (Pause) It sure is cold out. I didn’t bring any jackets, because I didn’t think it would be this cold, so my Gran knitted this one ugly sweater for me.
ROB: It’s not that bad. It could definitely be worse.
KATIE: How? It was so humiliating; she made me wear it out in public! The sleeves aren’t even the same length. People always try to tell me that women can’t be color-blind, but I swear Gran is. She’s probably normal-blind too. Is that what it’s called? Normal-blind?
ROB: At least it’s not a sweater-vest. (Pause) Anyway, I hate to scare you, Katie, but this curfew is in effect because there has been a series of murders lately. It’s been all over the news, the entire state knows about it. There was a fourth one tonight, at this very park; the body was found a couple of hours ago.
KATIE: Murders! Why didn’t you say so? That is pretty scary, but isn’t it exciting? It’s like something out of a TV show. How’d they die?
ROB: We think that tonight’s victim died of strangulation. You don’t seem too concerned about this. Most young women wouldn’t want to be alone in this park. Aren’t you the least bit frightened?
KATIE: Why should I be? I’m with a police officer. (Pause) Strangulation? That’s kind of like suffocation, right? When you can’t get enough air? (Pause) I assume you have a gun. (ROB nods.) Well, see, I’ll be perfectly safe. I can’t suspect you then, since the girls were strangled, not shot.
ROB: I never said they were girls.
KATIE: I just assumed, I guess. In all the movies the serial killers targeted girls, but I suppose they’d kill a man or two that got in the way. (Pause) What else ya got on ya?
ROB: I have a little bit of rope.
KATIE: (Sarcastically) Ya, that’ll keep us safe.
ROB: I could use it to hog-tie the victim.
KATIE: Victim? Oh, you mean the murder suspect. I guess that might work, like, if you didn’t have hand-cuffs, or if you want to tie their legs so they can’t run away. Do you have to carry hand-cuffs?
ROB: I do.
KATIE: I thought so. It wouldn’t make sense for a policeman to not carry hand-cuffs. I bet there’s a lot of stuff you have to carry around. Like on your belt and stuff. I bet you’re like Batman with that one utility belt of his. I bet all that stuff slows you down.
ROB: Well, we don’t carry around as much stuff as Batman, and really you get used to it all being there, you feel weird without it.
KATIE: Like when you’re wearing a hat, like, all day, and you take it off and it still feels like it’s on your head?
ROB: Yeah, something like that. I actually don’t have my cuffs with me. Sometimes I can be such an idiot. At least I have my rope.
KATIE: I’ll be so glad when this is over and I’ll be home in a few hours. Back to real civilization! If only this station wasn’t closed I could be there already!
ROB: Now, from what you’ve told me you’ve been in this park since a little after midnight.
KATIE: Yeah, that’s right, there was a tie on the—
ROB: That places you in the park around the approximate time we believe the murder occurred.
KATIE: I’m not a suspect, am I? You said it was a serial killer. I don’t even live in—
ROB: I only have your word telling me you don’t live in this town. That means that you are a suspect. You’ll have to come with me to the station, if not to interrogate you at least as a precaution to keep you safe. I’m afraid there is no way you will be getting home at all this morning.
KATIE: I—I can’t be a suspect. I’m innocent. I don’t have anything that could be a weapon. Except maybe this sweater, a person could die just by looking at it! Surely you trust me?
ROB: If you are innocent, then you won’t mind coming with me. If you have nothing to hide you should be perfectly fine. Right?
KATIE: I guess.
(ROB starts walking away from Katie towards the parking lot. KATIE follows him.)
KATIE: Geez, it’s sure dark over here. I guess didn’t realize the park was lit. It sure makes a big difference. I’m glad you have that big flashlight. All I have is my cell phone. (ROB pulls out a length of rope. KATIE passes ROB as they continue walking, she takes off her sweater.)
ROB: I thought you said you were cold, why did you take your sweater off.
(Katie turns, her sweater stretched taut between both hands.)
KATIE: I thought you said we were safe, why did you take your rope out?
(ROB stretches his rope out similar to how Katie is holding her sweater. BOTH take a step towards each other.)
Curtain
