calm as anything, knowing that Lady Bayfield was in her room, swallowing a fatal dose of her pills. You ware casually talking and joking while she died of a heart attack. You let her do it. Haven't you any feelings at all?
Janet: What people choose to do to themselves is their own business.
Thomas: Poor woman. She needed protecting from herself. To think her life depended on your compassion.
Janet: But of course, this is all guess work, and rather wild at that.
Rayner: It's convincing enough to establish grounds to acquit Mrs. Hedges.
Janet: But not convincing enough to take me to court.
Rayner: We know for a fact that you cancelled a trip to Paris.
Janet: There's no law against that.
Rayner: The planted evidence the pillow, the bottle.
Janet: Can you prove I planted it?
Rayner: Circumstantial evidence suggests... (trailing off)
Janet: Reasonable doubt. On your evidence, they'd laugh you out of court.
Thomas: You killed Lady Bayfield, just as if you fired a gun at her.
(Thomas takes out his gun. The Constable moves towards him, but stops when Thomas points the gun at him and Rayner indicates for him not to intervene with a movement of his arm. Thomas points the gun at Janet.)
Janet: It was suicide, you heard.
Thomas: But you did nothing to stop her.
Janet. That's what they say.
Thomas: And now you're getting off scot free.
Janet: And why not, if I didn't do anything'
Thomas: Tell me, tell me, eye to eye, is it true?
Janet: Thomas, stop playing with that, toy. You know you haven't the courage to use it. You know what we were talking about - those who play games and those with the courage to act? You're a game player.
Thomas: Did you do what they said?
Janet: (Calmly and brightly) Yes, now put that toy down.
(Thomas shoots her. She clasps her hands to her chest and as she starts to fall, instant blackout.)
CURTAIN
Other e-books by the same author:
Twilight of The Bald
Terra Nullius - The Definite History
Twilight of The Bald and Other Stories
O Juliet, Juliet
The Playground of The Mind is a Broad Theatre
Whodunnit Mrs Christie Page 12