PHILIP. Dangerous?
MEREDITH. Very.
PHILIP. And you’ve no idea whatsoever who could have taken it?
MEREDITH. No. I always keep the door locked.
PHILIP. You locked it yesterday?
MEREDITH. You know I did. You saw me.
PHILIP. You’re sure about this—you haven’t just mislaid the bottle—shoved it away somewhere? (He crosses to R)
MEREDITH. I showed it them all yesterday. And then I put it back in its place on the shelf.
PHILIP. (turning; sharply) Who came out of the room last?
MEREDITH. (unwillingly) Caroline—I waited for her.
PHILIP. But you weren’t watching her?
MEREDITH. No.
PHILIP. (with decision) Well, then Caroline took it.
MEREDITH. You really think so?
PHILIP. (crossing above Meredith to L) So do you, or you wouldn’t be in such a state.
MEREDITH. That’s what she had in mind yesterday—when she said everything was finished for her. She meant to do away with herself. (He sinks on to the stool, and faces upstage)
PHILIP. Well, cheer up, she hasn’t done any with herself yet.
MEREDITH. You’ve seen her this morning. Is she all right?
PHILIP. Seems just the same as usual to me.
MEREDITH. What are we going to do?
PHILIP. You’d better tackle her.
MEREDITH. I don’t know—how shall I go about it?
PHILIP. I should just stay straight out—“You pinched my conine yesterday. Hand it back, please.”
MEREDITH. (doubtfully) Like that?
PHILIP. (crossing above Meredith to R) Well, what do you want to say?
MEREDITH. I don’t know. (He brightens) We’ve got plenty of time, I imagine. She wouldn’t take the stuff until she goes to bed, would she?
PHILIP. (dryly) Probably not. If she means to take it at all.
MEREDITH. You think she doesn’t?
PHILIP. (crossing below Meredith to L) She may want it to make a theatrical scene with Amyas. Give up that girl or I’ll swallow this and kill myself.
MEREDITH. That wouldn’t be like Caroline.
PHILIP. Well—you know her best. (He moves up LC)
MEREDITH. You’re always bitter about Caroline. You used to be crazy about her once—don’t you remember? (He rises)
PHILIP. (turning; annoyed) A brief attack of calf love. It wasn’t serious.
MEREDITH. And then—you turned against her.
PHILIP. (exasperated) Let’s stick to the present, shall we?
MEREDITH. Yes. Yes, of course.
(CAROLINE enters up C)
CAROLINE. Hullo, Merry, stay to lunch, won’t you? It’ll be ready in a moment. (She moves to the french windows)
MEREDITH. Well, thanks.
(CAROLINE goes on to the terrace and stands by the easel, looking at Amyas)
ELSA. (to Amyas; as Caroline comes out) I shall have a break.
AMYAS. (rather indistinctly) Stop where you are, damn you.
MEREDITH. (to Philip) After lunch, I’ll take Caroline out in the garden and tackle her. All right?
(PHILIP nods, closes the door up C and moves to the french windows. ELSA rises and stretches. MEREDITH moves to the table R and picks up his half-finished lemonade)
CAROLINE. (urgently) Amyas . . .
PHILIP. (moving on to the terrace) You seem very preoccupied this morning, Caroline.
CAROLINE. (to Philip; over her shoulder) I? Oh, yes, I’m very busy getting Angela off. (To Amyas. Very urgently) You will do it, Amyas. You must. This afternoon.
(PHILIP moves above the bench. AMYAS passes his hand over his forehead. He has lost control of clear speech)
AMYAS. All ri-right. I’ll see—her packing . . .
CAROLINE. (turning to the french windows) We—we do want Angela to get off without too much fuss. (She goes into the room and stands above the stool)
(PHILIP crosses to the french windows. ELSA sits on the bench. AMYAS shakes his head to try and clear his brain)
PHILIP. (to Caroline) You spoil that brat.
CAROLINE. (plumping cushions on the sofa) We shall miss her terribly when she’s gone.
PHILIP. (stepping into the room) Where’s little Carla?
(MEREDITH crosses to the armchair L with his drink, and sits)
CAROLINE. She’s gone to stay with her godmother for a week. She’ll be home the day after tomorrow.
MEREDITH. What’s Miss Williams going to do with herself when Angela’s gone?
CAROLINE. She’s got a post at the Belgian Embassy. I shall miss her.
(A dinner gong sounds off in the hall)
Lunch.
(ANGELA bursts in up C)
ANGELA. (as she enters) I’m starving. (She runs on to the terrace. To Elsa and Amyas) Lunch, you two.
(MISS WILLIAMS appears in the doorway up C. CAROLINE crosses to the table RC and picks up her cigarette case)
ELSA. (rising and picking up her pullover) Coming.
(ANGELA goes into the room)
(To Amyas) Lunch?
AMYAS. I—ah!
MISS WILLIAMS. Do try not to shout so, Angela, it really isn’t necessary.
ANGELA. I’m not shouting.
(ANGELA exits up C. MISS WILLIAMS follows her off)
CAROLINE. (moving to the door up C; to Meredith) I should bring that in with you.
(MEREDITH rises)
PHILIP. (looking at Meredith) What—lemonade?
CAROLINE. (to Philip) For you, we’ve got a lovely bottle of . . .
PHILIP. Château Neuf du Pape? Good! Hasn’t Amyas finished it yet?
CAROLINE. (to Meredith) What a nice surprise to see you.
MEREDITH. I really came over to see Philip, but I’m always happy to stay to lunch.
(CAROLINE and PHILIP exit up C. ELSA comes into the room)
(He turns to Elsa) Amyas?
ELSA. (crossing to the door up C) There’s something he wants to finish.
(ELSA exits up C. MEREDITH follows her off)
ANGELA. (off) He hates stopping for lunch.
(The paintbrush drops from AMYAS’ hand. The LIGHTS slowly dim to BLACK-OUT. A spotlight comes up on Justin down L)
JUSTIN. They all went in to lunch, leaving Amyas painting on the terrace. After lunch, Miss Williams and Mrs. Crale went out with coffee. Miss Williams?
(The spotlight fades. MISS WILLIAMS’ voice can be heard in the darkness)
MISS WILLIAMS. Mr. Crale often refused lunch and went on painting. It was nothing out of the ordinary. He liked a cup of coffee brought to him, though. I poured it and Mrs. Crale took it out to him, and I followed. At the trial I told what we found. But there was something else—something I have not told anyone. I think it right that I should tell it now.
(The LIGHTS come up. AMYAS lies prostate on the ground below the easel. CAROLINE and MISS WILLIAMS are in the room, standing at the stool, on which there is a tray of coffee. MISS WILLIAMS is R of the stool, pouring out a cup of coffee, which she gives to Caroline. CAROLINE takes the coffee on to the terrace)
CAROLINE. (as she goes on to the terrace) Amyas. (She sees Amyas on the ground. Horrified) Amyas! (She stands for a moment, puts the coffee-cup on the bench, rushes to Amyas, kneels beside him and picks up his hand)
(MISS WILLIAMS comes quickly on to the terrace and moves to L of Caroline)
He’s—I think he’s dead. (She is distracted) Well, go on. Quick. Telephone for a doctor or something.
(MISS WILLIAMS goes quickly into the room. As soon as Miss Williams reaches the french windows, CAROLINE gives a furtive look round, takes out her handkerchief, picks up the beer bottle, wipes it, then presses Amyas’ hand round it. MEREDITH enters up C)
MISS WILLIAMS. (to Meredith) Get Dr. Fawcett, quickly. It’s Mr. Crale. He’s been taken ill.
(MEREDITH stares at Miss Williams for a moment, then moves to the telephone and lifts the receiver. MISS WILLIAMS goes on to the terrace in time
to see Caroline pressing Amyas’ fingers round the bottle. MISS WILLIAMS freezes. CAROLINE rises, crosses quickly to the trolley, puts the bottle on it, then stands facing L. MISS WILLIAMS turns slowly and goes into the room)
MEREDITH. (into the telephone) Four-two, please . . . Dr. Fawcett? . . . This is Alderbury . . . Can you come at once? Mr. Crale has been taken seriously ill . . .
MISS WILLIAMS. He’s . . .
MEREDITH. (to Miss Williams) What? (Into the telephone) Just a moment. (To Miss Williams) What did you say?
(ELSA enters up C. PHILIP follows her on. They are laughing and joking)
MISS WILLIAMS. (in a clear voice) I said he’s dead.
(MEREDITH replaces the receiver)
ELSA. (staring at Miss Williams) What did you say? Dead? Amyas? (She rushes on to the terrace and stares down at Amyas) Amyas! (She draws in her breath, runs and kneels above Amyas and touches his head)
(CAROLINE turns. The others are motionless)
Quietly Amyas!
(There is a pause. PHILIP runs on to the terrace and stands below the bench. MISS WILLIAMS comes on to the terrace and stands below the french windows. MEREDITH follows her on and stands up L of the bench)
(She looks up at Caroline) You’ve killed him. You said you’d kill him, and you’ve done it. Sooner than let me have him, you’ve killed him. (She jumps up and goes to throw herself at Caroline)
(PHILIP moves quickly, stops Elsa and propels her round to Miss Williams. ELSA is hysterical and screams. ANGELA enters up C and stands beside the sofa)
MISS WILLIAMS. Be quiet. Control yourself.
ELSA. (in a frenzy) She killed him. She killed him.
PHILIP. Take her inside—get her to lie down.
(MEREDITH takes Elsa into the room)
CAROLINE. Miss Williams, don’t let Angela come—don’t let her see.
(MEREDITH takes ELSA off up C. MISS WILLIAMS looks at Caroline for a moment, then sets her lips firmly and goes into the room. PHILIP kneels beside Amyas and feels his pulse)
ANGELA. Miss Williams, what is it? What’s happened?
MISS WILLIAMS. Come to your room, Angela. There’s been an accident.
(MISS WILLIAMS and ANGELA exit up C)
PHILIP. (looking up at Caroline) It’s murder.
CAROLINE. (shrinking back; suddenly indecisive) No. No—he did it himself.
PHILIP. (quietly) You can tell that story—to the police.
(The LIGHTS slowly dim to BLACK-OUT. A spotlight comes up on Justin down L)
JUSTIN. In due course the police arrived. They found the missing phial of conine in a drawer in Caroline’s room. It was empty. She admitted taking it—but denied using it and swore she had no idea why it should be empty. No fingerprints but Meredith’s and her own were found on it. On the terrace, a small eye-dropper was found crushed underfoot. It contained traces of conine and shows how the poison was introduced into the beer. Angela Warren told how she got a fresh bottle of beer from the refrigerator. Miss Williams took it from her and Caroline took it from Miss Williams, opened it and gave it to Amyas, as you have just heard. Neither Meredith nor Philip Blake touched it or went near it. A week later Caroline Crale was arrested on a charge of murder.
(The spotlight fades. After a moment, the LIGHTS come up showing the scene as it was at the beginning of the Act. The coffee, lemonade, trolley, easel, etc., have been removed. The picture on the wall is again that of Elsa. PHILIP stands R of the sofa. MEREDITH is seated on the sofa at the left end. ANGELA is seated on the left arm of the sofa. ELSA stands in front of the door up C. MISS WILLIAMS is seated on the right end of the stool. CARLA is seated in the armchair R. JUSTIN is just inside the french windows with a notebook in his hand. They are all dressed for outdoors with coats and hats. ELSA is in mink. She appears excited. MEREDITH is crushed and miserable. PHILIP is aggressive. MISS WILLIAMS sits with lips set firm. ANGELA is upright, interested and thoughtful)
PHILIP. (irritably) Well, we’ve been through this extraordinary performance which must have been most painful to some of us. (He crosses above the stool to R of Justin) And what have we learnt? Nothing that we did not know before. (He glares at Justin)
(JUSTIN smiles. PHILIP goes on to the terrace, stands by the bench and lights a cigarette. MISS WILLIAMS rises and moves R)
JUSTIN. (thoughtfully) I wouldn’t say that.
MEREDITH. It’s brought it all back—just as though it happened yesterday. Most painful.
ELSA. (crossing to the sofa and sitting on it, R of Meredith) Yes, it brought it all back. It brought him back.
ANGELA. (to Justin) What have you learned that you did not know before?
JUSTIN. We shall go into that.
(PHILIP comes into the room and crosses to C)
PHILIP. May I point out something that does not seem to be recognized by anybody? (He moves to R of Justin) What we have been listening to—and supplying—can only be recollections, and probably faulty ones at that.
JUSTIN. As you say.
PHILIP. And therefore quite useless as evidence. (He turns away up LC) We haven’t heard facts at all, only people’s vague recollections of facts.
JUSTIN. (moving to L of Philip) What we have heard has no evidential value as such—but it has a value, you know.
PHILIP. In what way?
JUSTIN. Shall we say, in what people choose to remember? Or, alternatively, choose to forget.
PHILIP. Very clever—but fanciful.
ANGELA. (to Philip) I don’t agree. I . . .
PHILIP. (overriding Angela) And I will point out something else. (He crosses below the stool and stands between Miss Williams and Elsa) It’s not just a question of what people remember, or do not remember. It might be a question of deliberate lying.
JUSTIN. Of course.
ANGELA. That’s just the point, I rather imagine. (She rises and moves C) Or am I wrong?
JUSTIN. You are thinking on the right lines, Miss Warren.
(ANGELA crosses to the armchair L)
PHILIP. (exasperated) Look here, what is all this? If somebody is deliberately lying—why then . . .
ANGELA. (sitting in the armchair L) Exactly.
PHILIP. (crossing to Justin; angrily) Do you mean you have got us here with the idea—the preposterous idea, that one of us could be guilty of murder?
ANGELA. Of course he has. Have you only just realized it?
PHILIP. I never heard such offensive nonsense in my life.
ANGELA. If Amyas didn’t kill himself, and if his wife didn’t murder him, then one of us must have done so.
PHILIP. But it has already been made perfectly clear, in the course of what we’ve heard, that nobody but Caroline could have killed him.
JUSTIN. I don’t think we can be as certain as all that.
PHILIP. (crossing below the stool to R) Oh, God!
JUSTIN. (not heeding) There is the question you yourself raised, the question of lying.
(There is a slight pause. PHILIP sits on the right end of the stool, with his back to the audience)
When one person’s evidence is corroborated or acquiesced in by another person—(he moves down C) then it can be regarded as checked. But some of what we have heard is vouched for by only one person. (He crosses below the stool and moves up C) For instance, at the very beginning, we had to rely solely on Mr. Meredith Blake here for what passed between him and Caroline Crale.
MEREDITH. (indignantly) But, really . . .
JUSTIN. (quickly) Oh, I’m not disputing the authenticity of what you told us. I only point out that the conversation could have been an entirely different one.
MEREDITH. (rising) It was as accurate as anything could be after a lapse of sixteen years.
JUSTIN. Quite. (He crosses to the french windows and goes on to the terrace) But remember the fine weather and the open windows. This means that most of the conversations, even those that were apparently tête-a-têtes, could be and probably were, overheard from either inside or outside the room. (He comes into the r
oom and stands up LC) But that is not so for all of them.
MEREDITH. (moving L) Are you getting at me?
(There is a pause. JUSTIN looks at his notebook)
JUSTIN. Not necessarily. I singled you out because you started the ball rolling.
MISS WILLIAMS. (moving to R of the stool) I would like to state here and now that any account I have given of my part in the affair is true. There is no witness who saw what I saw—Caroline Crale wiping fingerprints off that bottle, but I solemnly swear that is exactly what I saw her do. (She turns to Carla) I am sorry, for Carla’s sake, I have to tell you this, but Carla is, I hope, courageous enough to face the truth.
ANGELA. Truth is what she asked for.
JUSTIN. And truth is what will help her. (He crosses below the stool to Miss Williams) What you don’t realize, Miss Williams, is that what you have told us goes a long way towards proving Caroline Crale’s innocence, not her guilt.
(There are general exclamations from the others. PHILIP rises and moves to L of the stool)
MISS WILLIAMS. What do you mean?
JUSTIN. You say you saw Caroline Crale take a handkerchief, wipe the beer bottle, and then press her husband’s fingers on it?
MISS WILLIAMS. Yes.
JUSTIN. (after a pause; quietly) The beer bottle?
MISS WILLIAMS. Certainly. The bottle.
JUSTIN. But the poison, Miss Williams, was not found in the bottle—not a trace of it. The conine was in the glass.
(There are general exclamations from the others)
ANGELA. You mean . . . ?
JUSTIN. (moving up C) I mean that if Caroline wiped the bottle, she thought the conine had been in the bottle. But if she had been the poisoner, she would have known where the conine was. (He turns to Carla)
(MISS WILLIAMS moves to the sofa. MEREDITH, bewildered, moves R)
CARLA. (on a very soft sigh) Of course.
(There is a pause)
JUSTIN. (moving to Carla) We all came here today to satisfy one person. Amyas Crale’s daughter. Are you satisfied, Carla?
(There is a pause. CARLA rises and moves above the stool. JUSTIN sits in the armchair R)
CARLA. Yes. I’m satisfied. I know now—oh, I know now such a lot of things.
PHILIP. What things?
CARLA. (moving LC) I know that you, Philip Blake, fell violently in love with my mother, and that when she turned you down and married Amyas, you never forgave her. (To Meredith) You thought you still loved my mother—but really it was Elsa you loved.