Day 11: Noir
MARCIA and FIONA are on the fire escape. They have tea and are dressed warmly.
MARCIA
You saw that, right? I wasn’t imagining it?
FIONA
(only half paying attention)
Oh, yes. Of course I saw it.
MARCIA
I knew it! I knew Mr. Andrews was a killer! I’m going to confront him.
FIONA
What? No, you can’t do that?
MARCIA
Why?
FIONA
Because… we need evidence. Let’s… let’s do a real stakeout. Do you still have your bird watching gear?
MARCIA
I think it’s in the closet of the second bedroom! I’ll go see!
(exits to apartment. FIONA watches her leave. Turns to face the audience.)
FIONA
I hate lying to her, the old broad. She’s been nothing but honest with me. But some things are for her own good.
(looks back into the apartment to make sure MARCIA isn’t listening)
You see, things have gotten bad the past few weeks. Real bad. Like can’t tell Double Indemnity from her real life bad. I think this is the first time we’ve been relieved grandpa isn’t here to be with her. Of course, if he was, maybe none of this would ever happen.
(inhales, and releases breath, like one would do when smoking, but without the cigarette.)
You see, the girl loves mysteries. Christie, Doyle, French, and Larsson, if there’s a murder and someone is on the case, she’s putting down her library card to see what game is afoot.
But sometimes, when you’re in the mind that grandma is in, well, you forget that 9 times out of 10, a library is the only place you find stories like that. Thankfully.
So we play a little game, her and I. Not that she knows. Not that she can know. We just gotta play along, until something else catches her eye. Otherwise we’re all in for a world of trouble.
Especially her.
She’s been gone a long time. I better check on her.
We gotta keep this between you and me. Don’t want things to get messy, do we?
(FIONA exits into the apartment. A few moments later, MARCIA comes on with gear for a stakeout, unaccompanied.)
MARCIA
(while setting up stakeout gear)
Oh! I didn’t see you there. You won’t tell Fee I’m out here, will you? She’s been acting so odd lately, and I don’t know what to do. When she was little she’d go along with almost anything but she’s so hesitant nowadays to do much of anything. Honestly, I think she’s nervous about what we’ve seen.
Can you keep a secret?
The other night we witnessed a murder. Right over there in that alley. At first we weren’t sure it wasn’t a mugging, or just someone being overly dramatic after having too many drinks. We just heard screaming. But then I saw the killer come out with a bloody kitchen knife and run right into the building two doors down!
Hard to believe? Well, I grew up in this neighborhood and when I was young, that sort of thing wasn’t unheard of on this block.
And that building, well it’s owned by the same family that’s owned it since it was built. The Montagues. That’s right. Italian.
Not that all Italians are in the mob or anything. I’m old, not racist. But the Montagues had connections in Verona if you know what I’m saying.
I was in school with Francisco Montague, you know. He was my lab partner. And he always talked about how the dissections were good practice.
Mario was around Fiona’s age, but the Montague’s didn’t go to school in the neighborhood by then though. I do think they played together. When kids still played outside.