REHEARSAL
By
Brian Sands
Chapter 6 The Boyfriend
The first thought that flashed through Laura’s mind was that the intruder had come to rob them. She could imagine it described in the papers as a ‘bungled burglary,’ the thief surprised by three women. Ordinarily, three against one were better odds than a lone woman would face, providing the man was not armed. But it was a very different matter when two of the three women were helpless, bound and gagged. Laura tugged uselessly at her bonds but only succeeded in hurting herself. It was up to Alison to defend them, but what could one woman do?
While these fears were assailing Laura, Alison was backing away slowly down the steps, her eyes dilated and one hand to her mouth. The man kept on descending, step by slow step. The set of his body suggested that he was enjoying himself. He moved into the light.
The moment his face came into view, Alison relaxed visibly. She straightened and, hand on her hip, spoke accusingly to the descending figure while she stamped her foot on the floor.
‘You silly man, you gave me a fright. There’s no need to go walking about like that. A loud knock would have been enough.’
The man thrust his hands into his pockets and grinned.
‘I rang your doorbell. When there was no answer, I decided to let myself in - with this key,’ he withdrew one hand and dangled a key lazily, holding it at Alison’s eye-level. It hung by a short length of red tape of the kind used to parcel documents. ‘Nice,’ he added, ‘the original red tape.’
‘How did you get that?’
‘A little snooping in your bag one day while you were visiting. Useful to have a key to your house.’
‘Bu- But that’s the action of a common thief!’
Right you are, thought Laura. You may be a little under the weather, Ally, but you’re right on the mark there!
The oily confident tone of the man’s voice as he continued set Laura’s teeth on edge.
‘I suppose you’re wondering why don’t I just go away? Well I knew you hadn’t gone far. Your car was still parked in the shed - yes, I looked there just to make sure - so I decided to wait inside, try out your bar, and surprise you - Darling.’
He added the last word with a smiling glance in Eloise Mordaza’s direction, but his gaze rested longer, and more keenly, on Laura.
‘So, Ally, aren’t you going to introduce me to these two beautiful and somewhat restrained ladies?’
‘Oh ... yes,’ said Alison with a faint hiccup. She turned to Laura and the Director and, with a faltering theatrical gesture, proclaimed uncertainly. ‘Madame le Directeur, Laura, I present my, um, fiance, Clive Harold.’
The Director nodded to the newcomer, carrying it off with considerable aplomb considering that she was tightly bound and gagged. But a puzzled look furrowed her brows at the exchange that had just taken place between Alison and Clive.
Laura, however, sat absolutely still in her chair as though she was carved in stone. Her face was pale and she had a sick feeling in her heart that something was very badly wrong and that unaccountable evil was afoot. For the man standing before them so grandly introduced by Alison as her fiance was - had been - Laura’s boyfriend of a month before. Except that he was dressed in a smarter suit than when she knew him, his hair was a different colour, he no longer sported a moustache, and his name had been Ronald.
*
ACT THREE, SCENE 1 ... Continued.
THE MAN: (Continuing to look fixedly at DOLORES). Yes. It will be necessary to transport you to a place where you can be held more securely, pending the finding of a suitable ransom. You can’t be entirely alone in the world, Miss Dolores. Perhaps my newly acquired accomplice will suggest something, eh? You will find her rich uncle or father, someone who can pay the bills, won’t you my dear? (GERTRUDE nods her head vigorously and tries to speak through her gag).
THE MAN: I’m sorry, but for the moment you both must remain gagged. (He addresses DOLORES) You, all of the time, and you (addressing GERTRUDE) until I know I can trust you. (THE MAN bends forward and tests the ropes holding both women. He then tests their gags, stopping and tightening DOLORES’ gag). I’ll leave you both to stew while I see what’s going on upstairs. You, Miss Dolores, don’t have to do anything. Your role in this little drama is to remain a still and very mute prisoner, indefinitely. (DOLORES shakes her head and moans softly through her gag). On the other hand, Gertrude my dear, it’s up to you to cook up some good alibis that will convince our smart detective fellow, and determine how we can both get our hands on Miss Dolores’ inheritance and other assets she has stored away. I advise you to come up with some good schemes or you will share the same fate as Miss Dolores, long, boring and painful days enduring the thrust of the gag, bound and of course blindfolded. And there is a very deep river nearby.
(THE MAN exits upper stage left. GERTRUDE and DOLORES look at each other and begin struggling frantically in their bonds. They can make very little sound through their gags. Then GERTRUDE starts to edge her chair towards DOLORES. Their eyes meet. DOLORES nods in understanding and begins to move her chair too. But it is a slow process. The light fades on the two struggling women).
CURTAIN
*
‘So what have we here, a kinky game?’ said Clive/Ronald with a supercilious leer.
‘No, nothing like that,’ answered Alison, her face colouring. ‘We’re rehearsing for a play, if you must know.’ Alison walked unsteadily to the kitchen area. ‘Would you like a li’l drinkies, Clive darling?’
‘Later perhaps.’
From the set of the man’s face, Laura could see ideas clicking over in Ronald’s head. He’s thinking how he can turn this situation to his advantage, the bastard, Laura thought distractedly. He’s not only an embezzler and a con man, Ally. He has a dangerous streak. But Laura was unable to voice any of her experience or fears to Alison. Oh Ally, please get some sense into that silly head of yours and untie us! Or at least take these horrible gags out of our mouths.
But Alison was not receiving any messages. She was instead pouring another glass of wine for herself, as much to hide her embarrassment as to relax.
Ronald/Clive walked to her, took the bottle from her hands, and completed filling the glass.
‘Sit down. Darling, and tell Uncle Clive all about it.’
They settled side by side on the sofa while Alison recounted the story of the play and how she and Laura had decided to hold several rehearsals together in private in order to get their lines right. The ‘lovers’ totally ignored the two women sitting gagged and bound only feet away from them.
It was incredible. Laura seriously doubted whether Ronald had any finer feelings about Alison, just as he had shown his true lack of sensitivity towards her a month ago. Laura looked across at the Director, who returned her gaze with a puzzled frown. Neither woman was fighting her bonds any longer. What was the point of struggling? All they could do was to wait for Alison or her paramour to free them. And Laura seriously doubted that Ronald would do such a thing.
If Ally and Ronald go outside for awhile, thought Laura, the Director and I might be able to help each other, like in the play.
But Alison and Clive appeared too comfortably settled. And, what was worse, Laura saw a dark, speculative frown cast her way by Ronald from time to time. He’s up to something, thought Laura in anguish, and it has to be no good!
At last Alison remembered her responsibilities. Rising unsteadily, she exclaimed, ‘I’d better get Madame Directeur out of those ropes, and you too Lalla.
Laura waited with a growing impatience as Alison bent to the work of untying
Eloise Mordaza. She did not mind being second in line. At least the ropes would soon be off, and the itching gag. There were a few things she wanted to say to that smirking male watching from the sofa.The Director rose stiffly from her chair, rubbing her hands and wrists ruefully and working her mouth and jaw.
‘Well,’ she huffed. ‘I must say!’
‘D- Don’t be angry, Madame,’ said Alison.
‘Oh, I’m not angry, dear.’ The director began to dust herself down, smoothing out the creases in her pink skirt. ‘It’s all very interesting. But having another person on the scene, a man too! Well, Alison, you must keep your social life a little more separate from your thespian activities. That’s all I can say.’
She glanced at her watch. ‘Is that the time? I must fly. Have to conference with the playwright. But I can tell her that everything’s developing well, can’t I? Now that I know how well you and Laura have your lines sorted out, and the original way you’ve gone about rehearsing for it.’
‘Th- Thank you Mizz - Mizz Director.’
The Director looked at Laura. ‘And take those ropes off poor Lalla. I think she’d had enough for tonight.’
‘Yes, Madame.’
But Alison followed the Director to the steps.
‘Don’t worry,’ said Clive/Ronald smoothly, ‘I’ll help Laura. Take as long as you like.’
Alison and Director Mordaza mounted the steps and exited, Alison talking to in a hurried undertone interrupted only occasionally by a faint unladylike hiccup. The door closed. Laura and the man were alone together.
Ronald/Clive came to his feet and stood looking down at Laura.
‘Alone at last!’ he leered.
‘Glggg?’
‘Now what am I to do with you? I really can’t have you around to influence young Alison. The business deal is nearly cinched. If she gets wise, she’ll withdraw her financial support - the power of attorney she’s allowed - and that won’t do at all. Ah, looking daggers at me? Well ...’
The man stepped behind Laura and began to work at the knot at the back of her neck. At last, thought Laura, won’t I ever give him a piece of my mind!
The knot loosened, the gag became slack ... But what was he doing? As the cloth bit into the corners of her mouth again and pressed into her cheeks, Laura realised with a frightened sick feeling that Ronald was not untying the gag. He was tightening it! In a moment, Laura’s jaws were all but immobilised, and she could make less sound than ever through a mouth now fixed wide open and plugged with the cloth that had been placed there by the Director such a long time ago now.
‘Didn’t think I was going to let you go, did you?’ said Ronald/Clive with a knowing smirk. The man peered into Laura’s face and pinched her cheek ironically. ‘Or let that pretty mouth of yours free to yap? But what to do with you now, before Alison returns? Oh yes, I know what you’re thinking. How can I hide you away and con Alison into thinking you’ve gone home? ... Easy. She’s had a few drinks. I can say that you slipped out the back way because you were embarrassed and wanted to leave us alone together. Yes, that’s it ...’
The man began to walk quickly around the basement room. He opened the other door that entered into the real junk room of Alison’s house. ‘Hmm. Possible, but too much room to move. Let’s see ...’
He continued his circuit and stopped in front of the large cupboard from which Alison had fetched the ropes when they had first started the rehearsal. He opened one of the two doors. Laura could just distinguish that that side of the cupboard was a single vertical space. It seemed to have a pile of blankets and cushions filling its first few feet.
‘Hmm.’ The man closed the door and tried the handle of the adjoining one. It opened to reveal shelving. ‘Aha, what have we here?’
Ronald/Clive lifted out several sets of neatly folded clothesline cord and weighed them in his hands. They were still in their original packs from the hardware store.
‘Ve-rry interesting ... and useful.’ The man tossed several of the packets into the floor and turned to Laura. ‘Better work quickly now. That chatterbox may be back any moment.’
The man crossed to Laura’s side and swiftly unfastened the ropes that bound the young woman to the chair. Laura was picked up, carried across the room, and dumped without ceremony onto the floor. She sat there, bound hand and foot, and watched as Ronald tore open one of the packs.
He looked down at Laura. ‘Why don’t I use the other ropes that were used to tie you to the chair, hey? They gotta still be there, baby, for Alison to find. It’d look funny otherwise ... Why would sweet li’l Laura take her ropes with her? Hyuk hyuk!’
The man’s an imbecile, though Laura in disgust. What ever did I see in him? Thank god we never went to bed together!
But Laura’s thoughts were beginning to wander and become disconnected. The so-tight gag was beginning to cause real distress. Laura’s breathing was becoming more heavy and strained against the cloth that filled her mouth, and her head was feeling a little woozy. Her skin felt cold and clammy and a shiver ran through her body. As Clive began to tie her arms back at the elbows, preparatory to trussing her up, the room tilted dizzily.
Laura fainted.
Chapter Seven
ã Brian Sands November 2002