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Monologue Mania Day # 1787, 1788, 1789, 1790, 1791, 1792 The Biggest Secrets (House #3) by Janet S. Tiger (c) Jan. 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 2019
THE BIGGEST SECRET (house #3)
by Janet S. Tiger (c)
all rights reserved June 29, 2011
This is part of a trilogy.
House #1 and House # 2 are connected, but each can stand alone, they are on previous days of this blog.
Production History –
San Diego, 2012 Dunn-Rankin
Gallery Scripteasers Reading
Characters-
ELENA - 40s slight
Spanish accent
SGT TRAGGERT – 40s
Set - Bare, only a
couple of chairs, boxes, some police tape
(The set is simple - a couple of chairs, some boxes, papers on the floor. But the presence of police tape makes you realize that this house is different, it is a crime scene. Many people have come through here - there is a garbage basket overflowing with coffee cups to one side, where a makeshift desk area is visible. A woman enters, this is Elena, and she is in shock as she surveys the house, fighting hard not to cry. Elena is in her 40s, but hard work has made her look older, and this surprise is not going to be easy on her hair, either.)
ELENA - (Under her breath) Madre de Dios....what happened? They must have been robbed! Everything is gone! What kind of person would do this?
(As she is looking around, Sgt. Traggert enters. He is not old, but he has seen a lot already. Although this is not the first day at this crime scene, we can tell this has affected him greatly. He is smoking, and when Elena sees that she gets upset.)
ELENA - Please put that out....Mrs. R don't let anyone smoke in here!
(Taggert looks at her, sees immediately she has no idea what happened here.)
TAGGERT - You must be the maid.
ELENA - (Proud) Housekeeper.
(She gives him a look and he takes the cigarette and looks to put it out. Elena hands him a cup from the overflowing pail.)
TAGGERT - (Decides to be kind) Housekeeper. Elena...
ELENA - Elena Maria Verdugo.
TAGGERT - (Knows the answer, has to ask anyhow) Is this the first time you're here since the incident?
ELENA - I was on vacation....in Mexico. (Quickly) I'm legal, I was born here in San Diego. I went to visit....my family.
TAGGERT -And no one was able to reach you?
ELENA - My cell phone doesn't work in Mexico. Well, it works, but I turn it off because it costs like $5.00 a minute....
(As she's talking, she is walking around, looking at the damage.)
ELENA – (Upset) What happened?
TAGGERT - Would you like to sit down?
ELENA - (Now she’s worried) Oh, my God....
(She sits heavily in one of the chairs.)
TAGGERT - Were you close to the Ratzingers?
ELENA - (Not sure how to answer) I've worked here for 19 years....Tommy..that was Mr. R... and Sophia....Mrs. R.....they were like my family....
TAGGERT - I'm sorry.
ELENA - So they're both gone, yes?
TAGGERT - Yes....it happened four days ago, on Thursday night.....
(She crosses herself and starts to cry softly)
ELENA - Madre de dios, may they rest in peace...
TAGGERT - I have to ask you a few questions...if you want to wait until later...
ELENA - (Pulling herself together) I can talk now. I don't know anybody who would do something horrible like this - to rob people and kill them....it must be monsters!
TAGGERT - (Careful) Well, actually, they weren't robbed.
ELENA - But they are dead....and all their things are gone.....
TAGGERT - Did you know of any trouble they might be having?
ELENA - (Takes a deep breath) What kind of trouble?
TAGGERT - Financial?
ELENA - I wouldn't know...cash doesn't bounce.....
(Taggert and Elena share a smile on this, then she is horrified at what she said.)
ELENA - I'm sorry, I pay my taxes...I didn't mean to make a joke.
TAGGERT - It's all right, you've had a shock, it's understandable. So nothing before you left on vacation indicated that there might be a problem?
ELENA - No! (Thinks) Well....I don't know...
TAGGERT - Anything might be helpful...
ELENA -Sophia, Mrs. R, she gave me a very nice ring. She said it was from her mother, who was dead, and she wanted me to have for good luck on my trip.
TAGGERT - Do you have the ring?
ELENA - Oh, yes! I didn't take it with me - it was too valuable, I was afraid someone would steal it. And Tommy, Mr. R, he gave me a very nice bonus, but I thought it was just for the vacation...(Something starts to dawn on her.) Do you know who killed them?
TAGGERT - Yes, we do....unfortunately.
ELENA - (Afraid to ask) Was
it...someone they knew? They had nice friends!
TAGGERT - It was…. a
murder suicide.
(Elena is so stunned her mouth falls open and she just stares at Taggert.)
ELENA - (Breathing deeply) But what about all their things? Who stole them?
TAGGERT - They weren't stolen, they were repossessed. Like this house will be soon.
ELENA - Oh, my God, those poor children.....(concerned) where are the children? They must be so.....
TAGGERT - (Sighs) They killed the children, too.
(Elena is so stunned her mouth falls open and she just stares at Taggert.)
ELENA - (Breathing deeply) But what about all their things? Who stole them?
TAGGERT - They weren't stolen, they were repossessed. Like this house will be soon.
ELENA - Oh, my God, those poor children.....(concerned) where are the children? They must be so.....
TAGGERT - (Sighs) They killed the children, too.
(This is almost too much for Elena. She bows her head and is muttering
prayers in Spanish)
TAGGERT - Are you all right?
Would you like some water?
ELENA - No, gracias.....I
can't believe it....why didn't I....
TAGGERT - (Listening closely
now) Why didn't you...what?
(She looks away from him, sighing deeply, she is very disturbed.)
TAGGERT - (Back to being a
cop) If you know something..... you have to tell me....
ELENA - But I had nothing to do with
this!
TAGGERT - (Pushing) You know
something, and it is my job to see that justice is done!
ELENA - I wasn't here when this
happened!
TAGGERT - That doesn't matter - by
law, you have to tell me anything you know that might be pertinent to this case!
(He sees how affected she is, so he softens his approach.)
TAGGERT - Look, I know you
didn't have anything to do with these deaths, but if there's anything you know that might explain
why this happened, it would be of great help.
(She looks at him, blows her nose.)
ELENA - (Starts slowly) When I
went to Mexico...it wasn't just for a vacation, it wasn't just to see my family....(hard to
say) it was to see...my priest...
TAGGERT - (A little surprised
by this) Your priest?
ELENA - From when I was a little
girl, my parents would take me to Ensenada to visit
Padre...Father Julio. Even though I don't see him too much any more, he
is like a real father to me, since my real father died when I was very
little. I wanted to ask him about
....something...I wasn't sure what to do.....a secret.....now, I don't maybe I
shouldn't have waited.....
(Taggert knows to listen, so he doesn't interrupt as he can tell she is about
to tell something important to her. He takes
his pad and is ready to write.)
ELENA - I have worked here in this
house for many years. They were always very nice to me, they treated me like
family. I have three children, Tommy and Sophia always invited them to come to parties, on their
boat, even on trips to Disneyland. Fourteen years ago, my husband and I were not
getting along. He didn't appreciate all the work I did. Although he didn't have another woman, he
had a car, and he would work on that car every
weekend. Tommy was .....nice to me....he appreciated that I made the
coffee the way he liked it. He
would notice that I cut up the bacon and onions in little pieces. (Soft) He saw when I started
wearing flowers in my hair the way I did when I was a girl.....He made me feel pretty again......
TAGGERT - (Making sure he has it
straight) You had an affair with him...
ELENA - (Nods) It was only a
few months....one summer...that's all. I was still with my husband, so when I got pregnant, I
hoped it was....you know....
TAGGERT - Not Mr. Ratzinger's...
ELENA - But when Raphael was
born.....I knew.
TAGGERT - Did you get a DNA test?
ELENA - My husband is dark,
like me. Raphael.....when he was little, I could pretend...but now...
(She takes a photo from her purse and shows it to him- he reacts instantly,
turning to look at a wall.)
ELENA - It looks just like him
in that picture, when he was young. Raphael is 13 now, I tried getting a different
haircut, but to me it is obvious who the father is.....(sighs)
TAGGERT - (Gentle) So, Mr.
Ratzinger didn't know?
ELENA - I don't think so - I
kept the children away this last year...I didn't know what to do! If I tell him, show him the picture, what
will that mean for his family, for his children, and for my son? What if I had told him
before? (anguished) Maybe they would not have done this awful thing!
(Taggert sees how upset she is and puts a hand on her shoulder.)
TAGGERT - You can't beat yourself
up. People do crazy things. (gives her a moment to collect herself.) So you stayed with
your husband.
ELENA - No....Tommy was what
made me see that I deserved better. But Tommy liked many ladies - he was always with a
girlfriend. Sophia pretended she didn't know, but she did. That's the way they do it in those
European countries. They were from Hungary I think....many years, but what you grow up with, you live
with. It's the same all over the world. Are you married?
TAGGERT - Divorced.
ELENA - I'm sorry.
TAGGERT - I'm not. Good riddance to bad
rubbish is what I say. My father said that when she left. (Takes a deep breath) Mine didn't like being a cop's wife. She wanted.... more. So she left me for
one of the lawyers that was always hanging around
the courtroom- you know the kind- fancy suit, nice tie - a nice guy, with a nice wife .....who was pregnant ......with twins no less....(shakes his head, laughs).....this nice guy might even become a
judge. I could tell you things, but
I know how to keep a secret.
ELENA - Secrets. The
priest told me that he had never seen no good come out of secrets.....so I was going to tell Tommy today, then I
saw all the police....
TAGGERT - You didn't hear
about it on the news?
ELENA - In Mexico? And I don't
have time for TV or newspapers....so I thought this was just a robbery......
(She looks around the room.)
ELENA - So what will happen to
this house now?
TAGGERT - There's some
professional cleaning group coming, they know how to get out blood stains.....
ELENA - Oh my God....
TAGGERT - I'm sorry....and then
they'll fix up the house and the bank will sell it.
ELENA - (Thinking) How
did they lose all their money, they had so much!
TAGGERT - It seems a business
partner had a bad gambling problem, and they got into debt trying to keep it from the investors
and ....
ELENA - ...and they always spent a
lot of money. But how could they be so poor as to kill
their children? They were such beautiful children! I was not the nanny, but I knew them from when they were in diapers!
their children? They were such beautiful children! I was not the nanny, but I knew them from when they were in diapers!
TAGGERT - Look, I know that
this has been very hard for you....and it will be hard for a long time. But at least you and
your son can make some money.....
ELENA - (Not
understanding) What?
TAGGERT - There may be nothing
left here - no estate, no house, no money....but your story is worth a fortune. The newspapers
will eat it up....
ELENA - (Horrified) You
think I would sell my son's life like it was some tomatoes?
TAGGERT - No, just maybe a
book deal, or even a movie, money for when he goes to college, you have to be smart about these
things...
ELENA – (Horrified) I don't ever want to be that smart!
(There is the sound of some large trucks pulling up, and some cars following.
Taggert looks out the window.)
TAGGERT - That'll be the cleaning
crew ...followed by the locusts.
ELENA - Locusts?
TAGGERT - The press....radio,
TV, Internet....this is a big story.
ELENA - And you have it in your
records now....what have I done?
TAGGERT - Now just hold on a
minute....do I understand you? Do you want this to remain a secret?
ELENA - Do you think I want my son
to know his father ....(hard to say) became a monster?
(Taggert looks at her, then at his pad.)
TAGGERT - (With a grudging
admiration) You are a very unusual lady, Elena Maria Verdugo....
ELENA - I hope that was a
compliment....
(They smile at each other.)
TAGGERT - Tell you what I'm gonna
do......memories are strange after a shock like this, people forget things, remember things
wrong, so, if you ever think of anything that you might want to add ........
(He rips a page out of his pad and hands it to her.)
TAGGERT - Take my number at the
precinct.....
(She looks at the page, realizing what he is doing for her. He hands her
a pen. She takes it from
him and starts to write.)
TAGGERT - 555-9834. Just
ask for me, Sgt. Taggert, or my Lieutenant, his name is Lafferty. You can call anytime.
ELENA - Thank you, Sgt.
Taggert.
TAGGERT - Barry.
ELENA - (She says it
softly) Barry.
TAGGERT - Look, if you go
through the back, I'll have one my guys take you out of here in a squad car - if you scrunch down, the
reporters won't see you and....they'll take you home.
(He takes her arm and directs her towards the back of the house. She
stops.)
ELENA - Can I get my things
from my closet?
TAGGERT - No problem...
(Elena turns to leave, then looks back around the room, shaking her head.
TAGGERT - Whenever you're ready.....
ELENA - I can’t help but keep wondering,…..what if I
hadn’t waited? What if I had told him before? Would they still be alive? Would I be coming back and preparing the list
for shopping? I wonder…..
TAGGERT – (Gives her time) Think about this...what if you told him and
he figured he had to
kill your son, too, and maybe you?
ELENA - (Horrified) Oh,
no! He would never do that!.....
(But even as she says it, she realizes Taggert may be right.)
ELENA - Thank you – and thank you for this….
(She
holds up the paper.)
TAGGERT - No worries – it’s only a phone number. …..But, uh, (Hard to say) even if you don’t
think of anything else you want to add…you can still call. Sometimes keeping secrets is bad, but sometimes…..when people keep a secret
for a good reason, it brings them ...together….
(Elena looks at him, then
impulsively, she leans over and kisses his cheek. He almost blushes,
then escorts her out the back as the lights dim to blackout as we now hear the reporters shouting outside. As the sounds fade, one of the characters in the play will come forward and look out into the audience)
You still have a secret.
We all do.
It's what connects us.
From the first secret in the Bible, when we ate the apple and hid from God ....all the secrets are the same.
Something to be hidden......even if it's good.....like the fact someone is pregnant. Or is that bad? What makes a secret......so delicious?
It's the fact that you know something someone else does not know.......there is a power, and we love power, don't we? That's why.....when we have a chance, we share that power, like we have tonight.
(Turns to leave, stops, looks back)
Now you know a few of our secrets....maybe, it's time to share......yours.
(Lights down, end of play- but not of secrets! The end.)
You still have a secret.
We all do.
It's what connects us.
From the first secret in the Bible, when we ate the apple and hid from God ....all the secrets are the same.
Something to be hidden......even if it's good.....like the fact someone is pregnant. Or is that bad? What makes a secret......so delicious?
It's the fact that you know something someone else does not know.......there is a power, and we love power, don't we? That's why.....when we have a chance, we share that power, like we have tonight.
(Turns to leave, stops, looks back)
Now you know a few of our secrets....maybe, it's time to share......yours.
(Lights down, end of play- but not of secrets! The end.)
