Characters:
May Watson, sexy young blonde, emphasis on blonde
George Alfred, retired police officer
Manny Slaughter, crazed killer
Police Officer
(Mid-morning in an old cafe in a small town. George and May sit alone, talking over coffee. The town is dead quiet, as it is snow bound from a nasty storm that still continues from the night before.)
GEORGE: (pulls out the morning newspaper) Hell of a storm out there, May. Hell of a storm. I reckon I was still in the force last time we’ve had one like this.
MAY: I’m sure you were, George. I honestly didn’t expect you to make it here this morning. It hasn’t exactly died down.
GEORGE: You know I can’t go without my morning coffee and newspaper, May. Besides, it’s not like my house is farther than around the corner. (puts down the paper to look outside) I’m not going back out there if this keeps up, though. This whole town is shut down. The only other person I saw out this morning was the paperboy.
MAY: Oh, that must be Harry.
GEORGE: You do know every boy in this town, don’t you? Well, without him, cranky old men like myself wouldn’t know what’s going on out in the real world.
MAY: (only half interested) Well then, what does your precious paper say is going on out there, George?
GEORGE: (Finally looks over the front page, slowly) Nothing good, May. Nothing good at all.
MAY: (looks up, surprised at his tone of voice) What makes you say that, George?
GEORGE: (sighs) They found a woman up in Black Falls. Dead.
MAY: (startled) Why, that town’s only five miles up the road. How did it happen?
GEORGE: (shaking his head) Apparently murder. Sounds here like it wasn’t pretty.
MAY: (taken aback) That’s terrible. Just terrible.
GEORGE: Well, whoever did it couldn’t have gotten far, not in this weather. (as much to himself as to May) Hell, this reminds me of one of the cases I had back in the day . . .
MAY: (stands up and looks out into the storm) No, I don’t suppose they could’ve . . . Heck, I bet they could only have made it . . . about this far. (looking out window; amazed, slowly) Wow, look at that.
GEORGE: (confused, eagerly) What is it? May?
MAY: (pointing) Someone’s out there. Look.
(Enter a man, visibly cold and weak. As the door opens, snow should rush through the door and wind noises should be loud. Mr. Alfred and Ms. Watson rise and rush toward the stranger as he stumbles through the door and falls to his knees. The stranger is ragged looking, with torn up clothes, as if he has been in a struggle with somebody.)
MAY: (frantic) Oh, my god! What were you doing out there? (tathering her wits) George, go get your coat or a blanket or something. Quick.
GEORGE: (stubbornly) Oh, all right.
(They bundle the shaking stranger up and sit him down as he quickly recovers.)
SLAUGHTER: (mumbling, barely audible) Thank you. Thank you kind folk. (struggling to string thoughts together; Manny is clearly disturbed by something and slightly psychotic.) I’m-lost-I’m-er-I’m-cold-Why. I shouldn’t have done it.
GEORGE: (suddenly) He talking nonsense! For gosh sakes, May. Get the poor man some hot coffee. He must be freezing.
SLAUGHTER: (snapping to) Oh, that sounds great. It’s nasty out there, but I’ll feel just fine once I get warmed up. I can’t stay long anyways. I gotta get further away.
MAY: Nonsense. You’re not going anywhere until this storm blows over. Now drink up and tell us what in God’s name you were doing out there.
(He concentrates on eating, ignoring her inquiry. He finishes)
SLAUGHTER: (quietly) Thank you. I couldn’t have made it much farther.
GEORGE: I’ll handle this, May. Watch how it’s done. (interrogatingly) Well, son, what’s your name?
SLAUGHTER: Uh . . . Slaughter, sir. Manny Slaughter.
GEORGE: Manny Slaughter . . . That sounds familiar. Must’ve come across someone named that back when I was a cop. Where bouts you from, Mr. Slaughter?
SLAUGHTER: Black Falls, sir. Black Falls, just 5 miles up from here. (stands up and yells, for no apparent reason) I live in a trailerhome out in the woods!
GEORGE: (confused) What brings you around here? How did you get here?
SLAUGHTER: (troubled, stuttering) Wha-What was that? (recovers) Oh, ah, just business. Ah, you see, I was driving down, ah, because I didn’t think the weather was gonna be so bad. And, my trailer got stuck in the drifts, oh, about a mile out of town or so. So I waited ‘till it got light out, then started in for town on foot. Mighty cold out there, it is.
GEORGE: So what kind of business do you do, Mr. Slaughter?
SLAUGHTER: (falling back out of full awareness) Oh, I don’t know. Whatever gives me pleasure. I did a big job last night. I like my job because it makes me happy. In my spare time, I have a little gun and knife shop I run. Sure doesn’t get much business though. I swear, nobody in that town would kill a fly, except me.
MAY: (touched and slightly turned on) Oh, that’s so manly of you Manny. (refilling his coffee) So, what brought you down this way then?
SLAUGHTER: (fading out) I was running from trouble.
MAY: (curious) Trouble?
SLAUGHTER: (recovering) I mean, uh, I was running from the storm. Uh, I thought I could get out of its way by coming down here, but I didn’t make it on time. I’m leaving on vacation tomorrow, so I didn’t want to get snowed in or anything, you know. (sees police officer outside front of building) Say, I need to use the restroom if you’ll excuse me.
(Slaughter exits to bathroom on the side of the main room. The bathroom should be open to audience. While this next scene is going on in the main room, he tries to climb out window, but the snow and wind blow him back in and he falls. In the process, he breaks the soap dispenser he was using as a step and falls hard. The fall seems to wake him up and snap him into focus. From now on, he is aware of his situation.)
MAY: Curious fellow, ain’t he George?
GEORGE: Sure is. Something about him strikes me, but I just can’t put my finger on it. I’ll get to the bottom of this. You know, I was a police detective for 28 years.
MAY: (under her breath) Something about him turns me on!
(Police officer enters. Howling wind and snow blow in.)
OFFICER: Well I’ll be. You two are probably the only two in town to make it out of your house today.
MAY: Oh, hey John. What are you up to today?
OFFICER: Oh, just responded to a couple accidents on the highways. Usual cop business. Nasty out there. I just saw you two here and thought I’d poke my head in. But I suppose I’d better be going now.
GEORGE: Sounds good, officer. Say, did you hear about Black Falls?
OFFICER: Sure did. It’s a damn shame. Nice girl, I hear. I’m sure justice will come through soon. (deep breath as he pulls up his pants like a big shot) Yeah, we’ll get him.
MAY: Well, I hope you do. We have a man from Black Falls here right now. He’s in the bathroom. I wonder if he knows about it yet?
GEORGE: Probably not. He lives in a trailer home out in the woods, and sells guns and knives. He doesn’t seem like the guy who would know the news.
OFFICER: (makes it look like he suspects Manny) Well, that’s quite a coincidence. I wonder what he’s doing here. (obviously not suspecting Manny, grabs a muffin and takes a bite) Oh, well. I better be going now.
(Exit police officer; snow and wind; enter Slaughter.)
SLAUGHTER: Somebody else was out in this weather?
MAY: Yeah, our police officer stopped by to check in on us.
SLAUGHTER: (nervously) Really. Uh, what for?
MAY: Oh, just to warn us about going home today. It’s still bad out there. Did you hear what happened in Black Falls yesterday, Manny?
SLAUGHTER: No, I sure haven’t. I was out driving all day yesterday, and I’ve been with you today, so how would I know?
MAY: Well, I was just asking. Anyways, they found a young girl murdered there yesterday.
SLAUGHTER: (starting to have fun with it) Oh, yeah. I heard about that. Well, she probably had it coming, anyway. (weakly) Miss, I don’t have no money, but I’m just famished from the walk into town. Could I trouble you for some pancakes and eggs? And, if you could, some bacon and hash browns?
MAY: Oh, of course Manny. Anything you want.
(She goes behind the counter and cooks them up for awhile)
GEORGE: (just joining the conversation, staring outside) Well, I still hope the police find the guy that did it. He’s got to be out there somewhere. Back in my day, we’d have him caught, tried and in jail by now. This reminds me of the summer of ‘57. I was a young buck back then, and I had just joined the force . . . (trails off because no one is listening)
MAY: (still behind the counter) Oh, I just hope they get him before he finds a new target.
SLAUGHTER: Oh, I think he’s done killing for now. He shouldn’t have done it.
GEORGE: (unaware of Slaughter’s comment, boastfully) Yeah, I was quite a hotshot back in the day.
SLAUGHTER: Um, I mean that, ah, he’s done for now because the cops are going to find him. That’s what I meant. (chuckles) It’s not like I know what he’ll do or anything. Um, excuse me again.
(Exit Slaughter. Amazed by his situation, he struggles to contain himself from laughing hysterically in the bathroom. Off to the side George sits and May cooks.)
GEORGE: I wonder what he’s up to now. I do hope he’s feeling better . . . (shaking his head) Such a strange character. Reminds me of this psycho back in ‘72-
MAY: (lustily looking over towards Manny, cutting George off) Oh, George. I’m sure you wouldn’t be quite the same after getting stuck out there overnight. Poor soul, I wonder if he has a woman to go home to that can take care of him. Maybe I should go check on him. Make sure he’s feeling all right and everything.
(May enters bathroom. Slaughter, still laughing, sees her coming and quickly sticks his head in the sink like he’s washing his face.)
MAY: You doing all right there, Manny? (seductively) Or do you need some help?
SLAUGHTER: (unable to resist playing with them) I-shouldn’t-have . . .
MAY: (concerned and overflowing with passion) Mr. Slaughter? Are you sure you’re feeling all right? Can I help you in any way, and I mean any way?
(Slaughter does not notice May. He just stands unresponsive, and still washing hands.)
SLAUGHTER: (trying to wash the guilt away, or that he thinks his hands are bloody, a la Macbeth) I can’t-get it clean. Come off! Won’t come off. I can’t get them clean!
GEORGE: (has entered bathroom) Well, don’t worry about it, Mr. Slaughter. Just come on out now and keep us company. I think I smell your food burning.
SLAUGHTER: Can’t-shouldn’t- . . . Oh, sorry, Mr. Alfred. (defensive) Don’t sneak up on me like that!
(They exit. Enter main room of cafe.)
MAY: (pulling her waitress skirt up slightly) Manny Slaughter, you know I was just thinking. Where are you staying tonight? (suggestively) You could stay with me if you want to.
SLAUGHTER: (staring at her blatant body suggestions) Really? (pauses, then reconsiders) Oh, um, no. That’s quite all right, although I appreciate the offer. I should really get on my way soon.
(May brings him his meal, which he quickly eats during the next part.)
GEORGE: (confused) Why, Mr. Slaughter, you haven’t been here for more than an hour. Why would you rush off now? I’ve got plenty of stories to tell you from my days in the force.
SLAUGHTER: Well, I should get back on the road, before they suspect anything. (rubbing his cafe knife along his finger) You know, I did it.
MAY: (confused) Did what Mr. Slaughter? (suggestive) You know, I can think of some things I would like to do to you.
SLAUGHTER: (acting like he’s caught off-guard) Oh, I mean, uh. I called a tow truck just now while I was gone, so, uh, I better go get my car and be on my way.
GEORGE: Well, I wish there was some way we could stop you, but if you must leave, I suppose we’ll let you be on your way soon. It does look a little better out there now. I can tell when these things are going to blow over.
SLAUGHTER: Yeah, it looks like it might be all right after all. (almost laughing) I can’t believe I might escape it. (stabs his knife into a stack of pancakes) I shouldn’t have done what I did.
MAY: (rubbing his cheek) Oh, don’t be so hard on yourself, Mr. Slaughter. I do think you will escape the storm now that it has mostly passed over.
SLAUGHTER: (hurried, trying to act worried, but laughing) I have to tell you something.
GEORGE: (concerned) What is it?
SLAUGHTER: (messing around with them) I, uh, I killed . . . Excuse me. I killed your soap dispenser in the bathroom. It wasn’t working correctly. I just had to get that off my chest. I’m sorry.
MAY: Oh, don’t you worry about it, Manny. It gets tricky sometimes. (again with the seducing) We could go try to fix it. Together. In the bathroom . . .
SLAUGHTER: (gets up and backs towards the door) OK then . . . Well, thank you so much for your hospitality, but I’m gonna get back on the road now. It’s not like the whole world shuts down from one thing like this. (having fun with them, smiling) There might be people out there looking for someone like me by now.
GEORGE: Well, it sure shut down our town. I remember the last time we got snowed in like this. We didn’t have these fancy bulldozers. Hell, we had to shovel out the whole town. People don’t learn to work anymore. I always had to work . . .
SLAUGHTER: (cutting George off) I sure will be more careful. (slyly smiling) I’d hate to get into another situation like this one.
MAY: (longingly) Do stop by again if you’re ever in the area. Don’t be a stranger.
SLAUGHTER: All right. Sounds good. Take care. (smiling, hinting) Are you sure that I can go?
GEORGE: Oh, there is one more thing. (stands up and hikes up his pants, like a big shot) Be careful out there, there may be a killer on the loose. I know I’m keeping my eyes peeled. My years as Chief may be over, but I can still smell a crook a mile away.
SLAUGHTER: (smiling) You sure can. Trust me, I think I’ll be all right.
(Exit Slaughter. Snow and wind not as extreme.)
GEORGE: (they stand, watching him go) Gosh, something still bothers me about that man. I just can’t figure it out.
MAY: Funny that you say that. I feel the same way. (turning away from the door) (dreamy) He’s just so . . . bad. (sighs) Well, I don’t suppose we’ll ever put our finger on it.
GEORGE: (slowly, drawn out) No, May, I don’t suppose we-Oh, my Gosh!
MAY: (startled) George! What’s the matter!
GEORGE: (hurried) Stop him! Stop him May!
MAY: (confused) Um, OK, George. But whatever for?
GEORGE: Don’t you see? (pointing towards counter) He forgot his keys!