PROLOGUE, ENGLISH BREAKFAST TEA

PROLOGUE:

"ENGLISH BREAKFAST TEA"
BY
BINA SHARIF
(copyright:  binasharif 2019)

HARRY CUMMING: (DETECTIVE)

PROLOGUE:

HARRY CUMMING:

A VERY ESTABLISHED BRITISH THEATER CRITIC

WAS MURDERED IN NYC A FEW WEEKS AGO.

IT'S THE  BIGGEST SCANDEL OF THE DECADE.

THE BRITISH BORN CRITIC NAMED DANA AUSTIN

 HAD BEEN LIVING IN NEW YORK

CITY FOR FEW YEARS AND IN SUCH A SHORT TIME

 SHE HAD BECOME THE MOST FEARED THEATER CRITIC

 IN AMERICA AND GREAT BRITIAN. HER THEATER

REVIEWS, HER  THEATER CRITICISM WAS MOST FEROCIOUS.

 PRODUCERS, DIRECTORS, ACTORS TREMBLED AND

SHIVERED  BEFORE THEY OPENED THE NEWS PAPERS

 TO READ HER REVIEWS.

HER REVIEWS MADE AND BROKE THE SHOWS,

 USUALLY BROKE THEM.  SHE WAS SO TOUGH

 THAT SOME PRODUCERS NEVER PRODUCED ANY MORE SHOWS  AFTER SHE

SLAUGHERED THEM .

AND SAME GOES FOR THE PLAYWRIGHTS, DIRECTORS AND ACTORS.

  THEY  NEVER WORKED AGAIN.

 SOME ENDED UP IN MENTAL INSTITUTION,

SOME BECOME MORPHINE ADDICTS.

 SOME LEFT THE COUNTRY AND CHANGED THEIR NAMES.

THEY BECAME REAL ESTATE AGENTS.

 AND TO TAKE REVENGE ON THE CULTURE AND ARTISTIC INSTITUTIONS,

 THEY CAME BACK TO NEW YORK AND BUILT UGLY...

HIGH  RISES WITH LOTS OF STEEL AND CEMENT

TO  SHUN ART AND ARTISTS FROM THE CITY AND IT'S ART...

 FOR THE REST OF THEIR POOR ARTISTIC LIVES.

 THOSE FAILED THEATER PRODUCERS  BECAUSE OF Ms. AUSTIN'S REVIEWS

 GAVE UP HEATER AND BUILD HUDSON YARD.

 TAKE REVENGE ON DANA AUSTIN'S ARTISTIC EXPRESSION

AS A HIGHLY ACCLAIMED DETECTIVE,

 MY APPEAL TO THE ARTISTS,  EVEN THE ONE'S  WHO HAVE

 FAILED IN THEIR PROFESSION IS NEVER TO ENTER HUDSON YARD.

BECAUSE THEY MIGHT NOT DIE OF SUICIDE FOR FAILING

 BUT FOR SURE THEY WILL SUFFOCATE, UNABLE TO BREATH

BECAUSE THERE IS NO, "NATURAL "AIR" IN HUDSON YARD.

THEY WILL JUUST DROP DEAD. UNABLE TO BREATH, THE END.

 TRUST ME,  I HAVE BEEN RECENTLY CALLED

TO INVESTIGATE SOME DEATHS AT HUDSON YARD.

  MY FINDINGS WERE THAT NO CRIME WAS COMMITTED

AS FAR AS THE ARTIST'S DEATH WAS CONCERNED,

THEY COULDN'T BREATH.  SIMPLE AS AL THAT.

 THEY  DIED BECAUSE NO OXYGEN AND THE CULPRIT WAS

HUDSON YARD...

BUT THE BUILDING IS SO HUGE

THAT NO JUDGE COULD PUT IT IN JAIL.

 THERE IS NO JAIL

HIGH ENOUGH,

TO IMPRISON HUDSON YARD.

BUT FORGIVE ME BECAUSE I AM DIGRESSING.

 RIGHT NOW I AM HIRED TO SOLVE

  THE MURDER OF Ms. AUUSTIN,  DANA AUSTIN,

THE MOST FABOULOUS BRITISH WRITER,

 A THEATER CRITIC WHO DROPPED DEAD.

DEAD ON THE OPENING NIGHT OF A BROADWAY PLAY CALLED, "SUSPICION"

  SUSPICION OF WHAT?

 I DON'T KNOW BECAUSE I DIDN''T GO TO THE SHOW.

  MANY TIMES I AVOID GOING TO THE THEATER ESPECIALLY

WHEN THE PLAY IS ABOUT A CRIME.

 BECAUSE THE WAY THE PLAYWRIGHTS SOLVE

THE CRIME IN THEIR LOUSY PLAYS IS A CRIME IN-ITSELF.

 IF I SAW THOSE PLAYS I SHALL FOR SURE LOSE

 MY SHARPNESS AND ABILITY TO SOLVE THE REAL CRIME.

Ms. AUSTIN WAS AT THE OPENING NIGHT AS USUSAL

 AT THE THEATER FOR"SUSPICION," WRITTEN BY MAGRATH MAGRATH.

WHAT KIND OF A NAME IS THIS?

OH! WELL,  Mr. MAGRATH HAD BEEN EXTREMLY FAMOUS

 TILL Ms.ASTIN ARRIVED IN NEW YORK.

 HE GOT THE WORST REVIEWS

BY HER IN THE PAST AND HASN'T BEEN PRODUCED

ON BROADWAY FOR A WHILE

 AND HIM,   AND HIS PRRIBLE REVIEW.ODUCERS WERE EXPECTIG HIS COME BACK.

THEY COULDN'T TAKE A RISK OF ANOTHER OF Ms.AUSTIN'S HORRIBLE REVIEW.

THEY HAD ALREADY LOST BILLIONS OF DOLLARS

 FOR MOVIE RIGHTS AND FOREIGN CONTRACTS.

 SO PERHAPS ONE OF THEM,  THE PRODUCER, THE DIRECTOR OR

 THE PLAYWRIGHT HIMSELF...

  DECIDED TO BUMP HER OFF ON THE OPENING NIGHT

BEFORE HER REVIEW IS PUBLISHED.

USUSALY THE CRITICS WRITE THEIRE REVIEWS

 DURING THE PREVIEW NIGHTS AND WAIT TILL THE OPENING NIGHT

BEFORE THEY PUBLISH THEM.

  BUT IN THIS CASE...

THERE WAS NO REVIEW ON DANA AUSTIN'S COMPUTER.

 OR ON THE COMPUTERS OF THE MOST POWERFUL NEWSPAPERS SHE WROTHE

  I AM CERTAIN THAT HER EXTREMELY NEGATIV REVIEW WAS DELETED.

CULPRIT OR CULPRITS DELETED IT.

 WE DON'T KNOW FOR SURE BECAUSE THIS CASE IS RECENT.

  IT'S ONE OF THE MOST HIGH CALIBER CELEBRITY MURDER.

SO, IN MY OPINION, THE PEOPLE INVOLVED IN THE PRODUCTION

THIS PLAY, "SUSPICION" ARE KILLERS OR AT LEAST ARE THE SUSPECTS.

  FOR SURE THEY ARE THE,"SUSPECTS."

 BUT BESIDE THEM THERE ARE A FEW MORE SUSPECTS.

 THE MYSTERY DRAMA IS NOT COMPLETE YET.

  THE INVESTIGATION IS IN IT'S PRELIMINARY STAGE.

      IT'S,  LIKE WORK IN PROGRESS IN THE THEATER WORLD.

YOU SEE WHEN THERE IS NOTHING OF IMPORTANCE IN THE PLAY,

THE CREATIVE TEAM CALLS IT, "A WORK IN PROGRESS"

 THAT'S WHY MANY MURDERS ARE NEVER SOLVED BECAUSE,

THE DETECIVES COPY THE SCENARIO OF BAD MYSTERY PLAYS

IN SOLVING THE CRIME.

THOSE SO CALLED SOLUTIONS OF MURDERS ARE ALWAYS LIKE A WORK IN

PROGRESSGOING

 BUT TRUST ME,  I AM GOING TO SOLVE THIS GHASTLY MURDER.

Ms. AUSTIN WAS MURDERED WITH A TEA BAG, AN ENGLISH BREAKFAST TEA BAG

NEVER THELESS. LACED WITH A KIND OF POISON WHICH KILLS A BIT SLOWLY,

AS COMPARED TO THE FAST KILLING POISONS.

THIS KIND OF POISON TAKES IT'S TIME.

SO, THERE ARE A FEW MORE SUSPECTS TO BE QUESTIONED.

 THE PRIME SUSPECT IS DANA AUSTIN'S...

HOUSE KEEPER, NANDANI.

 Ms. DANA'S STEP CHILDREN WHO WERE EXCLUDED FROM THE WILL

OF HER WEALTHY HUSBAND ARE ALSO SUSPECTS.

HER EX HUSBAND DTESTED HIS CHILDREN AND CALLED THEM, "BRATS"

I AGREE WITH HIM.  THAT'S WHY I NEVER HAD CHILDREN.

I WOULD HAVE KILLED THEM MYSELF.

I WOULD HAVE SAVED LOTS OF MONEY

STEP CHILDREN WHOM THEIR FATHER DETESTED FOR SOME REASON, I GUESS

BECAUSE HE NEVER WANTED THOSE BRATS, CALLED, "CHILDREN"

 LIKE ME, I NEVER WANTED CHILDREN MYSELF.  I KNOW I WOULD HAVE KILLED

THEM.

 IN MY CASE IT WOULD HAVE SAVED ME LOTS OF MONEY...

 BECAUSE I WON'T HAVE TO HIRE A DETECTIVE TO SOLVE THE MURDER

 AND I WOULD HAVE SOLVED THE MURDER OF MY BRATS FAST,.

"HEY ALL OF YOU IDIOTS I DID IT.  I KILLED MY AWFUL, STUPID,

UNGRATEFUL, MONSTERS CALLED, "CHILDREN.

  BUT NO ONE WOULD HAVE BELIEVED ME.

" HOW CAN A DETECTIVE KILL HIS OWN CHILDREN?"  THE

STUPID JURY WOULD QUESTION FOR DAYS,

 AND PUT SOME INNOCENT IMMIGRNT OR A BLACK MAN IN JAIL.

 I DIDN'T WANT ONE OF THOSE INNOCENT PEOPLE TO GO

TO JAIL SO I DECIDED NEVER TO HAVE CHILDREN.

 Ms. AUSTIN'S EX HUSBAND ALSO NEVER WANTED CHILDREN BUT BECAUSE

THE PLEASURE  OF FEW SECOND'S SEX,

THEY WERE BORN AND WERE HATED FOR THE

REST OF THEIR LIVES.  HE LEFT ALL HIS MONEY FOR DANA AUSTIN

 AND MONEY IS ALWAYS ONE OF THE REASON PEOPLE MURDER

MONEY AND REVENGE...

TWO GRAND REASON IN MY VIEW ARE THE TIPS TOWARDS SOLVING

A MURDER MYSTERY.

JUST FOLLOW THE MONEY AND THE INTENTION OF ,"REVENGE."

AND YOU HAVE THE ANSWER AND THE SOLUTION.

THE THIRD SUSPECT IS BILL TUSCONY,

 A HANDSOME YOUNG HOODLUM HIDEN IN AN

ARMANI SUIT.

 Ms. AUSTIN WAS CRAZY ABOUT HIM. SUCH A BRILLIANT AND

BEAUTIFUL WOMAN IN LOVE WITH A HUSTLER...BEYOND ME...

LONELY PERHAPS.

GOING TO THE THEATER EVERY NIGHT AND WATCHING STUPID

PLAYS IS NOT THE POETRY OF THE SOUL

AND WHEN SOUL IS EMPTY ONE IS EXTREMELY LONELY.

  BILL TUSCONY KNEW THAT SHE HAD TONS OF MONEY AND

WAS LONELY THUS VULNERABLE.

MONEY IS THE ONLY THING HE WANTED.

HE GAVE HER GOOD SEX AND HE WAS

HOPING TO GET GOOD MONEY IN RETURN.

 SO HE BUMPED HER OFF...

BUT NANDNI IS THE MOST BELIEVABLE SUSPECT SO FAR...

SHE IS INDIAN AND DANA AUSTIN WAS BRITISH .

AND IF YOU KNOW THE HISTORY OF BRITIAN AND INDIA...

 YOU MIGHT NOT DOUBT HER BEING A CULPRIT.

REVENGE WOULD BE THE MOTIVE IN HER CASE.

SO SINCE THE INVESTIGATION HAS JUST BEGUN

AND NANDNI IS THE PRIME SUSPECT

 I AM HERE AT DANA AUSTIN'S APT TO QUESTION HER...

SHE IS THE INDIAN HOUSE KEEPER OF A BRITISH LADY...

 AND BRIISH LADY IS DEAD,  KILLED BY A TEA BAG,

ENGLISH BREAKFAST TEA BAG LACED WITH POISON...

WHAT AN IMAGINATIVE REVENGE MURDER...

BUT WHERE IS SHE?

I HAVE BEEN WAITING FOR SO LONG

MAYBE MY TIME IS ALREADY UP?

BUT I CAN'T LEAVE WITHOUT QUESTIOING THE PRIME SUSPECT...

SHE MUST BE FRIGHTENED TO DEATH... OH!

HERE SHE COMES...

(Nandani comes on stage and join the detective.  They both sit down )

NEXT SCENE: