“A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood”
~~~ Rose Estate- Cellar- 1:31 pm ~~~
Dr. Rose quickly throws the last bone into the old fashion furnace. Mme. Rose closes the furnace door.
“No one will find out?” she asks
“There is no chance now.” Dr. Rose smiles maliciously.
~~~FLASHBACK, ROSE ESTATE-BILLIARD ROOM -11:07 AM~~~
Dr. Rose and Mme. Rose watch as the maid, Miss Curio dusts a marble statuette. Dr. Rose answers the telephone as it rings.
“Hello, yes, Gregory…” he responds, “Are you certain? I’ll see you shortly. He I will.” He hangs up
“Is everything alright?” she asks in a French accent
“Everything is fine Yvette.” He lies. The maid continues to dust the antiques and trophies that line the shelves
Professor Gregory Plum enters with a dramatic swing of the door.
“You!” he points to Yvette
“Oui, Merci, I do not know who joo are?” she chuckles
“That’s a damn lie and I know it!!” Plum shouts, “You were the one who got me fired!”
“So?” she chuckles
“You won’t get away with this!” He grabs her by the neck and begins to strangle her on the pool table. She begs for help. Mme. Rose is taken back by this sight and comes over to her brother as a limp hand dangles over the ledge of the pool table…………
~~~END OF FLASHBACK~~~
Dr. Rose takes out his cell phone and dials Professor Plum’s number…
~~~FLASHBACK, ROSE ESTATE-CELLAR -11:19 AM~~~
Professor Plum drags Yvette by the hand.
“Please, let go!” she squeals, “Joo tried to strangle me! What more do joo want?”
Dr. Rose opens up the secret door and Plum pushes Yvette inside. He slams the door. Mme. Rose watches from the staircase. The screams from Yvette are barely her from behind the brick wall.
“What if your wife or children hear the screams?” asks Professor Plum
“They won’t, they’ll only hear their excited thoughts when I tell them we are going to Hawaii for the week.” Dr. Rose smirks, “By the time we return, Yvette will have starved to death…”
~~~END OF FLASHBACK~~~
“Hello?” Professor Plum answers the phone
“Greg, it’s Carl.” Dr. Rose says, “Miss Curio is in the furnace.” There is a pause, “Greg, are you there?”
The other end of the line hangs up.
~~~ The Drake-Suite 165 - 1:38 pm ~~~
Professor Plum puts her cell phone is her pocket.
“Who was that?” Miss Scarlet asks from the bathroom doorway
“An old friend…” Professor Plum says
“And why did you hang up so suddenly?” she asks, coming over to him and placing a hand on his shoulder
“We never really got along…” Professor Plum lies
~~~ Rose Estate-Parlor - 1:51 pm ~~~
Dr. Rose sits in his overstuffed armchair and finishes his brandy, only to pour another… His thoughts are racing. Maybe it’s because of what he has just done… or maybe something more sinister.
~~~FLASHBACK, ROSE ESTATE- HALL -1:54 PM~~~
Dr. Rose walks down the stairs in a tuxedo. A man, also in a tuxedo, stands at the door of the cloakroom. He is talking to Colonel Mustard. Colonel Mustard is forty-some years old and is in his uniform.
“What?” the colonel shouts, “You droll, fool!”
“Colonel!” the man says in a French accent, “We ‘ad an understanding? No?”
“You sick man, I’m not going to pay you?” Colonel Mustard says
“But I paid for joo to get zee legal papers on jour phony title?” the man laughs
“Colonel?” Dr. Rose comes down the hall, “What is the meaning of this? I was preparing for your retirement party, only to find out you never worked up to becoming a Colonel?”
“See what you did?” Mustard barks at the French man. The colonel reaches inside the cloakroom and pulls a cane out of the umbrella stand. In one quick move, Colonel Mustard pulls off the cane sheath, revealing the narrow blade of a sword. The Frenchman can hardly think before the blade jars into his throat with one quick swipe. Dr. Rose gasps as blood stains the white marble floor of his hall.
“Colonel, are you insane?” Dr. Rose shouts
“You saw what he tried to do!!” Colonel Mustard defends
“Oh God!” Dr. Rose looks at the body, a pool of blood ripples around his torn throat…
~~~END OF FLASHBACK~~~
Dr. Rose’s hand is shaking at such a speed that his brandy begins to spill.
~~~FLASHBACK, ROSE ESTATE- CELLAR-1:59 PM~~~
Dr. Rose closes a trap door on the floor and rolls a potato bin over top of it, He pours a bucket of water over the bloody area…
~~~END OF FLASHBACK~~~
The glass slips from Dr. Rose’s hand as he remembers yet another illicit deed he had done…
~~~FLASHBACK, ROSE ESTATE- MASTER BEDROOM-5:51 PM~~~
Dr. Rose is forcing a woman wearing a black coat against the wall, kissing her. She kicks at him and tries to shove him away. Dr. Rose is alarmed by the sound of a car door closing. Out of fear he begins to ring the poor woman’s neck. The woman grabs his wrists as the front door downstairs opens. Dr. Rose walks the wheezing woman over to the closet and pushes her inside. He then squeezes her throat one final time. Mrs. Rose enters the bedroom as he closes the closet door.
~~~END OF FLASHBACK~~~
Dr. Rose’s face has gone tremendously white as he gasps for breath.
“Oh, God!” he shouts, he grabs his throat in agony. He stands up and tries to walk but drops to the ground, knocking over a pedestal with a vase on it. On the floor, Dr. Rose begins to convulse. From the other end of the room, his wife stands.
“I’m sorry Carl.” She says, “This won’t kill you, only keep you quiet for a while…”
Dr. Rose’s face freezes in place…
~~~ Peacock Residence Grounds- Swimming Pool- 2:00 pm ~~~
Across the street, Mrs. Peacock sits in a pool chair sipping a margarita. Mr. Tenné has finished putting on the pool cover. He attaches it and looks up at Inspector Silverson enters the pool area.
“Inspector, how are things coming along?” asks Mrs. Peacock
“That is what I came to talk to you about, Ms. Peacock.” Inspector Silverson says, “You see, there are so many suspects and not enough leads… and the house was open to many people… and all of them have alibis… the case cannot be taken any further… I’m sorry.” He says
“You just made my day even worse than it already was.” Mrs. Peacock says, “If you can’t spend a little time getting your hands dirty…… then I don’t think you belong on the force!”
“Mrs. Peacock, I understand your concern, but this case is like no other that we’ve done…” Inspector Silverson says, “We have come to the conclusion that this uninvited sea captain killed your sister, strangled Chelsea, and then committed suicide.”
“I… I suppose.” Mrs. Peacock frowns, “But have you any other leads?”
“None.” Inspector Silverson says
“Then I apologize…” Mrs. Peacock sneers finishing her margarita
~~~ The Drake- Suite 1208- 2:05 pm ~~~
Colonel Mustard sits on his bed, anticipating a phone call. Suddenly his cell phone rings.
“Michael Mustard.” He answers
“It’s Rosemary.” The person responds
“Ah, how’s old Carl doing?” asks Colonel Mustard
“Not well, listen, he has done his share of secrets around the house, let’s just hope he doesn’t find out about ours…” Mrs. Rose hangs up with that last sentiment…
Colonel Mustard rubs his chin and pours himself a glass of cognac…
~~~ Green Estate- Gates- 2:09 pm ~~~
Victor Plum drives by in his car and sees the gates are open. He drives up a little and parks his car. He gets out and walks through the gates. Cautiously he hurries to a pair of open windows. The voices of Madeline and Forest are heard.
“Well, daddy dearest died in the bus accident.” Forest says, the sound of a phone hitting the receiver is heard.
“And now?” asks Madeline
“I call some board members of the G&Y Company.” Forest picks up the telephone and dials a number, “Yes, Roxanne, it’s Forest.” There is a pause, “It seems my father has past on quite suddenly in an auto wreck.” There is another pause, “We all are mortified.” Victor continues to listen at the window, “Oh?” there is another long pause, “Well, it seems that my father has had some investing problems and we are putting the project on hold.” The muffled sound of shouting can be heard through the phone, “Please, calm down, the money won’t be wasted!” Forest assures the woman, “We are going to lift the eviction notices until further notice. I will be in touch.” There is another long pause, “Of course the project isn’t being aborted!” Forest hangs up and immediately begins laughing
“She sounded a little upset…” Madeline says
“She won’t be for long.” Forest comes over to the window and closes it. Victor crouches lower, in order not to be seen, after a couple moments he stands up and turns to the gates. Nurse Tennre is standing behind him.
“Hello!” she says, “What are you doing here?”
“Me?” Victor asks
“Yes you! I wasn’t talking to the rose bushes!” Nurse Tennre says
“Oh… right.” He chuckles nervously
“I repeat: What are you doing here?” she raises her voice
“I’m the new gardener… Mr. Green hired.” Victor says
“Hmm?” Nurse Tennre hums, “And If I take you into his study and ask him if he hired you, he will say yes.”
“Well, of course.” Victor says
“I think I’ll take you up on that offer.” She says, motioning to the front door.
Victor dashes across the lawn towards the gates. He quickly gets in his car and speeds off.
~~~ Victor’s Car - continuous~~~
Victor is almost out of breath as he speeds down the road.
“She almost caught us!” he says to the person in the back seat of his car.
~~~ Rose Estate- Master Bedroom- 2:13 pm ~~~
Mrs. Rose helps her groggy husband to the bed.
“You just lie down and I’m sure you’ll realize that I can overpower you.” She says, “And once you can talk, I suggest you start talking, or else you will never get out of that bed alive.”
TO BE CONTINUED