JANET: They stayed in the disco. One of them asked me to dance, but I said no. So after ten minutes he and his friend went out.
CARTER: Now I want to be sure about this. Jim went out first, you say, and these boys went out ten minutes after him. Is that right?
JANET: Er, ye-es, I think so. It's not easy to remember.
CARTER: Thank you.
He sits down and Ms Wills gets up.
Ms WILLS: You're right, Miss Nolan. It isn't easy to remember things after six months, of course.
JANET: No, it isn't. But I can remember nearly everything.
Ms WILLS: Did you watch Mary and J im all the time in the disco?
JANET: No, of course not. But —
Ms WILLS: No. So be careful, Miss Nolan. Perhaps you are wrong about this. It's a long time ago. Perhaps these boys went out before Jim? Not after him?
JANET: Perhaps. I don't know. I'm not sure.
Ms WILLS: Thank you. That's all.
She sits down. Janet begins to go out of the witness box, then she stops.
JANET: No, I'm right! Jim did go out first - I'm sure!
JUDGE: Thank you, Miss Nolan. Thank you very much.
Scene 3
Simon and Dan tell their story
Simon Clark comes into the witness box.
SIMON: (Taking the book) I promise to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth.
CARTER: Now, Simon. This is very important. What happened on the night of
12 August? Tell me.
SIMON: All right. Well, I went out with Dan to look for a car. We often take cars, you see —
JUDGE: You steal them, do you?
SIMON: Not steal, no. We take them for the night, drive for an hour or two, and leave them somewhere. JUDGE: I see. Do you do this often?
'We often take cars.'
SIMON: Yeah, why not? We like it. That night we took this white Ford Fiesta, and went to the disco in Trenton. We got there about ten o'clock,
I think.
CARTER: Did you meet anyone in the disco?
SIMON: Yes. We danced with some girls. But it wasn't very exciting, so at about midnight we went out and drove away. Two hours later a police car stopped us. That's it.
CARTER: Now I want you to look at this photo of Mary Jones. Did you see her in the disco?
SIMON: Yes. Dan danced with her first, and then I danced with her. Then her boyfriend hit me.
CARTER: Did you hit him first?
SIMON: No, I didn't.
CARTER: Did you hit him after he hit you?
SIMON: No. He was bigger than me. And I never hit people.
CARTER: All right. Did you follow this girl out of the disco? SIMON: No, I didn't see her go out. Dan and I talked for ten minutes, then we drove away. We didn't see the girl.
CARTER: Did you kill her?
SIMON: No, sir, I didn't.
CARTER: All right. (He sits down. Ms Wills stands up.)
Ms WILLS: When J im hit you, you did nothing. Right?
SIMON: Yes. That's right.
Ms WILLS: And what did Mary do? Did she laugh?
SIMON: I'm not sure. Perhaps she did.
Ms WILLS: She did, I think. Mary was a beautiful girl, and she laughed because her boyfriend hit you.
SIMON: I wasn't angry. She wasn't important to me.
Ms WILLS: Not important? But you danced with her.
SIMON: She was OK. She wasn't very beautiful or interesting.
Mary's mother stands up. She is very angry.
MRS JONES: Don't you say that about my daughter! She was beautiful, and she was a lot better than you! She didn't steal cars or kill people!
JUDGE: Please sit down, Mrs Jones. (She sits down.)
'Don't you say that about my daughter!'
Ms WILLS: You weren't angry, you say. That isn't true, Simon Clark. You were very angry with Mary!
SIMON: No, I wasn't. Why do you say that?
Ms WILLS: You were angry with her because she laughed at you. So you and Dan followed her in the Fiesta. What happened then? You asked her to get in. Did she get in? SIMON: No, she didn't.
Ms WILLS: I see. She didn't get in the car, so you were angry again. Then you hit her with this spanner and killed her. Is that right?
SIMON: No. It's not true.
Ms WILLS: Yes, it is. You murdered Mary Jones, Simon Clark! You killed her with this spanner!
SIMON: No, I didn't! I'm not guilty, I tell you!
Ms WILLS: You are guilty, Simon. You killed Mary Jones.
She sits down. Simon goes out. Dan comes in.
'I promise to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth.'
DAN: (Taking the book) I promise to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth.
CARTER: Dan, you listened to Simon. Did he tell the truth?
DAN: Yes, of course he did.
CARTER: Did you see J im hit your friend in the disco?
DAN: Yes, I did.
CARTER: And after that, did you see Jim go out?
DAN: Yes. The girl, Mary, went out first. Jim went later.
We stayed, and went out ten minutes after Jim.
CARTER: And when you went out, did you see Jim or Mary?
DAN: No. We got in the car and drove away.
CARTER: All right, thank you. Wait there.
He sits down, and Ms Wills stands up.
Ms WILLS: When J im hit Simon, did Mary laugh at him?
DAN: Well, yes.
Ms WILLS: Mary laughed at Simon?
DAN: Yes.
Ms WILLS: So then Simon was angry with Mary, but you were both afraid of
Jim. Is that right?
DAN: Well, perhaps, yes.
Ms WILLS: Yes. So you waited in the disco. You were angry with Mary. She went out of the disco, and Jim wasn't with her. So you and Simon followed her in the car.
DAN: No, we didn't.
Ms WILLS: Oh yes, you did. You stopped the car, and asked her to get in. But she didn't. Perhaps she laughed at you again. Then you were really angry.
DAN: NO! That's not true!
Ms WILLS: Oh yes it is, Dan. How did Mary die? I know, and the jury know too. You killed her. But I'm not sure about one thing - who hit Mary first? Was it Simon?
DAN: No —
Ms WILLS: It wasn't Simon, you say? Then it was you!
DAN: No, it wasn't! It wasn't me!
Ms WILLS: So it was Simon?
DAN: No! It wasn't Simon or me! We didn't do it!
Ms WILLS: Do you see this spanner, Dan? It has Mary's blood on it, and Mary's hair. And this spanner was in your car. Tell me, Dan - who put it there?
You, or Simon?
DAN: I don't know. I didn't put it there. I didn't see it.
Ms WILLS: That isn't true, Dan. The spanner was in your car because you murdered Mary Jones with it.
That's true, and everybody knows it.
She sits down. Dan goes out of the witness box.
Carter stands up.
CARTER: I have no more witnesses, my lord. (Sits down.)
JUDGE: Now, members of the jury, Ms Wills and Mr Carter are going to talk to you. Listen carefully.
Ms WILLS: (Standing up) Members of the jury, the police found this spanner in the Fiesta. It had Mary's blood and hair on it. They found tyre marks near Mary's body. There was blood on Simon's face, and under
Mary's fingernails, too.
SIMON: Jim hit me in the disco! He cut my face!
JUDGE: Be quiet! Ms Wills is talking now, not you!
Ms WILLS: Look at these two young men. They're angry now. Think about them. They aren't very nice young men. What do they do in the evenings?
They steal cars.
DAN: Yes, but we don't kill people!
Ms WILLS: You did, this time. You followed Mary, and you killed her. Think about it carefully, members of the jury. Mary is dead, and these young men are guilty of her murder.
CARTER: Did they, Jim? I'm not sure. Think carefully, members of the jury. Did Jim kill Mary? Perhaps - we don't know. But did Simon and Dan kill her?
No. They are not guilty. (Carter sits down.)
JUDGE: Now, members of the jury, there is one big question for you, and you must answer it. Think very carefully. Did these two men kill Mary Jones? Are they guilty or not guilty of her murder?
Scene 4
The Verdict (Alternative 1)