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The year is 1890. Detective Sergeant John Billings is an honest and hard working man who has risen swiftly through the ranks to become one of Scotland Yard's youngest detectives. But in his private life he struggles with the demons of loneliness and morphine addiction.
While Scotland Yard is in the midst of foiling a Russian counterfeiting operation, Billings is asked to investigate the cold blooded murder of Lord Palmer. The main suspect is a rough looking vagrant called Brendan Lochrane who was employed by Lord Palmer to live as an 'ornamental hermit' in a grotto in his estate. When Billings visits Lochrane in his holding cell, he is moved by the look in the man's eyes. This is not the 'Wild Man' the press have made him out to be. Lochrane is mute, docile and unresponsive. A gut feeling leads Billings to suspect that the man is being framed. But who is framing him? And why?
Billings travels the length and breadth of Britain investigating the case. As he pieces together the fragments of Lochrane's extraordinary life, he slowly finds himself becoming embroiled in a web of corruption and deceit which goes right to the heart of Scotland Yard.
'The Ornamental Hermit' is a thrilling mystery which leads the listener on a colourful journey into Victorian England.
CAST
David Ault as Billings
Bob Lawrence as Clarkson
Sarah Bowers as Jack
Mike Young as Dwight
Tanya Rich as Mrs Appleby
Laura Mirsky as Mrs Forester
Karim Kronfli as Mr Forester
Matt Sykes as Sebastian
NEW EPISODE EVERY SUNDAY
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The Ornamental Hermit - A D.S.Billings Mystery
EPISODE ONE: THE WILD MAN OF SUTTON COURTNEY
1.CLARKSON ’Ere, Billings, ’ow d’you write very? One r or two?
2.BILLINGS (distracted, reading a book) One.
3.CLARKSON You sure? Innit the same as merry? As in merry Christmas?
4.BILLINGS I’m sure.
5.CLARKSON (reading from his report) “The man was wearing a very long red coat…” It don’t look right.
6.BILLINGS It’s one r, Clarkson. Trust me.
7.CLARKSON It were a striking coat, Billings. Went all the way down to his ankles. It had a furry collar and it were bright red. Very conspi... conspu... what’s the word I’m thinking of, Billings?
8.BILLINGS Conspicuous?
9.CLARKSON That’s the one. ’Ow do you write it?
10.BILLINGS Don’t write conspicuous.
11.CLARKSON Why not?
12.BILLINGS It’s subjective. Just write that it was long and red.
13.CLARKSON He looked just like one of them Russian warriors. You know, with the red coats and the fur hats. ’Ow do you call them, Billings? These Russian soldiers?
14.BILLINGS (sighs with frustration at Clarkson’s interruptions) Do you mean Cossacks?
15.CLARKSON That’s it. He looked just like a Cossack. Probably was one, come to think of it. Bloody Russians! Ain’t we got enough crime to deal with, without having to chase after foreign counterfeiters.
16.BILLINGS (irritated) You’re at Scotland Yard now, Clarkson. That’s what we do.
17.CLARKSON Me feet are killing me, do you know that? I spent all day walkin’ around the bloomin’ city, shadowing me target.
18.BILLINGS (finally had enough) You do see that I’m reading, don’t you?
19.CLARKSON (oblivious) What?
20.BILLINGS I’m sitting here, at the end of my shift, with a book in my hands. You do see that, don’t you?
21.CLARKSON Of course I see that.
22.BILLINGS Well, then maybe you can be quiet and let me read!
23.CLARKSON Sorry. (pause) What you reading, anyway?
25.CLARKSON What’s it about?
26.BILLINGS (frustrated) I don’t know! I haven’t had a chance to get into it yet. I keep reading the same passage over and over again. ‘It is a secret overruling decree that hurries us on to be the instruments of our own destruction. Even though it be before us we rush upon it with our eyes open.’
27.CLARKSON What does it mean?
28.BILLINGS I don’t know, but it sounds ominous.
29.CLARKSON What’s ominous?
SFX THERE’S A KNOCK ON THE DOOR
30.CLARKSON Oh, bloomin’ heck! If that’s Jack...
SFX DOOR OPENS
31.CLARKSON You better not ’ave a message from those coppers, Jack.
32.JACK I ’ave, sir. They’ve arrested a man. They’re asking will you come down and take a statement.
33.CLARKSON No! It’s ten minutes to six and I’m about to go home. Go back to those coppers and tell them there was no one here.
34.JACK But sir, ’tis a special one, this.
35.CLARKSON Oi, hobbadehoy! Did you hear what I said?
36.JACK But they say it’s the Wild Man of Sutton Courtenay.
pause
37.CLARKSON (surprised) ’Ow do they know it’s him?
38.JACK Well, it’s a rough-looking man, with a dirty beard and...
39.CLARKSON Sounds like another shivering jemmy to me. Tell those coppers to let him go.
40.JACK (becoming flustered) But sir…
41.BILLINGS It’s alright, Jack. Someone will be down shortly.
42.JACK (relieved) Thank you, sir.
SFX DOOR CLOSES
SFX CLARKSON JUMPS UP FROM HIS DESK AND STARTS PACING ANGRILY
43.CLARKSON I don’t believe this! I’ve been runnin’ around London all day chasing some bloomin’ Russian, and when I finally get to sit down for a few minutes I have to interview some bloody tramp! And I’ll have to write another blessed report! It’ll take ages before I get home! (stop pacing) ... Billings, me old mate, I don’t suppose you could…
44.BILLINGS No! It was my turn yesterday and I’ve got my day off tomorrow. I’m going home.
SFX BILLINGS PICKS UP HIS BAG AND PACKS HIS BOOK INTO IT
45.CLARKSON Go on, ’ave an ’eart. It’s pork tonight. Me rib’s waiting at ’ome for me with me sawney. The li’l ones are starvin’, waitin’ for their daddy to come ’ome.
46.BILLINGS Such a picture of blissful domesticity you paint!
47.CLARKSON Be a sport, Billings, me old mate. You ain’t got nothing to do tonight, ’ave you? The Wild Man of Sutton Courtenay, Billings. Fancy that. Sounds like an interesting case for you.
48.BILLINGS I’ve never heard of the Wild Man of Sutton… what was it?
49.CLARKSON Sutton Courtenay. It’s a good case, Billings. You’ll like it.
50.BILLINGS (hesitates) Well, all right, then.
51.CLARKSON (happy) You’re a good man, Billings, me old mate!
52.BILLINGS But you owe me.
SFX DARK DUNGEON SOUNDS. WATER LEAKING DOWN THE WALLS.
SFX CREAKY DOOR OPENS AND BILLINGS DESCENDS THE STEPS
53.DWIGHT (in an unfriendly manner. Dwight doesn’t like Billings) Oh, Sergeant Billings. It’s you, is it? Weren’t you on duty last night?
54.BILLINGS (ignoring the hostility) I was. Who have you caught?
55.DWIGHT Oh, we got a big one, tonight. Didn’t Jack mention it?
56.BILLINGS He mentioned something about the wild man of... uh...
57.DWIGHT Sutton Courtenay, Sergeant. Brendan Lochrane, The Wild Man of Sutton Courtenay. You’ll have read all about it, no doubt.
58.BILLINGS Well, I must confess, I...
59.DWIGHT Bloomin’ heck, you bunch of dicks! I thought Detective Constable Clarkson was on duty. Hadn’t we better get him?
60.BILLINGS I’m on duty, Constable. Now, where is this man?
61.DWIGHT He’s in the cell.
SFX DWIGHT PICKS UP A BUNCH OF KEYS AND LEADS BILLINGS DOWN THE ECHOEY HALL TOWARDS THE CELL
62.DWIGHT The Berkshire County Constabulary feared he’d find his way down to London and published a sketch in the Police Gazette. A patrol officer found him sleeping in the bushes in Battersea Park. It weren’t until he tried speaking to him that he realised who it was.
63.BILLINGS Why?
64.DWIGHT I’ll show you why. (calling) ’Ere, Jack! Help me pin the suspect down to the wall, so I can show the Sergeant.
65.JACK Yes sir!
SFX JACK JUMPS UP FROM HIS CHAIR AND RUNS TOWARDS THEM.
66.DWIGHT (knocking on the cell door) Alright Brendan. We’re just coming in to have a look at you. Nothing to worry about.
SFX DWIGHT UNLOCKS THE CELL DOOR.
67.DWIGHT (to Jack) You ready Jack? When I say go, you grab his right arm, got that?
68.JACK Yes, sir.
69.DWIGHT Alright... (opens the cell door) go!
SFX DWIGHT AND JACK RUSH INTO THE CELL AND LUNGE AT THE MAN.
70.BRENDAN (makes a strange muffled roar)
71.DWIGHT (with effort) That’s it Jack. Hold his arm tightly, disable the use of his elbows, then push him up by the armpits.
72.BRENDAN (another strange muffled roar)
73.BILLINGS I say! Steady on, Constable! You’re hurting him.
74.DWIGHT This is a dangerous man, Sergeant. (to Brendan) Now, open your mouth, Brendan. Go on, show the Sergeant what you’ve got. That’s it. (to Billings) Do you see that?
75.BILLINGS It’s dark. I can’t see very well.
76.DWIGHT Look closely, Sergeant. In his mouth. There’s something not there that ought to be.
77.BILLINGS My God! His tongue!
78.DWIGHT That’s right.
79.BILLINGS He has no tongue!
80.DWIGHT No tongue, Sergeant. That’s our monkey, alright. (to Jack) Alright, Jack. At the count of three. One... two... three!
SFX DWIGHT AND JACK DROP BRENDAN ON THE FLOOR, RUSH OUT OF THE CELL AND CLOSE THE DOOR.
81.DWIGHT (huffing and puffing after his excertion) All right, back to your chair.
82.JACK (equally tried) Yes, sir.
SFX JACK WALKS AWAY
SFX BILLINGS TAKES A FEW STEPS TOWARDS THE CELL.
83.BILLINGS (gently) Mr Lochrane? My name is Detective Sergeant Billings.
84.DWIGHT (irritated) He don’t speak, Sergeant. No tongue, remember.
85.BILLINGS But he can hear.
86.DWIGHT There’s no point, Sergeant. We tried talking to him ourselves. He won’t respond.
87.BILLINGS (to Brendan) Do you hear me, Mr Lochrane?
(pause)
88.DWIGHT I told you.
89.BILLINGS How do you know you’ve got the right man?
90.DWIGHT How do I know? ’Cause he fits the description, that’s how! (He picks up a paper) See. Here it is in the Police gazette. “A rough-looking man, about six foot three, shoulder length hair, unkempt. Brown and grey beard, most likely caked with mud. And no tongue!” Look for yourself.
91.BILLINGS He’s not quite six foot three, though, is he?
92.DWIGHT What?
93.BILLINGS The Police Gazette describes him as being six foot three. He’s shorter than that.
94.DWIGHT This is our man, Sergeant. The Wild Man of Sutton Courtenay. We done our job. We caught our monkey. Now it’s your job to gather the evidence and get him hanged.
SFX BILLINGS WALKING BACK HOME
95.BILLINGS (reading from a newspaper) Berkshire Aristocrat Murdered By Axe Wielding Wild Man. The Berkshire County Constabulary reports that on the 21st of October 1890, the body of Lord Palmer was found face-down in the woods of his estate, with a hatchet sticking out of his shoulder blades. The hatchet was identified as one belonging to Brendan Lochrane, a vagrant known locally as The Wild Man of Sutton Courtenay, who had been living and working on Lord Palmer’s estate. The body had been robbed of five pounds, three shillings, a gold watch and a gold-plated cameo ring. The whereabouts of Lochrane is currently unknown, but the police suspect him of being on his way to London. The Berkshire Constabulary describe him as being six foot three, with long, ruffled hair and a long black beard which he may now have shaved off. He is also described as having no tongue. The public are urged to report any sightings of an individual matching these descriptions to the police and under no circumstances to approach him themselves.
96.BILLINGS (deep sigh) (thinking) Why did I allow Clarkson to talk me into this? There is nothing more stress-inducing than a sensational case that has captured the interest of the national press.
SFX WE HEAR BILLINGS’ HEART START TO POUND.
97.BILLINGS (thinking) Oh God, my heart’s going now. And my hand’s trembling. This blessed case has hastened my symptoms. Damn you, Clarkson!
SFX BILLINGS UNLOCKS AND OPENS THE DOOR, AND RUSHES UP TO HIS ROOM. HE TAKES HIS MORPHINE WALLET, PREPARES THE SYRINGE, ROLLS UP HIS SLEEVE AND INJECTS
98.BILLINGS (sighs with relief and delight) Oh, blessed morphine!
SFX HIS HEAD FALLS ON HIS PILLOW.
SFX WE HEAR MRS APPLEBY RUSHING UP THE STAIRS.
99.MRS APPLEBY (outside the room) Is that you, Mr Billings? You’re late. I left a bowl of soup on your table. Hope it hasn’t got too cold.
SFX DOOR OPENS AND MRS APPLEBY COMES IN.
100.MRS APPLEBY Oh, my goodness! The state of this room. Really, Mr Billings, when you gonna brighten this room up a bit, eh? Looks like a bloomin’ prison cell in here!
SFX CURTAINS DRAWN
101.MRS APPLEBY There, that’s better. You should let me put some colourful drapes up for you. I’ve got an aspidistra in the lounge, you could have that. That’ll cheer things up a bit. It’s a good job you never have any visitors. I’d be too embarrassed to show them this room. (pause) ’ere,you ain’t eaten any of my soup! Are you all right? What you doing on the bed?
SFX SNORING SOUNDS
102.MRS APPLEBY Oh, you’ve taken that morphine again. (with disapproval) And you bein’ a detective and all! Ain’t you supposed to stay bright and alert? You used to be my prize tenant, you know that? ‘Detective Sergeant Billings from the Metropolitan Police.’ Now look at you! (pause) Oh well, I’d better close these curtains again.
SFX CLOSES THE CURTAINS.
103.MRS APPLEBY And I’ll take the soup back to the kitchen. You’re usually quite hungry when you wake up from your trance. (sympathetically) Oh, it’s not easy being a detective, I know that. All that misery, all day long. Hope the morphine gives you some relief.
SFX MRS APPLEBY EXITS
SFX BILLINGS ENTERS THE ROOM
104.MRS APPLEBY Ah, Mr Billings. Good morning. There’s a letter for you.
105.BILLINGS A letter?
106.MRS APPLEBY It was delivered by an elegant lady. She was dressed all in black. I told her you were in, and she could deliver the letter to you herself, but she was in such a hurry. I put it on you breakfast plate.
107.BILLINGS Thank you.
SFX BILLINGS GOES TO THE TABLE, SITS DOWN AND PICKS UP THE LETTER.
108.MRS APPLEBY (dying with curiosity) An acquaintance of yours, is it?
109.BILLINGS No.
110.MRS APPLEBY She was awfully smart. Not a relative of yours, is she?
111.BILLINGS Nope.
112.MRS APPLEBY Just a friend, then? A lady friend?
113.BILLINGS I’ll have porridge and coffee as usual, thank you, Mrs Appleby.
114.MRS APPLEBY (disappointed) Right you are.
SFX MRS APPLEBY GOES INTO THE KITCHEN. BILLINGS OPENS THE ENVELOPE AND TAKES OUT THE LETTER
115.MRS FORRESTER (this is the contents of the letter) My dear John. I may call you John, I hope. I have known you for so long and I have been following your life with such interest. I hear you have been promoted to the CID. Mr Forrester and I send you our warmest congratulations. You must be wondering why I am writing to you after all these years. Something has happened which has upset us both very much and we need your help. It’s about Sebastian. I do not want to put this in writing, but I would like to meet you. Could you come to the meeting house today at four? Why don’t we see you at the meeting house anymore? God is in you, John. Waiting for you to give him the opportunity to shine through. I hope you don’t feel I’m being too forward or that I am in any way interfering, but there is so much of you that reminds me of our dear Sebastian. The same darkness that cloaked his life, cloaks yours, and I just know that God can help you lift it. Trusting to see you at today’s meeting and wishing you strength and love, yours truly, Mrs Cecilia Forrester.
116.BILLINGS (sighs) (to himself) Damn it!
SFX BILLINGS PUTS THE LETTER DOWN ON HIS PLATE
117.BILLINGS (to himself) I’m going to have to meet her now.
SFX OUTSIDE STREET NOISE: CARRIAGES, BIRDS, WIND.
SFX PEOPLE START COMING OUT OF THE MEETING HOUSE:
118.MRS FORRESTER (approaching) Oh John, you came! (hurrying towards him) Oh John! My dear, dear John!
SFX PLANTS A THICK, WET KISS ON BOTH CHEEKS, LIKE AN AUNT ON A RELUCTANT NEPHEW
119.MRS FORRESTER But you didn’t come into the meeting house. Why didn’t you come in?
120.BILLINGS I no longer attend Quaker meetings.
121.MRS FORRESTER Oh, but John, you should!
122.BILLINGS (changing the topic) Where is Mr Forrester?
123.MRS FORRESTER (matter of factly) Mr Forrester is at home. He’s dying. (beat) But look at you. You look good. But thin. Are you eating? And when are you going to find yourself a nice young wife to settle down with?
124.BILLINGS Dying? What do you mean dying?
125.MRS FORRESTER Oh, he’s been deteriorating slowly for the last few years, John. He won’t last the year. That’s why it was so urgent for us to see you.
126.BILLINGS To see me about what?
127.MRS FORRESTER I’ll tell you on the way home. Come, there’s a cab waiting for us.
SFX BUSTLE OF THE CITY, CARRIAGE, HORSE
128.MRS FORRESTER Mr Forrester has been ill for some time. He’s never been the same since Sebastian went missing. It’s his heart, he’s been suffering terribly from palpitations. I blame it on the stress and the expense we incurred in finding Sebastian. Do you know how much money we paid those incompetent detectives in Cumberland? We should have employed you.
129.BILLINGS I was only a constable at the time.
130.MRS FORRESTER They profited from us! They milked us. Combing the hills, dragging the lakes. That’s what hurts the most. That in the midst of our desperation, our grieving, somebody else tried to profit. (pause) We got a letter.
131.BILLINGS A letter?
132.MRS FORRESTER From him. From Sebastian. He’s back in Oxford. He sent us a letter.
133.BILLINGS Sebastian sent you a letter? After all these years? So, he’s back?
134.MRS FORRESTER I don’t know. We were in Oxford last week. Both of us. Mr Forrester, sick as he was, insisted he’d come with me.
135.BILLINGS And?
136.MRS FORRESTER And nothing. We waited for a whole week at that tearoom he’d suggested for our meeting, but he didn’t show up. And we had no way of locating him. We inquired everywhere, but nobody could enlighten us. So we went back home. Mr Forrester thinks it may have been an impostor.
137.BILLINGS An impostor?
138.MRS FORRESTER Mr Forrester is dying, John. I told you that. There’s a large inheritance at stake. Anyone can pretend to be Sebastian. It’s been ten years. (pause) This is it, this is our street. Do you remember it?
139.BILLINGS Of course I do.
140.MRS FORRESTER Of course you do. Your practically grew up here. (beat) Tell, the driver to stop, will you?
SFX FRONT DOOR OPENS AND BILLINGS AND MRS FORRESTER ENTER
141.MRS FORRESTER (speaking softly) You must be quiet. He’s usually asleep at this time, and I don’t want to scare him. We put his bed in the drawing room, so he wouldn’t feel alone.
SFX MRS FORRESTER WALKS TOWARDS THE DRAWING ROOM AND SLOWLY PUSHES OPEN THE DOOR.
142.MRS FORRESTER Freddy? Are you awake? I’ve got John Billings with me.
SFX SHEETS RUSTLING
143.FREDERICK (half asleep) John?
144.MRS FORRESTER You remember, dear. Gideon Billings’s son. The detective. He’s here. (to Billings) Come in, he’s awake.
SFX BILLINGS ENTERS
145.BILLINGS Hello sir.
146.FREDERICK (suddenly wide awake) Show him the letter, Cecilia!
147.MRS FORRESTER Oh, not now, dear. Let him sit down first and have a cup of tea.
148.FREDERICK Show him the letter, Godammit! I haven’t much time. I’m dying!
149.MRS FORRESTER (hurt and upset) Oh, Freddy, really!
SFX MRS FORRESTER EXITS
150.FREDERICK (sounding frail again) So, John Billings, eh?
151.BILLINGS How are you, sir?
152.FREDERICK Come here. Step into the light. Let me have a look at you.
SFX BILLINGS STEPS CLOSER
153.FREDERICK Ah yes. I recognize you now. There’s traces of your mother about you.
154.BILLINGS I know.
155.FREDERICK Nothing of your father.
156.BILLINGS No.
157.FREDERICK Good man, he was. Deep thinker. But morose.
158.BILLINGS Yes, I think I may have inherited that from him.
159.FREDERICK Did good work for our faith in Africa. And your mother too. Great shame it ended the way it did. What was it? Malaria?
160.BILLINGS Yellow fever.
161.FREDERICK Did Mrs Forrester tell you about the letter?
162.BILLINGS She told me you received one.
163.FREDERICK We need someone to investigate.
164.BILLINGS (anticipating what Mr Forrester is going to ask him) Yes, I understand that, but...
165.FREDERICK I’m dying. Did she tell you that?
166.BILLINGS Yes, sir, she did, but...
167.FREDERICK All expenses will be paid. Wages too, if you wish.
168.BILLINGS I understand that, Mr Forrester, but I really can’t leave London now. I’ve just been given a new case and…
169.FREDERICK We looked after you. Your mother was destitute when she came back with you from Africa. Not a penny to her name.
170.BILLINGS I know. And I appreciate that, but...
171.FREDERICK I want to see my son again, John. I only have the one. And I want to see him before I die. I may not be around next month.
SFX MRS FORRESTER ENTERS
172.MRS FORRESTER Here’s the letter.
173.FREDERICK John’s taking the case.
174.MRS FORRESTER (delighted) Oh, I knew you would (she takes Billings’ head in her hand and kisses his cheek) Thank you. You are the only one who knows Sebastian well enough.
175.BILLINGS Actually, I don’t know him well at all.
176.MRS FORRESTER Of course you do. You grew up together.
177.BILLINGS But we didn’t. He was already in university when I moved in.
178.MRS FORRESTER Oh, you remember him, John. He was an unusual child. Wild and stubborn and passionate. (to Frederick) Do you remember, Freddy? Do you remember how he used to run around the garden naked? Stark naked, he was! (laughs) We couldn’t get him to put his clothes back on. And no type of weather could deter him. Rain. Snow. You turned your back and there’d be a pile of clothes on the floor and he’d be out there, naked like a savage, enjoying God’s world in blissful innocence. (to fredeick) How old was he then, Freddy? Nine? (to Billings) I think he felt trapped by his clothes. He felt restricted. He couldn’t bear restrictions. I asked him once. I asked him why he did it. ‘Because I want to feel the elements,’ he said. ‘Elements!’ That’s the very word he used. He wanted to feel the elements on his skin. ‘If God wants me to be cold, I’ll be cold. If God wants me to be wet, I’ll be wet,’ he said. ‘But God doesn’t want you to get ill,’ I said. ‘That’s why he invented clothes.’ Oh, he had a very special way of looking at things. Even at that age.
SFX MRS FORRESTER GETS HIT BY A PILLOW
179.FREDERICK Will you shut up, woman!
180.MRS FORRESTER (shocked) Freddy!
181.FREDERICK (angry, suddenly full of energy again) He was weak! That’s why he couldn’t hack it at the theological college! He was a dreamer! A romantic, quixotic fool!
182.MRS FORRESTER (to Billings, apologetically) It’s his illness talking, John. The constant pain makes him angry.
183.FREDREICK (continuing with his rant) This is the devil’s realm we live in! That’s what he couldn’t understand! This is the devil’s realm and we are all stained with the devil’s spore!
184.MRS FORRESTER (to Billings) You had better go. He starts talking nonsense when he’s tired. Here. Take this with you.
SFX MRS FORRESTER PICKS UP A WRITING BOX AND HANDS IT TO BILLINGS
185.MRS FORRESTER This was his writing box in college. The letter is in there. And others too, so you can compare the handwriting. Study them. They might give you clues. Thank you, John. Thank you for doing this for us. If anyone can find him, it’s you.
186.BILLINGS (thinking) So, this is Sebastian’s writing box. I remember when his parents gave it to him, the day he set off for Oxford. I was so jealous of him. It’s an elegant piece of equipment. Approximately fifteen inches wide, I’d say. Nine inches deep and six inches tall. Made of solid mahogany with a decorative brass strap binding it on either side.
SFX BILLINGS TURNS THE WRITING BOX TO IT’S SIDE
187.BILLINGS (thinking) There is a small lever on the side of the box.
SFX BILLINGS PUSHES THE LEVER AND THE WRITING SURFACE SPRINGS OPEN.
188.BILLINGS (thinking) Oh, my God. There’s a secret compartment underneath the leather writing surface. What’s in there?
SFX PAPER SOUNDS
189.BILLINGS (thinking) A book, a notebook and some letters.
SFX BILLINGS PAGES THROUGH THE NOTEBOOK.
190.BILLINGS (reading) ‘Council of Nicaea – 325; Council of Constantinople – 381; Council of Chalcedon – 451’ (beat) Sebastian seems to have made a half-hearted attempt at taking notes, but only the first few pages are filled in. For the rest he just hastily jotted a couple of sentences or covered the page with caricatures of his lecturers.
SFX BILLINGS TAKES OUT THE BOOK.
191.BILLINGS This book looks interesting, though. Dog-eared and covered in fingerprints, it was obviously well read. (reading the title) “The Sayings of The Desert Fathers” (pages through it) It appears to be a collection of rules and quotes from early Christian monks who withdrew into the Egyptian desert in the 5th century. This quote is underlined. (reading the quote) “Live as though crucified; in struggle, in lowliness of spirit, in good will and spiritual abstinence, in fasting, in penitence, in weeping.” (sighs) I’m too hazy-minded and foggy right now to make much sense of it. I couldn’t possibly deal with memories of Sebastian without taking a shot of morphine first. (beat) I wonder if there are any other hidden compartments.
SFX HE SHAKES THE WRITING BOX.
192.BILLINGS There’s something else in it.
SFX HE TURNS THE WRITING BOX AROUND
193.BILLINGS Aha! There’s a couple of buttons hidden beneath the sloping surface.
SFX HE PRESSES THE BUTTONS. A HIDDEN DRAWER SPRINGS OUT.
194.BILLINGS Oh, my goodness! What is this?
SFX BILLINGS TAKES OUT A DIARY AND PAGES THOUGH IT.
195.BILLINGS A diary! Fifty or so pages, filled with writing – small, tightly packed, and often spilling into the margins. This must be a great discovery. The Forresters made no mention of a diary. Are they ignorant of its existence? (beat) But it’s the letters I want to read now.
SFX PICKS UP A LETTER.
196.BILLINGS This one was sent ten years ago from Windermere. That’s shortly before Sebastian’s disappearance.
197.SEBASTIAN (contents of the letter) Dear Mother and Father, You will by now have heard that I have left Oxford and that I am staying in the Lake District. Please do not worry. I shall try to explain in this letter what has driven me here. I have been at Tatum Hall for over a year now and I have become convinced that I cannot leave England and go to Madagascar to teach, as you wish me to. I have nothing to teach. I am a wicked, selfish, ignorant fool and I only have things to learn (Father will know what I mean). At Tatum Hall they teach us to read and interpret the ancient texts, to decipher the parables, to explain the apparent contradictions, but in my view all this is futile. Religion is not a science. It is not a history lesson. Religion is about faith. This strange and otherworldly sensation that fills your heart and drives you into a state of ecstasy. Faith cannot be explained. It should not be explained. Faith is not about knowing, it’s about believing. That is our only connection with God. Faith, as opposed to knowledge, can only exist if we live in ignorance of the facts. How can I explain God’s words to another? It is impossible. God does not speak in words. He speaks in feelings, in instincts, in passions, and it is by these means that he has spoken to me. He has called me, and I have decided to follow his call. I do not know to where it will lead or for how long I shall have to travel, but please do not worry. Just pray for me. Pray that I shall proof myself worthy for God to enlighten and redeem me (again, Father will know what I mean. He won’t understand or agree, but he’ll know). I shall write again soon. I promise. Yours lovingly, Sebastian
SFX BILLINGS PICKS UP THE SECOND LETTER
198.BILLINGS The second letter was written in Oxford and received only six weeks ago.
199.SEBASTIAN Dear Mother and Father. You will be surprised by this letter after ten years. Much has happened to me since we last saw each other and I don’t know where to begin explaining, but I should like to see you again. Please write back and tell me how you are. Yours lovingly, Sebastian.
SFX PAPER SOUNDS AS BILLINGS COMPARES THE LETTERS
200.BILLINGS There are some striking differences between the two, both in calligraphy and style. The first looks like it was written by a confident and flowing hand, whereas judging by the pressure applied to the pen and the missing joints halfway through the words, the second looks like it was written considerably slower and with much greater effort. As if the writing of it caused the author physical pain. This might also account for the abruptness of the style. However, the size, shapes, curls and dashes of the letters were consistent.
SFX BILLINGS PUTS DOWN THE LETTERS
201.BILLINGS I’ll have to read them again when I’m sober, but my right now my inclination is that the second letter was written by the same author as the first, from which I can concluded that the writer is not an impostor and that Sebastian Forrester is still alive.
