A STAGE SCRIPT

Play name
By
Grade 9B

LAW AND CRIMINALITY

Written By
Mansha Lohana and Zoya Hassan

January 13, 2024

CHARACTERS
JESSIE/JESS
JOSEPH’S FATHER, RICHARD
TIME
The present, late afternoon
PLACE
Jessie’s lounging area, telephone resting on
the table
Scene I-1: Jessie’s conversation with Richard
(The telephone rings, Jessie enters
and accepts the call)
RICHARD (EXHALES HEAVILY ON
THE OTHER END) [FURIOUS, HIGH
PITCHED VOICE}]: FINALLY
DETECTIVE ARNOLD, CONSIDERED
ANSWERING MY CALL DIDN’T YOU?
JESS TRIES TO REPLY
RICHARD: [CONTINUES FURIOUSLY] I know my son
confessed to the murders of the cheerleaders
two years ago but it was a false confession and
he is innocent and you would think so too. I am
emailing you the interview transcript, his
confession which I recently got. The officers
had him in that room for nine hours, he was
exhausted, terrified. All the answers they feed
to him. Joseph got so confused AND started to
believe the accusations himself. Until he
finally got some sleep in the cell, and then he
disclaimed the confession right away. And I
swear-
JESS IS SHOCKED AND PERPLEXED AS SHE
IMMEDIATELY ENDS THE CALL.
 SCENE II
CHARACTERS
JESSIE/JESS
JESS’S FRIEND, THEO
TIME
The present, EVENING
PLACE
Jessie’s Room,
Jess is at her study table, her laptop on the
table and is lost in thought, enter Theo
Theo: aye Jess!
Jess: [still lost in thought] do you think the
cheerleaders, Charlotte Jackson and Audrey
Philip were killed by Joseph Canning?’
Theo: [eyeing her suspiciously] hello to you
too and yes I mean who else, why are you
suddenly interested , what is your brain up to
now.
Jess: Joseph’s father called today. The call
was meant for my father but I accepted and had
to hear him rant about how his son is innocent
innocent. Theo: [eyes widen] ooo that’s some
tea
Jess: mhm and he emailed his son’s
interrogation transcript to my father, dad was
not home so i decided to just take a look at it
in his computer
Theo: [rolls his eyes] man you are so
interfering
 Jess: [annoyed] shut up. But I got to know some
stuff and i think i am going to look into this
case
Theo: [nonchalantly] why though? Like for no
reason
Jess: I’m going to do it for this new article I
have joined my boss already approved of it so
why not
Theo:[laughs] okay I’m convinced you are
obsessed with making your sorry life much more
difficult
Jess: [furiously] shut up! [sighs] They have
him there for long hours and so out of
exhaustion he confesses but later denies it. I
am also going to go talk to his father
tomorrow.
Theo: [exhales in defeat] now you are clearly
obsessed with danger. I’ll accompany you to
make sure you don't die.
Jess: [rolls her eyes] fine
CHARACTERS
JESSIE/JESSVICTIM’S FATHER, RICHARD
TIME
Next day
PLACE
Richard’s house.
Jess and Theo ring the doorbell, Richard lets them
in.

Scene iii: jess interviews richard

Richard: So you are from Motive?

Jess: Yes sir and now we are recording and I'm going
to interview you.

Jess: Actually sir. I- did your son really murder the

cheerleaders.

Richard sighs: there we go again. NO HE DID NOT, he’s

innocent.

Theo: calm down sir

Richard: Yes, sorry.I’ll tell you that there was an

unidentified piece of DNA in the form of some hair on
one of the cheerleaders, besides Joseph was on call
with me around the time the girls were murdered. I
tried to tell the police this but they entirely
dismissed it because there were no such call records
on Joseph's phone for some reason and Joseph had
already confessed by that time.

Jess: Can you email the call records from your phone
to me and the police report with the case details if
you have them, sir?
RICHARD: Yes sure, other than
that Joseph’s lawyer told him
that if he pleads guilty in
court, the judge will let him
serve in a prison near my house,
and he had already lost hope,
that’s why he did it.

JESS: THANK YOU SO MUCH.

CHARACTERS
JESSIE/JESS
PROFESSOR DAVIS

TIME
The present, late afternoon
PLACE
school library, jessie bumps into Professor Davis
Scene IV: jess bumps into Professor Davis.

Jess: Sorry!
Davis: Oh, Jessie its okay, by the way where are you
running off too?
Jess: oh nowhere sir, I was doing a report on the
cheerleader murders for my article, can you tell me
something about them.
Davis: [Stunned] Um, hush that case? [Collects
himself after he was shocked]. That case was a really
depressing one, how cruel of Joseph to kill those
innocent girls, also her dog was drowned a few days
later.
Jess: That's heartbreaking.
Davis: Yup, it sure is, anyways I have a class, I got
to go.
CHARACTERS
JESSIE/JESS
SUSAN GAUNT: FRIEND TO CHARLOTTE
TIME
The present, late afternoon
PLACE
Library
Scene v: Jess interviews Susan
Jess: Hey Susan! I called you yesterday, remember?
Susan: Oh hey Jessie,uhh yes you wanted to talk to
me about Charlotte and Audrey right?
Jess:Yeah, I am doing this article on their murder
case so I need all the help I can get. Besides, can I
interview you?
Susan: [hesitantly]yeahI guess you can interview me.
Jess: [suspiciously] Right thank you, we are
recording now so can you tell me about Charlotte's
demeanor again?
Susan: I can tell you that a few days before the
performance she was quite anxious and restless.
Jess: Alright, do you think Joseph murdered the girls
though?
Susan: Umm yes definitely, that's what happened I
mean he was the one caught red handed with the murder
weapon. It’s pretty hard for me to talk about this
Jess: Of course, I'm so sorry, since you were close
to her, did she ever talk about what was bothering
her?
Susan: It's really not my place to tell you about
that, but I and Audrey tried to ask her, but she did
not give us a clear answer.
Jess: Alright thank you
Susan: mm Jess, I need to tell you something, I just
remembered, Charlotte had sent me an unusual message.
Jess: really? Can you forward me the messages?
Susan: I can but Charlotte had deleted one message
before I could even read it.
Jess: Oh? Can u forward the unavailable chat to me as
well, we might be able to crack it. Besides, thank
you so much for your help.
Susan: Yeah, okay no problem.

Scene VI
Characters Jessie and Jessie’s father, Detective
Arnold.
Time
Place: Jessie’s house.
Jess’s conversation with her father

Arnold: Hey Jess, you're home.

Jess: Yes hello dad, I actually wanted to ask you
about something.
Arnold: Oh okay, what's it about?
Jess: [hesitantly] it’s about the murdered
cheerleaders
Arnold: [furiously] WHY? Jess, why are you so
interested in this?
Jess: I am doing an article on the case for Motive
So...
Arnold: Alright Jess, ask.
[Jess pulls out a microphone and her laptop] Hey
what's with this microphone and all?
Jess: I’m interviewing you and recording it
Arnold: [laughs]
Jess: It's not funny dad, okay yes so can you tell me
about the murder scene...
Arnold: I don’t think this microphone is working
[taps on the microphone] it's useless
Jess: [grits her teeth] dad please stop dodging my
question
Arnold: Jess no you don’t need to know about that...
Jess: please Detective Arnold, I sincerely request
Arnold: Okay fine, when we walked in the girls lay
there on the floor lifeless and Joseph was standing
there. Joseph’s DNA was found on the dead bodies.
However, the murder weapon was not found and Joseph
wouldn't say anything. The girls were stabbed several
times, they had stab wounds on their lower stomach.
Jess: Right and how did it seem Joseph was feeling.
Arnold: [frustrated] I don’t know Jess, he was a
killer [hissing] standing in front of us and we
immediately took him under custody. And he confessed.
Jess: Alright, anything else?
Arnold: Jess, please stay out of this.
Jess: Dad. Please.
Arnold: You aren’t going to listen are you? I just
remembered there was a large dog, Charlotte's dog I’d
reckon, he was shaking furiously beside Charlotte’s
dead body.
Jess: Something occurs to me. The dog. Wouldn’t he
have tried to attack the killer?
Arnold: Someone Joseph’s size would be able to throw
a dog off of him.
Jess: But was the dog hurt? Limping or something?
Arnold: [his face falls] Oh my god, I just realized,
there was some blood on the dog’s teeth though. I
guess we overlooked it.

Jess: Thanks for your time dad.

Scene VII
Characters Jessie and Theo.
Time
Place: Jessie’s Room.
Jess’s discussion with her friend Theo.

Jess: Theo look at charlotte’s texts to Susan

Theo: She’s saying that someone knows who Child
Ambrose is.
Jess: I have heard about Child Ambrose [she looks at
her laptop] and according to this article Child
Ambrose was the child of Howie Ambrose who was a
serial killer who killed girls until 2014 and was
assisted by his child in the murders when he or she
was only 10 years old. But in 2014 Howie was caught
and sentenced to death while child Ambrose was sent
to live in another town with a new identity but no
one knows where he or she is right now.
Theo: That’s some interesting stuff man.
Jess: mm. Oh my god, do you know i have been getting
death threats from this unknown, concealed
number.Look.
Theo: Look Jess, you’ve put yourself into this mess,
and [dramatically] now I think I’m going to die too.
Jess: [huffs] only if we could see what charlotte
wrote in that unavailable message [slaps her
forehead]
Theo: [Dreamily] you’re worried about that, you're
seriously crazy Jess.

Jess: Why shouldn’t I be? I have been trying to crack

it since the past five days.
Theo: My teacher just introduced us to this app,
where we can see unsent messages, and we can run
Charlotte's message in it to try it out.
Jess: [throws a book at Theo] [Furiously] YOU FOUL
FOOL. COULDN’T YOU HAVE TOLD ME ABOUT THIS SOONER.I
HAVE BEEN MISERABLE SINCE THE PAST 5 DAYS.
Theo: Here, try it out.

[Jess does something on her phone and succeeds at

recovering the message].
Jess: Thank God, [looks at the message again] OH MY
GOD.
Theo: [Dramatically screams]
Jess: Charlotte herself was
Theo: CHILD AMBROSE! [Faints]
Jess: if I was unstable like him that would have
happened to me too… anyway THEO IT'S NOT THE TIME TO
FAINT
Theo: Yea I’m awake, I’m not dead.
Jess: Charlotte has also mentioned this number,
apparently she was receiving death threats from it.
Jess: okay let's begin from the top when Joseph is
not the killer [revises murder board, flashbacks]
Charlotte and Audrey entered the locker room alone
after their performance where they were stabbed by
the killer who was hiding in the room or followed
them into the room. Joseph was on a call with his
father during the murder and was in the corridors.
The killer escaped after killing them with the murder
weapon, and Joseph might have entered the room and
would've been shocked to see the dead bodies lying on
the floor, and might have touched them to check if
they were alive and thus got his DNA and fingerprints
on their bodies. Joseph was taken into custody and
according to his interview transcript, These officers
have him there for long hours and tell him they have
all this evidence against him, they even imply they
have someone who saw him during one murder, which
wasn’t true since everyone was in the school
auditorium for homecoming. However out of exhaustion
he confesses but after getting some sleep denies it.
[Flashback ends]

Jess: But there was also a large dog in the locker

room and so the killer must have struggled with the
dog, and how strange that Joseph walked out of the
locker room without a single, large dog bite mark or
paw scratch.

Jess: Hey, I just got a voice note from the unknown

number.
[Jess receives a voicemail from an unknown number
from which she is supposedly receiving threats from.]
Emma: Hey Jess, this is a temporary number, I just
found the phone in my uncle’s drawer and used it
because my phone’s lost, and I wanted to tell you
that you can interview me tomorrow. This is the
number, its concealed I guess so that's why, and
14678965530

Jess: OH MY GOD [Theo begins to faint again but Jess

balances] THEO HOLD UP BRO, BOTH THE NUMBERS MATCH, I
CAN'T BELIEVE THIS. THIS MEANS THAT SOMEONE DOESN'T
WANT ME TO FIND THE TRUTH, THE KILLER IS ALIVE AND IS
WANDERING FREE.
THEO: You do realize who Emma's uncle is.
Jess: OH GOD. Theo what happened to Charlotte’s dog?
Theo: He was found dead on a street.
Jess: Does anyone know what happened to him in
particular?
Theo: [sarcastically] Jess he was a dog, nobody cares
what happened to the dog, besides no one knows what
actually happened to that blasted thing.
Jess: Alright [impatiently] you have the homecoming
album right?
Theo: Umm I think so yes, let me get it.
Jess: [stares at a picture in the album and one
picture on her laptop stunned]
Jessi know exactly who I need to talk to.
Scene VIII
Characters: Jess and Professor Davis.
Place: Davis’s house.
[Doorbell rings at Davis’s house and Davis opens the
door]
Davis: Hey Jess what are you doing here, Everything
Alright?
Jess: No nothing is right, I need to talk to you as
soon as possible.
Davis: okay okay come in
[Jess and Davis go inside and sit down.]
Jess: Professor where were you when the murder of the
cheerleaders took place?
Davis: What are you talking about Jess? [Stutters] It
was homecoming. I was at the event.
Jess: How do you know that Charlotte's dog was
drowned?
Davis: Jess what's the matter with you, everyone
knows he was found dead and I just assumed that he
drowned and died.
Jess: You said that he was drowned… professor that
means he was deliberately drowned by someone, and you
wouldn't know about it unless you were the one who
did it.
Davis: [furiously] WHAT ARE YOU IMPLYING JESS?
Jess: I think you killed the dog professor Davis.
There is no need to lie now, and also you are the one
who is sending me death threats.
Davis: [perplexed] EXCUSE ME JESSIE, THIS IS BARBARIC
HOW CAN YOU ACCUSE ME OF SOMETHING SO DISGUSTING.
Jess: I have the number from which you have been
sending me death threats from and I have the evidence
to prove it professor.
Davis: Okay Jess I see you are scared, but how can
you be so sure it’s my number?
Jess: Your niece Emma sent me a voicemail, telling me
that this is her uncle’s number and unfortunately you
are her uncle.
Davis: It’s probably someone else doing that.
Jess: Yea sure, but what about the death threats you
sent to Charlotte, you cannot lie about that.
Davis: [shocked] Jessie you have gotten me wrong I
have done nothing
Jess: Yea right, that's why you have a dog bite mark
above your ankle on your right leg, don't you?
Davis: Jess yes I do so what I got bitten once
Jess: [shows him pictures] But can it be a
coincidence that you have a paw scratch on your hand
and a bite mark, when Charlotte and Audrey’s bodies
were found, and the best part is that you did not
have them before the murders took place, which may
imply that you were present at the crime scene,
struggled with the dog and eventually murdered
Charlotte and Audrey.
Davis: [sees recorder on Jess's phone peeking out of
her pocket] you’re recording, GOSH YOU INFURIATE ME.
[Snatches the the phone from jess’s pocket and pulls
out a gun]

Jess: HEY! WHAT ARE YOU TRYING TO DO, PUT THAT GUN
DOWN!
Davis: Jess you’re indeed a mastermind and I will
fulfil your wish to know the truth before you die
today. YES I KILLED CHARLOTTE AND AUDREY. DO YOU KNOW
WHO CHARLOTTE WAS, CHILD AMBROSE WHO HELPED THAT
SERIAL KILLER AMBROSE ABDUCT AND KILL MY SISTER WHILE
I WAS HIDING BEHIND THAT SLIDE WATCHING THEIR
HORRIFIC GAME PLAY OUT. SHE WAS A SERIAL KILLER AS
WELL. SHE DESERVED TO DIE. I WANTED REVENGE, SO I
KILLED HER. WHAT WOULD YOU DO IF IT WAS YOUR SIBLING
IN THAT PLACE?
Jess: I- [in a low voice] Why Audrey though?
Davis: Amah that poor girl. I didn’t mean to kill her
but unfortunately she witnessed me killing Charlotte
so she had to die. [Manically] she was quite unlucky
honestly. I am sympathetic with her though I don’t
regret my actions at all nor will I do so today.
[Laughs]
[Police enters Davis’s house suddenly]
Police officer: BRANDON DAVIS YOU ARE UNDER ARREST
FOR ATTEMPTED MURDER AS WELL AS TWO OTHER MURDERS,
PUT THAT GUN DOWN IMMEDIATELY, WE HAVE HEARD YOUR
CONFESSION. YOU HAVE RIGHT TO AN ATTORNEY OR ONE WILL
BE APPOINTED FOR YOU, ANYTHING YOU SAY WILL BE USED
AGAINST YOU AT COURT. [DAVIS IS HANDCUFFED AND IS
ABOUT TO BE TAKEN AWAY BY POLICE OFFICERS]
Davis: [in a low voice] I destroyed your phone, how
did they know-
[Jess shows her warlike talkie attached to her ankle]
Jess: Professor Davis like you always say, when life
gives you lemons, make lemonade.

[After Joseph’s trial, Joseph pays a visit to Jess]

Joseph rings the doorbell at Jess’s house]

Jess: Oh it's you Joseph, I'm so glad to see you.

Joseph: Hey Jess, what can we say? I never imagined
that I could get out of that horrible prison, just
wanted to thank you for finally helping me get
justice and for getting the real murderer punished
for the crime he committed. Really everyone should be
fairly judged, in a world full of injustice.