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ACT ONE
In the Marceau living room Bill, Martha and Cookie await the arrival of Simon Jessup for the second séance. Cookie is on the sofa covered with a light blanket. Bill, in a foul mood, is standing at the window. He looks at his watch prompting Martha to tell him to quit being so impatient. He says, “The sooner he gets here, the sooner we get this session over with.” Martha tells him she asked Jessup to come at 9:30 instead of 9:00 because Adam and Nicole were going to stop at Liz and Jim’s on their way over. They wanted to say hello to Orin. Bill dryly asks her if she told the spooks the same thing. Giving him an exasperated look, Martha tells him to relax and have a drink. As he mixes his drink, Cookie asks Bill if he’s checked up on Jessup yet. He tells her he has and the man has no police record, but there are still a couple of peculiar things in his background. As he’s about to tell her what they are the doorbell rings and he goes to the door. When he sees its Jessup he frowns. Jessup says, “Good evening, Chief Marceau. Nice to see you again.” Bill nods and lets him enter.
OPENING BILLBOARD
FIRST COMMERCIAL
ACT TWO
Scene A
Marceau Living Room.
Jessup is telling Martha he’s glad her friends are coming. It’s always nice to have new people at a séance. When Bill asks him why, Jessup says, “Well, I don’t know this for a certainty, Chief. But I always have the feeling that new people encourage new results.” He asks who will be joining them and Bill responds, “Adam Drake, he’s an attorney.” Jessup says the name is familiar and Martha tells him he’s a very successful criminal attorney. Jessup says he remembers something about Mr. Drake defending two young women, both for murder, in the past few years. They tell him he’s right, he defended a woman named Julie Hillyer, who’s recently died in a plane crash, and his own girlfriend, Nicole Travis. Jessup smiles and tells them there’s one thing he’s sure of; “Mr. Drake will be a very hard case. I’m sure he believes in the spirit world as much as Chief Marceau does.” Bill tells him he’s hit the nose on the spot. Adam is not a believer, but if he thinks skeptics can produce better spirit phenomena…he’s got two of them tonight for sure. He then asks Jessup how he became interested in the subject of the occult and Jessup asks him if it’s an “official” question. Bill responds, “Of course not, I’m just curious about whether it was something or someone who inspired you. A medium, perhaps, or even a stage magician…Could it have been someone like that, Mr. Jessup?” Jessup says he doesn’t recall and Bill then asks him if he was ever connected with the theater. Jessup’s eyebrows go up at this question and he says, “Yes, Chief…I was on the stage. It was many, many years ago.” He goes on to tell them he was a stage hypnotist when he was in his early 20’s and it did have a direct influence on his interest in the supernatural. Trying to change the subject, Jessup remarks that he thought they wanted to start at 9:30 and Martha tells him she’s sure their friends will be there any minute…
CUT TO:
Scene B
Fields Living Room
In the Fields living room, Adam and Nicole are talking to Liz and Jim, the subject of their conversation is Liz’ father, Orin. Jim says that Orin is in a deep depression but considering the accident, that’s to be expected. Liz appears to be in a bad mood and Jim remarks that it’s because of Adam’s visit. Liz is afraid about the effect it’ll have on her father. It’s bound to remind him of Julie when he sees the man who saved her life…
COMMERCIAL BREAK
ACT THREE
Nicole tells Adam she had a feeling their visit was a bad idea. Liz says she didn’t mean it that way. She’s glad Adam is going to see her father. She thinks it’s a meeting that has to take place. Jim says that Orin has to face the people he used to know. It was his decision to come back home. In fact, he wants very much to return to his own home. When Nicole mentions that he can’t live there alone, Liz says she and Jim haven’t had the chance to discuss the possibility of moving into the mansion with him. Jim tells her they don’t have to discuss it because it isn’t going to happen. They are not moving out of their home. When it seems like an argument is about to take place, Jim changes the subject by asking Liz to bring her father in to see Adam and Nicole. Liz walks out of the room leaving them all watching the door expectantly. She returns a moment later, pushing a pale Orin in his wheelchair. His legs are covered with a blanket and his eyes are not focusing properly. When he sees Adam he tries to smile. He holds out his hand and Adam takes it in both of his. Adam introduces Nicole to him and Orin haltingly says, “Yes… Miss Travis…I remember…hearing about you, of course. My wife and I…we followed your trial…very closely.” He goes on to tell her that she was very lucky to have Adam on her side. He did a brilliant job saving his Julie…saving her life. Everyone thought it was going to be quite impossible to save her…that the jury would surely convict her of murdering…that man…Harry Constable. “But he found the real killer. He did a wonderful thing for Julie…and for me. He gave my wife her freedom…he gave her life…life…Julie…Julie…” he puts his hand over his face. Nicole looks at Adam with tears on her cheeks.
COMMERCIAL BREAK
ACT FOUR
A few minutes later in the Marceau living room, Jessup is explaining hypnosis to Cookie. He says that people cannot be hypnotized unless they want to be. Bill remarks that hypnosis might be one way of making people “see all sorts of peculiar” things. Jessup asks him if he’s saying that he deliberately suggests the phenomena that occur at his séances. Martha starts to make an excuse for her husband’s remark but the doorbell rings. Bill goes to the door and admits a saddened Nicole and Adam. They apologize for their lateness and tell the group they were visiting the Fields’ and Orin. Bill tells them the séance hasn’t begun yet and introduces them to Simon Jessup. Martha asks them about Orin and Adam says, other than his legs, he doesn’t look bad physically. However, as Liz says, the big problem is his attitude. Jessup interrupts to say they should start the séance and asks Bill to help him with the chairs. They start putting chairs in a circle and Martha tells Nicole they have to be close enough so they can all hold hands. When Cookie smiles at Adam and asks him if he’d mind holding her hand, she gets the slightest glance from Nicole. Jessup reiterates to the group that he cannot guarantee that anything at all will happen there tonight. There are simply no guarantees in the world beyond…no natural laws of cause and effect they can rely upon. He says nothing…or anything…can happen. Nicole asks if he hopes something will happen and Jessup responds that his only hope is for some sign indicating the presence of spirits in the Marceau house - their presence and their purpose. In a grim voice Jessup tells them the dead always return for a reason. Sometimes that reason is good…and sometimes that reason is evil beyond the imagination of mortal men. They’re all scared rather nicely…
COMMERCIAL
ACT FIVE
A few moments later, as the group seats themselves in a circle, Jessup asks them all to join hands. He turns out the lights then sits between Cookie and Martha. Cookie asks him if he’s going to call “Alexandra” and he tells her the spirits will decide who will, or will not, appear. He draws in his breath and closes his eyes. Seeming to be in deep concentration he puts his head back. When he begins to perspire and moan, the group looks alarmed. In an agonized whisper Jessup says, “Down…down…down…” then, “Black…black…black…” Martha says she thinks he’s really in a trance and Nicole says she doesn’t understand what he’s saying. Jessup then says, “The earth, the earth…we’re coming down! We’re falling! Oh, dear Lord in heaven, save us!” He lets out a long groan then says, “We’re falling into eternity…we’re going to crash!” Martha looks at Bill and says, “Crash! Bill, did you hear what he said?” Then, in Orin’s voice, Jessup says, “Julie…Julie…don’t leave me!”
FADE OUT
COMMERCIAL BREAK
