Category Archives: Drama

fp1

The main characters and cast will shortly appear here (in PDF format) before the series starts. PDF allows the reader to listen to the script by selecting Read Aloud when the file has been opened.

. PDF format The Cast & Personnel File

GLOSSARY OF TERMS USED WITHIN MAIN SCRIPT OF SCREENPLAYS

Abrasion When skin is worn or rubbed away.

Accelerant A flammable material used to start a fire.

Asphyxiate To die from a lack of oxygen to the brain.

Autopsy The examination of a corpse to determine or confirm the cause of death.

Blood spatter The pattern of blood deposits at a crime scene that can help determine what occurred at the scene.

Compress To press or squeeze.

Convict (noun) A person found guilty of an offence or crime. (verb) To prove someone guilty of a crime in court.

Cranium The Skull

Cyanoacrylate Also known as superglue, it is fumed over substances to reveal fingerprints.

Deceased A body that is no longer living.

Decompose When a body starts to decay or break down after death.

DNA The molecule that carries the genetic information in the cell. Traces of DNA from saliva, skin, blood and other sources can be used to identify the person who left the trace.

EMT Emergency medical technician.

Evidence Any physical item that assists in proving or disproving a conclusion. For example, a paint scraping is evidence; an eyewitness account is not.

Gas chromatograph/mass spectrometer (GC/MS) A system of instruments used to separate a complex mixture and identify its components.

Glucose The main circulating sugar in the blood and the major energy source of the body.

GSR Gunshot residue, the trace materials left behind when a gun is fired.

Haemorrhage A rapid and sudden loss of blood.

Homicide The killing of one person by another.

Hypoglycaemia An abnormally low level of glucose in the blood.

Laceration A jagged wound or cut.

Lividity The discolouration of the skin caused by the settling of blood that occurs in a body after the heart stops.

Marbled Patterned with veins or streaks of colour resembling marble.

Post-mortem Occurring after death.

Stippling The deposit of unburned powder and other gunshot residue on a bullet wound. It can help determine the distance between the shooter and the victim.

Toxicology The analysis of poisons and drugs in the blood and body fluids.

Trace element A very small bit of chemicals or evidence.

Trajectory The path of an object moving through the air.

UV light Ultraviolet light, also known as black light, is used to identify many trace evidence items such as body fluids, drugs and inks.

Crime Scene

A series of crime scenes that will require the reader to apply their forensic skills in solving the crime mysteries. From March, 2019.

MD overlap

Arts, Drama, Screenplay

Intro & Preamble Note: ‘Body of Evidence’

Image
Arts, Drama

Whodunnit: The Missing Murderer

LATERAL THINKING DRAMA

Issue No. 8 in the Whodunnit crime series. Tap into your inner detective by explaining the thinking of Inspector Parnacki in this case of the Missing Murderer?

INSPECTOR Parnacki strolled around the large parking area, puffing on his pipe. The object of his annoyance, a small, tattered truck, was parked towards the middle of the parking space.

. Previously Whodunnit: The Captive

“It doesn’t make sense, Inspector.” Damon Olivers was the night clerk from a small grocery that looked onto the parking lot.

Keeping his irritation well disguised, Parnacki turned back to the man. “You’re sure about the order of events?”

“Yes, of course.”

“Talk me through it one more time, would you?”

Olivers nodded. “I was doing the evening sweep and general tidy-up. It’s usually quiet at this time, so that’s when I get to sweep the floors, stock the shelves, throw out anything that’s gone bad or past its sell-by date, and so on. I was down by the flour, trying to clean up a small spill from one of the bags. I heard a huge bang, and everything rattled. Clouds of flour drifted down, which made me curse, I can tell you.”

“I’m sure,” said Parnacki.

“Almost immediately, I heard whistles. I went up to the front of the shop and saw a huge cloud of smoke, with the truck in the middle of it. The door to Berrits, the tailor’s shop, was swinging closed. I saw a couple of police officers running. There were shots from Berrits. I could hear them through the walls. One of the officers pulled out a gun and returned fire. Then everything was chaos for a while. Lots of shouting, and shooting, and whistles. I was on the floor behind the counter by then. I expect you know the rest from your men.”

“Indeed I do. And you’re confident that there’s no back exit from Berrits?”

“Definitely not. All our units are the same. Big shop area, small back room, tiny rest room. Nothing else. The only way in or out is through the shop. Well, unless you break a wall down, I suppose.”

Inspector Parnacki shook his head. “Everything appears intact.”

“So does this mean whoever did this has got away?”

“Thank you for your time, Mr Olivers. You’ve been very helpful.”

Olivers nodded, with a wry grin. “I’ll be in the shop tidying for another half an hour if you need me, inspector. Good luck.”

Parnacki left the grocery and made his way over to the truck. Officer Christopher Coleridge watched him approach. He had been the first man on the scene, and still looked shaky.

“Hello again, inspector,” Coleridge said.

“Good evening, Officer Coleridge. I know it’s tiresome but would you summarise events for me one last time?”

“I heard an explosion and came running. Lee was with me, and I could hear that another patrol was close by. I recognised the truck as a mobile banking vehicle, and assumed the blast was someone trying to blow the safe, so I readied my pistol. As I approached the truck, shots were fired from the third unit in the row of shops. I returned fire. Several other officers arrived and provided assistance. When it became clear there was no more gunfire coming from the unit, we stopped shooting and called for the weapon to be thrown out. There was no response and after several minutes I went into the shop, calling for the gunman to lie flat as I advanced. A pistol was on the floor near the front window, and the driver of the truck was lying on the floor at the back of the room, handcuffed and facing away from the door. He had been shot through the back of the head. There was no sign of the murderer. We searched absolutely everywhere.”

“And there’s no way the murderer could have come out of the front door in the confusion?”

“No, sir. I had my eyes on that door the whole time from the first shot until the moment we went in.”

Parnacki nodded. “I am quite sure you did, officer. Thank you. I suspect I know where he is.”

Where is the gunman?

CLASSIC CRIME

A Shot In The Dark by Lynne Truss: Raven Books £12.99

Short narrative:

The Keystone Cops might learn a thing or two from Lynne Truss. Her 1950s Brighton has a constabulary run by the brainless inspector Steine (pronounced Steen), who turns a blind eye to crime while composing radio homilies on the law and the citizen.

Steine has an ambitious sidekick who finds all the clues, but not necessarily in the right order. His confidant is the tea lady, who seems to know more about the local mafia than the whole force put together.

Into this mad medley springs Constable Twitten, a college boy set on making his name by nailing the killer of an obnoxious theatre critic, in town to savage the latest kitchen sink drama.

Everything that can go wrong does go wrong in a farce that gathers hilarious pace with every page.

More Marx Brothers than Agatha Christie, this is crime fiction turned on its head – a giddy spell of sheer delight.

Standard
Arts, Drama

Whodunnit: The Captive

LATERAL THINKING DRAMA & CONUNDRUM

Issue No. 7 in the Whodunnit crime series. Tap into your inner detective by explaining why Inspector Parnacki has become more suspicious of one the suspects in this case.

ROSALYN Reyes had been missing for three days, and when she was discovered, it was only by the thinnest thread of luck. Andrew Baum was an enthusiastic walker and knew much of the local countryside like the back of his hand. Taking a welcome day off from work, he decided to go for a hike in Easton woods and follow a trail he had not tried before. After walking for some time, he took a wrong turn and found himself at odds with his map.

. Previously Whodunnit: ‘The Necklace’

He was about to retrace his steps when he realised he could hear a very faint sound of someone crying. Following the sound led him to a clearing, in which stood a rickety shack. Inside, he discovered the missing young woman, uninjured, but chained securely to a pole. As soon as she was safe, the police put up a dragnet around that part of the woods and waited. Over the course of the afternoon, three men were apprehended in the area.

That was where the good luck ended. Miss Reyes knew nothing whatsoever about her captor. She had woken on the first day to find herself restrained and blindfolded, and had remained that way throughout. Not only had she not seen her captor, he had also refrained from touching her, and had only spoken to her very minimally in a highly contrived hoarse whisper. Material found in the shack suggested that he was preparing a ransom demand to deliver to her parents, but again, there was nothing in it that would help identify the kidnapper. As a final blow, none of the three suspects had been carrying anything incriminating on their persons.

Inspector Parnacki smoothed out his moustache, fiddling with the ends irritably. He needed a lead suspect in order to justify an in-depth investigation. A stroll would help him to gather his thoughts, he decided. He packed a pipe, picked up the interview reports, and made his way to a local park.

Newton Stevens was an impecunious odd-job man who lived at Easton, a couple of miles from the woods. His transcript was quite irascible. “Of course I was in the woods. I’m always in the woods, aren’t I? No crime to trap rabbits, leastways not last time I looked. I was going to check on my snares. Friday, ain’t it? What else I am supposed to do on a Friday? Nothing, that’s what, not since darned Adrian stopped work on that darned wall. Eh? Shack? Of course I don’t live in a shack, you darned fool. It’s a cabin, and it’s in Easton. Shack indeed. You better turn me loose quickly, or so help me, I’ll lose the light, and then it’ll be boiled greens for dinner. No way for a man to live, boiled greens. Not without some rabbit.”

Terence Moss worked at a drinking establishment in Easton. “I didn’t do anything wrong,” his transcript began. “You’ve got no right to arrest a man like that for just having a walk. If you worked in a bar like the Imperial, you’d want to get some peace and quiet of an afternoon yourself. I don’t know what you’re after, but you’ve got the wrong man. No opium, no hashish, I don’t do any of that stuff. I haven’t stolen anything since I was twelve. No, I don’t recognise that shack. Never been near it. Don’t even know where it is. Never seen that woman. I’d remember if anyone even slightly like that had ever been into the Imperial. Look, you know where I work and live. Just let me out of here, will you? I really can’t afford to lose this job. I haven’t done anything!”

Matthew Bird, finally, was a service engineer with a pipe-manufacturing company in Easton. “My last job had run long, so I decided to stroll in the woods while I had my packed lunch. Cheese and pickle sandwich. Very nice. I often do go for a little lunchtime walk, if it’s been a tough morning. Nice to have a little break from it all, you know? My boss won’t be very sympathetic about the amount of time this is taking now, however. I understand you’re just doing your job, but surely, we can get this sorted out swiftly. Why don’t you put me in a line-up? I’d be delighted to . . . Well yes, of course, I want to be helpful. No, that shack doesn’t look familiar, I’m afraid. Hardly seems the sort of place to develop steam-pipe problems. No, I’m afraid that girl doesn’t look familiar either.”

Parnacki tapped his pipe thoughtfully, and read over the transcripts again. His eyes brightened, and he turned to start back to the station.

Who has made Inspector Parnacki suspicious, and why?

Standard