The Jolly Roger

© Louis Felder

(Mystery/Romance, a full-length play)
A young Public Defender, his girl friend, and his best friend are in peril from a rogue cop.

Four characters, present time, one dressed set

Characters
Vince, about 35, an assistant Public Defender in San Francisco.
Sarah, about 28, a business executive with an upper-class British accent.
Jerry, about 35, a policeman, tough, enigmatic.
Carter, about 35, a wealthy educated attorney who can be dim, noble, and funny.

Synopsis

romantic mystery. VINCE, a young attorney in the office of Public Defender in San Francisco, proposes marriage to SARAH, a business executive with a British accent. Sarah enjoys Vince as a friend and lover but she is serious about Vince’s friend, CARTER, a wealthy attorney. To keep Sarah from leaving to meet Carter, Vince restrains Sarah but the struggle escalates into jealous rage. Vince chokes Sarah and (like the audience) assumes he’s killed her.

Vince disappears. JERRY CALHOUN, a policeman and friend, is looking for Vince. So is Carter. Sarah enters (which is a shock to the audience) and claims she knows nothing of Vince’s whereabouts. Jerry doesn’t believe her.

When Vince shows up, he is cut and bloody, and afraid of Jerry. Vince explains to Sarah that fearing he had killed her, he fled the apartment in panic. He also reveals that Jerry is part of a ring of dishonest cops who shake down drug dealers, and had bribed Vince as Public Defender to help him.

Jerry warns them all to forget about the bad cops and the drugs or their lives are in jeopardy. Sarah is left alone with Jerry who threatens her. She defends herself.

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