Fragment of Fear

---

- Bruno!

- Si. - Una tazza di latte.

- Bene. - Bruno.

- Si. - Con tarteccini.

- Va bene. Bruno. Con molto zucchero. - Beautiful day.

- Si, si. ...per fare amore alle

belle donne stasera. I bring a friend? Man".

Bruno. Sousa. Good morning, mrs Dawson. Signor bardoni. Aunt Lucy! Oh, I'm sorry.

Good morning. Would you like some

breakfast or something? Bless you. No, dear, I've had it in bed

because I wanted to finish your book. Tim, I do congratulate you.

It deserved its success. Thank you. I... I wasn't sure that it would be

up your street at all. I mean... That's because we're

still strangers, dear. My street's wider than you think. You don't, of course, identify

your former... associates. Has it ever occurred to you

to try and help them? Well, aunt Lucy,

it's been less than two years. I... I can't really be sure of myself

unless I don't get re-involved. So I don't have any friends -

except new ones. You're the newest. You saved yourself, of course. Well, with the help of a psychiatrist,

a doctor and a... What, two of the beefiest male nurses

in the business. - Poor Tim.

- No, not poor Tim at all. I've made a lot of money out of the book

and I've made a new friend. I'm feeling very rich. Rich enough to help those like you? The ones who are starting afresh? Later, perhaps. Then would you trust me enough

to help them for you? I mean, if I were to help them,

there'd be no temptation. I'd only be involved, not re-involved. You're a very good, very kind person. Perhaps I should be writing

a book about you? I must go to mass. Are we, er... are we still

going to have lunch in Pompeii? Of course, there's such a lot

i want you to see. Okay. See you then. Take care. This is the macellum. ...which is a marketplace. Where they sold flesh... - Does he mean meat, miss bristow?

- Let's hope so, Georgina. Meat and fish. - When vesuvio exploded in...?

-79 ad. Yeah, exploded in 79 ad. The piscina, which is a small little pool,

has been full of lava. During the excavations, we cleaned the piscina,

and we find in the lava, fishbones. Yeah! Although the shops are very small, the portico, which once go

all around the macellum, is been made of best

white marble from carrara. Very big and impressioning.

Like sex on fifth Avenue. Ah, he means

saks fifth Avenue, Georgina, which is like harrods,

only in New York. It you like to try a look over here. You can see all the original shops. Dov' va?

Dov' va? Fermatelo! La conosce? - La conosce?

- Si. Portare via cadavere.

Via, via tutti! Via! - Che cos' successo?

- Hanno strangolata. - Eh'?

- L'hanno strangolata. Venga con me.

Devi fare una dichiarazione. - Un memento.

- No! Venga con me! Venga con me, per cortesia.

C' una Donna che ha assistito. Via! Via tutti! Via! Via! Invia queste persone.

Avete finito tutto. Via! What's the matter with her? She's found her.

La signora. Vieni qui, per piacere. - - Absolve, quaesumus, domine, animam ut defunctus saeculo tibi vivat et quae per fragilitatem carnis

humana conversatione commisit tu venia misericordissimae

pietatis absterge per dominis nostrum. Amen. I must thank you for making all

these arrangements, signor bardoni. - If you're out of pocket at all...

- The hotel bill was paid in advance. Your aunt always paid in advance. What about her belongings, then? They will be forwarded to her secretary,

mrs gray, who is also her executor. I cabled for instructions to your

aunt's hotel at burlington-on-sea. Burlington-on-sea...

The esplanade, yes? The esplanade, mr Brett.

Mrs gray lives there, too. I hope you don't think

i was taking a Liberty, but I've known your aunt

for nearly thirty years. She was a remarkable woman. Yes, I was beginning

to think so myself. In fact, almost the last thing

i said to her was, er... "Let me write a book about you." It'd make a wholesome change

from my last. A criminal kills a charitable old lady

who spent her life helping criminals. It's ironical, isn't it? It's a matter for the police. Well, the one who took my statement I think asked me three questions,

and yawned in my face. Come back to the hotel, mr Brett. No, I think I'll stay here

for a bit, thank you. Mr Brett? What are you doing now? -L'm thinking, love.

- Well, you're ruining your watch. Oh. Damn the Italian police! A whole bloody week

and they got nowhere. You see, if she'd been robbed,

i could understand it. But there is just no reason.

There is no reason. That's a very pretty mat

you're making. It's for a church sale. Yes, she told me she was

very interested in charities. We were both interested

in helping the fallen. Tell me, did she ever mention

or did she ever know a group, or a society called

the stepping stones? I've seen the rolling stones

on television, of course. They don't seem to need helping. But stepping stones, no.

I don't recollect it. Well, they sent flowers

to her funeral. Really? The only other flowers,

apart from signor bardoni's and mine. There was also a card,

which said, er... "Ln memories of happier times". Mrs Dawson's happiest times were always spent in

the exercise of good works. Well, she should have

reaped a better reward. We must, in charity,

assume that her assassin didn't know what sort

of woman he was killing. I'm not so sure. I beg your pardon? When I made my statement

to the Italian police, they asked me a question. And what was that, mr Brett? Well, they found this map

of Pompeii in her handbag. It was folded between the

pages of her prayer book. Her missal. Her missal. On it there was a cross,

very very lightly pencilled in on exactly the spot

where she was killed. Now I had already planned to meet her

elsewhere in a restaurant, so she obviously knew

where she was going, and she certainly did not go to mass. Did you tell signor bardoni? No. Should I have? Mrs gray? Oh. Yes? It's the major

calling you from London. Oh. Forgive me, mr Brett. I'm sorry if your journey's

proved pointless. Ls there anything else

i can do for you, mr Brett? - You're miss...?

- Ward-cadbury. Well, are there any other friends

of my aunt's in the hotel that it would be right for me to meet? Well, she was fond of miss dacey. Well, can I see her? Oh, I'm afraid she's still

having her nap. Well, when does she wake up? She usually has her tea

in the television room, if you don't mind waiting. No, gladly. Thank you. You waiting for someone? Miss dacey, yes. She won't be here till the western. I'm, er, Lucy Dawson's nephew.

That's why I'm here. Ah, poor soul.

At least she was quick. Quicker than arthritis. Why the dickens do you

want to see miss dacey? Well, miss ward-cadbury told me that

they were very close friends. They were about as close

as London and Hong Kong. Oh, they acknowledged each other's

existence quite affably, of course, but they had nothing in common. Have you seen mrs gray? Yes. Ah, now she was a friend. Looked after Lucy Dawson like a

civil servant looks after his minister. Were you friends with mrs Dawson? Of course I was. She was a damn nice woman. The only lively body

Rate this script:0.0 / 0 votes