TETRA GILL sits at a table. Her hair is matted, she is
unfocussed, and her nose is running. Tetra is wearing
hospital greens, or something similar. We are alone with her
briefly. She has white gauze wrapped around each wrist. And
her wrists are tied to each other with a plastic tie, the
kind that are often used in place of handcuffs. In walks
MONICA WICK. Monica sits down opposite Tetra. She has
folders and papers. Monica is dressed professionally.
Monica settles, taking in Tetra. Tetra seems uninterested in
Monica.
MONICA WICK
So now that things are calm, do you
want to tell me what happened?
TETRA GILL
Can you take this off?
Tetra refers to the plastic tie around her wrists.
MONICA WICK
I'm sorry. I can't.
TETRA GILL
This is a hospital?
MONICA WICK
Yes.
TETRA GILL
Who are you?
MONICA WICK
I am like a social worker.
TETRA GILL
A social worker? They send a
social worker in here. For what?
After the cops and the doctors and
nurses... now they send a social
worker.
MONICA WICK
We are simply trying to communicate
with you.
TETRA GILL
And you are good at that?
Communicating.
MONICA WICK
I don't know. Maybe.
TETRA GILL
Do you have a tissue?
MONICA WICK
No.
Tetra wipes her nose again, sometimes with her hands,
sometimes with the shirt she is wearing. Monica pulls out a
photograph of a little girl and places it on the table in
front of Tetra.
MONICA WICK (CONT'D)
Do you know who that is?
TETRA GILL
That? Is that how you refer to
her?
MONICA WICK
Who is she?
TETRA GILL
She is my daughter.
MONICA WICK
When was the last time you saw her?
TETRA GILL
Is that supposed to be a joke?
MONICA WICK
You were shown that photograph by
Officer Grayson. At the time, you
said you did not know who she was.
So you now recognize her?
TETRA GILL
I need a cigarette.
MONICA WICK
So you now recognize her?
TETRA GILL
I need a cigarette. Can you put
that away.
MONICA WICK
This photograph of your daughter
troubles you?
TETRA GILL
You trouble me. This whole process
troubles me. First it's the
doctors putting bandages on me,
then it's the cops, then a
photographer taking pictures of me
and Caroline, then some grief
counselor, and god knows how many
fucking nurses. And now you. Is
this some sort of torture?
MONICA WICK
I understand why you might feel
like a victim. But as far as we
know, you were the only one present
when your daughter was... when she
was murdered.
TETRA GILL
And so everyone thinks its me, is
that it?
MONICA WICK
Look at this photograph. Look at
it.
Monica pushes the photograph closer to Tetra. Tetra looks
away.
MONICA WICK (CONT'D)
Do you see your daughter here.
Caroline. Six years old. Long
brown hair. A smile. Doesn't she
look happy, doesn't she look alive.
TETRA GILL
Stop it.
MONICA WICK
Caroline is alive in this
photograph.
Monica pulls another photograph our of her folder and places
it on the table.
MONICA WICK (CONT'D)
Now take a look at Caroline here.
Here she has her throat cut and her
eyes gouged out. Here she is
disfigured and her body and soul
have been desecrated. Look at her.
Look at her.
TETRA GILL
My husband did that.
MONICA WICK
You were kneeling over Caroline
with a spoon in your right hand.
There was blood on the spoon, on
your hand and arm. Caroline's
eyeballs were on the wood floor.
On the wood floor lying next to
your knees. I have pictures. You
want me to show you more pictures?
TETRA GILL
I told you.
MONICA WICK
You told me what?
TETRA GILL
My husband.
MONICA WICK
Your husband is dead.
TETRA GILL
It's because he did that. He did
that to Caroline.
MONICA WICK
And tell me how that is possible.
Tell me how that is possible that
we found your husband's body in the
basement, decomposed. Dead for
months...your husband dead for
months when your daughter, when
Caroline died, was murdered just
two days ago. Tell me how that is
possible.
There is a long twisted pause.
TETRA GILL
You don't understand. You don't
understand how the dead...You know.
You know...we were...it was a beach
cottage. On the beach. And
George...he was...he was drinking.
And dancing. He liked to dance,
and tell me what to do. He liked
to tell me what to do. It wasn't
the first time he did this, you
know.
He drank, and danced, and told me
to undress. But when he woke
Caroline up and brought her into
the room...that was the first time
he did that. I didn't mind the
stuff, the hitting, he liked to
pull my hair, slap me. He yelled.
He was always yelling. George
liked to hit me. Give me tattoos,
he called it. Black and blue
tattoos. But making Caroline
watch. And she watched. She just
watched...in that cottage... with
those big eyes, she watched. And
she kept watching like she... like
she... George and Caroline...
MONICA WICK
I know this is difficult.
TETRA GILL
Excuse me?
MONICA WICK
This must be very difficult to talk
about. About what happened to you.
About what you did.
TETRA GILL
George raped Caroline. He raped
his own daughter. She was only
five years old.
MONICA WICK
And so you killed George.
TETRA GILL
It had to be done.
MONICA WICK
And Caroline?
At this point, Tetra reaches across the table and grabs
Monica by her collar and yanks her up over the table.
TETRA GILL
You think I murdered my own
daughter? You think it was easy?
It wasn't easy. It is not an easy
thing to do to cut the life out of
a little girl. She was an angel.
She was an angel.
Tetra pushes Monica back down. Tetra sits back down. She
covers her face with her clasped hands.
TETRA GILL (CONT'D)
Is there anything else?
MONICA WICK
No.
Monica attempts to recover. She observes Tetra briefly, then
starts to gather the papers and folders on the table.
MONICA WICK (CONT'D)
OK. So I am finished. I am
finished here.
TETRA GILL
Excuse me?
MONICA WICK
My work is done.
TETRA GILL
Your work?
MONICA WICK
I am a professional. I know when
my work is done.
TETRA GILL
Tell me?
MONICA WICK
Tell you what?
TETRA GILL
I need...I need to start over. I
am thirsty. Are you thirsty? It
is hot in here. It is very hot in
here. I am burning up. It must
mean something. I am going to
start over. Do it all over again.
I have a right to do it again.
This can't be all there is. Is
this all there is?
THE END.
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