Murder Mysteries a Play for Voices (9781466109827) Read Online Free Page A

Carasel's death was now being dealt with,
and his fate was no real concern of mine, I returned to work,
having gained a new -- and I suspect, quite valuable -- perspective
on the mechanics of Regret. I am considering taking Death away from
the Carasel and Saraquael partnership. I may reassign it to
Zephkiel, my senior partner, if he is willing to take it on. He
excels on contemplative projects. Look, can we hurry this up --
there are dozens of angels waiting to talk to me. I’m extremely
busy.
     
    RAGUEL THEN
    Mm. Who did Carasel work with? Who would
have been the last to see him alive?
     
    PHANUEL
    You could talk to Saraquael, I suppose -- he
was his partner, after all. Now, if you'll excuse me...
    (to angels, under...)
    Hmm -- I rather like those, photons are
they? but we’re going to have to make them a lot smaller. Now, who
has the giraffe patterns...?
     
    RAGUEL NARRATION
    He returned to his swarm of aides: advising,
correcting, suggesting, forbidding.
     
    /SFX/ LA STREET SOUNDS. CRICKETS.
     
    RAGUEL NOW
    Hey, did you see that?
     
    NARRATOR -- LIVE
    What?
     
     

     
     
    RAGUEL NOW
    Over there. By that car. A jackal. Coyote.
Damned if I know what they come into the city for.
    (beat)
    Good story, huh?
     
    NARRATOR -- LIVE
    I’ve never heard anything like it.
     
    /SFX/ GHOSTLY CITY OF ANGELS NOISES UNDER,
BUT THE LA NOISES REMAIN...
     
    RAGUEL NOW
    Yeah? Okay. So I went to talk to the Dead
angel’s partner. Saraquael was in the highest of the mezzanine
galleries that ringed the Hall of Being. As I said, the Universe
was in the middle of the Hall, and it glinted and sparkled and
shone. Went up quite a way, too...
     
    NARRATOR -- LIVE
    The Universe you mention, it was, what, a
diagram? I don’t quite understand...
     
    RAGUEL NOW
    Not really. Kind of. Sorta. It was a
blueprint: but it was full-sized, and it hung in the Hall, and all
these angels went around and fiddled with it all the time. Doing
stuff with Gravity, and Music and Klar and whatever. It wasn't
really the universe, not yet. It would be, when it was finished,
and it was time for it to be properly Named.
     
    NARRATOR -- LIVE
    I’m sorry. I really don’t see...
     
    RAGUEL NOW
    Don't worry about it. Think of it as a
model, if that makes it easier for you. Or a map. Or a -- what's
the word? Prototype. Yeah. A Model T Ford universe.
    (satisfied chuckle)
    You got to understand, a lot of the stuff
I'm telling you, I'm translating already; putting it in a form you
can understand. Otherwise I couldn't tell the story at all. Look,
you want to hear it or you want to keep asking questions?
     
    NARRATOR -- LIVE
    (keeping the peace) I want to hear it.
     
    RAGUEL THEN
    Good. So shut up and listen.
     
    /SFX/THE TOP GALLERY OF THE HALL OF BEING --
SLIGHT ECHO...
     
    RAGUEL NARRATION
    So I met Saraquael, in the topmost gallery.
There was no-one else about -- just him, and some papers, and some
small, glowing models.
     
    RAGUEL THEN
    I've come about Carasel.
     
    SARAQUAEL
    Carasel isn't here at this time, I’m afraid.
I expect him to return shortly.
     
    RAGUEL THEN
    Carasel won't be coming back. He's stopped
existing as a spiritual entity.
     
    SARAQUAEL
    He's dead?
     
    RAGUEL THEN
    That's what I said. Do you have any ideas
about how it happened?
     
    SARAQUAEL
    I... this is so sudden. I mean, he'd been
talking about... but I had no idea that he would... well, take it
on to the next step...
     
    RAGUEL THEN
    Take it slowly.
     
    RAGUEL NARRATION
    He stood up and walked to the window. There
was no view of the Silver City from his window -- just a reflected
glow from the City and the sky behind us, hanging in the air, and
beyond that, the Dark. The wind from the Dark gently caressed
Saraquael's hair as he spoke. I stared at his back, and
listened.
     
    SARAQUAEL
    Carasel is... no, was. That's right, isn't
it? Was. He was always so involved. And so creative. But it was
never enough for him. He always wanted to understand everything --
to experience what