The Case of the Helpful Murderer
Characters;
- Glen Jaran (GJ)
- Robert F. Grener (RG)Detective #1
- Timothy B. Forin (TG)Detective #2
- Joseph Ransk (JR)Detective #3
- Police Officer
- Field officer (MR)
- Leon Franz (LF)
- Virginia Ernesta (VE)
- Laz Monoj (LM)
Scene 1: Saturday May 26, 9:28 PM, Police Headquarters, Wheldrake, New Hampshire
Real detectives sit around a table reading the news in the one room station, discussing the latest turn of events in the small town.
Robert:
You just won’t believe it! There’s been another murder on the outskirts of town!
Timothy:
You’re joking, right?
Joseph:
I’m with Tim. There’s no way that there’s another one. We’re already under our eyes in mysteries to solve.
Robert:
I’m not even joking. Do you think I would?
Tim:
Yeah, I get that.
*Knock on station door*
Joseph:
Don’t they know we’re working?
Police Officer:
I know how hard you men are working. I’ll get it.
*Police officer walks over to station door and looks through peephole*
Police Officer:
Name and business at the station tonight?
Glen:
Glen Jaran, sir. I’m a detective from Attleboro, Massachusetts. I heard about the slew of murders here and decided that I should come and lend a hand, since, after all, this is a pretty small town.
Police Officer;
ID?
*Glen Jaran hands Police Officer fake ID*
*Police officer opens door and allows GJ to pass.*
Joseph:
*grumbles* *yawns* Well, we might as well start reading the brief from the field officer..
*GJ pulls out (fake) field report, and begins to read*
GJ:
Unidentified man found dead in cornfield late in the afternoon on Saturday, May 26. No blood identifying the victim or suspects has been found to the present, although there are some DNA on victim’s torso and hip area, indicating that the murderer dragged or carried away the suspect.. *Continues reading*
Tim:
*whispering to Joe* funny. MR usually does her field reports in bullet points.
Joe:
Yeah. I noticed that also. Do you think that we’re dealing with a fake?
Tim:
I don’t think so. I just saw her finish the paper a couple minutes ago and hand it to Mr. Jaran.
Joe;
I still don’t know…
GJ:
*Still reading*… Suspects identified in killing are the following: Leon Franz, Virginia Ernesta, and Laz Monoj.
Rob:
Hold up- did I hear you just blatantly and randomly name 3 people on a list for “suspects?” Leon Franz was my 12th grade science teacher!
GJ:
Yeah, but that doesn’t mean that he isn’t a killer.
*Rob stands up, fists clenched. Tim and Joe jump up and restrain Rob as he starts shouting at GJ*
Rob:
*shouting* You don’t know anything about teachers! Mr. Franz was the nicest, and kindest person I have ever met to this day!
Tim:
Look, Rob. If MR identified him as a suspect, he’s got to be pretty suspicious. Let’s go along with that and we’ll see what happens.
Joe:
Yeah. It’s getting late. We should go home to bed and sleep on the field report to think of ideas.
Rob:
According to the report, just as a reminder for all of you who were whispering *looks at Joe and Tim* they found fingerprints and footprints on the scene. The footprints were later identified as Work boots, and the DNA found on the victim was identified as Pascal Eli *GJ shudders*- Wait. is it me, or did GJ not say that.
Tim:
Maybe he just skipped a line by accident.
Joe:
Possibly. Read on.
Rob:
Although the DNA was identified, Pascal Eli was not found the US database of prior felons or murderers, yet is registered for voting in Attleboro, Massachusetts.- Hey GJ, isn’t that where you’re from?
GJ:
Yeah. Probably some guy that hopped in his car and drove up. Didn’t know anyone with that name, though.
Tim:
Okay. Let’s go home to think on this one.
Rob:
Yeah.
*All four leave, but Rob, Tim, and Joe stick around, waiting for GJ to get in his car and leave*
Joe:
*whispering* Is it me, or does this dude seem like either he has no idea what he’s doing, or like he’s covering something up.
Tim:
You’ve got to be joking. I saw nothing weird about him. *walks to car and leaves*
Rob:
Nah. I’m with you. But, just as a piece of advice, go with idea one, because he has no idea what he’s doing. Just look at the field report. My teacher is just too much of a good person to be the murderer. *Walks off to car and leaves*
Joe:
*Calling after the other two* OK, go ahead and don’t believe me. *Gets in car and leaves*
*SCENE*
Scene 2: 10:59 PM, May 26. Glen Jaran’s ‘House’, Wheldrake, New Hampshire
*GJ paces in a nervous fashion*
GJ:
How could I possibly have gotten myself into this mess. Somehow I get the idea that if I go to this little tiny town, kill someone, and then pose as a detective on the case, in which they already seem to think that i’m suspicious…
I guess that i’ll just sleep and go back there tomorrow.
*GJ goes to bed and falls asleep*
*SCENE*
Scene 3: 8:26 AM, May 27. Police Station, Wheldrake, New Hampshire
The 4 detectives converge on a small table to continue on the case started last night.
Rob:
Have you done any thinking on the case overnight in the morning?
GJ:
If anything, I may need to see the area where the crime was committed.
Tim:
GJ, you know that even we don’t know where the crime was committed.
Rob:
Unless you know, of course.
GJ:
*Shudders* No, no. I was just hoping that there could be some clues there that could lead to narrowing the suspects down.
Tim:
Well, we could invite them to the police station for an interview.
Rob:
Or we could look for bystanders.
Joe:
GJ! Could you be our first bystander?
GJ;
*Expression stone cold* No. Why?
Rob:
Why Not?
GJ:
Maybe because I wasn’t there.
Rob:
But you weren’t on the team at the time of the murder.
GJ:
But that doesn’t mean that I saw the crime.
Tim:
*Pulling Rob away* I don’t think Rob had enough sleep last night. Sorry about him.
*Tim and Rob go off to a far corner into a cubicle*
Rob:
Why did you take me over here?!
Tim:
*Whispering* Look. You can have opinion, but you can’t show it. I know what you think, because you told me, but he’ll get mad at us if you keep doing this.
Rob:
I don’t care what he thinks of me!! He can think any darn thing he wants as long as he listens to what I say.
Tim:
He won’t listen to you because you’re essentially blaming him for a murder. That’s not cool. Take some time in this cubicle to try to think what could have happened.
*Tim hands Rob field report and goes back to table*
Tim:
Incredibly sorry about that. Sometimes Rob’s emotions get ahead of him.
GJ:
*Harrumph* *Sarcastically* sure.
Police Officer:
You know, GJ, you’re still a volunteer. You can leave if you don’t want to help.
GJ:
No. I’ll stay. Just tell these ‘detectives’ they should shut their mouths.
Tim:
Look. The same that I said to Rob goes for you, too. If you can’t handle the group conversation, you can go to a cubicle and work on your theory.
GJ:
*Sarcastic tone is back* fine. I think I will. *Storms over to cubicle where Rob is sitting*
Tim:
GJ! Wait! That’s where Rob is. You can go to the one next to it, though.
GJ:
Yeah, I knew that was the one he was in. I need a word with him.
Joe:
No, we can save that for later. Here’s the field report. *hands GJ copy of Field report*
Tim:
Hey, Joe. Do you want to phone some of the suspects?
Joe:
Sure. I’ll take Franz.
Tim:
Sure, you do that, and I’ll take Ernesta.
Scene 4: JOE’s house, Wheldrake, New Hampshire 10:03 AM May 27
JOE has come home to call FRANZ regarding the suspicions of him in the murder.
Tim:
Hi, Mr. Franz.
Franz:
Is this one of my students? Because if it is, then you’d better hang up because I don’t take calls from students.
Tim:
No, Sir. This is Timothy Forin of the Wheldrake Police Department Detectives division and I’m calling you regarding the suspicions of your involvement in the murder yesterday.
Franz:
What murder?!?
Tim:
So you’re saying that you don’t know about it?
Franz:
When was the crime?
Tim:
I just said it was yesterday.
Franz:
No, what hour of the day?
Tim:
It was about 4:00 PM.
Franz:
I wasn’t me. I was helping one of my students with his homework. 37 years nevers stops a man from doing his job right.
Tim:
Thanks, Mr. Franz. To complete this interview, could we schedule a time for you to come in and work with our legal team and have a complete interview.
Franz:
Saturday at noon?
Tim:
How about tomorrow at 5:45
Franz:
Deal.
Scene 5: Wheldrake New Hampshire Police station, May 28, 5:45 PM
FRANZ, TIM, ROB, JOE, and GJ sit around main table in police station, getting ready for the meeting.
Tim:
Interview of Suspect Leon Franz in the case of the dragging murderer has commenced. Mr. Franz, will you have anyone speaking for you, our will you be speaking for yourself?
Franz:
I will be speaking for myself, sir.
Tim:
First question. Were you in the general vicinity of this address at 4 PM 2 nights ago
*Tim slides Franz a paper, reading the words; 200 Reservoir Street*
Franz:
Was there seriously a murder this close to the school?
Tim:
Where’s the school?
Franz:
It’s across the street from this address.
Tim:
Did you happen to be looking across the street to see any details of this?
Franz:
I happened to glance out the window at about 3:57, and I saw someone that looked almost like an exact copy of you *Points a GJ* dragging what I thought was a bag or sack. Now I guess that was a body.
Tim:
*Turning his attention to GJ* Do you have a twin, GJ?
GJ:
No!
Tim:
So you were the one that dragged the body?
GJ:
NO!
Tim:
Then do you know who it was?
GJ:
NO!!!
Tim:
Hey, Mr. Franz. Could you call up the security footage of the front of the school and send it to us?
We request the footage sent to the station by 7 PM today.
Franz:
- Thanks for letting me be such a help in this mystery.
Tim:
No, thanks to you. We never would have gotten this far without you.
*Franz leaves*
Scene 6: Wheldrake Police Station, 7:00 PM, May 27
TIM, ROB, JOE, and GJ huddle around a computer, watching the security tapes from the front of the school building that FRANZ has so helpfully sent to them. Their eyes are drawn to the man hasty running across the field with a body draped across his back.
Joe:
*pauses and rewinds the video just so that you can see the unidentified man’s face* Let’s take a screenshot here and run the picture of his face through the facial recognition software.
Rob:
Yeah. That’ll be a lead into the heart of the criminal.
*Joe takes a screenshot and opens the facial recognition software, interting the picture and waiting for the application to turn out a name and face*
Joe:
Pascal Eli, identified again. This proves that we know who commited the crime. Now we should just check the databases of name changes, because the software last found the name Pascal Eli at a voting machine in Attleboro, in the last presidential election. *pauses* that was only a month ago.
Tim:
Does that mean that you think that he changed his name to avoid detection?
Joe;
Yes. and exactly why I wanted to check the records for name changes.
Tim;
As long as the others say that it’s good with them, go ahead.
*Joe glances over at GJ and Rob. Neither says anything.*
Joe:
I guess then I’ll just check the database.
*Joe walks off to the official station computer and puts in a request to the US government. These are taken very seriously, and the request for access is granted and the records are sent in a PDF. GJ seems panicked, and suddenly runs to the bathroom.*
Joe:
*In surprise* Look at this!
*Rob and Tim run over, and look over Joe’s shoulder*
Joe:
Pascal Eli changed his name to… Glen Jaran! *Sits there, stunned*
Tim:
*Giving orders to POLICE OFFICER and his assistants*
Chase him down.
*Full squadran of police cars start in the parking lot, all chasing GJ, attempting to corner him*
Narrator:
The chase of Glen Jaran was short and successful. The criminal was captured, convicted, and sent to death row. The detectives who had solved that case were awarded with the medal of honor, awarding them for their great thinking, and courage to bust their co-detective. In a later interview after being awarded with the medals, the detectives gave more credit to now retired high school teacher Leon Franz.
*Fadeout*
*Author bows*