Saturday, May 8, 2010
Rain Delay Theater Presents: Trifles.
(Apologies to Wakey.)
Scene: Home clubhouse, Fenway Park. Things are in a general state of disarray. Enter David Ortiz, Adrian Beltre, and Victor Martinez. They are followed by Mike Lowell and Jason Varitek.
Martinez (to Beltre): Adrian, before we start to figure this out, tell David what you saw here yesterday.
Ortiz (looking around at the mess): Man, is this what it looked like in here yesterday? It looks like a hurricane came through. Has stuff been moved?
Martinez: Um...Yeah. This is pretty much how it was. I told people not to touch anything.
Ortiz: Hmm. So, Adrian what exactly happened when you showed up yesterday morning?
Beltre: I came in here looking for Tito because I thought I could get him to buy some of that energy drink I got. I figured that with all his health problems it might help him out. It was quiet when I got here; nobody around, and it was all dark. So I came in and Wakefield was sitting on the couch there (points at the couch).
Ortiz: What was he doing?
Beltre: Nothing. He was just sitting there, staring at the TV, but the TV wasn't on or anything.
Ortiz: How did he look?
Beltre: Weird.
Ortiz: Weird how?
Beltre: He seemed calm but also out of it; like he'd been drugged or something.
Ortiz: Did he care that you'd come in?
Beltre: I wouldn't say so. He didn't really seem to know I was there at all. I said, "What's up Wakefield?" And he didn't say anything. So then I said, "It's cold out there today." And all he said was, "Is it?" Which is weird because Wakefield is usually a pretty friendly guy. But he just kept ignoring me and staring at the blank TV. So then I said, "I need to talk to Tito." And he sort of laughed. Then I was annoyed with him for being so rude so I said, "Do you know where he is or not?" "Yeah," he says kind of dully. "Well, can I see him?" "No," he says. I was getting frustrated with him, so I says "Is he here or not?" "Yeah, he's here," he said. "Well, why can't I see him," I said. "'Cause he's dead," he said. "What? Dead?" I didn't know what to say and he just kept sitting there almost bored-like. "Where is he?" I asked him. "In his office." So I started to go see if it was true but then I asked "What did he die of?" "He died of a baseball bat to the head." Well, then I was all creeped out so I texted Vic because I thought I'd need some help. So Vic got here and we went into his office and there he was---
Ortiz (interrupting): We'll talk about that in the office. Just finish the story.
Beltre: My first thought was to clean him up a little bit but Vic said that we shouldn't touch anything. So we came back out and Wakefield was still sitting there staring at the TV. "Have you called the police?" I asked him. "No," was all he said. "Wake, who did this?" Vic asked. "I don't know," he said. "You don't know? How could you not know?" I asked. And he just shrugged. I was going to question him some more but Vic said that we should call the cops. So he went to go tell Theo and have him call the cops.
Ortiz: And what did Wake do after Vic went to go get the cops?
Beltre: He just went and sat in front of his locker and stared down at his hands. And then I thought that I should talk to him, so I told him I'd come to see if Tito wanted to buy any of the health drink. And Wakefield laughed but stopped real quick and looked scared. So then Vic got back and the police came and you should up. And I guess that's all of it that you didn't know.
Ortiz: We should probably start looking around in the office. (To Victor) You're sure that there's nothing important here that would point to a motive?
Martinez: Naw. Nothing here but locker room stuff.
Ortiz (Looks around locker room and then reaches up onto the shelf of Wakefield's locker): Oh yuck. (He pulls his hand away, it's covered in black goop.)
Varitek (comes closer): It's his hair dye. He worried that when it got so cold the plastic bottle would crack.
Martinez: Typical. In jail for murder and he's concerned about his bottles of Just for Men.
Ortiz: When we're through he'll have more serious to worry about than hair dye.
Martinez: Well, old guys are used to worrying about trifles. (Varitek returns to stand by Mike Lowell's side)
Ortiz: And yet, for all their worries, what would we do without them? (Varitek and Lowell are unimpressed. Ortiz rifles through the bottom of Wakefield's locker.) He's got dirty towels down here. He's not really a neat freak, is he?
Lowell: They ask a lot of Wake.
Ortiz: Sure. Sure. But there are some people in this locker room who can keep it clean.
Lowell: With all the changes, Wake did the best he could.
Ortiz: So you were friends with him?
Lowell: Not so much lately. Wake was a good guy but he hasn't been really cheerful lately.
Ortiz: Hmm. We'll talk more about that later. Let's head into the office.
Martinez: Anything Varitek wants to take should be fine, right? He came along to grab a few little things to make Wake more comfortable.
Ortiz: Yeah, sure. I'll just take a look at what you grab. And keep an eye out for anything that might help us out.
(Ortiz, Beltre, and Martinez leave.)
Lowell (puts dirty towels from Wakefield's locker in a hamper): I'd hate to have people coming in and judging my from my locker without knowing me.
Varitek (helping to straighten up): Well, they're only doing their duty.
Lowell: Still. It's not like he knew that he was going to have to rush out of here. (Varitek pulls a pair of shirts from Wakefield's locker.) Jason...Do you think he did it?
Varitek: Oh, well...I don't know.
Lowell: I don't. Who would worry about their hair dye when they were in jail for murder?
Varitek: Vic says that it doesn't look good for him. Saying that he didn't know what had happened to Tito didn't help.
Lowell: Here's what I don't understand: Even though they've banned guns in the clubhouse, there are still plenty of them around. And Wake is a hunter, a crack shot. Why hit him with a bat when you could shoot him?
Varitek: Well, David said that what they needed was a motive; some sign of anger, some reason for Wake to snap.
Lowell: I don't see anything angry in here.
Varitek (digging deeper into Wakefield's locker): He was solving a crossword puzzle.
Lowell: How strange. He's only answered half of it but he wrote 193s around the outside.
Varitek: I wonder if he was going to finish the puzzle or just quit it.
(Ortiz, Beltre, and Martinez enter)
Martinez (laughing): They wonder if he was just going to finish the puzzle or just quit it.
(Ortiz, Beltre, and Martinez laugh.)
Ortiz: We're all done with the office. We're going to go out and check the bullpen area.
(Ortiz, Beltre, and Martinez leave.)
Lowell (examining the puzzle): Jason, look at this square. You see how nice and precise the letters are for most of the puzzle but in this one, they're wild. All over the place, like he didn't know what he was doing or like he was thinking of something else. And the answers are wrong. (Lowell furtively glances at the door to the field and then quickly starts erasing answers.)
Varitek: Mikey! What are you doing?
Lowell: Just fixing some parts that weren't done very good at all. (Continues to correct the puzzle.)
Varitek (glances at the door): Well, hurry up. We don't know when they'll be back.
Lowell: What do you think he was thinking about?
Varitek: Hmm? I don't know that he was distracted. Sometimes I'm an awful puzzle-solver when I'm tired. (They sit in contemplative silence.) Well, we'd better get these clothes packed up. Where do you think I can find his bag to put them in?
Lowell: It's not in his locker?
Varitek: I didn't see it.
Lowell (looks around): Maybe it's that one over by the couch?
Varitek (goes over to the bag): You're right. (Opens bag.) Mikey? Is this Wake's glove?
Lowell (looks at it): It sure does look like it but the lacing is all torn out.
Varitek: That doesn't make any sense. Wake took good care of that glove; it was his favorite.
Lowell (comprehension dawning): Tito hated this glove; thought it looked unprofessional. When I was a kid in little league, there was this kid on my team who tried to steal my favorite glove. If they hadn't held me back, I would have---.
(Ortiz, Beltre, and Martinez enter. Lowell slips the glove under the bag.)
Ortiz: So, have you figured out whether he was done with that crossword puzzle?
Varitek: We think...he was going to finish it.
Ortiz: Is that Wakefield's duffle bag?
Varitek: Yes.
Ortiz: Anything interesting?
Varitek: It's empty.
Ortiz (to Martinez): Alright. There was nothing outside. Let's go back and work it through piece-by-piece.
(Ortiz, Beltre, and Martinez leave.)
Varitek (in a hushed voice): Mike. We don't know that Tito pulled the lacing out of that glove.
Lowell: I knew Tito.
Varitek: A terrible thing happened in this clubhouse, Mikey. A man had his skull bashed in.
Lowell: If there had been years and years of giving yourself up for the team, doing anything and everything asked of you; if you had shown nothing but loyalty; and then they took the last thing you had from you, it would be awful.
Varitek: I know a thing about being given up on after you've given everything.
Lowell: How much longer do you think that they'll be looking for evidence?
Varitek: I know what it's like. (Coming back to himself.) The law has to be obeyed, Mikey.
Lowell: I wish that I had been more understanding of Wake. I wish that I'd been there for him when they jerking him around. Our lockers are right next to each other and, yet, we seem so far apart. We go through the same struggles but we don't pay enough attention to each other. If I was you, I'd tell him that his Just for Men is safe; the bottle didn't burst in the cold. He may never know whether it broke or not.
Varitek: Wouldn't David laugh at us, if he knew we were getting so worked up over an unlaced glove.
Lowell: Maybe.
(Ortiz, Beltre, and Martinez enter.)
Ortiz: It's all perfectly clear what happened. The only thing is a reason.
Martinez: You don't need a reason.
Ortiz: That's true. But you know how it is with celebrities, juries need a reason. If there was only something to show---
Beltre: Well, if you don't need my anymore---
Ortiz: Go ahead. I'm going to stay for awhile.
Martinez: Do you want to look over the stuff Varitek grabbed?
Ortiz: Nah. What's he got a couple of shirts?
Martinez: I just need to show you something David. We'll be right there, Adrian.
(Ortiz and Martinez go over to Martinez's locker. Beltre exits. Varitek tries to shove glove into the bag with Wakefield's shirts but it won't fit. Lowell grabs it and puts it in his own bag.)
Ortiz: Well, Vic, at least we found out that he was going to...what did you decide?
Varitek: He was going to finish it.
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