The stage lights up. They’re still in the apartment.
ANGELO: We’ve searched for hours. We’ve turned the kitchen upside down, and the bathroom looks like a battlefield. I think it’s time to start searching the bedrooms.
AXEL: Sure, but whose room do we search first?
ANGELO: Start with mine, I have nothing to hide.
AXEL: Okay then.
FRANK: Angelo must stand at the door – he can’t search his own room, he might destroy evidence.
ANGELO: Or you will plant it!
AXEL: If it makes you feel any better, we will search together and keep a close eye on one another. How does that sound?
ANGELO: I don’t have much of a choice, do I?
FRANK: Enough talking, let’s find the evidence so we can send him to the looney bin!
Frank and Angelo turn the room upside down inch by inch as Angelo stands nervously at the door. Frank and Axel open a shoebox in the corner, and turn to Angelo.
FRANK: Wanna confess?
ANGELO: What are you talking about?
Axel pulls out a knife wrapped in a bloody pink shirt. Angelo starts hyperventilating.
ANGELO: I’ve never seen that in my life, I swear!
FRANK: Of course you’d say that!
AXEL: This doesn’t look good Angelo… but it’s not damning evidence. We have to keep looking.
Axel puts the box down and taps Frank on the shoulder.
FRANK: Let’s look in his closet. (Rifling through the closet) There’s nothing here. Where else could he have hidden some evidence?
AXEL: What about under the bed?
Axel and Frank flip the bed over and find sneakers with blood on them. Frank picks them up and waves them around.
FRANK: This is evidence! These are your shoes and you’re the only one who wears size 8 in this apartment. My feet are too big and Angelo’s feet are too small.
ANGELO: But… But…
FRANK: But nothing. You’re guilty!
AXEL: (Laughs) You’re amazing Frank. Amazingly stupid.
Axel stabs Frank in the throat and twists the knife, then pulls it out. He looks at Angelo.
ANGELO: It’s you, you’re the killer!
AXEL: Ding, Ding, Ding! No shit, Sherlock.
ANGELO: Why?
AXEL: Well, I’ve always wanted to kill. When I was a kid, I told my shrink about it and she said “I want you to write it away, it’ll get the violent urges out of your system.” Boy was she wrong! In fact, writing made me want to experience the real thing even more. Then fate gave me a blessing. It gave me the perfect victims, Frank the junkie, Mr G the thief, and as the cherry on top, it gave me a crazy to use as a scapegoat. So, the real question is “why not?”
ANGELO: (Sobbing) What do you mean?
AXEL: Let me tell you the story the police will hear from me tonight. You found Mr G in our apartment stealing from us, hence the money in his pocket. This made you so angry, you had an episode of the crazies, so you stabbed him. Frank and I tried to stop you, but you were too far gone. You chased us around the house and you killed poor Frank. You and I struggled and I managed to kill you. The cops will believe me because I don’t steal, I don’t do drugs, I don’t have violent tendencies and mental health issues. I made sure to use all my knowledge of crime and thrillers to make this a believable story. Now all that’s left is for you to die!
Axel attacks Angelo. They struggle and Axel cuts Angelo in the arm. Angelo manages to push Axel into the wall. He runs out of the bedroom and grabs the spare keys from the landlord’s pocket and gets out. Axel grabs the knife and runs after Angelo.