Not Guilty

SCENE 1

TIME: Friday afternoon. March 24, 2006

AT RISE: A custodial interrogation room: a TABLE and two CHAIRS. ERIC is seated; across from him sits the INTERROGATOR. Behind ERIC stands FATHER HARRIS. On the table a TAPE RECORDER turns slowly.

INTERROGATOR

The date is Friday, March 24, 2006. The time is approximately 3:00. This is a criminal inquiry concerning the Police Department, involving Mr. Eric Asher, who attempted to bomb the Women’s Health Clinic on Wednesday March 22, 2006. This inquiry is being tape recorded at the Downtown Police Substation. If each person present will please record their name and title.

ERIC

Eric Asher…

(The INTERROGATOR prompts ERIC to continue. Reluctantly, HE does)

…accused.

FATHER H.

Gregory Harris, Roman Catholic priest and witness.

(The INTERROGATOR nods and continues)

INTERROGATOR

(To ERIC)

You are being questioned as part of an official internal investigation. You are hereby directed to answer all questions honestly and completely. No promise of reward will be made as inducement for the answer to any question.

(To FATHER HARRIS)

You are here as witness and counsel to the accused, you will be given the opportunity to make clarifying statements and ask clarifying questions, but you may not interfere with the orderly course of the interrogation. Do you both understand?

(ERIC and FATHER HARRIS nod, and the INTERROGATOR slides a form over the table for them to sign. As THEY sign, HE continues, to ERIC)

You, Mr. Asher, have the right to remain silent. Anything you say can and will be used against you in court, and you have the right to talk with an attorney and have an attorney present before and during questioning.

(ERIC and FATHER HARRIS complete the form and the INTERROGATOR goes on)

Mr. Asher, regarding the bombing: where were you on the morning of Wednesday, March 22 of this year?

ERIC

Well, you know the whole story, don’t you? I packed up the dynamite and drove to the clinic. Stuck the --

(ERIC can’t seem to find the word, so the INTERROGATOR supplies it)

INTERROGATOR

The bomb?

ERIC

Yeah. I stuck it in the back and lit the fuse. No one was hurt, I mean, I didn’t hurt anyone. Just burned an empty office and --

INTERROGATOR

Blew open an examination room, broke an office window, and structurally disabled a hallway. $200,000 of damage, Mr. Asher. The clinic will be closed for a month.

ERIC

No one was hurt.

INTERROGATOR

Let’s back up, Mr. Asher. Where were you on the night of March 19th, this year?

(Lights fade on the INTERROGATOR and FATHER HARRIS. ERIC turns to the audience and speaks)

ERIC

I was arguing with my girlfriend. Arguing over an accident. I thought getting the sin taken care of would help, but it didn’t. I’d gone to confession earlier that same day, just for that.

TIME: Saturday afternoon.

AT RISE: A confessional. In the chair opposite ERIC sits FATHER HARRIS, reading a book. The two do not face each other.

FATHER closes his book.

FATHER H.

In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.

(ERIC folds his hands and shifts uncomfortably)

ERIC

Forgive me, father, for I have sinned. It’s been about…three months since my last confession.

FATHER H.

And what are your sins?

ERIC

Father? What would you say if I said I…I really screwed up? Nothing criminal…but like…mortal sin?

FATHER H.

I’d say ‘I’m glad you’re here.’

ERIC

(Nervously running a hand through his hair)

Well, I really screwed up.

FATHER H.

(Gently, after a pause)

I’m glad you’re here.

(Light on FATHER HARRIS fades to black, ERIC again turns to the audience.)

ERIC

But that didn’t help. Leah and I…were in trouble. We spent four hours fighting. I tried to talk it out with my friend. He knows a lot about that…certain kind of trouble…can’t say I picked the best place to ask him, though.

TIME: The next Monday afternoon.

AT RISE: The sidewalk outside an abortion clinic. ERIC and JOHN stand;

ERIC holds a rosary, JOHN holds an armful of pamphlets and a picketing sign over one shoulder. It reads ‘STOP ABORTION NOW.’

ERIC

(Fingering the rosary)

The Second Joyous Mystery…John, what’s the second one?

JOHN

Annunciation to Mary.

ERIC

Annunciation…

(Faraway DOOR CLOSING is heard. JOHN looks left, apparently spotting a woman leaving the clinic)

JOHN

(Shouting)

It’s a child, not a choice!

(The sound of a CAR ENGINE affirms that his outburst was unhelpful. JOHN sighs and returns to the rosary. ERIC notices someone else coming out of the clinic)

ERIC

Hey, is that the doctor?

(JOHN looks up and begins to shout)

JOHN

Hey, you! Yeah, you! You’re killing babies!

(ERIC nudges JOHN to be quiet)

What? It’s true, isn’t it?

(ERIC shrugs awkwardly, but JOHN holds his tongue. Silence for a moment)

ERIC

Hey, John? This is a pretty crummy place to ask you this question, but what can I do if my girlfriend is pregnant?

(JOHN, thinking ERIC is wanting to practice sidewalk counseling, pullsout a pamphlet and holds it out it theatrically to ERIC)

JOHN

There are lots of options for you and your baby --

ERIC

No, John. I’m serious. Leah is actually pregnant. I…I really screwed up. And she doesn’t want it. What in the hell am I going to do?

(beat)

JOHN

She can’t have an abortion.

ERIC

She won’t keep the baby. We spent four hours screaming at each other about it.

JOHN

Adoption’s an option.

ERIC

Her mother won’t let her.

JOHN

Don’t let her have an abortion. Don’t. Do anything, but just don’t do that.

(The lights fade on JOHN, ERIC remains)

ERIC

Anything… He said anything. How can you blame me for my circumstances? Leah was pregnant, no one would give me an inch. I had to do something.

TIME: Friday afternoon.

AT RISE: The custodial interrogation room.

INTERROGATOR

We understand that your circumstances were difficult, Mr. Asher. But let’s backtrack. You had an argument with your girlfriend over the pregnancy, and you went to confession. Father Harris, did he mention anything about his later crime?

FATHER H.

I can’t answer that, sir. The seal of the confessional prevents it.

(The INTERROGATOR looks less than gleeful.)

INTERROGATOR

Right. Mr. Asher, where were you on Tuesday, March 21?

ERIC

I was at home, on the computer. Talking to John on the phone about the Pro-Life Banquet in May.

(Lights on the INTERROGATOR AND FATHER HARRIS drop; ERIC continues)

And of course, he asked about how Leah was and what she said. I told him nothing was better. He said ‘you really should think about using your power to stop her.’

(ERIC picks up a PHONE and speaks into it)

My power? I don’t have any.

(Light comes on to show John on the other side of the table, on the phone)

TIME: Tuesday evening.

AT RISE: ERIC is seated at the table, holding a phone to his ear. JOHN is on the other side, also on the phone.

JOHN

Sure you do. You’re the father. It’s your baby as much as it is hers. Tell her you won’t pay for an abortion.

ERIC

I did.

JOHN

Tell her she’s gotta keep the baby. I have a book on all the arguments –

(HE stands, as if to go and get the book)

ERIC

Don’t bother.

JOHN

But she hasn’t gone to get it yet?

ERIC

No…

JOHN

I’m out of ideas. Just keep her from going to that clinic.

ERIC

For nine months?!

JOHN

Screw it, Eric, more is at stake here than your time! You’ve gotta keep that baby alive, she’ll thank you for it later! Listen, it doesn’t matter what you do. It really, really doesn’t. Nothing is more important than the life of that baby.

ERIC

What do you want me to do, blow the clinic up?

(Lights go out on JOHN)

JOHN

If you have to, yeah!

(ERIC brings the phone away from his ear and looks at it, thinking. HE puts the phone away and resumes a more prayerful position after a short pause)

Forgive me, father, for I have sinned. It’s been six days since my last confession.

TIME: Thursday afternoon.

AT RISE: FATHER HARRIS, reading the National Catholic Register. The headline reads ‘Aaron’s Abortion Mill Bombed Wednesday Night.’

FATHER HARRIS puts down the newspaper when he hears ERIC.

FATHER H.

Well, you’re to be admired for your piety, young man. Any reason why you’ve come to two confessions in a week?

ERIC

Father, I just tried to bomb an abortion mill.

FATHER H.

Well, that’s not very pro-life, is it?

ERIC

I know, but it was my only choice. Father, I’m desperate. My girlfriend made an appointment for today, this morning. If I didn’t do something, she would’ve killed our baby! Father, I had to do something!

FATHER H.

And you’ve done it, to be sure. I can see how you reached the conclusion, but your method wasn’t right.

ERIC

It’s not my fault.

FATHER H.

We could debate that. But the question is: what now?

ERIC

I don’t want to go to jail.

FATHER H.

This may sound harsh, but you might’ve thought of that before you packed up your dynamite and nails.

ERIC

(Glumly)

You saw the article?

FATHER H.

Yes, I did. The police are looking for you.

(FATHER HARRIS stands and walks around the table so that he sees ERIC face-to-face)

Are you going to accept justice, Mr. Asher?

(lights fade on FATHER HARRIS)

ERIC

How do you answer that? So I turned myself in.

TIME: Friday afternoon.

AT RISE: The custodial interrogation room.

INTERROGATOR

(Taking notes)

You turned yourself in; so you admit to the crime of attempting to bomb Aaron’s Women’s Health Center from an explosive you yourself created from nails and --

ERIC

No, I didn’t make it. Well, yeah, I put it together, but John got me the parts and the idea. Did a slew of research on homemade bombs and all that. He’s the one who should be in cuffs.

INTERROGATOR

Mm-hm. Well, thank you Mr. Asher. This criminal interrogation session is closed; the time is approximately three forty-five in the afternoon. Any paper used for remarks, comments, requests, or complaints will be filed and previous editions will be destroyed.

(HE stops the tape recorder and stands.)

Thank you, gentlemen. The officer is outside to escort Mr. Asher to his cell.

(The INTERROGATOR EXITS. Lights fade on all but ERIC.)

ERIC

(To the audience, but also to himself)

I’m not guilty. I made a mistake at the outset, sure. But the bombing…it wasn’t all me. Leah wouldn’t listen, John was radical, and nothing else helped, either. It was all I could do…short of tying Leah up for nine months.

(The attempt to rationalize is failing, but ERIC continues, building on his own desperation for a legitimate excuse)

I couldn’t do anything else. It wasn’t my fault. I was desperate. I just…I had no choice. I was the victim!

(beat)

(ERIC stops trying to convince himself with absurdities. HE buries his head in his hands)

(Lights rise to dim to show FATHER HARRIS sitting opposite ERIC, as in the confessional scenes.)

Forgive me, father…for I have sinned.

BLACKOUT