Murder Mystery Night

Scene 2

Nigel is called to the witness stand. He gives an account of Stuart bursting into his home while FOCUS was meeting at about 8:05 PM, and how he asked Stuart to come outside and talk about it. Nigel says how he walked to the phone box, made the call and returned home. He is asked about his relationship with Lisa as he talks about why he phones her – he insists they were purely friends, but the prosecution suggests there is more to it than that. He gets a little hot under the collar about this and is then dismissed from the witness stand.

Court Clerk	Nigel Coates… (Nigel rises and comes to the witness stand)
Judge	Please take your oath.
Lisa	I swear to tell the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth.
Judge	Mr Larkin, I suspect you have some questions for Mr Coates?
Defence	Yes your honour. Mr Coates, would you tell the court what you were doing on the evening of the 8th of January?
Nigel	Yes, sir. I was leading FOCUS and…
Defence	FOCUS?
Nigel	A discussion group for young people. Anyway, at just a little after eight Stuart burst in and started yelling at me.
Defence	Burst in where, Mr Coates?
Nigel	My house.
Judge	Mr Coates, the jury doesn’t know the intricacies of your life. Please keep your testimony specific.
Nigel	Yes your honour, I’m sorry.
Defence	What did Stuart say to you?
Nigel	He shouted at me that Lisa was pregnant, which I already knew because it was really obvious, and then started asking me if I was responsible for it. He asked me over and over again. I suggested that we went outside of my house to talk about it. He agreed as he could see there were young people around, so we went outside onto my drive.
Defence	What happened next?
Nigel	We talked for the next 10 or 15 minutes. He was really angry all of the time, but I managed to convince him that it wasn’t me who had got Lisa pregnant. He muttered something about James and Rachel and stormed off in his car, probably there.
Defence	And once he had gone you returned to your youth group?
Nigel	No, I decided I needed to talk to Lisa about this. To find out what was going on and sort things out. I was in shock. So I went up to the phone box and made a call to Lisa. We talked for just over ten minutes on the phone. Once the phone call has finished I went straight back to FOCUS, my youth group. It was 9:00 by the time I got there and the meeting finishes at about 9:00, so myself and the other youth leader, Mrs Jenny Garvey, took the young people home.
Defence	Thank you Mr Coates. Mr Worthington…
Prosecution	Mr Coates, you took Stuart outside of your house to talk with him. Can you clarify for us why this was?
Nigel	I just didn’t think it was appropriate in front of the young people.
Prosecution	After Stuart had left, you went to a phone box to make a phone call. Surely you have a phone in your house, Mr Coates?
Nigel	Of course I do, but I didn’t want any of the young people to overhear what I was saying.
Prosecution	I’m sure a man like you would possess a mobile phone?
Nigel	I have one, but I don’t use it much.
Prosecution	So you instead decided to go to the nearest telephone box?
Nigel	Yes
Prosecution	Mr Coates, how far away is the nearest telephone box?
Nigel	It’s up in the village, so that’s about 10 minutes on foot.
Prosecution	Did you wish to get back to your youth group as soon as possible?
Nigel	Yes, sir.
Prosecution	Then why didn’t you use your car?
Nigel	I didn’t think of it at the time.
Prosecution	If you were away from 8:20 and didn’t return until 9:00 PM then it appears you have managed to lose between 10 and 15 minutes of time somewhere in your story Mr Coates. This is very convenient.
Nigel	Maybe I spent longer on the phone, or maybe I walked slower than normal.
Prosecution	When people are anxious, they tend to hurry rather than dawdle. Would you not agree?
Nigel	Yes, sir.
Prosecution	Then your apparent loss of the time casts some doubt over your innocence. If you were to have taken your car, would there not have been time for you to follow Stuart to James’s?
Nigel	There may have been.
Prosecution	You swore to tell the truth. Now tell us if there was time.
Nigel	(Angrily) How could I know when I didn’t go there?
Prosecution	Mr Coates, what was your relationship with Lisa Burton like?
Nigel	We were friends.
Prosecution	What sort of friends?
Nigel	Good friends. We enjoyed each other’s company.
Prosecution	Maybe you could share with us what kind of company you gave each other?
Nigel	We just did…friend stuff.
Prosecution	Being single must make you long for a relationship.
Nigel	Not really.
Prosecution	Lisa was just the ticket for you, wasn’t she?
Nigel	(Getting annoyed) What are you suggesting?
Prosecution	That you enjoyed her friendship a little too much.
Nigel	(Angrily shouts) No!
Prosecution	And one day you didn’t protect yourself as well as you should have.
Nigel	(Yells) She was my friend!
Judge	Mr Coates, please calm yourself down.
Nigel	(still shouting) He’s accusing me of having sexual relations with my friend!
Defence	Maybe that’s enough questions for Mr Coates right now.
Judge	Mr Worthington, are you in agreement?
Prosecution	Yes, your Honour, if he can be recalled later in the case.
Judge	So be it. Sustained. Mr Coates, go and calm yourself. Next witness.

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