Fallen Angels

                            By Darrell Kocha

   (Scenario: Debbie enters, hangs coat up on coat rack. Marty enters
                              behind her.)

                                  ACT I
                                 Scene 1

MARTY: You've been awfully quiet tonight. (Debbie doesn't say anything;
Marty puts his hand on her shoulder) Come on, what's bothering you?

DEBBIE: I saw the bill for tonight's dinner. How is it that you can
afford all these extravagant things for us? Just like last night....

MARTY: We deserved last night. We haven't had any time together in a
while, and that was a good opportunity.

DEBBIE: After getting fired? Most corporations are cutting back on
executives, not hiring. Getting fired....

MARTY: (walks to bar, pours drink) ...opened my eyes to new
possibilities. Things that I never dreamed of.

DEBBIE: Like what? How can you possibly look at losing your job, your
sole means of support, as an advantage?

MARTY: Very easily. (takes a drink) It's just a matter of time until we
hit the jackpot.

DEBBIE: You're not making any sense. (throws up arms in exasperation)
I'm going to get ready for bed. (goes into bedroom; Marty sits on sofa,
slams drink back. Marty goes back to bar; opens up a bottle and takes
out some pills, swallows them with drink; there is a knock on the door)

MARTY: Who is it? (Jake, a large and scroungy man, enters. Jake has a
look about him that says "don't mess with me") Well look who's here:
the ugliest man on....

JAKE: (grabs Marty by throat) If I was you, I would not be taking that
tone. You are in no position to be giving me any lip. Are we at an
understanding? (Marty, turning red, nods. Jake releases him from his
grip)

MARTY: What do you want here, Jake?

JAKE: Perhaps I did not make myself clear: you listen, I talk. If I
want you to talk, I will tell you. (starts pacing) Now, the matter I
have come here to address is your payments. They are due. In fact, they
are overdue. Our organization does not appreciate people waffling on
their payments. Especially on payments as large as $20,000.

MARTY: Now wait, I can explain.... (Jake punches him)

JAKE: Shut... up. Did I say, "Liebmann, talk"? No, I did not. Now just
listen. Out of the good grace of our hearts, we have decided to give
you two more days to come up with the money, or else we will have to
extract it from you in some form or another. Now, is there anything you
would like to say?

MARTY: I need more time. Just give me two more weeks, and I'll have
this week's and next week's payments! I promise! Just two more
weeks.... (Jake flicks his cigarette at Marty; exits without a word;
Marty takes another drink, inhales heavily) God damn it. (Debbie enters
from bedroom with a bathrobe on, and some papers in hand)

DEBBIE: I thought we should go over these life insurance policies that
we've been putting off.

MARTY: Yeah, that would be a good idea, wouldn't it? All things
considered....

DEBBIE: Now, we've already paid for these. We filed them before you
were fired. If one of us dies, the other would collect $50,000. (Marty
is staring into space; Debbie waves her hand in front of his face)
Marty? Are you there?

MARTY: Huh? Oh, yeah. $50,000. Go on.

DEBBIE: Okay. Anyway, if we had children we'd collect $100,000. But
since we don't, we won't. So that's irrelevant. Now, the policy covers
any form of death. Accident, homicide, disease, and so on. Now let's
see... (Debbie starts shuffling through her papers; meanwhile, Marty
starts to fall asleep) ...now I have here (notices Marty) Marty!

MARTY: (wakes up) Huh? What?

DEBBIE: Are you with me? (Marty stares at her blankly) Now what's
bothering you? Don't try to kid me, either. I know you too well; I can
tell when there's something wrong. (touches his hand) Come on, you can
tell me. We're married; we're supposed to share everything.

MARTY: (gets up) Look, you just wouldn't understand....

DEBBIE: Don't hand me that. We've shared everything for the past two
years. Why can't you open up to me now?

MARTY: I'm sorry, but I can't think straight. I'm just under so much
stress right now.

DEBBIE: (holds up liquor bottle) This doesn't help much.

MARTY: (takes bottle, drinks of it) I need this. (goes into bedroom;
Debbie sighs, shakes her head. She sits down at the table and goes
through some papers on it)

DEBBIE: (reading, calls) Marty, what's this? (no answer) Marty? (Marty
comes out)

MARTY: (takes papers, looks at them) Stuff from work. I'm surprised I
haven't thrown them out yet. (tosses them into waste basket) I really
don't need them anymore. It was just some stuff about the company's new
computer system, yada yada yada. Irrelevant to me now.

DEBBIE: Alright. I'm going to bed. We can pick up where we left off
tomorrow morning. It's not like your going anywhere.

MARTY: Wait! We can't. I've got an appointment scheduled for a job
interview. Shouldn't take more than a couple of hours, so we can go
over it tomorrow afternoon.

DEBBIE: What? You never told me you were applying! That's great! Now
maybe we can get back our feet. Well, let's get to bed. You've got a
big day ahead of you.

MARTY: You're sounding like my mother. You go ahead. I've got a few
phone calls to make.

DEBBIE: Okay. (kisses him) Say, where is this interview, anyway?

MARTY: Oh, down at the bank. They're short a few tellers. Got shot in a
bank robbery. It seems a little morbid, but beggars can't be choosers,
you know?

DEBBIE: (laughs) Good night.

MARTY: Good night. (exit Debbie; Marty picks up phone, dials, waits)
Hello, Jake? You can kiss off, man. I'm going to the police. What's
that? Yeah? Well, go to hell, butt-munch. (hangs up, picks up phone,
dials) Anna? Marty. You've still got that interview set up for me,
right? Good. By the way, keep Jake off of my ass, alright? What? You've
fired him? Oh, shit. Well, do the best you can, alright? Thanks a lot,
man. (knock on door) Who is it?

MACK: (from off) It's me.

MARTY: (opens door) Well, Officer Mack. To what do I owe this honor?

MACK: (enters) I have some information on this "Jake" that you were
talking about.

MARTY: Oh, good. Here, sit down. (Marty and Mack sit at table)

MACK: Well, it seems that this guy has a record as long as you can
imagine. Lately, nobody's been able to put their hands on him.

MARTY: Why?

MACK: He lives in the shadows. He comes out when and where he knows he
will not be caught by the authorities. You'd be wiser to play it cool
with him until he slips up and we can find him.

MARTY: Uhhhh.... yeah, I'll keep that in mind.

MACK: Also, so far as we know, his real name is not Jake. He's an
illegal immigrant from Russia. He assumed a new identity through the
Russian Mafia, and has been living a life of crime ever since.

MARTY: I have a question: how did you come up with all of this
information?

MACK: We have connections on the street. People who know Jake, and
who's lives are so worthless they aren't afraid to die.

MARTY: Is that all you've come up with so far?

MACK: Well, we don't know how long his dick is yet, but we're going to
get that to you as quick as we can.

MARTY: Alright, thanks. I'll see you later.

MACK: Oh! There was one more thing. If we can nail this guy's ass to
the wall, we'll be able severely weaken the entire Russian Mafia.

MARTY: Cool. Say, why doesn't he sound like he's Russian? I mean,
shouldn't he have an accent?

MACK: Not necessarily; a lot of immigrants are very good at learning
how to cover up their accent.

MARTY: What's his real name? (enter Anna) Hey Anna, ever hear of
knocking?

ANNA: Not right now, Marty. I just got word on the street: Jake is
coming to get you.

MACK: Oh Christ, Marty; what did you do?

MARTY: (sheepishly) I told him to go to hell.

ANNA: Aw, man! Why the hell would you want to do something so stupid!?

MARTY: (frustrated) Well, I thought you could keep a leash on him! I
didn't know that you were going to go and ....

ANNA: Shut up, Marty. That was not my fault.

MACK: Whoa, whoa, whoa. Hold on a minute, here and let me get this
straight: now what's going on here? Marty, you only told me that you
knew of a criminal named Jacob Tilten, and were having frequent contact
with him. I didn't ask what kind of contact, but now I need to know:
what is Jake to you?

MARTY: (Anna, standing behind Mack, shakes her head "no", then places
her finger against her lips) Jake has been shaking me down for some
time, now. If I don't pay, he threatens to kill me.

MACK: You should have come to me sooner. But for God's sake, Marty. You
don't tell a guy like that to go to hell!

MARTY: Well, like I said: I thought that she would be able to keep a
leash on him.

MACK: Who is she, anyway?

MARTY: She's a friend of Jake's.

MACK: I suppose she knew nothing about any this, right?

ANNA: I'm in psychiatry. I was trying to get him to change. He was my
friend, you know.

MACK: (to Anna) What was it that you did that made you lose any
"control" of him?

ANNA: He started to develop feelings for me. I didn't feel the same
way, but I told him that we could still be friends. (sighs) I should
have known better than to use such a clich‚. Anyway, he was unstable to
begin with, and this sent him even further over the edge.

MACK: I'll put out an APB on Jake. We're going to nail this guy's hide
to the wall. Do you have a physical description of Jake?

MARTY: Would a picture be alright?

MACK: Even better. (Marty digs through desk drawer, finds a picture of
Jake) Is that it?

MARTY: Yeah. (gives picture to Mack)

MACK: Great. I'll have this put out ASAP. Good luck, man. (exits; Anna
looks at Marty)

MARTY: Good cover. What are we going to do?

ANNA: "We?" Who is "we"? There is "you", there is "I", but there is no
"we". At least, not since you brought Mister Pork-man out there into
this. Our organization is under no obligation to assist you when you
bring to police into the matter.

MARTY: Then why are you here?

ANNA: We are, however, obligated to inform you that Jake no longer
works for us, and is working under his own discretion. (enter Debbie)

DEBBIE: What's all the noise? (notices Anna; to Marty, suspiciously)
Marty, who is this woman?

ANNA: I was just leaving. I was just informing him that there was
nothing we could do for him. (exits)

DEBBIE: Marty, what was that woman talking about? What's going on?

MARTY: That was a woman from the bank; I asked her if I could bypass
the interview and skip right to the job. She just came, as she said, to
tell me that there was nothing she could do for me.

DEBBIE: Why don't I believe you? Oh well, I guess I'll find out sooner
or later, won't I? (goes back into bedroom)

MARTY: (to himself) Shoot. (shuts off light switch, lights dim except
for greens. Marty goes to pour himself a drink, then changes his mind.
He digs in the desk drawer for a little, finds gun. He takes it out and
puts it on the bar. He pours himself a drink, and slams it back. He
then picks up the phone and dials) Hello, Mack? Have you caught him
yet? No? But you'll call me as soon as you do, right? Yeah, I'll tell
you everything if you do. Yes, I am willing to testify in court. I want
this guy put away for good. (Jake comes out of hallway) He's an
asshole, alright? He's been shaking me down for too long. Now that I'm
unemployed I can't afford that kind of funding, right? (Jake pulls out
a gun) Look, I know I made ten times as much as most people, but I'm
unemployed now. Sure, I have the money, but it's not like you won't be
putting this guy away for the rest of his.... (Jake clears his throat;
Marty turns around) Holy shit! (Marty drops the phone runs for his gun.
Lights go down; gun fire)

                                 CURTAIN

                                 Scene 2

(curtain rises, lights go up. There are four police officers present,
including Officer Mack)

MACK: Get that body wrapped up. I need to write up a report on this one
ASAP. We all know who did this; it's just a matter of finding our man,
and then proving it. (enter Debbie)

OFFICER 1: Sorry ma'am, this is top secret.

DEBBIE: Get out of my way, before I rip your throat out. That was my
husband that just got murdered.

MACK: (to Officer 1) Let her in.

DEBBIE: Thank you, Mack. (crosses to Mack) You say you know who did
this. Does it have anything to do with the woman that was here last
night?

MACK: To a certain extent, yes; but she wasn't the one that did it.

DEBBIE: Then who? Marty didn't have any enemies; at least none that I
knew of. Then again, it seems I'm finding out something new about Marty
every day.

MACK: The suspect's name is Jacob Tilten. He's a mobster from Russia.
Wanted for conspiracy, prostitution, dealing illicit substances, and
now homicide in the first degree.

DEBBIE: Why would this man want to kill my husband?

MACK: According to Mr. Liebmann, Jake had been shaking him down for
years. Marty had had enough of it, what with him being unemployed now.
He came to us, told off Jake, now apparently Jake killed him. (checks
watch) I have yet to discover the validity of these statements. Look, I
have a lot of time on my hands. We can talk about this as soon as the
initial investigation is taken care of. In the meantime, we'd like you
just to step outside.

DEBBIE: I don't know what I'm going to do.... (exit)

MACK: She seems to be taking this pretty well. (to Officer 2) Have you
done the checking up on Debbie Liebmann that I asked you to?

OFFICER 2: Yes, sir. (pulls out a piece of paper, looks it over) It
seems that she recently had a life insurance policy taken out on
himself. She's not going to be hard up, that's for sure. The policy
allows her to collect $50,000 upon her husband's death.

MACK: Quite a sum of money. If she were to kill him, that would
definitely be the motive.

OFFICER 2: You don't think she killed him, do you?

MACK: Right now I'm not ruling out any possibilities, regardless of
probability. I'm not concerned with how likely it is. I myself don't
think it was her, but I still have to explore all possibilities. That
means that Mrs. Liebmann is a suspect. Now, go on.

OFFICER 2: Okay. Mr. Liebmann's American Express bills show that he'd
been taking the liberty of making large expenditures, even after he got
laid off.

MACK: Such as?

OFFICER 2: Overnight trips to Paris, expensive dinners, fur coats for
his wife, and the list goes on.

MACK: Give it to me; I'll want to review it.

OFFICER 2: Just wait, I'm not done yet. Here's where it gets really
interesting. All of these expenditures were billed to the order of one
Anna Koch.

MACK: German?

OFFICER 2: I guess so. Why?

MACK: Nothing. Just a hunch. "Liebmann" is German, too. Never mind.
Have you checked up on this Koch at all?

OFFICER 2: No.

MACK: Well hop to it, boy!

OFFICER 2: Yes, sir. (exit)

MACK: (to Officer 3) I want you to search this place until you find
some shred of evidence that Marty Liebmann was involved in some sort of
illicit dealings. I have a feeling that there was much more to Marty's
relationship with Jake than what he had been revealing to me.

OFFICER 3: Yes, sir. (goes upstairs)

DEBBIE: (enters) Can we talk now?

MACK: Yeah, come in. Sit down. We have a lot to talk about.

DEBBIE: (sits) Are you going to catch the man who did this?

MACK: Hopefully. Mrs. Liebmann, do you know a woman named Anna Koch?

DEBBIE: No. Why?

MACK: Do you remember all the expensive things that your husband had
been getting for you?

DEBBIE: Yes; we were just discussing it tonight.

MACK: According to his credit card bills, all of the items were being
billed to this woman.

DEBBIE: I'm sorry. We have to talk about this some other time. My
husband just got killed; I'm not really ready for any kinds of shocks
that you're leading up to. It's bad enough that he's dead. I don't need
to find out that he was some sort of crook, too.

MACK: Whenever you feel ready, ma'am. Look, we're afraid that Jake
might come back.

DEBBIE: Please, just give me some time to myself in my home.

MACK: Okay, but if you need anything just give me a call.

DEBBIE: I will. And thanks.

MACK: Just doing my job, ma'am. (exits; Officer 3 comes downstairs with
a piece of paper in his hand; looks in garbage, finds papers that Marty
threw out, looks them over, takes them, exits. Lights dim to only red.
Enter Marty. Marty's face is pale and he has blood all over his
clothing)

MARTY: Debbie! Debbie, I'm right here!

DEBBIE: (looking away from Marty; not really talking to him) Well,
Marty. What kind of little cute things are going to pop up in your
murder case?

MARTY: Murder? What are you talking about? I didn't kill anybody!

DEBBIE: Who is this woman that you were billing everything to? Is she
some sort of gangster, in league with this "Jake" that I've been
hearing so much about?

MARTY: Can't you hear me? (enter Toek. Toek is a demon. He has a red
face, long nails, and a robe with a hood, covering up most of his body)

TOEK: They can't hear you, Liebmann.

MARTY: Who.... (turns to face Toek; when he sees Toek he staggers
backwards) Holy Mary, mother of God!

TOEK: I assure you that neither Mary nor God have anything to do with
my mission here. (Debbie rubs her neck)

DEBBIE: My neck is crawling. That must mean that you're in here, right
Marty? Well let me just say this one thing: go to Hell, you bastard!
(exits)

TOEK: Funny thing she should say that, Liebmann. You see, that's just
what I'm here about.

MARTY: Wha...?

TOEK: I am a servant of Satan, here to deliver you to his fiery empire.

MARTY: (long pause) Damn.

TOEK: Exactly.

MARTY: So, um, why exactly are you taking me there?

TOEK: Your illicit dealings with this organization are bad enough.
However, the after-effects will haunt your wife for years to come.

MARTY: After effects? What are you talking about?

TOEK: You owed this organization quite a sum of money. They were
planning on extracting it from you in a most painful manner. But now
you're dead. They still plan on getting the money from you, though.

MARTY: Well, is there anything I can do to turn this around?

TOEK: Very little. You can help influence the events surrounding you,
but you cannot directly change what happens. So, are you coming?

MARTY: No.

TOEK: That was a rhetorical question.

MARTY: I don't care. I'm not going. Don't I get three days or
something?

TOEK: I know what you're referring to, and that one spent three days IN
Hell before returning. But then, he had friends in high places, if you
know what I mean.

MARTY: Have they already passed judgment on me? I mean, can't I appeal?

TOEK: You can, but you won't find that your judge is very reasonable.

MARTY: I don't want that one. I'm appealing to the Supreme Court.

TOEK: You truly are pathetic. If you really think that you can just
"appeal" like you can here, you are more naive than even I suspected.
However, your eternal judgment has been suspended. They just fried that
abortion activist that shot a doctor. The Big Guy is having a tough
time with this one. If you fix things up before your judgment He might
grant you clemency. Say, three hundred years in Heaven.

MARTY: What happens after three hundred years?

TOEK: He reviews your behavioral record up there. If you've been good,
you stay. If not, he drops you.

MARTY: So is it a deal?

TOEK: Well, my boss isn't going to like hearing about this one, but I
guess I don't have much choice, now do I? (starts to exit, but Marty
stops him)

MARTY: Wait!

TOEK: Now what?

MARTY: Can you let my wife see me? I have to talk to her about all of
this.

TOEK: Only you can. And then only if she wants to see you. And then for
only a limited time.

MARTY: How long?

TOEK: That depends on the necessity of your conversation. If you really
don't need to talk to her, you'll disappear to her.

MARTY: How long do I have to fix things up?

TOEK: One day. However, I highly doubt that you'll be able to do so
within that time.

MARTY: Okay. Thanks.

TOEK: I'll see you in Hell. (exit Toek)

MARTY: Not likely. Now, how do I make myself appear to her? (looks
around) Better question: where the hell did she go? Debbie! Debbie!
(enter Debbie)

DEBBIE: God, why did you have to take Marty? I need him too much.
(pause) No, I can't blame you, God. This one's on Marty. He's the one
that screwed up somewhere. Yeah, this is your fault, Marty. Where are
you now, when I need you? You're...

MARTY: ... right here, Debbie. (lights brighten a little)

DEBBIE: Marty?

MARTY: (excited) Can you see me?

DEBBIE: Jesus, I must be going crazy. I can just barely make you out
Marty. Your voice is just above a whisper. Are you haunting me? Or are
you here to give me answers?

MARTY: I'm here to do what I was going to do before I got killed:
straighten everything out.

DEBBIE: Oh, God. You're right there Marty. It's almost like I can touch
you. (reaches out to touch Marty's cheek; she burns her hand) Aaaah!
(moves away from Marty) Jesus, Marty. Why did you do that?

MARTY: I didn't. Listen, I don't know all of the answers in this
situation, either. All I know is that Jake killed me. Anna was his boss
before she fired him. The organization that I worked with....

DEBBIE: All you know is what, Marty? Why are you fading? Can't you see
I need you?

MARTY: Debbie! Can't you hear me?

DEBBIE: Gone. Just like that. I had him for a second there, but I lost
him again.

MARTY: I've got to try. Debbie!

DEBBIE: Marty? Where are you going? I can just barely hear you. You've
got to give me answers.

MARTY: Look under the sofa. There's a gun there. You'll need to use it
if Jake comes back.

DEBBIE: I heard something about the sofa. Should I look under it?

MARTY: (shouts) YES!

DEBBIE: (looks under sofa, pulls out gun) A gun? What should I do with
this?

MARTY: Just keep it somewhere safe.

DEBBIE: I can't hear you anymore, Marty. I'll just keep it somewhere
safe until I need it. (puts it in her purse)

MARTY: I need to find some more evidence. Something to prove that it
was Jake who killed me. Of course, I'll have to find Jake, first.
(waves hand, the door opens) Cool. (exit Marty; knock on door)

DEBBIE: Who is it?

MACK: (from off) It's me.

DEBBIE: (opens door) Hello, Officer. Have you found something new?

MACK: No, I'm just checking up. Seeing if everything's alright. How are
you coming along?

DEBBIE: (pause) As well as can be expected, all things considered.

MACK: I never really got the chance to tell you how sorry I am about
what happened to your husband.

DEBBIE: Don't be. From the looks of things, this was all his fault.

MACK: Don't be too quick to blame all of this on him. By the looks of
things, he may not have known about any of this. Either that, or he did
a very good job covering his tracks.

DEBBIE: Marty always had a certain way about him. I'd probably go with
the latter. (telephone rings) Excuse me. (picks up phone) Hello? This
is Debbie; who is this? Marty's dead; who is this? Hello?

MACK: What was that all about?

DEBBIE: I don't know. It was a female. She just came on line and asked
for Marty. When I told her he was dead, she hung up. She didn't even
tell me who it was. (struck with an idea) Say, do you think it might me
that woman, Anna Koch?

MACK: (contemplates) Possibly.

DEBBIE: If she asked for Marty, would that mean that she didn't know
that Jake killed him?

MACK: It probably does. However, she did know that Jake was coming to
get him.

DEBBIE: How do you know this?

MACK: She told me.

DEBBIE: When did you see her?

MACK: She was here last night. She came in to warn him about it, and
explained to me that she was a friend of Jake's.

DEBBIE: Wait a minute: she's the woman that was here last night? Marty
told me that she was from the bank, come to tell him about the
interview he was going to today.

MACK: (sits) Really? That's interesting. Why would he hide the facts
from you? Or me, for that matter? For all I know, everything Marty told
me last night might have been lies.

DEBBIE: (crosses behind Mack) That wouldn't surprise me. Marty never
was one for telling all.

MACK: How deeply was Marty involved in all this? Could he have been as
bad as Jake, and just been using me to get at him for something?

DEBBIE: No, this is all too much. Marty may have been sneaky, but he
was no villain. He was probably as much a victim in this as I was.
Maybe getting laid off caused him to resort to getting involved in this
kind of thing, for the sake of money.

MACK: Perhaps, but I know that you and Marty weren't exactly hard up
for cash. Our investigation reveals that you have over a million
dollars in the bank, and you have checks coming in for your stock in
Panasonic. Over a thousand shares. Money couldn't have been the sole
reason.

DEBBIE: Are you saying that Marty was involved in some sort of
protection racket?

MACK: He did say that Jake was extorting him. I get a feeling that at
the most, he was only telling half-truths. Maybe for his own sake, or
maybe for the sake of what may come of his telling the whole truth.

DEBBIE: What about that woman that was here last night? Is it possible
that she was as deeply involved in all of this as Jake was?

MACK: (thinks) I don't know why that didn't occur to me before. (enter
Toek)

TOEK: Because I didn't want it to. It wasn't convenient to me. But now
it's out.

DEBBIE: Do you think that maybe Jake was actually working for Anna?
Maybe not in that one act, but in general?

TOEK: No, it isn't.

MACK: No, I doubt it. If he was working for her, she wouldn't have come
to warn Marty. (enter Marty)

MARTY: (notices Toek) Hey! What the hell are you doing here!? Get out,
now!

TOEK: I won't give up until all of your allies are dead and you are
damned for eternity.

MARTY: I've had it with you, you asshole. (grabs Toek) Get out of my
house.

TOEK: (touches Marty's forehead) Release me.

MARTY: AAAH! (lets go of Toek, falls down)

DEBBIE: Did you feel that?

MACK: It felt like something ripped my heart out and put it back in
place.

TOEK: (towards Mack) Imagine how Marty felt.

MARTY: (cringing on floor) Go away, you monster.

TOEK: My time is almost up. I will return.

MARTY: (recovering) That's okay, you don't have to. (exit Toek)

DEBBIE: That was really creepy.

MARTY: That was really painful. (gets up)

MACK: I... really don't know what to think.

DEBBIE: Maybe there's some other element involved that we're not taking
into consideration, here.

MACK: This case is getting really scary. Maybe it's time we opened our
minds a little.

MARTY: Just solve the case, so I can go to Heaven.

                                 CURTAIN

                                 ACT II

(open curtain, Debbie is sitting on the couch talking on the phone)

DEBBIE: Yes, I understand. What? I have to come pick the money up? Why
can't you just send it to me? Look, if it's that important to you, I'll
pay the postage. I've been advised not to leave my house, for fear of
my safety. Could you do that for me? Thanks. Bye, now. (hangs up; knock
on door) Just a minute. (opens door, enter Diane)

DIANE: Hello, Debbie. I... heard about Marty. I'm sorry.

DEBBIE: Thank you, Diane. Thank you for coming. Won't you sit down?
(shows Diane to seat) How did you hear?

DIANE: Mom told me. Did you call her?

DEBBIE: No, the police did. I was too distraught over the whole thing
to coherently answer their questions.

DIANE: Do they have any suspects?

DEBBIE: (lying) No, not yet.

DIANE: It must be very difficult for you, not even knowing who might
have done such I thing. I can't even begin to imagine who would want to
kill Marty.

DEBBIE: Me either. (knock) Just a second. (answers door) Come in,
Officer. (enter Officer 1)

COP 1: Good evening, ladies. (to Diane) Could you excuse us, for a
moment?

DIANE: Why? What's going on?

COP 1: Madam?

DIANE: Alright, Officer; I'll just wait in the other room. (Diane takes
Debbie's purse, goes into bedroom)

DEBBIE: What is it?

COP 1: I assume you've received the check for $50,000 from your life
insurance policy?

DEBBIE: I've received the check, but I haven't cashed it yet. Why? What
does it matter to you?

COP 1: Could you endorse the check, ma'am?

DEBBIE: No, I never endorse a check unless I'm at the bank to cash it.

COP 1: Are you sure you won't reconsider?

DEBBIE: No, Officer Mack already said he'd come by to cash it for me.
Did he send you?

COP 1: No.

DEBBIE: Then who did?

COP 1: (pulls gun, points it at Debbie) The Mafia.

DEBBIE: Oh, my God!

COP 1: Endorse the check and hand it to me.

DEBBIE: Just a second, let me find it. (goes through drawer)

COP 1: Come on, hurry up; this is taking too long.

DEBBIE: I'm moving as fast as I can. (finds check, endorses it) There,
it's endorsed.

COP 1: Give it to me. (she does)

DEBBIE: Is that all you wanted?

COP 1: No, I still have to kill you and your sister.

DEBBIE: What?! I endorsed the check!

COP 1: We never leave witness... (gun-shot) urrk. (Diane enters from
bedroom)

DIANE: Oh, my God; he's dead. I just shot a police officer.

DEBBIE: (dials on phone) I've got to call Officer Mack; I'm sure he'll
understand. (Diane faints) Hello? Yes, Officer Mack, please. One of
your police officers came in, threatened to kill us, forced me to
endorse my life insurance check, took it, and almost killed my sister
and me. He would have if my sister hadn't killed him. Yes, please
hurry. (enter Toek)

TOEK: Can you see me, Debbie?

DEBBIE: (looks at Toek) Marty?

TOEK: Yes, Debbie. It's me, Marty. Can you see me, Debbie?

DEBBIE: As clear as day.

TOEK: Take the gun, Debbie.

DEBBIE: (takes gun) What am I supposed to do with it?

TOEK: It's your key out.

DEBBIE: I don't understand.

TOEK: You can use it to join me.

DEBBIE: You want me to shoot myself?

TOEK: Yes. Come, join me. Escape from the world of corrupt police
officers and organized crime.

DEBBIE: I don't know....

TOEK: You must join me. That way we can be together again. (stares into
her eyes) Together. Together.

DEBBIE: (in trance) Yes, together. Forever. Till death do us part.
(holds gun to forehead; Diane comes to, sees Debbie)

DIANE: Debbie, NO! (runs up to Debbie, grabs gun)

TOEK: Mortals are such a predictable lot. (places hand on Diane's face;
Diane screams in pain)

DEBBIE: (comes out of trance) Wha..? You... you're not Marty! What the
hell are you? (shoots at Toek; Toek focuses his attention away from
Diane and on Debbie)

TOEK: I see you have seen through my disguise. No matter; you will
suffer a horrible death by the hands of a loved one, before I am
finished. (enter Marty, behind Toek)

MARTY: You really didn't have to come back. (Toek turns, faces Marty.
Marty clocks Toek)

TOEK: (shakes his head) Pathetic wretch. I can see you will be one of
the more miserable ones down there. There are rewards for those who go
willingly, you know.

MARTY: Fuck off.

TOEK: I shall take leave for now. Take heed, Mrs. Liebmann. Your
husband is on his way to a fiery eternity. (exit Toek)

DIANE: Debbie, why did you just try to kill yourself?

DEBBIE: I don't know. That... thing had me in some sort of trance. I
couldn't control myself.

MARTY: Debbie!

DEBBIE: Marty? Is it really you this time?

MARTY: Yes, Debbie; it's me. Listen, you have to stay on your guard at
all times. We can't be here to save you all the time. Get over me, and
back on your feet.

DEBBIE: You're right, Marty. I have to watch out for myself.

DIANE: Who are you talking to; and what "thing?"

DEBBIE: I'm talking to Marty. And the "thing" that hurt you when you
grabbed the gun.

DIANE: What did it do to me?

DEBBIE: I'm not sure. (to Marty) Marty, what did it do to her?

MARTY: It fed her a minute sample of hell-fire.

DEBBIE: (to Diane) Did it burn?

DIANE: I wouldn't say "burn;" at least not in the physical sense. It
felt like a great deal of emotional pain hitting me all at once.

MARTY: Of course. Emotional pain is the only kind that can last
forever. Otherwise, the pain is temporary. I'm sorry to say that Diane
will never completely get over this dose of hell-fire. It will scar her
for the rest of her life.

DEBBIE: You're going to be just fine, Diane. Why don't you go lie down?

DIANE: Okay, Debbie. (Debbie helps her into bedroom, then comes back
out to talk to Marty)

DEBBIE: Talk to me, Marty. What's happening?

MARTY: You know, when I was alive, I thought I was close to hitting
rock bottom. Dealing with organized crime, bribing police officers to
keep them off of my back. Now I realize I had it real good.

DEBBIE: What do you mean?

MARTY: I have less than a day to straighten this whole mess out, or
else I'm going to Hell. Right now, all that's standing in my way is the
Mafia, a large portion of the New Orleans Police Department, and a
demon who would like nothing more than to see me frying on his own
personal platter down in the Eternal Kiln.

DEBBIE: My God. What can I do to help you?

MARTY: For one thing, follow Officer Mack's lead; he's about the only
good cop in the N.O.P.D.

DEBBIE: What else?

MARTY: Hold on a second, I thought I heard something....

DEBBIE: What? You're fading. I can't hear you anymore.

MARTY: Shit. Well sweetie, looks like you're on your own for now. Good
luck. I'll straighten this whole thing out; believe me. (exit Marty)

DEBBIE: (knock on door) Who is it?

MACK: It's me.

DEBBIE: Yes, come in Officer.

MACK: (enters) I came as fast as I could. What happened?

DEBBIE: Well, (points to dead officer) this guy came in and threatened
to kill us if I didn't endorse my life insurance check. When I did, he
said he was going to kill us anyway. My sister took my gun and shot
him.

MACK: Did he give any revealing statements?

DEBBIE: He did say that the Mafia sent him.

MACK: It all comes back to that, doesn't it?

DEBBIE: Yeah. I want to help.

MACK: No; I understand what you're going through, but you'll have to
stay here, where you're safe.

DEBBIE: Guarded by New Orleans' finest, like this guy here? (kicks
body) I'm no safer here than anywhere else.

MACK: (sighs) Of course, you're right. All right. Wait a minute, what
about your sister?

DEBBIE: Yes, I suppose I should watch after her. She came here to help
me; the least I can do is help her get through this. I still want to
help in any way I can, though.

MACK: Of course; and I'll let you know when you can. Right now,
however, you'll have to leave it up to me. (exit; Debbie goes into
bedroom to check on Diane; Jake enters from hallway)

JAKE: (sneaks in, looks under couch, then on desk. There he finds the
check) Just what I needed. Maybe I won't have to force this from Mrs.
Liebmann, after all. (starts to leave)

DEBBIE: (enters, to Diane) Yes, I'll be right back. (notices Jake) Who
are you?

JAKE: (grabs Debbie by throat) Back off; I don't have time to deal with
you. (shoves her aside; Debbie grabs gun from purse)

DEBBIE: (aiming at Jake) Stop right there.

JAKE: Fuck off, bitch. (starts to leave)

DEBBIE: I don't appreciate being called a bitch, asshole. (shoots him
in hand)

JAKE: (drops check) Aaaah! My hand!

DEBBIE: (aims at his head, takes check) Now, I want some answers. Who
are you? Want do you want?

JAKE: (holding wounded hand) I'm Jake Tilten, and I came for your
insurance check, which contains money that your husband owed us.

DEBBIE: Who's "us", Jake? Wait a second, now I recognize your name. Did
you kill my husband?

JAKE: Yes, I did. It seems I forgot to finish the job. (reaches in
trench-coat and pulls gun quickly)

DEBBIE: (shoots at him) You bastard! How dare you intrude into my life
like this!

JAKE: (shoots at Debbie, misses) I'm getting out of here... (Jake runs
out; Debbie puts down gun)

DEBBIE: Jesus Christ, what's happening to my life? Will I ever be free
from this? (goes into bedroom; enter Anna through window)

ANNA: (above a whisper) Jake! Where the hell did you go? Moron; he
couldn't find his way up a fucking silo.

TOEK'S VOICE: Forget Jake; it's me that you're supposed to be meeting,
anyway. (enters)

ANNA: (looks at him) Shit. You really are a demon.

TOEK: Yes; what did you expect?

ANNA: Some sort of crank. Especially with a meeting place and time of
"where-ever, whenever." I really didn't take you very seriously.

TOEK: I know. There's a lot that I know about you. That's why I came to
you. You have a greater maneuverability on earth. I am limited to the
shadows, where God can't see what I'm doing.

ANNA: What do you mean by "shadows?"

TOEK: With every light, there is a shadow.

ANNA: I still don't understand; how can you pull the wool over God's
eyes? I thought he could see all.

TOEK: He can; under normal circumstances. But, well, they don't call
Satan the Prince of Darkness for nothing. He has managed to take
control over certain spots on earth called "Dark Spots." These are
areas that are too dark for God to see through.

ANNA: How does Satan take control of these areas?

TOEK: Keep in mind, Satan was once an angel himself; he held the name
Lucifer. There's still a number of angels that are sympathetic to his
cause. All he has to do is convince these angels that he's the better
boss, and he has control of the area that they were supposed to watch.
I was one such.

ANNA: You were an angel once?

TOEK: Most of us were, at one time or another. Some were born demons.
Like you.

ANNA: I'm a demon?

TOEK: (nods) Of course, you're still mortal. You don't have any of the
super-natural powers that I do.

ANNA: So this story that you told Martin about him being on his way to
Hell unless he straightens out his life; is any of that true?

TOEK: No; my main purpose is to get his wife on our side. She is
potentially one of the most powerful angels; she would be a great asset
to God. In this Dark Spot, she's ripe for the plucking.

ANNA: What about that time that you tried to kill her? You wouldn't be
able to corrupt her if she was dead.

TOEK: I knew what would happen with her sister. Don't you think my
foresight is better than that? My main purpose was to infect her
sister. Her sister is now scarred, and will begin the corruption.

ANNA: You have access to unlimited funds; why do you need that
insurance check for fifty-thousand dollars?

TOEK: If she gets that money, she'll have enough to move out of this
house. Right now she'd like to, this being the house that her husband
was murdered in and all, but she can't. She still has a lot that she
has to take care of.

ANNA: What about Martin? What is he? A demon, or an angel?

TOEK: Neither. Since God doesn't even know that he was killed, he
wasn't bestowed the powers of an angel. God doesn't hear their prayers
here, and he doesn't see their actions. Right now, it's very convenient
that Officer Mack has her confined to this house so much.

ANNA: Yeah, I suppose. Was there anything that you wanted me to do, in
particular?

TOEK: First, get the check. But not immediately. Give her the
impression that she's safe. Her sister has already started on her.
There's a little piece of me inside that innocent little girl.

ANNA: You've possessed her?

TOEK: Somewhat. While I don't have complete control over her, I do have
a very strong influence on her thinking.

ANNA: Do you have some idea as to how you're going to get Diane to
reach Debbie, or is it just something that you're counting on?

TOEK: Both. It will work; on that you can depend.

ANNA: What will I receive?

TOEK: A Dark Spot ten miles in diameter that will follow you around.
Once you die, the Dark Spot will be confined to your death spot.
However: it will be just as wide, and you will rule it.

ANNA: And what's in this for you?

TOEK: Not only will my Dark Spot be preserved, it'll look really good
to Satan. He's offered me a good chunk of the world if I can get Debbie
on our side.

ANNA: Is she really that powerful?

TOEK: If she stays on the side of good, she will surely be a key factor
in our defeat. We cannot allow that to happen.

ANNA: So basically, killing her will only aggravate matters.

TOEK: Exactly. I want her kept alive at any cost. If she were killed,
you would have to be as well; it would be our only chance of defeating
her.

ANNA: What about the others? What about Marty? Is he really still
haunting the area?

TOEK: Yes. The rest, however, may die. In fact, that may very well
desensitize Debbie to evil. She is already on the path towards becoming
one of us. It's just a matter of time.

ANNA: One more question: why do we have to keep coming here? Isn't it
risky?

TOEK: Yes. But the energies Martin gives off resonate even after he
leaves. I feed off of it, and so do you.

ANNA: Is that all?

TOEK: Yes. (reaches out to touch Anna. She raises her hand to object,
but is immediately frozen; exit Toek)

ANNA: (able to move again) Where did he go? (exit; enter Marty)

MARTY: Debbie? Are you here? (enter Debbie)

DEBBIE: Marty? Is that you?

MARTY: Yeah, it's me.

DEBBIE: Where did you go? The man who killed you was here.

MARTY: What!? Did he try to kill you?

DEBBIE: No. He didn't consider me any kind of threat, apparently.

MARTY: What did you do? Why did he come back?

DEBBIE: He came for my insurance check. I shot him in the hand. He left
bleeding.

MARTY: I just had an idea.... (runs outside; from off) Yes!

DEBBIE: (rushes towards window) Marty, what is it?

MARTY: (enters, excited) Call Mack, sweetie. We've got a trail for him
to follow. As plain as the blood on my body.

                                (CURTAIN)

                                 Scene 2

MARTY: (at present, Marty is on the couch talking to Debbie. Debbie is
straining to hear what he says) ....so what we need is a group of
police officers that are well-trained enough to handle someone like
Jake. Geez, he should bring the entire police department, now that I
think of it.

DEBBIE: Marty, don't strain yourself; I know how difficult it is for
you to talk to me.

MARTY: (stops; suddenly realizing) Hey, I just realized. It's become
totally effortless for me to talk to you. I'm not even straining in the
least. (enter Mack, extremely excited)

MACK: Debbie! Where are you? (sees her) There you are! (rushes towards
her) You saw him? What did he do? How did you survive?

MARTY: Hey Debbie, inform him that his pupils are moving independently
of each other.

DEBBIE: (snickers) Calm down, Mack. Do you really want to face Jake
like this?

MACK: (stunned) Face.....? You know where to find him?

DEBBIE: Not exactly; I do know how to find him, though.

MACK: How!?! Every second counts!

DEBBIE: I shot him. Marty went outside and found a trail of blood.

MACK: Wait a second: Marty didn't find anything; he's dead.

DEBBIE: Why, Officer Mack. Don't you believe in ghosts?

MACK: Ghosts? (pause) Debbie, I think you need a rest.

MARTY: He needs to know. (gets up) Tell him to hold up his right hand.

DEBBIE: Hold up your right hand.

MACK: What? Why?

DEBBIE: Just do it; I need to show you something. (Mack holds up his
right hand)

MACK: Now what?

DEBBIE: Just wait. (Marty walks over to Mack and places his hand
against Mack's)

MARTY: Follow the trail of blood, Mack.

MACK: Holy... I just saw him. I just heard him. He's standing right in
front of me.

MARTY: (walking away from Mack) Now that is still very taxing. I'll
just communicate to him through you, Debbie.

DEBBIE: Do you believe me, now?

MACK: Yeah, totally. But does Marty know what he's doing?

DEBBIE: I think so. He worked with these people, remember.

MACK: Well, I'm going to follow this trail. Once I get to where he's
at, I'll call for back-up. (exit Mack)

DEBBIE: They're going to get him!

MARTY: I know; I'll be able to tell Toek to go back where he came from.
(Mack bursts back inside)

MACK: Debbie, get your gun, right now!

DEBBIE: Why? What's going on?

MACK: He's coming! And he's got two police officers with him! They're
coming back for revenge, apparently.

DEBBIE: Oh my God! (reaches into purse, pulls out gun; Mack draws his
gun; Jake and Cops 2 & 3 all enter, guns drawn)

JAKE: Where is he? (Mack and Debbie start shooting at Jake and the
three police officers; the three villains duck for cover and start
shooting, too)

MARTY: (pointing at Cop 2) I think I'll take you, first. (snaps his
fingers; there is a knock at the door; Cop 2 immediately turns his head
towards it to look. He is immediately clocked in the head by it as it
opens)

JAKE: (stops shooting) What the...?

DEBBIE: (understanding) Hold your fire, Mack. I know what's going on.
(Mack nods in understanding, and stops shooting)

MARTY: (to Cop 3) Didn't your mommy ever tell you? "Never punch your
boss!" (touches Cop 3's forehead; Cop 3 immediately clocks Jake; Jake,
looking surprised, shoots Cop 3)

JAKE: Fucking pig. Can never rely on them. (stands up; Marty places his
fingers on Jake's forehead; Jake freezes in fear, drops gun)

MARTY: Boo.

JAKE: (bolts) Shit fire in the Mississippi! (Mack chases after Jake;
Jake reaches for door, but cannot open it, as Marty is holding it shut)

MACK: (tackles Jake) Gotcha!

JAKE: (pushes Mack) Let go of me! There's ghosts in here! I gotta get
out of here! (Marty grabs Jake's temples again; Jake stops)

MARTY: Let him arrest you, or I'll kill you. (lets go)

JAKE: (slowly places his hands in the air) Arrest me. Arrest me.
(progressively louder and faster) Arrest me arrest me arrest me arrest
me arrest me!!!

MACK: (places hand on Jake's shoulder, Jake turns around) If you
insist. (places handcuffs on Jake)

JAKE: God damn it.... Marty just never goes away.... Ornery, he is....

MACK: I know, I know. (takes Jake away, towards the door)

MARTY: Bastard. (lights down)

                                (CURTAIN)

                                 ACT III

(At this point in the sequence, the curtain does not open. Instead, the
spotlight is put on Jake, who is sitting in a chair in front of the
curtain. Mack comes out from behind the curtain to speak with Jake)

JAKE: Where have you been? I've been sitting here for hours. I thought
the purpose of the interrogation room was to interrogate; hence the
name, "interrogation room".

MACK: I've been busy. You're not the only person being arrested in this
city, you know.

JAKE: Give me a break. I control your police department.

MACK: Not anymore. We've done background research on every cop in our
department. Everyone, even the commissioner has been fired. Instead,
the mayor has appointed a new commissioner. Can you guess who it is?

JAKE: Oh, Christ. Please don't tell me it's you.

MACK: You know, I was going to tell you anyway, but it gives me a
special feeling knowing that it's the last thing that you want to hear.
I'm the police commissioner. How do you like that, asshole?

JAKE: Fuck you.

MACK: Enough of this. It's time to get down to business. First of all,
why did you come back?

JAKE: Where's my lawyer?

MACK: (angrily) I'm your damn lawyer. Now why did you come back?

JAKE: I heard that you were there.

MACK: Who told you?

JAKE: One of the police officers that got fired.

MACK: Yeah, that makes sense. What made you give up back at the
Liebmann house? (Jake does not respond) What was that about there being
ghosts in the house?

JAKE: (getting nervous) I saw Marty.

MACK: Oh, really. What did he have to say?

JAKE: I.... don't recall.

MACK: Yes you do. Tell me, now.

JAKE: He said, "Boo."

MACK: (thinks) Yeah, I believe that. I'm pretty sure he said something
else, though. What was it?

JAKE: He threatened to kill me if I didn't surrender myself.

MACK: Well, he made my job easier. Why was I considered such a threat
that you wanted to kill me?

JAKE: You were getting closer to finding out the truth.

MACK: And what is "the truth?"

JAKE: Do I look stupid? They'll kill me if I tell.

MACK: To answer your question, yes, you do look stupid. But in this
case appearances are not deceiving. You know that they'll kill you even
if you don't tell.

JAKE: I don't know what you....

MACK: Yes you do. I've seen it happen a hundred times. And you've
probably done it a thousand times. How many deaths are you responsible
for? A hundred? A thousand?

JAKE: Keep going.

MACK: Tell me. What is it that you didn't want us to know?

JAKE: (pause) I didn't kill Marty because I was pissed off at him. I'm
not that stupid.

MACK: Finally. Why did you kill him?

JAKE: I was following orders.

MACK: From whom?

JAKE: (longer pause) Anna Koch.

MACK: Why did she want him dead?

JAKE: I don't ask questions; I just follow orders. You'd have to ask
her.

MACK: Where can I find her?

JAKE: I meet her on the street. On occasion, however, you can find her
at the Liebmann house. She breaks in there every once in a while to
meet someone.

MACK: Who?

JAKE: (longer pause) The devil. (spotlight off; curtain opens; Jake
goes backstage, Mack goes center stage; lights up; Marty and Debbie are
standing on each side of Mack)

MACK: ....and that's all he told me.

MARTY: Toek. That son of a bitch. He's the one that had me killed, not
Anna.

DEBBIE: Who?

MACK: (to Debbie) What?

DEBBIE: Hm?

MACK: What who?

MARTY: Stop it! This is serious! I've got to find Anna. She comes here
to meet with Toek? Why?

DEBBIE: Why does she come here to meet with Toek?

MACK: I haven't the slightest idea. Listen, if we're going to solve
this case, Marty has to reveal to me the full extent of his activities.

MARTY: Alright. It's time I came forward with the story of my life.
(Marty steps in front of Mack, and once again places his fingers on
Mack's forehead. This time, however, Mack sees much more than Marty;
lights down, Mack and Marty come forward to the very edge of the stage,
spotlight on the pair) Hey, Mack. How's it going?

MACK: (looks around) Where are we?

MARTY: We're inside your head. We're going to play "This is Your Life."
Or rather, my life. Alright, picture this: a young couple, just
married. Nice house, steady job. The perfect situation. Except for one
thing: an old acquaintance of mine decides that she's going to take me
up on an old debt of mine. (Marty turns around, Anna enters)

ANNA: You owe me, Liebmann. I got you that job of yours; I got you the
money to pay for that house. You owe me a total of $1,000,000.

MARTY: What!? You only loaned me $100,000!

ANNA: It's called interest. Go to your local bank, I'm sure they can
explain the concept to you.

MARTY: One thousand percent interest? What kind of non-sense is this,
anyway?

ANNA: That's what happens when you deal with our organization. We're
not the bank.

MARTY: Well, I can't afford that! I refuse to pay.

ANNA: (cool) I assume you're familiar with how our organization deals
with debtors?

MARTY: You're going to break my legs?

ANNA: Only the first time. After that it's dead loved ones. I hope you
now realize how dire your situation is. (exit Anna; Marty turns back to
Mack)

MARTY: Of course, how could I argue with that? She had a way about
persuasion. She later told me that if I made my payments early, she'd
do little favors for me. Giving me a credit card under her name, and so
on. In exchange, I'd do favors for her through my job. Until I got
caught. (enter Mr. Whitmire, Marty's boss; Marty turns to face him)

WHITMIRE: Hello, Marty. Do you know why I called you into my office?

MARTY: Not really. Why did you call me in?

WHITMIRE: Can you explain this to me? (hands Marty a sheet of paper,
Marty looks over it, becomes nervous)

MARTY: No sir, Mr. Whitmire. (Mr. Whitmire takes paper back)

WHITMIRE: Then I'll explain it to you. This paper shows me that you
have been embezzling large sums of money. Can you tell me what you have
been spending this money on?

MARTY: I--I--I haven't been taking any.... money.

WHITMIRE: Really? Can you tell me where this money went, then? Perhaps
it just hopped into your pocket. (Marty grabs sheet of paper, shoves it
in his mouth and eats it) You've been a valuable employee in the past,
Marty. Since we have no evidence, we can't prosecute you.

MARTY: That's not what I was worried about.

WHITMIRE: I don't really care what you were worried about. In fact, in
five minutes I won't care about you at all.

MARTY: Why?

WHITMIRE: Because that's how long you have to clean out your desk.
You're fired, Marty. (exit Whitmire; Marty goes back to Mack)

MARTY: I couldn't bear to tell Debbie what had been happening. She
couldn't know. So I just lied to her. (enter Debbie, Marty turns to
Debbie)

DEBBIE: Hi Marty. (Debbie kisses him) What's wrong?

MARTY: I got.... laid off.

DEBBIE: Oh, no! Why?

MARTY: They were cutting back on executives. These are the Clinton
years, you know.

DEBBIE: Will you be able to get another job?

MARTY: Don't worry; before you know it, we'll be back on our feet
again. In fact, just to show you how unworried I am, we're going out
tonight.

DEBBIE: Where?

MARTY: Paris. You've always wanted to go; well, now that I'm not tied
down by my work, we can!

DEBBIE: Oh, I've got to get ready. (exit Debbie; Marty goes back to
Mack)

MARTY: Well, at least Debbie was in good spirits. I knew that I had to
find an alternate source of income, and fast. Otherwise I wouldn't be
able to finish off the half million that I still owed to Anna. And I
wouldn't be able to bear losing Debbie. Ever. (enter Jake; Marty turns
to face him)

JAKE: I was told that you wanted to see me.

MARTY: Yeah. I'm told that you have a way to make fast money. I need
money to pay off Anna.

JAKE: I'm not here to provide a service for people ignorant enough to
deal with Anna Koch. I'm here to make money.

MARTY: Well, what kind of a return do you get from the money that you
put into the drug trafficking?

JAKE: 1000% return. At least.

MARTY: How about I put $20,000 a week into it, and you get to keep 50%
of my return.

JAKE: Why are you doing this through me?

MARTY: You have connections that I don't. You have knowledge that I
don't know.

JAKE: Alright, it's a deal. (exit Jake)

MARTY: I paid off my debt to Anna in two months. Soon, I was getting
into her business. However, I decided that I wanted out. By then, Jake
was working for Anna. I told Anna that I wanted out, and that I was
going to give all of my business to Jake. She said that if I just gave
it directly to her, she would hook me up for a job at the bank. So I
told Jake where to go, and the rest you know.

MACK: Yes. I can see that you were just a regular guy that got caught
up in the illicit dealings of organized crime. So why haven't you gone
to heaven? Did you make it a point to help us solve the case?

MARTY: Not entirely. Although if I had known the full extent of Jake's
intentions, I would have. Rather, I initially stayed because a demon
named Toek told me that I was on my way to hell.

MACK: Jesus Christ.

MARTY: No; Toek. Anyway, he also told me that I had 24 hours to
straighten everything out in order to go to heaven.

MACK: Listen, much as I'd like to learn about eternal fate and all
that, I need to solve this case. Can you bring us back to reality?

MARTY: Yeah, sure. (spotlight off; Mack and Marty return center stage,
with Marty's fingers on Mack's temples; lights come back up)

DEBBIE: Marty, what are you doing? (Marty lets go, falls to floor; Mack
starts to come to, but is in a bit of a daze; Debbie rushes to Mack)
Mack! Are you okay?

MACK: (still coming to) Uhhh.... huh? Oh, yeah. I'm alright. Marty just
beared all to me. He told me everything that I needed to know.

MARTY: Wow; what a rush. It seems the full extent of what I can do here
keeps getting higher. (enter Diane)

DIANE: Debbie! What the hell is this pig doing in here? Don't you
remember what happened last time you let one in? He nearly killed us
both!

DEBBIE: Diane, this is a good cop.

DIANE: Bullshit; there are no good cops in this city. They just laid
off the entire police department; all except for him. They probably
just couldn't find anything on him. He's just as dirty as the rest. I
know he is.

DEBBIE: Diane, what has gotten into you?

MACK: I can assure you, Ms. Kelley, I'm as clean as they come. You can
ask Marty.

DIANE: Yeah, you and Marty are probably real good bed buddies, right?
You pigs have a thing about dead bodies, don't you asshole?

DEBBIE: Diane! (Marty reaches out to Diane; she passes out) What did
you do to her?

MARTY: I blocked out her influence.

DEBBIE: What are you talking about?

MARTY: I sensed Toek in her, so I blocked out how much control he had
over her.

MACK: Listen, I can't hear a word that Marty is saying; all I know is
that I have a pretty good idea what Anna Koch looks like, and I intend
to put out an APB on her. (exit Mack)

DEBBIE: What can we do?

MARTY: Diane didn't know me very well. I'm afraid that I couldn't reach
her. At least not by myself.

DEBBIE: How can we reach her?

MARTY: Take hold of her temples, like I always do to Mack. (Debbie does
so)

DEBBIE: Now what?

MARTY: Close your eyes if you want to make it alive. (she closes her
eyes; Marty takes hold of Debbie's temples) Now let go of your soul.
Let yourself be taken. (lights down; spotlight comes up, revealing
Debbie, Toek, and Diane standing front stage)

DIANE: Debbie! Help me!

TOEK: Ah, you've come. And I was wondering if you'd ever make it here.

DEBBIE: You! You're that.... thing that tried to get me to kill myself.

TOEK: (bows) Toek, at your service.

DEBBIE: Let my sister go.

TOEK: Of course; I have no use for her now. It's you that I've been
trying to reach.

DEBBIE: Why have you been trying to reach me?

TOEK: I see potential in you; there's only one problem: you're good. I
can't have that.

DEBBIE: I don't get your meaning.

TOEK: Tell me, if you knew that someone had a nuclear bomb, would you
rather be their friend or their enemy? Their friend, of course. We're
taking the same philosophy with you. Not only that, we're offering you
something should you join us.

DEBBIE: Oh? What's that?

TOEK: An eternity of serving the devil by ruling the world.

DEBBIE: Let me ask you something: was that supposed to motivate me to
join you, or are you just stupid?

TOEK: I'm afraid you don't quite understand: you would rule the world.

DEBBIE: Right; for how long?

TOEK: Forever.

DEBBIE: Until heaven suddenly wins, right?

TOEK: You don't understand. If you join us, we will win. Currently,
everything is so balanced between the two forces that it rests on which
side you choose to join.

DEBBIE: Why me?

TOEK: You are one of the most powerful angels ever to be born. If you
were to join us, that would upset the balance.

DEBBIE: I don't understand; I thought that God was more powerful than
the devil.

TOEK: He is. But God never gets directly involved in any of these wars.
He always lets his angels take care of matters. By the time he got
himself directly involved, most of his forces would be depleted, and we
would be collectively more powerful than God.

DEBBIE: You know what? You are so full of shit that it's unbelievable.
I'm surprised you've managed to maintain control of the Mafia as you
have.

TOEK: (angrily) So dreams of power aren't enough for you, huh? Try
this: if you want to save your sister's soul, you'll join us.
Otherwise, I will hold control of your sister for all eternity. Now
leave. (spotlight off; Debbie goes back center stage, lights up; Marty
lets go of Debbie, and Debbie lets go of Diane; Diane is still
unconscious)

MARTY: What happened?

DEBBIE: He--Toek--told me that since I am one of the most powerful
angels ever born, he wants me on his side. He first offered me power,
but then switched to threats. He says that if I don't join him, he'll
control Diane forever.

MARTY: So he's still in there?

DEBBIE: Yes.

MARTY: He said that you're one of the most powerful angels ever born.
Why couldn't you beat him?

DEBBIE: Just because I have the power doesn't mean that I know how to
utilize it. You had trouble even talking to me in the beginning. Now
look at what you can do.

MARTY: Hmm. Maybe I can teach you.

DEBBIE: How can you teach me to utilize power?

MARTY: The same way I showed Commissioner Mack how all of this came to
be.

DEBBIE: There's so many disturbances here; how will we be able to
concentrate?

MARTY: Go to the church down the street. We'll do it there.

DEBBIE: What about Diane?

MARTY: We'll just have to pray that she'll be alright.

DEBBIE: How long is this going to take?

MARTY: A minute, tops. Time crawls within the mind. Listen, let's go,
okay? Every second counts. (exit Marty and Debbie; lights down to only
a reddish orange; Anna enters through the window)

ANNA: Toek! Where are you? (enter Toek)

TOEK: What do you want? I'm busy as it is.

ANNA: I heard about the arrest.

TOEK: Yes, what of it?

ANNA: How the hell did that happen? I thought you said that Marty
doesn't get any of his power in this Dark Spot, or any other, for that
matter.

TOEK: Not that it's any of your business....

ANNA: It's very much my business. Jake was one of my best. I've given
up everything for the rewards that you're supposedly going to give to
me.

TOEK: What do you know about sacrifice? You get one thousand percent
interest on all of your loan-sharking, and the same for all of the
money that you spend on drugs. You have plenty, and so far the dent
that the loss of Jake has put into your business is hardly noticeable.

ANNA: Just tell me why a ghost was able to wipe out my number one man
and two of New Orleans' finest.

TOEK: (pause) There's a leak.

ANNA: A what?

TOEK: You heard me; there's a leak in the Dark Spot. God is managing to
peel away at it a little bit at a time. He sees Marty as the main way
to get me out of here.

ANNA: Shit. Is that why they replaced the entire police department?
You've always been very reliable in controlling it. What's going to
happen here?

TOEK: Nothing. It's very easy. We let Diane go, we let Marty through,
and let Debbie leave. After that, we patch up the hole and start from
scratch.

ANNA: No! That can't happen. I need my Dark Spot. I need to be assured
that security once I die. Can't we just make them think that we've let
Diane go?

TOEK: You do not dictate my actions. However, there may be a way that
we can still manage some damage control without giving up everything
that we've been working for.

ANNA: Tell me what to do.

TOEK: Once we get done talking here, don't leave. Just go into the
bedroom. Diane will lock you in there, and then let you out once your
time comes. I don't have time to fill you in on everything I plan on
doing. Unless.... (Toek grabs Anna's temples)....it always works for
Marty.

ANNA: I caught every bit of it. I understand completely. (Diane gets
up, opens bedroom door, and shuts it behind Anna. She then gets back
where she was; enter Debbie and Marty)

MARTY: Now, let's try this again. Grab her temples, then I'll give you
the necessary push to get you inside her head, like last time. Only
this time you'll know how to utilize your power.

TOEK: What!?! He taught her how to use her power! I have to be 100%
present in her. (lights down, then back up; Toek is gone)

DEBBIE: What happened to the lights?

MARTY: Toek has sensed what we're doing. He's preparing for a fight.
We'd best follow in suit. Before we start, call the Commish. We're in
for a fight. (Debbie picks up phone, dials)

DEBBIE: Hello? The commissioner, please. This is Debbie Liebmann. Mack?
Come over, quickly. I'll tell you what's going on: we're going to fight
a battle with the devil himself, that's what's going to happen.

MARTY: He's a major demon, but he's not the devil.

DEBBIE: Sorry; a major demon. Is Anna going to be here? Mack, you know
that this is bigger than Anna, or any other person in the world. You'll
be right over? Thanks.

MARTY: Now that that's all taken care of, let's get on with it, shall
we? (Debbie takes Diane's temples, then Marty takes hold of Debbie's;
lights down, spotlight on Debbie, Toek, and Diane front stage)

TOEK: So, you plan on forcing me out? Do you really think that you can?

DIANE: Debbie, he's more powerful than last time! Be careful. He's
going to....

TOEK: You shut up. (pushes Diane down) Your will is mine.

DEBBIE: And yours mine, Toek. I'm more powerful than you are.
Especially in a familiar area, like my sister's mind.

TOEK: Then let us do battle, now.

DEBBIE: We need not. I simply must force you out through my very will.

TOEK: Surely you jest. You can't just force me out by thinking hard. It
takes much more than that.

DEBBIE: Really? Than how do you think exorcisms work? Do you really
think that those words in themselves are what get the demon to leave? I
know that's not what you think.

TOEK: I have never been exorcised.

DEBBIE: There's a first time for everything. (goes over to Diane, takes
her hand) Leave us, demon.

TOEK: (laughs) What is this, a joke? You can't make me leave just by
asking.

DIANE: I'm not asking, Toek: I'm telling you. You're leaving. (gets up,
grabs him by robe) Now.

TOEK: Wha....? (Diane begins to get angrier)

DIANE: You've used me as a tool to corrupt my sister for too long. It
hasn't been working; now get out of my life! We want nothing to do with
you or your master.

TOEK: What's happening? I'm feeling light-headed.... can't hold on....
being forced out.... by..... these.... weaklings.

DIANE: Debbie, it's working!

DEBBIE: Don't lose focus now, kid. We've almost got him beaten, but the
operative word here is "almost."

DIANE: (shouting at Toek) GET OUT, NOW!!! (Toek falls to his knees,
then to the floor)

TOEK: Must leave now, else I'll be beaten forever. (spot- light down;
Debbie, Marty, and Diane are back center stage the way they were
before; Toek is on the floor)

MARTY: (letting go of Debbie) You can let go now, Debbie.

DEBBIE: (also letting go) We did it. Diane and I beat the demon. He's
gone.

DIANE: (coming to) Uhh... Did we do it, Debbie?

DEBBIE: Yes, Diane. It's over. You need some rest. Why don't you go to
bed?

DIANE: Yes, that sounds like a good idea.... (Diane goes to bedroom,
opens door, goes inside)

MARTY: I can go to heaven, now. (scream from bedroom; Diane comes
bursting out of room)

DIANE: There's a woman with a gun in there. (enter Anna)

ANNA: Hello, Debbie. I'm not leaving this world without what's
rightfully mine. (kicks Toek) Get up. We still have work to do. (Toek
stirs, but doesn't get up)

DEBBIE: What do you want from me?

ANNA: I've got too much coming to me to give up what Toek has promised
me. You're joining our side, whether you like it or not. Now join us,
(grabs Diane, holds gun against her head) or I blow the bitch's brains
out.

DEBBIE: Marty, do something!

MARTY: (to himself) Three, two, one.... (Mack bursts in)

MACK: (seeing Anna) You!

ANNA: Well, well; the Commish. (points gun at Mack; Mack draws, aims,
and fires at Anna; Anna falls. Dead.)

MACK: Geez, looks like I got here just in the nick of time.

DEBBIE: No shit, Sherlock. (kisses him; Toek gets up)

TOEK: (leaning on his staff) One... last... chance. (lights down, then
back up)

DEBBIE: (concerned) Marty, was that....

MARTY: Yes. (Anna rises)

ANNA: (Toek's voice) I never give up.

MACK: (to Debbie) Ornery bitch, isn't she? (Anna hits Mack across the
mouth) Uhhh! (falls down, unconscious)

ANNA: You will join us, Debbie. Or else, I will finish what I did to
Mack.

MARTY: Listen, Toek....

ANNA: No! Not Toek! Not Anna or Toek! Not anymore! I am the
anti-Christ!

MARTY: (shakes his head) Not even close. You're a battered, beaten,
has-been demon that has brought a dead body back to life. Anna is
probably in hell, and you're probably so weak from your fight with
Debbie and Diane that you spent up almost all of your remaining power
on the punch that took out Mack. You're just trying to psych us out.
But it won't work. (Debbie takes Marty's hand)

DEBBIE: Diane, take my hand. (she does) Join Anna in hell, Toek. (she
lashes out and hits Anna; lights down, then back up. Toek is standing
directly behind Anna's again dead body)

TOEK: Must.... stop.... them. (Marty breaks chain, takes Toek's staff,
strikes him with it)

MARTY: (shouting in a commanding tone) Leave us, foul demon! Go back to
your eternal flame! (exit Toek) It is done. (Mack starts to come to.
Lights down to only blue; from off stage, a bright light is beckoning
Marty)

DIANE: My God; I can see him. I can see Marty.

MACK: (nods) I know, Diane. So can I.

DEBBIE: We've beaten the devil. Broken up his territory. Now Marty can
go to heaven.

MARTY: (reaches out to touch Diane) You have been cursed with a
terrible memory. May you forever forget the time you were possessed by
a demon. (to Mack) Words cannot express my eternal gratitude for all
you have done for me. All I can say to show you how I feel is, see you
'round.

DEBBIE: Marty....

MARTY: I love you. I will always love you. Never forget me. (kisses
her) Ever. (goes toward light; turns to face them one last time)
Good-bye.

DEBBIE: Good-bye. (Marty walks toward light. As he exits the stage, the
light goes down, then the stage lights go back to normal) I love you.
(lights down)

                                 the end

Copyright, 1995