Sara
It’s Alice calling Dad’s phone!!
Sara
But why would she call him if she knows he’s in chains?
Sara
That doesn’t make sense.
Alice
Why do you have his phone?
Sara
This is Sara, Will’s daughter.
Alice
I know all about you.
Alice
Let me talk to him!
Alice
I haven’t been able to reach him.
Alice
He was supposed to meet me here two weeks ago, but he never showed up.
Sara
No, but he’s had his eyes gouged out, and he’s blind now.
Sara
He was chained to the floor of the basement in our old house.
Alice
Oh my god! My love! Will!
Sara
Did you do that to him?
Alice
No! I told you – I’m in Paris!
Sara
Do you know who did this?
Sara
Do you know anyone who could do something like this?
Alice
William and I…we had a daughter.
Sara
I have a half-sister?
Alice
Yes. Her name is Joyce and she’s 18 years old.
Alice
But I never told Will about her.
Alice
I…I guess I felt guilty. I loved your father…but I never wanted to break up his family.
Sara
She’s the same age as me!
Alice
Yes. I had her just around the time you were born, Sara.
Alice
And I didn’t want to complicate his life.
Alice
But it probably wasn’t the right choice.
Alice
Joyce always felt neglected, growing up without a father.
Alice
She wasn’t like other children.
Alice
She was…darker. Disturbed.
Alice
I tried to have her committed…
Alice
But even the insane asylum wouldn’t take her.
Sara
Wow, I can’t believe this is the first I’m hearing about her.
Alice
I did my best to keep her a secret from most people.
Alice
And yet Joyce knew about your father, and about you.
Alice
I don’t know how, but she did.
Sara
But why didn’t you tell us?
Sara
We could have met. I never wanted to be an only child.
Alice
No. You wouldn’t want to meet her.
Sara
Well, I wish you’d given your daughter the choice. It should have been Joyce’s decision.
Sara’s mom looks urgently at her daughter.
Mom
Will had a daughter named Joyce?
Mom
That’s the name of the woman who bought this house!
Mom
Smith…it’s such a common name. I never thought…
Sara is so shocked that she drops the phone.
They can barely hear Alice continuing to speak.
Alice
Sara? Sara? Answer me!
Alice
You could be in danger!
Suddenly, Sara and her mom hear the floorboards creaking above them.
They hear footsteps descending the basement stairs.
Then a young woman with matted hair, wearing a torn flannel nightgown, stands before them.
And she’s holding a knife.
Joyce
What are you doing in MY house?
Mom
You sound just like your mother!
Mom
It was YOU who called me and threatened to kill Sara if I didn’t do as you said.
Mom
It was YOU who told me to tell the police that Will had drowned.
Joyce
I do a good impression of my mother, don’t I?
Joyce looks over at Sara, her right hand still holding the knife.
Joyce
I never got to spend any time with our father, unlike YOU.
Joyce
You got to have him for 18 years.
Joyce
And I’d had enough! I figured it was my turn.
She waves the knife at Sara.
Joyce
It was my turn to have YOUR life.
Sara
But I would have shared him with you!
Sara
I always wanted a sibling.
Sara
We could have done things with him together.
Joyce
I needed him all to myself.
Joyce
So I bought this house.
Joyce
You see, embezzling runs in the family.
Joyce
I stole the money from HIM!
Joyce
Isn’t that brilliant?
Joyce lets out another cackle as she beams with pride.
Joyce
Then one night…I came to his office.
Joyce
And told him who I was.
Sara
That’s when he found out about you?
Joyce
Yes, and he was surprised to say the least.
Joyce
But he knew it was true.
Joyce
He saw the resemblance, to my mother and to him.
Joyce
I got him to come into my car.
Joyce
I said we could go have dinner and make up for lost time.
Joyce
But then I knocked him out with chloroform and took him here instead!
Joyce
Now it’s all mine, you stupid greedy girl.
Joyce
I put a blindfold around Daddy’s eyes.
Joyce
When he came to, I led him down here by putting a knife to his neck.
Joyce
I chained him to the floor.
Joyce
And then I wired his mouth shut.
Joyce
That way, I wouldn’t have to hear him talk about YOU.
Joyce
And when I took off his blindfold, I…
Sara
Please! Don’t tell me about that.
Joyce
All right. We’re sisters, so I’ll be nice.
Joyce
I’ll spare you the gory details.
Joyce
And I WAS compassionate.
Joyce
I did it all while he was unconscious.
Sara
Why? Why did you have to blind him?
Joyce
I wanted to create a whole new reality for him, with ME.
Joyce
It wasn’t about the place where he lived with you. It was a place controlled by me, all about ME.
Joyce
A new perfect life with him and me RIGHT HERE, where he used to live with you.
Joyce
I would replace you in his life. TOTALLY.
Joyce
And I thought that would make me happy…
There is a long pause as Joyce stares off into the distance.
Then she speaks in a sing-song voice.
Mom
What is that supposed to mean?
Joyce
Well, it wasn’t really him I was mad at. It was her.
Joyce
Precious Sara, taking up all his time.
Joyce
Precious Sara, the light of his life.
Joyce
Now I’ve come to realize…
Joyce
That the only way I can really be happy is if I’m the ONLY daughter.
Joyce moves closer to Sara with the knife.
But suddenly, she is distracted by the sound of sirens and stomping feet.
The police have finally arrived.
Sarah’s mom darts over to Joyce and bumps the knife out of her hand.
It flies inches from Sara’s head and clatters to the floor.
Joyce comes barreling toward the weapon--and her sister.
Sara
Don’t do this to me! We can be sisters!
Joyce
NO. There can only be ONE daughter.
Joyce’s fingers are inches away when her body jerks back –
Into the strong arms of a policeman. He pins both of her hands behind her back.
Policeman
Joyce Smith, you’re under arrest for the attempted murder of Sara Fine.
Policeman
You have the right to remain silent…
And as the policeman carts off Joyce, Sara and her mother cling to each other–sobbing–and never let go.
