Will figured maybe they were back on track again.
“Screw your courage, huh?” he said, and smiled knowingly, and took another sip of champagne.
“She’s telling him not to be such a wuss,” Susan said.
“The thing is they’re plotting to kill the king, you see,” Jessica said.
“This is a private moment for both of them.”
“Where they’re both examining what they’re about to do.”
“They’re planning a murder, you see.”
“What does that feel like?” Susan asked.
“What is that like inside your head?” Jessica said.
“That private moment inside your head?
“When you’re actually contemplating someone’s death.”
The room went silent for an instant.
The sisters looked at each other.
“Would anyone like some more champagne?” Susan asked.
“I’d love some,” Jessica said.
“I’ll get it,” Will said, and started to rise.
“No, no, let me,” Susan said, and took his glass and carried all three empty glasses into the kitchen. Jessica crossed her legs. Behind him, in the kitchen, Will could hear Susan refilling their glasses. He watched Jessica’s jiggling foot, her pump half-on, half-off, held only by her toes.
“So that stuff in the bar was all part of the exercise, right?” Will said. “Your suggesting we kill somebody? And then choosing your sister as the victim?”
“Well, sort of,” Jessica said.
Her pump fell off. She bent over to retrieve it, spreading her legs, the black dress high on her thighs. She crossed one leg over the other, put the pump back on, smiled at Will. Susan was back with the full glasses.
“Still some more out there,” she said, and passed the glasses around. Jessica held hers up in a toast.
“From this time such,” she said, “I account thy love.”
“Cheers,” Susan said, and drank.
“Meaning?” Will said, but he drank, too.
“That’s in the scene,” Jessica said. “Actually, it’s at the start of the scene. Where he’s beginning to waver. By the end of the scene, she’s convinced him the king must die.”
“False face must hide what the false heart doth show,” Susan said, and nodded.
“That’s Macbeth’s exit line. At the end of the scene.”
“Is that why you were dressed as a file clerk? False face must hide… whatever it was you just said?”
“What the false heart doth show,” Susan repeated. “But no, that’s not why I was in costume.”
“Then why?”
“It was my way of trying to create a character.”
“Maybe he hasn’t got it, after all,” Jessica said.
“A character who could kill,” Susan said.
“You had to become a frump?”
“Well, I had to become someone else, yes. Someone not like myself at all. But it turned out that wasn’t enough. I had to find the right place, too.”
“The place is here” Jessica said.
“And now” Will said. “So, ladies, if no one minds…”
“Ooo hoo, ladies again,” Susan said, and again rolled her eyes.
“… can we get off all this acting stuff for a moment…?”
“How about your private moment?” Susan said.
“I don’t have any private moments.”
“Don’t you ever fart alone in the dark?” Jessica asked.
“Don’t you ever jack off alone in the dark?” Susan asked.
Will’s mouth fell open.
“Those are private moments,” Jessica said.
For some reason, he could not close his mouth again.
“I think it’s beginning to work,” Susan said.
“Take the glass from his hand before he drops it,” Jessica said.
Will watched them with his eyes and his mouth wide open.
“I’ll bet he thinks it’s curare,” Jessica said.
“Where on earth would we get curare?”
“The jungles of Brazil?”
“ Venezuela?”
Both girls laughed.
Will didn’t know if it was curare or not. All he knew was he couldn’t speak and he couldn’t move.
“Well, he knows we didn’t go all the way down to the Amazon for any poison,” Jessica said.
“That’s right, he knows you’re a nurse,” Susan said.
“Beth Israel, you bet,” Jessica said.
“Access to lots of drugs there.”
“Even synthetic curare drugs.”
“Plenty of those around.”
“List them for him, Jess.”
“Don’t want to bore him, Sue.”
“You have to inject curare, Will, did you know that?”
“The natives dip their darts in it.”
“Shoot the darts from blowpipes.”
“The victims are paralyzed.”
“Helpless.”
“Death comes from asphyxia.”
“That means you can’t breathe.”
“Because the respiratory nerve muscles get paralyzed.”
“Are you having trouble breathing yet, Will?”
He did not think he was having trouble breathing. But what were they saying? Were they saying they’d poisoned him?
“The synthetics come in tablet form,” Susan told him.
“Easy to pulverize.”
“Easy to dissolve.”
“Lots of legitimate uses for synthetic curare drugs,” Jessica said.
“Provided you’re careful with the dosage.”
“We weren’t particularly careful with the dosage, Will.”
“Did your champagne taste a little bitter?”
He wanted to shake his head no. His champagne had tasted just fine. Or had he been too drunk to know just how it had tasted? But he couldn’t shake his head, and he couldn’t talk.
“Let’s watch him,” Susan said. “Study his reactions.”
“Why?” Jessica asked.
“Well, it could be helpful.”
“Not for the scene we’re doing.”
“Killing someone.”
“Killing someone, yes. Duh, Susan.”
Killing me, Will thought.
They are actually killing me here.
But, no…
Girls, he thought, you’re making a mistake here. This is not the way to go about this. Let’s go back to the original plan, girls. The original plan was to pop a bottle of bubbly and hop into the sack together. The original plan was to share this lovely night three days before… actually only two days now, it was already well past midnight… two days before Christmas, share this sweet uncomplicated night together, a sister act with a willing third partner is all this was supposed to be here. So how’d it get so serious all of a sudden? There was no reason for you girls to get all serious about acting lessons and private moments, really, this was just supposed to be fun and games here tonight. So why’d you have to go drop poison in my champagne? I mean, Jesus, girls, why’d you have to go do that when we were getting along so fine here?
“Are you feeling anything?” Susan asked.
“No,” Jessica said. “Are you?”
“I thought I’d feel…”
“Me, too.”
“I don’t know… sinister or something.”
“Me, too.”
“I mean, killing somebody! I thought it would be something special. Instead…”
“I know what you mean. It’s just like watching somebody, I don’t know, getting a haircut or something.”
“Maybe we should have tried something else.”
“Not poison, you mean?”
“Something more dramatic.”
“Something scarier, I know what you mean.”