Page 229 of The Silent Appeal

Too late. You’d better put these crates out of the way before the interval then.

8:00 p.m. Kevin wrote:

No time, it’s curtain-up in ninety seconds. Throw a tea towel over them and deny all knowledge.

* * *

8:42 p.m. Joyce wrote:

Is this in the script?

8:45 p.m. Kevin wrote:

Not the script for THIS play.

Message exchange between Kevin and Sarah-Jane MacDonald on June 5, 2025:

8:45 p.m. Kevin wrote:

Are you watching this?

8:46 p.m. Sarah-Jane wrote:

On way home. Sammy petulant and grizzly. From the sound of him, Harley much the same. Driving. On voice can’t talk.

8:46 p.m. Kevin wrote:

Bloody Celia!

Message exchange between Kevin MacDonald and Celia Halliday on June 5, 2025:

8:47 p.m. Kevin wrote:

I’m holding it together because the NADA judge is in the front row, but why did you give Veronica Craye an extra speech about a married director called Kevin who had an affair with his leading lady?

8:48 p.m. Celia wrote:

You chose to humiliate ME in public, so I decided to do the same.

Message exchange between Kevin MacDonald and Nicky-Rose Dearing on June 5, 2025:

8:49 p.m. Kevin Luckily Sarah-Jane had to take Sammy home and didn’t hear that, but WTAF?

9:12 p.m. Kevin wrote:

Where are you?

Transcript of a 999 call made at 10:29 p.m. on June 5, 2025:

Operator: What is the address of the emergency?

Caller: It’s so dark I can’t tell if it’s real. I expressly said to count me out of audience participation! Yes, it is real. Oh… I thought they might be playing a trick, but called you just in case and…

Operator: What’s the address, please?

Caller: The lane beside St. Barnabas church hall in Lockwood, oh dear… there’s a man and he’s dead. I think.

Operator: Is the patient breathing?