SCENE 27

The PEACHUM house. PEACHUM, surrounded by luggage, fusses with the straps on a suitcase. BROWN appears with a gun.

BROWN

All that work for nothing …

PEACHUM

What happened to my men?

BROWN

They died.

PEACHUM

Well … I’m sure you had no choice.

BROWN

I’d like to revisit our plan for a moment. You were supposed to deliver those three financial giants to me completely compromised and ready for indictment.

PEACHUM

And you were supposed to give me a pardon from the governor that wasn’t a fake.

BROWN

Which you knew I had no intention of doing all along. So you decided very early on in our discussions to turn my plan into a plan of your own and yield for yourself a very large profit.

PEACHUM

Which you knew I would.

BROWN

Well, at least, I certainly hoped so.

PEACHUM

And so now you’re here for your share.

BROWN

If by my “share” you mean all of it, then yes.

PEACHUM

Well, I had a partner.

BROWN

I’ll deal with Mac later. Where’s the money?

PEACHUM

In one of these, I imagine. Myrna packed it.

BROWN

And where is the lovely Myrna at the moment?

PEACHUM

I believe she’s … eating.

BROWN

Anyone I know? (pointing to a suitcase) Open it up.

PEACHUM

(opening the suitcase) I disliked you immediately, by the way. (showing him the money) The way you dressed, the snotty way you talked, the way you –

BROWN

Okay, that’s enough.

He shoots PEACHUM in the heart. PEACHUM falls to the floor, dead. BROWN moves towards the suitcase as MYRNA rushes into the room with a machine gun.

MYRNA

(screaming) You basstarrrrd! You killed my lovely man! You rotten … (can’t get the machine gun to fire) … What the –

BROWN

Yes. They can be a little bit unreliable.

BROWN shoots MYRNA dead. He picks up the suitcase and leaves.

Blackout.