Act 1: New Orleans
Scene 1 Dance Hall
The bawdy house is a smoky, crowded place. The music is loud, and the dancers are moving to the beat. Mark Twain enters the dance hall and scans the room. He sees a singer on stage, a young woman with long blond hair. She is singing a blues song, and her voice is clear and beautiful.
Twain walks up to the stage and asks the singer if he can talk to her. She introduces herself as Josie, and they talk for a few minutes. Twain tells her that he is investigating the button pusher, and he asks if she saw anything suspicious on the day of the bombing.
Josie thinks for a moment. "I did see someone with blond hair," she says. "But I'm not sure if it was a man or a woman. They were standing near the button, but I couldn't get a good look at them."
Twain thanks Josie for her help, and he leaves the dance floor and heads to see Madame in her office.
Scene 2 Madame's Office
Twain: Excuse me, sir. I'm Mark Twain, and I'm investigating the button pusher. I'd like to see the work schedule for the employees who were working on the day of the bombing.
Madame: (He looks up from his paperwork.) What's this about?
Twain: I'm just trying to narrow down my list of suspects. I know that someone with blond hair was working in the dance hall on the night of the bombing, and I'm hoping that the work schedule will help me to identify the person.
Madame: (She sighs.) Fine. I'll give you the work schedule, but I don't see how it's going to help you.
Twain: It's worth a try.
She hands Twain the work schedule. Twain takes a look at it and sees that there are four employees who were working on the night of the crime:
- John Smith, a 25-year-old male with blond hair, was working the 10 PM to 10 AM shift.
- Mary Jones, a 20-year-old female with blond hair, was working the 10 AM to 10 PM shift.
- David Brown, a 30-year-old male with black hair, was working the 10 PM to 10 AM shift.
- Susan Green, a 25-year-old female with brown hair, was working the 10 AM to 10 PM shift.
Twain: Thank you for your help, Madame
Madame: You're welcome. And good luck with your investigation.
Twain leaves the manager's office. He now has a list of four suspects, and he knows that the button pusher had to push the button the same time as the London push. David Brown and Susan Green were on the late shift, but neither one had blond hair.