23DUE TO POPULAR DEMAND, I HAVE DECIDED TO RELEASE THE DRAFT ENDING WHICH BEARS A SLIGHT SIMILARITY TO THE FOURTH ENDING BUT IS SLIGHTLY DIFFERENT WITH A TWIST ON THE WADSWORTH/BROWN STORYLINE. HOPE YOU ENJOY IT! DON'T FORGET TO REVIEW!
The Sixth Ending
The guests looked from Wadsworth to Miss Brown as the lights returned and Wadsworth was glaring at Miss Brown as though he wanted to kill her.
"So Wadsworth," Began Miss Scarlet, "Are you going to tell us the truth about Miss Brown or do we have to guess?"
Wadsworth merely laughed and pulled out the gun from his pocket. Miss Brown rushed to the colonel.
"Father, don't let him kill me!" She pleaded, clutching at his shirt braces.
"Father?" Repeated the others.
"Yes, Miss Brown's father is the Colonel." Wadsworth explained carelessly.
"Look here, Wadsworth, my daughter may have done something wrong, I won't deny it, but you don't have to kill her."
"Oh, I think I do," He pointed the gun at her, "After everything she has put me through, I think I have a right."
"Wadsworth, please explain," Insisted Mrs White.
"Very well. Miss Brown accused me of stealing from her when I worked for her at your home." He turned to the colonel.
"You worked for us? That must have been when I was in the Army."
"Yes, it was, Colonel. Your daughter got the police involved when really it was her stealing from you and pretending that I had done so. Then, later, she discovered that I was involved in something big, Mr Boddy's dastardly blackmail, so she used that against me and had me dismissed."
"Daddy, it wasn't like that!" Miss Brown pleaded, "He's lying."
"I promise you, I am not, Colonel. Your wife threw your daughter out, why?"
"Because she needed to learn independence."
"No, because your wife found out that she was planning to use your military contacts in the blackmail scheme. She found the papers on your desk and bribed your comrades to tell them the secret missions and such."
"Daddy, I didn't!" Miss Brown sobbed, "I swear I wouldn't do that to you."
"That's why you killed the motorist, isn't it, Miss Brown? Because he'd threatened to tell your father the truth about what you were doing."
"You killed Harrison?" Asked the colonel, frowning at his daughter.
"Daddy, please forgive me. I thought...if I...killed him...you would never find out."
Wadsworth smiled smugly.
"But that wasn't your only victim, was it, Miss Brown? You killed Yvette too. You were angry that your father was having an affair with someone rather than your mother, so you killed her. In spite and cold blood."
"Does your daddy know what you've been doing for me?" Asked Miss Scarlet grinning wickedly.
"Oh, God, please..." Stammered the Colonel, staggering over to a bench and sitting down.
"Miss Scarlet, what do you have to say?" Asked Wadsworth.
"Miss Brown's been working for me for over two years now." She explained, and Mrs Peacock tutted.
"What a spoilt brat." She hissed to the Professor, who was staring at the girl puzzled. He had recognised her from the beginning of the evening, and now it became clear to him who she was.
"A patient of yours?" Suggested Wadsworth, seeing the Professor's strained expression.
"Yes, yes. Many years ago now."
"Please...no more." The Colonel gasped. "I've heard enough."
"I'm afraid I can't let her get away with this, Colonel." Sighed Wadsworth, fingering the gun in his hand. "Not after all those murders. Yvette, the Motorist and of course, the policeman."
"But YOU killed Mr Boddy!" Retorted Miss Brown crossly.
"What proof do you have?" Wadsworth asked, "Colonel, you should have taught your daughter some respect for herself and other people."
"I'll give you anything; please don't take her from me!" The Colonel pleaded, "She's all I've got now. Her mother's dead."
Wadsworth began to chuckle evilly.
"Oh very good, Miss Brown. The tears were a little melodramatic. No matter. Colonel, join the other guests, please." The colonel looked from his daughter to Wadsworth and she nodded so he scuttled to join the rest of the group.
"Now, Miss Brown." Wadsworth began in that cold heartless voice he had used before, "It is a shame to have to shoot you..."
"Even more so with the fact that I have poisoned you!" She snapped.
"Poisoned me?" Wadsworth looked puzzled.
"Yes, back in the study. That's why I stopped Mrs Peacock drinking out of the glass. I couldn't make you suspicious so I swapped them whilst you were chasing 'Wadsworth."
"But he's Wadsworth," Exclaimed the Professor.
"No he isn't." Retorted Miss Brown, crossly.
"Oh my God. You're Mr Boddy." Realised Mr Green.
Wadsworth gave another evil chuckle.
"Actually, that's another alias, I have many of them. It prevents anyone from finding out who I really am."
"So what is your real name?" Asked Miss Scarlet coolly.
"I'm not sure that's of any concern to you, Miss Scarlet."
"I can tell you." Replied Mr Green, "Thomas James Waddington, am I right?"
Wadsworth gaped at him.
"How did you know that?"
"FBI." He explained, pulling a card out of his pocket.
"I don't believe it."
"I've been searching for you for a long time, Thomas. Thankfully Miss Brown here agreed to play a part in tonight's proceedings, so there will be no escape this time."
Wadsworth began to chuckle.
"Oh really? You think that I didn't expect something like this to happen?"
"What do you mean?" Asked Miss Brown nervously.
"Well, of course, the champagne was poisoned."
"Poisoned?" Repeated the guests in horror.
"That's right. There's an escape for me but not for you, I regret to say. You'll be dead within a few hours unless you can find an antidote."
"That doesn't matter!" Snapped Miss Scarlet, "We can call the hospital!"
"With what?" Demanded Wadsworth, taking bits of phone cord out of his pockets. "You can't escape and you can't call for help."
"I think you're forgetting something, Wadsworth." Began Miss Brown, standing up to face him with a steadfast expression, "I don't drink champagne, only port and tea."
"Don't try to fool me with that trick," Snapped Wadsworth, "you're the cause of all this. I would be quite content without you. You have spoilt my chances of ever being truly happy."
"I didn't drink the champagne, or the port you gave me. You put poison in the strange dish you served me as well. I know not to trust you."
"But you trusted me enough to tell your own secrets to me."
"You can't have...no..."
"What's going on?" Demanded Mrs Peacock, "why is she looking so confused?"
"Because I have caught her out." Replied Wadsworth simply.
"My fellow guests, I would advise you to leave." Announced Miss Brown hastily.
The guests looked at each other.
"You can't." Wadsworth ran to the front door and blocked it. "No one is leaving this house."
"Is that so?" Demanded Miss Brown, "Mr Green, if you would do the honours?"
"With pleasure." Mr Green whipped out a pistol and shot at the butler. He ducked and Miss Brown raced to him and pinned him to the floor.
"Finally Thomas James Waddington has been captured."
"I don't understand." Put in Mrs White, "who is he?"
"An extremely crafty and notorious criminal." Explained Miss Brown. "I would advise you not to move." She told Wadsworth.
"What are you? A detective?" Asked Professor Plum.
"I'm an actress for the FBI. I am Mr Green's assistant. I was asked to come here to support my colleague and take the place of the true victim. Of course, Wadsworth had only ever seen one photograph of her so I had to be heavily disguised; he has a very good memory."
"You can say that again." Groaned Mrs Peacock.
"Miss Brown is one of the best actresses I've worked with." Agreed Mr Green.
"Thank you, Mr Green. What shall we do with him?"
Wadsworth gave a feeble groan.
"Just have to wait until Chief gets here."
"What about us? We've been poisoned!" Screamed Mrs White.
"Don't worry. I switched the bottle when Wadsworth wasn't looking. You haven't been poisoned." Miss Brown reassured them.
"Oh no..." Wadsworth groaned.
"Thank you for your co-operation, Colonel."
"Not at all, Miss Brown, only too glad I could be of service."
"We'll have to ask all of you to write a witness statement. Thomas," Began Miss Brown, turning to Wadsworth, "I didn't kill Yvette, as you know."
"I know. I did."
"Why?" Asked Mrs White.
"Because she refused to help me in killing you all." He struggled to sit up, but Miss Brown's grip was too tight.
"Exactly. Thomas Waddington, you are hereby charged with the murders of Mr Donald Johnson alias Mr Boddy, Francine Meredith alias Yvette, Jack Harrison alias 'The Motorist', Marvin Peterson alias 'The Cop', Barbara Ling alias Mrs Ho and Mary Kravitz aka the Singing Telegram. Is there anything else we should know, Waddington?"
"I think that's quite enough for one night, don't you, Miss Brown?"
The police burst into the house and handcuffed Wadsworth.
"Well done, Garrison, and you too, Miss Winters. Excellent work." Added the Chief to the proud undercover officers.
"Oh, it was nothing." Miss Brown replied in an American accent, "I'm just pleased I could help. At last Thomas James Waddington will be put behind bars."
"Quite right, Miss Winters. Now, these people." He indicated the other guests who were looking very confused.
"They were blackmailed by Waddington. None of them had done anything wrong tonight, they were just witness to Waddington's pranks. Oh, and for your information Wadsworth, I didn't kill any of them." She pulled out a microphone from underneath her dress and waved it in front of the puzzled 'butler'.
"I think you'll find we have everything we need to know on here, Waddington." She smiled.
"Oh dash it all." Snapped Wadsworth.
"I see. Take their particulars and then you can go, Miss Winters. Thank you for all your help."
"Not at all, Mr Hoover. See you at the office."
"I have another case for you."
"Oh, thanks, sir."
I HOPE IT LIVED UP TO EXPECTATIONS, REMEMBER IT WAS ONLY A DRAFT!
