"Suicide Sonata"
Mystery
Amy smiled. "Of course, I'll join you for
the weekend, Barry. It sounds lovely." Barry Whitaker was a rather sexy
agent who booked his musician clients into venues from Carnegie Hall to La
Scala. His natural appeal was enhanced by the fact that David Locklear didn't
like him. Amy wasn't above trying to make the captain a little jealous.
Illustrations by Josh Neufeld
The weather
was sunny and brisk, with the leaves at the peak of autumn color. The setting
was a lavishly appointed country house. And the company was a renowned pianist
and his witty, worldly friends. It had all the right ingredients. But it was
turning out all wrong.
As an
outsider, Amy didn't know exactly what was going on, but the tension was
palpable. And it all centered on the host--Bruce Browne, the virtuoso who had
done for pianos what Pavaroti had done for tenors. Since arriving, Amy had
spoken to Bruce for a total of three minutes. The rest of the time, he was a
morose, almost ghostly presence, wandering the grounds and practicing his art
in "the shed", a rehearsal cabin a hundred yards or so from the main
house.
By Sunday
morning, everyone's nerves were on edge. One by one, the group gathered on the
porch. Barry brought a deck of cards and laid out a game of solitaire on the
wicker coffee table. The noted surgeon, Cecil Freers, opened a best seller and
began to read. Amy helped Julia Browne, wife and hostess, set the porch table
with carafes of coffee and orange juice, while Bruce Browne's business manager,
Lana Polaski, sat bundled up, her head and legs peeping out from beneath a
blanket.
"I saw
Bruce heading down to the shed this morning," Barry said, looking up from
his cards. The temperamental musician was once again the topic of conversation.
Amy was ready to scream.
"I
don't know why he's so depressed," Julia sighed. "It's as if..."
She stopped as the music of a Chopin sonata echoed off the trees.
"Ah!" Julia turned in the direction of the unseen shed. "It's
good to hear him practicing."
"The
doors must be open," Cecil said. "That shed is pretty
soundproof."
The piano
solo ceased. In the ensuing silence another song began, a tinny, computerized
snatch of Mozart, playing somewhere in the house. "My cell phone,"
Amy yelped.
"You
left it upstairs," Barry said.
"I saw
it, too," Julia said.
Amy was off
in a flash, heading inside and
up the
stairs. The Mozart ring was coming from a side alcove. And there the phone was,
lying by an open window.
The ringing
ended just as she reached the phone. And then came another sound--a gunshot.
Instinctively, Amy looked out. Had it come from the shed? The rehearsal cabin
was framed perfectly in the alcove window.
Amy scanned
the shed and the surrounding lawn, alert to any sign of movement. Four voices
were talking, sounding concerned. Before long she could see them, coming around
the house and heading toward the shed.
Amy grabbed
her cell phone and headed back downstairs.
Anticipation:
1-
Look at the illustration. Identify, and describe it. Use these elements to
imagine what the story is going to be about.
Comprehension: Read the text carefully and
answer the following questions.
2- Where and
When does the scene take place?
3- Who
are the characters present? Copy the grid on your worksheet and fill it in
|
Characters
NAME
|
-JOB
-Character protrait info , about social
background….
|
Investigator, Victim or Suspect?
Write I, V or S
|
Quotes + lines
“……...”, line ….
|
||
|
|
|
|
|
4- The general atmosphere: Quote two lines
revealing the atmosphere just before the crime
line …….: “……………………………
line ……: “…………………………..
5- What were the characters doing when
the crime was committed? Tick the valid
answers, and write the name of
the characters concerned, indicate the line that helped you
ٱ playing games ………………….………….. line:…...
ٱ dressing the table …………………….……… line:…...
ٱworking on bank accounts ………….………… line:…...
ٱ swimming ……………………………….… line:…...…..
ٱ gardening …………………………………. line:…...
ٱ reading…………………………………….. line:…...
ٱ lying lazely…………………………………line:…...
6- Who do the
following clues refer to?. Write the name of one of the characters.
……………………… “I accidently ran into Bruce when we
were skiing in Aspen- literally ran into him. He wound up with tendon damage in
his thumb. Cecil operated, and the thumb recovered perfectly. Bruce lost eight
months of work, but he never blamed me. He was just about to start performing
again.”
……………………….: “After the accident, Bruce was more
difficult than ever. We were talking about divorce. That gun was his by the
way. He kept it on a shelf in the basement, in plain view;”
………………………..: “Eight months ago, I performed
microsurgery on Bruce’s left thumb. The operation went perfectly, a full
recovery, but Bruce was traumatized. He grew depressed. I don’t think he
believed he’d regained full use of the thumb.”
…………………………: Amy made sure no one touched the
body. A revolver lay credled in the dead man’s right hand. There was a gunshot
wound, complete with powder marks, between his right ear and temple. The trajectory
seemed slightly upward, consistent with the idea of suicide.
……………………………: “After the skiing accident, Bruce
became obsessed about money. For years, he didn’t seem to care, but suddenly he
was reviewing everything and second-guessing all the incvestments. I came up
early this weekend, just to go over all the paperwork and reassure him.”
7- The crime scene. Put the following events
into chronological order. Write numbers from 1 to 8
ٱ A gunshot was heard
ٱ Amy reached the
phone
ٱAmy rushed to the
house
ٱBruce headed down to
the shed
ٱChopin tune played
ٱChopin tune stopped
ٱPhone rang
ٱThe guests found
something to do to pass the time
8-- The Victim: summarize what you know
about the victim, and the circumstances of the crime? Who are the witnesses?
Who are the main suspects? What main
clues will help solve the mystery?
9- Using the text and the extra clues, imagine
the investigator’s explanation and conclusion.
murder or suicide?
OR
Imagine the detective’s questions to the
suspects and their answers, use both direct and reported speech.
Here are more clues to help you
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