Dramatic Monologues: Justice

(A woman is sitting in the driver’s seat of an unmarked Volvo car, alone in the middle of street. Its 12o’clock midnight, coming close to 1am in the morning. With a cigarette in her hand, smoking, her red handbag and its contents are sprawled across the seat next to her. Pouring out is an already empty packet of cigarettes and another that is missing a few. She starts to speak.)

Could’ve been easier, you know, just sitting at a desk all day, rambling on into a phone. (Smirks) But I had to do what he wanted. Had to do what he said. Senseless sonovabitch. For crying out loud, what did I ever want from the police force? (Inhales, lays hand on edge of open window) A gun, this friggin’ badge, an excuse from a, proper education. Like it or not, Tina always said I was crazy. Not crazy in general (Inhales again), just crazy to join the police force. I wasn’t ever sure whether she meant both. Why didn’t I listen to her? Justice has blinded me so far, the truth is always hidden when you're a cop. You see fact and ignore instinct.

(A police car speeds by somewhere in the background, its siren wailing. This is followed by the static crackle from the radio, muttering a very faint “Calling Unit 12-V10 to Victoria Street, Fifth Av-.”Before she turns the radio off. )

(Quotes in mimicked voice) ‘Sweetie, you remind me of your dad you know. You’re strong willed. You’ve got that, sense of justice, the one he always had.’ Three bullets during an armed robbery and he ended up lying in unconsciousness before he knew it. Still so strong willed Velmie?
(She looks at her cigarette burning out and throws it out the window, then reaches for another one, lights it and inhales.)
Dad always informed me of the dangers and losses. When I was kid, a teenager, an adult, continuously. I didn’t listen. Then Tina died, and the family, lost it. Dad was getting home later every day stinkin' like hell. Strange actually. Reminds me of myself. (Smirks again) Alex wasn’t any help either. Detective Lieutenant Saunder, with his cold, blue, distilled eyes. That news went around the force pretty fast, like wildfire. (Sighs) He was there when I joined, there when I left, making heads turn wherever he went. That added to the stress that was already piling up. All of my life, leading up to some, jerk. Still blinded by that, sense of justice. (Laughs aloud to herself for a short period of time.)
But that’s why I did it. That’s why I’ve run away. All that. Everything.
That sense of uncertainty surrounding Tina's death that was lacking the truth.

(Pauses, inhales deeply, coughs for a long time.)
There’s blood on the back seat, along with my gun. Murphy was hard to talk to, hard to get loose. (She smiles.) I had to know, had to find out why Tina died, had to see for myself why she jumped. Today. It's been bothering me for so long. She meant the world to me. (Lowers head and looks up again, straight ahead.)
It was when she died, when dad couldn’t remember his own name, and when Alex disposed of me for some slut, that was when I realised. (Faint teardrop runs down cheek)
As far as I think of it, I've got a journey to make.
My gun has lost it's licence, and my resignation has gone through. That day at the bridge, Tina didn't jump. That's one thing, I'm sure about. (Pauses)
Tina had a secret. And it all concluded at that bridge, where she jumped. I'm gonna' find out what happend to her. But the last thing that Murphy said struck me hard;
'She was being watched'.

(She sticks the keys back into the ignition and starts the car again. She inhales her last breath, and throws the butt out of the window and drives off, leaving only the slowly fading light of the cigarette to illuminate that one spot on the street.)