THE STAGE 32 LOGLINES

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THE PERFECT STORY
By Tom Batt

GENRE: Mystery, Thriller
LOGLINE:

A down on his luck reporter is challenged to get an interview with a millionaire recluse to save his job and uncovers a conspiracy.

SYNOPSIS:

Newspaper reporter, Sam Marlowe is struggling to find a good news story. He is challenged by his editor to get an exclusive interview with millionaire recluse Donald Logan in order to save his job.

He pays a visit to Logan's manor to find nobody will answer. He waits around for a few minutes before spotting a maid leaving. He follows her to a cafe where he tries to persuade her to allow him access to the manor and speak with Mr Logan. The maid seems frightened and nervous about speaking to him and hastily leaves. Suspicious she is hiding something, he returns to the manor.

He sneaks around the grounds to find the staff lounging in the garden. Confused by this he breaks in and makes his way into the house. He searches the rooms for Logan, but he is nowhere to be found, yet a trace amount of dried blood on an ashtray arouses his suspicions. Those suspicions are confirmed when he finds Logan’s body frozen in the kitchen freezer.

Suddenly he is hit over the back of the head and wakes to find himself tied to a chair in the basement where the butler explains the staff were sick of Logan’s abusive attitude and had murdered Logan months before. They have been benefiting from his wealth and home with the world none the wiser, but now that Marlowe knows, he must be removed. Marlowe manages to escape and knowing their secret is out the staff take drastic action and call the police.

Marlowe returns home ready to write the story, but is interrupted by police officers, there to arrest him for the murder of Donald Logan. Marlowe is convicted of the crime and the news story ensures copies of the paper fly off shelves. As the now unemployed manor staff pack their belongings, the butler proclaims ‘We’ve done it once, we can do it again.’

THE PERFECT STORY

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