THE CONTRITE SPIRIT
Kerry Kirkpatrick, a young bachelor comic-book artist, thought he had found the perfect venue for conducting both his life and career. He couldn't have been more wrong. The stately country home, located within walking distance of the Mannassas Battlefield in northern Virginia, stood on a tract of land that was once the property of a noted Confederate cavalry officer, Col. Percival Scott. For more than a century local lore persisted that the ghost of the fromer owner frequented the premises.
Kirkpatrick considered the house's forbidding reputation to be little more than a source of amusement and so purchased the rambling structure at a much devalued price. However, shortly after settling into the storied manse, he was forced to abruptly abandon his cavalier attitude toward the place when he comes face-to-face with the imposing spectre.
Upon weathering the initial shock of this encounter, Kirkpatrick found the late Colonel Scott to be a thoroughly contrite spirit. His hapless lot was to find a human surrogate who would be willing to right the wrong of long ago before he could be free to join his beloved wife in heavenly bliss. The colonel's unrequited sin involved the confiscation of Union army money and gold worth several million dollars. He had buried this cache in a well situated beneath the foundation of his erstwhile residence. Now he needed to have the ill-gotten gain returned to the U.S. government in order to enjoy eternal rest.
Moved by compassion and a sence of urgency to rid himself of the ghost, Kirkpatrick reluctantly agreed to recover the hidden loot. Only then did he learn that the original house had been destroyed by a fire of suspicious origin in 1992 and that the present structure had been built on the first foundation, but facing some 45 degrees further south, making the location of the well and its contents largely a matter of conjecture. What's more, the owner of the property at the time of the blaze, the colonel's great nephew Andrew Hilliard Scott, disappeared without a trace.
Kirkpatrick must also contend with Michele Lemay, an attractive and inquisitive freelance writer/photographer who is well versed in the story of the treasure trove, and Chandler Martin, a wealthy Civil War buff intent upon seeing that the Scott estate becomes a federal historic site and tourist attraction. His interest proves not to be entirely altruistic in nature.
The Contrite Spirit is a full-length play featuring an entertaining mix of drama and humor involving the elements of action, murder, and intrigue which is conducted on a single set.