the Bad Job

(Liam, Kieran and Molly burst into the basement. Kieran is pushing a distraught looking Molly ahead of him. He pulls a chair out from the table.)

Kieran: (to Molly, indicating the chair) Sit.

Molly: (sitting down, slightly dazed, to herself) All of them… every last one… there was so much…. Blood…..

(Kieran and Liam conference a little ways away from the table)

Liam: Do you think she’s okay?

Kieran: (quickly) yeah, she’s fine. Listen did anyone EVER mention a fucking girl?

Liam: No, I don’t think so…

Kieran: Those sons of bitches! It was supposed to be the six of them, in and out that’s it!

Liam: What’s her name?

Kieran: What?

Liam: What’s her name?

Kieran: How the hell should I know? She’s not wearing a fucking name tag.

Liam: Maybe we should ask…

Kieran: Fine. Ask.

Liam: (to Molly) What’s your name? (she doesn’t answer)

Kieran: Hey! He asked you a question! What’s your name?

Molly: (quietly) Molly.

Kieran: (back to Liam) Molly, Molly, Molly. Is there a Molly in the Malloy family?

Liam: No.






Kieran: Are you sure?

Liam: Positive. He only has sons.

Kieran: Maybe she’s illegitimate.

Liam: No way, she doesn’t look a thing like Malloy’s ugly face.

Kieran: So she’s not one of them.

Liam: It doesn’t appear that way.

Kieran: Alright…. (pause) You wanna’ grab some beers or something?

Liam: Does she drink beer?

Kieran: What?

Liam: Does she drink beer?

Kieran: How the fuck should I know? Why don’t you fucking ask her?

Liam: (to Molly) Do you drink beer, Molly?

Molly: (coming out of her daze slightly) What?

Kieran: Beer! Do you drink it?

Molly: Oh. No.

Liam: What about some coffee then? Can I get you some coffee?

Kieran: Just let him get you some coffee or we’ll never hear the end of it.

Molly: (after a pause) Coffee… would be fine, thanks.

Kieran: Good then.

(Kieran gives Liam a slap on the back, sending him off to the kitchen. Liam exits. Kieran takes a deep breath before sitting down next to Molly.
He stares at Molly a moment; she looks up and stares back. After a minute




Kieran reaches into his pocket and pulls out a pack of cigarettes.)

Kieran: (under his breath) Fuckin’ blood everywhere….(he takes one out and offers the pack to Molly.)

Molly: I don’t smoke.

(Kieran shrugs, puts the pack back in his pocket, lights the cigarette, then continues to examine Molly.)

Kieran: Are you cold?

Molly: What? Oh, no… I don’t think so.

Kieran: You’re shaking like a fucking leaf.

Molly: Am I? Oh, well then… maybe….

Kieran: Here. (he gets up, takes off his jacket and drapes it over Molly’s shoulders, then sits back down again.)

Molly: (quietly) Thanks.

Kieran: No problem.

Molly: (mumbles something indistinguishable)

Kieran: What was that?

Molly: There’s blood on this jacket.

Kieran: Like I said, there’s blood everywhere.

Molly: It’ll stain.

Kieran: It’s a dark jacket, it doesn’t matter.

(Molly goes quiet again, there’s another pause.)

Kieran: So are you… are you sure your…. Are you hurt? I mean physically?

Molly: No… I don’t think so…




Kieran: Like you didn’t think you were cold?

Molly: Something like that, yeah.

Kieran: That’s not too reassuring.

Molly: (looking up at him) I’m not hurt, your clips were empty by the time I came out.

Kieran: (looking into her eyes, suddenly moved) I wouldn’t have done anything if they hadn’t been.

Molly: (slowly) Okay. (another pause.)

Kieran: (breaking eye contact) I’d take you to the hospital, you know just to be sure but….

Molly: I understand.

Kieran: Okay. (pause.)

Molly: (nodding towards the kitchen) Is he your bother?

Kieran: You could tell?

Molly: (nods) It’s kind of obvious.

Kieran: Do you have any bothers.

Molly: (claming up again, says quietly) No.

(Liam enters with two beers and a mug.)

Liam: I couldn’t find any cream or sugar and it’s a little cold but…

Molly: (taking the mug) It’s fine, thanks.

Liam: ( after looking at the two of them a moment) Okay. (he sits)

Kieran: (putting out his cigarette) We would appreciate it if you explained to us what you were doing in that hotel room, Molly.

Molly: I was watching television.





Kieran: Okay… But why were you watching television in that… particular hotel room?

Molly: What else is there to do in a hotel room?

Kieran: (shaking his head in disbelief and taking a drink) Jesus H-

Liam: Molly, do you know what was going on in that hotel room?

Molly: Before or after you guy came?

Liam: Before.

Molly: They were having a meeting, I suppose.

Kieran: A meeting about what?

Molly: I wouldn’t know that unless I was involved and like I told you I was watching television.

Kieran: (after a slight moan) Molly was Malloy… paying you?

Molly: Paying me? For what?

Kieran: For your…. Services.

Molly: My what?

Liam: (darkly, while glaring at Kieran) He’s asking if you’re a prostitute.

Molly: (to Kieran) What the fuck kind of a question is that?

Kieran: (chuckling) The wrong one I presume.

Molly: (quietly) It had nothing to do with sex.

Kieran: Then why don’t you tell us what it did have to do with?

Molly: Why does it matter?

Kieran: When my bother and I organized this particular event, we weren’t exactly anticipating this particular factor and now we’d like to figure out what the fuck we should do about it.

Liam: We’d like to have some idea where it is your coming from.

Molly: Where I’m coming from?! What does any of this have to do with me?! I wasn’t the one who burst into the hotel room! You two are the ones who interrupted my life!

Kieran: You do realized that you’re the most impossible bi-

Liam: Kieran! Can I speak to you a moment.

(Liam pulls Kieran away from the table.)

Liam: Why the hell do you have to be such a rotten bastard to her?

Kieran: How do we know that she is going to turn around and stab us in the back, huh? We don’t know how the hell she is tied in to all of this, we may have just shipped her bother, or boyfriend or husband!

Liam: At least give her the benefit of the doubt! We’ve obviously fucked her up quite a bit!

Molly: Don’t give yourselves so much credit. (they look at her) And none of them were…. They weren’t… They weren’t anything to me.

Kieran: (walking back over with Liam) then why cant you tell us what you were doing in that hotel room?

Molly: (Who has gone off in a trance) I have never seen so much blood…it was a slaughter…all of them…. (pause) I’ve seen people die before but never…never like that…. They have dignity. They don’t just massacre people like cattle….They kill people with…. With honor. (looking up at Kieran) Do you know the difference?

Kieran: Yes.

Molly: All of those men I had seen every day…. (shaking her head) I can’t believe it.

Liam: (slowly sitting down, and saying his words quietly) Who brought you to the meeting Molly?

Molly: Malloy, of course, no one else has that kind of pull.

Liam: Why did he bring you?

Molly: He brings me everywhere… (correcting herself) he brought me everywhere.

Liam: Why would he do that?

Molly: He wanted to keep an eye on me, I guess…

Liam: But he wasn’t your father…

Molly: No, not really.

Kieran: Not really?

Molly: No, we weren’t related.

Liam (exchanges a look with Kieran) I’m afraid I don’t understand.

Molly: (looking very tired) It’s a long story.

Kieran: We have all the time in the world.

Molly: Do you really?

Kieran: No, but I think we have enough time for you to clear things up for us.

Molly: (to Kieran) You won’t believe me.

Kieran: Yes, I will.

Molly: (pause) I was… payment.

Liam: Payment.

Molly: Yes.

Liam: For what?

Molly: A debt.

Kieran: Who’s.

Molly: (very softly) My fathers…

Kieran: (pause) What did he need the money for?

Molly: I have no idea. I didn’t even know about it until…. Until they came to collect.

Liam: How much money did he owe?

Molly: I have no idea, no one ever told me.

Kieran: Unbelievable.

Molly: I told you, you wouldn’t believe me.

Kieran: No, not you.

Liam: What happened when Malloy… it was Malloy wasn’t it?

Molly: Yes.

Liam: What happened when he came to collect?

Molly: My father couldn’t come up with the money. Malloy had always wanted a daughter, my father had four. I suppose Malloy figured it was a fair trade… I guess my father did too…

Liam: He probably didn’t have a choice.

Molly: (looking up fiercely) He helped hold me down while they signed the contract!

Kieran: What do-

(Molly pulls back her sleeve and slams her forearm down on the table.)

Liam: (after examining it a moment) Fucking shit, its on her fucking arm! They carved it into her fucking arm!

Molly: With the tip of a pocket knife. Malloy figured paper could be burned, tattoos could be removed, but scars… scars last forever.

Kieran: (reading off her arm)’Property of H. R. Malloy’…. There are initials-

Molly: My father’s. That was the last time he touched me. He didn’t even give me a hug goodbye.

Liam: Jesus-

Kieran: (indicating her wrist) What’s that scar there?

Molly: (pulling her sleeve back down) That’s where I tried to kill myself when I was fourteen. That’s probably why Malloy kept me close by, he didn’t want me to try it again.

Liam: Did Malloy… abuse you?

Molly: No, believe it or not he was pretty good to me. But why don’t you try living with the fact that your own father was able to put a numerical value on your life, and agreed with it enough to cut his initials into your arm (pause.) So there you go… now you know where I’m coming from and I know nothing. The story of my life.
(Silence)

Kieran: I thought you were an angel.
Liam: (both he and Molly looking at him.) What the hell are you on about?

Kieran: After we’d killed them all and the dust was settling and you seemed to come out of no where I thought… I thought you were an angel … sent to judge us or something. You looked so calm.

Molly: I was calm. The first thing I saw when I walked out was Malloy in his chair. Eyes wide open, so surprised. I knew at once he was dead and it was…. Liberating. (pause) Does that make me a bad person?

Kieran: Not in comparison to us for killing him.

Molly: He had it coming. They all did. Believe me.

Kieran: We know.

Molly: (pause) What day is it?

Liam: The fifth.

Molly: Huh.

Kieran: What?

Molly: It’s my eighteenth birthday. (pause) Could I get a sip of that beer?
(Kieran slides it over.)