Summary
Act I
The first act begins at the countryside residence of Andrew Wyke, a renowned mystery author. He is immersed in writing his latest book when the doorbell interrupts him. At the door stands Milo Tindle, whom Andrew has invited over to discuss his wife, Marguerite.
Milo intends to marry Marguerite. However, Andrew doubts Milo's ability to maintain the extravagant lifestyle that Marguerite is used to. Despite this, Andrew himself has a mistress and is quite eager to have Marguerite out of his life. He suggests a scheme he has devised: Milo will "steal" some of Andrew's jewels and sell them overseas. This way, Milo will gain the funds needed to support Marguerite, and Andrew will be free of his opulent wife while also receiving a significant insurance payout.
Initially, Milo is wary of the plan. He fears being apprehended and suspects that Andrew might set him up for the robbery. Nonetheless, the temptation of the money proves too strong, and Milo agrees to go along with it.
Andrew insists that Milo must genuinely "break in" to make the theft appear authentic. He also suggests that Milo wear a disguise. After rummaging through a hamper of costumes, Milo ends up dressed as a clown.
Following Andrew's instructions, Milo heads to the shed where a ladder has been left for him. He uses it to climb into the upstairs gallery through a window. Although Milo wants to go directly to the safe, Andrew insists he must first make a mess to give the impression of searching for the jewels. Andrew then guides Milo to the safe, blows it open, and hands him a jewel box. To further the illusion of a real burglary, Andrew insists they stage a scene where he catches the thief and they scuffle. This way, he can give the police a misleading description of the intruder. They proceed to toss items around and engage in a mock struggle. Andrew retrieves a gun from his desk drawer for Milo to use in pretending to hold Andrew at bay. Andrew fires the gun at various objects and then aims it at Milo while restraining him. With the gun still pointed, Andrew announces his intention to kill Milo, stating that the evening has been a game leading to this moment—a game where he kills Milo without raising suspicion. Despite Milo's attempts to dissuade him, Andrew is undeterred, pulls the trigger, and Milo tumbles down the stairs, lying motionless.
Act 2
Act 2 unfolds two days later. Andrew is at home when the doorbell rings,
admitting Inspector Doppler from the Constable's office. Doppler is looking
into the disappearance of Milo Tindle. Andrew claims he met Milo a few months
back, but Doppler informs him that Milo had mentioned visiting Andrew two
nights prior. An eyewitness reported seeing a struggle outside Andrew's house
that night, along with hearing three gunshots. Doppler also found a note at
Milo's residence that Andrew had sent him.
Realizing he's cornered, Andrew admits that he and Milo were engaged in a game
called Burglary. He tells Doppler that Milo left around 9:30 that night and
hasn't been seen since, insisting he only wanted to teach Milo a lesson. Andrew
recounts the events as they occurred in Act 1, adding that he shot Milo with a
blank round. Milo was so frightened that he fainted but regained consciousness
a few minutes later and went home.
Doppler is skeptical of Andrew's story and begins to inspect the area. He discovers bullet holes in the wall, and at the spot where Andrew claims to have shot Milo with the blank,...
(This entire section contains 1154 words.)
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there is blood. Looking out the window, Doppler questions the mound of earth in the garden, which Andrew hadn't noticed before. Doppler suggests they will dig up the garden and likely find Milo's body. He also finds a jacket belonging to Milo in the wardrobe, despite Andrew's claim that Milo changed back into his own clothes before leaving.
Doppler theorizes that the third bullet was actually live, and when Andrew realized he had killed Milo, he panicked and buried him in the garden. He plans to take Andrew to the station. Just as Andrew is horrified at the thought of prison, Doppler reveals his true identity: he is Milo.
Milo devised this scheme to get back at Andrew for frightening him. He had snuck into the house earlier to stage the "crime" scene. Andrew insists he hoped Milo wasn't upset days earlier, as he just wanted to see if Milo was someone who enjoyed games. Milo, however, states he wasn't playing a game; he wanted revenge. Yet, he feels his revenge wasn't sufficient, as he was terrified of death while Andrew only faced the prospect of prison. To even the score in their "game," Milo tells Andrew he killed Andrew's girlfriend, Tea. He claims Tea visited the day before, surprised him, they slept together, and then he killed her. According to Milo, it's her body buried in the garden.
Now, Andrew finds himself in another game—the task of uncovering the clues Milo has set up to incriminate him for the murder. He must accomplish this within the next ten minutes because Milo has already alerted the police. In a state of panic, Andrew tries to reach Tea by calling her house, only to discover she is not there. Following Milo's trail, he searches for evidence against himself and discovers a bracelet he gave Tea, along with one of her shoes. As the doorbell rings, signaling the arrival of the police, Andrew is still frantically looking for the murder weapon. Milo goes to answer the door just as Andrew finds the golden cord used to strangle Tea hidden inside the grandfather clock. Andrew hears what seems to be Milo conversing with two police officers, but it's another trick. Milo is merely imitating their voices; there are no officers present.
Milo returns to Andrew and reveals that Tea had visited and agreed to participate in the game. Milo then heads off to fetch Marguerite's fur coat. Andrew asks Milo to stay with him, noting that they are equally skilled game players, and he desires companionship. Milo declines, leaving Andrew feeling humiliated until he devises another plan. He retrieves a gun from the desk and begins narrating to an imaginary police inspector, explaining that he caught a man with his wife's fur coat and shot him dead. When Milo comes back, he informs Andrew that this plan won't succeed.
Milo recounts how he went to the police station to report the events of Friday, realizing they would not take action, prompting him to seek revenge on his own. Andrew does not trust Milo and declares his intent to shoot him, this time with real bullets. As Milo attempts to leave, Andrew shoots him fatally. As Milo succumbs to his wounds, a police car arrives in the driveway, and persistent knocking on the door is heard as the curtain falls.