Six Degrees of Separation

Kitty and Larkin appear on stage and report that they had been leaving a roller disco when they “saw a body on the street” (92). A young man had “jumped from above” (92) and died on the pavement.

The stage fades to darkness before lighting up Ouisa, Flan, Elizabeth, and the Detective. Elizabeth says, “He took our money. He took my life. Rick’s dead! You bet your life I’ll press charges” (93), and it becomes apparent that the young man who committed suicide was Rick. The detective tells Ouisa and Flan to find Paul as they now “have a case” (93).

The detective and Elizabeth leave and Ouisa and Flan begin dressing to go to “a black-tie auction—Sotheby’s” (95), well prepared to spend “[w]ell over twenty-five million” (94) on a Henri Matisse painting. Ouisa is on the phone to Tess, who claims that she is going to get married and go to Afghanistan, when Paul calls on another line. Ouisa puts her daughter on hold to speak to him and he reports that he “saw the story in the paper. I didn’t know the boy killed himself” (97).

Ouisa tells Paul, “You have to turn yourself in” (97) because, “You need help” (98).