Face the Music

I

Sharon Holmes was at home late on Saturday morning while her husband, Elliot, was playing tennis. She liked the chance to spend a few quiet hours alone. She was enjoying the newspaper over her morning coffee when there was a knock at the door. “Oh, great, ” she sighed unhappily.

She opened the door and saw a short, middle-aged woman. At first, Sharon didn’t recognize her, but after a few seconds she realized that she was the Xenrovian woman from the apartment building next door.

“I’m sorry to bother you, ” the woman apologized. “You’re Sharon Holmes, the detective, aren’t you? ” “Yes, ” Sharon said.

The woman introduced herself as Maggie Consuelo Wong. She said that she needed Sharon’s help. She spoke very loudly. Sharon asked her to come in. She poured Maggie a cup of coffee, and they both sat down.

“About an hour ago, ” Maggie said, “I got home from the store. My living room window was broken, and my living room was a mess.”

“Do you mean that someone robbed you? ” Sharon asked.

“Pardon? ” Maggie said. “You’ll have to excuse me. I have a problem with one ear.” “Oh, I see.” Sharon was careful to speak louder. “Did someone rob you? ”

“No. Nobody stole anything – not my jewelry or the TV or anything. They just smashed my stereo into about a hundred pieces. When I realized that nobody was hiding in my apartment, I told myself to calm down. Then I just stood there and thought, “Oh, terrific. Now I won’t have any music until I buy a new stereo. That’s just swell.” “How strange! ” Sharon said. “Yes, ” Maggie agreed.

Sharon thought for a moment. Then she said, “If nothing was stolen, the person must not be a thief. But why did he – or she – do it?

Maggie shrugged. “Perhaps the person was simply angry with me.”

“Do you have any enemies? ” Sharon asked.

The woman shook her head and said that she didn’t think so. She told Sharon that she was new in the city and didn’t really know anyone; therefore, she couldn’t know anyone who hated her.

“How long have you lived in that building? ” Sharon asked. “About a month.” Sharon asked Maggie to tell her about her neighbours.

“I know three neighbours: the manager, Mr. Bean; Mr. Ellison, a mechanic; and Mrs. Atwood, a young widow.”

a) Can you figure it out? Discuss the following questions:

1 What had someone done to Maggie Wong’s stereo? How did the person get into her apartment?

2 What country was Maggie from? Why didn’t she have friends in the city?

3 What three people did she know?

4 Why did Sharon need to speak loudly?

5 In her opinion, why might someone have wanted to break the stereo?

II

Sharon asked Maggie Wong to tell her more about these three neighbours. “Do you get along with them? ” Sharon asked. Maggie hesitated a moment. “Well, sort of.” Sharon was curious. “What do you mean? ”

“I don’t get along well with them, but we don’t get along badly, either, ” Maggie explained. “Mr. Bean lives downstairs, in the manager’s apartment, of course. It’s on the other side of the building, so I almost never see him.”

Sharon’s ears were beginning to hurt because Maggie’s voice was so loud. “And the other neighbours? ” Sharon asked.

“Well, unfortunately, I’ve had a few problems with Mr. Ellison. Although I kept an eye on his cat for a few days while he took a short cruise, he’s been rude to me several times, ” Maggie said.

“How has he been impolite? ”

“Once, he said to turn down my music. Another time, he knocked loudly on my living room wall; I don’t know why.”

Maggie suddenly snapped her fingers. “Of course! That’s it! It’s very clear! ” she said. “Mr. Ellison obviously hates music. Maybe he broke into my apartment and smashed my stereo.”

“It’s very possible, ” Sharon said. “but tell me about Mrs. Atwood. have you had any problems with her? ”

“Oh, no, ” Maggie said. “She’s very different from Mr. Ellison. She’s a lovely person, and she enjoys music.”

“How do you know this? ” Sharon asked.

“She’s often told me so, ” Maggie answered. “She has often said, ‘Your music is just terrific at 5: 00 A.M. on a Saturday morning.’ And only two days ago she said, ‘I really needed that music coming through my wall at midnight last night.’ You see, the poor woman is depressed a lot, so music probably helps to cheer her up.”

“I see, ” Sharon said. “I have one more question. Do you think that you can trust these people? ”

Maggie put one hand to her ear and asked Sharon to repeat her question. Sharon spoke louder. “You’ve said that you don’t often see Mr. Bean. You explained that Mr. Ellison is rude but Mrs. Atwood is polite. My question is this: Can you trust them? I mean, are they honest? ”

“Oh, yes, ” said Maggie. “I’m sure that I can trust them all. Even Mr. Ellison is honest… rude, but honest. No, they’ve never lied to me. I think I like the directness of Americans.”

Sharon smiled. “Now I can tell you who smashed your stereo.”

Maggie Consuelo Wong brightened up. “Really? Wonderful! If you can solve this mystery for me, I’ll invite you over for a big dinner. I’ll prepare my most special Xenrovian recipes.” Sharon smiled.

“And you can listen to a concert on my new stereo! ” Maggie added with enthusiasm. “That’s exactly what I need, ” Sharon thought miserably, but she didn’t say anything.

a) Analysis: Find three commands in the second half of the story thathave an infinitive after said, told, or asked. Did any of these speakers say “please”?

b) Answer these questions and then do the role-play of the situation based on the story:

1 Why did Sharon’s ears hurt?

2 Maggie said, “Mr. Ellison has been rude to me several times.” In her opinion, how was he rude?

3 Maggie said that Mrs. Atwood was very different from Mr. Ellison. In what way was she different?

4 What does Maggie like about Americans?

c) Can you solve the mystery? Use the cultural note.

1 Mr. Ellison told Maggie to turn down her music. Do you think Maggie really played her stereo too loudly? Why do you think this?

2 Maggie thought that she could trust both of her neighbours. What do you think?

3 Who broke into Maggie’s apartment and broke her stereo?

5 How did Sharon know this?

6 What are some common disagreements that people might have with their neighbours?

7 What do you think is a good way to tell a neighbour to be more quiet?

8 Have you ever had any problems with neighbours? If so, how did you handle them?