The Cards Lied

by Rich Helms

One woman believed in spirits. One man trusted the earth. One girl sought the truth. And the cards — they lied.

“The Cards Lied” is a 30–minute historical murder mystery set in 1920 Bootle, England, just after The Great War. As men return and women are pushed out of the jobs they held during the war, many turn to spiritualism to stay connected to the loved ones they lost.

Three women once worked side-by-side...

One woman believed in spirits. One man trusted the earth. One girl sought the truth. And the cards — they lied.

“The Cards Lied” is a 30–minute historical murder mystery set in 1920 Bootle, England, just after The Great War. As men return and women are pushed out of the jobs they held during the war, many turn to spiritualism to stay connected to the loved ones they lost.

Three women once worked side-by-side at the Cunard Shell Works. Now one is dead; one reads the cards; and one supervised production. One daughter is left searching for the truth.

The Cards Lied is first of the Cunard Munitionettes, a cycle of plays exploring the lives of women who worked in Britain’s wartime munitions factories and the truths that followed them home.

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The Cards Lied

4 main characters and 2 small parts in the final scene
• Lottie Merton – Mystic – Woman 40 - Rose’s Aunt.
• Rose Clegg – 18 Woman – Mother just died.
• Martha Denby – Woman 40 – Supervised production at plant.
• Sam - Samuel “Sam” Carter – Black Man 45 – Parents were US freed slaves. His Mother trained him in rootwork.
• Dr. Hartley, village doctor – Man 45ish (final scene).
• Constable Briggs, local policeman – Man 30+ (final scene).