Frankenstein, Episode 3, Death in the family"

Hello, I’m scientist Viktor Frankenstein - well, I used to be a scientist but I came to hate everything about my job. I was back in the town where I was born, Geneva, after six years at university in Germany. I was brought back by bad news in my father’s letter. I found him, and my sweet Elizabeth, very upset. My young brother William had been killed! How? By whom? The police were there too.

We’re doing everything we can to find who killed your son, Mr Alphonse Frankenstein.

Thank you, detective.

Miss Elizabeth, we’re sorry about what happened to the boy: we know you’re very close to the family.

Yes.

The marks of the killer’s fingers that we found on the boy’s neck were still fresh. The body was in the woods.

That’s horrible!

Calm down, my dear Elizabeth. Sir, we were having a family day out and my son William disappeared.

Very unfortunate, Mr Frankenstein. But we’ve just arrested a suspect.

A suspect?! Who killed my boy?

Well, we found a valuable locket with the boy’s mother’s picture in the pocket of one of the nanny’s dresses.

Justine?! It’s not possible!

I’m sorry, Miss Elizabeth. Justine hasn’t explained yet how it got there! Was it stolen?

But I know she’s innocent!

Elizabeth my dear, I want to believe that she’s innocent, but what about the locket?

Everyone believes Justine is guilty. I don’t. She loved William very much.

Yes, everyone believed Justine had killed William - everyone except Elizabeth and I. Why? Because I knew who the murderer was. On my journey back to Geneva, I saw a very large figure run over the hills and disappear. It was the Creature! It was the murderer! And now, what would happen to poor Justine? She went to trial.

Justine, you were out the whole night in which the child was killed, weren’t you?

I’ve already told the police and everybody else. I paid a visit to my auntie in the village. On my way back I heard people talking about a boy who went missing. It was William. I spent hours looking for him.

A woman from the market saw you near the place where the child’s body was found. What were you doing there?

I didn’t know I was near the place.

The woman asked you what you were doing there. She said you sounded confused.

Yes. I was tired and worried about William.

You went back to the Frankenstein family home in the morning and asked to be told any news about the boy.

Yes! I’ve just told you, I was worried about him!

Or maybe you felt guilty. When shown the body you started to scream!

Yes. It was horrible! Horrible!

And you stayed in your bed for several days. That’s when someone found this: the boy’s locket with a picture of his mother - yes, this very locket - in your dress pocket. How do you explain that?

I. I. I can’t explain!

Poor Justine! But I knew the monster had done something to make her look guilty. Our family was very rich and powerful. The crime was shocking. They had to find someone to blame quickly.

Silence! For the murder of the child William Frankenstein on May, the 7th, I sentence Justine Moritz to death!

Justine was innocent but she was executed anyway. I felt that I was guilty of two deaths because I had created the monster! I couldn’t eat. I couldn’t sleep. So I decided to take long walks in the mountains. That’s when I had an unexpected meeting. I’m going to tell you all about it next time.