Night of January 16th
Ayn Rand
 The plot centers on a trial to decide whether Bjorn Faulkner has been murdered by his secretary, Karen Andre. Prior to the start of the play, Faulkner had been a prominent businessman who swindled millions of dollars to invest in the gold trade. In the wake of a crash, he had faced bankruptcy despite his access to funds from John Graham Whitfield, a prominent banker whose daughter, Nancy Lee, had married Faulkner. On the night of January 16, Faulkner and Andre were in the penthouse at the top of the Faulkner Building in New York, when Faulkner fell to his death. The play takes place entirely in the courtroom. Although his death is the focus of the trial, Faulkner himself is never seen during the show. Within the three acts of the play, the prosecutor (Mr. Flint) and Andre's defense attorney (Mr. Stevens) call upon a number of witnesses whose testimonies build conflicting stories. The first act begins with the judge asking the court clerk to call jurors from the audience. Once the jurors are seated, the prosecution argument begins. Flint explains that Andre was not just Faulkner's secretary, but also his lover. He says Faulkner jilted her in favor of marrying Nancy Lee Whitfield, and then fired her as his secretary, motivating her to murder him. He then calls a series of witnesses, starting with the medical examiner, who testifies that the body was so damaged by the fall that it was impossible to determine whether Faulkner was killed by the impact or already dead. An elderly night watchman describes the events he saw that evening. Next is a private investigator who was hired by Nancy Lee Faulkner to follow her husband since the day after their marriage. A police inspector describes the scene immediately after Faulkner's fall and finding a suicide note. Faulkner's very religious housekeeper disapprovingly describes the sexual relationship between Andre and Faulkner, and says she saw Andre with another man after Faulkner's marriage. Faulkner's widow, Nancy Lee Faulkner, testifies about their courtship and marriage, portraying both as idyllic. The act ends with Andre speaking out of turn to accuse Nancy Lee of lying. The second act continues the prosecution's case, with Flint calling John Graham Whitfield, Faulkner's father-in-law and president of Whitfield National Bank. He testifies about a large loan he made to Faulkner. In his cross-examination, defense attorney Stevens suggests the loan was used to buy Faulkner's marriage to Whitfield's daughter. After this testimony the prosecution rests, and the defense argument begins. A handwriting expert testifies about the signature on the suicide note. Faulkner's bookkeeper describes events between Andre's firing and the night of Faulkner's death, as well as related financial matters. Then Andre takes the stand in her own defense. She describes her relationship with Faulkner, as both his lover and his partner in financial fraud. She says she did not resent Faulkner's marriage to Nancy Lee, because it was a business deal to secure credit from the Whitfield Bank. As she starts to explain why Faulkner would have committed suicide, her testimony is interrupted by the arrival of Larry "Guts" Regan, an infamous gangster. He tells Andre that Faulkner is dead. Despite the fact that she is on trial for Faulkner's murder, Andre is shocked by this news and faints, ending the act. The third and final act continues Andre's testimony, but her attitude has changed from defiant to somber. She says that she, Faulkner and Regan had conspired to fake Faulkner's suicide so they could escape with money stolen from Whitfield. Regan, who was also in love with Andre, provided the stolen body of one of his already-dead gang associates to throw off the building. In his cross-examination, Flint suggests she and Regan were using her knowledge of past criminal activities to blackmail Faulkner. Stevens then calls Regan to testify. He explains that he was to meet Faulkner at a getaway plane after they left the stolen body with Andre, but Faulkner did not show up and the plane was missing. Instead, Regan encountered Whitfield, who gave him a check that Regan says was to buy his silence. Later Regan found the missing plane, burned with what he presumes is Faulkner's body inside. Flint's cross-examination offers the alternative theory that Regan put the stolen body in the plane to create doubt about Andre's guilt, and the check from Whitfield was protection money to Regan's gang. Finally, Stevens recalls Whitfield and Faulkner's bookkeeper to follow up on issues from Regan's testimony. Then the defense and prosecution give their closing arguments. The jury is sent off for a few minutes to vote, while the characters repeat highlights from their testimony under a spotlight. The jury then returns to announce their verdict. One of two short alternative endings follows. If found not guilty, Andre thanks the jury. If found guilty, she says they have spared her from committing suicide. In the amateur version, after either verdict the judge berates the jurors for their bad judgment and declares that they cannot serve again.