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EXT. COURTYARD - COLLEGE - DAY
Claudia is sitting on a bench, writing on a legal pad,
referring to a book on her lap from time to time. She
doesn't notice Josh walk up.
JOSH
Getting that profile done?
Claudia jumps slightly, but when she sees him, her face
brightens.
CLAUDIA
Among other things.
JOSH
Too much homework?
CLAUDIA
Not enough hours in the day.
JOSH
I know the feeling.
A moment of awkward silence.
JOSH (cont'd)
That new movie 'Fatal Jury' is coming out
this weekend.
CLAUDIA
I know. I really want to see it.
JOSH
I heard. I got some tickets to a sneak
preview tomorrow. It wouldn't be a date
or anything, I just knew you wanted to
see it...
CLAUDIA
I'd love to go.
JOSH
I'm not trying to step on Brian's toes or
anything...
CLAUDIA
He'll understand.
JOSH
Great. Well...I'll see you in class.
He walks away with a final wave. Both of them have glowing
smiles on their faces.
INT. HOMICIDE DIVISION - POLICE STATION
One section of the office is devoted entirely to Gabriel.
Pictures of the murder scenes are plastered everywhere.
Wes, Kemper, and other assorted agents and detectives are
doing busy work. Wes notices Mitch first and looks guilty.
WES
Mitch. What are you doing here?
Kemper sees him and smiles.
KEMPER
Well, well. Mitch. Been holding out on
us I hear.
Mitch turns to Wes.
WES
I'm sorry.
Mitch smiles an apology.
MITCH
I shouldn't have put you in that
position.
KEMPER
What do you have to say for yourself?
MITCH
I was protecting Gabriel from you.
KEMPER
What? I'm not the one out there killing
people!
MITCH
You might as well be. Now listen. I'm
willing to tell you everything I know and
draw up a profile for you on one
condition.
KEMPER
You're in no position to demand anything.
MITCH
Cut the shit Kemper. Now either you want
to catch this guy or you don't. I'm a
direct link and the best chance you've
got.
KEMPER
What do you want?
MITCH
I get to talk to this guy before an
arrest is made. He came to me for help,
and I believe I can. I run the show.
Got it?
WES
Are you all right to be doing this?
MITCH
I'm fine. Now Kemper? Do we have a
deal?
Kemper considers the offer, then reluctantly nods his head.
KEMPER
Now hear my condition. No one is put in
harm's way. That includes you. First
sign of danger and the deal's off.
MITCH
Done. Gabriel has informed me that there
is another murder at the Lexington Inn.
KEMPER
You're walking a dangerous line Mitch.
The office comes alive as cops head for the door.
EXT. LEXINGTON INN - DAY
The rain continues to fall. The outside of the hotel is a
mess of police cars. The curtain from the murder victim's
room blows in the wind.
INT. HOTEL ROOM - LEXINGTON INN
Mitch, Wes, and Kemper step inside the room. Larry is tied
to a chair facing the bed, slumped over. Blood is all over
his chest and on the floor.
Jenny is tied to the bed, her throat cut as well. She has
bruises on her face and dried blood around her swollen nose.
Forensic teams and Detectives are all around the scene
looking for evidence. Wes calls out to one.
WES
Hey Frank. Are the eyes like the others?
The Detective nods and resumes his work. Mitch turns to Wes
and Kemper.
MITCH
I need to be alone in here.
WES
Why?
KEMPER
That's how he works. How he comes up
with his profiles.
WES
Okay.
(calls to everybody)
All right, everybody out!
They all groan and mutter under their breath.
WES (cont'd)
Come on! Take a smoke break or
somethin'. We just need a couple of
minutes.
In a few moments , the room is empty except for the three
men.
WES (cont'd)
Take your time Mitch.
He and Kemper leave the room, shutting the door behind them.
Mitch is alone with the two victims.
MITCH
Well, well. Alone at last.
He walks around the room, inspecting it carefully. He
notices a blood stain on the wall and looks back at Jenny's
body. He is lost in deep thought and talks softly to
himself.
MITCH (cont'd)
What do you have to tell me? C'mon
Gabriel, talk to me.
As he makes his way around the room, he can actually see the
murders in his mind. It is told through QUICK FLASHES.
JENNY GETS SLAMMED AGAINST THE WALL.
Mitch looks at Larry's body.
LARRY SCREAMS AS GABRIEL TIES HIM TO THE CHAIR.
Mitch shudders and walks to Jenny's body.
JENNY IS TIED TO THE BED AND GETTING HIT ACROSS THE FACE.
Mitch focuses on Jenny's neck wound.
GABRIEL'S KNIFE QUICKLY SLASHES ACROSS JENNY'S THROAT.
Mitch looks back to Larry's neck.
QUICK KNIFE SLASH ACROSS LARRY'S NECK.
Mitch closes his eyes, trying to block the horrifying images
out.
A KNIFE GOES CLOSER AND CLOSER TO JENNY'S EYE.
Mitch shakes off the images and opens his eyes, breathing
heavily and sweating.
INT. HALLWAY - LEXINGTON INN
Kemper and Wes stand outside the room, bored and not talking.
The door to the room opens, and Mitch hurries out.
MITCH
I know why he switches the eyes.
INT. HALLWAY - OUTSIDE MITCH'S OFFICE - DAY
Laura walks down the hall, looking very distracted. She
hears a knocking and focuses on Claudia, who is knocking on
the door looking very upset. Her knocking becomes frenzied
until she sees Laura.
LAURA
Can I help you?
Claudia is startled and backs away from her.
LAURA (cont'd)
It's all right. I'm a friend of Mitch's.
CLAUDIA
Do you know where he is?
LAURA
No, I don't.
CLAUDIA
I really need to talk to him.
LAURA
You and me both. Listen, why don't you
let me buy you a cup of coffee and we'll
talk, okay? We better have decaf though.
Claudia manages a weak smile.
CLAUDIA
Okay.
INT. HOMICIDE DIVISION - POLICE STATION
A group of Cops, including Kemper and Wes, gather around
Mitch, who stands near all the murder photos hanging on the
wall.
MITCH
You're looking for a male, early to late
twenties; he's tall, powerfully built,
but I imagine he tries to hide his
strength from the general public. In
other words, he's not a show off. We
know from the previous murders that he
like to kill males and their escorts. I
assume you have the escort services
staked out already?
KEMPER
Yeah, we got that covered.
MITCH
You're gonna have to you put your best
men out there. His methods indicate
thoughtfulness and planning. Our guy
either used to be in law enforcement or
tried to become a police officer at some
point. He's gonna be looking for
shadows. First of all this is a ritual
killing. It is a fantasy, but not in the
general sense. He doesn't get any sexual
pleasure out of killing. These murders
are done purely out of revenge and rage.
Gabriel switching the eyes put it all
together for me. He takes out both sets
of eyes, and switches them, taking the
time to clean the bodies to make it not
that noticeable. He wanted us to be
shocked and surprised by it. The eyes
are his message.
WES
What the hell does it mean?
Mitch points to five photographs, all of different sets of
victims, each showing a broad picture of the murder scene.
MITCH
You see how Gabriel set up the murder
scene each time? He had the man and the
escort facing each other.
Mitch scans through a file quickly to check a reference for
his next statement.
MITCH (cont'd)
All the men who were murdered were
married. Gabriel switched the eyes so
the two people could see what they were
doing to each other.
A Cop has a dazed expression on his face.
COP
Huh?
MITCH
Don't you see the message? He put the
escort's eyes in the man so she could see
herself for the dirty slut and
homewrecker that she was.
COP
That's a pretty fuckin' rude thing to
say.
MITCH
I'm not saying it. That's what's going
through the killer's head. Then Gabriel
puts the man's eyes into the escort so he
can see himself cheating on his wife.
Whoever Gabriel is, came from a broken
home, and I'm willing to bet, his father
cheated on his mother frequently, and he
knew about it. But something else more
tragic and severe had to happen before
the murderous impulses began. Also,
Gabriel puts the blame for his hatred on
the escorts.
KEMPER
How do you know?
MITCH
More of Gabriel's rage seems focused on
the woman. She was more savagely beaten.
The killer will be driving some sort of
car that resembles a police unit. Also,
this guy will be social, but very limited
in the relationships he can have. That's
all I can tell you right now. Any
questions?
There is no response, so Wes stands up to address them.
WES
Okay guys, back to work.
The group gets up and goes back to their work stations. Wes
walks up to Mitch.
WES (cont'd)
Why'd you ever quit the FBI? You're
pretty good at this.
MITCH
That was the problem.
EXT. COFFEE SHOP - DAY
Laura and Claudia are sitting at one of the outside tables.
Claudia seems very nervous and distracted, but she had calmed
down. She takes a sip of coffee and it relaxes her a bit.
CLAUDIA
I needed this.
LAURA
Never underestimate the power of coffee.
This makes Claudia smile and warm up to her a little more.
LAURA (cont'd)
You're a very pretty girl when you smile.
CLAUDIA
Thanks.
A tear falls from her eye.
LAURA
What's wrong?
CLAUDIA
I just don't know what to do. My
boyfriend Brian, he can be so sweet...
LAURA
But...
CLAUDIA
Other times I feel like his puppet.
LAURA
He doesn't...hurt you or anything does
he?
CLAUDIA
No, nothing like that. I just feel like
I can't do anything without him knowing
about it.
LAURA
He sounds very controlling. It's doesn't
sound like a very healthy relationship.
CLAUDIA
I know. And well....there's this other
guy...
LAURA
Ah, I see. Someone else on the horizon.
CLAUDIA
Well, maybe. He's a little weird, but
Josh is really nice. I caught him taking
pictures of me once.
LAURA
I assume Brian doesn't like that very
much.
CLAUDIA
Not at all. I know Brian's not right for
me, but he's the only boyfriend I've ever
had.
LAURA
I find that hard to believe.
CLAUDIA
I didn't date much in high school. Not
at all really. God, I just don't
understand all this.
LAURA
(sarcastically)
Me either honey. I've been dealing with
men for a long time, and I still don't
have a clue.
Claudia laughs. Laura raises her coffee mug in a toast.
LAURA (cont'd)
To men. They say we're the ones with all
the mystery, but who could understand all
their primitive ways? Don't worry
Claudia, you'll find what you're looking
for.
They each take another drink.
LAURA (cont'd)
Man, I could use some cognac in this.
Both women smile warmly at each other.
INT. LECTURE HALL - COLLEGE
Mitch's class is waiting patiently. Mitch bursts in and
hastily sets his briefcase on the desk.
MITCH
Sorry I'm late guys. I'm not gonna keep
you very long today. By the way, thank
you for all the cards. I appreciate
that.
Mitch's voice fades out as he talks about the rough draft
that is due next class. Josh looks over at Claudia, who is
sitting by Brian. He smiles at her and she smiles back.
Brian focuses on Josh with daggers in his eyes, and finally
Josh looks away.
MITCH (cont'd)
...and that's all for now. If there are
no questions....okay. Good luck on your
rough drafts.
The class gets up to leave. Josh walks up to Mitch.
JOSH
I'm not gonna be able to make it to class
next time, but I'll turn in the rough
draft before then. Watch your mailbox.
Mitch nods and Josh walks out, but not before Brian pushes
past him with his shoulder. Mitch notices this.
INT. OUTER ROOM - MITCH'S OFFICE
Mitch walks in and Janice smiles warmly at him.
JANICE
Mitch! I'm glad you made it.
MITCH
Thanks for sending the flowers. It meant
a lot. Where's my ashtray?
JANICE
Oh Mitch, no.
MITCH
This hasn't been a very good week for me.
JANICE
Please don't. You've been such an
inspiration to me.
MITCH
Did you quit?
JANICE
No, but I'm going to.
MITCH
Give me the ashtray.
Janice reluctantly pulls the ashtray out of her desk and
hands it to him.
INT. MITCH'S OFFICE
Mitch sits at his desk and lights up a cigarette. He inhales
deeply and leans back in his chair. He notices something
peculiar on the far end of the desk.
He leans over and is surprised to see another letter from
Gabriel. He opens it quickly and it reads: I WILL CONTACT
YOU SOON ABOUT MEETING.
Mitch runs back into:
INT. OUTER ROOM - MITCH'S OFFICE
He walks up to Janice and waves the letter in front of her.
MITCH
Where did this come from?
JANICE
I dunno. The mail?
MITCH
This was hand delivered. How did it get
here?
Janice is nervous over Mitch's imposing tone.
JANICE
I have no idea. I guess someone could've
brought it when I went outside.
MITCH
Jesus!
JANICE
You told me not to smoke in here anymore,
so I just went outside for a few minutes.
MITCH
From now on when you go outside, you lock
the office up. Understand?
Janice nods and looks like she's about to cry. He walks out.
Janice lights up a cigarette, wiping a tear from her eye.
JANICE
I guess he does need those goddamn
cigarettes.
EXT. COURTYARD - COLLEGE - DAY
Mitch walks outside towards his car. He sees Claudia heading
towards the main building.
He then notices someone behind a tree, taking pictures of
her. The camera comes down and now he can see that it's
Josh.
Mitch walks over towards him, but Josh spots him and hurries
away, out of sight.
INT. KITCHEN - MITCH'S HOUSE - DAY
Mitch is eating a sandwich at the table. He moves aside a
piece of paper and sees the list that Anna left for him. He
wipes tears from his eyes.
He picks up a picture of Anna that's on the counter and looks
at it sadly. The phone rings, startling him. He picks it
up.
MITCH
Hello?
GABRIEL
Hello Mitch.
MITCH
I think it's time to stop playing games.
GABRIEL
I'm not playing games.
MITCH
Then what are you doing? Either you want
my help or you don't. Which is it?
GABRIEL
You sound troubled.
MITCH
Stop the bullshit! Now either let me try
to help you, or leave me alone!
There is a moment of silence.
GABRIEL
Check your E-mail tonight.
Gabriel hangs up. Mitch throws the phone across the room.
EXT. COURTYARD - COLLEGE - DAY
Mitch walks across the courtyard when he sees Brian and
Claudia. They both look upset. Mitch hears part of the
conversation.
BRIAN
What the hell Claudia? Everything was
fine yesterday and then suddenly you're
dumping me?
CLAUDIA
I'm sorry. It's not you. It's me.
BRIAN
That's what they all say! It's Josh,
isn't it? You like him.
CLAUDIA
No, that's not it.
BRIAN
Don't lie to me! I see you looking at
him. It's just like a woman. Go for the
new deal when the old doesn't look as
good.
CLAUDIA
No Brian.
BRIAN
I see how it is. Don't worry Claudia,
you'll want me back. I promise you that.
He walks away from her right past Mitch. He gives him an
ugly gaze. Mitch looks to Claudia, who runs off another way.
INT. WES' CAR - OUTSIDE ESCORT SERVICE - NIGHT
Mitch and Wes sit in the dark watching the escort service.
The streets are quiet.
WES
You know, we should just arrest everybody
that comes outta there.
MITCH
It'd keep 'em safe.
WES
Everybody knows it's really a
prostitution ring.
MITCH
How does that work anyway?
WES
It's strictly on a volunteer basis. The
client pays for the escort, and that's
all the girl is obligated for. It's her
choice whether or not she has sex. But
they all do. You see they give half of
their escort fee to the owner. But
whatever they make in tips is their's to
keep. How do you think they afford those
fur coats?
MITCH
How do you know all this?
WES
Field work.
They both laugh.
WES (cont'd)
Thanks for coming along tonight. I
couldn't stay awake by myself.
MITCH
No problem. I've been thinking about
that letter I got today.
WES
Sounds pretty spooky to me.
MITCH
I think Gabriel might be a student.
WES
Really? Can serial killers really be
that social?
MITCH
Bundy was. Man, I'm hungry. You got
anything to eat?
WES
Donuts in the back.
Mitch reaches back and gets a donut bag.
WES (cont'd)
You have any possibles?
MITCH
A kid named Josh. I caught him spying
and taking pictures of a girl in my
class. I dunno though.
He takes a bite of the donut. Wes sees a MAN and his ESCORT
walk out of the escort service.
WES
Anything other than that?
MITCH
Well, he's kind of withdrawn. That would
fit the profile, but I could be wrong.
Jesus! These donuts are stale as hell!
How long have they been back there?
WES
A week or so.
Wes spots a dark FIGURE following the Man and Escort down the
street.
WES (cont'd)
Shit, we could have him!
Mitch looks out the window and sees the Figure carefully
shadowing the couple.
MITCH
Just take it easy. We don't want to give
ourselves away.
The Figure suddenly stops and turns around.
WES
Can you see a face?
MITCH
No. He's wearing some kind of mask.
The Figure turns on a flashlight and shines it right into
their car. Both men react to the bright beam of light.
WES
Smart little fucker.
They get out of the car and give chase to the Figure who runs
off down an alley.
EXT. ALLEY - NIGHT
The Figure is running very fast. Mitch and Wes are keeping
steady pace.
The Figure reaches a high fence and gracefully climbs, then
vaults over. It takes a little more time for Mitch and Wes
to get over it.
They run into:
EXT. STREET - NIGHT
Mitch and Wes burst out of the alley and look down the
deserted streets. The Figure has vanished.
WES
Dammit!
INT. JOSH'S DORM ROOM - NIGHT
Josh is sitting on his bed, reading. His window is open, and
beyond that, a fire escape. There is a knock on the door.
Josh opens the door and a pretty GIRL is there. She smiles
sweetly at him.
GIRL
Hi. Are you Josh?
Josh is awestruck by her beauty and by the fact that she is
talking to him. He manages to nod.
GIRL (cont'd)
Good. Then I'm at the right place.
The Girl closes the door behind her and Josh nervously steps
back.
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