Horrorscope Murder's By S Donnini With L Mccauley

“HorrorScope” Murder under a bad sign. by Steven Donnini and Lana McCauley

(PRODUCTION BOOK)

The "HorrorScope" is the tale of two brothers Lenny and Richie Ruth, who had frightening and tragic lives. TRUE. Lenny at the age of 6 was burned with gasoline over 75% of his body. TRUE. His hospital photographs were sold as a cover story to the National Enquirer by his mother. TRUE. A young woman was crucified, nail to a citrus tree by Richie. Which one of the brothers became a death row inmate, waiting to end his life in Florida's "Old Sparky"? Were they born under bad signs?

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FADE IN EXTERIOR NIGHT: MOTORCYCLES RUNNING UP RT 441 TOWARD MT. DORA. THEY ARE A CHAPTER RIGHT OUT OF THE “OUTLAWS McGANG.” MUSIC UP: TURN YOUR LIGHTS ON BY CARLOS SANTANA. Hey now, all you sinners Put your lights on, put your lights on Hey now, all you lovers Put your lights on, put your lights on Hey now, all you killers Put your lights on, put your lights on Hey now, all you children Leave your lights on, you better leave your lights on Cause there’s a monster living under my bed Whispering in my ear There's an angel, with a hand on my head She say I’ve got nothing to fear There’s a darkness deep in my soul I still got a purpose to serve So let your light shine, into my hole God, don’t let me lose my nerve Lose my nerve Hey now, hey now, hey now, hey now Woo oh hey now, hey now, hey now, hey now Hey now, all you sinners Put your lights on, put your lights on Hey now, all you children Leave your lights on, you better leave your lights on

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Because there’s a monster living under my bed Whispering in my ear There's an angel, with a hand on my head She say I’ve got nothing to fear She say La ill aha ill allah We all shine like stars La ill aha ill allah We all shine like stars Then we fade away EXTERIOR NIGHT: MT.DORA ORANGE GROVES. THE STARS AND GALAXYS TURN ABOVE IN THE CLEAR NIGHT SKY. WOMAN VO: The constellations hold many secrets. For thousands of years people have looked to the stars for answers to life’s most puzzling questions. The Horoscope can illustrate the tendency for love, wealth, happiness, or the dark side of worry, fear and death. At birth, the planets set the stage for a lifetime. Here, no one is created equal and Evil is one of the many possibilities. INTERIOR: FLORIDA, STATE PRISON ELECTROCUTION ROOM. A reluctant death row inmate is strapped into the electric chair. His neck, arms, hands and legs are strapped to the chair by uniformed guards. A crown of steel with wet sponges is placed on his shaved head. Electrodes are attached to the crown and temples of his head with steel screws. A leather hood is pulled down over his face. The warden watches a large clock on the wall as it ticks down to midnight. Then the switch is thrown and 2 thousand volts of electricity flows through the man’s head to his feet. Blood flows out from behind the leather mask, dripping down his neck and splatters off his quivering chin to the walls and floor. The electricity flows through the man’s brain, with wisps of smoke leaking out through the mask and into the room. The electricity continues to flow through his body until 120 seconds after midnight. The

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electricity is shut off while a doctor checks for signs of life. Then, electricity is turned on again for 30 seconds just to make sure the execution was successful. INTERIOR: EXECUTION VIEWING GALLERY. The execution viewing gallery is filled with the victim’s family and media reporters. They are watching the execution as 2,000 volts of electricity runs through the condemned man’s head. We can hear what each person is thinking as the execution continues. REPORTER (Talking to himself while writing on a note pad.) The executions in “OLD SPARKY,” Florida electric chair, were violent that it set off a shock wave that rippled around the world. The Florida Supreme Court ruled, yet again, that execution by electrocution is not unconstitutional. MOTHER (Talking to herself) I hope you can feel everything, you dirty, rotten, bastard! REPORTER (Talking to himself while writing on a note pad.) One Florida woman, in an email to the court, described the photographs as “wonderful.” SISTER (Talking to herself.) Die you son of a bitch, die! BROTHER (Talking to himself.) Jesus! Look at the smoke coming out of his head!

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REPORTER (Talking to himself while writing on a note pad.) As Justice Baker declares, the United States is the only country in the world that uses electrocution as a means of execution. In the United States only four states still use this method of execution. MOTHER (Talking to herself) This is gross. I can’t watch anymore of this. I feel sick. SISTER (Talking to herself.) Why don’t they stop? BROTHER (Talking to himself.) Fuck him! He’s a piece of crap. REPORTER (Talking to himself while writing on a note pad.) Justice Shaw described in detail this recent execution where the execution went out of kilter. MOTHER (Talking to herself) I wonder if the Devil himself is feeling the pain? Pastor Wolmack would really get off on this. REPORTER (Talking to himself while writing on a note pad.) He points out that not only did the inmate die from electrocution, but, he was also smothered by the large, leather strap that held him to the chair.

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SISTER (Talking to herself) This was supposed to be over by 12:20. What’s the problem? MOTHER (Talking to herself) Wow, flames are coming out of his head. Must be Hell inside that brain! BROTHER (Talking to himself) What he did to her was worst than this. Suffer you ass hole, suffer! REPORTER (Talking to himself while writing on a note pad.) He’s been convicted of murdering young women and men. That his crimes were heinous is not in dispute. In his signed confession he took total responsibility. What is controversial is how he was executed. His execution was so bungled that the cause of death was due to asphyxiation as well as electrocution. MOTHER (Talking to herself) God put you in Hell for that not me. I had nothing to do with it. I need to pee. REPORTER (Talking to himself while writing on a note pad.) In killing him in this way, the State of Florida sank into barbarity. There are those who don’t care that Florida violated Ruth’s civil rights.

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REPORTER (cont.) Some in fact, applauded the cruel and unusual punishment. All I can say is I hope you are satisfied. SISTER (Talking to herself) I feel like I’m going to throw up. MOTHER (Talking to herself) I wonder if I can leave now? Or, should I wait until the smoke clears? REPORTER (Talking to himself while writing on a note pad.) But what of the victims of his crimes? BROTHER (Talking to himself) How cool! Wait till I tell guys about this. They won’t believe it. I wish I could’ve taken a picture. REPORTER (Talking to himself while writing on a note pad.) The malfunctioning electric chair resulted in a violent scene with foot-long flames leaping from his head. SISTER (Talking to herself) How am I going to explain this to Dad. I wish he would have come. REPORTER 1 (Talking to himself while writing on a note pad.) Did he get what he deserved? MOTHER

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(Talking to herself) God forgive me. I feel so much better. INTERIOR DAY: MT. DORA PSYCHIC OFFICE. SUPER: 5 years earlier. Richie Ruth walks into the darkened interior reading room of a Mt. Dora psychic palm reader Delois Shaw. She has been in the Mt. Dora area for years. DELOIS Welcome. You have been here for readings before with your mother. Sorry to here about her passing. RICHIE Yeah. I want to check up on my future. You know. DELOIS Sit down, I’ll be right with you. RICHIE (Very nervous and rude.) I got things to do.

OK?

DELOIS I hear you. Delois walks to the table and sits across from Richie. DELOIS Let me see your palms. She turns over his hands to study his palms. RICHIE Tell me everything.

No bullshit.

DELOIS Well, I see you are facing a time of uncertainty and pain. RICHIE

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Yeah. So what? DELOIS I’m just telling you what I see. Your life line has been marked by anger from the mother. RICHIE Tell me something I don’t know. DELOIS You will become well known. Infamous. Your time is short. (She looks into his eyes.) You going to hurt me… RICHIE Just keep going. DELOIS Your younger brother, Lenny, was burned very badly while playing with gasoline. RICHIE That was years ago, keep going. DELOIS Yes, he was just 6. Your Mother sold photos of him to the National Enquirer for $75,000. RICHIE Why are you bringing that up? DELOIS She made a mistake that caused this. RICHIE She made many mistakes. But, she’s gone, good riddance. DELOIS Do you want to know why all this happened? She’s here to explain.

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RICHIE OK, tell me. DELOIS She was collecting donations for the March of Dimes several months before Lenny’s fire accident and she keep the money for herself. In the world beyond… I see there are forces that react to evil. RICHIE No. The kid next door was playing with him in the garage. He poured the gasoline over my brother’s head, and lit a match to him. It was the other kid that caused it. DELOIS Yes, it was the act in this world. But, it was an ordered action from the other side. RICHIE All I know is the hospital bills were more than my Dad could ever pay for in his sorry ass life. Besides that’s old news. Move on. Delois hands Richie a deck of Tarot Cards. DELOIS Choose 5 cards and lay them in a line in front of you.

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Richie chooses the cards. Card one The Devil, card two the 10 of Swords card, third card Death, fourth card the Hanging Man and fifth card the Eight of Swords. Delois looks over them carefully and places them in the horseshoe pattern. DELOIS Choose one more card. Richie chooses “Justice”. dark eyes.

Delois looks deep into Richie’s

DELOIS There are many demons that dwell deep within you. You are an evil boy. You can only stop this evil madness by being bathed in the blood of the lamb, Yahshua. RICHIE What’s that? DELOIS The blood of the innocent. Speak to your Shaman, Minister or Priest, they may be of some help. RICHIE But, they can’t protect you now, bitch! DELOIS The Death Star told me that today would be the day I die, and I chose to die doing what I love. I decided to let Death come to me. I’m not afraid of you. You’ve come to send me home to my Maker, my Elohim… my loving Yahweh. I knew it was you Satan sent when you stepped through my door.

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DELOIS (cont.) I forgive you for murdering me so that we will have no more Karma between us. Now, I am ready to go home… (SHE CLOSES HER EYES AND STARTS TO OMM…) Richie pulls out a pistol and coolly shoots Delois between the eyes as she makes the sign of the cross. He picks up the 6 cards from the table and puts them in his shirt pocket. He walks out of the office to the parking lot where he climbs on “Scorpio,” his chopper motorcycle, and drives off. INTERIOR DAY: RESTAURANT MIKE AND JANET ARE EATING. MIKE’S CELL PHONE RINGS A TUNE,THE DEATH MARCH. JANET Where did you get that? MIKE It was a freebie download from Amigone Funeral Homes. JANET Expecting the worst? MIKE Just another day in Mt. Dora. (He answers the cell phone.) Hi, this is Mike Dunn. (He listens to the 911 dispatcher.) DISPATCHER Mike, I just got a call from the husband of the Gypsy Palm Reader Delois Shaw. He found her shot in the reading room at the shop on 14th. MIKE I’m on my way. I’ll call in when I get there. Send a deputy over.

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JANET What’s happening? MIKE We’ve got cold one at the Palm Readers. JANET You mean Delois’? MIKE I think so. JANET I’m coming along. EXTERIOR DAY: DELOIS SHAWS PALM READER SHOP. Mike and Janet arrive to discover high school kids Sarah, Julia and Paul looking through the window. Mike and Janet get out of the police cruiser. MIKE What are you kids doing here? SARAH Just reporting the news as it happens. Yeah.

JULIA Like Geraldo.

PAUL More like Snoopy. JANET You guys need to stay out of the way. OK? SARAH Who elected you queen bee?

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MIKE I did. Just stand back I can’t have your finger prints everywhere. SARAH What about freedom of the press? JANET Freedom of the press? I’ll just tell the coroner that it’s your fingerprints pressed all over the place destroying critical evidence! Then you will be in the press! SARAH You’re right. But, I’m staying right here so I don’t miss anything. MIKE Now, you’re being a smart reporter. Just stand right were you are and don’t move an inch. INTERIOR DAY: DELOIS’SHAW’S PALM READER SHOP. The shop is darkened. lifeless body.

Her husband is crouched over Delois’

DELOIS’ HUSBAND (He is inconsolable) My Delois. How could this happen? She was the sweetest woman I’ve ever known. MIKE When did you find her? DELOIS’ HUSBAND Just a few minutes ago.

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DELOIS’ HUSBAND I to get us some lunch and came back and found her like this. MIKE Does she keep a calendar, or, an appointment book? DELOIS’ HUSBAND Yes, it’s on the desk over there. Mike walks over to the appointment book. the last entry.

He reads down to

MIKE Here we go. Richard Ruth. Do you know him? DELOIS’ HUSBAND Yeah, that little bastard. He’s just a criminal, drugs, theft, mugging. You should know him. MIKE Well, he just became my number one suspect. Where does he live? JANET I know his mother. Let’s check her out. She may know something of his whereabouts. Mike walks over to Sarah. MIKE I don’t want you guys getting into things you can’t handle. So, let me take it from here. And, keep your mouth shut. Got it? SARAH But, what about my scoop?

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MIKE That will have to wait until I catch up with Richie. SARAH I know we could find him faster than you. People will talk to the press before they’ll talk to the police. MIKE That remains to be seen. EXTERIOR DAY: ONE WEEK LATER, MIKE GETS CALLED TO A CITUS GROVE IN MT. DORA, FLORIDA. MIKE ARRIVES TO FIND A PARTIALLY NUDE BODY OF A YOUNG WOMAN HANGING ON AN ORANGE TREE. Her arms were stretched out and nailed crucifix fashion to the tree in the posture of Christ, her hands and feet dripping with blood. Two citrus workers photograph each other in the foreground of the gruesome scene. Detective Mike Dunn arrives in an unmarked police car and walks to the scene.

(Mike angrily with the citrus workers.) MIKE What the hell do you think you’re doing? Hell, can’t you show some respect for the dead? What are you? Perverts? Put that camera away! Now, you guys are going to help me take her down. You hear me! WORKER 1 Sorry. I’ve got a ladder on my pick-up. (He leaves to get the ladder.)

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MIKE When did you get here? WORKER 2 About 30 minutes ago. Who is she? (The workers shake their heads. Worker 1 returns with ladder. Mike climbs up to face level.) MIKE Your guess is as good as mine. You guys hold this thing steady while I climb up to get her. WORKER 2 Is she the missing Hanley girl? MIKE Could be. I don’t really know, her face is pretty banged up. (Suddenly, the girl screams in Mikes ear. He is startled and lurches back, almost falling off the ladder.) Holy shit!

MIKE She’s still alive!

(Mike takes out his cell phone. It falls to the ground. He descends the ladder and calls for help.) MIKE Hey, Jimmy! I need help out here in the groves off 441. You’ll see my car from the road. And make it fast! I’ve got a live girl crucified to a tree! JIMMY Do you mean she’s actually nailed to a tree? MIKE Yeah.

Hurry!

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JIMMY How high up is she? What do we bring? MIKE High enough for the fire truck boom. JIMMY So you want me to bring out the department’s big truck? MIKE That’s what I said. Don’t be stupid. Just get in the truck and get out here fast. She’s still alive. JIMMY She’s alive? MIKE Why do I always have to repeat everything? Yes, she’s alive, but she may not be for long if you don’t hurry the hell up! JIMMY I’ve never heard of a crucifixion like that. MIKE We’re going to need a big pry bar. The next thing I want to hear is your siren. Get it on! OK, OK!

JIMMY I’m on the way.

Jesus!

(Mike climbs the ladder. He leans close to the girl and raises his hand to touch her artery with his finger.) WORKER 2 Is she still alive?

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MIKE Just barely, there’s a weak pulse. As Mike makes his way down the ladder he sees a tarot card nailed to the orange tree just below her feet. It is the card of the Hanging Man. He puts on latex gloves and pulls it off and turns it over to reveal the astrological symbol of Scorpio drawn on the card with a black marker. He puts it in an evidence envelope. MIKE What the hell is this about? A calling card? INTERIOR: MT. DORA EMERGENCY EXAMINING ROOM. Hospital Emergency examining room. Mike takes out a printed flyer with a photograph of a missing girl. She’s the same girl who has been missing from Apopka, Florida several days earlier, Heather Hanley. (Calls out to his friend Janet on his cell.) MIKE Hi, I need some help. Two citrus workers found a girl crucified to a tree. JANET What happened? MIKE I said, there’s a girl nailed to a tree. It looks like she’s the missing girl. JANET So you found her nailed to a tree? Who is she? MIKE I believe she is that missing girl from Apopka. JANET She’s been missing for a week or so now. She’s still alive?

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MIKE By the time we got her down and over to the E.R. she died. The Orange County Coroner will have to take her from here. EXTERIOR NIGHT: SUV DRIVING MT. DORA’S COUNTRY ROADS. Teens Paul, Sarah and Julia are out for the evening. SARAH I can’t believe that girl was nailed to a tree. JULIA (text messaging on a cell) How disgusting. PAUL Let’s go check it out. SARAH That’s just crazy. PAUL I’m just an ambulance chaser at heart. JULIA I smell money. SARAH Like the lawyers you see on TV? Yeah.

PAUL Those guys make big bucks.

SARAH Can’t make any money on this one, she’s dead. PAUL When I’m a lawyer, I’ll make lots of money representing people like O.J.

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JULIA What a pig. SARAH You would help a murder get off? PAUL Sure if I can make a buck. That’s what lawyers do. SARAH You’re disgusting. PAUL Hey, if I gave you a Mercedes with the money I made defending some guy, what would you do? SARAH Hypothetically? I’d have to think about that. JULIA Go for the Mercedes, Sarah. PAUL What’s to think about? SARAH If the guy was allegedly guilty, then it’s OK because you’re defending his civil rights. PAUL See. I knew it. You’d take the money. SARAH All I know is some people are guilty and some are not. Taking money from the guilty guy to set him free is bad. PAUL So, taking money from innocent people is OK?

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SARAH I don’t know, given the choice, I’d rather take money from a criminal. But, it’s still blood money. JULIA Blood money spends the same as a gift card. It’s just a pay check for a lawyer. PAUL No matter which way you look at it, someone’s going to pay for a crime. That’s the beauty of being a lawyer, you always win, even if you loose. SARAH I guess I’ll take the Mercedes, but I want the 500SL, not the cheap little one. JULIA Now you’re talkin. EXTERIOR NIGHT: CITRUS GROVES Paul’s SUV headlights illuminate the citrus trees. The group gets out of the truck with flashlights. They walk around looking for the tree where the girl was crucified. SARAH Just look for the yellow tape the cops use. Look there it is! (She shines the light on the tree with tape and blood on it. The group joins her. Paul kneels at the bloodied tree trunk. He touches it.)

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PAUL This is spooky. The blood is still sticky. I’m touching her DNA. (He points the flashlight on the branches where the girl’s arms were nailed to the tree.) PAUL Look at the branches. JULIA I think… I want to leave. PAUL Don’t be afraid. There’s nothing to get scared about. JULIA Whoever did this is a psycho. And, they always go back to the scene of the crime. Don’t you watch those forensic TV shows? SARAH Quite. I just heard something over there. PAUL Now, you’ve got me hearing things. (Yells out into the orange groves.) Come out so we can see you. (Two pit bulls come out from behind a tree.) JULIA Look over there. SARAH I don’t like big dogs. They’re scary.

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PAUL Yeah, let's get out of here. (The dogs walk away into the darkness.) JULIA It’s spooky. The Mt. Dora cemetery is on the other side of those groves. SARAH Let’s go there. PAUL What are we waiting for? Let’s go. Paul, Sarah and Julia get into the SUV and drive through the groves toward the cemetery. The gates are locked, so they climb the fence and walk around looking at head stones. SARAH This is spooky. I love spooky. JULIA What’s that smell? SARAH Smells like a dead animal. PAUL Road kill probably. Paul points his flashlight to the ground, then to his feet. PAUL I must have stepped on a dead animal. It’s all over my shoes. SARAH Me too. Yuck. JULIA

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There’s a bloody slime all over everything, look. PAUL It reminds me of fishing on Uncle Jim’s boat. The fish blood would get all over the deck and it was slippery. Let’s get out of here before I hurl. INTERIOR DAY: Mt. DORA POLICE STATION. MIKE’S OFFICE. Mike is looking at the three nails that were used to hold the Hanley girl to the tree. He’s talking on the speakerphone to the Orange County Medical Examiner as he studies the nails. MIKE These are 8 penny nails. My grandfather was a master carpenter. I remember he had nails like this in his toolbox. MEDICAL EXAMINER OK, send them down so I can take a look. MIKE We don’t get many homicides up this way. Everybody’s freaked out. Thanks for your help. MEDICAL EXAMINER Sure thing. I’ll email you the report when I’m finished, so you can release her body to her family. MIKE Yup. That’s one call I don’t want to make. (He hangs up the phone and dials Janet at her book store.) MIKE

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Hello there, gorgeous. INTERIOR DAY: JANET’S BOOKSTORE. The store is crowded with Astrological posters, tarot cards, calendars, crystals, incense and books. Hi.

JANET How’s the case developing?

MIKE I’ve got this bad feeling in my gut that won’t go away. JANET I’m not surprised. This is your challenging month and Mercury is retrograde. It’s always hell on Virgo’s and Gemini’s. MIKE I guess so. I have these three big nails and a bloody tarot card with the sign of Scorpio drawn on the back. JANET Is that the card you found at the scene? That’s a real clue about what kind of person would do something like this. May I see them? MIKE I need to send it to the Medical Examiner. JANET You know objects have a psychic imprint of the event locked into it. One can pick that up and see the event and the people involved if sensitive enough.

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MIKE And, that “one” would be you, right? That won’t go over well with the folks around here. JANET It never has, but they don’t have to know do they? Just let me touch them and we’ll see if I can get anything. Let’s go to lunch. MIKE I’ll come by the store and pick you up. Bye, darlin’. EXTERIOR DAY: MT. DORA Paul and Sarah riding in his SUV. PAUL Everyone is talking about what happened to that girl. (Sarah is reading an abnormal psychology text book.) SARAH I was reading in my abnormal psychology book about people who commit this type of murder. PAUL Must be a psychopath. SARAH That’s a given. There’s more… Here’s a profile. This is a ritual sacrifice, so the killer will be a male 25 to 35 years old, living alone. Someone that everyone thinks of as a normal guy.

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SARAH (cont.) He’d be white male, someone who blends in unnoticed. PAUL This guy needed help to get this girl up into that tree. SARAH It could be a group of cult weirdo’s. PAUL (Lifting a shotgun from under the front seat.) I’m carrying my snake charmer with me from now on. SARAH I don’t like guns. But, in this case I’ll make an exception. I didn’t think anything like this would happen around here. PAUL Do you know the Ruth brothers? SARAH Not really, but I’ve heard about them. PAUL They hang with that gothic freak. You know her? SARAH She’s just a theater club witch. They just dress the part. PAUL Richie and his brother Lenny are always getting into trouble. SARAH Like what? PAUL

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Fighting, doing speed, huffing glue, stuff like that. SARAH Didn’t they have a band at one time? PAUL They call themselves Brain Dead, a heavy metal group. Lenny is very freaky looking too. SARAH Maybe I could get extra credit for cracking this case for my journalism class. PAUL Hey, why not? SARAH I’ll write a short piece about our trip to the citrus grove and just see what happens. INTERIOR DAY: THE GROVE RESTUARNT Mike and Janet are eating lunch at the Grove, a popular Mt. Dora restaurant. Janet is holding one of the nails used in the crucifixion. JANET After lunch I’d like to drive out to the orange grove where it took place. I feel a very strong attraction toward that place. And, the area is imprinted with what happen, too. MIKE Just don’t tell anybody about this. Or, I’ll be the laughing stock of my department.

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JANET You should know, this has happen before. MIKE When? JANET Let’s take this lunch with us. MIKE OK, but I think I’ve just lost my appetite. JANET Me too. EXTERIOR DAY: MT. DORA ORANGE GROVES CRIME SCENE Mike and Janet are walking through the woods toward the spot where the girl was hung. MIKE This was a lot creepier the other day. JANET She didn’t know this was going to happen. She was out for an adventure with this guy. She had no idea what was about to happen. MIKE What are you saying? JANET Young woman will get involved with dangerous men. They find them mysteriously attractive. MIKE So, she was looking for excitement?

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JANET Not this much excitement, but love. Show me where you found the tarot card. MIKE Over here at the base of this tree. EXTERIOR DAY: RUTH FARM, OLD WORK SHED A high school girl, Sandy Ellis, was picked up by Richie on her way home from school and is now lying on the wooden floor of an old work shed. She is being wrapped in duct tape and is struggling, trying to scream for help. RICHIE Stop the screaming and I won’t hurt you. Do you want to see your card? Sandy shakes her head yes. RICHIE OK. Here take a long look. He shoves the card her face. It’s the 10 of Swords. It means you are in for some major changes. Sandy is horrified, the card shows a woman laying on the ground with 10 swords stuck in her back. Richie turns the card over and starts to draw the astrological sign of Scorpio on it. RICHIE My mother was a Capricorn. This card signifies her. You’re a Capricorn right? A know it all. Now, let’s take this moment to enjoy each other’s company. Shall we?

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SANDY What are you going to do to me? Why are you doing this? RICHIE Let’s just say it’s about love. SANDY I’m afraid you’re going to hurt me. RICHIE You always think the worst. I’m just on a journey like you. This journey we will take together. SANDY I just want to go home. Please let me go home. RICHIE I had a vision that changed everything. (Sandy starts to cry.) RICHIE In the vision I saw the Earth as a resting place for weary souls traveling through the Universe. It’s the last stop in a long journey. A bone yard. SANDY Please don’t kill me! Let me go home! RICHIE Capricorn is an earth sign. You should know that, stupid girl.

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EXTERIOR DAY: MT. DORA ORANGE GROVES CRIME SCENE JANET I can see another girl being wrapped in tape. There’s a young man with tattoos all over his arms. I see a tarot card with the sign of Scorpio drawn on it. It’s lying on the floor with blood dripping on it. MIKE Where is this place? JANET The name Ruth comes to mind. MIKE There’s the old Ruth house. Let’s take a ride over there. INTERIOR DAY: PAUL’S SUV IS RIDING DOWN A COUNTRY ROAD. Paul, Sarah and Julia are listening to the radio. Paul turns on his police radio scanner, Mike is calling the Mt. Dora Police HQ. MIKE I’m riding out to the old farmhouse near the groves. Look up the name of the owner to the farmland out there and get back to me. JIMMY It’s the old Ruth place. I’ll never forget the Ruth boy, Lenny. He was always doing crazy things like cutting up road kill. I think he moved away after old man Ruth ran off with a woman from Deltona. MIKE I’m going over to check things out. Thanks for the info.

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INTERIOR DAY: MT. DORA, MIKE’S POLICE CRUISER. JANET I feel like the girl can’t breath. Let’s hurry. MIKE If this turns out to be a big nothing, I’m going to look like a fool. JANET You’re going to have to explain how you decided to go out there in the first place, that’s for sure. INTERIOR DAY: PAUL’S SUV. Sarah, Julia and Paul are driving around after school. SARAH Let’s go out there, too. This would be a great follow up story for my morning school TV Show. I’ve got my camera phone. JULIA Just like a true detective. SARAH You read too much of that stuff. JULIA There’s something fishy going on out there, that’s for sure.

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INTERIOR DAY: RUTH FAMILY FARMHOUSE. Mike opens the front door of the abandoned farm house. He and Janet walk around the living room and into the kitchen. Dinner plates are in the sink and there is dust covering everything except for two places at the dinner table. They hear a door slam from the basement. Mike and Janet walk down to the darkened cellar. They walk around looking with Mike pocket sized flashlight. The outside cellar door is cracked open. They walk toward it. But, they stop when they hear footsteps coming from above them inside the house. Mike takes out his gun. MIKE Be still. JANET Great, this is my challenging day, and the Sun is void. Plus, we just went into Mercury retrograde. MIKE Quite, they’ll hear you. JANET I knew I shouldn’t have left the house. People always die on their challenging day. MIKE Shhh, keep quiet! The basement door from the kitchen opens slowly and Paul sticks his head through the basement door. PAUL Is anyone here? MIKE What are you kids doing out here? (Mike and Janet walk up the stairs.)

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SARAH We just heard you on Paul’s police scanner. So… MIKE So, you decided to check things out for yourself, right? SARAH (Carrying her cell camera.) Well, I do the morning TV report at school and I need to have something to report. I get extra credit for it. JANET There’s nothing better in court than a picture. You know that Mike. INTERIOR DAY: RUTH’S FARM WORK SHED. Sarah pushes a door open and points her camera into darkened room. Mike walks over to a window and pulls back several boxes covering a window. The daylight streams into the room. In the corner is their school friend, Sandy, tied on the floor face down with one large knife stabbed between her shoulder blades. She has 9 other stab wounds. Nailed at her feet is a bloody tarot card, the “10 of Swords” on the back of the card is the sign of Scorpio. Mike walks over to Sandy and reaches down to pickup the card. He slips on the blood soaked floor, and falls to a pool of blood. He gets up with blood all over his clean white shirt. MIKE Shit, I hope I didn’t mess up some evidence! Everyone stay where you’re at until I can see exactly what we have. Mike walks over and finds the light switch, but it’s not working. He moves some boxes that covering the windows and light floods the room to reveal the gruesome scene.

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MIKE Let’s make sure she’s dead. JANET But, this isn’t what I picked up. I saw a different the tarot card. SARAH And, just what are you talking about? JANET Oh, nothing, just a strange scene that popped into my head. SARAH Oh, kind of like those psychic detectives on TV? JANET Well, sort of. I haven’t developed my psychic ability to that extent. This town thinks I’m possessed anyway, so please keep this quite. OK? MIKE She’s right. And, I don’t need the towns people talking about me either. SARAH OK for now, but you have to promise me I can break the story first. Deal? MIKE Deal! JANET Thank you, Yahweh! PAUL (Talking to Mike) How long do you think she’s been dead? I didn’t even know she was missing, did you?

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MIKE Her parents called and said she was missing, but we have to wait 24 hours before we can start an investigation. Kids her age run away all the time. We have to make sure they’re not runaways. Then we look for foul play. SARAH But, isn’t the first 48 hours the most important in solving a case? Then 24 hours would be gone if ya’ll thought she was a runaway. MIKE Yes, you’re right. But, rules are rules. PAUL But, we aren’t bound by those rules, only you are, because you’re a cop. SARAH That’s right, let’s get going and see what we can turn up. MIKE Now, you kids be careful. There is obviously a freak out there killing kids like you. And, if you do find something, call me right away. PAUL Yeah, right. MIKE I mean it, I don’t need any more missing kids. Paul and Sarah exit.

Mike turns to Janet.

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MIKE When you’re a kid you think you’ll never die. It’s hard to believe anyone can be so cold blooded. I need help with these killings. The department doesn’t have that kind of budget to handle this. JANET Call in the F.B.I. MIKE Yeah. In the meantime I’m going to look through the cold cases. There might be other cases with similar evidence that we might have over looked. INTERIOR DAY: MT. DORA POLICE RECORDS ROOM Janet and Mike are looking through old missing persons files. Janet opens the file of missing person Raymond Twittle a Mt. Dora High School Student. He disappeared after a rave dance at a local concert hall in April. Another Mt. Dora youngster Sally Jacobs went missing a month later on May. Then 17 year old, Susan Henry, disappeared after school exactly 4 weeks later on June. JANET Mike here’s three kids missing without a trace in as many months. All this happened before the girl was nailed to the tree. MIKE These kids could’ve got in a fight with their parents and just took off.

JANET

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You know serial killers are progressive. They start small by killing animals then the first thrill killing of a friend or person they hardly know. Then they seek fame. MIKE OK. I get your point. But where’s the evidence? So, far we have two dead kids and two tarot cards. JANET If we look closer we’ll find more connections to these murders. These kids are all connected somehow. And that will lead us to the killer, maybe before he can strike again. INTERIOR: DAY MIKE’S Mt. DORA POLICE OFFICE Mike and Janet begin to diagram the killings on a white bulletin board. Mike lists all the missing kids and their dates of disappearance. Diagram the killings 1. Raymond Twittle a Mt. Dora High School Student. He disappeared after a rave dance at a local concert hall. Born -----Died Date ---- Photo at crime scene. 2. Sally Jacobs missing a month later. Born---- Died Date-----3. Susan Henry disappeared after school 4 weeks later. Born--- Died Date----4. Gail Hanley Nailed to the tree. Photo at crime scene Born: March 5, 1996 Died Date----- Pisces – Tarot card Hanging Man astrological sign Pisces 5. Sandy Ellis 16 years old, tied to a chair in Ruth’s shed. Photo at crime scene. Born: Jan. 2, 1993 Died Date---- Capricorn – Tarot card 10 of Swords astrological sign Capricorn. JANET

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This guy won’t stop until we catch him, or he runs out of cards. EXTERIOR NIGHT: RICHIE RUTH’S 70’S MOTOR HOME IN THE WOODS. It has long since turned into junk. No working motor or electricity. However this is where Richie calls home. A chopper named “Scorpio” sits beside the motor home. INTERIOR NIGHT: THE MOTOR HOME IS LIT BY A COLEMAN LANTERN The interior is meticulously neat and clean. The walls are covered with survivalist print material including paper shooting targets with outline of FBI man’s silhouette. On a small table lies a samurai sword, drug scales and ounce of white power. A neat pile of disposable cell phones lie on a chair. Richie picks one up and carefully cuts open the plastic wrapper with a single edged razor blade. EXTERIOR NIGHT: TWO LANE HIGHWAY. Richie is seated on his chopper on a two lane country road. He punches in a phone number. INTERIOR NIGHT: MIKE DUNN’S HOME Mikes cell phone rings. MIKE This is Mike. RICHIE Well, Mister Detective, I understand you’ve been looking for me. MIKE Who’s this? RICHIE If you don’t know, it’s your part of the game to find out. There’s a piece of the puzzle waiting for you the old boat house on the Mt. Dora reservoir.

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MIKE I hope to Christ you’re just kidding. RICHIE No. This is a biblical moment. You see, when this child was bathed in the blood of the lamb, it was the beginning of my transformation. MIKE How so? RICHIE My devotion to God was tested by fire. The angels became devotees of the beasts of hell, but were left alive to eternal suffering on earth. MIKE I’m going to stop you. RICHIE That’s not going to be easy. Because the beast is hungry. MIKE I see you have a taste for it. RICHIE It’s been a long time coming. MIKE Can you put it back in the bottle?

RICHIE

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No. In the beginning, I was very squeamish about the warm blood. But, I spent time with my new acquaintances in their transitional moments. It calms my anguish about living. MIKE Where did you get the nails? RICHIE I have a private collection of such unique and interesting items. All to illuminate my taste for the unconventional. MIKE So, you’re a carpenter? RICHIE A cobbler, a wood butcher, a tree hacker. MIKE Can we meet somewhere to speak in person. I have so many questions that only you can answer. RICHIE Don’t call me. I’ll call you. MIKE I have one more question before you go. How did you get my cell phone number? RICHIE It’s almost effortless for a career criminal. Some of us have computer skills, despite impressions. Identity information is everywhere including your trash. I suggest you burn your phone bill statements. It’s too easy to reconstruct a shredded document. MIKE

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You mean you sat down and pieced together my shredded phone bill? RICHIE Precisely. With the help of a precious stone. MIKE What is your next move? RICHIE It maybe time for an interlude. A break from the mundane. Richie tosses the cell phone into the brush along the roadside. MIKE Are you there? I can’t hear you. Mike can hear the motorcycle engine start and drive away down the road. EXTERIOR DAY: Mt. DORA HIGH SCHOOL Julia and Sarah are walking out of Mt. Dora high school to meet Paul waiting in his SUV. They get in. PAUL Did you hear about the other missing girl? JULIA Yeah, she had her head cut off. SARAH She must have been an Aries. JULIA Who told you that one, Janet? SARAH I know things.

JULIA

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So, share.

Don’t be so secretive.

PAUL Look, if we want to help in the investigations we’d better get it on. SARAH I know who the crazy zodiac killer is. JULIA We’re waiting. PAUL Come on Sarah, out with it. SARAH I think there are two, Richie Ruth and his brother, Lenny. JULIA We know about Richie but what about Lenny? PAUL He’s a gang banger. I saw him crash a party one night at my friend Nancy’s house. SARAH That’s what I heard. PAUL What else. SARAH He’s been seen with Richie trying to pick up girls at Sonic. PAUL OK. But that doesn’t make him a killer. SARAH Yeah. Well Richie had some help with nailing the girl to the tree. PAUL

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We’re messing with two very bad dudes. Maybe we should let Mike do the sniffing around. JULIA He’s got a point Sarah. SARAH To be a great investigative reporter like Geraldo you have to take chances. PAUL I don’t want to find you hanging from a meat hook. JULIA No guts, no glory. Besides I’ve got a story hook. I’m calling it the HorrorScope Murders. SARAH Oh, I like that. Can I use it? Yeah, the HorrorScope murders, very memorable. See, I knew all those mystery books would pay off. JULIA OK. You can use it once, but after that you have to give me credit. PAUL I’ll call Mike and tell him about Lenny. Maybe he’s on the radar. INTERIOR DAY: MIKE’S MT. DORA POLICE OFFICE. Mike and Janet are going over the evidence on the Horrorscope murder cases.

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JANET There’s a lot of information on this Richie Ruth. But, I don’t get what makes him want to kill these kids. MIKE If it’s the motive you’re looking for, I think he’s just plain crazy. JANET This guy is very methodical. When we find his living space, we’ll be surprised at how organized he is. MIKE Trust me, I’m the one who talked with him. He’s stalking all of us. JANET Then Sarah, Julia and Paul are in danger. Janet opens an evidence bag from the Delois Shaw crime scene and takes out the Tarot card deck found on the reading table. She lays out the cards. There are six missing cards from the deck. JANET He took all the cards that was used in the Delois Shaw reading. I’ll figure out which ones are missing. MIKE I’ll go looking for Richie. You should keep tabs on the young journalists.

EXTERIOR DAY: MT. DORA RT 441.

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Raymond Twittle is hitch hiking home from school. He is walking along the edge of the Mt. Dora orange groves. Riding his chopper, Richie Ruth sees Ray hitching. Richie slows down and picks him up. RICHIE Where are you headed? Aren’t you’re from Mt. Dora? Sure.

RAYMOND Love the bike.

RICHIE It’s a long walk to the trailer park. RAYMOND Some days it’s OK. But, in the morning I’m always late to school. RICHIE TAKES OFF MOTORCYCLE NORTH ON RT 441. RICHIE They don’t like that. I was always in trouble for being late. RAYMOND They told me they were going to kick me out. RICHIE Well, all I know is I felt a lot better when I wasn’t around Principle Martin. RAYMOND Yeah, he’s a real dick when it comes to using the paddle.

RICHIE

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I remember when they used to paddle me. But, one day, the Coach decided it was time for my hair to be cut. He came at me with scissors in his office. RAYMOND I heard about that one. RICHIE Yeah, I pushed him away. But, he kept coming. RAYMOND I heard you both went through the office window into the showers. RICHIE That’s when he tried to whip me with his whistle chain. RAYMOND He’s a nasty bastard. RICHIE I got my hand tangled up in the chain and it broke. Boy was he pissed. RAYMOND Then what? RICHIE I tried to get away through the window, but he still came after me. RAYMOND Holy crap. RICHIE Yeah I was just 13. The office was a mess. I wound up in The Principle’s office. Got 20 whacks. RAYMOND

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That must have hurt. They stopped doing that, because of what happened. RICHIE The Principle was sadistic. When he finished beating me I told him he would never do that again. RAYMOND What did you do? RICHIE I went home and told my Dad. He was a Marine. He didn’t like anyone beating me up but him. After the first time he beat me I didn’t cry. I guess I just got used to it. RAYMOND What happened to the Principle? RICHIE We went over to his house and got his dog out of the backyard. Tied it to a tree in the front and beat it with a baseball bat. My Dad left a note. RAYMOND What did the note say? RICHIE I don’t know, but I think he got the message. The Dean never touched me again.

RAYMOND

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Sounds like a common cure for an asshole. RICHIE It works every time. I need to stop at the house to feed the dogs. I’ve got some beer there. I’ll give you a ride home later. RAYMOND OK. Great no one will be home until late anyway. Richie and Raymond arrive at Richie’s motor home in the orange groves. He parks the chopper next to the front door. RICHIE Here we are. RAYMOND This is cool. What a great place to bring the lady’s. RICHIE It’s out of the way. No one ever comes out here but the Mexican pickers. And, then it’s only for a few days a year. The rest of the time I’m here alone. Richie opens the door and walks into the motor home. Raymond follows. RICHIE Get yourself a beer from the frig. No charge. RAYMOND Cool. Raymond gets a beer and looks around at the Nazi posters that are carefully taped to the walls.

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RAYMOND I guess you don’t have much use for Jews? RICHIE I hate them. They own all the banks and control the money. RAYMOND I’ve always thought it would be fun to make my own money on photoshop and pass it off as real. RICHIE Have another beer. RAYMOND Sure. Raymond goes to the frig and gets another beer. Richie turns on the radio. A metal band is playing. RAYMOND Great music. Richie walks back into the bedroom and comes out with handcuffs. RICHIE What do you think of these? Wow.

RAYMOND Are those real.

RICHIE They’re trick cuffs. The trick is to know how to get them off without a key. RAYMOND Those are crazy. Let me try them on.

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RICHIE But, watch me do it first.

OK.

Richie put on the handcuffs and quickly opens them and hands them to Raymond. He puts them on. RICHIE Don’t cheat. Make them close tight. RAYMOND Now how do I get them open?

OK.

RICHIE That’s the trick. Raymond takes a sip of the beer. Yeah.

RAYMOND How do you do the trick.

RICHIE Do I have to show you again? RAYMOND Just tell me. I want to do it. RICHIE I can’t do that. Magicians never tell how their tricks work. They sell that kind of information. Just try a few ways to get them off while I go out and feed the dogs. RAYMOND I didn’t see any dogs. RICHIE I keep them in the back room. I’ll bring them out for you to meet them.

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Richie opens the bedroom door. and stand in front of Raymond.

Two male pit bulls walk out

RAYMOND I don’t think they like me. RICHIE They’ll like you just fine. Let’s go outside. I want to give the dogs a little fresh air. They been cooped up in here all day. Raymond is trying his best to get free from the cuffs but with no success. Richie opens the door and lets the dogs out. RICHIE I bet their bladders are full. RAYMOND That’s nice. But, I don’t think I can get these cuffs off. RICHIE Your not much of a magician there Ray. Come on out here you’ll get them off somehow. Remember the old saying try and try again. Raymond walks down the steps out of the motor home. The two dogs come over to him and smell him. RICHIE They are the best fighters in Orange County. That’s how I make money. They never loose. RAYMOND They’re a little scary.

RICHIE

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They’re supposed to be scary. That’s the idea. RAYMOND So, you take them out to fight other dogs? Richie lovingly pets the dogs. RICHIE Yeah, every weekend. RAYMOND I can see why. I bet they tear up the other dogs. RICHIE They have what I call team work. RAYMOND Do they fight at the same time. RICHIE Oh yeah. I trained them myself. My Dad did breeding and fighting on the side. Truth is he made more doing that that his job at the police department. RAYMOND Your dad is a cop? RICHIE Yeah, he was a Marine then joined the police department in Orlando where he trained police dogs. Raymond takes out his wallet and shows his police id and badge. RICHIE Pretty cool?

RAYMOND

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But are you a cop? RICHIE Might as well be. I’ve got all the toys. No one ever questions me, never. I just say I’m in undercover narcotics. RAYMOND I need to get going. My mom is a pain about me being there when she gets home. RICHIE OK. Then go. There’s nothing holding you here. But I can’t go now. I got to feed the dogs. Richie walks over to Raymond and takes off the cuffs. RICHIE Come here I’ll get those pesky cuffs off. Now get going, don’t be late. Raymond walks off into the dark orange grove. Richie snaps his fingers at the dogs. They run off after Raymond. After a few seconds Richie can hear the screams coming from Raymond as the pit bulls take their dinner. He pulls out a tarot card the Devil. RICHIE Born to die. EXTERIOR DAY: BEN’S CONVENIENCE STORE ON RT 441. Mike parks his cruiser out front and walks into the store. INTERIOR DAY: BEN’S CONVIENCE STORE Mike meets a store attendant. STORE ATTENDENT Can I help you?

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MIKE Yeah, I’m looking for this guy. Mike shows a mug shot of Richie Ruth. STORE ATTENDENT Oh yeah, that’s one of my regulars. MIKE When does he come in? STORE ATTENDENT Usually after midnight for beer and cigarettes. MIKE Do you ever talk to him? STORE ATTENDENT He’s not much of a talker. He comes in on his chopper, or a black Ford 150. He picks up a pack of Pall Mall’s and a 12 pack of Bud. MIKE Does he use a

That’s it? credit card?

STORE ATTENDENT He’s a cash man. MIKE Does he come around about the same time every night? STORE ATTENDENT Just like clock work until the last two weeks. He must be off his orbit or out of town. He comes in on a motorcycle named Scorpio. It’s got a real cool paint job with Scorpio on the tank. MIKE

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Any security videos I can look at? STORE ATTENDENT Hell, man I record over those tapes after the weekend. I don’t think you’ll see him on them. But, he has the most tattoos I’ve ever seen. Mike hands over his card to the store attendant. MIKE Here’s my card. Please call me when you see him again. STORE ATTENDENT Yeah, sure. No problem. What’s he been up to? MIKE He’s got a long history with the law. STORE ATTENDENT Any armed robbery? MIKE Yeah. STORE ATTENDENT That’s a good thing to know. We get these crackers in here looking for a quick buck. I hear ya.

MIKE Talk at you later.

EXTERIOR DAY: MIKE WALKS TO HIS CRUISER. He gets on the radio and calls into the police station. MIKE Hey, Jimmy.

OFFICER JIMMY COWMAN

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What’s happening? Everyone is asking about the Horrorscope murders. MIKE Where did you hear that. OFFICER JIMMY COWMAN It’s all over town. Kinda catchy. What should I tell them? MIKE Look don’t comment. Just say “No comment at this time. We are investigating.” OFFICER JIMMY COWMAN All the networks are calling too. MIKE They’ll just have to wait till I get something worth reporting. OFFICER JIMMY COWMAN I know, but the Mayor is calling. She wants to talk to you. MIKE Oh great. The Queen of Mt. Dora is looking for someone to blame. OFFICER JIMMY COWMAN Yeah, the election is coming up. MIKE I completely forgot about that. OFFICER JIMMY COWMAN She’s been on your case about this for the last few days. MIKE They’re looking for a scapegoat.

OFFICER JIMMY COWMAN

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I’ll just tell them you’re out. MIKE That will have to do for now. OK.

OFFICER JIMMY COWMAN No problem. Jesus! MIKE Would you please stop saying that.

EXTERIOR NIGHT: ORANGE AVE. ORLANDO. Sarah and Julia are driving to meet friends at the Crazy Pelican Club. Sarah parks the car. They exit the car and spot Richie in his pickup truck as he passes by them. SARAH There’s Richie in that truck, don’t stare at him. JULIA Talk about staring at people, you always do that. It’s embarrassing. SARAH I think we should follow him and see what he’s up to. JULIA But what about Paul? in the club.

He’s waiting

SARAH We can call him while we follow Richie.

The girls get into the car and chase after Richie.

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INTERIOR NIGHT: SARAH’S CAR. Julia is trying to keep the line of site on Richie’s truck. Sarah calls Paul on the cell. SARAH Hi. It’s me. Julia and I are following that Richie Ruth guy. He’s driving around downtown. PAUL Where are you? SARAH We’re on Orange Avenue. PAUL Don’t follow too close or he’ll see you. JULIA I think he’s turning again. PAUL I don’t like this. It’s not a good idea. JULIA Look he’s stopping over there. SARAH We’ll just drive by him. PAUL Just come get me and we’ll go back there together. Sarah turns the next corner and drives back to pick up Paul at the club.

EXTERIOR NIGHT: CHUBBY’S POOL HALL COLONIAL AVE. ORLANDO.

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Sally Jacobs (dressed in black gothic style) waits for a drunken friend to give her a ride home after a night of bar crawling. Richie Ruth sitting in his parked Ford pick up watching her from across the street. Sally is becoming more anxious as time passes. Sarah, Julia and Paul are parked down the street from Richie waiting for his next move. Richie opens the door to his truck and walks across the street and offers Sally a cigarette. RICHIE How about a smoke? I quit.

SALLY But OK.

INTERIOR NIGHT: SARAH’S CAR COLONIAL AVE. ORLANDO. JULIA He’s going after that girl. I’m sure of it. SARAH Just stay put, he hasn’t done anything yet. PAUL (Half asleep) What’s happening? SARAH I wish I knew. JULIA He’s going after that girl. See. Call the cops. PAUL He’s just talking to her. There’s no law against that.

SARAH

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Let’s just watch before we jump to conclusions. JULIA All I’m saying is this guy is a creep. Just look at him. Richie standing next to Sally on the street corner. RICHIE I’ve been sitting over across the street watching you. SALLY I’m expecting a friend to pick me up any minute now. RICHIE I have been waiting to pick up a complete stranger. SALLY It’s 2:30 in the morning. You must have a lot of time on your hands. RICHIE Well, I got a call from the Tooth Fairy that you would be waiting for me. SALLY Very funny. My cell battery is dead. RICHIE I’ll try to make things interesting. SALLY So what do you want from me? The usual?

RICHIE

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I was just looking for a little excitement. I can’t sleep. SALLY Yeah, well I need to get home. I’ve got school in the morning. INTERIOR NIGHT: SARAH’S CAR COLONIAL AVE. ORLANDO. SARAH Don’t do it girl. PAUL She looks like a hooker. JULIA She’s just out for the night dressed in goth clothing. So what? SARAH She does dress a little trashy. PAUL I think she turns tricks. JULIA What’s kind of tricks? SARAH Never mind. EXTERIOR NIGHT: RICHIE WALKS CLOSER TO SALLY. RICHIE I can give you a ride, if that’s acceptable. Or, we can just stand here waiting for the Orlando PD to arrest us. What for?

SALLY I’m just waiting for a ride.

RICHIE

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They’re sticklers for details. A great looking young woman standing on a street at 2:30am looks bad. Good Point.

SALLY So where do you live? RICHIE

Not far. SALLY Ok. But if you turn out to be a serial killer, I’m going to be very mad. RICHIE If I was a serial killer, I couldn’t be a detective. Richie takes out his fake police ID and hands it over to Sally. SALLY Are you going to arrest me? RICHIE No. I’m just a concerned citizen looking out for your safety. It’s like the school safety patrol, only at 2:30 in the morning. An Orlando police cruiser pulls up along side the sidewalk. A policeman rolls down his window. POLICEMAN What are you folks doing out here at this time of night? RICHIE We were just getting ready to head home.

SALLY

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I’ve been out at the clubs tonight. Richard is driving me home. POLICEMAN Let me see some ID from both of you. There’s a lot of working girls out here this time of night. INTERIOR NIGHT: SARAH, JULIA AND PAUL SITING IN SARAH’S CAR COLONIAL AVE. SARAH Oh my God! The cops are going to break it up. PAUL We better get a move on before we get a ticket. JULIA Wait let’s just stay here for a little bit and see what happens. EXTERIOR NIGHT: COLONIAL AVE. ORLANDO. Richie and Sally hand over their ID’s to the policeman. He walks to his cruiser and runs their Florida drivers license numbers. SALLY Just tell him you’re a cop. RICHIE Can’t. I’m under cover in narcotics. We don’t want the others to know about us. They talk too much. Could get me killed. POLICEMAN OK. You can be on your way Tattoo Boy. RICHIE You got something against tattoo’s?

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POLICEMAN Just remember smart mouth, it’s bad business for people hanging around here at 2:00am. The tourist think it’s dangerous downtown. We don’t want folks to get the wrong impression. So, get along home little doggies before I change my mind. Yes sir.

RICHIE You have a compelling case.

POLICEMAN Are you getting a smart mouth again? Cuz, I can change my mind. And, I have nothing better to do right now. SALLY Let’s get going. RICHIE Your wish is my command. (He bows to the policeman as if in a royal court) Richie and Sally cross the street and get into his Ford pick-up truck. They drive off with the Policeman watching. SALLY What did you do that for? Do you want to get us put in jail? RICHIE It’s not so bad. Granted the menu stinks. The people are mostly drunks, drug dealers and pimps. But, it’s a great place to get drug connections. A highly undervalued experience. INTERIOR NIGHT: SARAH CAR, COLONIAL AVE. ORLANDO. Sarah, Julia and Paul are sitting in Sarah’s car. (The song “Hungry like a wolf” is playing on the radio.) SARAH

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Oh my God, look she’s going off with him. PAUL What’s wrong with that girl? JULIA She thinks he’s harmless. SARAH I’m going to follow them. OK.

PAUL Should we call for help?

JULIA He hasn’t done anything. INTERIOR NIGHT: RICHIE’S TRUCK, COLONIAL AVE. ORLANDO. Richie and Sally are sitting in his pickup. SALLY Look I don’t want to go to jail or have sex. I just need a ride home. So don’t try anything funny. OK? RICHIE I have a very simple view of women. SALLY So, how does that effect me? Richie backhands her across the face. RICHIE Women talk too much. The say a woman uses more than three times as many words a day than a man does. What do you think?

SALLY

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(Crying) Why did you hit me? RICHIE I just want you to know who’s the boss here. INTERIOR NIGHT: RICHIE’S TRUCK, COLONIAL AVE. ORLANDO. Sally opens her small purse and takes out a tissue to wipe her lip. She has a concealed in the tissue a small key chain can of mace. RICHIE I don’t hit a girl on the first date, unless I have a reason. SALLY OK, I get it you’re the boss. Shit man, you’re an ass hole. Sally reaches over to Richie’s face a sprays him in the eyes with the mace. He jerks the steering wheel and the truck side swipes a car parked on the street. She sprays him again and again. He slams on the brakes and the truck stops. She try’s to open the door, but there is no handle or window crank. She is trapped. Richie tries to punch at her but misses and hits the front window. Over and over he misses. She opens her purse to get a small knife her dad gave her as a birthday gift. It is only 3 inched long blade, but razor sharp. She opens it and cuts his fist and arms as he swings wildly at her. His blood is all over the inside of the truck. He throws a lucky blow and she is knocked out cold, her head against the dash board. He grabs a bottled water and clears his eyes and face of the mace. Then he raps his hand and arms in his t-shirt. INTERIOR NIGHT: SARAH CAR, DOWNTOWN ORLANDO. Sarah, Julia and Paul follow the pick up into the back streets of downtown Orlando.

INTERIOR NIGHT: RICHIE’S TRUCK, DOWNTOWN ORLANDO.

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Richie is driving as fast as possible with his lights out to loose the car following him. He crosses an intersection and just misses a city bus. EXTERIOR NIGHT: SARAH CAR, DOWNTOWN ORLANDO. Sarah’s car comes to a stop inches from the bus. INTERIOR NIGHT: SARAH CAR, DOWNTOWN ORLANDO. Sarah and Julia are holding their hands over their eyes. They loose the pickup. PAUL I guess that’s what cut to the chase means. EXTERIOR NIGHT: RICHIE’S TRUCK, MT. DORA ORANGE GROVES. Richie is parked in front of his motor home looking through Sally’s purse. He sees her drivers license. Fuck.

RICHIE This one’s a throw away.

Sally is awake, but faking unconsciousness. RICHIE (Wiping blood from his face.) What a fucking waste of time. Too young. What the hell is a 14 year old girl doing out this late anyway. Shitty parents. Richie squirts water in her face, but she doesn’t move. He gets out of the truck and goes to her door. She slides over to the drivers seat and starts the motor puts it in gear and floors the gas peddle. The truck takes off though the citrus grove hitting trees as she goes. Richie is thrown clear and runs for his chopper. He starts the engine and spins out after her. In the darkness she can’t see. SALLY Thank God, Daddy showed me

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how to drive a truck. Where the hell am I? Richie cuts across the grove to cut her off at the road. He blocks the road with his chopper and stands on it in the middle of the dirt road holding a shotgun. She drives right for him and floors the gas peddle and puts her head down. The truck hits Richie on the motorcycle. and he flies over the truck. His cycle had saved his life. The truck rolls over and Sally flies out of the open drivers door and lands in the grass beside an irrigation ditch. Richie gets up to his feet. RICHIE I didn’t plan to have this much fun tonight. RICHIE WALKS OVER TO HIS CYCLE AND CHECKS IT OUT. RICHIE Now, I’m really pissed. He walks over to Sally laying on the ground. coming and sits up.

She hears him

SALLY So, what’s next? What you gonna do without that motor between your legs? RICHIE I gave it my best shot. I guess we can’t be friends. SALLY Everyone has told me to watch out for guys like you. But, I have a secret weapon. RICHIE Tell me about it. SALLY

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I’m smarter than you. RICHIE How’s that? SALLY Looks like you got the worst of it. RICHIE I got you in my truck and I could have killed you at anytime. (He falls to his knees.) SALLY I been riding cycles for years. I heard that when a guy gets hit on a cycle, the first thing to go is his manhood. It’s hard to walk with all that blood running down your leg. RICHIE That maybe true, but I’m the one with the gun. SALLY I’m betting you ain’t got no ammo and you can’t crawl this far. RICHIE What’s your secret weapon again? SALLY I’m just lucky. And, you’ll always be a looser. Just look at you. Sally falls over in the ditch.

INTERIOR NIGHT: MT.DORA HOSPITAL ER.

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Richie walks to the emergency room at Mt. Dora Hospital. By the time he gets there he’s more than half dead. They admit him. His pants are soaked with blood. The ER nurse looks at Richie and picks up the telephone. NURSE Can you tell me what happened. RICHIE Someone hit me on my bike. NURSE We have a motorcycle accident out here. INTERIOR DAY: HOSPITAL ROOM Richie is lying in a bed next to a window. He is recovering from surgery to repair his crushed leg from the accident. He has a visitor, his brother Lenny is sitting nervously next to the bed. Lenny’s scars from the facial burns he has suffered with for so many years are hidden by a floppy hat. He is truly difficult to look at. LENNY Are you still awake? RICHIE Yup. I’m coming off the pain meds. LENNY Yeah, that stuff is the best until it isn’t. Then it’s the worst shit ever. RICHIE The voice of experience rings true. LENNY Selling that prescription stuff is the best. The house wives LENNY (cont.)

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will pay anything to get their hands on it. $10.00 a tab or $100 for a reload script is easy pickin’. RICHIE When we were kids you were such a nice kid. What happened? LENNY Don’t go there. I have enough bullshit in my life. RICHIE Here I am with three balls and a crushed pelvis. LENNY Is there anything you need done? RICHIE Yeah. What about the dogs? Have you been out there to let them out. LENNY They get better treatment than I do. But, they still don’t like me. RICHIE Just stop kicking them and they’ll be alright. LENNY I don’t do that. RICHIE Every time you come over I see you kicking them out of your way.

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LENNY They’re too big to be in that little place out there. RICHIE Just don’t kick them around like that or someday they will turn on you. Trust me you don’t want that. LENNY What about the girl? RICHIE I told you to dump her in the weeds on 441. It would look like a hit and run. Now I’ve got more shit to do when I get out of here. LENNY I didn’t want to get caught with her in the back of my pick-up. So, I put her in the freezer at the house. RICHIE Mom is going to find her. Jesus Christ! What the fuck is wrong with you! LENNY I just figured you weren’t finished with her. Plus, it was your mess to clean up and this way when you get around to it she’ll still be fresh. RICHIE Mom’s a babbling fool now anyways. LENNY If she finds the body, she’ll think it’s the Christmas turkey. RICHIE

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Cut her up with the ban saw and dump her in Mt. Dora Lake. Can you do that for me? LENNY I dropped off “Scorpio” at the bike shop. Al says you will need a new frame, transmission, oil pan, bars and back wheel, plus tires. He’ll throw in the rest, because You’re such a good customer. RICHIE Tell him I don’t want cannibalized parts. Just new stuff only. I got the best insurance. He needs to do it right. A nurse and Mike Dunn enter the hospital room. NURSE The police need to get an accident report. RICHIE I don’t remember much. MIKE I just need to ask a few questions. RICHIE OK. MIKE What happened? RICHIE I was riding out on 441 about 2:30 in the morning and this car pulled out in front of me. That’s all I remember. MIKE Well, I guess we have a hit

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and run here. LENNY Even if Richie hit the car from behind? MIKE That’s still a hit and run, because the other driver didn’t stop to render aid or report the accident. LENNY That doesn’t seem fair. RICHIE Lenny. This isn’t your deal. Just let me do the talking. LENNY I just don’t think it’s fair to blame someone if you hit them. Jesus. MIKE It’s just the law. No one can leave the scene of an accident without reporting it to the police. What happened to your motorcycle? LENNY I picked it up off the side of 441 and took it to be fixed. RICHIE Yup, he picked it up. Officer please excuse my brother. That’s all I can say about what happened. Mike hands Richie a card. MIKE Here’s my card. Please call me if you remember anything else. MIKE (cont.) Oh yeah, did you see a young

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woman walking out on the road that night? RICHIE No can’t say as I did. There aren’t many folks out that late. MIKE Just one more thing. Mike reaches into his pocket and takes out photos of the Horrorscope murder victims. He lays them out across the bed. MIKE Do you know any of these young people? Richie looks closely at each photo. two piles.

He separates them into

RICHIE This group are local kids. The others are from out of town. MIKE Can you tell me who they are? RICHIE I don’t know their names. But I’ve seen them around town. MIKE So you know these kids. RICHIE No. I’ve just see them around town. It’s a small town. You see a lot of people around town. MIKE What about the others. RICHIE They must be from out of town.

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They could be visiting. MIKE What about you Lenny? Do you know these people? LENNY Yeah, I’ve seen them around town. MIKE Any names come to mind? LENNY I don’t have many friends. MIKE Why is that? LENNY (He takes off his hat.) Just look at me. Who would want to hang out with me. People run the other way. RICHIE Is this really necessary? MIKE Well, yes it is. I’m investigating the disappearances of several young people. RICHIE We don’t know anything about that. MIKE (Talking to Lenny) How about coming down to the office when you’re finished here and take a look at some more photo’s? They might jog your memory. LENNY I don’t know anything. RICHIE Hey man, back off.

He doesn’t

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know anything. I’ll come in when I get discharged. How’s that? MIKE You won’t make me come looking for you. Will you? RICHIE My word is good. My dad taught me to never lie to a cop. MIKE Oh yeah, he was a cop in Orlando. RICHIE That’s right. MIKE OK, then we have a deal. Mike picks up the photos and walks out of the room. Prick.

RICHIE I don’t need this shit.

LENNY Is he on to you? RICHIE If he is, it’s your ass too. INTERIOR DAY: HOSPITAL NURSES STATION Mike walks to the nurses station. A nurse is standing there. He shows his badge to her. MIKE I need a DNA sample from Richard Ruth in room 235. Can you do that without making him suspicious? NURSE Piece of cake. I’ll be right back. (She returns with his water glass.) This should do it for you. MIKE

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Thank you, Ma’am! INTERIOR DAY: MIKE’S OFFICE. Janet and Mike are looking over the Horrorscope crime timeline diagram. JANET OK, we have one thing that stands out to me. MIKE Yeah. We have the missing kid’s bodies to deal with. Where are they can you tell? Janet walks over to a map of the area around Mt. Dora. She draws a circle out from the Mt. Dora City Hall. She pushes pins in where the crime locations are and uses white string line to connect the dots. She puts pins in and it creates part of a pentagram. She finishes it by placing pins where the pentagram would be. JANET That’s where you’ll find the others. MIKE That’s crazy. do this?

Why would anyone

JANET That’s what crazy does! MIKE I would like to lockup that Richie Ruth guy. There’s just something about him that’s not right. JANET I agree. But, what can you hold him for? MIKE Nothing so far. But, I’m

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calling in some favors from Orlando. INTERIOR DAY: STARBUCKS Starbucks in Winter Park. Sarah, Julia and Paul are sitting at a table drinking coffee. Julia has her WiFi laptop open. SARAH Julia, Google that Richie Ruth guy. JULIA OK. (She types in Richie Ruth.) PAUL Got anything? JULIA I’m going to try Richard Ruth. SARAH How about Lenny Ruth? JULIA Hold on! That coffee has you bouncing off the walls. SARAH So, you say… PAUL If you’re going to fight I’m going home. SARAH So far you haven’t done anything. So leave if you want. JULIA Bingo! Look at this! This guy has been busted for stalking a girl. The girl was from Altamonte Springs. He was a cop there for 5 years. JULIA (cont.) He lost his job over it.

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Great!

SARAH I bet he was pissed.

JULIA Wait, there’s more. PAUL I told you this guy was dangerous. JULIA I must have missed that part. Anyway, here the Orlando Sentinel says, “Richard Ruth acquitted in the death of his father, William Leonardo Ruth.” SARAH How did he kill him? JULIA He was accused of arson. He set fire to the farm house where his family lived with his dad inside. PAUL Go on. JULIA He was seen running from the house just before the fire broke out. The fire investigators discovered green kitty litter and vegetable oil in the spot where the fire started. SARAH What does that have to do with the fire? PAUL We had a demonstration of dangerous materials by the fire department last year. PAUL (cont.) They took a tray of green

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kitty liter and poured vegetable oil over it. With fifteen minutes there was a fire. SARAH This guy is a public menace. PAUL I think we’re in over our heads. JULIA If we can help, that’s all that matters. PAUL I think you’re both crazy. Look at the things he’s done. This ain’t no wayward boy we’re playing with here. SARAH Do you want to spend the rest of you’re life making burritos at Taco Bell? PAUL I’m going to be a famous photographer. Making burritos is just a temporary stop along the way. JULIA (Typing on the laptop.) No guts no glory. Here’s some good news. My friend Matt is working as an intern at the Sprint store in Winter Park. He can get the cell phone number of Richie Ruth for us.

Great!

SARAH Let’s give him a call.

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PAUL Are you nuts? He’ll get your number that way. JULIA Just push in *67 first and your number will come up as “unknown”. SARAH See that was easy. PAUL What are you going to say? SARAH I don’t know. Let’s see what happens. I just want to interview him. Sarah gets the number and uses the Starbucks restaurant’s land line, dials *67, then dials in Richie’s number. EXTERIOR DAY: MOTORCYCLE SHOP IN MT. DORA. Richie is checking out the repairs on his motorcycle “Scorpio”. His cell phone rings. RICHIE Yo, who’s this? SARAH I’m Lynn Staples a news reporter with the Orlando Sentinel. RICHIE What do you want? SARAH I’m doing a story about the Horrorscope murders and your name came up in connection with a missing girl. RICHIE I don’t know anything about that.

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SARAH Well, you were seen picking up a young woman the night she disappeared. RICHIE Don’t know anything about that. SARAH How about the killing of Mt. Dora’s psychic and palm reader Delois Shaw? Know anything about that? RICHIE Never visit psychics, that’s bullshit. SARAH Well, it would appear you were at her shop on the morning she was killed. There’s an appointment in your name. RICHIE That may be, but I didn’t kill her. That was a tragic thing, but it wasn’t me. SARAH Can you explain why your name was on her appointment list. Or, is it your brother Lenny? RICHIE I’ll make a deal with you for an exclusive interview. SARAH If you’re not involved, why would I want to do that? SARAH (cont.) You know. Since you’re not

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involved in the case. RICHIE It’s the only way I can clear my name. The police want to tag me with this. SARAH It’s true the police have you on their radar. So, you must know something. Look at it this way, someone is going to get credit for breaking this case. It might as well be me. I believe your brother Lenny is involved. RICHIE Leave him alone! You hear me! SARAH See I know that much. OK. Where should we meet? RICHIE I’ll call you. SARAH I don’t give out my number. I’m a freelance reporter. I don’t have a desk at the newspaper. How about we meet at the Winter Park, Train Station at noon on Friday. If you’re there fine, if not… I’ll know you’re not interested. RICHIE I should be able to make it. Unless this conversation gets to police. No traps. SARAH

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OK. I won’t talk to them. But this interview will be on the record. RICHIE I wouldn’t have it any other way. EXRERIOR DAY: HIGHWAY 441 Lenny is racing toward Mt Dora in his Honda “Tuner”. A Florida State a Trooper is hiding by the side of the road with his radar gun pointed at Lenny’s Honda. He clocks him at 85 mph. The Trooper takes off after him. Lenny accelerates to over 100 mph. The Trooper struggles to keep up and he looses Lenny going around a curve next to the Mt. Dora citrus groves. Lenny turns down the dirt road toward Richie’s motor home. The Trooper drives by a dirt road with a cloud of dust rising from Lenny’s tuner. He stops his cruiser and follows the road into the groves. Lenny parks his car in front of Richie’s motor home. The Trooper slows down as his car approaches the motor home. He lifts his radio hand set and calls in his location and the tag number of Lenny’s car.

INTERIOR DAY: RICHIES MOTORHOME IN MT. DORA CITRIS GROVE. Lenny is walking around inside the motor home looking for guns and ammo. He finds a 12 gage snake charmer in the bedroom. He loads it and knocks out a bedroom window to get a clear shot at the Trooper. He fires a shot into the radiator and another into the windshield. Then another toward the Trooper who is crouching behind the front of the cruiser. The Trooper opens the trunk and retrieves a huge riot gun. He takes aim at the motor home bedroom window and fires. The shot opens a giant hole in the side wall of the bedroom. He then loads a tear gas grenade and fires it into the opening in side of the motor home. Lenny opens the bedroom door releasing the two pit bulls. He crawls to the bathroom and jumps from the bathroom window into an orange tree. He climbs to the top of the motor home and takes aim at the Trooper hiding behind the cruiser.

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The dogs surprise the Trooper. He tries to get to safety inside the cruiser, but it’s too late. The dogs jump on him and he falls to the ground. Lenny finishes the job with a blast from his shot gun. Lenny gets the dogs off the Trooper’s face and puts them into his Honda. They race off down the dirt road toward 441. EXTERIOR DAY: CENTRAL PARK TRAIN STATION, WINTER PARK. Richie is sitting on a park bench next to a water fountain. Sarah walks up to the water fountain and sits across from Richie. RICHIE You must be Sarah. SARAH Yup. RICHIE I didn’t expect such a pretty girl. SARAH Really? It this the way you seduced your victims? With flattery? RICHIE I find you get more with honey than vinegar. What do you think? SARAH Your honey has a foul odor. RICHIE I didn’t come here to be insulted. And, you didn’t come here to smell my vinegar. Get on with the interview. SARAH Fair enough. If you are the Horrorscope killer, why did

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you kill those kids? RICHIE (looking around the park) First I’m not admitting to anything. But, it looks to me that you guys are looking for the Frankenstein monster. SARAH The Frankenstein monster was a troubled reconstruction of a murderer. Is Lenny that monster? RICHIE Lenny is a troubled kid, he has his reasons. SARAH Yes, I’ve heard his story. Very sad. RICHIE But, I assure you he hasn’t hurt anyone I know about. And, I would be the first to know. SARAH Well, there’s only two suspects in the murders and he’s one of them. RICHIE Who’s the other? SARAH I’m staring at him.

RICHIE (He gazes across the park to see a Winter Park Police cruiser going down Park Ave.)

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Let’s get to the nut cutting here. SARAH Like the park squirrels. RICHIE They aren’t so lovable. You may know that one of them attacked a little girl the other day. It had to be put to sleep. SARAH So, you’re the squirrel and I’m the little girl? RICHIE You’re catching on. SARAH You didn’t answer my first question. RICHIE I didn’t have a job. So I created one. Just about everyone in Florida is underemployed. When you come here you’d better have money. SARAH So, torturing and killing people is your job? RICHIE That’s pretty much it. It’s steady work like stuffing bags at a supper market. Or chopping pigs up at a slaughter house. RICHIE (cont.) Ever been to a slaughter

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house or a rendering plant? SARAH No. RICHIE Maybe you would like to take a field trip with me? SARAH I don’t think so. I’ll pass. RICHIE You think you’re smart? SARAH Pretty much. RICHIE You know why I’m not going to kill you right now? SARAH No. RICHIE Cause I haven’t drawn your card yet. Miss Gemini. SARAH How did you know my sign? You’re a very dangerous man. Is there anything else you want to say? RICHIE I know I’m running out of time here. But, just tell the boys in Mt. Dora, I didn’t dislike those kids. It’s just the luck of the draw, it was in the stars. Understand? SARAH No, I don’t.

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RICHIE That’s how the game is played. SARAH What do you mean?

RICHIE When you’re born, you get a sign. Then somewhere along the way you pull out your cards and that’s it. The rest is playing out each card until the cards are used up. That’s all. SARAH So, this is a game to you? RICHIE No. It’s my career, it’s who I am. SARAH I’ll pass that along. EXTERIOR DAY: CENTRAL PARK, WINTER PARK. Police and Orange County Sheriffs are moving around the train station. Sarah stands up and backs away from the fountain. Richie surveys the park and station looking for an escape route. The Am Track Train pulls into the station and stops. As passengers disembark and baggage is unloaded, there is unanticipated confusion about where Richie is. The police enter the train searching for him. They search in the Club car and sleepers. But, Richie is nowhere to be found. Unsuccessful, the Police release the train to continue on to it’s next stop in Sanford, Florida. INTERIOR DAY: WINTER PARK TRAIN STATION HOUSE. Mike and Janet walk into the train station to discover Sarah and Julia hiding inside the train station. MIKE What happened to Richie?

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JANET He’s a slippery little Devil. JULIA I’ll bet he’s on that train on his way to New York. SARAH (Sarah shows everyone a small tape recorder.) I got it all on tape. And, I got some great photos on my cell. MIKE I’ve gotta to hear this. JANET That was a very dangerous thing you girls did. JULIA Danger is her business. Right, Sarah? SARAH That was too scary for me. This guy is a maniac and he’s not going to stop until you catch him, or kill him. INTERIOR DAY: CHAIN GANG BAR ORLANDO. Lenny is sitting at the bar drinking beer. to a biker named Nelson.

He is talking

LENNY (sipping his beer) Richie is going to screw things up here.

NELSON He’s got to stay away till things cool off.

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LENNY Can you keep the dogs at your place? Sure.

NELSON But where are you going?

LENNY I’m heading for Miami. I still have a few friends there. But, I need some cash, fast. NELSON Bear owes me a grand. Will that cover expenses? Richie called me this morning. LENNY Where was he. NELSON I didn’t ask. I know better. LENNY I’m always the last one to know. NELSON Here he comes, he can tell you himself. Richie walks up to the bar with his cane and slaps Lenny on the back, then orders a drink from the bartender. He stands at the bar next to Lenny. RICHIE A beer and a bump. LENNY Everyone is looking for you. RICHIE I’m sure they think I’m riding the rail up North. LENNY

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I’m thinking we should go to Miami. RICHIE What happened to the motor home? LENNY I torched it after I shot the Trooper. You know I’m a pyro. RICHIE That was unnecessary. LENNY The Hell you say! It destroys the evidence, you know that! (Pointing to the window.) BARTENDER The Gestapo is here. RICHIE They’re all out looking for us. LENNY They’ll never take me to the freak show. Lenny takes out a hand gun and points it at the Troopers as they come through the door. He starts shooting at them cutting them down one by one. BARTENDER Oh great. Now I’ve got a clean up job. You guys better get the Hell out of here. LENNY (He shoots the Troopers as they lay on the floor.) There. Just wanted to make sure they don’t tell fairy tales. BARTENDER Those guys were regulars. They come in everyday after

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their shifts you ass holes! RICHIE Sorry, Lenny has never had much cool. Let’s hit it. LENNY I just don’t like people staring at me like that. RICHIE They’re dead. Their eyes are open that’s all. LENNY Well… that’s the same thing to me. Lenny and Richie walk out the back door of the bar. LENNY I have a very bad feeling. RICHIE Yeah. Let’s put some miles between us and this place. Lenny opens the back door to the bar. Standing there are a group of 5 Troopers with guns pointed at them. INTERIOR: FLORIDA, STATE PRISON ELECTROCUTION ROOM. SUPER TITLE: 5 years later. The inmate is strapped into the electric chair. His neck, arms, hands and legs are strapped to the chair. Electrodes are attached to the crown and temples of his head with steel screws. A leather hood has been pulled down over his face. The warden watches a large clock on the wall ticking down to midnight. Then the switch is thrown and 2 thousand volts of electricity flow through his head to the his feet. Blood flows out from behind the leather mask. It drips down his neck and splatters off his quivering chin. At 20 minutes past midnight, wisps of smoke leak out through the mask and into the room. The electricity continues to flow through his body for 20 minutes after midnight. Then the

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electricity is shut off while the doctor checks for signs of life. The electricity is turned on again for 30 seconds just to make sure the execution was successful. The Doctor lifts the leather mask to reveal Lenny Ruth has been successfully electrocuted for the killings of the two Florida State Troopers and the HorrorScope Murder victims, all inclusive in his signed confession to prosecutors. The Tarot card of “Justice” falls from Lenny’s hand to the floor. EXTERIOR DAY: GROUNDS OF GULFSTREAM THOROUGHBRED RACE TRACK IN HOLLYWOOD, FLORIDA. Richie is walking through a crowded group of thoroughbred racing gamblers. They are all fixated on the beginning of the featured race of the day. EXTERIOR DAY: VIEWING STANDS AT GULFSTREAM THOROUGHBRED RACE TRACK IN HOLLYWOOD, FLORIDA. Looking through field glasses, Sarah passes Julia the glasses as they follow Richie through the crowd at the race track edge railing. Richie reaches into his pocket and retrieves his ticket for the 8th race. The card he uses to pick a race horse is the “8 of Swords.” FADE TO BLACK

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