DIRK GENTLY

Written by

Max Landis

Based On

Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency

BY

Douglas Adams

Season 1 Episode 1

"Pilot"
INT. DIRK’S MOTEL ROOM - MORNING

We see the following TIGHT. In MACRO.

Dirk Gently lays fast asleep in a dingy motel room, in all

his clothes, on top of the covers. I’d describe him, but I
don’t want you to see him quite yet.

He’ll be back later, in fuller form. Just trust me. Look at

the title page. RING RING.

Dirk jerks awake, answering the phone.

DIRK
Yes, I was awake, I’ve been awake.

MICHAEL SPRING
Where are you? It’s time.

DIRK
I’m-
(looks around)
I’m on my way, is where I am, and
almost there already, so
everything’s great.

There’s the sound of a commotion on the other end.

MICHAEL SPRING
You’re too late.

DIRK
Well, I think that’s-

There’s the sounds of shouting and things breaking and being

smashed- the line cuts out, as Dirk jumps off his bed,
pulling on a jacket as he rushes out the door and we

SLAM TO:

INT. THE PERRYMAN GRAND - THE DESTROYED SUITE

Birds chirp outside. The faint sound of a city waking up.

But in the penthouse suite of a luxury hotel, all is chaos.

A glitched speaker plays scrambled, unsettlingly distorted

music; we see that the speakers have been clawed to pieces.

Couches are torn to pieces. A dead body lays across a

crushed grand piano. Shattered glass, destroyed furniture,
claw marks everywhere.
 2.

A second dead body is visible; just the feet, sticking out of

an adjacent room. The door has been knocked off its hinges.

A small black kitten wanders into frame, leaving little

bloody paw prints behind it. It meows.

A hand reaches out and snatches it up-

SLAM TO BLACK.

TITLE.

HOLD ON BLACK.

After a moment, we hear distant sounds of shattering and

crashing, things being broken.

INT. TODD’S APARTMENT - MORNING

TODD Brotzman, 30, wakes up in his dingy studio apartment,

hearing crashing and banging from outside. Todd is the sort
of half-invisible fellow you might catch holding an elevator
for you, or letting you skip ahead of him in the grocery
store.

He seems to exist fully in the moment, drifting vaguely

through life. Crash bang from outside. Things are about to
get less vague. In fact, they’re going to get extremely
specific, painfully so.

He had all this coming. You don’t know it yet, but he

deserves it. CRASH BANG! That wakes him all the way up.

He rouses, in his boxers, and goes to the window, seeing

something that greatly upsets him.

EXT. THE RIDGELY BUILDING - MORNING - CONTINUOUS

The Ridgely is a smallish four story apartment building on

fringes of San Diego, ancient and more than a little
dilapidated.

Todd rushes out, still in his boxers, to see DORIAN, 30s,

dangerous looking white trash covered in tattoos, attacking
his 1999 Honda Civic with a hammer.

TODD
Dorian! Dorian stop, stop stop-

DORIAN
Where’s my money!?
 3.

TODD
I gave you your money Dorian-

DORIAN
Where’s the fuckin’ rent MAN?

TODD
I paid you the rent, I paid you
yesterday!

Dorian turns, raising the hammer at Todd.

DORIAN
DON’T TELL ME WHAT YOU DID AND
DIDN’T DO! Don’t tell me what
happened yesterday, how could you
know, you ain’t a historian!

TODD
Dorian, I paid you-

DORIAN
Are you a historian?

TODD
No, but-

DORIAN
You’re on thin ice. The ice is
cracking. You’re fucked. I’ll
kill you, man, I swear to god I
will. You fuck with me again.

Todd’s silent, in his underwear, raising his hands

plaintively. Dorian turns and suddenly strikes the front
tire of the car with his claw hammer, popping it.
TODD
No! NO! Oh- damn it.

DORIAN
Get my money. Six hundred-

TODD
But-

DORIAN
I don’t care. Call the cops.
Nope. You won’t. Cause I got you,
don’t I? I got you.

Dorian, happy with his destruction, heads back to his house,

a dingy little shit-hole house, directly next to The Ridgely.
Todd stands staring at his beaten up car.
 4.

INT. THE RIDGELY BUILDING - TODD’S HALLWAY

Todd tries his door. He’s locked out, in his underwear.

EXT. THE RIDGELY BUILDING - MOMENTS LATER

We watch the frustrating process of Todd slowly pulling down

the ladder for his fire escape and climbing up, working his
way up to his third floor apartment, and then wrenching open
his own window.

INT. TODD’S APARTMENT - MOMENTS LATER

Todd is getting dressed. The TV behind him plays the news.

A woman is tearfully being interviewed. He checks his phone:
6 MISSED CALLS FROM AMANDA.

Todd sighs, then notices the TV behind him, and unmutes the
television, which bounces back to a news reporter.

NEWS REPORTER
If you or anyone with information
on the whereabouts of Lydia Spring,
please contact the number below.

They show a photograph of a young, pretty woman with straight

black hair and striking green eyes. Todd sighs, checks his
watch, and looks out at his badly fucked up car.

INT. THE BUS - SHORTLY THEREAFTER

Todd, now in his hotel-employee work uniform, sits on the

bus, taking it to work. As he sits, zoning out, miserable,
he notices a CORGIE TERRIER walking up the sidewalk.

We hold on the Corgie for a moment. Let’s remember her.

She’ll be important later.

INT. THE PERRYMAN GRAND - LOBBY - LATER

Todd is behind the concierge desk. We watch him go about his

work, helping people with their luggage, moving from floor to
floor...

...Back behind the desk, he sees his boss, Hermano PALACIOS,

and perks up.

TODD
Mister Palacios, hey-
 5.

PALACIOS
Todd, perfect, can you get up to
fifteen twenty five, we-

TODD
Yes, I will, just- I was wondering
if I could get my check a little
early this month-

PALACIOS
What? Why, you okay?

TODD
Yeah, I could just- use the money-

PALACIOS
Get up to fifteen twenty five,
okay? We got some kind of drunk
woman up there going crazy. And
then do me a favor and check out
the penthouse, they’ve had a Do Not
Disturb since two PM yesterday. Do
you still have the master key?

TODD
Of course, yes.

Palacios gets a phone call and answers it.

PALACIOS
Fifteen twenty five, then the
penthouse-

TODD
Okay, but then we can talk about
the check?
PALACIOS
(heading off)
Later, yes, later.

TODD
...Okay.

He checks his phone: 7 new missed calls from Amanda.

INT. THE PERRYMAN GRAND - 15TH FLOOR HALLWAY

Todd stands outside Room 1525. From beyond he can hear

shrill female yelling. He hesitantly goes to knock, and then
the door bursts open, revealing-
 6.

NATHAN
-fool me into thinking you’re
pregnant you stupid- AHHH

NATHAN, 50s, graying but handsome, sees Todd’s raised fist

and flinches badly.

TODD NATHAN
No, I was- knocking- Get out of my way.

Nathan shoves past Todd, heading down the hallway. Todd very
slowly enters 1525, and sees

INT. THE PERRYMAN GRAND - ROOM 1525 - CONTINUOUS

SAMMY Fletcher, 20s, absolutely beautiful but bedraggled from

sobbing and screaming, sitting on the bed. She’s clearly
very emotional, having been through something intense.

There’s a beat, Todd standing quietly, trying not to intrude,

and then...

SAMMY
I’m sorry. I’ll get it together.
I’m sorry.
(beat)
Do I have to leave or can I just
sit here for a minute?

TODD
Take your time.

SAMMY
Okay. Shit. Okay. That’s really
nice of you. Will you just hang
out, for a second? I feel crazy.

Todd opens his mouth, but then just nods. He stands there.
She sits, recovering, breathing. They share the silence.

MINUTES LATER...

Sammy shows Todd out.

SAMMY (CONT’D)
I really appreciate that, thank
you. I’ll be out of here in an
hour.

TODD
Okay.

As the door closes-

 7.

TODD (CONT’D)
If you need anything, my name is-

Door shuts.

TODD (CONT’D)
Todd.

He sighs, and heads off up the hallway.

INT. THE PERRYMAN GRAND - ELEVATOR

Todd, in the elevator, presses the button for PENTHOUSE. The

elevator begins ascending. Todd takes out his phone, takes a
deep breath, and then calls AMANDA.

Gets a voicemail.

TODD
Hey, sis, it’s me. Listen- I’m not
ignoring you, and I know it might
seem that way. I’ll come up there
as soon as I can, I just- I don’t
know if I have the money, right
now, and I know I promised you, but-
there’ve been some unforeseen
circumstances- I’m going to get
past it, I’m gonna get you the
money and you’ll be able to-

The elevator stops on Floor 29. It dings, and Todd quickly

hangs up, hiding his phone, trying to be professional, as the
elevator doors slide open, revealing:

An almost perfectly identical OTHER TODD; this one has

shorter hair, and wears a big fluffy white fur coat over a
blood stained, torn up black and white tank top. He has a
black eye.

He’s yelling with full on genuine rage at a STRANGER in a

blue leather jacket, who has his back to Todd.

OTHER TODD
-ime machine! You were lying to me
the whole time, and now you’ve
screwed us both- NO! Silence! NO
you shut up, don’t you say a word,
I don’t want to hear it-

Todd stares at the other Todd, slack-jawed. The Other Todd

falters in his tirade at the stranger, seeming to remember
something, looking at his clothes and then at the hallway
around them.
 8.

OTHER TODD (CONT’D)

Wait- wait, holy shit, this is it,
this is when...This is when it
happened! That means...

The Other Todd turns and looks at Todd. They make the exact
same expression of dumb stupid nothing.

The stranger turns and looks at Todd, revealing himself to be

Dirk again, in completely different clothes, with pink band-
aids all over his face. He seems bemused for a moment.

DIRK
Hey, that’s you! Oh...Nuts.

OTHER TODD
Come on.

Other Todd viciously grabs the Other Dirk, pulling him away,
whilst Todd, our Todd, just stands there completely gormless.

The elevator doors close. Todd’s walkie-talkie buzzes, and

he’s startled, letting out a little scream.

PALACIOS (ON RADIO)

Where the hell are you?

The elevator begins to ascend again. Todd, still clearly in

shock, grabs his walkie-talkie.

TODD
I don’t know.
(beat)
I mean I’m on my way. On my way.

INT. THE PERRYMAN GRAND - PENTHOUSE HALLWAY

Todd, still in a daze, steps out into the short penthouse

hallway. He walks to the door, and then takes out a key-ring
from his pocket; it’s mostly digital cards, with a few analog
old-school keys.

He goes through it once. Twice. Looks disturbed: the key

he’s looking for isn’t there.

Also he just saw a copy of himself. There’s a lot going on

with Todd right now.

But not so much that he doesn’t notice...the door is open.

TODD
...open...
 9.

Blood slowly drips out from under the door. He stares at it,
and then...touches the handle...It drifts open....

Revealing the same Penthouse from the cold open...

SLAM TO:

EXT. THE PERRYMAN GRAND - LATER

Sirens howl. Two dozen police cars are parked out front.

INT. THE PERRYMAN GRAND - BACK ROOM

In a back room, Todd is being questioned by two police

detectives, the rotund ZIMMERFIELD and lanky, handsome
ESTEVEZ, as Mr. Palacios stands by, quiet.

A laptop sits on the table between them.

ZIMMERFIELD
And you have no idea when the key
left your possession?

TODD
No.

ESTEVEZ
It doesn’t look great, Todd. Late
for work, late going to the
penthouse, no key. It seems very,
you know-

ZIMMERFIELD
Confluent.
ESTEVEZ
Confluent, yeah, like a lot of
little pieces adding up to me
raising my eyebrow like-

Indicates Zimmerfield, who raises his eyebrows.

ESTEVEZ (CONT’D)
Like that. I can’t do it. Only
Zimmerfield can do it.

ZIMMERFIELD
Only Zimmerfield.

Estevez turns the laptop around on the table. It shows

security footage of the penthouse hallway.
 10.

ESTEVEZ
This is from seven AM this morning.

The footage shows a man in a gorilla mask hurry up the

hallway, looking around, tripping and almost falling down in
his rush.

He comes to the door, opens it with a key, reacts to what he

sees inside with a huge display of shock, then enters.

ESTEVEZ (CONT’D)
Where were you at seven AM, Todd?

TODD
I was at my apartment- was he
wearing a gorilla mask-

ZIMMERFIELD
You got anyone can vouch for you on
that, Todd?

Todd thinks.

FLASH TO:

Dorian’s crazed face.

DORIAN
DON’T TELL ME WHAT YOU DID AND
DIDN’T DO!

BACK TO:

TODD
(fidgeting)
Yes. No. ...Maybe. I don’t know.
ESTEVEZ
Are you aware you just gave every
possible response to that question?
Eyebrows.

Zimmerfield does the eyebrows.

ESTEVEZ (CONT’D)
Thank you Brotzman, That’s all for
now. We’ll be following up real
soon. If I were you I wouldn’t
leave town.

They stand, getting ready to go, when Todd suddenly speaks.

 11.

TODD
Is there- is there any way you
could get the security footage from
floor twenty nine?

Zimmerfield and Estevez exchange a look.

ESTEVEZ
The security cameras on the twenty
ninth floor all went out this
morning at ten AM. How did you
know that?

TODD
I....didn’t.

Estevez and Zimmerfield take a moment talking amongst

themselves, and then...

ZIMMERFELD
Seriously. Don’t leave town.

TODD
I won’t.

Zimmerfield gives eyebrows.

INT. HOTEL BACK HALLWAY - MOMENTS LATER

Palacios is leading Todd up an administrative hallway in the

back of the hotel. Todd is walking in total silence,
completely zoned out; things have spun him into a daze.

PALACIOS
Todd! Hey, man, snap out of it.
TODD
Yeah, sorry, what?

PALACIOS
I said they think it’s connected to
something bigger.

TODD
What like...the mob?

PALACIOS
No, not the mob.

They stop at a door marked HUMAN RESOURCES. Palacios

falters, looks around, then speaks quietly.
 12.

PALACIOS (CONT’D)
While you were in there, did you
see any kind of...animal?

TODD
Animal? No, I-

PALACIOS
They found paw prints.

TODD
...Paw...prints? Like a dog?

PALACIOS
No. Not like a dog.

Todd is like “oh yeah?” Palacios moves on.

PALACIOS (CONT’D)
Just head on in here. Brad will
take care of you. Everything’s
gonna be fine.

SNAP TO:

TODD
You’re firing me!?

INT. HUMAN RESOURCES - MOMENTS LATER

The room is small, cramped, filled with old files. Again,

Todd is across the table from someone giving him bad news, in
this case

BRAD THE HR GUY, dead eyed and unremarkable, distinctly

serial killer-y about him in the way that bureaucrats can
sometimes be, when they are actually serial killers.

BRAD THE HR GUY

Your negligence has cast suspicion
on hotel staff. Your firing is
essential to public relations.

TODD
But you’re human resources!

BRAD THE HR GUY

Yes, I specialize in the disposal
of humans. You’re human, and-
 13.

TODD
Okay okay okay- I- is there any
way, please, any way you can give
me my final check today, as a type
of severance-

BRAD THE HR GUY

Well, it’s a same day termination,
so we have to belay the check.

TODD
Same day? What do you mean same
day? It just happened today.

BRAD THE HR GUY

Yes, today is the day that is the
same, today is the day it happened.

TODD
Right, but any day it would’ve
happened would’ve been the day it
happened- listen, I need the money-

BRAD THE HR GUY

Yes but it’s a same day termination-

TODD
Yes but it is always a day, right?
Things happen when they happen,
they happen immediately, that’s
what “happening” is, it means-

BRAD THE HR GUY

No. Sometimes when things happen
they don’t happen.
Todd just stares at him, defeated.

INT. THE BUS - SUNSET

Todd sits alone on the bus home. There’s a digital

television on the bus, showing LYDIA SPRING’s face. Todd
stares at it for a moment, then looks out the window.

Wait, what!? The same Corgie Terrier is running up the

street, reckless abandon, it’s nametag waving in the wind.

Todd blinks, his brow furrowed.

 14.

EXT. THE RIDGELY BUILDING - NIGHT

As Todd walks up to his apartment building, he looks over at

his ruined car, and sighs.

From inside Dorian’s house, we can hear loud shouting. Todd

chances a glance in the window, and sees Dorian pacing back
and forth, shouting to himself.

Yikes.

INT. TODD’S APARTMENT - MOMENTS LATER

Todd unlocks the door, stepping inside and flicking on the

light to see-

DIRK Gently is crawling in through the window.

Dirk, 30s, handsome-ish, hair a mess, British, in a weathered

yellow leather jacket, with white shirt and tie and ruddy red
jeans, looks kind of perpetually engaged, as though he’s
following a script only he can read that’s being written
hurriedly by a very confused person who doesn’t know the next
word they’re going to type so he’s constantly in the process
of catching up to the next thing that’s being typed in some
kind of preposterous impossibly long run on sentence.

DIRK
Hiiiii.

Todd yelps in surprise, reaching down and grabbing a shoe by

the door, flinging it into Dirk’s face! Dirk falls into the
apartment; Todd, after a moment of hesitation, charges him!

TODD
AHHHH!

Todd grabs at Dirk and they clumsily slap at each other,

tripping over each other, crashing into a table, and then
Todd straight up BITCH-SLAPS DIRK ACROSS THE FACE.

DIRK
(staggered)
Ow! You- SLAPADA! My nose!
Nowyouregonnagetthe-AH! HI-YA!

Dirk strikes a karate pose, and Todd simply knocks his hands
away, shoving him backwards-

Dirk staggers, falling against the microwave, accidentally

pressing a bunch of buttons, setting the timer.
 15.

DIRK (CONT’D)
AH! STOP IT! HEY! JESUS! With
the- PUSH. What THE HELL, man-

TODD
You “what the hell,” NO, ME “what
the hell!” How did you get in?

DIRK
The WINDOW. Obviously. I saw you
do it this morning in your
underwear, seemed like a weird
thing to do, but live and let live-

TODD DIRK
You can’t just break into my Clearly I can, I mean, I just
apartment! did-

TODD
I’ll call the police.

DIRK
No you won’t. Not with your
criminal landlord mucking about. I
saw you fail miserably at calling
the police this morning, I can’t
imagine you’ve gotten better about
it since then-

Dirk, recovered, casually takes Todd’s hand and looks at his

palm; Todd yanks his hand away, recoiling.

TODD
The hell-

DIRK
I’m trying to decide whether you’re
a clue, an accomplice or an
assistant.

TODD
...Who are you? What is this?

DIRK
(hmm)
Have you noticed an acceleration of
strangeness in your life as of
late? Perhaps a series of intense
or extraordinary events that as of
now seem unconnected with the
exception of being each separately
bizarre?

Todd falters. Yes he very much has noticed that.

 16.

DIRK (CONT’D)
Perhaps every day before now has
been for the most part humdrum and
inane, your life a mundane
unvarying slog through unfulfilling
jobs, shallow depression and
boring, boring sex?

TODD
Well-

DIRK
And then suddenly, today,
everything changed, and your life
became a swirl of interesting
activity?

Todd can’t hide his reaction.

DIRK (CONT’D)
An assistant! I knew it.

Dirk splays himself out across Todd’s couch, relaxing.

DIRK (CONT’D)
My name is Dirk Gently. I’ll be
sleeping here tonight.

He sticks out his hand, smiling widely.

INT. THE RIDGELY BUILDING - TODD’S HALLWAY - MOMENTS LATER

Dirk is shoved out into the hallway; Dirk, off-balance, goes

head first into the wall on the opposite side, whap.
DIRK
OW!

Todd, shocked at his own violence, almost goes to help him,

when Dirk touches a cut on his forehead, raising the tiny
amount of blood, and then pointing at it with his other hand.

DIRK (CONT’D)
BLOOD!
(beat)
YOU’RE A TERRIBLE ASSISTANT!

Todd slams the door closed.

 17.

INT. TODD’S APARTMENT - CONTINUOUS

Todd stands against the slammed door. Silence from beyond

it. After a moment, he turns, looking at his empty
apartment, and we feel what he feels:

What is it? Disappointment? Loss? Todd sighs, and takes

out his phone.

EXT. THE RIDGELY BUILDING - ACROSS THE STREET

A black SUV is parked further up the block, watching silently

as Dirk exits the Ridgely. Inside, sits:

GENERAL RIGGINS, 40s, a grim military man who looks worn

down, tired, and more than a little jittery. Next to him,
looking through a sniper rifle, is

FRIEDKIN, young, extremely sharp and professional looking,

which is ironic, because he is in fact very, very stupid.

The rifle is trained on Todd, in his apartment. Friedkin

speaks without looking up from his scope.

FRIEDKIN
Is that him?

GENERAL RIGGINS
I don’t know.

FRIEDKIN
What?

GENERAL RIGGINS
What?
FRIEDKIN
It’s hard to hear you through the
comm in my ear.

GENERAL RIGGINS
I’m not talking through the comm,
I’m talking right to you.

FRIEDKIN
I’ve got a shot.

GENERAL RIGGINS
Gently just left, we- what do you
mean you’ve got a shot-

FRIEDKIN
Do I take the shot.
 18.

GENERAL RIGGINS
Don’t take the shot.

FRIEDKIN
Confirmed, taking the shot.

INT. TODD’S APARTMENT - CONTINUOUS

Todd notices something Dirk dropped: a little stress

squeezie; you know the one, you squeeze it and the eyes and
nose pop out. He bends down to pick it up-

The window behind him is perfectly punctured by a sniper

round; it doesn’t shatter.

The bullet zips right past where Todd’s head would’ve been,
quietly striking the roof of his apartment.

INT. THE RIDGELY BUILDING - APARTMENT 415 - CONTINUOUS

A terrifying, tattooed man, wielding a bone saw, slowly

approaches a woman who’s been handcuffed to a bed, her mouth
covered with tape, in a dingy, dark apartment lit by a single
flickering red bulb when-
The bullet comes flying up through the floor behind him and
hits him in the back, killing him instantly. He collapses,
dropping the saw.

The terrified woman on the bed blinks, shocked, and then

struggles against her bonds. They’re on tight. Shit.

This is FARAH Black. We’ll get to know her really well.

Later. I promise. She’s really great, a ton of a fun, I
mean- maybe that’s in bad taste to say considering her
current predicament-

For now, let’s leave her alone and see if she can get out of
those handcuffs.

EXT. THE RIDGELY BUILDING - ACROSS THE STREET - CONTINUOUS

General Riggins is repeatedly slapping at Friedkin, who’s

making feeble attempts to defend himself, knowing he’s in the
wrong, having dropped the rifle.

GENERAL RIGGINS
The hell is wrong with you!?
You’re endangering the whole
goddamn operation-
 19.

FRIEDKIN
Look, he’s leaving! He’s leaving!

GENERAL RIGGINS
Shit.

Riggins starts the car, and they pull out to follow someone.
We move almost a full block behind them, where...

Zimmerfield and Estevez are in an unmarked stake out car,

watching, clearly flummoxed.

ZIMMERFIELD
What the fuck just happened. Was
that a shot? Did someone take a
shot or...what was that?

ESTEVEZ
The plates came up military.

ZIMMERFIELD
Military, what the hell.

ESTEVEZ
Is the guy we’re tailing...meeting
up with another guy, who is also
being tailed, by OTHER people?

Zimmerfield gives eyebrows.

INT. AMANDA’S HOUSE - BEDROOM - NIGHT

Amanda’s house is small, comfortable, cheap, out of the city.

AMANDA Brotzman, 27, lays in bed in her darkened bedroom,

looking out the window. She’s small, frail and sickly. Her
eyes seem to glow out of her head.

AMANDA
I miss you.

WE SEE:

Todd, on the phone, in his darkened studio apartment. He’s

laying in bed. We cut back and forth between them.

TODD
I miss you too. Does it hurt bad,
or...

AMANDA
It was a little better today.
Maybe it’ll keep getting better;
(MORE)
 20.
AMANDA (CONT'D)
didn’t you say it started out
feeling better a little bit at a
time when it happened to you?

TODD
I- yeah, a little bit, but-

AMANDA
Don’t worry I’m not getting my
hopes up. Remember when we were
little, when Aunt Esther would have
good days and bad days.

TODD
I just remember the bad days.
(beat)
I’m driving up tomorrow morning-

AMANDA
Your message said you didn’t have
the money-

TODD
Yeah, well I’ll- I’ll figure
something out, okay? I’ll figure
it out.

AMANDA
You seem stressed out, is
everything okay over there?

WE SEE SPLIT SECOND FLASHES OF: Dorian destroying Todd’s car,

Todd encountering the Other Todd “-ime machine!”, Brad The HR
guy firing him, Estevez: “Don’t leave town,” and then Todd
and Dirk fighting in his apartment-
TODD
No, I- everything’s fine.

EXT. POWER STATION 152 - CONTINUOUS

Out amidst the wind propeller turbines in the deserts of Palm

Springs, the sun is rising.

At a power allocation node, a thin, nerdy, friendly faced

tech named KEN is working with a bunch of wires. Nearby, a
big goon with a shotgun, CHARLES, stands by their Department
of Water and Power truck.

CHARLES
Hurry up!
 21.

KEN
I’m going as fast as I can, okay,
it’s not easy to do this under
pressure.

Ken, annoyed, puts on headphones, not noticing that a car is

quickly approaching them, kicking up a trail of dust.

CHARLES
What the hell?

The car, a brown 1995 Toyota Corolla, parks a couple dozen

feet away. Charles watches, his eyes cold and blank.

BART Curlish, early 40s, quickly gets out, setting his coffee
down on the roof, and takes off his plaid jacket, throwing it
back in the car.

Bart has a confidently disoriented sort of vicious dizzyness,

a man who looks like he gets dressed every morning via high
speed collision, slightly dishevelled, moving and speaking
almost always at a clipped pace,

Bart swiftly closes the gap between himself and Charles,

smiling in a polite, if hurried manner.

He tries to sip his coffee- ouch, too hot!

CHARLES (CONT’D)
This is private property.

BART
Namaste.

Bart suddenly hurls the scalding coffee into Charles’ face.

Charles shrieks in pain, and Bart knocks away the shotgun-
-reaches down to his leg, unsheathes a machete, and WHACK- no
more Charles!

Ken, listening to his headphones, doesn’t notice any of this.

Bart rapidly approaches him, lifting his machete- Ken sees
his reflection in his computer screen-

KEN
No- no no no-

Ken flings the computer at Bart, hitting him in the face-

Bart falls, clutching his face-

BART
AHHHH SUNUVA-
 22.

Ken scrambles away, frantic, tripping a few times before

taking off down-

THE ROAD

With Bart picking up pace to follow him, running full on,

machete in hand.

KEN
No! No! Please!

There’s nowhere to go. For miles. The hillsides are barren

save for the towering windmills.

KEN (CONT’D)
Somebody help! Help me! Please!

Bart picks up speed, pumping his arms, again (and always)

closing the distance.

BART
You’re fucked! You’re so fucked!

KEN
NO! OH GOD NO, NO-

Ken abruptly turns, off the road, and goes stumbling onto a
steep incline. Bart attempts to follow him, and then both
quickly find that this was a mistake.

Both men fall, tumbling down the desert hillside, still

running and scrambling where they can. Reaching a level
plane, ken, scraped and bruised, immediately stands and
starts running again.

The two men sprint, then run, then jog, then stagger out
through the endless fields of windmills.

Finally, Ken falls. He can’t run any more.

KEN (CONT’D)
(gasping)
NO...please...NO...

Bart, also winded, falls, clutching his heart.

BART
Agh...jesus...

Ken, unable to go any further, looks at Bart, who’s set down

his machete, both hands on his chest.

BART (CONT’D)
DIRK GENTLY, YOU’RE A DEAD MAN!
 23.

KEN
Dirk...Who’s Dirk Gently?

A long beat.

BART
You’re not Dirk Gently?

KEN
...No.

BART
Are you kidding me right now? Then
why’d you run!?

KEN
You have a machete! You- you
killed Charles!

BART
Why didn’t you say “I’m not Dirk
Gently?”

KEN
BECAUSE I DON’T KNOW WHO THAT IS!

SLAM TO:

DIRK
Hiiiiiiii.

EXT. THE RIDGELY BUILDING - MORNING

Todd, standing out front of his building with a backpack, is

staring at Dirk, who leans on a Lime Green Lamborghini parked
out front.

TODD
...What are you doing here?

DIRK
What are YOU doing here?

TODD
I live here.

DIRK
Right, but where are you going?
Didn’t you say you lost your job?

TODD
No, I didn’t say that, actually-
how did you-
 24.

DIRK
You worked at that hotel, where the
murders took place. Been all over
the news, for the people who still
watch the news, you know, old
people, and me, occasionally.

TODD
Was I on TV?

DIRK
Would it be bad for you if you
were?

TODD
None of your business-

DIRK TODD
Maybe it is though- It isn’t-

DIRK
Where were you going-

TODD
None of your business-

DIRK
You don’t even know my business,
maybe I’m a cab driver?

TODD
That’s not a cab, and it’s none of
your business-

DIRK TODD
But maybe- No!
DIRK
Where?

TODD
My sister’s house, okay?!

DIRK
I’ll give you a ride. What’s your
alternative? Unless you have some
kind of magic car fixing robot.
You don’t though. I’ve seen in
your apartment.

TODD
It’s an hour away.
 25.

DIRK
Pfbt. Time. I laugh at the
concept. I can spend a whole day
without even trying.

Dorian busts out of his front door.

DORIAN TODD
Hey! Okay let’s go let’s go-

Dirk claps with happiness and runs around to the driver’s

side as Todd frantically pulls at the locked passenger door.

DIRK (CONT’D)
Easy, it’s not my car.

Dirk gets in, Todd jumping in and slamming the door. Dorian
comes storming towards the car.

DORIAN
HEY WHERE ARE YOU GOIN!? WHERE’S
THE RENT, MAN- WHERE’S THE RENT-
TODD
(screaming)
I paid you the rent!

DORIAN
DO I LOOK LIKE AN ACCOUNTANT, DO I
LOOK LIKE I KNOW WHAT YOU PAID ME-

TODD
Shit, go, go!

DIRK
You know you have to come back
here, right?

Dirk pulls out, leaving Dorian behind.

DORIAN
Dirk you better bring him back with
my money!

Todd, hearing Dorian say Dirk’s name, shrinks down into his
seat. He gives a look to Dirk, who smiles brightly. Uh oh.

INT. POLICE STATION - BULL PEN

The station is buzzing with activity. Posters for the

missing LYDIA SPRING are up on the walls.
 26.

Estevez is sitting and watching security footage from the

hotel, in the lobby. He keeps watching the same part of the
footage again and again, when Zimmerfield approaches.

ESTEVEZ
Tell me we found that kitten.

ZIMMERFIELD
Still searching the building, but
we got something else. Remember
how Todd Brotzman wanted the tapes
for floor twenty nine?

ESTEVEZ
Did they find the footage?

ZIMMERFIELD
It’s weirder than that. All the
data from electronics on the floor
is fried.

ESTEVEZ
What? How didn’t we know this?

ZIMMERFIELD
It started overnight, people
complaining about broken lap-tops,
scrambled cell phone memory, we had
uniforms case the whole floor to
pick up some samples for testing.
The tech guys are saying it was
some kind of electromagnetic pulse.

ESTEVEZ
What? An EMP, I thought those only
happened after a nuke-
ZIMMERFIELD
Other stuff can cause them.

ESTEVEZ
Like what?

ZIMMERFIELD
Lightning strike.

ESTEVEZ
Did that happen?

ZIMMERFIELD
No.

ESTEVEZ
...Shit?
 27.

ZIMMERFIELD
Press release on the victims goes
out in twenty minutes. What’ve you
got there?

Zimmerfield leans down to look at Estevez’s screen.

ESTEVEZ
I’ve been trying to find Monkey
Mask on the tapes, see if we can
trace his progress to the room.
Thing is, guy came out of the
stairwell; no cameras in the
stairwell, and no cameras cover the
entrance from the lobby.

ZIMMERFIELD
So he knew where the cameras were.

ESTEVEZ
Or he was already staying in the
hotel, yeah. I did find one thing
kind of interesting, though.

Estevez rewinds tape of the lobby; Todd’s at the front desk,

looking down, it’s relatively uncrowded...

...And then a Corgie comes running across, headed out the

front doors. Yep: same one.

ZIMMERFIELD
...Whose dog is that?

The roar of a Lamborghini’s engine takes us to

INT. DIRK’S CAR

Dirk is driving on surface streets like he’s in Mario Kart,

swerving around anyone going slower than ten miles over the
speed limit.

Todd, holding on for dear life, is trying to play it cool.

Dirk is singing along to the radio, some kind of Korean pop
song, and keeps looking at Todd, urging him to sing along.

DIRK
C’mon. Relax, enjoy the ride. I
think we’ll be great friends I can
already tell we’ve got oodles in
common.

Todd makes a very Todd “are you fucking kidding” face.

 28.

DIRK (CONT’D)
We both like...breathing. Eating!
We both...can walk, listen, there’s
an ocean of commonalities here for
us to draw on-

Dirk breezes through a red light, narrowly missing three

collisions. Todd has already realized this was a mistake.

TODD
...Why did Dorian know your name?

DIRK
Who? Oh, right. I was talking to
him this morning.

TODD
About what?

DIRK
Ownership of the building. Your
apartment building, the Ridgely.
Fascinating history, that place.

Todd stares at Dirk for a moment, as Dirk, without taking his

foot off the gas, reaches into the backseat. Todd
immediately grabs the wheel, straightening it, as Dirk
returns with a slice of pizza.

TODD
Who are you?

DIRK
I’m a detective, a holistic
detective. Before you ask, no, I’m
not with the CIA any more.
As Todd processes this non sequitor, Dirk takes a huge bite
of pizza, and talks through a mouth full of cheese.

DIRK (CONT’D)
I’m a private eye now, and I’m
working a very important case.

TODD
A holistic- what is a “holistic
detective?”

DIRK
I'm very glad you asked me that, Mr-
what’s your name?

TODD
Todd-
 29.

DIRK
I'm very glad you asked me that,
Todd. The term `holistic' refers
to my convictions about the
fundamental interconnectedness of
all things. I do not concern myself
with such petty things as
fingerprint powder, telltale pieces
of pocket fluff and inane
footprints. I see the solution to
each problem as being detectable in
the pattern and web of the whole.
The connections between causes and
effects are often much more subtle
and complex than we with our rough
and ready understanding of the
physical world might naturally
suppose. MAN!

Indeed, there is a man in the road, who yelps as Dirk swerves

around him. Todd catches a glimpse of the man’s startled
face in the rearview mirror.

DIRK (CONT’D)
Sorry, new car.

TODD
Jesus christ.

EXT. GAS STATION - MOMENTS LATER

Dirk sits on the roof of the Lamborghini as Todd fills it up.

DIRK
See? I didn’t even ask you to do
that and you’re already acting like
an assistant.

TODD
I just- I thought I was being
helpful, it wasn’t-

DIRK
Whatever keeps you sane. I’ve
started to think you’re more
important to this case than you
realize.

TODD
What case? You broke into my
apartment. I mean how do you even
investigate anything if you don’t
use any investigative- stuff, I-
 30.

DIRK
Interconnectedness! Coincidence,
and the rarer, sexier coinky-dinks!
Once hired, I am intrinsically
connected to the specific case. I
then will eventually solve the
mystery merely by just kind of
doing whatever.

TODD
Who told you to break into my
apartment?

DIRK
No one. I was investigating your
building for other reasons, which
will for now remain tangential, and
I just had a hunch that you might
be important. And I was right:
while searching your apartment, I
found a very compelling piece of
evidence.

TODD
What did you find?

DIRK
Nothing.

TODD
But you just said-

DIRK
Everything is connected. Nothing
is also connected.
There’s a beat.

TODD
Don’t run any more red lights.

DIRK
Whatever keeps you sane.

There’s the distant rev of a diesel engine. Dirk starts.

For the first time since we’ve met him, he seems...scared.

DIRK (CONT’D)
We should go.
 31.

EXT. AMANDA’S HOUSE - LATER

Dirk’s car is out front of Amanda’s little house. Todd is at

the front door. He takes a breath, steadying himself, and
then knocks.

There’s a moment of silence, then-

DIRK TODD
Ring the bell- What the hell-

Dirk is standing right behind him. He holds his pizza box.

TODD
You said you were going to stay in
the car-

DIRK
I lied, though.

TODD
What?

DIRK
Did you see how I snuck up? I was
trained as a ninja by the CIA-

TODD
What?

DIRK
Sorry that’s a lie too.

TODD
Go back to the c-
The door opens, Todd turning to Amanda, containing his fury.
Amanda’s sweet joy and relief at seeing Todd is palpable.
She embraces him immediately.

AMANDA
Todd, you came!

TODD
Of course I came...Did you think I
wouldn’t come, I-

AMANDA
(noticing Dirk)
Who’s this?

TODD
Ugh, it’s- that’s Dirk Gently.
 32.

AMANDA
Dir- okay, hi, sorry, I’m Amanda-

TODD
No, don’t-

AMANDA
Don’t say hello?

DIRK
Hello Amanda!

AMANDA
Are you...friends?

TODD
No-

DIRK
Yes.

TODD DIRK
No- Yes-

AMANDA
-this is weird-

TODD
No-

DIRK
No!

TODD DIRK
Yes. I mean, no. No! I Yes. I mean, no. No he
mean yes- no- yes- no- meant yes. You mean no- yes-
no-

DIRK (CONT’D)
We’re very good friends.

Todd abruptly punches Dirk in the arm.

DIRK (CONT’D)
OW! YOU’RE A TERRIBLE ASSISFRIEND!

INT. AMANDA’S HOUSE - KITCHEN/LIVING ROOM - NOT LONG AFTER

Amanda and Todd are in the kitchen; Todd is washing Amanda’s

many dirty dishes.
 33.

Dirk sits at the table in the living room, eating pizza from
his pizza box, watching TV; a news report about the hotel
massacre.

ANCHOR
...San Diego police have ruled the
death of billionaire entrepreneur
Michael Spring and several others
an animal attack, rather than a
murder as was initially reported,
though the nature of the animal
remains undisclosed at this time.

DIRK
Mhm.

ANCHOR
Sources within the police force
will neither confirm nor deny
whether the tragic incident bears
any connection to the recent
disappearance of Spring’s daughter,
heiress Lydia Spring, now missing
for...

We move to watch Todd and Amanda; Amanda sits on the counter,

clearly feeling bad for Todd, who’s scrubbing away.

TODD
Don’t you have any friends who
could come by and help you with
this, just cleaning up, or-

AMANDA
It’s hard to keep friends when you
can’t go outside without worrying a
gust of wind is going to knock you
down. I barely get out of the
house anymore.

TODD
God why don’t you- move back in
with mom and dad, maybe they could
help you-

AMANDA
You know they’re broke, Todd. I’d
just be a burden on them.

DIRK
(from the next room)
What’s wrong with you, exactly?

Todd groans. Amanda looks to Dirk, who’s peering in.

 34.

AMANDA
I have Pararibulitus.

DIRK
Ah, of course. What’s that?

AMANDA
...Who are you?

DIRK
I’m Dirk Gently. I’m a private
detective.

Amanda looks over Dirk.

AMANDA
You don’t look like a private
detective.

DIRK
No private detective looks like a
private detective. That's one of
the first rules of private
detection.

AMANDA
But if no private detective looks
like a private detective, how does
a private detective know what it is
he's supposed not to look like?

Dirk opens his mouth to speak, but then closes it, confused.

AMANDA (CONT’D)
It’s a nerve disease. It causes
your nerves to interpret certain
inputs wrong, to fire at random
when they get stimulus.

DIRK
So...that...means...that...

TODD
Water on your hand could feel like
fire. Your shoe on your foot could
feel like it was crushing it.
Breathing could feel like drowning.

Dirk winces.

DIRK
I’m sorry. That’s terrible.
 35.

AMANDA
It makes it hard to not be scared
all the time but...Todd had it, he
got better. So I just need to take
the meds, try to eat healthy...
(changing the subject)
Todd, you wanna jam?

TODD
I- yeah, of course.

AMANDA
Cool. I’ll go get stuff set up.

She heads off, leaving Todd and Dirk alone. Todd advances on
Dirk, angry, feeling violated, and they go back and forth in
hushed tones.

TODD
Why are you doing this?

DIRK
I’m on a case. My primary method
of investigation is to follow
someone who looks like they know
where they’re going- is it that
important that you not be
identified as my friend that you
felt the need to argue about it?

TODD
You are an insane person who has
insinuated himself into my life in
a moment of desperation-

DIRK
Okay well I think you’re an insane
person who has insinuated himself
into being my combination assistant
and best friend-

TODD
But- but that’s- it’s - okay that’s
not what’s happening, though-

EXT. AMANDA’S HOUSE - STREET - CONTINUOUS

The military black SUV is parked up the street. Inside,

Friedkin has his sniper rifle trained on Dirk and Todd as
they argue.

General Riggins sits next to him, watching him, more than a

little iffy on this guy now.
 36.

FRIEDKIN
I have the primary and the
secondary in my sights.

GENERAL RIGGINS
...uh huh...

FRIEDKIN
What?

GENERAL RIGGINS
I thought we were clear that the
rifle wasn’t necessary.

FRIEDKIN
In the mishkin parambulers it said
we were to prevent aggressive
action against the primary-

GENERAL RIGGINS
The what?

FRIEDKIN
The mission parameters-

GENERAL RIGGINS
That’s not what you said.

FRIEDKIN
The gum went weird in my mouth sir.
It went weird and made my tongue do
a weird move and say stuff wrong.

GENERAL RIGGINS
...What branch did you get assigned
to me from?
FRIEDKIN
Provisional. They said you didn’t
have a budget for the op.

General Riggins sighs deeply.

GENERAL RIGGINS
Yes. That’s...okay. Our goal is
to observe and protect the primary.
Understood? Not to kill anyone.

FRIEDKIN
Right. Understood.
(beat, looks into scope)
I have a shot.
 37.

General Riggins wrenches the rifle away from him, and smacks
him, hard, on the back of the head.

INT. THE RIDGELY BUILDING - APARTMENT 415

We get a better look at the room this time; the windows are
covered in black tarp, taped up. The red bulb is flickering,
dim. The room is cast solely in blacks and reds.

The body of the tattooed man lays dead on the floor. Farah
Black, still handcuffed to the bed, has turned around and
crossed her cuff chains, and is working them against each
other to try to break the wire-frame headboard of the bed.

Farah has somehow worked the tape gag mostly off her mouth.

She groans with exertion, her bare legs braced against the
wall. Yank- slam! Yank - slam! Very...very slowly, the
headboard is coming apart. Very...Very slowly.

FARAH
Oh I’m sorry. Oh I’m sorry.
(yank - slam!)
Well I guess maybe next time you’ll
look before you leap, huh?
(yank - slam!)
End up a skeleton, handcuffed to a
bed, hahaha...
(yank - slam!)
A queen skeleton, lonely for the
wrong person.

She takes a breath, blowing hair out of her face, and stares
at her nemesis, the bed frame. She hears a skittering sound,
and looks over to where she can see a rat approaching the
dead body of the tattooed man.

FARAH (CONT’D)
I don’t know. I guess learning
from my mistakes just seemed like a
lot of effort.

Yank - slam! Yank - slam!

The sounds transition us into

INT. AMANDA’S HOUSE - GARAGE

Amanda is hitting the pedal on a bass drum-

AMANDA
Two three and-
 38.

She drives the beat into gear, and Todd steps into frame,
with his electric guitar. He joins her, and the two of them
start jamming; they’re actually pretty good.

Dirk sits on a folding chair nearby, listening.

As they get more and more into it, enjoying themselves,

Amanda takes a solo, and we see what Todd sees: YOUNG AMANDA,
age 8, killing it on the drums, and when we pan back to Todd,
he’s thirteen years old, taking the lead on the guitar.

They love each other. They’ve been doing this for years,
though maybe not nearly enough lately. We pan over to Dirk,
who’s really enjoying himself listening.

We see DIRK’S FANTASY: he abruptly steps in with a bass,

backing them up, and takes a solo. He sits happily imagining
this when-

Amanda notices that the drum stick in her left hand has been
replaced by a knife, SHE’S GRUESOMELY GRIPPING THE BLADE-

She shrieks, dropping the drumstick, clutching her hand in

agony. The drumstick clatters to the ground, just a
drumstick again; the delusion an effect of her disease.

Todd hurriedly goes to her. Dirk stands up, snapped out of

his fantasy, and tries to help-

TODD
Hey! Back off. Okay? Back off.

Dirk, feeling self conscious for the first time since we’ve
seen him, backs off.

EXT. DESERT ROAD - SUNSET

All of the following happens in one continuous shot.

Bart is driving along on the lonely road, windows down,

enjoying the breeze. We slowly pull out to reveal Ken is
sitting next to him, his hands taped together.

Bart is singing to himself; “The Heart of The Matter” by Don

Henley, very happy. Ken looks like he’s been through war.

BART
Let’s stop for gas.

Ken clocks the gas meter.

 39.

KEN
(quietly)
But...you don’t need gas-

BART
Call it a hunch.

They swerve, pulling into an isolated

EXT. GAS STATION - CONTINUOUS

Pulling up to a pump, Bart opens Ken’s door, then gets out,

turning back to Ken as he walks towards the minimart-

BART
Hey hi ho hey, get up on the hood,
sit up on the hood where I can see
you til I come back-

KEN
Won’t this look suspicious?

BART
Suspicious? Ha, Ken, you’re a
riot!

We follow Bart as he walks, humming, up to the doors of the

mini-mart, pushing inside

INT. GAS STATION - CONTINUOUS

To see something very surprising: The clerk lays dead against

the cigarettes behind the counter, in a Jackson Pollock of
blood, dead from a shotgun blast.
A ROBBER is rifling through the cash register. Bart stands
there gazing at him, as the Robber nervously eyes the shotgun
he set down on the counter-

BANG BANG the two shots come out of nowhere, incredibly loud-
the robber falls backwards, crashing to the ground.

Bart sighs, lowering his snub nose revolver, and starts

pushing droves of chips and jerky and candy into a paper bag-

He comes across a SECOND ROBBER, shakily holding a gun on

him. Bart stares at the second Robber.

SECOND ROBBER
D- don’t move- don’t-
 40.

Bart just shrugs and turns, walking away, out the front door.
Ken, terrified, still sitting on the hood of the car.

KEN
D- d- did you just kill someone?

BART
(walking back)
I’m an assassin, that’s what I do.
I kill people. You didn’t notice-

KEN
You were- hired to come here-

BART
No no, I’m a holistic assassin.

KEN
A what?

Bart sighs and begins tossing stuff into the backseat.

BART
(sighs)
The term `holistic' refers to my
convictions about the fundamental
interconnectedness of all things. I
do not concern myself with
trivialities as sniper rifles,
silencers, and inane staged
accidents. Once I take a job I just
kill whoever I feel like killing,
and eventually that brings me to my
target. The connections between
causes and effects are often much
more subtle and complex than we
with our rough and ready
understanding of the physical world
might naturally suppose.

Behind him, the door bursts open, the remaining ROBBER

raising his shotgun- Bart turns and shoots him dead, almost
without even looking.

Ken falters, shocked. Bart sighs.

BART (CONT’D)
You wouldn’t believe it. Things,
double up. They parallel.
Everything is chaos, but it’s
synchronized. There’s always
something ready to mirror itself,
life endlessly turning inward.
 41.

In a wide, we realize that the shot we’re looking at is a

perfect inversion of the tableau we saw earlier during Dirk
and Todd’s conversation at the gas station.

KEN
I mean...Don’t get me wrong but
that...that just sounds like a
murder spree, man.

Bart shrugs; “eh.”

BART
I’ve never killed the wrong person.
(beat)
I have killed a lot of other
people, though.

Ken looks appropriately terrified.

BART (CONT’D)
Get in the car.

EXT. AMANDA’S HOUSE - NIGHT

Dirk is out by his car. He watches as Todd says an emotional

goodbye to Amanda. Todd hands something over: cash. Amanda
hesitates, but then takes it.

She hugs him, tightly, and then Todd turns and heads towards
Dirk. Amanda gives Dirk a small wave, which he returns.

INT. DIRK’S CAR - NIGHT - LATER

As they drive back to the Ridgely, Todd is clearly

despondent, looking out the window. The radio is playing
“The Heart Of The Matter” by Don Henley.

Dirk abruptly turns off the radio, getting a look from Todd.

DIRK
So...You pay for her medication.

Todd debates responding, and then:

TODD
...I did. She lives in a house our
grandparents used to own.
Unemployment barely pays the
electric bills...But I don’t know
what I’m gonna do now.
 42.

DIRK
What’s changed?

TODD
That was my last three hundred
dollars. I now have literally no
money, none. Maybe a dollar stuck
in the couch somewhere...

DIRK
I don’t understand. You’ve lost
your job, you’ve got that nut
Dorian chasing you around...why
give her ALL of your money, surely-

TODD
A disease runs in our family, it
has for five generations.

DIRK
Paroribulitis-

TODD
Yes, right.

DIRK
The disease you and your sister
share. How did you pay for
treatment, you don’t seem-

TODD
My parents. I was in college, they
had more money back then. By the
time I’d recovered my treatments
had depleted pretty much all of
their savings.
Dirk looks at Todd, thinking. There’s something here.

TODD (CONT’D)
(beat)
That was right about when Amanda
started to get sick. And they
didn’t have any money left to help
her. And worse, I had to explain
it away, when I just...mysteriously
recovered, which means now...Every
time I see her, she looks at me,
and she thinks- she thinks maybe
she’ll get better too.

DIRK
...Isn’t there a chance she will,
though? If you did?
 43.

Todd’s silent, looking out the window.

DIRK (CONT’D)
...Do you have many friends, Todd?

There’s a long beat, and then Todd shakes his head, annoyed.

TODD
This is ridiculous. Let’s- can we
just be quiet, for the drive?

Dirk starts to talk, but then stops. Todd stares out the
window, stewing in his misery.

But three cars behind them...

A black 1970s custom Dodge van stalks them, its diesel engine
purring low and dark. From inside, we can hear barely
contained electroclash music, thumping and snarling.

A mural on the side reads: The Rowdy 3.

SLAM TO:

EXT. THE RIDGELY BUILDING - NIGHT - LATER

Todd is headed inside, taking nervous glances at Dorian’s

house, when he notices Dirk walking behind him.

TODD
What? Why- no, just leave me alone-

DIRK
I live here now.
TODD
...What?
DIRK
Well why do you think I was talking
to Dorian. Did you not hear my
voice? I’m not from here, I’m from
a totally different place.
(beat)
England.

TODD
Screw this.

Todd hurries inside, and Dirk hurries after him.

 44.

INT. TODD’S APARTMENT - MOMENTS LATER

Todd comes in and tries to quickly close the door,

accidentally closing it on Dirk’s hand.

DIRK
OW AH ARGH
TODD
Shit I’m sorry-

DIRK
OW I- ha HA!
Dirk slips into the room. Todd contains a burst of anger,
subconsciously squeezing the stress doll Dirk left behind
earlier.

DIRK (CONT’D)
(meekly)
Hey that’s mine!

TODD
What do you want? Why are you
doing this, really?

DIRK
I need you to work with me, I
wanted to discuss the case.

TODD
What case.

DIRK
The Death of Michael Spring. The
incident at the Perryman Grand. I
was hired to investigate it months
ago.
(beat)
By the victim.

TODD
Michael Spr...The rich guy? Wait,
he’s who died at the hotel?

DIRK
That’s right. And he hired me,
well above my normal rate, to
investigate his own death a full
six weeks before it even happened.
I wouldn’t have taken the case
except, come on, animal attack, San
Diego, a guy predicting his own
death, pretty interesting stuff.
 45.

TODD
...And how am I involved in any of
this, it doesn’t-

DIRK
Your feud with your landlord. Your
lies to your family. You were
there, the day it happened. These
are all little mysteries, you see.
I followed you home, from the
hotel, that day. The cases are
connected.
(after a beat)
All cases are connected-

TODD
Okay okay don’t start that again-
(beat)
Listen, Dirk, you seem like a nice-
or- not nice but- you seem like a
guy, okay? You seem like a guy.
But I can’t do this. I’m a murder
suspect, okay, I’m broke, and I-

DIRK
Don’t be silly. Money won’t be a
problem for you soon, Todd.

TODD
And how do you figure that-

DIRK
Look, now that I’ve told you you’re
working the case, you’re working
the case. The universe will make
you a part of this whether you are
complicit or not. You are now a
vital part of the investigation.

TODD
So who’s going to pay me. You?

DIRK
Probably not. But you will
investigate, even if you don’t mean
to, and you will be compensated,
even if you haven’t technically
earned it.

There’s the roar of a diesel engine from outside. Dirk

turns, eyes wide.

DIRK (CONT’D)
Oh FUCK.
 46.

EXT. THE RIDGELY BUILDING - ACROSS THE STREET - CONTINUOUS

Zimmerfield and Estevez are sitting in their stakeout car,

when again comes the guttural bellow of a diesel engine.

ZIMMERFIELD
Hey. What’s this.

The ROWDY 3 van pulls onto the block, prowling slowly towards
the Ridgely.

ESTEVEZ
You don’t think...this is
gonna...uh....get complicated...

WITH THE
MILITARY

General Riggins and Friedkin see the van coming from their
place further down the block.

GENERAL RIGGINS
Eyes open. Stay frosty. These are
the deltas.

FRIEDKIN
That’s just a van, sir.

GENERAL RIGGINS
...Yes, but then there are people
IN the van, and THEY are the Deltas-

FRIEDKIN
Oh, yes, of course.
(beat)
I roger that.

EXT. TODD’S APARTMENT - CONTINUOUS

Dirk is pacing wildly, seemingly looking for somewhere to

hide. He dives, trying to slide under the bed, but can’t
fit, and only manages to achieve violently slamming his face
into the frame.

DIRK
AH STUPID TRAITOR BED

TODD
What is this, what’s happening?

Todd notices faint music blasting outside, and the backfiring

of a diesel engine. As Dirk continues his fretful pacing and
muttering, Todd goes over to the window and looks out.
 47.

On the street, a the van has pulled up outside The Ridgely

building.

A man in a black leather moto jacket with wild hair and a

crazed look in his eye hops out the driver’s seat, casually
wielding a crowbar. This is CROSS.

He carries a boombox on his shoulder; it BLASTS a modified

version of “RAMPAGE” by KAVINSKY, which completely TAKES OVER
THE SOUNDTRACK; you best believe shit is about to go down.

VOGLE, young, handsome, with a baseball cap complimenting his

black moto jacket, wielding a baseball bat, and GRIPPS, also
in black leather, a hulking brute with a sledgehammer, exit
out of the van, clearly excited, jumping around psyching
themselves up.

MARTIN, the leader, climbs out and howls like a wolf, raising
a little-league bat, prompting similar excited vocalizations
from his compatriots.

DIRK
The Rowdy Three.

TODD
There’s four of them.

DIRK
I’m wildly aware.

As the four members of the Rowdy Three move to enter the

apartment building, Dirk slams closed the window and rushes
to lock the door.

TODD
Hey! Those guys are after you,
they’re after you right come on
just please go! No, you leave!
You! Leave!
DIRK
Listen: I am a person of varied
intuitions. I have a lot of
feelings about a lot of things and
they’re rarely wrong but also
rarely completely right. That’s
the nature of the situation, that’s
a reality we’re going to accept.
Accepted? No? Yes? Doesn’t
matter. There’s four men with
baseball bats headed up the stairs
right now to wreck your apartment.
 48.

INT. THE RIDGELY BUILDING - 1ST FLOOR HALLWAY - CONTINUOUS

The Rowdy 3 charge up the hallway; the bouncy, swaggering,

dangerous way they flow in and out of each other, hooting and
hollering and jumping up and down, smashing at the walls and
ceiling and lighting fixtures and doors of other apartments-
It’s a mobile mosh pit.

MARTIN
BAD NEWS DELIVERY, HELLO, WE’RE
HERE WITH THE BAD NEWS DELIVERY!
They kick in the door the stairwell.

EXT. THE RIDGELY BUILDING - CONTINUOUS

Dorian, hearing the commotion from next door, comes out onto
his porch, confused, holding his gun.

DORIAN
...now what’s this new shit?

WITH THE SDPD

ESTEVEZ
Oh sweet jesus are you kiddin’ me?
(into the radio)
We have eyes on a gun, require back
up at five fifteen Ridgely Lane.

INT. TODD’S APARTMENT - CONTINUOUS

Todd is trying to force Dirk out the door but he’s flailing
and bracing like a cat that doesn’t want to be held.

TODD
Please Dirk I don’t wanna be a part
of this, please just get out before-

DIRK
Listen- please- these guys are very
crazy and- see this is why I broke
into your apartment in the first
place, because I knew you don’t let
just anyone in through your door-

Todd abruptly recoils.

TODD
What’s that supposed to mean?
 49.

Out in the hallway, the Rowdy 3 burst out from the stairwell-
Dirk takes the opportunity to swing back into Todd’s
apartment, slamming and locking the door.

DIRK
Listen. Just...just stay still and
try to...be a furniture.

There’s an abrupt silence from outside the door. A long

beat, and then...Todd leans up to the peephole.

DIRK (CONT’D)
Terribleideaobviouslyterribleideaju
sttheworstofideasonecouldhave-

The Rowdy 3 are directly outside the door.

CROSS
Knock knock.

Cross KICKS IN THE DOOR as Todd jumps back and-

THE ROWDY 3 WRECK THE APARTMENT. LITERALLY

EVERYTHING, SMASHING AND SCREAMING- IT IS A FOUR MAN RIOT.

INT. THE RIDGELY BUILDING - APARTMENT 415 - CONTINUOUS

Farah, barely conscious, snaps awake hearing the chaos from

downstairs, screaming hoarsely, frantically pulling at her
restraints, the bedpost slamming against the wall-

INT. TODD’S APARTMENT - CONTINUOUS

Todd squeezes himself into a corner as chaos reigns all

around him, all of his possessions being torn to pieces, and
Dirk simply ducks into a tight fetal ball on the floor.

Martin smashes one of the legs out from under the bed, Vogle
flings a coffee table into the wall, Cross knocks the doors
off the cabinets in the kitchen and begins HURLING PLATES AND
CUPS ACROSS THE ROOM as Grips uses his sledgehammer to
destroy the kitchen sink-

TODD
No! Jesus christ-

VOGLE
SHUT YOUR HOLE! BEFORE WE TEAR IT
OUT YOUR FACE! AND PUT IT IN A
DUMPSTERRRR
 50.

CROSS
And light it on fire, YEAH MAN YEAH

GRIPPS
FUUUUCKKKK THIS APARTMENTTTTT

MARTIN
OOH YEAH!
Gripps FLINGS TODD’S TELEVISION THROUGH THE WINDOW.

EXT. THE RIDGELY BUILDING - DORIAN’S PORCH - CONTINUOUS

Dorian, still on his porch, gun in hand, joint dangling from

his lip, is startled by the television coming crashing out of
the window from the building next to him, landing in his
front yard.

DORIAN
I had enough.

Dorian heads towards the Ridgely building, flicking aside the

joint, and we pan over to see

THE MILITARY

Friedkin is staring, wide-eyed, at what’s happening. He

blows a bubble with his gum.

GENERAL RIGGINS
...Okay. Shit, Alpha is in danger.
We’re live. Lock and load.

FRIEDKIN
Do we go?
GENERAL RIGGINS
No. Wait.

Friedkin’s bubble pops.

INT. TODD’S APARTMENT - CONTINUOUS

Todd stays pressed into the wall, but the noise suddenly
dies. He sneaks a glance back into the room, and sees
something very odd indeed:

The Rowdy 3 are standing around the cowering Dirk, leering

over him. There’s some kind of flickering light, and we
can’t see clearly what’s happening-
 51.

Martin’s head jerks up, snarling at Todd, and he presses his

face back into the corner and then-

The Rowdy 3 storm out.

Todd, in shock, looks around his destroyed apartment.

TODD
No...everything I own...no...why...

Dirk’s on the ground, slowly getting up, he looks

disoriented, his hair frizzed up with static electricity,
pupils dilated, he looks zonked.

DIRK
Todd it’s okay, they’re gone, they
almost never hurt people-

Todd, in a daze, picks his way through the wreckage, headed

for the door, which hangs on one hinge.

TODD
Why would they do this? What did
they do to you? What the hell just
happened, are you- are you okay,
should I-

The door BURSTS OPEN, Dorian coming through, gun raised

directly into Todd’s face.

DORIAN
What you hiding from me man?
WHERE’S MY RENT, TODD? YOU STOLE
MY MONEY, MAN YOU SCREWED ME, YOU
TOOK MY MONEY, WHAT DID YOU DO TO
THIS PLACE MAN, WHO WERE THOSE
GUYS, THINK YOU CAN INTIMIDATE ME?
TODD
No, Dorian, listen, just listen I
don’t know please just-

Todd slips on the wreckage of his apartment.

DORIAN
It’s done man, nobody makes a fool
out of me!

TODD
Tell me you have some kind of way
out of this-
 52.

DIRK
I’m sorry I’m very good at getting
IN to situations I’ve often found I
have more trouble getting out of
them so-

DORIAN
Bye bye Todd you thieving motherfu-
The microwave alarm, set by Dirk accidentally in his first
visit, goes off.

Startled and distracted by the noise of the timer, Dorian

fires the gun; the bullet ricochets off a bit of debris on
the floor, floor, then ricochets off the windowsill, then up
and off the inside of the hole in the ceiling that Friedkin’s
bullet left-

And strikes Dorian in the head, killing him instantly. Dirk

and Todd are splattered with blood.

TODD
...WHAT!?

EXT. THE RIDGELY BUILDING - CONTINUOUS

(with Estevez and Zimmerfield)

ESTEVEZ
Shit shots fired let’s go let’s go-

Estevez and Zimmerfield get out, drawing their guns as they

run across the street-

As Friedkin and General Riggins charge forward, wielding FP-

90 submachine guns-

And TWO MORE FIGURES burst out from a house across the
street, both with guns drawn, in black jackets with FBI on
the back-

Holy crap, one of them is NATHAN, the silver fox who left
Sammy crying in the hotel room- the other is WEEDLE, a guy
who looks and sounds exactly like his name should be Weedle-

The three groups collide at the front of the Ridgely

Building, and Weedle crashes into Friedkin, both of them
falling into bushes, flailing- the FBI and the military
stagger raising their guns- SDPD skids to a halt, guns out-

ESTEVEZ (CONT’D)
WHOA WHOA WHOA- FREEZE, SDPD!
 53.

GENERAL RIGGINS
CIA SPECIAL OPS FREEZE!

NATHAN
FREEZE, FBI!

Things degenerate rapidly to Kindergarten levels.

ESTEVEZ ZIMMERFIELD
NO, YOU- Freeze! FREEZE! Drop the-

WEEDLE GENERAL RIGGINS

FREEZE! You FREEZE!

ZIMMERFIELD GENERAL RIGGINS

FREEZE! Hands in the- FREEZE!

ESTEVEZ NATHAN
Drop the weapon! FREEZE!

FRIEDKIN
WHAT IS GOING ON!?
WEEDLE
(beat)
...FREEZE.

SLAM TO:

EXT. THE RIDGELY BUILDING - LATER

Cop cars are out front, along with an ambulance.

INT. TODD’S APARTMENT - CONTINUOUS

CSI guys are picking through the rubble, careful around
Dorian’s body. One of them notes the ricochets, noticing the
one in the ceiling...

...but the fact that it hit the exact same spot as Friedkin’s
bullet has closed the hole to Apartment 415...but we move up
and through to...

INT. THE RIDGELY BUILDING - APARTMENT 415 - CONTINUOUS

Farah, still screaming, now hoarse and barely audible, having

nearly given up on being found, can faintly see the police
lights through the black plastic on the window.
 54.

FARAH
No...Come ON. I’M RIGHT HERE!
FIND ME! I’M RIGHT HERE, COME ON!
I’m RIGHT HERE!

Yank - SLAM!

Farah exerts an adrenaline fueled blast of strength, twisting

and RIPPING THE HEADBOARD FREE OF THE BED- she’s free for
ABOUT A MILISECOND before the headboard, jerked incredibly
hard, SLAMS INTO FARAH’S FACE-
She topples off the bed, unconscious, falling face down in
the congealed pool of blood from the tattooed man, the
headboard crashing down on top of her.

INT. INTERROGATION ROOM - LATER

Todd sits alone at an interrogation table, staring at his

reflection in the two way mirror, his cuffed hands resting on
the table in front of him.

He stares at his cuffed hands, and then bangs them against

the table, again and again, and begins YELLING in
frustration...

Todd sighs. He gives up. The door opens, and Estevez and
Zimmerfield come through. They stare at him for a moment.

TODD
...What now.

Zimmerfield leans forward, and unlocks Todd’s cuffs.

ZIMMERFIELD
You’re free to go. For now.

TODD
W- really?

ZIMMERFIELD
Scene techs are saying the death
looks like an accident. For now.

ESTEVEZ
The good news is that FBI had
surveillance on Dorian Ozman’s
house. It pretty clearly shows you
in an altercation with Dorian
smashing your car when the incident
at the Perryman Grand took place.
That’s an alibi.
 55.

ZIMMERFIELD
For now.

ESTEVEZ
You understand of course you can’t
go back to your apartment, as it’s
an active crime scene. And we’ll
be calling you with some more
questions soon.

TODD
So...I’m not a suspect
in...anything?

ZIMMERFIELD
You’re a person of interest,
permanently. Even though you’re
not necessarily an interesting
person. Crazy how that works,
right Todd?

TODD
...That feels unnecessarily rude.

ZIMMERFIELD
The police will determine proper
levels of antagonism towards a man
now connected to four dead bodies
in two separate cases.

ESTEVEZ
The don’t leave town order is still
in effect. You’ve witnessed some
intense shit. Stay safe out there;
seems like there’s a lot of real
weird stuff goin’ on.
Estevez hands Todd and envelope.

EXT. PALACIOS APARTMENT BUILDING - NIGHT

Hermano Palacios is walking up the stairs to his apartment

building, having just arrived home. He looks for his keys,
when suddenly-

ED
Hermano Palacios?

Hermano turns, confused, to see ED and ZED, both white, early

30s, standing at the bottom of the stairs.

Zed is kneeling, assembling some sort of device.

 56.

PALACIOS
Um...Yes?

ED
Did you find a kitten?

PALACIOS
...What?

ED
Did you find a kitten?

PALACIOS
...A kitten? No, I don’t know what
you’re talking about.

Ed pulls down his hood, revealing a bald head covered in the

same type of tattoos we saw on the man who was keeping Farah
Black captive.

Ed smiles. Palacios reaches down to open his door.

ED
Don’t do that.

ZED
All done down here, Ed.

Zed stands up, handing Ed a fully assembled vertical

crossbow. Ed clicks on the laser sight, a green beam cutting
through the night.

ED
You’re sure you didn’t see a
kitten?
Palacios, realizing he’s in danger, turns and starts trying
to open the door.

ZED
What do you think, Ed?

ED
Yeah, okay.

Ed raises the crossbow and fires once; it’s almost silent-

THWICK! Right through the back of Palacios’ head. He falls,
dead.

After a moment, Zed walks up the steps, shakes out a can of

gasoline over Palacios’ body, and then lights him on fire.

Zed returns to Ed.

 57.

ED (CONT’D)
We’ve got to find that kitten, Zed.

ZED
We will, Ed. Everything’s going to
be great, you’ll see.

They smile at each other.

EXT. POLICE STATION - NIGHT

Todd walks out, starts and then stops. He has no idea where
to go, what to do. No money, no home, no hope. He looks
over to his right, at a wall full of posters that delicate
face with intense eyes:

MISSING: LYDIA SPRING.

He looks down at the envelope Estevez gave him, and rips it

open. In it is a coupon for SAN DIEGO TRAUMA COUNSELING.

It’s marked GOOD UNTIL MARCH, 2011.

He looks up to see Dirk next to him. Dirk seems nervous, on

egg shells. He finally seems to have picked up the basic
human trait of “empathy.”

DIRK
They let me out, too. Must’ve been
the CIA, always getting me in and
out of things. They didn’t even
mention the bloody Rowdy 3, but I
guess the CIA must’ve told them not
to, which makes sense because-
TODD
Shut up. I don’t care. Go away.

DIRK
...Need a ride?

Todd doesn’t even respond. Dirk whistles.

TODD
Somebody died tonight. They died
right in front of us, that doesn’t
bother you?

DIRK
...I think it might bother me more
later? When I’m less...something?
 58.

Todd stares at Dirk a mix of wonder and contempt, and then

seems to make a decision.

TODD
Do you want to know why Dorian
wanted the rent, Dirk?

DIRK
Because he was crazy-

TODD
No, because I stole it from him.

DIRK
Huhwha?

TODD
I was scared because I knew Amanda
needed her meds, and I didn’t think
I’d be able to get an advance at
the hotel, so I paid him in cash,
then snuck around back of his house
while he wasn’t home and stole it
back. I thought he’d be too
cracked out to notice, he DID
notice, and he wouldn’t let it go,
and now he’s dead.

Dirk gives a nervous glance back at the police station

they’re standing in front of.

DIRK
Ah. Well to be honest, that seems
practical, to me.

TODD
PRACTICAL!? HE SHOT HIMSELF IN THE
HEAD-

DIRK
But you’re okay...right?

TODD
I have nothing. I don’t have my
apartment, I have zero money, I
have no prospects, I am homeless
and living a lie and a suspect in
multiple homicides.

DIRK
Well, when you put it like that
it’s pretty bad, but we have a case
to solve!
(MORE)
 59.
DIRK (CONT'D)
A missing girl, her murdered
father, and undoubtedly more pieces
falling into place even as we speak-

TODD
I am not your Watson, asshole. I
am not available for side-kicking
on something I AM NOT INVOLVED
WITH, I am my own messed up person
with my own messed up problems, I’m
not-

DIRK TODD
Hey. No, just shut up, you never
shut up-

DIRK
Hey. Stop.
Todd stops. Dirk speaks with rare heartfelt sincerity.

DIRK (CONT’D)
You’ve been making choices out of
desperation for too long. That
much is obvious. You’re backing
yourself into a corner. Break the
pattern. Take control of your
life, Todd. The instant you take
control, interesting things will
happen.
(beat, smiles)
I guarantee it.

Dirk turns, and walks away. Todd stares after him. He

sighs, not knowing what to do.

INT. CITY BUS - NIGHT - SHORTLY THEREAFTER

Todd sits on the mostly empty bus, head held low, lost in
thought. He doesn’t know where to turn. It’s over. He
looks at his phone. 1 MISSED CALL. AMANDA. Todd holds back
tears, and then notices out of the corner of his eye-

The Corgie is running up the street. Todd stares at it. The

dam inside him finally breaks. He explodes from his seat-

TODD
Stop, stop the bus-

BUS DRIVER
Sir sit down-
 60.

Todd continues yelling, rushing to the door, punching and

kicking at it frantically-

EXT. CITY STREET - CONTINUOUS

As the bus screeches to a halt a block away, the Corgie

wanders out into the street- into the path of a speeding car-
it looks up, framed in the headlights-
Todd SNATCHES IT out of the way, falling hard to the asphalt.
The Corgie watches the car disappear into the night, and then
turns, licking Todd’s face.

Breathing hard, he laughs, checking the dog’s tag: RAPUNZEL.

There’s an address. Cue some music.

WE WATCH AS...

Todd walks through the city, carrying the dog. He pets it

gently as he travels, deep in thought.

He takes the metro rail, a bus...Finally, in a little run

down suburban neighborhood, he approaches a house. He walks
up to the door, and rings the bell, immediately self-
consciously checking his watch.

But someone answers the door. A little man, with thick

glasses, and a frizzy crown of hair around his bald head.
This is GORDON RIMMER.

This is the man Dirk swerved around earlier, nearly killing

him. Todd recognizes him instantly.

TODD
I- uh- your dog, I brought-

GORDON
Oh, yeah. Yeah, thanks good buddy,
thanks buddy, yeah-

Rimmer cautiously takes the dog from Todd, struggling with it

a little; the dog yelps several times, clearly scared, as
Rimmer brings it over the threshold.

As this happens, Todd is briefly able to see into the house,

and, through a doorway, sees LYDIA SPRING sitting on a
couch in the living room (!!!).

She looks up at him, blank-faced, but before Todd can react,

Rimmer slams the door in his face
 61.

Todd stands silently outside the house, in shock. The music

groans low and ominous, backbeating us into...

APARTMENT 415

Where we scan over the terrifying room, Farah slowly

regaining consciousness, stirring under the headboard...

AN FBI OFFICE

Where Nathan is showing Estevez and Zimmerfield surveillance

footage of Todd clumsily climbing the fence, sneaking into
Dorian’s house...

THE OPEN ROAD

Where Bart’s brown Lincoln roars down the road, Ken nervously
eyeing the gun tucked into Bart’s belt, only to look up to
see Bart already smiling at him.

A RUDDY MOTEL

Where the Rowdy 3, having destroyed the room, are all sitting
around; Vogel’s playing an ancient Gameboy, Cross and Gripps
are playing scrabble.

Martin is squeezing Dirk’s stress doll, which he stole,

staring at a shattered framed picture of Amanda he took from
Todd’s apartment. He sniffs it. Smiles.

Behind him, Gripps smashes the Scrabble board with his

sledgehammer.

EXT. MINI-MART - NIGHT

Todd is walking up the street numbly, completely lost in his
head, when he stops, hearing a familiar voice.

On TV in the mini-mart is SAMMY, the crying woman from the

hotel room, all dolled up and looking like an angel from a
music video.

SAMMY
That’s right, every moment is an
opportunity. Every second is a
chance to change your life.

A piece of paper blows up into Todd’s face from the street.

 62.

INT. THE RIDGELY BUILDING - DIRK’S APARTMENT - CONTINUOUS

Dirk steps into his new apartment, and sighs with happiness.
He looks around the dark, clean, pre-furnished space,
dropping his bags, stopping for a moment...

We can see the monkey mask from the surveillance video

sticking a bit out of his bags...

Dirk reaches into his coat, and draws the out the Little
Black Kitten, setting it down on the floor.

EXT. MINI-MART - CONTINUOUS

The piece of paper is a lottery ticket. The clerk at the

counter of the minimart is eagerly watching the TV, holding
his own lottery ticket in his hand.

Todd blinks, staring at it.

Another strong gust of wind rips some papers off a telephone

poll up ahead; one of the blows by Todd’s head, and for a
moment, in perfect slow motion, he’s face to face with

MISSING: LYDIA SPRING.

Sammy’s voice jerks him back.

SAMMY
Now announcing tonight’s ten
thousand dollar midnight pick! The
winning numbers are
(reads)
7...5...1...3...
Todd looks up, wide eyed.

CUE:

“First Things First” by The Neon Trees.

SLAM TO BLACK.