M I L L E N N I U M IT... HAS... BEGUN... NOTHING IS FORSAKEN... Virtual Season Episode #409. "Our Own Flesh and Blood" written by: David Klein TEASER EXT. KIRKPATRICK RESIDENCE - NIGHT A quaint, unassuming house. Legend INDICATES: Kirkpatrick Residence 803 Rose Avenue 9:23 PM The air is still, almost too still, like the calm before the storm. CUT TO: INT. KIRKPATRICK RESIDENCE - ALDEN'S ROOM - NIGHT CLOSE ON - A PAIR OF GUNS both FIRING! WIDER Men dressed in dark clothes which indicate their evil nature pop up from behind boxes and barrels, only to be shot down by the guns in the f.g. SCREAMS are heard as they tumble to the ground. PULL BACK to reveal that the action is actually part of a video game. A child of fifteen years, TIMOTHY ALDEN, sits in front of a small television screen, rapidly pressing buttons on the small console he holds. Alden is dark in complexion, with moppy black hair and an acne-ridden face. His face is totally void of any emotion over the violence he inflicts in his video game. After all, it's just a game, isn't it? Suddenly, there is a KNOCK, quick and feminine, coming from his mother, SARAH KIRKPATRICK, outside his closed door. Pausing his game, Alden turns to face the door. MRS. KIRKPATRICK (O.C.) Timmy? ALDEN Yeah, what? MRS. KIRKPATRICK (O.C.) Are you all right in there? ALDEN (annoyed) Yeah, I'm fine. Why? MRS. KIRKPATRICK (O.C.) You're just so quiet. ALDEN I'm fine. MRS. KIRKPATRICK (O.C.) Are you doing your homework? ALDEN No. MRS. KIRKPATRICK (O.C.) You know, you really should. There is no response from Alden, who just looks annoyed at his mother's badgering. MRS. KIRKPATRICK (O.C.) What *are* you doing in there? ALDEN Nothing. INT. KIRKPATRICK RESIDENCE - OUTSIDE ALDEN'S ROOM - NIGHT With a small, silent chuckle and a wistful nod of her head over the hardships of raising a teenager, Mrs. Kirkpatrick pulls away from the door. The hallway she stands in is dark, but as she walks down the stairs and into the lighted living room, we can see she is a small, petite woman with mousy brown hair, in her mid-to-late forties. She is wearing a light-colored sweater and a skirt, as she has not changed clothes since coming home from work. INT. KIRKPATRICK RESIDENCE - LIVING ROOM - NIGHT She sits down on the living room sofa next to GEORGE KIRKPATRICK, a fiftiesh man with a receding hairline and thick reading glasses who is perusing the business section of the local paper. He is wearing a white long-sleeved shirt and khaki pants. MR. KIRKPATRICK Hey, how's it going? Suddenly, there is a YELL outside, and the sound of DRUNKEN CAROUSING. Mrs. Kirkpatrick gets up to go to the door, but Mr. Kirkpatrick motions for her to sit back down. Ignoring him, she opens the door to find the source of the noise, half not wanting to know. EXT. KIRKPATRICK RESIDENCE - NIGHT Two men stand by a beat-up 1972 Chevy Nova. They are in a confrontational position. The man nearest to the Kirkpatrick's house, with his back to Mrs. Kirkpatrick, is TERRY ALLEN MARCH, a large man in his mid-30s. All we can see is his long, scraggly, blond hair. The other man, standing opposite him is MARCUS DILLER, the same age, shaved head, large, with a mustache and goatee. The two both move uncoordinatedly, an indication of their drunkenness. MARCH Hey, what the hell are you doing? Diller turns his back to March. DILLER Shut up, Terry! MARCH Hey, now, man, don't bounce on me like this! I wanna talk to you! DILLER Screw you! Nobody cares what you got to say! Diller walks away and gets in a car. As he does, March turns and looks at Mrs. Kirkpatrick, who is still watching. We can see now his blue eyes and unruly-looking garb. As he stares at Mrs. Kirkpatrick, there is a wild look in his eyes. Unnerved by this, Mrs. Kirkpatrick closes the door. INT. KIRKPATRICK RESIDENCE - NIGHT Mrs. Kirkpatrick takes a step back from the door. MR. KIRKPATRICK What was that? MRS. KIRKPATRICK You know what that was, George. (off his silence) It's him again. I'll tell you, every sound I hear lately, it just makes me jump a little bit. MR. KIRKPATRICK It's nothing. We're safe here. MRS. KIRKPATRICK I just don't feel comfortable any more, since that guy moved back in there. MR. KIRKPATRICK Look, we're not going to be chased out of our own house. We both worked hard so that we could know that all four of these walls were ours, and we shouldn't be forced into giving that up. We're fine. (seeing his wife still unconvinced) Hey, I'll protect you. He rolls his sleeves up, displaying a less-than-impressive physique. Mrs. Kirkpatrick has to LAUGH at this. MR. KIRKPATRICK So, what's up with Tim? MRS. KIRKPATRICK Oh, you know. He's so difficult to talk to. I think he's playing one of his video games. MR. KIRKPATRICK Putting a TV in his room. I knew that would come back to haunt us. MRS. KIRKPATRICK Well, when he grows up to be a junkie living on the street, we'll know where we went wrong. They both LAUGH. INT. KIRKPATRICK RESIDENCE - ALDEN'S ROOM - NIGHT Upstairs, Alden has resumed playing his video game, and as he does so, he plays it with a much greater intensity... CUT TO: EXT. KIRKPATRICK RESIDENCE - NIGHT The air is still and peaceful, and quiet reigns, for the moment. FADE OUT. ACT ONE BLACK. "Suffering is the sole origin of consciousness." -- Fyodor Dostoyevsky FADE IN: EXT. KIRKPATRICK RESIDENCE - DAY Sun shines on the house, quiet as ever. It is an eerily cheerful shot. Legend INDICATES: 8:54 AM The birds are CHIRPING away and the scene seems full of life. CUT TO: INT. KIRKPATRICK RESIDENCE - LIVING ROOM - DAY The serenity has been shattered. We QUICKLY TRACK around the room, as we catch short glimpses of the gore and terror which have infested it. The house, which seemed almost like a stronghold against evil last night, jocular, light, is in a state of total disarray. FRANK and RYAN walk through the front door, and are greeted in a small room adjacent to the living room by DET. BRYAN EAGLE. EAGLE Hey. I'm Detective Eagle. (to Ryan) We spoke on the phone. I appreciate you coming down here, Mr. Frost. You have quite a reputation, and this is the sort of case we would like solved as quickly and uneventfully as possible, for obvious reasons. RYAN Of course. As he turns to Frank, still facing Eagle: RYAN (CONT'D) This is Frank Black. He's a former FBI agent and he consults on homicide investigations. He's sort of a superstar in the business, so I asked him to lend his expertise. I hope you don't mind. EAGLE Hey, the more the merrier. FRANK So what do we have here, detective? EAGLE I'll tell you, it's pretty gruesome. Let me take you through it. The trio enters the living room. Ryan shudders involuntarily as he views the carnage. Frank looks briefly at the coffee table, upon which is a book entitled, "Better Parenting Through Discipline." EAGLE (CONT'D) Double homicide, at least. (pointing to Mrs. Kirkpatrick) This is... (checking his notes) Sarah Kirkpatrick, 48 years old. As we look down, we see the body is lying on the floor. It has been tied up with rope, and is in a completely vulnerable position. The skirt she wore before is raised slightly. Frank kneels down next to her. EAGLE (CONT'D) Her throat's been cut. FRANK Can we flip her? EAGLE Yeah, I guess so. Frank turns the body over. The face is covered with tiny cuts and knicks, from a knife. FRANK She was tortured premortem. Her killer wanted to make sure she'd suffer. (as he looks down at the raised skirt) We have a possible sexual assault as well. EAGLE We checked. Her underwear was pulled up. FRANK Maybe he was trying to cover his act. RYAN Ashamed of it? FRANK Not wanting it to lead to him. Frank turns to look at Mr. Kirkpatrick, similarly trussed up, also on his back, a few feet away from his wife. EAGLE That's George Kirkpatrick, 52 years old. As you can see, he was tortured and killed in the same way as his wife. RYAN Not exactly. EAGLE What do you mean? RYAN He has fewer cuts on his face than the mother. The killer was more sympathetic with him. EAGLE That's a funny word to use. FRANK You said that this was a double homicide, *at least*. What did you mean by that? EAGLE The Kirkpatricks have a son. Timothy Alden, 15 years old. Adopted. He's missing. In fact, I was thinking that the son might have done it and then run off and committed suicide somewhere. You get that sometimes. FRANK Not here. Frank squints and shakes his head, trying to put the pieces of the puzzle together in his head. He walks over to the television, which is next to a wooden video cabinet. He opens it. Inside, he finds titles like, "Speed," "Blue Velvet," and "Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer," in addition to tapes of "Vengeance Unlimited" and "The X-Files." He closes the cabinet and looks over at Ryan, who motions for him to walk with him over to the corner of the room, where they can be alone. Frank does so. RYAN What do you think here, Frank? Frank looks around the room before answering. FRANK This is brutal. Overkill. The man who did this is frustrated sexually. He's seeking a way to release the pent-up emotions inside of him. RYAN You think the killer has priors then? FRANK Most likely. Probably aggravated assault, drunk and disorderly, maybe even rape. He's probably spent time in prison. It's likely he's spent time with local prostitutes lately as well. RYAN That's what you think, huh? FRANK What do you mean? RYAN Well, it seems to me from looking at this crime that the obvious suspect would be Alden. FRANK The boy? No. I don't think so. RYAN It matches up. After all, if it's a sex-related murder, why kill *both* parents? And why *torture* them? FRANK The killer is frustrated. The world may be indifferent to him. He just wanted to see someone react to his actions. RYAN I think it speaks to the hatred he felt for them. (a beat) And why not kill Alden, too? FRANK Maybe he has. RYAN Why not just do it here? The killer obviously didn't have a problem with leaving bodies behind. FRANK I'm not sure yet. He may be trying to get attention. The killer feels great pain. RYAN I don't know. It seems like Alden is the more likely of the two possibilities. FRANK The most likely solution isn't always correct. I've seen a lot of this, Ryan. I can tell you now, this is not the work of a child. This is a man's crime. Frank walks away and into the kitchen, with Ryan shaking his head. INT. KIRKPATRICK RESIDENCE - KITCHEN - DAY As Ryan walks after him, he sees Frank standing next to a knife set. FRANK There's one missing. The murder weapon, most likely. RYAN The back door's open. (to Eagle, as he walks into the kitchen behind them) Has anyone gone in or out through that door? EAGLE Uh, I don't think so. RYAN Let's dust it for prints. FRANK That may be how the killer entered. RYAN Or how Alden escaped. Frank nods sullenly and walks out of the kitchen. He walks into the hallway and starts to ascend the stairs to Alden's room when his pager vibrates. He looks down at it. Suddenly, he turns around and walks back down the stairs. As he sees Eagle and Ryan: FRANK I have to go pick up my daughter. I forgot she had a doctor's appointment today. I'm late already. RYAN Anything the matter? FRANK Oh, no, you know, it's just a checkup. Anyway, I think I've seen enough here. RYAN All right. I'll see you later, Frank. CUT TO: INT. ELEMENTARY SCHOOL - HALLWAY - DAY Frank comes running through the hallway, nearly out of breath. Legend INDICATES: 9:39 AM Finally, he gets to the door of JORDAN'S classroom. He sees she is playing on the floor with a boy, her age, ROY. They both are holding little toy action figures, and Jordan is GIGGLING happily. As Frank stands in the doorway, a smile breaks out over his face, as to see Jordan happy makes all his other troubles go away. Suddenly, Roy takes one of her figures. JORDAN Give it back! ROY (tauntingly) Come and get it! As he starts to move away from her, she grabs onto his leg. JORDAN (upset) Give it back, Roy! Jordan reaches down and picks up an action figure and SLAMS IT AGAINST Roy's face. He starts to CRY, gets up, as Jordan lets go of him, and runs over to the teacher, MS. KAREN PARKER, blond, in her late twenties. Frank rushes over to pick up Jordan, who is now crying as well. FRANK (angrily) What did you do that for?! Ms. Parker starts to walk towards the scene of the crime, Roy clutching her sleeve, and hiding behind her. As he warily peeks out from behind her skirt, we see a red bruise evident on his forehead. ROY (still crying) ...And then she hit me! I didn't do anything to her! MS. PARKER Mr. Black? FRANK It's all right, Karen. I'm taking her home. CUT TO: INT. BLACK RESIDENCE- OUTSIDE JORDAN'S ROOM - NIGHT Frank stands outside the door of Jordan's room, just as Mrs. Kirkpatrick stood outside Alden's room. There are sounds of a TELEVISION PLAYING in her room. Frank KNOCKS gently. FRANK Can I come in? JORDAN (a beat) Okay. Frank opens the door, walking into her room. INT. BLACK RESIDENCE - JORDAN'S ROOM - NIGHT Jordan is seated on her bed, a smile on her face as she watches the television. Frank turns to look at it. On it, we see the Mighty Morphin Power Rangers. As the Power Rangers attack a villain, Jordan watches raptly. Frank turns to look at her, slightly concerned to see his daughter transfixed by this violence, his over protectiveness heightened by the incident at school. Frank turns the television off. JORDAN Hey! Why'd you turn it off, daddy? FRANK We need to talk. Jordan says nothing, looking sullenly at him. FRANK (CONT'D) How are you feeling? JORDAN (in a tone which indicates the opposite) Okay. FRANK You feel sorry about what you did? Jordan nods. FRANK That's good. Look, I'm sorry I got mad at you earlier. No response. FRANK (CONT'D) I sort of want to hear from you why you did what you did. Jordan says nothing. FRANK (CONT'D) C'mon, super girl. It'll make you feel better just to tell me. JORDAN (after a beat) I didn't mean to hurt him. I was just playing. FRANK Well, honey, that kind of playing can be dangerous. Jordan is silent, as that statement can have no answer. FRANK Just try and be careful, okay? JORDAN Okay. Frank pulls the covers up. FRANK Good night. Frank gets up from the bed and takes one last look at her, taking in her innocence, before he turns out the light. DISSOLVE TO: INT. BLACK RESIDENCE - FRANK'S ROOM - NIGHT - SHORT TIME LATER Frank is sitting at a small desk, a number of files strewn across it. TOM (O.C.) You still up, Frank? Frank turns to see his brother, TOM, standing in the doorway. FRANK Yeah, I'm, uh, working on something. TOM All right. Well, Helen and I are going to bed, so I'm going to close this door. FRANK Good night, Tom. He manages a meager smile as he looks at his brother. TOM Night, Frank. Tom closes the door, and Frank returns to his files, grim as ever. As he flips through them, we catch glimpses of them. CLOSE ON - TYPED WORDS reading: "Angelo Ramirez." CLOSE ON - A MUG SHOT of a white male, thin, with short black hair and a thick pair of glasses. CLOSE ON - A LISTING in one of the files of Prior Offenses. Track down to reveal: drunk and disorderly conduct, aggravated assault, resisting arrest, and finally, rape. WIDER Frank discards the file. Finally, he looks at the file of TERRY ALLEN MARCH, 37. As he runs his finger across the address listed, it reads: "834 Rose Avenue, Baltimore, MD." As he looks at the mug shot, we see an unruly-looking white male, with blond hair and blue eyes, large, with a thick beard. As he looks at the file: FRANK'S INTERNAL POV -- Mrs. Kirkpatrick screaming! -- A knife making quick cuts on Mrs. Kirkpatrick's face! -- Hands tying rope! -- Heavy grunting! -- Video game guns going off! Suddenly, Frank's pager starts to vibrate, and he pulls out of his vision. He looks down at the message, scanning it quickly. After reading it, he gets up, he throws on a jacket, and leaves his room, stuffing March's file in his jacket pocket. CUT TO: INT. MEDICAL EXAMINER'S OFFICE - NIGHT As we take in the gloom and sterility of the environment, legend INDICATES: Medical Examiner's Office 11:42 PM Frank and Ryan stand next to the bodies of Mr. and Mrs. Kirkpatrick, which have been laid out on tables next to each other. They are quickly joined by STEVEN ROTHSCHILD, the coroner. ROTHSCHILD I tell you, I'd like to take a knife to the guy that did this. "Guy;" an adult reference. Frank quickly looks at Ryan as though this proves his theory correct. ROTHSCHILD (CONT'D) Judging from the rigor, I'd estimate the time of death between ten and midnight last night. I can tell you that the cuts on the faces and the slit throats were done with the same knife, and not too professionally either. There are little points which indicate slight tremors, as though the killer moved his hand while cutting the throats. Ryan and Frank again exchange glances. ROTHSCHILD (CONT'D) Now, I can't be sure of this, but I would guess that the cuts were made with some sort of a bread knife, one with a serrated edge. RYAN That matches what we found missing at the crime scene. FRANK Was there any evidence of sexual assault? ROTHSCHILD Yes. There was some bruising around Mrs. Kirkpatrick's vaginal area, and we found traces of the ejaculate. If you have a suspect, we can match the DNA to determine if its theirs. Ditto for the skin and blood we pulled from her fingernails. RYAN Blood. Did you type it? ROTHSCHILD Yeah. O-negative. RYAN (pulling out Alden's file) O-negative. That's Alden's blood type. FRANK (pulling out March's file) It's also Terry Allen March's. RYAN Who? FRANK Terry Allen March. I did some checking and pulled his file. He's a recently released sex offender who lives down the block from the Kirkpatricks. RYAN How recently released? FRANK Eight weeks. He's in the care of his father, who lives on the same street as the Kirkpatricks. He has a prior for rape. In fact, the Kirkpatricks put in a complaint about his release to their neighborhood and twice called the police to report his drunken behavior outside their house, even though no charges were brought against him. (a beat) He has the background. RYAN But why would he torture the parents? FRANK It's like I said: he needs the attention. In high school, he called in three bomb threats. He just wants a reaction from someone. I'd say he got it. Ryan and Frank look at each other coldly. This case, which should see them working together, has created a rift between them, as it has become almost a contest. A contest which is currently in a stalemate. FADE OUT. ACT TWO FADE IN: EXT. YEAGER HIGH SCHOOL - DAY A bell RINGS and students start to move from the courtyard to the classroom. Legend INDICATES: Yeager High School 7:50 AM The weather is chilly and overcast. As the courtyard is vacated, Ryan Frost steps into view. CUT TO: INT. YEAGER HIGH SCHOOL - HALLWAY - DAY - MINUTES AFTER Ryan exits a door marked by a small plaque reading "Principal's Office" and walks down the hallway, finding a girl, DANIELLE LITTLE, fifteen, slightly overweight, with thick, dark, braided hair. He looks down at a picture he is holding of her. She is hastily pulling something out of her locker. RYAN Excuse me, could I have a moment of your time? The girl turns to look at him, then turns back to her locker. LITTLE I'm sorry. I'm really late for class. She closes her locker and starts to move past him. He pulls out his I.D. and shows it to her. RYAN I'll write a note to your teacher. CUT TO: EXT. MARCH RESIDENCE - FRONT STEPS - DAY Frank stands on the porch as he rings the doorbell. There is a loud barking from the other side of the door. An aging man, in his mid-sixties, TERRENCE MARCH, answers the door, commanding his dog as he does so. MR. MARCH Shut up, you old good-for-nothing mutt. FRANK Mr. March? MR. MARCH That's me. FRANK My name is Frank Black. I'm here to talk about your son. MR. MARCH What's he done now? FRANK He may be involved in a homicide case I'm consulting on. Can I come inside? MR. MARCH Yeah, all right. Frank walks in the door, and Mr. March closes it behind him. CUT TO: EXT. YEAGER HIGH SCHOOL - DAY Ryan is outside with Little. She stands propped against the brick wall of the school. RYAN So you knew Tim Alden pretty well? LITTLE Is this about what happened to him and his parents? RYAN Yes. LITTLE What did actually happen? I heard that some guy killed his parents and kidnapped him, and wants to be on the news or else he'll kill Timothy too, or something. RYAN Well, that's definitely 'or something.' I can't really give out details of the case. LITTLE But you want me to tell you about Timothy? RYAN (a little exasperated) Yeah. I guess so. (a beat) So, you knew him well? LITTLE Uh, I knew him kinda all right, I guess. RYAN I mean, I've been talking to some people and they said that you were his best friend. LITTLE Me? Wow. I didn't even talk to him that much. I was his partner sometimes in Biology, and we'd talk about things sometimes. But I mean, best friend? I mean, we never even went over to each other's houses. RYAN You said you talked about things? Like, what sort of things? Did the conversations ever seem a little...odd to you? LITTLE Uh, sometimes. I mean, we both liked Star Wars. He would talk about it a lot. Sometimes he'd say some weird things. RYAN Anything you remember specifically? LITTLE I don't know, like how he wished he could be a storm trooper, because they just go in and shoot people. They don't have to think, you know, they just do it. I thought he was joking, I guess, but now I'm not sure. CUT TO: INT. MARCH RESIDENCE - LIVING ROOM - DAY Frank sits on the sofa, while Mr. March sits in what must obviously be his chair. It is old and worn, and of little value aside from the fact that it feels comfortable to him. The dog lies on the floor next to the chair. FRANK So, Mr. March, your son, Terry, he's living with you here? MR. MARCH Yeah. He... (searching for the word) ...leeches off of me, like a little parasite. I wish I had it in me to just throw him out. FRANK Does he cause trouble? MR. MARCH Are you kidding? All the time, he's getting drunker and drunker, doing things no right-minded person could even imagine, much less carry out. I tell you, you give him your name, and he's supposed to honor you, and he turns out like this... FRANK Where is he right now, Mr. March? MR. MARCH He's out. He goes out all the time. Drinking, I think, mostly. He's got about six bars that he goes to. I didn't even know there were that many around here before he started frequenting all of them. FRANK Was your son out two nights ago? MR. MARCH For most of the night. He came home around 9:30 with one of his friends, just as I was going to bed. They were drunk, of course. They started cussing and hollering when they got here, and I think they got into sort of a fight outside the house. All I know is, it was around midnight before I finally heard him come in. Woke me up as usual, falling all over things, swearing... Frank nods. CUT TO: INT. YEAGER HIGH SCHOOL - CLASSROOM - DAY Pan down from a wall clock which reads 8:42 to a white board with a schedule written on it. Focus on the line: "8:40-8:50: Break." Ryan is seated next to the desk of the history teacher, Mr. Gregory, to whom he is speaking. Mr. Gregory is a balding, middle-aged man whose shirt, tie, and pants should never be worn together in any combination. RYAN So you teach history here at Yeager? MR. GREGORY For fourteen years, yes. RYAN You've seen a lot of students then. MR. GREGORY A fair amount. RYAN I have to ask, Mr. Gregory, have you ever had students that seemed...dangerous, violent to you? MR. GREGORY Well, despite our best efforts, that influence does exist here. I have some boys in my classes who I've found bringing weapons to school, and there are some that I don't even want to report. There are students at this school who I would fear for my life if I met them on the street. RYAN Timothy Alden? MR. GREGORY Oh, no. Timothy was always very quiet and respectful. He never talked out of turn or disrupted the class in any way. It's terrible what happened to him and his family. If-- (he coughs slightly as he corrects himself) *When* you find him, give him my deepest condolences. RYAN I'll do that. CUT TO: INT. MARCH RESIDENCE - LIVING ROOM - DAY Frank is still seated with Mr. March, as he continues the line of questioning he started a scene ago. FRANK Would you consider your son a violent man, Mr. March? MR. MARCH What are you asking me for? Just check out his record. FRANK Mr. March, your son has done some things that obviously no father could feel proud of, but you know, no doubt, that people under the influence of drugs and alcohol do stupid things. The record can lie. What I mean to ask is, you sit down to dinner with him, you watch television with him, you sleep in the same house. Does he scare you, ever? Do you worry when he's around sometimes? MR. MARCH (a double beat, considering) I would say I do. It's not the sort of thing a parent should think about their child, but it's true. He has a short temper, and when it blows, anything can happen. CUT TO: INT. YEAGER HIGH SCHOOL - HALLWAY - DAY Ryan stands in the hallway, scratching his head as he flips through his notebook. He has been unable to find many people who even know who Timothy Alden is, let alone people who might have talked to him, or, heaven forbid, talked to him on more than one occasion. Continuing his search, he sees a DAVID GAETA, white, with his head shaved, dressed in an Old Navy sweatshirt and a pair of cargo pants walking down the hallway, with his arm around his girlfriend, CATHERINE LOPEZ. They are most definitely from the 'in' crowd. RYAN Uh, excuse me, I'm looking for someone who knew a student here, Timothy Alden. Maybe you knew him or know someone who might have known him? GAETA Who? LOPEZ Never heard of him. The two walk on by. As he turns to look after them, Ryan sees LING-CHEUNG LI, SUNGDUK KAO, and MICHAEL LYONS coming the other direction, all three sporting thick glasses and arguing about something as they walk toward Ryan. He catches a snippet of their conversation. LI If xy squared plus 2 equals 66 and x minus y is 2, then x has to be 4. LYONS But it can't be 4, because the equation has y plus three over 4 minus x. If it was 4, then it would be y plus three over zero, which is undefined. Ryan sizes them up as the audience does. Math wizards, the class geniuses, geeks. RYAN Excuse me, did any of you know Timothy Alden? Lyons, Li, and Kao look up, a little bit annoyed that their conversation has been interrupted. LYONS What? RYAN Did any of you know Timothy Alden, or know anyone who knew him? LYONS Timothy Alden? No, I don't know who that is. He looks back at his two companions, who both shake their heads. The trio moves on down the hall. Next, Ryan sees JANE LAWRENCE, thin, almost anorexic, with wispy golden hair and a tee-shirt which reads, "Chesapeake Summer Theatre Company," and MARK ADAMSON, tall with curly brown hair and a sweater on, walking towards him. Making his rounds through the high school cliques, Ryan recognizes them as the drama buffs. RYAN Uh, sorry to bother you, but I'm looking for someone who may have known Timothy Alden. I don't suppose either of you knew him or know anyone who did... (trying to aid their memory) He was a student here, dark hair, dark eyes... The two shake their heads. JANE No. Sorry. Off Ryan's frustration, we: CUT TO: INT. ELEMENTARY SCHOOL - PRINCIPAL'S OFFICE - DAY Frank is seated at a desk across from Principal SHARON HAWES. She has a file in her hands, and he wears a look of concern. HAWES I appreciate you meeting with me, Mr. Black, although I hoped, as I'm sure you did, that this type of behavior would not have resumed so soon. Frank nods wordlessly. HAWES (CONT'D) For obvious reasons, we're very concerned about the incident involving your daughter, Jordan, yesterday. And, to be honest with you, we're wondering exactly what the problem is and what can be done about it. Frank nods along with her, waiting for her to get to the point. HAWES (CONT'D) Mr. Black, our feeling is this: Jordan is a high-risk child. I've discussed the incident at Jordan's last school with you: her biting of Lucas Sanderson. I believe I mentioned attraction as a possible motivating factor, but after this most recent incident, I'm at a loss. I have had cause, in the last 24 hours, to check Jordan's file. I'm sure I don't have to tell you I was surprised at what I found. Now, it doesn't take any great digging to find that she's had some problems in her life. Obviously, your and your wife's separation was very difficult for her, I'm sure. That sort of thing is never easy. Also, I read in her file about an injury she suffered when you were still living in Seattle, which it was initially thought was connected to you. FRANK It wasn't. Does it say that? HAWES It does. But the fact that there was concern that you might have inflicted the injury raises certain questions. (a beat, as she feels Frank bristle at the implied accusation) I don't know how close they were, but there was the death of her grandfather. And then, of course, her mother, your wife. I imagine her death must have been very tough for Jordan to deal with. FRANK It was. It was tough for all of us. But we've reconciled it. Jordan feels all right with it. HAWES Mm-hm. Of course, you moved, leaving all of Jordan's old friends behind in Seattle. Has she maintained correspondence with any of them? FRANK No. HAWES And then, with Catherine gone, and you working your prodigious caseload as a consultant for the FBI, she spent a lot of time alone or with her grandparents. FRANK (defensive) Your point? HAWES Well, these are not great atmospheres for her to be in, not very conducive to the making of friendships, the raising of self- esteem-- FRANK What are you saying? HAWES Let me finish, Mr. Black. (a beat) As I was saying, Jordan was not in the greatest environments. Then there was the unprovoked biting incident with Lucas Sanderson last year, when I met with you. You then left with her and she missed the last part of the school year. I can tell you, since she's come back, she has had a difficult time making friends and some of her teachers have complained about her unwillingness to apply herself in class. Personally, I'm worried for her. FRANK So what are you, social services? This is my daughter you're talking about here. I hear you bringing things up, things you don't know anything about, but I don't hear any solutions. HAWES Mr. Black, this is a chance for discussion. I want to hear your explanations for the incidents I have mentioned. Now, I've looked at a lot of files, Mr. Black. I know that a student's record can lie. Don't assume that I can't do my job as an educator, Mr. Black, and I won't assume that you can't do yours as a father. FRANK All right. What do you want to hear? HAWES I want us to talk about this, Mr. Black. As I said, my concern here is for Jordan. I see her as a high-risk child with all the tragedy in her life. FRANK High risk for what? HAWES For a continued occurrence of the sort of incident we saw yesterday. Frank stares across the desk at Principal Hawes, almost combatively. He is silent. HAWES (CONT'D) How is she at home, with you? Is she violent ever? FRANK No, never. She's an angel. (softer, to himself) An angel. HAWES What is it about the school environment, then, that brings out the worst in her? FRANK I...don't know. I'm not here with her. (stiffening) I don't even know if there's anything to be concerned about. We can tell, despite his attempts to conceal the fact, that this is not the case. that this is not the case. He and Hawes stare across at each other silently, no answers forthcoming. CUT TO: INT. POLICE STATION - SQUAD ROOM - DAY Ryan and Det. Eagle stand at a blackboard, with fifteen other police officers and Frank seated in chairs, watching, as the two give a rundown of the investigation thus far. A high school picture of Alden is affixed to the chalkboard, along with some notes from the case, with other things scribbled on it. Ryan begins the briefing on the case. EAGLE All right. Listen up. Here's what we have so far. We have both parents tortured and then killed, with evidence of a sexual assault on the mother. The murder weapon was a serrated-edged knife which was stolen from a set found at the crime scene. The back door was found open, and was likely the point of exit for the killer. Now, our main suspect at this point is the son, Timothy Alden. Mr. Frost has prepared a profile of him. RYAN Thanks. Okay. Timothy Alden's history shows a pattern of abuse and social detachment that classifies him as a high-risk individual. Ryan taps the blackboard, where he has this phrase written. ON FRANK as he hears this description. RYAN (CONT'D) His record includes one particularly violent incident where he strangled a classmate who habitually teased him so badly that the student missed two weeks of school recovering. Now, classmates and teachers I talked to describe him as withdrawn, uncommunicative, shy. As he says each of these words, he points to them on the blackboard. RYAN (CONT'D) One teacher said that he was very quiet, very unassuming, and he let people walk all over him, but when he snaps, it's violent. Before he can continue, DETECTIVE TOMLIN speaks up. TOMLIN How do you explain the sexual assault on the mother? RYAN Alden is confused about his sexuality, leading to frustration towards his mother. His birth mother was killed by her boyfriend when he was three, and there is evidence that the boyfriend also sexually abused Alden. He has unresolved feelings towards his mother and her death which manifested themselves in the rape of his adopted mother. We believe this also explains the blatant overkill and the excessive torture of the mother. DET. SIMON speaks up: DET. SIMON Were his adopted parents distant? RYAN Not particularly, but both worked 40-hour weeks, leaving Alden on his own for significant periods of time. Now, as I started to explain earlier, Alden did not fit in well at school. He had no real friends, and didn't seem to belong to any of the various social groups at his high school. This meant, of course, that when his parents weren't around, he was alone. He didn't spend that time on homework, we know, because his teachers all agreed that he did not apply himself particularly well. What he became was a person with no ties to anything. Confused and frustrated, both socially and sexually, at a high risk for the sort of crime we are investigating. Frank gets up and leaves, disgusted with Ryan's analysis. Ryan watches him leave, then continues. RYAN (CONT'D) Timothy Alden had access to the murder weapon and... CUT TO: INT. POLICE STATION - HALLWAY - DAY - SHORT TIME LATER Frank is walking down the hallway. RYAN (O.C.) Hey! Frank! Frank turns, slowly, to see Ryan pulling up, breathless, next to him. He doesn't stop, but continues to walk with Ryan trailing after him. FRANK What is it, Ryan? RYAN Why did you walk out in the middle of my profile, Frank? FRANK Because it's wrong. RYAN But I put your theories on the case into my own analysis of Alden. It all fits, it all makes sense. FRANK Yeah, except you forgot to include my most important theory: it's not Alden. The two stop walking, as Alden looks at Frank incredulously. FRANK (CONT'D) All right, look at all the high school shootings recently. Some were from fear, others hate, but they all have one thing in common. They were all easy releases for the frustrations the perpetrators were feeling. Pull a trigger...bang. Done. Now look at this case. The torture is all wrong. This was prolonged, measured, calculated to terrorize the victim. It's not the work of a *child*. RYAN All right, now let me tell you something. When I was consulting for the Millennium Group, before I was released, one of the first cases I investigated was the murder of a high schooler. He was set on fire. And I thought, 'Who could do this?' Certainly not a kid. I checked school janitors, career criminals in the area, even teachers. Nothing. Finally, I started getting desperate. I looked into the kids, and as I did, the evidence began to build against this one kid. Now, he was well-liked, rich even, no history of trouble, good grades. A little problem with substance abuse, as I found out, but nothing that would even remotely suggest this sort of thing. Finally, I closed in on him and worked him so hard that I got him to confess to the crime. Crying in the interrogation room, he told me how he and his buddies got drunk and he set this poor, unpopular kid on fire. If I could have been anywhere else at that moment, I would have. That was the worst day of my life, Frank. It still is. To think that someone not even old enough to *vote* had the capacity to light another person on fire and let him *burn* to death? I didn't want to believe it, but I'll tell you, I don't look at anybody as incapable of anything anymore. Now, believe what you may about the Millennium Group, and I know, because I think the same things about them, but I do know that what they show to their candidates they show for a reason. This was to tell me that when it comes to murder, nothing is sacred. FRANK Look, if you don't believe me, you can waste your time profiling Alden. But right now, if we're lucky, we still have a chance to save him, if we start to go in the right direction, finding Terry Allen March. If we go off track, Alden may not be the only one to die. Frank starts to walk again, leaving Ryan behind. CUT TO: INT. MARCH RESIDENCE - LIVING ROOM - DAY Frank sits on the sofa next to Mr. March. FRANK You haven't seen him since the day before yesterday? Mr. March shakes his head. CUT TO: EXT. SHRINER'S PUB - DAY As we look through the window, which has a sign on it that reads, "Shriner's Pub," we see Frank at the bar table. CUT TO: INT. SHRINER'S PUB - DAY Frank is at the bar table, talking with the BARTENDER (#1). ON THE MUG SHOT of Terry Allen March that he hands to the bartender. He also hands him his card. FRANK Here's my card. This has a cell phone number on it where I can be reached. I'd appreciate a call if you see him. BARTENDER Will do. DISSOLVE TO: INT. POLICE STATION - SQUAD ROOM - NIGHT EAGLE hangs up a phone, then sits at his desk. Ryan sees him, and pulls up a chair next to the desk. RYAN Where are we with regards to finding Alden? EAGLE (shakes his head) Not good. We've just about exhausted all his hiding places. I mean, he didn't have many friends, which certainly cuts down the amount of possible leads. We got a tip that he had a good relationship with his grandmother and we were covering that... RYAN No dice? EAGLE I got a man sitting on the house, but he hasn't seen anything. Anyway, I'm going to go get something to eat. Want anything? RYAN No, that's okay. EAGLE All right. Eagle gets up and starts to walk towards the door of the squad room. As he walks past him, we PICK UP Frank sitting at an empty desk, reading the profile Ryan has prepared on Alden as he waits for his phone to ring. He does not notice Eagle. CLOSE ON - TYPED WORDS the phrase, "high-risk individual." Then, "death of his mother," then "not applying himself in class." FRANK'S INTERNAL POV -- Mrs. Kirkpatrick screaming! -- Video game guns going off! -- Jordan hitting Roy! His cell phone RINGS. Reaching into his pocket, he pulls it out an answers it. FRANK Frank Black. What? He's there? All right, thanks a lot. He gets up and heads for the door. Ryan, who is also in the squad room, notices this. RYAN What's up, Frank? FRANK Where's Eagle? We need to make an arrest. RYAN Alden? FRANK March. FADE OUT. ACT THREE FADE IN: INT. POLICE STATION - INTERROGATION ROOM - NIGHT March is asleep at the table inside the interrogation room, drunk and disheveled. OUTSIDE THE ROOM Eagle, Frank, and Ryan watch him through the one-way glass. EAGLE He's sleeping. That's a good sign. We can hear in his voice that he says it more to convince himself than anyone else. EAGLE (CONT'D) (to Frank) So you think he's the guy? Not Alden? FRANK I know he is. (a beat, then specifically to Eagle) Let's do it. Ryan is conspicuously left out of the interrogation team. Frank and Eagle walk into the room, as Ryan continues to watch through the glass. INT. POLICE STATION - INTERROGATION ROOM - NIGHT Eagle looks briefly at Frank and then walks up to the slumbering suspect to shake him awake. EAGLE Terry. March slowly opens his eyes, blinking and adjusting to his surroundings. MARCH Uhhh. Where am I? EAGLE You're in the box, Terry. And do you know why you're here? March shakes his head. EAGLE (CONT'D) Oh, sure you do. You're here because you killed two people, Terry. And when you kill people, you end up here, in the box, where you tell us about it. MARCH I didn't kill anyone. What are you talking about? FRANK Where's the boy, Terry? Where's Alden? MARCH What boy? FRANK The son of the two people you killed. Where is he? MARCH What two people? I didn't kill anybody, I told you. Frank looks at Eagle, sure March is hiding something. But Eagle's return look seems to indicate that he believes that March may be telling the truth. Surprised, Frank motions for him to leave. FRANK Let's go. EAGLE What? FRANK Outside. Eagle leaves, bewildered. Frank follows, closing the door behind him. INT. POLICE STATION - SQUAD ROOM - NIGHT Frank and Eagle stand right outside the interrogation room, with Eagle taken aback by Frank's surprising confrontational stance. FRANK Answer me honestly, right now: Do you believe he's the killer? EAGLE What? FRANK Do you think he killed Mr. and Mrs. Kirkpatrick? EAGLE I don't know, Frank. He seems confused to me. I've seen a lot of suspects in there, but I don't think he's hiding anything. FRANK Well, I've also seen a lot of suspects. And I've seen a lot of suspects in these kind of crimes. And I'm telling you now, it's him. EAGLE I wish I could be sure, Mr. Black, but I see too much evidence that it's Alden. FRANK Well, if you can't believe in what I'm telling you and work to save a child's life, then get the *hell* out of my interrogation! Eagle and Frank look around. The squad room has become silent, as all the other cops stare at them. Frank looks at Ryan, who shakes his head questioningly at him. Frank nods, seeing the score, and heads back into the interrogation room alone. INT. POLICE STATION - INTERROGATION ROOM - NIGHT Frank starts in as soon as the door is closed. FRANK Where were you two nights ago? MARCH Two nights ago? (a beat, as he works through his stupor to try to remember) Uh, I went out. FRANK Where did you go? MARCH To a bar. The Lucky Leprechaun, I think. FRANK Were you with anyone? MARCH Yeah. A friend. FRANK What's his name? MARCH Marcus. FRANK His whole name. MARCH Marcus Diller. FRANK How late were you out? MARCH Um, until about eleven, I think. FRANK We have a witness who claims you were home at nine-thirty. MARCH I wasn't checking the clock. FRANK What happened when you got home? MARCH Marcus and me had a little fight, and just sort of yelled at each other for a while. FRANK What happened then? MARCH I don't know, I got in my car-- FRANK Drunk. MARCH --and drove around for a while. FRANK You just drove around for two hours, and then came back home? MARCH I don't know, was it two hours? FRANK Did anyone see you? MARCH (slightly embarrassed) I...uh, I picked up a hooker over near Druid Hill Park. FRANK You remember her name? MARCH She said it was Candy. Frank leaves the room. INT. POLICE STATION - SQUAD ROOM - NIGHT Outside, Ryan is still watching. RYAN He didn't do it, Frank. Why can't you see that? FRANK Check on his alibi. If he's lying, we've got him. Frank looks at him steely, in a way that makes Ryan unable to deny his request. Frank walks back into the interrogation room. INT. POLICE STATION - INTERROGATION ROOM - NIGHT March is rubbing his eyes, obviously still in a stupor. FRANK You didn't go out driving, did you? MARCH Yes I did. Why would I lie about that? FRANK Why? Because what you did instead was kill two innocent people. I've talked to people, Terry. I know about you. I know you're frustrated, you're a time bomb waiting to explode. It doesn't take a lot to set you off, Terry. Just one little argument. As he talks, Frank moves his chair around next to March's. FRANK (CONT'D) What did he say to you, Terry? He ignored you, didn't he? He shut you off, made you feel small. But you wanted to be heard, Terry, loud and clear. You wanted to make sure someone was listening. So you broke into the house down the street. You tied up the two parents there, you tortured them, loving every scream, every moment of it. Then you raped the wife. Terry shakes his head bewilderedly. FRANK (CONT'D) Did you even know what you were doing, Terry? Did you take the time to think about it, or were you just enjoying it too much? MARCH Enjoying what? FRANK Terry! I know what you did. You tied them up, and then you took one of their knives. You cut them, slowly, painfully, little bits and pieces of flesh, you heard their screams. They were helpless, Terry! They had to pay attention to you! They weren't going to walk away from you! MARCH I don't know what you're talking about, man! Frank grabs Terry by his sweatshirt and lifts him up out of the seat, while he is still handcuffed. FRANK I know you did it, Terry! Where is the boy! You've done something wrong, something terrible, but you have the chance to make it stop here! MARCH What boy? Suddenly, Frank looks down at March's hands, still handcuffed to the table. The sweatshirt has been pulled off of his wrists, and his right wrist sports a set of large scratches, as if made by fingernails! Frank throws March back down in the chair. FRANK Look at your wrists, Terry! What do you see there? MARCH The scratch? FRANK The mother did that, didn't she? While you were forcing yourself on her! She scratched you, didn't she? MARCH No, man, that was from my dad's crazy old dog. No woman did that to me! FRANK Don't lie to me, Terry! We found flesh and blood under her fingernails. You don't think if we match that up, it's gonna come from you? MARCH No, man. This is from my dad's dog. FRANK All right, Terry. I'll wait. You sit in here, and you think about what you've done. You've ruined a family, maybe a kid's life. You have the chance to rectify that. Make the right choice, Terry. Frank leaves the interrogation room and stares contemptuously through the one-way glass at the man he is sure has done the crime. DISSOLVE TO: INT. POLICE STATION - SQUAD ROOM - NIGHT - SOME TIME LATER Frank is seated at a desk, his eyes closed. He snaps awake as the doors open. Ryan walks into the squad room. FRANK Ryan. What did you find? RYAN It's not him, Frank. I told you. FRANK You found the prostitute? RYAN Yep. I got her. She's right outside the building with an officer. FRANK She corroborates March's story? RYAN She remembers a man, six-feet, scraggly blond hair, big build, a little drunk, who requested a little fellatio two nights ago. She I.D.'d March from the photo I showed her. FRANK Well, she must be wrong. Did you show her any other photos? RYAN Why would I do that? FRANK Well, March can't be the only man around here fitting that description. RYAN Frank, listen to yourself. You're getting paranoid about this. The fact is, this matches exactly March's alibi. It's not him. Frank shakes his head, unbelieving. RYAN (CONT'D) It's not him. All right? Frank marches angrily to the interrogation room, not replying to Ryan. FRANK Mr. March, you're free to go. But I'm warning you, I'll be watching you. March gets up slowly, still feeling the effects of his binging. He stumbles uncoordinatedly past Frank and out of the interrogation room. Frank's gaze is steely as he watches March leave the squad room. RYAN The funeral service for the Kirkpatricks is this afternoon. We're thinking that Alden might be there. You can come along if you want to. FRANK No, that's all right. I appreciate the offer, but he won't be there. I don't want to waste my time on a wild goose chase. RYAN It might not-- But Frank is already pushing past him, propelled by the strength of his convictions. CUT TO: INT. FRANK'S JEEP - SUNRISE Frank sits in his Jeep, staring intently out the window. As we pick up the action outside, we see March entering a bar. INT. FRANK'S JEEP - DAY - SOME TIME LATER Frank is following a blue Ford truck. We see that the driver is March. March pulls up to his house. He exits the truck and stumbles drunkenly to his father's house. From inside, we hear shouting as he argues with his father. As the argument boils, Frank looks down the street to the Kirkpatrick's house. CUT TO: EXT. CEMETERY - AFTERNOON TRACK FROM a bevy of cop cars parked on the outskirts of the cemetery to the gathering. There are approximately seventy people in attendance; the Kirkpatricks were well-liked. A few people are crying, husbands hold their wives, and all are dressed in black. A PRIEST reads from the Bible. PRIEST ...Thy Kingdom come, thy will be done... CUT TO: INT. POLICE CAR - AFTERNOON Ryan and Eagle sit in the police car. Eagle is watching the cemetery through binoculars. THROUGH BINOCULARS we see the funeral, progressing as it was in the previous scene. Still through the binoculars, Eagle shifts his gaze to the area around the funeral. EAGLE No sign of Alden. RYAN Keep your eyes peeled. He's not just going to walk up to the funeral. Eagle puts the binoculars down, and turns on the radio. A man's voice is heard, announcing a baseball game. ANNOUNCER (V.O.) So, the Orioles have second and third with only one out and Will Clark coming to the plate. EAGLE You an Orioles fan, Mr. Frost? The announcer's voice fades into the b.g. RYAN Oh, yeah. Ever since I was a kid. I remember, my dad used to get tickets from his boss from time to time and take me out to the ballgame. And even though we didn't go that often, he listened to every game on the radio. Shame what's happened to them now, though. EAGLE Yep. Spending all their money on these high-priced crybabies. RYAN Did you hear about Albert Belle, and how he won't even talk to the media? He told everyone they'd have to visit his website if they wanted to ask him a question. They LAUGH. EAGLE Albert Belle. I'll tell you, what a thug he is. That thing back in Cleveland, where he chased those trick-or-treaters in his car, and now making those obscene gestures here to that fan...He's just not a good role model. I hope they trade him. I mean, all these kids growing up these days, and what do they have to look at? Some crook making a ton of money. It's not healthy. RYAN Yeah. ANNOUNCER (V.O.) So Clark fails to get a run in, and that will bring to the plate Cal Ripken Jr. Cal is two-for- three on the day... EAGLE Now, Cal Ripken. There's a role model for you. There's the kind of guy I want my kids to grow up to be like. Comes to work every day, doesn't complain, signs autographs, plays hurt, and still produces. RYAN Right. Ryan turns back to the funeral procession, looking through his own binoculars. THROUGH BINOCULARS Ryan checks in on the funeral procession. It is wrapping up, and all the attendees are hugging each other. RYAN shakes his head, surprised that Alden hasn't shown up. THROUGH BINOCULARS back at the gathering. PAN QUICKLY across from the funeral to the surrounding trees. As we pan, we see a figure hiding behind a tree. Ryan passes it, then quickly returns his gaze to it. It is Alden, watching silently. RYAN There he is! He and Eagle quickly exit the car. ALDEN watches the funeral from afar, keeping out of view of the funeral goers. As we close on his face, we see tears welling up in his eyes. As he sniffles, trying to hold them back, there is a CRUNCHING of leaves and grass as the police close in on him. Alden snaps his head in the direction of the sound, seeing the police, realizing his predicament. He starts to run, then he sees the guns. EAGLE Stop right there. Put your hands behind your head and lie down on the ground. Alden complies as Ryan, Eagle, and the other officers walk up to him. Ryan and Eagle stand over him, a look of vindication on Ryan's face. CUT TO: INT. POLICE STATION - SQUAD ROOM - NIGHT Frank sits at his desk, looking completely lost. He is still convinced that Alden is not the killer, but is at a loss to explain who is. The doors OPEN and Frank looks up to see Ryan and Eagle carrying Alden in, handcuffed. FRANK You found Alden. Where's the killer? EAGLE We got him right here. RYAN He came to the funeral. Frank looks dazed and slightly defeated by this news. As he stares dumbly at the entrance, Ryan, Eagle, and Alden move past him. Softly, in the b.g., we hear Ryan speak: RYAN Mr. Alden, we're going to need to take some blood... FADE OUT. ACT FOUR FADE IN: INT. POLICE STATION - INTERROGATION ROOM - NIGHT Timothy Alden sits in the interrogation room, hands cuffed to the table. The lighting in the room distorts his features even more, making his face paler and his acne more noticeable. His hair is uncombed, mussed. Eagle and Ryan sit across the table from Alden, eyeing him carefully. RYAN Why'd you do it, Timothy? ALDEN What? EAGLE Listen, Timothy. Do we need this? Look, we know you did it. You know you did it. Let's just cut the crap and get to the point. ALDEN Did what? EAGLE All right. You want to be an idiot about it, fine. But it's not going to change what happened. RYAN You can deny it, Timothy, but it still happened. You lost control, you did something you wish you could take back, but you still did it. Now at least have the decency and the morals to take responsibility for it. ALDEN I don't know what you're talking about. EAGLE You know, Timothy, you don't have to tell us. We've got enough evidence on our own. We got character testimony in the trial. Yeah. All those kids you knew growing up. They're going to tell people how you never got along with anyone, how you never had any friends. We'll get people to tell how your mother's boyfriend abused you, and how he killed her, and how you had issues with your adopted mother. Yeah. People are going to hear about all your problems. They're just going to parade them out there, and you're going to be sitting there, and all the people are going to be thinking, ÔNo wonder he didn't have any friends. What a messed-up kid.' That's all going to happen. Is that what you want? ALDEN I don't care. I didn't do anything. RYAN Oh, yeah. And then we'll get someone to tell everyone how you raped your own mother. How we know it was you because we matched the sperm we found in her to you. We found your skin in her fingernails. They'll like that, I think. EAGLE But you have a chance, here, Timothy. You tell us how it really happened, and we'll make it turn out right for you. RYAN We know you didn't mean to do it. You just lost control. Somehow, you felt this surge of power, this evil just welled up inside of you and took over. EAGLE We understand, Timothy. I've felt that. Man, when I was a kid, my parents were the worst. I felt like filling them more full of holes than a golf course. My dad, he was always yelling at me, and my mom, she was nagging, always. Nag, nag, nag. Man, that got on my nerves. I know what you were feeling, Timothy. I understand. ALDEN All I know is that my parents were killed. I wasn't even there when it happened. RYAN Oh, sure you were, Timothy. Where else would you be? EAGLE Out with friends? Ryan and Eagle LAUGH over this. RYAN We know you didn't have any friends, Timothy. Any friends at all. You just stayed in your room every night, those emotions, that *hate* welling up inside of you. EAGLE We know you choked a boy back in grade school for making fun of you, Timothy. You take a lot of crap, but when it finally blows, people get hurt. RYAN And all that hate, that anger at the world, at all those people out there, having fun, living it up, it all boiled over. It was probably one thing that did it. What was the last straw? No answer from Alden. Ryan turns to Eagle? RYAN (CONT'D) (to Eagle) What do you think it was? EAGLE Well, it was definitely something his mom said. RYAN Oh right, considering the rape. (turning to Alden) What was that like, Timothy? Did she scream your name? All of a sudden, Timothy starts to sniffle, then the dam bursts. He starts to bawl, tears flowing freely down his face. Ryan turns and looks soberly at Eagle, who chuckles humorlessly at the scene they have witnessed. Ryan turns to face the one-way glass, and, although he cannot see Frank, he knows that he is watching. INT. POLICE STATION - OUTSIDE INTERROGATION ROOM - NIGHT Frank looks in on the action inside, shaking his head sadly. INT. POLICE STATION - INTERROGATION ROOM - NIGHT Alden is still sobbing uncontrollably. There is a knock at the door. Eagle gets up to answer it. Detective Tomlin is at the door. He whispers something in Eagle's ear, and then walks away. Eagle motions for Ryan to come over to the door, out of Alden's earshot, and Ryan complies. RYAN What is this all about? EAGLE We got a report from the crime lab on the DNA of the semen found in the mother's vagina and the blood sample of Alden's that we sent them. RYAN And...? EAGLE They match. DISSOLVE TO: EXT. KIRKPATRICK RESIDENCE - DAY Frank's Jeep is parked in front of the house. INT. KIRKPATRICK RESIDENCE - ALDEN'S ROOM - DAY Frank stands in the room, attempting to face its horrors. As he looks around the room, he sees what seems ordinary for a child of that age. A Playstation, a desk, a bed, a bookshelf, a box of toys. Then he starts to focus on the emotions in the room. Squinting, he starts to pick up on the details he was missing throughout the case. A RAPID SERIES OF IMAGES CLOSE ON - A POSTER the word "Rage". CLOSE ON - A VIDEO GAME LABEL the word "Hate". CLOSE ON - A DRAWING old, probably from Alden's formative years, of a man holding a knife. CLOSE ON - A VIDEO LABEL the word "Killing". CLOSE ON - A BOOK the word "Homicide". FRANK'S INTERNAL POV -- A hand grabbing a knife! -- Mrs. Kirkpatrick yelling, "Timmy, what are you doing?" -- Mrs. Kirkpatrick screaming! -- Heavy grunting! -- Video game guns going off! Frank stands in the room, very small, one crusader against all its darkness. The eeriness of the room is underscored by the bright white coat of paint which bathes the room. As he stands there, his gaze falls upon the television which sits atop Alden's dresser. CUT TO: EXT. WATERFRONT - DAY Frank and Ryan stand on the pier, looking into the vast blue expanse. RYAN What causes someone to do that, do you think? FRANK Evil offers those who indulge in it a sense of power, I think. All his life, Alden was picked on, made to feel small. He just wanted the power. (looking out at the water) He began to swim, but the current became too strong, pushing him past where any reasonable person could go. RYAN It's unthinkable. FRANK Every day, I see the people that evil extends its hand to getting younger and younger, more angry, but I had thought, hoped, I guess, that it hadn't reached this level. You know, when I first started doing criminal profiles for the FBI, after I worked in Homicide for the Seattle P.D., we would use this age as a starting point for developing profiles. We would look for offenders who killed pets, who wet their beds. This was an age when tendencies were formed, not acted upon. There was never any thought that the people we were profiling could be fifteen, sixteen. RYAN Times change. Frank nods his head soberly in acknowledgement. FRANK I'm sorry that I didn't believe in you, Ryan. I deluded myself, I think. I tried to convince myself that only a man could do this. As perverse as this crime was, there's almost a cutoff point at which you can expect it. Now, who knows? RYAN No one wants to believe this sort of thing could happen. FRANK Maybe that's why it is happening, why it continues to happen. We need to acknowledge that it can happen and that it does happen. The two stare out at the deep blue sea. CUT TO: INT. PROCESSING ROOM - NIGHT A PROCESSING OFFICER sits at the front desk, reading an adult magazine. Suddenly, he hears YELLING from the arrestees' cells. He gets up somewhat in a manner that conveys his annoyance and heads back to the cell block. INT. PROCESSING ROOM - CELL BLOCK - NIGHT The arrestees in the cells are still YELLING at each other when the officer arrives. ARRESTEE #1 Yeah, you lucky there's these here bars between us, or else-- He draws a line across his throat with his finger, indicating that he will slit the other man's throat. ARRESTEE #2 You the one who's lucky, old man. I'll mess you up. PROCESSING OFFICER (to both the arrestees) Ladies, ladies. Do I have to call your mommies in? ARRESTEE #1 Man, shut your ass up. The officer smiles at him, but his smile is soon gone as he turns his attention to the next cell. In it is Alden, the bed sheet tied around his throat. He hangs from the bars of his cell. The Processing Officer quickly moves over to the cell, undoing the knot Alden had tied the sheet in around the bar. Alden falls to the ground, limp, lifeless, dead. CUT TO: INT. BLACK RESIDENCE - LIVING ROOM - NIGHT Frank and Tom sit in chairs next to each other. The television in the corner is turned on, but muted. FRANK Sometimes I think, I don't know, I should have been a teacher like you. You have your rough days, I guess, but what I do, looking into the darkness of the human soul, and having it look back on me... TOM I don't know. I should show you the scores for the last test I gave. That would send a chill down your spine. Frank LAUGHS. FRANK I don't know, Tom. People ask me, sometimes, you know, why do I do what I do? What insanity could drive me to profile killers, to get into the heads of the people who commit the most unpardonable acts? TOM Why *do* you do it? FRANK I had always said that it was for my wife and daughter. But now, Catherine's been taken by that same evil I fought so hard to protect her from, and I'm locking up teenage killers. He pauses, as we pick up GIGGLING from Jordan and CHARLIE, her cousin, as they play a board game on the floor. Frank smiles as he looks at them. Tom does as well. FRANK Look at them. So innocent, blissfully unaware. If only we could keep them like that. TOM They wouldn't want it like that, anyway. Remember how we used to fight with dad over every little thing? We wanted to be independent, to go out into the world and tackle it head-on, not be sheltered like this. FRANK I wonder, when you think about that, is it worth it? We're independent, sure, but are we happier now than we were then? They look again at the two playing. Jordan looks over at Frank, smiling. Frank smiles back. FRANK (CONT'D) This case I just finished working on, it was this kid who killed his parents. Tortured them, raped the mother, and killed them. And I just didn't want to believe it could be him. Because I have a child. You have a child. Once they become independent, and once they learn that the world is not a nice place, and that it doesn't care about them, how far detached are they from what this kid did? We did checking into this kid, and we found that his family was shattered at an early age. That shelter, that ignorance, that *innocence*, it was shattered. And he was never the same. TOM Well, Frank, the world has worked the way its worked for a lot longer than either you or I have been around to question it. There's a method to the madness, and we just have to take it on faith. There's nothing we can do to change it. We just have to accept the way things are and make the best of them. FRANK I guess so. Frank gets up and walks over to Jordan. JORDAN Hi, daddy. FRANK Hey there, sweetheart. What are you doing? JORDAN We're playing Life. The game of life. Frank has to smile ironically at this. FRANK Are you winning? JORDAN Yeah. FRANK (whispering in her ear) Don't go up too big, super girl. Let your cousin have a chance to win. JORDAN Aw, dad. FRANK Hey. No arguing. Smiling, she turns back to the game. CHARLIE Your turn, Jordan. JORDAN Okay. She turns to look back at Frank, then makes her move. As Frank sits and watches them, Tom un-mutes the television. REPORTER #1 Channel 7 has learned that Timothy Alden, who confessed earlier in the day to the brutal murder of his two parents in their quiet suburban home by torturing them and then slitting their throats, has committed suicide in his holding cell. Frank's ears prick up as he turns his attention to the television. REPORTER #1 (CONT'D) Apparently, he used the bed sheet to hang himself from the cell bars. This concludes the horrible events surrounding this case, which strikes at the very heart of our country. TOM (to Frank) This is the case you were telling me about. FRANK Yeah. (to Jordan and Charlie) Let's go, guys. JORDAN Where? FRANK Let's help Aunt Helen with dinner. As he leaves the room, Tom changes the station. On this station, they are discussing the crime. ANCHORPERSON We have here with us psychologist Darren Rivers, of the University of Maryland, in a Channel 4 Exclusive: Behind the Cycle of Terror. Mr. Rivers, what do you think could have motivated someone to do something like this? RIVERS Well, from my experience, the impulse to snuff out the existence of another of your species is not a natural response. Killing is learned, both from personal experience and from the propagation of the experience via television and the movies. What we are seeing here is the backlash of our own violent culture, as it continues to beget violent culture. PUSH IN on the television screen, still playing, with Rivers advocating his pop psychology. INT. BLACK RESIDENCE - JORDAN'S ROOM - NIGHT Frank stands in the room, staring purposefully at the television. He walks over to it, and starts to unplug it from the wall. Slowly, deliberately, he rips the cords and wires from their sockets. Finally, he picks up the black box and carries it out of the room. INT. BLACK RESIDENCE - HALLWAY - NIGHT Frank walks towards the basement door. He opens it, carrying the television down the steps into the abyss. PUSH IN On the darkness of the doorway, as we: FADE OUT. THE END