X-MAN SCREENPLAY, BRIAN R. LUNDIN [top 5 books to read TXT] 📗

use your facilities”
WILSON
But, of course, my son follows me.

She watched as Esau followed the reverend down a dimly lit, cavernous corridor, she wanted to warn the reverend but on her hands and knees she quietly crept out the safety of the pew and looked down the hall. When they reached the bathroom she watched in horror as Esau struck the reverend hard on the head knocking him to the floor, when the reverend opened his eyes, Esau struck him again. Esau straddled the unconscious man and stabbed him repeatedly carved a large X into his chest and smeared an X on the bathroom door. Mariah returned quickly to the pew and watched as the little man passed the dead man in the pew and carved an X into his chest and left the church.
ESAU
Fuckin’ coward, huh.

Mariah watched as Esau walked out into the night. Mariah waited and looked at the crucifix behind the pulpit. After twenty-minutes Mariah slowly rose from the pew and looked around the darken church. Crouching she crawled on her hands and knees down the dim hallway and suddenly bumped into the reverend the top half of his body in the bathroom the other half in the hallway. She covered her mouth and saw the surprised look on his face his no-seeing eyes looking up at the Cross.

INT. RINGO’S APARTMENT-15 APRIL-EARLY MORNING
Ringo was playing chess on the computer when Lieutenants O’Shea called, his voice trembling.


O’SHEA
That black minister has been killed in his church, can you believe that.

RINGO
Calm down Lieu, who are you talking about?

O’SHEA
That Reverend Wilson, get your ass down there, now, your partner is on the way.

O’Shea slammed the phone down.
EXT. FIRST CHURCH OF DELIVERANCE-15 APRIL 2008 MORNING
At eleven-thirty I arrived at the church, the police had blocked all traffic between 43rd and 44th South Prairie Avenue and blue mars lights on the police cars and red mars lights on the emergency vehicles cast an eerie glow on the street. I heard the wail of an emergency vehicle and the roar of police sirens filled the cool night air. As I walked to the church I noticed a large crowd had gathered outside and the news trucks were setting up. Irene Mautesa was being prepped by the makeup artist as she smoothed her dark blue pantsuit.

Shortly, Evetta was on the scene with Doctor Dixon. A uniform sergeant and a young police officer were standing at the door.

RINGO
Hi Sarge, I’m Sergeant Ringo and this is my partner, Evetta from the Special Crimes Bureau and Doctor Dixon from the M.E. office, what we got?

SERGEANT
OFFICER BRADY was the first officer on the scene?

The sergeant nodding at the visibly shaken police officer.

OFFICER BRADY
I Responded to a call of a man stabbed in the church, when I arrived I was met by an elder woman named ROBERTA SHACKS who told me that when she went into the church at about ten fifteen to pray she saw a man sitting with his head down in the pew, at first she though he was praying and she sat in the pew opposite him but then she saw blood on the floor coming from his pew she went to see if he was alright, that’s when she saw he had been stabbed, she ran outside and call 911. I met Mrs. Shacks on the steps of the church, entered and she showed me the man in the pew, I immediately called for an ambulance, backup and the sergeant. Mrs. Shacks told me that Reverend Wilson often worked late in his office in the rear of the church and she accompanied me to the rear and that’s where I found the reverend in the bathroom. I secured the scene and waited for the sergeant, Mrs. Shacks also said that as she entered the church a woman ran passed her covered with blood and seemed hysterical. Mrs. Shacks said she felt sick and had to leave but I got her address and phone number.

RINGO
Thanks officer, make sure you send me a copy of your case report.

INT. CHURCH
Ringo, Evetta and the doctor ducked under the yellow police tape and entered the church and walked to the pew where a man was seated head down like he was praying. Crime scene technicians were taking pictures and dusting for prints, we walked down the hall to the washroom; Reverend Wilson was laying face down on the cold floor. The sergeant and the officer joined the other police officers trying to control the crowd in front of the church. Suddenly, Lieutenant O’Shea burst through the door accompanied by two of his lackeys.

O’SHEA
What the fuck we got, sergeant?
Ringo told the lieutenant what he knew and O’Shea he looked at the dead man in the pew.
Shit, damn!
EVETTA
Want to see the reverend?

O’SHEA
Hell no!
The lieutenant and the two other officers stormed out the church.

DOCTOR
Some leader!
Ringo watched as the lieutenant and his flunkies ducked under the tape and were immediately confronted by Irene.
IRENE
Lieutenant O‘Shea, what’s happened in there?

The lieutenant without breaking stride gave her an icy look and said, “No comment,” and ducked inside his car and drove off.

EVETTA
It’s him!

RINGO
Yep, well let‘s go home and get a good nice rest, tomorrow is going to be a motherfucker.


INT. SQUAD CAR 15 APRIL 2008 MORNING

Evetta picked me up at seven thirty in the morning and as usual she had a cup of Dunkin’ Donuts coffee and a copy of the Chicago Sun-Times Newspaper was laying on the seat, in bold type the front page headlines read, “REVEREND CLARENCE WILSON MURDERED IN HIS CHURCH BY THE X-MAN.” Ringo sipped the scaling hot coffee.
RINGO
It’s going to be a long day let’s go talk to the witness.

Evetta removed a copy of the police report from her briefcase.
EVETTA
Roberta Starks, female black born 1984, address 4125 South Wabash, third floor.

INT. 4125 SOUTH WABASH AVENUE

4125 South Wabash was an old building nestled between other old and abandon buildings.
Evetta took the lead as Ringo hobbled behind on his cane, when we reached the second floor Ringo stopped and rubbed his leg.

EVETTA
You ok?
RINGO
Yeah, sometimes this leg hangs up, I’m ok.

They reached the third floor and Evetta knocked on the door while Ringo braced himself against the wall, on the second knock the door was partly opened secured by a safety chain.

EVETTA
Mrs. Starks?

MRS. STARKS
Yes.
EVETTA
I’m Detective Lunden and this is my partner Sergeant Ringo, may we come in?
The door closed and in a moment it opened.
MRS. STARKS
Please come in officers.

Mrs. Starks reiterated what Officer Brady said but she added.

I had been in the church earlier and met a nice very attractive young man who stated that he was new to the city and was looking for a good church, we talked and prayed together and I left, he said he wanted to wait and meet the minister.

RINGO
What did he look like?

MRS. STARKS
He was a small man, maybe in his late twenties or earlier thirties, very attractive, black curly hair, a beautiful coffee colored complexion, sharp facial features and a high pitched voice.
RINGO
Do you think you would recognize him again?
MRS. STARKS
I’m sure I could.

Evetta left her business card and they left for the office.
EXT. SPECIAL CRIME BUREAU
When Ringo and Evetta arrived they were met by a cadre of reporters camped out in the small parking lot and they were assaulted by reporters and camera men.


VOICE(OS) Is it the work of the X-Man? What is the department doing to catch this killer?
Evetta and Ringo continued walking.
RINGO
No comment!
INT.SPECIAL CRIMES BUREAU
When we entered the building we were met by the lieutenant.
O’SHEA
The Ist Deputy is in my office waiting on you two, what you got?

Ringo and Evetta walked pass the lieutenant.
RINGO
Nothing!
The lieutenant didn’t say anything, just stood there his face a bleak red and his mouth opened.

INT. O’SHEA’S OFFICE
IST DEPUTY GULT was seated in a chair his assistant Captain Patricia Woods was seated next to him. When Evetta and Ringo entered Gult rose and shook his hand vigorously.

GULT
Long time John, how you been?
RINGO
Going along, sir, going along.”
O’Shea sat behind his desk, his face, if possible was redder.
CAPTAIN
What we got on the latest murder O’SHEA?
The lieutenant seemed surprised and muttered.
O’SHEA
Not much, better ask the sergeant, he’s in charge of the case.
The captain gave the lieutenant a disgusted look and turned to Ringo “Sergeant?”
RINGO
Well the murder of the reverend and the other man definitely has the MO of the X-Man; the carved X in both chest and the blood smeared in the bathroom, but this is the first time he has killed males, most of his previous victims were females, something changed and I haven‘t figured it out yet, but maybe there was a witness, the caller said that when she entered the church another woman ran passed her covered with blood and she said she talked with a man before the reverend came. The man fit the description of our unsub. I’ve assigned some detectives to bring her in to view photos.
O’SHEA
Do you know who the woman was?
RINGO
No, but we’re trying to find her.
O’SHEA
(sounding authoritative)
Get on it right away!
EVETTA
Lieutenant, do you have that tape of the reverends press conference?

O’SHEA
(looking confused)
I think so, why?

EVETTA
Can we see it?
O’SHEA
What the fuck, the tape of that bla… Reverend got to do with anything?

GULT
Put on the tape!
The lieutenant fumbled around in his desk and put the tape into the recorder. When the tape got to where the reverend called the killer a coward and only attacked women.
EVETTA
Pause it, there the reason he killed the reverend, he pissed him off and the other poor bastard was just in the wrong place at the wrong time.

O’SHEA
How do you know that?
CAPTAIN
You got any other motives?

The lieutenant lowered his head and mumbled something.

INT. RINGO’S OFFICE
Ringo returned to his office and one of the secretaries gave him a registered letter.
SECRETARY
Came in the morning mail.
There were no return receipt requested or return address and was posted this morning. Ringo carefully opened the envelope and read the letter.
“SERGEANT JOHN RINGO I SAW YOU ON THE NEWS THE OTHER DAY CONCERNING THE MURDER OF REVEREND WILSON AND THAT OTHER MAN. I WAS IN THE CHURCH WHEN IT HAPPENED AND I SAW THIS LITTLE MAN TALKING WITH A WOMAN IN A PEW, AFTER THE WOMAN LEFT I SAW THE MAN KILL THE MAN SLEEPING IN THE PEW. WHEN THE REVEREND CAME IN I HEARD THE MAN ASK TO USE THE WASHROOM AND HE FOLLOWED THE REVEREND DOWN THE HALL. I SAW THE MAN STRIKE THE REVEREND IN THE HEAD AND STAB HIM. A FEW MINUTES LATER I WATCHED AS THE MAN LEFT THE HALL, STOP AT THE MAN HE HAD KILLED AND CARVE AN X IN HIS CHEST. AFTER HE LEFT I CRAWLED DOWN THE HALL AND FOUND THE REVEREND. I FEEL LIKE SUCH A