Screenwriting Showcase "Ben Says Hi"

Thank you.

Thank you. Hello?

Hello, yes. Is this Detective Bonnie Helms?

Yeah, and you are?

Chloe. Detective Chloe with the Murrieta Police Department.

Wait, have we met before?

You don't remember? We met at Rick's.

That's right, the barbecue. You were the girl wearing those funny sunglasses.

Uh, yeah, anyways.

Can this wait? This is sort of my day off and I'm exhausted, especially as of late.

Sure, we can spare a few more cops.

Okay, fine. I'm only running over the details with you.

All right.

And you owe me a favor on your day off.

Deal.

All right, so, so far there's been 14 cops killed, Stabbed to death in their own homes. 10 over in Marietta and 4 over here in Temecula.

15.

What?

There's now been 15 cops killed. 10 over here and 5 over by you.

What was their name?

Michael Gary. You know him. He's a pretty nice guy. Well, was. You really didn't hear?

Uh, I've been preoccupied. Uh, do we have any more information on the suspect?

Quite the opposite, actually.

What do you mean?

Well, we thought the suspect's name was Ben because— because—

Because the suspect left Ben says hi written in blood at the crime scene 4, now 5 times.

Yuck. How can we even be sure it's the same guy or gal? Got any ideas?

I, I mean, maybe it was a case of tormenting the targets beforehand, or, or target practice, if you will.

Target practice, huh? Would you care to elaborate?

Well, I'm just thinking off the top of my head. The murders in Marietta were random, but seemed to get quieter and more gruesome before they just stopped. Maybe it was supposed to scare the real, less random targets in Temecula.

So you're telling me a handful of my good friends died for target practice? That's real depressing.

Nothing's set in stone. I'm just saying anything's possible.

Well, anyways, I got an email the other day. Now, before I go forward, I don't know who sent it, so take what I say with a grain of salt. But the email claims that Ben refers to Benjamin Walker, the police officer who was neglected and killed on duty. It's been like over a year though, so I don't know. What do you think?

I think they're on to something. Chloe, do you know who the Temecula victims were?

Jim Harrison, Drew Wilson, Barry John, Casey Rufus, and now Michael Gary.

Okay, but who were they?

Police officers.

No, they were Ben's backup. They were supposed to be there when he died.

Well, was anyone else supposed to be there? I think there's a pattern, and maybe we should warn them.

Yes.

All right, who else?

Me, Bonnie Helms. I was supposed to be there when Ben died, but I don't get who over a year later would do this. It's gotta be a coincidence.

Yes, I'm confident 5 out of 6 police officers in a small group were all killed in a row coincidentally.

Fair enough, but he wasn't close with family, and not to disrespect the dead, but he didn't really have any friends either.

It's probably just a half-baked excuse by some vigilante to kill cops and call it justice.

Could be, but it's still a strange excuse. Ben's death was kept quiet. Grossly quiet.

Are we still sure? He had no friends? I mean, everyone has a friend, right? You guys seem to get along pretty well at Ritz.

Well, we were friendly. He was a loner, but he was still a nice guy.

So you're telling me we have a clear pattern of victims, a possible motive, and still no suspect? Sounds like this is a job for the Ghostbusters.

Who knows? It's probably over. Maybe it's time to move forward onto other cases.

Gee, Bonnie, you sound pretty confident in that.

I just mean we have no—

Do you feel responsible for what happened to Ben?

I mean, I feel bad, but it's not my fault. It was an accident.

Do you think that the others deserve to be punished?

Well, that's kind of a loaded question. So you do! I mean, maybe a little, but—

You know, Bonnie, When a child goes missing and a neighborhood goes on a search rescue, do you know who I investigate first?

Who?

The one leading the search rescue.

Well, I'm not leading any search rescue.

You're right. If anything, I'm leading the search rescue in this situation. And yet I get the feeling you know more than I do.

I don't like what you're implying.

Okay then, I'll be more direct. The real reason I called was to discuss where you stand in all of this.

Where I stand?

Yes, Bonnie, where you stand. The more I look at this case, the more I see you tangled up in all the details.

Well, of course I'm tangled up in all of this. You are too. Our brothers and sisters are being hunted down and slaughtered.

That's a good point. I just find your selective knowledge, well, alarming.

Selective knowledge? What the hell do you mean by that?

Well, at times you seem to know a lot, and at other times nothing at all. You didn't know about Michael but gave an obscure detail of the crime scene. You don't know anyone that could be angry about what happened to Ben, and yet you guys were friends.

I already told you we weren't friends.

Really? Because you guys showed up to Rick's in the same car and then left in the same car. I don't know about you, but I don't show up to and then leave parties with just anyone.

You're— so you're telling me you've never carpooled?

I have, with friends.

That's it, I'm done. I'm hanging up.

No, you aren't. You hang up and I'll tell the department of my suspicions and what I think happened.

What is it exactly you think happened, Chloe?

I think after Ben died, you were absolutely devastated because I also think that you lied about not being friends. Now, not long after Ben died, you became a detective. Now sure, it's possible you did that because you wanted to, because it was a lifelong passion, but I think it's equally possible you did it to learn how to cover your tracks. And now, 15 cops later, I'm speaking to you, the only one of Ben's backup that's still alive.

I am disgusted. You want to know the truth? The whole truth? Yeah, me and Ben were friends. Good friends, actually. However, we were on bad terms when he died. Ugly argument. So I didn't show up, and he got murdered so gruesomely his body was never found. And yes, I did become a detective because of Ben, but only so I could help the families of people who went out to work and never came home. Not so I could inflict the same pain on others.

I'm a detective, not a jury. Save it for the court. What was that?

Someone's at my door.

Goodbye. Hey, I'm not done talking to you.

Fine, I'll be right back.

What was that? Bonnie? Hello? Bonnie? Bonnie, Bonnie, Bonnie, Bonnie, wait!

What?

Hold on, I just, I just got a text from unknown. Ben says hi. Bonnie?