Hanru Sazuki

(Hanru walks downstairs wearing an all-black fitted suit with a white shirt underneath. His shirt is not tucked in and no tie is seen anywhere on his body. He casually sits down at the dining room table next to Ada and Leo. The two of them are eating cereal.)

Ada: (Happy) Well aren’t we looking sharp today. You must be going to an interview?

Hanru: (Smiles) No actually, I’m working for the mafia. The boss bought me a fitted suit and today is my first official day working for him.

Leo: (Teasing) Oh really? Some big shot don hired an 18 year old jobless dropout? HA, that’ll be the day.

Ada: Why are you really dressed up? And where’d you get a suit for that matter?

Hanru: Lawrence bought it for me. He might help me get a job today.

Ada: Well I hope things go great for you. I’ll be rooting for you.

Hanru: Thank you. I should go now; I need to walk all the way across town to see Lawrence. (Stands up)

Leo: I’m proud of you, nephew. I know school didn’t work out for you, but getting a job is always the next best thing.

Hanru: (Nods) Thanks uncle. I’ll be back home maybe later. (Walks away)

(As soon as Hanru leaves and closes the front door, Ada and Leo begin to talk.)

Ada: Hanru’s a great kid.

Leo: He is. But like everyone, he has his many flaws.

(Ada grabs Leo’s hand.)

Leo: Oh gosh, what now?

Ada: Before we get married, there’s something we need to discuss. Now I really think this is important and we need to address this right away before anything too serious starts to happen.

Leo: (Sighs) What is it, Ada?

Ada: I really want kids.

Leo: (Surprised) Kids?!

Ada: I’ve missed out of so much in life; I don’t want to miss out on being a mother or experiencing the birth of a child.

Leo: No, Ada. You know I hate kids and you know I’ve never wanted them.

Ada: But-

Leo: (Angry) End of discussion! I’m heading into work early. I’ll see you down at the station.

(A few minutes pass. Hanru walks back in the house and sees Ada still sitting at the table alone and a bit upset. She’s shaking her knee and thinking really hard. Harnu sits down at the table next to Ada to comfort her.)

Ada: What are you doing back so early?

Hanru: I forgot my tie. You seem really upset; is everything okay?

Ada: I talked to your uncle about wanting kids. He just didn’t want to hear it and blew me off. He said he didn’t want kids.

Hanru: Did you ask him why?

Ada: No, I didn’t. Like I said before; he didn’t want to hear what I had to say.

Hanru: You need to talk to him. The two of you are getting married, so what you both need to do is confess to each other and talk to each other about what each of what you want in your relationship.

Ada: Sometimes it’s not that easy.

Hanru: Sometimes you have to make it easy. Sorry I can’t be more helpful to you, but I really need to get to this job.

Ada: I understand. You go on ahead.

(Kaito’s Limo)

(Kaito, Koroshi, and Hanru all ride in the back of Kaito’s limo. The North side is where the front of the limo is. The front is blocked off by a closed blackened window. Kaito and Koroshi sit in the back on the South side. Hanru sits on the East side next to Kaito. Like always, Kaito is excited to finally have Hanru working for him.)

Kaito: So, I bet you’ve never rode in anything this fancy, have you?

Hanru: I haven’t actually. I’ve never even worn a suit before.

Kaito: It fits you good, right?

Hanru: Yeah… yeah, it fits good. It’s just not really my style.

Kaito: Well after your first job, you’ll be able to buy everything in your style and more.

Hanru: First job?

Kaito: We’re headed to Vegas tomorrow. Get your affairs out the way and let your folks know you won’t be around for a few days.

Hanru: I’ve never been to Las Vegas before.

Kaito: The first experience is always the best.

(Lawrence’s Apartment)

(Lawrence and Israel are sitting in the living room. It is very quiet. The two of them are distant from each other and are nervously waiting for something to happen. The clock continues to loudly tick. There’s a knock on the door. The two of them stare at each other.)

Hanru: Lawrence, it’s me!

(Lawrence unlocks the door then walks away back to the couch to sit down. Hanru enters the house then closes the door behind him.)

Hanru: Boy, a lot of silent tension in this room.

Lawrence: Now is really not a good time for you to be here, little brother. Israel and I are going through a hard time right now.

Hanru: Does it involve the temporary loss of self-control she displayed the other day?

Lawrence: Israel did fall off the handle, but she’s really trying to get a grip and retake control of herself again. By the way, did you see any cops anywhere near the building?

Hanru: No. The apartments are pig-free. I actually came here because I need to tell you something important and I need you to keep Uncle Leo off my tail.

Lawrence: (Crosses arms) What did you get yourself into this time?

Hanru: The Mob.

Lawrence: Th-the mod?! (Scratches head with both hands) So you decided to officially work for this guy.

Hanru: Yeah. His name is Kaito Zonoda.

(Lawrence and Israel stare at Hanru surprised and with fascination.)

Hanru: What?

Lawrence: Haven’t you told me this guy’s name before?

Hanru: If I did, I don’t remember.

Israel: Kaito Zonoda was one of the group’s main targets. Jason, Allen, and my father Oliver obsessed over killing him. But he was too powerful and too connected.

Hanru: Well, Jason would be proud of me for getting close to the enemy.

Lawrence: Getting involved in the mafia is never a good thing, Hanru.

Hanru: I had no choice.

Israel: Remember, Lawrence, Kaito was a control freak. If he wanted something, he got it.

Lawrence: (Folds hands together and slouches forward) Now that you’re working for Kaito, he’s never gonna let you go free.

Israel: Unless you’re in pieces, floating down a river.

Lawrence: Yeah…

Hanru: Don’t worry about me. I’m smart; I’ll think of something.

Lawrence: There’s no way you’re getting out of this. You let your big brother handle it, alright. It may take a while, but I can assure your freedom from this guy.

Hanru: Are you going to kill him?

Lawrence: Just don’t worry about it.

Hanru: I’m going to Las, Vegas with him for a job tonight. I’ll be gone a few days so please just cover for me if Uncle Leo asks where I am.

Lawrence: I would go with you, but I need to be here for Israel. The police will eventually find and arrest her. I need to be with her until that moment comes. Take someone familiar to you like Jessica or Janet.

Hanru: That’s a good idea. I think I’ll bring Jessica.

(Chris’ House)

(Debbie continues to walk away from Jessica as Jessica follows her around yelling. Debbie is trying to ignore the nagging Jessica, but Jessica is obviously angry and trying to start an argument.)

Jessica: This time was supposed to be with just me and Chris! You need to go back to where you came from! Oh wait, today’s trash day; they must be remodeling your home at the dump.

Debbie: La, la, la, la, I can’t hear you!

Jessica: Are your ears full of wax too?! You know come to think of it, since you’ve been here, I haven’t seen you take a shower. Are you scared of soap or something? Does the thought of being clean bother you and make the dirt on your skin crawl.

(Debbie gets to the doorway of the bathroom and stops. She turns around to face Jessica and she rests one hand on the doorknob and the other in the wall.)

Debbie: For your information, I have taken showers; everyday! I just don’t have any other clothes to wear and Chris is out of detergent. And did you forget that my apartment burned down?! I have nowhere else to go! This is my home now! So if you don’t like it, that’s too bad! DEAL WITH IT! (Slams door)

(The doorbell rings. Jessica answers it and its Hanru. Jessica still seems angry. She slowly calms down as the conversation continues.)

Jessica: Hanru, now is really not a good time.

Hanru: I actually need to talk to you about something.

Jessica: No, Hanru, please, let’s just talk another time.

Hanru: But don’t you want to go to Las Vegas?

Jessica: Nevada?

Hanru: No, China. Yes Nevada!

Jessica: I’m sorry, Hanru, but I’d really rather stay here.

Hanru: Right. You don’t trust the hot blonde alone with your man. I get it.

Jessica: It’s not him; it’s her I don’t trust.

Hanru: Word of advice; it takes two to tango.

Jessica: Yeah well as long as little miss Daisy Duke is around, no one is getting their tango on.

Hanru: Are you saying you wanna give it up to this guy? Are you saying YOU want to get your tango on with Chris?

Jessica: He’s my boyfriend, and I feel like I’m ready.

Hanru: As your best friend, I know you’re ready, but hey, whatever. It’s your life so do whatever. Your parents disowned you so no restrictions for you.

Jessica: Thanks for not giving me a big brother response.

Hanru: (Crosses arms) I’m not happy about doing this, but how about I take Debbie off your hands? You and Chris can spend some alone time and I can bring along someone I’m fairly familiar with.

Jessica: Alright, sounds good.

(Debbie comes to the door.)

Debbie: Sorry, I couldn’t help but to listen in. WHOA VEGAS!

Hanru: Debbie, you need to understand that this trip must remain secret. Mention this to no one. The reason why it’s so secretive is because we’re going there on official business for the mafia.

Debbie: (Smiles) The mafia? Ooh, I’m intrigued.

Hanru: You’re wearing the same clothes as last time.

Debbie: What can I say; I love this outfit.

Hanru: You don’t smell very clean either.

(Jessica chuckles.)

Debbie: So what, I like to go all natural.

(Hanru looks down and sees tiny specs of hair on Debbie’s legs. Natasha appears behind him.)

Natasha: It seems Debbie is going through a hard time in her life. Her goofy positive attitude is what blocks her emotion pain. It also stops her from worrying about appearance and hygiene.

Hanru: I can respect you for your all-natural attitude, Debbie. I have $10,000 in cash with me right now. How about you and I go shopping for a traveling outfit, then once we get to Vegas, we hit up the more expensive shopping malls.

Debbie: Hmm… Well, if you’re offering, I suppose that’ll be fun.

Hanru: Alright then, let’s go. We head out to Vegas tonight.

Debbie: Yay!

(Three Days Later)

(Three days have passed. Kaito’s limo parks in the parking lot of the Palms Hotel Resort. Hanru, Kaito, and Debbie, all look out the sunroof of the limo and enjoy the view of the very tall building under the night sky.)

Hanru: If there was ever an earthquake here, I’d love to watch this building just fall over.

Debbie: I know right! Destruction is so cool!

Kaito: I rented a room in this hotel so the two of you can you know… have your moments; at least for tonight anyway. Tomorrow is strictly business.

Debbie: (Smiles) Why thank you, Mr. Kaito. Hanru and I will be sure to have plenty of fun tonight.

(Hanru and Debbie enter their 2 bed hotel suit. The entire suit is one big room, but on the right side by the front door is a glass room. Inside the room is the bathroom. There is a big beautiful white couch at the end of the room with two beds next to it and a giant glass door leading to the balcony behind it. There are two big TV screens on the opposite side of the walls in front of the bed. Debbie looks out of the glass door with fascination.)

Debbie: Oh my, gosh, this view is so amazing. You can see all of Las Vegas from up here. And look how clean the glass is. For a second I didn’t even know there was a door here, that’s how clean it is. I bet the breeze from outside is just amazing. (Tries to open door) Did you get a key or anything from the desk? I think the door is locked.

Hanru: I think someone committed suicide here a long time ago. Because of that, people are no longer allowed outside. (Opens bathroom door) Oh wow; they a have a mini TV over the sink in the bathroom; and a mirror with the reflection of a telescope.

Debbie: Las Vegas is so beautiful. There are so many lights.

Hanru: I wonder what else Las Vegas has to offer.

(Cabin in the Middle of the desert)

(Isaac and Erika pull up in a car to a cabin in the middle of nowhere. The cabin is completely dark and so is the desert.)

Erika: (Looks around) I thought the moon’s light could reach anywhere; this desert is completely dark, oh my, gosh.

Isaac: yeah, you need a flashlight just to see in front of you. Welcome to the Las Vegas desert.

Erika: Should I take the gun out now?

Isaac: Only take the gun out if he starts to get dangerous.

Erika: We’re in the middle of the desert. There are coyotes and snakes and spiders out there!

Isaac: Well alright, if you see a spider, by all means, shot it. (Gets out of the car and closes the door)

Erika: I’m not staying here by myself. (Gets out of the car)

(Isaac and Erika both cautiously walk into the dark cabin. Isaac and Erika and shine their lights into the cabin. They hear a growl. They both shine their lights toward the sound in the cabin and see Bruce, Holly’s father, standing beside a cage with a coyote inside.)

Bruce: You should’ve never come here! Tell me who you are before I unleash this beast and have it eat your guts out like the last 2 guys.

Isaac: I know it’s dark in here, but it’s Isaac, man.

Bruce: Isaac? How do I know you’re telling the truth?

Isaac: Cause I’m the only one who knows where to find you.

Bruce: Do THEY know that?

Isaac: Yeah, they do. They know I know where you are, and they sent me here to kill you. But it doesn’t have to go down like this. You and I have faked our deaths before; we can do it again.

Bruce: I’m sorry, but I can’t take the chance of trusting you anymore. They could’ve followed you here; you know that!

Isaac: This is my job; they trust me to follow it through, they wouldn’t tail me.

Bruce: Sorry! It was nice knowing you, brother.

(Bruce opens the cage and the coyote charges at Erika and Isaac. Erika quickly shoots three times at the wild animal and it falls to the ground dead. Bruce quickly runs out the back of the cabin and speeds off in his white vehicle.)

Isaac: Nice shot.

Erika: I need to get out of here, now!

(Palms hotel)

(Hanru is lying down on the couch about to fall asleep and Debbie is on the far bed closest to the bathroom. The two of them are getting ready to sleep.)

Debbie: Hanru, I’m cold; can you come lay with me, please…?

Hanru: Sorry, Debbie but I’m tired. I just wanna sleep alone okay.

Debbie: Boy, you’re a tough nut to crack. Are you sure you’re not gay?

Hanru: I’m sure, Debbie. Goodnight.

Debbie: (unease and bothered) yeah, goodnight.

Hanru: Sweet dreams.

Debbie: (Cracks a smile) you too. (Cuddles under covers)

(Natasha appears lying down on the other side of the couch.)

Natasha: She wants to have sexual relations with you. She’s a very dirty girl. I think you should go for it. She’s very easy and she’s free. Prostitution is legal and advertised here in Las Vegas, but they cost money.

(Hanru thinks really hard at the words spoken to him by Natasha.)

(6:03 A.M.)

(A young man wearing a tuxedo uses a card key to walk into a room. The mysterious young man quietly closes the door behind him then walks into the room. He sees a beautiful woman with long flowing brown hair murdered on the bed. She’s wearing a white lingerie dress and a blood stain is on the stomach of the dress. The young man walks over to the woman’s body and sees a note by her pillow. He reads it.)

Mysterious note: “I waited for you, but she showed up instead. Too bad she had to die in your place.”

(The mysterious boy is revealed to be Hanru’s best friend Lee. Lee left a long time ago with his grandmother Ming. Hanru is woken up by a loud knock at the door. He looks over to Debbie and sees her sleeping like a baby. Hanru opens the door and sees Lee. He can’t believe his eyes. Lee hugs Hanru with excitement.)

Lee: I missed you man.

Hanru: Lee…?

Lee: I messed up… I messed up bad, brother.

(Hours have passed. Hanru, Lee, and Debbie are eating at a cafeteria on the 6th floor of the hotel. They sit next to a window. Outside of the window is a very long pool. Only about 3 or 4 people swim in it. Hanru and Lee eat country fried chicken and Debbie eats a very small pizza.)

Lee: Mmm, this is the best chicken I have ever tasted! It’s like an orgy in my mouth.

Debbie: (Giggles) You’re even funnier than Hanru. (Peaks at Hanru to see his facial expression)

Hanru: You mind explaining to me why you came to my room the way you did? What did you do that was so bad?

Lee: There are shrimp up there the size of your fist. I know how much you love seafood, so go get you some.

Hanru: Tell me what you did.

Lee: Not until you get shrimp.

Waitress: Here’s your check, hope you had a great meal. (Walks away)

Lee: How much is the check?

Hanru: (Looks at the check) Ok so let’s see for two country fried chickens and a small pizza, the total came up to… huh… over $130. What a rip off.

Lee: Wow, the price was lower than I thought. Just pay half of it here and charge the rest to the bill of your hotel room.

Hanru: You can do that?

Lee: Yeah, I’ve been here awhile to know you can.

(The three of them now stand over the dead body of the brunette woman in the room. Lee is very sad and very disturbed by something.)

Lee: She didn’t deserve this. She didn’t deserve to die like this. It’s my fault she’s dead, man. Some lunatic is after me trying to kill me. I pissed him off and now he’s coming for me.

Hanru: What did you do, Lee? Who did you piss off?

Lee: Some guy back in Miami followed me here.

Hanru: What did you do?!

Lee: I… flirted with his daughter and tried to… touch her…

Hanru: You mean you tried to rape someone?!

Lee: No! no… I just sexually touched her. She wanted me to do it; she asked me to.

Hanru: Then what’s the problem? Why would he be trying to kill you?

Lee: Because his daughter was only 12.

Hanru: (Speechless) Tw-twelve…? She was 12?!

Lee: The sick thing is… I actually liked it. I liked that little girl more than any other girl my own age.

Hanru: (Sighs) Is that why you left home? Is that why you just up and left the people who cared about you most?! Because you’re a pedophile?!

Lee: I don’t want to be one. But these urges I have are strong, man. I can’t control myself. I’ve almost… I’ve almost got to the point where I kidnapped a child off the streets, just to satisfy my sick fantasy.

Hanru: Debbie, why don’t you have sex with Lee and role play as a little preschooler? I’m going for a walk to think.

Debbie: You weren’t serious about the role play thing, right?

Hanru: No, it was a joke. (Leaves the room and closes the door)

(Hanru rests his back on the door and a cleaning lady appears with her giant bucket of supplies. The cleaning lady is revealed to be Natasha.)

Natasha: Who are you to judge him? You have your own sick and twisted fantasies. You’ve even almost murdered one of your best friends. What do you think is worse, murder or being a pedophile?

Hanru: Why would you ask me something like that?

Natasha: Because despite what he just told you, you want to forgive him with all your heart. You don’t blame him one bit for having a dark presents within him, cause now you know you’re not alone. Now you know you have a partner who suffers from an uncontrollably dark craving same as you.

Hanru: So do I just let him keep doing it?

Natasha: (Grins) Since when did I become your mother? Help him and learn from him. Help him get through these urges of his. You’ve suppressed your evil almost all your life; teach him how to do the same.

(Natasha disappears and Kaito and his bodyguard Koroshi stand in front of him.)

Kaito: (Serious attitude) Do you know what’s going on in that room behind you?

Hanru: I don’t know.

Kaito: Well I do. I own the hookers in this city. I track every one of them, and the one in this room appears to be dead. I know the guy who’s renting this room and once I get a hold of him, he’s dead.

(Lee opens the door.)

Lee: Oh hey, man, I thought I still heard you out here.

(Kaito pushes the door open and tackles Lee to the ground. Kaito pulls out a pistol and presses it up against Lee’s face. Hanru quickly runs inside. Koroshi stands outside the door to make sure no one enters. He closes the door.)

Kaito: You think you can interfere with my business, huh, you little brat?! I should kill you right now for murdering one of my girls!

Hanru: Kaito, let him go; he didn’t do it.

Kaito: And how would you know that?! How could you be so sure this little rat didn’t kill her?!

Hanru: Because he’s my best friend, and he was framed! Someone else killed her looking for him. She was just at the wrong place, at the wrong time.

Kaito: You say this is a friend of yours?

Hanru: Yeah, so let him go!

Kaito: … fine, I’ll let him go. But he at least owes me a full explanation.

(A few minutes later, Lee is sitting on one bed and Kaito is sitting on the other with a pistol in his hand. Hanru sits next to Lee and Debbie is just quiet in the background.)

Kaito: So that’s your story? That’s really the story you wanna use to prevent me from putting a bullet through your face?

Lee: It’s the truth.

Kaito: So, the truth is, you’re a pedophile?

Lee: Well yeah but-

Kaito: That’s more of a reason to pop you one right now.

(Lee nervously stares at Kaito’s pistol as he juggles it around in his hand. He looks back at Kaito.)

Hanru: You got the answer you wanted out of him; you know it wasn’t him who killed your girl. Now we need to go out and find the guy who did it.

Kaito: If your little friend here wasn’t so sick in the head, she’d still be alive, so when it comes down to it, your friend is the one responsible.

Lee: (Defensive) What, you think I’m not going through enough right now? How about you get off my back and get on the guy who killed her with his own hands?!

Kaito: (Stands up and gets angry) Who do you think you’re talking to you little rat?!

Hanru: Okay, look, just calm down. The real rat is the guy going after Lee. So what’s the best way to catch a rat?

Lee: Cheese?

Hanru: That’s right.

Lee: So in this case, I’m the cheese?

Kaito: I don’t think he looks the part. Maybe if I put a few holes in him, he’ll look more like cheese.

Hanru: Come on, don’t scare him; he’s been through enough. Now all we need to do is predict this guy’s next move. Maybe we should send Lee into a place like the movie theater. It’s a dark area, so maybe the guy will strike him there.

Kaito: You bring this guy to me alive, Hanru. You work for me now, and I will not accept failure.

Hanru: Alright, while you’re in the movie theater, I’ll be outside watching the entrance for him.

(Hanru’s cell phone rings.)

Kaito: Who is it?

Hanru: It’s a restricted number. (Answers it) Hello?

Mysterious Woman: My children are coming for you, child. They’ve been trying to find you for quite some time now.

Hanru: I recognize your voice; you’re the Godmother.

Godmother: My daughters are coming to kill you, boy. I suggest you get out of town quickly.

Hanru: Why are you warning me?

Godmother: Because my darkness is attracted to what is within you. I’m a protector… And it’s what Becky would’ve wanted. You remember Becky, don’t you? You haven’t talked to her in a while, but she loves you.

Hanru: How many of your daughters are coming for me?

Godmother: … All of them want you dead; all 5. You killed the sixth one.

Hanru: I didn’t kill Kristen; Israel did. She killed her right in front of me.

Godmother: Doesn’t matter. These 5 girls are coming for you and those closest to you. It’s kill, or be killed. (Hangs up)

Lee: What happened?

Hanru: Good and bad news… Um… turns out I’m being targeted. There were 6 sisters, and one of them was murdered. And for some reason, they think I’m the one to blame.

Lee: Always getting yourself into trouble with groups of serial killers.

Hanru: It’s a gift; and a curse. Give me a second. (Goes into bathroom and closes door.)

Natasha: You know those sisters didn’t murder that girl, right?

Hanru: Yeah. I know those girls didn’t murder that woman because they use poison and there’s no way they could connect Lee to me. Lee left a long time ago.

Natasha: So who could it be? Who could connect you and Lee?

Hanru: I don’t think this is about me at all. I think a man did kill that woman looking for Lee… But that phone call… That phone call is completely throwing off my judgment right now.

Natasha: Think about the Godmother’s words. Do you think her children were trying to kill Lee, but the woman got in the way? They had to kill her so that no one would know they were in the room. Something’s not right here; something’s missing. What is it, Hanru?

Hanru: The body…

(Hanru goes into the other room and examines the dead woman on the bed. He holds her arm.)

Hanru: Her body is cold and she appears to not be breathing. The dress she’s wearing is too small for her. You can see it’s ripped a little bit on the sides. The center of the torso is covered with a bloodstain and there’s a small opening where the knife penetrated. If you spread open the cut, you can plainly see that the body has no wound. That means, this woman was not killed by a stab wound and this dress was worn by a different victim.

Kaito: But she has the bracelet on. That’s proof she’s one of my girls.

Hanru: (Pulls her hair) Her hair is sewed on. That means, this hair isn’t really hers. By the scratches and imprint on her wrist, it’s obvious the bracelet used to track your girl was forced on this woman’s wrist.

Kaito: Okay, so what are you trying to say exactly? Give me the whole scoop.

Hanru: This dead body we’re seeing is not one of your girls. I couldn’t tell you who she is.

Kaito: So then where’s my girl? If she’s not the victim, then-

Hanru: Maybe she’s the killer.

Kaito: The killer?

Hanru: Who is the girl you’re missing?

Kaito: Her name is Crystal.

Hanru: Is this the type of clothing Crystal would wear when meeting a guy in his room, and is this her hairstyle?

Kaito: I can’t deny either one of them. But Crystal’s hair was always the same. What made her standout was how perfect and beautiful her hair was 24/7. Not once was it ever messed up. It wasn’t real though, from my understanding.

Hanru: So then her hair was fake. That would make it easier for someone to sew on her hair to the dead body.

Kaito: So what about the stab wound on the dress? Do you think Crystal did that to herself too?

Hanru: Wait, Kaito… did crystal take pride in her hair.

Kaito: A lot of pride. She made sure it was always at its best; even though it was fake.

Hanru: It’s possible someone wanted Crystal’s hair because of how beautiful it was; or maybe they wanted to be just like her. Maybe they stabbed her in the stomach then once she was dead, they put her clothes on and her hair.

Kaito: You’re pretty much saying that the victim is also the killer.

Lee: Maybe there’s a third killer. Because of my… illness, I can understand the mind of certain… mentally ill individuals.

Kaito: Alright so let’s hear it.

Lee: Maybe the third killer wasn’t here for me at all. I think a man was maybe stalking Crystal. And maybe when I ordered her up to my room, the man tried to meet her up here so he can have her for himself. After I ordered her, I did get a mysterious call to meet someone downstairs. They said it was urgent and about my grandmother. So then I went downstairs.

Hanru: Then while you were downstairs, the killer came up here and waited in your room for her to show up. But then, our victim showed up to the room instead. The victim must be a cleaning lady. The cleaning lady must have known the man wasn’t in the right room, so he killed her so that she wouldn’t tell anyone he was there. Crystal must have walked into the room and seen him murder her. The killer knew he could never be with her now, so he grabbed her and maybe threatened to kill her if she didn’t do what he asked.

Kaito: Crystal’s a smart girl. She knows how to keep calm in dangerous situations.

Hanru: So then Crystal must have cooperated with him just long enough for him to lower his guard. Then she somehow escaped.

Kaito: There are many holes in your story. Where did the stab wound come from, and when your friend Lee went downstairs for the call, how long was he down there and did he talk to anyone? And if he was obsessed with Crystal, why would he take her clothes and hair and put it on a different woman?

Hanru: (Sits down and sighs) I can’t believe this… there’s so much confusion going on. There’s not much we can do without Crystal’s body, whether it be alive or dead.

Kaito: How do we know Lee didn’t kill her?

Hanru: I just know, Kaito. Let’s just focus on finding out where Crystal might be.

Kaito: Yeah whatever, but I’m still watching your friend here.

Lee: When I went downstairs, I waited in the lobby for Crystal to show up, so that way I can just bring her up to my room. But I never saw her walk past me. I just figured I missed her.

Hanru: Our dead body; our victim; do you recognize her at all?

Lee: Well now that you mention her as the cleaning lady, yeah. But there was nothing suspicious about her. She was kind and very friendly.

Hanru: Lee, who was this guy who you said isn’t much fawned of you. You said he was the father of the little girl you touched?

Lee: That’s right. It had to be him!

Hanru: How are you so sure it was him?

Lee: Cause who else would want me dead?

Hanru: Alright, we need to do some investigating. We need to ask questions and find out some information about our victim. I’ll leave that up to you, Lee. I suppose I’ll just look around the room for clues.

(Minutes later, Hanru is searching around the room for clues. He and Natasha are the only two in the room. Everyone else seems to have left already.)

Natasha: There are many holes in your theories about the killer. How do you know you can trust Lee?

Hanru: He doesn’t have it in him to kill a person. I would’ve sensed if he did.

Natasha: Fine, he didn’t do it. But what does that note Lee found mean?

Hanru: I don’t know… I’m totally confused right now.

Natasha: I think you’re missing something very small. I think you’re just too afraid to go all the way with this.

Hanru: What do you suggest I do?

Natasha: You need to be sure our victim was raped or not. How do we know it was a man who did this? You have gloves; go fishing and see if you find any tadpoles.

Hanru: You’re asking me to put my fingers into the private area of a dead person.

Natasha: Hey, cops do it all the time to get semen samples. You’re doing it to catch a possible killer.

(A few minutes have passed and Hanru puts his glove in a small clear bag. He zips it up.)

Hanru: All we know so far is that she’s clean. So she wasn’t involved with anything sexual around the time she died.

Natasha: Well look how old she is, of course she hasn’t.

Hanru: Wait a minute…

(Hanru flips the body over. Hanru opens the back of the dress and sees a small stab would on her back.)

Hanru: This is interesting.

Natasha: This wound is backwards. She was stabbed in the back, but the bloodstain is on the front of the dress.

Hanru: Maybe backwards means something…

Natasha: Or maybe someone’s playing a game. What if this murder was meant for the police to distract them while he did something else?

Hanru: No… no, no. That note… It means something. Who was the killer waiting for?

Natasha: It’s possible the child Lee touched was a one of the girls the Godmother was taking care of.

Hanru: No. There’s no signs of struggle here, there… There’s nothing!

Natasha: (Hugs Hanru) Shh… just calm down. You can figure this out. (Rubs the side of his face)

Hanru: (Takes a deep breath) I think Crystal set this whole thing up. I think Crystal caused all of this confusion so that she could escape. Maybe she wanted to be free, so she killed this woman and…

Natasha: What if this was no accident? Kaito said he owns the hookers in Las Vegas, so what if he set up this whole confusing murder to make your head go around in circles and confuse you, so that he could prove to himself he still has power over you?

Hanru; I doubt he’d go that far, but… This does seem like a test. This seems like a complete setup…

Natasha: I think this is a setup for you to cause confusion.

Hanru: If this is a setup, who would be doing this? It’s not a coincidence that this murder happened around the time I came here. And Kaito specifically wanted me to stay in this hotel.

Natasha; I think you were setup.

Hanru: I don’t… I don’t think this has anything to do with Lee at all… I think the call Lee got was to make him go downstairs. While he was down there, the real killer planted this body here in his room and left the note to make it seem like it was the guy who was going after Lee. Lee ordered Crystal, so maybe Crystal came up here to the room and witnessed the murder or maybe she saw the killer planting the body. The killer stabbed Crystal in the stomach to shut her up. After she passed out, the killer took her clothes off and switched them with the victim’s. The stab wound on the victim’s back is a scar so it’s possible that was there for years. Crystal was kidnapped by the real killer. The real killer left the note so that way when police questioned Lee about it, everyone would assume that the killer was someone from Lee’s life trying to kill him. That would completely turn around the investigation and the police would be looking for a suspect they’d never find.

Natasha: What about the mysterious call Lee got about his grandmother?

Hanru: Wait…

(Hanru walks out of the room and looks at the room number.)

Natasha: The room number’s been changed. It’s like I said before: confusion… Someone set all this up. I am your deep self-conscious mind. You should start listening to me more.

Hanru: Okay, so someone’s causing confusion. Who would that be?

Natasha: The owner of the hotel or maybe someone from the inside who planned this all out perfectly.

Hanru: Kaito told me one of his partners owns…

Natasha: Kaito’s partner set this up.

Hanru: Kaito’s partner? He said his partner was named Shido. Why would Shido set this up?

(Hanru quickly walks back inside. He stands over the body then looks up at the high ceiling. There is a wrapped up sheet stuck to the ceiling and camouflaging with the color. Hanru jumps on the bed and pulls away a corner of the sheet. The body of a woman is revealed to be under the sheet. Her stomach has a fresh cut wound on it. She’s naked, and her hair is missing.)

Hanru: Crystal?

Natasha: Well, that was unexpected.

Hanru: Wait, there’s another note hidden in the sheets. (Hanru reads the letter) “Congratulations… Hanru Sazuki. Now let’s see if you can keep your mouth shut. Go to the palace, wait by the fountain- bring the two stooges.”

(Kaito, Lee, and Hanru are all standing in front of Caesar Palace. They stand in front of a huge water fountain with a headless statue in the center of it. The water shoots up high in the air.)

Hanru: Why is that statue headless?

Lee: Her face was probably so beautiful, guy’s would get boners just looking at her so one day a guy took her head to get some head.

Hanru: I see a life on the run hasn’t changed your dirty sexual humor.

Lee: That’s one thing that’ll never change with me.

Kaito: You’re lucky we’re in public right now. You’re making me regret not shooting you back in the room.

Hanru: We need to focus on finding the killer. Las Vegas never sleeps and it’s always crowded. He could be anywhere so keep a sharp eye.

Kaito: While we look for this guy, you mind explaining what happened in the room?

Hanru: The girl Lee touched was being taken care of by the Godmother and the Godfather. Lee left state with his grandmother Ming to run away from the Godfather. While they were gone, Ming was taken and possibly killed by the Godfather. Lee is all alone in Las Vegas now. Somehow, the Godfather tracked Lee down and has been stalking him. The two dead woman in the room- the hooker Crystal and the Maid, were both murdered and planted in Lee’s room to scare him. The Godfather is trying to frighten Lee and build up his fear before he decides to go after him directly. Both of those women died to scare Lee and let him know a predator is on his tail. The reason why the maid was wearing Crystal’s clothing was because the killer has a sick mind. Crystal was beautiful and the maid was not very attractive. The killer took Crystal’s beauty and transferred it to the maid. I think originally the killer stabbed Crystal and murdered her in the room. The maid walked in and saw it, and the killer had no choice but to kill her. The knife used to stab Crystal broke off inside of her stomach, so he needed to kill the maid a different way. This time he used poison to murder the maid. She died instantly. The killer planned on poisoning or stabbing Lee originally, but since his knife was broken and his poison was used on the maid, there was no way to kill Lee, so he improvised and decided to scare Lee instead. He planted both of the bodies to scare Lee. The note was taped on the ceiling by Crystal’s body, so that after about 10 minutes it would fall when someone was in the room. Once someone noticed it fall, they would look up and find Crystal’s body. The Godfather is sorry for having to kill the both of them, but he used their deaths as an opportunity to strike fear into his prey. The maid died so that you didn’t have to, Lee.

Lee: I’ll remember her funeral.

Hanru: (Thinking) There was much more to that note that what I read moments ago. The note said to tell them this story. (Says to Kaito) Kaito, you said your new partner Shido owns the Palms Hotel, right?

Kaito: No, he did awhile back. Las Vegas territory was like a goldmine for those in our line of work back then. We were all over this place.

Natasha: (Whispering in Hanru’s ear) Right next to the fountain are some stairs that lead up to a restaurant. I think the guy you’re looking for is the one sitting at the table closest to us. Notice how he avoids looking in this direction.

Hanru: (Thinking) Good, my suspicions were right. I knew he would be someplace close by listening… but then again… maybe that’s what he expects me to think.

Natasha: Remember who I am, Hanru. I am your inner mind. I notice things you don’t.

Hanru: Kaito, we should get going. There’s nothing we can do right now.

Kaito: What about finding this guy?

(Hanru pulls Kaito away from Lee and whispers to him.)

Hanru: I think I’ve found the guy we’re looking for by the stairs.

Kaito: I’ll handle him, just point him out to me.

Lee: You should answer that.

Hanru: (Answers) Hello?

Debbie: Hanru, there is some creep following me around in a casino. He’s been following me since I first left the Hotel.

Hanru: Alright, here’s what you do…

(After about 15 seconds, Debbie and Hanru hang up the phone. Debbie turns around and aggressively walks toward the man following her.)

Debbie: Hey! Yeah you! Why are you following me, you creep?! Are the hookers around here not enough to pop you a boner, so you decide to follow a teenage girl around to get your jollies up?!

(The people in the casino stare at Debbie as she paces closer and closer to the man. Before she gets close enough to him, the man quickly walks the opposite way out the door. Debbie continues to follow the man outside. The man vanishes. A cop walks up to Debbie.)

Cop: Excuse me, ma’am, is there a problem?

Debbie: Sorry, but my mother told me never to talk to strangers. (Walks away)

Cop: (Yells) I’m here all night if you ever decide to break your mother’s rule, like most kids your age!

Debbie: Got it; thanks!

(Later that night)

(Hanru and Lee are at the top of Caesar Palace looking out at the glowing city.)

Lee: The fountain we stood by earlier glows rainbow colors at night. It gives the fountain a certain personality.

Hanru: It’s too bad I don’t have my camera. My phone will just have to do. (Takes pictures with phone)

Lee: Do you think it was a coincidence- you being here? I mean, two people died because of me: 2 strangers. Then Deborah… Oh gosh, no telling what would’ve happened to her if that man got her alone.

Hanru: (Puts phone away) She would’ve died. I know it may not seem like it, but you saved a lot of lives. The man who killed those women was a serial killer. He would’ve never stopped until he was caught. And because you touched one of his daughters and he came after you personally, he made a mistake and exposed himself. (Puts hand on Lee’s shoulder) If it wasn’t for you, he would still be out there killing and he would be unidentified. But we know who he is and we know where he lives. And now that I have Kaito; I have Kaito’s connections. And once we catch this guy, we will bring him to true justice.

(Lee and Hanru look each other in the eye and start to chuckle for about 10 seconds.)

Lee: (Looks Hanru in the eyes) thanks for being a good friend to me.

Hanru: You’re running away from the law and a serial killer for child molestation. Thank you for still being a free spirit.

(Both of them hug.)

Lee: My sexual needs have grown like a dark fungus. Almost everything turns me on now.

Hanru: Is this hug turning you on right now?

Lee: (Laughs) No, man. (Both stop hugging) But I just really need help. And… I just don’t know how to get it.

Hanru: I’m still dealing with my darkness. The last time I saw Meukie alive, was when I was trying to kill her… I was on top of her; choking her… And her eyes went dark and she was just… gone. But from what Holly tells me, Meukie survived. Meukie’s real name is Janet by the way.

Lee: How is everybody?

Hanru: Explaining to you what’s going on with everybody is gonna take a while. Let’s just go for a walk. (Phone beeps; Hanru looks at the message)

Lee: Who is it?

Hanru: Kaito. You no longer have to worry about the Godfather following you around. Kaito made sure he got a full confession from him before disposing. (Puts phone away)

Lee: I’m still not sure what I should do with my life. Do I turn myself into the police?

Hanru: I think only God has the answer to how you live the rest of your life.

Lee: I’m never going near the Godmother or her children ever again.

(Hanru pats Lee on the back.)

Hanru: (Thinking) Turns out the real man behind the shadows knew the Godfather was on Lee’s trail. The Godfather was the one who killed both the woman on the ceiling and the maid while he was waiting for Lee, but luckily someone called to get Lee out of the room. It’s still unclear what happened back there, but I have the feeling, it was all a part of a bigger plan. And I believe those bodies were out in there to confuse the police investigation.

(A beautiful blonde woman is sitting in a bus station alone and nervous. A very handsome looking man is sitting next to her.)

Woman: So this is it, I’m free?

Shido: Kaito now thinks you are dead, Crystal. You’re free.

Crystal: Thank you. (Hugs Shido)

Shido: You take care now. I have important work to do. I’ve exposed Lee’s tailer who killed that innocent maid and I was able to test that boy’s intelligence.

(Hospital Parking lot)

(LJ pulls up in front of a hospital. Janet and Holly are standing by the front doors sad and crying. LJ gets out of the car and walks up to the two of them.)

LJ: Kaito’s going to be in Vegas for a few days. I decided to stay here… to be with my family.

Janet: LJ, we are long ways from being a family. I got kicked out of the hospital because I didn’t have any insurance. Because I don’t have money, I can’t go to a hospital to get help if my life is ever at risk. Just admit it LJ; we messed up. We messed up bad. Our lives are nothing and our daughter is trying to follow in our footsteps. Life kicked our butts.

LJ: Then we need to stop letting life control us and take control of our lives. The three of us need to work together if we’re ever gonna patch things up and move forward.

Janet: Where do we start?

LJ: We start by taking out Kaito Zonoda. Because of the history we have with each other, we won’t settle for the idea of just letting me go. He’ll kill me before he’d set me free.

Janet: Before we do anything, I need some medical help. I haven’t eaten or bathed in 3 days. I’m surprised I can even stand up.

LJ: Don’t worry; I’ll take care of you both from now on.

TO BE CONTINUED…