BACK LIL02 23' LIL SHERLOCK episode: bank robbery INT MORNING WIDE: STOREFRONT DETECTIVE OFFICE (Lily is doing data entry on the computer, Hollis is on the phone.) HOLLIS (to phone) Yes, ma'am, but if you wait 24 hours the police will start looking for your daughter and they have eyes an ears all over the city. No, I'm not trying to talk you out of hiring me. I'm just helping you to make an informed decision. Another factor is money. If you wait 24 hours, the police will look for your daughter for free. My agency charges $800 per day. Yes. For missing persons cases, there's a two day retainer required. That's $1600. So, you want to go ahead anyway? I need your credit card number and the expiration date. (takes pen from holder, prepares to write) Just read it the way it appears on the card. Uh huh. Uh huh. Uh huh. Uh huh. And the expiration date? Uh huh. Okay, I'll need a picture of your daughter. Should I stop by your house to... (writes) I see. Uh Huh. Okay. That will speed things up. (replaces pen) Okay, I'm headed down to the bus station now. Hopefully, I can get there before her bus arrives in the city. I'll call you as soon as I find something. And don't worry. You've got Hollis Detective Agency working on it. Bye bye. (hangs up, stands, approaches Lily) Lily, I have to find a run-away. Can I interrupt you for a second? (places a paper in front of Lily) LILY Sure. (points) Is this the URL for the Facebook page of your run-away? (types) HOLLIS So, you know what a Facebook page is? LILY Yeah. (types) HOLLIS I'm absolutely worthless when it comes to computer stuff. LILY (points to screen) Okay. Is this your run-away? HOLLIS (compares the information on the screen with the name on the paper, points) Yeah, that's the name. And that's the name of her school there. I guess that must be her picture. LILY (mouses and clicks, printer spits out the picture, points) There you go! HOLLIS (takes Facebook pages from printer) What would I do without you? AGENT (enters office) William Hollis? HOLLIS Speaking. AGENT (flashes badge) Sam Franklin, Special Agent with the F.B.I. LILY (turns away, under her breath) Oh oh! (pretends to be working) HOLLIS What can I do for you? AGENT We're expecting a serial bank robber to strike some where in the city within the next two days. We've got agents and city cops spread out all over the city to cover the most vulnerable banks but we need more help. Can we count on you? HOLLIS (looks down at pages) Well, I, ah,.. AGENT (offers flash drive) Here's a flash drive with passwords to all public databases, including law enforcement. It will tell you all we know about this guy and the banks he's robbed. HOLLIS Why would you open up all those databases to outsiders? AGENT This guy has robbed 27 banks in seven states. He just struck here in the city late yesterday. If he follows his usual M.O., he'll hit at least one or two more banks in the next day or two before he moves on to another city. We have a unique opportunity to catch him red-handed if we include investigators like you. HOLLIS (looks at run-away's picture) Um, ah, well, ah... AGENT Mr Hollis, we don't expect you to work for nothing. (offers envelope) Here's $3000 in cash to pay your expenses. Plus there's a $50,000 reward if you're the one who fingers the bank robber. LILY (whirls around) William Hollis Junior has no open cases today. Perhaps he can do the leg work on this case. (smiles at Hollis, tilts head) HOLLIS (shrugs) Okay, then. (takes flash drive and envelope) What do we do if we get a lead on this guy? AGENT There's an 800 number hot line and an email address on that flash drive for the task force. We'll have a SWAT team on site in less than 15 minutes after we receive notice from you. HOLLIS Well, I guess, if my son is available... AGENT (turns toward door) Safety first, Mr Hollis. This guy carries a gun. If you find him, do not attempt to arrest him. Notify us. (exits without waiting for the answer) HOLLIS Absolutely. We here at Hollis Detective Agency.... (Door closes, turns to Lily) Lily, did I just take the F.B.I.'s money under false pretenses? LILY (takes flash drive, inserts it into computer, types) Not at all. HOLLIS You can't count on Junior. He hasn't done a lick of work here since he got his license. LILY We might not need him. While you're down at the bus station looking for that run-away, I'll look through this... (points to screen) information, and, by the time you get back, I'll try to narrow down the search for the bank robber. HOLLIS You make it sound easy. But what if you do need help? LILY (smiles) I'll offer Junior a $5000 reward. HOLLIS You mean $50,000. LILY (smiles) He doesn't have to know how much the agency is getting. HOLLIS (exiting) Okay, I'll call you periodically to check in. Call me if you need me. (Fast forward: Lily sits at the computer and examines police documents) (Fast forward: Lily stands over the desk, examining crime scene photos with a magnifying glass.) (Fast forward: Lily tapes three more crime scene photos next to five photos already hanging on the wall) (Fast forward: Lily sits at the computer and examines police documents) (Fast forward: Lily stands over the desk, examining crime scene photos with a magnifying glass.) (Fast forward: Lily tapes three more crime scene photos next to a wall full of photos) (Fast forward: Lily uses a red pen to circle manhole covers at the edges of several photos) (Fast forward: Lily tapes colored diagrams of roads and sewers to another wall.) (Fast forward: Lily tapes the last of diagrams that fill the wall) LILY (picks up phone, pushes buttons) EXT AFTERNOON SPLIT-SCREEN: SAIL BOAT DECK JUNIOR (pulling a rope, pulls out phone, reads screen, to phone) Make it quick. I'm busy. LILY I need your help. It's business. JUNIOR What part of I'M BUSY don't you understand? LILY The F.B.I. has asked for our help. JUNIOR Call my Dad. LILY He's on a missing persons case. Will you be done by 3:30 today? JUNIOR I said I'm not available. LILY There's a $5000 reward. JUNIOR (holds phone with shoulder, pulls rope with both hands) Listen, Lily, I couldn't help if I wanted to and I don't want to. LILY What are you doing? JUNIOR I'm on the crew of a sail boat and we're right in the middle of a regatta. I'm ten miles off the coast and there is no chance that we'll get back to the harbor before 3:30. LILY Okay, thanks anyway. (end split screen) (Lily, pokes 10 buttons on the phone, pulls down two photos and two sewer diagrams from the wall, exits office) EXT NOON WIDE: BUS STOP IN FRONT OF BANK (Bus in foreground exits frame revealing Lily on the sidewalk. She examines the building, walks to the corner, looks around the building, comparing the building to the photo.) LILY (phone chimes ring, pulls phone from pocket, pokes phone button, to phone) Hollis Detective Agency. (rounds corner, walks to parking lot at the rear of the bank) EXT AFTERNOON SPLIT-SCREEN: CITY STREET HOLLIS (walks along sidewalk, looking into windows and doorways) How's it going, Lily? Are you making any progress? LILY Mr Hollis. I'm glad you called. HOLLIS I hear street noise in the background. Where are you? LILY I'm at the bank that was robbed yesterday. HOLLIS How did you answer the phone? I called the office. LILY Your office phone has call forwarding. HOLLIS I had no idea you could do that! What are you doing there at that bank? LILY Well, I studied the crime scene photos from the flash drive and I came down here because something was missing at this bank that was at all the other banks that were robbed. I just came here to see for myself. HOLLIS You mean you might have a lead? LILY Yes. The cops and the feds thought that the bank robber chose the banks to rob because they were all within a mile of a freeway. But a few of the banks were miles from a freeway. So, I looked for something else they ALL had in common. HOLLIS (holds up run-away's picture to passer-by) Have you seen this girl? (to phone) So, what did you find? LILY Three things. All of the banks he robbed had a back door leading out to a parking lot. The bank robber never robbed one of those big banks downtown because none of them have a parking lot behind the bank. They have parking structures downtown. HOLLIS Very interesting. What's the other things they had in common? LILY None of the banks he robbed have a video camera watching the back door. HOLLIS Why is that significant? LILY (looks under cars, in dumpster areas and in the bushes) The police reports said that the bank robber always got away without being seen after he left the building by the back door. The police speculated that he probably had a get-away driver waiting by the back door. HOLLIS Obviously, you don't see it that way. LILY Because of the third thing all the banks had in common. I found a manhole cover in the crime scene photos behind every bank. HOLLIS (holds up run-away's picture to passer-by) Have you seen this girl? (to phone) Manhole covers? LILY Yes. I think the reason noone saw the robber after he left the bank is because he jumped down into the sewer or storm sewer behind the bank and walked one or two blocks to his get-away car underground. HOLLIS Very interesting. Did you call the F.B.I. and tell them about the storm sewers? LILY I don't want to send them on a wild goose chase. I still have some doubts. (Walks toward bushes) The crime scene photos didn't show any manhole covers in this parking lot. But so far I can't see any... (sees a manhole cover surrounded by bushes) Wait! There it is! HOLLIS You found a manhole cover? LILY Yes. But this one wasn't in the parking area. It was between the street and the parking lot, completely surrounded by bushes. HOLLIS So, this is a solid lead? LILY Yes! HOLLIS And the cops and the feds missed it. LILY Yes. HOLLIS Nice detective work, young lady! LILY Thanks. Can you call the F.B.I. and tell them that one of our banks fits the pattern? HOLLIS Our banks?! LILY That thumb drive the F.B.I. guy gave us assigned us four banks in our area to watch. But only two of those banks have back doors facing a parking lot and only one of those has a manhole leading to a storm sewer. If the bank robber robs one of our banks, (points to diagram) Merchants Bank on the corner of Cedar and Richmond is the bank he'll rob. HOLLIS Okay, I'll call the feds and warn them. Unfortunately, I won't be able to do any surveillance at that bank today. I got to the bus depot too late. By the time I got there, the run-away was already off the bus and out of the building. LILY So, she WAS there? HOLLIS Yes. The bus driver recognized her picture. So did the waitress at the snack bar inside the depot. She said the girl left the building and headed toward the downtown area. That's where I am now. But I'm now about an hour behind her and getting farther behind her every hour. The only way I'll catch up with her is if she stays put for a while. No way I'll get to the bank before it closes. Did you ask Junior if he could help you? LILY Yes, I just talked to him. But he's in the middle of a sail boat race. I even offered him a $5000 reward. But he couldn't get back from the race in time. I think I'll do the surveillance on the bank myself. HOLLIS Lily, are you sure? This bank robber carries a gun! LILY I'll be careful. HOLLIS Okay. I'm familiar with that bank. So, I'll see you at the bank if I finish up here on time. If not, I'll see you back home tonight. EXT AFTERNOON WIDE: BUS STOP ACROSS FROM BANK (as city bus exits frame, Lily emerges crossing the street toward the bank) (Jump cut to parking lot. Using a diagram, Lily paces off the trip from the back door to the manhole cover at the edge of the parking lot. But when she gets to where the manhole cover should be...) LILY Where's the manhole?! There's suppose to be a manhole cover... (turns a 360 in place, then bends and looks under a nearby truck) ...around here. (sees a manhole behind the truck) There it is! So, that's why nobody ever sees the getaway! The bank robber parked a truck here to block the view of the manhole. (gets down on one knee) Wait a minute! The cover is pulled away! (rounds the truck, sees wet foot prints leading away from the manhole toward the bank, straightens, wide-eyed, gasps) That means he's robbing the bank right now! I'd better call the F.B.I. hotline! (pulls out cell phone, pushes buttons) Voice mail?! What happened to the fifteen minute response time?! (to phone) This is Lily... (deep voice) ...I'm the office manager for the Hollis Detective Agency. (holds up sewer diagram to align it with the street) Mr Hollis asked me to call and tell you that he thinks a bank robbery is in progress at Merchants Bank at the corner of Cedar and Richmond. He thinks the bank robber will escape out the back door of the bank and into a storm sewer through a manhole that's concealed behind a truck that's parked in the northeast corner of the parking lot. His get-away car is probably parked a block or two east of the bank on Cedar Avenue. You need to get there fast or this guy is going to get away again! (pockets phone, hears the back door of the bank open, turns, sinks to her knees, from under the truck, she sees Robber exiting bank with a pistol and a cloth bag filled with money, she looks around for a place to hide, drops maps and diagrams into manhole, drops down into the manhole) INT AFTERNOON WIDE: STORM SEWER (Lily lands on floor next to ladder, picks up and folds the papers, shoves them into her pants, tip-toes away, hears the sound of the bag of money hitting the floor behind her, turns, looks both ways, returns, grabs the bag, exits frame running as Robber's legs enter frame descending ladder.) ROBBER (shouts) Hey! Come back here! That's mine! (follows running) (Jumpcut to Lily running under and past an open manhole cover and out of frame. Stops, returns, looks up. Climbs out of frame.) EXT AFTERNOON WIDE: RESIDENTIAL STREET (Lily climbs out of manhole beside a van marked "Municipal Water Department" parked at curbside with side doors open, the manhole cover leans on edge against the guard rail surrounding the manhole. Lily peaks inside the van, then down the hole again, as she pulls out phone.) I'd better call in the local cops or this guy is going to get away. (pokes 911, hears several police sirens in the background, pockets phone) Well, it looks like the F.B.I. is already here! (runs to the intersection, sees a police car stop at the bank and two cops approach the bank out of frame with guns drawn) That's the local cops. They must be responding to a bank alarm. (shouts) Hey! This way! (points to manhole) He's down here. (returns to manhole, hears sloshing down below, looks down into hole. Robber's arm holding pistol come into view, Lily straightens and steps back and hears the sound of Robber climbing ladder, turns a 360) What to do? What to do?! (looks down, sees the manhole cover leaning against the guard rail, pushes it with her foot, it flops down onto the manhole as Robber's head comes into view, clank, Robber groans.) ROBBER (shouts) It's against the law to assault a city employee, you know! LILY (stands on manhole cover) You're not fooling anybody. You don't work for the water department. ROBBER (pushes up slightly several times, grunting each time) How do you (grunt) know that I'm (grunt) not a city (grunt) employee, (grunt) kid. Wait til I (grunt) get my hands on (grunt) you! LILY (suddenly the pushing, grunting and shouting stop) What's the matter? Is the big, bad robber with the gun giving up? (Lily bends, turns head, listens) Oh, no. He's going to come out of a different manhole. (frantically turns a 360) Where is he?! (Lily's head turns toward a clanking sound on the other side of the street, she hurries to the end of van to look around it) ROBBER (now halfway out of manhole across the street) Alright, kid, now you've really made me mad! (exits manhole) LILY (instinctively backs around van and into side door, then realizes she's trapped, looks around) Oh, smooth move, Lily! Now he's got you right where he wants you! (looks at money bag, tosses it out the side door onto the manhole cover, hops into the front seat, pulls keys from ignition switch, exits through drivers door as Robber's gun appears in side door) ROBBER Where are you, you little brat?! (sees money) Hey! My money! (Picks up money bag, pauses) Sorry, kid, I can't leave any witnesses. (drops bag, hops into front seat, tries to exit through driver's door, but door slams in his face, falls back into passenger's seat, groans.) Kid, you are toast! (pulls driver's side door handle, then kicks door open, exits, looks around) Where are you, you little brat?! LILY (voiceover) I'm over here on the other side of your truck, where you dropped your bag of money. ROBBER Oh crud! (runs around van just in time to see Lily running around the van with the bag of money.) Come back here with my money! (rounds the van again to see Lily dropping the bag of money into the manhole on the other side of the street. He takes aim with his pistol and fires, but Lily drops into the manhole just before the bullet ricochets off a sign post beyond.) Rats! (runs across the street, climbs down into the manhole) INT AFTERNOON WIDE: STORM SEWER ROBBER (steps off the ladder, looks both ways, listens, hears sloshing footsteps, laughs, starts walking, gun at the ready, shouts) Kid, you ran the wrong way. This way is a dead end. There's no way out for you this way. (pauses, listens, proceeds) Are you listening, kid? I know this storm sewer and you're heading toward a dead end. (pauses, listens, proceeds) Listen, kid, I'm a reasonable man. That's MY money you're carrying. I planned this robbery for weeks. So, the money is mine. I earned it. So, if you give back my money, I promise I won't shoot you. (passes by a two-foot diameter side hole, Lily, who's hiding there, kicks the pistol with one foot and his chin with the other, when he falls backward and drops his pistol, Lily exits the side hole, grabs the pistol and runs away.) LILY (shouts) You can't shoot me without a gun, tough guy. ROBBER (Staggers to his feet, follows. Shouts) I don't need a gun, you little brat! When I catch you I'm going to tear you apart, limb from limb with my bare hands! You hear me?! (passes under open manhole, grabs ladder, starts climbing, but looks down, notices wet footprints leading away from the ladder. Follows) Oh, that's very clever, kid! You thought you could fool me into thinking you climbed up the ladder. But I'm too smart for you, kid. You know, I didn't get away with 28 bank robberies by being stupid. LILY (voiceover with echos) That's 27 bank robberies. You didn't get away with this one. You've just been outsmarted by a little kid. ROBBER (pursuing) Alright, kid, now you've really made me mad. When I catch you I'm going to tear you apart with my bear hands, but first, I'm going to torture you. I'm going to pull out your finger nails first, then your toe nails, then your hair. Then I'm going to tear you apart. No, wait. First, I'm going to torture you, then, I'm going to drown you, THEN, I'm going to tear you apart with my bare hands. No, wait. First, I'm going to torture you, then, I'm going to electrocute you, then I'm going to poison you, THEN, I'm going to drown you, THEN, I'm going to tear you apart with my bare hands. (approaches a junction, turns corner, sees Lily throwing the money bag up through an open manhole. Then she tosses the gun up) LILY (hands on hips) No, you're not. You have to choose. You can have me or the money. And I'm betting you're too greedy to leave the money behind. (waves, runs away) See ya! ROBBER (approaching open manhole, grabs ladder, shouts) Good riddance, you little brat! (begins climbing) INT AFTERNOON WIDE: MANHOLE IN BANK PARKING LOT (Robber emerges from manhole, reaches for bag of money, hears the sound of shotguns cocking, turns) ROBBER Oh crud! (frame widens to include several cops with shotguns pointed at Robber. Frame widens further to show that Robber ended up in the parking lot of the bank he just robbed.) INT NIGHT WIDE: HOLLIS DETECTIVE AGENCY (Lily sits on couch eating dinner alone watching the evening news, switching channels between bites. Television picture of the news conference enlarges over Lily's shoulder, Lily turns up the sound) AGENT ...Today's capture of the man whom you news people call "The-Back-Door-Bank-Robber" was the result of unprecedented cooperation between Federal, State and local law enforcement agencies. But, most notably, today, for the first time in history, we included private detective agencies to help us capture this serial bank robber who had eluded capture after 27 bank robberies in seven states. One of these private detectives, William Hollis, was the man who finally brought the perpetrator to justice. (holds $50,000 check) So, it is with great pleasure that I present this $50,000 reward to William Hollis. (Hollis steps into frame, shakes hands with Agent, holds one end of the check, turns and smiles for the flashing cameras, then, waves to the crowd and steps away. Agent returns to microphone) HOLLIS (enters office, smiles, tugs on both ends of the $50,000 reward check) We got it. $50,000! LILY Look! You're on the evening news! (points) AGENT I have time for a few questions. REPORTER Agent Franklin, it has been reported... (while she speaks, the mug shot of Robber with bloodied face and hair is overlaid onto the screen) ... that the suspect in these robberies was taken to the hospital after his arrest for treatment of bruises and lacerations to his head and face. LILY Oh, oh. REPORTER Will you and/or the police be facing charges of police brutality? HOLLIS Lily, did YOU do that? LILY Mr Hollis, I can't testify in court! If my face gets in the news, they'll find me and send me back to juvee hall. AGENT Charges of police brutality? REPORTER Yes. AGENT Definitely not. As we now know from the detective work of the Hollis Detective agency, the Back-Door-Bank-Robber routinely escaped capture by fleeing the scenes of the robberies through the network of storm sewers under the streets. The suspect admitted on video tape that he sustained all of the injuries to his head and face while running through the storm sewers in the darkness. (television picture shrinks) LILY (Lily flops back, sighs) Well! That was a close one! HOLLIS Lily, answer the question. Did you do that to the robber? LILY Of course! He had a gun! (sits forward) Wait a minute! Why do you suppose he would claim it was an accident? HOLLIS I can think of one reason: the big bad bank robber didn't want to admit that he was beaten by a twelve year old girl. LILY So, the robber didn't mention me at all? HOLLIS Not a word, as far as I know. Agent Franklin would have asked me about it. JUNIOR (enters wearing yachting clothes. Hollis hides check behind back) Hey, Pop, the boys on the boat want to go out to celebrate our victory. Did anyone find my lost credit card or check book? LILY (points casually to her desk) In the middle drawer of my desk. JUNIOR Oh, great! (opens drawer, pulls out card and checkbook) You're a life saver! (exiting) Listen, Pop, we're probably going to celebrate late into the night tonight. I'll probably be late coming in tomorrow. See ya. (closes door) HOLLIS Why didn't you tell him that we cancelled those accounts? LILY He didn't ask. �2013 Bob Snook. Conditions for use: Do not sell any part of this script, even if you rewrite it. Pay no royalties, even if you make money from performances. You may reproduce and distribute this script freely, but all copies must contain this copyright statement. http://www.bobsnook.org email: [email protected] BACK |