Awoken By A Ghost (Part Five)
INT. ARNOLDS APARTMENT - NIGHT
Arnold is awoken by the sound of Andrea shouting in his ear at the top of her voice.
ARNOLD:
What is it?
ANDREA:
The serial killer is here. He’s making his way into the apartment.
Arnold reaches for his trousers, a jumper and his runners. He goes to the bedroom door and listens. He can hear the killer entering the apartment. Seconds later Arnold can see that the door knob to his room is starting to turn. Arnold can see the tip of the killers gun in the darkness. The accountant forces the door back as forcefully as he can. The killer stubs his toe and hurts his hand as the door is pushed back against him. He drops the gun. Arnold pushes the killer over and walks on top of the gunman’s fallen body. He runs out of the apartment and up the stairs. After ascending three flights of stairs he stops and listens. The gunman is still following him. Arnold continues climbing until he comess to the door that leads to the rooftop. He opens the door and attempts to jump across to another rooftop. He barely clears the gap between the buildings. He runs to the end of the next building and has a look. Again he runs and jumps but clatters into the top of the next building. His hands manage to grip the top of the roof.
With a great deal of effort Arnold manages to propel himself to the top of the building. Before he makes it over the edge the gunman shoots at him but misses.The edge of the building has a wall that is two feet high. The accountant propels his body onto the far side of the wall for cover. The serial killer stops shooting. Arnold doesn’t have the heart or the energy to run any more. Ormando backs up and makea a running jump to reach the third building. Like Arnold, he almost misses the ledge and holds on with great difficulty. Ormando manages to lift his head over the top of the wall. Arnold peers over the wall. Arnold picks up an inflatable hammer that was lying there and hits Ormando over the head with it until he could not hold on. The Serial Killers arms grow tired and he falls eight floors down to the pavement.
Arnold picked himself up from the ground. The accountant makes his way to the rooftop doorway and finds it to be open. Arnold descends the stairs. When he reaches ground level he can see that the ambulance service and the police are only arriving on the scene. Arnold crosses the street and makes his way in the general direction of his apartment block. The police and ambulance sirens wake Detective Ludslow up. He turns his neck around to see what is going on. He climbs out of the car to get a closer look. He notices Arnold T Palmer walking past him on the sidewalk. Detective Ludslow sits back in his car and breathes a heavy sigh. He watches Palmer return to the apartment block before getting out of his car once more and approaching the scene where the emergency services are gathered. The Police Detective approaches the officer in charge and enquires as to what had taken place.
POLICEMAN 1
: It looks like we have a jumper. He definitely fell from high up the building if not the roof.
DETECTIVE LUDSLOW:
Do you know his name?
POLICEMAN 1
: His identification says Ormando Arantes Knowles.
DETECTIVE LUDSLOW: Ormando, Ormando,
(to himself)
He wonders where he had heard it from before. Detective Ludslow returns to his car and decides to phone Detective Legowski.
DETECTIVE LEGOWSKI: This better be good, Ludslow
DETECTIVE LUDSLOW: Sir, we have a situation here. A man named Ormado Knowles has just fallen from a building. His name does sound familiar.
Detective Legowski sits up in bed and looks out the window at his neighbour’s house.
DETECTIVE LEGOWSKI: Where was Palmer?
DETECTIVE LUDSLOW: He wasn’t in his apartment.
DETECTIVE LEGOWSKI: What do you mean by that?
DETECTIVE LUDSLOW: He must have slipped out without me noticing.
DETECTIVE LEGOWSKI: You fell asleep, didn’t you?
DETECTIVE LUDSLOW: Yes sir
DETECTIVE LEGOWSKI: Well, there’s not much we can do now. I’ll see you in the morning detective
INT. ARNOLDS APARTMENT (BEDROOM)- MORNING
ARNOLD: I was just talking to your parents
ANDREA: What did you tell them? Did you pose as Lieutenant Columbo?
ARNOLD: No, Frank Drebbin
(Before pausing)
Anyway, they seem to think you were an absolute angel. They said you told them you were studying to be a doctor and working as a successful model and a singer. They said you sent them money every month and that your boyfriend Fileas Bog was a billionaire cruise line magnate.
ANDREA: Tell me something I don’t know. Did you actually find out anything of consequence that might be relevant to this case?
ARNOLD: Well at least I now know who to go to if I’m in need of medical advice or some late night entertainment. So they said that you had no enemies in the locality that they were aware of or no ex boyfriend. Anyway, I called the head of the local police.
ANDREA: And what did he have to say
ARNOLD: He struggled to remember you. Then he recalled that you were the one with the crooked teeth and big nose.
ANDREA: So I had a little work done.
ARNOLD: Well, he barely remembered you so he wasn’t much help. Anyway I know a guy who knows a guy who might know something about the red ribbon so I’ll see him tonight. He calls himself Cipher.
INT. CIPHER’S PARENTS HOME - NIGHT
Cipher lives with his parents. He is twenty-six and his room is a shrine to technology and conspiracy theories. One section of his wall is dedicated to the assassination of JFK and another section is dedicated to terrorist attacks such as 9/11. He also has pictures of Steve Jobs and the first Apple computer amongst others.
CIPHER: Ok, I don’t have much time, the new episode of Star Trek is starting soon. What’s your problem?
ARNOLD: A friend of mine was murdered ten days ago. She was pushed from the top of Argyle building on Plymouth Avenue. I was hoping you could help.
CIPHER: Are you sure she didn’t jump?
ARNOLD: Of course not.
CIPHER: I’m not a clairvoyant, man.
ARNOLD: Can you log in to CCTV systems or something?
CIPHER: I wouldn’t believe everything you see in movies. That was two weeks ago, besides there was an outage in the Argyle building on that evening. It could have been a deliberate outage to cover their tracks, or she could have jumped.
ARNOLD: Apparently a red ribbon was left at the murder scene. Do you know anything about it? I think it has a significance.
CIPHER: Yeah. There is a secretive criminal brotherhood called the League of the Red Brotherhood. They’re basically assassins. My advice to you would be to not delve any deeper. Even talking to you about them could get me into trouble. They have eyes and ears everywhere.
ARNOLD: Do you have anything else to go on?
CIPHER: There’s a reason why they’re a secret organisation. They conjure fear and no self respecting law enforcer will meddle with them unless they’ve got a death wish. Your girlfriend’s life is over, leave it that way. Now I don’t want to miss the opening scene of Star Trek. I’d also appreciate a donation for my time. The fee is twenty bucks.
Arnold pays over the money.
INT. ARNOLDS APARTMENT - NIGHT
When Arnold gets home, he searches the internet for League of the Red Brotherhood but finds little information about them that he doesn’t already know about. By eleven o clock that night Arnold is exhausted and collapses on the bed.
At 12:30 in the middle of the night Arnold is rudely awoken by a three hundred pound henchman of Mr Big.
MR BIG’S HENCHMAN: Get dressed, Mr Big want’s to see you.
Arnold gets dressed and is escorted outside of his apartment, by the bodyguard and another colleague. As they leave the building, Arnold notices that the Detective Legowski is fast asleep in his car.
INT. MR BIGS RESIDENCE - NIGHT
MR BIG: My sources tell me that you’ve been asking questions about my deceased ex. What I want to know is, what business is it of yours?
ARNOLD: We did know each other for one night. I rang her parents on a whim and was convinced that she did not die by suicide.
MR BIG: This time you don’t have the police to protect you Mr Palmer. There are no limits to the pain you can endure. All I ask for your freedom is the truth.
ARNOLD: The truth is that Andrea’s ghost has been haunting me for the past several weeks. She will only leave me alone if I am able to identify and bring her killer to justice.
For a brief moment Arnold thinks that there is a chance that the criminal mastermind believes him, but then he laughs mockingly. His employees join in unison until Mr Big gestures with his hand in horizontal motion.
MR BIG: Mr Palmer, you make the greatest of liars look like honest men. Even though you amuse me, my patience is wearing thin.
ARNOLD: Ask me something that only Andrea would know
MR BIG: What are the names of my four children?
ARNOLD: According to Andrea, you have six children, if you include Teddy and Justine.
MR BIG: Okay, any good journalist would know the answer to that question. Who was my most trusted Lieutenant?
ARNOLD: Jake Carmichael. He was assassinated three years ago and you subsequently exacted revenge on his killers and the mastermind who ordered his killing named Slick Eddie.
MR BIG: He’s not so slick any more. Again, it’s a question that anybody could know. I know. How good was I in bed?
ANDREA: Probably a 2
(Laughing)
(Arnold hesitates)
MR BIG: I knew you were lying Palmer. It’s the end of the road for you.
ANDREA: I always did tell him that he was an eleven out of ten.
ARNOLD: She said you were an eleven out of ten.
MR BIG: Too late, Mr Palmer. A lucky guess. She isn’t here. You’re not a clairvoyant. You’re not even a good liar. Unfortunately for you Mr Gobbles has stayed up all night for this. He was looking forward to it greatly. I will leave you in his very capable hands. It’s the end of the road for you Palmer.
Two large body guards escort Arnold into the torture room and strap him to a steel bench that is leaning at a sixty degree angle. Arnold is scared.
MR GOBBLES: Don’t worry Mr Palmer, this will be a slow process. Nothing to get excited about.
Mr Gobbles had a large needle in his hand which he tested. Arnold could see the serum spraying out of it.
MR GOBBLES: Now this may hurt a bit, but it’s only just a teaser.
Before Mr Gobbles can speak again he collapses to the ground. Arnold can see that a masked intruder had thrown a knife into his back. Two of Mr Bigs’ bodyguards also had their throats slit. Two masked intruders, dressed all in black, approach him. One of the men puts his finger to his lips and starts to unbind the captive. The second masked man, places red ribbons on each of the bodies.
Arnold is lead out of the room, towards the exit. There are a number of lifeless bodies sprawled on the ground as Arnold is brought out. Before they leave the building the accountant is blindfolded and his hands are tied. He is bundled into the back of a black van.
ANDREA: Oh my god, these are the assassins, the League of the Red Brotherhood and they’re going to kill you.
ARNOLD: Thanks for your words of comfort. It makes me feel better.
ANDREA: If you die now, this means I’ll be stuck in limbo forever.
ARNOLD: Thanks for your concern. Limbo is a lot better than my life ending, as a guy who won’t find out who the next winner of the superbowl is or the world series or the MLS. All hope of finding the right woman and having a happy life is gone.
ANDREA: Maybe Limbo is the best thing that could happen to me. They might get fed up and send me down below and burn me at four hundred and fifty degrees. You’ll probably be sent to some paradise where you can watch football all day and eat nice food.
ARNOLD: I don’t know what heaven is like. Maybe it’s just a bunch of old guys and women sitting around talking to each other. Maybe it’s a lot more dull than people expect. Besides, I’ve messed up loads of times. I disobeyed my parents at least three times. When I was thirteen I cheated at a Maths test.
ANDREA: Pardon me. You were a total rebel and I thought you were boring. You’re going to fry.
ASSASIN IN PASSENGER SEAT: Hey, shut up, you whackjob,
Arnold is blindfolded and can not see a thing. He and Andrea remain quiet for the next forty minutes. Sitting on the floor of the van Arnold is uncomfortable.
Eventually the accountant is lead from the back of the van, across concrete terrain for twenty metres and into a building that does not have any heating. Arnold is left sitting on a chair in what is a small room with his hands still bound and a blindfold still covering his eyes.
Arnold drifts off to sleep and is awoken hours later by Andrea
ANDREA: Arnold I’ve found someone new.
ARNOLD: Good, I’m happy for you.
ANDREA: No Arnold, it’s not like that. He’s going to help us. This is Lorazar. He’s on a weeks sabbatical from Hell. Can you imagine? Limbo is so dull to him. Can you see him?
ARNOLD: No, of course not. I’m blindfolded.
ANDREA: Lorazar can breath fire. I bet he can burn through those ropes that are restraining you and we can get you out of here.
ARNOLD: Andrea, I don’t think burning through the ropes is a good idea. He might burn my hand off. I like my hands the way they are.
ANDREA: You might not have your life for very much longer.
ARNOLD: Besides, even if Lorazar burned the ropes that bind me, I’m sure he wouldn’t be able to get past the metal door that keeps me from freedom.
ANDREA: That’s plastic. Do your worst.
(While gesturing to Lorazar)
Lorazar’s fire had little or no impact.
ANDREA: You’re right. It is metal.
ARNOLD: How is Lorazar at untying ropes?
ANDREA: We are only allowed one gift. His is burning, mine is pushing.
ARNOLD: You didn’t strike me as the pushy type.
ANDREA: Not funny
Arnold can hear footsteps.
ARNOLD: Quick, you’d better hide.
ANDREA: You are aware that they can’t see us, aren’t you?
A man turns a key in the door and enters
KIDNAPPER 1: Stand up, Mr Palmer
Arnold does as he is instructed and the stranger grabs him by the arm and proceeds to escort him out of the room.
KIDNAPPER 1: Woe
(as he touched the hot door handle and was briefly baffled as to how it could have happened)
The kidnappper leads the prisoner down the corridor. After about forty yards, Arnold is lead into what seems to be a larger room. He is seated on a chair.
COUNCIL MEMBER 1: Mr Palmer, we have discovered that you made multiple searches on your browser about The League of the Red Brotherhood. Why did you do this?
(His voice sounded to be early sixties and male)
ARNOLD: A woman I met was killed several weeks ago and a red ribbon was left on her body. I took it upon myself to investigate.
COUNCIL MEMBER 1: Who was this woman?
ARNOLD: Andrea Fiddlestone
COUNCIL MEMBER 1: But she was Mr Bog’s girlfriend. Isn’t that correct?
ARNOLD: Yes
COUNCIL MEMBER 2: So how did you come to know her?
(Female voice, late forties)
ARNOLD: I went on a date with a woman I had met on a dating site. The woman left and Andrea took her place.
COUNCIL MEMBER 2: Two women in the one night?
ARNOLD: No it wasn’t like that. The first woman left after five minutes. Andrea didn’t last much longer. Yes, I know. I have that impact on women.
COUNCIL MEMBER 2: Tell us more about what happened with this woman. Ms Fiddlestone.
ARNOLD: We had dinner together in a restaurant and after we had left, we were attacked by two of Mr Big’s employees. These employees were then shot by the Phantom Killer. His gun jammed when he tried to shoot me. The serial killer then ran away. Andrea had left before him. The next day, I found out that Andrea had been killed.
COUNCIL MEMBER 2: It was reported that her death was a suicide, Mr Palmer. Why do you say it wasn’t?
ARNOLD
Well Detective Legowski was the investigating officer.
COUNCIL MEMBER 2: Oh, I see
ARNOLD: I think she was pushed. I don’t think it was the Phantom Killer who pushed her and until now I assumed that it was the League of the Red Brotherhood, who were responsible.
COUNCIL MEMBER 1: What do you know about the League of the Red Brotherhood, Mr Palmer?
ARNOLD: My understanding is that they are a group of assassins and in the past they have murdered criminals, cops and politicians. There are no definitive reports on what the Red Brotherhood do.
COUNCIL MEMBER 3
(Male - late fifties): Some people, Mr Palmer portray us as vigilantes. The Police Officers and politicians we have eliminated in the past were corrupt. We have existed for almost a hundred years and have managed to remain under the radar in that time. No government or no police force has managed to suppress or expose us. You will appreciate that this is the reason why you remain blindfolded. We probably know more about you than you know about yourself. We know that Detective Legowski, thinks you’re the Phantom Killer and responsible for the deaths of numerous people. We also know that you talk to yourself a lot and we didn’t kill Andrea Fiddlestone, no more than you aren’t the phantom killer. We only kill people who are a threat to society or people who are a threat to our security. If we release you, Arnold T Palmer will only be a threat to The League of the Red Brotherhood, if Arnold Palmer tries to reveal what he knows about us. Otherwise you are our friend and ally Mr Palmer and you have nothing to fear from us. For your safety and ours, we do not need to inform you of every aspect of our organisation.
ARNOLD: Has Mr Big been eliminated?
COUNCIL MEMBER 3: Mr Big survived in his fortified quarters. Our principal aim was to eliminate his employees and to extract you. That mission was accomplished.
LORAZAR: Can I blow them to Kingdom come?
ARNOLD: No don’t
COUNCIL MEMBER 1: What was that, Mr Palmer?
ARNOLD: Sorry, sometimes I suffer from panic attacks.
COUNCIL MEMBER 1: Is that so?
COUNCIL MEMBER 1: (To Kidnapper 1)
You did check this guy for bugging devices, didn’t you?
KIDNAPPER 1: Yes, of course sir.
ARNOLD: What do you want from me?
COUNCIL MEMBER 1: Nothing further. You have confirmed to us information that we already suspected to be true. You cannot go as freely as all that. You will be confined to quarters, brought to a remote location and released at night time. It is not yet noon as it stands.
ARNOLD: Great, I forgot to record the morning edition of the Teletubbies.
LORAZAR: Can I burn them?
ANDREA: No Lorazar no.