EXT. GAS STATION - DUSK

In the outskirts of Las Vegas, near a paved road a standalone worn gas station with dim lights is located. A couple of cacti are scattered around the building and in the far distance you can see Las Vegas buildings lighted up. Wind is blowing lightly and the desert sand is moving slightly. 

A car is pulled in at a gas pump. 

DR. PEPPER, 50s, a stocky man dressed in a suit is pumping gas. 

A black car with tinted windows and no lights on pulls up at the gas pump behind DR.PEPPER’s car.

KEIRA, 20s, dressed in black with a ski mask on, jumps out of the black car’s passenger seats and walks up to DR. PEPPER who is still pumping gas. KEIRA pulls out a black gun and shoots DR. PEPPER in the head. A loud gunshot echoes through the desert. KEIRA jumps into the black car and the car speeds away with tires squealing. 

DISSOLVE TO:

EXT. DESERT ROAD - NEXT DAY - MORNING

Four police cruisers speed down the road through the middle of the desert. Sirens are blaring and lights flashing. 

In the distance you see the standalone worn gas station with a car at the gas pump. 

Police cars are speeding down the road and park in places surrounding the gas station. 

EXT. GAS STATION - MORNING

Many police officers dressed in uniform with holsters are walking around the body and taking photos and writing things down on notebooks. 

MILO, 30s, dressed in casual clothes with a badge and holster walks toward the body. The head of the body is surrounded by blood. 

MILO

Not a brutal murder compared to the ones I’ve seen.  

KATIE, 30s, dressed in a police uniform with her hair in a bun is looking at the body and writing down notes in her notebook. 

KATIE

The killer must have known what they were doing. It looks like a gunshot wound in the back of the head.

MILO

(Takes photo of head)

A surprise attack is a possibility. We are in the middle of the desert, so there will probably be no witnesses. 

KATIE

Unless someone on the top floor in their presidential suite of Planet Hollywood Towers miles away saw anything. 

MILO

(Laughs)

No, the chances of that are one in a million. Anyways we need to identify the body, cause of death, and get any possible evidence from the body. 

KATIE

(Writing down notes in her notebook)

Yes. As soon as we can identify the victim we’ll contact family and friends and question as many people as possible. 

MILO

Correct. We also need an autopsy to be performed and check to see if there are any DNA samples of an unknown subject.

KATIE

Let’s do it as fast as possible and the sooner we catch the killer the better. Maybe the car here belongs to the body. 

MILO

(Points at car)

I’ll check.

INT. VICTIM’S CAR

The victim’s car is messy and filled with stuff on the passenger’s seat. 

MILO gets gloves from his pockets, opens the front passenger side door, and takes photos of the inside. MILO, then moves some of the items scattered on the passenger side and pushes them to the floor. Underneath all the random stuff is a medical paper with a driver’s license. 

MILO

I found the license! It says the person is named Dr. Samuel Pepper. 

KATIE, walks up behind MILO. 

KATIE

Wonderful! Now, all we have to do is confirm the body by having family members identify the body or check dental records.

MILO

We’ll have the coroner’s office take it and I’ll see you tomorrow. 

A white minivan with the logo Coroner’s Office pulls up and parks behind the police cars. The body is placed on a tarp by two people dressed in blue jumpsuits and put into the minivan. All the cars leave the scene and the gas station is empty. 

DISSOLVE TO:

EXT. MILO’S APARTMENT BUILDING - NIGHT

In Las Vegas, a worn block-wide apartment building stands with curtains drawn on most of the windows. Two people walk by the building and one of them walks through the glass doors leading into the lobby. 

INT. MILO’S APARTMENT - NIGHT

The apartment is clean and modern looking. 

On the couch, MILO is seated with a phone in his hand, talking on the phone. 

MILO

Hello, Angelina. I want to speak with Ben. 

ANGELINA (V.O)

I told you a million times, I don’t want you calling me and seeing our son. 

MILO

I don’t understand why. He is my son and I have a right to see him. 

INT. ANGELINA’S APARTMENT

A modern apartment with toys scattered around. 

ANGELINA, 30s, dressed in fancy attire including a Gucci necklace is seated on the couch with her phone in her hand. 

ANGELINA

Well, I don’t want you to see him. It won’t be good for his mental health.

MILO (V.O)

I was in his life for 8 years before you decided to leave me for another man.

ANGELINA

(Rolls eyes)

My man provides a wonderful lifestyle for me. Buys me everything I ever wanted, you are just some poor detective. My son is better off than with you.

MILO (V.O)

I just want to see him! I have a right to!

INT. MILO’S APARTMENT - NIGHT

The apartment is clean and modern looking. 

On the couch, MILO is seated with a phone in his hand, talking on the phone.

ANGELINA (V.O)

If you are really that desperate to see him, talk to my lawyer. My son doesn’t deserve to see some broke ex-husband of mine. 

MILO

(Shaking his fist angrily)

This is ridiculous. Our son deserves to be able to spend some quality time with me. 

ANGELINA (V.O)
Whatever. Talk to my lawyer. Toodles.

Angelina hangs up the phone on her side. 

MILO

(Throws phone onto the floor and mumbles to self)

This is ridiculous.

EXT. ELIZA’S HOUSE - NEXT DAY - DAY

A one story yellow home with a garage has a for sale sign up and a car is in the driveway. 

MILO pulls up his car in the driveway and walks up to the front door and knocks. 

A short woman opens the door and steps onto the porch.  

ELIZA, 40s, short and overweight with gray hair wrapping heatless hair curlers answers the door. 

ELIZA

Who the hell are you and what the heck do you want?

MILO

Hello. You must be Ms. Eliza. I am a detective from the Las Vegas Metropolitan homicide unit. 

ELIZA

(Taps foot impatiently on the ground)

Alright, so what the heck are you doing here? I am a very busy woman and I have things to do.

MILO

I think it is better if I tell you inside where you are sitting down.

ELIZA

Fine, but you better be quick. I don’t want my time to be wasted.

ELIZA walks into the house and MILO follows.

INT. ELIZA’S LIVING ROOM - DAY

A room cluttered with furniture and leftover take out trays on the tables. 

Sitted on a couch is ELIZA. 

MILO pulls up a worn wooden chair and places it in front of the couch. He takes out a notebook and a pen from his pocket. 

MILO

Alright, I came here to tell you that your husband, Dr. Pepper was found dead at a gas station in the desert. He was shot in the head. 

ELIZA

(Tears falling)

What? I think you are at the wrong house. My husband can’t be dead. I just saw him yesterday. 

MILO

Unfortunately we identified the body through driver’s license and dental records and we have the correct man. 

ELIZA

This is ridiculous! Who the heck would kill him?

MILO

I’m currently investigating that.

ELIZA

Well I think you better hurry up on the investigation and get it done as quickly as possible. I need to know who did it. 

MILO

 I’ll try, but I need to ask you a few questions first. Did Dr. Pepper have any enemies that you know of?

ELIZA

Not that I know of. He was very friendly and calm with others, especially his clients. He was a psychologist. He loved working with people who wanted his help and guidance.

MILO

(Writes on notebook)

Ok, so he was a friendly man. What was his work routine? When did he leave and come home?

ELIZA

(Grunts)

Well, he left for work every morning around 7am. The issue for me was at night. The idiot wouldn’t get home until around 12am. I always asked him what he was doing so late when his job ended at 5pm. He never would respond and just ignore me. I suspected him of cheating because our bank account amount went down by thousands each night. I was going to confront him about it, but I was never up when he got home.

MILO

(Writes in notebook)

So, you thought he was cheating. How much per night did the bank account dwindle?

ELIZA

Thousands. One time I went to the bank and saw that over $30,000 was missing. I confronted him and he just yelled at me for mis-reading the pages. Said that I should get my eyes checked. The audacity the man had to tell me to get my eyes checked.

MILO

Okay. Thank you for that. I will work off this. I just need your bank statements and I’ll be on my way. 

ELIZA

Perfect, I have things to do. 

ELIZA gets up from the couch and walks towards the TV and grabs some papers. ELIZA hands the papers to MILO, who gets up and walks out of the room. 

EXT. LAS VEGAS STRIP

Many people are walking around the strip and bright lights of many signs flashing can be seen. 

DISSOLVE TO:

INT. TOP FLOOR CONFERENCE ROOM OF CASINO - NIGHT

A large conference table with modern armchairs pushed in. The lightning is dimmed. The room has floor to ceiling windows on one wall that overlooks the Vegas strip. 

Sitting at the armchair, KEIRA is seated. 

CARLOS, 30s, wearing a tailored suit with a Rolex on his wrist, stares out the window. 

CARLOS

So, did you do it?

KEIRA

(Standing up)

Yes, sir. Exactly the way you wanted. Right in the back of the head. Idiot didn’t suspect a thing. 

CARLOS

Good. I have another job for you that needs to be done asap.

EXT. LAS VEGAS POLICE DEPARTMENT - MORNING

In Las Vegas, you see a worn two-story brick building with a gated parking lot on the side with police cruisers coming in and out. On the sidewalk you see small groups of people walking. Some turn up the stairs to walk inside the building and others walk right past the building. 

MILO walks on the sidewalk and walks up the stairs and opens the front door of the building and walks inside.  

INT. LAS VEGAS POLICE DEPARTMENT WAITING ROOM - MORNING

There are seats everywhere, some are empty and some have people seated. At the front desk, which is to the right of the door, you see a woman working there. There is a computer to the side of her and a phone to the left of her. The desk is cluttered with office supplies.

MADELINE, 20s, has her hair up in a tight bun and she is dressed professionally for work. She is typing at a computer behind the front desk.

ZOOM IN TO FRONT DESK:

MILO walks up to MADELINE.  

MADELINE

Good morning, Milo.

MILO

Morning. Another busy day isn’t it.

MADELINE

Couldn’t be any busier. The amount of 911 calls that I receive in a shift is crazy. 

A phone on the desk rings loudly and MADELINE picks it up. 

MADELINE

(Holds phone to ear and talks into it)

Hello. This is the Las Vegas Police Department. How may I help you?

An unintelligible voice speaks.

MADELINE

(Holds phone to ear and talks into it)

Oh, no. That’s not good.

MADELINE turns to face Milo with phone in hand.

MADELINE

A dead body has just been discovered at Bellagio Casino.

EXT. BELLAGIO CASINO - MORNING

On the Las Vegas strip, stands a multi-story floor to ceiling windows with tint building. On the top of the building a lighted sign flashes Bellagio Casino. 

Two couples and a rowdy group of six people are walking by the glass revolving doors that lead inside the casino. One of the couples walked towards the revolving doors.  

Four police cars with lights flashing and sirens blaring pull up in front of the revolving doors. Four police officers open their cruiser front doors and run into the building. 

An ambulance with lights flashing pulls up next to the police cruisers. Paramedics jump out of the ambulance and one of them grabs a stretcher from the back of the ambulance. The other one grabs a First Aid kit. The paramedics run toward the revolving door with the stretcher and First Aid kit. 

Couples walking on the sidewalk in front of the building stop and stare. 

A gray Ford Explorer with lights flashing pulls up next to the ambulance.  

MILO, dressed in casual clothes with a badge and holster steps out of the car and walks toward the revolving door. 

INT. BELLAGIO CASINO WOMEN’S BATHROOM - MORNING

A modern style bathroom with white marble counter with four square sinks. A LED mirror above each sink.

In front of the sink second from the left, you see the back of a body wearing a floral dress. A kitchen knife is in the middle of the back and dried blood surrounds the knife. The blonde hair is in the sink. 

Two people are standing around the body.

MILO, dressed in casual clothes, is writing on a notebook with a pen. 

MILO

Second dead body this week. 

KATIE, dressed in a police uniform with a visible gear belt visible, is taking photos with a phone. 

KATIE

Clearly homicide. Whoever did it was smart to do it in the bathroom. Less cameras. 

MILO

True. I’m surprised it would happen at such a fancy casino. I expect it to occur at some sketchy bar down the street.

KATIE

(Laughs)

For real. Too bad there are no cameras in here and then you’d catch the killer in motion, but that would be creepy.

MILO

Maybe, there are cameras outside of the bathroom and we can see who comes in and out.

KATIE

(Types on phone)

That’s a good idea, but first we should identify the body. That would help us narrow down who to interview. 

MILO

Alright, you go get camera footage and I’ll get some dental records to identify the body. 

KATIE
Sounds good. I’ll get started and see you at work tomorrow. 

INT. THE CAPITAL GRILL RESTAURANT - EVENING

You see a rustic style restaurant. Multiple wooden tables are filled with people chatting. Only a few empty tables can be seen. 

Most of the tables are cluttered with plates, drinks, and napkins. Some people are eating food. 

INT. THE CAPITAL GRILL RESTAURANT TABLE - EVENING

A wooden table with two chairs. Two glasses of water are on opposite sides of the table. On the far back side of the table are condiments.  

MILO and KEIRA are sitting across from each other. 

On the table next to KEIRA is her phone with the screen up. 

MILO, dressed in a tailored suit, is seated across from KEIRA. 

MILO

Hello Keira. Your outfit looks incredible on you. 

KEIRA, dressed in a skin tight glitter black dress. Her hair is chest-length and curled. She is seated at a table across from MILO. 

KEIRA

(Gazing at him)

Hi Milo. You look, so put together as usual, even after a busy day of work. I don’t know how you do it. How was work? Any new homicide cases?

MILO

Speaking of that, yes. The other day a body was discovered at the gas station in the desert outside of Las Vegas. Poor man was shot in the back of the head. 

KEIRA

(Eyes open wide and glances at phone on table)

What? Wow. That is brutal. I wonder who would do such a thing. 

MILO

I’m not sure, but it’s my job to find out. 

KEIRA

Were you busy interviewing people today?

MILO

No, actually I got a call about a dead body found in the women's bathroom at Bellagio Casino. Poor woman was at the sink and it seemed like someone stabbed her in the back, again from behind. 

KEIRA

(Glances at phone)

That’s awful. Now, if you excuse me, I’m going to go to the ladies room. 

INT. THE CAPITAL GRILL RESTAURANT WOMEN’S BATHROOM - NIGHT

A sleek, modern bathroom. Two square sinks on the marble counter. Two led square mirrors above each sink. A chandelier is on the ceiling. 

KEIRA, stands in front of the mirror and grabs her phone out of her handbag that is around her wrist. 

We see a TEXT MESSAGE typing on screen:

‘CARLOS, HELP ME! IT TURNS OUT THE MAN I AM DATING IS A POLICE OFFICER INVESTIGATING THE MURDERS AT THE GAS STATION AND THE CASINO BATHROOM!’

We see a NEW TEXT MESSAGE typing on the screen underneath last message:

‘IDK WHAT TO DO.’

We see a NEW TEXT MESSAGE typing on the screen underneath last message:

‘CARLOS HELP ME, PLEASE’