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CONTEXT by Fletcher Powell and Mark Kenny

Copyright 2010

Fletcher Powell powell@kmuw.org

Mark Kenny mkenny@marktkenny.com

! 1! INT. CAR - DAY Carl and Veronica are in a car. He is dropping her off at work. VERONICA Can you drop this off in the mail for me? I meant to put it in the mailbox this morning and forgot. CLARK Sure, no problem. Ive gotta run a few errands anyway. VERONICA Thanks, honey. Ill see you at five?! Through the windshield, in the background, we see a man walk in front of the car (screen left to screen right) as Clark and Veronica are talking. He has a cell phone up to his right ear. CLARK See you at five. Have a good day. VERONICA You too.

EXT. DOWNTOWN - DAY Through a glass storefront, we see Clark interacting with an employee. After a short period, Clark walks out the door and begins walking down the street. A man coming around the corner accidentally bumps into him. MAX Oh! Im sorry. I should have been... CLARK No, its OK. Im fine. MAX Alright... well... (nods his head to Clark and walks off). (CONTINUED)

! 2! EXT. PARKING LOT - DAY Clark walks to his car and opens the door. He starts the car and drives off. He arrives at another destination and parks.

INT. CAR - DAY Before he gets out of the car, he hears a buzzing sound. He pulls out his cell phone, but thats not the source. He hears the sound again and starts patting himself down until he finds another phone in his right coat pocket. He has a puzzled look and he pulls the phone out. The wallpaper on the home screen is a photo of Clark and Veronica in the car talking outside her work that morning. There is a text message on the screen from someone named Max. TEXT MESSAGE We have your wife. Clark doesnt know whether to take this as a joke or something serious. Hes puzzled. He attempts to access the phone, but the screen is locked. He starts to get frustrated. Another buzz signals the arrival of another text. This one has a photo of Clark walking across the square just moments earlier. TEXT MESSAGE No cops. Were watching you. Clark is suddenly frantic and nervous. He gets out of the car.

EXT. PARKING LOT - DAY He begins pacing nervously and pulls out his phone and calls his wifes cell phone. Her phone rings several times before her voicemail kicks in. Clark hangs up and dials her work number. After a couple of rings, a man answers the phone.

(CONTINUED)

! 3! INT. OFFICE - DAY A man answers the phone at the reception desk of an office. DWIGHT Fischer & Burgundy, this is Dwight. How can I help you?

SPLIT-SCREEN (EXT. PARKING LOT AND INT. OFFICE) CLARK Dwight, this is Clark. Is Veronica there? DWIGHT No, she got a call and said she had to leave. CLARK Do you know where she went? or who called? DWIGHT No... sorry. Would you like her voicemail?

EXT. PARKING LOT - DAY Clark, frustrated, hangs up on Dwight. He is upset. He pauses to think. The phone buzzes with a new text message. TEXT MESSAGE If you want to get your wife back safe, put $5000 in an envelope and bring it to Baxter Square. You have 15 minutes. Clark looks distraught, but quickly gets back into the car.

(CONTINUED)

! 4! EXT. DOWNTOWN BANK - DAY Clark, walking quickly, goes to the front door of a bank. A moment later he emerges from the bank with a slightly bulky envelope.

EXT. DOWNTOWN SQUARE - DAY Clark arrives in his car and parks in the garage. He walks into the middle of the square and begins pacing nervously. The phone buzzes with a text. TEXT MESSAGE Put the money on the bench and walk away. Dont look back. Clark walks over to the bench, puts the envelope on it and walks away. He is fighting the urge to look back and appears anxious. As he walks by one of the shops in the square, he sees Veronica through the storefront. He stops and looks in at her. He looks around inside the store (still through the window). He looks back at the bench. The money is still there. As he looks back at the money, the door opens and Veronica steps out. VERONICA Hey! Did you get that dropped off? CLARK Yeah. I just did it. Are you OK? VERONICA Oh! Yeah... Mr. Archer called and asked me to come down and sign the loan papers before lunch. I figured Id stop and get Moms birthday gift on my way back. CLARK (confused) What?! I thought you were kidnapped. (CONTINUED)

! 5! VERONICA (surprised) Why would you think that? CLARK (still confused) I, I... got a text... on a phone that isnt mine... and I called you... VERONICA I was in such a hurry, I left my phone on my desk. CLARK (still confused) ...they said they had you. VERONICA Who had me? CLARK (still confused) ...they told me to bring five thousand dollars... Clark looks back at the bench. The envelope is gone. Clark looks around the square. Veronica looks confused. Audio becomes muffled until it fades nearly out and all we hear is the inside of Clarks brain (not his thoughts, just the mute sound of breathing) as he begins to piece things together in a flashback: the man walking by the car that morning, that same man was who he bumped into on the street (he planted the phone in his pocket), Veronicas phone ringing on her desk...

INT. CAR - DAY The envelope is sitting on the passenger seat and a man is driving off casually. He is listening to music. Through the drivers side window in the distance we see Clark and Veronica talking (the previous conversation). CUT TO CREDITS