Gene Baird writes

A Father's Love - Part 4

EXT. THE TRAIN STATION – MORNING

Scott opens to the door of a busy train station, closing it behind himself. He walks in to find Foster sleeping on a bench, heavily scruffed, and hair color changed from brown to black. He has been there all night, sleeping on the bench like a bum, wearing smelly old clothes.

SCOTT

Kicking the bench.

            Wake up Reggie. Come on. (kneels) Why did you sleep here?

FOSTER

Because I haven’t shaven since I arrived in country, and they aren’t looking for a bum. And it gave me time to think.

SCOTT

            What did you come up with? Anything you want to run by me?

FOSTER

          
            Well, does it make sense that a guy who broke into a house, attacked a woman sleeping, and took my baby girl didn’t have a plan? And if he did have a plan, does it make sense that he managed to execute the plan without leaving anything except some fingerprints on the back window, if those are even his? This guy or girl knew what to do, planned it out, and executed this almost flawlessly. He is either in the military or is a serial kidnapper who has never been caught. Nobody does something this well on their first try. So what did those labs discover? You know, the ones that did not enter lower offenders into the national database?

SCOTT

             
               We’re still waiting on that information.

FOSTER

               Okay, well I’m gonna take a short cut. When was Regina supposedly attacked, the exact time?

SCOTT

           
               Around 2am why?

FOSTER

              
               Because this station is exactly 30 minutes from the base, according to the three drives I did at the speed limit, just under it, and just above it. At no time did the lights or traffic affect me so badly that it was far from 30 minutes. All we need to do is look at the footage on cameras I think.

SCOTT

           
              Don’t you think the police did that?

FOSTER

             No! Not exactly. You see that camera? It gives the best view of this center spot where the majority of the foot traffic is. Why would he, with young kidnapped girl, risk walking through there? In fact, why would he risk it at all? I’ll bet money that he paid some bum to drop her purse off here, and the police will find that person….perhaps.

SCOTT

            So we really have nothing.

FOSTER

           Not true. If we could get a photo of whoever’s fingerprints were found, and the bum can match that photo to whomever paid him, we have an eye witness and matching fingerprints.

SCOTT

           Holy shit! You’re right. But I have to wait for those fingerprints, bud. And I’m thinking we should hand them over to the police.

FOSTER

          Screw them! Let me find her without sirens. I won’t kill the jerk off unless he has harmed her. I want her, and I will get her. That said, using her as a hostage upon my arrival would only ensure his death; she will not be harmed. That much is for damn sure. But I need something from you.

SCOTT

            But I don’t even have the print info, and I have doubts about this.

FOSTER

           No, no doubts allowed! What I need from you is your complete denial of ever having helped me. I need you to raise my daughter if I’m killed or go to jail. She will live and that’s what is important to me. You’re the only one who lives right. You’d do well by her. I need your word, Scott, and I need it now.

SCOTT

            Reggie, you do not know what you ask.

FOSTER

            Of course I do, you idiot. Now what do you say?

FADE to Scott’s face. He closes his eyes and rubs his head. But just then, images of his niece once again hit him, tumultuously flowing through is mind: her smile, her laugh, her cute feet being tickled by him, and her at a slightly older age becoming a “big girl”. He begins to cry and shakes his head violently side to side but then back down into a cradled hand. Suddenly, his eyes open wide with absolutism.

SCOTT

            Okay, and with that, here is the information on the prints. I was holding out on you. But since you’re so sure you want to do this, here it is. A small town in Louisiana matched these prints to those of Larry Bonner, a small time thief back in his day. This makes me think that he intended to steal but wound up doing what he did. He lives here, on 42^nd Street, downtown. He is semi-successful and manages a car dealership.

Hands the information to Foster.

            Take care and try not to kill the wrong person.

FOSTER

            Why do I think I’ve heard that name before? Anyway, the only wrong person is my daughter.

EXT. RED HOUSE IN SUBURBS – DARK NIGHT

Screen fades to darkness at the address given to SGT Foster. He is outside with his gun, looking at the house and scanning the neighborhood for cops when a van pulls up into the yard and Larry Bonner gets out. He looks around and then pulls open the garage door before driving in and closing it behind him. Multiple shadows are visible in the living room through the curtains. The movement goes with Bonner as he enters the house.

BONNER

             What a world we live in, I’ve got a new one in the van. We can get rid of the other one now: “out with the old, in with the new”. We can sell the new one for more I think because she is cuter.

ROXXY

            Where did you meet this one? I’m guessing at work again.

BONNER

            Yep. My business gives me all the information I need on these people: address, telephone, number of family members and their genders. I just have to wait a few months so I’m not a suspect.

ROXXY

             You’re so clever. We can have a new daughter every year, and then sell her off when she gets too old.