The Paper Route

By Jacqueline D. Stokes

Four youths desperately try to retrieve a video tape from a Police Surveillance Device in hopes that it will reveal the image of the hit and run driver who viciously ran down their friend. During their quest to secure the tape, they unwittingly uncover a more sinister and politically motivated plot that leads to the disappearance of one of the four. With the clock ticking, they wonder who will be next? Who can they trust? Who will survive?

• Language: English
• Publisher: Jacqueline D. Stokes
• Release date: Jun 6, 2015
• ISBN: 9781370711963

Jacqueline D. Stokes

Jacqueline Stokes is a screenwriter and author of fiction and science fiction novels. Currently lives in the Midwest. When not writing, enjoys going to the Theater and Movies.

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THE PAPER ROUTE

BY

JACQUELINE D. STOKES

Copyright 2017 Jacqueline Stokes

Original screenplay written July 7th, 2014

Published by Jacqueline Stokes at Smashwords

Smashwords Edition License Notes

This eBook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This eBook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you are reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your enjoyment only, then please return to Smashwords.com or your favorite retailer and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of the author.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

THE PAPER ROUTE

CHAPTER ONE THE CHASE

CHAPTER TWO INTENSIVE CARE UNIT

CHAPTER THREE THE POLICE STATION

CHAPTER FOUR THE INTRUDER

CHAPTER FIVE DR. BARTHOLOMEW

CHAPTER SIX TO TELL THE TRUTH

CHAPTER SEVEN THE INQUISITION

CONCLUSION

CHAPTER ONE

THE CHASE

The sweat dripping from his brow. His white knuckle bare hands clinging to the handle bars. The terrified and frighten twelve-year-old Marcos Gonzales, frantically rides his mountain bike at a high speed in and out of traffic on Princeton avenue, one of the city's premier shopping destination.

Yes, Princeton Avenue was the place to shop.

This once quaint and eclectic shopping destination in the middle of an urban oasis, was now the back drop of a high-speed chase between a local town boy and an obvisiouly deranged motorist, bent on running down his helpless victim in the middle of a busy shopping day.

Saturday afternoon would never be the same on Princeton Avenue.

Marcos’ narrowly misses several pedestrians as they scramble and stumble in the crosswalk. Each shoving the other, they desperately make their way quickly to the opposite side of the street or risk being struck by this late white model pickup truck, mowing down and destroying anyone in its’ path.

The chase continues down the busy avenue on a sunny Saturday afternoon. Marcos makes a sudden turn between two parked cars, jumping the curb and onto the sidewalk. The craze driver smashes several cars, uproots parking meters as he peels the bumpers of several cars and secures his place onto the sidewalk in close pursuit of his prey.

Shoppers look on in horror as several of the merchant signs and displays of the local shop owners are knocked over and destroyed.

Marcos screams, Somebody help me, he is trying to kill me!

With clenched teeth, and his heart racing in the hundreds, Marcos turns and looks behind him and sees the white pickup truck gaining speed on the sidewalk. The panic-stricken merchants and shoppers yell for someone to call the police. Several runs into the local stores seeking shelter.

I’m calling the police, a local florist-shop owner shouts as he pushes customers aside and runs into his shop to grab his cell phone.

Begins to dial.

This has got to stop, another shop owner shouts in obvious outrage.

Several of the shop displays sign are now crumble on the sidewalks. They resemble a catastrophic disaster seen only in the aftermath of F five tornados.

The pursuit continues back onto the busy street.

Pedestrians look in the direction of the speeding car as it makes its’ way back onto the streets in close pursuit of Marcos Gonzales.

Drug dealers. When are they going to learn echoes a young lady holding her young child tightly and shaking her head in disgust.

Suddenly a gut wrenching, piercing scream that could have peeled the skin off a potato can be heard from just a few hundred feet down the Boulevard. Shock and horror can be seen on the faces of the people in the crowd as they turn and begin to move in the direction of the scream only to discover, Marcos Gonzales’ lifeless body as he lays in the middle of the street.

I can’t believe that car hit that kid. What is this world is coming to? cries one of the onlookers.

A white pickup truck can be seen in the distance. The driver looks in the rear-view mirror exposing only black rimmed sunglasses.

The engine reeves, the truck speeds off. Exhaust from engine can been seen from miles way. Several of the pedestrian begin to fan away the smoke from the exhaust in hopes of getting a glimpse of the driver.

The sound of sirens blare, deafening the chatter from nearby onlookers. Police, fireman and paramedics arrive on the scene. The once frighten and scared patrons of this shopper’s paradise begin to emerge and move toward the scene where the lifeless body of Marcos Gonzales has come to rest.

The police motion for the crowd to stand back. The scene is roped off.

Okay, everybody gets back, shouts the police officer.

He motions with his hand, give these guys some room.

Alvin, a tall, thin and shy introverted mechanic with the intelligence of a fence post and the personality of a house fly, emerges from a nearby garage, steps out onto the chaos that has just taken place on the sidewalk. Looks up at the surveillance camera. His gaze suddenly stuck on what appears to be the blue light of the once broken down and inoperable Police Observation Device.

Shock at its sudden appearance; he quickly pulls the brim of his baseball cap down to cover his face; quickly drops his head and slowly walks backward into the garage.

This is real ugly. Who would do this to a kid and not stop? The paramedic tells his partner as he adjusts the cervical collar onto Marcos’ neck, trying hard not to disturb the leg and arm boards that are stabilizing his broken extremities. I hate motor vehicle accidents, they are never pretty.

The Police begin to question people in the crowd. Did anybody see anything? See what happened?

A female pedestrian and her male companion reluctantly step forward. She nudges him. Go ahead honey, tell him what you saw, urging her male companion to share what he saw.

Panting and shaken.

Out of nowhere this kid speeds pass us on his bike and, then, just as he passes, this car speeds pass the both of us.

You were in the street? replies the policeman.

No! Exclaimed the male companion. We were walking on the sidewalk.

The police officer looks puzzled. Are you saying that this car was on the sidewalk?

The policeman begins to document on his writing pad.

Yes officer the female companion interrupts this car was chasing this kid on the bike.

Did you get a good look at the car? What did the car look like? What color was it?

They both look at each other.

Unsure.

No, I didn’t get a chance. It all happen so fast. We barely had enough time to get out of the way.

Nearby, Alvin runs upstairs and burst into Roy’s office of the mechanic shop.

Roy, the three-hundred-pound owner of the mechanic shop, who chains smokes his specially imported Columbia cigars, waddles across the room to the back of his office. Bends down to put away papers in a large floor safe.

Startled by the loud noise from Alvin’s sudden and unannounced entrance; lit ashes fall onto his thigh, and he quickly brushes them off. Bracing his hand on the black steel safe to break his fall and regain his balance, he awkwardly jumps to a standing position and shouts, What the hell is your problem, busting into my office. And what do you mean we got a problem. The new boots that I bought, don’t fit anymore?

Alvin looks down at his boots, then points to the window.

The light is on.

The light is on? Roy replies with a puzzled countenance.

Roy walks toward the window, pulls back the blinds, looks at the scene below, and then looks up at the light, shock at what he sees. Drops his cigar. The lit ashes begin to start a small fire on the papers that missed its’ way into the floor safe. He quickly stomps on the papers putting the fire out.

Quickly closes the blinds. Turns and looks over to Alvin. When did you notice that the light was on?

Alvin responds in a whisper.

Just now. I stepped out of the garage and I looked up and there it was, the light was on.

Roy begins wringing both hands, wiping beads of sweat from his forehead.

Get my car. Roy nervously instructs Alvin.

Alvin turns to exit, Roy interrupts,

Wait! Don’t say a word to anyone. Just act normal. Okay boss. Alvin walks back downstairs of the empty mechanic shop, posture straight and erect, trying hard to be inconspicuous in an obvisiouly empty garage.

Paramedics stabilize Marcos, insert IV and intubation tube, place bandages to head, straps body to gurney. On three. One, two, three.

Marcos is placed in the ambulance. Door closes, ambulance drives off. Crowd watching as sirens blaring down busy avenue. Cars simultaneously, one by one, moving to the right of the road, providing the ambulance a quick and easy transition to the nearby trauma center.

Paramedics arrive a Metropolitan General Hospital. They wheel Marcos in the emergency room. ER personal rush to assist the paramedics; transferring Marcos from gurney to stretcher.