The Book in the Wrong Hands

THE ACCIDENT SCENCE

There are several people at a crosswalk waiting for the signal to change. Several cars go by as the walk sign suddenly changes to walk. An older gentleman steps into the street and all of a sudden, a car slams into the man. Several people are looking around in shock as the unidentified car speeds away.

A younger man in his early thirties, suddenly runs up to the man on the ground and appears to check on the older gentleman. As the older gentleman appear to grasp his last breath, the younger gentleman yells out, “Someone call 911”. The younger gentleman tries to wake the man with several taps to his shoulder and the rest of his body. There is no response. However, as he continues to tap the body of a man he feels something on the inside pocket of the jacket the older man is wearing. As he slowly removes the item from the older gentleman pocket he notices a little black book loaded with money. The younger gentleman is perplexed and ponders what to do.

As several people begin to gather around the younger man slowly slides the little black book including the money inside his jacket. The police and EMT appear, and one of the police officers asks the younger man does he knows the older man. He replies with a quiet, “No”. The officer then asks him his name and he states, “Corey, Corey Freeman”. Corey begins to stand up and look around to see if anyone had noticed that he removed the little black book from the man’s jacket. The officer then asks Corey if he had seen what happened, Corey slowly shakes his head no.

Corey then begins to gradually walk away, the policeman begins to stand up and yells at Corey, “Stop… Wait”! Corey then hurriedly pushes his way through the crowd of people and begin to run away. As the policeman attempt to go after Corey, a woman steps in front of the officer and begin to explain she had seen everything. The policeman looks around for Corey. He doesn’t see him. He then begins to pay attention to the woman.

THE DECISION SCENCE

Corey enters his apartment in a hurried fashion. He slams the door, locks it, and place the door chain into its slot. Corey starts to pace back and forth inside his apartment. He goes to the peep hole in the door and looks through it. He then pulls the little black book out of the inside of his jacket pocket and lays it on the table. He opens it up and stares at the 20,000 dollars wrapped neatly. He starts to pace back and forth again. All of a sudden, his phone rings.

Corey pulls his phone out of his pocket, and answers it. “Hello”, Corey replies. The voice on the other end is a friend from work. “Corey”, the voice can be heard saying, “Where are you”? Corey responds in a panicked voice, “Uh—tell Mr. Charles, I—won’t be in today”. The voice then responds with, “What’s the reason you are not coming”? Corey then looks down at the little black book, and starts to notice a time and an address. Corey then responds to the question, “Tell him I have an appointment”. Corey then hangs up the phone as the person can still be heard speaking.

Corey then looks down and moves the money to the side to read the entire message. The message states:

10:00am

753 East Main Street

Exchange the money for the briefcase, check the contents which should include $200,000 dollars and computer memory chip. Then return the briefcase by 11:00am to 101 Oak Lane. Payment upon return.

Corey ponders what the note says, he pulls the chair out and sits down. He looks down at his watch and notices the time 9:30am. He picks up the 20,000 dollars, looks at the 200,000 on the note and again at his watch. Corey’s leg begins to tap on the floor as he decides what to do. Corey then begins to talk out loud to himself, “Keep this 20,000 and just walk away or take a chance for 200,000”. Corey places his head into his hands and look down. He looks across his table and notices a few bills.

One of the few bills stand out, a student loan bill with 90,000 remaining on it. He then picks up the bill stares at it. He then looks at the money and then stares at the note inside the little black book. “200,000 dollars”, Corey says softly. Corey then says out load to himself, “F--- it”. He then places the money and the little black book inside his jacket. He grabs his keys and phone and starts to walk towards the door.

THE MONEY SCENCE

As Corey walks towards a building with the windows covered, he opens the little black book and reads the address again. 753 East Main Street. He looks up at the sign hanging from the building and it reads, 753 East Main Street. Corey then tries to slowly open the door, but it appears to be locked. He then starts to try and peek inside the window but to no avail. Corey then slightly knocks on the door. He stands there for a moment, nothing, he then begins to walk away. Suddenly, the door cracks open with a man peeping into through the chain locked door. Corey turns around.

“Password”, the strange man whispers. Corey looks at the man dumbfounded. He stares down at the little black book, shuffles threw some pages, but the remaining pages are blank. Corey confusedly shakes his head and slowly looks up at the man. The man in the doorway then states to Corey, “What are you holding”? Corey looks down at the book and says, “A little black book”. The man then slams the door. Corey stands there with a look of confusion on his face. Then you can hear the chain lift off of the door and the door opens.

Corey stands there as the door is now open. The strange man looks at Corey and says, "C'mon in already". Corey slowly walks into the building as he looks around he notices the inside of the building is partly unfinished. Several tables and chairs are scattered about. However, he notices a table and chair with a heavy set man sitting at a clean table with a man standing on each side of him. Corey pauses for a moment. The strange man slightly pushes him in the back forward. Corey slowly walks closer toward the man at the table.

After a few steps the man at the table says, "That's far enough". Corey then stops. The man at the table then stats, "You have the money". Corey reaches inside his jacket pocket and pulls out the money. The man at the table nods to one of the men standing next to him to retrieve the money. The other man then walks over towards Corey and grabs the money. Corey notices a gun inside the jacket of the man grabbing the money. Corey starts to feel even more nervous but gets enough courage to yell out, "The briefcase...please".

The man at the table nods towards the other man on the side of him. The other man picks up a black briefcase and brings it over to Corey. After Corey takes the briefcase from the other man he looks around for a table to lay the briefcase on. The strange man slides a dirty looking table towards Corey. Corey looks down and places the briefcase on the dirty table.

Corey then opens the briefcase and see the 200,000 dollars in neatly placed bills inside. He then notices a pocket inside of the briefcase. He opens the pocket and see the computer memory chip inside.

Corey still nervous, closes the briefcase and turns back around the man at the table. The man at the table says, "Are we good"? Corey nods his head and replies, "I believe so"! The man at the table then says, "Well...Be Gone Then"! He then waves at Corey telling him to leave.

The strange man then motions his arm towards the door as letting Corey know to leave. Corey tightly grabs the briefcase and then begins to walk out of the door.

As Corey leaves the building he starts to walk quickly. He begins to smile and think to himself this couldn't be a better day.

All of a sudden several police vehicles begin to descend upon Corey. Several police officers get out of their car and start to point their guns at Corey. A look of panic comes across Corey's face. They yell at him to drop the briefcase and turn around. Corey complies with the policemen orders.

A plain clothes police officer comes up to Corey and handcuff him. Corey then says to the officer, "You must have the wrong person". As the police officer searched through the pockets of Corey, he takes out the little black book. The officer replies with, "No we don't, your the man with the little black book". The officer then takes Corey away as he looks at the little black book.