CLOSE ON: a typewriter hammers out the words "WARBLE, CHILD; MAKE PASSIONATE MY SENSE OF HEARING." BANG!

A gunshot and a splatter of blood on the page. DISSOLVE TO: EXT. MOTEL - DAY (1972) A cheap, old Art Deco motel, complete with the neon sign. The neon word "VACANCY" is lit up. Crime scene unit in the parking lot--ambulance, squad cars, yellow tape, etc. A nice car for the time period pulls in--out steps detective JOHN HARRIS, late 40s, and DAVE WILLIAMS, mid 20s and black. They both approach the CORONER--a cop shoves his shoulder into Williams as he passes. Detectives. boy? CORONER Harris, who's the new

Williams cocks his head and glares at the coroner through his aviator shades. WILLIAMS Your worst fucking nightmare if you call me boy again. HARRIS New blood, Dave Williams. take it easy. Dave,

Williams shakes his head and leaves the conversation for the hood of a cop car nearby. A cop walks by, gawking at him. WILLIAMS Fuck you want? CORONER Rambunctious fella, isn't he? HARRIS Yeah, he's...yeah. What do we got?

CORONER Two stiffs, two bullets to the side of the head. HARRIS Murder-suicide?

2. CORONER My guess is as good as yours. HARRIS Let's hope that's not true. Harris strides past--he motions for Dave to follow, who hops off the car after a beat and follows. INT. MOTEL ROOM - CONTINUOUS Standard sleazy motel room. The typewriter from earlier rests on a card table, a dead MAN slumped over it. A huge blood stain marks the wall adjacent the man. On the bed, a dead WOMAN lies on blood stained sheets. Cops buzzing about the scene head out of the room. COP No ID for either of them. HARRIS (nods to dead man) What's Billy Shakespeare over there writing? COP A line of poetry or some shit, no idea. HARRIS Thanks, we got it from here. The cop nods and files out--he glares at Williams on the way out. WILLIAMS (biting) Bye, Norman. HARRIS You gotta start shit with everyone you meet? Williams inspects the room for clues. WILLIAMS Just the honkies. HARRIS You ever think the honkies would treat you nicer if you were nicer? Nope. WILLIAMS That's why they're the honkies.

3. HARRIS Right. Harris walks to the man's body and lifts his head up. scans the paper. HARRIS (CONT'D) Hm. He lowers the head cautiously and backs up to take in the entire scene. Williams steps up beside him. WILLIAMS Alright, which one of y'all did it? HARRIS Good question. WILLIAMS Room looks about as clean as it can get. (beat) You wanna talk to the manager? CUT TO: INT. MOTEL OFFICE - LATER The detectives sit across from a creepy looking guy, the MANAGER. MANAGER --and I came running as soon as I heard her scream. I sent her home. She was...well, in shock, I guess. Williams scribbles down notes. HARRIS You didn't hear these gunshots...at all. MANAGER No. HARRIS I find that dubious at best. MANAGER I mean--yeah, I heard them, but, officers, look around. Have you seen this neighborhood? It's crawling with lowlifes and criminals. He

4. WILLIAMS Oh, you mean us black people, huh? Harris holds up a hand--Williams begrudgingly shuts up and returns to his notepad. HARRIS And what about the typewriter? MANAGER What about it? He had it in a case when he took the room-WILLIAMS Was the honey with him? MANAGER I'm sorry? WILLIAMS The lady, was she with him? MANAGER No. HARRIS You have any idea why he would be writing--whatever it is he was writing? Did he say anything that indicated something like that? MANAGER What was he writing? HARRIS Some gibberish, I don't know, uh..."warble, child; make passionate my sense of hearing." The manager shrugs. Gibberish? Lost, man. WILLIAMS That's Love's Labors

They look at him, puzzled. WILLIAMS (CONT'D) Shakespeare. (beat) And I suppose it's a coincidence you got three books on Shakespeare behind you in that bookshelf? The manager glances back--

5. MANAGER Oh, I...yes, coincidence. avid reader. I'm an

WILLIAMS Yet you didn't recognize one of his lines? MANAGER I'm more surprised you did. WILLIAMS What, nigga can't read Shakespeare all of a sudden? MANAGER No, I didn't think you people could. Harris' eyes widen. SMASH CUT TO: EXT. PARKING LOT - MOMENTS LATER A COMMOTION from inside the manager's office. The door flings open--the manager, bruised and bloodied, tumbles through onto the pavement. Cops rush to the scene as Williams steps through the door rubbing his knuckles. The cops help him to his feet. WILLIAMS You killed them, didn't you? MANAGER Maybe I did, nothing you can do about it now. WILLIAMS Take this piece of shit in. MANAGER How ironic, you calling me a piece of shit. Williams lunges at the manager again--Harris stops him and pulls him aside, enraged. HARRIS You have any idea what duress means!? He won't do a fucking second of time!