“THE RULE OF 3 STATES” – VERSION 1

By

Olivia Richer
FADE IN:
ACT 1

BURTON HAINES
Hey Kid!
SCOTT TANNER
Hey Burt, just checking in on ya, hope
you’ve recovered from this weekend, mad
game wasn’t it!
BURTON HAINES
*chuffs* Yh it was…
SCOTT TANNER
I’ve never seen someone down a Coors like
you, man!, hey err, did I leave my foam
finger at your office?
BURTON HAINES
Yh it’s here –
SCOTT TANNER
Phew, I can’t lose that, that bad boy is
signed by THE… Anthony Marino.
BURTON HAINES
Yh well it ain’t staying in my office for
long…[walkie-talkie buzzes]… I…I got
something coming through, let me call you
back in a bit.
POLICE OFFICER
Haines, a young boy reported missing March
25TH has just been found dead in his
apartment, a Conan Ace… 468 Washington
Street –
BURTON HAINES
In his apartment..?

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 POLICE OFFICER
Yh.. you may want to attend, some weird
stuff going on with this one.
BURTON HAINES
Okay, I’ll pop round.
SCOTT TANNER
So those photos are something different,
what’s up with that symbol?
BURTON HAINES
I’m not entirely sure yet
SCOTT TANNER
Well do we know how long he was held in
there for?
BURTON HAINES
There was a timer attached to the door, I
got it here… 21 days exactly.
SCOTT TANNER
*whistles* *scoffs* 3 weeks without a
Maccy’s, I could never. Anyway, what’s
Clive said?
BURTON HAINES
I haven’t spoken to him yet, lemme give
him a ring.
SCOTT TANNER
Alrighty
CLIVE NOLAN
*Answering phone* Dr. Nolan
BURTON HAINES
Clive, its Burton. Just wondering if you
got the report for Conan Ace?

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 CLIVE NOLAN
Hey Burton, yh this one’s certainly
interesting…
BURTON HAINES
What you got for me?
CLIVE NOLAN
Well.. EXTREME weight loss, hardly any
body tissue left on poor boy… *inhales*
err.. deems in the lower abdomen, hardly
any pigment left in the skin… I’m 100%
sure starvation – caused him to have a
heart attack.
BURTON HAINES
Slow and painful
CLIVE NOLAN
Right, it seems whoever did this didn’t
want to inflict instant pain, but rather
see how long he could endure it.
BURTON HAINES
Hmm…Test him?
CLIVE NOLAN
Exactly.
FADE TO BLACK:
FADE IN:
Act 2
BURTON HAINES
Hey, I got another report in, another a
person has been found dead in their
apartment, possible link to the one from
the other day…
SCOTT TANNER
*chomping heavily* Ok… *swallows*

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 BURTON HAINES
*signs* Do you ever stop eating?
SCOTT TANNER
Burt… *chomping*
BURTON HAINES
BURTON!
SCOTT TANNER
I’ve left some on your desk, I popped
round earlier alright… you can thank me
later *clicks teeth*
BURTON HAINES
*sighs*
SCOTT TANNER
So, *swallows* who was it?
BURTON HAINES
Marvin Cross-
SCOTT TANNER
Oh, I know that guy, the swimmer right?
BURTON HAINES
Yep, in his apartment out on White Street.
Chris sent me the photos… honestly you’d
think he’s never taken a photo in his
life.
SCOTT TANNER
*chomps*
BURTON HAINES
From what I can tell, another symbol, but
if they weren’t taken upside down I might
be able –

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 SCOTT TANNER
Burt… I’m passing on the way round, I
could see if I can get some more photos
for you.
BURTON HAINES
Cheers kid
SCOTT TANNER
No problem
BURTON HAINES
Oh kid, *chomps* next time, close the lid,
the donuts get stale otherwise.
CLIVE NOLAN
Burton, it’s Clive I’ve got the autopsy
for Marvin Cross
BURTON HAINES
*heavy chomping*
CLIVE NOLAN
What are you eating?
BURTON HAINES
*swallowing* Oh Um, Scott brought some
donuts round this morning.
CLIVE NOLAN
Ahh… (pauses) Well, we have clear signs of
liver failure, his blood pressure hit the
deck. And with everything else, sunken
eyes, dry skin, it’s all pointing to
dehydration.
BURTON HAINES
Got any ideas again of how long again?
CLIVE NOLAN
Pfff… dehydration of that level… 3 days

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 BURTON HAINES
Okay cheers Clive.
Hey kid, how’d it go?
SCOTT TANNER
Burt, I hit something pretty big! What did
Clive come back with?
BURTON HAINES
Dehydration… extreme. Clive’s saying for
three days, which matches the timer on the
handcuffs I found at the scene.
SCOTT TANNER
huh… three weeks, three days, someone’s
clearly got an obsession with the number
three.
BURTON HAINES
Okay, let’s have a look at what you got
here.
SCOTT TANNER
Well, I had a look around, and in his
fridge –
BURTON HAINES
His Fridge!? Is everything food orientated
with you?
SCOTT TANNER
Hey! What I was actually going to say was…
there was another symbol, painted on the
inside, which HAS to be a hint to a
possible next location.
BURTON HAINES
Huh, I think you’re right there kid. So we
potentially got food, water and whatever
this… next one is. Good work, Clive ought
to know something about this.

7
Clive it’s me again, Scott and I have
possibly found a lead here, we think
something along the lines of survival
instincts, you know any theory, myth, etc
that this guy could be following?
CLIVE NOLAN
Well I don’t know if you’ve heard of the
‘Rule of three states’ but… it suggests
that humans cannot survive without food
for 3 weeks, water for 3 days, shelter for
3 hours and oxygen for 3 minutes. But I
mean it’s just a survival theory, no one’s
tested it fully yet.
BURTON HAINES
Well, I think may have someone now.
*clicks fingers* that’s what I’m calling
this guy the ‘Three State Killer’.
NEWS REPORTER
WYNC here with your daily New York
updates. A series of murders have taken
place in Tribeca. Leaked from the NYPD,
rumours of a ‘Three State Killer’. Images
have immerged revealing particular symbols
said to be left at the crime scenes, Mark
Roger reports:-
SCOTT TANNER
You hearing this! There’s no way! How did
they get hold of photos, information, we
kept everything confidential…
BURTON HAINES
I know kid, unless it’s someone in here.
Listen we just gotta keep down, and cover
ourselves okay?
SCOTT TANNER
Yep

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 BURTON HAINES
Didn’t I tell you to move this goddamn
finger already?!
SCOTT TANNER
Ha, you know what Burt, I think it’s
starting to like your office.
BURTON HAINES
Yh well, it’s getting in the way, move it
SCOTT TANNER
*sighs* yes boss
POLICE OFFICER
Haines, Haines you there?
BURTON HAINES
Yep
POLICE OFFICER
A woman’s been found barely alive, Nora
Robinson, 139 Greenwich Street. Another
one of those symbols, you think you can
take a look.
BURTON HAINES
Scott you got all of that?
SCOTT TANNER
Yep, I’ll meet you there
BURTON HAINES
That’s it, shelter, *sigh* it was
screaming at us. Luckily the poor woman
made it out, in a coma though. We’re not
going to be getting much out of her.
SCOTT TANNER
Let me guess 3 hours?

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 BURTON HAINES
You got it, even marked on the clock we
found there. What are we missing here
Scott, how are they completely
untraceable?
SCOTT TANNER
No fingerprints or nothing?
BURTON HAINES
They couldn’t find anything! They know how
to work clean, too clean in fact. Well, if
we are going on what Clive suggested,
there is only one left…
SCOTT AND BURTON
Oxygen.
NEWS REPORTER
WYNC, it’s May 3rd, and here’s your latest.
The Three State Killer strikes again,
restaurant chef Nora Robinson was held
captive in a freezer for more than 3 hours
reports say. Detective Haines and Tanner
are running the case, will they ever catch
this guy?
FADE OUT:
FADE IN:
ACT 3
SCOTT TANNER
Hey Burt, I brought you some coffee round
and collected my foam finger, even though
I know you secretly love it…
BURTON HAINES
Scott, they got our names
SCOTT TANNER
That’s alright isn’t it-

10
 BURTON HAINES
No, it’s not, the job we’re in, the one
thing we gotta make sure is that no one
finds out our names.
SCOTT TANNER
Okay, let’s look over what we have and I’m
sure we’ll find some-
BURTON HAINES
I don’t think you understand, we can’t
waste any more time now
SCOTT TANNER
Yh I know, I jus-
BURTON HAINES
Well, you don’t, ok, Scott, just take the
rest of the day off, let ME think
everything over.
SCOTT TANNER
Alright, I’m sorry
BURTON HAINES
Clive… all the years we’ve been working
together, 15 years, I’ve never had a case
like this. I’ve done all the research,
background checks, got forensics there,
but nothing! They’ve slipped through my
fingers.
CLIVE NOLAN
Crazy isn’t it, what some people would do
to test science, to test, what we are
truly capable of.
BURTON HAINES
God, I even had a go at the kid, sent him
home early.

11
 CLIVE NOLAN
What? You don’t think he’s cut out for it?
BURTON HAINES
Nah, he just needs time. Anyway Clive, I
go to go.
ANSWER MACHINE
*beep* You have 3 new messages, message 1
at 19:21pm…
POLICE OFFICER
Haines, err, I don’t know if you’re still
at the office, but Nora Robinson, she woke
up. She wasn’t responding to our
questions, but kept going on about
something to do with testing science… and
capabilities ahh. Maybe you could get
through to her better, pop by tomorrow.
ANSWER MACHINE
*beep* message 2 at 19:56pm
SCOTT TANNER
Hey Burt, it’s me Scott. I know you told
me to take the day off but Clive got a
hold of me.. saying he has possible
location linking to all of this. I don’t
know if he run it by you, but I’m going to
check it out, Belvedere, near that
skatepark up on west. Do you think you
could meet me there?
ANSWER MACHINE
*beep* message 3 at 21:02pm
SCOTT TANNER
Hey it’s me again, not sure if you got my
last message, but I’m not seeing anything
come up anyway… Ahh, Burt, I’ve been
thinking. I’m sorry for earlier, I just,
wanna help, and ya know I would understand
if you didn’t want me on this case no

12
more, I totally get it. But you’re going
to crack this, you always do. Then, we can
get back to seeing the Raiders again soon.
FADE TO BLACK:

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