Missing: Dead or Alive?

written by

Katie Hayes

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EXT. RIVERTON, KANSAS 1988 ON THE OUTSKIRTS OF THE OLD OAK
FOREST - NIGHT
As the moonlight beams down upon the silhouettes of the old
oak trees, it casts ominous shadows upon a lone gravel road
that outlines the edge of the forest. Parked along this
gravel road are four police cruisers, their red and blue
flashing lights bouncing off the dark surroundings.
AARON (age 6) sits atop one of the police cars with a blanket
wrapped around his shoulders. His expression is glazed as he
quietly observes the police officers scouting the nearby
forest area. Aaron then looks over towards his friend JOHN
(age 6) who is standing two cars down talking with an
officer, John's face resembling that of a ghost's. Aaron then
turns his head towards his other friend CAL (age 5) who is
crying atop another police car while an officer awkwardly
tries to console him.
As the sound of a moving car grows near, Aaron turns to face
the gravel pathway as another police car pulls up and
DETECTIVE MARRISON firmly steps out, his presence arousing
OFFICER 1 to come over and explain the situation as due
protocol.
OFFICER 1
Good evening, detective. I'm sorry
to call you out here so late, but I
thought you might want to have a
look at this.
DETECTIVE MARRISON
I understand. What's the situation?
OFFICER 1
About three hours ago, we received
calls from these kid's parents
asking about a possible emergency.
They had become worried when their
children had gone out to play in
the forest around 4:00pm but hadn't
returned home by their curfew of
6:00pm. My partner and I were sent
here to check up on the kids and we
expected to find them playing after
having lost track of time. However,
when we arrived here, the three of
them were nowhere to be found. My
partner and I then called for
backup in order to conduct a small
search of the area. We eventually
came across these three wandering
around aimlessly.
(MORE)
 2.
OFFICER 1 (CONT'D)
They seemed relieved to see us,
which I found a bit strange. When
we asked them why they were still
out here at this hour, they said
they couldn't head back home yet
because they couldn't locate one of
their friends. After taking the
three kids back to our squad cars,
the other officers went out to look
for the missing kid while my
partner and I talked to these three
about the events leading up to
their friend's disappearance. The
three kids we found are Aaron
Harting, John Stockman, and Cal
Rockwell. The kid missing is Lia
Delman, age 6, brown hair, brown
eyes, about 4 feet tall, and was
last seen wearing a green shirt,
stripped pants, and pink sneakers.
The boys said that they had decided
to play hide and seek and while
Lia, Aaron, and John went to go
hide, Cal stayed behind near the
gravel pathway to count. About
thirty minutes in, John and Aaron
said they could hear Cal crying out
in frustration, so they both came
out to make sure Cal was okay.
However, Lia never came out to meet
up with them so they assumed she
couldn't hear Cal and was still
hiding. After about an hour of
calling out for her, the boys said
they heard what sounded like a car
driving back up the gravel pathway.
As you know, there's a river at the
end of the path, so the boys
assumed someone had been fishing
there earlier and was just then
leaving. After that, they said they
wandered around a bit more until
they ran into us.
DETECTIVE MARRISON
I see. Have you talked to the boys
individually yet?
OFFICER 1
We talked to Aaron and John, but
they didn't seem to know much. As
for Cal, he's been crying so much,
we haven't been able to talk with
him yet.
(MORE)
 3.
OFFICER 1 (CONT'D)
We've called their parents to come
pick them up and we have updated
Lia Delman's parents about the
situation.
DETECTIVE MARRISON
Alright, I'll have someone document
this case and I'll try talking with
the kids first thing tomorrow
morning. Right now, they're
probably so shaken up that it would
be pointless to try and interrogate
them at this time. I'll be heading
off this investigation from here
on, so please submit any
information you or the other
officers have documented to me for
revision.
OFFICER 1
Yes sir. I'll go let the other
officers know to have their
accounts of tonight on your desk as
soon as possible. But, uh, between
you and me... what do you think the
chances are we find this kid alive?
DETECTIVE MARRISON
Well, truthfully, only time will
tell. However, the more time we
take to find her, the smaller our
chances become.
Aaron perks his head up, snapping out of his daze due to the
grim words Detective Marrison had just stated. A look of
concern now drawn up on Aaron's face as his gaze sets heavily
upon the two policemen. Detective Marrison and Officer 1
notice this and Officer 1 briskly begins walking away looking
ashamed to have said such things in front of a child.
Detective Marrison stares back at Aaron, a look of regret on
his face. He then walks over to Aaron.
DETECTIVE MARRISON (CONT'D)
I presume from the look on your
face you heard what that officer
and I were talking about, didn't
you.
Aaron looks up at Detective Marrison, shaking his head up and
down.
DETECTIVE MARRISON (CONT'D)
I'm sorry you had to hear that. If
I had known you were listening...
(MORE)
 4.
DETECTIVE MARRISON (CONT'D)
well, it's probably best you know.
Better to find out now than later I
suppose. However, I hope you don't
dwell on this too much, you are
still...
AARON
(Somber)
Detective, please promise me you'll
find Lia.
Detective Marrison looks down at Aaron, whose eyes are now
filled with tears.
DETECTIVE MARRISON
(Morbidly)
Okay, I promise I'll do everything
I possibly can to bring your friend
back.
Detective Marrison pats Aaron on the shoulder, his face
turned away.

EXT. RIVERTON, KANSAS IN THE OLD OAK FOREST - THE NEXT DAY
Detective Marrison is searching through the woods with seven
police officers. OFFICER 2 abruptly stops walking, crouching
down to look at something. His eyes widen, and he signals
over to Detective Marrison.
OFFICER 2
Hey detective, I think I found
something!
Detective Marrison briskly walks over to Officer 2 with a
look of eagerness.
DETECTIVE MARRISON
What did you find?
Officer 2 picks up a small pink tennis shoe that resembles
the ones Lia was last seen wearing. Officer 2 looks up at
Detective Marrison, handing him the shoe.
OFFICER 2
I also found some footprints near
the shoe. They appear to lead in
the direction of the river. The
tread shape and size suggest that
these are a grown male's shoe
prints.
 5.

DETECTIVE MARRISON
Let's get forensics down here to
analyze these. Whoever made these
footprints could be our suspect.

INT. RIVERTON, KANSAS POLICE STATION - DAY

Detective Marrison is seen analyzing papers related to Lia's
case. He gets up to post a page of suspect information on a
whiteboard revealing Lia's picture as well as other case
information and other pictures from the crime scene.

EXT. DELMAN'S NEIGHBORHOOD STREET - DAY

Mr. and Mrs. Delman are seen posting a missing poster of Lia
on a wooden pole. Mrs. Delman has a big stack of posters in
her arms and Mr. Delman has a staple gun in his hand. They
look at each other with sad and empty expressions, walking
away to go post more posters.

INT. RIVERTON, KANSAS RESIDENT HOME (1994) - NIGHT

A middle-aged man is seen sitting down in front of his T.V.,
setting his dinner plate filled with food down on a coffee
table. As he turns on his T.V. and begins flipping through a
few channels. He eventually stops on the local news channel
and the headlining news story shows a missing person's report
of a little girl by the name Christina Turner who is said to
have gone missing two days ago.

EXT. RIVERTON, KANSAS CANTRELL PARK (2000) - DAY

As a mother and her three children get out of their car, the
kids go running towards the playground filled with other
children and parents located behind a big gazebo with a
bulletin board standing next its structure. The mother walks
over towards the gazebo to sit down, passing the bulletin
board. On the bulletin board, there are 23 missing persons
reports posted. The posters read: Lia Delman, Mia Benedick,
Gabriel Idler, Evelyn Davis, Liam Swinford, Taylor Ruddell,
Kate Frampton, Jake Mann, Laney Earnest, Christina Turner,
Nate Hartness, Charlie Sutt, Maria Dobry, Sarah Leverett,
Daniel Bolger, Caroline Adwell, Marvan Hudson, Bailey Rusten,
Hailey Billingsly, Nathanial Acton, Braiden Moore, Isabella
Chisman, Harper Fairfax.
 6.

INT. RIVERTON, KANSAS POLICE STATION PRESS ROOM (2006) - DAY

The pressroom is bustling with the noise of reporters
mingling about the reasoning behind the calling of this last-
minute press conference. The looks on their faces are either
one of confusion or one of eager interest and anticipation.
REPORTER 1
I wonder what they're so eager to
tell us, especially on such short
notice.
REPORTER 2
I heard it's about all those
missing kids' cases. You know, the
ones where there are never any dead
bodies found, and yet, none of the
children turn up anywhere.
REPORTER 3
I wonder if it's another missing
kid. I wouldn't be surprised if it
was. It's been eight-teen years
since the first disappearance, and
the police have made no significant
progress in any of the cases.
REPORTER 4
Well, at least as far as the public
knows. I heard that one of the kids
from the Lia Delman case, Aaron
Harting, was so distraught by his
friend's disappearance that he's
dedicated almost all of his spare
time to helping with the cases in
any way he can. From what I
understand, he has been able to
uncover some patterns about the
disappearances that even the police
missed. He's the only real reason
the police have made any progress
at all.
Suddenly, Detective Marrison enters the pressroom accompanied
by two other people. The room goes from a state of loud
chatter to hushed whispers. Detective Marrison steps onto the
center podium with authority, placing a few statement papers
down on the tabletop. He then clears his throat in
preparation of speaking.
DETECTIVE MARRISON
(Seriously)
Good afternoon, everyone.
(MORE)
 7.
DETECTIVE MARRISON (CONT'D)
Thank you all for coming in today
as we have some very important
information to share with you. As
you know, I, along with the other
officers assigned to the missing
children's cases have struggled for
a long while determining the
circumstances of their
disappearances. Our department has
spent many sleepless nights
analyzing and studying every piece
of information available to us and
we have tried our hardest to ensure
that true justice is upheld. At
this time, I am pleased to announce
that our efforts were not in vain.
With the help of a few outside
sources as well as the introduction
of new information, we believe we
have found the man responsible for
all of the disappearances including
the cases from 1988 to as recent as
the cases from last year. Our prime
suspect who is to be tried in two
days is Joe Eisler. As one of the
owners and employees of the local
Eisler Brothers Store, he had
access to the whereabouts of all
the missing children due to their
common daily visits to his shop.
His alibi was also recently
disproved, and he admitted to
having been fishing in the river
the day Lia Delman had originally
gone missing. We look forward to
the execution of well-deserved
justice not only for our community,
but also for the many unfortunate
families that have suffered
immensely for the past several
years. Questions and statements
will not be taken at this time and
there will be a local broadcast of
the trial soon to come. Thank you
all for your patience and may we
see this as a victory for all.
The murmurs of questions and comments begin to uproar,
swirling around the now bustling press room. However,
Detective Marrison steps out, walking towards the exit with a
very stoic expression.
 8.

INT. RIVERTON, KANSAS POLICE STATION - NIGHT

Detective Marrison sits at his desk, studying and analyzing
the Lia Delman case. OFFICER 3 passes by him, a confused
expression painted on his face.
OFFICER 3
Hey detective, how come your still
looking at that case? We caught the
guy responsible for all those
disappearances, so why dwell on the
past?
Detective Marrison doesn't look at him.
DETECTIVE MARRISON
(Exhausted)
I don't know, something just feels
off. After all these years, the man
responsible for 32 missing children
was under our noses this whole
time? I don't know, doesn't this
all just seem a bit too easy? What
if we've got the wrong guy? Then
all of those families will never
receive closure, and our work will
have been meaningless.
OFFICER 3
I don't know what you're trying to
get at, but you should be
celebrating right now. Don't you
get it detective? The good guys
have won. We did it. Isn't that
enough?
DETECTIVE MARRISON
Yeah, sure, I'm probably just being
paranoid. I'll close up everything
after I clean up a bit. Have a good
night.
OFFICER 3
Alright, don't stress too much
detective, you've done all you can
do. Good night to you too and get
home safely.
Officer 3 then abruptly leaves.
DETECTIVE MARRISON
(mutters under breath)
I haven't done everything I can do
just yet.
 9.

Detective Marrison is now alone in the station, flipping

through old records and evidence. He then comes across an old
CD that contains the interviews of Aaron, John, and Cal
recorded back in 1988 when Lia first went missing. He places
the CD into his computer, fast-forwarding through the
footage. Cal's interview shows up first and Detective
Marrison plays a snippet of it.
DETECTIVE 2
So, Cal, you said you heard what
sounded like a car leaving soon
after you guys realized you
couldn't find Lia?
CAL
Well, no. I was crying, and I
couldn't hear much, but I trust
that John and Aaron heard a car
leaving.
Detective Marrison looks intently at the screen, expressing
his realization of this discrepancy. He then fast-forwards to
John's interview.
DETECTIVE 2
Alright John, now I understand you
heard a car leaving the area near
where Lia was possibly hiding,
correct?
JOHN
Yeah, I guess so.
DETECTIVE 2
You guess? You seemed pretty
certain earlier.
JOHN
Well, yeah, I heard a car.
DETECTIVE 2
Are you sure? Or are you lying.
JOHN
No, I'm pretty sure.
DETECTIVE 2
(Angrily)
Your pretty sure or you know? Which
one is it!
JOHN
I don't know! Aaron was the one who
said he heard a car.
(MORE)
 10.
JOHN (CONT'D)
I didn't hear anything, but I
assumed I just wasn't paying close
enough attention to the details. I
mean, I could have just not noticed
the sound, right?
Detective Marrison stops the tape. His eyes wide with shock.
DETECTIVE MARRISON
(mutters to himself)
What the hell is going on? How come
no one's discovered this
information?
Detective Marrison then turns the package the CD came in over
to the other side. Written in red marker are the words "for
Detective Marrison's eyes only." Detective Marrison sits in
terror, quickly grabbing the CD and springing out of his
chair. He then hastily grabs his jacket, jogging towards the
front doors in order to expose this new information. However,
as he gets to the main lobby, he is met by Aaron Harting.
Aaron has his hands in his pockets and is just standing
between Detective Marrison and the doors. He looks at
Detective Marrison confused.
AARON
(Confused)
Good evening, Detective Marrison.
Where are you going in such a
hurry?
Detective Marrison stares at Aaron for a moment with an
uncomfortable expression. Aaron then looks down at the CD in
Detective Marrison's hand.
AARON (CONT'D)
What's that Detective?
Detective Marrison looks at the CD and then back at Aaron,
now expressing a look of frustration.
DETECTIVE MARRISON
Don't be coy with me. You know
exactly what this is, don't you!
AARON
Detective, are you alright? I don't
understand what you're going on
about...
DETECTIVE MARRISON
Spare me! You know exactly what's
going on! You can quit your little
act; it doesn't suit you!
 11.

Aaron looks at Detective Marrison with a plain expression. He

then begins to rub the bridge of his nose, revealing a
disturbing smile.
AARON
(politely)
Wow, might I say well done,
Detective. Your even better than I
thought you were. I see you found
the tape I left you.
Congratulations on figuring out the
truth, you must be so proud.
Detective Marrison takes a step back, a look of absolute
terror on his face.
DETECTIVE MARRISON
The fact that you were the only
person to say they heard a car was
reason enough to suspect you.
However, I wasn't certain you were
the reason for Lia's disappearance
until just now. Why expose yourself
so casually to me? And what
happened to Lia Delman that day in
the woods all those years ago?
Aaron sways a bit, looking up at the ceiling with a pondering
look.
AARON
(light heartedly)
Hmm... let's see, what did happen
to Lia that day? Ah yes, I remember
now. You see, it truly was an
accident what happened to her. When
we both went to hide in the same
spot, she refused to leave so I
playfully pushed her. To my dismay,
she fell and hit her head against a
rock, instantly dying upon impact.
At first, I was scared and
confused. I knew I couldn't just
leave her there, but I also knew I
couldn't tell anyone what had
happened. I mean, let's face it, I
was just a scared little six-year-
old boy who hadn't meant to kill
his friend. So, I dragged her body
to the river, thrusting her into
the cold and unforgiving waters.
(MORE)
 12.
AARON (CONT'D)
I knew from some fishing trips with
my dad that the currents would wash
her body down to the bottom and
that there she would never be
found. Simple, right? However, I
soon realized a quite horrifying
truth. I loved killing. Nothing
made me feel more alive than
killing someone and then watching
as nobody knew what happened to
them or who was responsible.
(smiling)
What a truly invigorating
experience! So yes, I killed every
single last one of those missing
kids you tried oh so hard to find.
At least it's like you said
detective. Now all those families
can finally seek closure in knowing
their children are never coming
back to them. Whatever hope they
had left will now diminished to
nothing but a fantasy. You asked
earlier why I turned myself in this
way, well, I'll tell you this. I
will never stop yearning to kill
people. It's in my nature. Left
unchecked, I'm afraid I wouldn't be
able to control myself. However, I
only wanted you to be the one to
discover my dark secret. I mean,
you did promise me you would find
out what happened to Lia the night
she went missing. I just couldn't
allow you to break that promise.
Aaron then begins taking his hands out of his pockets,
prompting Detective Marrison to draw his weapon. Aaron then
makes a reassuring facial expression, revealing that he is
unarmed. He raises his hands into the air to surrender.
AARON (CONT'D)
You've won detective. I concede.
Detective Marrison then pulls out his handcuffs, stepping
towards Aaron and holstering his gun as he places Aaron's
hands behind his back.
DETECTIVE MARRISON
Aaron Harting, you are under arrest
for the murders of Lia Delman, Mia
Benedick, Gabriel Idler, Evelyn...
FADE OUT.