INT. BEN-GURION INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT. DAY.
Liam Connors, 53, 6’5”, 200 lbs, waits in line for the
customs agent with Mimi Stanton, 38, short dark hair.
The young Israeli female customs agent beckons. She wears a
drab uniform, no makeup or jewelry. Liam and Mimi present
their passports.
The agent studies Liam’s passport, then his face. She does it
again, and Liam winks. She tries not to, but smiles.
CUSTOMS AGENT
Louisiana, U.S.A.?
LIAM
In the South.
She smiles at Liam again.
CUSTOMS AGENT
Here our men are not so tall.
Mimi gently pokes Liam. He clears his voice and looks away.
The customs agent barely glances at Mimi’s passport. She
stamps both and smiles at Liam as she gives them back.
CUSTOMS AGENT (CONT’D)
Welcome to Israel, Mr. Connors.
Mimi pokes and shoves Liam, this time not so gentle.
They walk toward baggage claim. Giggling, Mimi mimics the
agent’s accent.
MIMI
Welcome to Israel, Mr. Connors.
LIAM
She was just being friendly.
Mimi mimics the agent again.
MIMI
Our men are not so tall. Oh, Mr.
Connors, you are so handsome.
Liam laughs.
MIMI (CONT’D)
I’m surprised she didn’t frisk you.
LIAM
I didn’t make fun of you when that
old man in Assisi asked for a kiss.
MIMI
He was sweet. At least ninety.
LIAM
Us older men find you irresistible.
She laughs, sticks her arm in his and hugs him. He kisses her
forehead and puts his arm around her as they walk.
MIMI
What does Ike look like again?
LIAM
Skinny, twitchy. Wild eyes. But
it’s been twenty-five years.
INT. AIRPORT BAGGAGE CLAIM AREA. DAY.
Liam and Mimi look over the horde of drivers holding signs in
a dozen languages.
LIAM
I don’t see him.
Mimi points to a stocky man in jeans and a Tilley hat holding
a sign reading Liam Connors.
MIMI
There he is.
They walk to the man with the sign.
LIAM
Ike Palmer was to pick us up.
Menachem Wladyslaw extends his hand. Mid-sixties, stocky,
shaved head; he speaks English with a thick Israeli accent.
MENACHEM
Mr. Liam Connors? I am Menachem
Wladyslaw. Yitzhak Palmer sent me
to drive you to Jerusalem.
Mimi looks puzzled.
MENACHEM (CONT’D)
Sorry. Yitzhak is Hebrew for Isaac.
Let us get your bags.
EXT. AIRPORT PARKING LOT. DAY.
Menachem leads them to a weathered gray Volvo.
Genres:
["Drama","Comedy"]
Ratings
Scene
2 -
A Romantic Interlude in Jerusalem
INT. VOLVO. DAY.
Mimi studies the passing landscape. Liam reads his Lonely
Planet guidebook.
MIMI
Olive groves on the hill. We’ve
been climbing since the airport.
LIAM
It says here Jerusalem elevation is
2500 feet. Tel Aviv is a hundred.
Menachem glances at them from the front seat.
MENACHEM
Matthew writes in your New
Testament it is a city on a hill
whose light cannot be hidden.
Eyes on the road, Menachem gives his business card to Liam.
LIAM
You speak Hebrew, Yiddish, German
and English?
MENACHEM
And some Arabic and Farsi. But not
so good.
Liam leans in and whispers to Mimi.
LIAM
A tour guide who speaks six
languages. Makes me feel stupid.
Mimi kisses him on the cheek.
MIMI
You have other qualities.
Menachem makes eye contact with Liam in the rear view mirror.
MENACHEM
Yitzhak says you are old friends.
LIAM
From college. Louisiana State. How
is he doing?
MENACHEM
Wanting to see you right away.
Mimi furrows her brow.
MIMI
I’d like to check in first.
LIAM
We’ve got time to go to the hotel
first, right?
MENACHEM
Where do you stay?
LIAM
The King David.
MENACHEM
Ah. Very nice. Close to where we
are to meet Yitzhak.
LIAM
Where does he live?
MENACHEM
I am not sure. We are to meet him
in the Old City.
LIAM
How far are we now?
MENACHEM
Not far.
Mimi mouths to Liam.
MIMI
I want to go to the hotel.
INT. VOLVO. DAY.
Menachem’s cell phone buzzes.
MENACHEM
Yes. Very well.
He ends the call and looks over his shoulder.
MENACHEM (CONT’D)
That was Yitzhak. He has changed
the meeting to different place. We
have much time to go to King David.
Liam winks at Mimi and nuzzles her neck.
EXT. KING DAVID HOTEL. JERUSALEM.
The Volvo pulls into the King David drive. A valet gets their
bags. Menachem points to a small waiting area off the drive.
MENACHEM
I will wait there for you.
INT. KING DAVID HOTEL. JERUSALEM.
Mimi admires the beautiful interior while Liam checks in.
INT. OLD CITY SUITE. KING DAVID HOTEL. DAY.
Mimi sits in her bra and panties on a cushioned bench
touching up her eye makeup. Liam walks into the bathroom and
kneels behind her, puts his arms around her waist, looks at
the two of them in the mirror, buries his nose in her neck.
LIAM
You smell so good.
Mimi turns and drapes her arms around his neck. She kisses
him lightly on the lips. Liam kisses deeper.
MIMI
Are you interested, Mr. Connors?
Liam stands up and takes off his shirt. Still seated, Mimi
pulls down his boxers. She mimics the Israeli customs agent.
MIMI (CONT’D)
Oh, Mr. Connors. You are
interested.
She examines him, admiring what she sees.
MIMI (CONT’D)
Our men are not so big, Mr.
Connors.
Liam laughs and picks her up effortlessly, carrying her into
the bedroom and onto the bed.
MIMI (CONT’D)
What about Menachem?
LIAM
I think he should stay with the
car.
Genres:
["Drama","Romance"]
Ratings
Scene
3 -
Secrets in the Market
EXT. MAHANE YEHUDA OPEN MARKET. LATE AFTERNOON.
Menachem parks the Volvo and leads them through a narrow
alley that opens onto the huge open market.
A cacophany of languages, skin colors, attires; exotic people
hawking wares, haggling, arguing, laughing. Vendors in stalls
sell fruits, nuts, fish, breads, clothing; and souvenirs.
Cafes and stores line the maze of walkways. Locals mix with
visitors from around the Mediterranean and the world.
Menachem holds his hand high for them to follow.
Menachem stops at a stall and talks to a small, wizened old
man who gestures impatiently for them to enter.
EXT. MAHANE YEHUDA OPEN MARKET. LATE AFTERNOON.
Hidden in an alley, a man with his keffiyeh draped across his
face watches them. Only his black eyes show.
INT. MAHANE YEHUDA CAFE. LATE AFTERNOON.
Menachem leads them into the small cafe in the back of the
merchant’s stall. Just a few tables, all empty. Menachem
holds the chair for Mimi. A young waiter with a big smile and
a jagged, raised scar on his cheek appears from the kitchen.
Menachem speaks Arabic to the waiter, then turns to Liam.
MENACHEM
His name is Yusef. I recommend the
Turkish coffee and their famous
date-filled pastry.
Liam nods and Yusef disappears into the kitchen.
MIMI
How did he get that awful scar?
MENACHEM
Who knows? He’s a Bedouin. Maybe a
fight in the desert mountains.
(beat) I must see a man one street
over. Yitzhak is here soon. Please
do not leave. Easy to get lost.
Yusef arrives with two small cups of thick coffee. Menachem
leaves. Mimi sips the coffee and makes a face. Yusef hustles
back to the kitchen and returns with cream and sugar and the
pastries. Liam tastes the pastry, nods approvingly to Yusef,
and takes a sip of the black coffee.
LIAM
Strong.
MIMI
I can’t drink it.
Isaac “Ike” Palmer, 53, thin, wiry, longish salt and pepper
hair, lurches in from the kitchen, herky-jerky movements, a
wide grin for Liam. He hugs the big man.
IKE
It’s so good to see you, man....
Ike chokes up, clears his throat, wipes his eyes.
IKE (CONT’D)
And nice to meet you, Mimi.
They sit. Ike’s eyes dart. Nervous, he looks around the cafe.
IKE (CONT’D)
I appreciate your coming here.
Liam pulls out a hand-written letter in a FedEx envelope.
LIAM
Not a word for twenty-five years.
Then this.
IKE
I know. I know.
MIMI
We were already coming to Italy.
IKE
How was it?
MIMI
Like heaven. Five days in Tuscany
and five in Umbria. (beat) Is there
a bathroom here?
IKE
Right this way. Let me check it.
Ike jumps up, fidgets to the kitchen, opens a door. He enters
for a moment, then comes back out nodding to Mimi.
IKE (CONT’D)
Not much but it’s clean.
Mimi goes into the bathroom. Liam holds up the letter.
LIAM
Tell me about this.
Ike looks from side to side, over his shoulder, leans across
the table and whispers, his eyes wild.
IKE
Every word I wrote you is true. I
found something in the desert that
will change the political and
religious landscape of the Middle
East--maybe the whole world.
LIAM
What is it?
Ike shuts up when he sees Mimi returning from the bathroom.
IKE
I can’t tell you in front of her.
Mimi sits down.
LIAM
Why give it to me?
IKE
You’re the only man in the world I
trust with it.
MIMI
Can you join us for dinner tonight
at the hotel?
Ike’s phone buzzes. He holds up a finger and listens.
IKE
I got to take this. Excuse me.
Ike disappears into the kitchen. Mimi whispers.
MIMI
He’s not all there.
Liam shrugs.
MIMI (CONT’D)
We see bi-polar patients at the
office. You don’t grow out of it.
Liam picks at pastry crumbs and sips his coffee. After a
while, he gets up and walks into the kitchen.
INT. CAFE KITCHEN. LATE AFTERNOON.
Yusef stands when Liam walks in.
LIAM
My friend. Where is he?
Yusef points to a door. Liam walks through it.
Genres:
["Drama","Thriller"]
Ratings
Scene
4 -
A Meeting in Jerusalem
EXT. CAFE COURTYARD. LATE AFTERNOON.
Liam looks around the courtyard. No Ike. He walks inside.
INT. CAFE KITCHEN. LATE AFTERNOON.
LIAM
Did he say he was coming back?
Yusef doesn’t understand Liam. Liam looks at his FedEx
letter, folds it into his pocket, and rejoins Mimi.
INT. CAFE. LATE AFTERNOON.
MIMI
What did he say?
LIAM
Nothing. He’s gone.
Menachem walks in and stands at the table, phone to his ear.
MENACHEM
Very well.
He ends the call.
MENACHEM (CONT’D)
Yitzhak says he is sorry. He was
called away. Very important.
Mimi has a “told you so” look for Liam.
MENACHEM (CONT’D)
He would like to meet with you
tomorrow morning.
MIMI
Where?
MENACHEM
No. Only Mr. Connors. I will pick
you up at King David at ten.
MIMI
Fine with me.
MENACHEM
I will return you to hotel.
They follow him out into the controlled chaos of the market.
Liam winces as an oppressive call to prayer blasts from a set
of speakers atop a minaret.
EXT. KING DAVID PORTE COCHERE. EVENING.
Liam and Mimi exit the Volvo. Liam gestures to Menachem.
LIAM
See you at ten.
INT. KING DAVID LOBBY. EVENING.
Liam stops at the front desk for a moment while Mimi talks to
the concierge, who gives her a map and directions. Liam joins
her and kisses the back of her hand at the elevator.
LIAM
I ordered a bottle of Israeli wine
and some cold chicken for the room.
MIMI
Wonderful. All of a sudden I’m
tired.
LIAM
Maybe a glass of wine and a warm
bath will perk you up. (beat) I’ll
wash your back.
Mimi smiles as the elevator doors close.
Genres:
["Drama","Mystery","Thriller"]
Ratings
Scene
5 -
A Day of Exploration Turns Dark
EXT. KING DAVID PORTE COCHERE. MORNING.
Menachem arrives. Liam gives Mimi a peck on the cheek. She
walks off, map in hand, admiring the landscape. Liam sticks
his head in the Volvo’s passenger window.
LIAM
How about I sit in the front today?
MENACHEM
Very good.
INT. VOLVO. MORNING.
Menachem waves to two young IDF soldiers standing casually on
the sidewalk with automatic weapons slung over their
shoulders as he pulls away from the hotel. Traffic is heavy
on the crooked, crowded streets of Jerusalem.
LIAM
Mimi is walking to see the Old
City. Shop a little.
MENACHEM
She will enjoy herself.
LIAM
Concierge says it’s safe.
MENACHEM
Safer than Chicago. Tourism a big
part of our economy. Police make it
very safe. No problem.
EXT. ARMENIAN QUARTER. OLD CITY. MORNING.
Mimi sees Yusef, the Bedouin waiter with the bad scar, in a
group of pedestrians on the narrow, exotic streets of the Old
City. She smiles and waves enthusiastically. He disappears
into the crowd.
MIMI
Guess he didn’t see me.
She walks along the winding street and stops to look in a
store window. Mimi saunters inside.
INT. ARMENIAN QUARTER STORE. MORNING.
Mimi looks at olive wood carvings and other tourist items.
The store owner approaches her and bows slightly.
OWNER
May I be of assistance?
MIMI
Yes. Please. Do you have mezuzahs?
OWNER
Right this way.
The owner leads her to the back of the store. He steps behind
a counter and places several mezuzahs on the glass top.
MIMI
Are these...?
A man rushes her from behind and covers her mouth and nose
with a cloth. She struggles, but passes out.
Genres:
["Drama","Thriller"]
Ratings
Scene
6 -
The Scroll of Controversy
INT. TOURIST HOTEL. MORNING.
Menachem leads Liam past breakfast stations swarming with
tourists from all over the world. At the back of the huge
dining room in an alcove, Menachem opens a louvered door and
ushers Liam into a small room with two tables.
LIAM
We’re not meeting him here, are we?
Menachem shrugs and pulls back the door panel, searching the
big room outside.
LIAM (CONT’D)
Why such a roundabout route?
Menachem appears puzzled.
LIAM (CONT’D)
I was following the map.
MENACHEM
To avoid traffic. Here is Yitzhak.
Ike Palmer shambles into the room dressed as a waiter,
holding a coffee carafe.
LIAM
You work here?
IKE
No. Best place for privacy is in
the middle of a crowd. Coffee?
Liam turns over his cup and Ike pours.
IKE (CONT’D)
Sorry about last night.
LIAM
Pretty rude, Ike. Even for you.
IKE
I’m sure Mimi thinks I’m nuts. But
there are people following me.
Liam takes a deep breath.
IKE (CONT’D)
I know what you’re thinking. It’s
not like that. This is real.
LIAM
Look at it from my perspective,
Ike. I was there when campus
security found you sleeping in your
car filled with all the practice
balls from the LSU golf course.
IKE
That’s because I was drinking to
smooth things out.
LIAM
And in Natchitoches, when you lost
a small fortune trying to corner
the pecan market.
Ike is embarrassed, irritated.
IKE
Look, I know I was fucked up. Bi-
polar and paranoid. That’s why I
left Irene to come here. I did her
a favor. (beat) How is she?
LIAM
She’s fine. Her husband Larry’s a
good guy. Two sons.
IKE
I’m happy for her. But you have to
cut me some slack, Liam. I’m a
different person here.
LIAM
I flew from Rome to listen, Ike.
IKE
And I thank you. Israel has cured
me, Liam. In the old days I had
these highs and lows, a hole in my
chest right here that I tried to
fill with beer, weed, anything.
(MORE)
IKE (CONT'D)
Since I moved here, the hole is
filled--with Israel. I wish I’d
been born here.
LIAM
There is a force here. I feel it.
IKE
See? Israel is a source of strength
for me--and sanity. It’s mystical.
First time I’ve ever felt at ease
with myself.
LIAM
Why do you think?
IKE
It’s the spirit of millions of
murdered Jews. They’re home here--
Eretz Israel. Six million in World
War II, millions more in pogroms in
Russia and Eastern Europe. They’re
all here now.
LIAM
Tell me what you found.
IKE
Okay. You know who Ishmael was in
your Old Testament...?
LIAM
Come on, Ike. You know I was raised
Catholic. I don’t know squat about
the Bible.
IKE
Well, just listen. In Genesis,
Ishmael was the son of Hagar, the
slave girl in Abraham’s household.
LIAM
Okay.
IKE
See, Sarah was old and barren. In
those times, a man whose wife could
not conceive could have a child
with a servant girl. Well, that’s
what it says in Genesis, that Sarah
the wife set it up for Abraham to
have a child with Hagar. So they
did, and the child was named
Ishmael, supposedly son of Abraham.
LIAM
Why supposedly?
IKE
Let me finish. So after Ishmael is
born, Sarah, the ninety-year-old
wife, gets pregnant and she and
Abraham have Isaac.
LIAM
That’s the one God told Abraham to
slay with a knife as a sacrifice.
IKE
Right. But God stopped Abraham and
saved Isaac. Isaac became the
fountainhead for Judaism, all
twelve tribes descending from
Abraham through Isaac.
LIAM
What happened to Ishmael?
IKE
Six hundred years after Christ
died, Muhammad comes along and
writes the Quran, which he said was
the word of God. And in it,
Muhammad says he’s a descendant of
Abraham through Ishmael.
LIAM
I’m waiting.
IKE
I found an ancient scroll in a cave
between here and the Dead Sea. It’s
as old as the Dead Sea Scrolls. In
the same kind of terra cotta pot.
It says plain as day that the slave
girl Hagar was already pregnant
when she lay with Abraham. That’s
why Sarah cast her out into the
desert. Sarah figured it out.
LIAM
And so?
Ike grabs Liam’s forearm and squeezes, half out of his seat,
neck veins distended and face quivering, talking loud.
IKE
The Promised Land. Israel. Abraham
promised it to his blood heirs.
(MORE)
IKE (CONT'D)
The Jews--through Isaac. My scroll
proves Ishmael was not the blood of
Abraham. Islam has no historic
claim to the Promised Land.
Liam jerks his forearm away, rubbing it. He turns to
Menachem, who looks at Ike and Liam, then turns back to keep
an eye on the dining room.
LIAM
How’d you find this scroll?
IKE
I’ve been searching caves in the
mountains between here and the Dead
Sea since I came here twenty-five
years ago. Don’t ask me why. I was
just led to do it.
LIAM
You think you were led to find it?
IKE
I do. By God. It’s why he brought
me here to Israel.
LIAM
If this scroll is bona fide....
IKE
It is. I’ve had it examined by an
archeologist and linguist. They
worked on the Dead Sea Scrolls.
LIAM
Just turn it over to your
government.
Ike slams his palm on the table, spilling Liam’s coffee.
IKE
No!
LIAM
Why not?
IKE
Because they will suppress it to
appease our enemies, who want to
drive us into the sea.
LIAM
Maybe not.
IKE
Oh, yes. It’s a fact. The
government wants the scroll. So do
the Muslims.
LIAM
What Muslims?
IKE
The people following me. Ask
Menachem.
Liam looks over at Menachem.
MENACHEM
I have seen them.
LIAM
Who are they?
Menachem shrugs.
IKE
Muslim zealots who want to destroy
the scroll.
LIAM
So, you want to give it to me so
the gangsters will come after me.
IKE
They won’t know you have it.
LIAM
How do they know you have it?
IKE
I don’t know.
LIAM
Did you talk to someone about it?
IKE
No. Not in specifics. I need you to
get it out of the country.
LIAM
It’s an antiquity, probably
priceless, and you want me to
smuggle it out of Israel and into,
what, the U.S.? Do you know how
many felonies that would involve?
IKE
I wouldn’t ask you if it weren’t so
critical to Israel... the world.
Liam is silent a moment. Menachem watches him.
LIAM
I can’t do this for you, Ike. I’m
not going to break international
law. This is serious business. You
need to work with your government.
Ike is crushed.
LIAM (CONT’D)
Sorry.
Ike recovers a little.
IKE
I can’t tell my government. Let me
just show it to you. Tell the
people back home..., that Crazy Ike
did something important.
LIAM
Where is it?
IKE
I can’t tell you that. I can set up
a meet. Menachem can drive you.
Liam is reluctant, but gives in.
LIAM
All right. But I’m just going to
look.
IKE
That’s fine. Let me leave first and
you two wait a while. I’ll call
Menachem later.
Ike bolts out of the alcove with the coffee carafe.
Genres:
["Drama","Thriller"]
Ratings
Scene
7 -
Conversations in the Volvo
INT. VOLVO. DAY.
Liam rides shotgun, thinking. Menachem points to a hill.
MENACHEM
Mount of Olives.
LIAM
Did you hear all that?
MENACHEM
Yes. Yitzhak talks loud.
LIAM
How long have you known him?
MENACHEM
Many months now. I drive him. I
pick him up at his kibbutz Tel
Qidron and drive him to Jerusalem.
Drop him off different places.
LIAM
You don’t know where he lives?
MENACHEM
No. He has me let him out on
different corners. Very sly.
LIAM
You think he’s crazy?
MENACHEM
I don’t know. But there are men who
follow him. It’s a fact. I’ve seen
them two times, two different days
when I drive Yitzhak.
LIAM
What do they look like?
MENACHEM
Who knows? I saw them only a
moment.
LIAM
He says they’re Muslims.
MENACHEM
They might be. Might be Israelis.
Might be Russians. Might be
anything. Some of our government
agents look worse than criminals.
LIAM
I can’t take the scroll. And Mimi
will throw a fit if I tell her I’m
going to look at it.
MENACHEM
It would put both of you in danger.
Your Mimi seems intelligent.
LIAM
She’s a nurse. (beat) Ike and I
were best buddies at LSU, then when
he was married. He’s always had
mental problems.
MENACHEM
Yes. He told me he was a troubled
young man in the U.S. Drugs, beer.
LIAM
You’ve been driving him a while. Be
honest. What do you think?
MENACHEM
He doesn’t seem crazy to me. He is
responsible and pays well. I hear
him talk on the phone. He is polite
and makes sense.
LIAM
In the U.S. he was manic, highs and
lows, you know?
MENACHEM
I know what bipolar is. I have seen
no sign of that since I drive him.
LIAM
Do you think he really found this
Ishmael Scroll?
MENACHEM
I believe him. He is right about
our government. They would not want
people to know of this scroll. And
the Moos-lims, the Palestinians,
they would want to destroy it.
LIAM
As Ike’s driver you might be in
danger, too.
Menachem shrugged.
MENACHEM
This is Israel. March 8, 2002 I had
coffee at cafe in Rahavia district
with my friend, a pacifist. He was
there every night.
(MORE)
MENACHEM (CONT'D)
The next night, March 9, a
Palestinian suicide bomber blew up
the cafe, killing himself and ten
Israelis, including my friend the
pacifist. Fifty other Jews hurt
very bad. We live with this every
day, scroll or no.
LIAM
Why do they hate Jews so much?
MENACHEM
To explain would take days.
Hundreds of millions Arab Muslims
surrounding Israel want to kill us,
six million Jews here in Israel.
LIAM
I don’t think in the history of the
world, so many have hated so few.
MENACHEM
We grow smaller each year as a
percentage of the world.
LIAM
Did you know Ike’s Ishmael story,
his mother the slave girl?
MENACHEM
Yes. Hagar.
LIAM
So, if Ike’s scroll says Hagar was
already pregnant.
MENACHEM
The Muslim world would have no
claim to the Promised Land that
Abraham promised his descendants.
LIAM
That’s a big deal.
MENACHEM
Really big deal.
The Volvo pulls into the King David porte cochere. Liam gets
out and pulls out his wallet. Menachem stops him.
MENACHEM (CONT’D)
No pay. Yitzhak pays me.
Liam tries to give him a wad of money.
MENACHEM (CONT’D)
Please, no. Give me your cell
number. I call you when Yitzhak
sets up meeting to see the scroll.
Liam taps his phone and holds it out for Menachem to see.
LIAM
I have your card.
Menachem nods and drives off.
Genres:
["Drama","Thriller"]
Ratings
Scene
8 -
Anxiety in the Lobby
INT. KING DAVID HOTEL LOBBY. DAY.
Liam stops at the front desk.
LIAM
Any messages for Liam Connors?
The clerk says no. Liam enters the elevator.
INT. KING DAVID ROOM. DAY.
Liam looks at his cell and the phone on the desk. He plops on
the bed and turns on the television. He channel surfs and
settles on a BBC broadcast of a professional dart match,
complete with play-by-play and color commentators.
The bedside clock reads 1:00 p.m. Liam paces in the room,
looks out the window over the Old City, then leaves.
INT. KING DAVID HOTEL LOBBY. DAY.
Liam talks to the concierge.
LIAM
You talked to her this morning?
CONCIERGE
Yes, Mr. Connors. I went over
directions again.
LIAM
I need to see security.
CONCIERGE
Right away, sir.
The concierge disappears through a door behind the front
desk. Liam paces.
A barrel-chested, fiftyish man in a blazer and tie comes
through the door. He motions for Liam to follow him. They
walk a narrow corridor and enter a room.
INT. KING DAVID SECURITY OFFICE. DAY.
The room is full of monitors showing rooms and common areas.
The security chief extends his hand.
SALZMAN
I am Salzman. Security Chief. We
have images of Mrs. Connors.
Salzman gestures and a technician brings up a view of the
lobby. Mimi talks to the concierge and goes over her map. She
walks out. Under the porte cachere, she waves to Liam.
An outside camera captures Mimi walking away from the hotel.
SALZMAN (CONT’D)
This is all we have.
LIAM
I want to notify the police.
SALZMAN
Perhaps she is having lunch...
LIAM
Mimi Stanton is never late. Never.
Something’s happened.
Salzman bows slightly.
SALZMAN
I will make a call.
Liam gestures for the technician to re-run the tape. He
studies Mimi’s movements outside as Salzman calls.
SALZMAN (CONT’D)
Investigator Akiva Peres is
expecting you at the Jerusalem
Police Station near Jaffa Gate. I
will show you.
Genres:
["Thriller","Mystery","Drama"]
Ratings
Scene
9 -
Desperate Search in the Old City
EXT. KING DAVID GROUNDS. DAY.
Liam takes off walking, map in hand. His pace increases until
he is jogging through pedestrians toward the Old City.
EXT. OUTSIDE OLD CITY. DAY.
On a hill outside the Old City, Liam spots the Police Station
and makes a beeline for it.
INT. POLICE STATION. DAY.
Liam anxiously waits behind a tourist getting directions from
the desk sergeant, an unpleasant-looking woman about sixty,
coarse gray hair. The tourist leaves.
SERGEANT LEEBA
Next.
LIAM
I am Liam Connors. Mr. Salzman from
the King David called.
Leeba doesn’t change her disagreeable expression. She hits a
button on the phone and looks up at Liam.
SERGEANT LEEBA
Her picture.
LIAM
This is a copy of her passport.
Exasperated, she gets up to make copies as a short
investigator, mid-sixties, with wavy salt-and-pepper hair,
Akiva Peres, walks through a door behind the counter.
AKIVA
Mr. Connors?
LIAM
Yes. Investigator Peres?
AKIVA
What is left of him. Follow me.
INT. INVESTIGATORS OFFICE. DAY.
Liam sits across from Akiva Peres, who uses only his index
fingers to tap into his computer. Leeba drops a stack of
pictures of Mimi on his desk. Without a word she leaves.
Peres turns to Liam.
AKIVA
Our delightful Sergeant Leeba.
Liam nods and watches Akiva study Mimi’s photo. Liam notices
one of Akiva’s eyes does not track with the other.
AKIVA (CONT’D)
May I see your passport?
Akiva studies Liam’s passport and taps into his keyboard and
studies his monitor.
AKIVA (CONT’D)
You arrived in Tel Aviv yesterday?
LIAM
Yes, sir. From Rome after ten days
of vacation in Italy.
AKIVA
From Louisiana, U.S.A.?
LIAM
Yes, sir. The South.
AKIVA
Mimi Stanton is not your wife?
LIAM
My wife Annette died in a car crash
two years ago. Mimi is my...
AKIVA
Date?
LIAM
We say girl friend. (beat) I know
it’s only been an hour, but Mimi’s
never late. She’s always aware of
the time, very responsible. She’s a
nurse. Something has happened.
Akiva’s phone buzzes. While he listens, he catches Liam
staring at his bad eye. He hangs up and points to his eye.
AKIVA
A minor skirmish in the Golan.
Liam nods. Akiva looks at Mimi’s photo again.
AKIVA (CONT’D)
Lovely. (beat) Mr. Connors, we are
a small country surrounded by great
numbers of those who want to harm
us. We have cameras everywhere.
(MORE)
AKIVA (CONT’D)
One of my technicians just told me
we have your young lady on camera
entering the Christian Quarter
through the Jaffa Gate shortly
after ten this morning.
LIAM
Time would be right. Do you have
cameras inside the Old City?
AKIVA
Only on major streets and plazas.
We see her the last time passing
the Maronite Convent walking toward
the shops in the Armenian Quarter.
LIAM
And then?
AKIVA
That is all we have. We have broad
coverage of all gates of the Old
City. She has not left.
LIAM
You’re sure?
AKIVA
Our facial recognition software is
very accurate. Developed here in
Israel. Did you know our tiny
country produces more patents per
capita than any other.
LIAM
What can you do to help me?
AKIVA
This is a regular occurrence in our
city. Tourists get lost, get
angry...
LIAM
That’s not...
AKIVA
I believe you. Our protocol says we
do nothing for 24 hours. (beat) But
I will do this for you. I will have
our technicians to send a notice
with her picture to every policeman
on duty in the Old City and in
Greater Jerusalem. And to the
hospitals and clinics.
(MORE)
AKIVA (CONT'D)
Perhaps she became ill.
Unfortunately, that is all I can do
at this point. It is my experience
that she will re-appear soon.
LIAM
Thank you, Investigator Peres. But
I assure you something bad has
happened.
Liam points to the copies of Mimi’s photo.
LIAM (CONT’D)
May I have some of those?
AKIVA
Take all you want. Be careful, Mr.
Connors. Easy to get lost here. Do
you have someone you can call?
LIAM
My driver.
AKIVA
His name?
Liam gave Akiva Menachem’s card. Akiva tapped into his
computer.
AKIVA (CONT’D)
How did you come to hire this man?
LIAM
Through a friend.
AKIVA
A friend in Israel?
LIAM
Yes.
Akiva tapped into his keyboard and looked at his monitor.
AKIVA
What do plan to do now?
LIAM
Call my driver and search the Old
City for Mimi.
AKIVA
Yes. Of course. (beat) Your local
friend, he is Yitzhak Palmer?
Liam tried to conceal his surprise.
LIAM
Yes. College friend. Louisiana.
AKIVA
Have you seen him here?
LIAM
Yes. We had coffee this morning.
AKIVA
Good luck, Mr. Connors.
He wrote on a card and gave it to Liam.
LIAM
I have written my cell number. You
call me direct.
Liam picked up the photos and left.
Genres:
["Mystery","Thriller","Drama"]
Ratings
Scene
10 -
Searching for Mimi
EXT. VIA DOLOROSA CAFE. JAFFA GATE PLAZA. DAY.
Liam sits at an outside table holding the copies of Mimi’s
photo. He looks at his watch and appears relieved when
Menachem arrives.
LIAM
Thank you for coming.
MENACHEM
I am happy you called me to help. I
want to find your wife.
LIAM
She’s not my wife. Her name is Mimi
Stanton. Wife died two years ago.
MENACHEM
I am sorry. You have children?
LIAM
Two daughters. Grown. (beat) I want
to show these photos to everyone we
can in the Old City.
MENACHEM
You want me to show them?
LIAM
Right. But together. I’ll get lost.
MENACHEM
I agree. Better together.
LIAM
Before we start, I want to know
something. Akiva Peres asked me who
my driver was. I gave him your
card. Said a local friend referred
me. You know what he asked next?
MENACHEM
If Yitzhak Palmer was your friend?
LIAM
How did you know?
MENACHEM
This is Israel, Mr. Connors.
LIAM
Call me Liam. Explain.
MENACHEM
We are most secure country in the
world. Have to be. We Israelis
trade privacy for security. Police
know everything. Israeli police are
35,000. But 70,000 more citizens
volunteer to watch, to report.
LIAM
So they know you.
MENACHEM
The police they see me driving my
clients. If a client forgets a
camera or credit card, it is
Menachem who deals with police.
LIAM
Do you know Akiva Peres?
MENACHEM
A war hero. He knows my name and
what I do. He sees me around.
LIAM
Why is Ike Palmer in his system?
MENACHEM
The police know I drive him these
last several months.
LIAM
You’re not answering me.
MENACHEM
Do you ever hear of Jerusalem
Syndrome?
LIAM
No.
Behind them, a waiter drops a cup. It explodes on the stone
floor and Liam jumps.
MENACHEM
Jerusalem has a strange power over
people, especially people who have
some mental sickness. Two million
visitors to Israel each year, some
very religious. They walk in the
steps of the prophets and Jesus,
they touch the stone in the Church
of the Holy Sepulchre...
LIAM
A mystical experience?
MENACHEM
Yes. They change. They believe they
are the Messiah, or a prophet, or
the Virgin Mary. This Jerusalem
Syndrome is real, first named by
physicians here before Israel was
independent. Sometimes over two
hundred cases a year.
LIAM
And Ike Palmer had it?
MENACHEM
How do you say? In spades. He was
here no more than a few months and
he begins to say he is John the
Baptist, making way for the Second
Coming.
LIAM
My God.
MENACHEM
I saw him once myself in the
Christian Quarter. He became well-
known, walking barefoot, half-naked
in the Old City, crying and praying
very loud in English.
LIAM
He needed help.
MENACHEM
The police take him to a sanitarium
and in a few months he returns to
the kibbutz at Tel Qidron, becomes
a hard-working, valuable member. In
the months I drive him, he has not
been crazy. Very intelligent,
religious, and he always tells me
the truth, I think.
Liam looks up at the fading light. He gives Menachem some of
Mimi’s photos.
LIAM
Let’s go. Where do we start?
Genres:
["Drama","Mystery","Thriller"]
Ratings
Scene
11 -
Secrets on Mount Nebo
EXT. FRANCISCAN MONASTERY ON MOUNT NEBO. LATE AFTERNOON
A tall, slender man with a salt-and-pepper beard, Rohullah
Samar, known as Hazara, 40, wearing a plasterer’s uniform,
walks past the Franciscan Monastery atop Mt. Nebo in Jordan.
He sees an older man seated on a stone bench on the overlook.
Hazara takes his time, looking west over the Jordan River
Valley into Israel and the mountains east of Jerusalem.
He sits down on the other end of the bench. The older man,
Akmal Kassab, known as Al Dub, “the Bear,” is mid-sixties,
stocky and bald, with a thick mat of hair covering his
powerful forearms.
The two men look across the Jordan River into Israel.
HAZARA
Beautiful country.
AL DUB
Infested with Hebrew vermin.
HAZARA
The woman was taken in the Old City
this morning without incident.
AL DUB
When will she be moved?
HAZARA
The Black tells me they will move
her out of Jerusalem tonight.
AL DUB
Keep a close watch.
HAZARA
We will. When do I get to meet the
financier?
AL DUB
When I say so. Maybe never.
HAZARA
Is it true he is one of the richest
men in the world?
AL DUB
Who told you that?
HAZARA
I listen.
AL DUB
And you talk. Only if he wishes it
may you learn his identity.
Hazara is stonefaced, staring westward toward Jerusalem.
AL DUB (CONT’D)
Call me in Amman when the woman is
in the new location.
Al Dub walks off down the path. Hazara glances under the
bench and removes a binocular case. He places the strap
around his neck and opens it. The case is filled with stacks
of hundred dollar bills, U.S. currency.
Genres:
["Thriller","Drama"]
Ratings
Scene
12 -
Desperate Search in the Old City
EXT. CHRISTIAN QUARTER OLD CITY. EVENING.
Liam and Menachem show Mimi’s photo to vendors, locals, and
passers by. They have not seen her.
EXT. ARMENIAN QUARTER. OLD CITY. NIGHT.
On twisted and narrow streets, Liam and Menachem stop people
in the darkness. Most are too scared to look at the photo.
EXT. KING DAVID PORTE COCHERE. NIGHT.
Past midnight, the Volvo pulls into the hotel drive. Liam
gets out, pulls a fold of cash from his wallet and tries to
give it to Menachem through the passenger window.
MENACHEM
There is no need to pay me.
LIAM
Please take it, Menachem. You’ve
got obligations. I need you full
time to help find Mimi.
MENACHEM
No, Liam.
Liam drops the money onto the passenger seat.
LIAM
You keep it. I’m hiring you. I want
one hundred per cent of your time
and attention. (beat) Please.
Menachem picks up the money.
LIAM (CONT’D)
Can you be back here at first
light? I want to go to an ATM and
to the U.S. Embassy in Tel Aviv.
MENACHEM
I will.
LIAM
And I want you to call Ike.
MENACHEM
I do not have his number. He calls
me. His number is blocked.
LIAM
Dammit, Menachem. Think. Use your
wits. I want to talk to him in the
morning.
MENACHEM
I will try. Get some rest.
LIAM
Maybe. But not before I get on the
phone and call in some favors.
EXT. JERUSALEM BANK ATM. EARLY MORNING.
Menachem waits at the curb in the Volvo as Liam withdraws a
large amount of cash from an ATM.
Genres:
["Drama","Mystery","Thriller"]
Ratings
Scene
13 -
Fractured Connections
INT. VOLVO. MORNING.
On the road to Tel Aviv, Liam ends a call.
LIAM
Bastards.
MENACHEM
A problem?
LIAM
I’m dealing with the State
Department through a Mississippi
Senator.
MENACHEM
Not Louisiana?
LIAM
We’re not on the best of terms.
MENACHEM
Why?
LIAM
I sued them and the U.S.
government. Settled six weeks ago.
MENACHEM
Why did you sue?
LIAM
The EPA and the Louisiana DEQ tried
to block my sale to Delaware Energy
of fifteen thousand acres of deep
rights I had in the Haynesville
Shale in northwest Louisiana.
MENACHEM
You are in the oil business?
LIAM
Yes.
MENACHEM
You won your suit?
LIAM
Yes. The government agreed to
withdraw their opposition to the
deal. The two Louisiana senators
fought me, took the government
side. But we closed the deal. The
trip to Italy was a celebration.
MENACHEM
It was good for your business?
LIAM
Wall Street Journal reported
Delaware paid me $150 million.
MENACHEM
Wall Street Journal was right?
LIAM
Close. One-fifty and some change.
Menachem whistles.
MENACHEM
That’s a lot of shekels.
LIAM
I’d trade every cent for Mimi.
INT. JERICHO HOUSE. EARLY MORNING.
In total darkness in a small room in a house in Jericho, Mimi
gradually comes to. She’s groggy and sore. It’s too dark to
see anything in the room. She sits up on the hard wooden
“bed” and slowly feels her way around the room.
A foul smell. She covers her nose.
Feeling the walls she moves around, bumping something with
her shin. She reaches down and feels it. It is a nasty
toilet. Next to it is a sink. She turns on the faucet and
drinks the water. It is foul-tasting.
Feeling her way along the wall, Mimi feels a door knob. She
bangs on the door and screams.
MIMI
Help me! Anyone? Help!
She thinks she hears something. She bangs harder on the door.
MAN (O.S.)
Shut up American whore!
Mimi leans against the door, terrified.
Genres:
["Drama","Thriller"]
Ratings
Scene
14 -
Bureaucratic Barriers
EXT. UNITED STATES EMBASSY. TEL AVIV. MORNING.
Menachem maneuvers the Volvo around concrete barriers. A
Marine at the guard house examines their papers.
They park in front of the building, a fortress-like, five
story structure with myriad antennas on the roof.
INT. AMBASSADOR’S OFFICE. MORNING.
Liam and Menachem are ushered into the plush office by a
Marine in dress blues.
The U.S. Ambassador, a woman with severe black-dyed hair and
too much rouge, stands to greet them.
AMBASSADOR
I just got off the phone with
Senator Sumrall, Mr. Connors.
LIAM
Good.
AMBASSADOR
I told him we would do all we can.
LIAM
Thank you.
AMBASSADOR
Your Louisiana Senators were
unavailable?
LIAM
We’ve had our differences.
AMBASSADOR
But you settled your litigation
against our government, no?
LIAM
Yes.
The door opens and a young man, James Exley, enters in a
business suit and wire-rimmed glasses. He stands behind them.
AMBASSADOR
This is Mr. Exley. He is our expert
on staff for this sort of thing.
You’ll be working with him.
EXLEY
We’ll help you find your wife.
LIAM
She’s not my wife. What exactly
will you do?
EXLEY
We will liaise with local law
enforcement to...
LIAM
Do you have people...?
AMBASSADOR
We will stay on top of it with the
police and the Israeli government.
LIAM
But you won’t actually help in the
search? Don’t you have CIA or FBI
agents here in the building?
The Ambassador doesn’t like Liam’s attitude. She walks around
her desk and gestures, making it clear she wants Liam and
Menachem to leave with Exley.
AMBASSADOR
Mr. Exley is an expert at this.
LIAM
At what? Talking?
Liam and Menachem follow Exley out the door.
Genres:
["Drama","Thriller"]
Ratings
Scene
15 -
The Call of Urgency
INT. VOLVO. MORNING.
Menachem drives the highway to Jerusalem.
LIAM
That was a waste of time.
Menachem’s phone buzzes.
MENACHEM
Yes?
He listens for a moment, then hands the phone to Liam.
MENACHEM (CONT’D)
Yitzhak.
Liam taps “speaker” function, holds the phone between them.
LIAM
We need to talk. Where are you?
IKE
I can’t say on this phone.
LIAM
Dammit to hell, Ike. I’ve had
enough of this cloak and dagger
crap. Mimi’s missing and it’s got
something to do with you.
IKE
I’m sorry, Liam. I really am.
LIAM
Sorry’s not enough. Tell me who’s
got her. Where is she?
IKE
I don’t know. And I don’t know
who’s trying to kill me.
LIAM
Who says someone’s trying to kill
you?
IKE
They got word to a friend at Tel
Qidron. Said they would kill me if
I didn’t give them the scroll.
LIAM
You said you trust me.
IKE
I do.
LIAM
Then meet with me and Menachem.
IKE
Too dangerous.
LIAM
This is bull shit.
IKE
If it’s bull shit why’d they take
Mimi? (beat) Look, I’m sorry if
they think you can get them the
scroll. Even if we gave it to them
they’ll kill Mimi anyway.
LIAM
If you don’t work with me on this
I’m telling the police and the
government about your Ishmael
scroll.
IKE
Do what you have to do. The
appeasers in our government will
suppress the truth. I am sorry
about Mimi, but the scroll is more
important than one person’s life.
It will settle a 1400 year dispute
over who owns the Promised Land and
save hundreds of thousands of
Israeli lives. I’m not giving it
up, even for you and Mimi.
Ike hangs up.
LIAM
Take me to Akiva Peres’s station.
MENACHEM
Yitzhak is right about our
government. They will not let the
scroll see the light of day. They
will say there is already enough
hatred against us.
LIAM
And the Muslims?
MENACHEM
They will destroy it.
LIAM
All I care about is Mimi. I’m
telling Akiva Peres everything.
Liam looks out his window at an olive grove.
LIAM (CONT’D)
I think Ike’s crazy. (beat) Do you
believe the scroll is real?
MENACHEM
I only know what Yitzhak says. For
me, I believe him. It explains why
I see people follow him.
Genres:
["Thriller","Drama"]
Ratings
Scene
16 -
Unraveling Secrets
INT. POLICE STATION. DAY.
Menachem and Liam sit across the desk from Akiva Peres.
Sergeant Leeba tosses papers on the desk and walks away.
AKIVA
Lovely, is she not?
LIAM
She always so nasty?
AKIVA
No. Sometimes much worse. Mr. Exley
from the embassy called me. They
wish me luck.
LIAM
I have something to tell you.
Akiva leans back in his chair.
LIAM (CONT’D)
I believe I know why Mimi was
taken.
AKIVA
Something to do with Yitzhak
Palmer.
LIAM
How did you know? (beat) Ike Palmer
and I were close friends in
Lousiana many years ago. Then he
moved here. No word from him for 25
years, then I get a frantic letter.
He wants me here, to give me
something. An ancient document he
found in a jar in a cave. He says
he cannot give it to your
government.
Akiva looks at Menachem.
AKIVA
What does the document say?
MENACHEM
That Hagar the slave girl was
pregnant when she lay with Abraham.
AKIVA
So Muhammad is not a blood
descendant of Abraham.
LIAM
This is what Ike claims. I haven’t
seen the scroll.
Akiva puts his good eye on Menachem.
AKIVA
Do you believe Yitzhak Palmer?
MENACHEM
I see men following him.
Akiva leans back in his chair, hands behind his head.
AKIVA
Now, Mr. Connors, it all makes
sense. We do not have tourists go
missing from the Old City. Have
they contacted you?
LIAM
No.
AKIVA
They will soon. Can you get the
scroll?
LIAM
Ike has gone underground.
Akiva is puzzled.
MENACHEM
He is in hiding. We spoke to him.
He will not give up the scroll.
LIAM
Can you help us find him?
AKIVA
Does he have a bank account?
MENACHEM
Yes. Bank of Jerusalem. I take him
to get money sometimes.
AKIVA
Where does he get his money?
LIAM
He has a wealthy brother on Wall
Street in the U.S. I know him.
MENACHEM
Yes. He mentioned that.
AKIVA
If he has a bank account, I can get
an address.
MENACHEM
It is probably listed as Tel
Qidron.
AKIVA
Will only take a moment to look.
Akiva walks out.
LIAM
I bet he was tough when he was
young.
MENACHEM
He was a hero in the Yom Kippur
war. That’s where he lost his eye.
His company held off the Syrian
army in the Golan and launched the
counter-offensive, driving them
back to Damascus. The cease fire
kept them from taking the Syrian
capital. He spent only one hour
away from the battle to cover his
eye, then back on the field. He is
a famous warrior.
LIAM
Hope he’s a good investigator.
MENACHEM
This is temporary. He was head of
Yamas, the military arm of Shin Bet
and took out a terror cell in
Nazareth.
LIAM
Why was he moved here?
MENACHEM
A raid in P.A. territories is
sensitive. Politics. His superiors
told him to wait. He did not.
Killed five terrorists and seized
many guns and explosives.
LIAM
Sounds like a hero to me.
MENACHEM
Now maybe you understand what
Yitzhak says about our government.
Akiva walks back in and sits down.
LIAM
Anything?
AKIVA
I have an address in Mekor Baruch.
LIAM
Let’s go.
MENACHEM
That may be an old address.
LIAM
One way to find out.
Genres:
["Thriller","Mystery","Drama"]
Ratings
Scene
17 -
The Ransacked Clue
EXT. JERUSALEM STREETS. DAY.
Menachem drives the Volvo, staying within a few feet of the
back end of Akiva’s police car.
INT. VOLVO. DAY.
In the passenger seat, Liam grabs the dashboard, then slams
his foot against an imaginary brake pedal.
LIAM
Jesus!
MENACHEM
Relax. A professional at work.
EXT. HAHASHMONA’IM STREET. DAY.
The three men stand on the sidewalk next to the cars and look
up at the four story apartment building.
AKIVA
No elevator.
MENACHEM
No problem for us. You want to stay
here and rest?
Akiva shoots Menachem a look. They walk up the central steps.
INT. IKE PALMER’S APARTMENT. DAY.
Akiva pushes open the door, already slightly ajar. Akiva
leads the way in. The apartment is in shambles. Furniture is
turned over, pillows cut open, dishes strewn.
AKIVA
Looks like we are late. (beat) Did
Yitzhak say how these people found
out about the scroll he found?
LIAM
No. But I have a good idea.
AKIVA
Yes?
LIAM
In Louisiana, when Ike was in his
manic phase, he talked non-stop. No
way he could have kept a secret.
AKIVA
So you think the wrong people
heard?
LIAM
I think it’s likely. Ike’s his own
worst enemy.
Akiva looks at Menachem.
MENACHEM
Maybe so.
The three men spread out. Liam picks up fragments of torn
prints of maps of ancient and modern Israel, and ripped
photos of Israli heroes, Herzl, Ben-Gurion, Meir, and Dayan.
Empty liquor bottles are shattered on the floor.
LIAM
He’s not supposed to drink on his
medication.
MENACHEM
I never saw him use alcohol.
AKIVA
If the scroll was hidden here,
whoever did this found it.
MENACHEM
He would not have kept it here.
EXT. HAHASHMONA’IM STREET. DAY.
AKIVA
I will return to the station and
make some calls. Talk to some of my
informants in the territories.
MENACHEM
Easier for them to hide her in the
P.A. territories. Not as many eyes.
Liam’s phone buzzes.
LIAM
Hello.
He listens for a minute and ends the call.
LIAM (CONT’D)
That was Salzman at the King David.
Someone left something for me.
Liam and Menachem hustle into the Volvo and take off.
Genres:
["Thriller","Mystery","Drama"]
Ratings
Scene
18 -
The Mysterious Delivery
INT. KING DAVID SECURITY OFFICE. DAY.
Salzman gives Liam a plastic Ziploc bag with a 5 by 8
envelope inside. Liam studies both sides. One side has “Liam
Connors” printed in pencil.
LIAM
Do you have some latex gloves?
Salzman opens a drawer and gives Liam a pair. Using the
gloves and a sharp letter opener, he opens the envelope and
looks inside. He turns it over and shakes it. A small slip of
paper falls out. Liam holds it out for them to see.
MENACHEM
It is a local phone number.
LIAM
Who brought this?
SALZMAN
A small boy left it at the front
desk. We have him on tape.
Salzman gestures to a technician. On the monitor, they watch
a small boy walk into the lobby with his head down. He is
barely tall enough to put the letter on the counter. He walks
out, head still down.
SALZMAN (CONT’D)
Someone told him to look down.
MENACHEM
He looks like every young Arab boy.
SALZMAN
Do you want me to call the number?
LIAM
No. We’re taking this to Akiva
Peres. Thanks, Mr. Salzman.
Genres:
["Thriller","Mystery"]
Ratings
Scene
19 -
Urgent Call at the Police Station
INT. POLICE STATION. DAY.
Akiva, Liam, and Menachem watch a police technician set up
the recording and triangulation devices to track the call.
AKIVA
This is a disposable phone, so the
number will do us no good. We may
be able to find the location.
(beat) Ready?
Liam nods and the technician taps in the number. Liam gets
close to the phone. A man answers, his voice disguised.
MAN
Mr. Connors?
LIAM
Yes. Who is this?
MAN
Do you have the scroll?
LIAM
No.
MAN
Where is Palmer?
LIAM
I don’t know.
MAN
We will release your woman when you
give us the scroll.
LIAM
But....
The call ends. Akiva looks at the technician. He says no.
AKIVA
Not enough time.
LIAM
But we confirmed Mimi is being held
hostage for the scroll. How did
they connect us to Ike?
AKIVA
The men who follow him. They saw
you. They cannot catch Yitzhak so
they take her. Make you find him.
LIAM
It had to be the day we landed.
MENACHEM
I think they watch you with Yitzhak
in the cafe in Machne. We go talk
to the old man.
AKIVA
I keep this note and envelope as
evidence. You go. I will talk to my
people on the street.
Genres:
["Thriller","Mystery","Crime"]
Ratings
Scene
20 -
Surveillance in the Market
EXT. MAHANE YEHUDA OPEN MARKET. DAY.
Liam follows Menachem through the bedlam of the crowded
market. They stop outside the cafe next to the old man’s
display of produce and nuts. Liam watches a pigeon perched on
a crate eating cracked walnuts. Menachem speaks Arabic to the
owner, then makes a phone call. Menachem nods to Liam and
they walk in the cafe in the back and sit down.
Yusef, the Bedouin waiter with the bad scar, comes out of the
kitchen wearing a big smile. It fades when he sees them.
MENACHEM
Ah, Yusef. Two coffees.
Yusef bows and backs into the kitchen.
MENACHEM (CONT’D)
Yusef is not happy to see us.
LIAM
Nervous.
Yusef returns with two small cups. He places them on the
table and quickly backs away.
MENACHEM
Yusef.
Yusef stops in his tracks. His eyes wide.
MENACHEM (CONT’D)
Two date pastries.
Yusef hurries back into the kitchen.
MENACHEM (CONT’D)
He is too stupid to hide his fear.
He knows something.
Yusef returns with the pastries. Menachem pulls out a chair.
MENACHEM (CONT’D)
Sit down a moment, Yusef.
Yusef shakes his head no. He points to the front.
MENACHEM (CONT’D)
The old man? Let me ask you
something.
Menachem questions Yusef in Arabic. Yusef keeps his head
down, his eyes staring blankly at the floor.
Menachem pats him on the shoulder. Yusef returns to the
kitchen.
LIAM
He’s scared.
MENACHEM
And he is lying. He said he had
never seen Yitzhak before last
night. I know myself Yusef has
served Yitzhak in here many times.
LIAM
Ike’s not the kind of guy you
forget.
MENACHEM
We can go now.
LIAM
No. Put some pressure on him. Talk
to the owner and....
MENACHEM
Yusef will not talk, but he will
lead us somewhere. I have two young
Bedouin brothers on their way here.
LIAM
That’s who you called?
MENACHEM
Yes. Mahmoud is the older brother.
I have worked with him many times.
He will follow Yusef for us. We say
here “it takes a Bedouin to catch a
Bedouin.” Mahmoud is smart,
cunning. Yusef is not.
LIAM
Worked with Mahmoud on what?
MENACHEM
Different things. When there are no
tours, I do odd jobs. Some for
lawyers.
LIAM
Detective work?
MENACHEM
Let us wait outside.
Menachem leaves money on the table. Outside the cafe in the
owner’s stall, Menachem chats with the old man until he spies
a young Arab in the crowd. Menachem busses the old man and
walks away. Liam follows Menachem around the corner, where
the young Bedouin boy joins them.
MENACHEM (CONT’D)
Liam, this is Mahmoud.
Mahmoud, 18, slender, wearing jeans, tee shirt, and sneakers
extends his hand to Liam. Menachem speaks in Arabic.
Mahmoud leaves them. Menachem leads Liam through the market.
LIAM
What did you say?
MENACHEM
Mahmoud’s brother is already around
the back of the cafe watching for
Yusef. They will follow Yusef and
call me. If Yusef is involved, he
will lead us to the others.
LIAM
What is his brother’s name?
MENACHEM
You cannot pronounce it. Call him
Brother. We go to my home and wait.
Genres:
["Mystery","Thriller","Crime"]
Ratings
Scene
21 -
The Arsenal Revealed
INT. VOLVO. DUSK.
Menachem maneuvers the Volvo through dusty streets. He
answers his phone.
MENACHEM
Yes.
Menachem pulls to the curb. He looks at Liam in the passenger
seat as he listens, gives him a thumbs up.
MENACHEM (CONT’D)
Very well.
Menachem hangs up.
MENACHEM (CONT’D)
That was Akiva Peres. One of his
informants says he knows of the
kidnapping of Mimi. He says it is a
Hamas operation.
LIAM
Hamas militia?
MENACHEM
No. Akiva says civilians. Very
devout Sunnis.
LIAM
Not too religious to kidnap an
innocent woman.
MENACHEM
This is good news. If they are
holding Mimi for religious reason,
they may not harm her if we give
them the scroll to destroy.
LIAM
May not harm her?
Menachem shrugs.
MENACHEM
Now for bad news. Akiva and I
agree. These Sunnis will be holding
her in an occupied West Bank
territory. More secure for them.
LIAM
Where would they keep her?
MENACHEM
Nazareth, Bethlehem, Hebron,
Jericho, or maybe small town.
LIAM
Okay.
MENACHEM
Not okay. It means Akiva and police
cannot enter without permission
from Palestinian Authority. Mimi is
not Israeli citizen.
LIAM
That’s crap. So who do we have to
talk to?
MENACHEM
Political council. Much, much
delay. Maybe weeks to get okay.
(beat) This is why Akiva Peres was
suspended from Shin Bet, demoted to
police investigator. He killed
terrorists, but without permission.
LIAM
Can we hire some mercenaries to go
in? I’ll pay whatever it takes.
MENACHEM
We would have to go to Amman.
LIAM
I don’t want to hire a gun hand who
might turn on us.
MENACHEM
Exactly the problem. This is Middle
East. Hard to trust anyone.
LIAM
So we do it ourselves. Leave the
police and government out of it.
Menachem gets very serious.
MENACHEM
Can you shoot a gun?
LIAM
I had weapons training in the
military. I carry a Glock when I’m
alone in the oil field.
MENACHEM
It is different to shoot at a man.
LIAM
If he took Mimi, I can shoot him.
MENACHEM
When I meet you at airport, I did
not think you are this kind of man.
LIAM
I wasn’t then. I am now.
Menachem pulls away from the curb.
LIAM (CONT’D)
What about you? Can you use a gun?
MENACHEM
Maybe. (beat) We are near my home.
EXT. JERUSALEM STREETS. DUSK.
Menachem stops in front of a cinder block building with a
locked gate barring entrance to the driveway. He gets out and
unlocks the gate, drives in and locks the gate behind them.
He opens the garage door and drives the Volvo in. The door
closes. A light comes on and they step from the car.
INT. MENACHEM’S GARAGE. NIGHT.
Liam looks around the room, his mouth open. The walls are
lined with shelves and hooks holding semi-automatic rifles,
pistols, night vision gear, machine guns, and military
clothing and gear of every kind imaginable.
Genres:
["Thriller","Action","Drama"]
Ratings
Scene
22 -
Night of Distress and Preparation
INT. JERICHO HOUSE. NIGHT.
Mimi lies on the wooden table in the pitch black, nasty
bathroom. She lurches to her feet and vomits into the open
toilet, then grabs her stomach and doubles over.
She climbs back on the table and lies down, crying. Outside
the door, she hears the sound of a hammer driving nails into
wood. She holds her stomach and groans.
INT. MENACHEM’S GARAGE. NIGHT.
Menachem opens a door in the garage and flips on a light.
Liam follows him in. It’s a one-lane shooting range with a
man-shaped target on the far wall of bricks and dirt.
While Liam stands in the firing range, Menachem opens a
cabinet and removes a semi-automatic pistol and several
magazines and boxes of bullets. He gives them to Liam.
MENACHEM
Here is Glock you can use.
Liam examines the gun and loads a magazine.
MENACHEM (CONT’D)
And a suppressor. Use for in here.
Neighbors..., you know.
Liam screws in the silencer and aims the gun at the target,
but doesn’t fire.
MENACHEM (CONT’D)
Mahmoud will call soon. You
practice. I will fix some food.
Menachem leaves the firing range. He looks at the gear on the
garage walls and pulls down several sets of black Kevlar
vests and black tactical gear, including night vision
goggles, helmets, and short semi-automatic rifles.
INT. FIRING RANGE. NIGHT.
Liam gets comfortable with the gun. He squeezes off the first
round. He misses the paper man.
LIAM
Gotta do better than that.
Liam fires another, and another. After a few shots, he’s
hitting the target consistently.
Genres:
["Thriller","Action"]
Ratings
Scene
23 -
Night of Despair
INT. JERICHO HOUSE. NIGHT.
Mimi lies on the wooden table, holding her stomach and
groaning. She hears something at the door.
The door flies open. A man wearing long tunic and keffiyeh
stands in the light. Mimi shields her eyes from the glare.
The man seems like a giant.
He barks an order in Arabic. Mimi doesn’t understand. He says
it louder. She sits up on the table. He drags her out of the
bathroom and slings her into the room. Her legs are shaky and
she loses her balance, splaying on the floor.
Mimi looks up to see four other men in Arab attire sitting on
the floor around a round, wooden pole that has been crudely
secured to the ceiling and floor with boards and nails.
The man grunts at Mimi and points at the pole. She stares at
him. He does it again. Mimi doesn’t move.
The man approaches her. She is defiant. He slaps her so hard
it knocks her to the ground.
He drags her to her feet and places her hands on the pole. He
growls at her and points to the pole. Mimi shakes her head.
He slaps her, this time harder. She falls to the floor.
EXT. JERICHO HOUSE. NIGHT.
Mahmoud and his brother huddle behind a stone wall that
surrounds a large house in the center of Jericho. The windows
of the house are boarded, the outside in disrepair as if it
has been abandoned.
They look through a crack in the wall and watch Yusef knock
on the back door of the house. The door opens and he enters.
Mahmoud whispers to his younger brother to stay put. He
scurries over the wall and hustles in the darkness to the
closest window. He looks through the gap between the boards.
INT. JERICHO HOUSE. NIGHT.
Mahmoud sees Yusef take a seat with the other Arabs on the
floor around the pole.
Mahmoud watches the man put Mimi’s hand on the pole and bark
an order at her. Mimi shakes her head.
The man hits Mimi with his fist. She falls on the floor.
Dazed, she cannot get up. The man drags her to her feet. He
hits her again, breaking her nose. Blood spews everywhere.
Angry, the man drags her back to her bathroom cell.
EXT. JERICHO HOUSE. NIGHT.
Mahmoud scampers back over the wall to join his brother. He
whispers and points to his phone, then runs off in the
darkness, leaving his brother to watch the house.
INT. MENACHEM’S GARAGE. NIGHT.
Liam places the Glock and ammunition on a shelf and opens the
door to enter the house.
INT. MENACHEM’S HOUSE. NIGHT.
Liam walks into the small kitchen. Menachem is speaking
Arabic on his phone. There is black military garb and gear
spread throughout the kitchen.
Liam leans against a kitchen cabinet. Menachem is on the
phone.
Genres:
["Thriller","Drama"]
Ratings
Scene
24 -
Night Raid and Urgent Resolve
EXT. JERICHO HOUSE. NIGHT.
Mahmoud’s brother leans against the wall, alone in the
darkness. The house is now dark inside. He hears something
and looks through the crack. He sees several men in black
combat gear with weapons ready and night vision goggles
creeping toward the front door.
He watches as the men gather at the front and back doors,
prepare their weapons, then burst through.
Eyes wide, the brother stares through the crack and hears
thuds, thumps, muffled screams, and suppressed weapons fire.
INT. MENACHEM’S HOUSE. NIGHT.
Menachem ends the call.
MENACHEM
Mahmoud.
LIAM
What did he say?
MENACHEM
He said they followed Yusef to
Jericho.
LIAM
Where is that?
MENACHEM
East. Not far. He said they watched
Yusef enter a house in center of
Jericho. Said the house is boarded
up, maybe abandoned.
LIAM
Did they look inside?
MENACHEM
Mahmoud says he went over wall and
looked through window.
LIAM
And? Come on.
MENACHEM
He sees an American woman with
short, dark hair.
LIAM
Was she all right?
MENACHEM
He sees a man knock her down with
his fist.
Liam grits his teeth and grabs a black Kevlar vest off the
cabinet.
LIAM
Let’s go.
Genres:
["Thriller","Action","Drama"]
Ratings
Scene
25 -
Checkpoint Encounter
INT. VOLVO. NIGHT.
Menachem pushes the Volvo hard, speeding eastward into the
dark night. He and Liam wear their street clothes.
LIAM
Who are you, Menachem?
MENACHEM
Me? I am a driver.
LIAM
You’re not just a tour guide.
MENACHEM
The guns, the military gear, I
collect them.
(MORE)
MENACHEM (CONT'D)
I have weapons from every war my
country has fought, from 1948 fight
for freedom, through Six Day War,
Yom Kippur, everything.
LIAM
Some of the weapons are new.
MENACHEM
Correct. It is my hobby. Some men
collect art or wine. Me? Guns.
LIAM
Right.
MENACHEM
I forget to tell you something else
Mahmoud tells me.
LIAM
What?
MENACHEM
Mahmoud and Brother have heard
information on Yitzhak from Bedouin
cousins.
LIAM
Where is he?
MENACHEM
Mountains in the desert. South of
this highway.
Liam looks to his right into the darkness. Craggy mountains
are silhouetted against a black sky.
LIAM
If we get Mimi tonight it won’t
matter.
MENACHEM
For sure. Check point up ahead. I
know the guards. I come through
here every week with tourists.
EXT. JERICHO CHECKPOINT. NIGHT.
The Volvo stops at a fortified checkpoint.
A guard carrying an SAR grins when he sees Menachem. The two
of them laugh and talk. The guard waves Menachem through,
paying little attention to Liam.
Genres:
["Action","Thriller"]
Ratings
Scene
26 -
Night of Terror
INT. JERICHO HOUSE. NIGHT.
Weapons flash in the darkness as the intruders shoot the
startled men in the house. They were sleeping, taken by
surprise and defenseless.
One of the victims is shot through the head after he stabs a
black-clad invader in the neck.
INT. JERICHO HOUSE BATHROOM. NIGHT.
Mimi is terrified by the sounds outside her door. Her door
bursts open. A man in combat gear with an AK-47 jerks her out
of the bathroom and slings her across the floor.
INT. JERICHO HOUSE. NIGHT.
Two of the intruders roll up Mimi in a rug.
EXT. JERICHO HOUSE. NIGHT.
Mahmoud’s brother watches wide-eyed as the men who burst into
the house exit the front door into the darkness.
One of the men carries a rolled-up rug over his shoulder.
EXT. JERICHO SQUARE. NIGHT.
The Volvo pulls slowly into the deserted, poorly-lighted
square in the center of town. A light flashes in an alley.
Menachem stops at the alley. Mahmoud emerges from the dark
alley and quietly gets in the back seat.
INT. VOLVO. NIGHT.
Mahmoud sits up and gives directions to Menachem in Arabic.
The Volvo glides through the dark streets.
Mahmoud whispers in Arabic and points. Menachem pulls over
into a dark car park.
EXT. JERICHO CAR PARK. NIGHT.
Menachem and Liam remove their gear from the trunk and suit
up, checking their weapons and screwing on silencers.
They follow Mahmoud into the darkness.
EXT. JERICHO HOUSE. NIGHT.
The three of them join Brother in the darkness at the wall
surrounding the house.
Brother whispers and gestures, excited to tell Mahmoud and
Menachem what he’s seen.
MENACHEM
Brother says other men have gone in
the house with guns.
LIAM
Who?
MENACHEM
He does not know. They left. Not
long ago. There has been no
movement in the house since.
Mahmoud scampers over the wall. Menachem tries to stop him
but it’s too late.
They watch as Mahmoud looks through a boarded window, then
creeps to the back door. It’s open. He pushes it and walks
inside. After a moment, Mahmoud reappears and gestures for
them to join him.
Menachem bounds over the wall and runs in a crouch to the
back door followed by Liam and Brother.
They creep in. Menachem turns on his flashlight.
Genres:
["Action","Thriller"]
Ratings
Scene
27 -
Night of Terror in Jericho
INT. JERICHO HOUSE. NIGHT.
Menachem leads the way. Liam has his own flashlight and his
Glock pistol ready to fire.
Pools and streaks of blood everywhere. A slaughterhouse.
Menachem turns to Liam.
MENACHEM
Maybe you should wait....
LIAM
No. We clear every room. I’ll take
Mahmoud.
Menachem speaks quietly to Mahmoud and Brother. Mahmoud nods
and walks behind Liam to the first body. Liam turns him over
and calls out to Menachem in a stage whisper.
LIAM (CONT’D)
It’s Yusef.
Yusef’s eyes are wide, his jagged scar smeared with blood.
Liam motions to Mahmoud and they go into a room.
Liam shines his light on two dead men in bloody white thobes
and red and white checked keffiyehs.
Liam hears Menachem calling to him. He and Mahmoud join
Menachem.
LIAM (CONT’D)
Any sign of Mimi?
Brother joins them and says something to Menachem.
MENACHEM
No. She is not here. Seven dead
men, including Yusef.
Liam takes a deep breath.
LIAM
Thank God.
MENACHEM
Brother tells me one of the men who
came in the house with guns left
carrying a rug over his shoulder.
LIAM
Mimi.
MENACHEM
I am sure. We are dealing with a
new set of kidnappers.
LIAM
Why do you say that?
MENACHEM
Let me show you.
Menachem shines his light into a room. There’s a corpse on
the floor in black tactical gear and a balaclava. There is a
knife buried to the hilt in his neck.
Menachem pulls down the black turtleneck revealing Arabic
characters tattooed on his neck.
LIAM
What is that?
MENACHEM
I explain later. Come see what
Brother found.
They walk to the small bathroom where Mimi had been held.
Menachem shines his light on the corner of the wooden table.
“Mimi” is scratched into the wood.
Menachem says something to Brother, who holds out his open
palm for Liam. In his palm is a fake fingernail painted red.
Liam studies the nail with his light.
MENACHEM (CONT’D)
Brother found it on the bathroom
floor.
LIAM
At least she’s alive. (beat) Let me
look at the other bodies and we’ll
get out of here.
Liam leads Mahmoud through the other rooms.
EXT. JERICHO HOUSE. NIGHT.
Menachem huddles with Mahmoud and Brother after they scale
the wall outside the house.
MENACHEM
Brother says he did not hear
gunshots. He saw flashes of light.
LIAM
They used suppressors.
Professionals.
MENACHEM
Yes. And the Sunnis were not. They
are civilians. Easy to kill.
LIAM
So Akiva’s informant was right.
The brothers take off running into the darkness.
LIAM (CONT’D)
Where are they going?
MENACHEM
They will meet us on the highway.
We cannot take them through the
checkpoint.
Liam and Menachem shed their tactical clothing and weapons
and hide them in a compartment in the Volvo’s trunk.
Genres:
["Thriller","Action","Mystery"]
Ratings
Scene
28 -
Secrets in the Shadows
INT. VOLVO. NIGHT.
The Volvo moves quietly through the dark streets of Jericho.
LIAM
The tattoo.
MENACHEM
It is a name. Ali ibn Abi Talib.
Muhammad’s cousin. Shia sect wanted
him to succeed Muhammad. Sunnis
wanted Abu Baker, Muhammad’s second
in command.
LIAM
I read that’s where the schism
began. So the dead man in the black
mask is Shia?
MENACHEM
And all the other dead men in the
house, including Yusef, Sunni. You
see how they are dressed. I saw
icons and bloody prayer beads in
the house. All Sunni.
LIAM
Why are you telling me this?
MENACHEM
Sunni and Shia do not work
together. They hate each other. The
man in black dressed as a soldier--
he was not with the dead men.
LIAM
He was with the group that Brother
saw enter the house with guns.
MENACHEM
Exactly.
LIAM
So the Shias killed the Sunnis and
took Mimi. Why?
MENACHEM
Only one reason possible: Shia
group wants the scroll.
EXT. JERICHO CHECKPOINT. NIGHT.
Menachem laughs and banters with the same grinning guard, who
waves him through.
The Volvo glides into the darkness beyond the checkpoint.
INT. VOLVO. NIGHT.
Menachem pulls off the road onto the rocks and sand to a flat
area overlooking a wadi. He kills the engine.
Genres:
["Thriller","Action","Drama"]
Ratings
Scene
29 -
Under the Stars: A Desperate Search
EXT. VOLVO. NIGHT.
Liam and Menachem lean against the car. It’s a dark night,
billions of stars in the sky.
LIAM
You don’t think we need more
distance between us and those seven
dead men?
MENACHEM
It will be many days before the
bodies are discovered. P.A. police
are lazy, incompetent. (beat)
Mahmoud should be here any moment.
Liam hears the sound of the boys running in the wadi. Mahmoud
and Brother climb up the bank of the wadi and join them at
the Volvo, breathing hard from the run.
LIAM
Ask them about Ike.
Menachem and the boys talk.
MENACHEM
They say their Bedouin cousins tell
of a strange man they see in recent
days, a man with strange eyes and
wearing animal fur, living in the
mountain caves between Herodium and
Tel Qidron in the Judean Desert.
LIAM
John the Baptist.
Liam pulls from his pocket a wad of bills and hands them to
Menachem.
LIAM (CONT’D)
Give this to Menachem and Brother
for following Yusef and finding the
house.
Menachem explains and gives them money. Their eyes are wide.
LIAM (CONT’D)
Now, tell them if they find Ike
Palmer’s mountain cave I’ll give
them twice that amount.
Menachem translates. Mahmoud and Brother are excited. They
nod enthusiastically and disappear back into the wadi.
MENACHEM
If anyone can find Yitzhak in the
desert, it is Mahmoud and Brother.
Genres:
["Thriller","Action","Drama"]
Ratings
Scene
30 -
Midnight Negotiations
EXT. AMMAN FOUR SEASONS HOTEL ROOM BALCONY. NIGHT.
Anton Brodie, 80, looks over the lights of Amman, Jordan from
his balcony as he sips red wine. His hair is white and
unruly, his face wrinkled and worn--but his eyes vibrant.
A dark-haired Arabic beauty appears next to him and kisses
his cheek. Brodie barely acknowledges her. She leaves.
He walks inside the spacious suite past an ornate, gold clock
on the wall that reads 2:00 a.m.
There’s a light tap on his door. He checks the peephole, puts
down his wine, and opens the door for Akmal Kassab, “Al Dub.”
BRODIE
Come in, my friend.
Brodie greets Al Dub with kisses on each cheek.
BRODIE (CONT’D)
You have news?
AL DUB
We now have the woman.
BRODIE
Excellent.
AL DUB
We will begin negotiations for the
scroll.
BRODIE
Were there any problems?
AL DUB
No. Hazara and The Black are
transporting her to Bethlehem.
BRODIE
Hazara has been an excellent
addition.
AL DUB
He forgets his place. He wants to
meet you.
Brodie laughs.
BRODIE
There’s no reason for that.
AL DUB
That is what I said. He is an
efficient killer. As is The Black.
BRODIE
I have put on my currency
positions.
AL DUB
Good. I would like to discuss again
the disposition of the scroll.
BRODIE
It is important that you protect it
when you take possession. Nothing
is to damage it.
AL DUB
It is a blasphemy and must be
destroyed.
BRODIE
It is an old piece of parchment.
(beat) My friend, we have done
great things in the twenty years we
have worked together. You must
trust me on this.
AL DUB
Its very existence is abomination.
BRODIE
Perhaps you are right. But for my
purposes, I must possess it.
(MORE)
BRODIE (CONT'D)
After the passage of time, you may
do with it as you will.
AL DUB
The woman.
BRODIE
Keep her until we have the scroll,
then do what you want.
AL DUB
Hazara asks for more money. He has
been paid enough.
BRODIE
Give him what he asks. You act as
if it is yours and not mine to
give. Be generous, my friend. Not
everyone is driven by faith.
Genres:
["Thriller","Crime","Drama"]
Ratings
Scene
31 -
Captive in the Shadows
INT. BETHLEHEM HOUSE. NIGHT.
Hazara walks down old wooden steps into a basement. He is
followed by The Black, dressed in black from head to toe, a
black turban on his head, the end of which is draped across
his face so that only his sinister dark eyes show. The Black
carries a rug on his shoulder.
Hazara points to the stone floor. The Black puts the rug down
and slowly unrolls it.
Mimi is dazed, coughing from the dust of the old rug. Her jaw
is swollen and her face cut and bleeding from the beating she
took in Jericho.
Hazara puts shackles around her ankles and wrists and locks
them into the heavy chain that is bolted to the wall and
floor. He rips duct tape off her mouth.
HAZARA
I am sorry I must shackle you, but
you will be more comfortable here
than where you have been.
MIMI
Why are you doing this?
HAZARA
We want what your friend has found.
MIMI
If you’re talking about Ike Palmer,
he’s not my friend. He’s insane. He
probably made it all up.
HAZARA
For your sake, I hope it is not
true. If we do not get the scroll,
then you must die.
Tears form in Mimi’s eyes.
MIMI
I only met Ike Palmer once--
yesterday.
HAZARA
Your husband conspires with him.
MIMI
No. You’re wrong.
HAZARA
Whatever. This is my associate.
There are two others upstairs. They
will bring you food and bottled
water three times a day. They will
bring you a clean bucket at the
same time for your personal needs.
MIMI
Please. Whatever you are being
paid, Liam Connors will pay you
much more to let me go.
Hazara smiles and looks up at The Black for a moment.
HAZARA
That is good to know. He can use
his money to buy the scroll from
his friend Palmer.
MIMI
No, please.
Hazara and The Black walk up the steps, leaving Mimi in
tears.
Genres:
["Thriller","Drama"]
Ratings
Scene
32 -
Urgent Plans and Threatening Calls
INT. MENACHEM’S HOUSE. LATE MORNING.
Liam gets up from the air mattress on the floor and walks
into the kitchen. Menachem holds up the Mr. Coffee carafe.
MENACHEM
Did you sleep?
LIAM
Some.
MENACHEM
I called Akiva Peres.
LIAM
You didn’t tell him about Jericho?
MENACHEM
Of course not.
LIAM
But it would be nice to have Shin
Bet or Mossad involved.
MENACHEM
I am afraid even they are political
these days. Too cautious.
Liam’s phone buzzes. He answers.
LIAM
Hello.
Liam listens.
LIAM (CONT’D)
I don’t have it. How did you get
this number?
Liam gets angry.
LIAM (CONT’D)
I have no idea where is. Listen,
you bastard, do not harm her!! If
you...
He looks at the phone
MENACHEM
The Shias.
LIAM
Same deal. Mimi for the scroll.
MENACHEM
Mahmoud is due to call me soon.
LIAM
We can’t depend on a scavenger hunt
in the desert. We need a Plan B.
(beat) Do you know where we can buy
a fake scroll?
Genres:
["Thriller","Drama"]
Ratings
Scene
33 -
Power Play at Bethlehem House
EXT. BETHLEHEM HOUSE. DAY.
Al Dub walks on a side street to a nondescript building in
the middle of the block. The entrance door is on the side,
off the street in an alley. He knocks.
INT. BETHLEHEM HOUSE. DAY.
Al Dub follows one of the guards up narrow, wooden steps and
enters the main floor of the house, a large room with stone
support columns.
Hazara sits at a dinette table. He gestures for Al Dub to sit
down. Behind Hazara, The Black stands with his back against a
stone column, his eyes focused on Al Dub.
The guard takes a seat against a wall with the other guard.
Both hold AK-47s.
AL DUB
You have made contact?
HAZARA
Yes. This morning. He claims he
does not have it.
AL DUB
Of course.
HAZARA
I have given some thought to the
exchange, where...
AL DUB
I will handle it.
HAZARA
But this is my...
AL DUB
Again you forget your place,
Hazara. You work for me. You do as
I say or you lose your job.
The Black glares at Al Dub.
HAZARA
Very well. As you wish.
AL DUB
We will make the exchange at the
Western Wall.
Hazara looks at Al Dub as if he’s insane.
HAZARA
There is too much security, too
many people.
AL DUB
Listen to me. And learn.
Genres:
["Thriller","Drama"]
Ratings
Scene
34 -
A Conditional Offer
EXT. ISRAEL MUSEUM GROUNDS. DAY.
Liam and Menachem walk through crowds of students and
tourists up the steps of the Israel Museum.
INT. ISRAEL MUSEUM. DAY.
A security guard taps on an office door and escorts Liam and
Menachem in to an office where Dr. Sarah Mendheim, 65, salt-
and-pepper hair, weather-beaten skin, and thick, black-rimmed
glasses greets them.
MENACHEM
Hello, Sarah.
DR. MENDHEIM
Menachem. And this is Mr. Connors?
LIAM
Liam, please. Thanks for seeing us.
DR. MENDHEIM
You are from Louisiana?
LIAM
Yes.
DR. MENDHEIM
I did graduate work at Tulane. Ah.
The food in New Orleans.
LIAM
Yes. I hope you can help us. I
would like to make a donation to
the museum.
DR. MENDHEIM
Wonderful. Let me ring my
associate...
MENACHEM
No, Sarah. Just you.
LIAM
A million dollars. But I need
something from you.
Dr. Mendheim is curious.
Genres:
["Thriller","Drama"]
Ratings
Scene
35 -
Secrets of the Vault
INT. ANTIQUITY VAULT. ISRAEL MUSEUM. DAY.
Dr. Mendheim leads them into a secure vault. There are well-
organized and labeled shelves, lockers, and cabinets.
DR. MENDHEIM
This is where we keep the
forgeries. (beat) You know, Liam,
if your friend did find such a
scroll it would be, as you say in
America, a bombshell. As
significant as finding
archeological proof of Solomon’s
Temple.
LIAM
I don’t know if Ike is telling the
truth. He’s unstable.
DR. MENDHEIM
As you said. (beat) Let me show you
this one. A very impressive fake.
She opens a small safe and removes a terra cotta jar, placing
it in a secure holder on a table. She carefully removes an
ancient parchment from the jar.
LIAM
Looks old.
DR. MENDHEIM
It took us months to prove it was
phony. The parchment is a thousand
years old, and the writing is
Aramaic. The jar itself is several
hundred years older.
LIAM
But you said it is a fake.
DR. MENDHEIM
The parchment is authentic but the
writing on it is a recent forgery.
We believe the criminals found the
ancient parchment then
painstakingly constructed the
Aramaic text. They claimed it was
from the time of Christ.
MENACHEM
You would consider letting Liam
take this?
DR. MENDHEIM
The board has asked me to clear out
this vault to make room for new
forgeries. We get several each
year. The jar is old, but is not
special. We have unearthed hundreds
of jars of this vintage.
LIAM
I can have the money transferred
now if you like.
DR. MENDHEIM
No. You take this. If you save your
lady friend we will discuss your
donation later.
MENACHEM
Very good of you, Dr. Mendheim.
LIAM
Thank you very much.
DR. MENDHEIM
I like to stay on the good side of
Menachem Wladyslaw.
Menachem gives her a peck on the cheek.
EXT. ISRAEL MUSEUM GROUNDS. DAY.
Liam carries the secure container. They dodge tourists and
students.
LIAM
I don’t know who you are, Menachem,
but I’m glad you’re helping me.
MENACHEM
From my driving I know a lot of
people. Some in high places.
Menachem pulls his buzzing phone from his pocket.
MENACHEM (CONT’D)
It’s Mahmoud.
Genres:
["Thriller","Drama"]
Ratings
Scene
36 -
Rituals and Recklessness
EXT. JUDEAN MOUNTAINS. DAY.
Brother lies alone on a rock jutting out on a steep, rocky
slope. He shields his eyes from the sun and watches Ike
Palmer perform below.
Ike is nude. He chants and sings as he whirls on a ledge
outside his cave.
EXT. CAVE LEDGE. DAY.
Ike spreads his feet and extends his arms on the ledge where
he has built a crude stone altar. He prays loudly into the
empty, rocky wadi below.
IKE
You are in me, Yahweh, and I am in
You. I am Your instrument. Do with
me as You will.
Ike twirls around on the ledge, muttering, jabbering. He
enters the cave and returns with a terra cotta jar similar to
the one Dr. Mendheim gave to Liam. He holds the jar in his
outstretched hands.
IKE (CONT’D)
Hark unto me you descendants of
Ishmael. I shall visit upon you the
Truth. With this Ark of the Truth I
shall drive you from this Holy Land
promised by Abraham only to Isaac
and his descendants.
INT. CAVE. DAY.
Ike spreads his goatskin clothing on the floor of the cave
and lies down to sleep. He twitches and rubs his face, then
closes his eyes.
EXT. MOUNTAIN ROAD. DAY.
The back end of the Volvo slides in the rock and gravel road
in the mountains east of Jerusalem. Dust boils up behind the
Volvo as Menachem races up the hill.
INT. VOLVO. DAY.
LIAM
Let’s try to make it alive.
MENACHEM
Do not worry. I am professional.
Liam looks over. Menachem grins.
LIAM
Up there.
Liam points to Mahmoud standing atop a boulder at the
pinnacle of the hill they are climbing. He waves a white rag.
EXT. MOUNTAIN TOP. DAY.
Liam and Menachem get out of the car. In the dust and sun,
Menachem talks to Mahmoud.
MENACHEM
They have located Yitzhak.
LIAM
Mahmoud saw him?
MENACHEM
Yes. Brother is watching the cave.
Mahmoud will show us the way.
LIAM
Could you open the trunk?
MENACHEM
I have my binoculars.
LIAM
I want to get my Glock.
MENACHEM
I do not think you will need it.
LIAM
Probably not. But just in case.
Mahmoud gestures for them to follow him. They walk along the
mountain ridge. The path is dangerous, steep and rocky. Liam
slips and watches a rock tumble down the mountain.
Genres:
["Action","Thriller","Drama"]
Ratings
Scene
37 -
The Ascent to the Cave
EXT. MOUNTAIN TRAIL. DAY.
They have followed Mahmoud over an hour, walking up and down
steep slopes. There is nothing green, only rocks and sand.
LIAM
How much further?
Menachem talks to Mahmoud, who points to a high ridge.
MENACHEM
He says the cave is just over this
next mountain.
LIAM
Let’s get it.
Mahmoud leads the way.
EXT. MOUNTAIN RIDGE. DAY.
Atop the next ridge, Mahmoud gestures for them to get down.
Mahmoud points to a spot on the side of the next cliff and
says something. Menachem looks through his binoculars at the
cave, then at the rocky outcropping above it.
MENACHEM
Take these. He says Yitzhak is in
that cave. Brother is on the rocks
fifty meters above. You will see.
On his stomach, Liam looks through the glasses.
LIAM
Dark in the cave. I see Brother. Is
Mahmoud sure Ike’s still in there?
MENACHEM
If Brother is there, Yitzhak is,
too. If Yitzhak had left, Brother
would have followed.
LIAM
Let’s go.
Mahmoud leads them along the ridge toward the cave.
Genres:
["Action","Thriller"]
Ratings
Scene
38 -
Descent into Danger
EXT. ABOVE THE CAVE. DAY.
Mahmoud stops on the ridge above the outcropping and the
cave. He says something to Menachem.
MENACHEM
Mahmoud says we climb down to join
Brother. He says we must come to
the cave from above. Below is very
steep and we will be seen.
Liam nods. Mahmoud begins to walk down, stepping carefully
from rock to rock. Liam and Menachem follow.
They are almost to Brother’s outcropping. Liam’s foot
dislodges a rock that tumbles down the slope past the cave,
bringing bigger rocks with it.
Mahmoud gestures for Liam and Menachem to hurry and join him
on the outcropping with Brother.
The four of them lie there. Liam hopes the rocks bouncing
past the cave did not give them away.
EXT. CAVE LEDGE. DAY.
Ike Palmer steps from the cave, still naked. He looks up the
mountain. Brother picks the moment to raise his head. Ike
sees him and begins to yell.
IKE
Hey. Who’s there?
EXT. OUTCROPPING ABOVE CAVE. DAY.
Liam gestures to Brother not to worry about being spotted.
LIAM
I need to talk to him anyway,
Menachem.
Menachem nods. Liam inches to the edge of the outcropping
where Ike can see him.
LIAM (CONT’D)
It’s me, Ike. We need to talk.
EXT. CAVE LEDGE. DAY.
Still naked, Ike shields his eyes with his hand and looks at
Liam above him.
IKE
Go away. Take the Moabites and
Babylonians, too.
LIAM
It’s Liam, Ike. They still have
Mimi. I need your help.
Ike disappears into the cave. After a moment, he comes out
dressed in his goatskin, holding a terra cotta jar.
Ike shakes his fist at Liam.
LIAM (CONT’D)
Come on, Ike. Talk to me. Stay put
and I’ll come down by myself.
IKE
Later, alligator.
Ike tucks the jar under his arm and steps off the ledge, his
bare feet moving from rock to rock, beginning his descent.
LIAM
Ike. No one is going to hurt you.
Be careful.
Ike uses his free hand to hold on as he moves down the steep
slope. A gust of wind blows sand in Ike’s face. He brushes it
away and takes a step. The rock moves. Ike’s foot slips.
Ike falls hard, tumbling headlong down the mountain like a
rag doll, hitting one crag, then another. He slides the last
one hundred feet on the rocks and sand and comes to rest in
the deep white sand on the floor of the bone dry wadi.
Genres:
["Action","Thriller","Drama"]
Ratings
Scene
39 -
Final Words in the Wadi
EXT. MOUNTAIN SLOPE. DAY.
After watching Ike fall, Liam and Menachem climb down very
carefully, well behind Mahmoud and Brother.
They finally reach the wadi, and rush to Ike. Mahmoud hands
Liam the goat skin tunic that had ripped off during the fall.
Liam covers Ike’s naked torso. Mahmoud and Brother collect
fragments of the jar that shattered in the fall.
Ike’s glacier blue eyes were wide, his breathing shallow.
Liam looks at Ike’s injuries. Bones protrude from open
fractures of his legs and arms. His right foot is turned at
an impossible angle.
Blood oozes from a wide skull fracture on the side of his
head. Chunks of brain tissue collect on the sand.
IKE
The jar.
Liam gestures and Mahmoud and Brother bring shards of the jar
to show Ike.
IKE (CONT’D)
Empty. Real scroll in cave...not
far. Find it.
Ike tries to point but cannot.
IKE (CONT’D)
People at home. Tell them. Not
crazy.
Ike takes his last breath. Liam makes the sign of the cross.
He pulls a wad of bills from his pocket.
LIAM
Give Mahmoud and Brother this. Tell
them to check every cave within a
five kilometer radius. If they find
it, I’ll give them much more.
Menachem shakes his head.
MENACHEM
It is just another wild story.
LIAM
Maybe. But he knew he was dying.
Why lie? What do we have to lose?
Liam uses his phone to take photos of Ike’s body in the sand.
Menachem gives the boys the money and talks to them,
gesturing, pointing to the hills around them. The boys are
excited about the money and jump at the chance to make more.
LIAM (CONT’D)
Let’s rig up something to carry Ike
to the car.
MENACHEM
Not going to be easy.
LIAM
We can’t leave him here for the
animals.
MENACHEM
We should call Akiva maybe.
LIAM
Not until we get Mimi.
MENACHEM
Then where do we take the body?
LIAM
Your house. (beat) You have a
freezer, don’t you?
Genres:
["Thriller","Drama"]
Ratings
Scene
40 -
The Urgent Exchange
INT. MENACHEM’S GARAGE. NIGHT.
The garage door closes behind the Volvo. Menachem opens the
trunk. He and Liam wrap Ike’s body in a canvas tarp and place
him in the chest freezer in the garage.
LIAM
I’m going to call them and tell
them we’re ready for the swap.
MENACHEM
You don’t want to wait until we see
if Mahmoud and Brother find the
real scroll?
LIAM
Odds are you are right. It probably
doesn’t exist. And the longer they
have Mimi the more danger she’s in.
We already have a scroll.
MENACHEM
It looks authentic to the untrained
eye. But I am certain they will
want to test it.
LIAM
I’m not letting them take it unless
I get Mimi.
MENACHEM
They will insist.
LIAM
So will I.
Liam finds the number in “recent calls” and taps redial.
LIAM (CONT’D)
Yitzhak Palmer is dead. I am
sending photos to this number. I
have the scroll. Ready to trade.
He ends the call abruptly.
MENACHEM
You are a quick study, Mr. Liam
Connors.
Genres:
["Thriller","Drama"]
Ratings
Scene
41 -
The Exchange Plan
INT. BETHLEHEM HOUSE. DAY.
Mimi is chained to the wall and floor. She hears the door to
the main floor open and struggles to sit up.
Hazara walks down the steps, The Black with him.
HAZARA
I have news.
MIMI
Yes?
HAZARA
Your friend says he has the scroll.
He is ready to exchange it for you.
Mimi takes a deep breath.
MIMI
When?
HAZARA
This afternoon.
MIMI
Where do we go?
HAZARA
There will be another person who
will accompany you to the exchange.
He will be here soon.
MIMI
Who is he?
HAZARA
You will see.
EXT. BETHLEHEM STREETS. DAY.
Al Dub walks carrying a duffel bag on a sidewalk crowded with
tourists walking uphill toward the Church of the Nativity.
He grumbles and mutters at the Christian pilgrims, then turns
onto a side street.
INT. BETHLEHEM HOUSE. DAY.
Al Dub walks in with the duffel bag. Hazara greets him. The
Black stares, his back against a column. Two armed guards sit
across the room watching.
AL DUB
Let me see the photograph.
Hazara gives him his phone. Al Dub studies it.
HAZARA
I have looked at all of them. I
believe they are real.
AL DUB
Good. Another dead Jew in Israel.
Six million to go.
HAZARA
The American will not give up the
scroll without getting the woman.
We must make sure it is real before
we release her.
AL DUB
Too much thinking, Hazara. I am an
expert in these things. A few
moments with the scroll and I can
determine if it is authentic.
HAZARA
You can test the document and...?
AL DUB
Do not ask again. You and that
one...
He points to The Black.
AL DUB (CONT’D)
Will accompany me to the Western
Wall but will keep your distance.
No weapons.
HAZARA
As you wish.
AL DUB
Come help me prepare the woman.
Genres:
["Thriller","Drama"]
Ratings
Scene
42 -
Deception at the Western Wall
INT. POLICE STATION. DAY.
Liam and Menachem sit across from Akiva Peres. He lifts the
stub of a soggy cigar butt and puts it in his mouth.
AKIVA
Tell me what you have been doing.
Liam looks over at Menachem.
LIAM
Looking for Mimi. Showing her
picture to everyone we see.
MENACHEM
And continuing our attempts to
contact Yitzhak Palmer.
AKIVA
Have the kidnappers contacted you
again?
LIAM
No.
AKIVA
You are aware how important it is
to share your information with me?
LIAM
Yes, sir. You are in charge. We
have nothing to report.
Akiva chews on his cigar butt and focuses his eye on Liam.
EXT. WESTERN WALL SECURITY. JERUSALEM OLD CITY. DAY.
Al Dub pushes Mimi in a wheelchair toward security. A guard
gestures for him to come through the handicapped entrance.
Mimi is dressed head to toe in a black burqa. Her face is
covered, a mesh slit for her eyes. Mimi’s head lolls on her
chest, moving when Al Dub changes directions.
Women security guards appear sympathetic as they process Mimi
in her chair.
AL DUB
My daughter cannot speak or move.
She is in the final stages of
A.L.S. And you will find three
inhalers to assist her breathing.
SECURITY WOMAN
I am sorry.
AL DUB
She wanted to visit the Wall one
last time.
The woman makes a cursory inspection of one of the inhalers.
They wave Al Dub through.
EXT. WESTERN WALL. JERUSALEM OLD CITY. DAY.
Liam makes his way through worshippers and tourists swarming
the stone plaza that gradually slopes to the Western Wall.
Scores of devout conservative Jews in black suits and hats,
beards and curling side locks, pray at the Wall, rocking and
nodding back and forth, deep in prayer.
Liam looks like the other Western tourists. He wears the
delicate, white yarmulke on the crown of his head and has a
white cotton bag slung over his shoulder.
Liam approaches the Wall and waits for an opening. A
worshipper leaves and Liam takes his place.
While stuffing a small written prayer into a crack between
the huge stones, he appears to pray.
Next to him is an Hasid, an ultra-orthodox Jew, whose head
nods rapidly toward the wall, eyes closed, hands in prayer,
side locks swinging.
Liam closes his eyes and bows his head.
LIAM
Still no sign.
MENACHEM
A man pushing a wheelchair on the
plaza will be easy to see.
LIAM
Stay close.
MENACHEM
Yes. Remember to do as he says.
Believe me. He has a weapon.
Menachem bows to the wall and walks away. Liam stays.
Genres:
["Thriller","Drama"]
Ratings
Scene
43 -
Tension at the Western Wall
EXT. WESTERN WALL. JERUSALEM OLD CITY. DAY.
Al Dub pushes Mimi in the wheelchair toward the Wall. He
glances at the parapet above the wall and nods slightly to
Hazara and The Black, who begin descending toward Al Dub.
As he nears the Wall, Al Dub sees the tall American with a
white bag on his shoulder.
Al Dub stops on the plaza. Liam emerges from the crowd at the
Wall. Al Dub pushes Mimi toward him.
They meet near the Wall, away from the worshippers.
Liam kneels beside Mimi, lifting her veil slightly.
LIAM
You drugged her, you bastard.
AL DUB
She is only sedated. For her own
safety.
LIAM
She better be all right.
Al Dub holds out the inhaler.
AL DUB
If you attempt anything, one spray
of this will kill your woman.
LIAM
And I’ll kill you.
AL DUB
I am ready to meet Allah. Are you
ready to see her die?
Liam controls himself. It’s not easy.
LIAM
Give me the scroll and walk away
ten meters. If it is authentic I
will walk away with it and you can
have your woman. And the
wheelchair.
Liam walks up the slope. Al Dub removes the jar from the bag
and studies it. He takes out the parchment scroll and rubs it
between his thumb and index finger.
Liam’s eyes are locked on Mimi.
The distance between them becomes crowded with worshippers.
Liam moves to keep her in sight.
Liam is so focused he doesn’t realize what is happening.
Dozens of men are between Mimi and him.
EXT. WESTERN WALL. JERUSALEM OLD CITY. DAY.
Menachem senses trouble and walks toward Liam. Out of the
corner of his eye, he sees Hazara and The Black moving down
the slope toward Al Dub. He does not recognize them, but they
seem out of place.
EXT. WESTERN WALL. JERUSALEM OLD CITY. DAY.
Al Dub places the jar containing the scroll back into the
white bag and puts it on his shoulder.
He begins pushing the wheelchair toward the stone wall
perpendicular to the Western Wall.
Liam moves to intercept Al Dub, but the crowd of worshippers
jam together like a rugby scrum, stopping Liam in his tracks.
Liam tries to force his way through but cannot. He pushes
against the wall of men and watches Al Dub push Mimi through
an archway into a corridor.
Liam looks for help. Menachem is caught in the same web of
human bodies. Liam also gets a good look at The Black and
Hazara, who have also been trapped in the wall of men.
Liam grabs a man in front of him and shakes him.
LIAM
Where is he going?
The man cannot understand Liam. Liam pushes him away.
Genres:
["Thriller","Drama"]
Ratings
Scene
44 -
Chasing Shadows
EXT. WESTERN WALL. JERUSALEM OLD CITY. DAY.
Liam and Menachem meet up the slope. Liam is angry.
LIAM
Where does that corridor lead?
MENACHEM
Under the Wall into the tunnels
below the Old City. It is a maze
under there.
LIAM
We can’t just stand here.
MENACHEM
Hundreds of places he can surface
in the Old City from the tunnels.
LIAM
Who are these men?
MENACHEM
Who knows. You can hire hundreds on
the street to do anything for cash.
Liam jerks the yarmulke off his head. He sees a security
camera mounted over the archway.
LIAM
How can we see what they recorded?
MENACHEM
Akiva Peres can get us access.
LIAM
Let’s go. We should have had him
and his men here with us.
MENACHEM
I will call him.
LIAM
What will you tell him?
Menachem shrugs.
INT. BETHLEHEM HOUSE. DAY.
Hazara and The Black enter the main room. The two armed
guards stand up to await instructions.
Hazara makes a call.
HAZARA
Al Dub has disappeared with the
scroll and the woman.
He listens for a moment.
HAZARA (CONT’D)
I am leaving now.
Hazara barks an order to the two guards. They nod and sit
down with their weapons. He motions to The Black.
HAZARA (CONT’D)
He wants to see us.
INT. SECURITY ROOM. WESTERN WALL PLAZA. AFTERNOON.
Menachem speaks Hebrew with the officer in charge. He says
something to a technician, who taps into his computer and
pulls up images of the Western Wall.
LIAM
There.
The officer speaks to the technician, who enlarges the image.
It shows Al Dub pushing the wheelchair through the corridor
leading to the tunnels.
On the image, Al Dub looks up at the camera.
LIAM (CONT’D)
Can you isolate his face and clean
it up.
The technician gets busy.
LIAM (CONT’D)
Can you ask the officer to run it
through their face recognition
software?
Menachem speaks to the tech, who taps into his computer. Liam
gestures for the technician to pull up other images. Liam
spots Hazara and The Black and turns to Menachem.
LIAM (CONT’D)
Those are the two men who tried to
follow him, too. We need close-ups.
Genres:
["Thriller","Mystery","Drama"]
Ratings
Scene
45 -
Unveiling Alliances
INT. MENACHEM’S HOUSE. AFTERNOON.
Liam and Menachem walk through the door into the kitchen.
Akiva Peres sits at the table drinking a cup of coffee. Liam
is taken by surprise.
LIAM
Investigator Peres?
AKIVA
Coffee, Mr. Connors? It’s
Colombian.
LIAM
No, thank you.
AKIVA
Please, have a seat. (beat) Will
you join us, Menachem?
Menachem leans against the kitchen cabinet.
MENACHEM
I prefer to stand.
AKIVA
It is unfortunate the events at the
Western Wall today.
LIAM
I know we should have called you,
but it all came up too fast.
AKIVA
I understand you have a photograph
of the man from security.
Liam places several prints of photographs in front of Akiva.
LIAM
His name is Akmal Kassab, according
to the officer who ran his face.
AKIVA
A.K.A. Al Dub, the Bear in English.
LIAM
You talked to security?
AKIVA
Everyone wants to destroy Israel.
So, we have eyes everywhere--
cameras, drones..., patrolling our
cities, even the PLO controlled
territories.
MENACHEM
Palestinian Authority.
AKIVA
Same thing.
LIAM
You’ve been watching us the whole
time.
AKIVA
Not all the time. But most of it.
LIAM
You saw Al Dub get away today?
AKIVA
Yes. It was quite unexpected.
LIAM
Did you know Mimi was held in
Jericho?
AKIVA
No. From human sources we knew men
were gathering in that house. But
we did not know why.
LIAM
You know those men were murdered?
AKIVA
Yes. I worked with a friend, the
Jericho Chief of Police. They
removed the bodies and any
evidence. (beat) My friend said no
need for publicity. Bad for tourism
in his city. (beat) Did you know
Jericho is the oldest continually
inhabited city in the world?
MENACHEM
I think I told Liam that.
AKIVA
Sorry to repeat the history lesson.
Liam taps the photo of Al Dub.
LIAM
You know about this guy?
AKIVA
Yes. A very elusive man.
Liam pushes the photos of Hazara and The Black.
LIAM
What about these two?
AKIVA
No. Unknown to us.
LIAM
Do you know where Al Dub took Mimi?
AKIVA
No. He knows our cameras and
surveillance systems and moves
accordingly. We know he disappeared
into the tunnels.
LIAM
Al Dub has the Ishmael Scroll.
AKIVA
You mean he has the one you gave
him-the one you obtained from Dr.
Sarah Mendheim at the Museum.
LIAM
You have cameras inside the Museum?
AKIVA
No.
Liam thinks a moment. He looks at Menachem.
LIAM
You two have been working together
on this from day one.
Akiva stands up and puts his hand on Menachem’s shoulder.
AKIVA
This man Menachem Wladyslaw is the
finest driver in all of Israel,
even to this day.
Menachem shrugs at Liam.
AKIVA (CONT’D)
The hero of Wrath of God, if you
ask me. Had he not driven like a
man possessed to get us out of Rome
after our first mission, Operation
Wrath of God would have ended.
LIAM
The mission to avenge the Munich
Olympics Massacre?
MENACHEM
Yes. Akiva Peres was one of the men
I drove.
LIAM
You two have been working together
for thirty years.
MENACHEM
Soon to be forty.
LIAM
The calls you’ve had to take--those
were from Akiva.
MENACHEM
Sometimes I called him.
Akiva points to Menachem.
AKIVA
This old bald eagle still works
with Mossad on occasions like this
one.
LIAM
Mossad arranged for you to drive
Ike.
MENACHEM
As soon as word got to them about
what Yitzhak claimed to have found.
He could not keep his mouth shut,
God rest his soul.
LIAM
We should tell you about what
happened to Ike Palmer.
AKIVA
I have already had Mr. Palmer’s
body removed from Menachem’s
freezer to the morgue. An
unfortunate accident.
LIAM
The jar that shattered was empty.
Before he died he said the real
scroll was in another cave.
AKIVA
It’s not likely it ever existed, if
you ask me. (beat) What do you
think, you old goat?
MENACHEM
With Yitzhak it is impossible to
know.
AKIVA
Even if it is authentic, it does
not matter. It is not words written
two thousand years ago that will
determine who controls the Promised
Land. It is whoever has the most
bombs, the strongest military.
LIAM
What can we do to find Mimi?
AKIVA
Every policeman in the country is
on alert for her. I have sent word
to all my informants and to those
officers in the P.A. territories
who will work with me. I will turn
up something.
Genres:
["Thriller","Mystery","Action"]
Ratings
Scene
46 -
A Deal in the Shadows
EXT. AMMAN, JORDAN. HOTEL BALCONY. NIGHT.
Anton Brodie stands on his balcony overlooking the lights of
Amman. Construction cranes dot the skyline. Over the sounds
of traffic from the streets below rises the call to prayer,
electronically amplified.
Another raven-haired Arab beauty appears at the balcony door.
WOMAN
Someone knocks.
BRODIE
Let them in.
WOMAN
Anything else?
BRODIE
You may go.
INT. AMMAN HOTEL SUITE. NIGHT.
The woman opens the door for Hazara and The Black. She
leaves. Brodie walks in from the balcony.
BRODIE
Welcome, my friend.
HAZARA
Thank you, Mr. Brodie.
Brodie nods to The Black, whose eyes bore into Brodie.
BRODIE
Please, sit down.
Brodie and Hazara sit in deep, comfortable chairs. The Black
stands behind Hazara, his back against the wall.
HAZARA
He prefers to stand.
Brodie pours red wine into one of two glasses on the table
between them. He gestures to Hazara.
HAZARA (CONT’D)
Yes, thank you.
Brodie pours him a glass.
BRODIE
My associate Al Dub believes this
is a sin.
HAZARA
His loss. (beat) I am sorry for
what occurred at the Wall today.
Brodie chuckles.
BRODIE
You obeyed Al Dub. That is what you
were paid to do. The fault is not
yours.
HAZARA
He is devoted to his faith.
BRODIE
His zealotry has become more of a
problem. Today was not a surprise.
HAZARA
You knew?
BRODIE
From the moment we began this quest
for the Ishmael scroll, Al Dub has
urged its destruction. I said no.
He continued to ask.
HAZARA
He has it now. The American killed
the Jew...
BRODIE
Those details do not interest me. I
do not need the scroll. I only need
to spread the word of its existence
to accomplish my goal.
Hazara is surprised. The Black doesn’t blink or move.
HAZARA
May I ask, Mr. Brodie, what you do?
BRODIE
I trade currencies all over the
world. Currencies go up or down in
value with the events of the day. I
take advantage of these events.
Sometimes I must orchestrate the
events.
HAZARA
I do not understand, but I have a
limited education.
BRODIE
No matter. You have different
talents.
HAZARA
I care nothing about religion.
BRODIE
Nor do I. (beat) Did Al Dub tell
you I was born a Jew in Austria?
HAZARA
No matter to me.
BRODIE
I am sure it caused Al Dub great
shame, but he did his job well for
me for over twenty years.
HAZARA
He is a tough old man.
BRODIE
He has made his choice. I want you
to take his place. I understand you
Afghani Hazaras are descended from
Genghis Khan.
HAZARA
So they say. I am honored to work
for you. The Black as well?
BRODIE
Yes. Is he mute?
HAZARA
No. He chooses not to speak. He is
an accomplished killer.
BRODIE
Al Dub told me this.
HAZARA
What do you wish me to do?
BRODIE
Do not worry about the scroll any
further. I have made calls to my
loyal associates in Reuters and the
Associated Press, and to my men in
the occupied territories. Great
civil unrest over the Ishmael
scroll will commence in hours.
HAZARA
Al Dub?
BRODIE
He is not aware that I know of his
cousin’s rental property in Hebron.
I believe he is there. I will have
the address soon.
HAZARA
Very well.
BRODIE
Al Dub knows too much. You
understand?
HAZARA
Consider it done. The woman?
BRODIE
It matters not.
HAZARA
She has seen me.
BRODIE
Your decision. There will be riots
in the P.A.
(MORE)
BRODIE (CONT'D)
Territories beginning tonight and
continuing tomorrow. All Middle
East currencies will plummet.
HAZARA
You will make much money?
BRODIE
A billion American. Maybe more.
Genres:
["Thriller","Espionage"]
Ratings
Scene
47 -
Bound and Betrayed
INT. HEBRON HOUSE. MORNING.
Mimi tries to open her eyes. Groggy, in and out of
consciousness on a strange bed. She becomes aware her feet
and wrists are tied and taped to the bedposts.
She tries to call out, but her voice croaks.
MIMI
Hello. Someone?
Al Dub appears at the door. He stares at her a moment, walks
in and puts duct tape over her mouth. He walks out and closes
the door. She struggles to get the tape off her mouth and
fights against her wrist bindings.
INT. HEBRON HOUSE KITCHEN. MORNING.
Al Dub watches a small television on the counter. Behind the
reporter, protesters are throwing rocks at walls manned by
heavily armed Israeli soldiers. Tires burn in the street.
T.V. REPORTER
The demonstrations appear to be
getting worse. News of the
discovery of the so-called “Ishmael
Scroll” has spread throughout the
Territories, causing unrest and
violence.
There’s a knock on the front door.
INT. HEBRON HOUSE. MORNING.
Al Dub opens the door and welcomes a stern imam with a long
white beard. Al Dub bows slightly as the holy man enters.
Al Dub leads him into the dining room. On the table sits the
terra cotta jar, the white cotton bag crumpled next to it.
AL DUB
May I serve you coffee, Imam?
The imam looks closely at the jar as Al Dub retrieves a small
cup of coffee from the kitchen.
IMAM
You have what we discussed?
Al Dub pulls a stack of currency from his pocket. The imam
puts it inside his tunic.
The holy man pulls the parchment from the jar and studies
the first few pages. Al Dub is nervous, awaiting the verdict.
IMAM (CONT’D)
The writing is Aramaic. The
document is old, but not old
enough.
AL DUB
How can you be sure? Do you need
more time to run tests?
The holy man’s dark eyes flash at Al Dub.
IMAM
This scroll describes a battle from
the First Crusade that was fought
four hundred years after the death
of the Holy Prophet Muhammad.
Al Dub is confused.
IMAM (CONT’D)
It says nothing about Ishmael.
Where did you get this?
AL DUB
From someone who thinks I am a
fool.
The imam leaves. Al Dub places the scroll back inside the
jar, which he puts in the white cotton bag.
Genres:
["Thriller","Drama"]
Ratings
Scene
48 -
Tensions Rise: The Scroll and the Streets
INT. MENACHEM’S HOUSE. MORNING.
Liam sits at the kitchen table scrolling through news items
on Menachem’s laptop. A news report entitled “Ancient Scroll
Disputes Quran” catches his eye. He reads it quickly.
Menachem walks in.
LIAM
You need to read this.
Menachem sits and studies the report.
MENACHEM
How did this become public?
LIAM
It goes on and on about Hagar being
pregnant before she bedded Abraham.
Notice how it emphasizes the scroll
was found and authenticated by
Israelis.
MENACHEM
Yes. Done on purpose to inflame the
streets.
Liam cuts on the television. A reporter describes a seething
mob of protestors in Gaza and full-blown riots in Nazareth
and Bethlehem.
REPORTER
...with the unofficial death toll
now at ten in Bethlehem in the city
center near Nativity Square
resulting from the discovery of
what some in Israel are calling a
new and revealing Dead Sea scroll.
According to sources it questions
Islam’s claim to the Promised Land.
The reporter ducks on camera as a bottle flies over him.
Menachem’s phone buzzes. Liam mutes the T.V.
LIAM
Who was that?
MENACHEM
Akiva Peres. He is on his way.
LIAM
What for?
MENACHEM
An informant in Bethlehem has
identified a building where a
stocky, bald man left yesterday
morning pushing a woman in a
wheelchair.
LIAM
Let’s go.
MENACHEM
No. While we wait for Akiva we get
our weapons ready.
LIAM
Who do you think fed the story
about the scroll to the media?
MENACHEM
Someone who wants blood running in
the streets.
Genres:
["Thriller","Drama"]
Ratings
Scene
49 -
Desperate Measures
INT. AMMAN HOTEL SUITE. MORNING.
Anton Brodie sits at a desk watching currencies plunge in
value on his laptop monitor.
He answers his phone and listens.
BRODIE
Thank you.
He picks up another phone and taps in a number.
BRODIE (CONT’D)
I have the address in Hebron.
INT. HEBRON HOUSE. MORNING.
Mimi has managed to clear the tape from her mouth. She
struggles against the rope and tape on her wrists. Through a
Herculean effort, she manages to contort her body and lunge
at the tape on her wrists, trying to grab it with her teeth.
She misses, and tries again. On the third attempt, she clamps
her teeth onto the tape.
INT. HEBRON HOUSE KITCHEN. MORNING.
Al Dub is mesmerized by the story of riots and deaths in the
Territories. The television captures images of young
Palestinians throwing flaming bottles at Israeli soldiers on
walls and parapets in central Bethlehem.
He holds the jar in his hands.
AL DUB
I must show them this scroll is
fake. Stop these senseless deaths.
(beat) Time to tell the world the
truth about Anton Brodie.
He opens the refrigerator and removes a small vial with a
rubber top. He sees the vial is only half-full.
AL DUB (CONT’D)
It will have to do.
He sticks the syringe needle into the vial and loads the
barrel with all of the liquid.
Genres:
["Thriller","Drama"]
Ratings
Scene
50 -
Coercion and Pursuit
INT. HEBRON HOUSE. MORNING.
Mimi hears the door unlock. She lets go of the tape she’s
been gnawing on and collapses back onto the bed, pretending
to be out.
Al Dub walks in with the syringe. Mimi sees it.
MIMI
No. Please.
She struggles against her bindings. Al Dub stands at the bed.
He removes the duct tape hanging from her cheek.
AL DUB
We do not need this any more.
Mimi jerks and pulls against the tape and rope.
AL DUB (CONT’D)
Be still. I do not want to hurt
you.
MIMI
Don’t do it. Please.
AL DUB
It will only make you sleep.
MIMI
No more of that. I beg you.
Al Dub grabs her arm and gives her the injection. She
collapses back onto the bed. He leaves the room.
INT. HEBRON HOUSE KITCHEN. MORNING.
Al Dub sticks a pistol into an ankle holster hidden in his
boot. He wraps the jar securely in bubble wrap and Styrofoam
and sticks it back in the white cotton bag.
EXT. HEBRON STREETS. MORNING.
Hazara drives a small Peugot van with dark tinted side
windows on the dusty streets. He strains to make out numbers
on the small houses.
INT. PEUGEOT VAN. MORNING.
The Black rides shotgun and stares straight ahead.
HAZARA
I am sure this is the street.
The Black points at the other end of the street. Hazara sees
Al Dub getting into a white Fiat sedan with the white cotton
bag strapped on his shoulder.
HAZARA (CONT’D)
That is the bag the American used
at the Western Wall. Maybe we also
get the famous scroll for Mr.
Brodie.
EXT. HEBRON STREETS. MORNING.
Al Dub gets into the Fiat and drives off.
The Peugeot van follows at a discreet distance.
Genres:
["Thriller","Drama"]
Ratings
Scene
51 -
Tensions on the Road to Bethlehem
EXT. JERUSALEM-BETHLEHEM HIGHWAY. NOON.
Menachem’s Volvo heads south toward Bethlehem.
INT. VOLVO. NOON.
Menachem drives. Liam is in the passenger seat and Akiva
Peres sits in the back. Liam adjusts the Glock in its holster
at his waist and checks the revolver at his ankle. He
struggles with the Kevlar vest under his shirt.
LIAM
You need to stock bigger vests.
AKIVA
Very inconsiderate of you.
MENACHEM
Liam should not be so tall.
EXT. BETHLEHEM CHECKPOINT. AFTERNOON.
Menachem gets out of the Volvo and talks to the guard in
charge. He points to Akiva Peres in the back seat.
INT. VOLVO. AFTERNOON.
Menachem waves to the guard as he drives past and into
Bethlehem.
MENACHEM
I told him you were a rabbi.
AKIVA
And you a movie star?
MENACHEM
He says avoid the area around the
Church of the Nativity. Very
dangerous. Rioting and shooting.
AKIVA
That’s where the house is.
LIAM
Then that’s where we’re going.
MENACHEM
I know a back way.
EXT. BETHLEHEM STREETS. AFTERNOON.
The Volvo enters an alley off a side street. A cinder block
tossed from a building on the alley crashes into the Volvo’s
rear window.
Menachem and Liam jump out with weapons drawn and look up at
the roof of the building. They see nothing.
Akiva tosses the cinder block onto the pavement and brushes
small bits of safety glass from his clothes.
AKIVA
Come on. The building is not far.
They climb back into the Volvo.
EXT. BETHLEHEM STREETS. AFTERNOON.
The Volvo creeps along a deserted back street and stops.
INT. VOLVO. DAY.
Akiva scoots up and points over the front seat.
AKIVA
There is the building.
Akiva opens his door.
MENACHEM
No. You are already in enough
trouble with Shin Bet. Stay in the
car and wait for us.
Akiva closes his door.
AKIVA
Be careful.
LIAM
Where is everyone?
AKIVA
Rioting. It is what they do.
Genres:
["Thriller","Action","Drama"]
Ratings
Scene
52 -
Operation Rescue: The Search for Mimi
EXT. OUTSIDE BUILDING. AFTERNOON.
Liam and Menachem walk casually toward the building.
Menachem carries a back pack. They slide into the passageway
beside the building and check the door. It’s locked.
The screw silencers onto their pistols.
Menachem removes a pick from his pocket and unlocks the door.
Liam starts to go in but Menachem stops him.
Menachem removes a flexible camera snake and eases it past
the door jamb to look inside.
The screen on the camera shows a narrow wooden stairway
leading up a single flight of stairs to another door.
Menachem puts away the camera and starts in. Liam stops him
and goes first.
INT. BETHLEHEM HOUSE. DAY.
Liam creeps up the steps with his back against the wall, his
Glock pointed at the ceiling. Menachem follows.
Halfway up, the stairway creaks. They stop to listen.
Menachem taps Liam, who moves quietly to the next step.
At the top of the steps, there’s no landing. They stand
awkwardly at the wooden door to the main floor. Menachem
offers to pick the lock, but Liam points to the camera.
Menachem activates the camera and puts it under the door. The
screen shows the two guards relaxing in chairs against the
wall across the room.
Liam gestures for Menachem to blow the door open with his
gun. Menachem nods and raises one finger, then two, then
fires several rounds at the knob.
Liam smashes the door open and trains his gun on the guards.
LIAM
Stop where you are.
The guards are frozen a moment, then dash in opposite
directions to get their SARs.
Liam shoots and kills the closest guard just as he picks up
his AK-47. Liam turns to the other guard who has his gun
trained on Liam. Liam dives to the floor shooting, knocking
the guard back against the wall.
Liam points his gun to the second guard, who is still alive.
LIAM (CONT’D)
Where is the woman?
The guard does not understand Liam. His eyes close.
Menachem checks the room. No one else is there. He points to
a door. Liam opens starts to open it with his gun ready.
Menachem stops him and inserts the camera snake. The screen
shows an empty basement.
INT. BETHLEHEM HOUSE BASEMENT. DAY.
Liam walks slowly down the steps to the basement, gun ready
to fire. There’s no one there.
He checks every corner. He sees a heavy chain and clothing on
the floor. He picks up a woman’s filthy blouse and black
slacks. Liam recognizes them as Mimi’s.
MENACHEM
Anything?
LIAM
These are Mimi’s.
MENACHEM
She now wears a burqa. We must
leave.
Liam stuffs the clothing in his shirt. They walk out.
INT. VOLVO. DAY.
Liam and Menachem climb into the front seat.
AKIVA
Well?
MENACHEM
Only two men inside.
LIAM
Mimi was held in the basement. Not
there now.
He holds up her clothes.
AKIVA
My information was good. The two
men?
MENACHEM
Both dead. Courtesy of Mr. Liam
Connors of Louisiana, U.S.A.
LIAM
What now?
AKIVA
Back to Jerusalem. Bethlehem is too
dangerous right now.
EXT. BETHLEHEM STREETS. DAY.
Menachem maneuvers the Volvo through narrow back streets. The
rear window is gone.
Genres:
["Action","Thriller"]
Ratings
Scene
53 -
High-Speed Pursuit at the Checkpoint
EXT. BETHLEHEM CHECKPOINT. DAY.
Al Dub’s Fiat is being examined by the Israeli Border Patrol
guards. They wave him through into Bethlehem.
Two cars behind Al Dub, Hazara opens the Peugeot van to show
the guards it is full of his plaster equipment. A guard
climbs inside the van and checks out everything.
The guards allow Hazara to enter the city.
EXT. BETHLEHEM CHECKPOINT. DAY.
The Volvo pulls through the checkpoint heading back to
Jerusalem.
On the side of the checkpoint for vehicles driving into
Bethlehem, the small Peugeot van is waved through.
INT. VOLVO. DAY.
Liam turns around in the front seat and points to the van.
LIAM
That’s those two guys at the
Western Wall after Al Dub. One has
a big black turban.
MENACHEM
You are sure?
LIAM
It’s them. Turn around!
EXT. BETHLEHEM CHECKPOINT. DAY.
Menachem stomps the Volvo to get around concrete barricades
leading away from Bethlehem. He does a sliding U-turn and
squeals his tires heading back to the checkpoint.
He speeds around the existing line of cars and frantically
waves at the guards, who aim their weapons, then realize it
is Menachem.
He yells something at the guard he talked to on the way in.
The guard waves the Volvo in.
INT. VOLVO. DAY.
LIAM
Faster, Menachem. We’re going to
lose them.
MENACHEM
Buckle your seat belts.
AKIVA
No need. I know where they are
going.
Liam turns around.
AKIVA (CONT’D)
To the riots.
EXT. BETHLEHEM CENTER CITY. DAY.
The Volvo screeches to a halt a hundred feet from the Peugeot
van parked on the sidewalk.
Liam, Menachem, and Akiva jump out and run.
Genres:
["Thriller","Action","Drama"]
Ratings
Scene
54 -
The Discovery in the Cave
EXT. JUDEAN MOUNTAINS. DAY.
Mahmoud and Brother rest on boulders below the next cave to
be explored.
BROTHER
I quit.
MAHMOUD
No. We will search every cave until
we find it.
BROTHER
It does not exist. A crazy man
wearing no clothes.
Mahmoud pulls out a wad of currency.
MAHMOUD
See this? When we find it we get
three times this. We will be rich.
BROTHER
Give me my share now.
MAHMOUD
No. Leave now and I keep it all.
BROTHER
Cheater.
MAHMOUD
I am oldest. I make the rules.
Mahmoud begins climbing to the next cave.
BROTHER
You will find nothing but dried
goat shit like the others.
Mahmoud reaches the cave. He pulls a small flashlight from
his pocket and hits it with his palm. It flickers on.
Brother climbs up to the cave.
INT. CAVE. DAY.
Mahmoud crawls to the back of the cave. His flickering light
catches something in the back of the cave.
The light goes out. Mahmoud hits it several times. No luck.
He reaches into the darkness and feels something. He removes
it carefully and crawls one-handed to the cave entrance.
Mahmoud squints and studies the terra cotta jar he found.
MAHMOUD
I told you.
Brother touches a small piece of paper held against the neck
of the jar with a well-worn leather string.
BROTHER
What is this?
Mahmoud opens the note.
MAHMOUD
It is written in English.
BROTHER
So it is not old.
Mahmoud carefully opens the lid and sees an old document
inside. He quickly closes the jar.
MAHMOUD
It is an old book or something.
(beat) We must find Menachem.
Genres:
["Adventure","Mystery"]
Ratings
Scene
55 -
Chaos in Nativity Square
EXT. BETHLEHEM STREETS. DAY.
Liam, Menachem, and Akiva are stopped by Israeli soldiers.
Menachem talks to them as Akiva turns his face away.
EXT. BETHLEHEM STREETS. DAY.
Al Dub walks uphill toward the crowd spilling out of Nativity
Square adjacent to the Church of the Nativity, the white
cotton bag on his shoulder.
He hears someone speaking through a megaphone. He pushes
through the crowd.
EXT. NATIVITY SQUARE. DAY.
Al Dub sees the speaker standing on a flat bed truck. The
crowd is angry, ready to erupt again.
Above the crowd on parapets surrounding the square are
Israeli soldiers with guns trained on the young Palestinians.
EXT. BETHLEHEM STREETS. DAY.
An Israeli officer leads Liam, Menachem, and Akiva through
back streets to the Church of the Nativity.
INT. CHURCH OF THE NATIVITY. DAY.
The officer leads them through the church, running toward
steps leading upstairs.
INT. CHURCH OF THE NATIVITY STAIRWELL. DAY.
They race up the steps.
EXT. PARAPET ABOVE NATIVITY SQUARE. DAY.
Liam, Menachem, and Akiva rush to the wall to watch the crowd
below. Liam points at Al Dub near the flat bed.
EXT. NATIVITY SQUARE. DAY.
Al Dub bulls his way through to the flat bed. A young man he
forces out of the way reacts, pushing Al Dub back.
Al Dub pulls out a roll of currency and yells into the ear of
the young man.
The young man takes the money and gets several friends to
help him lift Al Dub onto the flat bed.
Al Dub stands up to the startled speaker. He removes the jar
from the white bag.
AL DUB
Here is the scroll. It is a fake!
All this bloodshed started by one
evil Jew to make money.
The angry speaker yells into the megaphone. Al Dub grabs the
megaphone and tries to talk to the crowd. He removes the
ancient parchment from the jar.
AL DUB (CONT’D)
It is a fake! It is not real.
The speaker jerks the megaphone from Al Dub and signals.
Young men climb up on the flat bed and swarm Al Dub.
One young man grabs the terra cotta jar and flings it into
the crowd where it is stomped into shards and dust.
The speaker wrests the parchment from Al Dub, pulls a lighter
from his thawb and sets the document on fire.
The speaker tosses the burning scroll onto the flat bed where
young men stomp it into ashes. They turn to the Israeli
soldiers above them and scream, shaking their fists.
EXT. PARAPET ABOVE NATIVITY SQUARE. DAY.
Amid the heavily armed Israeli soldiers, the three men watch
Al Dub and the speaker.
EXT. NATIVITY SQUARE. DAY.
The young Palestinians throw Al Dub off the flat bed onto the
stone plaza amid the screaming young men.
Al Dub has had enough. He pushes his way out of the crowd.
EXT. PARAPET ABOVE NATIVITY SQUARE. DAY.
Liam spots Hazara and The Black moving through the crowd
toward Al Dub.
LIAM
There they are!
EXT. NATIVITY SQUARE. DAY.
The stocky Syrian cannot see Hazara and The Black. He moves
inexorably toward them.
Al Dub pushes a screaming teenager out of the way. He looks
up to face The Black, mere inches away.
Al Dub reaches for his pistol but it’s too late. The Black
shoves a curved, razor sharp blade into Al Dub’s heart.
Al Dub grabs The Black and shakes him, but his life ebbs
away.
Al Dub falls to the stone plaza, dead.
Hazara leads The Black out of the crowd.
HAZARA
We kill the woman and return to
Jordan.
The Black follows Hazara.
EXT. PARAPET ABOVE NATIVITY SQUARE. DAY.
Liam, Menachem, and Akiva watch The Black kill Al Dub.
LIAM
We’ve got to catch them.
They run from the parapet through the door to the church.
Genres:
["Thriller","Drama"]
Ratings
Scene
56 -
Desperate Struggles and Urgent Pursuits
INT. HEBRON HOUSE. DAY.
Mimi fights the drug, slipping in and out of consciousness.
She screams.
MIMI
Stay awake!
Mimi stretches her neck and contorts her body to grab the
duct tape in her teeth. She twists her head violently and the
tape begins to tear. One more effort tears the tape in half.
She falls back against the bed, exhausted. She fights off the
drug and lunges at her wrist again, this time clinching the
rope in her teeth.
Like a trapped animal, Mimi gnaws at the rope, chewing
through one strand at a time.
EXT. BETHLEHEM CHECKPOINT. DAY.
Menachem jumps from the Volvo and rushes the guard he talked
to earlier. Menachem listens and gets back behind the wheel.
MENACHEM
They did not come out here.
LIAM
Is there another checkpoint?
MENACHEM
One other.
Menachem takes off, the Volvo tires screeching.
Akiva is on his phone in the back seat.
INT. PEUGEOT VAN. DAY.
Hazara drives toward Hebron. The Black rides silently in the
passenger seat, wiping the bloody knife on his black thawb.
INT. HEBRON HOUSE. DAY.
Mimi chews through the final strand of rope and frees her
right hand.
She falls back against the bed. The drug overcomes her and
her eyes close.
EXT. BETHLEHEM CHECKPOINT. DAY.
Menachem talks to the officer in charge and gets back in the
Volvo.
Genres:
["Thriller","Drama"]
Ratings
Scene
57 -
Race Against Time
INT. VOLVO. DAY.
MENACHEM
He remembers the van. Ten minutes
ago. Headed toward Hebron.
Menachem stomps the accelerator. Akiva barks Hebrew
forcefully into his phone, gesticulating.
LIAM
Who is he talking to?
MENACHEM
A technician friend at Shin Bet. He
wants to know where the Peugeot has
been this day.
LIAM
They can do that?
Menachem nods.
MENACHEM
Drone surveillance footage.
AKIVA
They are halfway to Hebron. We will
not catch them unless you drive
like the old days.
Menachem picks up speed, passing other vehicles like they are
standing still.
INT. HEBRON HOUSE. DAY.
Mimi woke up, startled.
MIMI
Got to stay awake.
Her right hand now free, she starts working on the duct tape
and rope securing her left hand.
She tears the tape in half and begins gnawing the rope.
INT. VOLVO. DAY.
Menachem pushes the Volvo, passing everything in sight.
Akiva looks up from his phone.
AKIVA
They are almost to Hebron.
Liam pounds the dashboard.
LIAM
Go. Go.
Liam pulls his Glock from his holster. He makes sure the
magazine is full.
Genres:
["Thriller","Action","Drama"]
Ratings
Scene
58 -
Tense Confrontation in Hebron
EXT. HEBRON OUTSKIRTS. DAY.
Pedestrians, some herding goats, stare at the Volvo as it
speeds past.
INT. VOLVO. DAY.
AKIVA
They should be in sight.
Menachem drives. Liam stares ahead.
LIAM
Where? I don’t see them.
Akiva, phone to his ear, gestures.
AKIVA
They turned off. Turn around.
EXT. HEBRON STREETS. DAY.
Menachem does a one-eighty on the highway, then roars back
toward an intersection.
He screeches to a halt in the middle of the street.
INT. VOLVO. DAY.
LIAM
There. In front of that house.
Menachem speeds down the street toward the Peugeot.
EXT. HEBRON HOUSE. DAY.
Menachem slides to a stop in the yard of Al Dub’s rental
house.
Liam jumps out, his gun pointing at Hazara in the Peugeot van
driver’s seat.
Menachem runs to Liam’s side, his gun drawn.
LIAM
Watch him.
Liam tears off to the house.
INT. HEBRON HOUSE. DAY.
Liam runs through the house with his Glock aimed. He bursts
into the bedroom.
INT. HEBRON HOUSE BEDROOM. DAY.
The Black stands over the bed. Liam screams.
LIAM
Hands up or I kill you.
The Black turns around slowly, the knife in his hand.
There’s no one in the bed.
Liam gestures with his gun. The Black walks out of the
bedroom.
INT. HEBRON HOUSE. DAY.
The Black strolls through the house with Liam holding the
Glock on him.
They exit the front door.
EXT. HEBRON HOUSE FRONT YARD. DAY.
Liam yells out.
LIAM
There’s no one in there.
The Black stands next to the driver’s side door of the
Peugeot, showing no fear.
Menachem and Liam keep their guns trained on The Black and
Hazara. Akiva joins them. He speaks Hebrew to Menachem.
LIAM (CONT’D)
Where is she?
HAZARA
We do not know. We were told she
was here.
LIAM
You were going to kill her?
Hazara shrugs as if he’s bored. The Black is stone-faced.
EXT. HEBRON STREETS. DAY.
A woman covered head to toe in a black burqa, her back
against the cab, bounces in the back of an old pick up truck.
Her bare feet are white.
An old Arab man drives the truck, his toothless wife in the
passenger seat.
Genres:
["Thriller","Drama"]
Ratings
Scene
59 -
A Choice Between Justice and Love
EXT. HEBRON HOUSE FRONT YARD. DAY.
LIAM
What now? We take them in?
MENACHEM
I don’t think so.
LIAM
We kill them?
Akiva chuckles.
AKIVA
Slow down. No, we do not kill them.
LIAM
So what do we do?
MENACHEM
We let them go on their way.
LIAM
They killed the old man.
Menachem looks at Akiva.
MENACHEM
I did not see that.
He turns to Akiva.
MENACHEM (CONT’D)
Did you see them harm someone?
Akiva shakes his head.
MENACHEM (CONT’D)
If Akiva arrests them and you say
you witnessed a murder, many things
will follow. No good things.
LIAM
I’m willing to testify.
MENACHEM
Remember where we are and where
your so-called murder took place.
Territories governed by the
Palestinian Authority.
LIAM
Akiva is not supposed to be here.
MENACHEM
That is the first consequence. He
will never be allowed to return to
Shin Bet or even work as an
investigator with Jerusalem P.D.
Akiva’s phone buzzes. He walks away to talk. Liam and
Menachem keep their guns pointed at Hazara and The Black.
MENACHEM (CONT’D)
And you will be held by the P.A. as
a witness, not allowed to leave the
country.
LIAM
How long?
MENACHEM
Many months. Maybe years. (beat)
Then there will be the inquiry
concerning Yitzhak Palmer’s death.
Liam is thinking, his gun still pointed. Akiva taps Menachem
and says something in Hebrew.
MENACHEM (CONT’D)
Akiva says Mimi is at the local
police station.
LIAM
What?
MENACHEM
We can go there now. Or, we can
place these two under arrest and
wait for the authorities.
Liam lowers his gun. Menachem speaks Arabic to Hazara. The
Black gets in the Peugeot and Hazara waves goodbye as he
drives away.
Liam, Akiva, and Menachem pile in the Volvo and speed off.
EXT. HEBRON POLICE STATION. DAY.
Liam bolts from the Volvo into the station.
INT. HEBRON POLICE STATION. DAY.
Liam races inside and looks around.
A woman in a burqa stands up from a metal chair. Liam stares
at her bare, white feet.
She walks toward him and stumbles. He catches her and pulls
her to him. She lifts her veil and they kiss.
Menachem and Akiva walk in, grinning at the reunion.
Menachem’s phone buzzes. He answers it and walks outside to
talk.
Genres:
["Thriller","Drama"]
Ratings
Scene
60 -
Secrets and Revelations
INT. GULFSTREAM 550 JET. QUEEN ALIA AIRPORT. DAY.
Anton Brodie watches a television report on his laptop as the
jet taxies toward the runway.
REPORTER
The worst appears to be over as
word spreads throughout the Arab
world that the Ishmael Scroll was a
forgery...
Brodie closes his laptop. An administrative assistant in a
suit stands next to Brodie.
BRODIE
They sold our positions as
instructed?
The assistant nods and gives him a sheet of paper. Brodie
studies it a moment. He is very satisfied.
BRODIE (CONT’D)
These are net numbers?
The assistant nods.
BRODIE (CONT’D)
We will do even better in Kabul.
The assistant nods.
BRODIE (CONT’D)
Bring me my wine.
The assistant hands him a glass of red wine.
Brodie buckles his seat belt and the jet takes off. Brodie
sips his wine and looks out of the window at smoke rising on
the horizon in the area of Bethlehem.
INT. ISRAEL MUSEUM. DAY.
Days later, Liam, Mimi, Menachem, and Akiva sit across the
desk from Dr. Sarah Mendheim.
DR. MENDHEIM
Our preliminary conclusion is
subject to further scientific
testing, of course, but all the
scientists here believe the scroll
Mr. Palmer found is authentic.
LIAM
And the writing?
DR. MENDHEIM
Our linguistic experts say Mr.
Palmer’s scroll says exactly what
he claimed--Hagar the servant girl
was already pregnant when she first
lay with Abraham.
LIAM
So, what will come of this.
Dr. Mendheim looks at Menachem and Akiva.
DR. MENDHEIM
This document is very problematic
for us at the Museum.
AKIVA
And for our country as well.
DR. MENDHEIM
It would unleash more violence and
hatred against us. And the fact
that the Israel Museum
authenticated it would undermine
the credibility of the scroll.
LIAM
You can use my donation to build a
vault to house and protect it.
DR. MENDHEIM
No. The Israel Museum cannot be
linked to you or to Mr. Palmer.
Please, no donation. (beat) And I
would ask that you help us keep the
secret of Mr. Palmer’s scroll.
MIMI
We will.
EXT. ISRAEL MUSEUM GROUNDS. DAY.
Menachem walks with Mahmoud and Brother to join Liam, Mimi,
and Akiva.
Liam hands Mahmoud a huge wad of currency. Mahmoud and
Brother are very happy.
MENACHEM
Mahmoud wants to give you the note
that was attached to the jar.
Mahmoud hands him the note. Liam opens it. It reads:
For Liam Connors. Tell everyone at home Ike Palmer found the
Ishmael Scroll.
Liam folds the note and puts it in his pocket. He wipes his
eyes and hugs Mimi.
THE END