INT. JONATHAN'S APARTMENT - NIGHT JONATHAN enters his apartment with a backpack, throwing his keys and mail on a table. The warning light on his answering machine is blinking. He walks to his answering machine and presses 'play.' KIDNAPPER Hello Jonathan. I have something important-- Something you might want back ... JONATHAN Fucking Andy... KIDNAPPER If you want it back you're going to have to listen (click.) Jonathan looks confused and not worried. MELISSA'S MOTHER (beep.) Jonathan? You there? Melissa hasn't come home yet- Is he with you? She's supposed to be back from work at 5, it's 10 now and I'm worried... Jonathan looks up at the clock; it's 10:47. MELISSA'S MOTHER (CONT'D) If she's with you or if you've spoken with her please call or have her call me? Thanks- Love you both. (click.) Jonathan is now a little worried and begins to take off his jacket where right away the phone rings. Jonathan quickly picks up. JONATHAN Hello? KIDNAPPER Hello Jonathan. JONATHAN Stop it, Andy- KIDNAPPER Who the fuck is Andy? JONATHAN Andy, stop-- KIDNAPPER I don't know who Andy is, so shut the fuck up. I've hidden some goodies in your apartment. The clues are flashed and dark faded quickly. JONATHAN What the fuck are you talking about?! Who is this? KIDNAPPER Shut up and listen! JONATHAN Who is this?! KIDNAPPER You're not listening! She's counting on you. JONATHAN I don't know what the fuck you're trying to pull, but go prank call a school teacher or something, I don't have time for this-- KIDNAPPER Make time! It's for her-- I would if I were you... JONATHAN I don't know who you're fucking with-- KIDNAPPER Melissa's eyes don't look so beautiful when they're filled with tears... Still think I'm fucking with you? JONATHAN If you hurt her-- KIDNAPPER Hurt her? Well... I'm not going to kill her... I'm just going to have a little fun with dear ol' Melissa here... Remember when you first met Melissa? JONATHAN Why the hell do you care? KIDNAPPER ANSWER THE QUESTION! JONATHAN What does it have to do with anything?! KIDNAPPER I asked you a question, now answer the fucking question! Do you remember? JONATHAN Yes, at Winthrop Pub. KIDNAPPER Tell me what happened... JONATHAN What? Why? KIDNAPPER TELL ME WHAT FUCKING HAPPENED! JONATHAN Jesus!- Um... I was laid off at the studio so I went to Winthrop's to drink. Where else was I gonna go. KIDNAPPER Yeah, then what. JONATHAN I sat down at the bar-- Drank-- Met Melissa-- KIDNAPPER How. JONATHAN What? KIDNAPPER Exactly what happened... JONATHAN OK!?-- KIDNAPPER You know who she was talking to first? JONATHAN The hell should I know?! KIDNAPPER Me! She was talking to me! If you never showed up she'd be marrying me! JONATHAN What! What are you... insane?! KIDNAPPER Oh- I know. JONATHAN Were you together? KIDNAPPER No. JONATHAN You're sick. KIDNAPPER We could have been together, Jonathan. JONATHAN You need help. KIDNAPPER Me?! Help?! I need help?! From where I'm standing it looks like your little fiance here is the one that needs help! (beat) Well, lets get this kit-and-kabootle started, shall we? What was the name of the drink you had that night. JONATHAN What? How should I know- KIDNAPPER Look in the fridge. JONATHAN I was drunk! KIDNAPPER LOOK! Jonathan walks over to his fridge and opens the door. There are 5 beer bottles of different brands in a row. JONATHAN (studies them nervously) Oh, come on! KIDNAPPER Choose wisely... One choice... Jonathan is staring at the 5 bottles, studying the labels, trying to remember. He then notices a little pull on the end of one of the labels. KIDNAPPER (CONT'D) Five seconds...-- JONATHAN Kellis. I was drinking Kellis. KIDNAPPER Jonathan, that was correct-- Good job. JONATHAN Now where is she! Phone cuts off. JONATHAN (CONT'D) Dammit! Jonathan keeps looking at the bottle in his hand. He flicks at the label. Excited, he peels the label from that corner and on the back is cornered arrows lowering down to titles of books. Jonathan studies the label a little more and runs to his bookshelf in his room and begins to look through the books listed on the label. Finds nothing. He studies the label more and then looks like a bulb lit over his head. The camera zooms onto one of the cornered arrows. CUT TO: FLASHBACK: INT. JONATHAN'S APARTMENT - NIGHT JONATHAN I have a question... MELISSA Shoot. JONATHAN I needed to make sign at work today with this font I was given, but I had no clue how to put it in the computer... MELISSA So... Why didn't you ask someone? JONATHAN Because... I thought I might ask the master. MELISSA Because... You're a shy bastard. JONATHAN Melissa?-- MELISSA OK, this is what you do. Melissa grabs a pen and paper from the side of the bed. MELISSA (CONT'D) You go to (now writing) My computer to C: drive to Windows to Font and you copy the font file into there. JONATHAN What? MELISSA You need me to run by it again- JONATHAN No I just find it sexy when you talk with your technical jargon... Melissa laughs- During the last lines fade back to Jonathan looking at the label. He looks up to his computer and jumps on it. He opens the C: drive to find a movie title folder and opens it to find another movie title folder... Etc... Till he gets to a text file. He opens it to find 11 digits (18465556738). JONATHAN What the--?! What the hell does that mean! 18465556738... Realizing, he jumps up to grab the telephone, brings it back to the computer, and punches in the numbers carefully. There's a pick up but no answer. JONATHAN Hello? KIDNAPPER Jonathan! You got it! Congratulations! Ready for the next clue? JONATHAN I swear if you do anything-- KIDNAPPER Jonathan! Shut up- you're doing so well! You ready for the next clue? Remember the first movie you two watched with eachother? JONATHAN Shit-- KIDNAPPER I do. Why don't you? CUT TO: FLASHBACK: INT. MOVIE RENTAL STORE - NIGHT MELISSA How about this one? JONATHAN Autumn In New York? MELISSA Yeah. JONATHAN You're serious. MELISSA Yes! It looks good! JONATHAN How do you see that? MELISSA It has Richard Gere! JONATHAN (sarcastically) Well, in that case-- MELISSA C'mon! Let's go! (pulls Jonathan along with her by his sleeve) Jonathan and Melissa walk down the aisle past a man who looks up behind them looks at the shelf, raises his arms and throws then down on the shelf of movies. CUT TO: INT. JONATHAN'S CAR - DAY MELISSA (shutting the door, throwing an object onto Jonathan's lap) Got you something. JONATHAN (looking at a VHS tape) Autumn In New York? MELISSA Yeah, it was on the pre-viewed shelf on sale, thought I'd pick it up for you since you enjoyed the movie so much. JONATHAN Thanks-- CUT BACK TO: INT. JONATHAN'S APARTMENT -NIGHT Jonathan runs to his VHS collection and looks for 'Autumn in New York'. [series of shots] He finds it, takes out the tape, looks inside the box, etc... He then puts it into the VCR and presses play-- fast forwards-- watches-- takes the tape out--- looks inside-- puts it in the VCR again-- fast forwards-- takes it out again. He then notices something written in the back of the tape on the film deck. He breaks the tape open and written inside is 'ephebus'. JONATHAN 'Ephebus'... What the fuck is ephebus! Jonathan runs over to his bookshelf again and takes the dictionary. He opens to find 'ephebus' where in sharpie marker is written "turn to page 264". He does and finds it says "turn to page 32". This continues till he gets to a page with a stamp placed in the middle of the page. He then goes up to check his mail. He looks through and finds a letter with his address in sharpie marker. He quickly opens the letter and right before he reads the letter: "You are on the second floor with three light switches in front of you. Only one of those switches works for the light on the first floor. You can only go downstairs to check the light bulb once and one choice only. Which switch is it?" JONATHAN What the fuck! Phone rings. Jonathan grabs it. JONATHAN Hello? KIDNAPPER Do you like my handwriting? JONATHAN What the hell is this? KIDNAPPER A riddle, Jonathan. I thought you'd know a riddle when you saw one! You're smart enough to marry Melissa, yet too stupid to find her- JONATHAN Jesus-- KIDNAPPER What! You should remember this one! I did! JONATHAN C'mon asshole, I'm sick of this! KIDNAPPER C'mon Jonathan, hurry up! JONATHAN Fuck! (looks at the letter and reads to himself) You're on the second floor with three light switches--(Jonathan then becomes lightened)--in front of you. One of those-- The dialog blends with Melissa's voice into a flashback finishing the riddle. Jonathan and Melissa are walking down Thayer Street in Providence on a busy night. (The kidnapper is in the distance following them) MELISSA (pause) Well? JONATHAN Well what? MELISSA What switch is it? JONATHAN I don't know. MELISSA Well, you have to answer it! It's a riddle! JONATHAN I have to a pick a switch- MELISSA Yes. JONATHAN The second one. MELISSA Nooo! You didn't even try! JONATHAN I don't know, Melissa! MELISSA Think about it... How would you figure out which switch it is. You can only have one choice and go downstairs once. JONATHAN I give up. MELISSA Fine-! You're no fun. You flick the first switch and leave it on for a couple minutes or so. Turn it off and flick the second switch. Go down stairs. If the light is on, that's the switch. But if not, feel the bulb if it's warm. If it is, then the first switch is the one. But neither, flick the third switch and bingo-- In between Melissa's dialog it will cut back and forth between Jonathan and her talking. Jonathan finishes. KIDNAPPER Good job Jonathan. (sounds of movement) Looks like you do care for Melissa a great deal. JONATHAN What? That's.. What? KIDNAPPER Knock Knock. (click) Two knocks are heard at his door. Jonathan runs and opens his door. Looks and sees something flash around a corner. He runs after it to a door closing down stairs. He opens and melissa is laying on the ground tied. A green truck speeds off. Camera shows Jonathan untying Melissa crying and holding her- camera moves with truck. Camera pans over to rearview mirror showing the kidnapper's eyes. He looks quick at the camera and screen instantly goes black. End credits.