Secret Justice

Wesley Nelson Sr.

Copyright © 2025 Slick Wes Publishing

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other noncommercial uses permitted by copyright law. For permission requests, write to the publisher, addressed Attention: Book Rights and Permission, at the address below.

Published in the United States of America

ISBN 979-8-89395-020-5 (SC)

ISBN 979-8-89395-019-9 (HC)

ISBN 979-8-89395-021-2 (Ebook)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2024925939

Slick Wes Publishing

222 West 6th Street

Suite 400, San Pedro, CA, 90731

www.stellarliterary.com

Order Information and Rights Permission:

Quantity sales. Special discounts might be available on quantity purchases by corporations, associations, and others. For details, contact the publisher at the address above.

For Book Rights Adaptation and other Rights Permission.

Call us at toll-free 1-888-945-8513 or send us an email at

[email protected].

CHAPEL HILL. CARRBORO. HILLSBORUGH AREA.

ORANGE COUNTY N.C.

FADE IN

FICTION-DRAMA-SCREENPLAY

INT-SEVEN ELEVEN STORE (9:15 PM)

A WARM SPRING NIGHT, APRIL-10-2005

NO OTHER CUSTOMERS IN THE STORE

DIALOGUE

(A medium-tall, thin Caucasian man named BRUCE HAGAN enters the store on Rosemary Street in Chapel Hill. He seems dangerous and wild-eyed, like he’s on drugs. A male Mexican employee named GARCIA LOPEZ stands behind the counter, looking over at him. BRUCE walks over to the potato chips, opens a bag of Classic Lay’s potato chips, and starts to eat them.)

GARCIA

(in a calm voice, with good English)

Sir, you need to pay before you eat. (HIS LEFT HAND OUT IN FRONT OF HIM)

(BRUCE looks at the clerk, walking toward the counter.)

BRUCE

(in a loud angry voice)

This is a stickup, motherfucker; give me all of your fucking money. (He pulls a gun out of the waistband of his pants and points it at the clerk, paying no attention to the camera above the clerk’s head.)

GARCIA

(with a very nervous voice and a surprised look on his face, shaking his head)

Sir, you can have the chips, this is not necessary. Please leave, sir, just leave, please.

DIALOGUE

(BRUCE fires one shot into the clerk’s chest, killing him instantly, jumps the counter, cleans out all the paper money from the cash register, gets cigarettes, and leaves the scene in a white 1999 Toyota Nissan car.)

SAME SCENE

DIALOGUE

(Ten minutes later, two young African American teenage girls named TAMMY PEEK and JESSICA KELLY enter the store and find GARCIA lying against the bottom shelf on the floor, dead under the tobacco behind the counter. They very quickly ran back outside in shock. Using the pay phone at the corner of the store, they dial 911.)

DIALOGUE

(Uniformed police officers with forensic equipment immediately arrive on the scene. As police put yellow crime tape around the front of the store, other people start to gather around outside the store. Two of the finest homicide detectives arrive on the scene as well: a medium-tall African American woman named MICHELLE REYNOLDS and her partner, a medium-tall Caucasian man named STEVE STEIN.)

SAME SCENE

DIALOGUE

(REYNOLDS talks to a forensic investigator, HENRY (a Caucasian short man), who is coming out of the store.)

REYNOLDS

(sensibly)

So how does it look in there, HENRY?

HENRY

(shaking his head no, pointing his right thumb over his shoulder)

That guy in there never had a chance. He was shot at close range, and it is possible he was dead before he hit the floor, looks like with a .38 to me.

STEIN

(sensitive)

How long has it been since this shooting took place? Do we have any witnesses, or better yet, who found the body?

HENRY

(He starts to walk away.)

Maybe 15 to 20 minutes tops since this guy was killed.

(He points his finger.)

I think the two black girls standing over there talking to your people found the body and called it in.

DIALOGUE

(As REYNOLDS and STEIN enter the store, a forensic technician named AIL (Caucasian, short) is taking pictures of GARCIA and the crime scene. STEIN notices the camera on the wall above and tells REYNOLDS.)

DIALOGUE

(REYNOLDS talks to AIL as he looks at her.)

REYNOLDS

(seriously)

AIL, what do we have here, a robbery-homicide?

(pointing her finger at the camera)

AIL, do you know if that camera was turned on when this crime was committed? (They both look at the camera.)

AIL

(looking at REYNOLDS seriously)

Yes, detective, this was a robbery-homicide. As for if that camera was on or not, I don’t know at this time. But we will take the tape back to the lab to see if anything is on it.

(STEIN puts his right hand on AIL’s shoulder)

STEIN

(seriously)

Good job, AIL. MICHELLE, I’m going out here to have a talk with the girls. Maybe they saw something.

DIALOGUE

(STEIN walks out of the store and over to TAMMY and JESSICA. They both look at him as he shows his badge.)

STEIN

(polite)

Hi, I’m Detective STEIN. Can I talk to the both of you for a few minutes here?

(They nod their heads yes.)

DIALOGUE

(Meanwhile, inside the store, REYNOLDS talks to AIL.)

REYNOLDS

AIL, do we know who this guy is?

AIL

He has a wallet here.

(He takes it out of a plastic bag and opens it.)

His name is GARCIA LOPEZ. Also, there is an address here.

(He gives it to REYNOLDS, while he continues taking pictures.)

DIALOGUE

(Just as REYNOLDS is looking into the wallet, a uniformed police officer named ROY (tall, black, fat) enters through the door. REYNOLDS looks at him.)

REYNOLDS

ROY, have we started a canvas yet?

(asked with passion)

ROY

Yes, we have, but we haven’t found anything yet.

(a little irritated)

REYNOLDS

Well, if and when you do, let me know first.

(nodding)

DIALOGUE

(ROY nods and exits back out the store door.)

(Back outside)

STEIN

(politely)

Can you all tell me what you saw or heard?

JESSICA

(seriously, but a little excited)

When we walked in for a drink and candy, we saw that man lying on the floor, it looked like he had been shot with all that blood on the floor.

STEIN

Did you see anyone else, like someone come running out or a car leaving or someone walking down the street?

(He looks at TAMMY)

TAMMY

We were so scared we just ran out of there, when we saw that man lying on the floor. (shaking her head no) I don’t remember seeing anyone coming out or any car leaving the store. (she sounds a little shaken up)

STEIN

(He takes two of his cards out of his wallet and gives them to the girls.)

If you all think of anything else, give me a call, and thank you guys for talking to me.

DIALOGUE

(As STEIN turns and walks away toward the store, TAMMY and JESSICA head for their homes down Rosemary Street in a hurry.)

(In the store)

As two other forensic investigators with the County Coroner’s Office prepare the body for transporting it back to their office, REYNOLDS, AIL, and STEIN take the camera tape back to headquarters on Churton Street to review it.

NEW SCENE

THE SAME NIGHT

INT-HEADQUARTERS

DIALOGUE

(They carry the