Holed up at The Delta
A Short Crime Family Drama Mystery Told Through Time in One Space
by conrad a. panganiban
CAST OF CHARACTERS
BEN: Male. 20s. Filipino. The suave, smart and dangerous henchman for Frankie Lanza and his Gang that ruled the streets of San Francisco in the 1920s.
RHONDA: Female. 20s. Any ethnicity. Ben’s sultry getaway driver and girlfriend.
PHOENIX: Female. 20s-30s. Filipina American. The determined SFPD Homicide Detective who is conducting her own personal investigation.
MALCOLM: Male. Early 20s. Any ethnicity. A Rookie 4th generation SFPD Crime Scene Photographer.
TIME
Scenes with Ben and Rhonda: Summer 1921
Scenes with Phoenix and Malcolm: Present Summer
PLACE
Inside the ramshackle basement hotel room of the Delta Hotel located in the South of Market neighborhood of San Francisco on the corner of Sixth Street and Mission.
PLAYWRIGHT’S NOTE
A style of the 1920’s briefcase with a lock can be found here: http://www.etsy.com/listing/78954383/antique-brown-leatherbriefcase-circa
While lights are still off, Drum and Bass beats weave through the audience as the music of the Charleston being played on an old phonograph slowly twists its way into the fibers of the established rhythm. The music fades as the sound of sirens pass the audience from left to right.
Lights dimly fade up on a ramshackled hotel room in the basement of the Delta Hotel.
The room’s door opens and quickly shuts as BEN and RHONDA enter. Rhonda is holding a gun while Ben holds a briefcase. They are bent down near the door. BEN has his ear to it.
RHONDA
(Stage whisper)
Do ya hear anythin’?
BEN
Shhh… I’m tryin’ to listen.
Pause.
RHONDA
Anythin’ yet?.
BEN slowly creaks the door open enough to let one eye walk down the hallway. Slowly, he lets the rest of his body follow by putting down the case and exiting.
RHONDA
(Loudly whispers!)
Ben! Ben!
Feeling that Ben has left, RHONDA starts to slowly reach for the briefcase but immediately stops when BEN walks back through the door. RHONDA, looking like someone who’s never held a gun before, nervously holds it up, stopping him in his tracks. BEN puts up his hands.
BEN
Hey. Put the gun down, Baby Cheeks. You’re gonna bump yourself off.
RHONDA lowers down the gun. BEN picks up the briefcase and flips on the light. He stands in front of Rhonda with his palm open. She gets the picture and puts the gun in Ben’s hand. BEN brings the case to the middle of the room where a small table is set between two chairs. He puts the gun on the table, sits in one of the chairs, takes out a ciggy, lights it up and blows out some smoke to release some of the pressure from that afternoon.
RHONDA’s still standing near the door.
RHONDA
You know I wouldn’t hurt myself if you’d teach me how to use this thing.
BEN
I’ll teach ya soon enough.
RHONDA
When?
BEN
A lot of bad things happen when you pull a trigger. Things you don’t need to worry your pretty little head over.
RHONDA
I could handle myself.
BEN
And, I like handlin’ ya too.
RHONDA
Ben, how can you joke at a time like this? That was too close for comfort out there.
BEN
Would ya, calm down? We didn’t get caught.
RHONDA
But we almost did.
BEN
Almost ain’t the same thing as did, is it? I’m tellin’ ya, we’re safe here, Baby Cheeks.
RHONDA
Fine.
So, what do we do now?
BEN
We wait til everything is Jake out there. What’s the matter with ya?
RHONDA
What?
BEN
You’re makin’ me nervous standin’ over there.
BEN taps the seat opposite him. RHONDA nervously makes her way to that seat and looks at the briefcase.
RHONDA
Do you think it’s all there?
BEN
Has to be.
RHONDA
What do you mean, “has to be”? Didn’t you check?
BEN
You think I had time to?
RHONDA
And you think I did? I was the one driving up Market Street making sure that Frankie or any of the boys weren’t tailin’ us. You know what they do to double–
BEN
With all the cops out there, believe me, they won’t be snoopin’ down here, but… Makes me wonder, how did the cops know to be ‘round here?
RHONDA
Why are you looking at me like that? Hey! My goose is cooked if I’m caught too!
BEN
I didn’t say it was you.
RHONDA
You didn’t have to say it: your beady lil eyes said it for you.
BEN
I’m Filipino. They’re supposed to look beady.
RHONDA
And when would I even have time to rat on ya? I’ve been with you all day, every day, from L.A. to Bakersfield. Then from Delano to here. I ain’t going nowhere else, and I ain’t makin’ any deals with anyone except for you, Ben!
After everything we’ve been through, you still don’t trust me?
BEN gets up to comfort her.
BEN
I’m sorry, Baby Cheeks. I know you wouldn’t rat us out.
It’s just with all the cops out there and the thing with Frankie… it’s makin’ me a little antsy in my pantsy is all.
RHONDA
Really?
BEN
Wanna come over here and check?
RHONDA
Ben Montes. You certainly have a way with words.
RHONDA canoodles up to Ben and closes in to kiss him but BEN stops her.
BEN
Hold that kisser, Baby Cheeks.
RHONDA
Where do you want me to hold it?
BEN gives her a wink and a smile before picking up the briefcase and walks around the room with it.
RHONDA
What ya lookin’ for?
BEN
The last place anyone would. Didn’t I teach ya anythin’ about the stealin’ business?
RHONDA
Aside from not getting caught? No.
BEN
Well, Rule Isa: Always have a backup plan. And, Rule Dalawa: Always have a back up for that backup plan.
RHONDA
Well, why don’t ya put that down already cuz all this plannin’ is making me need to powder my nose?
RHONDA starts to sashay towards the bathroom and turns around.
RHONDA (CONT.)
And powderin’ my nose doesn’t mean that my nose is the part of me that needs the powderin’.
BEN
You’re playin’ my tune, Baby Cheeks. I’ll be in there faster that a cable car can ringading-ding.
RHONDA
Ding.
Ding.
RHONDA turns around and sways herself towards the restroom.
BEN, making sure that she isn’t looking, pounds twice and knocks once on a spot on the wall to reveal a secret hiding space. He places the briefcase inside and closes the panel shut. He makes himself looks spiffy and shuffles into the bathroom and closes the door.
Time shifts into the Present as the bathroom door reopens and PHOENIX enters holding an old looking letter in one hand. She reads a part of it to herself before pounding two times and knocking once on a couple of the surrounding walls.
PHOENIX
C’mon. Has to be here somewhere… (She takes a look at the letter.) I’m doing exactly what it says… PHOENIX continues to do this a couple of more times before the room’s front door opens. She takes out her gun and holds it up towards the door as MALCOLM peeks his head through.
MALCOLM
(Stage whisper.)
Phoenix!
PHOENIX
Dammit, Malcolm!
(She holsters her gun and puts the letter away.)
What the hell are you doing here?
MALCOLM enters the room with a DSLR camera hanging from his neck.
MALCOLM
I was just about to ask you the same thing. Thought you were still in Vegas.
PHOENIX
Just got back.
MALCOLM
Cool. How’s your grandfather?
PHOENIX
He’s still… shouldn’t you be working?
MALCOLM
I am. I’m working with Nakagawa up the block when I saw you come in here and whoa… this place is rad!
(He starts to take some pictures of the room.)
PHOENIX
He’s gonna wonder where you ran off to.
MALCOLM
Doubt it. Besides, there’s only so many pictures I can take of a murder scene. Head here. Penis there. You know the routine. Speaking of which, maybe we shouldn’t be in here. Didn’t you see all the warning signs outside?
PHOENIX
They’re not tearing this place down til tomorrow. I’ll be fine.
MALCOLM
Sucks that another tech company’s moving into this neighborhood. So much history here.
Man, if these walls could talk.
PHOENIX
That’s what I’m hoping for… Shouldn’t you get back to work?
MALCOLM
But what if something happens to you? Like if a beam fell on you or or or you got locked in here and got demolished with the building. Then I’ll get the blame for a Detective’s death and I’ll lose this job.
PHOENIX
I’m not going to die, Malcolm.
MALCOLM
And then grandpa would shoot me in the face for getting thrown off the Force.
PHOENIX
3rd generation, right?
MALCOLM
4th. Great-grandpa was old school SFPD. Yours?
PHOENIX walks by a wall and notices something…
PHOENIX
Not exactly. Well, what do we have here?
PHOENIX pounds twice and knocks once on a certain spot of the wall to reveal an opening.
MALCOLM
Whoa!
PHOENIX removes the briefcase and walks it over to the chairs previously sat in. She sits.
MALCOLM
What is that?
PHOENIX
Frankie Lanza sound familiar to you?
MALCOLM
Frankie…?
PHOENIX
The City’s biggest Crime Boss during the 20s.
MALCOLM
Hold up, are you talking about the Frankie Lanza?! My great-grandpa was the one who took his mugshot and… Wait a minute! Is that from the 1921 Van Ness Heist?
PHOENIX
A photographer and a historian.
MALCOLM
Holy crap! Holy crap! All this time. At the Old Delta Hotel! I can’t believe that I’m looking at something from the biggest robbery in San Francisco history! That means… we’re a part of history!
(He takes out his smartphone.)
I gotta post this! Hold it up! Hold it up!
PHOENIX
No pictures!
MALCOLM
But we’re a part of history!
PHOENIX
No, we’re not! He was.
MALCOLM
Yeah. I got it. 1920s History. Frankie Lanza history.
PHOENIX
Not his history. Ben Montes History.
MALCOLM
Ben Montes… Frankie’s trigger man?
PHOENIX
Ben and his girlfriend, Rhonda–
MALCOLM
A.k.a. Baby Cheeks–
PHOENIX
Yeah, Baby Cheeks. So the both of them stole this and–
MALCOLM
The both of them disappeared forever.
PHOENIX
Well, that’s what everyone thought happened to them.
The bathroom door flings open and BEN and RHONDA enter with disheveled hair and clothes.
BEN
Now that was what I call a powderin’! Just what we needed to get us ready for the road.
RHONDA
The road? C’mon, Ben. We’re always on the lam. Can’t we just have more than one night in one place? Everything in that case will pay for at least a year’s stay. Shoot, we could even buy this hotel with what’s in… Hey, where is it?
Time now blends with the 1929 and the Present.
MALCOLM
So, if they didn’t disappear, where’d they go?
BEN
It’ll pay for a new life, Rhonda. For all of us. I got it all figured out. There’s a little town in the next state over…
PHOENIX
He wanted to go home to Las Vegas.
RHONDA
Why do you keep bringing that place up, Ben? There’s nothing there!
PHOENIX
That’s where his family lived. But Rhonda’s family lived here… in North Beach.
RHONDA
Ben, where’s the briefcase?
MALCOLM
Wait. That’s where Frankie’s sister…
BEN
We’ll open up a hotel and you can sing at the bar. What do you say, Baby Cheeks?
MALCOLM
Baby Cheeks was…
RHONDA
Don’t you Baby Cheeks me! Where’s the briefcase?!
MALCOLM
I have a feeling that neither of them made it to Vegas.
RHONDA picks up the gun from the table and very expertly points it at BEN.
BEN
Rhonda, what are you doin’? Put that down. You’re gonna hurt yourself.
RHONDA fires the gun and hits Ben in the shoulder.
BEN
AARRRGGHHHH!
RHONDA
Quit your cryin’ will ya! I made sure it’s just a flesh wound. How could I be so… Frankie knew you would double-cross him one day, but I never believed him because I started to fall for…. and after everything I did for you, Ben?! How could you?
BEN
How could I!? You’s the one who shot me!
RHONDA
It’s called protectin’ the family business.
The sound of sirens begins in the distance and gets louder as this beat plays out.
BEN
Family? You… and Frankie?
RHONDA
Where’s the case, Ben?
BEN
Put that down, Rhonda.
Just put the gun down and I promise, we can start over.
RHONDA
Where is it, Ben?
BEN
A brand new life. Away from Frankie. Away from always being on the run. To finally be able to live the American Dream.
RHONDA
DAMN IT, BEN! WHERE IS IT?!
BEN
Somewhere you or Frankie ain’t ever gonna look.
BEN lunges at Rhonda. They struggle for the gun and then… BANG! BEN falls to the ground.
The wail of sirens is at a fever pitch! RHONDA frantically searches the room for the briefcase, before finally giving up. She runs out of the room.
PHOENIX gets up and crouches down over Ben’s body.
The sirens fade away.
PHOENIX
There was lot of blood… right here.
MALCOLM
For reals?
MALCOLM makes his way to where Phoenix is crouched down and begins to take pictures.
BEN gets up very hurt and wounded. Clutching his chest, BEN stumbles to the wall where the briefcase is hidden. As he places his hand on the wall, both Phoenix and Ben say…
BEN AND PHOENIX
Para sa aking pamilya…
BEN painstakingly makes his way out the door and exits leaving a bloody handprint smeared along the wall.
MALCOLM
Check this out. It looks like… a trail of blood… that… leads… MALCOLM continues to takes pictures of the trail as he exits out the door.
PHOENIX takes out a key from her pocket. She puts it into the briefcase’s lock. It fits! As she opens the case, a bright white light emerges from it. Her eyes widen and she plunges her hand into the case to scoop up a handful of diamonds. After she pours it back into the case, she notices something else in the bag. She once again dives her hand back in, removes a letter and closes the case.
At the door, BEN appears just as dapper as when he first entered the room and stays there as PHOENIX begins to read…
PHOENIX
Dear Inay, If you are reading this letter, it means that you have received my letter with the instructions for the key.
BEN AND PHOENIX
Please use everything in this case to take care of you and my little Ricardo.
BEN
I’ve done many things that are unforgivable, but know that I had to do them for the right reasons. This case holds all of my hopes and dreams for a new beginning for you, Ricardo and generations to come. Far from the life I’ve led and what I have ultimately paid for.
Please let Ricardo know that his father will always love him.
Mahal na mahal kita, ‘Nay.
Venancio Montes
MALCOLM bounces back into the room.
MALCOLM
Dude, you’re so not gonna believe these picts! There’s a trail of blood from here all the way up the steps and out to Sixth Street! That’s like 90 years of… Daymn! Doesn’t anyone clean these hotels? Check ‘em out, Phoenix. Phoenix! DETECTIVE MONTES!!
Snapping out of her trance, PHOENIX, and BEN simultaneously turn their heads towards Malcolm.
She quickly folds the letter and slides it into her pocket.
PHOENIX
Erase them.
MALCOLM
What? No way! These picts are gonna get hella likes on Instagram.
PHOENIX
You’re not going to Insta anything! Delete them.
MALCOLM
No.
PHOENIX
No?
MALCOLM
I can’t.
I won’t.
If I delete these pictures, there’ll be nothing left of this room after tomorrow. This is history, Phoenix. Probably the only thing we’ll have left of this place.
Pause.
PHOENIX
Once again: a photographer and a historian.
MALCOLM
Pretty much the same thing.
PHOENIX
Can I ask you for a favor then?
MALCOLM points at his camera.
MALCOLM
Shoot. Get it? Shoot? Photographers’ humor.
PHOENIX
Ha. Ha. I get it. But really.
MALCOLM
Sure. What is it?
PHOENIX
Don’t post those last couple of photos anywhere. Keep those for me. As a friend.
MALCOLM
As a friend… okay. You got it.
PHOENIX
Thanks.
MALCOLM
So, um, what are you gonna do with that?
PHOENIX
Don’t worry about it. Case closed.
The sound of a Text message alert is heard.
MALCOLM checks his phone.
MALCOLM
Hey, Nakagawa needs me back at Natoma. You wanna come with? I’m sure he’d like another pair of eyes on the scene.
PHOENIX
I really have to get back to my family in Vegas.
MALCOLM
Right. Well. I’ll see you when you get back then.
PHOENIX
See ya.
MALCOLM exits. PHOENIX, looking at the briefcase in her hands says…
PHOENIX
Lolo Ricardo. I found it for you.
BEN
Thank you.
At hearing the sound of his voice, PHOENIX turns to face Ben. They give each other a nod and she exits the door with the briefcase.
BEN takes out a cigarette and the moment a flame is lit from a struck match, the music of the Charleston is first heard, followed by a Drum and Bass beat—the reverse order from how the play opens.
BEN takes one last look around the room and exhales a few puffs. He flicks off the light switch and exits closing the door behind him. The music fades to black.
END OF PLAY