The Plan

Chapter 9

December 1996 (2:30am)

They wouldn’t let him inside the house. He struggled, crying out for his mom and dad. He cried until his throat was sore.

Policemen walked out of their house, their faces grave.

Mr. Robinson and his wife held him closer, tighter, as medics walked out carrying two bodies wrapped inside a very large black bag. His tears poured heavily. Denial was his first reaction.

Then anguish.

So much pain.

He felt Mrs. Robinson’s arms around him as she cried.

Then he remembered something.

“The girl, where’s the girl?” he asked, his mind blocking out the thought of his parents.

“What girl, son?” an officer asked.

“She told me to run…she asked me to help her.”

He saw some men walk back inside the big house—his home.

She had to be alive, he thought.

 

March 26, 2011 (7:00am)

Lawson and Tanaka, after receiving yet another wrathful lecture from Chief Carter, went straight to retrieve every file case Halloway handled. They found out from his records that he worked as a paralegal for Judge Simons in 1996 and Lawson thought it would be good to check him out.

Tanaka stayed behind to work on Halloway’s files.

“Your Honor,” Lawson shook the old man’s damp hand. “Is it okay if I talk with you?” he asked. He already called for a talk. Simons was at first hesitant, but later on agreed. “You don’t look so good,” he said honestly.

The judge shook his head, his face pale. “No, no, just be done with it. I have court session in thirty minutes.”

“I’ll be fast. I just want to talk to you about Jeffrey Halloway.”

The judge froze, not with shock but with recognition. “Jeff Halloway? The attorney that got killed?”

He nodded, “Yes, apparently, all his 1996 files he kept at his home office are missing. And we know that he worked with you as a paralegal back then.”

“Yes, yes, he did. Good man. Good man.” The judge answered, reaching for a glass of water with shaking hand.

Lawson frowned, but kept his curiosity for himself. “Can you tell me if he had any trouble with anyone back then—anything that might lead to his killing?”

“That was a very long time ago. I barely remember working with the man. But no, I’m pretty sure he was a decent man, very intelligent. No, I don’t think he was in some trouble while he worked with me.”

“Can I ask what cases you worked with Mr. Halloway in 1996?”

“There are a lot of cases we handled in 1996, Detective.”

“Any one of them in particular that may have brought problems?”

“Criminal cases are big problems, Detective. But no, there were none that involved me or my coworkers.”

Lawson scribbled on his notepad, read, then asked again, “Do you know a man named Bill Finn?”

The judge was too quick to shake his head. “No, I don’t.”

“Are you sure? It doesn’t ring any bell?”

“He’s one of the victims of the green killer, right? I read the papers.”

“Green-eyed killer, yes.”

“No, I don’t know him.”

“What about Ken Cooper?”

“No, I don’t. And if ever I knew these people, I wouldn’t remember. My work includes meeting a lot of people—both good and bad.”

Lawson nodded slowly. “Well, I guess I’ll just have to come by again if I got some more questions.”

“Yes, of course. I’d be happy to answer them though I doubt I could be of any more help.”

“Thank you, Your Honor,” Lawson shook his hand again.

Walking along the hallways, he flipped his phone open and called Tanaka. “I was just done talking with the judge. He’s definitely hiding something.”

“What is it?”

“I don’t know yet. Got anything good at your side?” he asked.

“I’m almost halfway through the files, mostly minor criminal cases. Come back here quickly. I need some help here.”

“I’m on my way.” He announced, clicking off. “I hate papers,” he mumbled, jogging back to his car.

“We have Cooper, Halloway, and Finn…” Tanaka pointed at the white board where the pictures of the three victims were pasted in a row at the top. “No specific personal connections. The killer might be killing them in random, but if we’re dealing with a serial killing, they must have something in common. The MO of the killer is killing them by slashing their throats. Along with the kiss mark, it could mean that the killer has some kind of personal hatred to the victims. That’s why I think this can be a serial case. We just have to find the connection of the three victims.”

This time, Lawson agreed. Tanaka was right. This must be a serial case. He knew that somewhere, the three victims were connected. They would just have to find out how. “I guess we have to hurry up on these cases.”

“We don’t have to,” his partner said, beaming with triumph.

He stared at her resignedly, “You already found the connection.”

“Yes, and no,” she answered.

He frowned. “Okay…” he said slowly. “Enlighten me.”

She smiled contentedly, “I found the case where Halloway and Finn’s name are in.”

“What case?”

“Peter Thomas’ case. The person convicted for the killing of Georgia Stuart, Senator Stuart’s wife.”

“You’re not kidding, right?”

She nodded enthusiastically, “I’m telling you what I dug into those files. The folder’s right there.”

“But how does Ken Cooper fit in?” he asked.

“I guess we have to research more on the guy,” she said. “Dig up his little secrets.”

“I’m on it,” he jumped to his feet to make some phone calls.