with Jules and Betty there shouldn’t be anything holding them back.
“Fine,” Piper said begrudgingly. “But Jules and Betty don’t know the details yet. No one outside the three of us can know. We’re still at the beginning stages of planning, so don’t jump down my throat if you don’t like something you hear.” She raised an eyebrow at Michael and continued without his even agreeing to her terms.
“The judge is—and has been—corrupt for some time. We know at least one police officer works closely with him to ensure the necessary outcomes on cases that provide them both with a large payoff. His name is Officer Rylie. I overheard a meeting between the two of them when they admitted to murdering Betty’s husband, Stan. Also, they planned to threaten or harm Jules and Betty if they couldn’t get Bobby to back off about some photos he had taken of the judge. You see, the judge has an affinity for underage prostitutes and uses his alliance with Christian Donavan to feed his addiction. The only reason the judge is so well protected and why going to the authorities isn’t an option is because Christian and his people need the judge right where he is in order to continue their illegal ventures and avoid prosecution.” She was leaving next to no room for him to interject as she spoke.
“Anyone bringing forth evidence on the judge or Rylie would be silenced in one way or another in order to keep the judge in his position. So my idea was to sever the ties between Christian and the judge, rendering him unprotected and vulnerable.” Piper pulled a notebook from her purse, looking over her notes.
“How exactly do you plan to eliminate a mutually beneficial alliance that is held together by unlimited knowledge of the others’ criminal exploits? Christian is not going to flip on the judge. In these circles, you’re better off being anything besides a rat.” Michael’s demeanor was still blustery with doubt.
“Unfortunately, I have my share of knowledge about criminals and their inner workings. There is one thing worse than being a rat, and that’s being a pedophile. You see, Christian has a young son who he fiercely protects. If evidence was brought to Christian’s attention that suggested the judge has an unhealthy attraction to young boys, and then he’s led to believe that his son is on the judge’s radar, he would certainly take exception to that.” Piper could feel her confidence grow as she spoke of this plan out loud for the second time.
Michael unfolded his arms from his chest and looked as though he had just taken a blow to the gut. “He’ll kill him; Christian will kill the judge.”
Bobby stood up and threw his hands in the air. “That’s what I said. She seems perfectly fine with that and all the possible repercussions that could come from it. I, however, am racking my brain looking for some alternative solution. She thinks we set up the evidence and then track Christian until he makes his move to kill the judge. We let him and ensure there’s enough evidence to charge Christian for the murder. We use our evidence as leverage to get him to turn on Rylie in exchange for a reduced sentence. This, in theory, eliminates all three men and serves as some kind of justice. I, for one, am not ready to have that blood on my hands. There has to be another way.”
Michael shook his head, still in awe of what had been laid out in front of him. “You came up with this entire thing, Piper? I have to say, it’s kind of genius and, frankly, very scary. I don’t know your history, but it’s got to be pretty twisted if you can work up a plan like that. It can’t go down like that though. Planting evidence is one thing, but if it results in a murder we could all become accessories. There has to be a way we can accomplish the same thing and keep our hands cleaner. I need some time to think about it, but I’ll admit you have the start of a plan here. I’ll look at this from a legal perspective and try to limit all of our liability, but, first and foremost, no one can be murdered.”
Piper had assumed this would be Michael’s position on this point, but she was still holding firm. “Come up with something equally effective, and I’ll go along with it, but if no one