The man hidden in the shadows behind his large desk, smoking his special brand of cigar, tapping his pencil on the desk asked abruptly, "How is our plan working?"
"I would say very, very well. Mickey Hutchinson has gone off the deep end; and no one will believe anything she would say now. I still think it would have been better to shoot and kill her when her partner was killed, but she has been effectively neutralized. And her brother, Detective Ken Hutchinson is close to cracking as well. He will be torn between staying with his sister or returning to Bay City. He can't be thinking clearly, and if necessary, we can take him out – permanently or institutionalize him just like his sister." The second man, medium build with brown curly hair reported.
"What about Starsky?" Tap, tap, tap.
"Starsky will be busy trying to pick up the pieces of his partner's shattered life. His partner has folded under pressure before, and he is close to the breaking point now. I don't think we need any further attention brought by killing any more cops."
"I'm surprised we didn't have to use harming brother Ken to cause Mickey's breakdown. That was going to be the next move. It seems brother Carlton was instrumental in causing her to snap."
"Carlton has always hated her. No surprise he was happy to destroy her and even brother Ken."
"Yes, but in causing her to snap, he may have saved her life – and her brother Ken's as well. Ironic, isn't it?" He blew out a large puff of cigar smoke.
"The big man will be happy. For some reason, he didn't want them dead. He would only let us take out Jed Rollins."
"An officer killed in the line of duty trying to stop a robbery. Not likely to get much notice of anything other than the hazards of the job." Tap, tap, tap went the pencil as the man behind the desk blew out the smoke from the cigar. "You are sure that Officer Hutchinson is truly institutionalized, and it is not a ruse?"
"Our inside man is certain. He has seen her, and she is non-responsive. Even when her beloved brother Ken went to see her, she was silent. He couldn't get through to her. And if he couldn't, no one can."
"So, we go on with the plan. Getting our man elected. And keeping him in our back pockets. Along with the others in this town . . . no one will be able to stop us." Laughing, the man reached into his desk and offered one of his prized cigar. "You've earned it. Keep earning it, and you will move up the ladder."
Both laughed confidently.
TBC