The Perfect Planning

“Reagan…!” Amanda screamed desperately on the voice call, “He has attacked me again….! I am escaping in my car..! Please reach our second home fast…! I need to …..”She never saw it coming. She missed the sharp left, and her car drifted out of track. Before she could control, the car throttled ahead, and hit the side curb. Airborne for a second, her car overturned and rolled as it banged down hard on the road. Her vision slowly blurred, and before understanding anything, she blacked out.

Some days back, Reagan had got a call from an anonymous caller. “Your father is planning to keep all the wealth to himself. He’ll never give all that he has earned to you..! Remember that…he never likes your girlfriend Stephanie…! He may finish her anytime..!” before Reagan could ask anything, the phone disconnected. This enraged Reagan. How could dad do this to me? In the subsequent days, Reagan kept receiving calls from this ‘well-wisher’ informing him how treacherous his dad was and how anything he could plot against his own son.

Regan’s father, Mr. Jonathon ‘John’ Sawyer, a millionaire, also got calls from this guy, again telling him how his daughter will change. From signing contracts on her own to selling some property, the caller kept giving all the information which Amanda had kept as secret from him. These issues had already caused lots of arguments between him and Amanda, leading to fights and misunderstandings between them.

The same ‘well-wisher’ had also called Amanda, informing her against her dad. Amanda was active in her dad’s business and was an equal partner in everything he owned. “Your dad will soon remove you from all the partnerships. Remember...he is afraid that you may progress ahead of him in business..! So be careful of him…!” Amanda at first ignored what the caller had said, but soon started seeing what the caller said was actually true. Jonathan started behaving rudely and arrogantly with her and eventually removing her attorney from many of his businesses, which eventually led to starting her own venture. Her separate business was doing quite well as compared to what her dad what doing and this also created a fuss between him and his daughter.

Reagan was in his room. After shower, he was checking his mails on laptop when his phone rang. Before receiving, he saw 4 missed calls from Amanda and a voice message. He answered the call first. "This is detective Thomas Finn. Your sister has suffered an accident. We request you to please reach the hospital immediately…..” Reagan didn’t hear any of the words said after that. The news was quiet shocking for him. Hurriedly he rushed to the hospital. As he reached there, the doctors told him she is critical and in coma. He called up his dad, Jonathon, and informed him about Amanda’s health.

John couldn’t bear the news. His beloved daughter was in the hospital struggling for her life. He hurriedly rushed into the hospital.

“I want her dead……!” The person called up the doctor he had specially appointed. “Do anything that you can…but see to it that she’s out…! Don’t make her awake from the coma…! I have appointed you to see to it that you finish my work more nicely….!”being sceptical, he fired at the doctor.

Both of them, Reagan and Mr. Jonathan, reached the hospital simultaneously. “I want her to be saved…!” Mr. Jonathan, still shivering from the shock, told the doctors present there, “ Please see to it that she comes out of coma…!” pleading to the doctor, Mr. Jonathan said with wet eyes.

Reagan and Mr. Jonathan, both were present till late in the hospital. The cops along with detective Thomas Finn, were present at the hospital, to take her statement, but Amanda was still critical. The patrol team was searching every nook and corner of Mr. Jonathan’s property , the concern being what made Amanda panic and run out of the house, referring to the voice call on Reagan’s cell.

“Mr. Jonathan…I need you to come with me to your property. It’s urgent. Reagan can stay here. We need to leave right now….” Thomas said as he finished a call. What’s so urgent than my daughter? Mr. Jonathan thought as he left the hospital.

As they reached the property, the entire area was filled with police. Reporters were reporting LIVE news, as Jonathan was well known personality in the city. The whole area was sealed with yellow police tapes. As Jonathan exited his car, unable to understand what was going, a fleet of reporters dashed towards him, firing questions. They were brushed aside by the police.

Thomas took him straight in the corner where a hole was dug up in the ground. “Your daughter suffered an accident yesterday. We investigated as to what made her panic and run away in her car. We investigated the entire area for any evidences and…we’ve found something really shocking…” He pointed to a long black zipper bag kept on a long tray. As they approached towards it, Thomas signalled his assistant to open it. As it opened, a disturbing, rotting smell filled the air.

“We’ve found a dead body of a girl in your backyard, Sir...” Thomas said, pointing to the bag.

Jonathan couldn’t believe what he was seeing. The body belonged to Stephanie, Reagan’s girlfriend.

Who could have killed her? What was his purpose?

“You know her, right? Why was she here? Was there any misunderstandings between Reagan and her?” breaking his thoughts, Thomas asked.

“I never knew why she was here..! I don’t even know what was wrong between her and my son…!” frustrated with all the events happening, Jonathan replied.

Meanwhile, in the hospital, Reagan dialled a number to call Dr. Eva, his girlfriend. “Eva….listen to me……Listen to me first.! I am at the hospital. Amanda’s suffered an accident. I got a call from my dad…..I know….but ….I donno who killed her..! I had injected the drug in Stephanie’s wine, but she died from a gun-shot…!!.....of course…someone murdered her..!! I wanted to kill her…but someone already killed her…!” as he spoke, he heard footsteps behind. “I’ll call you later...gimme sometime…” he disconnected and turned to see his dad and the detective approaching.

“We have some queries related to the incident sir…” Thomas started questioning Jonathan “We know that you never liked her. You always abused her many times by calling her and even meeting her. Had you called her to meet in your property last night?” Thomas asked sternly. Jonathan shivered but answered back,” I never called her to meet..! I never even know why she was here the last night.!” Jonathan was detained by the police for further questioning. As he sat down thinking, he got a call. It was a voice message from his personal assistant, Mr. Richards, “Hey Johnny, what’s going on? We can’t talk as you may be with the detective. I heard what happened. Sorry to hear ‘bout Amanda. But who killed Stephanie? I mean, who could have done that? I know you under scanner for you never liked her. Anyways, I’ve arranged a lawyer for you. He’ll be reaching the hospital shortly. In the meantime, you call me if you require anything.”

“Why is she still alive?” The person again called up the doctor, “I want her dead….!” 

“There’s a security guard inside with here..!I can’t do anything..! Give me time, I’ll sort out something..!” the doctor replied.

“You better do that fast. If she gets up, she’ll tell the damn detective everything….!”

Reagan called up Eva, his girlfriend, again after some time. Requesting her to use her contacts, he told her to somehow rob the autopsy reports of Stephanie, referring that he had made her pregnant.

“But what does it matter now? The police already know about your relationship with her.”

“I know darling, but listen, we had together decided to give her ample doses of methamphetamine, which can cause the baby inside to die out. This eventually would have created infection in her womb, leading to her death.” He paused to look around and made sure no one was listening. “I had been giving these doses to her quite often. They’ll detect this in her blood and stomach, which I don’t want. Listen…..grab away the reports, we’ll manipulate them.” He spoke a bit softer, “We’ll frame dad in this…..saying that he shot Stephanie and killed her…!”

Eva agreed to this plan. She rushed for the hospital to execute her plan.

Detective Thomas was sitting in the lobby, engrossed in his thoughts. He remembered his mom in the mental asylum. There’s was a nice, happy family. A sudden turn of events destroyed his entire family. His dad committed suicide. His mother couldn’t bear it, and eventually lost her mind. His sister, Lisa, went into depression, suffering panic attacks and blackouts. His sister recovered slowly, but his mom eventually died, leaving him totally alone. The pain, the suffering, the agony everything flashed in front of him as tears rolled down his cheeks.

His cell phone vibrated, waking him up from his thoughts. It was from the rangers investigating the property. He answered it, “You’ve got anything?”

Jonathan, seated in one of the cabins in the hospital lobby heard footsteps approaching. The door opened and Thomas entered with two other men in uniform. He sat in front of Jonathan.

“What were you doing outside of your villa, yesterday night?”

“I never stepped out…! It was raining heavily….!” Irritated, Jonathan answered back.

Without replying, Thomas showed the call records of Jonathan in front. “Your call records suggest that you had called her yesterday night. You spoke with her for more than 30 minutes..! What was it….you were singing a lullaby for her…?” He produced a series of photographs. “These are of your SUV. You see the Spade, Shovel, Hoe and the steel rake? They all are gardening equipment belonging to you. We’ve found them dumped away in a trashcan down the city. 

Forensic reports say they show traces of soil belonging to your property.” Thomas moved closer and raised his voice.

“Now are going to tell me how you murdered her, or you have a different story to tell…Mr Jonathan?”

Jonathan was totally taken aback. Someone is framing me, he thought, taking advantage of the situations. He wiped the sweat on his forehead and answered, "I... I never liked her....! She was one idiot bitch, who only wanted my property..! I tried warning my son many times, but he never listened....!" Swallowing hard, he continued, "but …I never killed her...!! Nor did I appoint someone for doing that...! I don't know who put those equipment in the trash can..!"

Thomas was eyeing him cautiously. All of the evidences present were against him, but still not enough to prove him guilty. Thomas still detained him for further questioning. Jonathan's lawyer came, but was unable to rescue him, as Thomas had in turn taken a non-bailable order in advance, which prevented him from releasing until the court issued an order.

Amanda was still in a coma, showing little signs of improvement. Reagan, still in hospital, was called by the police for questioning. After his inquiry, he called up Eva. “Listen to me, Eva…I hope you got the reports. Now, pack off your bags and head somewhere out. Leave the city for some time…!”

“What you said was right..! Stephanie is pregnant. I can easily alter the reports. But what’s the matter? Why should I leave the city?” Eva questioned him back.

“My dad is a very dangerous person. I just heard from the police about the attacks that happened on Stephanie and Amanda. If he can attack both of them, there are chances he may try and attack you as well…! So don’t stay here till this case is over…!”

As Detective Thomas waited outside Amanda’s ward, his thoughts again wandered off into the past. He remembered how his nice happy family slowly started getting disrupted. His father started suffering loss in his business, since his professional partner started fooling him, making him totally bankrupt. His partner even denounced certain crimes and scams on him, all of which his father never committed. Unable to bear the loss and in huge debt, his father, Joseph Finn, eventually committed suicide. His mother, mentally harassed by Joseph’s business partner, eventually was admitted in mental hospital. His sister, Lisa , after Joseph’s death, lost her education , lost her mind and started suffering blackouts . Thomas had a very tough time assembling all of them.

His thoughts were broken as the door of Amanda’s ward opened. “She’s slowly recovering. But here are the autopsy reports of Stephanie you asked for…I hope you find them in order…,” the doctor said, handing him the reports. Thomas went through them and thanked the doctor.

Jonathan was in the main cabin, where Thomas had detained him for questioning. Thomas again entered the cabin, taking the reports with him. Placing a chair in front of Jonathan who was kept handcuffed, Thomas started questioning him, “Our Forensic team have found your fingerprints almost everywhere in Stephanie’s home. Moreover, the autopsy reports suggest the presence of methamphetamine in her blood. Traces of this medicine have been found in some of your clothes.” Thomas moved closer to Jonathan, “Again I’m asking you, old man….why did you murder her…?”

“I never gave her any drugs…! I don't know why I am being framed here….! I have already told you I never murdered her…!” Jonathan answered back angrily. Banging his hands on the table, he again screamed… “ I have never killed her…! I just didn’t like her…that’s all..!”

Thomas listened to him quietly. He got up to answer the call on his cell phone. As he listened, he kept his eyes fixed on Jonathan. As he finished his call, he came and sat on the chair he had placed earlier. Exhaling out, he again looked at Jonathan furiously.

“Why you wanted your daughter to be killed?” Thomas asked him again, staying calm.

Jonathan’s expressions were a mixture of shock and fear. “I would never do that…!” Jonathan exclaimed, “she’s my daughter, detective…! Why would I ever do that?”

Still staying calm, Thomas said, “Your daughter is awake, John. She has clearly said in her statement that you attacked her last night wearing a black suit and a ski mask. You wanted her to be dead as she was a potential business threat to you and all of your companies. Basically…” he looked more closely at Jonathan, “She knew of every scam and every forgeries, false business deals that you had committed. She was the first ever person, you would always try and finish, right?”

All the information came as a lightning bolt straight at Jonathan. He couldn’t believe what he just heard. His daughter being alive was not at all good news for him.

Finally, with no option left, Jonathan had to speak the truth, “I never liked her….! When she was working with me, she was progressing very fast. But everytime, we kept fighting on smaller things. She eventually started her own venture, but I feared she may disclose all of my secret things. Therefore, I had decided to finish her, but believe me, I never actually attacked her…! It was someone else who wanted her to be finished…!”

Thomas silently placed a laptop on the table. Opening it, he showed CCTV footages of Stephanie’s home in different cameras aligned in a grid. It showed Jonathan’s car stopping at the entrance. Suddenly the view blurred out and changed to another, showing no car parked anywhere. The footage was clearly altered.

“We have arrested the person who has done this,” Thomas said, showing him the picture of the person who, a hacker by profession, had altered the footage on Jonathan’s order. “He has confessed your name. Moreover, every security guard on the bungalow saw a person in black suit and ski mask exiting the property carrying a dead body…!”Thomas now got totally furious. “Every evidence has already pointed out that you killed Stephanie…..! Why you did that…just because she was not of your level..? You attacked your daughter...Why? Just because she knew of everything you had done wrong…?” Thomas stood up as he said this. “Right now I am arresting you, charging you for two things: a murder and an attempt to murder…!”

Jonathan pleaded against this guilt, but every single evidence was against him. He was presented before the court. Detective Thomas presented the list of phone calls made by Jonathan to Stephanie. He also presented the garden equipment found in the trashcan containing soil from Jonathan’s property. His cloths containing traces of methamphetamine, by which he was under suspicion to have been drugged Stephanie, the altered CCTV footage and most importantly, his daughter Amanda’s statement, all of these were enough to prove him guilty. He appointed the best lawyers in the county, but no one could save him. The court found him culpable considering all the evidences. He was sent to jail till further date and conviction. Reagan was arrested later, for attempting to murder Stephanie.

Jonathan was seated in his cell. I am convicted for all the crimes I did not commit. I’ll screw the detective, he thought to himself.

“Feeling angry to be sentenced for crimes you did not commit, right? You always get what you give, Mr Jonathan Sawyer..!” Detective Thomas said, entering his cell.

“Your son has also been convicted for attempt to murder Stephanie. Your daughter has already filed a suit against you, for all the scams you did, not only on her, but also on other people, including Joseph Finn…!” The name sent shivers in Jonathan’s body. He almost stood up, eyes bulging out in terror.

“You never knew me, Jonathan. My dad and you were good business partners. What made you go against my dad? Your hunger for money? Power? Domination over people? Ego? My dad just wanted to make you a good person..! But you were totally blind with money. You committed forgery on my dad’s documents. You mentally harassed my mother. Because of you, my mom lost her mind. She died in the mental asylum and no one was even there to help her…! We were just kids..! My sister lost her education…and even she suffered blackouts and panic attacks…! I spent many years just trying to bring my family together.... What had my family done to you, Jonathan?” Thomas screamed with tears in his eyes.

With wet eyes, he grabbed Jonathan’s collar and dragged him on the floor. “So I decided to play the same game on you, Bastard..! I joined the police force keeping a track of all your activities. Yours was a nice, happy family. I just did what you did…” he pulled Mr. Richards pic from his pocket, “You know, Richard is my father’s real younger brother. You never knew that, right?” Jonathan couldn’t believe what he was hearing. “My uncle got himself employed as your chief assistant. He did a pretty good job of putting in poison in all of your minds.” He brought his face more closer to Jonathan’s , “Remember the anonymous caller who called your family against each other? It was my uncle. By the way, Reagan’s current girlfriend’s name is not Eva, its Lisa Finn…and she’s my sister. She first made Reagan fall in love with herand then she made him plot an attack on Stephanie. Richards had access to every little thing of yours, so was your black suit and ski mask….!” Jonathan stared in horror as he heard every single detail from the mastermind.

“Does that ring a bell? Of course…!” Thomas said as he stood over the fallen Jonathan, “You had used methamphetamine to finish the baby in her womb…I just left traces of it on your clothes, making it easy for the forensic team to find them. I knew you would go to Stephanie’s house…courtesy Mr. Richards. Your cell phone location clearly showed your presence there. Wearing your black suit and ski mask, I went inside through the back doors and used your pistol to shoot Stephanie .Everyone did think that you were exiting out of Stephanie’s house wearing the ski mask. Well…..I just got her and buried her in your property. I then dumped in all the garden equipment in the trash can. It was a rainy night and nobody saw me doing this. However,” he paused and exhaled out, “Amanda saw me doing this. Thinking I was you, she came to stop me.

 I had never planned to attack her, but eventually I knew that she would blame you for it…so I went ahead and did that… After wards, she suffered an accident. But I knew that she would always take your name, considering the deadly indifference you had between yourselves….. Moreover I clearly knew You had appointed a doctor to finish Amanda….But thanks to Uncle Richards, that traitor is already with us..!” Thomas revealed every single thing that he had planned.

“I just did what you did to my family….! Your daughter is now against you, Your son is now against you and you don’t like both of them at all…!” Thomas again grabbed Jonathan by his collar. “All evidences are against you…and no one can save you now……Rot in jail……You bloody millionaire dog..!”

Jonathan was later convicted for all the crimes he did. He was sentenced to Life time imprisonment. His all assets were sealed. His arrest came a big breaking news in entire media.

Thomas, his Uncle Richards and his sister Lisa, all sat outside their home. “We finally avenged our mom-dad’s death…” Thomas said as Lisa wept on his shoulders. They sat there for a while, trying to remove out all the agony their family had gone through.