16. Code Alan

[r2k]

Here is the latest. This is going to be twisted beyond anything you have seen. I changed the year to 1984 because there are better songs that fit the story.

Code Alan
His murder shocked Philly in 1984. His disappearance terrified parents. Alan Wall was taken from a toy store in broad daylight with no witnesses. Now, his body turns up in a rather gruesome fashion. Rush must interview the parents, now divorced. The mother has remarried. The father bow hosts a national television show on unsolved cases. And she must return to the toy store where Alan was last seen.

June 7, 1984. “One Thing Leads to Another” by The Fixx plays in the background. The scene is inside a Toys R Us. In 1984, this was a different place. There were a lot more toys. There a lot of kids walking around looking at all the toys. A mother with a little boy and girl are walking.
Boy: (Has brown hair and is 8 years old.) Hurry up Mom, there aren’t going to be any left.
Mom: (Has long brown hair and is 34.) Alan, you need to wait. And they’re not going to run out.
Alan: I hope they have Superman. He punches you know.
Mom: I’ve seen the commercial. They look kind of neat. But save some for Christmas. Debra dear, you want to go look at the Barbie dolls.
Debra: (Has blonde hair and is 6)Yes. Let’s go Mommy.
Mom: Alan, go find the Superheroes figures. Pick out one.
Alan: I need a villain to go with the hero. Who’s Superman going to fight?
Mom: Okay, pick two. Come back when you’re done and we can look around at the other toys. Maybe come up with some early Christmas ideas for Santa.
Alan: Please, Mom.
Mom: Shhh, Alan. Your sister.
Alan: Oh. Sorry.
Debra: Sorry for what?
Mom: Nothing dear. Come on. Let’s go get a Barbie doll.
Debra: My first Barbie. I can’t wait.
Mom: I’m sure you can’t.
Debra: Does this mean I can get the Dreamhouse for Christmas?
Mom: You’ll have to ask Santa.
Debra: Is he here?
Mom: It’s June, dear. He’s on vacation.
-Meanwhile, Alan goes to look at the Superhero figures. The camera focuses on him from a distance, from the point of view of someone who is watching him. Someone is following him. The person keeps his distance. Back to Mom and Debra. They are looking at the Barbie dolls. The camera goes back to Alan, who has selected two figures. He is walking down the main aisle to find Mom and Debra. The camera returns to Mom and Debra who are looking at the Dreamhouse.
Debra: I want that for Christmas.
Mom: You’ve been good this year.
Debra: I’m good every year.
Mom: True.
Debra: Alan is bad sometimes.
Mom: Alan tries. But Santa ignores the really bad. Alan isn’t bad.
-The camera focuses on the aisle Alan was walking down. He is nowhere to be scene. The two action figure packages are the floor, as if they had been dropped.

-Later, Alan is bound and gagged in a dark room somewhere. He is sitting in a corner. An unseen person approaches him with a knife. The boy becomes frightened. The person raises the knife. The boy tries to scream but can’t because he is gagged. The knife quickly lowers but the camera cuts before you see the rest. In the case file room, Alan’s file is being put away. He is listed as missing.

Wall, A.
June ’84.

-In the present. Lily and Scotty arrive near a river outside Philly. Stillman is waiting for them.
Lily: Hey Boss.
Stillman: Hey Lil. Scotty.
Scotty: What have you got?
Stillman: The cold case I hoped we’d never find this way. A person fishing out here found it. A skull. Floating down the river. Small. Possibly a child. Searchers are looking around for the rest of the body. Went up the river a bit. Sent the dogs with them.
Lily: Have they found anything else?
Stillman: Nothing yet.
Lily: Does it remind you of a case?
Stillman: Alan Wall, ’84. Went missing from a Toys R Us in broad daylight. Mom and little sister went to look at dolls. Alan went to look at action figures. He never came back. Mom noticed two action figure packages on the floor on what would have been his return to where she was. Nobody saw a thing. Store was packed with customers and nothing.
Scotty: It was a toy store. Kids are pretty occupied with toys. Doesn’t surprise me that they didn’t see anything.
Stillman: Plus, these things were only beginning to happen at that point. Alan’s case is famous.
Lily: Code Alan.
Scotty: What?
Lily: That’s the signal stores give. If a child goes missing, clerks announce a Code Alan to alert everyone that a child is missing. He inspired that.
Stillman: His father, Andy Wall. He hosts Unsolved Murders on channel 6.
Scotty: I remember this case now. Father searched for years for his son.
Lily: I hope this isn’t him.
-Some searchers approach.
Searcher: We found the rest of the body. Looks like a child. Boy. There are some clothes left.
Stillman: Dental records will help identify him.
Lily: So in the meantime, we’re on Code Alan.

Opening Credits.

[r2k]

-In the case file room.
Lily: Alan Wall, age 8. Disappeared from a toy store in ’84. No witnesses.
Scotty: And up until now, no body.
Lily: We have some names here. (Lily pauses as she looks at the list.) Not many here. We have two children who saw the boy. The manager and several workers.
Scotty: Let’s go to the toy store.
Lily: If it hasn’t changed locations. They did so frequently.
Vera: You’re in luck. That Toys R Us is still in business. And in the same place. And the manager has moved on, but is willing to talk.
Scotty: Those stores have changed their inside appearance.
Lily: The manager may be able to tell us something.

-Later, at Lily’s desk. The manager, Ed Geiger, is talking with her, Scotty, and Vera.
Ed: That was a tragedy. Scared everybody to death. I worried sick over that boy and all my superiors everywhere were focusing on the slump in sales.
Vera: You’re kidding.
Ed: Tell me about it. The boy is missing and probably dead and that’s all that mattered to them. Profits. Of course, within a few months, sales improved and it was business as usual.
Lily: Thing is, we found a boy. His remains. They’re making a positive ID in the lab now. We’re assuming it is him so we’ve pulled the file.
Ed: Mother was frantic. She had a little girl with her scared as can be. The store was loaded with other kids and parents all preoccupied. We didn’t have video cameras back then. Not there. Doors in the back weren’t all that secure either. Whoever took him could have come from anywhere. But no connections were ever made.
Lily: Were there any people who were frequents. Someone who didn’t buy toys. Just watched.
Ed: Wasn’t on the radar back in ’84. Not until after Alan did people start paying more attention. The Cabbage Patch Kid nightmare a year earlier kind of made having crazy people in there a given. Adults acted like psychos to get those dolls. Over the next few years there was an increase in adults coming. To buy the toys to sell at higher price later. So we couldn’t just discriminate. We just didn’t see it coming.
Scotty: Did Alan come in there with his family a lot?
Ed: I saw them a few times. Not more than most other families. It was a toy store. I feel horrible for those parents. The father especially. It broke his heart losing that boy.
Lily: I’ve seen his program.
Ed: Nowadays they go straight to the father. He was at work. They never looked at him. Years later, they went for him. Never mind that his colleagues at work were in a meeting with him when the disappearance happened. Didn’t do any good. Andy was crusading for laws to protect children. Then came the show.
Lily: This wasn’t your fault.
Ed: I hope you can solve this one. There is someone out who deserves to pay for that boy’s life. You know there is something. I didn’t mention it to the cops because it wasn’t relevant at the time.
Lily: What?
Ed: Alan was looking for superhero action figures. In 1984, DC Comics and Marvel Comics created rival action figure lines. Both were popular but the DC Super Powers Collection line was big. Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, Robin. It was designed to go along with the Super Friends cartoon show. The first shipment we had disappeared quickly. Anyway, when Alan got there so did another boy. Let’s just say it got ugly.

-Flashback to 1984. “That’s All” by Genesis plays in the background. Alan arrives as the superhero action figures. He sees the Superman figure he’s been looking for and then reaches for Lex Luthor. Another boy reached for it but didn’t get it in time. The other boy is mad.
Other boy: I was reaching for that.
Alan: Yeah, well I got it first.
Other boy: That’s not fair. Mom! Mom! That boy stole my action figure.
-The mother comes over to her son.
Mother: What happened, Gene?
Gene: I was trying to get that figure and he took it from me.
Alan: I got it first. He was nowhere near me.
Mother: Young man, you have two figures. I think you need to share.
Alan: My mom said I could have two.
Mother: (In a snobby tone.) Sharing is caring.
Alan: There are plenty of other figures. (Looks at Gene) Pick one.
Mother: I’ve had enough. Give me that figure now!
-Ed sees the exchange and immediately intervenes.
Ed: Excuse me, Miss.
Mother: Phoebe Beckinsale. My name is Phoebe Beckinsale.
Ed: That young man got them first. He didn’t steal them.
Phoebe: He should share.
Ed: You’ve been in here before. And there have been problems with you before.
Phoebe: There is no problem and no big issue here. The boy has two figures and my son wants one of them.
Ed: Pick another figure.
Phoebe: Pick what? The only other figure you have here is the Flash. We have that already.
Ed: You should have been here earlier when the others were here.
Phoebe: You never have the good ones.
Ed: We sell what the company sends us.
Phoebe: Come on Gene, let’s go look at something else.
-She turns to Alan.
Phoebe: Enjoy your action figures you ungrateful little brat. Someone should kill you. You’re always doing this. All of you kids. You do this all the time.
-Phoebe and Gene walk away. Ed looks on in shock. Phoebe gives Alan a dirty look.

-Return to the present.
Ed: That woman was bad news. Thing is she went to file a complaint while Gene walked around.
Lily: Maybe he saw something.
Ed: I didn’t want to get that mother mad at me again. Especially since she has threatened my employees before. And other children as well as parents. Thing is, she seemed all talk and no bite. I don’t think she could have pulled that off with so little planning.
-Frannie comes in.
Frannie: I’m afraid it is Alan Wall. Dental records confirm it. The remains of his clothing also match the description given by his mother. I’m going to continue looking at his remains to see if I can find anything more.
Lily: I guess we need to talk to the parents now. Thanks for coming in, Mr. Geiger.
Ed: No problem. I’m available if you need me again,

-At Diana Wall’s house.
Diana: (In tears) I always hoped he was still alive somewhere. That someone kidnapped him so they could take care of him.
Lily: I’m so sorry.
Diana: It tore our family apart. Andy was having an affair. Things weren’t so good. We kept it from the children. After Alan disappeared, Andy drifted away. We divorced in ’87.
Lily: You still talk to him?
Diana: Yes. We remained friends. Both of us remarried.
Lily: And Debra?
Diana: She’s fine. Engaged. Can’t wait. Wedding’s in May.
Lily: I notice you have pictures of another boy.
Diana: My second husband. We had a boy. Carl. He’s 15.
Lily: He looks a lot like Alan.
Diana: He does. That always makes me feel good to see that.
Lily: Tell me about Alan.
Diana: He was your average 8 year old boy. Trouble at times. But very adventurous. Alan was well-liked by all. We were going to the toy store. (Diana starts to cry.) Alan wanted some super hero figures. He saw them in some commercials. Alan had pestering me to take him there. Debra wanted to see the Barbie dolls. It was going to be her first doll. Why!?! He was just a boy. And it’s getting worse every year. I want to kill whoever did this to him. But then that’s against the law. Funny isn’t it.
Lily: I know.
Diana: A vicious animal like that murders a little boy. And if I were to get revenge or seek out my own justice I would be in jail.
Lily: Is there anything you can tell me about that day?
Diana: It was a typical trip to the toy store. I went in. Alan was getting older so I let him go to the action figures area by himself. I always kept Debra with me. After a while, he wasn’t coming back. That was always the case. So as usual, Debra and I went to find him in his usual place.

-Flashback to 1984. “One Thing Leads to Another” by The Fixx. Diana and Debra are walking to the action figure area. They notice Alan is nowhere in sight.
Diana: Alan. We’re ready to go. Alan?
-Diana looks around at all the aisles. She starts to run around.
Diana: Alan. (She goes to another aisle.) Alan!
Ed: Are you okay?
Diana: My son Alan. I can’t find him.
-Diana is hysterical.
Diana: Alan.
Ed: It’s okay. We’ll find him. He’s got to be in the store somewhere.
-Ed goes to round up some employees. Three of them join Ed. They split up and look around, all calling Alan’s name. Diana is running all over the place, screaming Alan’s name. She looks down the aisle and sees the two packages of superhero figures laying there. Alan is nowhere to be found. She runs up to them to pick them up. Gene comes out of nowhere and grabs them.
Gene: Mine!
Diana: No! Those are my sons. Where is he?
Gene: I don’t care!! They’re mine! Mom!!
-Gene runs away with the toys.
Diana: ALAN!!!

-Return to the present.
Diana: Alan was gone. Nobody saw a thing.
Lily: And the boy took the figures. We saw the packages in the case file box.
Diana: The police admitted them as evidence. That brat fought like a wild animal to keep them. He and his mother had no respect for the fact that my child was missing. Are you going to talk to them?
Lily: Yes.
Diana: Tell them we appreciate their kindness during my ordeal. Their complete lack of consideration for anyone but themselves. All that kid could think about were those toys. His mother didn’t care.
-Diana looks at Lily.
Diana: I think what Alan could have been every day. What he could have accomplished. It isn’t fair. Isn’t fair that he died.
Lily: It isn’t fair for anyone to die. But you’re right. Especially for a child to die.
Diana: (Crying) Please. Do the best you can and put this guy away. Get him the needle.
Lily: We’re going to need to talk to Andy.
Diana: I’ll call him. He’ll call you.
Lily: Here’s my number.
Diana: Andy will come. He tried so hard to believe Alan was still out there. He always loved Alan. He’ll come. It’s his son. Andy loved Alan more than anything in the world.

[r2k]

-Lily enters the station.
Scotty: That kid you told us about. He’s in the system.
Lily: Really.
Vera: Assaults, robberies. This guy’s a piece of work.
Lily: Mom was an enabler. Where is he now?
Scotty: Currently on probation. Right now he works at a grocery store.
Lily: Wanna go shopping?
Scotty: Why not? I’d love to meet this kid and see what he’s like now.
Lily: Anything yet on Alan’s father.
Vera: Nothing.
Lily: Diana is going to give him my cell number.
Vera: I’ll look at the list of possible witnesses and workers. Maybe they might know something.

-At the grocery store where Gene Beckinsale works. Lily and Scotty are talking to a manager. He points over to a big man working at the meat section. The two walk up to him.
Gene: How may I help you?
Lily: Detective Rush.
Scotty: Detective Valens.
Lily: We’d like to talk to you about a murder.
Gene: I don’t kill people.
Scotty: You just rough people around a bit. We know.
Lily: We’re talking about Alan Wall.
Gene: Huh?
Lily: The boy at the toy store. The one you got into it with.
Gene: (Pauses a minute.) Oh yeah. I remember him. Disappeared. He wasn’t murdered.
Lily: We found his body.
Gene: I’m sorry. Look, I’ve had my problems but I feel bad about that.
Lily: We know.
Gene: My mom let me do whatever I wanted. Look where it got me. Here. I broke a guy’s jaw. Did two years for it. Been out for three months now.
Lily: We hope you stay out this time.
Gene: I was a kid when that thing with the boy happened. I won’t get into trouble if I didn’t say something to the cops.
Lily: What do you know?
Gene: There was a guy following me in that toy store.
Lily: Are you sure?
Gene: Oh yeah. Thing is, I’d seen him there before. And he was there that day.

-Flashback to 1984. No music in this flashback. Gene is walking around the toy store. He runs around looking at the toys. He enters the toy car aisle. As Gene walks down, he sees a guy standing there, watching him. Gene looks kind of freaked out. He moves on to the action figure aisle where he sees the figure Alan has taken. Gene notices the guy is kind of following him.

-Return to the present.
Gene: That guy was watching me.
Lily: You think it might have been you he was after.
Gene: Looking back on it. That guy would watch me a lot when I went there. Mom always took me to the toy store. Kept me quiet.
Scotty: Why didn’t you mention it?
Gene: I told my mom. She told me the police can only interview a certain number of witnesses and they already reached that number. So I couldn’t talk to them.
Scotty: And you believed it.
Gene: I was only 8. What did I know about police procedures?
Scotty: You’ve certainly made up for lost time.
Gene: Funny. Look I’m trying to get my life together. With no help from Mom and Dad.
Lily: Not talking to them.
Gene: They kind of don’t want me around. Spoil the child and then kick him out when he becomes a terror. At least I get to live at the half-way house. Somebody cares about me.
Lily: Well, stick with it. Things will only get better if you make them better.
Gene: That’s what my parole officer keeps telling me. You know, I still remember what that guy looks like.
Lily: Could you describe him?
Gene: I think. If you were to show me a picture of him, I would be able to identify him.
Lily: After work, come in. We’ll have a sketch artist draw a picture.
Gene: Okay.

-At the station.
Lily: Gene indicated that a guy was following him around the store and that he had been there before.
Stillman: When he gives us the description and we have a picture, we can run it through the files.
Scotty: We can also show it to Ed. He may be able to recognize him.
Stillman: Good thinking.
Vera: Diana called. She got a hold of Andy. He’s dropping everything and is flying in this evening. But she said they’d both come see you in the morning.
Lily: She indicate how he reacted?
Vera: She said he was devastated.
Lily: I see him on that program. You can see it in his eyes.
Scotty: See what?
Lily: He really believed his son was still out there.
Vera: You watch his show.
Lily: I never miss it. Gives me tips.
Scotty: I’ve seen it a few times. He’s been doing that show since 1988. Pretty good success rate. All sorts of witnesses and leads come out of it.
Lily: Let’s go check the file again. I want to see if there is a floor plan for the store.
Stillman: I don’t think there is one.
Lily: We need to see the entire layout of that store circa 1984.
Stillman: What’s on your mind?
Lily: I get the feeling if we look at it from the top, we might see something.
Jeffries: I’ll see what I can get from the toy store. They must have that information.

-Later. The team has the floor plan.
Lily: Okay, the Barbie dolls were at the south end. At the very end. That’s how it was in those days.
Scotty: You had Barbie dolls.
Lily: No, but it was just as fun hearing about them from the other kids in the class. They went on and on about the toy store. I had a friend who gave one of her old dolls.
Scotty: That was nice.
Lily: Until Chris ruined it.
Scotty: She did?
Lily: Chris ruined everything. Remember that Scotty. Because she may come back one day. And she knows you are going to resist her.
Scotty: Still haven’t heard from her.
Lily: No. And I don’t think I’m going to either. Now let’s see. The action figures are here in the middle. Now look. This aisle is aligned with the door to the store room.
Scotty: You’re thinking a worker might have done it.
Lily: Possible. But the report said all workers were accounted for. Even the ones in storage. In fact, there were people unloading a truck in the back. They didn’t see anything.
Scotty: Maybe there was another way out.
Lily: Gene was convinced a guy was following him around. Maybe a guy who worked there. Off the clock. Not scheduled that day.
Scotty: Thing is, why risk a job for that.
Lily: There were a lot of things we didn’t know back then about child molesters. They were operating and we never suspected a thing.
Scotty: Wait a minute.
Lily: What?
Scotty: I was reading. Elisa liked to collect things. Anyway, I remember her reading about where to look for things. They mentioned something about toys being stashed between shelves.
-Vera interrupts.
Vera: Oh yeah. That old trick. There was space between the shelves you could hide a toy there that you couldn’t buy but wanted. To avoid it being taken by someone else. When you came back to the store, you got it out and bought it. Trick of the trade.
Lily: And you know this how?
Vera: Well.
Lily: You guys think the space between the shelves might have fit an 8 year old child.
Vera: Anything is possible.
Lily: Well, for that to happen. Someone took him and gave him chloroform.
Scotty: To knock him out for a while.
Lily: Stash him between the shelves.
Scotty: And return for him later.
Lily: After the search was finished. By then, police assumed he was long gone.

-Later, Gene is there with the sketch artist. The artist, a woman, draws the picture and show it to him.
Artist: Is this him?
Gene: Looks like him. Very close. He was in his twenties.
Artist: All we need to do is add some color and compare it to mugshots.
Gene: How are you going to do that?
Lily: We enter the picture into the computer and the computer compares it to mugshots. It can detect a match easily. I want to ask you more about this guy. Did he work there?
Gene: Not that I know of. He was there a lot. But he seemed to know the place well. But I never saw him wear the uniform or a name tag. But you know something funny. He was there right at the time I had the fight with Alan.
Lily: And.
Gene: I’m thinking of where the figures were dropped. I grabbed them. Now, I heard the mother calling out to him. This was only seconds after he disappeared. He had to have taken right then and there. Somebody should have seen the man leave with him.
Lily: You sure about that?
Gene: I’m sure. I don’t think that boy and his abductor ever left that store. At least not that afternoon.
Scotty: Where exactly were the figures dropped?
Gene: By the legos. At the corner of the lego aisle and the main aisle. Alan’s mother tried to get the figures back.
Lily: At the corner. Right between shelves. Gene, were you aware that toys could be placed between the shelves?
Gene: I heard about it. But I never did. I usually got what I wanted, remember.
Lily: Could a person have fit between them?
Gene: I think so. Some of them at least. I’m not sure.
-Vera enters with Jeffries.
Jeffries: We talked with the people at the toy store. They said there couldn’t have been enough space to fit a child in there. They occasionally found hidden toys in there but not enough room.
Lily: That makes sense.
Gene: I don’t remember him leaving.
Lily: He had to leave with the boy at some point.
Vera: But when. Police were all over the store. Employees too.
Jeffries: Customers joined in the hunt as well.
-Lily looks at some pictures of the crime scene. There are big boxes on the shelves near where the action figures were dropped. There are some spaces.
Lily: Look at the big boxes.
Vera: What are we looking at?
Lily: The boxes are big enough to fit a kid in there. Right.
Vera: I would say so.
Scotty: And the door to the back storage was not so far away. And it looks like the boxes were being moved.
Lily: This was an inside job. With an outsider helping out.

[r2k]

-The next day. Andy and Diana are with Lily.
Andy: All these years we hoped for the best. You’re never prepared for this.
Lily: I know it must be hard.
Andy: Alan was only 8. What did he do to him?
Lily: His head was cut off. He was slashed numerous times. Some of his ribs had slash marks.
Diana: Oh no!!
Andy: (Begins to cry.) My boy. I loved him. Why does this happen? What is so wrong with people that they feel this is fun?
Lily: You’ve done so many episodes on unsolved cases. I’ve solved a lot of those cases here and I haven’t figured it out. Each story is unique. But I will tell you, something is wrong here.
Diana: How so?
Lily: The boy Alan got into the fight with. He may have seen the killer. Or one of them.
Andy: What do you mean, one of them?
Lily: Our investigation seems to be indicating that there is more than one person involved. Thing is, the guy was following the other boy around. Somehow, the incident with Alan changed his direction.
Diana: You mean the fight drew attention to Alan.
Lily: That’s what we were thinking at first. But seeing that more people were involved maybe the other boy was the original target. We’re not sure. My partner is trying to locate some of the other workers who were there then. Maybe we can find something there.
Diana: There were so many of them. How can you figure this one out?
Lily: Well, Ed the manager is ruled out. He was there for the fight and was cooling the other mother down while Alan was walking away. Then the clerks were at the registers. The people in storage. They all vouched for each other. We have a sketch of the guy following the other boy around. We’d like for you to look at it.
Diana: Sure.
-Lily shows them the picture.
Andy: He looks familiar.
Diana: I’ve seen him before. At Chuck E. Cheese. He was there a lot.
Lily: Are you sure?
Andy: Yes. I remember he got close to one of the kids once. The kid screamed. The guy said he was just trying to be nice. We thought he was weird but thought nothing of it.
Diana: Then he was scoping Alan out.
Lily: Well, he may have just been there as a coincidence. We’re going to show the picture to the manager of the store. Maybe he will recognize him.
Andy: I’ve dedicated my life to finding Alan and making sure these cases are never forgotten. I admire what you do. Diana told me about you when you first started.
Lily: Really.
Diana: For some reason, we knew you’d get to Alan someday.
Lily: Victims should never be forgotten. Especially someone like Alan. He had a right to live. And that right was taken away from him. Andy, is there any way you can help.
Andy: Well, I’m not a detective. I just get the scoops and report them on my show. We do segments. I’d like to help.
Lily: I think it would do you some good to talk with Diana. You two need to get some feelings out. Come back after we talk to the manager.
Andy: Sounds good to me. You reopen a lot of children’s cases?
Lily: I’ve done quite a few. They’re the hardest ones.
-Andy and Diana walk out. Stillman walks up to her.
Stillman: How are they holding up?
Lily: Okay. Better than I expected.

-Later, Ed is looking at the picture.
Ed: He looks familiar.
Lily: Was he a regular at the toy store.
Ed: I can’t say for certain. I’m not good with sketches.
-Vera enters.
Vera: We got a match on the sketch. Meet James Donner. Arrested on suspicion of child molesting. Charges dropped after it was learned the parents made it up. But not entirely.
Lily: Not entirely?
Vera: He admitted he liked looking at little boys but never acted on it. Claimed he never had the guts.
-Lily takes the picture. She shows it to Ed.
Ed: Yes! I definitely saw him at the toy store a lot. He would buy a toy every time he came in. But you know, he bought completely different toys. One time it was a Star Wars figure. Another time, it was a Barbie doll. Then, it was something for an baby. No consistency. But thing is when Alan was missing and we all were searching, the two clerks saw him leave alone. He bought a toy. He didn’t have Alan with him. Alan had just been abducted. The clerks were aware of what was going on. This guy was at the register when the whole thing went down.
Lily: But he was following the boy.
Ed: Not against the law to watch. At least not then it wasn’t. And since he wasn’t near the boy there wasn’t much we could have done. Those sorts of things weren’t a hot topic at the time. And what if he was just there to buy toys a lot. A man’s reputation could be ruined even by a suspicion.
Lily: A boy is dead.
Ed: Don’t you think I care. You think I would just let the guy walk if I was sure. I’d have shot the guy myself if I knew he was guilty. Admit it, Detective. Even today, putting these guys away isn’t so simple. They’re sneaky, manipulative, and evil. And the lawyers defend them without any concern. They say their client is innocent. Well let me tell you, someone is guilty. And I find it hard to believe you cops are so bad that you’re always catching the wrong guy. You’re getting most of them. That’s obviously lost on these lawyers. I’m with you Detective. But don’t imply that I don’t care. I cared. I turned this store upside down trying to find him.
Lily: I’m sorry.
Ed: (pauses) I’m sorry I got so mad. I didn’t mean anything by it. I feel bad. That boy was taken right there in front of me. And there was nothing I could do to stop it. That poor mother and daughter were left right there with nothing. The daughter was so confused. She had no idea what was happening. None. Mother had to explain it to her no doubt. How do you explain that to a little girl like that?

-At the station.
Lily: We got the shipping records from the toy store on that day. Says here the boxes contained a nerf ball set.
Vera: A box large enough to fit an 8 year like Alan.
Scotty: Exactly.
Lily: So whoever did this, took him. Must have knocked him out with something. Couldn’t have killed him there in the aisle. Stuffed him in the box.
Vera: Which must have been emptied out that day. Says here on the records that the nerf set was a flop. It was being removed to make room for something else.
Scotty: So if the boxes were to taken out, where would they go?
Lily: In storage.
Vera: Eventually, the toys are discarded or sold to discount outlet.
Scotty: Of course, some boxes and merchandise never make it there.
Vera: You know it. You’d be amazed at what can be found in storage spaces of some stores.
Lily: But this box must have been lifted.
Vera: Right amount of chloroform. Kid would be out for hours.
Lily: Says here the boxes were eventually removed that day.
Vera: Must not have thought to look for the kid in the boxes.
Lily: Store wasn’t shut down.
Scotty: At that point, it was a missing person’s case, not a murder. Police must have thought the kid was someplace else.
Vera: Gathered the evidence from the store and that was the end of it.
Lily: Leaving the killer time and leeway to do what he did.
Scotty: So maybe our child predator had some inside help.
Lily: Definitely.

[r2k]

-At James Donner’s house. His wife is with him. James is mowing the lawn. He sees the detectives and stops mowing.
James: Can I help you? (His image flashes back to age 25 and then returns to 46.)
Lily: Detective Rush.
Scotty: Detective Valens.
James: What do you want with me?
Scotty: We’d like to ask you some questions about your past.
James: Ancient history. I had some problems and now that’s over.
Lily: What kind of problems?
James: I had mental problems. For some reason I thought I was attracted to little boys.
Lily: Were you?
James: I think so. Look, I had problems growing up. Turned into a crazy person for a while. I wanted to so much.
Lily: What stopped you?
James: I guess I had a conscience. Much as I wanted to, I knew it would destroy any boy.
Scotty: But you liked to watch.
James: That’s as far as it went.
Lily: Except at Chuck E. Cheese.
James: How did you know?
Lily: A parent mentioned it.
James: Is that what this is all about?
Lily: Actually, it is about a boy who went missing in 1984.
James: I was never linked to that disappearance.
Lily: But you were there.
James: Huh.
Scotty: We know you were there.
Lily: The manager recognized you. Another boy recognized you.
James: The one I was looking at.
Lily: The brat. He was able to describe you to sketch artist.
James: That was bad. I’m following a little boy around and another goes missing right there.
Scotty: Thing is, there is a possibility more than one person was involved.
James: I had nothing to do with the boy’s disappearance.
Lily: Well, we recently found the boy dead.
James: What?
Scotty: He was killed not so long after he disappeared.
James: I didn’t kill him.
Lily: Is that your story?
James: Yes. I had my problems and they’re over now. That was a scary day but I was at the register when the boy went missing.
Scotty: When they discovered he was missing.
Lily: You might have been able to get him before his mother noticed.
James: How?
Lily: We know how he was moved out of the store. And that he was in there the whole time. In a box. The boxes were being removed from the store.
Scotty: You didn’t hire someone to bring the kid out. Did you?
James: No. I didn’t have the money to pull off a job like that. I never acted on it. I don’t want to talk about it anymore. You need to leave now.
Lily: We’ll be in touch. Don’t go too far.

-On the way to the car.
Lily: If he didn’t act alone, we need to learn who was working in the store that evening.
Scotty: Someone did something.
Lily: I’m gonna call Vera and see if he can locate the workers who were mobile in the store.
-At the station.
Vera: The guys working in the storage room were all accounted for in the report. The delivery guy confirms they were unloading boxes and could not have taken the boy.
Lily: Doesn’t rule them out as being involved.
Vera: Three boys were working the main area. High school kids. All friends.
Jeffries: And we have their whereabouts right here.
Lily: Divide and conquer again boys. Scotty and I will take one.
Jeffries: Nick and I will take another.
Vera: And then we’ll switch and flip for the last one.
Lily: Whatever.

-Lily and Scotty arrive at the work place of the first person, Dustin Jeters.
Dustin: I worked the store the day the boy disappeared. Looked all over the place for him. Nothing.
Lily: We found him.
Scotty: Dead.
Dustin: I’m sorry. How’s the mother?
Scotty: She’s not taking it well.
Lily: I’m sure she’s going to have a real problem when we tell her it was someone in the store.
Dustin: What do you mean?
Lily: He was placed in a box and knocked out with something.
Scotty: He was asleep in the store the entire time you were all looking for him.
Dustin: You’re kidding!
Lily: Are we?
Scotty: And are you surprised?
Dustin: Do I look it?
Lily: We’ll find out. Tell us about that day.
Dustin: Pretty tense. I was 16. Seems like a lifetime ago. Of course, he wasn’t my son. Had he been I might have remembered it differently. It was a normal day. I was hanging out with the other two guys working the aisles. Our job was to help the customers and stop shoplifters.
Scotty: Ever catch any?
Dustin: Of course. Told the boss and he took it from there. But Alan. That was a different situation altogether.

-Flashback to 1984. "Hungry Like the Wolf" by Duran Duran plays in the background. After the search had died down. Dustin and his two friends are hanging out in front.
Dustin: This is crazy. How did that boy get away from us?
Bud: It’s crazy, dude. They’re never gonna find him. Not in a million years.
Jerry: I wonder what happened. Who took the kid?
Bud: You’d be surprised who could pull something like that off. I guess it goes to show, even strangers aren’t the only enemy.
Dustin: I’m going back in. You guys comin’.
Bud: No, we’re gonna stay out here. We still have some break time left.

-Dustin walks away and notices the two of them arguing about something but he can’t make it out.
Bud: Shut up. You can’t tell anybody or we’re screwed.
Jerry: Chill out. Nobody’s gonna know. You’re worryin’ over nothing.
-Dustin kind of gives a suspicious look and walks back inside the store.

-Return to the present.
Lily: You have any idea what they were talking about?
Dustin: No and I didn’t really want to know.
Scotty: A kid goes missing, you hear something suspicious and you keep it to yourself.
Dustin: Bud wasn’t exactly a guy you wanted to cross if you know what I mean.
Lily: Well we don’t. Enlighten us.
Dustin: He was into drugs, sex, you name it. Let’s just say some things went missing from the store room a few times.
Scotty: You positive Bud stole the stuff.
Dustin: Jerry was there. I sort of stayed away from the two of them. Especially after Harold got fired.
Lily: Who’s Harold?
Dustin: A guy from school. He ended up getting blamed for the missing stuff. His dad paid for the merchandise and Harold was fired. He didn’t take it very well.
Lily: Any idea where this Harold is today?
Dustin: Don’t know. He sort of lost it soon after. Spent some time in a mental hospital. Not sure if he’s out yet or what.

[r2k]

Meanwhile, Vera and Jeffries have located Bud and Jerry. They work together at a hardware store. The two detectives locate Jerry first.
Jeffries: Jerry Logan, Detective Jeffries, homicide.
Vera: Vera, Homicide. We’d like to ask you some questions about Alan Wall.
Jerry: Alan who?
Jeffries: The boy who went missing in ’84. You worked at the toy store when it happened.
Jerry: Oh, that kid. Now I remember.
Vera: You know, that kid, was just found dead. You know anything about it.
Jerry: No. I never touched that kid.
-Bud walks up to the detectives.
Bud: Jerry, what’s going on? Why are detectives talking to you?
Vera: Alan Wall. You must be Bud. We’ve heard so much about you.
Bud: What?
Vera: Oh that you and Jerry here were keeping something hush hush that day.
Bud: I don’t know what you’re talking about.
Jerry: Why don’t you just tell him.
Bud: Shut up, Jerry.
Jerry: It’s been 20 years, we were minors. No big deal now.
Jeffries: What big deal?
Bud: (Pauses) We were making some money.
Vera: Off the missing merchandise.
Bud: Yeah. We made $500 that summer.
Jerry: Until the boss got suspicious.
Vera: Then what?
Bud: We pinned it on another worker. Got him fired.
Jerry: He was having emotional problems. So we figured it was perfect. Dad paid off the debt so Mr. Geiger wouldn’t call the cops. Harold was fired. Became more withdrawn as time went on. Parents put him somewhere soon after.
Vera: Was this before or after Alan went missing?
Bud: After. I remember seeing Harold a few more times after the disappearance.

-At the station.
Lily: Dustin was suspicious of the other two boys, Bud and Jerry.
Vera: Bud and Jerry seemed to point the figure at this other boy, Harold.
Scotty: Dustin mentioned this guy’s name too.
Jeffries: Maybe Harold wanted revenge and figured a missing boy would hurt the store. Even if the plan wasn’t grounded, a teenage boy might not be able to figure out the flaws in the plan.
Scotty: Makes sense.
Stillman: Lily, you and Scotty go talk to Harold. See if he knows something.
Vera: I checked him out. He’s out of the hospital. Lives with his parents.
Lily: We’ll check back when we’re through.

-At Harold’s house.
Harold: (images flashes back to age 16.) I remember those two. They made up that story about me stealing stuff. Took it themselves.
Lily: Did you ever feel like getting back at them?
Harold: How?
Lily: A little boy disappeared a few months after you were let go.
Harold: What does that have to do with me?
Scotty: He’s dead.
Lily: His head was recently found. Then his body.
Harold: I wasn’t that angry with them.
Scotty: But you were messed up. Sometimes people get confused.
Harold: I spent two years in that hospital trying to get better. And when I did, I let go what they did to me. I never would have taken it out on a child. Ever.
Lily: Are you sure?
Harold: I’m sure. But Bud was not a nice guy. I wouldn’t put it past him. And Jerry would follow him everywhere.

-Flashback to 1984. "You Might Think" by the Cars plays in the background. Bud, Jerry, and Harold are at the toy store working.
Bud: Hey Jerry. Let’s go mess around with the kids.
Jerry: We gotta work, Bud. You’re gonna get us in trouble.
Bud: Look, dude. I thought you were cool.
Jerry: Alright.
Harold: What are you guys gonna do?
Bud: We’re just going to tease a few boys. It’s a lot of fun.
Harold: You shouldn’t.
Bud: You sound like a grown-up. You need to get over it,.
Harold: You want to get fired?
-Bud becomes angry and lunges and Harold.
Bud: You want to get the crap beaten out of you?
-Harold backs off.
Harold: No.
Bud: Then keep your mouth shut! Or something bad might happen to you.
Harold: Like what?
Bud: You never know.
Jerry: Leave him alone.
Bud: Am I talking to you? Shut up.
Jerry: Okay.
-Bud backs away from Harold.
Bud: I’m glad we were able to clear this up. You stay out of my business and I won’t ruin yours.
Harold: Yeah.
-Bud and Jerry walk away.

-Return to the present.
Harold: I’m not sure what they were talking about doing. And I no longer worked there when the boy went missing.
Lily: Did they ever tell you what they did to you?
Harold: No. My parents made sure I never saw them again. It was better I didn’t see them again. Bud was an evil person who took great pleasure in making people suffer. Jerry was the blind follower. You know, I always wondered if they took advantage of my mental state. All that going on right when I was having a nervous breakdown.
Lily: You believe they may have tried to frame you for the disappearance?
Harold: They framed me for robbery. Why not murder?

[r2k]

-Back at the station.
Lily: We didn’t get much from Harold. He was messed up then.
Jeffries: Any witnesses mention him being at the store at the time?
Vera: Not in the case file.
Scotty: I’m sure the boss made sure he never came back in. I mean he was caught stealing.
Lily: Still, the guy’s messed up and had to be institutionalized soon after.
Stillman: Perhaps if we were to learn the nature of Harold’s mental problems.
Lily: That might lead us somewhere.
-Alan’s parents come into the main area. Lily walks over to them.
Diana: We were wondering if you learned anything.
Lily: Have a seat.
-The three sit down at Lily’s desk.
Lily: We have a few leads. But for the moment, there are some gaps.
Andy: Is there anything I can do to help?
Lily: Yes. Your show. I understand you have someone filling in for you.
Andy: Yes.
Lily: Run an episode on your son.
Andy: I always promised Diana I would never do that. I figured it was inappropriate to use the show for my personal purposes.
Lily: But your son is an unsolved murder now. It may bring some witnesses out in the open.
Diana: Honey, it may be a good idea. If it can put our son’s killer away, I say “Do it.”
Andy: Alright. I’ll make the call now.
-Andy steps away for a few minutes.
Diana: What do you know?
Lily: Some workers at the toy store know something. Plus, an employee was fired soon before Alan was taken. Not sure if he’s the doer. Plus, the almost pedophile was ruled out as well. We know he was taken inside the store.
Diana: What about the mother that caused trouble. I heard about her later.
Lily: We spoke with her son, the one Alan had a fight with. But not the mother.
Diana: Someone told me she threatened him.
Lily: We know, but she was up front at the time. With a small window of opportunity, there was no way she could have orchestrated such a brilliant kidnapping and murder scheme like that. Especially with her son tagging along.
-Lily’s phone rings.
Lily: Detective Rush.
Caller: Hello Detective. I felt it was time we meet.
Lily: Who’s calling?
Caller: Oh, you don’t know yet. Come on. I’ll give you three guesses.
Lily: George.
Caller: No. George is on vacation, remember. And I’m much better than him.
Lily: I give up.
Caller: You have two more guesses, Lily. But then you don’t know.
Lily: Are you the one who killed Alan?
-Diana immediately focuses her attention on Lily. She then gets Andy’s attention.
Caller: Now you’re getting the right answers.
Lily: What do you want?
Caller: To be somebody, what else?
Lily: What? You think we’re your PR people. Try again.
Caller: I’ve waited over twenty years for this moment. Now if you don’t play right you may never find out how killed Alan. If you don’t find out who killed Alan, you’ll never learn who killed, THE OTHERS.
Lily: You mean there were other boys.
Caller: You’d be surprised how many boys I managed to kill. All in unique and special ways. They took me to my special places. But Alan is the first.
Lily: First what?
Caller: This is the conclusion of our first conversation. Remember, Alan was the first.
Lily: First what?
Caller: Bye!!!
-Click. The caller hangs up.
Diana: Who was it? Who were you talking to?
Lily: I’m not sure. He didn’t identify himself.
Diana: What did he say?
Lily: Alan wasn’t the first.

-Later, at the station. Vera approaches Lily.
Vera: Doer call back?
Lily: No. Diana and Andy finally left. Andy’s going to coordinate the episode on his show from here. Hopefully, we can get a lead from the broadcast. Thing is, this guy knew we were investigating Alan’s case.
Vera: Meaning?
Lily: He’s someone we’ve interrogated.
Vera: But who? We have suspects but nothing clearly pointing the finger in any direction.
Lily: I know.
-Jeffries and Scotty join them.
Jeffries: I learned a little of Harold’s mental condition. His father has authority of the records as well. He told me Harold was fine up until the firing. Soon after the kidnapping, he got worse. Ended up being institutionalized within a few months of Alan’s abduction.
Lily: And murder.
Scotty: Well, one thing’s for certain, the killer said Alan was the first.
Jeffries: So there must have been others.
Vera: I checked with the records, there are plenty of cases where boys went missing. I mean there’s no way to isolate which ones the doer was responsible for.
Lily: You got a point.
Scotty: Maybe the doer will call back.
Lily: But not turn himself in. This guy is playing with us. He’s so close to us. He knew what we were doing.
Vera: Our friend George?
Lily: It didn’t sound like him. This guy is different. This guy wants to be famous. He wants to be somebody. George never had any intention of becoming famous. His victims were personal.

*Note to fan fic readers. According to my fan fic universe, George is still alive.

Vera: This guy’s going about it the wrong way. If we catch him, he’ll be somebody in the joint. They just love child killers.
-A young woman approaches Lily. Lily looks at her.
Woman: Detective Rush?
Lily: Yes.
Woman: Hi. I’m Debra. Alan’s sister. (Her image flashes back to age 6 and then returns to age 27.)
Lily: We’ve heard about you. Have a seat.
Debra: I flew up here to be with my parents. This is the first time they’ve been together since they divorced.
Lily: They’re good people.
Debra: I know. When they split, it was on good terms. They love me. Always have.
Lily: Police never talked to you when it happened.
Debra: I wasn’t there. My mother didn’t want me to be traumatized. She sent me to my grandmother’s house. Of course, it was hard to avoid when you notice your older brother isn’t around anymore.
Lily: That must have been hard.
Debra: I wasn’t really aware of what was happening. I was only six. Alan was gone. We always tried to keep up hope that he was alive somewhere. (Debra starts crying.) Detective, I think I saw something that day. Heard something. I never thought anything of it that day but now that Alan’s dead. Now that we know.
Lily: What?
Debra: We were outside. One of the teenagers was going inside. Two other guys were outside talking. I heard them.

-Flashback to 1984. "Hungry Like the Wolf" by Duran Duran plays in the background. Bud and Jerry are having the same conversation Dustin heard part of earlier. Diana is walking in with Alan and Debra. Debra notices the two guys and pays attention to them.
Bud: We pick one and cut (he makes a throat slitting gesture with his right hand.) dead.
Jerry: You’re crazy. You’ll never get away with it.
Bud: We will get away with it. And it is just the beginning.
-Diana and the kids continue on inside.
Debra: Mom, that guy is scary.
Diana: He’s just a teenager. Wait until Alan is that old.
Debra: Yuck.
Alan: I don’t want to grow up.
Diana: You will.
-James is walking behind them. Debra notices him and is worried. She keeps turning around and sees him walking behind them.

-Return to the present.
Debra: I remembered that guy from the pizza place. And the kid saying those scary things.
Lily: How close was the strange man?
Debra: He was with us as we walked in. And in the parking lot.
Lily: Was he close enough to you?
Debra: Yes.
Lily: And the kids. Are you sure that is what they were saying?
Debra: Positive. I remember that day like it was yesterday. He was definitely talking about killing somebody. I never realized it until now. All these years we thought he disappeared. That he might still be alive somewhere. Those two boys may have done something to him.
Lily: We’ve spoken to them already. If they’re responsible then we have a chance to get them this time.
Debra: Alan was nice you know. Not like other older brothers. He looked out for me. I just feel like I have so much and he’s dead. And I feel so horrible about it. I feel like I don’t deserve it. I feel like they divorced because of me. I felt so alone.
Lily: Debra, this is not your fault. You’ve never really talked about it, have you.
Debra: No. Grief counselors weren’t as available then as they are now. (Image flashes back to age 6) I would talk to Alan. Hoping he would respond. (Image returns to 27) I knew he couldn’t hear me. But it was nice to be able to say things to him. Turns out he could hear me after all.

-Frannie enters the area.
Frannie: Lily, thank goodness. I found something on the body.
Lily: Excuse me, Debra. There’s no reason for you to hear this.
Debra: I was too young to be part of this. I’m an adult now. This is my turn to carry some of the pain.
Lily: Okay.
Frannie: There’s a discrepancy.
Lily: How so?
Frannie: The head and the body. The decomposition is not the same.
Lily: Which went faster?
Frannie: The body. It deteriorated at a faster rate. Plus there’s more. Now the head was floating down the river. But dirt found inside the skull indicates it has been buried somewhere else.
Lily: So the body and the head were in different places.
Frannie: And we can figure out the dirt, we might figure out where the head has been.
Lily: Because the killer moved the head prior to throwing it in the river.
Debra: What does this mean?
Lily: It means that there may be evidence of the killer’s presence when he dug up the head wherever it was being kept.
Frannie: I also found part of a fingernail. And it shows no signs of having been there for twenty years.

[r2k]

-Later, at Kite’s office. Lily walks in to see him. Kite spots her and immediately gets up.
Kite: I’m glad you came.
Lily: Me too. I know I’ve been a bit busy but I want to make time.
Kite: Good. Let me get my coat. Where do you want to go?
Lily: I don’t know. Where do you want to go? It’s okay. You can decide the place too.
Kite: How does Chinese sound?
Lily: Sounds great.

-A little later, at dinner.
Lily: That sounds like a good idea. I could use a vacation.
Kite: The cabin is beautiful that time of year. Spring has set in. The lake is wonderful. We’ll have a great time.
Lily: (Giggles) It’s funny. Never realized how easy it is to make time for someone. I’m sorry I didn’t do this sooner. I mean I spent all my time working and I love it. Don’t get me wrong. But I need this. A chance to disconnect.
Kite: When I started working for the D.A.’s office, I overworked too. It took time but I realized that there’s more to life.
Lily: For so long I never knew what that was. I had to take care of my mother. My sister never helped. Then she left for New York, came back, and left again.
Kite: You think she’ll come back.
Lily: Who knows? Chris has always been that way.

-The hostess comes up to Lily.
Hostess: Are you Lily Rush?
Lily: Yes.
Hostess: You have a telephone call. Someone from work.
Lily: Okay.
Hostess: You can take it up front.
Lily: Sure. (Looks at Kite) I’ll be a minute.
Kite: She said it was someone from work.
Lily: Probably Scotty with something. He’s been working late these days. Taking his mind off Elisa.
Kite: But how do they know where we are?
-Lily turns to the front where the phone.
Lily: It can’t be.
-Lily hurries to the phone. She picks it up and pauses before speaking.
Lily: Hello.
Caller: Took your time before talking I see.
Lily: So you’re watching me.
Caller: Don’t you mean, US? Who’s the cute guy with you?
Lily: None of your business.
Caller: So you do take time for yourself. I was beginning to think you lived at the police station. You always look so busy.
Lily: What do you want?
Caller: I already told you. I want to be somebody. And you’re going to help me.
Lily: And I already told you, I don’t do public relations for killers. Especially ones who kill children.
Caller: I don’t discriminate. To me, they’re all humans, equal in my eyes.
Lily: In the state of Pennsylvania, we don’t see it that way. Child killers get death, either on death row, or in a jail. You’re a goner one way or another.
Caller: Don’t be too sure. I’ve gotten away with this for so long. What makes you think you’re gonna catch me.
Lily: Well isn’t that what you want? To be somebody. You can’t be somebody if nobody knows who you are?
Caller: Yes you can. (Click)
Lily: Hello. Hello. Hello.
-Lily hangs up the phone. She looks around the restaurant. Nobody looks suspicious. Nobody she or her team have interviewed is in the restaurant. She returns to her table where Kite is waiting and gets out her cell phone.
Lily: I have to make a quick call.
-Lily dials her cell phone.
Lily: Hey Boss. He called again. (Pauses to listen.) I think he might have been watching. (Pauses) I don’t think he’s here now. I don’t want to make a big deal of it. (Pauses) Okay. See you tomorrow.
-Lily hangs up.
Kite: What’s going on?
Lily: I’ve reopened the Alan Wall case.
Kite: The boy who went missing in ’84.
Lily: Anyway, someone’s calling claiming credit.
Kite: And he knows your cell phone number.
-Lily looks at her phone and realizes the killer knows the number.
Lily: He knows my number.
Kite: Stay with me tonight. I don’t want you to be alone.
Lily: I have to stop off for some things.
Kite: Sure. Let’s finish dinner and we’ll go get them.
Lily: (Relaxing) Sure.

-The next day at the office.
Lily: This guy is good. He knows my number. We stopped off at my place last night to get some things. My message machine was filled. But nothing was said.
Vera: You mean he let the machine run. Loser.
Stillman: Jeffries is working on seeing who called.
Scotty: It seems obvious this guy has done this before. And to boys.
Lily: Thing is, someone at the toy store played a role in the kidnapping. Nobody saw Alan leave with anybody.
Scotty: What if he was murdered in the store? At the time Alan was considered missing. Police checked the toy store out and left. Assumed he wasn’t there.
Stillman: Good observation.
Vera: Gave the killers time and space to finish off what they started.
Lily: And I’ll bet Bud and Jerry might have had access to the place. Security wasn’t as tight then as it is now.
Scotty: Technology wasn’t as in place either.
Lily: Bud and Jerry could have slipped in and out. Let’s have some forensics check out the old toy store again. This time the store room. If Alan was murdered, there might still be blood.

-Jeffries enters.
Jeffries: Andy called. Said the special program is ready to air tonight.
Lily: Excellent. Maybe this will bring someone out in the open.
Jeffries: No luck tracing the call. Went to a payphone out in the suburbs away from and cameras. No prints found. Dead end.
Scotty: What about cameras around that area?
Jeffries: That’s right. His car might have passed a place. I’ll check again.
Vera: I’ll go along.
Lily: I guess we can go through things while we wait for the special to air.
Scotty: The caller is definitely someone we’ve talked to.
Lily: Let’s run it down. We’ve spoken to the family. Ed Geiger, the toy store manager. Gene, the brat. James Donner, the pedophile wannabe. Dustin, the nice worker.
Scotty: Bud and Jerry. And let’s not forget Harold.
Lily: Andy was at work. Diana and Debra were together. Ed was working. Harold had been fired and no witnesses placed him there. Bud and Jerry had that strange conversation.
Scotty: Maybe Bud and Jerry are making the phone calls as part of a prank. Bud did not seem to have grown up that much.
Lily: Let’s go back to Ed. Maybe he can give us some information on Bud and Jerry.
Scotty: And Harold.

-Lily and Scotty are with Ed. He now works as a manager at an office supply store.
Ed: Bud and Jerry worked hard. I never got any bad feelings about them.
Lily: Harold claimed they stole the stuff.
Ed: Harold would say anything to save himself.
Scotty: Bud and Jerry finally admitted they framed him.
Ed: (Pauses in shock.) Oh no. The evidence pointed to Harold. Look. I didn’t have him arrested.
Lily: But he spent in a mental hospital after that.
Ed: Over $1,000 in merchandise was stolen in a few months time. The evidence indicated he took it. I did what I felt was right at the time. But if you’re implying Harold did anything to that boy, you’re wrong. Harold wouldn’t hurt a fly.
Scotty: Thing is, he was wronged. And that can do things to a person.
Lily: Now that you know what fine employees Bud and Jerry were, do you think they might have been capable of murder.
Ed: Bud was the brains in that friendship. Jerry followed. I don’t know.
Scotty: Dustin kind of knew too. Alan’s little sister, Debra recalls the two boys talking about killing someone.
Ed: You think you know some people. Look. I don’t think they did it. I stayed later that day.
Lily: Police didn’t stay long at the toy store.
Ed: They figured he was long gone from that place.
-Lily’s cell phone rings.
Lily: Rush. (Pauses to listen.) Gotcha. (Hangs up.) That was Jeffries. They checked out the store room at the toy store. On the floor in a corner. They found evidence of blood.
Ed: What?!?
Scotty: He was murdered in the store room.
Ed: That means he was never taken from the store.
Scotty: Oh, he was taken.
Lily: Just not out of the store.

-Later that evening. The team is ready to watch the Unsolved Murders episode. Alan and Diana are there with Debra.
Lily: We can rule Harold out.
Scotty: Dustin too.
Vera: James the almost pedophile may not be the doer.
Lily: So who is. Bud and Jerry are still likely suspects.
Scotty: What’s the motive?

-The episode airs with someone filling in for Andy.
Guest Announcer: As you know, Andy Wall’s son, Alan, disappeared in 1984 during a visit to the store. His remains were recently found in Philly and the Cold Case Squad is working on the case. It has been discovered that the boy was murdered inside the toy store.
-Lily’s phone rings.
Lily: Rush.
Caller: Captivating, isn’t it. My handiwork is so impressive.
Lily: You still want to be somebody?
Caller: Of course.
Lily: Thing is, you didn’t want to be somebody in 1984. Perhaps you’re just a down-on-your-luck loser with nothing better to do.
Caller: Insults will not work. Alan was tied up and gagged. If he could have been able to talk, he would have begged for his life. Still, I’m impressed how you figured out he was killed inside the toy store. I never thought you’d figure that one out.
Lily: You enjoyed it.
Caller: Of course.
-Andy grabs the phone from Lily.
Andy: Listen you sorry excuse for a human being!!!! You killed my son and you will die for it!!!!
Lily: Andy!! Stop!!
-Lily grabs the phone.
Caller: Tell pops he needs some manners. (Click)
-Andy backs off.
Andy: (Starting to cry.) I’m sorry. I’m so sorry. I can’t take this anymore.
-Andy drops to the ground crying.
Diana: (Crying) Andy. Please. You need to be strong. (Both images flash back to 1984.) We have a chance of finding out what happened to Alan.
Andy: I should have been there for you. For all three of you.
Debra: (Age 6) Daddy. Don’t cry.
-All three images return to the present.
Andy: Lily. Please get this guy. Please.
-Andy has an angry look on his face.
Lily: The voice is muffled. But it sounds familiar.
Vera: And we got a trace on it. A restaurant down the street. Uniforms are there now.
Lily: Andy. We may get they guy this time.
-They continue to watch the special. Stillman’s cell phone rings.)
Stillman: Stillman. (Pauses.) Great work guys. Bring him in.
Stillman: They got him. You’re not going to believe who it was.
Lily: Who?
Stillman: Gene Beckinsale.
Scotty: But he was a kid when it happened. No way he’s the doer.
Lily: But why the calls.
Stillman: That’s what you’re going to find out.

[r2k]

-A little while later in the interrogation room.
Lily: You enjoy obstructing justice, Gene.
Scotty: You know you could go to jail for that.
Gene: So. Been there. No big deal/
Lily: A child’s death is involved.
Gene: We all know I didn’t kill him.
Lily: But the head. You see we have evidence that the head was not originally by the river it was found.
Scotty: Where was the head?
Gene: I don’t know about the head.
Lily: Come on Gene. Someone dig up the head and placed it in the river where the body was buried.
Scotty: And you’re phone calls. Thing is you supplied more information than you possible could have known.
Lily: We know you know something. (Lily leans down near him.) I think I know what this is all about.
Gene: Really?
Lily: Your mother spoils you all these years but one day leaves you high and dry. You cope. But one day, we come around asking about a boy. Thing is, you never cared about Alan because you were a little boy. But now mother wronged you and you want payback.
Gene: It wasn’t the first time.
Lily: What?
Gene: Alan. He and I got into it before. Mom was mad at him. A few months earlier. Mom always took me to the toy store. She would mention when they were there to me.
Lily: You mean your mother knew when they came in.
Gene: She knew everything about that store.
Lily: Excuse me a minute.

-Outside the room.
Lily: Diana. How often did you go to the toy store?
Diana: First Saturday of every month. Didn’t always buy a toy for the kids. But we always looked.
Lily: First Saturday of every month.
Diana: Always.
Lily: That piece of information is more valuable than you can imagine. Let’s find Gene’s mother, Phoebe. And let’s bring Bud, Jerry, and Dustin in. I believe Gene didn’t have the head. But he recognized it.

-Later. Phoebe is in the interrogation room with Lily and Scotty.
Phoebe: Gene is a waste of life. Why are you even believing a word her says.
Scotty: All that spoiling and then just you forget about him.
Lily: Kick him to the curb because he’s getting in your way.
Phoebe: I did so much for him and he pays me back by going to jail nonstop.
Lily: He seems to be trying to change his ways.
Phoebe: But now he’s calling pretending to be the one who killed that other brat. Not changing his ways to me.
Lily: Thing is, he wasn’t trying to get attention with those calls. He was telling us what really happened. Because he was there, wasn’t he.
Phoebe: I have no idea what you’re talking about.

-In another room, Vera is working on Bud.
Vera: Hey there Bud. You enjoy kidnapping small children.
Bud: I didn’t touch that kid.
Vera: We think you did.
Bud: Where’s Jerry?
Vera: You need him.
Bud: (Image flashes back to 1984.) No.
Vera: Then you’ve got nothing to worry about.
In another room, Stillman and Jeffries are with Jerry.
Stillman: We hear you’re the follower. Why don’t you follow us for a change?
Jerry: I didn’t do anything.
Jeffries: Really. We hear you do everything for Bud.
Stillman: Perhaps murder.
Jerry: I didn’t murder anybody.
Jeffries: Then this is your chance to make things right. And save your butt at the same time.

-Outside of the rooms.
Lily: What have we got?
Stillman: Three suspects.
Scotty: Question is, who’s on the verge of spilling?
Gene: Mom promised me she’d take care of things after that first time. With Alan. On the way home. Alan got the Hot Wheels car I wanted.

-Flashback to 1984. Phoebe is driving Gene home.
Phoebe: Don’t worry, darling. One day, that kid is going to get his.
Gene: What do you mean?
Phoebe: You’re happiness means everything to me. I’ll do anything to make you happy. Anything.
Gene: Really. I want that car. I want something bad to happen to that kid.

-Return to the present.
Gene: I never thought she was serious. Until.
Lily: Until.
-Gene looks at her for a moment.
Gene: I’ll tell you everything only if she doesn’t. This is her problem. Get her to confess. If not, then I’ll talk.
Lily: Okay. Your mother couldn’t have taken him at the store.
Gene: I know. She had someone else do it. She tried to get those two guys to do it. I saw it outside. They said no. I don’t know who she got to do it. But she must have. She came home with his head.
Vera: Wait. She arrived home with the boy’s head.
Gene: Yeah. Handed it me. Told me to bury it somewhere.
Vera: And did you?
Gene: Of course.
Vera: And you did you tell Mom where you buried it?
Gene: Yes.

-Dustin comes in.
Dustin: Detective. My wife told me you called. Something important.
Lily: Come over to my desk.
-The two walk over to Lily’s desk and sit down.
Lily: If you had nothing to do with this, you won’t be charged. So if you know something please. Now is the time. We have a suspect. Several.
Dustin: Who?
Lily: Bud and Jerry. And the mother who filed a complaint.
-Dustin becomes scared.
Dustin: You don’t have everyone.
Lily: What do you mean?
Dustin: That psycho mom was talking with Mr. Geiger. He was later talking with Bud and Jerry.
Scotty: A foursome.
Dustin: When Alan was taken I had a feeling they were involved. I kept quiet because those four could easily have done something to me.
Lily: Did Harold fit into this?
Dustin: He was the potential fall guy. The mother probably didn’t know about him. I’ll bet you anything Mr. Geiger decided not to use it.
Lily: Because he didn’t need to.
Scotty: Until now. Let’s bring him in.
Lily: That won’t be necessary. Here he is.

-Ed Geiger walks in.
Lily: Ed, you’re just in time.
Ed: I heard. Diana called me. She thought I should be here when the killer confesses.
Lily: We’re going to need your help.
Scotty: Let’s rephrase that. You’re gonna need our help. We know you were involved.
Ed: That’s ridiculous. I was on the floor.
Scotty: We haven’t pieced it all together, but Dustin here has been extremely helpful.
-Ed becomes nervous.
Lily: You look pale.
Ed: I didn’t have a choice. She saw that pedophile coming in. She kept nagging me about him. But there was nothing I could do about him.
Lily: So what?
Ed: She threatened to tell people I knew.
Scotty: Unless you did her a favor.
Ed: That would have ruined me.
Lily: So you allowed a child to die to avoid your own personal humiliation.
Ed: (Image flashes back) I worked hard for that job. I wasn’t going to let that be ruined.
-Vera enters.
Vera: Forget humiliation. Try money. We checked your bank accounts. We checked everyone’s accounts. There was a big deposit into yours.
Jeffries: We noticed that Phoebe had written a sizable check to you right before Alan’s disappearance.
Vera: And another sizable check was written soon after.
Jeffries: But the pattern of checks kept coming over the years.
Vera: Until about 1994.
Gene: That’s when Mom kicked me out of the house. She had no need for me.
Lily: She arranged for this…(pause)
Gene: She would never kill me or punish me.
Scotty: She used Alan as a substitute for you.
Gene: (Image flashes back to age 8) Yes. And he was not the only time.
-Lily and Scotty look at Ed. Ed starts to back away. Vera sneaks up behind him.
Vera: Going somewhere.
Jeffries: Other than jail.
Ed: That job was a dead end. Pay was pathetic.
Vera: So kidnapping children was a more lucrative career.
Ed: She paid me $10,000 a boy.
Lily: How many?
Ed: What does that matter?
Lily: It matters to his parents.
-Diana and Andy are standing there. Diana is crying.
Diana: I trusted you. I turned to you. How could you?!?
Dustin: You got Bud and Jerry to put Alan in the box, didn’t you. That’s why you moved me during that shift to the cash register.
Ed: I couldn’t involve you in that.
Lily: Well bless you. You’ll be remembered for that. But poor Harold was set up to easily take the blame if you needed him.
-Ed drops to the floor, crying.
Ed: It was so much money. 24 kids.
Scotty: All taken from the store.
Ed: Not after Alan. It was too risky. Bud and Jerry went along with it over the years. Until they quit and blackmailed me.
Vera: We were getting to that. (Turns to Lily) They had some big bonuses in their checks as well. I think I get this now. You need extra cash. Instead of getting a better job, you decide to work for some witch who hates children. So you discover two kids stealing and get them to kidnap the boy. Problem is, you needed to have someone take the fall for the stolen goods.
Scotty: You pick Harold and fire him. But then, Bud and Jerry realize they too can make money. I mean, after all, Harold has already taken the fall. You can’t blackmail them for that.
Ed: I want a deal.
Stillman: I think we’re way past deals on this one. Who killed the boy?
Ed: Why don’t you ask Phoebe?
Stillman: You’re going to get what she gets.

[r2k]

-Lily and Scotty enters the interrogation room where Phoebe is sitting.
Lily: Your spoiled brat just sent you down the river.
Phoebe: I don’t follow.
Lily: He told us how you had Alan murdered and how you delivered his head to him. You had a boy murdered and gave the head to your own son. What’s wrong with you?
Phoebe: Nothing is wrong with me. I did not do that. You’re going to believe a convicted man.
Scotty: Ed’s here. We got him to confess. There will be no deal. He’s going to give it all up anyway. Your son gave us enough from his end. And another worker seemed to overhear quite a bit. And he isn’t afraid anymore.
Lily: We spoke with the coroner. She examined the remains. Seems that you left a siouvenere on the head this time.
Phoebe: What is that?
Lily: Part of your fingernail. And not from 1984. This is new. I notice you’re wearing fake nails.
Phoebe: What of it?
Lily: We have the fingernail. Between now and the time we get a search warrant, there’s no way you can change your DNA the way you covered the broken nail.
-There is a pause. Phoebe says nothing.
Lily: You had an 8 year old boy murdered so you can relieve a little stress.
Phoebe: (Image flashes back to 1984.) My son was everything to me. We were rich. My husband made a lot of money. Still does. Gene wanted the world and I gave it to him.
Lily: But you got sick of him taking your money so you gave him a present he’d never forget. You brought your own son into a murder-for-hire.
Scotty: And it didn’t end there, did it?
Phoebe: I didn’t have him killed. I only arranged to have him kidnapped. The murder was my thing. I wanted that boy to pay for getting in the way of my son’s happiness. Thing is, I saw Alan when he was taken.

-Flashback to 1984. After the incident with Alan and Gene, Alan walks back to his mother. On his way, Bud and Jerry grab him quickly and puts him in a box. Phoebe watches from a distance. Nobody notices. She goes to the front of the store to file a complaint. Ed is there when they arrive. Diana starts to panic.

Later that night, in the back store room. Phoebe walks in. Ed is waiting.
Ed: You’re late. He just woke up. What are you going to do?
Phoebe: Teach his mother a lesson in child raising. My son comes first. Always. But that is becoming a problem for me. Now my son must pay. Of course, my son cannot be harmed. That would look bad.
-Phoebe pulls out a knife.
Phoebe: You see dear boy, you must learn manners. My boy is the best and he deserves the best. And you are not him. You’re just a mere mortal. You are not worthy of happiness. My boy is special. He’s going to be somebody someday.
-Phoebe walks over to him. She puts the knife down on a table.
Phoebe: Gene you spoiled brat!!!! (She hits him in the face over and over again. She raises the knife and swings. The camera cuts off before his head is cut off.)
-Later, she arrives home with the head. She enters the house.
Phoebe: Gene, dear!!! I have a present for you!!!
-Gene runs down the stairs.
-Phoebe hands him a box wrapped in wrapping paper.
Phoebe: For my special boy.
-Gene unwraps it and opens the box. You can’t see the head.
Gene: It’s the boy’s head. Gross!!
Phoebe: Gross. Gross!! Gross!!! I go out of my way for you. You’re nothing but a spoiled brat!!! I want you to go hide that head somewhere. Anywhere. I don’t care where. Because if you don’t the police will find you and I will tell them you did it!!! Understand me boy!!!
Gene: (Scared) Yes.
Phoebe: Go!!!!!
-Gene goes outside and buries the head in his backyard. Phoebe watches him from outside. Later, she moves the head to a safer location farther away.

"Victims" by Culture Club plays in the background. Phoebe is handcuffed and led out of the room. She sees Ed, who is already being led away. Bud and Jerry are taken out of the interrogation rooms. The four look at each other. Their images flash back to what they looked like in 1984. Then they return again. They are led by Dustin, whose image then flashes back. Then they pass by Diana, Andy, and Debra. Their images flash back to what they looked like in 1984. Phoebe is the last one taken out. She passes by Gene. Their images flash back to what they looked like in 1984. As she is led out, Gene starts to cry. Diana walks up to him and comforts him. An older man comes in. It is Gene’s father. Gene looks at Diana and smiles at her. She smiles back. Gene goes to his father, who is happy to see him. They two hug. Meanwhile, James Donner is in his yard with his wife. The newspaper has the story. His image flashes back as he sees the headlines. The camera then goes to Harold, who is in a therapy session. Dustin comes in to see him. The two shake hands as their image flashes back to what they looked like in 1984. Lily and Scotty watch the latest episode of “Unsolved Cases”. Andy is talking about his son. Lily turns to the side and sees Alan standing there. He smiles before his image fades.

Author's Note: This was based on the Adam Walsh case from the early 1980s. He was taken from a department store in Florida and his head was later found floating down a river. In the real story, some demented guy who killed 50 other people was responsible. For dramatic purposes, I changed some things around and added a motive. The name "Code Alan" came from "Code Adam" If you're at an Office Max in the future, look for the sign at the door. That's the code for a missing child. If you hear it on the speaker, start looking for a missing child. Historical Note: The Superhero action figures actually existed in 1984. I have them all since I collected them at the time. They were launched in toy stores in 1984 and featured heroes and villains from the D.C. Comics.

Next Episode: Special Delivery
Two people ask Rush and Valens to reopen a famous double homicide from 1990. Ronald and Martha Livingston were found dead inside their house near the front door. Both were shot in the head. The case was originally solved by high school journalist. The two people, also high school journalists, have a reason to believe their rival may have fabricated part of the story and that an innocent man may be on death row.

[TVFan]

Wow R2K, this one really kept me guessing. I really liked your inventiveness with the hiding the toys in the small spaces between the shelves. I used to take items that I liked and move them to the back of a different rack for safe keeping. This was a VERY disturbing case from every angle. That mother is, seriously, the worst person ever! I remembered the Adam Walsh case, but I never knew the head-in-the-river detail. Such a terrible tragedy. Good job building the story and creating the characters. Lilly's phone calls had me very intrigued!

[r2k]

This one was a little hard because I kept changing my mind on who the doer was going to be. Bud and Jerry were my first picks. But I needed a twist. And I sometimes like the killer to be despicable. Other times, I like it when the killer feels remorse. That's what sets Cold Case apart from the others. CSI killers are always trying to rationalize it at the time. When Lily confronts them in the end, you get a sense that time has forced them to think about what they did. In the real case, they caught the guy soon after. He had murdered fifty people and was associated with a guy who killed over a hundred. Not sure what happened to him. As for the toys between the cracks, that's a toy collector secret. The superhero I refer to in the story are currently boxed in my bedroom closet. They are the only toys I kept from my childhood. I have all the figures. And I'll admit it. Wonder Woman too. They were designed to go along with the Superfriends cartoon show. So now you all know something about my childhood. My fan fics actually reveal a little about me each time. Much like Lily's life.

[Tati]

Wow. My mouth is literally hanging open now. I have no words for that mother. The saddest part is knowing that people like that also exist in real life. Great job!!

[r2k]

Glad you liked it. What's really scary is that my next fan fic as actually based on a true murder case. The one after that is based on some true facts. I'm not sure I'm going to finish my fan fic season before the real premiere. If I don't, I'm going to post the finale. I've been working on the finale since I began the fan fics. I'll give you a hint. A previous case is reopened again while the team works a new one. They'll be juggling two cases at the same time. I will write the episodes I promised to get to. Just consider episodes you missed the first time around. My latest should be out soon.

[Tati]

I can't wait to read the next ones. I wouldn't mind waiting longer for your finale if you want to keep your original schedule. Either way I'm sure your next fics will be lots of fun.