***
Hans lit a cigarette as the black Mercedes followed Lori and Lynn up the Dallas North Tollway. Lori insisted on driving and she was traveling fast wanting to get Lynn home where she could take better care of her. When they got to Beltline Road, they exited the Tollway and proceeded to the apartment. After they parked the car, they went inside.
Hans and his driver pulled up as Lori closed the apartment door. They got out, the driver ran around the back, and Hans slipped unnoticed in between two buildings. He carefully removed a screen, cut a hole in the window with a circular glass cutter, stuck in his hand, and unlatched the lock. Then he lifted the window and climbed inside the bedroom without making a sound. He could hear the two women talking as he stepped inside.
"I can't believe Matt's going to prison," Lynn moaned.
"Eighteen months will go fast. It really will."
"No, it won't. It will seem like an eternity. Why is this happening? It's not fair!"
"What are you going to do while Matt's in prison?"
"I don't know. I've got to shut down the practice. Dad has agreed to finish up all of Matt's cases that were in progress."
"Are you going to get a job?"
"Not right away. I'm just not in the right mental state to work. I can't concentrate on anything. All I can think about is Matt all alone in prison."
"At least he's in a federal prison and not Huntsville."
"Yeah, thank God for small favors."
"You ought to get a job at an ad agency or something."
"The bank, I'm sure, has blackballed me. I doubt any ad agency would touch me with industrial strength rubber gloves."
"I don't know. You've proven how good you are."
"Yeah, too good. Matt and I were too good together for our own good."
"Let's turn on the TV and see how the press is reporting the plea bargain."
"No, I don't want to go through that again."
"You need to know what they're saying so you can respond appropriately tomorrow. You know you're not going to be able to hide from this thing."
"I know. Okay, turn it on if you must."
Lori turned on the TV and flipped through several stations until she found the local news. After a few minutes Matt's story came on.
"Local Dallas Attorney Matt Coleman pleaded guilty today in Federal District to bankruptcy fraud and conspiracy charges. He was sentenced to 18 months in prison, 42 months' probation, and a $200,000 fine. Coleman, along with his wife, Lynn, orchestrated the meteoric rise of the Debt Relief Centers of Texas, who boasted the filing of more than four thousand bankruptcies in less than a year, costing banks and other financial institutions nearly a quarter of a billion dollars in losses."
"Today the Debt Relief Centers closed their doors and in response, the Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 282 points on active trading. Senator Benington, a member of the Senate Banking Committee, looking into bankruptcy reform, told a news conference today that the recent bankruptcy crisis underscored the need for a wholesale revamping of the bankruptcy systems. He criticized the current law for being so liberal and debtor-friendly that consumers have little to lose by filing. He said he would be urging the Congress to abolish alternative state exemptions, require most consumers to file chapter thirteen, and increase the scrutiny of filings to eliminate bankruptcy fraud and concealment of assets.
"In other news, Exxon-Mobil Corporation announced a huge oil discovery in the southern Caribbean. . . ."
Lori shut off the TV and gave Lynn a sympathetic look.
“We'll I bet in six months no one will remember the name Matt Coleman. Hell, who knows? Matt might even get out on parole in less than eighteen months," Lori said.
"Brad doesn't think so. He says the government doesn't want Matt out on the street for a while until the current economic crisis has cooled down. It's not likely he'll get out early."
"Hmm. That sucks."
The bedroom door suddenly opened and Hans stepped out with a gun pointed at them. There was a crashing noise from behind them and the back door burst open. The driver stepped inside and gave them a menacing glare.
"Oh, my God!" Lori screamed.
Lynn yelled.
"All right, ladies, we're going to take a little ride,” Hans said.
Lynn looked around searching for a way to escape or a weapon that she might use to defend herself. But Hans had the door blocked and bedroom windows would take too long to open. Hans would get to her or shoot her before she could get it open. She was trapped and there was nothing she could do. She looked sorrowfully at Lori. This wasn't Lori's battle, yet she had been caught up in it and her life was in danger. Lynn became angry.
"Where are you taking us?"
"You’ll see. Just stand up and walk normally to your car. Don't try anything or we'll kill you. We're just going to take you for a ride."
"I'm not going anywhere until you tell us where were going," Lynn said.
Hans smacked Lynn across the face hard with the barrel of his pistol. She staggered backward from the blow reeling in pain. Blood streamed from her mouth.
"Ah, you bastard!” she moaned as she ran her index finger around the inside of her mouth. “You broke my tooth!"
"Just shut up and do what I say or I'll put a bullet in your head."
Lynn glared at Hans and then finally started to move. Lori, looking pale and frightened, followed her. The four of them moved slowly to the car. Hans got in the back seat with Lynn, and Lori sat in the front passenger seat. The driver took off toward the Dallas North Tollway and entered heading north. They drove to Highway 121 and took it west until they got to a dirt road near the East Fork of the Trinity River. After driving down the dirt road a while, they stopped.
"What are we doing out here?" Lynn asked.
Hans gave Lynn a hard stare and then replied, "Shut up and get out of the car."
Hans got out and yanked Lynn out of the car. The driver got out to watch.
"What are you going to do?" Lynn asked as she fell to the ground outside the car. "Ouch. Damn you!"
"Haven't you figured it out yet?" Hans replied. "It's a shame that I have to do this to such pretty ladies but your husband has to be taught a lesson."
"What do you mean? What are you going to do? Are you going to rape us?"
"That's not a bad idea, but we're not perverts."
"What are you going to do then?" Lori asked.
"It's very unfortunate, but you two are going to be involved in a terrible accident."
"No! You can't kill us," Lori said. "We haven't done anything."
"Leave Lori out of this!" Lynn said. "She had nothing to do with what Matt and I did."
"I'm sorry but, as they say, she was at the wrong place at the wrong time. There's nothing I can do."
"You bastards!" Lynn said. "I thought we had a deal. If Matt went to prison, you’d leave me alone. Haven't we been punished enough?"
"It's not my decision. I've got my orders. You two messed with the wrong people."
"Please don't kill us," Lori cried. "Please . . . no."
"Sorry, girls," Hans said as he slipped a thin rope around Lynn's neck and began to strangle her. She grabbed at the rope and desperately tried to get a grip but to no avail. Unable to get a hold on the rope, she stomped hard on Han's foot. He winced in pain and Lynn nearly broke free, but she was no match for Hans’ massive body.
"Ahh! No! No! Please!" she mumbled as she gasped for air.
She continued to struggle for several long seconds until her body went limp. Hans let her go and she collapsed lifelessly on the ground before his feet. Suddenly the door opened and Lori began to run into the brush. The driver immediately took chase and quickly tackled her. Then he took a rag, stuffed it in her mouth, and held his other hand over her nose. She tossed and wiggled, trying to get free, but it was hopeless. The driver was much stronger and bigger than poor Lori and it wasn't long before she gave up the battle.
The two men attached leg and arm weights on
the girls with duct tape and threw the bodies in the trunk. After dark they drove to a bridge over the Trinity River and dumped the bodies over the side. They splashed and quickly sank beneath the muddy water.
Plastic Gods, A Rich Coleman Novel Vol 2 Page 30