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The Elevator Pitch

A murderer finds his victims in the headlines of The Wall Street Journal, killing harsh and callous businessmen only to be thwarted by a small-town newspaper woman.

The Brief

Seemingly unconnected murders of cold-hearted businessmen and robber barons take place across the country in the most gruesome manner.  When one of the murders takes place in an East Coast bedroom community,  a female newspaper reporter is taken with solving the murders as a way to prove her worth and escape to a big-time city paper. Slowly she discovers a connection between that murder and others that centers on The Wall Street Journal: All the victims had been in the headlines over the last few months. A junk bond broker who had ruined hundreds of elderly investors, a munitions manufacturer whose weapons were blotting the inner city, a strip-mining executive who was destroying the ecology and a zealot preacher who was sleeping with his congregation. When she confronts The Wall Street Journal with her theory they laugh at her and dismiss her, except for one old

curmudgeon of a reporter who befriends her. Along with a detective friend of his, they go after the killer only to discover the murderer is the son of a ruthless businessman who has devised all the killings to cover the murder of his own father. As she closes in on the murderer she is captured by him and through her own cunning is able to free herself and aid in his capture. She finds the adventure has cured her wanderlust and she returns happy to her small-town paper.

The Synopsis

Paula Hughes works on the local newspaper of the East Coast community where she grew up. After returning from several years away, she longs for the drama, excitement and journalistic respect of the bigger city. While spending her time covering town hall meetings and rotary club functions, a murder takes place of a wealthy though despised businessman, Randall Hafner. Paula decides to solve the crime and begins her journalistic research.

While pouring through old Wall Street Journals, she notices several other prominent businessmen from across the country who have also been highlighted in the paper and have fallen victim to murder. Billy Weisman, a junk bond broker in New York who ruined hundreds of elderly investors. Heinz Brummel, a munitions manufacturer in Cleveland, whose weapons were blotting the inner city. Bob Fransen, an Arizona strip miner destroying the environment and a zealot preacher named The Deacon Johnson who was sleeping with his congregation.

When Paula brings her theory to The WSJ, the editorial staff scoffs at her. All but a soon-to-be-retired reporter, Joshua McGinn, thinks this bears further investigation. They team up with private detective friend of Joshua’s and part-time sushi chef, Billy Sumada.

Meanwhile in the rolling hill country of Pennsylvania, Cyrus Ernest Frederickson, a right-wing author, has been  murdered. Sensing a connection, the three go to investigate and discover a valuable clue connecting this and the other crimes to a suspect known as Tinkerbell.

Armed with this new clue, Paula uses all her journalistic cunning to track him down and discovers that Tinkerbell is, in fact, Tucker Lexington Bell III, the narcissistic young son of the publishing magnet bearing the same name.

Unable to wait for her partners, Paula goes to investigate Tinkerbell, on her own. Sneaking into his decrepit antique-filled estate, she discovers a room filled with newspaper clippings, assorted maps and hard evidence of his culpability. About to leave, she is captured by Tinkerbell, who locks her in a basement room.

While under his control, Paula learns that the reason for the crimes is not out of some sense of self-righteousness—bringing evil men to justice—but only to cover up Tinkebell’s plan to kill his own father, who he despises.

Joshua and Billy, learning from a voice mail of Paula’s intentions, go to the estate only to be stymied by guard dogs (that Paula had handled earlier with drugged meat).

Paula is able to escape from the basement and heads out, after connecting with Joshua and Billy, to warn Tinkerbell’s father. The three arrive just as Tinkerbell is about to blow up his father’s office. The boy is led away by the police as he rants at his father for the lack of love and support he feels he was due. The recalcitrant father is humbled and introspective.

Paula has learned that her small town, is not so bad. With her newfound friends, Joshua and Billy, she knows that the occasional adventure is just around the corner.