Need a financial motive for murder

Soccer Mom · Aug 30, 2006

I need a financial motive for a murder (fictional of course

)

Suspect is wealthy business man. Wife has gotten some papers and is trying to blackmail him during a nasty divorce. What could he be doing? What could be in the papers?

TheIT · Aug 30, 2006

The business man has made secret investments which might scandalize the company if word got out.

Embezzlement.

Supporting a mistress on the side.

Political donations to questionable candidates.

He backed product lines which ultimately failed in the marketplace, then covered up his involvement.

Why are they getting divorced? Are the papers connected? Also who's the victim? I'm assuming it's the wife.

Robert Toy · Aug 30, 2006

Think Enron. Does wife get killed?

DeborahM · Aug 30, 2006

Could have trader knowledge on investments

Could have...brain freeze...what's that called...when a lawyer represents or has interest in both parties...you know what I mean Soccer Mom.

Robert Toy · Aug 30, 2006

DeborahM said:
Could have trader knowledge on investments

Could have...brain freeze...what's that called...when a lawyer represents or has interest in both parties...you know what I mean Soccer Mom.

Conflict of interest

alleycat · Aug 30, 2006

The biggest one of all: tax evasion.

MidnightMuse · Aug 30, 2006

A child by another woman? Two wives (unknown to each other)? His business is really just an elaborate pyramid scheme and he's about to cash out and run? Secret account in . . . oh . . . that tropical island country where people stash their money . . . dang it . . .

His past youth spent as an activist - where he's still wanted for bombing an Army recruiting office?

Nothing at all, but HE doesn't know it and happens to have secrets that need to stay - shall we say - buried? Too bad wifey didn't realize his secrets would get her killed! Bhwahaha . . . Oh, sorry.

Robert Toy · Aug 30, 2006

He is a normal, really nice wealth man, his wife is a just bi**h!

Added: The "papers" are all in her head, or written by her other personality.

DeborahM · Aug 30, 2006

Robert Toy said:
Conflict of interest

Yep, that's it...told you I had a brain freeze or was that half-heimers?

DeadlyAccurate · Aug 30, 2006

Running arms to guerillas/terrorists

Supporting an expensive drug habit

Funnelling money toward terrorist/extremist organization (maybe his company is very public about their diversity and minority-friendly hiring practices and he's secretly a Grand Dragon for the KKK)

alleycat · Aug 30, 2006

Could it be incriminating photos rather than papers? Say, hubby dressed as Paula Abdul and sitting on Ryan Seacrest's lap while singing I Got You Babe.

Just a thought.

Robert Toy · Aug 30, 2006

The more I think about it, you would really screw up the readers mind to develop all these evil deeds...only to discover it was all in her head.

Mom'sWrite · Aug 30, 2006

Soccer Mom said:
I need a financial motive for a murder (fictional of course )

Suspect is wealthy business man. Wife has gotten some papers and is trying to blackmail him during a nasty divorce. What could he be doing? What could be in the papers?

Google money laundering for the mafia/gangs/cults, shell corporations, piracy, prostitution/pandering, insurance fraud, any one of a bazillion types of scams or maybe he just works for Haliburton.

A woman going through a nasty divorce doesn't really require a "financial" motive for murder. She'd kill him just on principle. Hell hath no fury, and all that.

Soccer Mom · Aug 30, 2006

Actually, hubby isn't a bad guy, but he was doing something naughty with the papers. Tax evasion is probably a good one. Maybe skimming profits and keeping them tax free? And the papers could be for his Swiss Bank Account! Or is everything in the Caymans these days?

Thanks guys, that helps!

FYI- Wife is dead before the story even starts. It was the papers that got her killed. And yes, she had it coming. She's one bad girl. Now the papers are missing. The husband is desperately hunting them and the person who has them, doesn't know what she has. Y'all are the best!

DeborahM · Aug 30, 2006

Robert Toy said:
The more I think about it, you would really screw up the readers mind to develop all these evil deeds...only to discover it was all in her head.

Like using it as a transition? Example, the briefcase carried around throughout the movie, but in the end was never important to the plot, was used just to add suspense.

The papers are in her mind...however, what she actually has in her hand is something more important to be leaked before the climax.

Robert Toy · Aug 30, 2006

Exactly

Soccer Mom · Aug 30, 2006

Hmmm. I'm sort of playing with that idea, but in reverse. The papers are hidden in an object that is being passed around by people who don't know what they have as the man sweats it out trying to recover them.

Robert Toy · Aug 30, 2006

Soccer Mom said:
Hmmm. I'm sort of playing with that idea, but in reverse. The papers are hidden in an object that is being passed around by people who don't know what they have as the man sweats it out trying to recover them.

Double twist - it's all in his as well!...

TheIT · Aug 30, 2006

Another possibility. Most of the suggestions imply the husband was doing something illegal, she found out, and was blackmailing him. What if instead the husband's activities were completely legitimate, but she took papers which leave holes in the paper trail such that it now looks like he was a crook? Unless he gets the papers back, his reputation will be ruined or he'll face criminal charges for a crime he didn't commit.

I'm drawing a blank on what the papers or the activity might be. Did he kill her, or did someone else? Either could work, and you'd have the added "is he guilty or innocent?" question to use to play with the readers' minds.

TheIT · Aug 30, 2006

Still thinking...

Perhaps the deed to some land he owns?

Kate Thornton · Aug 30, 2006

The birth certificate.

Either his - proving he isn't - and never was - who he says he is.
Or a hidden child's, now grown up but mysteriously missing.
Or hers - proving she isn't who she thinks she is...

Soccer Mom · Aug 30, 2006

Wow. Y'all are twisted. The story is actually from the POV of the person who ends up in possession of the papers and doesn't realize it until the end. We also don't find out who really killed the woman until the end. There are multiple people with motives. She was not a nice lady. But we get to watch him slowly disintegrate while trying to find the papers.

Did I mention that it's YA and the POV is the sixteen year old niece of the man?

I'm right about 17K into it.

Robert Toy · Aug 30, 2006

Soccer Mom said:
Did I mention that it's YA and the POV is the sixteen year old niece of the man? I'm right about 17K into it.

So your talking chain saws then?....

DeborahM · Aug 30, 2006

Sounds like you are really moving along! Is this Killer Summer?

Keep up the great work on it!

TheIT · Aug 30, 2006

Soccer Mom said:
Wow. Y'all are twisted.

You should see what I'm doing to my own characters. I'm sure if they had the opportunity, they'd be hiding my pens or shorting out my computer.

Need a financial motive for murder

Crypto-fascist

Infuriatingly Theoretical

Robert Toy

I need espresso & chocolate!

Robert Toy

Still around

Midnight Reading

Robert Toy

I need espresso & chocolate!

Absolutely Fazed

Still around

Robert Toy

Service with a smile

Crypto-fascist

I need espresso & chocolate!

Robert Toy

Crypto-fascist

Robert Toy

Infuriatingly Theoretical

Infuriatingly Theoretical

Still Happy to be Here. Or Anywhere

Crypto-fascist

Robert Toy

I need espresso & chocolate!

Infuriatingly Theoretical