Green Arrow #68

Issue Details

Synopsis

"Bum Rap Part 2" Congressional candidate Tom Caywood complains to his campaign manager about the discomfort that living in a homeless shelter causes him. Meanwhile, the 'Smasher,' whose murder victims are exclusively homeless people is improving Caywood's poll standings by showing how brave he is to campaign in that danger zone. Even so, Caywood's political sincerity is obviously lacking. On the streets, Lt. Cameron complains that none of his undercover officers seem to be able to attract the attention of the Smasher killer. Green Arrow, Marianne, and Jack Hammer arrive, suggesting that perhaps using real homeless people as plants would yield better results. Cameron is unimpressed, but Oliver reminds that with a serial killer, it's important to focus on motive, rather than the victims. They encourage Cameron to look beyond the fact that the victims are all homeless. Later, Jefferson Twodogs, another homeless man, is targeted by the killer. He survives, though, and Oliver and Marianne make sure he gets to a hospital. There, they discover that Jefferson's real name is Mason Jeffries, and that he is a Vietnam war deserter. When Oliver realizes that the killer used a geologist's hammer with a spiked end, he deduces that the murderer is Stoney, another homeless man. This explains why he was ignoring Cameron's plants - he knew who was homeless from experience. Unfortunately, when they track him down, Stoney has also been murdered. Oliver suggests that Stoney had a specific target, and that once her had killed the target, he was killed by whoever had hired him. In the hospital, Jefferson Twodogs dreams of his time in Vietnam, where he had decided to desert with his partner Cane, but when Cane finds heroin, Jefferson had left without him. When Jefferson awakes, he rips out his IV and goes off in search of his attacker. Tom Caywood is surprised to find Jefferson in his campaign office, waiting for him. Jefferson reveals that Caywood is actually Cane, and that he bought his new identity and political life using the money from the heroin he stole. When Jefferson accuses Caywood of hiring Stoney to murder him, in order to keep his history as a deserter and the drug money quiet, Caywood pulls a gun. He plans to make it appear as though Jefferson killed his campaign manager, and then kill Jefferson in 'self-defence.' Fortunately, Oliver, Cameron, and the gang appear, and arrest Caywood. Caywood attempts to kill himself rather than go to prison, but Oliver knocks the gun from his hand with an arrow. Afterwards, Dinah Lance wakes up to find a house full of the homeless sharing a meal with Oliver.