Question: Why would the police cover up Hawkins' accidental shooting of Pete McCabe in the 1978 flashback?
Question: How did the kids in the flashback know it was Lonnie who stole their brother's candy?
Answer: The way that I look at it is: they didn't know. Not for certain anyway. They just guessed and as it turns out, they were right. Also, they were bullies. And there were three of them and one of Lonnie.
Question: I'm confused. In Halloween 1978, Lonnie looks like he was a tough bully. In the flashback, he's the one getting bullied. Why is that?
Answer: Looks can be deceiving. Also, Lonnie had backup when he was tormenting Tommy. And bullies can be bullied, too. Plus, there were three of them against one of him.
Question: Who is Conrad Mulaney and how did Lonnie steal his candy?
Answer: I always thought that Conrad was the guy with those two girls who steal Lonnie's candy. And Lonnie could have just pickpocketed the candy from Conrad. It's never explicitly stated in detail.
Answer: He's another kid, and Lonnie probably just picked on him and stole some of his candy... it happens.
Question: Why does Michael head back to his old house and why does Karen go inside it by herself?
Answer: It was his own personal man cave, he was born and raised there. It was the only place he felt safe and secure. In just about every "Halloween" film he always returned to his home. It belonged to him. I personally believe Karen went there to get a feel for the place, trying to make sense of everything. Why does a normal kid turn into a ruthless killing machine, was it just him or was it the house itself.
Answer: As you point out, it was a cover-up, probably to protect their reputation and one of their own. They would want to avoid any negative publicity, public outrage, and mistrust. It could also create accusations of police incompetence, leading to a civil lawsuit, firings, internal investigations, etc. There may be other things going on that the police want to avoid being scrutinized too closely.
raywest ★