The Referral Game

an end, you’ll have to be eliminated just as Edgar was.”
    Silas this is crazy,” I said, trying to play for time. “What can you hope to gain? You won’t get away with this.”
    “Oh, but I will Mr. Randall. Here’s how it will look. You brought Paula here to meet Edgar. Things went badly because Edgar didn’t want to give Paula a small share of his inheritance, he wanted to reconcile with her. I’ll testify to that. I’ll tell the police that his was wild to marry her again. When she spurned him he became enraged and shot both of you. I’ll also tell the police that Edgar came home tonight and told me that he had done something awful, something he couldn’t live with and he left the house distraught. When your bodies are found here and Edgar’s car is found at the beach, I’ll take it there later, and the police take my statement, they will simply put two and two together and conclude that this was just another case of a man killing his ex-wife. You, unfortunately, just got caught in the crossfire. And since I happen to know that Edgar has no will, all his money will come to me. Very sad, but I will manage to go on somehow. After all I’m sure that is how he would want it.”
    He might pull it off I thought. It seemed pretty seamless. I needed to keep him talking. Try and catch him with his guard down. “The police aren’t stupid Silas. They look for things like who benefits from a crime, even if it looks dead bang.”
    “There may be some suspicion in some quarters, but I also know the police like to close cases. And this will be a nice neat double homicide with a suicide chaser. I’m even going to leave Edgar’s precious hairpiece here. That should be a nice touch. I’ve got everything in hand Randall. Besides you’re the last person I would ask for advice on how to plan anything smart. Do you want me to tell you how many times I fooled you today?”
    “Sure, I’ve got nowhere to be tonight,” I said. “Lay it all out. It’s the only way I’ll ever learn.”
    “Well right off the bat you didn’t even ask for identification. I was ready for that, but you didn’t ask. And my serious illness was just some red ink on an old handkerchief of Edgar’s. I don’t think that is considered terminal. Then when I insisted on your being present at the meeting with Paula and even holding it here in your office, rather than my home, you thought you were railroading me. In truth I wouldn’t have left without that condition. I was prepared to argue that it was better here away from prying eyes, but once again you were all too compliant.
    “I’ll bet you even thought that you were brilliant in finding Paula. I knew that she worked at the club and that Susan Maxwell’s name would lead you to her. As a last resort I was ready to tell you that I had heard a rumor that she there, but you managed to find her without tripping over your shoelaces to many times.
    “I’m sorry that I had to exaggerate Miss Wray’s virtues, but I wanted you to feel sorry for her. I knew that if the truth were known she would be considerably less sympathetic and I needed you to start tonight. Not that she doesn't have a charm all her own, as many others could tell you better than I. There’s more Randall if you’ve got the stomach for-”
    “Silas don’t do this,” Paula screamed interrupting him. “You’ll burn for it.”
    He looked at her with contempt. “Don’t moralize with me Paula. I know all about you. You may have fooled Mr. Randall here, we both know that isn’t too difficult, but I know all about you. You’re little better than a hooker.”
    “I’m still better than you. You’re scum.”
    He answered her with that two word phrase that I was getting sick of hearing. I saw red and rushed him. Seconds seemed like hours. I knocked a chair over in my rush to get to Pomeroy and stumbled forward. He grinned and leveled the gun at me. I instinctively ducked my head and reached towards the gun. Paula screamed and the lights went out. A ball of fire burst in my face. I felt no pain. The room flashed with gunshots. It looked as though a lightening storm had broken out inside the office. Four shots, five shots, maybe more I lost count. They sounded like they were coming from all around me. I was free falling without a parachute. The carpeted floor was rushing up to greet me. I hit with a thud.
    Paula screamed: “Frank!”
    And then I was out.

    I was in a courtroom sitting at the defendant’s table. The