Elwood sat in his car watching the shadows lengthen until they disappeared and the night enclosed his car in complete darkness. He looked in the mirror but there was no sign of Stella. He wondered if he should leave but he was afraid to. How long should I stay? Where was she? This was just her way of punishing him. A brief beam of light cut the darkness and then nothing.

Garth killed the lights on the cruiser and sat watching the area for any activity. He could see Elwood's head in silhouette and he ground his teeth in angry frustration. Everything was unraveling and all because of stupid, senseless people doing even more stupid and senseless things. He thought about Stella and what she planned to do right here tonight with Elwood and he knew that the idea of running off with her fell into the same category. What guy would want a woman who could do that off the cuff? Strike that. What guy wouldn't? But not as a life partner. He opened the door and climbed out.

Elwood turned in the seat to see if it was Stella's car when suddenly the door opened and Garth slipped in, closing the it quietly after him.

"Garth!"

"Hello, Elwood. Lookin' forward to your dreams?"

"What- why are you here? What do you want?"

"I can't have what I want, Elwood. You know why? Because people like you and Simmons and Duffy and Hersch and Reg O'Hare keep getting under my feet. That makes things really annoying for me."

"I'm not sure-"

"Exactly, Elwood. You're not sure and that is no good in this scheme of things." Elwood pressed back against the driver's door, his fingers sneaking to the handle. "Don't waste your time, Elwood." The blow was quick and deadly. Elwood clutched at his throat, eyes bugging out in terror. His tongue poked out like a wakening turtle and then he coughed shortly and slumped over the wheel.

"That was the full Stella, Elwood. Enjoy it?" Garth slipped out of the car and disappeared into the night.

The package arrived at the bank and was placed on Elwood's desk as usual. It was larger than the others but his receptionist recognized the wrapping and knew enough to leave it for him to open. The fact that he hadn't come in to work only drew mild concern. His function didn't really require full hands on and so, the mailman, taking a shortcut through the back parking lot from the street behind, didn't discover Elwood's body until late in the morning.

Garth and his new partner arrived, assuming full authority by keeping gawkers away and making certain the medical examiner was uninterrupted. Captain Smithy showed up in full regalia expecting a press contingent only to find several shop keepers and a few bank employees loitering on the perimeter. It was then he remembered that Duffy was incapacitated and there was nobody to cover the story.

"What do we have, Williams?" Smithy asked pithily. The irksome fact that nobody was there to interview him caused him to turn his vexation on his men.

"Elwood Peters, sir. Seems he died behind the wheel of his car."

"That's it? Was it his heart?"

"You'll have to ask the doc, sir."

Smithy bore down on the car and leaned inside, his head almost resting on the medical examiner's back. "What's the word here, Murphy?"

"Do you mind not leaning on my crime scene." Murphy backed out and straightened his sweater coat.

"Crime scene? It wasn't his heart?"

"Well it stopped alright but only after his throat was smashed to pulp."

"He was murdered?"

"I don't think it was suicide, Howard."

Captain Smithy ground his teeth and stomped back to Williams and John Primeau.

"Find that funny did you, Williams? Elwood had his throat bashed in."

"Doc never said that to me."

"You saw the body didn't you? Didn't you notice the obvious trauma to his throat?"

"I just checked his pulse and called the doc." Williams stared boldly at his superior.

"Fine, I want this whole area cleared and taped off and you and John can scour it for trace evidence."

"Save a lotta time just pullin' in that guy that's been buggin' him at the bank."

"What guy?"

"Ray Simmons, he stays at the hotel. People in the bank say he's been in a couple of times and each time Elwood was pretty shaken up after he left."

"They know why?"

"Nope, just that he even left early one time. Couldn't talk with any sense."

"Bring him in, we'll have a talk." Smithy tramped back to his car and made great ceremony over removing his cap and settling in behind the wheel. He knew this Simmons person was going to be trouble the minute Duffy asked for his favour.

"Shall I stay here and go over the scene?" Primeau asked.

"Nah, you heard the Captain. We bring in this Simmons guy. He'll give us more than this parking lot will."

Ray had spent most of the night at Irene's again and along with Duffy, who arrived back for breakfast by taxi, they concluded that he should call off his hunt and go back home for a while, maybe carry on at that end but quietly. Irene was not as certain; she felt that Garth Williams might still pose a problem. She had told Duffy what happened the previous day at lunch and he was very much inclined to take her side.

It all became academic when Ada phoned Irene to tell her that had happened to Elwood and that the police were at the hotel looking for Ray.

"You can't let him arrest you." Irene stated when she hung up.

"I have nothing to hide. I visited him at the bank, that's all. I'll tell them I was asking what he knew about Adelaide." Ray said.

"Twice, you went there twice. That implies he said something you wanted to clear up or pursue further. What'll you say?" Duffy cautioned.

Ray didn't answer. He didn't have an answer. "That doesn't make me guilty."

"Maybe not but it'll be Garth Williams doing the arrest and he'll do or say anything he can to change that."

"Duffy's right, Ray." Irene took his arm. "Who else would they look at unless you told them our theory, and there's no proof for any of it. Stay here, they won't look for you here." Irene said. "I'll go into work and just tell anyone who asks that I don't know anything."

"If Williams is looking for you he'll be sure to want to find me as well," Duffy said. "He won't want me contacting Howard without him knowing."

"Would that help, contacting Howard?"

"Maybe, I'm not sure. He has to know that Williams is looking for you. He probably ordered it." Duffy shifted his leg to a more comfortable position. "Look, we both know now that Garth probably killed Elwood. This business," he indicated his leg, "and the threat to Irene pretty much seals it. You rattled him so much Elwood became a huge liability to him and if the rest of your theory is right, his only option now is to eliminate all possible obstacles-including us."

"We need to think this through a little more before you go rushing off to work." Ray put a protective hand on her shoulder.

They hadn't had much time so the debate was brief but Ray convinced Duffy and Irene that he needed to get his records from the hotel. Everything he had gathered in the way of information was in his room and if Garth found it there would be nothing to use in a defense, proof or not. Irene told him how he should go to avoid most of the traffic. He chose to walk the distance, sticking to smaller side streets and lanes she'd suggested where possible. As he cut across the yard of the Presbyterian Church he saw a cruiser turning the corner and he ducked in behind a stand of forsythia bushes.

The cruiser turned along the next street and he knew it was heading for Irene's. Ray hurried out to the next street and made his way to the rear of the hotel. Ada was busy in the kitchen as he slipped by unnoticed up the stairs to his room. Happy to see his stuff was still there, he made straight for the phone and called Irene to warn her about the police car he'd seen heading their way.

"Did you get your stuff?"

"I have it all here. Don't do anything to antagonize Williams, Irene. And keep Duffy out of sight if possible."

"What are you going to do?"

"I can't come back there just yet. I'll think of something and I'll call later. Be careful."

"You too."

His problem now was where to go and what to do? He couldn't stay at the hotel. He suddenly wondered if there was anything to be gained by trying to confront Stella. If her husband answered he would just hang up. He certainly didn't want anything to do with him right now. It might be interesting to see her reaction to Elwood's death. It might even set off a chain of events that took the spotlight off of him. He picked up the phone and called the O'Hare's number.

"Yes? Garth?"

Garth? Very interesting. "Mrs. O'Hare? It's Ray Simmons." He waited but she said nothing. "Mrs. O'Hare?"

"What do you want?" her voice was filled with gravel.

"I wondered if you heard the news about Elwood Peters."

"What news...?"

"He was found in his car behind the bank this morning. He was murdered, Mrs. O'Hare."

"Mur- oh God... I have to go." She hung up and Ray called futilely down the wire.

That went well, he complained to himself. Now what? Just see I guess. He gathered up his things and left the room, sneaking back down past the kitchen and out through the rear door.