Murder Your Employer Chapter 30 – The Bait Is Laid
⚠️ Spoiler Notice
This summary contains full details from Chapter 30 (Chapter XXVIII) of Murder Your Employer: The McMasters Guide to Homicide by Rupert Holmes. If you have not read this chapter, proceed with caution.
Summary
Cliff Iverson begins the chapter flush with cash after a successful day at the racetrack, where he bet on every horse in three races and turned a substantial profit thanks to two long-shot wins. Using his newly won money, he executes a carefully crafted plan to entice his target, Merrill Fiedler. He first phones Fiedler’s office to confirm Fiedler is present, then makes a brief reconnaissance trip to Fiedler’s apartment building, where he tests the doorman’s vigilance with a fake delivery. Later, from a pawnshop, Cliff acquires a portable typewriter and a stranger’s photo album. He types a letter on generic stationery, presents it as from an anonymous admirer who claims Fiedler saved his life, and encloses three legitimate winning tickets along with an unrelated photograph to arouse curiosity. Cliff mails the letter, knowing Fiedler’s greed and arrogance will likely prompt him to cash the tickets. The chapter ends with Cliff planning to monitor the racetrack payout windows the next day to see if Fiedler takes the bait.
Key Events
- Cliff wins money by betting on every horse in three races; two long-shot wins (10‑to‑1 and 32‑to‑1) produce impressive payoffs.
- He calls Fiedler’s office from home and, using a false reason (judging a swimsuit competition), confirms Fiedler is at work.
- Cliff visits Fiedler’s apartment building, disguised with horn‑rimmed glasses and stubble, and pretends to deliver a package to a nonexistent tenant, learning the doorman’s procedures.
- From the lobby pay phone, he calls his own number to memorize the pay phone’s number and reports a false delay to a dispatcher.
- He buys a battered Underwood typewriter and a photo album inscribed “Property of Theodore Stevens, Ottawa” from a pawnshop.
- Wearing latex gloves, Cliff types a letter on Hammermill paper and places the three winning tickets inside an envelope marked “PERSONAL AND CONFIDENTIAL.”
- The letter, signed “Amigo,” claims the sender owes Fiedler a life debt and proposes to supply winning tickets regularly in exchange for half the proceeds.
- Cliff adds an unrelated photograph of a young woman from the stolen scrapbook to make the envelope intriguing.
- He mails the letter via the Cypress Street mailbox so it will arrive at Fiedler’s office the next day.
- Cliff plans to resume reconstructing the W‑10 blueprints the following day, then go to the racetrack to watch for Fiedler at the payout windows.
Character Development
Cliff Iverson continues to evolve from a mere student of homicide into a confident, devious schemer. He applies lessons from McMasters—such as the “Deadlier than the Mail” seminar on letter psychology—with precision. His patience (waiting for the right moment, not rushing the con), his willingness to adopt disguises, and his understanding of how to exploit Fiedler’s greed (the photo to arouse curiosity, the life‑debt narrative to flatter) reveal a maturing criminal mind. Cliff also shows a streak of dark humor, signing the letter “Amigo” and calling the money “chum bait.”
Merrill Fiedler, though off‑stage, is characterized indirectly. Cliff’s entire scheme relies on Fiedler being predictable: arrogant, greedy, and unlikely to question a windfall. The letter’s phrasing (“a man who always wins”) plays directly to Fiedler’s self‑image. This chapter deepens Fiedler as a mark rather than a fully seen antagonist, increasing the narrative tension.
Ricky the Doorman serves as a minor foil: his impatience and lack of curiosity make the building a less secure place than Fiedler might assume, reinforcing how easily Cliff can manipulate the environment.
Themes, Symbols, or Motifs
- Deception as a craft: Every detail in Cliff’s letter and actions is calculated to appear genuine. The false delivery, the stolen photo album, the typewriter purchased secondhand—all demonstrate that successful deceit requires painstaking attention to routine.
- Greed as a lever: Cliff banks on Fiedler’s avarice. The promise of easy money, combined with a flattering backstory, is designed to override any caution Fiedler might feel.
- The letter as weapon: Chapter 30 deliberately echoes the McMasters lesson “Deadlier than the Mail.” The physical envelope—with the photograph’s feel inside and the word “CONFIDENTIAL”—is treated as a psychological tool. Letters in this novel are not just messages; they are traps.
- Chance versus control: Although Cliff profits from “beginner’s luck,” he insists there was “actually no luck about it.” His system of betting on every horse removes the element of chance, mirroring how he tries to remove chance from the murder plot itself.
Why This Chapter Matters
Chapter 30 is the moment when Cliff’s plan transitions from preparation to action. Up to now, much of the narrative has focused on his training and his initial attempts to study Fiedler. Here, he commits his first concrete act of entrapment, launching a confidence game that will slowly draw Fiedler into a vulnerable position. The chapter also showcases the practical application of McMasters’ unconventional lessons—using a stolen photograph, writing a letter that cannot be linked to the sender, and exploiting the mark’s own personality. It raises the stakes: if Fiedler cashes the tickets, the hook is set; if he doesn’t, Cliff must adapt. This cliffhanger drives the reader toward the next chapter.
Study Questions and Answers
1. What is Cliff’s scheme to lure Merrill Fiedler?
Cliff mails Fiedler an anonymous letter plus three winning horse‑racing tickets. The letter claims the sender owes his life to Fiedler and proposes to supply winning tickets daily. In exchange, Fiedler is to cash the tickets and set aside half the winnings. The scheme relies on Fiedler’s greed and his expectation that no one would dare cheat him.
2. Why does Cliff include a photograph of an unknown woman in the envelope?
Cliff learned from a McMasters seminar that an envelope containing a photograph creates curiosity and makes the recipient more likely to open it. The photo is utterly unrelated to Fiedler, which only adds to the mystery and ensures Fiedler will keep the letter rather than discard it.
3. What does Cliff do after mailing the letter?
He plans to spend the next day reconstructing the W‑10 blueprints. Later that day, he will return to the racetrack in disguise, purchase more tickets, and loiter near the payout windows to see whether Fiedler cashes the first batch. This will confirm whether the bait has been taken.