Murder Your Employer Chapter 34: The Racetrack Scheme
Spoiler Notice: This summary and analysis contains key plot details from Chapter 34 of Murder Your Employer. If you have not yet read the chapter, proceed with caution.
Summary
The chapter opens at a racetrack on a late afternoon. Cliff Iverson, disguised in garish clothing, watches from an orange drink stand as his target, Merrill Fiedler, approaches the claim window. Fiedler, wearing an unwilted seersucker suit, smirks and tells the teller “Read ’em and weep, pal”—a phrase he has used on each of his four previous visits. The teller sourly notes that Fiedler is a repeat customer. Cliff observes how Fiedler always uses the same teller, as if gloating gives him as much pleasure as the winnings. Fiedler himself reflects easily on his luck, assuming some grateful acquaintance (whom he calls “Amigo”) is behind the tips. He thinks little of it, planning to stop by the Winner’s Bar afterward to swagger.
Cliff’s journal entry, addressed to “X,” reveals his true strategy. He has given Fiedler five winning tickets this time, betting on every horse in five races as an initial investment. This has made Fiedler feel invincible. Now Cliff shifts tactics: he only picks four heavy favorites running the next day at poor odds. He expects one or two modest winners for Fiedler. Then Cliff plans to bet only one horse per race—and only the longest shots. A few might win, and Cliff will keep those winnings to offset his earlier losses. The rest will be major losers. Cliff ends with the hope that the biggest loser will soon be Merrill Fiedler.
Key Events
- Fiedler cashes winning tickets at the racetrack, displaying arrogance toward the teller.
- Cliff observes Fiedler from a distance, noting the man’s smugness.
- Fiedler assumes his winnings come from an unnamed benefactor (“Amigo”).
- Cliff’s journal reveals he has been methodically feeding Fiedler winning tickets to build overconfidence.
- Cliff announces his new plan: shift to long-shot bets, which will mostly lose, while keeping any rare wins for himself.
- The chapter ends with Cliff’s resolve to make Fiedler the biggest loser.
Character Development
Cliff Iverson shows increasing patience and cunning. He has infiltrated Fiedler’s routine, learned his habits, and engineered a psychological trap. The journal demonstrates his careful timing—betting on one day, giving tickets the next—and his willingness to suffer small losses for a larger payoff. He is not merely waiting for a moment of violence; he actively shapes Fiedler’s behavior.
Merrill Fiedler embodies arrogance and self-deception. He mistakes luck for skill, enjoys gloating, and never questions the source of his winnings. His refusal to see the trap confirms Cliff’s assessment that Fiedler deserves his fate. Fiedler’s unwilted suit and casual brushing past Cliff symbolize his unearned confidence.
X (the recipient of Cliff’s journal) remains a silent confidant, likely the McMasters dean or instructor, to whom Cliff reports his progress.
Themes, Symbols, or Motifs
- False Confidence as a Weapon: Cliff deliberately inflates Fiedler’s ego to make him reckless and vulnerable. The more Fiedler believes he is a lucky gambler, the less he suspects manipulation.
- The Racetrack as Microcosm: The setting represents risk, chance, and the illusion of control. Fiedler thinks the system works for him, but Cliff has rigged the odds.
- Time and Layered Betting: Cliff operates on two time tracks—placing bets on Monday for Tuesday, etc.—reflecting the careful orchestration of his plan. The temporal layering mirrors the deliberate, patient nature of his scheme.
- The Long Shot as Comeuppance: Cliff’s final shift to long-shot bets symbolizes his intent to give Fiedler the biggest possible loss, turning the man’s own greed against him.
Why This Chapter Matters
This chapter marks a decisive pivot in Cliff’s campaign against Fiedler. He moves from building Fiedler’s false sense of mastery to actively sabotaging him. The racetrack scheme is the first concrete step toward Fiedler’s financial and psychological ruin, which may precede or enable the intended murder. It also showcases Cliff’s education in applied psychology—a key lesson from McMasters. The journal format deepens the reader’s insight into Cliff’s methodical, morally ambiguous mindset.
Study Questions and Answers
1. Why does Cliff give Fiedler winning tickets for several races before switching to long shots?
Cliff wants to build Fiedler’s overconfidence and make him feel unbeatable. Once Fiedler expects easy wins, the shift to long shots will create a steep and painful losing streak, both financially and emotionally.
2. What does Fiedler’s reaction to his winnings reveal about his character?
Fiedler assumes the wins are due to his own expertise or to an unnamed benefactor, never questioning the luck or the source. His smugness with the teller and his plan to swagger at the bar show he craves admiration and lacks self-awareness.
3. Why does Cliff keep any rare winning long-shot tickets for himself rather than giving them to Fiedler?
Cliff needs to offset the losses he incurred while setting up Fiedler. More importantly, he wants Fiedler to experience only losses from this point onward, so that the man’s fragile confidence collapses completely. Any wins Cliff pockets are incidental to the main goal.