Brian was certain he could pull this off. After all, how hard could it be to judge dog shows? If his brother had been qualified to do it, surely he could fake it long enough to get the hang of it. It was a stroke of luck to find the confirmation of Billy’s final, and first face to face, employment interview in his briefcase just moments after he killed him. The salary offer was more than he could have imagined, and more importantly, travelling around the globe was exactly what he needed now. What better way to stay out of sight while his own murder was being investigated.
Billy had been in the secluded family cabin in the northern part of the state, known only to a select few outside of their immediate family. Brian had stopped for beer and chips at the country store frequented largely by boaters in the summer and skiers in the winter. The store clerk greeted him with familiarity and Brian instinctively knew he mistook him for his twin brother, Billy. Brian smoothly played along, a habit he had developed well before high school. It was the same habit that earned him the handle of the “evil twin”.
“Looks like bad timing on your part. When that Alberta clipper comes through, you’re liable to be stranded up in that cabin until the plows make it through. You know how they are about keeping the main roads open for the tourists, and forgetting about you guys up on the back roads.” the clerk announced, whose blue, plastic nameplate read “Joey”, and underneath his name, “Here to serve you”.
“That’s fine with me, Joey. Don’t worry about sending up any search parties for me. I have plenty of provisions and I’m looking forward to the solitude.”
Joey would later tell police investigators that he found it odd for Billy to be buying beer, when in the years he had been in the store, he had only bought wine. He also told police that Billy usually acted quite formal, always addressing him as “Mister Collins”, never “Joey”. And no, he never mentioned having a brother, twin or otherwise.
The impending storm would require Brian to adjust his schedule. He had originally planned on spending a day or two lounging around the cabin before doing the dirty deed. But, on the plus side, if the roads became impassable, no one would find it unusual if his brother went unseen for a few days.
An added touch was the fact that his SUV was nearly identical to his brother’s, which should add to the illusion that all is well at the cabin, long after he has made his escape. Of course, he will have Billy’s driver’s license and SUV, along with all of his personal items, cell phone, laptop, and the keys to his luxury condo back in the city.
Most important of all, he will be accepting Billy’s large inheritance, which he had been deprived of by his unreasonable parents. It seems they took that “evil twin” thing too far by excluding him from the will for what they perceived to be immoral and illegal activities on his part. Mom passed away last year and Dad was hanging on by a thread. According to the doctors, he was down to mere weeks before his illness took him.
As he drove the remaining hundred yards to the cabin, Brian finalized his plan. He decided against any complicated scenarios involving making it look like a robbery or suicide. On those cop shows they always seemed to figure that out anyway. He determined a simple, expedient approach would be the way to go. He would simply shoot his brother in the temple with the nine millimeter pistol that currently rested in his coat pocket.
The pistol, which was registered in his name, would be left at the scene, wiped clean of prints, of course. His wallet, complete with his identification, would be left in his brother’s pocket. It would appear as if he, Brian, was murdered with his own gun. When he is inevitably interviewed, as Billy, he will tell the cops what a ne’er do well his brother, the “evil twin”, was. He was a degenerate gambler who borrowed money from seedy sources. He slept with prostitutes and other men’s wives. It is truly a wonder this hasn’t happened sooner.
As Brian let himself in with his key, Billy hollered from the kitchen. “I’m back here preparing supper. You’re just in time.”
Brian almost felt a twinge of guilt for what he was about to do, almost. His guilt was quickly assuaged as he was reminded of the monetary gain he would realize, the driving force of his desperate existence.
He withdrew his pistol from his coat pocket, racking a round into the firing chamber, deciding to get this over with quickly. Billy had his back to him as he entered the kitchen, his hands submerged in the batter he was using to make deep fried onion rings. Brian took two steps across the small room, calmly placing the barrel of his pistol against his brother’s head and fired.
He spent the next two days in Billy’s spacious condo, familiarizing himself with his new life, taking time to study the contacts list in the cell phone. Thankfully, there were few, and most seemed to be relatives, with whom he could easily imitate his late brother should any call. It also helped that Billy was self- employed, which meant there would be no annoying bosses to deal with. Billy made a handsome living painting oil portraits for the individuals who could afford them. Should any of them call, he would put them off, feigning illness. Yes, this was going to be a piece of cake.
He still couldn’t figure out how the dog show gig figured into all of this. He had never known Billy to have the slightest interest in dogs, other than the pets they had as kids. Regardless, Brian had been studying every scrap of information he could find on the internet on the topic. He had been a con man his entire adult life and was confident he could bluff his way through this. And if he didn’t, so what? He was pleased to discover enough cash in Billy’s checking account to tide him over nicely until the old man kicked.
Brian dressed as he thought Billy would dress for the interview, which wasn’t difficult since he found all the clothes in his closet to be pretty much the same. Despite their cultural differences, they had managed to wear their hair nearly identically over the years, so that wasn’t a problem. And having studied all he could possibly stand concerning dog show judging, he felt he was as ready as he could ever be.
“Good morning, I’m Billy Dalworth. I have an interview at nine AM.” Brian told the receptionist, whose desk plaque identified her as Cindy.
Cindy’s expression went from bored to borderline excited at the mention of his name. “Oh, that Billy! What an absolute delight to finally meet you. I have heard so much about you.” Then, dropping her voice, she added, conspiratorially “You are every bit the hunk Matt said you were. He has been beside himself with anticipation at the thought of you two finally working together.”
Brian felt himself pale visibly as he realized the signs he missed. There were no pictures of girlfriends on his computer or phone. And there was the video file labeled “Matt” that was password protected. He didn’t think too much about it earlier, but now it was all too clear.
Brian’s thoughts were interrupted by Cindy, almost whispering now. “I realize we don’t even know each other yet, but I am simply dying to see the new tattoo Matt told me about.”
New tattoo! My brother has tattoos? Brian was frantic at the prospect of facing his twin brother’s lover. He considered himself the ultimate con man, always quick on his feet, but he felt like the walls were closing in on him as he struggled to maintain his composure.
Attempting to stall, or perhaps escape, Brian asked Cindy where the restroom was. “Oh, don’t worry, the nicest restroom on this floor is right in Matt’s office. I’m sure he is ready for you now. He has been pacing the floor all morning in anticipation.”
Just then, a red light blinked silently on the desk phone. After listening to a brief message on the receiver, Cindy responded “Yes, sir, I will bring him right in.” Then to Brian “OK, you lucky fellow, the big moment has arrived. Follow me, please.” She said, cheerfully.
Brian just gulped and nodded, feeling as if he were a drowning man who had forgotten how to swim. Cindy led him to Matt’s office door, opening it ahead of him. Brian froze at the portal. He presumed the man behind the massive, walnut desk to be Matt. The man was smiling, but the smile seemed forced, not genuine, and certainly not welcoming. Matt’s internal alarm sounded, some primal voice in his brain telling him to flee before it was too late.
As if she could read his thoughts, Cindy, who was not a receptionist at all, but a homicide investigator, gave him a sharp push in the center of his back. As Brian stumbled into the room, slightly off balance, he was seized on either side by a pair of uniformed police officers, who quickly handcuffed him.
“Brian Dalworth, you are under arrest for the murder of William Dalworth.” announced the man behind the desk, who was obviously not Matt. The real Matt was seated on a sofa, off to one side of the office. He was a handsome young man, who, by all appearances, had been suffering from intense grief over the last few days.
“Would you like to say anything before we take him away?” the detective asked Matt.
Matt cast a gaze upon Brian, showing more pity than anger. “No, Lieutenant. Thank-you, you have been most helpful.”
Prologue
Like any seasoned con man, Brian was stunned at getting caught. His ego wouldn’t let him believe that anyone could possibly be smarter than he was. His arrogance blinded him from seeing his own recklessness. What did I miss? he asked himself over and over again.
What he missed was Billy’s other cell phone, the one reserved for personal calls. The one that began ringing in Billy’s bedroom minutes after Brian drove away from the scene of the crime. After trying for more than an hour, Matt knew something was wrong. He then called his friend, Lieutenant Brodsky, the arresting officer, and asked him to please ask the local sheriff’s department to check out the cabin.
Brian was caught before he even arrived at his brother’s condo. Matt explained to Brodsky what he thought the motive might have been and undercover officers were stationed in the nursing home where the father resided. After killing his own brother, it was not unbelievable that he would attempt to hurry the demise of his own father, anxious to get his hands on the awaiting fortune.
It was only a stroke of luck, depending on one’s perspective, that Brian would be bold enough to impersonate his twin brother at a job interview, walking into the trap that he had unwittingly laid for himself.