Eight Perfect Murders

The following day, Malcolm stops into the bookstore, then drives to New Essex. While he watches Nicholas’s house, Malcolm thinks about the books on his list. He sees a woman bang on Nicholas’s door and no one answers. Malcolm follows the woman to the university and sits in the back of the classroom she enters. She announces that the professor won’t be in class, and she’ll stick around to answer questions. This causes Malcolm to think that Nicholas is dead. He goes back to Nicholas’s house, knocks on the door (while wearing gloves), and yells hello. When there is no answer, Malcolm finds a key under a rosemary plant and goes into the house.

Nicholas Pruitt is dead on his sofa, and Malcolm realizes Charlie’s true identity isn’t Nicholas. The murder looks like Nicholas consumed a lethal amount of alcohol, which resembles the murder in Malice Aforethought. As Malcolm looks around, Nicholas’s phone rings. Malcolm quickly looks through the house and sees a large number of copies of Little Fish, as well as posters for Shakespeare productions that Nicholas directed and a picture of Jillian with Nicholas. Malcolm locks the door, returns the key to its hiding place, and drives back to Boston.

When Malcolm gets to Old Devils, he apologizes to his employees for being absent, claiming to be fighting off a cold recently. In his office, Malcolm finds the link for the website where he arranged the murders based on Strangers on a Train. He makes a new post, with a new alias, asking for another swap. Then, Malcolm realizes he left the library copy of Little Fish near the register. When he grabs it, Brandon tells him that Tess, Brian’s wife, stopped by looking for him. Malcolm goes home, realizes he left his windows cracked, and searches for information about Tess online. Then, he texts Tess and asks when they could all have dinner. Tess texts back, inviting him to come by the next day. After making himself some food, Malcolm finds one of Brian’s books, The Sticking Place—an edition that previously belonged to Malcolm’s mother—and starts to reread it. Malcolm considers how Charlie wants the murderer to be “more important than the victim” (196).

The next morning, Malcolm looks through other books by Brian, including his latest: Die a Little. Agent Perez calls and asks for Malcolm’s alibis. Aside from going to London, his calendar is empty during many of the murders. He says he was probably working and to check with Brandon and Emily. Perez asks a few more questions about the brainstorming that Gwen and Malcolm did about Charlie, and considers that all of the murders might be covering for just one, as in The A.B.C. Murders. Malcolm thinks Robin Callahan is the most hated of the people with bird names because she wrote a book against monogamy and broke up several marriages. Malcolm calls the bookstore, still claiming to be sick, and confirms that Emily has only heard of Robin out of all the bird-named victims.

Malcolm naps and dreams that Gwen is being chased with him. Then, he gets ready to go to dinner with Tess and Brian. In Malcolm’s mind, he asks Claire about his outfit, which she likes, and what to do about the murders. Malcolm remembers how she used to say, “It’s my fucking mess” (202), and applies this to his own situation.

Malcolm goes to a wine shop and buys a bottle of wine and a bottle of liqueur. He takes the latter to the bookstore and offers it to Brandon and Emily as an apology for his absences. A local mystery author, Jane Prendergast, is also there, and Malcolm learns she is dating Emily as they all drink together.

Then, Malcolm goes to Brian’s house, offering the bottle of wine. Brian makes Malcolm a drink and they talk about the bookstore. Malcolm tells Brian he reread The Sticking Place, and they discuss how it is different from the rest of the books in his series about the detective Ellis. Brian says he wrote the same kind of revenge story, but with a male protagonist, and never submitted it because it was too similar to The Sticking Place. They have dinner and several bottles of wine. Malcolm helps make drinks to have with dessert and realizes that the kind of whiskey that Brian regularly drinks is the same kind of whiskey that was in Nicholas Pruitt’s house.

Malcolm asks Brian if he remembers the Old Devils blog, specifically Malcolm’s perfect murders list. Brian remembers because he was offended that Malcolm didn’t include his book, The Reaping Season. Then, Brian says there is “no such thing as a perfect murder” (215). In The Strangers on a Train scenario, Brian believes one can’t trust another person with the murder exchange. Brian believes that one can’t know someone else’s thoughts, and he hints at Tess’s thoughts (which are about seducing Malcolm). Tess makes coffee and, when Brian is out of the room, asks Malcolm if he suggested Brian get professional help. Malcolm had forgotten to bring it up.

Tess and Malcolm discuss not knowing the truth about people. Malcolm admits that he didn’t fully know Claire and has trouble getting close to people. Tess admits that she might kill for Brian. When she helps the very intoxicated Brian into bed, Malcolm tastes the two coffees, his and Tess’s, and realizes they taste different. Tess returns and hits on Malcolm, which he interprets as wanting to kill him rather than sleep with him. He pushes Tess and tells her he knows about Nicholas Pruitt. She is baffled and Malcolm tells her a little about the FBI investigation of his list. Tess explains that her coffee was decaf, which is why it tasted different, and that her intent was to have sex with Malcolm, and she had already gotten Brian’s blessing for their sexual liaison. Malcolm promises to explain more about the FBI, and Tess gives Malcolm an advance reader copy of Brian’s most recent book, which he plans to dedicate to Malcolm.