In fact, an excellent morality play in that the morality is not black and white. It's easy to be moral when you have nothing to lose from being moral. I don't know if the conspiring witness approach would work in real life; real-life eyewitnesses seldom agree on anything. However, I don't know that it wouldn't work, either. Morality play, no supernatural elements.

Found this to be an original and fascinating take on the old blackmail story, along with a surprise ending.

This is one of my top favorite episodes, because of the writing and because of the acting talents of Ralph Bell

Super episode. I was riveted, and the protagonist really conveyed his feelings of remorse, unease, and fortitude very well. Whichever guy acted that part has a terrific voice, too. Ralph Bell?

A very solid episode--4 stars. Did anyone find his wife particularly forgiving? Maybe that's the way spouses were in 1974...

I thought this was one of the best episodes ever. It is one that can be enjoyed more than once. It has a believable moral dilemma. It has the classic good versus evil tone and a solid ending.

Liked this espisode. Did anyone else think that the protagonist was a bit of a stick in the mud? I can see him not wanting to be involved, but once it did happen why go on about it? Kellerman was scum and a major problem was solved. Did he not think that the group would get together again?

Mr. Bailey meets a man who makes his living by taking pictures. He doesn't sell the pictures. Instead, for a monthly fee, he promises not to reveal the photos. His "clients" decide that they've had enough of his service and plot action.

Really interesting watching a process come to life (or death).

A man is being blackmailed by a sleazy photographer with photos of him cheating on his wife. His predicament deepens when he he's approached by others who are being blackmailed by the photographer as well. They propose murdering the photographer in such a way that no one will be a suspect. A well-acted episode that deals with an interesting moral conundrum: If you could get out of a terrible situation by committing a murder with no chance of getting caught, would you do it? Genre: Suspense

A "professional" balckmailer is targeted by his victims who hatch an elaborate plan to get him. Complex story that is well acted. Recommended

A man is blackmailed by an unscrupulous photographer who caught him in a romantic daliance while at a conference. The man is approached by another man who is also being blackmailed who suggests, with the cooperation of a dozen others being blackmailed, a final solution to their problem. Despite the affair, he is a very moral man and struggles with the proposed solution.

My favorite Slesar script so far. The setup is brilliantly simple and devious with some nice twists and turns. If you are a fan of Alfred Hitchcock Presents or Hour, you will love this. A great, killer ending!

I read this first a good 25 years ago in my mother language and it was great to find the original here! A good story that begs for a continuation in my opinion: One may call Kellerman's murder the perfect murder - an unimportant figure falling victim to his own carelessness, run over by an unrelated figure's car, the accident confirmed by a number of unrelated witnesses, no motive at all for anything deliberate and no scent of such either for any committed cop to pick up. Bailey's elimination is however a hasty reaction to the events brought about by the flaw in the original plot - Bliss's subconscious belatedly realising that the control has slipped out of his hands and he can do nothing to regain it because it had been slipped out for quite a while. In fact he should have given a good amount of theoretical consideration to the possibility of any of the blackmail victims being too straight or too weak to do what their interests dictate - he should have devised ways to filter out the reliable and useful partners in crime without giving too much information away in advance, so all the other candidates who fail the preliminary test can continue living in blissful ignorance, knowing practically nothing more than the fact that they are not the only flies in Kellerman's spiderweb, without knowing any of the others, unable to make contact with any of them, just happy about a regular monthly expense terminating at a certain point in time, never wondering why. Instead, Bliss leads the conversation and presents his detailed plans to Bailey, and that's the moment when he should have realised he has derailed the plot and should tell all the others that the operation is unfortunately off, because there is a rotten apple in the basket. From this point, Bailey plays the music and Bliss dances to it, even if it doesn’t even occur to Bailey. Had he realised that, he would have perhaps shut up for his own good. Bliss never tried to extract information from Bailey, never tried to bring his opinion and intensions (if any) to the surface. If the idea of killing Kellerman had sprung out of Bailey's head during the dialogue (after Bliss expertly planting it in his subconscious), Bliss could have acted out a little reluctance, gradually agreeing to "Bailey's daring idea". He would have made Bailey the "lead theorist" of the plot and he would have never thought of going to the police. This is the dialogue he should have attempted with everyone, "testing" them. In real life, he would have probably found more than one Gordon Baileys who should have been kept away hermetically from being involved in the plot... Now, all a cop has to do is go home to Gordon's griefstricken wife, tell about his death and ask a few innocent questions. The wife would be deeply shocked, not only because of the tragedy, but also because Gordon's death wouldn’t fit the picture – it would be the last link of a chain of unusual recent events in her eyes and she'd be pouring out all she knows even without the cop asking. It wouldn't take long to find out that Gordon was straight as an arrow, no motive whatsoever to hold a gun on a bartender, except... he'd seemed disturbed lately and he'd recently confessed an old one night affair. That would be enough for the cop to ask further. Soon recently deceased Mr. Kellerman's name would surface, and so would Bliss’, present at both incidents. Any mediocre cop would now smell something out of the ordinary and would soon identify Kellerman as the link between all the witnesses at both locations, identifying their common motive. Bliss should have at least chosen witnesses for Bailey's murder who weren't directly involved in getting rid of Kellerman. As soon as Gordon is shot, he should have left the place before the police was alerted. But even then, you have two fatal incidents, both of which could also be homicides if not for witnesses' statements. Both linked to Gordon Bailey, an ordinary, regular citizen, happily married, steady career, out of any trouble until now. I think that alone is enough for a good investigator.

This was also one of my favorite episodes. You’ve summed up almost all the points that I had about the story. Your commentary is outstanding. I can’t understand people who’s comment consist only of a brief synopsis of the plot and nothing else. Thanks for your thoughts on the episode. I considered the character of Gordon Bailey something of a selfish simpleton and fool who brought about his own avoidable demise.

I really liked it, had me guessing until the very end.

This is a really interesting well-acted episode that poses a challenging ethical/moral conundrum: If you could get out of a terrible situation by committing a murder of a despicable person, with no chance of getting caught, would you do it? This is a fine example of good storytelling with a very satisfying, although disturbing, ending.

First, did anyone else notice the dog? The dog makes his appearance infrequently, but at moments when things are amiss. Once when Mr. Bailey comes home after meeting Kessler and he tells the dog to "shut up!" Again when Bailey meets Mr. Bliss and Bailey says, "I'm trying to walk my dog who is being a non-performer." Again when Bailey's wife becomes tense, she tells him to "shut up!" and finally, toward the end after Kessler's death when the dog stared at the door barking. Coincidentally, the dog's name was Lockjaw. I doubt any of that means anything, but funny enough to note. Second, This was among the first three episodes I'd heard when I re-discovered the RMT here. However, the outset of this program is so much like many, many other stories in which the character fails to see the obvious solution right in front of him: honesty. I kept thinking to myself, "Why wouldn't you just come clean with your wife?" It would have rid him of the blackmailer, rid him of any guilt he had festering within, and would have put him in a more honest position in his marriage, giving his wife the respect she deserved in knowing the truth. I remember watching Three's Company where Jack Tripper (John Ritter) would always find himself in the most ridiculous situations, which made watching the show dreadfully hard. If he'd just come clean up front it woud be done with. It boggles me. Especially when Mr. Bailey begins to reason and plea with Kessler, giving him explanation. It was painful to listen to, and I mean from a critical viewpoint. Of course, the show must go on. The episode really begins with the entrance of Mr. Bliss (?), who eventually reveals himself as the true "villain." This is also where the writing turns from painful to masterful. And this is not only what saves the show, but makes the show as well. There were many character flaws in this story which made the suspension of disbelief a little harder to raise. The fact that Kessler collected money in person instead of using a PO Box or something. The writer should have considered that. The chance that he would encounter confrontation was too great. Bliss could have still followed him and such, but the idea that Kessler was visiting at least 12 people monthly was a bit of a stretch. Other flaws, like Bailey cheating on his wife, was out of character itself. Suspending disbelief, it can be accepted, but this is a man who would not have been able to live with that guilt. A man who would not have been able to supress a mistake like that. Not a man who won a prize as a child for memorizing the Commandments and still adhered to them. Again, a bit of a stretch but within the realms of believable. Bailey himself was an ironic character. He was an official in the transportation department and he used his car as the vehicle of death for Kessler. HA! Funny stuff!! And finally, the wife. If my spouse were making monthly payments to someone in person for reasons that were as vague as a Pollock painting, you can bet bean sprouts to bacon that I'd have been a bit more curious about it. Why she didn't inquire about the transaction a little further was a question in my mind. Again, Bailey said it was for a car... coincidental that it in the end it was a car that killed the blackmailer, driven by an official in the transportation department (Sorry for repeating). Lastly, the words of EG Marshall were especially humorous: "Welcome to the fear you can hear;" "It's not your eyes we want, it's your ears!;" and "Join us again to be an EARwitness"... yuk yuk... Overall, this was an enjoyable - if not dark humored - episode, and by suspending disbelief a little further than normal, and not questioning certain character flaws, it was a high-octane thrill-ride that blindsided me, only to rear-end me at the finish-line.

I listened to this program during the first few months of my re-awakening to the CBSRMT. I enjoyed it then and I think it may have even improved with a second listen. Though a bit predictable, Henry Slesar wrote an enjoyable tale of blackmail and intrigue. Call it odd, but I tend to like programs, such as "A Choice of Witnesses", where we find ourselves pulling for the lesser of two evils. Great pick!

This was a pretty good episode. It could have been avoided if Mr. Bailey didn't cheat on his wife in the first place, but what's done is done. ops: What I was thinking was that when he finally told his wife, why didn't he tell her the REST of the story? Not only that, but when Bailey told Bliss that he had told his wife, what made Bliss think he didn't tell her all about him murdering the blackmailer, too? If Bailey DID tell his wife about Bliss, then Bliss killing Bailey would have accomplished very little. "Okay honey, now that I told you I bonked some hooker, there was a really bad man who had pictures of me bonking said hooker who was whacked by another schmoze he was blackmailing. Now that I have come clean with you, I'm going to narc on this other guy, okey dokey?" See? That wasn't that hard. I loved the dog.

I really enjoyed the show, but then I'm a sucker for moral dillemas in drama. I found it interesting that Baily was a man of such divergent moral primacies. For example, the unwillingness to actively participate in a murder with the apparent (if only temporary) acceptance of being an accessory. Also, the guilt of cheating on his wife that was tempered by the belief that he was forcibly coerced by his boss. I know I've found myself to be morally inconsistent on a few occaisions (a lot more than I'd like, that's for sure), so I found Baily's actions quite believable - the other characters I found a lot less so, but I blame time constraints on lack of their character development. I give the CBSRMT credit, though, as television would likely have taken the easier road and made Baily a white knight. Playing the shades of gray made the story so much more believable and thought provoking. Holy smokes! I used the phrase "divergent moral primacies" in a sentence - Sorry, it must be time for another glass of wine and an episode of Mr. Ed on Nick@Night. Goodnight Wilbur!

The RMT, at its best, captured the humanity of people so well. More so than so many programs have since. We all, in our earthly bodies in this fallen world, have a mixture of virtue and sin. Bailey exemplifies that so much...as proof, it's striking that after he makes the big revelation to his wife (Evie Juster could be tremendous, and sound so vulnerable with her little-girl-grown-up voice) and she not only forgives him but asks him to hold her, that he skips out on her when given the chance to close the loop with Robert Dryden's character. (BTW, Dryden's portrayal in this show reminded me of his role as the, for lack of a better term, "dispatcher of assassins" in "The moonlighter". Notice also the references to the Ten Commandments, specifically "thou shalt not kill"? Just like "The moonlighter's" corrupted protagonist did.) And Bailey's disdain for Christian hypocrites is the hallmark of a scriptwriter who knows a lot about people and how they work, rather (as so many scriptwriters seem to do today) than creating fantasy on fantasized behavior. I enjoyed this when I first heard it last year. Thanks.

I think the story was very clever and plausible. While some of the mechanics can be viewed as silly, such as visiting and collecting monies in person, the overall premise is sound. A guy cheats on his wife, feels guilty and hides the fact. In the fantastic realm of radio, a master blackmailer finds similar guilty parties and exploits them I think at this point in the drama we are to enjoy the ride as entertainment, a fantastic idea who's application would probably be impossible. So, I suppose I am so enamored with the story itself that I overlook the flaws. I enjoyed it an hope you do too.

I felt this one was pretty predictable, although it was just well written enough that I listened to the whole thing hoping that maybe there would be a clever twist. Unfortunately there wasn't. I was distracted during the whole show because I just kept thinking, "If the guy really loves his wife, why doesn't he just tell her the whole story first thing and not pay the blackmailer?" Oh well. Guess there wouldn't have been a story if he'd done that. For that reason, I thnk it's a pretty weak story----although the acting and production values were great as usual.

This show is another one of my favorites. (Following my formula - interesting idea and thought provoking, not supernatural, but quite unlikely to occur. I did see sort of a twist). I believed the character. He cheated on his wife (in his words by coercion). Every one makes mistakes, even good people. This was just a big one and he was sorry. Everyone thinks he should have come clean to her in the first place. I kind of see why he didn't - because when he did she almost seemed more angry that he told her and upset her when she would not have known. "Why did you have to tell me? I never would have found out." She acted like it was a selfish move on his part. Telling her to make himself feel better at the expense of her feeling hurt. Maybe she felt what she didn't know wouldn't hurt her. Also, I believe her character. I know that many households have a primary wage-earner that handles the money. This was probably more true in the 70's. I know my mother left it all to my father to handle and she would not notice $40 a month. (We were very traditional...she was no Gloria Steinem.) I did find myself comparing this one to The Chinaman Button. They are both written by Henry Slesar, both morality subjects, and each had someone trying to "inch" the other toward committing an evil. In the Chinaman Button, he asked Walter if he cared if any of the people in the obituaries were dead...In Choice of Witnesses Bliss asked him if he would have been upset if the blackmailer was killed in a true accident, or if he would have been happy. In the Chinaman Button Walter finally caved, but in this story Bailey never could accept murder. He was about to turn the others in. At the end, I noticed Bliss was one of the witnesses to Bailey's shooting. I felt this was a bit risky since he had just been cleared in the 'accident'. I thought they would use all different witnesses to prevent any connection.

Another excellent episode! I didn't see the twist until near the end. I had to listen to it in the context of being broadcast in the mid-1970's. Scandal was still not wanted. I just can't see a blackmailer making any money today. After the Clinton scandal and Jerry Springer and all those other shows, it is not a a scandal to do what this guy did. You just admit your mistakes and beg forgiveness. I am not saying I would want such secrets known about me, but today we mostly admit, forgive, and forget. Keep the good episodes coming!

This one wasn't bad, although Bailey's fate was pretty much predictable the moment he admitted to Bliss he couldn't promise he wouldn't go to the cops. Ya don't tell a group of people harboring a murder secret that you're a loose cannon. Bailey was actually pretty stupid throughout the whole thing, not to mention, as Bliss pointed out, something of a hypocrite. First, he put impressing his boss over fidelity to his wife. And it seemed pretty clear that he would have never admitted anything to her had Kellerman's blackmail never happened--even when it did, he held off saying anything. Then, as Bliss mentioned, he didn't rat out Kellerman to the cops because it served his purpose not to but he didn't consider Bliss a threat at that point and considered squealing on him because he didn't think he would lose anything by doing so. Then, knowing what he knew about the deadly dozen, he still was stupid enough to meet with Bliss at the bar. I found myself not really having much sympathy for Bailey. Maybe he was supposed to be the "good" guy to root for but I thought him rather idiotic and someone whose sense of morality seemed to come into play more with regard to how it would affect him. Even his ultimate confession to his wife had more to do with relieving his conscience and loosening the blackmail stranglehold on him than it being out of respect for her. I would probably give this one a 3.5 out of 5. It was well-acted and the concept of a group of strangers being complicitous in the "perfect crime" is interesting. But the onset of Bailey being blackmailed and ultimately sent to his demise by Bliss was predictable long before it happened.

First, did anyone else notice the dog? The dog makes his appearance infrequently, but at moments when things are amiss. Once when Mr. Bailey comes home after meeting Kessler and he tells the dog to "shut up!" Again when Bailey meets Mr. Bliss and Bailey says, "I'm trying to walk my dog who is being a non-performer." Again when Bailey's wife becomes tense, she tells him to "shut up!" and finally, toward the end after Kessler's death when the dog stared at the door barking. Coincidentally, the dog's name was Lockjaw. I doubt any of that means anything, but funny enough to note. Second, This was among the first three episodes I'd heard when I re-discovered the RMT here. However, the outset of this program is so much like many, many other stories in which the character fails to see the obvious solution right in front of him: honesty. I kept thinking to myself, "Why wouldn't you just come clean with your wife?" It would have rid him of the blackmailer, rid him of any guilt he had festering within, and would have put him in a more honest position in his marriage, giving his wife the respect she deserved in knowing the truth. I remember watching Three's Company where Jack Tripper (John Ritter) would always find himself in the most ridiculous situations, which made watching the show dreadfully hard. If he'd just come clean up front it woud be done with. It boggles me. Especially when Mr. Bailey begins to reason and plea with Kessler, giving him explanation. It was painful to listen to, and I mean from a critical viewpoint. Of course, the show must go on. The episode really begins with the entrance of Mr. Bliss (?), who eventually reveals himself as the true "villain." This is also where the writing turns from painful to masterful. And this is not only what saves the show, but makes the show as well. There were many character flaws in this story which made the suspension of disbelief a little harder to raise. The fact that Kessler collected money in person instead of using a PO Box or something. The writer should have considered that. The chance that he would encounter confrontation was too great. Bliss could have still followed him and such, but the idea that Kessler was visiting at least 12 people monthly was a bit of a stretch. Other flaws, like Bailey cheating on his wife, was out of character itself. Suspending disbelief, it can be accepted, but this is a man who would not have been able to live with that guilt. A man who would not have been able to supress a mistake like that. Not a man who won a prize as a child for memorizing the Commandments and still adhered to them. Again, a bit of a stretch but within the realms of believable. Bailey himself was an ironic character. He was an official in the transportation department and he used his car as the vehicle of death for Kessler. HA! Funny stuff!! And finally, the wife. If my spouse were making monthly payments to someone in person for reasons that were as vague as a Pollock painting, you can bet bean sprouts to bacon that I'd have been a bit more curious about it. Why she didn't inquire about the transaction a little further was a question in my mind. Again, Bailey said it was for a car... coincidental that it in the end it was a car that killed the blackmailer, driven by an official in the transportation department (Sorry for repeating). Lastly, the words of EG Marshall were especially humorous: "Welcome to the fear you can hear;" "It's not your eyes we want, it's your ears!;" and "Join us again to be an EARwitness"... yuk yuk... Overall, this was an enjoyable - if not dark humored - episode, and by suspending disbelief a little further than normal, and not questioning certain character flaws, it was a high-octane thrill-ride that blindsided me, only to rear-end me at the finish-line. I gave it a 4.4 on the scale. Thank you once again for a great show! Best wishes!

I listened to this program during the first few months of my re-awakening to the CBSRMT. I enjoyed it then and I think it may have even improved with a second listen. Though a bit predictable, Henry Slesar wrote an enjoyable tale of blackmail and intrigue. Call it odd, but I tend to like programs, such as "A Choice of Witnesses", where we find ourselves pulling for the lesser of two evils. Great pick!

This was a pretty good episode. It could have been avoided if Mr. Bailey didn't cheat on his wife in the first place, but what's done is done. ops: What I was thinking was that when he finally told his wife, why didn't he tell her the REST of the story? Not only that, but when Bailey told Bliss that he had told his wife, what made Bliss think he didn't tell her all about him murdering the blackmailer, too? If Bailey DID tell his wife about Bliss, then Bliss killing Bailey would have accomplished very little. "Okay honey, now that I told you I bonked some hooker, there was a really bad man who had pictures of me bonking said hooker who was whacked by another schmoze he was blackmailing. Now that I have come clean with you, I'm going to narc on this other guy, okey dokey?" See? That wasn't that hard. I loved the dog. Good name; Lockjaw.

You're right. He should have told his wife about the blackmailer too. I also wondered why Bliss didn't assume Bailey had told his wife the whole thing as well. You'd think Bliss would worry that the wife might also go to the police.

Interesting review. You used most prose...Good episode.

A good episode I thought as well. I agree with others that at the end if he confessed to his wife about his indiscretion that he should've told her about the blackmail as well (and how that was resolved). If he had such a tough time with his conscience you'd think he'd come complete clean with her. It could've left a different twist to the end of the story.

Do you think the police eventually caught onto the what these "witnesses" were doing?

In real life you'd think the police would be suspicious when both incidents have the same witnesses.

This episode is yet another gem that I really enjoyed listening to and it serves as a very interesting morality tale. Since others have described the episode here, I won't go into much detail, except to say that I have become a big fan of Raplh Bell, who is always so good in his roles, especially when he plays the villain. He always makes his characters so interesting. In this episode, he plays the blackmailer and he is so obnoxious that I find him really quite funny and amusing. I just love the scene where he says, "nah, hah," about how he wouldn't charge too much, and he is trying to sound so nice, but he sounds creepy and sarcastic, lol! Just another example of his amazing acting abilities. He knows how to pull off a natural tone of voice and make it convincing and somehow his bad characters are usually likable, (or at least entertaining), even when they are being disgusting.

While I enjoyed this radio adaptation (not withstanding the depressing ending), I couldn't help remembering a British black COMEDY with a very similar plot - from 1957 "Your Past is Showing" (also known as "The Naked Truth"). Perhaps it would be best to use the summary shown on IMDB: "A very British comedy about a blackmailer and his victims. Nigel Dennis (Dennis Price) publishes a scandal magazine. But for each story he writes, he first approaches the person whose scandalous behavior is described (or rather implied, to avoid any libel suit) and says he will suppress the story in return for money. Several of his victims first decide individually to kill him instead of paying, but fail in amusing ways. Then they find that to protect their various secrets they must now join forces for a rather different purpose...". Leave it to the British to find humor in murder & blackmail. The victims include a young PETER SELLERS, TERRY-THOMAS (a favorite of mine), as well as other well-known British actors from the 1950's and 60's: Shirley Eaton (the gold-painted girl in James Bond's "Goldfinger"), Peggy Mount, Miles Malleson, Joan Sims - well, at least they're well known if you are a fan of vintage comedies from "across the pond"! If you have 88 minutes to spare, check it out. In fact, I think I'll locate my copy now and give it a watch. Until next time...pleasant dreams!

That's one of my favorite episodes. Ralph Bell is tops again as the blackmailer. He is both sinister, as well as a funny character in this episode.

It is about blackmail and the victims of it band together to stop it. Terrific show. Budweiser commercials and one that has children asking their father for help with their homework, come out and play etc but his answer is an old style busy signal each time. The narrator warns, if people always get your busy signal they'll stop calling. Cool stuff! Have to admit that there are sometimes when I enjoy the commercials and the top of the hour news more than the actual story. Just shows that we keep reliving history.

That's one of my favorite episodes. Ralph Bell is tops again as the blackmailer. He is both sinister, as well as a funny character in this episode.

It's one of my favorite episodes, however I hate how it ended for the main character though.

Gordon Bailey refuses to take any part in Dave Bliss’ suggestion that he participate in killing their mutual blackmailer, even though the plan contains a perfect alibi for all. But when the entire group of blackmail victims gather, they decide that Bailey’s conscience endangers their safety.

I remember this episode and you are correct. One of the best of the series.

This is a great one. Slesar at his best and a classic RMT cast.

Sorry, folks seem to like this episode. Can’t agree. Predictable, lacking any subplots. Couldn’t wait to get to the episode over.

I commented above about the talent of Ralph Bell, which made this episode enjoyable, but I wanted to add a comment about the Bailey character. I personally think it's unrealistic that his behavior wouldn't lead to marriage trouble because what he did shows he can't be trusted to be alone with women away from home. He allowed himself to be pressured into having sex with prostitutes because of his boss/peer pressure. He didn't have enough backbone to simply say "no" regardless of the consequences. He wasn't man enough to stand up to his boss, so this shows weakness of character. Why did he allow himself to get drunk? This shows he is immature and irresponsible, so why should his wife EVER trust him next time he goes on a trip? I wouldn't be able to trust a man who is so weak of character and such a wimp in the face of any sort of pressure, etc. I would hate to think what he would do if he would be pressured into committing a crime. That's another reason why this episode is unrealistic because Gordon is so weak of character that he wouldn't have been able to stand up to the murder plot from Mr. Bliss either. Also, what a DUMB idiot he was at the end! (I won't give it away.) I just hope his wife remarries. She deserves better.

A story of morality, makes you wonder what to do or should do. A good storyline that makes you ponder. Enjoyed this story. Also enjoyed the commercials, memories of the good old days!

The more I listen to this episode, the more I completely sympathize with Bliss and his conspirators. Was it not an entirely rational thing to do in their position? The scene where Bliss just lays the whole thing out at the diner just kinda sells that whole angle.

What a selfish jerk. The blackmailer, too.

Gordon Baily was a gutless idiot and should've been smart enough to keep his mouth shut, conscience or not. I wanted to slap some sense into him almost from the very beginning! A fitting ending for him!

The story was interesting, but the final "solution" by the witness group rang hollow to me. If this happened in real life there would be no need to murder Bailey. All the evidence that that Kessler had proving he was a blackmailer was destroyed, and Bliss and the witnesses will all deny ever knowing Kessler, so if Bailey went to the police to "report a murder" the police would do nothing, as there is no physical proof and no witnesses. If Bliss wants to shut up Bailey to avoid the hassle of dealing with the police, then rather than harming or threatening to harm Bailey, Bliss simply has to tell Bailey he'll sue him for slander, a suit which Bliss would easily win. Bliss can also threaten to press the police to arrest and prosecute Bailey for filing a false police report. Plus, apart from financially losing thousands of dollars in the defamation lawsuit, Bailey's only longshot defense in such a suit would be to admitting that Kessler blackmailed him (which doesn't prove that Bliss or any of the witnesses were blackmailed, by the way), and bringing in his wife as witness that Kessler showed up once a month to collect money. This public admittance would assuredly cost Bailey his job, and quite likely the combined job loss, lawsuit monetary loss, and public embarrassment of his cheating would cause his wife to divorce and leave him. All of this ruination would be far more "convincing" to Bailey to keep his mouth shut than threats of bodily harm, and far less risky for Bliss. Thus I found the ending unbelievable and disappointing.

I just a written play Amy, again this is not real hehe. Great story and very well written all the way to the end! 8 out of 10 !