Murder by fright,” said Ellery. “Far colder-blooded and more deliberate than killing by gun or knife, or even poison. A murder calling for great pains of premeditation. One wonders why. Not merely why you wanted to kill Hill, but why you splashed your crime so carefully with that elaborate camouflage of ‘the enemy out of the past.’
“Your motive must have been compelling. It couldn’t have been gain, because Hill’s death brought you no material benefits; his share of the business went to Laurel. It couldn’t have been to avoid exposure as the murderer of Adam twenty-five years ago, for Hill was neck-deep in that crime with you and had benefited from it equally ― he was hardly in a position to hold it over you. In fact, he was in a poorer position than you were to hold it over him, because Hill had the additional reason to want to keep it from Laurel. Nor is it likely that you killed him to avoid exposure for any other crime of which he might have gained knowledge, such as ― I take the obvious theory ― embezzlement of the firm’s funds. Because the truth is you have had very little to do with the running of Hill & Priam; it was Hill who ran it, while you merely put up a show of being an equal partner in work and responsibility. Never leaving your house, you could hardly have been so in control of daily events as to have been able to steal funds, or falsify accounts, or anything like that. Nor was it trouble over your wife. Hill’s relationship with Mrs. Priam was friendly and correct; besides,” said Ellery rather dryly, “he was getting past the age for that sort of thing.
“There’s only one thing you accomplished, Priam, by killing Leander Hill. So, in the absence of a positive indication in any other direction, I’m forced to conclude that that’s why you wanted Hill out of the way.
“And it’s confirmed by your character, Priam, the whole drive of your personality.
“By killing Hill you got rid of your business partner. That is one of the facts that emerge from his death. Is it the key fact? I think it is.
“Priam, you have an obsessive need to dominate, to dominate your immediate background and everyone in it. The one thing above all others that you can’t stand is dependence on others. With you the alternative is not so much independence of others as making others dependent on you. Because physically you’re helpless, you want power. You must be master ― even if, as in the case of your wife, you have to use another man to do it.
“You hated Hill because he, not you, was master of Hill & Priam. He ran it and he had run it for fifteen years with no more than token help from you. The firm’s employes looked up to him and loathed you. He made policy, purchases, sales; to accounts, big and small, Leander Hill was Hill & Priam and Roger Priam was a forgotten and useless invalid stuck away in a house somewhere. The fact that to Hill you owe your material security and the sound condition of Hill & Priam has festered inside of you for fifteen years. Even while you enjoyed the fruits of Hill’s efforts, they left a bitter taste in your mouth that eventually poisoned you.
“You planned his death.
“With Hill out of the way, you would be undisputed master of the business. That you might run it into the ground probably never occurred to you. But if it did, I’m sure the danger didn’t even make you hesitate. The big thing was to make everyone involved in or with Hill & Priam come crawling to you. The big thing was to be boss.”
Roger Priam said nothing. This time he did not even make the beastly sound. But his little eyes roved.