Signs of Approaching Death

The short piece was buried near the back of the paper. "TWO MEN DEAD BY SHORT RANGE GUNFIRE," the headline screamed. The owner of the cabin, Douglas Faust of Brunswick, Georgia, was a retired Marine. He had one daughter. His wife preceded him in death two years earlier.

It took Spencer five minutes to find the buried file and pull up the list of "contestants" on the computer. The name Douglas Faust jumped off the screen; it was the second of five. Spencer closed his eyes, threw his head back and groaned. Damn, I was hoping I was wrong! There was no doubt, though. Matthew's notes matched the facts listed in the newspaper. Brunswick, Georgia; retired Marine, widower, one daughter. "So," he asked himself for the hundredth time, "is Matthew capable of causing Doug Faust's death?"

The "game" had been odd from the very beginning. Matthew first brought the idea up months ago, rather informally. He told Spencer that he had a great idea; an idea that would put some adventure back into his life. He was beaming with pride over his brainchild. Matthew was closed lipped about the details of the venture, however. When asked, Spencer helped with the computer end of it, but that was the extent of his involvement.

Now, however, the sickening thoughts ran rampant. Spencer leaned back in the leather chair. So, what in the hell am I supposed to do now? Should I try to get a hold of Matthew and ask him what's going on? Or should I just call the police and tell them what I know? The latter was probably not the wisest of his two options; Matthew could be totally innocent of any involvement in Doug Faust's death, and he would undoubtedly be a little perturbed if one of his employees accused him of murder.