Suprisingly few comments on this work of genius. I can sympathise with those who don't want to analyse the story, or every line, but a line like "...for some, murder is the only door through which they enter life" has serious Waitsian depth. I agree that it was likely Cal, killing for love of the lady drinking alone in her room. The question becomes, who is Cal? A jealous husband? A farmhand turned man of the house? There's not enough info on him to tell. And Tom must have wanted it that way. Tom can do anything, and in a way nobody else ever could.
Suprisingly few comments on this work of genius. I can sympathise with those who don't want to analyse the story, or every line, but a line like "...for some, murder is the only door through which they enter life" has serious Waitsian depth. I agree that it was likely Cal, killing for love of the lady drinking alone in her room. The question becomes, who is Cal? A jealous husband? A farmhand turned man of the house? There's not enough info on him to tell. And Tom must have wanted it that way. Tom can do anything, and in a way nobody else ever could.