Requiem for a Character Actor

Police Chief Quentin Price is called to the scene of a bloody murder backstage at the Chainville Theater. Steve Gossman, aka Willy Loman, has been executed with a 12-guage buckshot load at the end of the play, Death of a Salesman.

Who wanted Steve dead? Nobody. Well, nearly nobody. His wife Mildred wanted him questioned about the death of her parents. Mildred was with two lovers—did one of them want Steve dead?
It was Ben Tilden's turn to play the part this night, but he was ill. Did somebody want Ben dead? Who? Might it have been Arnie, the Building Inspector? Might it have been Alice, the bisexual who had something going with Karla, Ben's wife?

Major Alton Douglas is convinced that the real target for the night was Ben. Was that before or after the muscle men from Vegas showed up demanding a hundred thousand dollars? Was that before or after Arnie and Karla met at the roadhouse?

And what about the Mercedes?