How does Steinbeck create and sustain suspense while the men are waiting for the dog to be shot?Of Mice and Men

Gathered in the bunkhouse in Chapter 3 of Steinbeck's
novella Of Mice and Men, the men play cards and talk; that is, all
but Carlson who looks down at Candy's old dog.  After a while, he tells Candy that his
old dog has no reason to continue living since it is difficult for the dog to walk and
eat and see anymore, and he offers to put him out of his misery.  Hoping to deter
Carlson in his intention, Candy says, "Maybe tomorra. Let's wait till tomorra."  But,
the cruel Carlson will not be deterred,

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"I don't see no reason for it....Let's get it
over with....We can't sleep with him stinkin' around in
here."  

At this point Candy
looks for a long time at Slim with his "god-like eyes," hoping "to try to find some
reversal" of his dog's fate. However, Slim will not interfere.  So, Candy is forced to
say despairing, "Awright--take 'im."

After Carlson leads
the old dog out gently, Candy stiffens and lies unmoving on his bed.  Slim speaks
loudly, hoping to drown out any outside sound, in an effort to draw the men's attention
to something else.  But, "[T]he silence came into the room.  And the silence lasted." 
Chuckling, George, too, tries to divert attention to what is going on outside:  "I bet
Lennie's right out there in the barn with his pup." This suggestion of another dog leads
Slim to suggest to Candy that he can have one of his pups.  But Candy does not answer. 
Instead, Steinbeck writes,

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The silence fell on the room again.  It came out
of the night and invaded the
room.

Again, George attempts
a diversion, "Anybody like to play a little euchre?"   When George does not shuffle the
card deck, but ripples it instead, the snapping noise "drew the eyes of all the men in
the room," so he stops it.  Clearly everyone is on edge waiting for the shot of
Carlson's Krueger.  Again Steinbeck writes, "The silence fell on the room again," and,
"Candy lay still, staring at the ceiling." When there is a sound under a bunk, the men
are grateful for another distraction; only Candy does not move, staring still at the
ceiling.  Finally White breaks out nervously, "What the hell's takin' him so long?  Lay
out some cards, why don't you?"  George holds the deck of cards, staring at the backs of
them while "[T]he silence was in the room again." Finally, a shot is heard in the
distance; all the men look quickly at old Candy, who rolls slowly over to face the wall
silently.

Steinbeck's repetitive intrusion of phrases such
as "the silence fell on the room" interrupts the action and dialogues of the men.  This
use of the pall of silence lends a suspension of time in the sad scene of Candy's loss
of his old companion.