Chapter Fifty-Six

“I need to talk, Perry. It’s important.” Margolin smiled at Merrill as they sat in the living room where less than a week before he’d navigated through a room full of police, crime scene investigators, and the door leading to the body of his dead friend. Now it was preternaturally quiet, the two security guards in the driveway keeping an eye out for looky-loos and Cheyenne still not back in the house. Merrill looked calm, though there was an excitement in her eyes that suggested a determination not familiar to him. Extinguishing it was top of his list.

“I know, dear, we will. I want you calm and clearheaded first.” She didn’t object to the obvious disconnect, that she was already thinking clearly and that’s why she wanted to talk. He handed her a glass of water as she sat on the couch and he hovered nearby, then took the two yellow pills off the glass coffee table in front of her. “This will help, just to reduce the anxiety.”

Merrill wanted to object, didn’t feel like she needed to take anything. She’d been in a fog off and on for weeks and Carl had said the pills he’d given her would help, but they only seemed to make it worse. The ones Perry held cupped in his hand for her to take looked different, and probably Perry knew best. She ignored her creeping desire not to take anything and picked the coated pills from his hand, one at a time, and sipped enough water to help them go down smoothly. Looking up at Perry, she gave him a weak smile. He took the glass from her and sat down on the couch, knees almost touching.

“Let’s just take a few minutes, give you time to gather your thoughts. Then we can talk about Carl. And you.”

Merrill watched her husband’s best friend smile and felt him pat her gently on the knee. Like a psychiatrist calming a patient. She did feel better, she had to admit. A little light-headed, but more relaxed. She knew now that she could completely trust Perry, that he would take care of her. She was safe. Her smile grew stronger as her focus faded. Perry began to talk about the night of the murder and it sounded perfectly reasonable.