The Perfect Couple(16)

Nick makes a note: MM not present at toasts.

“Maybe she was in the restroom?” Nick says. “Did she reappear?”

Abby bites the corner of her lip. “Yes, yes,” she says. “I saw her later. Thomas went over to bum a cigarette from her.”

“Merritt smoked?” Nick says.

Abby shrugs. “When she drank, I guess. Like everyone else. Except for me now.”

“What time did the party end?” Nick asks.

“The band stopped playing at ten. That’s a law, which you probably know because you’re in law enforcement.” She winks at him and Nick starts to feel optimistic. They’re building a rapport here and any second Abby is going to give him what he’s looking for. Come on, Abby! “I was exhausted, but Thomas said he wanted to go to town with Benji and his friends. So then we had a fight.”

“A fight?”

“He told me early in our marriage that the way to keep him happy was to give him freedom. He goes out with his friends, he takes guy trips, and the rest of the time, he’s at work.”

Sounds like a real prince, Nick thinks.

“And I told him now that I’m pregnant, he has to change his ways.” Abby shrugs. “If he thinks I’m raising this baby alone, he has another think coming.”

Nick feels like he’s suddenly been thrust into the role of marriage counselor. “Did Thomas end up going out?”

“Yes,” Abby says. “But I wasn’t happy about it.”

“So who went out and who stayed home?” Nick asks.

“I stayed home. Mrs. Otis, Celeste’s mother, stayed home. And Greer stayed home. Tag and Mr. Otis had a drink in Tag’s study, which is a big deal.”

“Oh, yeah?” Nick says. “Why?”

Abby blows her bangs out of her eyes. “No one is allowed to set foot in Tag’s study without an invitation. I’ve never been invited so I’m not sure what’s so magical about it. I know he keeps really good scotch in there. Anyway, when he invited Mr. Otis for a drink in his study, it meant Tag was… accepting him as a part of the family, I guess. And I will point out, not that I care, but Tag never invited my father into the study for a drink.”

“Did Merritt go into town?” Nick asks.

“I assume she led the charge,” Abby says. “No, wait!” Abby’s voice rises so dramatically that Nick nearly leaps from the chair. “Wait, wait, wait! I saw Celeste and Merritt out in the rose garden after the party broke up! Our bedroom window looks right over the garden and I saw them when I went to pull the shade. Merritt was crying. Celeste had her hands on Merritt’s shoulders. They were talking. Then they hugged and Celeste walked toward the driveway and Merritt stayed in the garden.” Abby looks at Nick in astonishment. “I totally forgot about that until just this instant. If I had remembered, I would have started out by telling you that.”

Merritt and the bride in the rose garden. Merritt crying.

“In the scene you’re describing, did it look like Merritt was upset and Celeste was comforting her, or did it look like they were arguing?” Nick asks.

“The first,” Abby says. “I’m pretty sure Celeste went out with Benji, Thomas, and the others. But I couldn’t say for sure about Merritt. I pulled the shade and went to bed.”

Really? Nick thinks. Abby didn’t seem to miss much, and wouldn’t a former University of Texas sorority girl be naturally drawn to drama of this kind? She just described Merritt as “one of the guys,” so wouldn’t seeing Merritt crying make Abby very, very curious? “You didn’t peek again?” Nick asks. “To see what happened? To see if Merritt was okay?”

Abby looks him dead in the eye. “I was bone-tired. I went to bed.”

This is her reminding him, once again, that she’s pregnant. He nods. “From the looks of things under the tent, there was some late-night partying. Is it possible that the people who went out came home and drank some rum?”

“Possible,” Abby says.

“Do you have any idea who that might have been?” Nick asks.

Abby’s face shuts down. It’s as abrupt as a slamming door. “Nope.”

She’s lying, Nick thinks. This must have been when things got interesting.

“Was Merritt part of the group who had the nightcap?” he asks.

“I honestly have no idea,” Abby says. She couldn’t be less convincing.

Nick takes a sustaining breath. “When Thomas got back to your room, did you happen to notice what time it was? This is very, very important. Please think.”

“It was late.”

“Late like midnight?” Nick says. “Or late like four a.m.?”

“I didn’t look at the clock. I didn’t know…” Here, Abby tears up. “I didn’t know this would happen!”

“Please don’t get upset,” Nick says. “Let me find you some tissues.”

“I’m fine,” Abby says. And then, almost to herself, she says, “I can’t believe this is real. It’s real. Merritt is dead.”

“Abby, I have to ask: Did you hear anything else in the middle of the night? Did you hear anyone in the water? There was a two-person kayak down by the beach—”