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“Hers?”
“No, my wife’s. Nina.”
Lavi has stopped pacing and is listening intently.
“Where is Mrs. Carrington?” Perez asks.
“Upstairs, asleep. She’s disabled now.”
“Yes, I heard. I’m so sorry.”
“Thanks.”
“Stroke, right?”
The knot in my throat tightens. “That’s right.”
“Brutal. So, help me understand ... why is Meredith here in the first place?”
I launch into the story of Meredith’s random drunken visits. How, when she shows up, she is usually at the end of her rope, and how I care for her until she’s back on her feet. I request he search the Rock Hill records of each time Nina or I called the police—in case he feels like he needs to validate my story.
“She never got over you.” Perez shakes his head.
I am instantly reminded of the only reason I agreed to leave Rock Hill. The gossip.
“Did she come here before her last attempt?” he asks.
“What last attempt?”
Perez frowns. “This isn’t her first suicide attempt. I ... I figured you knew.”
My back straightens. “No, I had no clue.”
“She swallowed a bunch of pills after her third—or was it her fourth—divorce. I was still working for the Rock Hill police then. She barely survived.”
Utterly shocked, I blink. I had no idea. She never told me this.
“How did she get the pills?” he asks.
I turn to Lavi.
She says, “They’re missing from Nina’s medicine cabinet. I checked a few minutes ago. I hadn’t noticed—”
Perez tilts his head. “I’m sorry—you are?”
“Oh, damn. Sorry.” I clear my throat. “This is Lavinia Greer. I hired her a few weeks ago to help with Nina. She’s a live-in caretaker. I have to write. I have contracts and deadlines ...”Shut up, Tristan.
Perez introduces himself to Lavi, and they shake hands.
“And you never saw Meredith take the pills from Mrs. Carrington’s room?” Perez asks Lavi.
“No.”
Perez scratches his chin. “So, Meredith’s been crashing here, and now she’s dead. Assuming it’s suicide, help me understand what led up to her feeling like she needed to end her life.”
“I don’t know,” I say. “Honestly, I have no idea. She’s ... she’s been okay the last few days. Happy.”
“Did you guys have an argument of any kind?”
