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“Okay, well could you get any information from there?”
“No,” Henry stated as he pulled out of the parking garage, “but on a secret account that he had hidden under an alias I was able to find the name of his psychiatrist.”
“Wow, I really enjoyed the setup there, Henry,” Taylor said.
“It was sort of like a roller coaster ride,” Derrick agreed. “First he set it up that he found something and then there wasn’t anything on it, but on theotherone—”
“Okay, Laurel and Hardy,” Henry interjected bluntly.
“You made him mad,” Taylor whisper-yelled at Derrick, smiling at him. She had missed their back and forth talks before and after work. It almost felt normal again, except for the fact that Henry was trying to discuss a potential murder with them.
“Anyway,” Henry said sternly, trying to regain control of the situation, “I’m taking you to meet with this psychiatrist.” Silence filled the vehicle. After several seconds, Henry heaved out a disgusted sigh. “Don’t you want to know his name?” he finally asked.
“Are we allowed to talk now?” Taylor asked, perplexed, trying to hide a smile.
“It’s Mellon, the psychiatrist’s name is Dr. Xander Mellon.”
“A psychiatrist? Cedric is sending me to a psychiatrist?” Taylor asked in confusion and disgust. “Well that is fucking ironic.”
“What a terrible name,” was Derrick’s response. “Xander Mellon sounds like some weird mutated fruit,” he said incredulously, earning an irritated glare from Taylor in return. “Come on, I know it's weird it's a psychiatrist, but you can not tell me his name didn’t have you puzzled, too.”
“Yeah, you know, I didn’t give it a second thought,” Taylor said to her husband.
“Anyway,” Henry interjected again, “I located him in Pismo Beach, and we are going there now.”
“Is he expecting us?” Taylor asked.
“I think he will make time for you,” Henry said dryly.
* * *
Close to twohours later Henry pulled into the driveway of a Spanish style, two-story home. Its cream-colored stucco stood out starkly against the darkening sky of the evening.
Taylor and Derrick looked at each other as they took in their surroundings. Derrick finally shrugged in confusion.
“Henry, this is not an office,” Taylor finally informed the larger man.
“Aye,” Henry said, meeting Taylor’s eyes in the rearview mirror. “Dr. Mellon retired last year. This is his home.”
“Henry, I can’t just go into someone's home,” Taylor announced.
“You are correct,” Henry agreed. “I would ring the doorbell and see if he invites you in.”
Taylor glowered at her head of security, then looked at her husband and found him trying to mask a smile.
Taylor turned her attention back to Henry’s stare in the rearview mirror. “You know, Henry, I don’t know what it is about this wild crusade that has turned you into a comedian, but I feel it is really, really ill-timed,” she said as she jerked the SUV door open and headed to the front door.
“Suppose we should follow her,” Derrick said after a moment of silence.
“Aye,” Henry agreed.
And with that, the two men trailed after Taylor who was already ringing the doorbell. After several seconds, Taylor turned to Henry. “Maybe he isn’t home,” she said softly. But as the words left her lips a figure came into view behind the patterned glass door in front of her.
The door opened and an older man with a snow-white beard and half-moon glasses appeared before them. His face transformed from blissful ignorance to full realization when his gray eyes met Taylor’s blue stare.
“Taylor Preston,” he said, a bemused smile gracing his lips. “I have been waiting for you to turn up.”
“Have you?” Taylor asked apprehensively.