The Perfect Couple

Chief Kapenash and Nick meet at the station, where Shooter is still being held. Nick reports that his interview with Greer “had a funny smell” (165), implying that Greer is covering something up. Meanwhile, the medical examiner tells the officers that the autopsy shows Merritt drowned at around three o’clock in the morning on July 7. A barbiturate—a class of heavy anesthetic medicines—was in Merritt’s bloodstream, and there were no signs of struggle on her body. The cut on her foot was a superficial wound. The medical examiner also reveals that Merritt was pregnant. Chief Kapenash gets a call from Nantucket hospital that Celeste wants to talk to the police. Nick leaves for the hospital as Chief Kapenash approaches Shooter for questioning.

Although Shooter is Benji’s best friend, Celeste doesn’t meet him until nine months into her romance with Benji. The reason for the delay is Shooter’s busy schedule; he runs a company called the A-List, which plans expensive American retreats for business execs from Asia and Europe. Benji often refers to Shooter’s high-flying lifestyle, living vicariously through Shooter’s exploits. He has told Celeste that Shooter loves taking a gamble in any situation. On the weekend of June 23, 2017, Shooter is finally in town to accompany Benji and Celeste to Nantucket. Celeste is immediately struck by Shooter’s handsomeness. When Benji has to take a later flight because of work, Celeste and Shooter are left to their own devices on the plane and at the Winbury residence. They strike a rapport and spend the day swimming, drinking, exploring Nantucket, and talking. Shooter tells Celeste he is “besotted” (180) with her. In the night, Shooter makes a romantic pass at Celeste. Celeste is tempted, but refrains out of loyalty for Benji. Benji arrives in Nantucket on Saturday afternoon, and Celeste finds herself torn between him and Shooter.

On the night of the rehearsal dinner, Karen is awakened by a nightmare in which she sees Celeste trapped and floundering. Karen realizes that Celeste does not want to marry Benji at all. Part of Karen wants Celeste to go through with the wedding anyway, because Benji is nice, stable, and rich. However, Karen knows the right thing to do is to tell Celeste to call off the wedding. She heads to Celeste’s room, but Celeste is still out. Karen next looks for Bruce, who is hanging out with Tag. She spots the men on the deck. Before she can approach Bruce, she overhears their conversation. Tag is confiding in Bruce about a young woman with whom he has recently had an affair. Tag has had affairs before, but this one is proving stickier. Based on what Featherleigh told her, Celeste assumes the woman in question is Featherleigh. When Tag asks Bruce if Bruce has ever had an affair outside of marriage, Bruce says no. However, Bruce confesses he had an intense crush on a coworker called Robin Swain a few years ago, an uppity woman who made him question all his assumptions about life. Karen is devastated at Bruce’s words.

Karen hurries to her room and takes more oxy for her pain. She is in a state of disbelief, no less because Robin Swain is not a woman, but a man. Robin had joined Neiman Marcus right after Celeste left for college. Bruce had first expressed dislike for the snobby young man, but gradually begun to thaw toward him. Karen recalls that when Robin came over for dinner, she felt jealous at the shared talk and laughter between Robin and Bruce. It is clear to Karen now that Bruce had romantic feelings for Robin. Bruce is not comfortable admitting his sexuality, because in his confession to Tag, he changed Robin’s gender. Karen decides to forgive Bruce because even though he had feelings for Robin, he did not act on them.

It doesn’t take much questioning for Celeste to reveal to Nick at the hospital that Merritt was upset over her break-up with a married man, and the man in question was Tag Winbury. The last time Celeste saw Merritt alive was on returning from town with Benji and Thomas. Merritt had been drinking shots with Tag and Featherleigh under a tent on the beach. Merritt asked Celeste to join in, but Celeste wanted to go to bed. Just as Celeste bid Merritt good night, Abby, Thomas’s wife, called for Thomas to come upstairs. During the interview, although Celeste is forthcoming with most of her answers, she refuses to tell Nick why she was at the beach at 5:30 am, fully dressed and carrying her bags. Despite Celeste’s unwillingness to answer this question, Nick does not think she played a role in Merritt’s death. His chief suspects are Tag and Greer, both of whom had a motive to kill Merritt. Nick feels Featherleigh Dale is the key to the mystery.

Chief Kapenash and Nick exchange notes, with Chief Kapenash telling Nick that Merritt was pregnant, and Nick revealing Merritt had recently had an affair with Tag. All facts point to Merritt’s drowning not having been accidental. On learning that Featherleigh Dale is staying at an inn called The Sand Dollar, Chief Kapenash sends a patrolman to bring her to the station. Meanwhile, Shooter Uxley gets a lawyer, Valerie “Val” Gluckerston, to be present when he is questioned.

Merritt thinks Celeste is lucky to have a boyfriend who is rich and has a waterfront mansion in Nantucket. Celeste feels uncomfortable at the statement because she is not with Benji because of his money. In fact, Celeste wants to break up with Benji since she is in love with Shooter, impossible as that may seem since she has spent only one day with him. Shooter had cut his weekend trip to Nantucket short in June as he could not bear to see Celeste and Benji together. Celeste decides to end things with Benji after their August trip to Nantucket. During the trip, though, Celeste finds herself increasingly comfortable with Tag and Greer, appreciating their warmth and hospitality.

When Tag and Greer leave for an engagement at the tail end of Celeste’s trip, Benji tells her he has planned a surprise. Shooter will join them and entertain Celeste for a day while Benji is at a golf tournament. Celeste feels angry at Benji for being so purposely naïve as to bring her and Shooter together. Celeste wonders why both Benji and Shooter are attracted to her, since she is a quiet person preoccupied with the world of animals and zoology. She may be pretty, but she is also unworldly and more at home with animals. Later, when Celeste and Shooter are alone, Shooter tells Celeste he likes her because she is “so normal and down-to-earth that you’re exotic” (347). Shooter rents a Jeep and takes Celeste out birdwatching and picnicking in the sand. Celeste thinks of their wonderful day together as a montage from a movie. The spell is broken in the evening when she receives a text from Benji that he is back at the house. At Summerland, Shooter slips Celeste a note confessing he is in love with her.

For dinner, Shooter dresses like a sailor and sails Benji and Celeste out to Wauvinet Inn. Celeste is surprised to learn Shooter will not be joining her and Benji for dinner but instead will wait outside to sail them back. She chides Benji for treating Shooter like a hired driver; Benji laughs it off. On her way to the restroom, Celeste spots Shooter outside, hugging a beautiful woman. When Celeste returns to her table, Benji proposes to her with a ring. Shocked at Shooter flirting with the woman, Celeste decides Benji loves her truly, so the wise choice is to say yes. Shooter, a habitual gambler, had only been exploring the possibility of an affair with Celeste. Later, when Celeste calls her parents to tell them the good news, Bruce answers in tears. Karen’s cancer has returned.