Free Perfect Poison by M. William Phelps

to make sure he’s okay.”
    â€œHe just fainted, Lori. He’ll be fine.”
    The next day, Glenn confronted her.
    â€œWhat the hell happened here last night?”
    â€œYou fainted. Everything’s fine. It happens all the time. It’s no big deal, Glenn.”
    â€œJesus. What the . . . ?”
    â€œYou’re fine. But listen, don’t tell anybody about it, okay?”
    In his naivety—or perhaps denial—Glenn let it go.

    Oddly enough, just a week before, Gilbert had called the family veterinarian. She said that their Labrador, Mindy, suffered from car sickness. “Could I come in and get some Acepromazine? We’re taking a car trip pretty soon.”
    â€œSure,” the doctor said.
    Gilbert showed up some time later and picked up five twenty-five-milligram tablets of the drug.
    Acepromazine is similar to Valium. It’s a stimulant for dogs that are stressed out. It can also be used to prepare an animal for an operation; it stabilizes the rhythms of the heart. An overdose, given in one large dose or over an extended period of time in smaller doses, will drastically reduce the heart rate of an animal or human being.
    In time, it will cause death.
    Glenn Gilbert later recalled that they weren’t planning any road trips at the time. They may have been planning on getting divorced, but a trip was the last thing on their minds. Also, he said, Mindy had been in the car plenty of times, and not once had she ever gotten carsick.
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    James Perrault sat down one evening and decided to write Gilbert a letter. He knew the only way he could get her full attention was to put his thoughts down on paper and read the letter to her aloud the next time he saw her. If Gilbert didn’t like where a conversation was headed, she had a way of manipulating it so it swung back in her direction. Perrault wanted to make sure that didn’t happen.
    The next morning, he met Gilbert for breakfast at a local mall.
    After they got a cup of coffee and had something to eat, Perrault told her to sit down.
    â€œWhat is it, Jimmy?”
    He pulled out the letter and read it aloud from beginning to end. It said that he wasn’t happy with the way things were, or where they appeared to be heading. He urged her to move out of her house so they could see if there was anything between them. The way things were now, he couldn’t do it much longer.
    â€œYes, Jimmy. We could have a future together,” Gilbert said, taking the letter.
    As she read it, Gilbert began to cry. Perrault had mentioned in the letter that he would end the relationship if something wasn’t done soon.
    â€œDon’t . . . Jimmy . . . don’t . . . please,” Gilbert begged.
    From Perrault’s point of view, it was do-or-die time for Gilbert. She couldn’t have it both ways any longer.
    â€œIf you don’t leave Glenn, Kristen, I’m leaving you,” Perrault said.
    Gilbert jumped up from her seat and took off toward a pay phone.
    â€œI’m calling Glenn right now,” she screamed.
    Perrault went after her.
    â€œIs Glenn there?” Perrault heard Gilbert say to whoever was on the other end of the line.
    After a pause, Gilbert said, “It’s me. I just want you to know that I am not happy anymore. It’s over. I want a divorce.”
    Perrault was impressed. She was finally taking charge.
    â€œWhat?” Glenn asked on the other end.
    Gilbert hung up, turned toward Perrault and smiled. She began crying, hugging him as if they’d just hit the lottery.
    Several days later, Glenn proposed counseling. He said he still loved her and wanted to save the marriage for the sake of the children. Seven years was worth a counseling session or two, if only to get directions on how to end the marriage.
    They went to counseling one time. When they got home, Kristen lashed out at him.
    â€œYou move out!” she said. “I’m not leaving this