Larry was forced to say good-bye to his beloved Merrie.

In the summer, two escaped convicts, named Earl Brock and Ben Howard, broke into Llanfair in search of Victor�s priceless art collection. After clumsily setting off the alarm, the two were met by Vince Wolek, who had been hired to work security. Shots rung out, leaving Vince wounded in the arm. The police quickly arrived and surrounded the premises.

Trapped, Earl and Ben sought refuge in the carriage house where Merrie and two-year-old Danny were home alone. At gunpoint, the two robbers held Merrie hostage. Vince, after trying to rescue his sister-in-law and nephew, was also captured. Knowing that the authorities wouldn�t challenge them if they had Victor Lord�s daughter and grandson, Earl and Ben used Merrie and Danny for leverage.

They demanded that Lieutenant Ed Hall arrange for a plane to transport them to South America, where they would later release the hostages. When Victor arrived home and discovered what was going on, he insisted on negotiating with the criminals against polices orders. Ben knew that accepting Victor�s ransom offer of $300,000 in exchange for the immediate release of Merrie, Danny and Vince wasn�t pragmatic, as they would then have nothing to edge the police off of them. Earl, however, not being very smart or tempered, wanted the money. As a result, the two thieves began to viciously clash. Seeing this, Vince egged on the dissension between the two. During an argument, an enraged Earl shot and killed Ben.

Without the more rational Ben there to slyly maneuver things, the hostage situation became more erratic and dangerous. When Victor phoned to inquire about the gun shots he had heard, Merrie screamed into the phone that she was alright. Angered, Earl violently struck her with the butt of his gun, causing her to violently fall against the edge of a table. As a result, Merrie fell into an unconscious state and needed immediate medical attention. Now completely unhinged, Earl attempted to shoot Vince but realized that he was out of bullets. Panicked, he attempted to flee and was shot and killed by police.

After being rushed to the hospital, doctors cautiously anticipated that Merrie would make a full recovery. Merrie, however, foresaw that she didn�t have much time left and asked to share precious last moments with her loved one. She implored Viki to reunite with her true love, Joe, and asked her to make sure to tell Larry how happy he made her. She then spoke to Larry, telling him to take care of Daniel. Moments later, Merrie suffered a severe cranial hemorrhage, and died before doctors could get her to the operating room.