Page 30 of Wild Frost

I gave her all the gruesome details, but tried to make it sound less terrible. Somehow, it just sounded worse.

She grew unsteady in the doorway.

"Maybe we should talk about this inside."

The sound of the TV in the living room filtered down the foyer. Commotion in the house let me know her two children were at home.

Meredith pulled herself together and stepped outside, pulling the door shut behind her.

She steeled her resolve and dried her eyes. "I need a moment to compose myself before I tell my children."

“Certainly," I said.

Meredith fought to stifle her emotions. She did a good job of it, but I figured at some point it would all come spilling out. "I thought I heard something, but I dismissed it as fireworks. That must have been the gunshots," she said, her throat tightening, barely able to get the words out.

She closed her eyes and fought the tears back again. After a moment, she asked, "Do you have any idea who's responsible?"

"We have a few leads, but nothing solid at the moment. We do have a description of the vehicle."

"Who else was hurt?"

I gave her the names, and that hit like a punch to the gut. Meredith's eyes widened, and she froze. Speechless, she fumbled for words, but they didn't come.

Her face tensed with confusion. "Was this just random?"

"We don't know yet." I paused. "Can you think of any reason why someone might want to harm your husband?"

Meredith thought for a moment. "No. I don't think so. Everybody loved Hunter."

"So I hear," JD said.

She didn't quite pick up on the insinuation, and that was a good thing.

"I know this may sound insensitive at a time like this, but were either of you going outside the marriage?"

Her eyes narrowed at me. Anger tensed her face. “No. Absolutely not. Why would you ask such a thing?"

"We're just looking for possible motives. Jealousy is often a powerful one."

She stood tall and held her nose high. "We had a wonderful relationship. Hunter was about as close to a perfect husband as you could get.”

“I'm sure he was," I said, trying to mask my doubt. I paused for a moment, then asked, "Did you know Whitney Hollingsworth?"

Confused, she replied, "Yes. She lives in the neighborhood. Terrible what happened.”

"She was a client of your husband's," I said.

"As are many of the residents in this neighborhood," she said in a slightly defensive tone.

"According to the toxicology report, she overdosed on a combination of drugs and medication. Medication that was prescribed to her dog by your husband."

Meredith’s brow knitted. “So?”

"Did Hunter discuss his patients with you?"

"No." She paused. "What does this have to do with my husband's death?"

"Like I said, we’re looking for people who may have had a motive to kill him."