Intimate Caresses (The Love and Danger Series) by Elizabeth Lennox Page A

Silverberg had had sex with prior to his death, thinking to give this woman her dreams at least.  “Do you have family you could go back to?” Brock asked, thinking that it wouldn’t be a good idea to live in the same house as a possible murderer. 
    Desiree was startled by that question.  “I can’t leave here.  The kids need someone to watch them.  And I’m in the middle of classes.”
    Brock and Colt looked at each other again, sending a silent signal.  “It might be a good idea if you slept somewhere else for the next few nights.  And Ms. Silverberg can take care of her own kids for a few days.”
    Desiree hesitated, then nodded her head.  Brock didn’t know if she understood, but she was accepting, which was good enough for now. 
    “What time do you expect Ms. Silverberg home?” Colt asked as they all stood up.
    In answer, the front door opened and a wave of perfume preceded the wife.  “I’m here now,” she said and walked into the living room.  “Where are the children?” she asked, her eyes boring into Desiree’s.
    Desiree stood up, wringing her hands nervously.  “They are doing their homework.  I’ll just go check on them now.”   Without another word, the young woman scampered off.  If she’d been a dog, her tail would have been between her legs. 
    There was silence while the younger woman walked out of the living room.  “Any news on who killed my husband?” she asked, her tone harsh and commanding. 
    Brock and Colt turned to looked down at her.  She was a fairly attractive woman, but there was a hardness to her eyes – a cynicism.  “Do you have time to answer a few more questions?”
    Meredith Silverberg sighed before slumping into the chair her nanny had just vacated.  “Sure.  If it will speed this along, what do you want to know now?”
    “What time did you get home from work last night?” Colt asked.  This time, Brock was watching while Colt asked the questions. 
    Meredith looked up at the ceiling as if she were trying to remember the details of that night.  “Oh, goodness.  I guess I left my office about seven o’clock.  That would have brought me home about seven thirty.”
    “Was your husband home when you got here?”
    “No,” she laughed.  “By then he’d already headed back to the office.”
    “Why is that so funny?” he asked.
    Meredith rolled her eyes and pushed a hand through her hair.  “Jared wasn’t here because he was trying to prove that his job was more important than mine.  He was always playing these stupid mind games, trying to show the world that he was the man of the house.  That he could earn more money than me.”  She laughed harshly.  “Well, I guess he proved he was the strongest now, right?  I mean, how many women have to deal with that kind of foolishness?” she scoffed.
    Brock and Colt both thought it was odd that the woman’s husband had died the previous night and she seemed almost…relieved? 
    “So you got home at seven-thirty.  What happened next?”
    She sighed as if she were extremely put out by the interference with her day.  “Well, let me see.  The kids had eaten dinner so I went upstairs and talked to them.  I changed clothes and went to bed myself.”
    Brock and Colt both made notes of that.  “When did you realize that your husband wasn’t home?” Brock asked.
    “In the morning when I woke up.   He wasn’t in bed.”  She rolled her eyes and shifted slightly in the chair as she continued, “Jared works late a lot, but he always comes home.  I’m a pretty sound sleeper so I don’t hear him when he comes in most nights.”
    “And then you called the police?”
    “No,” she replied, shaking her head.  “I called his office, his cell phone…I didn’t think anything was wrong.”
    “How were you notified of his death?” Colt asked.
    “A co-worker called me and told me she was sorry for my loss,” Meredith said and, for the first time during that conversation, she showed