Read Online A.R. Winters - Valerie Inkerman 01 - Don't Be a Stranger by A.R. Winters - Free Book Online

shook my head. I hated to be the one to make him feel worse.
    “I should go,” I said. “Michelle, if you could maybe walk me out?”
    “Of course.”
    She and Laurence stood up slowly, and Laurence gave me a sharp, piercing look.
    “I trust you,” he said softly. “I hope you can do your job.”
    I shook his hand somberly. “I appreciate your time. I’m sorry – I’m sorry for everything.”
    He half-nodded and released my hand, and I followed Michelle to the door.
    “What did you want to talk to me about?” she said.
    We stood in the foyer, close to each other and far enough away from Laurence that he couldn’t hear us. Standing right next to her, I could smell the subtle aroma of her perfume – probably something expensive and limited edition. Her face was devoid of the lines of stress and worry and sadness that Laurence had. In fact, now that I was paying close attention, I couldn’t even make out the wrinkles a normal thirty-eight -year-old would have.
    It was tempting to ask her where she got her Botox done, but instead, I said, “I just wanted to grab the name of Esme’s law firm. I should probably get in touch with her co-workers.”
    “Of course.”
    Michelle reeled off a name, and I said, “Hang on a sec.”
    I rooted around in my purse till I found my tiny notebook and a pen, and I wrote down the name that Michelle told me – the office was Lipkin, Lipkin and Mizrahy, and Esme’s boss was Alan Peterman.
    “And do you have her ex’s phone number?”
    “Sure.” Michelle pulled out a sleek smartphone. “It’s Kevin Ewans, and his number is…”
    She reeled off the digits, and I wrote them down and then dutifully recited them back to her. Michelle nodded and put her phone away. “Was there anything else?”
    “Um – just – did we miss anything? Should I know anything else about Esme? Any secrets your dad didn’t know?”
    Michelle smiled and shook her head. “No, I’m afraid not. With Esme, you got what you saw. She didn’t really have any secrets.”
    “Right.” I nodded. “You must miss her a lot.”
    Michelle shrugged. “It’s too soon. I can’t really believe it yet.”
    “Of course. Were you – do you think she did the right thing? Becoming a lawyer and all?”
    “You mean, was I jealous of her? Of course not!”
    “No, I didn’t mean it that way, I mean–” I’d put my foot squarely in my mouth and I tried to backtrack rapidly. “What I meant was, were people at her work nice to her? Was she having any work troubles, maybe?”
    “Oh, no. Well, not that I know of.”
    “Right, right. One last thing before I leave – and I hate to ask this – but where were you on Friday night?”
    Michelle smiled thinly. She was obviously reaching the end of her patience. “I was at The Chemistry Club. You can check with my friends, Gloria and Koko, who were there with me. Now, if that’s all…” She put one hand on the doorknob, as though to turn it, when there was a soft knock on the door.
    We both stepped back, and then Michelle opened the door a crack.
    “Darren!” she exclaimed, flinging open the door to reveal a tall, dark-haired man. His eyes were green and crinkled handsomely, and the two hugged spontaneously.
    When Michelle stepped back, her face was glowing with pleasure.
    “Who’s this?” said Darren.
    I could tell that Michelle wished she could just get rid of me without wasting any more words, but she was too polite to be so blatantly rude.
    “This is Valerie, she’s a PI investigating Esme’s death. Valerie, Darren.”
    “A PI,” Darren said, looking at me as though that was the most fascinating thing he’d ever heard.
    I gulped. The man was so handsome that my knees felt weak and I wanted to grab something sturdy for support. His hair was thick and dark brown and slightly wavy, and his green eyes were flecked with tiny bits of gold. He rubbed his fingers thoughtfully along his jaw, and I gaped at how handsome and strong a jaw it was.
    “That’s