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

so interesting,” he said.
    I had no idea what he was talking about, so I forced my lips to move and my throat to gurgle. “Uh-huh.”
    “You must look into all kinds of interesting things.”
    Did I? I wasn’t sure. So I settled on smiling, and shrugging vaguely.
    “Darren is my step-brother,” Michelle was saying.
    I heard myself saying, “Uh.”
    Darren smiled, a perfect, thin smile. “I suppose you’ll want to talk to me about Esme’s death, too.”
    “Mmm-hmm.”
    “I’m happy to chat about it.”
    “Uh.”
    I tried desperately to think of something intelligent to say. Something relevant, witty, and preferably not mono-syllabic.
    But before I could say anything that proved my ability to utter actual words, Darren said, “I can see you’re on your way out, I guess I’ll chat with you some other time, then?”
    “Uh – yes?”
    “How about dinner tomorrow night? I’ll make a quick reservation at Le Monde Bleu.”
    I smiled. A handsome man was asking me out to dinner. That never happened – not in a million years. Well, ok, that had happened a few months ago, but it had been a fluke and the man in question had turned out to be a conniving liar. I was sure that wasn’t the case with Darren. And ok, maybe we were just meeting up to talk about the case, but still…
    “It was lovely to meet you,” Darren said, giving me a long, intense look. “I’ll pick you up tomorrow at eight, then.”
    “See you,” I said, managing to get the words out without my voice cracking. “Bye, Michelle.”
    I gave her a bright smile, and then rushed over to the elevator. I needed to get away from Darren, before I did anything stupid or made a fool of myself.
    As the elevator rode slowly toward the lobby, I smiled to myself. Darren was so handsome and charming, and I couldn’t wait to see him again.
    When the elevator got to the first floor, I exited and took a few steps into the foyer. Confronted by the sight before me, I blinked several times and forgot all about Darren.

Chapter Fourteen
     
    Lisa and Mellie saw me at about the same time as I saw them.
    “Hi!” chirped Lisa brightly. “What’re you doing here?”
    I smiled politely. “I could ask you the same thing.”
    “We were in the neighborhood,” said Mellie – of course, they would hang out in the most expensive Manhattan neighborhood – “and we thought we’d drop off some flowers for Esme’s dad. It’s so sad, what happened.”
    “Uh-huh.”
    I looked at them skeptically. Working in PR meant staying in touch with people, networking. I didn’t believe for a second that these women actually felt sympathy for Laurence – this was just their way of staying on his radar, reminding him and his family (and his company) that they existed. For all I knew, the card clipped onto the massive bouquet of white lilies mentioned the name of their firm.
    “Are you going up?” I asked. “They’re all home.”
    The two women exchanged a glance. They were in smart business clothes, and were probably on the way back to work from some client meeting.
    “We’d better not,” said Lisa. “We don’t want to disturb the family at this sad time. The doorman said he’d take it up as soon as his shift’s over.”
    I nodded. That made sense.
    As we walked out, Lisa said, “You know, we never did get a chance to catch up that night. We should do coffee some time. Or lunch, since you’re not working at the moment – are you?”
    “Other than my PI work?” I said lightly. “No. But I’m really busy looking into Esme’s death.”
    Mellie looked at me skeptically. “I thought they found out who did it?”
    I shook my head, no. “It’s an open case. So… you know. I’m busy.”
    “Really?” Lisa looked at me with interest. “Wow, I had no idea you were really a PI. I’ll make sure to spread the word and tell everyone I know. Lots of people need investigative work done these days.”
    I smiled at her. For once, she sounded sincere, and there didn’t