A.R. Winters - Valerie Inkerman 01 - Don't Be a Stranger by A.R. Winters Page B

something to do with the threatening letter I’d received. I gulped, and checked over my shoulder.
    My eyes met those of the man watching us, and I frowned. Jerry! What was he doing here?
    I turned back to Darren, trying not to let my emotions show.
    “Do you know him?” said Darren. “He doesn’t seem to be… he seems a little strange.”
    “Uh.” Jerry definitely qualified as being “a little strange”. I didn’t want to lie, but neither did I want to admit that it was my crazy roommate who had no idea what “boundaries” were.
    “No,” I said finally. “I have no idea who he is.”
    Of course, Jerry chose that moment to appear right beside our table.
    “Valerie!” he said. “Fancy seeing you here! What a surprise!”
    I glared at him. “Yes,” I said through gritted teeth. “What a huge surprise.”
    “I thought you didn’t know this man,” said Darren.
    “Oh no,” I said, turning back to Darren and smiling. “I just – I didn’t recognize him with that huge menu covering half his face.”
    Darren looked at me doubtfully and Jerry said, “Yeah, sometimes we go out and when we run into each other we pretend not to know each other. It’s a fun game.”
    Thanks Jerry , I thought silently. Now I really sound like a wonderful person to date.
    “Well,” I said, looking at my stupid roommate again. “It was nice seeing you. I guess you need to go back to your meal now.”
    “Oh no,” he said. “I haven’t ordered yet. And I see you guys haven’t ordered either.”
    I pursed my lips and gave him a long, pointed look. “I suppose you should go back and order now.”
    “You’re lucky you’ve got company,” said Jerry, making a super-sad face. “I’m just eating by myself. All alone.”
    I smiled brightly and said, “Sometimes being alone is good.”
    And at the rate at which he was going, I would be alone for the rest of my life. Or at least, without Darren. I needed to find a way to get rid of Jerry, before Darren decided that he’d seen enough of this freak show, and rushed away.
    Jerry looked at Darren and said, “Hey, aren’t you Esme’s step-brother? I’m Jerry.” They shook hands, and Darren gave me a curious look. “I’m Valerie’s partner,” Jerry went on. I wanted to bang my head on the table. “We’re investigating the case together.”
    “Oh,” said Darren to me. “I didn’t know you had a partner.”
    “I don’t,” I said, wondering if I could pick up my fork and give Jerry a good poke with it.
    “Well, not technically ,” said Jerry. “But I’m helping out on this case. So I guess I should join you guys. You know, that way we won’t have information overlap.”
    Before I could stop him, Jerry motioned to the waiter to set another place at the table, and sat down beside us.

Chapter Twenty-Three
     
    Things went downhill from there. Not literally downhill, of course, since we weren’t sitting on a hill, but badly enough that I planned out numerous ways to kill Jerry when he least suspected it.
    We drank red wine and ate delicious food, but I was too angry with Jerry to really appreciate either. He asked Darren questions about his work (which was busy) and his relationships with Esme, Michelle and his dad (all good) and his love-life (which he avoided neatly, saying that he was “waiting for the right woman,” and giving me a deep, swoon-worthy look.)
    I let Jerry do most of the talking since I’d lost my ability to engage in witty banter or be a charming conversationalist. My mind was consumed with fury, and thoughts of taking Jerry down to Florida and feeding him to the ‘gators.
    “Did Esme have any enemies?” asked Jerry, as smoothly as any TV-cop.
    Darren shook his head. “No, not that I know of.”
    “What about her love-life? Was she seeing anyone?”
    “If she was, she was close-lipped about it. I think she might have been interested in someone, but she was really busy with her career.”
    “And where were you last Friday