Matthew's earlier anger had dissipated considerably. Watching Valerie bustle about, innocent and guileless, he wondered if he'd misunderstood what he'd seen between her and the man in the BMW. He decided to test the waters.
He put down his fork and probed, "Valerie, I saw a man and a woman on New Lighton Road earlier. The woman looked very much like you…"
"New Lighton Road? Our boss is treating us to lunch at a restaurant there!" she exclaimed, realizing. "That must have been me, and the other person was my friend, Caleb Lane… Oh, wait a moment."
Matthew's eyes narrowed. He hadn't expected such straightforwardness in her revealing "her lover," and wondered if he'd truly misunderstood.
As he hesitated, Valerie rushed to the sofa, retrieved something from her coat pocket, and returned with a jewelry box. Inside lay a delicate necklace. "I did Caleb a small favor, and this is his thank-you gift. Mr. Grant, I don't shop much, so do you know what brand this is? Is it expensive?"
"Why do you want to know? Are you thinking of selling it?" Matthew's brow furrowed. I've overestimated this woman. To think she'd consider selling a friend's gift! he thought angrily.
"Mr. Grant, you've misunderstood. I just want to know the approximate price. If it's too expensive, I'll return it. If not, I'll give him a gift of similar value. And…" Valerie looked troubled. "He's Katherine's boyfriend. I think, perhaps wrongly, that since he has Katherine, he shouldn't be giving jewelry to other women."
Jewelry, unlike ordinary gifts, held a more intimate and ambiguous meaning.
Matthew's expression softened considerably upon hearing this. He realized he'd misunderstood Valerie; she had no intention of being involved with the man.
This realization improved his mood significantly. He'd assumed the man was interested in Valerie, but hadn't expected him to have a girlfriend. A cold glint entered Matthew's eyes; his contempt for Caleb was palpable. He wouldn't mind teaching Caleb a lesson.
"Wait a moment," he said, rising and going to the door. He brought in a plastic bag.
Valerie was initially puzzled, but recognized it. "This…is this…" She saw the restaurant's name on the bag. It contained the crayfish Katherine had packed for Caleb.
Matthew nodded. "After you left, he threw this away. I found it odd, so I brought it back for identification…"
Charles, if present, would have scoffed. It sounded like identification, but Matthew had actually planned to catch Valerie in the act. If she denied it, he'd use the crayfish as evidence. But since she wasn't involved with Caleb, he adapted his plan.
Although his explanation was flimsy, Valerie didn't care. Seeing the bag, her smile vanished, replaced by anger. "Katherine packed this for him, and he threw it away? He's two-faced!" she exclaimed, hating such duplicity.