9
Another Love
– Tom Odell
Franklin B Goodman whistles a catchy tune as he rings the doorbell. It must have been on the radio this morning for it to be dominating his thoughts like this, but for the life of him he can’t remember what it is.
He hears footsteps approaching from inside the house. The door opens. Parker stares at him and blinks.
‘Hello, Parker. How are you this morning?’
Something seems to click in Parker’s mind. A flood of partial memories that are unwelcome in the cold and sober light of day.
‘Oh. Hi. It’s…’
‘Franklin. Franklin B Goodman, at your service.’
‘Right. This is… unexpected.’
‘I took a chance on you being in. Hope you don’t mind.’
‘Well… How, er, how did you get my address?’
‘You gave it to me. In the bar. Don’t you remember?’
‘I… I don’t remember very much from that night.’
‘Not to worry. My memory’s good enough for both of us.’ He tugs his jacket lapels together. ‘Bit chilly out here. Shall we talk inside?’
Parker is in no hurry to throw his door wide open. ‘I, er… Look, I don’t mean to be rude or anything, but I’m not sure that would be a good idea.’
‘You don’t? Why not? We can’t really talk about it here, can we?’
‘Talk about what?’
Franklin lowers his voice. ‘The investigation, of course.’
‘Investigation?’
‘Yes. Into your girlfriend. Megan.’
Parker stares at him as though he has just learned that a dream actually happened. ‘To be honest, I can’t quite recall exactly what was said the other night – I mean, I was pretty much out of it – but I think I’d prefer it if we both just forgot all about it.’
‘Really? But I thought we had an arrangement. You said you wanted to make use of my services.’
‘Well, okay. But I’ve had a think about it since then, and I’ve changed my mind.’
Franklin does his best to appear crestfallen. ‘Oh. You see, the thing is, I’ve already made a start. I’ve been working really hard on your behalf, just as I do for all my clients.’
Parker nods a few times. ‘Look, if this is about money, just tell me what I owe you and we’ll call it a day.’
‘Actually, it’s not really about the money. Once I take on a job, I like to see it through to the end. I like to be professional, you see.’
‘And I’m sure you do a very thorough job. Honestly, this is no criticism of what you do. It’s just that I don’t think I want to go through with it now. I hope you understand.’
Franklin blows out a stream of air. ‘That’s a pity. But the customer is always right, right?’ He taps the folder he’s holding under his arm. ‘What would you like me to do with the evidence I’ve gathered so far?’
Parker looks at the folder, then back at Franklin. ‘Evidence? What evidence?’
‘Well, the evidence that your girlfriend is cheating on you. That’s what you asked me to look into, wasn’t it?’
‘I… yeah. I mean… You’ve got evidence of that?’
‘Of course. Like I said, I don’t like to waste time when I’m hired to—’
‘Maybe… maybe you’d better come in.’
‘Are you sure? A minute ago—’
‘No, it’s okay. Come in.’
Franklin follows Parker into his kitchen, where he is invited to sit at the breakfast bar. He makes a show of placing the folder on the granite counter in front of him so that it will always be in plain view.
‘Would you like a tea or a coffee or something?’ Parker asks.
‘That would be very kind. Tea, please. Not too strong, though. And only a splash of milk, no sugar.’
While Parker puts the kettle on, Franklin scans the kitchen. It’s a bit too monochrome for his taste. White cabinets and floor tiles. Black worktops and barstools. Very clean and tidy, though.
