‘Well, I haven’t seen Oliver for a while but maybe something like eight or nine months ago.’
‘Do you have a name for this woman?’
‘No, sorry. He might have mentioned it, but like I say, it was a long time ago. I was pretty drunk myself at the time.’
‘And you don’t remember anything else about her, apart from her legs?’
‘Oh, yeah. She was his assistant. You know, at the jeweller’s shop?’
22
What is Love?
– Howard Jones
Franklin B Goodman is puzzled.
He has listened to the voicemail that Megan left on Parker’s phone, and it is not what he expected. So full of anger. No interest whatsoever in Parker’s well-being.
He broods on this as he washes the dishes. He cleans each item thoroughly, rinses it, places it on the rack. When he has finished, he dries everything with a clean tea-towel and puts them back in their assigned homes.
Then he goes upstairs to the bedroom.
Parker looks so different without hair. Well, it’s not entirely gone. The scissors did a pretty good job, but it’s not exactly a close shave. And there are still some tufts on his head that are longer than the rest.
Still, there was plenty to give to Megan. Not that she seems impressed.
As before, Franklin removes Parker’s gag and earphones, and then he sits down on the bed.
He says, ‘I hope you’re not too cold. I’ve got the heating on, but April can be a chilly month. Especially for someone with no hair.’
There is bitterness in Parker’s eyes. ‘I still don’t understand why you did that to me.’
‘I sent it all to Megan. A demonstration of your love for her.’
‘That won’t work. I know Megan. It will just creep her out.’
Franklin considers this. ‘Interesting. I have to confess, I don’t really understand love very well, even though I’ve been studying it for many years.’
‘Love isn’t a thing you understand. It’s something you feel. And if you’re incapable of that, then you should give up what you’re doing with me. Please, let me go. I won’t tell anyone.’
Franklin isn’t about to release him. This experiment is far too fascinating to abandon. And yet he’s not quite sure exactly what steps he should take next. He needs more information.
‘Tell me about Cody.’
Parker blinks in surprise. ‘Cody?’
‘Yes. You told me that you think Cody is the love of Megan’s life now, so tell me about him. Why does she prefer him over you?’
‘I… I’m not sure that she prefers him.’
Franklin furrows his brow. ‘I don’t understand. She dumped you in favour of Cody. In what way is that not expressing a preference?’
Parker stares up at him for a while. ‘I’m not sure what you want me to say.’
‘Well… is he better in bed than you? Does he have a bigger…’ He glances at a point further down the bed. ‘You know what? I think it definitely must be cold in here. It’s making things shrivel.’
Parker’s lip twitches. ‘I already told you about Cody.’
‘Not really. You told me he’s her sergeant and that she used to go out with him. What I’m trying to work out is why she’s gone back to him. You see, he’s your competition. We need to know what he’s got that you haven’t, and then maybe we can fix things.’
‘I don’t know what else I can tell you.’
‘Hmm,’ Franklin says. He knows that Parker is holding something back and he wonders why. ‘When we first met, you told me that Cody has issues.’
Parker hesitates. ‘Did I? I don’t remember.’
‘Yes, Parker, you did. What did you mean by that?’
‘I… nothing.’
Franklin licks his lips. ‘Parker, I would strongly advise you to remain open and honest with me, otherwise things can get very unpleasant. Now tell me what you meant.’
‘I meant that… he’s not right. In the head.’
‘Really. In what way?’
‘I’m not a psychiatrist, but I think he was traumatised. He has hallucinations, panic attacks – the works. He’s basically a basket case.’
