by Lynda Stacey
‘Hobnob?’ Gloria’s voice broke through his thoughts and he took the biscuit from the plate, turning himself purposely back towards Kate’s gaze. He once again held it for just a moment too long. His entrance had obviously shocked her and he was enjoying himself, watching her indecision.
‘Kate. When you’re ready, maybe you’d like to follow this moron through to the office,’ he said with a cheeky smirk and a wink, as he turned and strode from the room. ‘Mr Parker’s waiting and unless you’re the prime minister, you shouldn’t keep him waiting for very long. He doesn’t like it.’
Kate’s head spun between the door that Ben had walked through and Gloria, who had picked up another Hobnob, taken a bite and then waved it frantically in the air, indicating to Kate that she should follow.
‘Go on, William doesn’t bite, honestly. No matter what Ben says.’ Gloria continued to nibble at the biscuit, which she held in one hand, while she stirred her mug of coffee with the other.
‘But … I thought Ben was Mr Parker,’ Kate questioned as she jumped up from the settee, straightened her clothes and stepped towards the door.
‘He is dear, he’s Mr Parker junior. The Mr Parker that you’re about to meet, your boss, is his father.’
Kate felt the tension once again rise up in her chest; her hands felt hot and clammy and her heart began to beat rapidly. Again, she looked toward the exit.
Should she run now, or later?
She swallowed hard. She was determined not to fail. She caught her breath and pulled the door open, to find herself in a corridor where there were several closed doors and a staircase which rose up before her. Each new obstacle added to her already indecisive morning. And, as though things hadn’t been bad enough, she now had two Mr Parkers to deal with. But she’d been in worse situations than this. Hadn’t she? How bad could it really be?
She studied the doors. Which one would Ben have gone through? She began to play ‘Eeny, meeny, miny, mo’ in her head as a tall, slim, dark-haired man rushed out from one of the rooms, almost colliding with her in his haste to leave the building.
‘Oh, hi there, how you doing?’ He grinned. He seemed to pause and waited as Kate smiled back. She raised an eyebrow and once again she looked between the doors. The man pushed his oversized glasses up his nose.
‘Well, the idea of working here seemed so much more fun when the woman at the employment agency told me I had the job,’ Kate said as she held out her hands. ‘Where did he go?’
‘Doesn’t it always? And if you’re looking for Mr Parker’s office, it’s in there.’ His smile faded as he looked at his watch and pointed to a door.
‘Thank you.’ The man’s face looked familiar, but Kate couldn’t place him and looked over her shoulder to where he now raced through reception, before nervously entering the room.
The office was bright and filled with light and in comparison to the reception was quite modern and airy. It had obviously been recently refurbished. The smell of fresh paint still lingered in the air and there was no sign of the traditional ornate decor anywhere. The desk was huge and impressive. It was curved, made of oak and behind it sat an older, more distinguished looking duplicate of Ben.
‘Now then, Miss Duggan, please take a seat.’
Kate nodded and sat down in the tub chair that stood before his desk. She glanced across at Ben who was perched against a sideboard. She was hoping for reassurance, but his hands were clasped tightly together and although he smiled, his face gave nothing away.
‘Welcome,’ William Parker said as he ran a hand through his dark, peppered hair. The tiny speckles of grey were just starting to appear by his sideburns, making him look older and more mature than Ben and she guessed that he’d be around twenty-five years Ben’s senior. He crossed his legs, to reveal shiny black shoes that could have been used as a mirror. Kate loved well-kept shoes and she made a decision that her new boss had to be nice. Why else would he take so much care about his appearance?
‘Thank you so much and I’m so sorry that I was late this morning,’ she announced. ‘I really didn’t mean to shout at your son.’ Kate was nervous and tried to cover her tracks, just in case Ben had told him about the incident.
‘Don’t apologise for being feisty, we like feisty women, don’t we, Ben?’ He grinned, stood up and walked back and forth behind the desk, finally perching against the windowsill. His hands clasped together, matching Ben’s mannerisms and they both studied her in a silence that seemed to go on forever.
Kate took note that Ben had purposely failed to answer his father’s question, which made her wonder why, or how scary Mr Parker might really be after all?
‘So, you want to be a private investigator?’ he said, his words suddenly slicing through the silence, like a newly-sharpened knife.
‘Yes, sir, I’d like that very much. The agency that recommended me, well, they thought I’d be ideal for the job.’ Her answer had been polite and it occurred to her that his words could have been either a statement or a question. ‘You see, sir, I’ve always been interested in the law.’
‘So I see. You’re twenty-eight, is that right?’
‘Yes, sir, I am.’
‘And you worked for the Metropolitan Police. As a constable?’
‘I did. Yes, sir.’
‘My dear, my name’s William, not sir, I don’t like it … and you’re correct, the agency has always been excellent at sending us the right candidates. That’s why we ask them to do it.’
He walked away from the window and to the front of the desk, perching on its edge, allowing Kate to look him up and down. Like Ben, his suit looked expensive. Even his haircut screamed money. ‘I see you went to law school?’
Kate nodded. ‘Yes, I did. I graduated with honours.’
Ben stepped forward, a file held in his hand. ‘Father, Kate not only graduated with honours, her reports say that she was the perfect student.’ He smiled and Kate saw that the sparkle was back in his eyes.
‘So, why didn’t you go into law? You could have become a solicitor.’
Kate shrugged. Closed her eyes for a moment and thought about her answer. ‘You want the truth?’ She looked at him for permission to continue. ‘I guess I wanted to annoy my father.’
Both William and Ben looked at one another and smiled.
‘Sound familiar, Ben?’ William asked and gave Ben a knowing look. ‘My son here used to do everything he could to annoy me too. Must be a generational thing.’
Ben walked back to lean against the sideboard. He shifted uncomfortably against it and looked down at the floor.
William studied the file. ‘The scar on your face. It happened just over a year ago, am I right?’ He tapped his pen on the file. ‘There was a place on the application asking about your personal life and about anything that could affect your role. Did you not think this relevant?’
‘No, I’m sorry. I didn’t think it was.’ She took in a deep breath. ‘How did you find out about it? I don’t normally tell anyone.’ She looked between both William and Ben. The accident was personal and she hadn’t written anything about it on the application form but now realised that she was going to have to explain. She looked down, purposely holding the scarred side of her face away from him, and held back the tears. She hated the scar and hiding it had become a habit since the accident; it was hideous and the fewer people that saw it, the better.
William coughed, drawing her attention back to where he sat. ‘Of course we know, Kate. Don’t be alarmed and don’t take it personally. It’s what we do. It didn’t take Ben a moment to find out about your background.’ He laughed. ‘He is a private investigator, after all. Doing these checks are second nature to him. Once trained, it’ll be second nature to you too.’
Ben cringed, caught her eye and mouthed ‘sorry’. He liked the way she came across, appearing to be timid, cautious, yet with the flick of a switch, she’d turn feisty, and easily capable of standing her ground.
She intrigued him. He realised why she thought the
accident was personal, he could understand her not wanting to talk about it in public and why she had omitted it on the application form. After all, he knew that her sister had been paralysed, her brother killed and out of curiosity, he half hoped his father would push her for just a few more answers.
Ben once again caught her gaze. She looked defenceless and ready to run; her eyes held the light like mirrors and sparkled as though full of tears that didn’t or couldn’t fall. He smiled at her and her mouth curled up slightly at one side in a quirky, nervous half smile and then there was the scar, a scar that carved itself into her jawline. It was definitive, yet somehow added to her vulnerability, and for some reason, it made her even more beautiful.
He breathed in deeply and then closed his eyes. She wore a fragrance that reached its way across the office. It was fresh, musky and distinguished and he kept his eyes closed momentarily to enjoy the scent.
Rousing himself, he walked to the door and excused himself from the room. He then stood in the passageway with his back against the wall. His hands made fists and he felt angry with himself for looking at Kate that way. She was a work colleague after all, and he reprimanded himself for thinking otherwise. It had been the first time, since Julia had died, that he’d admired another woman. Or had thought of one in that way and, for a moment, he felt as though he’d betrayed her memory. Even though he knew he didn’t need it, he looked up to the sky for forgiveness, before taking a deep breath, opening the door and walking back into the office, where Kate and his father were talking.
‘My father, he’s a barrister,’ Kate was explaining. ‘He wanted me to go into law once I’d qualified, just like my brother had done. But I didn’t want to. I joined the Met police, went to live in London for a while and only came back to join the local force when my grandmother became ill. I came back to help look after her, until she died. By then, the only position available was as a PCSO, so I took it until something more permanent came along.’ She looked across at Ben. ‘I was considering joining my father’s firm, doing as my father wished, then …’ She faltered. ‘… then there was the accident. My sister Eve was paralysed and James, my brother, was killed. Everything changed.’ She paused and swallowed hard. ‘After the accident I simply couldn’t follow my father’s wishes. I couldn’t step into James’s shoes; it wouldn’t have felt right. I couldn’t comprehend the idea of doing the job that he’d done. It was all too painful. Besides, my father sold the company, went to York and took a position there within another firm.’ Her voice drifted off; again her mind flashed back to the accident. She vividly remembered drifting in and out of consciousness. The pain that had soared through her and the memory of her brother’s body, lying there.
Kate glanced around the room. She knew he’d be watching her mannerisms, watching how she handled herself under pressure. But it was easier to look around than at where William perched. He was still clasping his hands tightly together as though holding onto something for dear life. She waited for him to speak, but when he didn’t she looked over to where Ben now sat, studying her every move.
‘I’m sorry, I should have told the truth, you know, on the application form,’ she said as she crossed her legs. ‘It felt easier to omit the truth, than to try and explain. Yet here I am, trying to explain.’ She felt stupid that Ben had so easily managed to find out so much about her.
‘So, why did your father sell the law firm? Surely it would have been something to hang onto?’ William suddenly asked.
The question had been fair but Kate struggled to answer. ‘He … he didn’t want it any more.’ She took in a breath and gritted her teeth. The last thing she wanted to do was to cry, not here, not today. ‘He couldn’t bear to drive these roads, or to walk into the office and to see James’s desk empty. You see …’ She choked back the tears. ‘… James … he … he was his favourite, the only boy and my father didn’t take losing him very well. He didn’t even tell us about the sale. I was at the hospital a lot of the time, with my sister, and before we knew it, he’d sold everything and even though he only moved to York, it was far enough away for him not to have the daily memories that the company had given him.’
She looked around, battling her thoughts and was relieved when Gloria walked in with a tray of coffee and biscuits, carefully placing it on the desk next to where William still perched.
‘There you go, I brought more coffee. Just give me a shout if you need anything else.’ She glanced at where Kate sat. ‘Now, don’t you two go upsetting Kate. It’s her first day and I quite like the idea of having another woman around the place.’ She gave both Ben and William a stern look, before smiling at Kate and patting her on the shoulder. ‘Be nice to her,’ she said, before sweeping out of the room, allowing the door to slam shut behind her.
William picked up his mobile, checked the screen and then tossed it back on the desk. ‘You’ll be working with Ben for the first couple of weeks. I know you did surveillance work in the force, but you need to follow our way of doing things now. But, don’t worry, you’ll quickly learn the ropes. Ben will show you around the place, get you acquainted with the technology that we use and teach you as much as you need to know. The one thing we’re strict on, Kate, is that we do things by the book. At Parker and Son we stay within the law. So, no breaking the rules.’
Kate looked him directly in the eye. ‘Yes, sir. I’m pleased to hear that.’
‘Good.’ He looked at Ben. ‘Maybe you could take Kate out with you on the next job. Let her show us what she can do and, Kate, my name is still William.’ He smiled, but then stood up and Kate watched as he walked across the room, opened the door and once again, he smiled. ‘I’ll let Ben show you to your office. And Kate,’ he paused and held out his hand to shake hers. ‘Welcome to Parker and Son.’
Preview
Tell Me No Secrets
Chapter Three
Kate stepped out of the bakery and into the daylight. It was uncharacteristically mild for the time of year and the heat of the sun warmed her face as she headed towards a small stone wall that stood near the church. She leaned against it and caught her breath. It was a shaded spot and she precariously balanced her mobile under her chin and phoned her twin, whilst attempting to take her chicken sandwich out of its paper bag.
The morning had gone so quickly. She’d sat with Ben, talking about surveillance, how they did it, what their parameters were and then, while Ben had responded to his many emails, she’d set to work, repositioning and organising her new desk and had taken great delight setting it up with items of stationery and a brand new laptop. The only annoying sound that had disturbed the past hour had been her stomach, which had growled continuously and, eventually, she’d excused herself for an early lunch.
‘Hi, honey, how you doing today?’ Kate asked as Eve answered her phone.
‘I’m good, Kate. How are you?’ Eve’s tone was warm and just for a moment, Kate closed her eyes and listened to the loving sound of her voice.
‘Well, other than missing you and Maxy, I’m fine.’ Kate smiled and looked up the street, which was full of people, all going about their daily business. Some shopping, some couples all loved up, workers grabbing lunch.
Eve sighed. ‘Do you really miss me, Kate?’
‘Of course. I always miss you and Max. Give him a cuddle for me, oh, and one of those nice doggy treats that he loves.’
‘Kate, if he had a treat every time you phoned, he’d be one very fat Labrador, wouldn’t you, Max? Come here, say hello to Kate and ask her if she’d like to come and visit us.’ The sound of snuffles filled Kate’s ear and she could imagine Eve sitting in her wheelchair, allowing the dog to lick the phone.
‘I’m working today, Eve, remember, it’s today that I started my new job.’ She tried to sound excited in the hope that Eve would be excited too, even though she knew that by working she’d see less of her sister than before. A thought that neither of them liked.
‘Oh yes, of course.’ Eve sighed. ‘We wondered why you hadn’t calle
d in earlier, didn’t we, Max? How’s it going?’
Kate took a small bite of the sandwich. She could hear the disappointment in Eve’s voice and every instinct told her to drop everything and run to Eve’s side, take Max, the black Labrador, out for a walk and ensure that Eve was okay. Just as she normally did.
‘Look, Eve, do you need me to come? I could just about make it.’ She looked up at the church clock, and quickly calculated that it would take her just under an hour to get there, nip Max out and get back. But she hesitated. If she did it this once, Eve would begin to expect it and she’d end up popping over every lunchtime, on a daily basis.
‘No, don’t be crazy. I’m fine.’ Eve’s voice trailed off and Kate wondered just how fine she really was.
‘Has Zoe been in to see you today?’ Zoe was Eve’s carer. She called twice daily to ensure that Eve was washed, dressed and to make sure, Max, was walked.
‘Yeah, of course she has. So, tell me all about it, how’s the new job going?’ Eve asked.
Kate sighed, and hoped that Eve wasn’t sulking.
‘Eve, it’s really good,’ Kate began. ‘I’m loving it. The owner’s a bit scary. He looks really strict, although I think he’s more bark than bite. The lady, Gloria, who works in reception reminds me of Grandma, you’d love her, and then there’s Ben … He’s amazing, Eve, he’s the owner’s son and a similar age to me. We get on really well already and get this … we have to share an office. Well, to tell the truth, I’ll be sharing with him and two others, but the other two guys are out most of the time, they work on surveillance.’
‘What, four of you in one office?’ Eve began to laugh. ‘I can’t see you enjoying that one, especially if the other three are messy. Do they have any idea you’re a bit OCD?’
‘Eve, I am not, I just like things to be clean and tidy, there is a difference.’ She continued to nibble at the sandwich. ‘There are two desks that are covered in heat circles, like the people who sit at them have never been introduced to a coaster. But, then there’s Ben. His desk is tidy and it looks polished to within an inch of its life.’
