Cuts Both Ways

by Solomon Carter

  “Then what are you doing under there?”

  “Trying to get a steer as to what’s gone wrong, that’s all. Like with any work case, if there’s a problem I want to know more about where it’s coming from. The car’s got a real deep engine growl at the moment. It’s not a pleasant noise. There’s a rattle sound with it too. It sounds like something is about to drop off or pack up, so I guessed if I traced the source of the problem I might be able to look in the manual and fix it myself before the damn thing hits us with a repair bill.”

  Joanne blinked at him like he wasn’t talking sense.

  “Yeah. I know… I was thinking the same thing myself. I’ll probably cause more damage and end up with a bigger bill. Still. You can’t blame a guy for trying.” Dan slid up to his haunches. Standing up, he rubbed dark grease all over his jeans before realising what he’d done.

  “And now I’ll need to wash all this stuff too. Maybe you’re right. I should leave this grease monkey stuff to the pros.”

  “I never said anything,” said Joanne.

  “But your face spoke volumes.”

  “Does it?” said Joanne, guardedly.

  “Yes, it always does. Don’t sweat it. Reading people’s faces comes as part of the job. It’s not just you. You’ll end up doing it yourself one day. You won’t be able to stop it even if you wanted to.”

  Joanne nodded thoughtfully.

  Dan sighed. “Okay then. What is it?”

  “Excuse me?”

  “You here badgering me. There’s something on your mind. I assume you didn’t just want to stand there watching me struggling underneath the car all day?”

  “Uh, that wasn’t my first plan.”.”

  “And… shouldn’t you be working at Civic Centre today?”

  “Well, yes, in theory, I was supposed to be on a shift, but you know how it is…”

  “In theory? Look. I know you hate the job and you like it better here. But at least that job pays. This one doesn’t. At the moment it’s barely even paying us, which is why I’m wasting time tinkering under the car myself.” The thoughtful look on Joanne’s face drew another few words. “You know Eva would hire you in a heartbeat if we could.”

  Joanne nodded. “And what about you?”

  Dan paused and arched an eyebrow. He took a moment to formulate his answer.

  “I know we haven’t seen eye to eye at every point across the last year. But you’re young, you’re allowed to get things wrong. And you’re dynamic, you’re gung-ho and impetuous. All the things I’ve been since the very beginning. I get it. You think you’re born to do this job, just like I felt I was. Only, opportunity isn’t there right now. Bottom line, it comes down to cash flow.”

  “But if not for the cash flow, you’re saying you’d hire me?”

  Dan nodded. “Under a few provisos – about safety, security, and about doing as you’re told here and there. Of course. But the main problem still stands. There isn’t the money. So I don’t want you risking your bread and butter by moonlighting here.”

  “But then you never know what might happen, do you? Who knows? The money might suddenly come in.”

  “It could, one day,” Dan’s eyes hazed in thought.

  “What is it?” said Joanne.

  Dan shook his head and looked away. “No. It doesn’t matter.”

  “Yes it does,” said Joanne. “What were you thinking?”

  Dan shook his head but met Joanne’s eye. “I was just thinking how things might have turned out differently if we’d met you before Mark. That’s all.”

  Dan’s mouth crumpled, like he’d said too much. Spoken out of turn. Joanne’s face flushed as Dan looked away. He wouldn’t say anymore, but Joanne was able to guess the rest. He’d already said as much – she was dynamic. A go-getter. She was made for the business. Meanwhile, her boyfriend Mark had evolved into little more than an office helper. And yet he was the one on the payroll. Of course Eva and Dan were too loyal, too caring, to do anything about it. And despite a tinge of guilty jealousy at his position, Joanne knew there was nothing she would have done to take Mark’s job. Mark was there before her. He was entitled to his job. After all, she had only ever known Eva and Dan through Mark in the first place.

  Joanne pushed past a host of mixed feelings to force a smile. “I think I get you.”

  “I didn’t mean anything against Mark, you know, he’s great. It’s just… well, sometimes…”

  “It’s okay, Dan. I get it. You don’t have to say anything more. Don’t worry. I won’t say anything.”

  Dan scratched the back of his neck. “You know, sometimes I should think a little bit more before opening my mouth. Eva’s been telling me that for the last fifteen years.”

  “It’s okay,” said Joanne. “Even if there isn’t a paid job here for me—”

  “Yet,” said Dan.

  “Yet,” said Joanne. “I can’t pretend to like data entry and pledge my undying loyalty to my corrupt council overlords every day for the rest of my life. I want to do something that counts for something. Something people appreciate.”

  “And you will. Because you’ve got it in you. It has to come out sooner or later. Where there’s a will, there’s a way.”

  Joanne nodded brightly. “I’m glad you said that. I believe that too. And now I’ve got some good news for you.”

  Dan raised an eyebrow. “News. Right. Here it comes,” he said.

  “I said good news, Dan,” said Joanne.

  “Out with it,” said Dan, unconvinced.

  “I’ve got a case for you.”

  “A case? What? A new case?”

  Joanne nodded.

  “Is that why you’re asking about a job?”

  “No! It’s just a case. It’s yours. No strings attached.”

  “I’ve heard lines like that before.”

  “Not from me, Dan. I’m not Alice Perry, remember.”

  They both waited for the awkwardness of the comment to subside. It didn’t, so Dan spoke to push it away.

  “So tell me about this case of yours,” said Dan.

  Joanne was still blushing. “It’s a missing persons case. The client needs you to track down his sister.”

  “The client? Which client? How did you come across this case anyway?”

  Dan’s eyes narrowed as he scratched his temple with a grimy finger.

  “A friend of a friend,” said Joanne. “All you need worry about is that this is a straightforward missing persons case. This kind of case will be meat and drink to you guys. All that matters is you keep complete client discretion.”

  “Discretion? Come on. You know we honour client confidentiality every time without fail.”

  “Then, like I told you, you won’t have a problem.”

  Dan nodded in thought as he left a grease mark behind on his temple. He looked at Joanne with a trace of a frown. She winced in apprehension.

  “What’s the matter?” said Joanne.

  “Two things,” said Dan. “How did you get hold of a lead like that? And why aren’t you telling Eva instead of me?”

  Joanne’s mind raced through a maze of possible answers. She spoke as quickly as she could.

  “I got the lead from someone at work. Someone who knows I sometimes work with you guys. Like I said, discretion is really important here, especially to my colleague. And I told you first because you were the one lying under a car swearing. I figured you could do with the good news first.”

  Dan broke into a grin. “That’s a fair point. And you’re sure this lead is genuine? The guy’s not going to change his mind or tell us he hasn’t got any money to pay for the job?”

  “It’s a real job, Dan,” said Joanne.

  “Fine,” said Dan. He bent down to pick up a rag from the floor and started to wipe his hands. “Come on then, ace. You can go and tell Eva all about it. It’s about time we had some good news. This lead is solid, right?” said Dan.

  Joanne’s eyes shone back with a smile. “Yes. Where I got it from,
this lead is solid as a rock.”

  Dan smiled back and he led the way to the office door. Behind him, Joanne’s smile dimmed the merest fraction. She hadn’t actually lied to Dan. She’d just massaged the truth a little. And there couldn’t be any problem with that, could there? In the post-truth world, what did a little massaging matter anyway? So long as the job was as good as she’d been told, and as long as it paid, then everyone was a winner. Maybe even Joanne too.

  As they walked into the office, the old shop bell on the wall gave a short shrill ring. Eva and Mark looked up, Mark gazing at her in surprise.

  “Joanne. You were supposed to be at the council today,” said Mark.

  “I was,” she replied. “But then I got wind of some good news. So I made my excuses and came straight here.”

  “You pulled a sickie – again?!” said Mark.

  Joanne shrugged. “A necessary evil. “You’ll see. Besides. I’ve got to pack that job in sooner or later. Sooner would be preferable.”

  Mark nodded, but Eva and Dan saw his unspoken reservations. Mark was the reserved type. Introspective, quiet. Most of the things Joanne wasn’t. They both knew Mark would only challenge her later on, when they were away from the office. But it wouldn’t do any good. Joanne was a strong headed young woman – she would always do exactly as she pleased.

  “Good news?” said Eva, settling into her seat. “It must be worth hearing if you’ve dumped off your job to come and tell us.”

  “She doesn’t need much persuasion in that department,” said Mark.

  “Mark!” said Joanne, but her smile soon returned. “It’s a job. I think I’ve got a case for you. A good one. One that will pay.”

  Eva brightened. “A job?” She looked at Dan, who nodded. Eva’s eyes rolled over the grease spots and smears on his face, chin, hands, T-shirt and jeans, not saying a word, but taking it all in.

  “A lead rather than a job, I suspect,” said Eva. “We mustn’t count chickens until the eggs have hatched. But a lead is still a lead.”

  “It’s a solid lead. It’ll turn into a paying job, I’m sure.”

  Eva nodded. “So,” she said, “how did you get it?”

  “From a work friend,” said Joanne.

  A moment passed as Eva considered Joanne’s words. “And this work friend knows that you work with us?”

  “They do.”

  Eva nodded. “But they can’t know about your moonlighting here…”

  “They know a little about that. But mostly they know about your track record.”

  “And they know you’re telling us about this job?”

  “Yes. They wanted me to. It’s a job that needs doing – a missing person who needs to be found.”

  Eva nodded. “We’ve done plenty of those, though they’re not always as easy as they sound. But that’s part and parcel of the job. Did they tell you anything else – names, locations, how long they’ve been missing?”

  Joanne flicked her fringe. Mark watched her and silently chewed a fingernail. Joanne’s eyes drifted his way, but soon flicked back to Eva.

  “I don’t know much, but I know the client wants you to track down his sister.”

  “A missing sister…” said Eva. “A runaway?”

  “Possibly. That’s the limit of what I know. You’d need to meet with the client to hear the rest. So, what do you think? Are you interested?”

  Eva looked at Dan, her eyes gleaming in thought. Dan’s face flickered with a gesture something like a shrug. “Yes, we are,” said Eva. “Do you think you can arrange for this work colleague to come here, or shall we go and see him?”

  “Oh. Wait. It’s not actually my work colleague you’ll be meeting. It’s the person with the missing sister. The client is his friend.”

  “Right…” said Eva, regarding Joanne for a moment before a faint smile broke across her face. “Joanne, I really don’t know how you do it, but you always manage to make things happen.” Mark seemed to turn a little sullen. Eva noticed but continued anyway. “So the client is your work colleague’s friend? Fine. Can you get them to call us?”

  “I think it’s pretty urgent,” said Joanne. “If I tell them you’re interested, it’s pretty certain he’ll move quickly. He’ll want a face to face.”

  “Even better,” said Eva. “How soon do you think?”

  “From what I heard, maybe even this morning.”

  “Suits me,” said Eva. Dan didn’t argue. “Okay, Joanne, do what you can to make it happen. Whatever else we need to know we can learn from him.”

  Joanne beamed. “I’ll go and get the ball rolling then.”

  She turned away and headed for the front door.

  “Hey! Where are you going now?” Mark called from the front desk. Joanne turned back, a gleam still in her eye.

  “To make the call,” she explained.

  “There are phones on every desk in here you know,” said Mark. “You could use them.”

  “I know. But this is a work colleague. It’s sensitive.”

  Joanne walked out into the bright day and put her mobile phone to her ear. Mark kept his eyes on her back as she paced away, disappearing round the corner. When she was gone, his eyes stayed on the glass, staring through the traffic passing outside.

  “Give her the benefit of the doubt,” said Dan, watching Mark’s demeanour.

  “What?” said Mark.

  “I can hear the worry lines forming from here,” said Dan. “Honestly, I don’t think it’s worth it. Whenever I give that girl the benefit of the doubt she seems to come through. Whatever she’s working on, it’ll probably be for the good of all concerned.”

  “You wouldn’t have said that last year,” said Mark.

  Dan’s eyes narrowed. “A lot can change in a year, kid.”

  “Or in a few weeks,” said Mark. His voice trailed away as he returned to the work on his desk.

  As soon as Joanne finished her phone call, she re-emerged from the corner and breezed back into the office. She stood in the doorway, holding the door open, as if she was about to go.

  “The guy said yes. He’s coming. He’ll be here in a couple of hours. Maybe sooner.”

  “Who?” said Mark.

  “The new client,” said Joanne, meeting his eye, her smile suddenly flickering like a failing lightbulb.

  “Good work, Joanne. And do we have a name for him yet? For the client, I mean,” said Eva.

  “Robert Poulter,” said Joanne. “That’s all I know.”

  “Robert… Poulter… That’s enough for now,” said Eva, jotting on a scrap of paper beside her laptop. She glanced at Dan. “Two hours, maybe less. Which means you’d better get showered and put on some clean clothes.”

  “Huh?” said Dan.

  “Look at you. You can’t meet a new client looking like that. If I clapped eyes on you, I’d turn around, walk out and find myself a private investigator who looks like he bathes occasionally.”

  “I showered this morning,” said Dan.

  “It doesn’t look like it,” said Eva. “Besides. Who knows? If we get this job we might even earn enough money to get your car fixed.”

  Dan sighed. “Okay, okay, message received.” He held up his hands and walked towards the door at the back of the office, the one beside the kitchenette. He opened it and disappeared up the staircase to the apartment. They heard his feet thudding up the steps as the door to the office closed behind his back. Joanne lingered in the front doorway, her arms folded, her face still thoughtful. Her eyes seemed to be avoiding Mark.

  “Eva, did anything come of that case involving that ex-best friend of yours?”

  Eva looked up and offered a slow nod. “It’s still there,” she said, with the hint of a sigh. “But it seems to centre around a relationship breakdown. Which means it’s messy and will get messier still. And my ‘ex-friend’ really doesn’t seem very stable right now. Which means I’m left having to read between the lines, you know – what’s real and what’s just pure overreaction. In other words, is
it a truly serious case – is she in danger – or is she being swept up in emotion? There’s a risk it could be a case where we might never get paid the whole fee.”

  “Surely she wouldn’t mess you about like that again?” said Joanne.

  “In this line of work anything is possible, Joanne. You’ll see.”

  “I’m beginning to already,” said Joanne.

  Eva’s mobile started to vibrate on her desk. She picked it up and glanced at the screen. “Speak of the devil.”

  “I’ll leave you to it then. Let me know how it goes with Mr Poulter.”

  “I will.” Eva answered the call and Joanne started to turn away again, but Mark’s voice called her back.

  “Where are you going now? Back to work? I thought you’d just pulled a sickie?” said Mark.

  Joanne walked back into the office. She stopped halfway to his desk and offered a sympathetic smile. “I made an excuse to get out. But they’re so busy they won’t ask questions if I go back in without a fuss, believe me.”

  Mark examined Joanne’s eyes. She spoke because he didn’t. “Stop worrying,” she said. “I’m going back to work.”

  “And I’ll see you later on?”

  “Of course, silly. Why wouldn’t you?” Joanne kissed her fingers, walked to Mark’s desk and pressed them to his face before she turned away. Mark watched her wave at him through the window as she walked off down the street. It took him another moment to realise that Joanne had turned left along Hamstel Road instead of turning right. Civic Centre was certainly reachable from either direction, but the route through the residential streets wasn’t the one Joanne usually chose. It was less busy, but a little more convoluted. But then, what was in the choice of walking left or right? Just a roll of the dice, a flip of a coin. Mark guessed he was fretting over nothing, just as the kiss she had left on his face suggested. Eva’s voice from behind him became louder as she spoke

  “Lauren! Wait! I can’t even understand half the things you’re saying… You need to calm down. Take a breath, please. You found what?”