'There is no Templeton,' Francis said. 'My partner's name is Bellini. We thought Templeton Group sounded good with the address.'
'Nothing is as it appears,' I said. 'I'm looking for a little help. Gumshoe to gumshoe.'
'I'm starting to choke up,' Francis said. 'Whaddya want?'
'What can you tell me about Marlene Rowley? Or her husband?'
'It's against company policy . . .' Francis said.
I said the rest of it with him. '. . . to discuss any aspect of a case with any unauthorized person.'
'Fast learner,' Francis said.
'Yeah. I was hoping for collegial cooperation here,' I said. 'But I see that's not forthcoming. Lemme try another approach. Your client was murdered. I have made no mention of you to the investigating officers.'
'And if I stand firm on company policy?' Francis said.
'Then the cops will be asking you.'
'You'd rat me out to the cops.'
'Well put,' I said.
'What happened to collegiality?' Francis said.
'Outmoded concept,' I said. 'Tell me about Marlene and Trent.'
He wasn't wearing his fancy sunglasses inside, and it left his eyes looking sort of vulnerable. He leaned back in his chair and put his feet up on the desk and clasped his hands behind his head.
'Nice names,' he said. 'Marlene and Trent. It's like they were born to be yuppies.'
'Just fulfilling their destiny,' I said.
'So this guy Trent Rowley comes in to see us, says he thinks his wife is fooling around on him, wants her followed.'
'Did he say how he came to you?'
'No, and we didn't ask.'
'The cash up front made a good bona fide.'
'It did,' Francis said. 'So Mario--Bellini, my partner--Mario asks him is he looking for divorce evidence. You know? It's one thing to see her with some other guy. It's another thing if they get into court.'
I nodded.
'He says he wants to know everyone she sees,' Francis said. 'Men, women, everybody. I think to myself, what is she, an equal opportunity cheater? But I don't say nothing because we ain't doing so well we can be messing with prospective clients, you know?'
'Maybe you should downgrade the location,' I said.
'Impresses the clients,' he said.
'So you tailed her,' I said.
'Yep, two shifts, sixteen hours a day. Mario took one, I took the other. We figured she had to sleep eight hours.'
'Get a third partner,' I said. 'You can offer twenty-four-hour service.'
'Then we could get that eye, you know, says we never sleep?'
'I think somebody already used that,' I said. 'What did you observe?'
'Observe? Whoa, you can really talk.'
'I know a woman with a Ph.D.,' I said.
'She hot?'
'Yes. What did you see?'
'Marlene ain't got much of a life,' Francis said. 'She goes to the market couple times a week. Goes to the hairdresser on Wednesdays. Has a personal trainer come in three times a week. Went to a play at that theater near Harvard Square Friday night.'
'The American Repertory Theater,' I said.
'Whatever,' Francis said. 'Thing is, she went alone. She goes every place alone. In the time we been tailing her I never seen her with anyone except her trainer, and Mario says he ain't either.'
'Trainer a man or woman?'
'Man. '
'Get a name?'
'Sure, traced his tags. Name's Mark Silver. Lives in Gloucester.'
'She go places with her husband?' I said.
'I never saw him except that once. Maybe he came home after eleven at night when we wasn't on the
