Benson & Benson

Chapter 1: The Call

Freddie Benson: Sitting in his old squeaky oak chair, behind his old stain covered oak desk, contemplating once again how the ink stain had gotten smack dab in the middle of the desk. The stain was big and dark… 'India ink for sure… well maybe. Who knows?' He thought while staring at the stain for the zillionth time.

He liked the desk none the less. He liked all the 'old stuff' in his office. The old oak file cabinets, the oak hat rack… even the old nickel and black bakelite candle stick phone that took him forever to interface into his cell phone, but now worked as long as he was in the room.

He grinned as he remembered opening his birthday gift from Sam and finding it inside. They had been antiquing a few weeks before when he'd seen it, and mentioned how great it would look in his office. Sam had only smirked at him and said something about '…more old junk…' Then obviously gone back and bought it for him.

He reminisced for a moment or two longer before he endorsed the three checks sitting on top of the ancient stain on his desk. As he signed his name and then stamped the back of the checks for deposit he grinned again; this time musing over how profitable three cheating spouses of millionaires had been. Barely three weeks work earned him a pile of money for catching two cheating husbands and a wife. Not a bad business, being a private investigator.

He took an envelope from his lower left desk drawer, put the checks in it, sealed it and stood while putting the envelope in his inside sport coat jacket. Grabbing his keys and cell phone from the middle desk drawer, he stuffed them into his Levi's pockets and strode out of his office and down the hallway. Stopping in front of the ancient elevator, he pressed the down button and waited.

Soon, the elevator came trundling up, stopped and the doors opened to Gus, the operator. They smiled at each other as Freddie entered the cabin.

"So, ya gota hot case Mr. Benson?" Gus asked as he moved the handle to the down position.

"No, just knocking off early, Gus… I was thinking of a ball game. Aren't the Mariners playing today?" Freddie said.

"Yep, double header with the White Sox. Great day for a game, eh?" Gus replied as the elevator stopped at the first floor.

Freddie nodded in agreement, stepped out of the elevator cab and made his way across the foyer, then out to the side walk. He walked the couple blocks to his bank, made his deposit and found himself back out on the sidewalk in front of his bank when his phone rang. Flipping it open, he answered:

"Benson and Benson, Investigations…"

"You know, you really need to change the way you answer. It's not Benson and Benson anymore, unless you've taken your mother on as a partner now…" Sam replied.

"Sam! How are you? It's been a while, and yeah, I know… but we're not final for another ten days… so I guess… I don't know. What's up?" Freddie said.

"Well, I have been gone for eighteen months, Freddie. Deal, will ya? And I have a favor to ask…"

"Same ole' Sam, yell at me then ask a favor. What is it?"

"It's my fiancé… he's taking the train up there to do some business, can you pick him up at the station tomorrow afternoon?"

"Fiancé? How the hell do you have a fiancé? We're not even divorced yet? And why would you think I want to pick this guy up? He's taking the train from LA to Seattle? What the hell, Sam?"

"C'mon Freddie, we're divorced! Or nearly anyway. We aren't getting married for another six months… So can you pick him up?"

"Jeez… can't you have someone else get this loser? I mean really, Sam… You call me to pick up this guy?"

"Freddie… you know I can't call Carl's… or my sister for that matter… and who knows where mom is."

"Yeah, you can't call them… you can't call them because they're still pissed at you for leaving me!"

"Look, we've been over this before and I don't want to get into a yelling match, but you know we weren't working… it was best that I left. So, will you pick him up or not?"

"…Know we weren't working? Sam, I didn't know we weren't working! You clammed up for a month then take off to Los Angeles! And then you served me with divorce papers three weeks later. Weren't working… what a load of crap! That's exactly why no one will speak to you. You just walked out! I'm still not sure why!"

"…Gods, not this again… you know why, I told you. I wanted a house, kids… all that stuff. All we did was chase around spying on cheating spouses, eating in diners and living in an apartment. We have had this conversation before."

"Yeah, we did have this exact conversation before… except it was two months after you left! What the hell Sam? We had decided to do the 'space' thing and then hopefully get back together. Now you've got a fiancé and you want me to pick the guy up? What kind of crap is this? Why can't the guy get a cab like normal people?"

"Look… just do me this favor, okay? Just pick him up at the King Street Station at four ten tomorrow afternoon and then drop him off at the Kings Inn by the Needle, okay?"

"The Kings Inn? That place is about as… This guy is into cheap motels?"

"Freddie, will you please just pick him up and take him to the motel? Just do this one favor and I'll never bother you again… Please?"

"Alright… fine… What's the big spender's name?"

"His name is Abner Loquat…"

"ABNER LOQUAT! This is a joke right? You're just around the corner from me, huh… you're laughing your ass off right now, aren't you."

"Freddie, his name is Abner Loquat. Just… just pick him up for me please. I'm flying up next month, alright? Just… just…"

"Alright! I said I would… I wouldn't miss meeting Mr. Fruit Tree for nothing. Anything else I need to do for this guy? Make sure he's in bed by eight?"

"Thanks Freddie…" She hung up.

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