The Lovely Chocolate Mob by Richard J. Bennett Read Free Book Online Page B

years?”
    “Yes. It would seem so. This is what I believe, anyway,” she said.
    “What makes you believe this?”
    “He’s her family doctor. He helped take care of Cornelius Lovely.”
    Now that name carried some weight, even though I’d already figured out he was in the picture somehow. But Mr. Lovely had the reputation of being above such sordid scandals; what was his granddaughter doing being involved with a married man?
    Helen continued, “I used to hear all about his patients, and I heard about her and her family, up until about six months ago when suddenly, Franklin stopped speaking about them. I didn’t think anything of it at the time. He’s such a busy man and has many patients.”
    “This is all interesting,” I said, “but is there any proof of his being involved with Susan Lovely? I mean, how do you know?”
    Mindy reached for her purse, placed it on the table and opened it. She pulled out a folded piece of paper, which turned out to be a grainy black and white 8” X 10”
    photograph. She slid the photograph across the table to me.
    There was Franklin Burke, M.D., a still-handsome man of about 47, Helen’s age, kissing a beautiful young woman on the cheek in a parking lot while standing next to a car, presumably Susan Lovely’s car. The door was open and she was standing, looking as though she was about to get in, but having a “good-bye” kiss planted on her by a possible romantic interest.
    “How did you get this?” I asked.
    “Mindy’s boyfriend. He works as a security guard part-time at the hospital, and this showed up on the parking lot cameras. He saw this while it happened on the viewing screens, recognized Franklin, and made a photo from the digital files.”
    I looked at the picture. “This is a pretty grainy picture… why did he give this to you?”
    “They’re pretty serious, Mindy and her boyfriend. He knew the woman wasn’t me, and thought Mindy should know,” she said, with some subtle disregard for Mindy’s choice of boyfriends.
    I looked back at the photograph. I could see both people’s faces, with the girl’s face turned toward the camera. Even with the grainy photo, I was struck by her beauty. I remarked, “She is quite a pretty little thing, isn’t she?”
    This hurt Helen; she tried to hide it, but it was as if someone poked her with a sharp object. I should have been more sensitive.
    “She’s young, rich, and pretty, and involved with my husband,” Helen said.
    I continued to look at the photograph, thinking, “Dr. Franklin Burke, I don’t know if you’re a lucky dog or just a total idiot. You already have a beautiful wife, who seems to care for you. You’ve got an intelligent young daughter. On the other hand, you’ve picked a cute little girlfriend. I’m sitting here with your wife, and your daughter is in the immediate vicinity, so I’ll have to side with them on this one. You’re doing something wrong, but after seeing your choice, I can understand how you’d fall into an affair.” I wonder if he sought her out, or if she picked him? I guess that didn’t matter. Helen was hurt and needed some support.
    “What are your thoughts on this, Randall?” Helen asked. Oh, you don’t want to know my thoughts, Helen. I think you’re getting to know the pain of rejection and betrayal. I’d like to ask you how it feels, but your daughter is near and you’d leave, and I don’t want that.
    “Helen, do you love your husband?” I looked up to see her face; I wanted to know.
    This question seemed to startle her, but it was a fair one. After all, we were talking about family.
    “He’s my husband.”
    “I know he’s your husband,” I continued. “Do you love him?”
    “Yes, I love him. I think I love him. Not like when we first were married, but I’ve always respected him and his opinions, what he’s done for the community, the people he’s helped, his work, his position…”
    She sounded as though she were describing an employer, or someone