The Marriage Act(4)

‘So if I looked younger, I might get more work? Is that what you’re saying?’

Owen shook his head. ‘You look perfect to me,’ he added before leaving her alone to research the internet for a discount code for face-tightening procedures. She only stopped when a news alert appeared on her screen, along with Jem Jones’ image.





2


Jeffrey




Jeffrey reached for a bottle of transparent cola from the fridge, unscrewed the cap and settled himself at the dining-room table. He hadn’t realized how dehydrated he’d become until he took a long, thirst-quenching gulp. He hoped it might replace the electrolytes he’d expelled in the physical exertions of the afternoon.

A yawn escaped almost before he had time to open his mouth. The long, exhausting day was taking its toll, and there was more to do before it finished. He willed the patch stuck to his arm to rid him of his headache and made a mental note to hydrate more frequently in future. A sour odour drew Jeffrey’s attention to his armpits, but a short, sharp sniff revealed they weren’t the cause. The smell was coming from his hands and arms.

A sudden dull thump upstairs caught his attention so he pushed his tablet to one side and cautiously went to investigate.

In the bedroom, his suitcase had fallen to its side, so he pulled it upright. The sour smell grabbed him again, so he peeled off his clothes and stepped inside the walk-in shower. He continued to drink his cola as the piping hot water cascaded over him, flattening his mousy-brown hair, then streaked through his stubbled cheeks and bounced off his broad shoulders and chest.

He squeezed liquid soap onto his hands from a dispenser and washed the rust-coloured stains from his palms. Next, he dug underneath his fingernails and rubbed at the ribbons streaking across his forearms and wrists. The water in the shower tray was becoming cloudy.

With no clean clothes of his own, he flicked through the rails inside Harry’s walk-in wardrobe, pulling out anything that caught his eye. Harry towered above him at 6 foot 5 inches compared to Jeffrey’s more modest 5 foot 10 inches. They shared the same waist size but he would need to roll up the legs of the jeans to make this look work. Jeffrey was naturally more muscular than Harry so the sweaters and t-shirts he’d stuff inside his suitcase next would be a little on the clingy side. But they would do for now.

Before returning to the dining room with his suitcase, Jeffrey took one last look at the bathroom and the roll-top tub in the centre. He considered draining it before he left, but changed his mind.

Now back at the table, he interlocked and stretched his fingers until they cracked. He swiped across the screen to unlock his tablet. Human Resources had advised him many times to activate the fingerprint or optical scanners for security purposes, but he had yet to get round to it. Besides, the device was rarely out of his line of sight. The likelihood of it ever falling into the wrong hands was negligible.

His inbox contained seven new unread messages, none of which were flagged as urgent. He’d respond to them later. His finger hovered over an App on the home screen before he pressed it. It required three separate passcodes before the display filled with words and images. There were several ways for him to scour the contents – randomly, by latest additions, imagery, geographical location, ages or by length of time.

Random selections didn’t work for Jeffrey. It was an approach he’d tried and it had taken a Herculean effort for him to remain invested for the full allocated timeframe. He preferred to first identify a potential connection by photograph before he took a deep dive into their personal data. That included everything from their biographies to finances and social media presence. Today’s list had yet to be updated, which was probably for the best as, after his most recent clients, he required time to decompress. Tanya and Harry’s behaviour had drained him. So he logged out.

As a Relationship Responder, it was Jeffrey’s job to spend up to two months in close proximity to a married couple whose marriage was judged by Audite to be in crisis. He was responsible for unravelling the knots in the rope that bound these people together. Only when they were untangled could he decide if the AI system had been accurate. He’d then decide if the couple should remain married or go before a Family Court where magistrates would make a ruling on their future together. And the courts often favoured their recommendations, as Relationship Responders were the eyes and ears that witnessed the intricacies of these relationships first-hand.

Jeffrey looked at his watch. Night was drawing in and it was time to bid farewell to Doncaster. Suddenly his watch pinged to indicate that he’d received a new message. Curiosity got the better of him and he read it – three new couples had been added to the list of those requiring Responders.

Jeffrey hesitated, then logged back into the App, scanning the photographs, stopping as one particular pair caught his attention. When he registered their location in New Northampton, he almost dismissed them outright. It was a town he had avoided for all of his adult life.

But there was something about their photos that he couldn’t quite put his finger on and which piqued his curiosity. And as he read their profiles, the threads of a connection were already beginning to form.

Jeffrey placed the tablet and his suitcase inside his car, then returned to the house and set to work preparing it. Soon after the smoke alarms were disabled, he scattered firelighters throughout each room and doused soft furnishings with bottles of white spirit he’d found on a shelf in the garage.