Frankie Drake Mysteries

Frankie! Wait up!

Come on, Louise! Let's see what these bikes can do!

I'm gaining on you!

Oh no, you're not!

Oh, this is just like old times!

- Minus the enemy fire! - Yeah.

Where are you going so fast?

Told you being a blonde would cause a stir.

Maybe that was for you.

You don't ride as fast as you did in the war, Frankie.

You tend to speed a little bit more

when there's bullets flying past your head.

- Feels like a lifetime ago. - It was.

I know it sounds ridiculous but the war?

At least it was exhilarating, now...

Married life a bit dull?

A bit.

It happened quickly. I met James

just after Daddy died.

And presto: Louise Farr is Louise Barton.

Seemed time to grow up.

You still feel that way?

I've missed you, Frankie.

The things we got up to back then.

No friends like old friends.

Don't you need to get back home?

Give me five more minutes in the past.

Before you sail, there's someone I want you to meet

- Saturday at the Savoy. - Of course. I would love to.

- You decided to return. - Hello, darling. This is

Frankie Drake, the wartime friend I told you about.

Good afternoon, Miss Drake.

Louise, may I have a word?

See you Saturday. No excuses.

- Lunch at the Savoy. - I wouldn't miss it.

You looking for someone?

- No. - Oh, that's a shame.

Ha!

Excuse me?

Thank you.

Cap?

Captain Morrison?

Frankie.

- Is it really you? - Last I checked.

Your hair!

It's very striking.

I must say, you hear stories of chance encounters, but I...

What are you doing here?

I, uh... I'm visiting some old friends.

I'm here to meet Louise, actually.

- You remember her? - Of course.

You're not wearing your medals

- the king will be disappointed. - Still the same old Frankie.

Will you have time for a drink sometime?

Sure. Shall we meet back here?

Uhhh... not here.

Where are you staying?

The Salisbury.

- Our old hotel. - Is Stan still the bartender?

He still pours a mean martini.

Well, we can catch up properly,

- toast old times. - I'd like that.

If I'm interrupting something, I could leave.

I'll see you later, Frankie.

You must be the famous Frankie Drake Louise told me about.

Do you want me to fetch him back for you?

- Oh, no, no, it's fine. - Is Louise with you?

No. She said she'd pick me up over an hour ago.

But, uh, she didn't, so I thought I'd find her here.

This, uh... this came in the post this morning.

And Louise would never dream of missing a lunch at the Savoy.

- Especially on me. - Hmm!

"I'll pick you up at 11 a.m. tomorrow; lunch on your tab."

Why don't we check with the concierge? Maybe she left word.

- Oh, I did. She didn't. - Something's wrong.

I think you're jumping to conclusions.

Lou never doesn't do what she says she's going to.

You must know that.

- Now, come on. - Where are we going?

Well, you're the private detective, you tell me.

Consider yourself hired.

Looking for a friend

who's late for a lunch date doesn't seem like much of a case.

And you don't seem much of a detective

if you'd turn down a commission.

Fine. Mrs...?

Christie, Agatha Christie.

- Do you know Louise's husband? - Ah, just socially.

My husband, Archie, was lobbying James

for a position in the city.

It didn't pan out, but Louise and I hit it off.

- Do they have a good marriage? - I believe so.

The girl's charming, but, uh, not domestic.

Never could get the hang of poaching a fish,

but I doubt she lost much sleep over it.

- That'll be fine. - Ladies...

James, how are you? A word?

Of course.

- Now, have you seen Louise? - She was to join us

at lunch today, but it appears she has vanished.

I'm sorry to disappoint you, Mrs. Christie,

but there's no mystery to be had here.

My wife's on one of her walkabouts.

- What do you mean? - Louise needs time on her own.

It's something I accommodate. She walks, I golf.

You seemed upset with Louise the other day;

did you two have a fight?

Well, that's really none of your business.

You hiding something, James?

I expected her to join me

at the annual Chamber of Commerce dinner,

and she refused to change her plans.

Annoying. Not having your wife at your side.

Bloody embarrassing.

But save your suspicions for one of your books.

My wife's on a walkabout.

- To places unknown. - Miss Drake,

they're not unknown to her.

He's lying.

What decent husband doesn't know where his wife is?

I think he had something to do with this, don't you think?

I don't know yet.

Well, if this was one of my books, he would certainly be a suspect.

I'll contact you the minute I have anything.

Don't you want me along?

I do have some experience in detecting.

This isn't one of your mystery novels, Agatha.

Louise is my friend too, and, as your employer,

- I must insist. - Fine, but you follow my lead.

- Of course. - What first?

I need to send a telegram.

Oh.

Just grab whatever you can find, Mary!

- We're out of buckets! - Frankie didn't need to go

to England, it's Piccadilly Circus right here.

When is the plumber coming?

The landlord said he was on his way.

Remind me again why you didn't wait for him in the first place

- instead of trying to fix it yourself? - Well, the pipe's been leaking

for weeks, and it was driving Frankie nuts.

I thought it'd be an easy fix.

Oh, Trudy!

I'm really sorry, but - uh -

I've got work early in the morning,

- I should get going. - Me too. I've got corpses stacked up.

Not actually stacked, but...

you know.

- When is Frankie coming back? - She's been delayed.

Telegram didn't say.

Oh, no. You must be joking.

What else is gonna go wrong in this place?

Trudy, a building's like a human body:

you shouldn't cut into it unless you know what you're doing.

Come on.

Sorry, Trudy.

Flo, wait up!

What? Who the heck's been messing about

with my...?

Frankie Drake? Holy snakes!

Ruby Weston.

It is so good to see you. So, this... this is your place?

Spent all that time fixing our bikes back then,

about time I got paid. What are you doing here?

Wait, don't tell me.

The good Captain Morrison finally left

his wife? Hahahaha!

Did you hear, he got a knighthood?

"Wartime Service to the Realm" or something.

Is this the man you met at the Savoy?

I knew there was something between you.

Ha! Morrison was our boss

in Signal Corps; used to call him Cap.

- He and Frankie used to do a little... - Ruby, Ruby...

- You know what I'm saying. - Who's your...? But anyway,

it was all very hush-hush.

At least they thought so. So who are you?

- Ruby, this is Agatha Christie. - She's a friend of Louise Barton.

- "Agatha Christie"? - Writer Agatha Christie?

I just read your book! The Secret Adversary.

- Bang up job! - Oh, well, thank you.

Are you gonna bring that foreign bloke back:

- Poirot something? - I don't know. I mean,

I don't know about writing another book.

- Are you kidding? - You're the best thing

- since Sherlock! Take my word! - Oh, well...

You need inspiration, just get Frankie talking.

She got up to all sorts during the war.

- We're looking for Louise. - Have you seen her?

Not in ages.

She used to come in to get her bike fixed after the war,

then she pretty much cut me off.

Always had a bit of a loner streak.

So we're learning.

Her husband says that she likes to go walking?

Sounds right.

I went with her once when we were on leave.

She did like this one place.

- Where? - Um... couldn't tell you.

Just farmer's fields and hedgerows.

We took the bus from Kew to get there.