A Southern Noir: Deception by Any Other Name

Chapter 13

By ten Friday morning, I was staking out Clayton's office again. He arrived right on time for work. As he entered the building, he checked his phone and then put it to his ear. I know what I'm doing is bordering on obsession. Watching Clayton like this could be considered stalking in some states. Okay, so I'm obsessing.

Two hours passed before he exited the building and got into his car. I followed him to a local barbeque restaurant down the hill from his office. The rumbling in my stomach told me that grabbing a bite to eat was a good idea. I waited several minutes before going inside trying to avoid running into Clayton.

The hostess showed me to a small table near the windows. I ordered a sweet tea after she handed me the menu. Looking up, I spotted Clayton sitting with a slender woman with striking features and short brown hair. Across from her was a bearded man, a bit overweight, with straight brown hair with a slight hint of gray.

When the waitress returned, I ordered a barbeque sandwich and extra sauce. She went to put in the order, so I decided to play on my phone while I waited. I scrolled through my social media accounts and then started playing a game. I must have been distracted because I missed Clayton's approach.

"Hunter," he said. "This is a surprise. How are you?"

"Oh, hi, Clayton. I saw you and your company sitting over there."

"And you didn't walk over and say hello? You're not on a stakeout, are you? Did I blow your cover?"

"No, I'm just on a lunch break. I was looking for someone at Old Navy, but they weren't there."

"That's what Emilie says about you, Hunter, always working. Why don't you come to join us?"

"Oh, well, I wouldn't want to interrupt your business."

"No business. Like you, I'm at lunch. Dave and Ellen are old friends of mine. Come on. It'll be fun."

There wasn't much of a choice. "Okay, sure. I'll let my waitress know." After telling the waitress my intentions to switch tables, I joined Clayton and his guests.

"Ellen, Dave, this is Hunter Landon. His wife is one of my best realtors. She's in Orange Beach for the next few days working on a sale of some beachfront property. Hunter here is a private detective."

"Ooh, that sounds exciting. How long have you been a detective?" Ellen asked.

"About nine years. I'm sorry I didn't catch your last name."

"Busby. Ellen Busby. This is my husband, Dave."

"Pleasure to meet you, Mr. Landon," Dave said.

"Hunter told me that he was looking for someone around here. A man, right?"

"No, a woman. I can't talk about it, confidentiality and all."

"Well, what man isn't looking for a woman?" Clayton said.

"Unless he's married. Then he's probably lost somewhere."

Clayton laughed, and the Busbys laughed. "That's true," Clayton said. "Of course, isn't that why you have a job? I mean, aren't most of your clients looking for cheating spouses?"

"Not all of them, no. Some are looking for lost friends or children. Sometimes my clients want me to do a records search or find information. It's not all about finding cheating spouses or lost artifacts."

"Yeah, but there's no shortage of cheaters, right?"

"I've seen my fair share of them. I try not to think about it too much."

"I bet it is hard to trust someone, especially when you've seen so many people sleeping around. Makes you suspicious of those around you."

"Not really. You can't live a life based on suspicion. Some people say that trust has to be earned. I say, trust until you have a reason not to trust."