A Southern Noir: Deception by Any Other Name

Chapter 25

I arrived home that evening feeling physically and emotionally drained. After feeding Rusty, I plopped down on the sofa and fell asleep. I can't say how long I was asleep, but when I woke up it was early in the morning. I thought about going to the bedroom, but I had too much on my mind to sleep.

I could leave the rest of the case alone. I knew Danny was off the hook for the murders of the Freemans, and I was pretty sure Stella wouldn't be able to take everything from him. Then again, the file she kept about him bothered me. From what she told me, it had a lot of incriminating evidence against him. He was more involved with Hannah Covington than he first let on, and Stella knew it.

Something else bothered me. Russell Knight was not at the beach at the time of the murders, according to Vivian Ross. Her claim that she was with Kevin during the murders puts him in the clear. Walter had an airtight alibi at the time of the murders as well. That left only Russell, who was not where his brother claimed. If one of the Knight brothers murdered the Freemans, the process of elimination pointed to Russell, which bothered me. It's too easy. Something was not sitting right, but I couldn't say what.

I'm not a cop; I reminded myself. Solving a murder was not what I was hired to do. In fact, Stella fired me. The trouble is that I've never been able to leave well enough alone, and I felt obligated to help Danny. What can I say? I'm a sucker for a hard luck story.

When I got to the office, my phone rang as I walked through the door. "Mr. Landon, this is Tanya Douglas from Mason Johnson Insurance. How are you this morning?"

"Good. Did you get my paperwork?"

"I sure did, and I wanted to know when you can start for us? We have several cases pending and we'd like to start clearing some of them."

"Well, I have a case going right now that I'm clearing up, but I expect to complete it by the end of the week or early next week."

"Great, can you come by our Childersburg office later today? I'll be there today and tomorrow. I have a few more papers for you to sign."

"Yeah, sure, I can leave now if you like and meet you there in about an hour. Will that work?"

"Perfect. I'll be expecting you."

I locked the office door and went downstairs. By the time I hit the last step, my phone rang again. This time it was Detective Palmer. "Mr. Landon, I wanted to tell you that I have subpoenaed the phone records for the Knights. It's going to be a while before I get them."

"No worries, Detective. I have to go out of town for part of the day anyway."

"Alright, I'll let you know what I find."

Childersburg is about forty minutes down the road from my office. I grew up in a small town similar to Childersburg. Like many places in Alabama, it's a mix of the Old South and the New South. The downtown area comprises buildings that existed during World War 2. The part of town that runs along Highway 280 is a mixture of buildings from the Seventies and the Two Thousands. All taken together, the town, in many ways, is the South in a microcosm. A part of America in a time of transition, even if it does quite know what it's transitioning to.

I arrived at the office and found Mrs. Douglas sitting at a desk on the phone. She waved and motioned for me to have a seat. When she finished her conversation, she looked at me and said, "I've been on the phone with that guy since I talked to you this morning. How've you been?"

"I'm making it. The case I'm working on has gotten complicated recently, but like I said this morning, it should wrap up soon."

"Good. I have a couple of cases waiting on you. All I need you to do is sign a few papers, and they are yours."

"Great. I'm looking forward to it. I hope you don't run out of cases, though."

"Trust me, that's not a threat in this business."

I spent about two hours signing papers and reviewing the specifics of the cases in question. Afterward, I gathered my things and told Tanya that I'd be in touch with her soon. I planned to start on the first one in the morning since I didn't think it would take long to wrap up.

I crossed the river bridge on the way back to Birmingham when I decided to take a side trip. It had been a couple of years since I'd been there, but I decided to stop and visit Tina's grave. I took a left at the last traffic light in the small town of Harpersville, about ten miles from Childersburg. The cemetery was close down the road and only took a few minutes from the highway. I entered the cemetery and parked my car in a small space by a hill. Her plot was on the other side of the hill.

There were no other people around today, and the cemetery was quiet. When I arrived at her grave, I wished I'd stopped and bought some flowers. Strange though, I was sure she had no living relatives in the area, but someone put flowers on her grave marker. I was relieved to know that someone still remembered her. "I guess I'm a poor friend," I said aloud.

Standing there, I remembered many of the times we spent together. Our relationship didn't end the way I hoped it would. I've moved past it, but a part of me still feels responsible for what happened to her. "I didn't mean to take so long to come to see you. I found your picture again a few days ago, so here I am. I know, you'd probably tell me to forget about you, move on, and live my life. I'm okay, Tina. I'm happy. Seriously, I'm happy. I have a wife and kids, and I just got a new job that will let me provide for my family for a long time. Things have finally started working out for me, just like you told me. I miss you and wish you were here, though. Rest easy, and I'll visit again soon. I promise."

I walked away with an uneasy feeling. Even though I couldn't explain why, I felt a heavy heart as I drove away. Tina's been gone for a long time, but I can remember her passing like yesterday. We were close even before we became lovers. I miss her friendship. She had a smile that could cheer me up even when I didn't want her to. I miss my friend, and I always will.