A Southern Noir: Deception by Any Other Name

Chapter 2

"Hunter? Is that you?" I heard Emilie call as I came through the door. Our miniature dachshund, Rusty, rushed to meet me at the door. The great thing about dogs is that they are always glad to see you.

"It's me, sweetheart. Sorry, I'm late. I had a client show up right before I left. I got the case, though."

"That's good," she said as she emerged from the kitchen. "I put your supper in the oven if you want it." Emily had her long brown hair in a ponytail, and it looked as if she'd taken off her makeup. She wore an oversized t-shirt over a pair of shorts. "I don't think the kids are asleep yet if you want to say goodnight."

"Sure. How was your day?"

"Long. We've been working on selling that property in Fort Morgan for nearly three weeks now. First, the buyer tried to renegotiate the price, and now the seller is worried about tax problems. One thing after the other."

"Yeah, well, I'm sure Clayton will figure it out. Maybe he can win them over with his wonderful personality."

"Leave him alone, Hunter. He's not so bad once you get to know him. You should give him a chance."

"Or not," I said. I could tell she was working up to something, so I prepared myself for the speech I knew was coming.

"So you got a new client?" she asked, not where I thought she was going.

"Yes, a woman thinks her husband is cheating on her. Tomorrow I'm going to stake out her husband's gym and maybe follow him for a while and snap some pictures. I'll try to get home earlier tomorrow; spend some time with you and the kids."

"Sure you will. If you're not so wrapped up in the case that you forget about us."

There it is, I thought. "Hey, I never forget about y'all. I know I work too much, but I'll never forget you or the kids."

"Then why not get a job that won't keep you out so late? I can talk to Clayton, and he could find a spot for you at the office, or he may know someone interested in hiring you."

"Emilie, we've been over this a thousand times. I'm not cut out for being behind a desk all day. I like being able to get out of the office from time to time."

"Hunter, you need to think about the kids. They don't want you away all hours of the night. They want you at home."

"I wasn't out late tonight. Okay, yeah, later than usual, but who doesn't work a little overtime now and again?"

"Whatever, Hunter. I don't want to argue with you tonight, but you should give thought to finding a job with regular hours." She disappeared into the kitchen while I closed my eyes and shook my head in frustration.

She's probably right. When we married, I had been a private eye for about four or five years. I can't say the business has been a cash cow. Most years, I either break even or make a small profit. Emilie's the breadwinner in our family. Lucky for us, she's good at the real estate business. Still, I feel the pressure to give up the private eye business. If not for her, then for the kids.

Annette, my seven-year-old daughter, was born about a year after Emilie and I married. Three years later came Jacob, whose third birthday was two weeks ago. I peeked into Annette's room to find her half asleep, stretched out on her bed. She looks so much like her mother it's frightening. I almost said nothing, not wanting to bother her, but she spotted me. "Daddy," she said in that angelic voice.

"Hey, sweetheart. I wanted to say goodnight to you."

"You work too much, Daddy."

"I know; I'm sorry. I will try coming home early tomorrow afternoon, and we can spend time together, okay?"

"You're going to come to my tea party Sunday. Aren't you?"

I pulled out my phone and called up my calendar app. "Look, I've got it right here. Annette's after-church tea party. Wouldn't miss it."

"You better not, Daddy."

"Good night, Annette."

Looking into Jacob's room, I could see he was already asleep. I walked in, gently kissed him on his forehead, and picked up his teddy bear from the floor by his bed. I closed his door behind me and then turned off the hall light.

Emile was in the bathroom brushing her teeth. I turned off the big bedroom light and flipped on the lamp on the nightstand. I put my clothes in the hamper and crawled into bed. Emilie joined me a few minutes later.

She crawled into bed and laid down, turning her back toward the lamp's light. I turned off the lamp and scooted toward her. I gently kissed her neck as I put my arm around her. "Stop it, Hunter," she said.

"Come on, Emilie. Just a minute or two."

"No, Hunter, not tonight."

"Did I do something wrong," I asked her.

"What? No, I don't want to have sex tonight."

"I wasn't talking about sex. I wanted to cuddle."

"That's how it starts, then the next thing I know, my underwear is on the floor."

"What's so bad about that?" I asked her.

"Nothing, but not tonight."

"Alright. Good night then. I love you," I said as I rolled toward the nightstand.

Okay, yeah, I was disappointed. It's been a while since we've been intimate. We haven't had much time to be together between our jobs and the kids. It's my fault for coming home late tonight. I also know she's been under pressure from the Fort Morgan deal. As I drifted to sleep, I thought maybe we could reconnect tomorrow.