A Southern Noir: Deception by Any Other Name

Chapter 7

I arrived before nine the following day and checked my email. I spent the remainder of the time before Mrs. Patterson came straightening up the office. She arrived a few minutes early without bothering to knock. "Mrs. Patterson, thanks for coming. Please have a seat."

"Thank you, Mr. Landon. Can you please tell me about my husband? Is he cheating on me?"

"Well, I'm not entirely sure."

"But you said you have news about him. If that's not it, then what?"

I took out my phone and showed her one of the pictures I had taken of Danny and Sarah. "Do you know this woman?"

"No, I've never seen her before. Who is she?"

"Her name is Sarah Freeman. She lives around here and is a member of the gym."

"Is that who he's sleeping with?"

"Let's not jump to any conclusions. Yes, he did meet with her, but that doesn't mean he's sleeping with her. As a matter of fact, the only thing I've observed them doing is talking in the parking lot."

"But he could be sleeping with her?"

"I can't rule that out, true. Still, it doesn't mean that there's anything more to it than that. Can you think of any reason why he might talk with her after she leaves the gym?"

"How could I? She's a complete stranger to me."

"Alright, Mrs. Patterson, I believe you. Is there a way I can look at your husband's things in your home?"

"He's not home, so if you want, we can go to the house right now."

"Great, we'll head that way in a bit. I meant to ask this earlier, but does your husband own any guns?"

"Yes, a couple of shotguns and pistols."

"And does he carry any of these weapons with him on his person?"

"He keeps a pistol in his truck and carries it in his gym bag at work."

I don't like dealing with guys who carry guns. It's a hazard in this line of work, but I don't like it. I don't usually carry a gun myself. Guns can give you a false sense of security and a temptation to use them instead of your brain. I'm not a cop, so the laws regarding deadly force are different for me than for a law officer. Guns complicate things too much for my liking.

"Just in case he comes home early. I'm a salesman you contacted to remodel your kitchen and bathrooms."

"But we're not renovating the house."

"You don't have to. It's just a cover. If Danny gets mad, tell him you wanted our free estimate. I have some paperwork and a clipboard I carry with me for my cover story so that it sounds real."

"Have you ever had to use that story before?"

"Only once, but it worked. Why don't we head to your place right now while it's still early? Does he ever come home for lunch?"

"No, not usually."

"Good. I'll lock up and meet you there." Before leaving the office, I grabbed a tape measure, the paperwork, and the clipboard.

About forty minutes later, I arrived at the house. Mrs. Patterson was waiting on me when I got there. She led me inside and showed me to their bedroom. Two chests of drawers were in the light blue bedroom with a soft gray carpet. To my right, as I walked inside, was a full bathroom with a tile floor, pedestal sink, and walk-in shower. "I trust you'll be neat," she said.

"No worries. Which drawers are yours?"

"These here," she said, pointing to the nearest chest of drawers.