A Southern Noir: Deception by Any Other Name

Chapter 21

Smokey's Lounge was a Birmingham landmark. Established in the 1950s, it was the kind of place that Birmingham's high society went to relax and listen to the jazz band in the evenings. Everyone from media celebrities to celebrated college football coaches came to unwind and have a drink without the prying eyes of reporters and overzealous fans.

In recent years, Smokey's Lounge opened its doors to a more middle-class crowd. The jazz band was still there, but the prestige and luster of years past were gone. It was replaced by a more common idealism and abandoned its elitist point of view. It was still a nice place to hang out and enjoy a drink or two, but its days of being the hideout of the rich and famous were mostly gone.

I went inside around five that evening. Too early to find Kevin Knight, but I wanted to be in a spot to see him when he got there. People are creatures of habit, and if Clayton says he hangs out at Smokey's on Tuesdays, he will likely be here.

The thought of Stella Patterson and the conversation I had with her earlier crossed my mind as I sat at the table one row from the back of the lounge. I've been played for a fool, and I've wrecked Danny's life. Somehow I knew I had to make it right, so I sat at the table waiting for Kevin Knight.

The waiter came and took my drink order and offered the week's menu. When I looked through the selections, I was grateful that Mrs. Patterson had paid me. Of course, after our last meeting, that will be the last time she pays me.

I sat at the table nursing a couple of drinks for over three hours. Kevin Knight and his date arrived at Smokey's at half past eight. He was tall but not overly muscular, a receding hairline with the rest of his hair slicked back. His ears stuck out at an odd angle. Knight was well dressed, with a coat and tie and shoes so polished they reflected the light in the room.

The lady accompanying Knight was significantly shorter than him. Her brown hair only hinted at a curl cut just below her chin. Her nose was equally small and slightly upturned. She wore a tight-fitting, green dress slit up to her hip. I didn't recognize her, but I knew from Knight's social media pages she wasn't his wife. Score one for Clayton and his information.

Over the last week, my track record for being spotted is much higher than it should be. I decided to sit back and wait for an opportunity to approach him. If I had my choice, approaching him when he's alone would be best, so I needed to be patient. My backup plan was to approach the couple in the parking lot if necessary, but that would be a last resort.

The opportunity presented itself when the band took a break. I watched as Knight left the table. He went to the bar, so I followed him and sat beside him. "Band is into it tonight," I said.

Knight looked over to me and casually smiled. "Yeah ,I always enjoy listening to them. Are you a jazz fan?"

"I enjoy listening to it live. Something about hearing the music live rather than over the radio."

"You know, I agree with that. Live music is much better." He looked at me with a quizzical glance. "I'm sorry, have we met before?"

"No, name's Hunter Landon."

"Kevin Knight," he said as he offered his hand. I shook his hand politely. "Good grip, Mr. Landon. You can tell a lot about a man by his handshake, and you've got the handshake of a man that wants something. Now why don't you tell me what that is."

"You have the handshake of a businessman, Mr. Knight. Tell me, how's the wife?"

"Is that what this is about? Are you trying to blackmail me?"

"No, sir, just want some information."

"Is that right? What makes you think I will give you anything, Mr. Landon?"

"Greg Freeman, tragedy what happened to him. What do you know about that?"

"You with the police, Mr. Landon?"

"No, I'm not a cop."

"Then I think we're done here."

"I found Greg and Sarah in their house. Greg was shot in the chest while his killer looked him in the eyes. Sarah was shot in the back of the head."

"Yes, that's terrible, but why do you care, Mr. Landon?"

"Because the man who killed the Freemans took two shots at me. And because a client of mine is now a suspect in their murders. As you can see I'm pretty well invested in this case."

"Like I said, that is unfortunate, Mr. Landon, but I don't see how that has anything to do with me."

"Your company is having money troubles. I did a records search and found out that you've had two lawsuits settled out of court for an undisclosed amount of money. If you factor in the downturn in the housing market, that could put you in a real bind."

"Are you accusing me of something to do with Greg's murder?"

"All I'm saying is that it's rather convenient that the timing of Greg's death

coincides with your money troubles."

"Hey, I didn't kill Greg."

"I didn't say you did, but maybe you know who did. Tell me, Mr. Knight, who would you know that might have a reason to want Greg dead?"

"No one."

"Really? Did Greg ever approach you over any suspicious activity on your job sites or financial irregularities?"

"How would Greg know about any financial irregularities?"

"I don't know, you tell me."

"Mr. Landon, I've had just about enough of this."

"Who keeps your books, Mr. Knight? Who's your accountant?"

"My brother Walter keeps our books. He's got an accounting degree from the University of Alabama."

"Any reason to doubt his accuracy?"

"That's going too far, Mr. Landon."

"Is it? I don't think the police would agree. If I can ask these questions, what do you think the police will do? It wouldn't surprise me to know that they got someone working on a court order for your financial records, even as we speak. If your company is under investigation by law enforcement, that will be bad for business."

"So what do you want, Mr. Landon?"

"Where were you last Sunday, Mr. Knight?"

"At home with my wife. She can testify to that."

"What about your brothers? Can you account for their whereabouts?"

"No, I can't. You'd have to ask them."

"I plan on it, and you'll help me."

"Like hell, I will."

"You will because you want this to blow over quickly. You don't want any possibility that Knight Brothers will be linked to the death of one of their employees and his wife. You need to get ahead of this situation, Mr. Knight, and it starts with a look into your books. Then you need to think about who might want to kill Greg. Remember, the faster the killer is found, the faster you can return to business as usual."

Knight grew silent. For a moment, I thought he was going to storm off. "What do you need me to do?"

"We need to look into your books to find any irregularities. Next, we need to come up with the names of anyone who might have a reason to kill Greg and Sarah."

"And if everything is clean, will you go to the police and tell them what we found?"

"Of course. We both win. I get to help clear my client, and you get to prove your company's good name. Win, win."

"Alright, Mr. Landon. Meet me at the office tomorrow morning. I'll have my secretary get you what you need. I want to be kept apprised of anything you discover in the investigation. If someone in my company killed Greg, I want to know."

"Deal."

I settled my bill and left the lounge for home. I need to find out if I can really trust Kevin Knight. My gut instinct said no. At the very least, I may have cast doubt on his company's and his brothers' workings. I also knew I painted a huge bullseye on my back, but that was a risk I had to take.