A Southern Noir: Deception by Any Other Name

Chapter 24

Two hours passed before Danny and Hannah made it to the office. Detective Palmer and I passed the time as best we could, conversing politely as we waited. I felt he was sizing me up, not physically, but whether he could trust me. It wasn't so much what he said but how he looked at me as if to study me. Like a scientist dissects a specimen, trying to expose what lies underneath. Palmer was searching for the truth.

When Danny and Hannah arrived, a sense of relief washed over me. Hannah looked as I pictured her. She had jet-black hair that hung below her shoulder. Her well-toned body complemented her tanned skin. Despite her physique, her face betrayed the worry and fear she tried to hide.

I got right to the point. "Mrs. Covington, it's a pleasure to meet you; thank you for coming. Danny, Detective Palmer wants to ask you both some questions, one of you at a time. Danny, you're first. It's time to come clean now, Danny. Tell him everything."

"Mrs. Covington, if you will, please wait outside. Mr. Patterson, Mr. Landon, let's get started." Palmer stepped inside my office and took his seat behind my desk.

Hannah held on to Danny as he started to walk inside. "It's okay," he said. "I trust Mr. Landon. I'll be fine."

I wish he hadn't said that. Right now, I don't trust myself. Walking inside, I reminded myself that doubt would not help the situation. "Have a seat, Danny. Detective, when you are ready."

"Mr. Patterson, tell me about your relationship with your wife," Palmer began. It was not the question I expected him to ask first. Danny looked at me with pure fear in his eyes. Palmer is trying to catch us off guard.

"Stella," he stopped. Danny grew speechless at the wrong time. "She." I wanted to say something, but I gave Palmer my word I'd stay out of the questioning. He cut his eyes toward me, and I could tell the doubt was rising inside him. My heart began to beat faster as the silence lingered. Though the air conditioner cooled the room, I began to sweat.

"We had our first real argument about a month after we got married. I, I don't remember what it was about. We shouted at each other, and then she slapped me across my face. She never let up her argument. She just kept on going like nothing happened."

"What did you do?"

"Nothing. I was raised never to hit a woman."

"Go on, Mr. Patterson."

"I asked her about it later, and she said she didn't remember slapping me. If she did, it was because I made her do it."

"Does she hit you often?"

"Not often; I got used to it. Now and again, when she gets mad, she hits at me, but I think she realizes she can't hurt me that way. She calls me stupid, slow. Says that I don't understand things like a normal person does. Stella once told me that without her, I'm nothing, and I'm too stupid to understand why."

"Why do you think Stella would lie to us?"

"Because she hates me. She says I don't deserve to be around my kids or run my gym, that I owe everything I have to her."

"On the day of the murder, you said you arrived at the gym around two that afternoon. Can anyone vouch for that?"

"No, I said I got there at one."

"Okay, so one, but that still doesn't answer my question. Can anyone vouch for your whereabouts?"

Danny grew silent again. He looked at me as if he were about to cry. "Tell him, Danny," I said. "Tell him the truth this time. All of it."

"I...I was with Hannah. I'm sorry, Mr. Landon, that I lied to you. I only wanted to protect her. I didn't want to get her involved. I was with her all afternoon. She's good to me, and I haven't had that in a long time. I'm so sorry." Danny began to cry again, much like that Saturday night we met at the pub. I took the box of tissues off my desk and handed it to him. He took one as he began to regain his composure.

Palmer looked at me, "That's all I need right now, Mr. Landon." The three of us stood and walked back into the hallway. "Mr. Covington, if you please," he said. They walked into the office while Danny and I remained outside.

Once the door closed, I said to Danny, "Well, that's done."

"Mr. Landon, I'm sorry. I should have told you."

"It's okay, Danny. From the way you described it, I can't say I blame you."

"What happens now?"

"Now, we wait."

Danny and I paced the floor back and forth as an hour passed. I don't smoke, but this was a time I wish that I did. Neither of us could remain still as the moments ticked by. The longer the questioning continued, the greater the tension multiplied in the room.

When the door opened, I felt my knees buckle underneath me. Hannah emerged first and fell straight into Danny's arms, sobbing. I thought it was a bad sign. I didn't know what to expect when Palmer came into the hallway.

Palmer's face betrayed no expression. He stared at us with that same scientific face as before. "Mr. Patterson," he began, "you're free to go."

Relieved, I watched them walk away and disappear into the stairwell. "Mr. Landon," Palmer said. "A word with you, please." I walked back into my office with him, and we sat around my desk. "Did you know about the affair, Mr. Landon?"

"I suspected he was with her. He told me he was with a client, but I had suspicions otherwise. How did you know?"

"Like you, I suspected that he was either involved in the murder of the Freemans or he was with someone else. A couple of traffic cams cover the entrances to the parking lot where his gym is located. Neither of them showed Danny pulling into the parking lot that day. Nor did he appear on security cameras in the storefronts around the gym."

"So, what happens now?"

"Now, Mr. Landon, we find our killer."

"Starting with Kevin Knight?"

"Starting with Kevin Knight."