A Southern Noir: Deception by Any Other Name

Chapter 27

The sky dawned red that morning. Were I a superstitious man, I might have taken more heed to the crimson sky. Instead, I drove to the office to meet with Danny later in the day.

After I'd settled in, I called Shannon. "What do you want, Hunter?" he asked.

"Hey, Shannon. I'm sorry for putting you in a bad spot. If it makes you feel any better, you helped clear an innocent man."

"Yeah, I heard. Palmer told me all about it. He also told me no more info. I'm lucky it turned out the way it did, Hunter. I could have lost my job."

"I know, again, I'm sorry. I promise no more."

"So, are you really going to work for an insurance company?"

"Yep, I got my first two cases for them yesterday."

"Did you tell Emilie?"

"I tried, but you know Emilie."

"Yeah, Hunter, about that. Are you sure you..."

"Am I sure about what?"

"Never mind."

"No, what are you getting at?"

"Nothing. I'm just making sure everything is alright between you. She's been gone a long time and-"

"Wait a minute, Shannon. Emilie is coming back in a few days. We're fine. I've never been happier."

"You're right, Hunter. I'm sorry. You want to do lunch again sometime?"

"Yeah, yeah, that'd be great. I'll call you."

"Right. Listen, Hunter, if you need to talk."

"I'll call you."

I hung up the phone and placed it on the desk. I might have agreed with Shannon a few days ago, but now everything is fine. Danny's case was about to wrap up, and when Emilie returned from Orange Beach, we could begin a new chapter in life. I'll have the stable job and steady paycheck she always wanted for me, and I could spend more time with her and the kids at home. Everything will be just as she wants it to be. We finally caught our break, and only one thing left to do to make it happen.

Danny arrived at my office around lunchtime in the company of Hannah. "Danny, good to see you, and you too Mrs. Covington. Didn't mean to leave you out."

"Mr. Landon, please, call me Hannah. Thank you for helping Danny. I know that we haven't..."

"Hannah, there's no judgment here. The divorce will be final soon, so you'll be free to do whatever it is y'all want. Danny, as much as I hate to say it, I need to meet with Stella, but this time we need to meet her together."

"Mr. Landon, I don't know if that's a good idea."

"Trust me, Danny. I don't want to meet with her, but we must. I will make her an offer for that file, and I'm sure she'll take it."

I dialed Stella's number. It rang a few times, and I thought she'd let it go to voice mail. "What do you want, Mr. Landon?" she asked.

"Danny is ready to make a deal. We want the file you have on him. What will it take to get it?"

"That's a joke, right?"

"No, it's not. Danny wants to put this behind him, and the only way to do that is to clear his name, so name your price."

"I want the house."

"Done."

"I also want a hundred thousand in cash."

"You can't be serious. That's too much."

"You said any price. If he wants this file, then the cost is a hundred thousand. I know he has it."