A Killer, A Victim, An Old Friend, And A Cop Have Lunch And A Confession

A man in dress pants and a black button-down pours a cup of coffee as the phone on his desk rings continually. He looks at his watch and realizes there’s nobody else in the office. Walking from the breakroom to his desk, Danny picks up the phone. In mere seconds, his face turns from stoic to a subtle mixture of confusion and shock. It was the last person he expected to call him, especially in a world where everybody turns to text messages as their primary way of communicating.

“Yes, it’s been a long time. Sure, I’ll meet you tomorrow,” he agreed.

Danny nodded his head as he listened. He stood next to his desk, sipping his coffee, wondering. He wondered why she’d called him. He wondered why now, after all this time, she would want to meet for lunch. Lunch is impersonal. Business dealings are done over lunches. Random friends meet for lunch. Susanne and Danny were a lot of things, but he didn’t consider her a random friend.

Danny met Susanne thirty years ago. She was his longest relationship, having been both friends, partners in crime, lovers, and friends again. Susanne wasn’t the most dependable of people. She was self-absorbed, narcissistic, and had serious psychological issues. But the memories he had from their time together effectively made her into his kryptonite.

He sat at his desk for a few minutes, stuck on the discussion with Susanne. Something about her still captured his imagination. Sometimes, he questioned whether it was Susanne that kept him from having a real relationship with anybody else. Was he still in love with her? Sitting there, Danny was getting nowhere on the project he had stayed late for. His focus was gone.

Looking at his watch, Danny uttered “fuck it” and closed his computer. He got up, grabbed his jacket, and headed for the door. Outside, Danny got into his Aston Martin and sped out of the parking garage across the street from the McClusky Federal Building. As he sped past the security shack at the exit, ‘In The Air Tonight’ blaring from his car speakers, Danny couldn’t believe how weak he was when it came to Susanne. She was a nightmare scenario.

At a little after 11:30 the next morning, Danny walked into Sammy’s Diner. Susanne was already there, sitting in a corner booth, still wearing her fur-collared coat and sunglasses.

When Susanne saw Danny approach, she got up, hurried over to him, and gave him a big hug. She appeared genuinely excited to see him. It had been five years since their last encounter and then ten years before that. Now, she couldn’t keep her hands off the man who was almost her second husband.

“Easy tiger,” warned Danny. “It’s a public place and you’re still married.”

Susanne looked up at him, her sweet blue eyes unchanged over the thirty years he’d known her. She looked different, despite the eyes not changing. She looked her age now, which, as Danny stood there doing the math, was sixty-nine.

When they were together, they were great. And she might well have been the love of his life. She was the most exciting woman he had ever been with. But, in the end, as cocky and self-assured as she came off in public, she was insecure about aging and being with someone so much younger.

The two old friends sat across from each other, making small talk as they looked over the lunch menu. Danny kept looking over the menu, seeing how she’d changed over the years. He was surprised that she’d given up on plastic surgery and cosmetic enhancements. She looked normal, like a woman her age should.

Once they had ordered, Danny looked at her and asked why she’d chosen now for lunch. After five years of only the occasional text or call, he wondered what had brought her out from her domestically blissful life.

“I was thinking about you. I do that a lot, especially now that I’m older,” admitted Susanne.

Danny wondered why she was thinking about him now. Was it the news circulating about him? Was something else going on?

As the two sat talking, the subject of a confession came up. Staring deep into each other’s eyes, Danny wanted to remind her of the importance of discretion. Why it was coming up now escaped him. It was something he tried to forget, especially considering what he did for a living. Being a law enforcement official, it made knowing about a murder that went unknown a serious ethical problem.

“Danny, I killed my father,” Susanne somberly admitted.

Danny closed his eyes, imagining having to turn in his oldest friend after thirty years. He still loved her and didn't want to be responsible for her spending the rest of her days in prison. Danny knew why she'd done it, and if he'd been there, he'd have killed Susanne's father himself. Now, as she'd aged, she couldn't stop thinking about it.

Susanne, I think we should go somewhere more private and talk.