Page 57 of Secrets in Calusa Cove

Chloe handed him a business card. She smiled, but not at Dawson, only at Hayes.

Interesting.

And Hayes stared at her ass as she walked away.

Dawson nudged his shoulder. “You can put your eyes back in their sockets.”

“Dude, I’m trying.” Hayes pounded his chest with his fist. He coughed. “I’ve never seen a woman fill out a standard issue black boring suit like that before.”

Dawson laughed. “I can’t tell if you’re trying to make me feel better or if you’re really contemplating hitting on that Fed.”

“Oh, that’s about the only thought on my mind right now.” It was rare that Hayes made any comments about women. His love life had always been insanely private, like all the guys. But Hayes more so than the rest. He’d had a couple of girlfriends over the years, but no one had broken his heart—to Dawson’s knowledge. As far as he knew, Hayes just didn’t want to settle down and get married.

Maybe it was because he was one of twelve kids or had a twin who had died when he’d been very young. Or maybe it was his religious upbringing. Who knew? Hayes didn’t talk about it much other than a shrug of his shoulder and to laugh it off, stating that Cupid hadn’t caught him—yet.

“Here comes the rest of the team,” Dawson said.

They each might represent a different facet of Calusa Cove, but these men were still his team. His family. They were all he had left in this world, and he couldn’t imagine his life without them in it.

“We stopped by Harvey’s Cabins,” Keaton said as he marched across the pavement. “It’s mostly quiet. I did have to chase off one reporter lurking in the bushes.”

“Someone told the media about this murder before we even got here,” Dawson said. “I suspect a local tipped them off based on the spin.” He took the mug of coffee that Fletcher offered and made his way to the picnic table. “You told me her return would cause a ruckus, but damn, this has gotten out of hand.” He sipped the hot, bitter brew. “A lot of people in this town don’t like Tim. While no female has ever come to me saying he crossed the line, I’ve seen a few fend off his advances at Massey’s.” Dawson held up his finger. “However, I learned that he did assault Audra in high school. I don’t give a shit that she handled it herself, but it should’ve been reported. Am I dealing with something more sinister?” He stared at Fletcher.

“Not that I’m aware of, and he was hitting on Baily when we first got back. Nothing bad. Just asked her out and didn’t easily take no for an answer until I told him to back off,” Fletcher said. “Why are you asking me this now?”

Dawson sighed. “Because I need to find myself a suspect—other than Audra—the local witch. Or swamp monster, depending on who you’re talking to.”

“I see.” Fletcher leaned against the tree on the other side of the picnic table. “Normally, it wouldn’t be too hard to find a dozen or so people in this town who didn’t like Tim—and with good reason. But unfortunately, with Audra back in town, everyone dislikes her—and is afraid of her. Who has more of a reason to want her gone? All her life, if someone said something negative about her or her family, she played into the rumors. Before she became a teenager, she ran around this town barefoot, with ratty hair and torn clothes. She looked like a wild child, and her only friends were me, Ken, and Baily. When she hit fourteen, she at least started looking like a human, but it was too late. She was the local Stigini, and all the kids were told to stay away from her.”

“Well, those kids are now adults, and my gut tells me someone is framing her for Tim’s murder,” Dawson said. From the second Audra had stepped foot in Calusa Cove, weird shit kept happening to the point none of it could be a coincidence.

Messing with her drone and her boat was one thing. The dynamite added a different element, but it all came down to wanting her gone.

Accusing her of killing snakes with a gun—well, as inhumane as that was, those damn snakes were a menace. Dawson and the gang might let something like that slide under certain circumstances.

But murder?

There was more to this story. Tim was either collateral damage—and that just sucked—or he had betrayed someone. Dawson didn’t know the players. However, he did have a theory as to why.

Drugs. Weapons. Or both.

Dawson pulled out his cell phone and tapped his notes app. “I’m sending you all my notes, with some files I shouldn’t. But I need eyes and your honest opinion,” he said, “because I think this all goes back to when Victor disappeared.” He sent his buddies the files. “I also need to do a sweep of the swamp. The darkest, most out-of-the-way places in the Everglades near us. Anywhere someone could hide?—”

“Hey, Chief,” Remy called. “We need you down here, pronto.”

“Coming.” Dawson stood and glanced around the group. “Do you all hear what I’m saying?”

“You honestly think there was truth to what Victor was rambling about all those years ago?” Fletcher arched a brow.

“Considering the former chief of police is in prison for running drugs through this town, yeah, I do. Also, I think we owe it to Audra to find out one way or another.” Dawson turned and jogged down toward the dock. “What’s up, Remy?”

“You’re not going to like this.”

Dawson followed Remy toward the waterfront. He could feel the daggers of everyone standing behind the crime scene tape. If he wasn’t mistaken, a few locals mumbled for him to go home, to crawl back under the rock from which he’d come. He didn’t dare glance over his shoulder. It had taken him months to gain the trust of the majority of the town. Sure, people like Paul and Dewey would never trust him. They constantly questioned his loyalty. If you weren’t born in Calusa Cove, you didn’t belong. If you left Calusa Cove, you weren’t welcome back.

The medical examiner and his team lifted the body onto the gurney and wheeled it past. The CSI unit had placed numbered placards beside different objects, and they continued to snap pictures.

“When the ME moved the body, we found something interesting,” Remy said.

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