Page 18 of Secrets in Calusa Cove

She frowned. “Why is that important?”

“Other than those two were best friends—and they both went to Miami—I suppose it’s not,” Dawson said.

“Well, Benson worked in real estate. He’s done pretty good for himself. Trevor took construction jobs and then a few security jobs. According to Trip, he cleaned himself up, so Trip welcomed him home.”

“What about Ken and Benson?” Dawson asked.

She jerked her head and narrowed her stare. “There’s nothing to tell there. I mean, Ken worked for Benson’s old man for a short time, but that’s it.”

Dawson arched a brow. “You know Ken was one of my best friends. I know he and Benson had a fight. I just don’t know what that fight was about.” He’d learned when he first took this job that Anna was the eyes and ears of the station. She saw what came in and what went out. Remy had told him that her loyalty to Trip was strong. However, Remy also told him that in the last few months since they had moved her mother-in-law to a better facility, her work had taken a bit of a back seat.

Well, Dawson understood that. He wished he could have been a better grandson.

She shrugged. “I have no idea. Not sure anyone does. I didn’t see it happen, but it could’ve had something to do with Audra. Unfortunately, if Ken was involved, it was always about that girl.”

Dawson believed that statement, but only because Ken hadn’t liked to talk about Audra or Calusa Cove. Time to move on. “I barely even know Paul’s son. He slinks into town unnoticed half the time. Why is that?”

“He was always a quiet kid—and smart. It was strange that he and Trevor were as close as they were, considering Trevor was always getting into trouble. But even I thought Trevor had turned over a new leaf when he came back. When Trip died, Trevor won over the hearts of this town, much to Remy’s dismay. Poor guy has been passed over now twice for chief. First time because of the family connection and the fact that Trevor was a damn good salesman. And the second time because we, as a collective, wanted an outsider.”

“Fletcher’s not really an outsider, and he’s the one who recommended me for the job.” Dawson decided to drop the Benson topic. No one in this town, not even Anna, seemed to believe that man could do wrong. Dawson would press later.

Anna laughed. “Fletcher might not have been a Goody Two-Shoes growing up, but he didn’t skirt the big laws. The ones this town cares about. Anyone who came back with him was going to be the better choice, but now we’re going down a different rabbit hole.” She waved her hand toward the holding cells. “I want to know about those two back there.”

“Not much to tell,” Dawson said. “They’ve been charged. If I could’ve booked them with a felony and made it stick, I would have, but a good lawyer would plead it out anyway, making me look like a two-bit, small-town cop trying to make a name for himself. They have no priors. They’ve done the Python Challenge twice before. There’s no reason to believe there was any intent other than to use the dynamite to stir up more snakes and maybe gators. The most they will get is a fine, probation instead of jail time, and community service. They might lose their license to distribute dynamite for a few years.” Dawson shrugged. “But that’s completely in the hands of the court system now.”

“You enjoyed that arrest, didn’t you?”

“You bet I did.” He smiled. “Besides the insanity of blowing up dynamite to kill snakes and gators and what that would do to the ecosystem, they could’ve hurt someone. Plus, I don’t like their shoes.”

“Oh, I saw their fancy footwear.” Anna chuckled. “They’re all the rage these days. Hell, I bet some of those guys Trinity hangs out with are wearing them.”

“Well, they won’t be on my feet.”

“Right, because all you wear are boots, sneakers, and flip-flops.”

“Those are the only types of shoes that are even necessary in life.” Dawson downed the last of his coffee, rinsed his cup out in the sink, and gathered up the courage for his next batch of questions. “What can you tell me about Audra McCain, her father Victor, and even Ken Mitchell?”

“I heard she was back in town.” Anna turned, pulling a file off her desk. “I took the liberty of pulling Victor’s case file, but before I get into what I know or don’t know, wasn’t Ken a buddy of yours? Wouldn’t he have told you all about Audra and her dad?”

“Ken was one of my best friends.” He folded his arms and sighed. “But Ken didn’t discuss Calusa Cove, much less his high school sweetheart.”

“I suppose that makes sense.” She waved the paperwork in his direction. “What you have here are the official forms Trip filed.”

“You make it sound like I should be looking somewhere else for information on what happened.” He leaned across the space and took the folder.

“People have postulated for years as to what happened. The story has gotten bigger, and everyone likes to speculate about Audra wanting to be a Stigini.”

“What is up with that Owl Witch crap?”

“It’s one of the legends of the Everglades. But it gets all tangled up in the fact her mom was part Native American and her grandmother was a gypsy-hippie, who practiced some kind of ritualistic spiritual stuff that some believed was witchcraft. They had a deep belief in a connection to the earth, and some really believed they taught Audra how to be a Stigini. It’s stupid. Add in the fight that Audra and her dad had the day he disappeared, and everyone decided it became physical, which never happened. Well, Audra didn’t stand a chance in this town. There were even rumors that Audra was pregnant, and Ken and her father were making her have an abortion.”

“That’s ridiculous,” Dawson said. “All Ken ever wanted was to be a father, and he was a great one. He and his wife had two kids. Cutest little buggers you ever saw.”

Anna held up her hand. “I’m telling you what the town vibe was when Audra slinked out of here like a snake in the middle of the night.”

“Okay.” He waved the folder. “You worked here when Victor went missing, right?”

She nodded. “I’ll never forget that morning,” she said. “Silas found Audra floating about a mile from Mitchell’s docks. She was blubbering something awful.”

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