Page 8 of Murder in Calusa Cove
“I couldn’t have done that if I wanted to—and I wouldn’t have done that to you. I trust and value you too much.” She jerked her thumb over her shoulder. “Buddy and I have been through a lot together. I put him in a tougher situation than I have you. He didn’t have to let me come at all. He could’ve told me to stay home, and I would’ve had to. I’m only here because he knows what this case means to me, and he’ll use me and what I know.”
Dawson nodded.
“One more thing,” Chloe said. “Do you happen to have a cabin available? I’m going to need a place to stay.”
“Talk to Hayes. He’s like me. He’s a reasonable man. He just doesn’t like being made a fool of—and that’s how he’s feeling right now.”
Ouch. That hurt. “I guess you don’t know.”
“Know what?”
“I called things off with Hayes.”
“That explains a few things, but unfortunately, we’re all booked through the weekend. You can try the place outside of town, but there’s a boat show that’s up the road, and things are a little crazy.”
“I’ll figure something out.”
“Mind if I ask you a personal question?”
“I might not give you a straight-up answer.”
“Fair enough,” he said. “Why’d you break up with Hayes?”
That was a loaded question, and one she wasn’t sure how to respond to. She cleared her throat. “I guess because I knew all this would come out sooner rather than later, and I didn’t want to face it or maybe put some distance between us before it did.”
“Well, he’s heading toward the engine truck, alone. Maybe you should go have a chat.” With that, Dawson turned on his heels and marched off like a man on a mission.
She let out a long breath and scanned the area. Firefighters milled about, either dealing with rubble or standing in a huddle. State had rolled in, and Lester, a detective she’d worked with before, stood with Remy, Dawson’s second, and Buddy. A sense of dread filled her bones. Usually, Buddy would let her be right in there, going from one group to the next, doing her best to gain insight from all the first responders. She’d be walking the crime scene, looking at every little detail, helping Buddy gather evidence, and whatever else he needed. He was good that way. Anything that would aid them in finding that single clue that would lead them down the path toward the killer.
But not tonight.
She strolled toward Hayes with her heart beating in her throat. Nothing felt right. Everything in her world was out of place, and she had no idea what to do. She certainly didn’t know what to say to Hayes. Sorry wasn’t enough. She slowed her pace as she inched closer.
“I’m surprised Dawson is letting you stay.” Hayes sat on the back of the engine truck and barely glanced up. In the time she’d known Hayes, she couldn’t remember ever seeing him angry. Okay, that wasn’t true. He’d been pissed off about the hell Trinity and Keaton had been through. She’d seen him go off on some dude for treating a lady badly, but not once had he ever been mad at her. They’d had some intense conversations, but those were mostly about her inability to relax, take a vacation day, and chill out.
Outside of that, Hayes ran on two speeds. Hyper-focused when working, or surfer-dude chill, hanging back and catching a wave, though not literally because she had no idea if he even knew how to surf, but she knew he liked to kick back and fish.
“I’m heading out in a couple of minutes, but I wanted to speak with you first,” she said.
“I don’t know if I want to listen to anything you have to say right now.”
“I get you’re angry, and I’m sorry.”
“That might fly with Dawson, but then again, you didn’t flat out lie to him the same way you did to me.” Hayes stood. He was tall—over six feet—and she had to lift her chin to hold his gaze. “You even showed notes and a file from thirteen years ago. You inked out names and things that would get you in even more trouble, but told me how you worked to the bone, looking for that killer. How he haunted you day in and day out. How you’d linked seven cases together, and all those case files sat on the edge of your desk. We discussed the cases as if they were yours.”
“I kind of did that with Dawson, too.” She held up her hand. “But you’re right, the way I presented it to you… Well, I did lie. I do have valid reasons, and this killer has haunted me. Two of my missing persons ended up being his victims. It’s how Buddy and I made the connection and ended up working together on this.”
“You could’ve said that from the beginning instead of making me believe you were the lead investigator on this.” Hayes planted his hands on his hips. “You flat out lied to me about something ridiculously stupid, yet so important, and I don’t have a clue as to why. It makes no sense to me. Care to explain?”
“I would like the chance, I just don’t want to do it here, especially not with that reporter over there,” she said, glancing toward Stacey. “I don’t trust her.”
“And you shouldn’t.” Hayes ran his fingers through his soot-filled hair. “I’m on call all night, but I get off at eight. How about then?”
She nodded. “I need a favor, though.”
He cocked a brow. “What’s that?”
“Dawson’s fully booked. Can I crash at your place?”
