Page 65 of Murder in Calusa Cove
“Stacey Mohawk here with breaking developments in the ongoing investigation into what some are now calling the Ring Finger Murders. Just hours ago, sources tell us a new body was discovered in the Florida Everglades. Though officials have not released a statement, we’ve confirmed the discovery of a woman’s body not far from Calusa Cove.”
Chloe bolted upright. “What the hell? That wasn’t released. Who gave her that?”
Stacey’s voice kept going, smooth and practiced. “In addition, we’ve received exclusive confirmation that FBI Agent Chloe Frasier—currently on leave—is not only embedded in the investigation but may be facing termination from the Bureau due to ongoing insubordination and possible ethical violations.”
Hayes stood. “That’s bullshit. The official word is you’re here as a consultant. Your boss made that statement. What the hell is she doing?”
But Stacey wasn’t done.
“Sources close to the investigation suggest that Frasier’s personal history may be further complicating her role. A tipster alleges that the agent recently discovered her father may not be her biological parent. Could that be why she’s so desperate to stay on the case? Does the FBI know this, and how does it fit into this case, if at all?”
Chloe’s mug hit the coffee table hard, sloshing liquid over the rim. “No. No, that’s not possible. That’s a blatant lie, and why would she…what would my parents…my dad…”
Her phone rang. She stared down at the screen.
Her father’s image flashed on the small screen on her cell. Her parents lived fifty miles away. They could’ve seen Stacey’s newscast.
She froze, the sound buzzing in her ears. She tried to shift all the pieces around in her mind and categorize this new insanity into one of the folders—nice and neat—but it didn’t fit…anywhere. It didn’t make sense.
“Are you going to answer that?” Hayes asked quietly.
“I don’t know,” she whispered, heart hammering in her chest. “I don’t know if I want to know what he’s going to say. That had to have been hard for my dad to hear. A smear campaign like that, meant to hurt…me…but he and my mom are the collateral damage.”
The phone kept ringing.
And Chloe, who had spent her entire life chasing monsters, couldn’t shake the feeling that, this time, the truth wasn’t just staring her in the face—it was taunting her.
The phone buzzed in her hand, her father’s name lighting up the screen like a warning flare. Chloe hesitated, thumb hovering, until Hayes gently reached out and tapped the speaker icon for her.
He kissed her temple, wrapping his loving arms around her body.
“Dad?” she said, heart already pounding.
His voice came through calm. Too calm. “How did that reporter get that story? Where did her information come from?”
Chloe straightened in her seat. “It’s not a story, Dad. She’s a lying, manipulative snake. My office has already filed an injunction on her for something else, but it hasn’t stopped her, and now she’s slandered me. I’ll deal with it. I’m just sorry it’s going to rub off on you and Mom, especially with everything else that’s coming out now with Heather.”
A pause.
Then, quietly, he said, “We always knew this might come out someday. We worried about it when Heather was murdered. Your mother and I fought like cats and dogs about whether or not we should say anything.”
Hayes pulled her closer.
Chloe’s breath caught. “Knew what might come out? Say something about what and to whom, Dad? What are you talking about?”
“After you were born, your mother and I decided never to talk about it. We had a fight—one of the worst we ever had. I left for about a month.” His voice wavered. “When I came back, she was pregnant. Said it was mine, but…we both knew it probably wasn’t, and I didn’t care.”
Chloe went cold. Her breath caught in her lungs. She stared into Hayes’s eyes, and even that didn’t comfort her.
“I chose to stay,” her father continued. “I chose to be your dad. To raise you and Heather like my own. I never regretted that. Not once. We didn’t want you to grow up with questions or feeling unwanted. When Heather was murdered, we wondered if maybe your biological father?—”
“Had killed Heather?” Chloe sucked in a deep breath. Her chest hurt. It felt like a semi had parked itself right in the center of it. “Jesus, Dad, that would’ve been a real possibility.”
“I know,” her dad said softly. “But then why didn’t he kill you? Why didn’t he come after you? And before you go jumping down my throat more, your mother went looking for the man she had…she had…” Her dad let out a sigh. “It wasn’t him.”
“Did she talk to him?”
“No. But he wasn’t anywhere near you girls, and he doesn’t even know a pregnancy resulted from their indiscretion.”
