Page 5 of Murder in Calusa Cove
“She did right by Trinity.”
“That’s because the story was over by the time she reported on it. There was nothing for her to screw up or taint. But she’s still driving Dawson nuts with the fallout from the Massey case and the bullshit around Mo and Anna. It’s as if Stacey’s trying to find ways to make their lives miserable. Mo is paying his debt to society, and Anna didn’t do anything wrong.”
“You’re barking up the wrong tree, Hayes. Now let me go so I can gather the team and get there.”
“Okay. See you soon…and Chloe?”
“Yeah?”
“I know you said we’re done, and I respect that, but you don’t have to stay at Harvey’s Cabins or a hotel. I have a guest room. You’re welcome to stay with me.”
“I’ll take that under advisement.” The line went dead.
Hayes lifted his gaze to the night sky and let out a sigh. It was going to be a long night.
2
Chloe Frasier adjusted her ponytail as her colleague, Agent Buddy Ballard, rolled their standard-issue FBI vehicle to a stop at the crime scene in the parking lot of the Crab Shack down the street from Mitchell’s Marina. Her heart lurched to her throat as the memory of her first lunch with Hayes flew through her mind like a movie. Of all the places he could’ve taken her for a bite to eat, he had chosen that place. The food had been good—excellent, actually—and so had been sitting on the outdoor patio, watching the boaters come and go from the Everglades.
But she’d worried she’d end up with food poisoning.
Buddy shut down the engine and turned, glaring. “Not one word, you hear me? Not only have you put your career on the line, but now you’ve jeopardized mine.”
“I didn’t do that intentionally, and our bosses wouldn’t have sent you if they didn’t believe this was connected to what we’ve been able to piece together or possibly our jurisdiction.”
“I’m not talking about that.”
She arched a brow. “I’ve taken a leave of absence.”
“As if that means anything. We’ve known each other too long, and the brass isn’t stupid. Every single missing person case that comes across your desk that fits the Ring Finger profile, you’re shoving it up my ass, and our bosses know it. They give you a lot of leeway because you’re a damn good agent, and you haven’t crossed…too many lines. But for as long as we’ve worked together—heck, for as long as you’ve been an agent—you’ve been chasing this killer, and it’s not even in your job description.” He waved his finger under her nose. “You hunt missing persons, I hunt killers, and there’s a reason for that. Do I need to remind you of it, because I will.”
“No.” She shook her head. “But I do need a favor.”
“Jesus, because I haven’t already given you millions?” He shook his head. Normally, she and Buddy had little to no conflict. However, she understood his frustration in the moment. “I drove you here, and if it is our killer, I will keep my promise and keep you in the loop as best I can. I know how personal this is for you.”
“But they don’t.” She waved her hand toward Hayes, Dawson, Keaton, and Fletcher, who were all huddled in the parking lot. It seemed the four men couldn’t do anything without each other. They were as thick as thieves and part of her was damn flipping jealous.
Her entire adult life had been consumed by one thing, and one thing alone—finding her twin’s killer.
She’d built an entire career around it, but thanks to FBI regulations, she couldn’t work the case. She’d come close early on in her career. Everyone had told her she had been the perfect candidate for the Violent Crimes Unit. She’d tried hard to fly under the radar. To have what had happened to her sister blotted out of the FBI’s personnel file on her. Unfortunately, she’d been betrayed by her own people and stuck in the corner, working everything except homicide and serial killers.
Buddy stared at her with wide eyes, then looked at the men waiting for them. “What on earth does that mean?”
“They don’t know about Hillary and have no idea this wasn’t my case to begin with and that it was yours.”
“You’ve got to be kidding me.” Buddy raked his fingers through his hair. “So many things about Dawson make sense now, like why he called me about missing persons, and why you always fed me information about the few details he had about this case. Christ, Chloe, that’s so not cool. It’s also obstruction of justice.”
“That’s a stretch,” she mumbled. “I never put our caseloads in jeopardy.”
“Maybe not, but there is no way I can pretend you’re working this. I can’t have you anywhere near it. I can’t even let you walk the scene tonight, especially not with a news crew hanging around. You’re a civilian.”
“I know and accept that fact, but I need to be the one to tell them. Especially Hayes and Dawson. It will feel like a betrayal to them.”
“Because it is.”
She couldn’t deny that point if she tried. “I feel like crap about everything. Deep down, I knew this would catch up to me. I thought if I stepped away for a bit, stopped coming around, it might take the sting out of it.”
“You don’t have the luxury anymore. Telling them will help them understand why you lied about this being your case.”
