Page 28 of Betrayal In Calusa Cove
“Exactly. Now this isn’t tied directly to the LLC that owns the marina loan, but there’s overlap. Enough to raise questions. He still lives in Maryland. I’m reaching out, seeing if I can find out anything about him.”
“I don’t like coincidences,” Hayes muttered. “And with Julie putting the pressure on all of a sudden, the stolen gas, the break-in… Well, something stinks.”
“There are a lot of things that are floating out in the wind. We’ve got dots that don’t connect, including Decker Brown. This is a thread, but we don’t know where to pull it,” Chloe said. “Might be nothing—or it might be the start of the whole damn tapestry unraveling.”
Fletcher sat back. “You’ve always had a way with metaphors.”
“I also called my friend Greer,” Chloe added.
Fletcher blinked. “Greer Hudson? As in the chick Foster knows?”
“Yeah. She’s the sheriff out in Raven’s Cliff now. Small world that Keaton’s cousin knows her. We worked together when we were both with the Bureau. Greer’s cousin, Enzo—he’s a corporate and securities lawyer on Marco Island. Greer said he’s smart, aggressive, and knows how to dig through paper shields like this.”
“Has Keaton ever met him?” Hayes asked.
“Not that I’m aware of, but Greer says he’s solid. That he’s wicked smart. Top of his class, and that she tried like hell to get him to join the FBI, but he got married young. Had kids. Didn’t want to strap on a weapon. She also mentioned he likes the art of the deal and is trustworthy as hell.”
“I’ll take trustworthy,” Fletcher said. “Trustworthy’s a hell of a commodity these days.”
Chloe nodded. “I’ll send you his contact information so you can get him everything. Let him sift through it and see what he can find. While I understand federal law, I dealt with missing persons and spent my career chasing a killer. He’s got the mind to deal with the legal language and the ability to dance through what it really means.”
“I can’t thank you enough for all that you’re doing,” Fletcher said.
“You stood by me when the shit hit the fan and saved my ass.” Chloe smiled.
Hayes finished his drink and stood. “I’d better get going. I’ve got a morning meeting with Silas about the Mangrove Action Project. Somehow, I landed myself on the hiring committee. I didn’t even know there was such a thing.”
“Dewey had been doing it for as long as I can remember,” Fletcher said. “But I do recall that my old man was once in charge of that committee.” He laughed. “Good luck with that.”
“I’m gonna need it because, sadly, Silas is spiraling.” Hayes sighed.
“Can you blame him?” Fletcher asked. “Dewey living under our noses like that? Silas probably being his closest friend, even though Dewey didn’t really do friends.”
Hayes shook his head. “I keep thinking about all the times I had a random chat with Dewey about absolutely nothing. He was always just kind of there.”
“And now we’re back to trusting no one,” Chloe said as she stood. “Just like old times.”
They tossed their cups, exchanged nods, and stepped out. Fletcher leaned back in his chair and watched them go, not quite ready to head home. Baily had been wrestling with his laundry machine when he’d left, and she’d been in a mood. He hadn’t been surprised by that. Her home had been violated. Her things had been tossed about and, in some cases, mutilated. Every negative emotion a person could feel was flowing freely from her skin.
“Hell of a morning,” came a voice behind him.
Fletcher turned. Decker Brown stood there in a tailored blazer over a crisp, light blue shirt, with hair a little too perfect for six-fifty in the morning.
“You always lurk near exits, or just the ones I’m sitting by?” Fletcher asked, annoyed he hadn’t been looking out the window, and hadn’t seen him coming, or he would’ve bugged out with Hayes and Chloe.
Decker smiled without warmth. “Just dropped in for an espresso. This place has a decent roast.”
Fletcher stood slowly. “You walk the Crab Shack property again yesterday?”
“Funny thing,” Decker said. “Word travels fast in a small town.”
“You know what else does?” Fletcher stepped forward, lowering his voice. “Bad intentions. And secrets.”
Decker cocked his head. “You think I’m the big bad wolf, huh?”
“I think you blew into town talking fast and flashing cash. And now, you’re sniffing around places with a lot of buried memories, and I don’t like it.”
“I’m a businessman, Fletcher. I don’t chase ghosts. When I see land, I see potential. That’s it.”
