Page 34 of Betrayal In Calusa Cove
“Place still feels like yours,” Audra said softly, stepping into the room with a box of torn books in her arms. “Even after all this.”
“Sometimes, I’m not sure what’s mine anymore.” Baily gestured toward the couch cushions that had been gutted and tossed, like a fox had made a den in them. “Ken and I used to sit up here when we were kids. Eat popcorn. Watch cartoons while we waited for Dad to finish work, so we could do whatever. That’s where I bandaged his busted knuckles after he got into it with some drunk jerk during the Fourth of July. And now…”
“Now you can’t even picture him doing that,” Audra said, finishing the thought for her.
Baily nodded. “It’s like the Ken I loved, the Ken I grew up with—he vanished. Julie happened, and everything changed.”
“I never met her.” Audra crouched near a toppled photo album and started gathering loose pictures. “She came into his life after he joined the Navy. I thought it was after he showed up in that shithole I was living in a year after my father died, but I’ve since learned he’d already met her by then. He might not have been dating her. Or maybe he was. The boys are a little fuzzy on that timeline.”
“I think they dated in secret for a while. Keaton told me that he always thought they knew each other better than Ken let on when he first started bringing her around. But he changed when things with Julie got serious. He stopped calling as often. Then it was just holiday texts. The occasional voicemail. When he did visit, it was quick. But he always had something to say about me selling the marina.”
“I always thought something shifted in him before he left,” Audra murmured. “Not something big…just subtle. Like he’d decided he was done with Calusa Cove. Done with all of us. Including me.”
Baily sank into a chair. “You’ve said that before.”
Audra looked up, eyes solemn. “I thought something was eating at him. I would ask him about it, and he’d brush it off like he was just worried about me. About us and him joining the military. But when my dad went missing, he was so different. I know I was a hot mess. I get that I made things hard for everyone. But I swear, Ken was acting off. He would get angry at me and demand I stop the insanity over my father’s disappearance.”
Baily swallowed. “If he did…if he knew Massey killed your dad…”
“I hate that I’m even thinking that he did. Some days I’d look into his eyes, and I’d see guilt. Like he wanted to unload something. But other days, all I saw was frustration and misplaced anger…at me.”
A knock at the apartment door pulled them both from the conversation.
Fletcher stepped inside, face tight with something between wariness and focus. He was still in his boots, his jacket damp at the edges from the misty evening rain that had settled in the Glades.
“Sorry to interrupt, ladies,” he said with a nod. “How are things going?”
“As you can see.” Baily waved her hand. “We’ve barely made a dent.”
“You don’t have to rush this.” He leaned against the doorjamb. “You know you can stay with me for as long as you like.”
“Not the point.” A smile tugged at her lips. Being in Fletcher’s bed again had brought a small amount of peace. A tiny bit of calm in the wake of a hurricane.
“Did you come to help?” Audra asked.
Fletcher shook his head. “Just talked to Dawson, and he got an interesting phone call.”
“From who?” Baily asked.
“Decker Brown, and he wants to meet,” Fletcher said. “Said it was important. Dawson thought it might be a good idea for me to join them.”
Audra straightened. “He might take that as an act of aggression.”
“I don’t believe your husband gives a shit what Decker thinks about me being there.” Fletcher looked at Baily. “I’m headed to Massey’s to find out. I’ll text you when I’m on my way home.”
Baily’s stomach dropped. “I kinda want to be a fly on that wall.”
Audra folded her arms. “So do I. I wonder if he’s gonna talk plans for the old Crab Shack.”
“He could be feeling the pressure. Everyone in town is talking about it, and they aren’t being too welcoming to Decker anymore. People like Decker don’t like pressure.” Fletcher kissed Baily’s forehead. “Finish cleaning. I’ll be back soon.”
As he left, Baily stood by the window again and watched the waves lap at the dock pilings. The water looked calm. Deceptively so.
But everything in her gut said the real storm hadn’t even hit yet.
Chapter 10
The parking lot behind Massey’s Pub was quiet, except for the low hum of the refrigeration units and the occasional call of a night heron overhead. Fletcher stood next to Dawson’s unmarked SUV, arms folded across his chest as he leaned back against the bumper. A cold front had pushed down from the north, putting a chill in the warm Florida air.
