Chapter 16
Fletcher paced in the parking lot. His pulse raced as if he were charging onto the battlefield. In some ways, it felt as though that were the case. He paused briefly, scanned the area, looking for anyone—especially Julie—lurking in the shadows.
He saw no one but locals. No one but the people who belonged.
And for some reason, that made him nervous.
“You need to relax,” Hayes said as he strolled across the gravel, hands in his pockets like he didn’t have a care in the world. “We’ve got this.”
“You didn’t get a visit from Ken’s widow the other day.” Fletcher leaned against his truck. “Julie came in all smiles and judgments. Dawson called around, seeing if he could find out where she stayed, but there’s no record of her at any hotel in a fifty-mile radius.”
“I’m not surprised. She hates this place.” Hayes raised a hand. “And I know Dawson had Chloe pull in a few favors, but there’s no record of her or the Barbaros staying at any Disney property either.”
“So, where the hell are they?” Fletcher couldn’t shake the feeling that someone was watching them, like a sniper in a tree. “They can’t be far.”
“Chloe looped in her old partner, Buddy. He’s got his contacts in Virginia, working on getting a visual on all of them.”
“Dawson said one of the Sarich brothers—Logan, I believe—from the Aegis Network is up there as well, poking around.”
“Dylan Sarich confirmed that.” Hayes nodded.
“He’s lurking around here somewhere. Good men, all four of the Sarich brothers.
Logan will get a lead on the Barbaros, and we’ll get a better read on what they’re doing by the end of the day, I’m sure.
” Hayes patted Fletcher’s good arm. “We’re all on edge about what’s been happening.
The events are calculated, but even the attempt on Decker’s life wasn’t meant to kill. ”
“What do you mean?” Fletcher stood tall.
“Emily got the toxicology report back, and there wasn’t enough poison in Decker’s system to kill him.
There was just enough to put him in the hospital for a few days.
” He waved his hand as Keaton pulled into the parking lot.
“Emily released him to us late last night. She really didn’t want to, but Dawson explained the situation.
We hired a retired orderly from the hospital who’s a retired combat medic…
the one that you know…the one you set up to walk Trinity out the door after she’d been shot.
Figured between him and Dylan, we’d have all of our backs covered. ”
“Yeah, the orderly from the hospital is Pete Kidd. He’s a good man. He’ll take good care of Decker, and he’s also not the kind of dude you want to mess with. He’s the protective kind, and back in the day, when he was in high school, he used to work at the marina.”
“I got the feeling he was a little protective of Baily.”
Fletcher laughed. “He thinks of her like a little sister.”
“So, not jealous?”
“Of Pete?” Fletcher let those memories flood his brain.
Pete was a couple of years older. He’d been a quiet guy.
Kept to himself. Didn’t have a lot of friends.
Did his job and kept his nose clean until he’d left for the Marines.
His attachment to Baily had never rubbed Fletcher the wrong way, but it certainly had gotten under Ken’s skin.
That might have had more to do with the fact that Pete also had protective feelings for Audra and often didn’t like the way Ken had treated her.
Tried to tame the fire right out of that girl.
“Nah. Pete never had any interest in Baily that way. We all grew up together, and when things changed between me and Baily, Pete just wanted to make sure I treated her right and made that clear.” Fletcher chuckled.
“He lectured me harder than her dad had, but if I’m being totally honest, Pete never liked Ken much. ”
“Why?” Hayes asked.
Fletcher shrugged. “Pete never really said. I did ask him after Trinity was shot, and again when we found the journal. I wanted to know if he knew about Ken dealing drugs, or anything else, even though he left when we were sophomores.”
“And?”
“He knew Benson was dealing, and because Ken hung out with Benson sometimes, it made him suspicious, but he didn’t know for sure,” Fletcher said.
“Pete told me he caught Ken in a couple of lies. Stupid little things around the marina that didn’t make sense.
Stuff like he’d said he’d done something his old man had told him to do, but he hadn’t.
And then there was Audra. Pete really didn’t appreciate some of the things Ken said to Audra, especially about her dad. ”
“I’ve heard that a few times now, but you’ve never commented on it.”
“That’s a hard one because Victor was a crazy old coot. Right before he disappeared, he had some wild conspiracy ideas. Stranger than normal. His mind was going, and while most understood that, Ken often had a short fuse about it.”
“Some of those theories Victor rambled about turned out to be true,” Hayes said.
Fletcher nodded. “But others were just nuts. It was hard for us to watch Audra defend her father in one breath, and the next, tear him apart with that sharp tongue of hers. Looking back now, listening to Audra share some of things Ken had said to her, or even me, especially that month before we left for boot camp, I can see how he was really pushing the narrative that Audra’s dreams, and what she believed to be true about that night, were her just being like her dad…
crazy. And that’s not true.” He threaded his fingers through his hair.
“I feel bad about that now because even though Audra could be dramatic, she wasn’t nuts, and we all turned on her based on what Ken put in our heads. ”
“Do you honestly believe Ken could’ve known that Paul and his son killed her dad?”
“With everything we’re finding out about my best friend? Yeah.” Fletcher swallowed the bile that smacked the back of his throat.
“It’s like we never really knew him at all,” Hayes said softly.
“I thought it was Julie who had changed him.” Fletcher let out a long, slow breath. “But now I wonder if he was always a secret keeper. Always a manipulator. Always a liar. And I just never saw it.”
“Hey. None of us did.” Hayes rested his hand on Fletcher’s shoulder.
“Don’t beat yourself up. Besides, we wondered if he was keeping things from us.
We could see something behind his eyes, like something was eating at him, especially the last year of his life.
For all we know, he was caught between a rock and a hard place his entire life.
” Hayes lowered his chin. “Massey could’ve been holding something over his head when he was a teenager.
Everyone who knew he’d been dealing said they thought he’d stopped.
But we don’t know what he had to do to get out.
And we don’t know the circumstances under which he really met Julie because that doesn’t track. ”
“I can no longer make excuses for him, and it sucks that he’s dead because I can’t even confront him.” Fletcher pushed from the vehicle. “Keaton’s waving frantically. We should head in.”
Fletcher nodded and moved slowly across the parking lot. His heart hammered in his chest. Winning this bid wasn’t just about him and his buddies opening another business. It wasn’t just about their livelihood. This was about Calusa Cove. It was about the people and what their community represented.
The town meeting room in Calusa Cove’s modest municipal building smelled faintly of pine cleaner and old paper.
Rows of folding chairs had been lined up with military precision, their metal legs scraping softly as residents shuffled into their seats.
Overhead, fluorescent lights buzzed with a faint whine, lending a sterile glow to the room that clashed with the tension humming beneath the surface.
Fletcher stood near the back, arms crossed over his chest, scanning the space.
The turnout was bigger than expected. Locals from every corner of the Cove had shown up—some curious, others concerned.
He spotted Silas leaning against the far wall near the fire exit, eyes narrowed, looking like a snake ready to strike at the first hint of danger.
Chloe, Trinity, and Audra sat together in the second row, heads close, whispering behind their programs. Keaton was near the aisle, stone-faced, while Hayes stood by the window, his stance deceptively casual.
And in the back corner, hunched slightly and pale, sat Decker Brown with Pete. Decker looked like hell—pale, drawn, still weak from the poisoning—but his eyes were sharp. Determined. He gave Fletcher a faint nod, and Fletcher returned it. This afternoon, everything needed to change.
Mayor Ruth Talbot, a stern woman with a no-nonsense haircut and a louder-than-necessary voice, banged the gavel. “Let’s come to order. The first and only item on the agenda: finalizing the redevelopment of the Old Crab Shack parcel.”
A few committee members—Marge Elder, who ran the Cove’s historical society; Tony Whittaker, the owner of the gas station; and Glen Morris, a retiree who never missed a town vote—flipped open their binders.
They all had expressions that couldn’t be read.
Not a furrowed brow. Not a cracked smile. Nothing.
“The committee received two proposals,” Ruth announced, glancing up. “But I’ve just been informed that one of them is being withdrawn.”
All eyes turned toward Decker. He stood, slowly, using the back of the chair for support. “I’m officially pulling my bid from consideration. I…believe the other plan better serves the town’s interests.”
Ruth blinked. “Mr. Brown, you’re certain?”
“Absolutely.” He looked toward Fletcher. “And I’m offering my services as a contractor for the project, if accepted.”
A low murmur swept through the room.
Ruth gave a curt nod. “Very well. That leaves the proposal submitted by… Parks and Recreation Director Fletcher Dane and associates.”
Fletcher stepped forward, unfolding a large rendering of the proposed site plan.
“We’re proposing a dockside restaurant that incorporates the existing foundation of the old Crab Shack.
The design keeps the original footprint but adds additional docks, a covered patio, and an outdoor stage.
It’ll be a place where residents and tourists alike can bring their catch, have it cleaned and cooked on-site, and enjoy live music from local talent on weekends.
It will create jobs, and it won’t take away from the landscape that’s been in place for decades. ”
Tony scratched his beard. “So, it’s not some corporate chain?”
“Not even close,” Fletcher said. “This stays local. The people, the food, the music—it all comes from Calusa Cove.”
Marge adjusted her glasses. “The exterior? It keeps the same waterfront feel?”
“Absolutely,” Fletcher confirmed. “Nothing flashy. Wood siding, muted colors. Even the signage will reflect the old-style charm. It’s all in these plans.”
Glen Morris gave a low grunt of approval. “Sounds better than that monstrosity they wanted to build a few years ago.”
Hayes stepped forward, handing out copies of the permits and zoning applications. “All the documents are in order. Our lawyer, Enzo Hudson, filed them this morning.”
“Hudson?” Marge looked impressed. “Doesn’t he have a cousin that’s an FBI agent or something?”
“Former agent and now a sheriff in Oregon,” Keaton added. “Her name is Greer, and she worked with Chloe a few years ago.”
More murmurs.
“And you boys are willing to pay the town the full asking bid?” Glen asked with his glasses lowered to the tip of his nose.
“We are,” Fletcher said. “All the financials are in order. The bank has approved a building loan. All we need is the town’s approval.”
Ruth looked around the committee. “Unless there are objections, let’s take a vote.”
All hands went up. Unanimous.
“Motion carried,” Ruth said. “Congratulations, gentlemen. The Crab Shack property is yours. We’ll fast-track the permitting process.”
The moment the meeting adjourned, the crowd began to dissipate. Fletcher slipped outside, where the night air felt thick with salt and humidity. Dawson, Hayes, and Keaton joined him near the sidewalk, the streetlamp casting a golden halo around them.
“Well,” Hayes said, clapping Fletcher on the shoulder. “That went better and faster than expected.”
Keaton nodded toward Decker, who emerged from the building with the help of Pete. “He stuck the landing,” Keaton said. “The plans he drew up for us and all the permitting he handled really made the difference.
“Yeah,” Fletcher muttered. “They’re nothing short of amazing. I really like them.”
“Agreed.” Dawson crossed his arms. “Decker plays like he’s going forward with the development. We let the word slip to John. The Barbaros will think they’ve lost control of the land and that Decker turned on them.”
“And Baily?” Keaton asked. “Her payment is due today.”
Fletcher exhaled. “She doesn’t pay a dime. Not with what Enzo uncovered. I’m sure by tomorrow, they’ll show their hand by calling in that loan. In the meantime, she and I will continue to go through boxes, hoping to find something.”
Hayes looked out toward the dark horizon. “This town’s been through enough. Let’s finish this.”
Fletcher nodded. “Time to bring this fight to us and do it our way.”