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“Who’s Tony?” Keaton asked.
“This boy back in California, from when she was four. He’d tease her and pull on her ponytail. But that kid loved her. Had a big four-year-old crush on her. Kind of like you for this last year.”
“I don’t crush on anyone,” Keaton grumbled.
“And I’m not halfway to drunk.” Monty lifted his wine and lowered his chin.
“Well, just to be safe, I’m going to do a full background check on Fenton.” Dawson stood. “I need to stop by the office for a little police work before heading home to Audra.”
“I’m on your six, boss.” Hayes hopped to his feet with a grimace. “That sounded like I’m a sad, pathetic puppy.”
“Because sometimes that’s exactly what you are.” Dawson reached out and patted Hayes on the head.
“Jerk,” Hayes mumbled.
Keaton smiled. Not much had changed since they’d left the Navy, other than that, technically, Dawson wasn’t their team leader.
But in some ways, that title would always be his.
Keaton's mood turned somber, remembering Ken. The whole reason they’d left the Navy in the first place and landed in this perfect little town. “I’ll talk to you both tomorrow.”
“Call if you need anything.” Dawson waved his hand over his head. Instead of walking through the house, he and Hayes strolled around the side.
“Those two are good men. You’re lucky to have them as friends,” Monty said.
“I sure am.” Keaton nodded. “I’d be lost without them.”
“I appreciate Dawson checking into Fenton, but other than being the male version of a gold digger and a cheater, I doubt he had anything to do with this. Same with Charlie, though that man still scares me.”
“Better safe than sorry.” Keaton sipped his beer. “Any thoughts on who else, outside of random pirates, because that’s about our best guess. The Coast Guardhad reports of them being in the area that day, and with Trinity’s boat being stripped of her expensive nav system and them coming after the jewels, we’re at a loss.”
“Pirates have always been a big thing around here.” Monty shoved his wine aside. “We have so many legends built around the idea. Some are special to the Everglades, and some are specifically related to the ships that have sunk in nearby waters, like theFlying Victoria.” Monty leaned closer. “Did you know that some say the jewels from that ship are cursed?”
“I’ve heard that before.” Keaton nodded. “That anyone who touches them will have bad luck both in this life and the afterlife.”
“It’s more than that.” Monty ran his hand across his mouth and glanced toward the water. “When theFlying Victoriawas first found, no one would even scuba near it. It was believed it went down because of the jewels. There are stories about Edgar Watson and his ghosts going after the jewels, and that’s why they were cursed.”
“Now that’s one I hadn’t heard.”
“Not well known, but there are many versions of each story,” Monty said. “However, the documented story is that the jewels being found didn’t end so well. The family, well, they were excited. A year later, their house burned down. The man who found them survived, but his wife, his children, and even his grandchildren all died.”
“Jesus.”
“It was terrible,” Monty said. “The only thing to survive, besides him, were those jewels. This was in theearly fifties. The headline was something like:Man Survives House Fire, Clutching Jewels from Sunken Ship, while Family Perishes. It was harsh. Everyone believes, months later, he tried to put the jewels back.”
“And did he?”
“At first, no one knew what had happened. He was considered a missing person. People thought he went up in the Everglades and killed himself, but no one could find the jewels.” Monty shrugged. “Two years later, the mystery was solved.” Monty sighed. “His body was found in the wreckage—decorated with the jewels. He’d been tied to something. It’s believed he was murdered.”
“Now that’s weird. Why murder him and not take the jewels?”
“The legend is that someone did, but the jewels caused them great suffering, and they brought them back and put them on the bones as an offering to the sea gods.”
“How long did Ralph’s family have the jewels? And did it cause them any pain?” Keaton found himself asking.
“Not that anyone knows of. But here’s the interesting part.” Monty raised his finger. “The jewels disappeared again after they were recovered the second time. Ralph’s dad and his buddies went diving one day, and they found them. That was about six months before Jared was lost to the sea. The legend is that, for those who find them, bad things will happen, and then the jewels will compel you to return them.”
“That’s a clusterfuck if I ever heard one.”