As she watched the woman in the bed, she made a tsking noise. “She doesn’t even know what she is. We’ll have to fix that.”
Jinx made a whining noise and lifted his head, his tail thumping on the bed. The ghost smiled at him.
“Hello, boy. We’re going to have a lot of fun. Just you wait.”
With those words, she was gone and Jinx rolled to his back to sleep. He wasn’t bothered by her appearance. He recognized bad people, which is why he always hated Michael. The ghost didn’t bother him, though. She was as good as they come.
She was Abigail Jenkins, after all. She was practically a saint.
4
Four
Hannah woke to pounding on the door.
She was confused, muddled, and then Jinx hopped out of bed and raced to intercept whoever was coming to visit, yapping in delight as he scratched at the hardwood floor.
Hannah was much grumpier in the morning and she cursed under her breath as she padded from the bedroom to the living room. Her hand was already on the lock when she remembered the figure she saw the previous evening. That forced her to slow her movements and lean forward so she could look out the peephole. Since Cooper was essentially the only person she knew in Casper Creek, she wasn’t surprised to find him standing on the other side of the door.
“You could’ve at least brought coffee,” Hannah grumbled as she faced him. “I can’t believe you’re up this early. Is this normal? I don’t know if I can get up before the sun every day.”
Cooper arched an eyebrow as he took in her fuzzy pajama pants and tank top. It was only when his weighted glance landed on her tank top that Hannah remembered she wasn’t wearing a bra. In an effort to cover herself, she folded her arms across her chest and adopted a stern look.
“Do you need something?”
Cooper didn’t immediately answer, instead pressing the tip of his tongue to the back of his teeth as he regarded their early-morning predicament. Finally, after what felt like a really long time, he spoke. “I got a call from Tyler. He discovered something when he was heading out to feed the animals this morning.”
Because she was still confused, Hannah shifted so she could study the clock on the wall. “Is that thing right? Is it only six?”
“Tyler has to feed the animals at five. I usually get here around seven or so. This is a bit early but it’s not unheard of.”
That was not the sort of thing Hannah wanted to hear. “I don’t suppose we could talk about that, could we?”
Cooper had his hand on Jinx’s head because the excitable dog was threatening to climb him for attention if he didn’t start stroking ... and fast. “We’ll talk about it later. Most days you won’t even notice.”
“Oh, so you don’t serve as the neighborhood wakeup call on a regular basis?” Hannah was feeling droll as she dragged a hand through her hair. She was already in the middle of the act when she remembered her bra situation and quickly covered her breasts with her folded arms. “Do you have a specific reason for being here?”
He bobbed his head. “I do.”
“And what’s that?”
“Jordan Flynn is dead.”
Whatever she was expecting, it wasn’t that. “Who is Jordan Flynn?”
“He’s one of the re-enactors. He splits his time between the bank and the restaurant. He plays the piano occasionally in the saloon, too.”
“And he’s dead?” Modesty forgotten, Hannah struggled to put her mind on the right track and she slapped her cheeks to do it. “I don’t understand.”
For his part, Cooper was ridiculously distracted by her sleeping attire. He couldn’t make himself look away. While his head knew a body in the middle of their idyllic town was top priority, he found he couldn’t stop fantasizing about what she looked like under the tank top. Since he wasn’t prone to fits of whimsy, it was an odd thing to wrap his head around. “We don’t understand either. He’s in the alley behind the bank and dry goods store. You need to come with me.”
“Like this?” Hannah practically squealed as she gestured toward her pajamas. Her reaction was almost enough to make Cooper laugh. Almost.
“Change into jeans and a hoodie,” he ordered, hoping he sounded authoritative rather than bossy. He didn’t want her getting her ego in a knot because she thought he was trying to take over. “It’s cold out here in the mornings.”
Since she was new at the gig and didn’t know how to react, Hannah simply nodded. “Okay. Just out of curiosity, though, how did he die?”
“I’m not sure, but I doubt it was natural causes.”
That’s when reality truly set in for Hannah. “Seriously?”
His stance softened when her face drained of color. “Seriously. Hurry up. I’ll wait here for you so you don’t have to walk alone.”
“Great. I ... great.”
IT ONLY TOOK HANNAH ten minutes to change her clothes. She whipped her hair back in a simple bun, her face devoid of makeup, and yet she still looked ridiculously pretty as she met Cooper in the living room. For his part, he struggled with the notion that he was clearly attracted to her. The last thing he wanted was a relationship ... and yet she appealed to him on a level he didn’t know existed. He hadn’t felt himself connecting with a woman – at least on a purely instinctual level – since before he joined the military. It was ... odd.
While she was getting ready, he found a leash for Jinx and snapped it in place. The dog had a full head of steam when they hit the stairs and Cooper had to keep a firm hold of the animal to make sure he didn’t go barreling into the saloon and knock the chairs off the tables. That would be another mess to pick up and he was convinced focusing on the dead body was of greater importance.
“Does this happen often?” Hannah asked as she followed him through the saloon door. He was right about it being cold and she had to zip her hoodie to ward off the chill. “I mean ... do you stumble across bodies in town on a regular basis?”
Cooper slid her a sidelong look. “Not generally. Why would you think that?”
She held her hands out and shrugged. “I don’t know. I’ve never been to Kentucky before. In Detroit, it’s normal to have people die in the overnight hours. This is definitely not Detroit, but I thought maybe it was somehow normal. How am I supposed to know?”
Cooper would’ve found the statement idiotic under different circumstances, but he couldn’t stop himself from laughing at her clueless reaction. She really was cute ... and obviously dangerous to his emotional wellbeing. He would have to work hard to keep her at a distance. It was his only plan of attack. “It’s not normal,” he offered. “I’m not going to say people never die around here — that would be a lie — but they usually don’t end up dead in the street behind the bank.”
“Right. I figured that was true.” Hannah blew out a sigh. “Show me this body.”
“That’s the plan.”
JORDAN FLYNN LOOKED like he was sleeping with his eyes open. That’s all Hannah could think as she regarded him with frightened eyes. The man, who looked to be in his late twenties if she had to guess, rested on his back, his arms spread to each side, and stared sightlessly at the dark sky.
“How did he die?” she asked in a squeak.
Cooper flicked his eyes to her, discomfort washing over him as he realized she was clearly coiled with fear. “We don’t know. There are no obvious signs on his body that I can see ... at least with the limited light we have going here. I called the sheriff. He’s on his way.”
For Hannah, that was a lot of information in a short amount of time. “The sheriff? Why would you call him?”
“Because we have a dead body.”
“But ... .”
“We have to call the sheriff when we have a dead body.” Cooper was firm. “I don’t know everything in life, but I do know that.”
“But ... .” Hannah looked lost as she reached out to take Jinx’s leash from Cooper. “Okay. You’re head of security. You probably know best in this particular situation.”
It took everything he had not to laugh at the surreal situation. “I do know best. The sheriff is a good guy. Don’t worry about that. Just ... don’t let the dog urinate on the body or anything, okay?”
Hannah was horrified. “Why would I let him do that?”
“Because he’s sniffing around like he has to go and something tells me he’s not exactly trained regarding the finer points of protecting a potential crime scene.”
“Oh, geez.” Hannah made a face and jerked on Jinx’s leash. “I can’t believe you put that idea in my head the way you did. I’m going to have nightmares now. I hope you’re happy.”
“Yes, nothing makes me happier than instructing you not to let your dog pee on my co-worker’s body,” he drawled. “That’s clearly the highlight of my day.”
Hannah scowled at him. “I’m taking Jinx to that field over there.” She pointed.
“Just be careful of the rattlesnakes.”
She jolted. “What? Are there really rattlesnakes here?”
“Yes, but they prefer coming out during the day and sunning themselves. The odds of them being out now are fairly slim. Just watch Jinx. You’ll be fine.”
Hannah wasn’t convinced. “I never thought I would believe that Detroit was safer than Kentucky.”
He couldn’t hold back his amusement. “I’ll teach you about the snakes later.”
“My father always told me that men offering to teach me about snakes was a bad thing.”
It took Cooper a moment to realize what she was insinuating. “I just meant ... um ... you see ... .”
Now Hannah was the one amused. “We’ll be fine. I’ll watch for snakes.”
“I’ll check on Boone. It won’t take him long to get here. Prepare yourself. He’s going to have a lot of questions.”
“I’m looking forward to that.”
JAMES BOONE WAS A BIG man in his fifties. He was well over six-feet-tall and he had broad shoulders with a soft middle. Hannah supposed that he had washboard abs like the ones she imagined Cooper boasting at one point, but age caught up with him. He was still a fine specimen of a man — the bald spot at the back of his head notwithstanding — but he was clearly over being a sex symbol.
“You’re Abigail’s granddaughter?” Boone looked her up and down with a studied eye that made Hannah uncomfortable. “You don’t look like your grandmother.”
“I don’t look like my mother either,” Hannah offered. “I’m much blonder than she was. I guess I must’ve gotten that trait from my father’s family.”
“And who is your father?”
Hannah wasn’t expecting the question. “Brad Hickok. He’s an accountant in New York. That’s where my brother lives, too. They wanted me to join them there instead of coming here, but I thought this sounded more fun. Of course, that was before a body showed up in the street overnight.”
Boone shot her an amused look. “Well, you might not look like Abigail, but you babble like her. She was a talker, too.”
Hannah wasn’t sure if he meant that as a compliment. “I just ... you asked.”
His grin widened at her annoyance. “You got that from Abigail, too.”
“I never met her so I’ll have to take your word for it,” Hannah shot back. She was gripping Jinx’s leash so tightly her knuckles were turning white. “Don’t you think you should worry about the dead guy?”
Boone swallowed his chuckle as he turned back to Jordan and hunkered down. “That’s a brilliant suggestion,” he supplied, his full attention on the dead man. “How was he found?”
“Tyler was out with the animals this morning,” Cooper explained. “He was walking Desperado on a lead. He’s been trying to get him to take to a saddle and it’s not going well. In the mornings, he tries to lead him around the town so he learns to be comfortable in these surroundings. He was doing that when he found Jordan.”
“And when was the last time anyone saw Jordan otherwise?”
“I don’t know. The workers aren’t even due to arrive for another hour.” Cooper checked his watch to be certain. “Tyler and Hannah are the only ones staying up here right now. The other workers were mostly gone by two yesterday. Hannah was coming in so the main goal was to get her settled.”
“That makes sense.” Boone stroked his chin, thoughtful. “When was the last time you remember seeing Jordan?”
“He was in the bank yesterday afternoon.”
“I thought you weren’t doing re-enactments right now.”
“We’re not, but the actors figured this was as good a time as any to tweak the performances. They added a new element to the bank-robbing scene. They want to fake cracking the safe exactly how it would’ve been done back then – sans the dynamite of course, because I vetoed that – and have been running through the logistics during their down time.”
“Was Jordan part of the thieves or the workers?”
“Workers, although I don’t know how that’s important.”
“Well, I don’t either,” Boone admitted. “I was just trying to get a feel for the day you had yesterday. It sounds like it was abnormal but not busy.”
“I guess that’s a fair assessment,” Cooper supplied grudgingly. “Most of the day we cleaned, organized, and waited for the new owner.”
Boone slid his eyes to Hannah. “This must be difficult for you to deal with, huh? You moved to a new home and immediately have to deal with a body. There are better ways to be introduced to the community.”
“I would agree with that,” Hannah said, her eyes focused on Jordan as she furrowed her brow and leaned closer. “What’s on his neck?”
“What do you mean?” Boone turned back to Jordan and stared at the spot she indicated with her outstretched finger. “I don’t see ... ah, now I see it. The shadows from the rising sun blinded me for a second. He does have marks on his neck.”
Hannah moved closer, keeping Jinx tightly at her side even though he was beginning to chafe under her watchful eye. He was used to running free and doing whatever he wanted. He wasn’t a fan of rules. “It looks like he was stabbed with one of those prong things that you cook marshmallows with.” Cooper’s face was blank when she directed her gaze to him. “Don’t you think?”
“I’m not familiar with marshmallow prongs,” he replied.
“I know what she’s talking about,” Boone volunteered. “It’s a camping thing. You stick the ends in marshmallows and roast them for s’mores. My mother used to have some and we would always use them when we were sleeping under the stars.”
Hannah puffed out her chest. “See. I wasn’t making it up.”
“I didn’t say you were making it up,” Cooper said dryly, shaking his head. “I don’t think he was stabbed with a marshmallow prong, though.”
“So, what was it?”
“I don’t know. We’ll have to figure it out, though.”
EVENTUALLY HANNAH LOST INTEREST in watching the men work and led Jinx to the other side of the street. That allowed the two men to talk in private, which they were eager to do.
“It definitely wasn’t a marshmallow prong,” Boone offered. “I think we both know what it was.”
“Yeah.” Cooper rubbed the back of his neck, weary. “I figured you would see exactly what I saw when I looked at him. We’ve got a killer on the loose and we’re going to have more bodies than we can deal with if we don’t figure out who it is.”
“What about the new owner?”
Cooper cocked a dubious eyebrow. “You think she’s capable of killing people, do you?”
Boone frowned. “No. I don’t think that she’s killing people. She’s much too squeamish to pull it off. That’s not what I was asking.”
“Oh. What are you asking?”
“About the other stuff?”
Cooper didn’t miss the pointed tinge to the sheriff’s tone. “You’re asking if she knows about Abigail, about what she was, aren’t you?”
“That’s exactly what I’m asking. I never got the impression that Abigail was all that close with
her daughter and I suspected this paranormal stuff that she enjoyed sticking her nose in was at the heart of it. Abigail never saw her granddaughter, so it would seem to me that this Hannah doesn’t know a thing about what her grandmother really was.”
Cooper wasn’t in the mood to readily agree with the sheriff, but he didn’t see where he had much choice. “I don’t think she knows anything about the paranormal.”
“That includes ... everything?”
Cooper bobbed his head. “I’m pretty sure she thinks it’s all bunk, although we haven’t spoken specifically about it. I wanted to get to know her better before dropping the bomb.”
“And?”
“And, so far she seems like a normal woman with a spoiled dog. She’s running from something in her past — and before you ask, I’m pretty sure it’s a man, not a monster — and she’s looking for a new start. Abigail’s will showed up when she was in flux and she decided to take a chance.”
“Well, she’s definitely going to get a new start here,” Boone noted. “She’s going to learn about things she never knew existed if she stays put and sets down roots. Do you think that’s a possibility? I’m talking about the staying here, I mean.”
“I think anything is possible,” Cooper replied after a moment’s contemplation. “I don’t know. She’s hard to read. She’s excitable and friendly. She’s also in her own little world. The truth is going to set her off.”
“Because she’s judgmental? Do you think she’ll spread everyone’s private business once she finds out what we’re doing here?”
“Not necessarily.”
“Do you think she’ll accept it and fit in?”
“Not necessarily.”
Boone exhaled heavily. “What do you think?”
“I think we should watch her.” He was matter-of-fact. “I think we’re going to have to tell her the truth sooner rather than later. This death accelerates our timetable. We can’t just sit around and wait for her to be ready. We’re going to have to make her ready.”
The Dirty Coven Page 4
