Cooper used the toe of his boot to nudge a pile of clothes under the coffee table. “I’m afraid something is going to crawl out from under here. I hope it’s just a rat.”
“Yes, that’s what I was thinking, too,” Boone deadpanned, sliding his eyes to Milton. “Well?”
“I’m not a spy,” Milton replied. “Believe it or not, my tenants are allowed a level of privacy that you might not appreciate but the state licensing board does.”
Boone was used to Milton’s sharp tongue so he didn’t take the man’s attitude to heart. “I happen to know that you like to spy on your tenants. You can deny it all you want, but I remember the Randall Fisk incident.”
Cooper raised his head, curious. “What’s the Randall Fisk incident?”
“Should I tell him or do you want to do it?” Boone queried.
Milton bristled. “I don’t really care. I still maintain that was blown way out of proportion.”
“And I maintain that you’re lucky he was too stupid to press charges,” Boone countered, turning to Cooper with a tight smile on his face. “Randall was briefly the head of security before you took over the gig at Casper Creek. He was a real pain in the ass, the mouthy sort who liked to hit on women to the point of no return, if you know what I mean.”
“I’m certain I can paint a mental picture,” Cooper said dryly.
“Anyway, much like you, Randall was a big fan of the saloon girls in town,” Boone continued. “He liked to follow them around and comment on those tops.”
“I’m not a big fan of the saloon girls.”
Boone ignored the younger man’s outburst. “One of the girl’s fathers showed up one day and got in a screaming match with Randall. It ended in a fistfight. Abigail suspended Randall, although if you ask me, she was simply buying time so she could fire him.
“Anyway, Randall was sulking and drinking in his apartment all day and that drove Milton here crazy,” he continued. “He let himself into the apartment without notifying Randall and shots were fired. Milton was lucky to get out with his life.”
“I don’t understand.” Cooper was legitimately confused. “How is that a bad thing? If I knew that guy was coming on to young girls, I would’ve broken into his apartment myself.”
“See. This guy gets it.” Milton jerked his thumb in Cooper’s direction. “I told you it was a boring story.”
“I’m not done,” Boone warned. “Milton tried to evict Randall because of the gun incident.”
“Rightly so,” Milton muttered.
“While he was waiting for it to hit the courts, he broke in a second time,” Boone explained. “He waited until he was sure Randall was out picking up liquor, slipped inside, and stole all of the man’s underwear.”
Cooper was taken aback. “Why?”
“That’s a good question.” Boone looked to Milton expectantly. “Why did you do that again?”
“You can’t prove I did it at all,” Milton argued. “That was simply a rumor.”
“He hung all of Randall’s underwear on the power line and doused it with special goofer dust that made Randall itchy when he put his underwear on … and it also made him claim he could see things … like aliens riding dinosaurs. So, when he went in front of the judge, he was locked up for being off his rocker … and I think he’s never been let out.”
Cooper furrowed his brow. “That was a really long story that amounted to nothing other than a prank.”
“Yeah, well, I live with a teenager,” Boone reminded him. “I have to get my jollies where I can.”
“Apparently so.” Cooper snagged a spatula from the kitchen counter and carried it to the pile of clothes on the ground so he could move it around without having to touch anything gross. “Did you spy on these guys? I promise we won’t tell anyone if you did.”
“I might have spied on them,” Milton admitted grudgingly. “They weren’t all that interesting. They spent all their time playing video games. They didn’t even get girlfriends until recently as far as I can tell.”
For the first time since he entered the apartment, Cooper’s interest was piqued. “Who were these girlfriends? Did you know them?”
“I didn’t recognize them. I’m pretty sure they were townies. I would’ve recognized them if they lived here.”
“Fair enough.” Cooper rolled to his knees when he saw the corner of something poking out from beneath the couch. “It wasn’t Astra, was it?”
“The white witch of the hill?” Milton made a face. “Trust me. I would’ve recognized her. She never comes around this place as far as I can tell, and that’s exactly how I like it.”
“Well … .” Cooper broke off, lost in thought when he retrieved a picture frame from beneath the couch. “Huh?”
“What is it?” Boone moved closer to him.
“It’s Kip and Jordan. They’re posing together with a woman.”
“Do you recognize her?”
“As a matter of fact, I do. It’s Madison Stoltz.”
“From Casper Creek?” Boone was instantly alert. “Doesn’t she work part-time as one of the saloon girls?”
“She does.” Cooper flipped over the frame to see if anything was written on the back but came up empty. “She’s in the middle and they both have arms around her. It’s impossible to ascertain which one she was dating.”
“So?” Boone held out his hands. “Just because she was dating one of them, that doesn’t mean she’s dangerous.”
“No, but she’s local. I happen to know she was tight with Theodora Markham and Garnet Jessup at one point. I think they all went to high school together.”
“So … you think she has ties to Astra?”
“I think it’s worth questioning her.” Cooper straightened. “I don’t know that I think Kip is coming back here. I also don’t know that he didn’t leave of his own volition. It’s a legitimate mystery.”
“And we need to start finding answers.”
“On that we can agree.”
HANNAH WAS SO BUSY SHE forgot about her low-cut top as she worked overtime to keep up with Rick in the saloon. He offered her endless encouragement – probably because she was the boss – but was amiable and friendly to the nth degree.
She was just feeling comfortable about her new surroundings when Rick made an announcement.
“They need me for the bank robbery.” He wiped his hands on his apron before removing it. “I’m going to have to call in reinforcements for you here.”
Hannah blew her bangs off her forehead and regarded him with a dubious look. “Oh, come on. We were just finding our groove.”
He grinned at her. “We were. It’s going to be fine, though. I don’t have a choice. They’re a robber short. Apparently someone called in sick.”
Hannah made a face. “But … what if I don’t like the person you send in?”
“You’ll be fine. It’s Madison. Everyone likes her.”
He sounded so sure of himself Hannah had no choice but to buck up. “Okay. I hope I don’t disappoint her, though. She’s not a yeller, is she?”
“Not even a little.”
Five minutes later, Rick was on his way out the door and a pretty brunette with a pert nose stood next to Hannah behind the counter. They had a brief lull before the next round of guests moved through the town, which allowed the two women to get to know each other better … or at all.
“It’s so cool to finally meet you,” Madison chirped as she dried beer mugs with a towel. “I’ve been wanting to get a chance to bend your ear since I heard you were coming. I mean … I liked Abigail a great deal. She was always cool to me. She was old, though. You know what I mean?”
“Um … .” Hannah wasn’t sure how to respond. “I never met her.”
“I heard that.” Madison kept chattering away. “I love this place and think it could be a lot of fun. It never changes, though. I think we should change things up.”
“And what do you suggest?”
“Well, for starters, I think we should make
it more like Disney World. You know, add animatronic Mickey Mouse characters and all that.”
“Well … you know Mickey Mouse is trademarked, right?”
Madison’s expression was blank. “So what?”
“That means we would have to license him to use him.”
“How hard could that be? I see Mickey Mouse everywhere.”
“Yes, but people have to pay millions of dollars to license Mickey Mouse.”
“Oh.” Madison’s expression fell. “That sucks. Who would be cheaper to license?”
“I don’t know. I’m not sure that’s the route to take, though. In fact … .” Hannah trailed off when the doors to the saloon swung open to allow Boone and Cooper entrance. They looked intense as they crossed the hardwood floor. “Has something happened?”
Briefly, Cooper’s eyes traveled to Hannah’s neckline. He caught himself quickly this time and jerked his eyes up. “We’re not sure yet,” he replied, his eyes landing on Madison. “It’s funny you’re here, Madison. We have some questions for you.”
“For me?” Madison’s voice hopped an octave. “I didn’t do anything. I swear it. I put that five dollars that dropped to the floor in the dry goods store in the register. I swear it.”
Cooper made a face. “We’re not here about that. We’re here about Jordan Flynn.”
Madison was slow on a normal day, but she appeared to be completely behind the conversation today. “What about Jordan? He died. I still haven’t heard how it happened. I assumed he got drunk and fell down.” She turned to Boone for answers. “Is that how he died?”
“Actually, the medical examiner is still determining the cause of death,” Boone replied. “There’s apparently a backlog. We’re supposed to hear news by the end of the day.”
“Oh, well … I bet he got drunk and fell down.”
“I don’t believe that’s what occurred.” Boone folded his arms over his chest and stared her down. “We know you were seeing Jordan. We saw the photo in his apartment.”
Madison wrinkled her nose, as if that was the most outlandish thing she’d ever heard. “Um … I didn’t date Jordan. I mean I knew him, but only a little. I was dating Kip.”
“Oh.” Boone shot Cooper an unreadable look. “We had a fifty-fifty shot.”
Cooper ignored him. “We need to find Kip. He seems to have gone missing. Do you know where he is?”
Hannah watched the spectacle with wide eyes but wisely kept her mouth shut.
“I haven’t seen Kip in weeks,” she replied. “We broke up.”
“Why?”
“Well, I don’t see how that’s any of your business,” Madison hedged, averting her eyes. “That’s private.”
“It might be private, but we still need to know.” Boone was firm. “Kip didn’t show up for work today. He doesn’t appear to have been in his apartment since the day we questioned him. Given what happened to Jordan, that’s cause for concern.”
“Do you really think Jordan was murdered? I mean … for real?” Madison appeared frightened at the prospect.
“We do,” Boone confirmed. “We need information on Kip. Right now, you’re the only one who can give it to us.”
“Okay, but it’s kind of embarrassing.” Madison’s cheeks bloomed with color as she readied herself for the admission. “We only dated a few months. Things were going pretty well – other than the fact that he had to play video games six hours a day, I mean – but otherwise they were okay.
“We were just getting to the point where we would … you know,” she continued, refusing to make eye contact. “We had everything set and were in bed and then … he couldn’t do it.”
“He decided he wanted to end things?” Cooper queried.
“No, he literally couldn’t do it.” Madison crooked her index finger in such a way it left nothing to the imagination.
“Oh, you mean he actually couldn’t get it up to do it.” Boone dragged a hand through his hair. “Did he say that was normal?”
“He kind of freaked out about it,” Madison replied. “He refused to talk to me and started swearing. I didn’t feel I had to put up with that so I told him I was going to walk out. He didn’t try to stop me so I left.”
“And that was it? He didn’t try to talk to you after the fact?”
“Nope. I didn’t see him again. I thought eventually he would get over it and apologize, but it never happened.”
“I see.” Cooper exhaled heavily and slid his eyes to the sheriff. “Well, that wasn’t what I expected. Where do you want to look next?”
“I honestly have no idea.”
14
Fourteen
Cooper kept a close watch on Madison as the young woman and Hannah worked behind the bar. He wasn’t much for serving food and drinks – and absolutely refused to participate in the reenactments – but he pitched in when the saloon was overrun with guests. Hannah looked so frazzled he couldn’t help himself. He worried she was starting to feel overwhelmed … and with more than just her working environment.
“Have you ever made a Mai Tai?” she asked as she flipped through the Rolodex.
Cooper slid her a sidelong look. “Do I look like the Mai Tai type?”
“You look like the beer-and-pizza type.”
“Is that a bad thing?”
“No. I happen to love beer and pizza.” The bulk of Hannah’s attention was on the Rolodex so she missed the way Cooper’s lips quirked. “Here it is. Um … dark rum. Amber rum. Wait … what’s amber rum?” She turned to Cooper for help.
Cooper automatically snagged a bottle of El Dorado from the stash. “Here.”
Hannah had no idea if it was the correct offering, but she gladly took it. “Thank you.”
“Not much of a drinker, huh?”
“I don’t mind drinking. Sometimes it’s kind of fun. I was always supposed to be on my best behavior with Michael, though, so I was really careful. I’m kind of a goofy drunk and he got embarrassed.”
Cooper frowned. “He sounds like a great guy.”
“He was a jerk.”
“I’m pretty sure that’s what I said … except with a lot more sarcasm.”
“Oh,” Hannah smirked. “I don’t think you’re as smooth at being snarky as you assume. Although … he wasn’t the one to blame. He only treated me the way he did because I allowed him to do it. I’m the one who created the mess that my life turned out to be.”
Cooper reached for the orange juice and handed it to her as she mixed the drink. “I get that you’re doing an empowerment thing here and want to be in control of your own destiny. I think that’s a good thing, don’t get me wrong. This guy still sounds like a righteous jerk.”
For some reason, Cooper’s disdain made Hannah feel better. “Thank you.”
He winked at her as he tossed a small parasol in the drink. They were western-themed and he usually found them ridiculous. For some reason, the way Hannah smiled at the pink one he plopped in the Mai Tai made him like them a bit better. “You’re catching on fast. I know you might not feel that way, but it’s true.”
“Maybe one day I won’t even have to look at the Rolodex.”
“I didn’t mean with the drinks. I meant with … everything else. A lesser person would’ve already taken off. I’m sure there would’ve been screams associated with it, too.”
Hannah chuckled as she delivered the drink to a smiling woman and accepted the money shoved in her direction. She punched the correct numbers into the register and had it opening without dinging in complaint. “I am getting better at this.” She waited until the money was put away to turn her full attention to Cooper. “As for the very nice thing you just said, I would like to pretend that running never crossed my mind. That would be a lie. I’ve thought about it at least thirty times today.”
“You’re still here.”
“Mostly because I feel like I’m supposed to be here. I know that probably sounds ridiculous but … there it is. I feel comfortable here despite all the really weird tal
k about witches and the crazy woman who keeps trying to run me out of town.”
Cooper spared a glance for the bar area and was relieved when he found it devoid of guests. Apparently they were all sated for the time being. He lowered his voice. “What about the other thing?”
“What other thing?”
“You know … the magic.”
Hannah swallowed hard and flicked her eyes to where Madison was standing. If the woman was listening, she didn’t show it. She seemed perfectly happy chatting it up with some young stud who was trying to bend her ear. That was probably for the best.
“I don’t know what to feel about that,” she admitted after a beat, her voice barely a whisper. “The thing is … um … I keep wondering if it was a dream. Do you think that makes me crazy?”
Cooper kept his face neutral. “I think that’s probably normal. It wasn’t a dream, though. Tyler saw you take on Astra. Apparently, according to him, you were amazing.”
“I think he was just being nice.”
“Don’t kid yourself. He’s as snarky as the rest of us.”
“Yeah, well … .” Hannah rolled her neck and stared out at the guests. “It’s quiet here. Even though tourists overrun the place three times a day, there’s no police sirens or ambient street noise. I didn’t realize how much I would enjoy the quiet until I was plopped in the middle of it.”
Cooper could read between the lines. There was something she wasn’t saying. “But?”
“But I feel isolated out here, too,” she admitted, wiping her hands on her apron. “I need to figure out how to feel stronger so I’m not afraid of my new home. If this keeps up, I’m afraid I really will run.”
The admission made Cooper heartsick. “We’re going to figure this out. I promise you that. I won’t let anything happen to you.”
“Because of Abigail?”
“Because … I won’t.”
She heaved out a sigh. “I appreciate all you’re doing. You can’t be here twenty-four hours a day, though. I have to get over it.”
“I’m going to make sure you’re safe.” Cooper was adamant as he held her gaze. “I swear it. Don’t be afraid. I mean … have respect for the land and the inhabitants living around here, but don’t be afraid. Fear will wear you down if you let it.”
The Dirty Coven Page 13
