The Dirty Coven

by Lily Harper Hart

  Despite himself, Cooper smirked. “How many fun ways are there to be crazy?”

  “You would be surprised.”

  “Well, I’m going to have to take your word on it for now.” He turned serious. “I need to see if I can find Kip. Whatever is going on, he clearly knows something. He’s our best shot of finding answers regarding Jordan’s death.”

  “Why do you think I came to find you?”

  “And I thank you for that.” Cooper directed her toward the saloon. “Wait for me inside. I’m calling Boone and we’re doing a full search. I don’t think you have to worry about Astra following you in there, but I’m not taking any chances.”

  “Oh, I’m not afraid of Astra.” Hannah said the words, but they weren’t entirely true. Despite the show of power she’d put on, she was definitely afraid of the woman. She simply didn’t want to admit it. “I wish she would come at me again so I can beat her again.”

  “I’m looking forward to you beating her, too. For right now, though, you’re not ready. What you did last night was miraculous and I’m thankful for it. You need training to get better. The other women here will help you with that ... just as soon as we get some breathing room.”

  Hannah wasn’t placated. “So ... that’s it? You’re going to drop me in the saloon and go looking for Kip? I don’t think I’m done talking yet.”

  “You’re a woman. You’re never done talking.”

  Hannah was offended on behalf of her entire gender. “We’re going to talk about you saying that later.”

  “I’m looking forward to it.”

  FOUR HOURS LATER, CASPER CREEK was shut down for the night and Cooper was complaining about Kip managing to disappear despite the effort that was put into searching for him.

  “I don’t understand how he did it,” he lamented as he downed a sarsaparilla and leaned back in his chair. Only Cooper remained — everyone else had vacated for the day — and Hannah was starting to feel antsy. “He shouldn’t have been able to get away without us knowing. The lift operator swears that he came up but never went down. That means we should’ve found him.”

  “Maybe he ran into the woods,” Hannah suggested, trying not to frown at Jinx as the friendly dog rested his chin on Cooper’s knee. “Maybe he’s hiding by the creek or something.”

  “We checked that area. He’s not down there.”

  “You said yourself that it’s a big area,” she argued. “He could be hiding anywhere in the trees surrounding the town. You couldn’t possibly check everywhere.”

  “I guess.” He shifted his eyes toward the door as Tyler breezed through it, several pizza boxes balanced on his hand. “It’s about time.”

  Hannah was caught off guard as the veterinarian dropped three boxes on the table. “We’re having pizza?”

  “We are,” Cooper confirmed. “Tyler said he was running into town to grab some for himself and I asked him to fill an order for us. I didn’t know what you like so I got a mixture ... including half a vegetarian pizza.”

  “I’m not a vegetarian,” Hannah said absently. “I just ... this is nice. I haven’t had pizza since I got here.”

  “You like pizza, right?” Cooper studied her face for hints she was going to melt down. After the twenty-four hours she’d survived, he figured she was due. She looked more tired than freaked, though.

  Hannah made an incredulous face. “Who doesn’t love pizza?”

  “Good question.” He grabbed the boxes and inclined his head toward Tyler. “You know what to do, right?”

  “I do. I’ll be on the lookout for Astra should she try to come through. I doubt she will two nights in a row, though.”

  “I doubt it, too, but I’m not taking any chances.” Cooper gestured for Hannah to head toward the stairs. “I’ll be sleeping on the couch to make sure we don’t have a repeat of last night. Hannah should be safe.”

  Tyler adopted a knowing look. “On the couch, huh?”

  Cooper rolled his eyes. “Yes, on the couch. Don’t make this weirder than it already is.”

  “I’ll try not to make it weird for you.”

  Cooper watched as Tyler locked the saloon, which had open swinging doors for the day but another hidden set — pocket doors that slid to cover the front opening — for the overnight hours. He tested the doors himself before turning back to Hannah, whose expression was hard to read.

  “What?” he asked dumbly.

  “Nothing.” Her eyes were unreadable. “It’s just ... usually when there’s an overnight visit in a woman’s apartment some sort of invitation is extended. I must’ve forgotten extending that invitation.”

  He was sheepish. “Yeah, well ... I was going to talk to you about that.”

  “Now sounds like as good a time as any.”

  “I can’t leave you.” He was earnest as she paused outside her apartment, key in hand. Impatient as always, Jinx did a dance to get her to move faster. He could smell the pizza, too. “You were attacked last night. As the head of security, it’s my job to protect you.”

  “Uh-huh.” Hannah said little else as she opened the door and ushered him inside. She had a multitude of things on her mind and no idea which one to tackle first. “Do you think I can’t take care of myself?” she asked finally.

  “No. I think you’re strong and you proved that last night.” He slid the pizza boxes onto the counter and moved toward the cupboards to collect plates. He preferred having something to do with his hands since he was struggling with a bout of fidgety energy. “I also think that you’re new and you’re not familiar with how things work here. I just want to make sure that you’re okay.”

  Hannah eyed him for a long beat and then gave in and allowed her lips to curl. “I’m not trying to give you a hard time. I’m actually glad you’re staying because my nerves are shot and I need a decent night’s sleep. The other workers are going to gossip about this, though. Aren’t you worried about that?”

  Cooper had already considered it. “It’s going to be fine,” he reassured her. “They’ll only gossip for a few minutes and then move on.”

  That didn’t sound like any office grapevine Hannah had ever heard of but she decided to let it go. She figured he knew best. “So ... what kind of other food did you get? I’m officially starving.”

  “I’m glad you asked.”

  THEY TALKED LATE INTO the night. Hannah intended to go to bed early — she was bone tired after the shenanigans of the previous evening — but she found Cooper to be a fountain of information and he was in the mood to answer questions. That meant she constantly kept hurling them at him.

  “What sort of things could Abigail do?”

  He leaned back in his chair, his feet crossed at the ankles, and regarded her as she shared the couch with Jinx. For his part, the dog had passed out hours before and didn’t as much as stir as they conversed. “I assume you’re talking about magic.”

  “I ... .” Hannah trailed off. She wasn’t comfortable with that word. “I’m just curious.”

  “And you’re not sure what you believe yet,” Cooper deduced. “It’s okay. I know this is hard for you. You came from a world of no magic and landed in a place where all we talk about is magic. On top of that, you’re apparently magical yourself. That has to be a lot to deal with.”

  It was and she was still floundering. “I didn’t know anything like what I did last night was inside me,” she admitted. “I had no idea I was anything other than normal.”

  “Really?” Cooper’s smile was charming. “I would think that you stand out in a crowd no matter what.”

  She snorted. “I think you’re just saying that because you liked how I looked in the saloon outfit. Just for the record, though, that’s not what I was talking about.”

  Cooper shifted, suddenly uncomfortable. “I didn’t mean to stare or anything. It’s just ... well ... .”

  “They were on display,” Hannah finished without hesitation. “I get it. I don’t blame you for staring either. If I was a guy, I would’ve taken
photos.”

  She said it in such a matter-of-fact manner he could do nothing but bark out a laugh. “Well, it was still rude. You looked really cute, though. I happen to think you’re going to make a fine saloon girl.”

  “I bet.” Hannah rummaged in one of the food boxes until she came up with a pie wedge of oversized cookie. Cooper spared no expense when he ordered food. “Can I ask you something?”

  Her tone told him she was going to take things to a serious level. Still, Cooper couldn’t deny her. She had a right to ask questions given everything that had happened. “Sure.”

  “Did you love Astra?”

  He wasn’t expecting the question. In hindsight, he realized he should’ve been. It caught him by surprise, though. “Why are you asking that?”

  “I don’t know. You seemed to be having a cozy conversation with her this afternoon. I thought maybe it was because you still had feelings for her.”

  “No. I don’t have feelings for her.” After a moment’s reflection, Cooper realized his initial reaction wasn’t entirely correct. “Actually, to be fair, I do have certain feelings for her. They’re not what you think, though.”

  “How so?”

  “When I first started dating Astra, I wasn’t comfortable,” he explained. “Abigail is the one who told me I was being ridiculous. Something didn’t feel right. It’s more that I started dating her because I thought it was time. I didn’t expect it to go anywhere.

  “I was right about it not being right over the long haul,” he continued. “I was fine with that, though. I thought Astra was, too. Her mind was always on something else, in the clouds or focused on magic. We spent time together but there wasn’t a lot of emotion attached to the relationship ... until things went south between her and Abigail.”

  “Let me guess: She tried to get you on her side because she knew how fond Abigail was of you.” Hannah wrinkled her nose. “I bet she cried crocodile tears and tried to manipulate you into seeing her as the victim.”

  Cooper was impressed. “That’s exactly what she tried to do. When I told her it wasn’t going to work — I was the first person Abigail talked to after their big fight — she changed her tactics. She tried to entice me with talk of power and taking over Casper Creek.”

  “Like ... taking it from Abigail?”

  “Yup.”

  “Huh.” Hannah shook her head, disgusted. “That just proves she didn’t know you at all. I only met you a few days ago and even I have already come to the conclusion that you hold loyalty above all else. I wonder if she couldn’t see that because she’s never felt loyalty for anyone.”

  Now Cooper was doubly impressed. “You read people well.”

  “It’s a new thing. I couldn’t always do it. How else do you think I spent years of my life with Michael?”

  “I want to punch that guy just on principle. I hope you know that.”

  “I doubt you’ll ever get the chance. This isn’t his sort of place. Tell me more about Abigail. I want to learn everything I can.”

  “How much time have you got?”

  Hannah flicked her eyes to the clock. “Forty minutes. We have to be up early tomorrow.”

  He grinned. “Forty minutes is plenty of time for a few stories.”

  “Somehow I knew you would say that.”

  “Get comfortable. Abigail was a complicated woman. You should understand that. You’re just like her.”

  He meant it as a compliment. Hannah recognized that. It warmed her to her very toes. “Lay it on me.”

  “With pleasure.”

  16

  Sixteen

  They stayed up far later than they should have. Cooper found he didn’t want her to turn in. He enjoyed talking to her. She had a wicked sense of humor and keen intellect. Still, they had a long day ahead of them.

  She offered to let him sleep in Abigail’s old room, but he was uncomfortable with that. The couch was fine, he reassured her. He meant it. Once she slipped into the bedroom with Jinx to sleep, he stripped down to his boxers and rolled onto the couch. He was exhausted, and even though he expected to watch the shadows for movement for a very long time, he drifted off quickly.

  He woke to the sound of someone pounding on the door. It took him a moment to get his bearings, and when he did, a feeling of dread washed over him. “What now?” he grumbled.

  He was already to the door when Hannah appeared in the room. She wore a pair of tiny satin shorts and a tank top, her hair mussed from sleep, and Cooper found himself distracted all over again as he pulled open the door.

  “What’s going on?” she asked fearfully.

  “I don’t know.” He sent her a reassuring smile before focusing on the person who felt the need to rouse them so early. When he saw it was Tyler, he immediately turned grim. “Did something happen?”

  Tyler was already dressed for the day. He glanced between Hannah and Cooper for a long beat, curiosity etched on his handsome face, and then he nodded as he held Cooper’s expectant gaze. “There’s definitely something wrong. There’s a body hanging from one of the light posts downstairs.”

  Cooper figured he was still slow from sleep because he was certain he misheard the man. “What?”

  “It’s no joke.” Tyler was firm. “It’s a man. That’s all I can tell you. I don’t recognize him.”

  In the pit of his stomach, Cooper already knew who it was. “I’m on my way down. Call Boone and tell him what’s going on. He needs to get out here.”

  “Already done.”

  Hannah waited until Tyler closed the door to speak. “You think it’s Kip, don’t you?”

  “I think that it’s Kip,” he confirmed. “I wondered how he managed to get away. It turns out, he didn’t.”

  “Who do you think killed him?”

  That was the question. Slowly, he tracked his eyes to her. “I don’t know. It doesn’t look good for Astra, though.”

  Hannah readily agreed. “It doesn’t. What will you do?”

  “Boone is the one in charge. I’ll defer to him. As for us, we need to keep Casper Creek closed today. We can’t have tourists up here with a forensic team.”

  Hannah hadn’t even considered that. “I’ll notify whoever needs to be notified. Although ... you’re going to have to tell me who that is.”

  He chuckled despite the dour circumstances. “We’ll take care of it together. Get dressed. I think it’s going to be a long day.”

  HANNAH MADE IT DOWNSTAIRS BEFORE the body was removed from the lamp post. She felt sick to her stomach when she saw it. The man’s face — which she recognized from the day before — was a sickly color, his eyes open and frozen in fear. She was officially horrified.

  “How did he die?” she asked as she moved to Cooper’s side. He’d been on the street for a full hour, opting to join the fray before showering.

  “We don’t know yet,” Boone answered before Cooper could. “We have a few suspicions, though.”

  Hannah pressed her lips together and tried to refrain from staring at the body. It was going to give her nightmares. She had no doubt about that. “How long has he been dead?”

  Boone shrugged. “We can’t know for sure until the medical examiner signs off on it, but the estimate is about nine hours.”

  Hannah did the math in her head. “That’s about eleven. Cooper and I were still up at that time. I think we would’ve heard him out here if he was being killed.”

  “You and Cooper were still up then, huh?” Boone almost looked amused as he glanced toward the security guru. He caught himself quickly, though, and adjusted. “Well, if it’s any consolation, I don’t think you missed anything. I believe he was dead before he was strung up. It would take a huge amount of upper body strength to haul this body up the way it was done. I have to believe he was dead before that happened.”

  Hannah didn’t know if that was good or bad news. “He looks like he died hard,” she noted, staring at the face. “Like ... really hard.”

  “You’re just saying that because hi
s eyes are open,” Boone countered. “You’re projecting. We don’t know how he died yet. There are no open wounds.”

  “What about Jordan Flynn?” Hannah wasn’t in the mood to back down. “Do we know how he died? I’ve asked about that several times and you haven’t come back with answers yet.”

  “We’re ... having issues.” Boone scratched his chin as he regarded her.

  Hannah narrowed her eyes, suspicious. “What sort of issues?”

  “The sort you wouldn’t understand.”

  “Because I’m a woman?”

  Boone balked. “Of course not.” He was scandalized. “I have a teenaged daughter, for the record. I don’t happen to believe that girls should be treated differently than boys. That’s not who I am or how I operate.”

  “Okay.” Hannah adopted a placating smile, but Boone wasn’t fooled that she was suddenly going to play nice. “If it’s not because I’m a woman, why do you think it’s above my pay grade?”

  “See, your tone makes me think that you’re going to turn this into a thing.”

  “I’m not.”

  “Why don’t I believe her?” He turned to Cooper for help. “You explain things to her.”

  That was the last thing Cooper wanted to do. “Um ... no. You put your foot in your mouth. That means you have to get yourself out of this.”

  “Oh, man.” Boone pinched the bridge of his nose. “You would think I would know better since I have a teenager who tries to trap me all the time. I just walked right into this one.”

  “I’m not trying to trap you.” Hannah opted for honesty. “I understand more about this stuff than you probably assume, though. I worked at a law firm for years. I helped with numerous murder cases. I’m not an idiot.”

  Boone turned thoughtful. “I didn’t consider that. You’re right, though — not about the idiot thing because I never thought you were stupid — but about the rest. You probably do understand this.”

  “So ... lay it on me.” Hannah rested her hands on her stomach and waited. She didn’t like hearing the grisly details of death, but she could swallow them. She was good at it.