Dances With Witches (A Hannah Hickok Witchy Mystery Book 5)

by Lily Harper Hart

  He wasn’t convinced, but it was obvious she wanted to move past it so he let it go. “Boone texted. He should be here in about thirty minutes with breakfast. He needs to get our statements.”

  “Then I guess that means I should get in the shower.”

  He grinned. “Do you want company?”

  “Always. Then we need to collect Jinx from Tyler. He’s probably going crazy about now.”

  “I’m pretty sure that can be arranged.”

  BOONE LOOKED TIRED AS HE LET himself into the saloon, perking up significantly when he caught sight of Jinx, who was eating his breakfast behind the bar.

  “Who’s a good boy?”

  Jinx wagged his tail, but nothing could tear him away from his food.

  “He’ll be all over you and the bag the second he’s done with his first round,” Hannah reassured the sheriff, her hair still damp from the shower. She’d opted to let it air dry rather than take the time to fuss with it. “Don’t worry. You haven’t been supplanted in his heart.”

  “I certainly hope not.” Boone winked at her and dropped the box of food he carried on the table. He was a usual at the diner located just outside Casper Creek so they always packed things up for him in a manner that made the food easy to carry. “So, another victim from the crash died last night.”

  Hannah jerked up her head. “Who?”

  “Jerome Macalister. We believe he was driving the vehicle that ran the red light, the one who started the entire thing.”

  Cooper shook his head. “That’s not fair. The light turned green in all four directions at the same time. We saw it.”

  Boone furrowed his brow. “Are you sure?”

  “Positive.” Cooper bobbed his head. “That’s the one thing that registered right before it happened. I remember thinking that an accident would happen ... and then it happened. Although, I didn’t think it would be as bad as it was.”

  “No, it was definitely bad,” Boone agreed. “Eight cars were involved. Six of those cars are totaled. Twenty-one people were involved in the crash and six of them are still hospitalized.”

  “That’s on top of the two deaths, right?”

  “Yeah.”

  Hannah let loose a heavy sigh as she sat at the table. Suddenly, she’d lost her appetite. The news was enough to knock her off her game. “Do we know what happened? I mean ... did anyone else see the shadow that Angel said she saw?”

  Boone studied Hannah with a critical eye before exchanging a quick look with Cooper. It was obvious the security guru was worried about his girlfriend. It was also obvious he didn’t want to talk about it.

  “She wasn’t very talkative last night,” Boone replied. “She’s ... traumatized, as far as I can tell. She talked to Lindsey a bit, but she just thanked me for seeing that she had a place to stay and ate the McDonald’s I picked up on the way home to make sure she had something to eat.”

  “What about Lindsey?” Cooper queried. “Did she try to talk to her?”

  “It was late when I got back. Lindsey was watching some ridiculous telenovela on the television when I got home. She was supposed to be in bed an hour before, and when I pointed that out to her, she said she was too old for a bedtime. She also pointed out that if she hadn’t been awake, I would’ve had to wake her to help deal with Angel because I don’t know where the guest linens are stored.”

  That had Hannah biting back a smile. “Well, she does have a point.”

  Boone extended a warning finger. “Don’t ever tell her that. She already has way too much power over me. If she thinks that she can win this particular argument, it will be all over for me.”

  Hannah loved listening to Boone talk about being a father. He was good at it — no matter what he happened to believe — and his love for his daughter shone through every conversation. Even when Lindsey did something to drive her father insane, he couldn’t stop smiling when talking about her. In Hannah’s book, that made Boone a perfect father.

  “Where are they now?” Cooper asked as he dug in the box for the food.

  “There’s an extra breakfast for Tyler in there, too,” Boone noted. “I wasn’t sure if he’d be joining us.”

  “He’s in the shower right now — the goats made a mess in the paddock this morning and he had to clean it up — but he’ll be here in a few minutes.”

  “Good enough.” Boone accepted the container Cooper handed him. “As for the girls, they’re home hanging out. Lindsey was supposed to be volunteering at the library — I don’t want her lying around and doing nothing all day — but I gave her the day off. I figured Angel would be sad on her own.”

  “On top of that, after a good night’s sleep, Angel might confide in Lindsey,” Hannah said. “Lindsey is closer to her age.”

  “And Lindsey has lost her mother,” Cooper added. “She understands about loss.”

  “Angel’s parents are still alive,” Boone replied. “They’re still unconscious — or were when I called the hospital this morning — but they’re alive. The doctors are still hopeful about their recovery.”

  The way he phrased the statement had Hannah cocking her head. “You don’t sound hopeful about their prognosis.”

  “That’s because the doctors can’t figure out why they haven’t woken up yet. They seem puzzled. I know something paranormal went down last night. That makes me leery.”

  “I hadn’t considered that.” Hannah rubbed her forehead. “Maybe I should check on the girls.”

  “I might take you up on that, although it will have to be later. For now, I want Angel to feel comfortable in our home. Having random adults show up to check on her might not provide that feeling.”

  “Okay. What do you want me to do?”

  “Nothing for right now. I think it’s important to sit tight. We have no idea what happened.”

  “Maybe I can help you figure that out.”

  “And how do you propose that?”

  “I don’t know.” Hannah glanced at Cooper for guidance. “Maybe your idea to leave Lindsey and Angel alone is the wrong one. I could bring them out here, where there are horses and animals. I can also try to draw the story out of her once she’s feeling comfortable with me. The sooner we know what we’re up against, the better.”

  Boone hesitated but ultimately nodded. “Actually, that might be a good idea. She seems to trust you. I mean ... she asked about you. If anybody can get through to her, it’s likely you.”

  “So that’s what we’ll do.” Hannah felt better with a plan under her belt. “As soon as breakfast is over, I’ll head out to pick them up.”

  “And I’ll text Lindsey to expect you,” Boone confirmed. “Honestly, she’ll probably be excited. She hasn’t been up here in at least a year. She loves this place.”

  “Then it will be fun for everybody.” Hannah dug into her breakfast with determination. “We’ll figure it out. For once, the trouble isn’t up here. Let’s keep it that way.”

  5

  Five

  Boone ended up transporting the girls himself. He said he wanted to talk to Lindsey in private, which convinced Hannah that he was going to warn the girl about acting up. Since Hannah understood about being a teenager, she wasn’t all that worried.

  Angel looked nervous as she followed Boone and Lindsey to Main Street. Hannah had Jinx out with her as she picked up a few stray items that had blown in from someplace, and she was all smiles as she greeted the incoming trio.

  “I’m so glad you guys could come out.”

  Lindsey nodded enthusiastically as she hurried over to Hannah. She’d only interacted with the woman a few times, but she liked her ... at least so far. “Dad said we could hang out here all day. Are you sure that’s okay?”

  “I’m sure,” Hannah reassured her. “I just plan on being out here all day myself. We’re not open for a few days as we stock up. There’s no reason you guys can’t hang out with me.”

  “Cool.” Lindsey appeared positively thrilled as she looked around. “Where is Cooper?”
/>   Boone scowled. “Leave Cooper alone. He has a job to do.”

  “I’m not going to bother him,” Lindsey promised. “I just want to watch him do his job. I’m betting he does it shirtless ... and gets all sweaty.”

  Hannah had to press her lips together and look away to keep from laughing. Lindsey’s crush on Cooper was hardly a secret and the girl wasn’t afraid to express herself ... usually at Cooper’s expense.

  “Why would he be shirtless?” Boone demanded.

  “Because he’s the type of dude who looks good without a shirt,” Lindsey replied, not missing a beat. “I also watch a lot of television, and if it’s taught me anything, it’s that dudes who look good without shirts never wear them ... no matter what they’re doing.”

  “That doesn’t apply to professionals,” Boone countered.

  “Sonny is a gangster on General Hospital and he fights his enemies without a shirt all the time.”

  Boone blinked several times and then shook his head. “Did you just use soap opera logic on me?”

  Lindsey was suddenly defensive. “What? It’s a thing.”

  “It’s not a thing.”

  “It totally is.”

  “I can’t even.” Boone pinched the bridge of his nose and stared at the sky as Lindsey smirked. It was obvious she enjoyed messing with her father, and because Hannah enjoyed watching it, she refused to take sides. Instead, she focused her attention on Angel.

  “Hi.” The girl’s smile was shy as she rubbed her hands together and surveyed faces. “Um ... this is a really weird place.”

  Hannah didn’t take the comment personally. From Angel’s perspective — especially if she’d never heard of Casper Creek — it was most definitely a weird place. “My grandmother left it to me in her will a few months ago. I had never heard of it before. When I arrived, I thought it was a really weird place, too.”

  “It’s an awesome place,” Lindsey countered as she moved closer to Angel. She had an overbearing personality — something she seemed to be aware of — but she was cognizant enough to make sure she didn’t bury Angel under a mountain of attitude. “I’ll show you around.”

  “Okay.” Angel nodded in agreement. “Although ... are we allowed to walk around?” She directed the question to Boone, not Hannah, which told the amused witch that the teenager was already looking at Boone as a parental figure.

  “You’re allowed to walk around within reason,” Boone answered. “Hannah is going to tell you which places are off limits, and you’re going to listen.”

  “Of course,” Angel said automatically.

  “I wasn’t actually worried about you,” Boone said on a grin. “I said that for Lindsey’s benefit because she very rarely respects the privacy of others.”

  “I respect privacy,” Lindsey shot back. “Besides, it’s not as if I want to go through Hannah’s stuff.” She was silent a beat and then appeared to reconsider. “Although, Cooper spends the night with you a lot, right?” She didn’t wait for Hannah to respond and instead barreled forward. “Can we see your apartment? I never saw it when Miss Abigail was living up there. I always wanted to, though.”

  “Oh, well ....” Hannah felt put on the spot. It wasn’t that she didn’t trust Lindsey as much as she preferred keeping her inner sanctum private.

  Boone swept in before Hannah had to make up her mind. “You don’t need to see her apartment. Don’t be a pest.”

  “How is that being a pest?” Lindsey challenged.

  “You just want to go up there and sniff Cooper’s shirt or something, and it’s not going to happen.” Boone was firm. “That’s Hannah’s apartment. You guys have the run of the place, so you don’t need to go up there. As for Cooper’s clothing, I’ll be searching you when it’s time to leave and if you come home with an extra flannel shirt, I’m going to arrest you. You’ve been warned.”

  Hannah choked on a laugh and half managed to cover it with a cough. The sound of footsteps on the gravel drew her attention and she was relieved to see Cooper heading in their direction. Thankfully for him — actually, probably for everybody present — he was wearing a shirt. The fact that he was also wearing a smile had Lindsey melting.

  “Hello, ladies.” He grinned at the teenagers in turn, charm on full display. “I hear you’re going to be hanging out with us all day.”

  “We definitely are,” Lindsey agreed, gracing Angel with a rather obvious elbow to the stomach. “We want to learn everything there is to know about Casper Creek ... starting with the security.”

  Cooper was taken aback. “You want to learn about the security at Casper Creek? That doesn’t sound very fun.”

  “On the contrary.” Lindsey’s smile was serene. “I’ve always had an interest in security matters.”

  Boone made an exasperated face. “Since when?”

  “Since my daddy is a police officer. You told me you didn’t want me following in your footsteps because it wasn’t safe. That’s when I started thinking about security.”

  She was good, Hannah mused. Lindsey knew exactly how to play her father. Of course, since he lived with her, Boone knew better than to believe anything she said.

  “Stop shining me on,” he ordered in a stern voice. “I want you two to behave yourselves. With that in mind, if anybody here orders you to do something, you’re to do it. Hannah, Cooper, and Tyler are all the boss of you.”

  “I’ll be good,” Angel promised in a low voice.

  Boone nodded in agreement. “I know you will. I wasn’t actually worried about you.” His eyes danced to Lindsey. “As for you ... if I hear about you misbehaving, not only will you be grounded, but you’re going to have to do your volunteering at the jail next week.”

  Lindsey’s mouth dropped open. “You know I hate the jail. It’s full of criminals.”

  “That’s why it makes an effective threat.” Boone was stern. “Be good. I want you to have fun but ... Hannah, Cooper, and Tyler are in charge. What they say goes. If I get a negative report back, you’re going to be in big trouble.”

  Lindsey was suddenly sullen. “I have no intention of being bad. I don’t see why you have to be so grouchy just because I said I wanted to watch Cooper work shirtless. I was just joking. I don’t really want to see that.”

  Cooper’s forehead wrinkled and he leaned closer to Hannah. “What did she say?”

  Hannah chuckled and squeezed his hand. “They’re going to be fine,” she promised Boone. “We’ll keep them busy. You have nothing to worry about.”

  Boone didn’t look convinced. “I’m the father of a teenage girl. All I do is worry. Nothing is going to change about that.”

  Because Hannah knew he was right, she decided to let it go. “They’ll be safe. Trust me.”

  HANNAH TOOK THE GIRLS TO Tyler’s paddock after giving Angel the initial tour. For her part, the accident survivor looked a little shell shocked. Hannah wanted to ask how she was feeling, inquire about her parents, but that felt invasive. Angel was obviously dealing with a lot of fear and uncertainty, and the last thing Hannah wanted was to add to it.

  “Can we ride the horses?” Lindsey asked as she watched the goats chase Jinx onto the picnic table, a huge grin on her face. “Maybe we can take them down to the river or something, huh?”

  Hannah hesitated. She wasn’t necessarily opposed to an excursion, but she was far from a master horsewoman. In fact, she’d only ridden the horses three times so far ... and Tyler or Cooper were with her for each trip.

  “Well ....”

  “I don’t think that’s a good idea today,” Tyler volunteered, saving her from having to be the bad guy.

  “Why not?” Lindsey’s lower lip jutted out, and Hannah was certain it was a reflexive response, something she pulled out on a regular basis when it came to dealing with her father.

  “Because there’s talk we might get a dust storm later.”

  “A dust storm?” Lindsey shook her head. “Those only happen in the mountains, and rarely. I know because I’ve heard my dad talk
about them.”

  Tyler snickered. “Where do you think you are?”

  Perhaps sensing a trick question, Lindsey took an exaggerated look around. “Casper Creek,” she said finally.

  “Which is on top of a mountain.”

  “I ... huh.” Lindsey shifted her gaze to the parking lot. “I kind of forgot that because Dad drove us here. Hey, can we go up and down the ski lift?”

  “There’s a ski lift?” Angel tore her gaze away from Jinx and focused on Hannah. “I didn’t see a ski lift.”

  “It’s at the far end of town,” Hannah explained. “I didn’t take you guys that far down because I didn’t think it was necessary. The lift isn’t running today.”

  “Can we make it run?” Lindsey asked hopefully.

  Rueful, Hannah shook her head. “The controls are at the bottom of the mountain and the building is locked up.”

  “Can’t we go down there and, I don’t know, boot it up?”

  “No, we can’t,” Tyler replied firmly. He was familiar with Lindsey and the way she wheedled people, and he had no intention of letting her run roughshod over Hannah. “That costs money. You’re fine up here.”

  “What money?” Lindsey was used to getting her own way and that was on full display today. “It’s not as if there’s a coin machine to start it up. I know better than that.”

  “No, but it takes electricity and gas.”

  “Oh.” Given Lindsey’s expression, it was obvious she hadn’t thought about that. “I’m bummed.”

  Hannah snickered. “Well figure out a way for you guys to ride the lift on a day when we’re open. How’s that?”

  “I guess it will do.” Lindsey wasn’t very convincing, but she forced a smile for Hannah’s benefit. “Where did we land on the horses again?”

  “No.” Tyler shook his head. “If there’s a dust storm, the horses will get spooked and they could twist an ankle because they can’t see clearly. If something happens to a leg, they could get put down. Is that what you want?”