Boot Scootin' Boogeyman

by Lily Harper Hart

  Nick shot her an appraising look but didn’t question her further. Instead, he shifted his eyes to Rick as he returned from the storage room. “I’m not quite up to Tom Cruise’s standards in Cocktail, but I’m making great strides.”

  Amusement lit Rick’s features. “Aren’t you a little young to be referencing that movie?”

  “You would think but there’s only so many movies about bartenders and I felt the need to bone up on my pop culture trivia before taking this job. That film happens to be a masterpiece.”

  Hannah snorted. “That film is all kinds of wrong, but it boasts some great music.”

  Nick extended a finger. “That we can agree on.” He fell silent for a few moments, his eyes traveling to the empty saloon. “Is it normal to have lulls like this?”

  Hannah nodded, happy he was asking questions she could actually answer. “Yeah. It’s kind of nice. The tourists come up in waves so we basically have three or four solid waves a day and then a little breathing room to clean up and do it all over again.”

  “It is kind of nice,” Nick agreed. “I thought maybe things would be slower than normal because of those missing women. I’ve noticed whenever a story like that hits people tend to stick closer to home.”

  Hannah, uncomfortable with the subject, shifted from one foot to the other. “Yeah, well ... it’s a little distressing. One of the women has been found, though. She jumped off the top of the bank last night.”

  “Really?” Nick’s eyebrows practically flew off his forehead. “I didn’t hear that.”

  “I don’t know if it’s made the news cycle that the dead woman is one of the missing,” Hannah admitted. “The only reason I know so much about it is because Cooper and I were there.”

  Rick, his eyes keen, shifted to face Hannah. “You were there? You saw her kill herself?”

  Hannah nodded, rubbing her forehead wearily. “Yeah. It was horrible.”

  “Did she splatter all over?” Nick asked. He must’ve realized his mistake too late because he quickly raised his hands in capitulation. “Not that I’m gross and want to hear the details about that. I’ve just seen a lot of movies.”

  Hannah could see that. He’d dropped more pop culture references in the last two hours than she thought humanly possible. “I don’t really want to talk about it.”

  “Of course.” Nick backed off immediately. “I’m sorry if I sounded a little bit excited there. I’m not a ghoul. It’s just ... that’s like the only thing going on around here right now.”

  “Yeah. It’s scary,” Hannah agreed.

  They worked in amiable silence for a good thirty seconds, and then Rick was the first to break it.

  “I knew her,” he announced out of nowhere. “The dead woman. June. I heard it was her this morning when people started talking because Cooper was going to have a conversation with Jon. I couldn’t believe it when the news broke.”

  Hannah flicked her eyes to him. “You knew her? She worked at the local grocery store, right? Is that where you met her?”

  “I met her at a bar downtown. We dated for a bit.”

  The admission threw Hannah off guard. “Oh, I ... didn’t know that.” Suddenly, she was distinctly uncomfortable. “I’m sorry for whatever she meant to you.”

  He lifted his eyes and there was no emotion there. “Oh, she didn’t mean anything to me. She dumped me right before she started dating Jon. I’ve always suspected she was cheating on me. I’m not going to miss her.”

  Hannah swallowed hard and risked a glance at Nick, who looked as uncomfortable as she felt. The conversation had quickly gone off the rails and she wasn’t sure how to get it back. “Well, it’s still sad,” she said finally. “Um ... I guess we should get back to work. The next wave of tourists is due in five minutes.”

  Rick’s smile was back as he regarded her. “I’m looking forward to serving with you.”

  Hannah couldn’t return the words. She no longer felt as if she could look forward to doing anything with Rick.

  COOPER MADE HIMSELF AS COMFORTABLE as possible on the patio. Astra had been busy, cleaning the area and improving it so it was actually a delightful space. That didn’t mean he wanted to hang around any longer than necessary.

  “I see you have some new witches to corrupt,” he offered as she settled across from him. “The brunette is a real piece of work.”

  “Stormy,” Astra volunteered. “She just moved here from Montana. Her manners need a bit of improvement. She’s not too bad, though.”

  “I don’t like her.”

  “Who do you like?”

  “I like people. I simply don’t like the people you seem to surround yourself with.”

  “Right. You like people.” Astra’s gaze darkened. “How is your new toy? Hannah, right? That’s her name. What a stupid name.”

  “You know her name.” Cooper wasn’t in the mood for games. He especially didn’t want the conversation lingering on Hannah for too long. In Astra’s mind, Hannah was the one who stood between her and what she wanted: Casper Creek. Astra had been convinced Abigail would leave her the property upon her death. She was still smarting from her new reality, specifically the part where Hannah had started manifesting powers that were on par with, if not greater, than the ones Astra possessed.

  “She saved your life,” Cooper reminded her. “If it hadn’t been for Hannah, you would’ve died in that cave with the demon.”

  “It turned out the demon wasn’t anything to fear,” Astra tossed back. “It was the boy Hannah tried so hard to protect who was the problem. Last time I checked, his body was still in that cave. How long are you going to let that situation linger?”

  “Not much longer.”

  “You’re just waiting to make sure he’s decomposed enough to make an autopsy difficult,” Astra surmised. “That’s smart. Explaining that the boy was evil won’t go over well with local law enforcement, even if Boone is on your side and covers for you.”

  “I’m not here to talk about that situation.” Cooper was firm. “I want to know if you’ve been up to Casper Creek playing with the goats.”

  Astra’s expression signified she found the question absurd. “Why would I care about the goats?”

  He shrugged. “I don’t know. One is dead, though. It was killed on the hill by the river ... and it was completely drained of blood.”

  Instead of bristling at the accusation, Astra pursed her lips, intrigued. “Someone drained all the goat’s blood? That’s ... interesting.”

  “I’m guessing the blood was needed for some sort of ritual.”

  “A witch ritual, right?”

  He held his hands out and kept his face impassive. “It’s a possibility, isn’t it?”

  “I hate to break it to you, but if I needed blood for a spell, I wouldn’t steal one of Tyler’s animals to supply it. That’s a risk that I wouldn’t need to absorb when there are so many other animals, the sort that wouldn’t be missed, running around the countryside.”

  Cooper had to admit that what she said made sense ... even if it didn’t leave him with any comfortable options. “Tyler says there are weird puncture wounds on the back of the goat’s neck, like perhaps an animal attacked. Do you know of any such animal in these parts?”

  She shook her head, thoughtful. “Not that I’m aware of. I can do some research, although I don’t know what good it will do. I ... .” She stiffened when a shadow fell over the table and shifted to look at the open doorway that led back into the store. “Do you need something, Stormy?”

  If the brunette witch was concerned about being caught listening, she didn’t show it. Instead, she graced the duo with a mischievous smile. “I was just eavesdropping.”

  “Of course you were.” Astra didn’t look pleased. “This conversation has nothing to do with you.”

  “No? I guess not. I thought for sure you were talking about those missing women, including the one who took the header off the bank roof last night. I guess I was wrong.”

  Cooper shifted i
n his chair, pinning the woman with a dark look. “How do you know about the woman jumping from the bank?”

  “It’s on the news.”

  “It’s on the news that a woman killed herself,” he argued. “The connection to the missing women hasn’t been publicly acknowledged.”

  “Oh, well, perhaps I just assumed.” Stormy’s lips quirked as Cooper’s eyes narrowed. “I just wanted to remind you that you have a reading in ten minutes, Astra. I can do it if you’re otherwise engaged. I’m assuming what you’re doing out here is much more ... um, stimulating ... than what you’ll be doing inside.”

  The darkness that crossed Astra’s face was enough to cause Cooper to shudder.

  “I will handle my clients,” Astra countered, her tone biting. “I don’t need you to fill in for me. If I ever have need of those services ... well, I’ll never have need of those services. We’re wrapping up here. I won’t be much longer.”

  “Of course.” Stormy bowed low and let loose a giggle before straightening. “Your wish is my command.”

  Cooper waited until she disappeared back inside to speak. “You realize she’s mocking you, right?”

  Astra nodded, her eyes still on the doorway. “She’s ... spirited.”

  “She’s trouble,” he countered. “She’s going to be a big, giant headache for you before it’s all said and done. You should get rid of her now.”

  “Get rid of her?” The light returned to Astra’s eyes. “Since when are you a fan of murder?”

  His stomach rolled at the light way she threw around the word. “That’s not what I’m talking about and you know it. I’m not suggesting killing her. I’m saying you should send her away.”

  “And why would I want to do that when she so obviously makes you uncomfortable?” Astra’s expression never changed. “From where I’m sitting, she’s an amusing new toy.”

  “You keep thinking that,” Cooper said. “When she stabs you in the back and wreaks havoc on what you’re trying to build, you’ll feel differently. It will be too late then.”

  “I can handle my own people.”

  “I certainly hope so. History says otherwise, though. Unless ... well ... you remember Leanne, right? She was working without your knowledge and tried to kill someone I care about a great deal. I won’t sit back and let that happen twice.”

  “You just worry about your new witch. I’ll handle Stormy.”

  “You’d better. You won’t like what happens if you don’t.”

  8

  Eight

  Hannah’s discomfort with Rick’s reaction to June’s death didn’t ease despite how busy they were with the second wave. She stayed throughout, making sure to help to the best of her ability, and then excused herself during the following lull.

  “I’m just going to leave you guys to this for a bit and check on something.” She kept a bright smile in place even though she didn’t necessarily feel it. “I’ll be back in a few minutes.”

  “Sure.” Rick was back to his normal, gregarious self. He didn’t act like a man who had been callous in the face of an old lover’s death. Instead, he was focused on his job and seemed to get a kick out of Nick’s stories.

  For his part, if Nick was as bothered as Hannah by what Rick said, he didn’t show it. He was back “on,” and entertaining anyone who bothered to look in his direction.

  “Okay. I’ll be back in a little bit.” She whistled for Jinx to follow, which he seemed keen to do. The dog gave an excited yip when they hit the outdoors and immediately made a beeline for Tyler’s paddock. Since she didn’t really have a destination in mind when she left, she decided to follow. Basically, she needed breathing room and Jinx had given her a reason to head in a certain direction. That’s all she needed.

  Tyler was busy discussing matters of life and death with the goats when they arrived.

  “I’m sorry that Billy is gone,” he said solemnly to the remaining goats. “I know he was your brother and you loved him, but sometimes things like this happen. I’m sorry for your loss.”

  Hannah folded her arms over her chest and regarded the animal wrangler with a curious look as Jinx bounded into the paddock and immediately started chasing the goats, who scattered and bleated ... and tried to come up on him from behind to exact revenge. It was like a silly dance, and it never failed to amuse her.

  “Are you going to have a funeral for Billy?” she asked, smirking when Tyler turned and fixed her with a rueful look. “What kind of name is Billy for a goat, by the way?”

  Tyler shrugged, unbothered by the teasing. “Billy the Kid. In this case a goat kid, but still. It seemed fitting.”

  Hannah hadn’t yet put that together and she laughed when she did. “Oh. I didn’t think of that. It’s funny. What have you named the others?”

  “Wild Bill Hitchkid. Buffalo Kid Cody. Wykid Earp. Oh, and Kid Holliday.”

  “I sense a theme.”

  “It seemed fitting given where we are.”

  “Yeah.” She watched him a moment, her heart going out to him. He was doing his best to pretend he was okay, but she could tell the loss of an animal weighed on him. “I’m really sorry.” She moved to him and wrapped her arms around his neck, offering a friendly hug. “I know it’s hard to lose an animal. When it’s Jinx’s time — and I’m still in denial that’s ever going to happen — I’m going to be a wreck. It’s okay to be sad.”

  “It’s okay.” He patted her arm. “Jinx still has a lot of years in front of him. As for Billy ... I should be used to this. It’s not as if animals haven’t died under my watch before. I do the best that I can but there’s a circle of life. I just ... it bothers me because he should’ve been safe in the paddock. I’ve been all over it and can’t figure out how he got out.”

  Hannah separated from him and planted her hands on her hips as she glanced around. “Well, I can help you look. We’ll start from scratch and do it again.”

  “It feels like a waste of time.”

  “It’s not a waste of time if it makes you feel better.”

  “True.” He pursed his lips as he regarded her. “Shouldn’t you be at the saloon? Are you just using my bad mood as a reason to shirk your duties? If so, I applaud you. There’s nothing better than playing hooky from work.”

  “Actually, I just needed a breather,” Hannah replied. “Rick is sort of creeping me out.”

  “Rick?” Tyler’s eyebrows hopped. “Why is that? I’ve always thought of that guy as completely harmless.”

  “I would’ve agreed with you until ... um ... did you know that he used to date June?”

  “I’m not sure who that is,” Tyler hedged.

  “The woman who jumped from the bank building last night.”

  “You mean Jon’s girlfriend?”

  “Except Rick says that she was his girlfriend first and insinuated that she broke up with him for Jon ... and he didn’t seem happy about it.”

  “Well, no one is happy about being thrown over for another person. I had no idea that Rick was seeing anyone, though. How long ago was this?”

  Hannah held out her hands and shrugged. “I’m not exactly sure. I think Cooper said that Jon and June had been dating about six months, so it had to have been a while ago. He was kind of weird when talking about her death. He almost seemed happy about it.”

  “Really?” Tyler lifted his chin and glanced back at the saloon. He looked unsettled. “That doesn’t sound like him. Are you sure he wasn’t joking?”

  “I don’t really think it’s a funny thing, but I’m pretty sure he was serious. Like ... deadly serious. It made me uncomfortable. I wasn’t the only one who noticed either. Nick noticed, too, although he got over it a lot more quickly than I did.”

  “Maybe he realized it was a bad joke. It’s not unusual for people to use gallows humor when they’re close to a situation. Maybe that’s all this is.”

  “Maybe.” Hannah wasn’t convinced, but there was no reason to dwell on it ... especially when Tyler had his own problems. She needed t
o talk to Cooper, she realized. He would tell her if there was anything to worry about. “Have you seen Cooper?”

  “He went out with Boone this morning.”

  “I know, but then he came back and went out with you.”

  “Right.” Tyler internally cringed when he realized the position he’d put himself in. “Um ... have you checked his office?”

  Hannah narrowed her eyes. She didn’t know Tyler all that well, but the man was an open book. She could tell when he was lying. “You know something.”

  “I ... why would you say that?”

  “Why do you keep answering a question with a question?” Her voice turned shrill. “You’re hiding something from me. What is it?”

  “I’m not hiding anything from you,” he reassured her quickly. “I’m just ... um ... .” In truth, Cooper hadn’t come right out and admitted where he was heading once they were finished checking the scene of the goat crime. Tyler knew him well enough to read between the lines, though.

  “Tell me.” Hannah folded her arms across her chest and adopted a defiant look. “As your boss, I demand you tell me.”

  Tyler’s reaction wasn’t exactly what she hoped for. He snorted, shot her a wide grin, and then shook his head. “Oh, you’re so cute. No wonder Cooper is head over heels for you. If I played for your team I would fight him for you.”

  Hannah’s mouth dropped open in outrage. “I’m being serious.”

  “So adorable.”

  She jutted out her lower lip. “How can I be the boss if nobody respects me?”

  “I respect you. I just don’t believe you when you throw around the ‘I’m the boss’ card. You don’t have it in you to fire me for not telling you what I know.”

  “Ha!” She jabbed a finger in his direction, her eyes wild. “I knew you knew something. Talk. You have to tell me.”

  He hesitated, and then sighed. “I’m going to tell you but only because I wasn’t told not to tell you. Actually, I wasn’t told anything. This is an assumption on my part. You should be made aware of that.”