A Fistful of Demons Read online

  It took everything Hannah had not to reach across the table and throttle him. “No.”

  “Are you sure?”

  “Absolutely.” She grabbed her takeout container and cradled it to her chest as she shot an accusatory look in his direction. “I think we’re done here.”

  Now it was his turn to be angry. “Just like that? You don’t like what I have to say and you’re calling it quits? That’s rational.”

  “I didn’t say I was calling it quits. I simply meant we were done with dinner. I’m tired. I need some time to think.”

  “I think that’s probably best.” Now that he’d given in to his annoyance, there was no backing down for Cooper. He was angry enough that he knew he needed to take a step back. His voice was chilly. “I’ll lock up down here. You don’t have to worry about that.”

  “Great.” She turned toward the stairs with a huff. “I’m not fragile and I wasn’t imagining it.”

  “I never said either of those things.”

  “You thought them!”

  Did he? Cooper couldn’t argue with her take on things so he snapped his mouth shut. He figured it was his best shot of keeping their working relationship intact. As for the rest ... he had no idea where they stood and there was no way he was questioning her now. They both needed time, so that’s what they would get.

  4

  Four

  Cooper woke frustrated. He managed to shove Hannah’s odd reaction to the previous day’s events out of his head long enough to fall asleep, but her accusatory eyes and saucy attitude haunted him in his dreams. When morning came, he felt more exhausted than when he went to bed.

  That put him in a foul mood when he went to work.

  “What’s your problem?” Tyler asked as he led the animals from the barn to the paddock the next morning. One of the tiny goats ignored his buddies and immediately raced to Cooper so he could butt him in the thigh with gusto.

  Amused despite himself, Cooper stared down at the enthusiastic creature and shook his head. “I can see why Jinx is so irritated by these guys.”

  “Jinx loves those guys,” Tyler countered. “They play together, wrestle, and chase each other. Jinx is good with them, especially for a dog that wasn’t raised on a farm and could easily hurt the babies.”

  “I thought you said he was being a pain.”

  “He’s got a lot of energy, but he’s rarely a pain.” Tyler tilted his head to the side and regarded Cooper with a searching look. “What’s up with you?”

  Cooper was taken aback. “What makes you think anything is up with me?”

  “Because you’re morose, as if you’re about to have a pity party for one.”

  “Well, you’re mistaken.” Cooper quickly averted his gaze and focused on the goat. “Does he have a name?”

  “Sherlock. They were all named after book characters ... and you’re definitely morose. What is it?”

  Cooper balked. “I am not morose. Stop saying that word. I’m totally fine.”

  Tyler wasn’t convinced. “I saw you deliver takeout to Hannah last night. I thought it was cute.”

  Cooper didn’t say a word, instead planting his hands on his hips and staring at the horizon. The sun hadn’t completely risen yet but was warm and inviting all the same. It made for a breathtaking view, which Cooper could pretend to focus on rather than his friend.

  “You left fairly quickly,” Tyler noted. “I figured you would hang out with her for an hour or two. That didn’t happen. Once you left, I could see her through the curtains upstairs. She seemed to be pacing ... and she was up for a decent amount of time.”

  Cooper’s gaze was sharp as he studied his friend. “You spied on her?”

  Tyler chuckled, genuinely amused. “No. There are only a few of us who stay up here after dark. I was worried about her and I could see her window from down here. I wanted to make sure she was okay after the body incident. That’s a lot for her to deal with in a short amount of time, especially after Leanne.”

  Cooper’s stomach did a slow roll. “She doesn’t really talk about it.”

  “Leanne?”

  He nodded, blowing out a sigh. “I’ve tried to get her to talk about it a few times, but she’s not into it. I don’t want to push her. I figure she’ll open up when she’s ready.”

  “Magic as a whole is new to her.” Tyler turned pragmatic. “She didn’t know magic was a real thing until she moved here. Not only did she find out it was, but she also found out she had some at her fingertips to utilize. It’s one thing to put on a light show. It’s quite another to take a life.”

  Cooper shifted from one foot to the other, uncomfortable. “She had to do it. She would’ve died otherwise.”

  “I know that. You know that. It must be hard for her to swallow that.”

  “Yeah.” Cooper dragged a hand through his hair and briefly pressed his eyes shut. “That’s not what we’re fighting about, though.”

  Instead of being sympathetic, Tyler let loose a war whoop and pumped his fist in the air, catching his friend off guard. “I knew you guys were fighting. I could tell. How can you be having trouble in paradise so early? You haven’t even started dating yet.”

  Cooper’s gaze turned withering. “I’m not talking to you about this.”

  “You most certainly are. Otherwise you wouldn’t have come down here. I don’t usually see you until after your third cup of coffee. I’m not an idiot. I can tell when you’re worked up.”

  Rather than answer, Cooper made a grumbling sound deep in his throat.

  “You know you’re going to tell me what’s going on,” Tyler prodded, not missing a beat. “I’m your best friend and you’re smitten.”

  “I’m not smitten,” Cooper protested, flustered. “That’s a stupid word, by the way. I don’t know who thought of it, but I’m definitely not smitten.”

  “You’re a smitten kitten.”

  Cooper extended a warning finger. “Take that back.”

  Amused more than worried, Tyler shook his head. “No. It’s the truth and I stand by it. Tell me what’s going on with Hannah. I’ll try to help you.”

  “What makes you think anything is going on with Hannah?”

  “Because I have eyes. You’re both upset. If you tell me what happened, I might be able to fix it. Then you’ll both feel better.”

  “I doubt it.”

  “Try me.”

  Cooper stared at him for a long beat and then groaned as he scuffed his shoe against the hard earth of the paddock. “You’re going to think she’s crazy.”

  Tyler arched an eyebrow. “Now I definitely want to know.”

  “You don’t. Once I tell you, you’re not going to be able to look at her without laughing.”

  “I’m always looking for a reason to laugh.”

  Another sigh slipped from between Cooper’s lips and he made up his mind on the spot. He did need someone to talk to. In truth, that’s why he visited Tyler so early. This was something he couldn’t figure out on his own. “Hannah thinks she saw a demon last night.”

  Whatever he was expecting, that wasn’t it. Tyler’s eyebrows flew up his forehead. “Excuse me?”

  “Exactly.” Resigned, Cooper told his friend the whole story. When he was done, instead of breaking into hearty guffaws, Tyler was thoughtful. “Wait ... you don’t believe that story, do you?”

  Tyler held his hands out and shrugged. “I don’t know what to believe. I mean ... Hannah doesn’t strike me as the hysterical sort. If she says she saw something, I have to believe that’s true.”

  That wasn’t what Cooper wanted to hear. “But ... demons aren’t real.”

  “Jackie says they are. She told Hannah about them, right? That’s what you just said. If Jackie believes in demons, it’s obvious Hannah didn’t make up that notion in a vacuum. Maybe it’s possible.

  “The thing is, it sounds to me as if Hannah doesn’t know what she believes and is trying to figure things out,” he continued. “You shut her down like she was an idiot e
ven though she’s still trying to muddle through the mess. It can’t be easy on her because this is all new, at least from her perspective. Now, in addition to freaking out because she thinks she saw a demon, she’s also grappling with you calling her a nut.”

  Cooper immediately started shaking his head. “I didn’t call her a nut. I don’t think she’s a liar or anything. I told her that. It’s just ... demons are so fantastical. Isn’t it possible she imagined it?”

  “Is that what you would want to hear when confiding in someone? She trusts you. She’s bonded with you. It’s clear you two are eventually going to ... stir up some magic of your own.” Tyler’s smile was impish. “That’s not going to happen if you keep acting like this. She needs support, not derision.”

  Cooper opened his mouth to argue with the assumption and then snapped it shut. In truth, the animal handler had a point. He had shut her down without giving her a chance to explore her feelings. That’s why he hadn’t slept. His conscience was nagging him. He didn’t need Tyler to tell him he made a mistake. He already knew it.

  “Geez.” He slapped his hand to his forehead and made a groaning sound. “I didn’t mean to screw this up. I just ... demons. I can’t get past the fact that she believes in demons.”

  “She saw something,” Tyler corrected. “Whatever it was, it was enough to freak her out. She didn’t come up with the demon story. She told Jackie what she saw and was told it was probably demons. You can’t blame all of this on her.”

  “Should I blame Jackie?”

  Tyler snickered and shook his head. “You’re already blaming yourself. It’s written all over your face. Why don’t you just head over there and make up with Hannah, huh? You’ll feel better once it’s done.”

  Cooper had already convinced himself of the exact same thing. “I’m afraid she’s going to yell at me,” he admitted piteously.

  “If she does, you can take it. In this particular case, you have it coming.”

  That’s exactly what Cooper was afraid of.

  BOONE AND COOPER WERE IN THE SALOON, takeout containers filled with fresh breakfast open in front of them, when Hannah and Jinx made their way down the stairs. The dog, who was ready and raring to go, bounded toward Cooper and made a big show of showering him with kisses as he pranced next to the table.

  “Jinx, leave Mr. Wyatt alone,” Hannah intoned darkly. “He doesn’t have time for you.”

  Annoyance flared as Cooper ran his tongue over his teeth. “I have time for the dog,” he said finally, making a big show of rubbing his hands over Jinx’s large neck. “See, Jinx and I get along fine.”

  “I guess it’s just me then, huh?” Hannah dejectedly threw herself in one of the open chairs as Boone raised a speculative eyebrow.

  When neither one of them spoke again, Boone slowly nudged a takeout container in her direction. “Cooper made sure I picked up food for you on my way in,” he explained. “You need to eat and keep up your strength.”

  Hannah’s glare was dark. “Maybe I don’t want to eat. Did you ever consider that?”

  “Oh, geez.” The annoyed sheriff rolled his eyes. “Do I even want to know what you two are fighting about? Wait, don’t answer that. I’m fairly certain I don’t want to hear it because it will remind me of all the romantic travails my daughter tells me about. Did I mention my daughter is a teenager, by the way? That essentially means you guys are acting like teenagers.”

  Hannah furrowed her brow. “I’m not the one acting like a jerk.”

  “No, you’re acting like a big pouter,” Boone shot back. He tapped the takeout container again for emphasis. “You need to eat. We have a few things to discuss.”

  Quickly, the anger Hannah had been hoarding like gold dissipated and all the color drained from her face. “What happened to Mr. Lincoln? Are we liable for his death?”

  Boone realized too late that he’d made a mistake. “The autopsy won’t be completed until this afternoon,” he reassured her. “I don’t know how he died. I’m going to guess natural causes, though. There’s no way Mrs. Lincoln can hold you responsible for this.”

  “That doesn’t mean she won’t sue,” Cooper countered, biting into a slice of bacon as he thoughtfully watched Hannah open her takeout container. He didn’t miss the way her expression changed, lightened, and he was glad he thought ahead to have Boone bring blueberry pancakes for her.

  “These smell great,” she enthused, her eyes sparkling. She was actually smiling when she met Cooper’s gaze, as if all was forgotten ... and forgiven. “I didn’t realize how hungry I was. It’s too bad there aren’t more options up here for food.”

  “You could always cook for yourself,” Boone noted, causing Hannah to make a face. “Or you could just figure out a way to get better takeout options or something.”

  Cooper chuckled as he wiped the corners of his mouth with his napkin. Then he turned serious. “You said you had news and you didn’t want to tell me before Hannah arrived. She’s here now and I want to make sure we stay ahead of this.”

  “Right.” Boone sobered. “We talked to the people who work with Mr. Lincoln. A group of them came together because they won the trip through a competition at work.”

  “What kind of work did he do?” Hannah asked, her voice small.

  “He was a corporate accountant for KLG. It’s one of those payroll companies, where you pay them to come in and handle all the checks and employee benefits to free up your time. It’s a big operation in this area and ten family trips were awarded. Lincoln won one of them. Nine other families were with him.”

  “Did the families stick together while they were up here?” Cooper queried. He was trying to get a picture for what happened. To do that, he had to dig into the afternoon activities.

  “Mostly.” Boone bobbed his head. “There were a few times some of the kids got over-excited and took off, but they were largely together.”

  “Did they give you any important information?” Hannah asked as she carefully spread one of the butter packets on her pancakes. She seemed unsure of herself and yet fully engaged in the conversation. Cooper took it as a good sign.

  “There were a few things they said that bear investigation,” he hedged. “The first is ... two of them mentioned — independent of each other, mind you — that they thought someone had brushed up against them at some point. Then they turned and realized that was impossible because there was no one around.”

  Hannah had no idea what to make of the statement. “I don’t understand. Is that a ghost?”

  “It could be,” Boone confirmed. “It wouldn’t be the first time a ghost was sighted up here.”

  “But ... can a ghost kill a man? And, if it does, it’s not as if I can use a ghost as a defense in court.”

  “I don’t want you to worry about that.” Boone swatted away her concern with a haphazard wave of his hand. “Odds are that we’re going to get back a natural death ruling from the medical examiner. You shouldn’t freak out, especially not yet.”

  Hannah understood he was trying to placate her, but she was at the end of her rope. “I don’t freak out. I wish you guys would stop saying things like that. I like to think I’m pretty calm.”

  “You are,” Cooper offered quickly. “You’re very calm and level-headed.”

  Hannah’s gaze was suspicious when it landed on him. “That’s not what you said last night.”

  “Well, I was an idiot last night.” The words were out of Cooper’s mouth before he gave them much thought. Even in hindsight, though, he didn’t regret them. She needed someone to bolster her and he wanted to be the person to do it. “I was tired last night and I should’ve listened to what you had to say.”

  Hannah was taken aback, but the relief washing over her was palpable. “It’s okay. It was a stupid theory. I probably didn’t see what I thought I saw.”

  “I happen to believe you.” Cooper was firm. “We’ll figure it out.”

  Hannah went warm all over at his smile and, for the first time in almost twelve
hours, managed to relax. “Thank you.”

  Her expression pained Cooper. He had no idea he managed to roil her up the way he did and now he felt guilty. He was glad he blurted out the apology. If it gave her a little bit of peace, it was worth it. After a few minutes of quiet, where the only sounds consisted of Hannah eating her pancakes, Cooper risked a glance at Boone and found the sheriff eyeing him with overt curiosity. “What?”

  Boone shook his head. “Nothing.” He rolled his eyes before grabbing his coffee and taking a long drink. “I didn’t say a word.”

  Cooper knew better but decided to change the subject rather than deal with Boone’s rampant speculation. “You said you found out a few things from interviewing the other families. What else have you got?”

  “Well, other than two people complaining that they brushed up against someone who wasn’t really there, the only thing of interest I managed to ascertain was that Todd Lincoln was apparently in a bad mood because he kept yelling at his family.”

  Hannah paused with a heaping forkful of pancakes halfway to her mouth. “I don’t understand. Are you saying he was verbally abusing them?”

  Boone held out his hands and shrugged. “I can’t answer that question. All the co-workers would say was that he was acting irritated and out of sorts. The boys ran off at one point, although they didn’t go far, and he apparently made a jerk of himself by yelling at them. One of the guys I talked to said the boys were being a little rambunctious but nothing out of the ordinary.”

  “In other words it was the father acting out of line and not the kids,” Cooper mused. “I wonder if he was enough of a jerk to enrage one of his co-workers ... or his wife. Maybe she got fed up and hit him over the head or something and threatened to sue to cover her actions.”

  Boone shrugged. “I don’t have an answer for you. Right now, we’re waiting on the autopsy. We can’t do anything until we get a ruling on cause of death.”