Her heart went out to the young boys. They’d left their house this morning, assuming they were going on an adventure, and they’d lost their father along the way. They were bound to be traumatized.
As if feeling her eyes on him, the younger boy — his mother introduced him as Logan, she reminded herself — turned in her direction. She expected to find grief in his somber eyes. Instead she found glee. They glowed red for an instant, as if sending a warning, and then the boy was back to looking like a normal child.
He didn’t glance in her direction again as his mother dragged him from the building. Then he was gone, and all Hannah could do was wonder if she really saw what she thought she saw.
3
Three
She was the only one who noticed. A quick glance at Cooper and Boone told her they were oblivious to what had happened ... which made her wonder if she was losing her mind.
“We can’t do anything until we have the autopsy results,” Boone explained. “For all we know, he had a heart attack. It could very well be natural causes. There were no marks on the body.”
“Is that what you’re leaning toward?” Hannah asked finally, her voice raspy.
Cooper quickly shifted his eyes to her. She sounded worn down, as if she were about to fall asleep on her feet. She looked ragged to boot and all he wanted to do was sweep her up in his arms and coddle her. “You shouldn’t be worried about this,” he said automatically. “Odds are that there was nothing we could’ve done to prevent his death.”
Hannah was understandably dubious. “Really? Do you have a lot of natural deaths up here? I must’ve missed that particular highlight advertised in the brochure.”
Cooper reminded himself that she was partially in shock given everything that had happened and refrained from snapping at her. “I don’t know that I would say we’ve had a lot of natural deaths. It’s not unheard of, though. We’ve had a few heart attacks ... one guy went down with an aneurysm that most certainly wasn’t our fault. That could’ve happened in this instance, too.”
Hannah understood that he was trying to make her feel better, but she didn’t want to know about the best-case scenario. It was the worst-case giving her fits. “What happens if we’re at fault?”
Boone and Cooper exchanged weighted looks but neither answered.
“What happens?” Hannah repeated, more forceful this time.
“You most likely wouldn’t be facing charges if it was an accident,” Boone replied finally. “Accidents happen, after all. Your insurance company might pull coverage, though. That was always a concern for Abigail. She was terrified she would lose coverage because you can’t operate if you don’t have an insurance provider willing to take you on.”
Hannah nodded, her mind busy. “When will you know what he died of?”
“Hopefully tomorrow.”
“Then I guess there’s nothing we can do until tomorrow.” She dragged a hand through her hair, which had come loose from her earlier bun. She’d thought it looked perky when she caught a glimpse of her reflection. Now, when she looked at her reflection in the mirror behind the bar, she saw nothing perky about her countenance. “What should we be doing to clean up the town?”
“Nothing,” Cooper replied, concern washing over him. She already sounded defeated, which was something he didn’t want to see. “It’s supposed to rain tomorrow morning. The workers will arrive early to clean up. There’s nothing you have to do.”
“Well ... then I guess I’ll head out to take a look around and collect Jinx.” She shuffled toward the swinging doors. “Just let me know what needs to be done, Sheriff. I’ll take care of it.”
Boone nodded as he watched her go, thoughtful. “It’s going to be okay, Hannah,” he said finally. “We’ll figure it out.”
“You’re not alone,” Cooper added. “We’re all in this together.”
Hannah appreciated the words, but they sounded empty. She’d never felt so alone in her entire life.
Boone waited until she disappeared into the growing gloom outside to speak. “She seems shaken.”
“Do you blame her?” Cooper’s tone was accusatory. “She’s never had to deal with stuff like this before. She’s doing the best she can.”
Boone’s gaze turned speculative. “Did you get the feeling that I was attacking her?”
“I ... don’t know.” Cooper turned sheepish. “She’s just dealing with a lot.”
“And you see her as a wounded bird you need to tend,” Boone surmised. “I get it. Believe me, I get it. She’s not weak, though. Forget the fact that Abigail was her grandmother — and that woman was stronger than any ten men put together — but we’ve seen her in action. She’s strong. You can’t coddle her, no matter what your instincts tell you to do.”
Cooper scowled. “I’m not coddling her. Why do you think I’m coddling her?”
“Because I’m a man and I recognize the instinct. I often want to coddle my daughter, too, but that’s rarely the smart move. I want my daughter to be strong — like Hannah is strong — so I can’t always make things better for her. I have to trust that she’ll do it for herself. You need to do the same for Hannah.”
“And what makes you think I’m not?”
“I didn’t say you were doing anything wrong. I’m just suggesting that you let her absorb this herself for a bit. I think she’ll be better off for it.”
Cooper was dour. That wasn’t what he wanted to hear. “I’ll consider it.”
“That’s all I ask.”
ONCE HANNAH RECLAIMED JINX FROM ARNIE, who was feeding the dog biscuits from a box and having a regular conversation with the animal, as if Jinx would somehow magically start answering, she didn’t point herself back toward the saloon. Although part of her wanted to go to bed, hide under the covers, and hopefully wake up in a world where this had all been a dream, she knew better than falling apart. She had to hold it together ... and figure this out.
With that in mind, she sought out Jackie Metcalf, the woman who served as a seamstress for Casper Creek’s ornate costumes. She was a lovely woman, friendly, and always served as a calm sounding board when Hannah needed someone to talk to. She was also a witch, and what Hannah needed more than anything was to figure out if she’d actually seen something evil within Logan Lincoln.
“I heard about the body,” Jackie announced as she swept the front porch of the haberdashery store. “That’s crazy, huh? Does Boone have any idea what happened to him?”
Hannah shook her head. “No. He says they won’t know until the autopsy is complete tomorrow.”
“That’s a bummer.”
Hannah could think of a few other words for it. “Yeah, well ... um ... I have a question for you.”
Jackie shifted so she could study Hannah’s wan features and wanted to kick herself for not realizing the woman was obviously struggling with something. “Are you blaming yourself for this? If so, you shouldn’t. He probably just had a heart attack or something. It’s happened before.”
Hannah arched an eyebrow, amused despite herself. “Is that the Casper Creek motto? Come for the beer, stay for the heart attack. You’re the second person to tell me this has happened before. It’s a little freaky.”
“I don’t know why it would be freaky. It honestly has happened before. People can have heart attacks anywhere. Casper Creek isn’t immune.”
“I get that.” Hannah pressed the heel of her hand to her forehead. She could feel a potential headache brewing and it was the last thing she needed. “The thing is ... um ... .”
Jackie feigned patience for as long as she could ... and then succumbed to her baser urges. “You should just spit it out. You’ll feel better when you get whatever this is off your chest. Wait ... does this have anything to do with Cooper? If so, maybe I should sit down. It’s not that I don’t love gossip — especially when it’s of the romantic variety — but sometimes I find it tedious. I hope that’s not the case this time.”
Hannah rolled her eyes. “This has nothing
to do with Cooper. It has to do with ... magic.” The final word was difficult for her to get out. She was still growing accustomed to her new reality.
“Really?” That wasn’t the response Jackie was expecting. “Okay. I’m here to answer questions about that, too. I thought it would be a bit before you came to me for answers on anything big, though.”
“I thought so, too,” Hannah admitted ruefully. “Something happened tonight, however, and I have questions.”
“Something happened with the dead man? I hadn’t heard that anything supernatural went down during the storm. This is getting more and more intriguing.”
“I don’t know that anything supernatural happened,” Hannah hedged. “I didn’t see anything during the storm. I saw something after the storm.” Going for broke, she launched into her tale. When she was done describing Logan’s glowing red eyes and chilly demeanor, Jackie looked more flummoxed than alarmed.
“Are you sure that’s what you saw?” she asked finally.
Hannah nodded. “I’m almost positive. Why would I imagine something like that?”
“You were in shock.”
“I was surprised. I wasn’t in shock. Why does everyone here insist on treating me like a mental invalid? I can handle things. I think I’ve shown that on more than one occasion.”
Jackie’s lips curved. “I wasn’t suggesting that you’re weak. You’re new to the magic game, though. You were also under duress because the widow threatened a lawsuit. You’re worldly and understand about things like that. It still had to come as a shock.”
“Oh, that.” Hannah pressed her lips together and considered the statement. Finally, she nodded. “I guess I was a little shocked. It wasn’t enough that I would imagine those eyes, though. There has to be another explanation.”
“Well ... there’s only one that I can think of.”
“Really?” Hannah perked up exponentially. “What reason?”
“He’s a demon.”
That wasn’t the answer she was expecting. Not by a long shot. “What?”
Jackie chuckled at Hannah’s reaction. “Sit down. I have a few things to explain to you. I’m not sure what you really saw, but if we are dealing with a demon, there’re a few things you should know.”
Hannah dumbly nodded. “Okay.” She felt weak in the knees as she sat on the barrel across from Jackie. “Are demons honestly real?”
She nodded. “Yeah, and they’re not the easiest of foes to take on. If we have a demon problem, it’s going to take all of us working together to deal with it.”
“Could it be something else?”
“Not that I’ve ever heard of. It’s probably a demon ... which means we have even bigger things to worry about than a dead body.”
To Hannah, that was a sobering thought. “Okay, lay it on me.”
“Just remember ... you asked for it.”
THE DEMON CONVERSATION DIDN’T go exactly how she thought. By the time she returned to the saloon it was empty except for Cooper, who had a bag of food and was sitting at one of the tables. His expression was hard to read.
“I thought you forgot about me.”
Caught in a reverie, it took Hannah a moment to shake herself out of it. “Oh, I ... what’s that?”
“Dinner. I thought we agreed to eat together.”
She’d forgotten, which horrified her. “I’m so sorry. I got caught up talking to Jackie. I didn’t mean to ... .” She didn’t finish the sentence because she was afraid of coming across as rude.
Cooper wasn’t going to let her off that easily. “You didn’t mean to forget me?”
“I just got caught up. I’m so sorry. I would never forget you. Things just took me by surprise tonight. I ... am so sorry.”
Because he couldn’t take torturing her a second longer, Cooper let out a long sigh and shook his head. Then he smiled. “I was just messing with you.” His grin was impish. “I knew you were with Jackie. I saw you. The conversation looked intense so I didn’t want to interrupt.”
Hannah’s lips curved down. “You are not even remotely funny.”
“Sure I am. I also arranged to get burgers and fries for both of us.”
Hannah cocked a dubious eyebrow. “How did you manage that?”
“I paid Aiden ten bucks to pick it up for us. He says he needs video game money.”
“You’re so smart.” She moved closer to the table, wondering how she was going to explain that she’d lost her appetite. When she got a whiff of the food, however, she practically started drooling and forgot about anything else. “That smells heavenly.”
“I’m glad.” He motioned toward the chair across from him. “Why don’t we eat down here? It’s a nice night despite the earlier storm and the rain is due to come in overnight so we might as well enjoy the fresh air while we can.”
“That sounds like a plan.”
The next few minutes were conducted in silence and Hannah had a mouth full of burger before she spoke again. “You didn’t have to do this. It’s going above and beyond.”
The fact that she was so hungry she was talking with her mouth full amused him. “It’s fine. I was hungry, too. It’s better eating with you than eating alone.”
She swallowed. “You still didn’t have to go out of your way for me.”
“I didn’t go out of my way for you. I did what I wanted to do.”
“That’s kind of sweet.”
He winked. “That’s what they all say.” He dunked a fry in ketchup and eyed her speculatively “What were you and Jackie talking about?”
“Oh, well ... .” She felt uncomfortable under his keen gaze and focused on her food.
“You don’t have to tell me if you don’t feel like it. I was simply curious. Maybe it’s none of my business.”
“It’s not that,” she offered hurriedly. “It’s just ... I’m afraid you’re going to laugh at me.”
“Try me.”
“Well ... you know those little boys that were in here?” She barreled forward when he nodded. “The younger one had glowing red eyes.”
Cooper had a mouth full of hamburger when she blurted it out and he almost choked. After falling into a coughing fit that lasted a full thirty seconds, he drank from his bottle of water, and his face was still red from exertion when he finally found his voice. “Excuse me?”
His tone was enough to have Hannah bristling. “Never mind,” she muttered, glaring at her takeout container.
“No, don’t be that way,” he admonished. “I didn’t mean to offend you. It’s just ... I don’t think I understand.”
“I didn’t either. I thought maybe I was imagining it.”
“That’s possible. You were in shock.”
“Why does everybody keep saying that?” Hannah practically exploded. “I was surprised. I wasn’t in shock.”
“I didn’t mean anything by it,” he offered. “I just ... anybody would’ve been in shock given what happened.”
“Well, I wasn’t in shock. I saw what I saw. I’ve given it a lot of thought and I’m sure of it.”
“You’re sure you saw his eyes glow red?” Cooper had no idea what to say, but he was fairly certain that laughing would be a surefire way to get him kicked out of the saloon ... and maybe even Hannah’s life. He had to find another route. “I guess I’m having trouble imagining it. Can you tell me — from beginning to end — what you saw?”
Hannah was suspicious, convinced Cooper was one bad explanation away from laughing at her, but she gave it a shot. She took her time, laid everything out, and when she was finished he seemed far too relaxed to have fallen for the story.
“You don’t have to tell me your opinion on things,” she groused. “You don’t believe me.”
“I didn’t say that.” His eyes flashed. “It’s just ... I’ve never heard of anything like that happening before.”
“Well, maybe you don’t know everything. Have you ever considered that?”
“Every day. However, I’ve been around the paranormal a l
ot longer than you. I’ve definitely seen more. While I would never pretend to have seen everything, I’ve never heard of anything remotely like this.”
“Well, you learn something new every day, right? Isn’t that the saying?”
“Yes, but ... what did Jackie say?” Cooper felt out of his element. While he didn’t want to alienate Hannah, he also didn’t want to indulge her imagination. It was entirely possible, at least from where he was standing, that she imagined it because she was overwrought. However, he knew better than voicing that opinion in front of her.
“Jackie wanted me to describe what I saw. She said it sounded like a demon and gave me the lowdown on them. I’m not sure what to believe ... but I definitely saw what I saw.”
Cooper worked his jaw. “She said it sounded like a demon? Like a real-life demon?”
Hannah narrowed her eyes to dangerous slits. “She did. I’m guessing that makes it even harder for you to believe me.”
“I didn’t say I didn’t believe you.”
Hannah was taken aback. “Does that mean you do?”
He wasn’t sure how to respond but his mouth opened anyway. “I don’t believe in demons.”
“So, you think I’m a liar.”
“Don’t even go there.” His tone took on a growl that set her teeth on edge. “I don’t think you’re a liar. I just think that you’ve been through a lot today and you might not have seen what you thought you did.”
That did it. Hannah was already on edge before sitting down. She didn’t have any place to point her anger before, but she did now. “I am not imagining things!”
He held it together despite her ire. “I didn’t say you were imagining things.”
“That’s exactly what you said.”
“It is not.”
“It is so.”
“It is not.” Cooper managed to retain control of his temper ... but just barely. “You’ve had a long day. It was your first dust storm. A man died and his wife is threatening to sue you. Isn’t it possible you only thought you saw the kid’s eyes glow red because of a trick of the light or something?”
A Fistful of Demons Page 3