Boot Scootin' Boogeyman

by Lily Harper Hart

  “She didn’t take off,” Jenn fired back, fury practically dripping from her tongue. “She wouldn’t do that. I mean ... why would she? She’s marrying the man of her dreams, an investment banker for crying out loud, in two days. She’s about to get everything she’s ever wanted.”

  “I’m not saying she voluntarily disappeared,” Cooper countered. “Although I can’t rule that out. I’m saying that perhaps she wandered out of the room and decided to investigate the town while the rest of you were sleeping. It looked like there was some imbibing going on upstairs last evening.”

  Jenn’s mouth dropped open. “Are you blaming this on us?”

  “I’m saying that we need to find her.” Cooper was calm. “I’m going to start a search myself. Hannah, I need you to tell any worker who shows up that I need him or her to join me. Okay?”

  Hannah dumbly nodded. “I should help.”

  “No.” Cooper vehemently shook his head. “I want you to stay here. You can coordinate things, act as a liaison with the bridal party.” He lowered his voice so only she could hear. “Call Boone and ask him to send some men. This will go quicker if we have more bodies.”

  Hannah hesitated and then asked the obvious question. “Maybe she’s in the same spot we found the goat.”

  He didn’t want to entertain that possibility, but he didn’t see where they had a lot of choice. “I’m going to check that area myself. I don’t want you getting ahead of yourself, though.” He moved his hands to her arms and vigorously rubbed. “We don’t know what happened. This woman could’ve panicked last night and decided to run from her wedding. It’s a distinct possibility.”

  Jenn’s gaze was withering. “It’s not a possibility,” she growled. “Did I not tell you she was marrying an investment banker? Do you have any idea what that means?”

  “She’ll always have a calendar ready?” Hannah asked blankly.

  Cooper was mildly impressed that Jenn’s head didn’t pop off her neck given the amount of steam she was generating. It wasn’t a funny situation and yet the red-faced woman’s reaction struck him as absolutely hilarious.

  “No, you moron,” Jenn snapped. “It means she’ll be set for life. She had to look long and hard to find a guy who could give her the life she envisioned. She didn’t just run off less than forty-eight hours before her wedding. That’s not how this works.”

  Cooper was mildly disgusted at the way the woman was talking — marriage for money was a huge turnoff to him — but he managed to keep the disdain from his face. “I’m going out right now to look for her. What I want from you is cooperation. You need to call her family and see if she’s checked in. The same with her fiancé.”

  Jenn balked. “I can’t do that. He’ll know she’s missing if I call. If he thinks she bolted, he might call off the wedding so he can say he was the one to do it.”

  “What’s more important here?” Cooper challenged. “Is Heather’s life or this investment banker’s ego the thing I should be most worried about?”

  Jenn looked legitimately caught. “I don’t know. Can’t we worry about both?”

  “Geez.” Cooper pinched the bridge of his nose and looked to the sky, frustration evident. “Just call everyone you know who might’ve seen her,” he barked. “That’s an order, not a request. I’m heading out to start my search. Hannah, call Boone for me and then get cleaned up. We might need you before this is all said and done.”

  Hannah didn’t need to ask for what. She knew what she might be tapped for. She had magic at her fingertips. It might be needed if this wasn’t wrapped up smoothly ... and fast.

  HANNAH WAS FEELING BETTER, more on her game, when she returned from her apartment the second time. She’d taken a quick shower, not bothering to dry her hair or apply makeup before joining the growing throng in the middle of the street.

  “Anything?” she asked Tyler when she spotted him.

  He shook his head, thoughtful. “No, but Boone has arrived with three deputies. They’re out helping Cooper right now. The good news is that the spot where Billy died is empty. She’s not there.”

  “How is that good news?” Hannah was genuinely curious. “All that means is that she could be dead somewhere else.”

  “Oh, are you feeling grumpy today?” Tyler poked her stomach to elicit a smile and was disappointed when she didn’t acquiesce. “You shouldn’t panic, Hannah. People go missing all the time. They’re also found all the time.”

  “Yeah, but Heather Clarke had blond hair and blue eyes. She was in the right age range and was having a good time with her friends last night. There was no reason for her to voluntarily disappear.”

  “Are you saying that you think someone lured her out?”

  “Just like your goat was lured away. In fact ... .” Hannah trailed off when Arnie Morton, the Casper Creek blacksmith, made his way in her direction. He didn’t look happy. “Uh-oh.”

  Tyler followed her gaze and smirked when he saw what had her so worked up. “Calm down. His bark is worse than his bite.”

  “He’s been nothing but nice to me,” Hannah countered. “I mean ... absolutely lovely. It’s still weird for me to talk to him because I know he was having sex with my grandmother and it freaks me out.”

  Tyler let loose a hollow laugh. “Ah, the things that traumatize us.” He rubbed her shoulder and focused on Arnie. “Hey, old-timer. You’re out and about early. You usually don’t bother getting up until right before the tourists are due to arrive.”

  In addition to Tyler and Hannah, Arnie was the lone individual who often spent the night at Casper Creek. He had his own place in town, but he preferred the bedroom he’d built over his shop. Hannah had her suspicions — the biggest being that hanging around the town made him feel closer to Abigail — but she’d never given voice to them out of respect. She wasn’t about to break that streak now.

  “It’s hard to sleep through this,” Arnie groused. “What’s going on?”

  “One of the members of the bridal party went missing,” Tyler replied. “They’re mounting a search for her.”

  “Oh, well, I knew it was a mistake having them up here.” Arnie’s expression was dour. “If you ask me, that was your biggest boneheaded move yet.”

  Hannah shifted when she realized the statement was pointed at her. “Hey, this wasn’t my idea. They just showed up out of the blue yesterday. Abigail is the one who booked this little event ... and then didn’t tell us about it.”

  Arnie’s eyes flashed with annoyance. “Oh, well, blame the dead. That’s great because she’s not here to defend herself.”

  “Don’t worry. I blamed her to her face when she woke me this morning.”

  Arnie’s eyes widened. “She woke you? That means she’s getting stronger.”

  “She is. It’s a good thing. The bridal party was not my idea, though, and I’m not taking the blame for it. I did the best I could given the circumstances. There was very little I could do once they arrived with their copies of the signed contracts.”

  “I guess.” Arnie worked his jaw and shook his head. “Still, I think it’s a bad idea going forward. I know Abigail got a kick out of it, but it’s dangerous. Look what we’re dealing with now. We have a missing bridesmaid.”

  “Actually, we’re missing the bride,” Hannah countered. “She was there when Cooper and I swung by to check on them before bed. They were a little tipsy but not belligerent. They promised they wouldn’t leave. Apparently they didn’t keep that promise.”

  “Oh, I know for a fact they didn’t keep that promise,” Arnie intoned. “I saw them out and about around midnight last night.”

  Hannah stilled. “You did? All of them?”

  “It wasn’t all of them. I ... well ... I think it was only one of them. I remember thinking it was weird. I’d gone to bed about thirty minutes before and was dead to the world. It was the sound of voices that woke me. I was about to go out and yell at them to shut their mouths when I realized one of the voices was male.”

  Hannah wa
s taken aback. “What? You heard a man out with them? Why didn’t you say anything?”

  “Because I didn’t know it was important,” he fired back. “I was trying to sleep — as any smart person would be doing at that hour — and I was confused. Sue me.”

  Hannah had to bite the inside of her cheek to rein in her temper. “I apologize. I didn’t mean to jump all over you. It’s just ... it was a bridal party. There were no men. What can you tell me about him?”

  “Are you kidding?”

  “No.”

  Arnie shifted his gaze to Tyler. “Is she kidding?”

  “Not last time I checked,” he replied dryly. “Why are you getting so worked up? Just describe the guy to her so she can tell Cooper. It might be a lead.”

  “I don’t have to describe the guy to her. I know who he is.”

  Hannah’s eyebrows drew together. “You do? Who is it?”

  “Rick Solomon.”

  Hannah’s mouth went dry as she struggled to find the right words.

  “Are you sure?” Tyler finally asked.

  “Of course I’m sure. I’d know that guy anywhere. He’s annoying. He never shuts up when I stop into the saloon for a drink. I think I know what he looks like at this point.”

  “Right.” Tyler tracked his eyes back to Hannah. “We need to call Cooper back. He’s going to want to hear this.”

  Hannah’s hands were shaking as she reached for her phone. “You don’t think ... ?” She left the question hanging.

  “I don’t know what to think,” Tyler replied gently. “Just text Cooper and get him back here. We’ll go from there.”

  COOPER WAS POSITIVELY APOPLECTIC when he arrived.

  “Tell me the story again,” he insisted, folding his arms and glowering at Arnie.

  “I’ve already told you twice,” the older man barked. “It isn’t going to change, or get dirty. Well ... any dirtier than it already is.”

  “Tell me again,” Cooper insisted. “I need to know.”

  “Geez.” Arnie threw his hands up in defeat. “I was in my apartment, in bed and dozing. I wasn’t quite asleep yet. I was in that twilight area between sleep and wakefulness. Voices outside woke me, so I pushed back the curtain and saw Rick on the street with a woman in a white veil. They were talking and having a good time.”

  “And you’re sure it was Rick, right?”

  “Don’t ask me that again!” Arnie extended a warning finger. “I know who it was. I’m not an idiot.”

  “And you didn’t think it was weird that Rick was here after hours hanging around with a member of a bridal party?”

  “How was I supposed to know that he wasn’t supposed to be here?” Arnie snapped. “I thought maybe Hannah was paying him overtime to entertain the women so she wouldn’t have to deal with it.”

  “Except we can’t serve liquor after eight. Well, technically we can’t sell it. We can drink it ourselves, but that’s the limit of it.”

  “Oh, man.” Arnie’s expression twisted. “I forgot about that. Abigail was furious when she got the liquor license restrictions. I remember her stomping up and down and complaining about it for days. I can’t believe I forgot that.”

  “I don’t understand what he was doing here,” Cooper said, his eyes moving to Boone as the sheriff approached. “It doesn’t make any sense.”

  “Anything?” Boone queried.

  Cooper caught him up to speed. When he was finished, Boone was grim.

  “I don’t suppose you know where this guy lives, do you?”

  “I can look it up,” Hannah volunteered. “It would have to be in his personnel file.”

  “Do that,” Boone instructed. “I’m going to leave my men out here searching, but we’ve come up completely empty so far. I don’t know if that’s a good or bad thing.”

  “As long as we’re not stumbling across a body, it’s a good thing,” Cooper said. “I’ll go with you to get the address, Hannah. Then Boone and I will head directly over there.”

  “You just want to play kissy face with your girlfriend,” Boone lamented.

  Cooper ignored the jab and slung an arm over Hannah’s shoulders as he walked with her. “How are you feeling?”

  “I’ve been better,” she replied honestly. “I don’t know what to do. I didn’t hear anything outside last night.” She thought about the dream, the voices, and her heart gave a long roll. She couldn’t bring that up now, though. They had to focus on Heather. “Do you think she’s already dead?”

  “I honestly don’t know. I think it’s possible she’s dead. I also think it’s possible she ran because she realized she didn’t want to marry the investment banker. Love is more important than money. Maybe she came to that realization on her own.”

  “Or maybe the same person who took the other women took her, too,” Hannah suggested. “Maybe she’s going to end up on the roof of a building in a week and jump to her death.”

  “Maybe,” Cooper conceded. “We don’t know anything yet. We need that address and we’ll go from there.”

  11

  Eleven

  Rick didn’t answer his door so Boone opened it for him ... using his foot. He went in with his gun drawn, but the apartment was completely empty.

  “That was like an episode of Chicago P.D.,” Cooper commented as he followed the sheriff inside. He was antsy as he looked around, desperate for a clue. The apartment was pristine, though, and there didn’t appear to be a thing out of place.

  “I called in for the warrant,” Boone supplied. “It’s been approved, even though we don’t have it in physical form. It’s on the way. We’re cleared to look around.”

  “Anything off limits?” Cooper asked as he eyed the computer on the table in the kitchen.

  “Nope.”

  “Then I’ll start with that.” Cooper booted up the computer as Boone prowled around the small space. The apartment wasn’t big, five-hundred square feet essentially, and only had one bedroom. While Boone hit the bathroom and bedroom, Cooper navigated the computer. It wasn’t password-protected, which was a relief, but the desktop was flooded with folders and he had no idea where to start.

  It only took Boone a few minutes to complete his search and he was annoyed when he returned to the kitchen. “There’s nothing here. It doesn’t even seem like the guy lives here. There are a few items of clothing in the closet, a book on the nightstand, a few pairs of shoes ... and that’s it.”

  Cooper, his gaze intent on the computer, made sympathetic noises. “Keep looking.”

  “Oh, thank you for the advice,” Boone drawled. “I never would’ve considered that. Oh, wait, I’m the sheriff. That means I give the orders.”

  “Do you want to go through all the stuff on the computer?” Cooper asked dryly. “If so, I have to warn you, the computer is where he keeps his mess. There is stuff everywhere.”

  Intrigued, Boone moved behind the security guru and stared at the screen over his shoulder. “What do you have?”

  “I’m not even sure. There’s a lot of porn, though.”

  “That doesn’t necessarily mean anything,” Boone hedged. “I mean ... porn isn’t illegal unless it’s of underaged girls or really freaky stuff. It’s not that sort of porn, is it?”

  “No. There is a theme, though.” Cooper double-clicked on one of the photos and brought up an image of a naked sexy blonde. She had her hands tied behind her back, a pleading look on her face, and her legs were open so there was absolutely nothing left to the imagination.

  “Oh, geez,” Boone slapped his hand over his eyes. “I didn’t need to see that.”

  “If it’s in my head, it’s in your head,” Cooper drawled. “He’s got at least a hundred images here, and they’re all similar.”

  Boone peeked between his fingers. “All blondes?”

  “With blue eyes, at least as far as I can tell.”

  “Well, that’s ... just great.” Boone straightened. “That indicates a pattern, although it certainly doesn’t prove guilt. Some guys just ha
ve a type.”

  “The bondage is a reoccurring theme. There are cuffs or ropes — mostly ropes — utilized in almost all the photos I’ve clicked on.”

  Boone rolled his neck until his eyes landed on the ceiling. “Well, awesome. That still doesn’t make him guilty.”

  “Heather Clarke was blond. Blue eyes, too.”

  “Yeah, but we don’t know that anything has happened to her yet,” Boone reminded him. “She could just be on a walk ... or hiding in town at a coffee shop or something. She might’ve gotten cold feet and decided to run.”

  “According to her friend, that’s impossible. The husband-to-be is an investment banker, which seemed very important to the story.”

  “That means she’s marrying for money. She might’ve convinced herself she was okay with it and then thought differently while drunk.”

  “They only brought two vehicles,” Cooper pointed out. “Both are still in the lot by the lift. She didn’t leave via that route.”

  “Which is good because that would’ve meant drunk driving.” Boone inhaled through his nose and rubbed the back of his neck, thoughtful. “Maybe she called someone to pick her up. We should check her phone records.”

  “That’s a good idea,” Cooper agreed. “How did she leave Casper Creek, though? The ski lift is off during the overnight hours. The building the controls are housed in is locked tight, especially after the demon incident.”

  “You can get to Casper Creek from the back roads. That’s how you get there every single day.”

  “Most people don’t know that, though.”

  “It’s not that hard to figure out when using GPS. She could’ve called a friend, freaking out, and had them pick her up behind the saloon.”

  Cooper tilted his head, considering. “No. That doesn’t feel right. Hannah would’ve woken up if headlights hit the parking lot over there. It’s right by her bedroom.”

  “No. The main bedroom in that apartment looks out on Main Street.”