“Oh, no.” Cooper’s stomach constricted. “Do you think he did it because he felt guilty about what happened at Casper Creek yesterday?”
“That would be my guess, but we obviously won’t know that unless we find a note.”
“Call the coroner,” Jacob instructed, his eyes focused on the body. He didn’t look turned off in the least by what they’d found. “Things just got interesting.”
That wasn’t the word Cooper would’ve used to describe the situation, but he wasn’t in charge. This situation kept spiraling and he was officially terrified what would happen next.
6
Six
Hannah had no idea Justin was dead. Cooper’s text was brief. He basically told her the interview was likely to take longer than he anticipated and he asked that she remain in Casper Creek with Tyler. That was it.
“It’s weird, right?” Hannah made a face as she showed the text to Tyler, who was busy trying to wrangle his goats.
“It seems like a normal text to me,” Tyler replied, glaring at one of the more overzealous creatures as it chased Jinx while bleating a bleeding song. “Leave that poor dog alone!”
Hannah smirked as Jinx hopped on top of the nearby picnic table and defiantly stared down at the goat. “He loves the goats. You don’t have to worry about him. I think he can take them if he wants to ... although he is something of a baby when it comes to fighting.”
“Listen, I have no doubt that dog would fight to the death to protect you,” Tyler noted. “If you’re not in danger, though, he’s a big baby. Those goats terrorize him.”
“I thought you said he terrorized the goats.”
“He does ... but they outnumber him and they’ve figured out how to freak him out. It’s cute and creepy at the same time.”
Hannah smirked, amused despite herself. “Maybe they should be part of the show.”
“You laugh, but Jinx spends most of his afternoons down here these days and he technically is part of the show. The kids love him. The goats love him. The kids love the goats. They think it’s all a game.”
“Maybe it is.” Hannah flicked her eyes and found Jinx glaring at the nearest goat. He didn’t look happy. “Or maybe Jinx needs to learn his lesson about terrorizing the goats,” she added. “He’s bigger than them and I seem to remember him running them ragged.”
“Yes, well, now they run him ragged.”
She smiled as the tiny goat put both of his front hooves on the bench and caused Jinx to jolt. “It might be karma. I mean, I don’t want Jinx being mistreated, but I can’t help but think he deserves this a little bit.”
“I guess.” Tyler didn’t look convinced but he let it go. “Are you okay? I mean ... given everything that has happened. I wouldn’t blame you for being upset about the FBI agent being around. That would be enough to unnerve anyone.”
“I’m definitely upset,” Hannah acknowledged. “In a strange way — and I don’t know how to explain it so don’t ask — it feels better knowing this is of paranormal origin. I didn’t like thinking that something as simple as human error could cost a man his life.”
“Honey, I hate to break it to you, but human error costs people their lives all the time.”
“I know that.” Hannah turned sheepish. “No, honestly I do. In this particular situation, though, it seemed like too much to bear. I mean ... that guy dying is never going to be okay. It’s always going to haunt me on a certain level. Knowing that someone else caused it to happen somehow makes me feel better ... although that seems like a horrible thing to say.”
“I get it,” Tyler reassured her. “You were genuinely upset yesterday. I saw it on your face.”
“I was upset because of Cooper, too,” she admitted. “I mean ... I couldn’t wrap my head around how he was acting. He was going back and forth so quickly, I was a little freaked out.”
“Yeah. Truth be told, I’m still a little annoyed by that. I don’t like it being suggested that I didn’t react the same way as the other guys because I’m gay.”
Hannah’s eyebrows hopped. She wasn’t expecting this reaction from the normally gregarious animal wrangler. “I didn’t realize that was bothering you so much. Honestly, you should take it as a compliment. You don’t want to be one of those testosterone-fueled jerks who thumps his chest for no apparent reason.”
“I get that on the surface. Deep down, though ... it’s more difficult.” He looked momentarily morose. “It’s not easy being gay in this area sometimes. You’re dealing with a bunch of good old boys who think getting drunk in a field and tipping cows is the height of male fun if you’re single.”
Hannah’s heart ached for him. “I’m so sorry. I didn’t realize.”
He was amused despite himself. “It’s not your fault. You didn’t create the toxic male culture around here.”
“It’s not everyone, though,” Hannah insisted. “You have Cooper and Boone. They’re fine with it. You have me, too.”
His smirk widened. “I’m so happy to have all of you.” He slung an arm around her shoulders in a reassuring manner. “No matter how great you guys are, though, there’s always going to be a jerk out there trying to make me feel bad for what I am. There will always be people who think it’s a choice, and while I’m thrilled you guys aren’t like that, I can’t quite get over the people who are ... even though I know it’s ridiculous to care what they think.”
Hannah’s heart went out to him. “I’m so sorry.” Impulsively, she threw her arms around his neck. “I wish you’d turned into a jerk like the rest of them. It sucks that you didn’t.”
The statement was enough to chase away the dregs of the day and Tyler almost choked he was laughing so hard. “Oh, what did we do before we had you?”
“Suffer.”
“Yeah. Definitely.”
The duo hugged for an extended
