“Can we help you?” Tyler asked, the hair on the back of his neck standing on end. He was confused by the turn of events. “What are you doing up here?”
“My name is Portia Washington.” The woman’s smile was blinding. “I’m with Channel 4 and I was hoping I could find the owner to do an interview regarding what happened here yesterday.”
Hannah was taken aback. “I ... you ... want an interview?” She flicked her eyes to Tyler, terrified.
“Hannah won’t be doing interviews today,” Tyler stated, keeping his grip on Hannah so the woman didn’t bolt in fear. It was obvious she wasn’t expecting things to take this particular turn ... and for his part, Tyler was legitimately confused. “May I ask how you got up here?”
“The same way everybody else gets here,” Portia replied smoothly. “As for the interview, you should probably think about what you’re turning down. Local residents are buzzing that this place isn’t safe. You should get your side on the record before the rumors start flowing fast and furious.”
Hannah shifted her worried eyes to Tyler and he could read the conflict there.
“No, Hannah.” Tyler was firm as he shook his head. “She just wants to get a statement from you through any means necessary. You can’t play into that game with her. It’s ... not right.”
Hannah didn’t look convinced. “Are you sure? I mean ... what she says makes sense.”
“It does make sense,” Portia insisted. “People are saying that you’re purposely targeting your guests. Nobody is going to come up here if you don’t set the record straight, Ms. Hickok.”
Tyler frowned. He wasn’t a big fan of the pressure Portia was exerting on Hannah. “Nobody is saying that we’re purposely killing people up here,” he argued, refusing to back down despite the challenging look Portia fixed him with. “At worst they’re saying we’re lazy or negligent because a live round somehow got loaded into a gun. I saw the news coverage this morning. Nobody is calling us murderers, so trying to pretend otherwise is disingenuous. Don’t listen to her, Hannah.”
Hannah was more concerned with something else. “How did you know my name?”
Tyler stiffened. “That’s a very good question. How did you know her name?”
“I heard you use it,” Portia replied to Tyler, not missing a beat. She didn’t look bothered by the hostile reaction she was receiving. “Do you really think it’s wise to turn down this opportunity? If you don’t get your side of the story out, others are going to fill in the gaps. I mean ... you’ll lose this place if you’re not careful. Is that what you want?”
Hannah was suddenly breathless. She couldn’t believe the woman would suggest anything of the sort. It was as if she was reading her mind ... and it was enough to freeze her in place.
“I still want to know how you got up here,” Tyler insisted, refusing to let it go.
“I told you.” Portia’s eyes flashed with annoyance. “I got up here the same way everybody else does.”
“Which is how?” Tyler’s tone was demanding as he gripped Hannah tighter. Something about the situation bothered him on an instinctive level and he turned his attention to the lot behind the saloon so he could count the cars. He recognized every vehicle there. “The lift is shut down and you don’t have a car in the lot.”
Impatience was rolling off Portia in waves now. “Are you the parking lot police or something? I’m talking to Hannah.”
“No, you’re done here.” Slowly, deliberately, Tyler nudged Hannah so she was behind him and he served as a barrier of sorts. “Nobody is giving any interviews, Ms. Washington. By being here, you’re trespassing.”
Portia snorted. “Are you going to call the cops on me or something?”
Tyler nodded without hesitation. “As a matter of fact, I am.” He tugged his cell phone from his pocket. “If I were you, I’d be gone by the time they get here.”
Hannah glanced between the two faces, bewildered. She couldn’t understand what was happening. While she wasn’t keen on giving an interview, she also didn’t want to antagonize a television personality in case it came back to bite her, which felt entirely possible. “Tyler ... .”
“No.” He shook his head, all traces of mirth evaporated. “No interviews, and you need to get off this property. If you’re still here when the sheriff returns, he’ll arrest you. Is that what you want?”
Portia rolled her eyes. “Fine. Have it your way. You’re going to live to regret this, though.”
“I guess we’ll have to wait and see.”
HANNAH WAS STILL AGITATED ABOUT THE reporter’s visit when Boone and Cooper returned to Casper Creek. Jacob wasn’t with them, which she found suspicious, but she was too worked up to ask about his location.
“I’m so glad you’re back.” She threw her arms around Cooper, who eagerly returned the embrace. “Something weird happened.”
Before he could tell her what they’d found, she launched into the tale of the reporter. By the time she had finished, Tyler had joined them and that’s where Cooper pointed his ire.
“How did she get up here?”
“Hey, that was my question,” Tyler replied, refusing to let his best friend draw him into a fight despite the man’s obvious distress. “She wasn’t parked in the lot and she obviously didn’t ride up on the lift. I don’t know how she got up here.”
“What about how she left?” Boone interjected.
“I ... don’t know.” Tyler made a face. “Whoops. I obviously should’ve paid more attention when she took off. I didn’t want to leave Hannah, though.”
Cooper was torn. He was annoyed that the woman had gone after Hannah the way she did but, when there was a choice, he always wanted Tyler to put Hannah’s safety above everything else. “You did the right thing,” he said, offering up a wan smile. “We don’t know that this
