“I looked her up,” Tyler offered. “She’s listed as a reporter on the television station’s website. I can’t find any videos of her covering stories, though.”
“That doesn’t necessarily mean anything,” Boone noted. “She might be new. She might be a desk jockey looking to make a name for herself. She might be an editor. Which station?”
“Channel 4.”
Boone frowned. “I have a bad relationship with them. I can call and see what the deal is, but the news director over there hates me because I’m guarded about my crime scenes. Those guys are notorious for trying to break the rules and take photos of bodies ... and lie to sources about stuff being off the record. My deputies aren’t allowed to talk to them at all.”
“Which means they won’t be likely to share information,” Cooper mused, pursing his lips. “Odds are she’s legit, right?” Tyler queried.
“I would guess so,” Boone confirmed. “She probably parked out on the road so she could sneak close to the town. She might’ve thought the coroner was still here, or a whole contingent of deputies. When she realized the town was deserted and she could wander around without anyone seeing, she probably decided to approach Hannah because she felt it was her only chance to get a story. Without workers here, she only had two options.”
“You didn’t say anything to her, did you?” Cooper asked Hannah as he brushed a few stray strands of hair away from her face.
Hannah shook her head. “She caught me off guard. I was surprised. I might’ve said something, but Tyler took control of the situation really fast. He cut me off before I could even kick her off the property.”
“That was smart,” Boone nodded, bobbing his head at the veterinarian. “Just for the record, if more reporters show up — and it’s a foregone conclusion that they will — don’t say anything to any of them.”
“I thought she kind of had a good point,” Hannah hedged. She didn’t want to push the issue, but she also didn’t want to make a grave error when her business was riding on it. “She said everyone in town believes we might’ve purposely killed that man.”
“And why would we do that?” Cooper challenged.
Hannah shrugged. “I don’t know. Publicity ... or something. She said everyone in town is going to be afraid to come up here.”
“While I don’t doubt there will be a fear factor, the bulk of your guests aren’t locals,” Boone reminded her. “Your guests are tourists, and in three days they’ll be gone from the area and nobody who comes in will have heard the story.”
Hannah faltered. “Oh. I ... didn’t think of that.”
“She was lying to you.” Cooper’s voice was gentle but also stern. “You can’t talk to reporters, baby. I know that you want to believe people are good, but that woman most likely would’ve taken anything you said and twisted it. Boone is right. Channel 4 doesn’t have the best reputation. You can’t risk your livelihood on anything that woman says.”
Hannah nodded, morose. “I didn’t think. I just ... didn’t want people to think I would actually do something like that. I feel like a bit of an idiot now.”
“You’re not an idiot,” Cooper reassured her, managing a smile, although it didn’t make it all the way to his eyes. “You’re just not used to stuff like this.”
“I really don’t want to get used to stuff like this.”
“I know.” He pulled her close for another hug. “It’s okay.”
“Luckily Tyler was here to make sure I didn’t do anything we couldn’t take back.” Hannah flashed the man in question a smile. “My hero,” she cooed, making him grin.
“Yes, I was a righteous hero,” Tyler agreed. “I definitely should’ve paid attention to how she left the property, though. If she comes back, I’ll make sure to watch.”
“If she comes back, I want you to call me so I can handle her,” Cooper said darkly. “I’ll make sure she doesn’t try it again. I don’t care how mean I have to be.”
“What about you?” Hannah asked, pulling back. “Did you find anything?” The way Cooper’s expression immediately shifted told Hannah that she wasn’t the only one who had overcome a rough afternoon. “That bad, huh? What is it?”
“I need you to remain calm,” Cooper started.
Hannah’s frown deepened. “That’s not the way to get me to remain calm. In fact, that’s like the worst thing you should say if you want me to be calm.” She wrung her hands. “Tell me.”
He heaved out a sigh. “Justin is dead.”
Whatever she was expecting, that wasn’t it. All the color drained from Hannah’s face. “How? Was it the dancing man?”
Cooper exchanged a quick look with Boone and then held out his hands. “I don’t know. The scene in his apartment was set up like a suicide.”
Hannah sucked in a sharp breath. “It was set up? Does that mean he was murdered?”
Cooper didn’t answer. Honestly, he didn’t know what to say.
“We’re not certain,” Boone replied, drawing Hannah’s attention to him. “It’s possible Justin blamed himself for what happened to Rob. He might’ve thought that he accidentally loaded a fatal bullet into that gun. If that’s the case, then whoever set Rob and Trent to fighting is to blame, but that’s not how it will go down in the books.”
Hannah found she was inexplicably sad. “Is it possible that guy managed to get close enough to Justin to influence his mood? I mean, if he can make people fight, maybe he can make people feel other emotions.”
“That’s a possibility,” Boone agreed. “We just don’t know. Right now, Agent Hoffman is overseeing the scene at Justin’s apartment. Unfortunately, he seems to think it’s an open-and-shut case. He thinks Justin somehow arranged for the gun to be loaded and then felt guilty after the fact, like maybe it was a prank gone wrong. I’ve told him I don’t believe that’s the case, but he’s not exactly listening to me right now.”
“Is he
