“Well, it happened,” Cooper said. “I’m pretty sure Hannah and I are never going to eat again after that showing, which is too bad, because I was starving when we went in there.”
“Me, too.” Hannah pressed her hand against her flat stomach. “Now I feel ... hollow. I don’t know how to explain it.”
“I have leftovers here,” Boone offered. “Lindsey made soup in the crockpot.”
“It’s a nice offer, but I don’t think either of us is hungry,” Cooper said dryly. “I know it won’t last but ... ugh.” He involuntarily shuddered. “I swear, you’ve never seen anything like it.”
“It sounds like it.” Boone reached over and rubbed Hannah’s shoulder as he considered the story. “What do you think it means?”
“I have no idea.” Cooper held out his hands and shrugged. “I’m fairly certain we’re dealing with more than one entity, though. I mean ... Hannah saw a completely different man in town.”
“Do we think this guy you saw was the owner of the restaurant?”
“I ... don’t know.” Cooper cocked his head, considering. “The waitress who disappeared called him ‘boss,’ but that doesn’t necessarily mean anything.”
“No.” Boone pursed his lips and then moved to the iPad resting on the counter. “The local newspaper did a story when that place opened up. They had a photo of the owner. Hold on.” His brow furrowed as he searched for the article in question. It took him a few moments to find it. “Here. Is this the guy you saw?”
Cooper immediately started shaking his head when he got a gander at the photograph. “No way. The guy we saw could’ve eaten that guy in a single sitting.”
“That’s a lovely visual you’re painting,” Boone said dryly. “I don’t know what to make of any of this. What are the odds we’re only dealing with two people?”
“Not good,” Hannah answered. “I’m pretty sure we’re dealing with seven.”
Surprise washed over Cooper’s face. “What makes you say that?”
“Astra said there were seven magical threads converging. The guy in the restaurant said the word ‘sins.’ That could mean the seven deadly sins. I know from the reading I’ve been doing in Abigail’s library that seven is a magical number. I just think it makes sense.”
“You think we’re dealing with the seven deadly sins?” Boone didn’t look convinced. “I’m not sure I can get onboard with that.”
“Why not?” Hannah refused to back down. “The guy at the restaurant was clearly gluttony. I mean ... he would’ve forced those people to eat themselves to death if we didn’t step in and do something.”
“And the guy in Casper Creek?”
“Wrath.” The answer came to Hannah out of nowhere, but it felt right. “He was getting off on the men fighting. I’m still not sure why his magic was pointed at the men, but it makes sense.”
“So ... you’re saying there are other sins out there, walking and talking and wreaking havoc?”
“I ... yes.” Hannah looked to Cooper for help, a plea in her eyes. “You believe me, right?”
“I believe you might be on to something,” Cooper replied without hesitation. “I’m not sure I wholeheartedly agree, but it’s as good a theory as anything.”
“So, what do we do?” Boone queried. “I mean, how do we protect the people of this area? The phenomenon obviously isn’t contained to Casper Creek.”
Cooper held out his hands. “I don’t know. We need to figure it out, though. I don’t think we’re going to have a lot of time.”
Hannah nodded without hesitation. “I agree. We need to do some research. Since nobody is hungry, tonight is as good a time as any.”
Cooper managed to hold in a groan, but just barely. That’s not how he saw the night going. There seemed to be little choice in the matter now. “Research it is.” He flashed Hannah a smile and tried to ignore the wide grin on Boone’s face. “This night really sucks.”
Boone snickered. “You’ll survive ... thanks to your girlfriend. It’s better than eating yourself to death, right?”
“You’ve got me there.”
AFTER HOURS OF FRUITLESS RESEARCH, HANNAH and Cooper passed out in her bed shortly before two o’clock. They were awakened a short six hours later by a large magic book being dropped between them on the bed.
“Rise and shine!”
Abigail Jenkins was a morning person even before she died. Now that she was a ghost, and had regular access to the granddaughter she couldn’t spend time with when she was a child, she was positively giddy at a time when Hannah would’ve killed someone for a mug of coffee.
“Abigail,” she muttered, throwing her arm over her face. “What are you doing here? It’s not even dawn.”
“It’s after eight,” Abigail chided, tugging on Hannah’s hand to get her attention. It had taken her some time to get used to her new abilities, but now she was fairly confident about what she could (and could not, for that matter) accomplish. “You’re going to regret it if you sleep your life away.”
“That’s good advice,” Cooper murmured, shifting so he was on his side and could study Abigail’s excited face. She’d been like a mother to him at a time when he was struggling after several tours overseas. He adored her with every fiber of his being. That didn’t mean he wanted her interrupting his morning time — which happened to be his favorite time of day — with Hannah. “Maybe we should come up with a way for you to knock, huh?”
Abigail beamed at him. “Have I mentioned how happy I am that you two have found each other? I think it’s adorable that you’re together.”
Her mind slowly catching up to the morning, Hannah jerked her head up and glanced down. She couldn’t remember if she’d bothered to dress in anything for bed. She “sort of” remembered Cooper collecting her when she started falling out on the couch and carrying her to bed. That was all she wrote, and she thought it was possible
