“That sounds like a pretty vague answer,” Cooper noted.
“It is,” Jackie agreed. “It’s all we’ve got, though. All I can say with any degree of certainty is that it popped up in the past twenty-four hours. Who put it there and why it’s there are questions that I can’t answer.”
“Well, great.” Boone rubbed his cheek. “How do we figure out what’s going on?”
“You know how,” Hannah said, her voice low. “There’s only one person who might be able to help us.”
Cooper immediately started shaking his head. “Absolutely not. We can’t go to Astra.”
“We don’t have a choice.” Hannah was matter-of-fact. “She’s the most powerful witch in these parts and she’s uniquely familiar with Casper Creek. We need her expertise.”
“And what if she’s behind this?”
“Then we’ll be able to gauge her reaction.” She softened her voice. “You know I’m right. Astra is the only one we can go to right now who might be able to provide answers.”
Because he agreed — however reluctantly — Cooper offered up a stiff nod. “Okay, but I’m going to do the talking.”
“Not this time. It has to be me. You didn’t even see the dome.”
“That doesn’t matter. I know Astra better than anyone. I can tell when she’s lying.”
“She’s always lying, at least on some level. It honestly doesn’t matter who questions her. She’s not going to openly provide answers. We need to look between the layers of lies and find a tiny gem of truth. That’s all we’re going to get.”
“Fine. We’ll both question her. It’s something we have to do together, though.”
Hannah managed a smile, although it was wan. “I’m looking forward to another adventure.”
Her sloping shoulders told Cooper that was the exact opposite of the truth, but he didn’t push her. The day was already long and it was nowhere near over. Hannah was right. Astra was their best bet to find answers.
That didn’t mean he had to like it.
ASTRA’S MAGIC SHOP LOOKED THE SAME as always. The stained-glass accents hanging from the windows created a kitschy feel and the wind chimes scattered across the front of the building provided an otherworldly atmosphere.
“It seems quiet,” Cooper noted as he hopped out of his truck. There were only two other vehicles in the lot. He recognized one as belonging to Astra, the white-haired witch who had betrayed him and everyone at Casper Creek, and decided the other likely belonged to an employee.
“That doesn’t necessarily mean anything,” Hannah noted as she joined him in front of the truck. “It’s not as if she’s going to stand in front of the store and do a little dance of victory because she thinks she got one over on us.”
“I guess that’s true.” Cooper exhaled heavily and moved his hand to her back. “Try not to fly off the handle. Astra thrives on stuff like that. She’ll consider it a win if she manages to throw you off your game.”
“I have no intention of letting her win,” Hannah reassured him. “We can’t let Angel lose either, though. She’s just a girl.”
“We’ll find her.” Cooper pressed a reassuring kiss to her forehead and then started for the door. He held it open so Hannah could slip underneath his arm and enter first. It took his eyes a moment to adjust to the dim interior and he grimaced when the figure behind the counter took shape. “Hello, Stormy.”
The new witch in town, a snarky pain in the keister who enjoyed playing mind games, beamed at the incoming couple. “Well, isn’t this a surprise,” she drawled, delight evident. “I love it when you guys pay a visit. It always puts the boss in a foul mood.”
“I’m confused why you would like that,” Hannah hedged. “I mean ... don’t you want a happy boss?”
Stormy snorted. “You’re cute.”
“And we’re here on a mission,” Cooper volunteered. “We’re looking for Astra.”
“She’s not accepting visitors today. I’m sorry. You’ll have to call back at a later time and request an appointment.”
Cooper narrowed his eyes. “Is she out on her patio?”
“She is otherwise engaged.”
“Right.” Cooper was in no mood for games. He put his hand to the small of Hannah’s back and urged her toward the patio. “We’ll take it from here. We don’t need a guide. Thank you for your time, though.”
Stormy’s expression darkened. “I just said she was otherwise engaged.”
“Well, she’s going to have to suck it up. We have some things to discuss with her.” Cooper braced himself for a snark attack as he followed Hannah onto the patio. There, in the center of things, Astra sat at her metal bistro table and compared crystals. She seemed lost in her own little world.
“We’re not intruding, are we?” Hannah asked as she moved closer to the table. Despite herself, she was intrigued by the crystals and had a million questions. Now wasn’t the time for a Witch 101 lesson, though.
“You’re always intruding,” Astra replied with a sneer as she regarded her ex-boyfriend and his new girlfriend with overt disdain. “Since I know you don’t care about that, though, what do you say we cut to the chase?”
“That’s probably best for everybody,” Cooper agreed. “We have a situation.”
“You always have a situation. Have you ever considered that you’re the cause of these situations? I know you like to blame everything on others but, at a certain point, you have to be honest with yourselves and realize you’re the root of all the trouble in this area.”
“And what happens if we acknowledge that?” Hannah challenged. “Oh, wait, I bet I know. You’re willing to take over Casper Creek under those circumstances, aren’t you?”
Astra’s smile was blinding. “Yes, and out of the goodness of my heart.”
“Well, I’ll take the offer under advisement.” Hannah took the chair across from Astra and pinned her with a serious look. “What do you know about magical domes?”
Cooper threw his hands into the air, frustration rippling through him. “I thought we agreed that I was going to ask the questions,” he groused.
Hannah ignored him. She
