Astra beamed at him. She loved playing games with her ex. “You’re finally playing my song.”
“I’m just trying to find a missing girl. Whatever you do is up to you.”
8
Eight
Hannah headed straight for her apartment the second they returned to Casper Creek, not even stopping long enough to greet Boone, who was miffed at the slight.
“What’s her deal?”
Cooper let loose a heavy sigh and rubbed his forehead, the day threatening to catch up with him. “She’s stressed.”
“Well, join the club. I’m stressed, too.”
“No sign of Angel?”
“None. It’s as if she disappeared into thin air. The dogs pick up her scent in the barn and then ... there’s nothing.”
Cooper was baffled how that was possible. “Could it be the storm? I mean ... if she left voluntarily in the middle of the storm — maybe to look for us — and somehow got confused, could the wind and sand mask her scent?”
“Anything is possible, but I don’t think it’s likely.” Boone, who had been trying to be brave for his daughter’s benefit, let the weariness wash over him. “I think she was taken. It’s the only thing that makes sense.”
Cooper’s heart sank. “And if she was taken, it was by a monster of some sort.”
“We all know that ‘monster’ is an easy term to toss around. It’s not always accurate, though. Maybe there’s something else going on.”
“Like what?”
“Like maybe Angel’s parents were aligned with some paranormal force and that’s why the accident happened when it did. They were in one of the initial vehicles. No matter what, the accident will go down in the books without fault applied to anyone because it was mechanical failure due to the light, but maybe they were the target.”
It was an interesting theory, Cooper mused. It wasn’t what he would’ve normally jumped to, but he couldn’t completely discount it. “We need background on the parents.”
“I’m working on it. Once I get a copy of the file, I’ll email it to you.”
“I appreciate it.” Cooper flicked his eyes to the second-floor window that belonged to Hannah’s living room.
“What happened with Astra?” Boone queried. “I’m guessing she wasn’t helpful.”
“Actually, she was more helpful than I anticipated. She wasn’t exactly gracious about it. She wasn’t psychotic either. Although ... that new witch she has working for her, that Stormy woman, is another story. I don’t trust her.”
“Are you saying you trust Astra?”
Cooper hesitated and then shook his head. “No. I would have to be an idiot to trust her after everything she’s done.”
“I don’t know that I would use the word idiot.”
“She betrayed Abigail. I made the mistake of trusting her way back when and look how that turned out.”
“I didn’t say idiot was the wrong word.” Boone’s expression was kind. “I have something to ask you, and I don’t want you to take it the wrong way.”
Cooper was instantly alert. “I’ll try to refrain from losing my temper. Is this about Lindsey? I swear, no matter what she said, I didn’t take my shirt off. She just won’t let that go.”
Boone’s chuckle was hollow. “Don’t worry. She’s doing that for my benefit. She thinks distracting me will help with the Angel situation. She doesn’t understand that nothing is going to make me feel better on that front until we find the girl.
“This is something else,” he continued, hesitating. When he pushed forward, it was with resignation. “Is it possible you want to believe Astra because you still have lingering feelings for her?”
Cooper felt as if he’d been run over with a truck ... or at the very least smacked in the head with a baseball bat. The anger he’d promised to contain bubbled up and grabbed him by the throat. “Are you kidding me?”
Boone held up his hands in a placating manner. “I’m not insinuating anything. I’m just asking. You cared about Astra at one point.”
“I did. I would never deny that. I didn’t love her, though.”
“I know you didn’t. She was still a lifeline after you got back from serving overseas. You needed the anchor she provided.”
Cooper immediately started shaking his head. “You’re wrong. Abigail was the lifeline. She was the one I needed. Astra was simply an extension of Abigail, and our relationship was never ... deep. Everything we had was on the surface.
“Don’t get me wrong, I cared about her,” he continued. “I never loved her, though. I was incapable of loving her because we weren’t right for each other. Deep down, I knew she was keeping secrets. Because I loved Abigail, I was willing to put up with Astra’s crap. I thought Abigail needed her.”
Boone nodded in understanding. “I get it. I just wanted to be sure. We can’t afford to lose time because Astra is playing games.”
“I agree.”
“I was just checking.”
Even though Cooper recognized they should end the conversation, he felt the need to add to it. “I love Hannah.”
Boone chuckled. “I know you love Hannah. That’s never been in doubt. From the moment you laid eyes on her, she’s been it for you. Just because you love Hannah, though, that doesn’t mean you can’t have lingering feelings for Astra. They don’t even have to be romantic feelings. It would be natural if you wanted to believe there was some good in her.”
“Because then I wouldn’t have to blame myself for being completely bamboozled by her.”
Boone hesitated and then nodded. “She was convincing. She fooled us all.”
“You weren’t dating her.”
“No, but you couldn’t have known. She was good at hiding her true self.”
“That she was.” Cooper was silent for a beat and then shook himself out of his reverie. “How is Lindsey holding up? She was upset during the storm. She put on a brave face for you, but she was shaken. She said she wanted you.”
Boone looked momentarily pained. “She’s a daddy’s girl at heart.”
“She is.”
“She’s okay, though. She’s
