“And that’s Hannah’s grandmother, right?” Nick furrowed his brow. “You’ve mentioned her name several times.”
Cooper bobbed his head. “Yeah. She was a wonderful woman. I thought the world of her. She made a mistake taking on Astra, though. When Astra realized she wasn’t going to get what she wanted out of Abigail — which was Casper Creek, if you’re wondering — she turned on ... well ... all of us. She’s been something of a thorn ever since.”
“I thought she wasn’t allowed on the property,” Boone noted pointedly.
“She’s not, except I think the parking lot is on the other side of the line.” Cooper pursed his lips. “Someone needs to talk to her. It’s going to have to be me.”
“Hannah isn’t going to like you heading over to Astra’s place alone,” Boone noted. “I don’t think you should take her with you, though. Not today at least.”
“No. Hannah has enough on her mind.” Cooper slid his eyes to Nick. “She won’t recognize you. We don’t have to volunteer the fact that you’re a police detective. It’s not as if you’re local, and technically you don’t have standing in this community.”
“I’m fine going with you,” Nick offered. “I’m still confused as to why this is such a big deal. You said she’s a witch. I’m not sure what that means.”
“Yeah, well ... you’ll get an eyeful when we get to her store.” Cooper’s eyes traveled back to the saloon. “I think we should just go. It should only take an hour to head over there, beat our heads against the wall that is Astra, and get back. I’ll face Hannah’s wrath then.”
“And why will Hannah be upset about you going to talk to this Astra woman without her?”
Cooper didn’t immediately respond so Boone did it for him.
“Because, before everyone realized Astra was evil, she and Cooper were an item,” the sheriff explained. “She still has a thing for him and she’s made it clear she wants to hurt Hannah. It’s a whole big thing.”
“It sounds like it.” The news wasn’t a deterrent to Nick. “Let’s talk to the white witch. It sounds fun.”
Cooper scowled. “If it does, we’re telling the story wrong.”
HANNAH FOUND SHE ENJOYED SPENDING TIME with Maddie. The woman was a little more earnest than she was used to but there wasn’t a deceptive bone in her body, and given the things Hannah had dealt with over the past year of her life, that was something she wholeheartedly embraced.
On top of being honest and forthcoming, Maddie was also curious. She had a million questions she wanted to ask Hannah about being a witch. Since she was new to the gig, Hannah didn’t have many answers. That’s why she decided to introduce the Michigan psychic to the other members of her coven.
“This is Jackie Metcalf and Danielle Garrett,” Hannah said by way of introduction as she gestured toward an open chair in the seamstress shop. “They’re witches.”
Jackie, the head of the coven, arched an eyebrow. “Do you really think you should be announcing that to random people? I’m not ashamed or anything, but it could get us into trouble.”
“Maddie is psychic.”
“I see.” Jackie pressed her lips together and looked Maddie up and down. “No offense — and I mean that sincerely — but how do we know she’s the real deal? All the people here claim to be psychics and I’m certain that some of them are grifters.”
“That’s a fair point,” Hannah acknowledged. “I was skeptical at first, too. She can see Abigail, though. She’s the real deal.”
“Interesting.” Jackie leaned back in her chair. She had a sewing project on her lap, but it was completely forgotten as she studied Maddie. “How long have you been able to see ghosts?”
Maddie held out her hands and shrugged. “As long as I can remember. My mother insisted that I keep it quiet so the only people who knew for the bulk of my life were her, my grandmother, and me.”
“And now?”
“A few more people know.” A ghost of a smile flitted around the corners of Maddie’s mouth. “My husband, of course. I should’ve told him back then, but I was afraid he would freak out at the news, maybe not believe me, and at the time I figured that would kill me.”
“Obviously he’s accepted it,” Danielle noted. “How long did it take?”
“Not as long as you might think.” Maddie’s smile was sheepish. “He was more angry about me leaving him after high school than the fact that I kept a big secret from him. I mean ... he wasn’t happy I didn’t trust him enough to tell him, but when he had time to settle and really think about it he wasn’t angry for very long.”
“That’s good.” Danielle smiled encouragingly. “It’s nice to have a man who loves you no matter what.”
“That’s definitely Nicky.”
“He’s got a touch of sight or something,” Hannah volunteered. “He said that Maddie’s mother told him how to find her when she was in danger.”
Jackie made an odd throat-clearing noise. “How does that mean he has the sight?”
“Her mother is dead, and she was at the time she told him how to find her.”
“Oh, well, that would be a dead giveaway,” Jackie agreed, her expression thoughtful. “Are you a witch?”
Maddie’s initial instinct was to shake her head. Quickly, though, she thought better of it. “I don’t know what I am. I don’t really know the terminology all that well. As far as I know, I’m only psychic. I don’t have any other ... um ... powers. Wait, is that the right word?”
Hannah’s grin was wide. “I can’t tell you how happy I am to have someone here who knows less about this stuff than me. That’s totally the right word.”
“It doesn’t matter what word you use,” Danielle reassured Maddie quickly. “That’s not the important thing.”
“What is the important thing?” Maddie was legitimately curious. “I mean, in your mind, what is the single
