“More than you could ever possibly deliver.”
16
Sixteen
Nick and Cooper sat on chairs outside the saloon and watched the psychics interact. It was like watching a movie ... or a soap opera.
“They’re all trying to one-up one another,” Nick noted after a good five minutes of silence. “Velma’s death has left a spot open on top of the heap and they all want to fill it.”
“Not all of them,” Cooper countered, inclining his head toward the spot in front of the jail. There, three younger women sat and laughed, paying little attention to what the others were doing. “Some of them are just here to have an adventure.”
“Like Maddie.”
Cooper nodded. “Like Maddie.” He slid his gaze to the police detective. “How do you feel about being a father?” It seemed like a loaded question, but he was honestly curious.
Nick held out his hands and shrugged. “I think it sounds like fun ... and a lot of work. Technically Maddie and I already have a child and she’s inside tending bar.”
Cooper angled himself so he could look inside the saloon, to where Maude was holding court behind the bar. She seemed to be having a grand time as she chatted up Melanie and Carrie. “She’s not so bad. She seems to be in pretty good shape for her age. You’re going to like having her around to meet your kids.”
“Oh, I have no doubt about that,” Nick agreed. “I love Maude. I don’t want you to think otherwise. She’s just ... so much work.”
Cooper snickered. “How bad can she be?”
“She breaks the law at least three times a week.”
“I’m betting she gets away with it.”
“She does, for the most part.” Nick pursed his lips, his gaze moving to the far side of town as Maddie and Hannah popped into sight. “It looks like the ladies are back.”
Cooper shifted again. “They don’t look as if they’ve been in a fight, so I’m taking that as a good sign. I was worried Astra might make things difficult. For some reason, though, she likes feeding Hannah information. I can’t explain it.”
Nick frowned. “What does Astra have to do with anything?”
“I guarantee Hannah took Maddie to the creek. Astra hangs out there all the time. At least once every two weeks or so Astra and Hannah cross paths there. It’s a relatively safe environment because the water keeps them separated.”
“You didn’t tell me that.” Nick’s tone was accusatory. “I wouldn’t have let Maddie go down there if I’d known that.”
Amusement curved Cooper’s lips. “I like how you think you have control of what Maddie does.”
“I have a say.”
“No, you don’t. Maddie might let you believe your opinion matters on certain things, but when it comes down to it, I’m betting she gets her way more often than you do.”
Nick recognized the mirth in the other man’s voice, although he wasn’t certain how to respond. “How do you know that?” he asked finally.
“Because it’s the same way with Hannah. She does what she wants and I have to deal with it. You’re the same.”
“Maddie is a good girl.”
“Of course she is. She’s still a woman, and that means she’s headstrong and set in her ways.”
“Yeah, but ... .” Nick trailed off.
“Now you think she’s pregnant,” Cooper surmised. “In your mind, that means things have to change. If it’s any consolation, I don’t think Maddie would ever purposely put herself in danger — especially if she has a hitchhiker on board — but she’s still going to do what she wants.”
Even though he wanted to argue, Nick recognized the other man was correct. “Let’s just see what they found, huh?”
Both women were excited when they landed in front of their respective men. They launched into the tale of what happened at the creek, both taking turns filling in gaps, and when they were finished, Nick and Cooper found they were intrigued.
“Well, that’s interesting, isn’t it?” Nick rubbed his square jaw with one hand while sliding his free arm around Maddie’s waist to tug her to his lap. “That basically gives us two new suspects.”
“I don’t think we can ignore the others, though,” Hannah argued pragmatically. “Just because the daughter and assistant were positioned weirdly against one another, that doesn’t necessarily mean anything. I mean ... we don’t even know if Melanie realized her mother planned on supplanting her.”
“She knew that her mother stole her spot,” Cooper pointed out.
“Do you think that’s enough to kill over, though?”
He shrugged. “I’ve seen people kill over ten bucks and a beer.” He rubbed his forehead, considering. “Still, we need to talk to them. The daughter and assistant are in there. Maude has been entertaining them for almost an hour at this point.”
“Oh, no.” Maddie made a face as she craned to look inside the saloon. “Is she doing anything weird?”
Cooper chuckled. “I think she thrives on weird. The others seem to like her just fine, though. I wouldn’t worry about it.”
“So, how should we approach them?” Hannah queried. “Should we go up and start accusing them?”
Cooper shook his head. “No, I think it’s best if Maddie approaches them.”
Maddie’s eyes went wide. “You do?”
“Absolutely not.” Nick started shaking his head. “They might attack her.”
“They’re not going to attack her,” Cooper countered. “We’re going inside with her. We’ll pretend we’re just getting drinks. Maddie can go behind the bar and check on Maude. While she’s back there, if she were to drop the news that the assistant was being prepped to take over, it wouldn’t be the worst thing. She’ll be protected by the bar and we’ll be right there to swoop in.”
“I don’t know.” Nick’s eyes were conflicted when they locked with Maddie’s sea-blue orbs. “Are you okay with this?”
“I’m fine with it,” Maddie reassured him. “I’m more than capable of taking care of myself.”
“Yeah, but—” He didn’t finish the sentence, although his hand did land protectively on Maddie’s flat midriff.
“I’m not
