happened to his father?”
“He’s still alive, if that’s what you’re wondering.”
“I’m sure I would’ve heard if he’d died. It’s just ... when I left town, he was chief of police. I very much doubt Hunter would be okay working for him.”
“You’re right on that. Hunter came in after his father lost his position.”
“And when was that?”
“About five years ago. Before that, I think Hunter was working over in Hemlock Cove. He spent a few years there under someone named Terry Bradshaw. I think they grew close. It was Terry who came in and ultimately relieved Greg Ryan of his position.”
This was all gossip I’d missed while out of town. I wanted to ask about Hunter when I’d called my mother, but I feared she would tell him about my interest. Even worse, I feared she’d figure out why I cared. He was the one thing I could never shake about Shadow Hills.
“Why was he removed?”
“Because of the drunk driving. And beating his wife, though he denied that to the bitter end. And she helped. The cops here overlooked it for a long time. Hunter stepped in to save his mother a few times as a teenager, getting a beating or two himself for the effort. That’s why he went to live with his grandparents across town before graduation.”
“I know about all of this.” Hunter had confided in me a time or two, mostly when he was at his most vulnerable. “I don’t know why his father was finally removed.”
“It was the other chief. Hunter must’ve let a few things slip, because that guy came in guns blazing. He had friends in high places and there was enough evidence on Greg to oust the entire department. Terry served as interim chief until a new one could be appointed, a guy who used to work in Detroit and wanted away from the city. Things have been quiet ever since.”
“And Hunter came in sometime after?”
“Weeks after. Terry eased the transition himself.”
“You know a lot about the situation.”
“Terry had coffee in here every day when he was in town. We got to know one another. He’s a good guy. He still stops in about once a week, when he needs a break from the antics of Hemlock Cove. It’s only a twenty-minute drive.”
Hemlock Cove. It was known as Walkerville when I was growing up. Then, about the time I was going to college, they rebranded themselves as a tourist town for witches. Everyone in the area thought it was a terrible idea, but it turned out to be a stroke of genius, because the town has thrived as others in the area struggled.
Witches. That made me think of the Ouija board. I was about to ask my grandfather what he knew regarding its origin when I thought better of it. He would think Alice and I were doing more than drinking if I told him what we’d witnessed. Besides, under the hammering of my hangover, I was starting to question what really had happened. Perhaps we imagined it, or somehow made it happen without realizing what we were doing.
“Do you think Hunter is happy?” I really was curious as I watched Grandpa turn on the grill.
“I think he grew into a good man who is still figuring things out,” Grandpa replied. “Life was never easy for Hunter. Things are better now, though his father is still around, making things difficult sometimes.”
That was another thing I’d been wondering about. “What about his mother?”
“She stayed with her husband. He doesn’t talk to Hunter, which is exactly how Hunter probably wants it, but she won’t talk to him either. They tell anyone who will listen that it was some sort of dastardly plan by Hunter to wrest control of the department away from his father. As far as I know, they still live out in that house on the lake. It’s fallen into disrepair, and he spends the money from his pension on booze.”
That sounded about right. I’d never liked Hunter’s father. He was a horrible man, mean and ill-tempered. He went out of his way to be gracious to me whenever we’d crossed paths, but I figured that was simply because I was from a prominent town family and he didn’t want to risk ticking off Grandpa. I never understood how Hunter turned out to be such a strong individual the way his father was always trying to break him down.
“Well, I hope Hunter is happy,” I said, moving to the coffee machine so I could