Page 65 of Claws and Feathers

Chapter Nineteen

Cooper stormed into the office the next morning with fury spitting from his eyes. Maya was sitting behind her desk, startled when he made a beeline straight towards her.

She stood. Her dark eyes were wide, but she maintained her poise, as always. “Officer. How can I help you?”

“No bullshit, Maya.” Cooper stopped in front of her desk and leaned forward on his hands. “Are you fucking with Abigail?”

Maya let a smirk surface as she smoothed out her long, raven hair. “No. But I can see that you are.”

He slammed his fist down on her desk, causing her to flinch. “Did you leave a dead bird on her doorstep yesterday?”

“You’re joking, right?” Maya’s smirk morphed into amused laughter. “Oh, lover. You think I’m capable of such a thing?”

“Don’t call me that.”

She tapped her chin with a burgundy-tipped finger. “Apologies. I forgot you’ve already moved onto your next damsel in distress.”

Cooper flew behind the desk, halting only inches from her face. He was in no mood for her games or manipulation tactics. He only wanted facts. “Someone left a bird on Abby’s doorstep. It had a knife stabbed through it.”

“Charming.”

“Was it you?” he pressed. “You’re one of the only people who had inside knowledge into her case.”

Maya fell silent – for dramatic effect, surely. She sighed as she raised a hand to Cooper’s shirt collar, but he caught her wrist before she made contact. Maya smiled up at him. “I’d like to speak to my lawyer.”

Cooper dropped her arm and stepped back. “You’re a piece of work, you know that?”

More laughter spilled from her ruby lips. “Oh, Cooper. You flatter me,” she said. “You really think I’d leave a disgusting carcass at that woman’s front door? I fainted every time Izzy brought me a dead squirrel as a present.”

He relaxed his stance, scratching his head and closing his eyes. His instincts had been right – it wasn’t Maya. She wasn’t capable.

“She misses you, by the way.”

Cooper tried not to show emotion, but he was certain the look in his eyes betrayed him. Izzy had been their beloved dog – a border collie mix. Maya had taken her in the divorce settlement. He’d loved that damn dog so much, he’d named his boat after her. “How is she?” Cooper asked, his eyes lowered to his shoes.

Maya’s own haughty visage softened. “Still bringing me squirrels every now and then.”

They stood there for a moment, both reflecting on another life. It was a life Cooper was grateful to be done with. He glanced back at Maya who was studying him with crossed arms and a raised eyebrow. He wondered what he’d ever seen in her. She was beautiful, yes, but her heart was anything but.

“Tell Abigail to come see me again,” Maya said sweetly. “I miss our talks.”

Cooper took that as his cue. He stepped backwards, his eyes narrowing at her in contempt. “Stay away from Abby. I mean it.”

He didn’t let her get another word in. Cooper stormed out of the office, slamming the door behind him. That chapter of his life was closed, and it would remain that way.

As he made his way out to his car, his phone buzzed in his back pocket. Cooper pulled it out to see James calling him. “McAllister,” he answered.

“Hey. I went through those records. Something very interesting,” James said on the other line.

Cooper slowed his feet, coming to a stop in the middle of the parking lot. “What kind of interesting?”

“Withdrawals,” James replied. “Ten thousand dollars taken out every single month like clockwork. Goes back pretty far.”

“Paper trail?”

“Cashier’s checks.”

Of course.Nothing could ever be easy. “Shit,” Cooper muttered. He ran a hand through his hair and let out a breath of frustration. “Anything else?”

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