“Lew,” he called, “it’s Raj. You remember me, Lew.”

Annie could see Lew more clearly now. He was staring into the ground, quietly speaking to himself as if praying.

She took a step closer, though Raj was still restraining her. As she did so, Lew lowered Baby. She thought he was letting him go, but as soon as Baby was on the ground, Lew took hold of his left ankle. Quickly raising him to chest height, Lew turned to suspend Baby upside down and howling over the edge of the bluff.

“Don’t!” Annie screamed, putting her hands out. Hooking his arm around her, Raj pulled her back to the line of men. “Lew,” she shouted, trying to struggle free, becoming furious. “It’s my baby. Don’t you do this. Don’t you do this.”

A breeze swarmed the leaf shadows over that figure—heartless figure—holding a baby suspended above the river eighty feet below. All the men kept very still behind their aimed rifles.

“He hasn’t even got a name,” Annie shouted. “He hasn’t even got a name.”

Lew looked up, the sun catching briefly in eyes as unearthly as the supersaturated blue sky behind him. Gently, he swung Baby back in and lowered him to the ground. Annie freed herself, slapping and tearing at Raj, and stepped onto the plateau. Baby crawled just a half foot or so and then fell back on his rear, crying and reaching for her in outrage. He was still within easy reach of Lew. As she took a few steps closer, Lew shifted the shotgun so it was now in both his hands, though still aiming down.

“Lewis,” Siggy warned, “you put that down now. You put it down.”

Behind her Annie could sense the rifles focusing, as one, to their purpose, felt it like a fist clenching and knew that if Lew moved they would shoot.

“Lew, honey,” she said. “Lew, don’t do this.” Baby was just a few yards away, screaming and reaching.

“Come back here!” Bennet called suddenly. Annie thought this was directed at her, but Raj appeared beside her. Before she could stop him, he took a step forward. Abruptly Lew swung up the shotgun, all the men shouting, but he just pulled it against his chest, cradling it in both arms. Lew looked toward her, a question in his face, which slowly evaporated as he glanced at Baby, then back at Raj, who took another step closer.

“Come on, Cowpat,” Raj said softly. “Let’s go down to the sinkhole. Let’s go down for a swim. Just you and me.”