Annie stayed with Raj and Harry Olsen, who was only fifteen and looked eager to use his new rifle. Less than ten minutes later, a shout came from deeper in the woods, upriver. They ran, joining other clots of men until they arrived at the bluff. She could hear Baby crying and clambered frantically up to the edge of the little plateau, but Raj hooked his arm around her waist to stop her from going any farther.

Lew, naked, stood right at the precipice. He held Baby in one arm, the shotgun, pointing to the ground, in the crook of the other. The sun had cast the leaf shadows of a tall dogwood upon him, so it was hard to see the exact expression on his face as the men spread in a semicircle around the edge of the plateau. Thirty rifles were leveled at Lew. Baby was screaming, his face a mess of tears and snot.

Siggy shouted, “Lewis, you put that baby down now. That’s your baby boy, don’t you harm him.”

Baby let out another wail. Annie could feel the front of her nightgown soaked with her milk. Raj was still gently holding her, but she surprised him, twisting his arm out of the way as she shoved him back and scrambled up onto the plateau.

“Annie, you get back now,” Bennet called sternly. “You get back or I’ll shoot him right here.”

“Lew.” She tried to be calm, to coax. “Lew, come here, darling. It’s Annie. Come here to me. We’ll be all right. You’ll be okay.” She didn’t really know what she was saying. She wanted to get Baby. She wanted Baby to stop crying. As she went to take another step forward, she felt someone clutch her gown at the back and looked around to see Raj, who had also stepped out a little way onto the plateau.

“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.