Noah thought of the gunsmoke angels of war.

“I’m about to spook myself,” Taylor said, and his body gave off a shiver, like a muscle twitch. He turned to Noah. A nervous smile flicked across his face. “It’s nothing but the wind. Come on, we might as well call it a night.” He looked back at the swing, saw it begin to sway again. “Maybe somebody’s found him already. I sure hope so.” He began his walk back to the car, with Noah following. “One thing about this place,” he added, “Boyd did a lot of work on it. Not a house in the valley as good as this one. I got to give him his due: he was a good carpenter. Couldn’t farm a lick, like I told you, but he could work a hammer.” He laughed easily. “Fact is, this piece of land is almost worthless, it’s got so much rock on it. Eleanor’s going to have a hard time getting rid of it.”

More than anything, Eleanor was exhausted. Muscle and soul exhausted. The day’s tension was still with her, and the house of Howard and Ada Reynolds, filled with the muted sound of anguish only a short time earlier, was eerily quiet. The men searching for Matthew had returned, had reported no sighting of him, and then they had gone away to their own homes, pledging to return at sunrise. She had persuaded Howard and Ada to go to bed, though she knew they would not sleep. They would lie awake and try to bring a quilt of silence over them, but they would not sleep.

She sat at the kitchen table with a cup of coffee in front of her, the lights off, the room taking in moonspill from its windows, and she wondered if she had made a mistake insisting on staying with Howard and Ada. Maybe they would feel better being alone. Yet, neither of them was well enough to do the things that needed to be done—preparing the food, keeping the house clean and presentable for the parade of people who would fill it the following day.

Still, she realized there was nothing to be done at such a late hour, since the other women had been there for the supper and for the cleanup afterward, but it did not seem right to leave Howard and Ada to worry about anything other than Matthew. And Milton. Their concern over Milton was great. A message had been left for him. No one knew when he would get it, but everyone knew he would be on his way home as soon as he did. Milton could show up the middle of the night, panicked, and that panic could make the grief even greater for Howard and Ada. Being there if Milton appeared was important, she believed.

The clock on the kitchen counter was in moonlight from the window above it, easy to see. It was close to one.

I need to get some sleep, Eleanor thought.