K. Weiland - Storming

The last bit of hope choked out of him. He jerked forward a step, then turned to look at Griff instead of Rick. “She’s dead? You found her?”

Griff barely nodded.

“Walter?”

Griff hesitated, then shook his head. “We didn’t find him. We looked all around where we found Aurelia, for miles in every direction.”

“But you can be sure his death’s on your head too,” Rick said.

Lilla grabbed his arm. “Stop it! How can you say that?”

Rick tried to push her aside. “Because it’s the truth. Stay out of what you don’t know anything about.”

“I know what it’s about—and it isn’t the truth!”

He glared at her. “Just shut that big, stupid mouth in that big, empty head of yours.”

Her jaw dropped. She narrowed her eyes. “ You. You insufferable… insufferable person !” She turned to face the crowd and stood on her tiptoes. “He’s lying! He’s always lying! Hitch didn’t do anything!”

Campbell growled. “Get her out of here.”

With a scowl, Rick snagged her sleeve and dragged her away.

She started beating on him with both hands. “You want to know how stupid I really am? I was going to marry you , that’s how stupid!”

“C’mon.” Campbell looked at Griff. “Get it done. Arrest him.”

Griff hesitated again, his mouth half open, like he wanted to say something, but didn’t yet know what it was. He looked at Campbell. “We haven’t got a lick of proof.”

“C’mon, son!” Campbell said. “It’s plainer than the noses on our faces. He’s got a criminal record as long as your arm.”

Griff frowned. “What are you talking about?”

“Why do you think he left you all in such a hurry back when? I had him dead to rights for thieving and smuggling.”

Disbelief flickered across Griff’s face.

So maybe he hadn’t written Hitch off completely—yet.

Griff stared at Campbell. “Then why didn’t you arrest him as soon as he showed up in town?”

“I ain’t one to stir up old troubles. But he was at it again within the week. Bootlegging.”

The rage exploded inside Hitch. He moved toward Campbell. “You think I’m going to stand here and let you say this? Not this time. I’ll kill you where you stand before I let you do this to me again!”

Griff slapped a hand against Hitch’s chest and pushed him back. “Shut up and let me handle this.” He looked Hitch in the eye. “Tell me the truth, for once. Did you do any of what he’s saying?”

“No!” Jael said. “These are halves of truths!”

“Then you did do it,” Griff said.

“I did not let Zlo out tonight,” Hitch insisted. “I had nothing to do with that.”

“Were you bootlegging like he said?”

Hitch hesitated. Too late now. He exhaled. “Yes.” If there was ever a time to tell the truth about his involvement with Campbell, this was it. “But you got to understand.”

“Then you tell me why.” Griff breathed hard. “Tell me why, Hitch. Make me believe you.”

Campbell’s mouth went flat and dangerous. He jerked Jael closer. His eyes bored into Hitch, their message clear.

Against the far sky, chain lightning slashed the darkness.

Jael caught Hitch’s eye and gave her head a sharp shake. Don’t do this for me , she seemed to say.

And she was right. He couldn’t. Not this time. The truth had to come out sooner or later.

He turned to Griff and stepped back. “You want to arrest somebody here, you arrest Campbell, you hear me?”

“Don’t be a raving idiot,” Campbell said.

Griff shook his head. “Do this right for once, Hitch. If you’re not guilty, it’ll all work itself out.”

Hitch took another step back. “I’m doubting that.” This was about to end up in another fight, and this time it’d be a whole lot more serious than yesterday’s spat. He tensed.

Then, on the edge of the crowd, a woman wailed. People looked back. A path opened up.

Nan staggered through it and flung herself at Hitch. Her face was slick with tears. She was sobbing so hard she was wheezing.

“I don’t understand! I don’t—understand. How could you let this happen? Aurelia’s dead.” She leaned against his chest, like she wanted to be held.

Instinctively, he brought his arms up around her.

With one fist, she beat feebly against his shoulder. “And Walter—to Walter of all people, how could you let this happen? Hitch!”

His heart twisted. “Nan…” He looked up, over her head, and saw Campbell.

A new light entered the sheriff’s eyes. He cocked his head. “Well. Miz Carpenter, maybe you got only yourself to blame. Maybe if you’d told him how things really stand, he’d’ve taken better care.”

Hitch set his hands on Nan’s shoulders and pushed her back. He kept his gaze on Campbell. “What do you mean?”

“I mean,” Campbell said, “I don’t think they ever got around to telling you the truth, now did they?”

His heartbeat started to pound in his ears. “What truth?” He looked down at Nan. “What’s he talking about?”

The deluge finally reached them. Open lanterns winked out.

Under his hands, Nan’s whole body trembled. “Walter’s not my son. He’s Celia’s—and yours.”

And just like that, Hitch’s world imploded. The wide vault of the sky seemed to lean down upon him and crush him with its cold, vast weight.

He had a son.

And tonight, he’d lost his son.

ALL AROUND WALTER, cold wind wailed. He lay as still as he could on the wooden shelf that had stopped his fall. He kept his eyes shut. If he didn’t move, he couldn’t fall. And he didn’t want to fall. Never, never again. A sob clogged his throat, but he forced it back.

How long had he been lying here? He eased his eyelids open. Darkness pressed in all around—except up top, where the white of the balloon loomed. Surely it had to be about time for the night to be over. He slanted his gaze to the side, trying to see the horizon. But, no, it was still dark.

He clamped his eyes closed again and strained his ears for the thousandth time. But no putter of the Jenny’s engine broke through the wind and the thunder of _Schturming_’s propellers. It was too dark. It had been too long. Hitch wouldn’t be able to find him, not now. Maybe he and Jael had crashed too. The whimper worked its way up.

Nobody was going to save him. It didn’t make any kind of sense that they would. He had to be smart now. And brave.

So the first sensible question was: How far was he from the edge? He spread his fingers against the wood on which he lay. Inch by inch, he crawled his fingers away from his body.

After only about seven inches, they dropped right over the edge.

All the air left his lungs. He yanked his hand back. That’s how close he’d been. All this time! Seven inches more and he’d have fallen straight to the ground, instead of catching himself here.

After Aunt Aurelia fell and Jael and Hitch had dived after her, Walter had kept clinging to the rope. But it slipped and slipped—until it wasn’t just slipping, it was plunging. He’d skidded down the side of the balloon, clawing at the taut fabric. There had to be something, anything, to grab onto. But there was nothing… until the balloon disappeared and both his outstretched hands slapped into something hard.

He’d jammed to a stop. Everything hurt. For a second, he’d just hung there. Maybe Hitch would come back. Maybe he’d catch him, like they were catching Aunt Aurelia.

But, no, that was stupid. His arms trembled. He’d fall before they could make it back. He’d have to save himself. So he’d hauled himself over the edge and rolled to a stop. He lay there in the space between the balloon and the ship. The darkness was too thick to see what was on the inside edge of the ledge. Maybe another drop. He’d just have to wait for Hitch to come back.