“Mother o’ God, Morrison,” Duffy called out. “What have you been doing to yourself? I’ve seen week-old corpses in better shape.”
As he came forward, Zeke merely regarded him with a dull stare, not even barking out his usual demand to know what Duffy was up to. “Where’s Miss Kavanaugh?”
“Upstairs,” Duffy said with an upward motion of his thumb. “I’m glad you’re here. Something funny’s going on. Look, she’s getting one of those balloons ready and?—”
“Damnation!” Zeke strode to glance through the open doors of the warehouse, back toward the dock, where a familiar loud hiss rattled the windows. The sight of the balloon straining skyward brought a spark back into Zeke’s listless eyes.
“You don’t even know the half,” Duffy said. “That friend of yours, Mrs. Van Hallsburg, is upstairs with Miss Kavanaugh, and I can’t begin to imagine what the devil?—”
“Mrs. Van H.! Up there with Rory?”
Duffy scowled with impatience. Wouldn’t the man ever let him finish his sentences? Apparently not, for Zeke shoved Duffy out of the way, his jaw hardening, as he started to rush up the steps.
But it was not necessary. Rory was already on her way down, Mrs. Van Hallsburg a step behind, but not far enough that Rory couldn’t feel the muzzle of the gun jammed up against her ribs, the weapon concealed by the folds of her dress.
She had been stalling as long as she could, seeking a way to flee or overpower the woman. But it had been impossible as Mrs. Van H. never kept her gun more than a hair’s breadth from Rory’s side. One false move and Rory knew she was dead.
As she descended the stairs, she forced herself to remain calm, to exhibit a bravado she wasn’t feeling. Just wait until she got Mrs. Van H. up in her balloon, she reassured herself. The sky was her domain, the balloon’s mysteries hers to control.
Intent upon her thoughts, Rory was halfway down before she realized a man was storming up the risers. Zeke’s appearance was so unexpected, it was all she could do not to fling herself into his arms with a cry of relief and joy.
But close behind her she heard Mrs. Van Hallsburg’s sharp intake of breath, then the threat. “One move, one plea for help, and I’ll shoot him directly between the eyes.”
Would she? Despite Mrs. Van Hallsburg’s icy facade, Rory sensed the woman was mad enough to do so. Rory shrank back from Zeke’s approach, calling out. “Zeke. Damn you. Get out of here.”
He frowned, but kept coming. “Rory, what in blazes is going on?”
“None of your business,” she said desperately. “Just go away.”
“I’ve engaged Miss Kavanaugh’s services,” Mrs. Van Hallsburg said. “We’re going on a journey together.”
“What! The hell you are,” Zeke snarled. As he took another step, Rory felt Mrs. Van Hallsburg tense.
“Stay away,” Rory cried. “I mean it, Zeke. Don’t you dare to touch me.”
The vehemence of her command brought him up short.
“I told you before I didn’t want to see you anymore. Now you and Duffy just get out of here before I have you thrown out.”
She tried to telegraph a far different message to Zeke with her eyes. She wasn’t sure he understood, but after exchanging a glance with Duffy, he backed off enough to allow Rory and Mrs. Van Hallsburg to proceed down the steps.
Rory had an impulse to shout out a warning and run, but Mrs. Van Hallsburg’s grip on her arm was too firm, her gun hand never wavering.
“How very touching that you came to bid me farewell, John,” Mrs. Van Hallsburg sneered. “But it seems the least a boy could do for his mother.”
His mother? In her astonishment Rory nearly forgot herself and jerked away. How crazed was this woman to say such strange things?
Not crazed enough, Rory realized, a dull ache lodging in her heart, compounded of horror and empathy for Zeke. She could see the truth of the woman’s bizarre words upon Zeke’s face, shame mingled with loathing. Duffy’s eyes fairly popped from his head as Mrs. Van Hallsburg continued to taunt Zeke.
“You are my son. I hope you never forget that.” There was a deliberate cruelty in her voice as though she couldn’t resist taunting him one last time.
“Maybe I won’t, but I’m sure as hell going to try,” Zeke said. He watched as Mrs. Van Hallsburg tugged Rory toward the balloon.
“Damn it, Morrison,” Duffy said. “Aren’t you going to do anything? Let’s grab that witch and?—”
“You fool.” Zeke grabbed Duffy by the coattails to halt his impulsive rush forward. He whispered harshly, “Can’t you tell she has a gun jammed against Rory’s side?”
“Then what are we going to do? We can’t just let Rory go off with her. That woman’s crazy.”
