Esau watched his wife pace back and forth in front of the cold fireplace.

"When will we have it?" she demanded. "I've been lying to my mother since that German cow started showing!"

"Patience, Ida," Esau said from his desk. "We don't want to frighten her."

"Well pay her and be done with it!" Ida shouted. "Do you have any idea how much my sisters will mock me when they find out I still have no children at thirty-seven?"

"Stop fretting, my love," Esau said taking both her hands in his. "Elsa Dressler won't be able to refuse my offer. She'll nurse the child until it is weaned and then I'll pack her off to Canada where she can forget about this whole ordeal."

"And what about Granville Heritage?" Ida asked. "You weren't able to keep him away and now he is friends with the Dresslers. He'll speak up for Elsa. He may marry her!"

The door to the study flew open and Ishmael entered out of breath with his hair all a mess. "Esau I need your help."

Ida stomped up to him. "Where's the infant? You're trying my patience."

"Ida get away from him," Esau ordered and Ida backed down in spite. Esau looked at his brother and noticed the blood on his sleeves. "What have you done?"

"I killed her?"

"Who?" Ida asked. "Not Elsa Dressler?"

"No not, Elsa," Ishmael said. He looked at his brother. "John Sabbath's daughter."

"What?" Esau said getting to his feet.

"I hit her with the motorcar," Ishmael said.

"Did anyone see you?" Esau asked going over to his brother and placing his hand on his shoulder.

"No, the road was empty." Ishmael said.

"And the car?"

"Just a little dusty."

Esau nodded. "Where is she?"

"Wild Wood Lake."

Esau patted his brother on the back. "It will be all right. I'll take care of it for you." He hurried out of the room with Ishmael following him. "You stay here. Jude will be your alibi if they start asking questions."

"You think they might?"

Esau stopped at the door to put on his jacket and hat. "People may wonder why John Sabbath and his daughter both died in the same year. And if I don't get to that body first then they will compare the bruises."

Ishmael swallowed. "But they won't come after us."

Esau paused. "The sheriff is getting harder to pacify and I don't know what else to give him. I've been pouring in money to that gang to keep them away from Jude."

"What about the blood gold?"

"Only in desperate situations. There isn't much left," Esau said. "Now I have to go. Stay here." He folded down the collar of his jacket and walked out the door. Saddling his own horse he galloped in the direction of Wild Wood Lake.

/

"It started appearing on the market about twenty-four years ago," the pawn store clerk said as he laid the coin on the counter. "This was brought in by a woman in rags. I think she may have stolen it. Most people who stop by marvel at it but no one is ever interested in buying."

Granville picked up the coin which was about the size of a silver dollar. The color was exactly like the ring. "Why not?"

"Well they don't call it blood gold because of the coloring," the clerk said. "The story goes so. A prince fought a monster in his kingdom. He slew it in a river filled with gold coins but ended up drowning himself. To remember the battle between good and evil the people started carving the prince into the coins fished out of the water. They carved his face on one side and the monster on the other. Go ahead and flip it over."

Granville flipped down the face of the prince and his heart jumped into his throat at the sight of the monster. Its exaggerated body, wide mouth and nine tails threatened to jump out at him. He didn't know about the story having anything to do with the actual coin but he did now realize where Ishmael got his name. "You said you started seeing these roughly twenty-four years ago?"

"Yes, sir."

Granville nodded. "That's when Isaac died."

"Come again."

"Thank you, for your help sir," Granville said taking his hat and his ring. He quickly left the pawnshop and mounted Bach. The crowd that had in the meantime gathered around the wild animal stepped back as it raised its mighty head and charged up the street.

/

"Ottaline!" Providence called as she walked through the field. "Ottaline can you hear me?" She looked over her shoulder at Mr. Idris. "I don't understand what could have happened to her."

"You said you heard her scream?" Idris asked as they left the field and got back on the road.

"Yes," Providence said. "I know it was her." She shook her head. "I just know something awful has—" She paused when she noticed white powder sprinkled among the leaves of the bushes along the road. She reached down into the underbrush and pulled out a nearly empty sack of the flour. "Ottaline!" she shouted.

Idris stepped back and studied the ground. "There are tire tracks," he said feeling his heart start to race.

Providence scanned the ground. She saw a mess of tire tracks and footprints. While the foot prints could belong to any person the tire tracks could only be the work of one. "Ottaline!" she cried out loudly.

Idris walked the tracks. They had stopped and turned back down the road. "The lake."

"The what?"

"Wild Wood Lake. Come on." He boosted Providence onto his horse then climbed on himself. He nudged the animal into a fast gallop up the road, kicking up dirt. They broke off into the meadow that grew before the woods then sped into the trees. Wild rodents and birds scattered for shelter as the hose stumbled onto the Wild Wood path and darted up to the lake.

When they reached the lake edge by the boulder, Idris dismounted then helped Providence down.

"Why are we here?"

"The lake is not quick to yield its secrets," Idris said as he searched. "It's the perfect place to hide something you don't want found. That's how I knew they should search here for your—" He paused and turned around.

Providence shook her head. "No," she said in tears. "Not Ottaline too."

Idris returned to her and put his hands on her shoulders. "It's just a thought," he said. "Look, we know something happened to her but there may still be a chance—" He gave up when Providence broke down in sobs. He wrapped his arms around her and held her close knowing that she may have just been abandoned in the world.

Providence opened her eyes slowly wishing the moment wasn't and that she was back in the copse with her and Ottaline teasing each other. When her eyes opened she looked down into the lake and let the memories of days spent catching minnows fill her mind. She remembered that the best place to catch them was the boulder under the oak tree. She looked there and froze. "Mr. Idris..." she said pushing away from him and pointing.

Barely noticeable, just below the murky surface fluttered a blue dress, half tangled in broken limbs and roots. Providence followed the dress upward with her eyes until she met a face resting on a mossy bough. "Ottaline!"

They rushed into the water soaking their clothes all the way through. Idris lifted her and her had flapped backwards. "Ottaline? Ottaline can you hear me?" He leaned against her chest and was relieved to feel a faint heartbeat. "She's alive!"

"Thank you, God!" Providence cried. "Thank, you!"

Idris waded out of the water and stretched out the bonnie swan on the bank. Her face and arms were badly bruised and faint traces of blood sprinkled her dress.

"Will she be all right?" Providence asked from behind.

"I don't know." Idris admitted, wishing he could say otherwise. "We must pray for her."

"I'll pray harder than ever," Providence said.

Idris put her on the horse then picked up Ottaline and carried her out of the Wild Wood. On the opposite side of the lake Esau Richmond slipped from his hiding place. Too late he was to dispose of the girl. He mounted his house and nudged it with his heel. He would have to think of another way to keep the event hushed.

/

Granville let the door slam behind him as he entered the silent house. "Idris!" He shouted through the stillness. "Idris, Providence!"

Idris came down the stairs at a jog and met him.

"Where is she?" Granville demanded. "I just saw Doctor Stuart on the road. Where is she?"

"Stay calm," Idris said. "She's upstairs in bed."

"What happened?"

"Granville, I..."

"What happened?"

"She was hit by a motorcar."

Granville frowned. "A motorcar?" He bit into his bottom lip. "The Richmonds again." He pushed pass Idris and went upstairs. He marched straight into the bedroom, startling Providence who was seated at her sister's side. He stared in astonishment at the broken girl in the bed before him.

Providence sniffled. "Doctor Stuart says she can't hear us." She wiped her nose on her sleeve. "He says she may never wake up."

Granville sunk down on the bed and stared at the wall. "It is enough," he said and Idris and Providence looked at him.

"No more victims. From this day forward I will tear them down." He reached into his pocket and pulled out the ring and touched it to his lips, closing his eyes. "She was right about the ships. Esau Richmond is buying hearts with money from gold." He shook his head. "Such a bright light."

"Gold?" Idris questioned.

"Blood gold." Granville clarified. "Gold as red as blood and the shedder of it." He nodded his head. "Rebecca Arnold is number two. Poisoned in Richmond Wood. Isaac Richmond is number three. It was said he died in a church fire but we know better. He was somehow killed by his brothers and his body was never found. Catherine Sabbath, number four. Shot in Richmond Wood. Why, we don't know for sure but she clearly knew too much. My father, Leon Heritage, died as a result of injuries from an attack, challenged the death of Catherine Sabbath, my sister and my mother...who can ever really know the reason. Number eight, John Sabbath—"

"Ran down by a motorcar." Idris said.

"And what about number one?" Providence asked.

"Number one." Granville held up the ring. "The poor souls who captained the ship carrying this gold." He shook his head. "People say False Light Peak was built to trap pirates. That is used to be used as a decoy to wreck their ships. Well I don't say was I say is. Rebecca knew about the tunnels so it is possible she knew too much about the Richmond's first wreck so they silenced her, just like all the others." He looked down at Ottaline in the bed. "Just like all the others."

/

Esau looked up from his desk as Ishmael paced back and forth in front of the window. "Wearing a hole in the floor is not going to solve your problems."

"She'll talk."

"And who is going to believe a colored orphan over my brother?" Esau asked with a smirk. "I always look out for you, Ishmael. You have no reason to worry now."

"What happens when we are broke?" Ishmael asked. "Who are you going to bribe then?"

"If my brothers hadn't been making so many messes we would still have plenty left over but I'm always tossing money away to get ya'll out of trouble. Now I have to buy a baby you created off a German girl to appease my wife. The circle never ends. But I guess that's what comes with being the eldest."

Ishmael stopped pacing and rested his forehead against the window. "Are you happy?" he asked. "About Isaac?"

"I liked Isaac," Esau said. "It was the way father favored him that drove me mad."

Ishmael scoffed. "I was there," he said. "The three of us used to bend over backwards to get his attention. It was hard for me but for Jude...nearly impossible. Pa used to say one of us two should have been born a girl and things would be easier."

"I never knew he said that," Esau said.

"Well you may not like to admit it, but you were a favorite," Ishmael said. "You weren't Isaac but he didn't quite dislike you like he did Jude and me."

"I never felt his affection."

"But you never felt his raft," Ishmael said turning around. "You are right to say that you were always getting us out of trouble. I remember very clearly the day you stopped him from beating me senseless. It was a Sunday, I recall. I was your favorite."

Esau moved uncomfortably. "You didn't hate Isaac did you?"

"No, I just hated the way he made me feel," Ishmael said. "He received all the glory and all the praise but he also taught me on vital lesson. I'll never forget. Don't upset Pa."

Esau swallowed. "I should have been here."

"You would have gone along with us," Ishmael said. "It was a chance to please our father, to make him happy. Jude as usual was too chicken so I told him to go back and start the fire. I didn't think the idiot would burn the church." His voice got low. "Then I slipped off with Isaac into our wood..."

"You wouldn't have done it if he hadn't asked you!"

"You should have seen Isaac's face," Esau smiled. "He...he looked so surprised. Like an animal, a helpless animal caught in the open."

Esau stayed silent as he watched the satisfied expression come to his brother's face. He was mad, but he loved him more than his madness.