The blast split the deep quiet around them, inciting a cacophony of bird cries, followed by a high, tailing-off whistle. All three of them looked up at once, but Abby was the first to run for the barn door and heave it open.“Cody!” she called, a note of alarm in her voice. “Children!”“Yeah?” Tom shouted back. “Whaddaya want?”His voice held a faint underlay of menace, but that seemed to be normal for Tom. The boy sounded casual. Nothing wrong.Abby threaded her way through the trees, coming out behind the barn.The children were at work netting a berry patch so that it wouldn’t be picked clean before the fruit could ripen next season. Tom, the oldest, was driving stakes into the ground, letting out a karate-like “Hi-ya” as each one spiked the earth. Reid and his sister Ally cut lengths of net. Even Cody had been given a job. Abby felt a flush of delight as she watched her little boy solemnly hold a piece of netting so that Ally could affix it to the stake.“Good job, Cody,”
