and the deep holes left behind by years of excavation. As they played, Clint kept a close watch on his brothers and sisters. His mother didn’t cry, but she kept her attention focused on the road Saul would come down when he returned home.
The day after, May 27th, dawned much the same as the days before. Unable to sleep in, Clint was up early. Escaping outdoors to their treehouse, he watched the sun rise over a stand of hackberry and juniper trees. He couldn’t help but think about his dad when he came here. He’d helped the boys build their own clubhouse high in a sturdy oak, then surprised Clint with a weather station from Radio Shack. Oh, how proud he’d been to set it up and explain to his dad how each instrument worked. Today, he noted the temperature was already hot at 79 degrees and humidity was high and hung heavy in the air. There was a light breeze from the south, but all it did was bring in more sticky air.
Lying on his back, he looked for shapes in the clouds, smiling to himself when he spotted the face of a dog. The smile faded when he heard his mother calling for him.
“Clint! Clint! Where are you? I could use some help with breakfast.”
Any other time, he might’ve dilly-dallied, but he couldn’t do that now. His mother wasn’t doing very well. She cried every day and he knew she worried – not only about his father but about money. Always about money. Clint made up his mind right then and there that when he grew up, he’d do whatever it took to make sure he and his family didn’t have to worry about money. “Coming, Mom!”
Once inside, he fed his little brother Kyd some cereal and gave Bethany a bottle. Rowan took care of Cassidy while Colleen helped her mother distribute waffles fresh from the toaster. “Have you heard from Daddy?” the little girl asked, even though Rowan was giving her the evil eye, warning her not to ask the same question for the hundredth time.
“No. Not yet. Soon.”
Clint knew she’d called everyone she could think of to check on Saul Wilder. All of his friends said he’d arrived at the company camp but hadn’t stayed but a couple of days. They didn’t have a clue as to where he’d gone next. Clint also knew his mom was beginning to worry about how they’d make it financially if he didn’t return. He’d heard her talking to someone yesterday about selling Avon and Tupperware.
By noon, the temperature was over 90 degrees, brutally hot for the end of May. The kids opted to stay indoors; it was just too warm to venture outdoors. Clint played video games with his older brother until he beat him so badly Rowan refused to play anymore. “Fine. I’ll just watch television.”
“Put it on something good.”
“I will.” Clint picked up the remote and flipped it to the Weather Channel.
“Not that!” Rowan tried to wrestle the remote away from his brother. “Anything but that!”
“No wait.” He might not be the oldest, but Clint was big and athletic. He outweighed his brother by twenty-five pounds. Sometimes being the biggest paid off. Putting one hand on Rowan’s chest, he easily kept him far enough away for Clint to comprehend what the weatherman was saying. “Look at that.” He pointed at the map on the screen.
“What?” Rowan did as his brother asked, but he couldn’t tell heads or tails about what he was seeing.
Clint didn’t answer right away. He was transfixed by the realization that conditions were right for a storm. A big one. “A cold front is colliding with hot dry air from the Southwest, forming a dryline.” He jumped up to run to the desktop computer, switching it on to access the Storm Prediction Center in Oklahoma. “Oh, man,” he muttered as he found the right link. “The CAPE reading for our area is…holy hell! 6840 Jkg!”
“Six thousand what? What are you saying?” Rowan asked, thoroughly confused.
“Six thousand joules per kilogram of air. A regular thunderstorm can generate at 500 Jkg. I have no clue what can happen at six thousand.”
“Yes, we all know your big head is chock full of brains. Will you please speak English?”
Clint kept clicking keys and checking other charts. “We’re under a tornado warning.” Jumping to his feet, he ran to the window, then took off downstairs with Rowan on his heels. Behind them, the warning from the Weather Channel was