Chapter 21
Wiping her sweaty hands on her slacks and exhaling the breath she’d held since she’d boarded the boat, she joined hands with Gilbert and Luca.
Clouds dimmed the weak December light, hastening dusk.
Ancient buildings and tall Christmas trees blinked with lights.
They skirted the throngs of people heading for the Christmas market and headed down a snow-dusted hill toward the Ill River.
They strolled along a wide sidewalk running beside a stone embankment that sloped steeply to the river. When they stopped to gaze at the swirling water heading out of town to join the Rhine, Gilbert dropped her hand. “I must find a restroom. Wait here with Luca? I’ll be right back.”
Before she could speak, Gilbert was jogging up the hill toward the market. She’d made Luca cry in the restaurant. She didn’t trust herself to take good care of him, but she would try her best and not say a word about his mom or Santa.
Luca pointed. “Look, that dog looks like Remy!”
Farther down the riverbank, a man threw a ball to a black, brown, and white shaggy dog who leaped to catch it.
Luca laughed. “He’s funny. He should be in the circus.”
The sound of rushing water grew louder. A mist encircled Claire like a veil.
She blinked, trying to focus, but that dark place in her was stirring, taunting her.
She’d thought being on the boat was frightening, but why was it that the fear of water threatened to overwhelm her?
She shook her shoulders against the prickling running up her back and down her shoulders.
Luca squeezed her hand. “Remy does that with the ball, too.”
She squinted, blinking to clear her vision. The dog jumped and arced and snatched the ball in his jaws. Stunned, she cried, “He nearly did a complete flip.”
Luca’s laughter jingled like sleigh bells.
The dog ran after another ball and leaped. As he came down, he lost his footing and slid. He dropped his ball, yelped. Sliding on all four paws down the stone embankment, he scrambled for his footing, lost his purchase on the steep incline, and fell into the river.
Luca dropped Claire’s hand and ran.
“Luca! Stop!” She screamed, racing after him, her feet tripping as she ran on the slippery walkway. “Stop!”
The dog’s black head popped up above the water. He barked, but he was already several yards downriver.
Luca’s feet pounded, following the dog, calling to him, “Vien ici!”
“Luca, stop!” He’s going to go in after that dog. No! Running, she threw her purse away, pulled off her hat, ripped open her coat and pulled off her scarf. The dog bobbed farther away. Luca sped up and ran downriver of the dog. She shrugged off her coat and threw it. “Luca!”
He curved to the left toward a stone wall. A wall where a life ring buoy hung, which she thought Luca was after, but he turned and—she realized in horror—took a running start and threw himself into the water.
Luca’s head popped up next to the dog’s.
Heart pounding, she sped to the wall and yanked the ring buoy off its hook and shucked off her shoes. She ran to the river’s edge, and, gripping the rope loop, tossed the ring into the water near Luca. But the ring landed too far from him.
She took a running start and jumped. Freezing darkness swallowed her.
She pulled the buoy rope and surfaced next to the ring, searching for Luca.
His white parka glowed beyond her reach; her arms swept toward it.
She kicked, flailed, fingers grasping for any part of him.
Lungs aching, she kicked, reaching, grasping, scraping against the slippery jacket.
Her arms swept the water, her fingers hooked the hood, but it slid from her grasp.
She prayed, David help me. Help me save your son.
She lunged and grasped Luca’s hood and pulled him to her. Kicking furiously, she pulled the life ring to them, scissoring her legs, again, and again. She gasped for breath. Screamed, “Luca!”
She pulled the life ring under him. “Hold on!”
Luca’s legs scrambled; his boots struck her chest, pushing her under. She launched him above her head and kicked with every muscle in her body. Luca was yanked from her hands. Someone must have pulled him out. He was safe.
The life ring’s rope slid from her grasping fingers. She gulped air. A dog barked. An icy wave rolled over her. Her legs were so heavy, she couldn’t kick. Her arms, spent, useless, trailed above. The unreachable gray sky taunted her. Darkness entrapped her like a pall, dragging her down.
Flurrying bubbles so pretty, sparkling like Christmas lights. The roaring water silenced.