It was smaller than the antibiotics. A single Vicodin. He’d been saving it.

“You ready to do this?” the ADA whispered.

Archie met Gretchen’s stare. The sunlight through the window flattered her, the shirt was small and hugged the curve of her breasts. He showed her nothing. No emotion. No reaction.

Until her smile faded, and her perfect lips fell slightly open.

Then he grinned.

“Absolutely,” Archie said.

Epilogue

EPILOGUE

Heather Jadot was out of shape. Baby bulge. Dylan was six months old, but the pregnancy fat was still there, an extra inch of flesh around her thighs, hips, and belly. All the Spanx in the world couldn’t hide it. Most of the Eastbank Esplanade had reopened. It wasn’t raining. So she didn’t have any more excuses. Dylan was snug in the baby jogger and Vixen was on her leash tumbling alongside them.

She could see the bulldozers on the west side, still working to clear debris. Barges pushing along rafts of detritus had become a common sight in the Willamette. Waterfront Park had been completely destroyed. A capital campaign was already under way to fund a redevelopment effort. Heather had joined the Facebook page.

Her Reeboks hit the pavement as she headed north, alongside the freeway. The concrete pathway had been underwater, like everything else. When the water receded it had left a layer of silt on everything, which had to be pressure-washed with fire hoses. The riverbank, which had never been pretty, was now a mush of dead plants and mud. Garbage came to the surface and clotted the weeds faster than the volunteers could get to it.

Vixen hopped off the path into the grass and skittered down the bank a few feet.

Heather stopped the stroller and pulled on the leash, but Vixen wouldn’t budge.

She was into something. Snuffling around.

Heather could smell something rank. Vixen had already rolled in the remains of a drowned squirrel in the parking lot.

Heather tugged hard and Vixen’s face popped up above the foliage.

“Leave it,” Heather commanded.

Vixen hesitated.

Dylan whined.

“Leave it,” Heather said louder.

Vixen disappeared for a moment and then came bounding up to the path with something in her mouth. Heather drew back in disgust and Vixen dropped it on the pavement.

Heather looked down. It was only a piece of elastic. Like a portion of a man’s suspenders. That was a relief.

Heather nudged the elastic back into the weeds with the tip of her Reebok. She wasn’t going to touch it. Someone else would pick it up.

Everything ended up in the river anyway.

She adjusted her pink baseball cap over her ponytail, set her eyes on the next bridge, and started jogging.

She wanted to get away from that smell.

Acknowledgments

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS