Page 105 of Enemies in Paradise

She barks at the top of her lungs, turns in a circle, then paws at the closed window. I worry she’ll tear the upholstery in Jenny, so she’ll just have to run around outside while I’m with Cassie. I’m sure Molly’s seen Lynette’s squirrels, but Molly’s too gentle to do anything more than bark at them.

But when I open the door, instead of running toward the trees, Molly bounds straight for the pond, barking with urgency. I look in the direction she’s running and see someone on the ice moving slowly from the middle to the side. The person is tall with black hair spilling out of a knit hat and can only be one woman: Cassie.

Even though it’s still pretty early, the sun’s rays reflect off the ice, and I swear I can see it melting from here.

I slide out of the Jeep, not bothering to shut my door, and run.

“Cassie!”

She turns slightly, and even though I can’t see her face clearly, her movements are careful and afraid. Molly is already at the edge of the pond, barking warnings it’s too late for Cassie to listen to. I pick up speed.

One second, I have a direct line of sight to Cassie. The next second, she disappears like she’s been sucked into the earth. Except it’s not earth you can dig someone out of. It’s water, and it’s lethal.

A thousand thoughts fill my head, looking for reasons she’s disappeared. She’s fallen. She bent down to re-tie her skates. Anything but the one I don’t want to believe.

But the closer I get to the pond, all those thoughts disappear and are replaced with one: Cassie’s gone through the ice, and I have to get her out.

When I reach the edge of the pond, my worst fears are confirmed. Cassie is nowhere to be seen, but there’s a black hole in the ice, maybe fifteen feet away from me. Just then, Cassie’s head pokes out of hole and she gasps for air.

“Cassie! I’m here!” I yell and open the emergency box next to the pond. “Keep breathing and try to pull yourself out!” I instruct her while I grab the heavy rope inside the box.

I tightly knot one end of the rope around the stake. The other end, I tie in a large circle, trying to keep my eyes on Cassie as much as possible.

She manages to get onto her elbows, but the ice breaks under her and she starts slipping back into the hole.

“Stay up! I’m coming!” I toss her the rope, and it lands within her reach.

While she fights to stay above water, I fight every instinct to go on the ice after her. “Grab the rope and slip it over your head!”

I grip my end of the rope with both hands and crouch down, ready to slide on my belly toward her if she can’t get the rope around her torso. But that’s a worst-case scenario. I could make the ice crack more, and we’d both go in.

With one hand, Cassie grabs the rope, but she slips into the water. My breath catches, but she stops herself before going all the way under.

She takes a shaky breath, then dips her head low enough to get the rope over her head and shoulders. When she’s got both hands on it, I pull the rope taut.

“Kick your feet!” I stand and with one tug, Cassie’s upper body emerges from the dark water.

“Hold tight!” I pull slowly while she kicks until she’s all the way on the ice.

Cassie’s whole body shakes, and all I want is to get her in my arms. But she’s not out of danger yet. The ice is unstable and already threatening to crack under her weight.

“Now roll!” I yell.

She doesn’t move, so I pull her a few more inches, but my efforts make the ice crack more. She needs to get off the ice faster than I can pull her the last ten feet. My other worry is that her hands are so cold, she’ll lose her grip on the rope. “Cassie, I need you to roll toward me. Now,” I say as calmly as possible. “The ice is thicker at the edge.”

She tucks her chin in what might be a nod, then rolls once. The second time around, she moves faster. Until, with a few more rolls, I’m able to step on the sturdier ice.

I scoop her into my arms, and in one step, I’m back on solid ground. Cassie curls into my chest, shaking, wet, and cold. I collapse onto the bench with her on my lap. I hold her tight with one hand while rubbing her arms and legs hard with my other hand. She can’t stop her shivering and Molly whines at my feet, as worried about Cassie as I am.

Cassie’s eyelids flutter, and I ask, “Are you okay?”

I need to get her inside, but I can’t move until I know how bad she is. Do I take her straight to the hospital or try to warm her up first?

Cassie closes her eyes and moves her head up and down. “Just cold.”

Her voice is hoarse, her face is white, and her lips slightly blue, but her chest rises and falls in deep breaths. She’s cold but breathing and alert.

I carry her as quickly as I can toward the studio. Icy water drips from her hair, parka, and jeans, soaking through my flannel shirt. The ground is uneven and the water her clothes absorbed not only makes her heavier than she should be, but also hard to hold on to. At one point, she tries to wrap her arms around my neck, but she’s shaking too hard to keep them there.

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