Page 112 of The Girl in the River

No wonder the poor kid was struggling.

The park was crowded with families waving flags and celebrating, awaiting the fireworks show. He didn’t see Evan anywhere. A lone little boy was swinging at the far end of the park and Derrick hurried over, calling Evan’s name. But when the kid turned around, disappointment crushed him. The kid wasn’t Evan.

He had to keep looking. He walked past the splash pad, then down the steps to the ball fields, scanning the bleachers and fields but there was no Evan in sight.

He pinched the bridge of his nose, battling panic. An image of Evan’s room flashed into his mind and he pictured the maps, posters of the train tracks and the drawing of the constellations.

The train museum was only a few blocks away so he headed down the sidewalk toward it. A freight train blasted its whistle and the guardrails lowered, keeping people off the tracks as it passed. Kids lined up on both sides to watch in awe. He strained, hoping to see Evan’s face among them. But he didn’t.

The sound of happy families was both warming and unsettling. His family had been torn apart by tragedy when his sister was abducted. Little Pixie had been ripped from her mother and Mark, a man who loved her. And now Evan…

He had to find him.

The train museum slipped into view. It was busy today with families and he carefully checked faces for Evan, then decided to search the train carriages lined up for children to climb on and explore.

The engineer’s car was a favorite, with kids waiting their turn to pretend to drive. No Evan there either. He went from one carriage to the next and came up empty again. Last, he climbed onto the red caboose at the rear.

A few children were exiting, chatting excitedly, but Evan was not in the mix. The ceiling was painted with stars, the constellations just as Evan had drawn.

A low sniffle came from somewhere and he eased his way deeper into the train car. He heard it again.

“Evan?” he said in a low voice. “Are you in here?”

The interior grew silent and his heart pummeled his chest. He heard another sound and stopped at one of the bench seats used for storage. Holding his breath, he opened the bench and breathed out.

There the little boy lay, curled in a knot, his cheeks soaked with tears.

ONE HUNDRED FIFTY-ONE

ROCKY BOTTOM

Ellie fought the force of the current, choking on water as the river tried to sweep her away. Gasping for breath as she surfaced, she treaded water in the pouring rain, shaking it from her eyes as she searched for Kevin. She spotted a life raft dropping into the river then saw Kevin climb into it.

A scream echoed through the wind, and she spun around and saw another lifeboat a few feet away bobbing back and forth.

Thank God. Mia and Pixie were inside. Mia seemed to be struggling to paddle against the strong current and wind and Pixie was huddled with her hands over her ears to drown out the sounds.

Summoning her strength, Ellie swam toward them, but the current flipped the raft over, dumping Mia and Pixie into the frigid water. “Hang onto the boat,” Ellie shouted above the crashing waves and relentless rain.

Had Emily said Mia couldn’t swim? That she was afraid of water?

Pushing herself to the limit, Ellie swam harder, seeing Pixie go under then pop back up, sputtering water. Mia surfaced again, spun around in search of her daughter then yelled her name in terror.

Ellie reached Pixie first, grabbed the child around the waist and crawled to the riverbank with her. She helped Pixie onto the shore and cradled her face in her hands. “Stay right here. Let me help your mommy!”

Pixie was trembling but nodded. The rain was falling in heavy sheets, so hard you could barely see, and thunder cracked the sky. Through the blurry haze, Ellie saw Kevin closing in. Ellie reached her hand to Mia, yelled her name and Mia swam toward her.

“Pixie!” she screamed.

“She’s on the bank,” Ellie called to her.

Mia frantically swam to her and Ellie helped her over to her daughter where she climbed on the shore and pulled Pixie into her lap. Kevin was only a foot away, barreling toward them.

Ellie dove into the river, then swam with all her might around the raft behind him, dragging herself into it. The wind was howling so loud it drowned out everything and she lunged on top of him. He spun around, eyes crazed, and shoved the gun at her. Ellie wrestled with his hand and twisted his arm, throwing him off balance. His face was bloody, and blood trickled down his arm and fingers. She squeezed his hand so hard he dropped the weapon. She snatched it and they fought again, but her finger slipped and it released a round. The whizz of the bullet sliced the air.

The bullet pierced his shoulder and sent Kevin flailing backward. Determined to keep him down, Ellie slammed the butt of the gun against the side of his head. He was thrown for a second but fought for the weapon again and this time when it went off, the bullet pierced his chest.

Blood gushed and his eyes rolled back in his head. His body convulsed then went slack. She knelt and checked for a pulse. Seconds ticked by. Water surged into the boat. Kevin was not moving.

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