Iris screamed as the baby slid from the bag, and so did one of the muscular young workers. And then he turned away, face red and neck muscles straining to vomit into the bamboo. Iris immediately thought to get him a glass of cold water and a clean towel. But she couldn’t force her legs to move.
Paul pulled out his cell phone and called 911. He sent his men to wait at the truck. The guy who’d been sick staggered a bit.
Iris closed her eyes. Saw a tiny lace gown and cap, water-logged and slimy. Saw little fingers splayed out like baby squid startled by the sudden warmth of the air and seeming to grasp at nothing. But the face…she couldn’t picture the face. Lost, as if she’d never seen it.
Iris closed her eyes. Saw a tiny lace gown and cap, water-logged and slimy. Saw little fingers splayed out like baby squid startled by the sudden warmth of the air and seeming to grasp at nothing. But the face…she couldn’t picture the face. Lost, as if she’d never seen it.
When she opened her eyes again, the treetops swirled around her vision as if she might faint, but her knees stayed locked, supporting her upright, frozen as a department store dummy.
Paul helped her down to the path and sat her on the low stone wall. The sun hadn’t reached it and the nighttime chill worked its way through her jeans.
A few minutes later, the police arrived. The officers, both men, followed Paul’s pointing finger and walked to the pond. For a few silent minutes, they leaned over the body, appearing puzzled. Then the older one said, “Call forensics,” and headed across the path to Iris and Paul. Meanwhile the younger punched a number in his phone and said, “Yeah, we need the lab.”
“This is really unusual,” said the older cop, who stood between Iris and the pond, blocking her from again seeing the baby’s body. His words were flat, uninflected.
“I should hope so,” Iris said.
To his credit, neither his expression nor his voice changed at her sarcasm. “You’d be surprised what can be found in the bottom of ponds and old wells, but a baby? Never before. My guess is, that poor tyke’s been down there a long, long time.”
A long, long time echoed in her head until a bright red cardinal flew into one of the big oaks and trilled, Cheer! Cheer! Cheer!
Read Under Water
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