But as I walked down the wide shopping street, I saw Jack strolling ahead of me, headed the same direction. He was wearing a straw hat and carried a parcel. When he paused to look into the window of a cheese shop, I darted down a narrow street that led over a canal.

In five minutes I was at the apartment. “Rita?” I called to the maid as I let myself in. There was no answer.

I rushed up the stairs. Simone was asleep. I shook her, and she roused herself, looking confused.

“Would you like to go somewhere?” I asked.

She blinked and sat up, rubbing her eyes. “Where’s Mom?”

“She went on to the island. I told her I wasn’t feeling well. But now I’m okay, I thought we could go for a walk somewhere.”

The sun was blazing in the courtyard, and my heart was pounding as we crossed the flagstones, scaring a lizard up the wall, and opened the gate. I looked down the narrow street both ways.

“Okay,” she said. She heaved her legs over the side of the bed. I handed her the shoe with the brace, surprised by how heavy it was. She dressed slowly and I kept pacing out to the hall, listening at the top of the stairs. I wanted to be gone from the apartment before Jack arrived. I didn’t know what I’d do or say if I heard his key in the lock. I could feel the hairs prickling on the back on my neck.

I grabbed Simone’s hat, and followed her downstairs. The sun was blazing in the courtyard, and my heart was pounding as we crossed the flagstones, scaring a lizard up the wall, and opened the gate. I looked down the narrow street both ways. No one was in sight.

“Let’s head to the nearest water,” I said. “It’ll be cooler there.” I guided her in the opposite direction of the shopping street, where I hoped Jack was still lingering, looking in shop windows, knowing he had all afternoon.

Simone was groggy and slow, but once we’d turned the corner, I relaxed. We crossed a weedy square, empty except for a white cat with a fish tail in its mouth that darted around some garbage cans. A nice breeze was blowing down the street that led to the lagoon. The water was choppy, lapping up against the stones. Motorboats were zipping along, and their wakes washed up and left slippery puddles on the marble quay. We walked along the edge, stepping over the wet spots. I felt exhilarated by the open sea. A boat was waiting to take people over to the cemetery island. Some women with bouquets of flowers were filing on board.

I glanced back. A man wearing a straw hat had just turned the corner. The glare was so strong that even when I shaded my eyes with my hand, I couldn’t tell if it was Jack marching toward us or not, but I felt a twist of panic in my groin.

I’ve gone over and over this in the years that followed. What could Jack have done to me or Simone out there in the bright sunlight? Nothing, comes the answer. A scolding, perhaps. Some cajoling, to get us to return to the apartment. A threat to tell Linda. But tell her what?