Chloe and Olivier were stressed about leaving without her. Nora put her foot down and insisted they let Pierre take them to the station.
Pierre said it wasn’t urgent he go to Normandy right away, so once he took the young people to the station, he would stay as well. Then he offered to help get Nora and Atticus back to Paris on the train, or drive them himself. He insisted it wouldn’t be a problem.
Nora tried not to show her surprise at Pierre’s calm thoughtfulness. This was a reaction she had not expected.
Mami and Papi had planned to leave after everyone else to go to visit friends in Avignon for two days. It was decided they would leave now and drive Chloe and Olivier to the station, allowing Pierre to stay behind to continue the search for the dogs.
The four of them got in the car after assuring Nora all would be well, and Nora and Pierre waved goodbye to them. Pierre looked at her and suggested they think about a plan, but for now they should give the dogs another hour to show up.
For a while, Nora tried to read. Pierre busied himself around the yard and then asked Nora if she would like to go with him to collect eggs from the henhouse.
As well as becoming infatuated with goats, Nora had discovered she enjoyed the chickens too. She’d never seen eggs in such a beautiful palette of colors before; Mami’s hens laid eggs in everything from dark brown to pale turquoise, plus soft green and olive green, in addition to the usual brown and white. The free-range birds wandered the gardens and had often followed Nora around when she was outside. She was surprised they paid no attention to the dogs, other than to occasionally antagonize them.
They opened each laying box to remove the treasures, and she was amused that Pierre knew all the hen’s names. But still she couldn’t stop worrying about the dogs.
As they walked back to the house with a full basket of eggs, Nora said, “I noticed you and Papi were having kind of a serious exchange before they all left. Obviously, I didn’t understand a word either of you said, but I had a bad feeling about it. Was it about the dogs?”
Pierre looked hesitant but Nora held his gaze, unblinking. “I would like to know,” she said, her tone calm but resolute.
“He reminded me that the neighbors two roads over used to hold a boar hunt every year at this time. He thought the dogs might have heard the barking of the dogs in the hunt and gone to investigate.”
Nora stared at him, horrified. “Do the wild boars attack dogs?”
“Rarely.”
“But it can happen?”
“Please don’t let your imagination get carried away. We need to be sensible,” he said curtly.
Nora felt embarrassed … again. “I just can’t stop thinking of every terrible possibility.” In her mind she pictured a horrendous scene and grew nauseous.
“You must stop. But I will go walk through the vineyard in the direction of the hunt and check things out.”
“And I will go with you. I can’t sit here alone.”
He nodded. “I understand.”
Dusk was beginning to fall so with flashlights in hand, they trudged through the fields and along paths in the forest. Pierre whistled every once in a while. After an hour or so, he said they should turn back.
“We can’t really go any farther on foot. Let’s go get the van and look down some of the roads a bit farther out.”
Driving slowly in the gathering darkness, Pierre offered some other explanations as to what might have happened.
“People cooked outdoors over the holidays and the dogs might have been tempted by leftover food. We can’t know. I’m certain there will be a reasonable explanation.”
In his own way, he tried to reassure Nora, although she had a feeling he blamed Atticus, because Fantôme hadn’t done anything like this before.
But he wasn’t being unkind, and Nora decided she was paranoid and overly defensive.
For another two hours they searched, mostly in silence. They looked along the narrow country lanes, where they got out from time to time and walked into the forest to call and whistle. But there was no sign of the dogs.
As they drove through a small hamlet, Pierre pulled up in front of the local bar. “Come, Nora. We both need a drink.”
Nora reluctantly followed him inside but said she would just have water. Pierre insisted. “Let me order something that will help you relax. Have you ever had pastis?”
She shook her head. “Never. I know of it, never tasted it.”
Two glasses with an amber liquid arrived, along with a small jug of water and a bowl with a few ice cubes. Nora wasn’t certain she had ever seen ice cubes in France. She watched as Pierre explained while he poured a bit of water into each glass, which turned the drink milky.
