Page 71 of The Unraveling of Julia

“Hey, Bianco!” Julia called, and Bianco got up more slowly than usual, wagging his tail.

“I love dogs. We have a German shepherd, Yuki.”

Julia kept an eye on Bianco, who seemed to be struggling to walk. “Something’s the matter.”

“Maybe it’s nothing. Older dogs are stiff when they wake up. It takes Yuki time to get going, too.”

“I don’t know, this looks bad.” Julia watched Bianco take a few faltering steps. “Hold this, please.” She handed Franco the gun and hurried to Bianco, who staggered toward her, hanging his head. She reached him, knelt down, and patted him. “You okay, buddy?”

Bianco panted, wobbling on his feet.

Franco arrived, frowning. “Our old dog did this after he had a stroke. I think you should take him to the vet. We use the emergency vet in Greve.”

“Okay, I will.”

“Let me call ahead.” Franco slid his phone from his pocket. “They’re very good.”

“Thank you.” Julia petted Bianco while Franco made the call, spoke in Italian to the vet, then hung up.

“They can take him now. I’ll help you carry him to the car.”

39

Julia sat in the waiting room like a nervous mother. A tattooed vet tech in green scrubs had taken Bianco and whisked him behind a door of frosted white glass. She was the only person in the room, small but decidedly Tuscan. The walls were of exposed stone, the lighting recessed, and the low couch covered with a brown pleather. End tables held brochures about vaccination, microchipping, and heat stroke. On the wall hung diplomas from the University of Pisa and the University of Bologna. The air smelled vaguely antiseptic.

Julia shifted on the couch, her thoughts returning to the villa. She would miss Anna Mattia and Piero, and it stung that they thought she was crazy, like Rossi. Nor could she deny that the prospect of being alone on the property made her nervous. The Italian police hadn’t called her back, and neither had the Philly detective.

Her phone pinged, and she scrolled to the text function. Her heart lifted to see it was from Gianluca.

I’m happy you got home ok. I hope you’re more useful than I am today. I sit in meetings and think of you. Please tell me I didn’t dream last night. It felt like one.

Wow.Julia was about to respond, but a guilty pang stopped her. She still couldn’t believe she’d slept with him. She didn’t know if she wanted to start a relationship with him. She both wished he would and wouldn’t come over tonight. She felt pressure to respond because he would be waiting. She texted:

Bad news. I’m at the vet. Bianco is sick. Anna Mattia and Piero left.

Gianluca texted back instantly:

Oh no! Let me know how it goes. See you at 8. Until then, a kiss.

“Ms. Pritzker?” the receptionist called to her. “The vet is ready to see you. Exam room D.”

Julia entered a windowless white room that held a forty-something woman with a studious gaze behind rimless glasses and bouncy black hair. She had on turquoise scrubs and a pink stethoscope with its bulb tucked into her pocket. She stood behind a stainless-steel examining table across from black plastic bucket chairs and a cabinet with a sink. Bianco was nowhere in sight.

“Is he okay?” Julia asked, her heart in her throat.

“Yes, I’m Dr. Caraccioli,” the vet said in perfectly schooled English. “We’re giving him IV fluids and a sedative that should help him sleep. You can take him home today.”

“Thank God.” Julia felt a wave of relief, then introduced herself. “Was it a stroke?”

“Strokeis an imprecise term. We’re uncertain as to his specific diagnosis. Sometimes older dogs have neurological events that come and go. This may happen more frequently as he gets older. We’re testing hisblood.” Dr. Caraccioli opened a manila folder on the examining table. “I understand you found him this way?”

“Yes, I was out last night and when I came home, he was walking funny.”

“I assume he lives outside. This breed usually does.”

“Yes.”

“So, unfortunately, they can get into anything, like animal feces or toxic plants.”

---