Dancing Tides (185 page)

“Y
ou h
a
ve
to
a
dmit, it
’
s odd.”

“O
dd?
I
should be
so l
u
c
k
y
.
M
y
li
f
e
just k
ee
ps sl
i
ding
a
lo
n
g
the
p
a
th to
R
ipl
ey’
s
Be
li
e
ve
it or Not
.”

F
o
r
t
y
-f
i
v
e
minut
e
s l
a
t
e
r
t
h
e
y
pull
e
d into
F
re
sno.
C
o
r
d hit the
G
PS
a
nd put in the
a
dd
re
ss
Ga
be
B
e
nn
e
tt h
a
d
wr
itt
e
n do
w
n on the
pi
ec
e
o
f
p
a
p
er
.
A
noth
e
r
t
we
n
t
y
m
i
nut
e
s
a
nd th
e
y
w
e
r
e h
ea
d
e
d do
w
n
a
st
r
e
e
t in the
old s
ec
tion of
to
w
n.

Ga
be
B
e
nn
e
tt liv
e
d in a
t
w
o
-
b
e
d
r
oom, post
a
ge
-
st
a
mp-si
z
ed
house
w
ith a
sl
a
b
f
ound
a
tion n
e
stl
e
d
a
mong
t
a
ll
e
lms
a
nd
s
y
c
a
mo
re
s dotting
a
n
old
re
sid
e
nti
a
l st
ree
t
w
ith
m
a
ni
c
u
re
d l
aw
ns.

Co
r
d pull
e
d into the
d
r
iv
ew
a
y
b
e
hind
a
D
o
d
g
e
pi
c
kup p
ar
k
e
d in
f
r
ont of
a
c
ar
po
r
t
a
nd st
are
d
a
t the
nine
-
hun
d
r
e
d-squ
ar
e
-f
oot hous
e
.

“
I
know
y
ou
’
r
e
n
e
r
vous,
but it
’
ll be
ok
a
y
.
Y
ou
a
l
r
ea
d
y
know
he
loo
k
e
d
y
o
u up b
eca
use he
wa
nts
c
ont
a
c
t so th
er
e
’
s no s
ec
ond
g
u
e
ssing
t
h
a
t p
ar
t of
it.”

B
ef
o
r
e
he
c
ould
a
ns
w
e
r
t
h
a
t, the
fr
ont door
f
l
e
w
o
p
e
n
a
nd
Ga
b
e
B
e
nn
e
tt st
e
pp
e
d out onto the
sp
ec
k of
a
po
rc
h.
H
e
wa
v
e
d a
b
i
g
h
a
nd
a
nd
m
otion
e
d th
e
m out of
the
t
r
u
c
k.

“He
r
e
g
o
e
s nothi
n
g
,”
Co
r
d mumbl
e
d
a
s he
c
r
aw
l
e
d
out of
the
pi
c
kup.

T
his tim
e
, Co
r
d
wa
s the
f
i
r
st one
to
e
x
t
e
nd his h
a
nd.
“
I
g
u
e
ss
I
o
w
e
y
ou
a
n
a
polo
g
y
,
”
he s
a
id
a
s the
oth
e
r
m
a
n pu
l
l
e
d him
c
los
e
r
into
a
n
e
m
b
race
.

“
I
don
’
t bl
a
me
y
ou, not
r
ea
l
l
y
.
I
t
’
s
a
n unb
e
li
e
v
a
b
l
e
sto
r
y
on
a
ll
c
ounts.
B
ut
y
ou
c
h
ec
k
e
d it out, or
y
ou
w
ouldn
’
t
h
a
v
e
ca
ll
e
d,
w
ouldn
’
t
b
e
h
e
r
e
.”
H
e
tu
r
n
e
d to
f
o
c
us on
the
t
a
ll
re
dh
ea
d.
“A
nd
w
ho is thi
s
?
”

“T
his is
Ke
e
g
a
n
F
a
nni
n
g
.
”

“
I
t
’
s ni
c
e
to m
e
e
t
y
ou,
M
r
.
B
e
n
n
e
tt.”

Af
t
e
r
the
t
w
o shook
h
a
n
d
s,
Ga
be
s
a
id,
“
W
e
ll,
c
o
m
e
on insid
e
, no point in
g
iving
m
y n
e
i
g
hbo
r
s m
o
r
e
of
a
n
e
y
e
f
ul th
a
n th
e
y
d
e
s
er
v
e
.”

A
s soon
a
s th
e
y
g
ot s
e
ttl
e
d on a
we
ll
-w
o
r
n s
o
f
a
in
the
sm
a
ll living
r
oom,
G
a
be dis
a
pp
ea
r
e
d into the
kit
c
h
e
n.
T
h
e
y
h
e
ar
d dish
e
s
c
l
a
tt
er
ing
b
ef
o
r
e
he
re
tu
r
n
e
d
w
ith a
t
r
a
y
th
a
t h
e
ld a
pot of
c
o
f
f
e
e
a
nd s
a
n
d
w
i
che
s.