Dancing Tides (199 page)

Ke
e
g
a
n on t
h
e
oth
e
r
h
a
n
d, th
re
w
a
bl
a
n
k
e
t
ar
ound
h
e
r
should
er
s
a
nd
f
ollo
w
e
d him out into the
h
a
ll
w
a
y
. She wondered why Guinness hadn’t so much as barked.

T
ogether t
h
e
y
b
oth tip
-
to
e
d into the
livi
n
g
r
oom
a
nd t
r
i
e
d to
a
void
m
a
king
the
old
f
loor squ
ea
k b
e
n
e
a
th th
e
ir
b
a
r
e
fee
t.

St
a
nding
in the
fr
ont
r
o
o
m, th
e
y
both h
e
ar
d
w
h
a
t
sound
e
d like
f
ootst
e
ps on the
old po
rc
h. Co
r
d
we
nt to the
w
indow
a
nd pull
e
d b
ac
k the
c
u
r
t
a
in.

O
utside
the
ra
in h
a
d sto
p
p
e
d.
Dr
i
f
ts of
moonli
g
ht
st
rea
k
e
d do
w
n in
w
i
d
e
s
wa
ths
fr
om po
rc
h to b
ar
n. Co
r
d spot
t
e
d a
f
o
r
m in the
sh
a
d
o
w
s
.

“
St
a
y
h
ere
,
”
he
mu
r
mu
re
d
.

“N
ot on
y
o
u
r
li
fe
.
Y
ou
go out th
a
t doo
r
,
I
g
o
w
ith
y
o
u.
I
h
ear
d so
m
e
thing
i
nside
h
ere
.
D
on
’
t
e
v
e
n both
e
r
t
e
lling me
I
did
n
’
t.
I
’
m not st
a
y
ing
inside
a
lon
e
.
”

“
F
in
e
.
B
ut k
ee
p
b
e
hind
m
e
.”

Co
r
d
f
lipp
e
d the
lo
c
k on
the
fr
ont door
a
nd s
i
g
h
e
d
w
h
e
n it
cr
e
a
k
e
d op
e
n.
T
h
e
y
st
e
p
p
e
d out onto the
w
ood
e
n po
r
c
h
a
s a
unit st
r
ug
g
li
n
g
mighti
l
y
w
ith the
old pl
a
nks not to tip th
e
ir
h
a
nd. Co
r
d
g
r
ip
p
e
d the
b
a
t ti
g
h
t
e
r
a
s he
p
r
e
p
a
re
d to mo
v
e
do
w
n the
st
e
ps.

B
ut the
old sl
a
ts g
r
o
a
n
e
d
in p
r
ot
e
st
a
nd g
a
ve
aw
a
y
th
e
ir
position.

A
t the
sound, the
sh
a
do
w
y
f
o
r
m look
e
d b
ac
k o
v
e
r
his should
e
r
a
t the
house
a
nd li
f
t
e
d
a
n
ar
m in g
ree
ti
n
g
. Guinness stood next to Scott, wagging his tail in happy welcome.

“O
h,
f
or
c
h
r
iss
a
k
e
s
,
”
Co
r
d s
a
id
a
loud
a
t the
s
a
me
t
ime
he
loos
e
n
e
d his
g
r
ip
on the
b
a
t.

“
W
h
a
t,”
Ke
e
g
a
n
a
sk
e
d
b
umping
into him
fr
om b
e
hind.

“
I
t
’
s S
c
ott.”

She
p
eere
d
ar
ound Co
r
d
a
nd th
ere
, st
a
ndi
n
g
in the
middle
of
the
y
a
r
d, was S
c
ott Phillips.
“G
ood
g
r
i
ef
.”

“T
h
a
t
’
s
w
h
a
t
I
s
a
id.
G
h
o
sts m
a
y
not n
ee
d t
h
e
ir
e
i
g
ht hou
r
s, but
w
e
do
,
”
C
o
r
d shout
e
d in
f
u
r
ious
c
lipp
e
d ton
e
s.

S
c
ott st
e
pp
e
d out into the
moonli
g
ht
w
ith a
huge
g
r
in on his
face
, took a
f
e
w
st
e
ps
c
los
er, as did the dog
.

“
So
r
r
y
, didn
’
t m
ea
n to s
c
ar
e
y
ou.”

A
t his
a
pp
r
o
ac
h, s
h
e
c
ou
l
dn
’
t h
e
lp it, h
e
r
mouth d
r
opp
e
d op
e
n.

“Y
ou
g
u
y
s
g
o b
ac
k to sl
e
e
p.
D
on
’
t mind m
e
.
I
’
m
j
ust
re
stl
e
ss toni
g
ht.”

Co
r
d
c
h
a
r
g
e
d
do
w
n the
s
t
e
ps doing
a
slow
b
u
r
n
o
n
l
y
to
g
r
o
w
l
w
h
e
n his b
a
r
e
f
e
e
t hit the d
a
mp,
g
r
a
v
e
l d
r
i
v
ew
a
y
.
H
opping
a
r
ound on one
f
oot,
c
hun
k
y
bits of
r
o
c
k
bo
re
d into the
sol
e
s of his
fee
t,
w
hi
c
h in
f
u
r
i
a
t
e
d
him
a
ll the
mo
re
.