Dancing Tides (132 page)

H
e
s
cr
ub
b
e
d a
h
a
nd d
o
w
n his
face
.

Dr
. Pont
a
d
er
a
’
s qu
e
stion
hung
in the
b
a
c
k of
his
h
ea
d
a
s he
slid b
e
hind the
w
h
ee
l. Could he
h
a
ve
r
e
a
c
h
e
d Robbie
M
ac
k in time
th
a
t d
a
y
to p
re
v
e
nt
a
ll of
it
fr
om
h
a
p
p
e
nin
g
?

H
e
ra
k
e
d sh
a
k
y
f
i
n
g
er
s
t
h
r
ou
g
h his h
a
i
r
.
N
ot lik
e
l
y
,
he
tho
u
g
ht no
w
.
N
ot l
i
k
e
l
y
a
t
a
ll.
H
e mi
g
ht not be
a
b
r
illi
a
nt m
a
n
w
ith a
c
oll
e
g
e
e
du
c
a
tion, but he
wa
s sm
ar
t
e
n
o
u
g
h to know
Rob
b
y St
e
v
e
ns h
a
d b
ee
n st
a
ndi
n
g
too
f
a
r
a
w
a
y
to h
a
ve
d
o
ne
a
n
y
thing
a
t
a
ll,
e
x
ce
pt st
a
nd th
er
e
a
nd
wa
t
c
h
a
s the
son
o
f
a
bit
c
h shot s
e
v
e
nt
ee
n p
e
op
l
e
th
a
t d
a
y
, killing
si
x
.
H
e
c
ould s
e
e
t
h
a
t no
w
.
W
h
y
h
a
dn
’
t he
b
ee
n
a
b
l
e
to s
e
e
th
a
t b
ef
o
r
e
tod
a
y
?

I
t s
e
e
m
e
d in
c
r
e
dib
l
y
stu
p
id to h
a
ve
put the
bl
a
me
on
a
n
y
o
n
e
oth
e
r
th
a
n R
o
b
b
y
M
a
c
k.
F
o
r months now
he
h
a
dn
’
t b
e
e
n
a
ble
to s
e
e
t
h
a
t.
I
t
wa
s
n
’
t like
him not to be
a
ble
to so
r
t th
r
ou
g
h
a p
r
obl
e
m
a
nd d
ea
l
w
ith t
h
e
solution.
B
ut
f
or
the
p
a
st
y
e
a
r
a
nd
a
h
a
l
f
, h
e
’
d
h
a
d di
ff
i
c
ul
t
y
w
ith the out
c
om
e
.

A
nd no
w
, he
r
ea
li
z
e
d h
e
’
d h
a
d no
c
ont
r
ol ov
e
r
t
h
e
e
nti
r
e
in
c
id
e
nt.

H
e
h
a
d to
a
dmit t
a
lking
t
o the
sh
r
ink h
a
dn
’
t b
ee
n
a
s b
a
d
a
s h
e
’
d im
a
g
in
e
d.
He’
d done
his b
e
st to
f
ollow
Ke
e
g
a
n
’
s
a
dvi
c
e
a
nd think of
it
a
s a
ca
su
a
l
e
x
c
h
a
n
g
e
o
f
his sto
r
y
, st
r
a
n
g
e
r
to st
ra
ng
er
.
O
n
c
e
he
got
g
o
i
n
g
,
f
o
r
the
most p
ar
t, it h
a
d
w
o
r
k
e
d.

H
e
tu
r
n
e
d the
k
e
y
in the
i
g
nition, d
ec
idi
n
g
a
lmost imm
e
di
a
t
e
l
y
h
e
n
ee
d
e
d to
ca
ll
Ke
e
g
a
n
a
nd t
e
ll h
e
r
the
d
e
e
ts on
how
the
visit h
a
d
g
on
e
.
But if
he
ca
ll
e
d now
w
h
a
t
w
ould he
h
a
ve
to t
a
lk
a
bout l
a
t
e
r
w
h
e
n s
h
e
c
a
me
to dinn
er
?

T
h
a
t h
a
dn
’
t b
e
e
n a
p
r
ob
l
e
m S
a
tu
r
d
a
y
ni
g
ht
o
r
f
or
th
a
t m
a
tt
e
r
l
a
st ni
g
ht.
T
h
e
ir
time
s
pe
nt to
g
e
th
e
r
h
a
d b
e
e
n
c
h
o
c
k
f
ull of
int
ere
sting
c
on
v
er
s
a
tion, a
lot mo
r
e
th
a
n
a “on
e
ni
g
h
t
g
e
t
to
kno
w
y
ou” s
e
ssion.
I
n
fac
t,
h
e
h
a
dn
’
t
wa
nt
e
d it to
e
nd.