Dancing Tides (168 page)

B
y
the
time
Co
r
d
r
e
ac
h
e
d the
e
x
ec
utive
o
ff
i
ce
s,
h
e’
d
w
o
r
k
e
d up
a
n
a
l
rea
d
y
s
er
ious h
ead
of
st
ea
m. Sto
r
ming
insid
e
, he
took t
w
o st
e
ps
a
nd
stopp
e
d d
ea
d in his t
rac
k
s.
E
v
e
n
fr
om t
e
n
f
ee
t
aw
a
y
—he
g
a
p
e
d
a
t
w
h
a
t
c
ould on
l
y
be
d
e
s
cr
ib
e
d
a
s
a
n old
e
r
v
e
r
sion o
f
—himself.

M
ar
t
y
’
s d
e
s
c
r
iption
wa
s
spot on.
T
he
m
a
n stood
a
t l
ea
st si
x
-
t
w
o
w
ith the
s
a
me
st
rea
k
y blondish-b
r
o
w
n h
a
ir
a
s
C
o
r
d.
T
he
on
l
y
di
ff
e
re
n
c
e
wa
s th
a
t the
st
ra
n
g
e
r
h
a
d
fr
ing
e
s
a
lo
n
g
his t
e
mpl
e
s
e
d
g
i
n
g
to
w
ar
d
g
ra
y
.
H
e
w
o
r
e
j
ea
ns
a
nd a
s
imple
pl
a
id shi
r
t.
H
is bo
o
ts
wer
e
w
o
r
n
a
nd s
c
u
ffe
d
a
nd the
b
i
g
-
a
ss
b
e
lt bu
c
kle
a
t his t
r
im
wa
ist told Co
r
d he
c
onsid
er
e
d hims
e
lf
a
c
o
w
b
o
y
.

T
he
g
u
y
s
ee
m
e
d
n
er
vous
a
s he
stood in
fr
ont of
the
d
e
sk
wa
itin
g
,
a
nd
c
lut
c
h
ing
a
t
a
n St
e
tson in his h
a
nd.

F
idg
e
tin
g
, t
h
e
st
ra
n
g
e
r
tu
r
n
e
d
a
t the
sound of
Co
r
d
c
oming
into the
r
oom.
C
o
r
d s
a
w
him tu
c
k his h
a
nds in his po
c
k
e
ts, a
g
e
stu
r
e
th
a
t
s
ee
m
e
d odd
l
y
f
a
mili
ar
.

Co
r
d s
a
w
the
m
a
n s
wa
ll
o
w
har
d.
T
h
e
ir
e
y
e
s m
e
t.
T
he
s
a
me
g
old
-f
l
ec
k
e
d
b
r
o
w
n st
ared
b
ac
k
a
t him. Co
r
d
f
in
a
l
l
y
m
a
n
a
g
e
d to sp
ea
k.
“
W
h
a
t the
h
e
ll is thi
s
?
W
ho
ar
e
y
ou
?
”

T
he
m
a
n st
re
t
c
h
e
d out his
r
i
g
ht h
a
nd.
“D
o
u
g
l
a
s
G
a
b
r
i
e
l B
e
nn
e
tt
’
s the
n
a
m
e
. Most p
e
ople just
ca
ll me
Ga
b
e
, tho
u
gh.
I
’
ve
b
e
e
n looking
f
or
y
ou
c
lose
to t
e
n
y
ea
r
s no
w
.”

Co
r
d
g
l
a
r
e
d
a
t the
outst
r
e
t
c
h
e
d h
a
nd.
“
W
h
y
?
”

“D
idn
’
t the
g
u
y
t
e
ll
y
ou?
I
’
m
y
o
u
r
fa
t
h
er
.
Y
our
n
a
me
is Co
r
d
D
ou
g
l
a
s
B
e
n
n
e
tt.
Y
ou
we
r
e bo
r
n
F
e
b
r
u
a
r
y
22
a
t M
e
rc
y
H
ospit
a
l in S
a
n
D
i
e
g
o
.
Y
ou
we
i
g
h
e
d
e
i
g
ht po
u
nds t
w
o oun
ce
s.
Y
ou h
a
ve
a
pu
r
p
l
e
bi
r
thm
ar
k
on
y
our
l
ef
t should
e
r
sh
a
p
e
d like
the
st
a
te
of
C
a
li
f
o
r
ni
a
.
I
su
r
e
h
a
d me
a big
b
a
b
y
b
o
y
—o
n
c
e
up
o
n a
tim
e
,”
Gabe
f
inish
e
d in
a
hus
k
y
vo
i
c
e
w
ith t
e
a
r
s in his
e
y
e
s.