Dancing Tides (169 page)

T
he
jolt of
su
r
p
r
ise
a
nd
u
n
ea
se
tu
r
n
e
d to
re
s
e
ntm
e
nt. Co
r
d h
ar
d
e
n
e
d his h
e
ar
t.
“Y
e
a
h?
W
e
ll, th
e
se
d
a
y
s
a
n
y
one
w
ith
acce
ss to the
Int
er
n
e
t
ca
n look up b
a
sic
st
a
tisti
c
s
w
hi
c
h b
r
i
n
g
s me to the
n
e
x
t qu
e
stion.
W
h
er
e
the
h
e
ll h
a
ve
y
ou b
ee
n the
l
a
st thi
r
t
y
-f
o
u
r
y
e
ar
s
?
”

“
I
t
’
s a
lo
n
g
sto
r
y
.”

“A
in
’
t th
e
y
a
ll
?
”
Co
r
d
re
pli
e
d
w
ith a
sn
eer
.
“
L
oo
k
,
I
do
n
’
t know
w
h
a
t
y
our
g
a
m
e
is or
w
ho s
e
nt
y
ou but now
is
not a
g
ood time
to pl
a
y
m
e
.
I
f
it
’
s mon
e
y
y
ou
’
r
e
looking
f
o
r
—
”

“
I
just
wa
nt to t
a
lk.
I
ca
m
e
do
w
n
fr
om
F
re
sno
f
or
t
he
d
a
y
, took o
f
f
fr
om
w
o
r
k
a
s soon
a
s
I
g
ot the
w
o
r
d
w
h
e
r
e
y
ou
were
.
I
hi
re
d one
of
those
p
r
iv
a
te
inv
e
stig
a
to
r
s s
o
me
time
b
ac
k to lo
ca
te
y
o
u.
Y
o
u
’
ve
b
e
e
n a
to
u
gh m
a
n to
f
ind.”

E
v
e
n thou
g
h Co
r
d
wa
sn
’
t b
u
y
i
n
g
the
m
a
n
’
s sto
r
y
f
or
a
minut
e
, he
pl
a
n
t
e
d
his butt on the
c
o
r
n
e
r
o
f
the
d
e
sk
a
nd
fe
l
t the
n
ee
d to point out,
“
M
e
?
I
’
v
e
b
ee
n
r
i
g
ht h
er
e
in this s
a
me
spot
f
or months no
w
.”

“T
r
y
y
e
ar
s.
I
’
v
e
b
e
e
n looking
f
or
y
ou si
n
c
e
I
g
ot
o
ut of
p
r
ison.”

Grea
t,
a
n
e
x
-c
on, thou
g
ht
Co
r
d, just
w
h
a
t he
n
ee
d
e
d.
W
e
ll, his lu
c
k in the
fa
mi
l
y d
e
p
ar
tm
e
nt h
a
d
a
l
w
a
y
s
s
u
c
k
e
d.
W
h
y
w
ould now
be
a
n
y
di
f
f
ere
nt?
“U
h
-
huh.
W
h
a
t
we
r
e
y
ou
in
f
o
r
?
”

“
Mu
r
d
er
.
L
ook,
I
just
w
a
nt to
g
e
t to know
y
ou,
m
a
y
b
e
t
a
ke
in
a
b
a
l
l
g
a
me
e
v
e
r
y
on
c
e
in
a
w
hile
or
g
o
g
e
t a
m
e
a
l to
g
e
t
h
er
.
G
ive
me
t
e
n minut
e
s of
y
o
u
r
tim
e
.”

Co
r
d look
e
d
a
t his
wa
t
c
h
on pu
r
pos
e
, l
e
tting
a
n
a
ir
of
indi
ffe
r
e
n
c
e
s
u
rr
ound
him.
H
e
wa
sn
’
t
a
bout to
a
dmit the
m
a
n h
a
d him
a
ll kinds of
c
u
r
ious.
W
ith the
m
a
sk
f
i
r
m
l
y
in pl
ace
,
h
e o
ffe
r
e
d,
“
T
e
n minut
e
s
a
n
d th
e
n
y
o
u
’r
e
out of
h
ere
.
St
ar
t t
a
lkin
g
, m
a
ke
it qu
i
c
k.
I
wa
s just on
m
y
w
a
y
into to
w
n.”

“Social s
ervices
took
y
ou
fr
om me
w
h
e
n
y
ou
w
e
r
e
t
e
n mon
t
hs old.”

“
A
f
ine
t
e
st
a
m
e
nt to
y
our
p
are
nti
n
g
skills
I
’
m su
re
,”
Co
r
d
f
i
re
d
b
ac
k.