Dancing Tides (78 page)

During
P
e
t
e Alden’
s visit
the man h
a
d
a
s
s
u
re
d Co
r
d h
e’
d
h
a
ve
b
a
c
kup if
n
ee
d be.

But
af
t
e
r
Cord’s
ni
g
ht sp
e
nt in
c
oun
t
y
lo
c
kup,
he felt
e
x
h
a
ust
ion overtaking him
.
H
e
soon fe
ll
a
sl
e
e
p
in
fr
ont of
the
T
V
a
t s
e
v
e
n
-
thi
r
t
y
wa
t
c
hi
n
g
the S
a
n
J
ose
Sh
ar
ks t
a
ke
on the
A
n
a
h
e
im
D
u
c
ks.
H
e
s
no
re
d so
f
t
l
y
until the
sm
e
ll
o
f
lili
e
s hit h
i
m
fa
st
a
nd h
ar
d.

The
c
hur
c
h was hot, stifl
i
ng.
H
is
c
ollar f
e
lt two si
z
e
s too s
m
all for his n
eck
.
H
is h
e
ad a
c
h
e
d,
e
ve
n his f
ee
t hurt.
N
e
r
v
ous, he
glan
ce
d at
t
he
ba
c
k
of the
c
hur
c
h for
any
sign of Cassi
e
.
W
hat was ta
k
ing h
e
r so
d
a
m
n
e
d long to g
e
t r
e
ad
y
?
he
wond
e
r
e
d.

H
e
r
e
m
em
b
e
r
e
d lo
o
k
ing into
P
aul
’
s fa
ce
, s
ee
ing h
i
m
nod his h
e
ad toward the
ba
c
k
of the
c
hur
c
h at about the
sa
m
e
ti
m
e
the
organist d
ec
id
e
d to start the
m
usi
c
.

W
h
e
n he
loo
k
e
d down the
aisl
e
, th
e
re
stood Cassie
on the
arm
of h
e
r fath
e
r. Sh
e’
d ta
ke
n two st
e
ps wh
e
n a
m
an fo
l
low
e
d h
e
r from
the
ve
sti
b
ul
e
.

I
t all happ
e
n
e
d in slow
m
otion. Shots fired.

Y
e
l
l
ing.

W
arning shouts that turn
e
d into s
c
r
e
a
m
s of horrible
m
a
y
h
em
.
M
ore
gunfir
e
.

Cord r
emem
b
e
r
e
d runni
n
g down the
aisle
until he
f
e
lt a burn in his
c
h
e
st.
T
he
si
cke
ning s
me
ll of lili
e
s hung in the
air,
m
a
k
ing him
wish for
things he
would n
eve
r ha
ve
.

H
e
w
oke
in a
s
wea
t, b
r
e
a
thing
h
ar
d.
Af
r
a
id to op
e
n his
e
y
e
s,
af
r
a
id h
e’
d
f
ind hims
e
lf b
ac
k in th
a
t
c
h
a
p
e
l
a
g
a
in,
Co
r
d li
f
t
e
d his h
ea
d
a
nd
f
in
a
l
l
y
look
e
d
ar
ound the
r
oom.
I
t
w
a
s on
l
y th
e
n he
r
e
a
li
z
e
d the
ho
c
k
e
y
g
a
me
w
a
s long
o
v
e
r
a
nd th
e
y
w
er
e
we
ll into post
g
a
me
w
ra
p
up.

H
e
su
c
k
e
d in
a
b
r
e
a
th,
r
a
n
a
n unst
ea
d
y
h
a
nd th
r
o
u
g
h his h
a
i
r
.

I
t
w
ould
b
e
ok
a
y
, it
w
ould
a
ll be
ok
a
y
, if
he
c
ould just stop b
rea
thing
in the
sm
e
ll of
lili
e
s
a
nd the
i
r
on sm
e
ll of
blood, it
w
ould
a
ll be
ok
a
y
.

Af
t
e
r
sp
e
ndi
n
g
t
w
o
hou
r
s
w
ith
H
umph
r
e
y
B
o
g
ar
t,
A
ud
r
e
y
H
e
pbu
r
n
a
nd
W
illi
a
m
H
old
e
n,
wa
t
c
hi
n
g
th
e
m li
g
ht up
t
he
s
cr
e
e
n,
K
ee
g
a
n still
c
o
u
ldn
’
t s
ee
m to
re
l
a
x
.