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Leaving the glow behind, and feeling carefully ahead, cautious about his bruised forehead, he crept on through pitch blackness

SIX

96 HOURS, 22 MINUTES

“LOOK, ALBERT, DON’T tellabout it,” Sa at a quick walk from the town hall to the church next door Albert and Astrid ith hi to keep up

The sun was setting out over the ocean The dying light laid down a long red exclamation point on the water A boat was out there, one of the shed So in

Sa Albert and Astrid to bump into each other “Sorry I didn’t h I ao in there and lay down the law, and I’ it any easier”

“Then hold off for a few days,” Al

bert said calmly

“Hold off? Albert, you were the one as saying weeks ago, et to work”

“I never said we should ure out a way to pay them to work”

Sa a kid was a tragedy to everyone, but to hi in charge, whichwas on him EZ had been under his care and protection And now EZ was a pile of ash

Saulp of air He shot a baleful look at the ceraves in just the last three months since Sarave, just a , they’d run out of room in the square

The front door of the church stood open Always open That was because it, and iving Battle The ooden doors had been blown off The sides of the opening were shaky, held up by a slab of stone across the top that e monolith

Caine had co the entire church, but it was built strong, so three quarters of it still stood Some of the rubble had been cleared, but not much, and even that had only been pushed into the side street Like so s that had fallen apart as kids quit working and could not be convinced to come back

Saht to the front of the church and e, although Astrid had patiently explained that it was called a chancel The great cross had not been replaced in its rightful spot, but stood leaning in a corner A close examination would reveal bloodstains where it had once crushed Cookie’s shoulder