When he regained the ability to speak, he said, “You look amazing!”. Clare smiled and blushed. Rick walked further into the room until he could ge...tly grip her upper arms with his hands, “You look more like your mother every day.” And he kissed her on the forehead. With his lips pressed to her forehead, smelling his rich cologne and the firm but gentle grip on her arms, Clare felt a bit lightheaded. He stepped back from her, smiled, and offered her his arm, “Shall we head out for our night on. .. Mr. Duchateau, our gym teacher, said that you had to decide if I could borrow those things or not." And why exactly do you need those things?" Brenda wanted to know."We have an assignment for geography, and I think I need to dive for one of those stones at the stone quarry." I see, and what do you need exactly from school?" Just some goggles, a snorkel and swim fins," Sandra answered.Brenda thought about it for a moment and then asked, "And are you going there on your own, or with somebody. I didn’t have to wait long. Sofía spoke first.“Do you remember the politician who visited some years ago, Michael? The one who was running for president of your country and who got sick?”Of course I did. It was in all the papers at the time. What I wanted to know now was what the connection was with the document I’d read describing the Rain Festival.Javier spoke next.“You’re wondering what the connection is, Michael, right?I nodded. Javier’s chuckle had a rueful note, but his words stunned. I guess they lost a lot of firefighters yesterday.”“Was she ... in the building?”“She was supposed to be. They were going public when the markets opened. Only the markets never opened.”“Ellen and I had a buy order in for five thousand shares.” I finished washing the dishes and started a pot of coffee. I sat down across the table from Heaven’s father and tried desperately to think of something comforting to say in the bleakness of the gray dawn.“I was supposed to be with her. She didn’t have a.