” Sighing, she closes her eyes, and stops breathing. After trying resuscitation the medic declares her dead at 18:25 hours. The pilot cuts back on h...s speed and he changes course so he’s heading toward base now. Going on the radio he informs command of the events. They agree: bring her home.The BallThe 28th Annual Royal Charity Débutantes’ Ball is well under way. It started at 3:00 p.m. that afternoon with the girls being presented to King Edward, and dinner was served at 4:30 p.m. The ball. Empty. Now being closer to the rear of the store, out of range of the sounds of the slushie machine and the videogames, I can hear mumbling from the rear wall. Maybe someone robbed the place, tied him up and hid him under the desk. I waltz over to take a look. Nothing. While the sound is muffled, it is slightly louder. I look up and see an air vent. Next room maybe? I leave the office, returning the door to its original position, and proceed further down the dimly lit hall. The next door must. It was only about an hour’s drive to where I believed the story mentioned, so I carefully grabbed some supplies and hopped in my old truck.The starter motor clicked several times, but the old truck grumbled and wheezed to life in the cold winter air. The truck was not my daily driver. I just had it for the rare occasion I needed to haul things. After an hour of driving with the comforting drone of the worn exhaust cutting through the darkening sky, I carefully pulled into a shopping center. And saw David waiting at the top. His arms were crossed, never a good sign. Chelsea ran up the stairs to him, babbling apologies and explanations, but David simply took her in his arms and hushed her, kissing her wet hair and saying, "There, there, it's all right. Happy anniversary, darling."Reassured, Chelsea kissed him back and rested for a moment in his embrace. Looking over his shoulder she could see that he'd left the apartment door open, displaying the romantic glow of candlelight within:.