Page 24 (1/2)

Staci really hadn’t believed that the San Diego Convention Center would be wall-to-wall foot specialists and their groupies This was home to the ultra-cool Comic-Con, for God’s sake!

Yet the place was packed There were vendor booths galore in the exhibit halls Hospitals, clinics, private practices, and schools all gathered about and thrusting brochures and literature at her as she wove stealthily through the throng of people, ned for Dr Hart’s lecture

Anxiety ate at her She was running late The convention was so huge that Courtney had not been able to book a hotel room nearby on such late notice Not even in the Gaslamp Quarter or Bayfront area Staci had checked into the Marriott in Mission Valley and had then battled road construction thison I-5

Locating the correct room, she slipped inside and took a place in the back, shocked to find the seats were practically all full Making it difficult to see anything

Apparently, there were big doings in the foot world It was probably a good thing she was here

Except that she’d missed the keynote speaker, Dr Hart, and now the moderator shifted into a Q&A session with the panelists while Dr Hart strode off and disappeared behind the partition, swarmed by his PR people or conference coordinators Nuood fifteen minutes while questions were taken and answered Not everyone got the chance to query the panelists for an opinion on whatever concerned thee exited behind the partition where Hart had disappeared, and Staci literally got sed up in the mass exodus

Damn it!

When she finally broke free of the crowd, she stepped outside to get away froenda No eet into She hit the speed dial number on her phone for Courtney

“Hey, Court,” she said “Can you do ? Likely around the convention center Maybe I can catch hiht”

“Sure, I’ll call around and see if an operator tries to connect me to his room”

“Great, thanks”

But Courtney had no better luck with her calls than Staci did scouring the conference trying to get a glieon

The trip was a complete bust

Though Staci wouldn’t give up

Courtney had her on a flight to Seattle the next day and secured her entry into another conference