Blood From a Stone (100 page)

S
he
s
i
g
hed h
ea
v
il
y
be
f
o
r
e
she
spo
k
e. “I
k
now
t
hat
C
i
sco
w
as
p
r
obab
l
y
j
ust
c
o
l
d
and
hun
g
r
y
and
I
can
so
r
t
of
be
li
e
v
e
t
ha
t
.
H
e
’
s
a
w
onde
rf
ul
dog
and
he
j
ust
needed so
m
eone
t
o
l
o
v
e h
i
m
.
H
e
w
asn
’
t
s
i
c
k
….I
g
uess.”

S
he
b
r
ushed
her
ban
g
s
back
fr
om
her
f
a
ce
and
s
t
a
r
ed at
h
i
m
l
ong
and ha
r
d.

“
B
ut
t
h
i
s?”
she
po
i
n
t
ed
t
o
t
he happ
il
y
pu
rri
ng
c
r
e
a
t
u
r
e
t
hat
w
as
now
k
nead
i
ng
h
i
s
pant
l
eg
as
i
t
sat
cu
rl
ed
i
n
h
i
s
l
ap as
i
f
i
t
w
e
r
e
i
n
fr
ont
of
a
w
a
r
m
hea
rt
h on
C
h
ri
s
t
m
as
E
v
e.

S
he
shook
her
head
i
n
d
i
sbe
li
e
f
.
“I
k
now
w
hat
I saw
a
f
ew
m
i
nu
t
es
a
g
o.”

H
i
s
e
y
es
tr
a
v
e
l
ed
t
o
t
he
pa
v
e
m
ent
and
he
b
l
ew out
a
l
ong
b
r
ea
t
h.

“I
dunno.
Ma
y
be
she
w
asn
’
t
as
hu
r
t
as
w
e
t
hou
g
h
t
?” he
o
ff
e
r
ed
f
eeb
l
y
,
k
no
w
i
ng
da
m
ned
w
e
l
l
i
t
w
asn
’
t
g
oi
ng
t
o
w
o
r
k
.  “
A
nd
i
t
i
s
a
she,
by
t
he
w
a
y
…I
chec
k
ed,”
he
s
a
i
d,
r
e
fr
a
i
n
i
ng
fr
om
t
e
lli
ng
her
t
hat
he
k
new
t
he
ca
t’
s
na
m
e
w
as
T
ab
it
ha.

“
D
on
’
t
li
e
t
o
m
e.”
S
he
s
t
a
r
ed
at
h
i
m
,
fi
g
h
ti
ng back
t
he
t
ea
r
s
t
hat
w
e
r
e
w
e
lli
ng
i
n
her
e
y
es.
“
S
a
m
son,
y
ou
’r
e
sca
ri
ng
t
he he
l
l
out
of
m
e.”

S
he
w
as
a
s
tr
ong
w
o
m
an;
she
had
t
o be
w
it
h her
j
ob.
S
he
d
i
dn
’
t
c
r
y o
ft
en,
but
ri
g
ht
about
no
w
, she
j
ust
d
i
dn
’
t
k
now
w
hat
t
o
t
h
i
n
k
!
S
he
w
as
sca
r
ed.
A
nd not
j
ust
a
littl
e b
it
.

A
nd
w
hat
about
C
i
sco?
My
G
od,
j
ust
t
his
a
ft
e
r
noon she
hadn
’
t
been
ab
l
e
t
o
sha
k
e
t
hat
na
gg
i
ng
f
ee
li
ng
t
hat so
m
e
t
h
i
ng  
w
asn
’
t 
qu
it
e 
ri
g
ht 
about 
t
he 
s
it
ua
ti
on. 
T
he co
m
p
l
e
t
e
o
v
e
r
n
i
g
ht
t
u
r
na
r
ound
of
a
dog
t
hat
s
k
i
nn
y
,
t
hat
s
i
ck and
m
an
g
y
and
appa
r
en
tl
y
r
ab
i
d?
A
nd
now
t
h
i
s.
A
cat
w
ho had
been
nea
rl
y
b
r
o
k
en
i
n
ha
l
f
h
i
t
by
t
he
ca
r
,
w
ho
l
ay
d
y
i
ng
j
ust
m
i
nu
t
es
a
g
o,
w
as
now
s
itti
ng up
and
ac
ti
ng
li
k
e
lif
e
w
as
a bo
w
l
of
c
r
ea
m
!
S
he
w
as
a
m
ed
i
cal
p
r
o
f
ess
i
o
n
a
l
,
and
t
he
r
e see
m
ed
t
o be no sc
i
en
tifi
c exp
l
ana
ti
on
f
or
such
t
h
i
n
g
s.
T
he
r
e
w
as
ho
w
e
v
e
r
,
one
co
mm
on
deno
m
i
na
t
or
i
n
bo
t
h
cases…and h
i
s
na
m
e
w
as
S
a
m
son.