Blood From a Stone (182 page)

H
e s
i
g
hed, a
m
a
z
ed and con
f
used
t
o d
i
sco
v
er
t
ha
t
, no
m
a
tt
er
t
he
consequences,
he
’
d
done
w
hat
he
k
new
he
had
t
o do,
and
i
f
he
ne
v
er
saw
her
a
g
a
i
n,
at
l
east
t
he
l
a
s
t
t
h
i
ng he
’
d
k
now
be
f
o
r
e
he
s
li
pped 
i
n
t
o 
t
he  co
l
d  s
l
u
m
ber
t
hat
w
ou
l
d co
m
e,
w
as
t
hat
he
’
d sa
v
ed
t
hat
ch
il
d…
H
a
r
o
l
d…
m
a
y
be
s
o
m
e o
t
he
r
s
be
f
o
r
e
i
t
t
ook
h
i
m
.
A
nd
w
hen
he
w
o
k
e,
he
’
d
k
now
t
hat
t
he
i
m
po
rt
ance of
t
hose a
c
ti
ons
ou
t
w
e
i
g
hed h
i
s
o
w
n
f
ee
li
n
g
s.

H
e
f
e
l
t
a
ch
il
l
on
t
he
back of
h
i
s
ne
c
k and
nea
rl
y
j
u
m
ped
i
n h
i
s
sea
t
, s
l
a
mm
i
ng
on h
i
s b
r
a
k
es
and
t
u
r
n
i
ng
a
r
ound
t
o
see
i
f
A
d
ri
e
ll
e,
w
as
beh
i
nd
h
i
m
.
N
o s
i
g
n of
her
a
n
y
w
he
r
e.
B
ut
her
w
o
r
ds,
and
Max
i
m
us
’
s
s
til
l
r
ang
i
n
h
i
s
head.
C
ho
i
ces
i
ndeed.

I
ns
t
ead 
of 
r
ound
i
ng  
t
he 
co
r
ner 
and 
head
i
ng  
t
o
C
h
i
co
’
s,
as
i
f
t
he car had a
m
i
nd of
it
s o
w
n, he
f
ound h
i
m
se
l
f d
ri
v
i
ng
m
i
nd
l
ess
l
y back
t
o
w
a
r
ds
W
i
ns
t
on
T
e
rr
ace.
H
e
pu
ll
ed
i
n
t
o 
t
he  d
ri
v
e
w
a
y
, 
g
ot
out
and  headed  up 
t
he  d
ri
v
e
w
ay
t
o
w
a
r
ds
W
ill
o
w
‘
s
fr
ont
doo
r
.
S
he
w
as
p
r
obab
l
y sound
as
l
eep by
no
w
,
and
be
f
o
r
e
he
k
noc
k
ed
he
s
t
opped
h
i
m
se
lf
,
p
l
ac
i
ng h
i
s
hand
a
g
a
i
nst
t
he
door
and
r
es
ti
ng h
i
s
f
o
r
ehead
a
g
a
i
nst
t
he s
m
oo
t
h,
da
r
k  su
rf
ace.
S
hou
l
d
he
j
ust
t
u
r
n
a
r
ound
and
g
o ho
m
e?
N
ow
w
as
t
he
m
o
m
ent
of
tr
u
t
h.

H
e
’
d
a
lr
eady
done
a
deed
t
hat
cou
l
d
v
e
r
y
w
e
l
l
cause her
t
o
ha
t
e
h
i
m
f
o
r
e
v
er
i
n  sa
v
i
ng
littl
e
D
a
v
i
d,
a
f
t
er
she
‘
d exp
li
c
itl
y
f
o
r
b
i
d
it
.
A
nd
s
i
nce
i
t
w
as
s
til
l
a
v
e
r
y 
r
eal poss
i
b
ilit
y
t
hat
he
’
d
ne
v
er
fi
nd
t
he
cu
r
e
f
or
t
h
i
s
cu
r
se
of
h
i
s,
t
he
r
e
w
as
no be
tt
er
ti
m
e
t
o
w
a
l
k
a
w
ay
t
han no
w
.
B
e
f
o
r
e he d
i
d so
m
e
t
h
i
ng s
t
up
i
d
t
hat
w
ou
l
d
chan
g
e
t
h
i
n
g
s
be
t
w
een
t
hem
f
o
r
e
v
e
r
….and
chan
g
e
h
i
m
f
o
r
e
v
e
r
.
H
i
s
m
i
nd
w
as
sc
r
e
a
m
i
ng
t
hat
he
shou
l
d
t
u
r
n
a
r
ound
now and
l
et
t
o
m
o
r
r
o
w
’
s
c
a
r
ds
f
a
l
l
w
he
r
e
t
hey
m
a
y
,
but
h
i
s
hea
r
t
m
ade
h
i
s
f
eet
as
m
o
t
i
on
l
ess and
lif
e
l
ess
as
w
hen he
w
as
a b
l
ock
of
s
t
one.