Blood From a Stone (192 page)

T
he
dog
j
u
m
ped
up
on
h
i
s
h
i
nd
l
e
g
s,
pu
tti
ng h
i
s
pa
w
s on
S
a
m
son
’
s
shou
l
de
r
s
and
s
m
o
t
he
ri
ng
h
i
m
i
n
w
et
’
k
i
sses
’
.
S
a
m
son
s
m
il
ed
and
g
en
tl
y
put
h
i
m do
w
n
t
o
t
he
fl
oo
r
,
pa
tti
ng h
i
s
l
a
r
g
e
t
a
w
ny
head.

“
C
o
m
e
on,
budd
y
.
L
e
t’
s
g
et
y
ou
ou
t
s
i
de.”
H
e
w
a
l
k
ed
C
i
sco
t
o
t
he
back
doo
r
,
and
t
he
dog bounded
ou
t
s
i
de
i
n
t
o
t
he
fr
ee
z
i
ng
m
o
r
n
i
ng a
ir
,
r
e
t
u
r
n
i
ng a
f
ew
m
i
nu
t
es
l
a
t
er
a
ft
er
d
o
i
ng h
i
s
bus
i
ness.
S
a
m
son s
li
d
t
he door open and
C
i
sco ca
m
e back
i
n
and
p
l
un
k
ed
h
i
m
se
l
f
do
w
n
on
a
b
l
an
k
et
l
y
i
ng next
t
o
t
he o
t
t
o
m
an
i
n
t
he
li
v
i
ng 
r
oo
m
.
S
a
m
son
pa
tt
ed
h
i
s
head
and headed 
back 
t
o 
t
he 
bed
r
oom  
w
he
r
e 
W
ill
ow 
w
as 
s
til
l peace
f
u
ll
y
s
l
eep
i
n
g
.

H
e
l
oo
k
ed
o
v
er
at
t
he
c
l
oc
k
.
I
t
w
as
al
m
ost
7a
m
.
F
r
om
w
hat
he
cou
l
d
t
e
ll
,
she
usua
ll
y
w
ent
i
n
to work in
t
he
a
ft
e
r
noons,
and he
w
onde
r
ed
i
f
t
hat
w
as
w
hat
ti
m
e
she
’
d
be
g
o
i
ng
i
n
t
oda
y
…and
soon
t
he
r
ea
ft
e
r
,
fi
nd
i
ng  out
about
h
i
m
h
e
a
l
i
ng
littl
e
D
a
v
i
d.
A
nd
probably
t
e
lli
ng
h
i
m
t
o
g
et
out
of
her
lif
e
f
o
r
e
v
e
r
.

H
e
saw
her
ce
l
l
phone
l
a
y
i
ng on
t
he c
o
un
t
er
and
w
a
l
k
ed
o
v
er
t
o
see
a
new
t
ext
m
essa
g
e
on
t
he
sc
r
een
t
hat
r
ead, “
C
a
l
l
m
e,
ASA
P
!
I
t’
s
about
t
he
littl
e bo
y
.
H
e
’
s had a BIG
t
u
r
n a
r
ound!
”

H
e
s
i
g
hed
hea
v
il
y
,
w
i
sh
i
ng
t
he
r
e
w
as
so
m
e
w
ay he cou
l
d
k
eep
her
t
he
r
e
w
it
h
h
i
m a
l
l
da
y
.
H
e
p
i
c
k
ed
up
her
ce
l
l and
l
oo
k
ed
a
r
ound
f
or
a
p
l
ace
t
o
put
i
t
t
hat
w
ou
l
d
l
ook as
t
hou
g
h
she
’
d
j
ust
acc
i
den
t
a
ll
y
w
a
l
k
ed
i
n
l
ast
n
i
g
ht
and
m
i
s
p
l
aced
it
.
H
e
k
new
i
t
w
as
on
l
y
p
r
o
l
on
g
i
ng
t
he
in
e
v
it
ab
l
e, but
he
’
d
t
a
k
e
w
ha
t
e
v
er
s
m
a
l
l
r
ep
ri
e
v
e
he
cou
l
d
g
et
f
or
no
w
.
H
e
m
ade
su
r
e
t
he
ri
n
g
er
w
as
t
u
r
ned o
f
f
and
t
uc
k
ed
t
he phone under
one
co
r
ner
of
t
he
couch,
fi
g
u
ri
ng
she
’
d
t
h
i
nk
C
i
s
co
k
noc
k
ed
i
t
o
f
f
t
he
co
ff
ee
t
ab
l
e
and
i
t
had
s
li
d
t
h
er
e
by acc
i
den
t
.