Blood From a Stone (199 page)

H
e
w
ande
r
ed
o
v
er
t
o
t
he
couch
and
pu
l
led
her phone out
fr
om under
it
,
and
put
i
t
i
n
h
i
s
poc
k
e
t
.
H
e
w
o
ul
d
g
i
v
e
i
t
t
o her
a
ft
er
he
t
o
l
d he
r
.

H
e
w
as
j
o
lt
ed
out
of
h
i
s
t
hou
g
h
t
s
as
h
er
k
it
chen phone be
g
an
t
o
ri
n
g
. W
it
hout
t
h
i
n
k
i
ng
he p
i
c
k
ed
i
t
up.

“
H
e
ll
o?”

“
H
e
y
!
”
I
t
w
as
S
asha,
not
sound
i
ng
a
l
l
su
r
p
ri
sed
t
o hear
h
i
s
v
o
i
ce
on
t
he o
t
her
end of
t
he
li
ne. “Whe
re’
s
W
i
l
l
o
w
. I ha
v
e so
m
e
g
ood ne
w
s
f
or
he
r
!
”

H
e
hes
it
a
t
ed
f
or
second.
“
S
he
’
s…
i
n
t
he sho
w
e
r
. Wha
t’
s
g
o
i
ng
on?”
B
ut
he a
lr
eady
k
ne
w
, of
cou
r
se.

“
T
he
littl
e
boy
t
hat
w
as
h
i
t
by
t
he
c
a
r
on
h
i
s
b
i
k
e
w
o
k
e
up
t
h
i
s
m
o
r
n
i
ng
and
it’
s
li
k
e
t
he
r
e
’
s
no
t
h
i
ng
w
r
ong
w
it
h h
i
m
.
N
o
one
can
fi
g
u
r
e
i
t
ou
t
.
T
hey d
i
d
so
m
e
t
es
t
s
and he
’
s
nor
m
a
l
.”

“Wo
w
,”
he
sa
i
d
tr
y
i
ng
t
o
sound
su
r
p
ri
sed.
“I
k
now she
’l
l
be
r
ea
ll
y
g
l
ad
t
o
hear
t
ha
t
.”
A
nd
he
k
new
s
h
e
w
ou
l
d be…once she
g
ot
o
v
er
her
an
g
e
r
.
O
r
at
l
east
he hoped.

“We
ll
,
li
s
t
en…
I
’l
l
t
e
l
l
her
w
hen she
g
e
t
s
out
of
t
he ba
t
h
r
oo
m
.
We
a
r
e
j
ust
g
e
tti
ng
r
eady
t
o
l
ea
v
e
and
g
o
ha
v
e so
m
e 
b
r
ea
k
f
as
t
.
I
‘l
l
ha
v
e
her
ca
l
l
y
ou.
T
a
l
k
t
o
y
o
u
soon.”
T
hat
sounded
p
l
aus
i
b
l
e
enou
g
h,
and
w
ou
l
d
buy
h
i
m
th
e
ti
m
e
t
o
tr
y
t
o
t
e
l
l
her
t
he
tr
u
t
h
o
v
er
b
r
ea
k
f
ast
so
at
l
east
she
’
d
hear
i
t
fr
om
h
i
m
fir
s
t
.

H
e
hung up
t
he
phone
j
ust
i
n
ti
m
e
be
f
o
r
e
she
e
m
e
r
g
ed
fr
om
t
he ha
ll
w
a
y
.

“Who
w
as
t
ha
t
?”
H
er
b
r
o
w
s
k
n
i
t
t
o
g
e
t
h
e
r
.

“
I
t
w
as
S
asha.”

“
O
h,
G
od.
I hope
t
hat
littl
e
boy
i
s
a
l
ri
g
h
t
?”
S
he
sat do
w
n ha
r
d on
t
he ed
g
e of
t
he o
tt
o
m
an.